Heading towards the forest, a hundred meters away, there was a large clearing in the dense forest.
Although it was caused by villagers protected by goblins cutting down trees to build a fence, it also looked like a giant monster opening its mouth.
The group was making final confirmations at this time.
"We are about to enter the forest next, and my protection work will trouble everyone. Having said that, not far from entering the forest is the sphere of influence of the Forest Wise King. If it is the same as usual, the possibility of encountering other monsters is very low. The problem is yesterday The area where I met the ogre is also within the sphere of influence of the wise king of the forest, so I guess something might have happened in the forest."
Nfilia made a brief guess, and then said to everyone: "Although it is not something worth reporting to all adventurers, I still hope that everyone will be more vigilant. But... as long as Mr. Momo is here, there should be no problem."
He already knew that Momo was Ainz Ooal Gown. The man in front of him is not only a magician with profound knowledge in magic, but also a strong man who can wield a huge iron sword. He must have nothing to fear with him here.
[Sword of Darkness] and others also looked over.
"...If that monster named Forest Wise King appears, let us take the rear. You can escape first."
The Dark Warrior's confident speech made everyone marvel. And every time everyone exclaimed in admiration, Ainz felt something was wrong all over his body.
This is because I was not often praised by others in my past life. I really envy the proud attitude of Narberal next to me who readily accepts it.
The only pity is that Xiao Lin is still smiling.
Maybe in his opinion, the Forest Wise King is not something to be afraid of, but his slightly younger age and silly smile make people often ignore his existence.
Ainz said to everyone: "If you need to escape, can you please leave on the spot? The more powerful the monster of the Forest Wise King is, the more it needs to go all out. I don't want to involve everyone."
"I understand. Then we will be responsible for protecting Mr. Nfilia and escaping outside. Mr. Momo should not be too reluctant."
"Thank you. If I feel in danger, I will run away immediately." Hearing Peter's answer, Ainz nodded.
In terms of cherishing life and being steady, he is the number one player in the Great Tomb Supreme. If he encounters an enemy that he cannot deal with, he will definitely teleport back to the Great Tomb.
At this time, Nfilia stepped forward.
The young man seemed hesitant to speak, but then he made up his mind and said, "Mr. Momo, can you not kill the wise king of the forest, but just drive it away?"
"……why is that?"
"Because the Forest Wise King's sphere of influence is nearby, Karn Village can be protected from the intrusion of monsters. If the Forest Wise King is defeated..."
"I see, I understand."
Momo nodded.
They could survive safely after being protected by the other party. Due to emotions and reasons, they should not kill the wise king of the forest.
Otherwise, if you get enough strength and kill it with a backhand, you will always feel guilty. Moreover, without the Forest Sage King in the future, Karn Village is likely to be infested by monsters.
"But this is a bit difficult." Lukeroot said: "Even if Mr. Momo is very strong, the opponent is a legendary monster. If you don't go all out, you will not be able to protect yourself. How can you have any spare strength..."
"I see."
"Aha?"
"It may be difficult, but I will try to be lenient and just drive it away."
Ainz's confident speech shocked everyone, but also made them feel creepy. Even if the opponent is a monster that is said to have lived for hundreds of years, are you not afraid at all?
"Just because he is a strong person..."
"Judging from Mr. Momo's character, he probably isn't bragging or pretentious."
"Is this the domain of the strong?"
[Sword of Darkness] Everyone was completely convinced.
Enfilia took out the sample from the herb collection bag and said, "Okay! Without further ado, the herbs I want to collect this time look like this. If you find it, please tell me."
"Ah, it's Engelak grass."
"Engrak grass?"
To Ainz, the plant was no different from the nearby weeds, but in the eyes of the forest priest Dyne and Xiao Lin, it seemed completely different, and they immediately named the plant.
Reacting to this name, Lukerut and Nina nodded in agreement. They must have knowledge about plants and have an impression of this name.
Just as he was hesitating whether he should pretend to know, everyone's eyes were focused on Ainz's face.
"Mr. Momo, is it okay?"
"Huh? Ah, I know that plant."
Ainz nodded calmly.
