"I'm back." Ainz walked into an impromptu camp carrying a pile of sticks and small logs under his arms.
"Good timing. We're almost done prepping the meat. Start the fire, would ya?" Naofumi didn't move from his spot as he and Raphtalia were butchering a monster they hunted down earlier.
"I'm on it."
Ainz tossed a handful of sticks into the firepit, and, with a flick of his wrist, a fire sparked to life. Naofumi joined him shortly after, placing four meat skewers on the growing flames.
"Ugh, I wish I had fire magic. At least then I'd be useful in a fight, instead of just defending."
"I won't say you're useless in a fight. The role may not get many kills, but every party needs a good frontline. They allow the others to do their part without worrying about getting hit." Ainz casually stroked the flames making sure it wouldn't go out.
"Yeah, yeah. But still" Naofumi looked over to the remains of the monster they caught.
"It's strange. Every monster we've encountered since leaving Riyute runs away before we even get a chance to fight them. Even that one tried running away from us. Before it seemed they would attack at the first chance they got. Is it because we're too high a level?" Raphtalia finished cleaning up the butchered monster and joined the two of them, sitting beside Naofumi.
"I've never heard of anything like that, but it might be because… " Raphtalia glanced up at Ainz before shaking her head.
"Nevermind..." She trailed off, leaving the other two confused.
As Naofumi was about to ask what she was saying, Filo ran over and tried snatching up the meat skewers on the fire.
"Hey, get back! You have your own food." Filo, ignoring his warning, continued to stare at the cooking meat.
"Mr. Naofumi, Filo ate the last of the feed earlier today." He turned to Raphtalia while ensuring Filo wouldn't get to the meat.
"What! How? I only sold a few bags in the last village, because the governor said he gave us enough to feed a filolial for weeks! Not days!" Ainz backed away from the fire and faced the group.
"I'm not surprised she ate it all. I know I haven't been in this region long, but Filo doesn't look like any filolials I've seen. She's bigger and has been growing miraculously quickly. I mean, look at her." Naofumi glanced over to the giant drooling bird next to him.
"Hah. Fine, here." He tossed the chunk of uncooked meat towards her, which she snapped out of the air and devoured in seconds.
"Gweh." She called happily before staring back at the meat skewers in the flames.
"No, those are ours!"
"GWEH!" As the two bickered, Ainz looked up to the cloudless night sky.
It'd only been four days since they left Riyute and had been acting as merchants traveling from village to village. However, Filo destroyed some potions Naofumi had prepared in the last village, making him furious. Naofumi tried controlling her with some kind of seal, but it failed. Infuriated at the faulty seal, Naofumi changed plans and immediately headed to the capital to get her a new seal, something Ainz was quite interested in.
"Hey, Momon." Ainz looked down to see Raphtalia holding out a skewer of meat.
"Here. Better hurry before Filo gets to it." Ainz took the skewer and took a bite. She smiled seeing his subtle reaction.
"It's great, isn't it? Mr. Naofumi's cooking is the best!" He smiled and nodded at Raphtalia's excitement as he continued eating.
The meat wasn't of the highest quality, but Ainz could tell it was cooked quite well. The meat's texture, smell, and presentation were all high quality, but one thing missing from Ainz' experience.
'If I could only taste it!' Ainz shed a mental tear as he continued eating.
While Demiurge's ring gave Ainz a human body, it was still a prototype. The one thing he hated about it was he could almost eat food again, like trying to feel the texture of something with gloves on. It was the same with the rest of his senses, hearing or seeing things with his human body but fuzzy. He could only assume it was some kind of disconnect between the human brain and his undead mind.
This time, however, he felt as though he could taste just a bit more meat than usual.
Ainz sighed as he finished off the cooked meat. He tossed the stick into the fire and turned to Naofumi.
"I meant to ask this when we were on the road, but what exactly does this seal that you want to put on Filo do?" Naofumi threw a chunk of meat as far as he could, giving him a moment of peace as Filo ran after it.
"I don't know what the hell was wrong with it, but it's a type of slave seal for monsters. I don't know how the monster seal's different, but all that matters is that she'll listen to me after she gets it."
"A slave seal?"
"Yeah, it's what forces slaves to obey their master's orders. Raphtalia has one on her chest." Ainz turned towards Raphtalia.
"Really? Do you mind showing me?" Raphtalia shifted uncomfortably, looking over to Naofumi, who didn't seem to care about Momon's request.
