Ainz and Mare were heading toward the dark elf village on foot.
Instead of his usual gear, Mare was wearing clothes Ainz had provided that made him look like a boy. These matched the set that Aura was currently wearing, and there were no data crystals in them—so no magical properties. They were just for looks.
In this world, equipment sizes auto-adjusted only if the equipment itself was magical. Still, this outfit was from Yggdrasil and fit Mare to a T. At the same time, it provided far less defense than he was accustomed to, and he would have to be careful in combat.
Initially, Ainz had planned for the twins to wear something else.
They’d told him BubblingTeapot had prepared all kinds of gear for them besides what they typically wore.
But when he’d asked if any of these outfits were suited for this place and purpose—in other words, if they could disguise their true identities and abilities—both were forced to shake their heads. Almost all their alternate costumes, like Aura’s mascot armor or Mare’s dress armor, seemed excessively decorative to Ainz, so he dug up something more ordinary for them.
Ultimately, this was his operation, so it was only natural he provided the necessary supplies.
But the three of them weren’t dressed exactly alike. Ainz and Mare differed from Aura in one noticeable way.
Specifically, the lower half of their faces were covered in cloth, like a mask. Their heads were covered as well, down to the brows, leaving only their eyes exposed.
This might have been a little warm for Mare, but he’d have to put up with it—the mask was a necessary part of Ainz’s disguise.
Aura was waiting for them at the village entrance…or at least that’s what it seemed like. There was no clear demarcation. She hadn’t spotted them on the approach or been in the area by chance—he’d sent a Message and asked her to meet them here.
She was accompanied by her devotees. Elves spent most of their lives in the trees, so it was rare for them to descend to the ground like this. Even close to the village, the surface was dangerous. The fact that they had come anyway was a clear sign they trusted her strength, or simply wanted to be with the object of their faith.
The rest of the dark elves were watching from above, on a bridge among the trees. Though the whispers were audible, it was too far for him to hear. Still, it was safe to assume the newcomers were the topic on everyone’s lips.
“U-Uncle! Mare!” Aura called. She acted a bit embarrassed but made sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
She waved, and Ainz responded with a smile.
Ainz thought the stutter was unnecessary, but Aura might take it to heart if he cracked a joke about it.
“Oh, Aura! We made it!”
Ainz made his voice sound cheery. He unshouldered his baggage and set it down, waving her over. Then he patted the back of the boy next to him.
“R-right!” Mare said, waving. He whispered Aura’s name, too, but not loud enough for anyone to hear.
Of course, volume was not a major concern. The primary goal was to ensure everyone knew Aura’s uncle and brother had arrived. They looked like family even without all the waving, but it didn’t hurt to drive the point home.
The dark elves watched over them in silence as Ainz approached her.
“Um, so. Let me show you around, U-Uncle.”
Aura’s smile was a bit strained. Half at a loss, half nervous. Ainz smiled, feeling like this new side of her was extra cute. He fought off the urge to rub her head—but that emotion quickly ebbed away.
“I… Mm.”
His voice had sounded a mite too indifferent, so he cleared his throat and tried again.
“I must thank the villagers for their hospitality. Tell me, Aura, have they provided you a place to stay?”
Aura nodded.
“Then why don’t you take Mare there? I’ll be along shortly.”
“Yes, si— Sorry, I mean, um. Sure?”
They were playing it like she was his niece.
There had actually been a long conversation about whether he was BubblingTeapot’s older or younger brother, and if the latter, whether he was older or younger than Peroroncino. They’d concluded he was younger than both.
This required a bit of a performance on Aura’s part, but she still seemed unsure how to act around him. Since he’d sent her in ahead, she hadn’t had time to adjust to the role. It must have been a challenge figuring out how her character talked.
“Ha-ha-ha! Go, Aura, take Mare with you. It wasn’t an especially long journey, but he could use the rest.”
“R-right! Understood!”
Aura must have come to some sort of resolution, because she responded with enthusiasm. Perhaps a bit forced still.
The twins took their leave, and Ainz watched them go for a moment before turning to the dark elves nearby.
There were quite a few of them.
The elders were not among them, but a good half of the village was present. A few children stood among them. Aura’s good deeds helped ensure there was no hostility or suspicion. But they were certainly studying him quite intently, trying to determine what kind of man this stranger was.
Especially Aura’s devotees.
That was unexpected.
Though he ostensibly had the duty of escorting Mare, he was still the sort of uncle who’d send a child out ahead. That would certainly make anyone with common sense give him a good hard look.
So if these looks of suspicion had come from ordinary elves rather than Aura’s followers, Ainz wouldn’t have given it a second thought.
But these people were different.
Aura’s followers believed skill trumped age and experience. They seemed more likely to agree with the logic of sending a supremely talented ranger out ahead.
Which meant…
There must be another reason.
Ainz pondered this for a moment and found a likely explanation. Oh, perhaps they’re worrying some idiot grown-up is exploiting her exceptional abilities. That would explain it. Hmm. They’re not entirely wrong, which is galling. Oh, I’d better get started.
There were many eyes on him now. It would be a bad idea to waste more of their time. He couldn’t afford to let their curiosity fade.
It’s been a while.
Ainz felt a bit tense. He wondered if lecturing professors or stage actors ever got used to this sea of stares. He had his remarks prepared and sold that with a cheery tone, speaking to the audience in the trees above.
“First”
Ainz removed the cloth covering his mouth, showing them the features beneath.
He smiled, then covered himself up again.
“I’m afraid my tribe’s beliefs require males to keep their faces hidden. Even if this village—or your people—find that rude, I ask that you keep an open mind.”
No one sounded particularly offended. His attire had been deemed acceptable.
This was all a lie, of course.
Ainz was wearing a rubber mask and had cast an illusion on top of that to fabricate a face, much like he did as Momon. However, the illusion was not a particularly good one, and under close observation, a ranger’s heightened perception might see through it. To avoid that, he was minimizing facial exposure.
He hoped his eyes alone would not be enough to reveal the deception.
“A pleasure to meet you all. You’ve already met my niece, Aura—and you may have heard my name from her. I’m Ain Bell Fior.”
The three of them had put their heads together to come up with this pseudonym. The final product was almost entirely the twins’ creation.
“I have brought a few small gifts. Is there a table I can borrow?”
A tree nearby began to writhe, and a plank wide enough to unpack his things grew out. Someone in the crowd had cast a spell.
“Thank you,” Ainz said, moving his baggage from the ground to the table. “I can’t guarantee you’ll like these, but I do hope you’ll accept them.”
Ainz had spent quite a lot of time thinking about what gifts to bring.
Remembering how much the elves in Nazarick had enjoyed the food, he’d initially considered seasonings—perhaps salt. Even Ainz knew salt was vital to good cooking.
His initial plan was to bring a lump of rock salt. Then he realized that just because humans needed salt didn’t mean dark elves necessarily did.
Even if they did, perhaps they could get by with a lot less salt than humans. In which case, the gift might not be appreciated.
From what Ainz had seen during his stealthy observations, no one in this village was using anything resembling salt when they cooked. He’d also never seen them making anything resembling preserved meats. Likely because they had magic that could prevent rotting.
He had wondered if it was simply a rare resource and used sparingly, but that didn’t appear to be the case.
Even with Perfect Unknowable, he couldn’t exactly rifle through the larder looking for stores of salt.