If it weren't for the mental state of the undead, his voice might become high-pitched due to the wavering, but his expression would not be seen due to the helmet, and his heart would not be penetrated.
Ainz was protected by layers of copper and iron walls. His attitude could be said to be majestic, but his heart was a different matter.
Xiao Lin sniffed it.
"This is a medicinal material that is often used in healing potions made from medicinal herbs. Judging from the appearance, it is about 6 months old. Due to proper preservation techniques, the current potency of the medicine is probably a little more than 90%."
"...It's a shame that Mr. Kobayashi knows this. Sometimes I wonder why you are not a pharmacist. No, it is precisely because you are not a pharmacist that I feel sad."
Nfilia spoke highly of Kobayashi.
The two of them talked a lot along the way, and he had never heard of a lot of novel knowledge. Under Xiao Lin's guidance, the pharmacist's door seemed to be open to him, so he admired and respected Xiao Lin very much.
To be honest, although there was no confirmation, he already regarded Xiaolin and Momo as strong men in the same field.
The topic then returned to commissions.
"There is a square in the forest. I plan to target there. I have told Mr. Lukrut about that place in advance. Please lead the way."
"give it to me."
The blond man who acted as the scout's ears and ears once again wiped away his frivolity and showed serious and determined eyes.
He switches between work and life very quickly.
"Then, let's collect..."
"I have a suggestion."
Nfilia's words were interrupted.
"Please, Mr. Momo."
"Because Nabe can cast alarm magic similar to that used when setting up camp, can we split up temporarily after arriving at the destination?"
Everyone, including Nfilia, frowned. This was because the strongest combat force wanted to leave in a dangerous place, so they felt a little uneasy.
However, Nfilia agreed.
"By the way, I would like to ask Mr. Nina, is there any magic that can search for each other's location when we are scattered in the forest? It would be very convenient if there is."
"I've never heard of that kind of magic. It would be really convenient if it existed."
Hearing the negative, Ainz nodded.
In the sixth level of magic, there is magic that can detect specific objects. I don’t know if he lacks knowledge in this area, or is it just like this world has its own unique magic, YGGDRASIL also has magic that is not found in this world?
"Then Mr. Momo and Miss Nabe will leave for a while, and they will collect it after they come back."
Since it was the client's decision, no one had any objections. After concluding the proposal, the group picked up their bags and stepped into the forest.
The land near the trees cut down by the villagers had dried up, and it felt like an easy-to-walk forest, but the scene in front of them gradually turned into a world like a green maze.
In the forest without any identifying coordinates, he couldn't even judge the direction he was heading, and he felt helpless and uneasy, as if he was being swallowed up. The big tree that stretches straight into the sky adds to the uneasiness, which makes most people feel timid.
However, Ainz, who had an immortal spirit and could not feel horror except for residual human emotions, calmly admired the majestic scene created by nature.
Xiao Lin kept making signs at the back.
Although they have excellent scouts who act as eyes and ears, adventurers never put their eggs in one basket. If they are separated in danger, they can rely on the mark to escape smoothly, so Peter and others did not stop them after they discovered it.
There seemed to be no signs of animals in the forest, and it was quite quiet. Apart from the chirping of birds coming from far, far away, I couldn't feel any living things at all.
In fact, someone is hiding behind it.
Seeing that even Krillin didn't notice, Ainz felt proud of the person who was quietly following behind.
Wrapped in nervousness, the group of people walked silently in the unexpectedly cool forest where the sun didn't shine in. Because of the difficult walking and the mental pressure, a lot of sweat broke out on the group's foreheads.
Finally they arrived at their destination.
An open square about fifty meters in diameter. The surrounding trees showed signs of being cut down. It seemed to be a specially reserved space.
"right here."
Nfilia put down his luggage and said, "This is the planned location. Let's start collecting from here."
After hearing what he said, everyone took action. Of course, this does not mean that they will relax, but they still maintain a mentality that can deal with emergencies immediately and pay careful attention to their surroundings, because this is an inhuman world.
"Then just do what we just said."
After answering Nfilia, Ainz tied the rope to a nearby tree, pulled it up and walked into the forest.
