There were quite a few dark elves in the clearing. Possibly everyone but the children.
They always gathered here for meetings.
But this clearing was not on the ground. It was like a tray suspended in the air, attached to the bridges between trees. That hardly seemed ideal if it was raining, but there was nowhere else to meet. No elf tree could handle this crowd. Possibly there were smaller meetings that took place in some elf tree or another, but now was not the time to ask.
Ainz had joined the meeting as an adviser.
This was the last role he wanted to play.
He preferred to avoid anything resembling responsibility. He wasn’t getting paid a consulting fee, so why would he be happy?
He’d have preferred to join in as an observer, but they’d wanted an adviser instead. Ainz was interested enough in the content of this meeting to fret about it for a long, long, long moment and finally nod.
He was primarily interested in the outcome. Knowing that would make all the difference.
It might also be helpful to know who’d been for and against certain proposals. And what the mood of the discussion had been. The things you couldn’t learn from the meeting minutes…or by hearing about it secondhand.
Even if the village reached a consensus, there might be those nursing resentment or who were just plain unconvinced. Ainz hadn’t decided what they’d do with this village in the future, but it couldn’t hurt to dispose of those who wouldn’t benefit Nazarick and take in those who would.
Perhaps Albedo or Demiurge could have joined the meeting surreptitiously, but Ainz was better off just inviting himself along.
Glancing around the crowd, he found himself remembering his days in Ainz Ooal Gown. Faces hadn’t moved in that virtual world, but during meetings, you’d sensed things anyway.
But that didn’t change anything. The guild had decided things through majority vote, so it didn’t really matter if you could pick up on a vibe. Here, it did.
This might be a better position than I thought. If I depart midway, leaving the decision to them, I can avoid taking the blame. And I don’t have many chances to attend meetings where I’m only moderately influential.
Honestly, he didn’t really get meetings. He’d been in his share of them. Satoru Suzuki had been an office drone. Few companies could avoid having meetings entirely. But those he’d joined had been all things he’d had no vote in. Meetings designed to pass down what the higher-ups had already set in stone. He’d just warmed a seat.
But once in this world?
Meetings in the Great Tomb of Nazarick were pure hell.
He was their ruler, and no matter how wrong he was, they took his word as gospel. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes. But his guardians believed he was their absolute ruler, a genius capable of plotting everything out to perfection—and constantly asked for his views on things. The resulting pressure steadily ate away at him.
But here, nobody’s deferring to an absolute ruler. Maybe I’ll actually learn something about meetings. Nazarick ones just end with a plan of action based on whatever I suggest.
He wasn’t sure what he could get out of it or even what he wanted. Perhaps just a broader perspective.
At last, the elders arrived.
They stood at the center, with the dark elves assembled in a semicircle around them. Ainz was off to the side of the elder zone.
Hmm, I might have messed this up. I ended up spending so much time at my temp master’s place that I don’t really know who’s who.
He’d said hi to plenty of villagers whose names eluded him.
Ainz had made a point of trying to learn about the village leaders. But that had not extended to a solid grasp of who they surrounded themselves with.
He considered that a lost cause. No matter how hard he tried to make friends, he hadn’t been here long enough for anyone to really open up.
Grown-ups…all have baggage. I hope the kids aren’t the same.
From what little he did know, the standing arrangements were not particularly significant. Friends, family—people just stood with those they were close to.
Wishing they wore name tags, Ainz settled for making his facial illusion look grave and waited for the meeting to begin.
“Let’s get started,” one of the elders said—the younger man. “I’m sure everyone’s heard already. But in the interest of accuracy, let me explain again. A messenger from the elf king arrived today. He said a human country to the north is advancing on the elf capital. Yes—”
Lots of people looked at Ainz here.
Likely thinking the same thing as the man who’d come by the apothecary. Should he deny it immediately? Letting confusion fester was not good.
“Sorry,” Ainz said, raising a hand. There was no such rule, but he was interrupting an elder here. Best to look mindful of that. “Just to be clear, this is not the country I’m from. The invading country is exclusively human—a single-race country that regularly enslaves elves.”
That word sure got a hostile reaction. But he also heard a number of meaningless whispers. “Elves,” or “I knew that.” Didn’t seem like they discouraged chatter much.
“Like I said before, the place where I live has all sort of races in it. There are laws forbidding the residents from fighting or attacking one another. Uh, no one race gets targeted by others. There’s not much crime, but…well, there’s always some. Walking somewhere dangerous alone…I can’t say it’s entirely risk-free. Sorry, I’m getting off topic.”
Ainz bobbed his head to the elders, and they returned the favor.
“So to fight these invaders, they’ve requested that the dark elves muster soldiers.”
“It wasn’t a request,” a younger man said, scowling. “It was an order.”
Several grunts of agreement rang out.
The elders made no attempt to stop this. They likely felt much the same.
“We called this meeting to discuss what we should do. Once we reach a conclusion here, we’ll consult the other villages, too. In other words, our decision may not become the decision of all dark elves. We can take our thoughts to the other villages, but they may not accept our proposal and may not reach any conclusion at all.”
Another elder took over here.
“I’d wager that’s actually very likely. We all know one another here, but even we struggle to reach a consensus.” At this point, he glanced at Ainz. “It’s not necessarily bad that opinions are divided. Just try not to get caught up in your own point of view. Listen to what others have to say and examine their perspectives. Be aware that you must make your choice while taking into account everyone else’s circumstances.”
Ainz had been a guild master, and he had some doubts about this approach.
Should a leader really be letting conflicts fester and encouraging everyone to go their own ways?
If people went against the guild’s decision for selfish reasons, then there was no point in forming a guild in the first place. Their strength lay in unity. Divided, they could be taken out one at a time.
But Ainz left this unsaid.
It was not the time for an outsider to impose their ideology. How would he feel if their positions were reversed?
And the woods were a dangerous place. Perhaps that had led to them prioritizing self-determination.