Ainz remained silent for a moment.
You want to kill him?
"Right."
Higashino Makoto did not deny it, his tone as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.
He paused, tossed the book aside, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"A madman, sitting on a throne, gambling with the future of his entire race to prove something that doesn't even need proving—'The Forest Elf Kingdom are the superior race.' I hate madmen."
Higashino Makoto didn't say anything about how heinous the other party's crimes were or how they deserved to die.
He simply said "I hate it," and so he prepared to kill the king of a country.
Ainz remained silent.
He simply stared at Higashino Makoto, at the rare, surging disgust in those dark eyes.
"Higashino."
"Um?"
"Didn't you say you had no obligation to save anyone?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
Then he laughed, a laugh tinged with a barely perceptible, condescending arrogance.
"Yes, I have no obligation. But Elf Kingdom and humans both belong to the human race. To me, it's like flowers in Garden competing for nutrients—if one flower grows too wildly and steals all the nutrients from the others, I will pull it out. Not because I'm kind, but because I want the whole Garden to look nicer."
Higashino Makoto paused for a moment before continuing.
"Of course, the main reason is that he's taking up so much nutrition and he's so ugly. It's affecting my mood."
"So, the Elf King is that wildly growing flower?"
Ainz asked in surprise, suddenly realizing that he and the other person were surprisingly similar.
"Yes. The Slane Theocracy Jesus is also considered one."
Higashino Makoto turned around and looked out the window again.
"The Slane Theocracy is sick, and the Elf Kingdom is sick. But the Slane Theocracy's sickness can still be cured—at least they are protecting humanity. The Elf Kingdom's sickness... is incurable. I'll just give them a new king."
Ainz stood up and walked to Higashino Makoto's side. His scarlet eyes and golden eyes looked out the window side by side.
What are you planning to do?
"First, go buy two Elf Kingdom slaves and find out the true situation in the Elf Kingdom."
"Then?"
"Then go to the Elf Kingdom, kill the Elf King, and end this pointless war."
"And then?"
Higashino Makoto glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"And then? It depends on my mood. Living as I please is my goal."
In fact, he already had a few general ideas in mind--
The Pan-Human Federation prioritizes the survival and interests of the human race.
It is possible to create a new religious order that can influence the direction of humankind's progress through faith and religious authority.
His decision not to unify all human races and establish a vast Baharuth Empire was not because Higashino Makoto was incapable of doing so.
The main reason is that I don't want to spend too much energy on this matter.
Growing flowers is just a hobby.
As mentioned before, Higashino Makoto is a person with little patience. Perhaps once the initial excitement wears off, he'll become too lazy to care about these things.
Moreover, humanity's strengths lie in its diversity and creativity, Higashino Makoto does not wish to bring all of these under his protection.
Even the most beautiful flowers can become tiresome if they are all exactly the same.
Higashino Makoto doesn't want to one day get tired of humans.
Possessing near-absolute power could lead to terrifying consequences.
By the way, if Ainz and his guardians are still interested, the existence of an Ainz Ooal Gown Sorcerer Kingdom where all beings are equal would also be quite nice.
Ainz remained silent for a long time.
So long that Kurumi changed the teapot, so long that Narberal's hand loosened and tightened on the sword hilt, so long that the black cat "Zafkiel" on the windowsill rolled over and found a more comfortable position.
I'll go with you.
Ainz finally spoke, his voice low and calm.
Higashino Makoto raised an eyebrow.
What are you going to do?
I'm not helping you.
Ainz's tone was calm.
"But, as a teammate, you've opened a new dungeon, wouldn't it be inappropriate not to take me along?"
Higashino Makoto looked at Ainz for two seconds, then smiled.
"Alright, welcome to the dungeon to defeat the Elf King."
He held out his hand. Ainz looked down at the hand, then reached out his own—
No, it extended its bone claws and grasped it.
The cool bones touched the warm palm, just like every handshake before, yet different each time.
When do we depart?
Ainz asked.
"Tomorrow."
What do I need to prepare?