Although the rope in my hand is not thick, it is very tough and will not break easily just by friction on the ground. Ainz and Narberal, holding the rope, moved as straight as possible through the forest.
Generally speaking, even if you want to walk in a straight line, you will be blocked by trees, making it almost impossible. But the rope in their hands will indicate the route, so the two people who are not used to the forest can only go straight until the rope is almost used up.
"It should be fine here."
"yes."
"Let's discuss how to improve my reputation here."
"... So may I ask, what are you going to do? Find a lot of the herbs they need?"
"No, I plan to fight the wise king of the forest."
? ? ?
Narberal didn't seem to understand why Ainz did what he did, so he explained to her: "My purpose is to let them see my power in an easy-to-understand way. Defeating ogres and goblins is not enough. , the Forest Wise King is far superior to those miscellaneous fish in terms of news dissemination speed and reputation, so he needs to put on a wonderful show."
"So that's it! You are truly worthy of Ainz-sama! What a seamless plan! But how can we find the wise king of the forest?"
"I've already planned it."
Narberal was about to ask, but was interrupted by a third person's voice.
"Yes! That's why I'm here!"
The sudden voice made Narberal tense up, and she even wanted to activate magic, but when she saw the person coming, she immediately changed into a completely different calm expression.
"Lord Aura, please don't scare me."
"Sorry sorry."
The person who appeared from behind the trees was the dark elf girl with a smile on her face. One of the twin guardians on the sixth floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Aura Bella Fiora.
"When did you come here?"
"When Ainz-sama and you entered the forest."
Aura is a beast trainer and a scout, and stalking her in the forest is a common occurrence. Although Lukerut is also a scout, their abilities are too far apart to detect Aura who is following her.
"So all I have to do, as I was brought here, is to find this monster, the Wise King of the Forest, and instigate it to attack Lord Ainz."
"That's right. According to the information we received before, the Forest Wise King is a four-legged beast with silver-white body hair and a snake-like tail... Can you think of what it is?"
"Ah, it's probably that guy."
Aura glanced back.
Then, she said: "If that's the case, do you want me to tame it directly?"
"That's a way, but no need."
If it were the beast tamer Aura, he should be able to easily tame the wise king of the forest. However, it would be troublesome if someone accidentally knew that it was self-directed and acted, so it would be wise to eliminate these problems from the beginning.
"By the way, Aura, to what extent is the progress of what I ordered you to do?"
"yes!"
Aura quickly knelt down and responded with the courtesy of a courtier. Although it didn't feel like Aura's style, Ainz still cooperated and listened to the report as a master.
"The order given by Lord Ainz is to explore and master the interior of the great forest, to confirm whether there are any creatures willing to submit to Nazarick, and to set up a supply warehouse. It is progressing smoothly."
"That's it."
Ainz simply responded.
Before going to [E-Rantel], he had issued different orders to various guardians, and the reason for ordering Aura and Mare to explore the great forest was to ensure the safety of Nazarick and collect intelligence.
As for setting up a material warehouse, it would be more correct to say that it is more correct to set up a shelter. The purpose is to use it as a hiding place if there is an emergency and cannot return to the tomb. Of course, it can also be used as a substitute in the event of exposure.
"It will take a long time to build material warehouses."
"Because I've only been here not long after I gave you the order. It doesn't matter if you spend more time. Try to be as perfect as possible. At the same time, make adequate defenses so that you won't fall easily when attacked."
"Yes, obey!"
Aura bowed her head and accepted the order.
Just when she thought she was going to look for the wise king of the forest, she heard the Supreme Being above her head solemnly speaking in an extremely serious tone:
"Aura, I need you to convey it to Demiurge and ask him to find out all the information about this person as soon as possible! Not only his origin, but also all his activities, even if he has a deep relationship with someone, he must find out! In addition, he must find out all the information about this person! , this process must not be discovered! And... if necessary, special means are allowed to be used!"
"Yes, obey!"
Aura carefully imprinted the human beings drawn by Ainz with magic power into her mind without questioning why the Supreme Being did this. However, Narberal behind Ainz showed a surprised look.
Because this person is Xiao Lin!
(End of chapter)