"I guess It's fine." She lowered her shirt slightly, revealing the slave seal. Ainz moved closer inspecting the seal.
'Hmmm? It seems like it was drawn on with regular ink, but I can feel it radiating a faint magical aura. Is this some kind of contract magic?'
"So, what happens when she disobeys an order?"
"The seal shocks her until she does. It doesn't seem to damage her, but it does make her feel pain." Ainz nodded as he continued to stare at the seal closely.
Its design was similar to those Ainz would see around him when casting certain types of magic, a circle with an intricate design in the middle. Of course, it wasn't nearly as powerful or resembled any of the designs he knew of.
"Umm…" His concentration broke as Raphtalia shifted uncomfortably.
"Oh, I apologize. I should've realized how uncomfortable it must be for a man to be staring at your chest." Ainz bowed slightly while making a mental note to investigate these slave seals later.
"I-It's fine. I did say it was okay." Before an awkward tension could settle in, Naofumi jumped from his seat and started yelling.
"Filo! You get back here, right now!" Naofumi chased after Filo who was chewing on the skewers he had prepared.
"That's it! You're sleeping alone and when we get to the city, I'm gonna sell you to the Slave Trader!" Filo immediately stopped in her tracks like a child realizing they pushed their parents too far.
"Gweh...?" She slowly walked back to Naofumi and dropped the half-eaten skewers in apology.
"No! You didn't listen, now you have to deal with the consequences." Filo stopped the ground and flapped her wings in protest as Naofumi turned away, ignoring her.
"GWEEEEH!"
Raphtalia just sighed at their endless back-and-forth.
"Mr. Naofumi hasn't paid any attention to me since Filo broke her seal…" Ainz looked at her puzzled before connecting what she said with how different the two treat each other. He patted her shoulder as he rose from his seat.
"It must be hard. He sees you as a child, while you want him to see you as a woman. I know a few people in a similar situation. I pity you." Realizing Ainz heard what she said, her face went beet red as he stepped away from the fire.
'Maybe Naofumi and I have more in common than I thought…'
After Naofumi went back on his threat of selling Filo and calmed her down, everyone went about their evening activities before turning in for the night. Naofumi finished preparing the last available herbs, Raphtalia studied her magic, Ainz forced himself to read the A-Z book, and Filo sulked by the wagon. Everyone had a bedroll, with Filo sleeping beside Naofumi or Raphtalia. Tonight, however, Ainz was sitting on top of the wagon keeping guard, while Filo was sleeping alone nearby.
Due to the events in Riyute, Ainz, Raphtalia, and Naofumi took shifts guarding the camp in case of an undead attack. Of course, this would never happen, but Ainz played his role. Normally, he'd cast an illusion to make it look like he was sleeping naturally as he stayed awake coordinating with the Horrow Lich, reading reports, and summoning more undead. Tonight, however, he had already finished all his daily tasks, so he stayed in camp reading his A-Z book.
'This is so strange. All my summons have their orders, I'm caught up on the most prevalent information in this area, and there are no signs of other players or entities of significant power in this country. I actually have some time off…' He looked up from his book to the sky.
Ever since the creation of the Sorcerer Kingdom, Ainz' schedule was never truly empty. The only times he had "time off" were when he visited his vassals or other countries for diplomatic reasons, but it was always stressful as he had to keep up appearances. He always dreamed of relaxing for a change but… he didn't want it like this.
The original reason he worked so hard was to build a place for his friends to return to, but over time, his motivation changed. He began working for those in Nazarick.
For the longest time, he saw them as a mirror of his friends, a reminder. But as time went on, he saw them grow past what his friends made them. He began to love each of them for who they were, not for the ones that created them. And while his situation here wasn't unpleasant, he hated being away from Nazarick, his family.
'When I return, I'll spend quality one-on-one time with each of the guardians individually. But what about everyone else? I'd like to spend time with everyone in Nazarick, but I'm sure my absence has caused problems concerning the current war, among other issues. But at the same time, I don't want them to think I don't care about them…' Ainz began to zone out thinking about his return.
'Maybe I should have a large celebration for my return where I could interact with everyone all at once. I could even invite some of the New World Guardians to raise their morale. I'm sure Shizu would love for Neia to be a part of the celebration, and, thanks to her dedication to me, most of Nazarick enjoy her presence.' Thinking about his return home brought a smile to his human face.
As he was about to go over the celebration details, he noticed something in the corner of his vision. He turned to see a small humanoid standing above Naofumi. His mind went into a complete panic as the humanoid reached down.