Higashino Makoto released his grip, turned around, and walked towards the door.
"Kurumi, go buy two Elf Kingdom slaves."
"Yes, sir."
"Ainz, let's go to the church to accept a quest—the quest to defeat the Elf King. Although there's no Adventurers' Guild in the Slane Theocracy, defeating the Elf King should at least raise the 'Dark' Squad's level a bit, right?"
"Good."
"Nabe, you stay home."
"... yes."
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting the shadows of the four people onto the floor.
They overlapped, yet separated again.
The slave market in the Divine Capital was located on an open space in the south of the city, surrounded by low stone walls with sharpened wooden stakes stuck in them—not to keep out thieves, but to prevent slaves from escaping.
Kurumi walked into the market alone, her black twin tails swaying gently in the afternoon breeze, her black and red maid outfit standing out starkly against the drab environment.
Several slave traders looked up and stared at her greedily—not because she was beautiful, but because she looked very rich.
"Miss, what kind of slave would you like to buy?"
A middle-aged man approached, his face beaming with smiles.
He wore a greasy leather armor, a bunch of keys hanging from his waist, several gold rings on his fingers, and when he smiled, he revealed two gold-plated front teeth.
Kurumi stopped in her tracks, her right eye scanning the cages in the market.
Aside from humans, slaves of various races, including demi-humans and Elf Kingdom, were locked in narrow iron cages. Some had blank stares, some sobbed softly, and some huddled in corners, licking their wounds like injured animals.
"Elf Kingdom."
Kurumi spoke, her voice clear and calm.
"Young, healthy, and preferably female."
The slave trader's eyes lit up.
Yes, yes, yes! This way, please!
He led Kurumi through the market to the innermost row of cages. These cages were cleaner than the ones outside, lined with dry grass, and each cage contained two or three Elf Kingdom.
Kurumi stopped, her right eye sweeping over the faces in the cage. Those Elf Kingdom—
No, those "people"—had pointed ears, slender figures, and eyes filled with fear.
They looked at Kurumi as if she were an unknown fate. They didn't know if her next master would be good or evil, or if she would even be alive to see the sun tomorrow.
"This.
Kurumi pointed to one of the young female Elf Kingdom in a cage.
The slave trader looked in the direction she was pointing.
"Good eye! This one was captured less than a month ago, is a little over two hundred years old, knows a bit of forest magic, and is also—"
"And this too."
Kurumi pointed to another one. It was an Elf Kingdom that looked even younger, probably only a teenager, huddled in the corner of the cage, hugging its knees with its hands, its pointed ears trembling slightly.
The slave traders were grinning from ear to ear.
"You want both? Miss, you really are—"
"How much?"
"Well... one is 120 gold coins, two will cost you 230."
One hundred and fifty pieces. Two.
Kurumi interrupted him.
The slave trader's smile froze.
"Miss, this haggling is way too much—"
One hundred and fifty pieces.
Kurumi repeated herself, her right eye staring directly into the slave trader's eyes.
"Two. Okay, I'll pay now. No, I'll go somewhere else."
The slave trader hesitated. He glanced at Kurumi, then at the two Elf Kingdom, and gritted his teeth.
"Make a deal!"
Kurumi took out a cloth bag from her bosom, counted out one hundred and fifty gold coins, and handed them over.
The slave trader took the gold coins, bit them one by one to check their quality, then opened the cage with a smile and drove the two Elf Kingdom out.
Two Elf Kingdom stood before Kurumi, heads bowed, unable to look at her. Their wrists were still bound by magical shackles.
That's a device to suppress magic, preventing slaves from using magic to escape.
"Untie it."
Kurumi said.
The slave trader paused for a moment.
"Miss, these shackles—"
I said untie it.
The slave trader hesitated for a moment, but then took out his key and unlocked the shackles on the two Elf Kingdom's wrists.
The sound of shackles hitting the ground echoed through the market. The two Elf Kingdom rubbed their wrists, looked up, and stared at Kurumi with complicated expressions.