Carne Village 3

"That is all I know!! Please!!! JUST KILL ME!!!"

"That should be all Sukuna."

"Understood Ainz-sama" Sukuna said, before chopping off the soldier's head.

'PHEW! Luckily that guy was a lot more agreeable. That previous guy kept going on and on about honour and all that shit. Of course, at first he was all "Do you know who I am" and "I'll give you money, so spare me" but a little coercion(torture) later he was cooperative.

"So a nation called theocracy is the one behind this attack, was it?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama. I believe that they were attacking the village to lure out a man called Gazef Stronoff."

"Yes. Sukuna, how does it strike you that I leave all your masters out of this and take the name as my own?

"I believe it is for the best, Ainz-sama."

"How so? You were a creation of all of us, were you not? Then how come you do not resent me taking this name selfishly?"

"I it precisely because I was created by all of you, that I believe this to be the best decision, Ainz-sama. Now that the others are no longer with us, you may very well be Ainz Ooal Gown itself."

"I see…I suppose one could see it that way. But that is enough of that."

"Yes, Ainz-sama. Shall we return to Nazarick?"

"Not yet, let us have a chat with the villagers."

Saying this, he moved towards the villagers.

Ainz stopped at a reasonable distance and addressed them in a kind, familiar tone.

"Okay, you're safe now. I hope you can relax."

"Wh-who...a-are you?" A man seeming to present himself as a representative of the villagers spoke without taking his eyes off the death knight.

"I saw that this village was being attacked, so I came to help."

"Wow..." Relieved murmurs went around the group, but Ainz could tell they were still uneasy.

Oh, well. I guess I'll change tactics. He took a tack he didn't particularly like. "Of course, it's not as if I did it for free. I'd like to get paid some amount times the number of lives I saved."

The villagers all looked at one another. The looks said they weren't sure they could come up with money, but Ainz could see that their scepticism was reduced somewhat. Saving people with the base aim of money made him less suspicious.

"I-in this state, I don't—"

Ainz cut him off by raising a hand. "Why don't we discuss that later. On my way here, I saved a pair of sisters. Give me a little time to bring them here." He would have to ask those two to keep their mouths shut. They'd seen him without the mask.

Ainz headed off at a leisurely pace without waiting for the villagers' reply, wondering if memory manipulation magic would work.

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[Some time later]

I was roaming around the village, checking it as Ainz had ordered me to. Well it was good to be somewhere that wasn't full of deadly traps and monsters.

I walked and took in the villagers crying over their loved ones. The knights had killed more than half of the villagers.

'To be honest, this is pretty pathetic. Imagine whining after being too weak to even do anything about it.'

As I was thinking about this, an eight edge assassin, one of Ainz personal bodyguards approached me.

"Sukuna-dono, we have arranged for a raiding party as Momonga-sama requested."

"Raiding party?"

"Yes. There are 400 minions under me ready to take this village. We are all led by Albedo-sama. She is asking for the signal to come through."

'What raid?! All we asked for was- oh for fucks sake!'

"It seems there has been a misunderstanding. The supreme one does not intend to take over this village. We merely asked for reinforcements in case the enemy proved too much to handle. Pick out an elite group and dismiss the rest. You are not to pass through until Ainz-sama messages you."

Anyways, after this little miscommunication, I wandered for a bit more until the sun started to set. I then saw the villagers burying the dead as Ainz looked over them.

I approached the group, and after a while Ainz said "Phew…all right. I've done what I came here to do. Sukuna, let's withdraw."

"Yes, my lord."

"…Do you hate humans?"

At this, my mouth suddenly spoke on its own."I do not care for them. If I wish to consume some, I do. If I see some eyesores, I'll kill them, if one comes to interest me, I might throw that one a bone. As long as it does not prove detrimental to Nazarick, their lives are not of worth. I view the pathetic way they cling to their life, despite their lack of strength, hilarious. Oh, but…there is one exception, a girl…" I said.

He replied to admonish her somewhat. "Hm, I understand how you feel, but please keep your composure and treat them kindly. It's important to put on the act."

He then moved towards the crowd of villagers, probably to bid them farewell. I followed, but when we got close, the looks on their faces were serious, but there was something off—they seemed nervous.

More trouble?

Ainz asked "Is something wrong, Mr. Headman?"

It was like a ray of heavenly light beamed across his face. "Oh, Lord Ainz! We have word that there are mounted knights heading toward the village."

"I see."

The headman looked nervously at Ainz. The villagers did the same.

He held up a hand to calm them. "Leave this to me. Gather all the villagers in

your house at once, then meet me in the square.

In a short while, the villagers assembled as Ainz had asked, and the knights approached.

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