"[Time Stop]!" The world around him froze as he readied himself for battle.
'How did they get past my defenses so easily? I have two spells to alert me of any foreign beings entering this area powerful enough to detect [Perfect Unknowable]! They'd have to be at least a level 90 specialized thief to bypass it.' As the figure stayed frozen in place, Ainz began to analyze them, still wary of it being a ploy to drop his guard.
It looked like a small human female child with long golden hair and no sign of a weapon or artifact on her. In fact, the child was completely naked with not a spot of dirt on her body. This didn't mean much to Ainz as it could've easily been an illusion to throw him off. He looked for any signs of illusion magic before noticing a dark shadow on the ground below her.
'A shadow demon?' It wasn't just a normal shadow demon, it was his. Ainz only had so many shadow demons under his direct command, and they were all watching over individuals he had a vested interest in. He looked around, being careful not to give the intruder a chance to strike. He took in the entire area and one thing stood out to him.
Filo was gone.
Naofumi and Raphtalia were exactly where he expected, but Filo completely disappeared. No blood, tracks, or feathers were left behind. The child couldn't have killed Filo without first going through the shadow demon. Ainz severely doubted the child got past his magic, killed Filo, hid or eviscerated her body, and took control of the shadow demon, only for her to be detected right in front of him.
As Ainz tried to make sense of the situation, he remembered a quote from one of the books he had read, "When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Ainz thought for a bit longer before he steeling himself.
He released the spell and the world returned to normal. The child reached down to Naofumi and gently petted his head.
"Master…" She smiled at Naofumi before laying down to snuggle next to him.
Ainz sighed relieved, thankful he didn't have to fight off a high-level assassin but confused about how she turned into a human. Before Filo could fall asleep, Ainz hopped down from the wagon and approached Filo.
"Filo... What are you doing?" Her happy face immediately vanished as she looked up at Ainz in fear. He gestured for her to follow him. She obeyed sheepishly, careful not to wake Naofumi up as she got stood up. They walked over to the wagon where Filo tried desperately to avoid eye contact.
"Filo, why are you-" Just as Ainz was about to ask his question, Filo interrupted him.
"I'm sorry I was bothering Master; I promise to leave him alone." She glanced up at him briefly before looking back at the ground.
"Please don't hurt me…" Ainz just stood there flabbergasted at her fear of him.
'What the hell did I do wrong?! I fed her, approached her calmly, and gave her space when she seemed scared. I did everything Aura said to do when earning the trust of an animal, yet she's still scared of me!' He mentally sighed at yet another failed attempt to establish friendly relations.
"Filo. What exactly makes you think I'm going to hurt you?" Filo looked up at him skittishly.
"Because you're scary. Every time I look at you, I want to run to Master for protection." Ainz winced at her brutal honesty.
One of the many precautions he always has is the suppression of any passives that might cause fear or death of living beings around him. Yet, in this world, monsters and demi-humans were still scared of him. It wasn't that they could tell how strong he was through magic, or else his equipment would've blocked it. Ainz figured it had to be instinctual. He tried suppressing his aura without mana and thought he was making good progress, with Raphalia no longer showing signs of fear, but it didn't seem like it was enough.
Ainz pulled up his HUD and went through his spells before spotting the one that should work.
'[Silent] [Dampen Presence]' As soon as his spell took effect, Filo looked up at him confused.
"I never meant to scare you. Is this better?" Filo's eyes seemed to sparkle as she nodded her head vigorously.
"That's much better. Can I sleep with Master now?" Ainz sighed before looking at her state of dress and averting his eyes.
"I don't think Naofumi would like that…" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"Why not? What's wrong with me trying to sleep with master?" Ainz cringed as she looked at him utterly confused.
'Why me? Why couldn't Raphtalia have dealt with this? This is like when I tried giving Aura and Mare the "talk". They looked at me so confused and I felt like such an idiot AHHH!' Ainz's emotional suppression kicked in as he decided to fall back to his best method for dealing with these kinds of issues…
Let someone else deal with it.
"Raphtalia and Naofumi can explain everything to you later. But right now, you just need to trust me. Sleeping next to Naofumi like that will only make him upset with you. How about this…" Ainz rummaged through his bag in the wagon and produced a clean shirt and skirt.
"I'm sure if you put some clothes on, Naofumi wouldn't mind if you slept next to him." She looked upset as he handed her the clothes.
"Hmph, do I have to?"
"Unless you want Naofumi to yell at you, then yes." She still seemed upset but put them on, nevertheless. Once she had them on, she turned to Ainz with a smile.
"Thanks, scary guy." Ainz sighed in relief as she ran back to Naofumi.
Ainz didn't know what or how Filo turned her into a human, but for some reason, he couldn't help but notice how her hair sparkled in the moonlight.
"Master! I'm hungry!" Ainz sighed as he overheard Filo complain about food again.
"I told you once we get to the capital, you can have some of the feed from the cart." Filo started shaking her head like a child.
"But that's too loooong. I want to eat now!"
"Shut it! And remember, no talking in the city or you don't eat!" Ainz turned away from the two and to the setting sun.
After Filo fell asleep last night, Ainz tried analyzing her human form. As much as he appreciated the info he gained from his new HUD, it wasn't as detailed as he'd hoped. He expected some kind of stat change, but the HUD indicated no difference between her human and filolial forms. Her being able to talk in both forms also confused him.
'I suppose talking animal species were in the New World as well, but according to what I've read and heard, filolials shouldn't be able to. One of Horrow Lich's reports did mention a special type of filolial, Filolial Masters. They're rumored to lead large flocks of filolial, but there have been no confirmed reports. Could she be one of them?' Ainz shook his head before he got caught up in his theories.
When everyone woke up last night, things went as Ainz expected: Naofumi was confused, Raphtalia was weirded out, and Filo was completely oblivious. Naofumi did get upset at Ainz for not waking him up when she first transformed. But her transformation and ability to talk took up most of his attention, allowing Ainz to escape with only a frustrated comment from him.
'They seem more focused on her child-like appearance rather than how or why she can transform in the first place.' He thought it strange but just chalked it up to Naofumi not caring and Raphtalia growing up in a magical world.
As Ainz was lost in thought, they arrived at the city gates. A guard tried harassing them but was forced to let them in thanks to the merchant card. The ride through town was a bit awkward, with multiple passersby gawking at Filo's unusual filolial form or Ainz's armor. After a few minutes of going through the slums of the city, they approached a large circus tent.
"Is this the slaver's place? It's… not what I was expecting." Ainz looked at the strange tent with skepticism.
"If you think the tent's strange, just wait for the clown that runs it." Naofumi scowled as they walked to the tent.
A stale odor assaulted Ainz's senses as they entered the tent. Dozens of stacked cages crowded the tent's interior, having both humanoid and animalistic creatures trapped within. Seeing the number of slaves within the tent, Ainz was surprised the place didn't smell worse.
'The man running this operation must be quite the businessman. Many of the smaller slave trading rings I've encountered were disgusting, with the traders showing no care for the quality of their slaves. Ugh, but nothing could compare to Demiurge's "farm".' Ainz shivered in disgust thinking about that place.
After the fall of the Slane Theocracy, Ainz had reports of hundreds of humans taken by Demiurge for his work. Ainz didn't care about the humans, but many of them were citizens they captured in riots. That's when he found what the bipedal sheep really were.
Ainz had never seen anything like it, humans and demi-humans alike were tortured and experimented on with each maximizing misery and pain where possible. The smells and sounds were indescribable, but that's not what bothered Ainz. It was inefficiencies and involvement of innocent people.
Ainz understood the many benefits of such a place but implemented changes he felt necessary. First, all captives who were not guilty of a serious crime were killed, with no exceptions. Second, all experiments had to provide value to Nazarick with all unnecessary methods of torture removed. Lastly, only those given the death penalty were sent to the farm.
The last change was only possible thanks to Neia preaching that giving one's body to be turned undead was a blessing, providing Nazarick with a steady supply of corpses.
'Hah, that place wasted so many resources that could've been used elsewhere. I'm glad Demiurge embraced the changes I proposed without much resistance. I was worried he'd be upset or worse realize I didn't know the "bipedal sheep" were actually humans the entire time.'
As they moved through the tent, a short man with a feather coat and a top hat saw their approach. He was surprised to see who it was before greeting them with a large grin.
"Ah! My favorite hero! I must say I've been awaiting your return, ever since you left the city. Yes, sir!" Naofumi got in the slaver's face.
"Cut the shit! That monster seal you had on the egg was completely worthless! It didn't work a single time. If you don't fix this in a way I'm satisfied, I'll have my monster and slave destroy every piece of equipment you have, while this guy kills any monsters you have in the back." The slaver took a step back.
"I-I assure you, dear hero, that will not be necessary." He snapped his fingers, and an assistant came running over with some documents. The Slave Trader looked through the documents, before stopping with a concerted look.
"I apologize for any issue you may have had, but the egg I sold you was filolial. The seal on it should've been more than enough to control it."
"Do you call that normal?" Naofumi pointed to Filo's massive body. She seemed to be staring at one of the monsters with drool trailing down her beak.
"Master, can I eat that one?"
"If they don't fix your seal, then it's all yours." She flapped her wings in excitement.
"Yay!" The Slave Trader and his assistant stood speechless at the absurd scene before them.
Seeing how the Slave Trader was just as confused at Filo's abnormal abilities, Ainz stepped forward.
"Could it be she's a Filolial Master? I heard stories about them among adventurers, but I thought it may have been just a rumor." The slaver's eyes lit up at the excuse Ainz provided.
"Yes! Of course! That would explain why the original seal I placed on her egg failed." The Slave Trader's smile and composure returned as he stepped forward.
"If she truly is a Filolial Master, she must be significantly stronger than an average filolial and would need a special type of seal. A seal that I could provide at a discount for you, Shield Hero." Naofumi glared at the Slave Trader.
"How much?"
"I truly am sorry for the first monster seal failing, so I believe 200 silvers should be adequate."
"That's a bit-" The Slave Trader's held up his hand somewhat seriously.
"You should know that the market price for this type of seal is 800 silvers. I am giving you a special deal I would offer to no one else. I may trick the occasional customer, but I'd never lie to you, hero. No, sir."
Naofumi clicked his tongue, realizing the Slave Trader had no reason to lie to him, especially about the market price. He reached into his bag and threw over a bag of coins. The Slave Trader caught the bag and handed it over to his assistant.
"It'll take a minute to make the appropriate preparations, but you can stay in the back while you wait. And it's been a pleasure as always." The Slave Trader gave a wide grin and tipped his hat to him.
"Yeah, yeah." Naofumi began following the Slave Trader's assistant.
"Mr. Naofumi, wait for me."
"Master! I want food!" Raphtalia and Filo rushed to Naofumi's side with Ainz and the Slave Trader lagging behind.
With his main audience gone, the Slave Trader sighed in relief and patted his forehead of cold sweat with his handkerchief. Now that he looked presentable, his smile returned as he turned towards Ainz.
"I appreciate your assistance with the Shield Hero. He has a passion for driving a hard bargain and I've learned his threats are quite serious. But that makes me wonder… Why would the Dark Knight Momon prevent a slaver's place of business from being destroyed?" Ainz looked down at the smiling man with curiosity.
'He may look like a clown, but he's much more. Recognizing me isn't that impressive, but knowing my fake name and status takes an information network or several connections with the nobility. He could be useful.'
"I may disapprove of your trade, but this place is a symptom of the kingdom's policies, not the cause. There was also the risk of you calling the guards on us. Their involvement would make my mission in this country more difficult than it already is." The Slave Trader looked up at Ainz's explanation in shock before bursting out in laughter.
"Haha! You, sir, are an interesting one. It is a shame you don't support my trade. I feel we could've made a lot of money together."
"I'm sure we could…"
Ainz trailed off as he spotted a large humanoid wolf in one of the cages ahead of them. It glared hatefully at the approaching group but kept itself at the back of the cage to not catch their attention. The Slave Trader, noticing his interest, gave a wide smile.
"Ah, you have a good eye. I sold that Wolfman just this morning. I must say, it's one of the best battle-bred therianthropes I've gotten in quite some time. I understand you're not partial to slaves, but I do have some monsters bred for battle if you're interested."
"I'll have to pass. But if you don't mind my asking, is that seal on his chest different than Filo's or Raphtalia's?" The seal on the Wolfman's chest was a completely different design but looked to be created through the same type of magic.
"Ah, how observant of you to notice. That seal is much more powerful than theirs. It's similar to the one we're preparing for the Shield Hero's filolial. Of course, this one is meant for demi-humans, while the one we are preparing is for monsters." Ainz looked at the man with confusion.
"Does Filo really require such a powerful seal?"
"Yes, sir. I've never seen a filolial break its seal before nor have I heard of a case such as this."
"Is that so…" Ainz continued contemplating the situation as they made their way to the waiting room.
It took about a half-hour for the assistant to return from assembling the necessary equipment. During that time, Filo continued to harass Naofumi for food with the Slave Trader "graciously" offering to sell some food to make her quiet. However, after Filo was appeased, Naofumi's irritation focused on the Slave Trader for how long it was taking. Everyone was relieved to see the assistant come back.
"Alright, right this way. Everything is ready for the sealing process."
"This had better be worth it…" Naofumi grumbled under his breath as the group followed the Slave Trader.
They approached an empty area that had some supplies sitting nearby. Ainz was surprised to sense a dozen other people were waiting for the ritual to begin. The Slave Trader gave a look to Naofumi to which he nodded.
"Filo, could you just stand over there? I promise I'll give you more food." Filo looked over at Naofumi in excitement.
"I just need to stand there?"
"Yep. And afterward, I'll give you some meat."
"Really? Yay! More food. More fooood!" Filo quickly moved into the middle of the room where she stood there happily.
The Slave Trader made a sign, and twelve people emerged from the shadows. They quickly picked up the supplies and formed a circle around Filo. As they began the ritual, Ainz couldn't help but get excited.
'This world's magic has been fairly disappointing so far, but maybe it shines more as utility magic, rather than offensive. Like the Tier 0 magic from the New World.'
As the ritual began, a magic circle formed around Filo, closing her in. Filo, realizing the situation, tried to resist the magic barrier. She pecked and tried flapping her wings in protest as the circle kept trying to constrain her. The Slave Trader's eyes widen in excitement
"I've never seen a monster able to resist this much before under this kind of pressure. I must say your filolial must truly be one of a kind."
The mages around the barrier were shocked by the amount of resistance. They continued pouring more of their mana into the ritual in hopes of stopping her. She continued to attack the barrier, but it was too late. A brand etched into her chest signifying the ritual's completion. Everyone seemed to sigh in relief, that is, everyone except Ainz, who frowned at the result.
"Naofumi, I'll be waiting outside." Naofumi looked back confused but just nodded.
"Sure, once we're finished up here we'll head to the weapon shop. If we're lucky, we'll be leaving the city by tomorrow."
"Alright." Ainz nodded as he began walking back through the tent.
As he walked he couldn't help but get irritated by the whole situation. The ritual was disappointing, being weaker than he expected from a dozen mages, but something else bothered him more.
'How was Filo able to resist the ritual so much at her level?'
In Yggdrasil and the New World, one thing was constant, level and power were heavily linked. If two players of similar skill and equipment but different levels were to fight, the higher level would win. But in this world, that didn't seem to be the case.
'The Slave Trader seemed impressed by her ability to resist the ritual. But considering the man's experience, he must've seen higher-level creatures under the same ritual. So, what made Filo so different? If her stats and level didn't matter, then what did?'
"Ahh! This is so frustrating." Ainz grabbed his helmet in frustration, before taking a breath and refocusing his thoughts.
'Filo is only level 22, yet she impressed a man who deals with monsters and demi-humans of much higher levels on a daily basis. Is it her potential? But what caused her to be different? She hatched from a normal egg and didn't stop growing after I stopped feeding her the dragon meat, so it's not that. Raphtalia also seems strangely strong for her level, but why? It doesn't make sense. Unless…'
The Shield.
Naofumi was able to cook, mix potions, and even heal others more effectively, all things that Ainz thought were impossible for a defender class to do. Unless the shield allowed him to gain those abilities another way. That would explain Raphtalia's and Filo's growth. If it gave him abilities from other classes, why not a Beast Master or Slave Trainer class? Was this the extent of the shield's abilities or could it do more?
Ainz glanced back to see Naofumi commanding an upset Filo, but Ainz's attention was fixated on the shield. A strange energy emanated from it, not quite like a typical magical item and yet it lacked the immense power of a World Item. It was something unique to this world.
'A World Item or not, its power is not absolute, nor are the users themselves. I was able to defeat the other heroes before. Of course, they've most likely been getting stronger, but even if they have, they lack the drive to utilize their weapon's power to a concerning level. Naofumi, on the other hand…' Ainz's face hardened as he thought about his power if he ever reached Ainz's level.
'I'll continue to keep a close eye on his growth. I shouldn't waste the effort it took to get into his good graces while I still need to learn more about these weapons. Who knows what other abilities this "Legendary Weapon" will give him?'
Author's Note:
Alright, I'm back from break with my longest chapter yet. This story's release schedule should return to normal, a chapter every 3-4 weeks.
I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one.