Grand Foreigner (Chapters 1- 200)

Chapter 164

Oda Nobunaga was not the kind of person who has a large social circle, nor does she find it easily, Servant or not. Even in Chaldea, where she had spent a considerably long time, several weeks already, she hadn't found a single person whom she could call a friend or at the very least someone that she could enjoy conversing with. The closest thing she could find that fits such a category was her master, Ainz. Nobunaga looked up to him with a mixture of feelings, as her commander and a sort of role model. But, she had found that, even with him, her interactions were generally limited to a few conversations here and there.

Ainz was not a man Nobunaga could approach with some mundane question like how he was doing and ask his opinion on some hobby.

In other words, it could be said that Oda Nobunaga had no friends. And so, it follows, her pastime in Chaldea was very limited. If she was not using the training grounds when they were not occupied by others, she would be reading the books she periodically pulled out of the library when no one saw her. If all else fails, she usually spends her time daydreaming.

In a way, one could even say that Nobunaga's behavior and lifestyle were sad, virtually without any meaningful social interaction, but this did not embarrass or bother Nobunaga. After all, she was a Servant, and while her past iteration would surely have found the title to be disagreeable, the title captured the essence. She was summoned, she would then serve her function, and then she would disappear, as a Ghost should.

Making friendships and having heart-to-heart talks were not on the list of actions required of her.

The problem with this way of thinking arose when her task, the most necessary function of Nobunaga as a Servant, includes making friends.

That is, of course, Ainz did not explicitly give her such an order, instead limiting himself to the rather vague order to 'act on the situation'. But if the 'situation' involved Nobunaga infiltrating a group of Servants about to destroy two other groups of Servants? Then, Nobunaga saw only one way to 'act on the situation' in this case.

She has to integrate herself with the group of Servants she had found herself in.

Which meant, she had to somehow get acquainted with her entourage. But how? Of course, in her mind and personality, made up of thousands of great conquerors, was a repository of experiences in various kinds of communication. But mostly with subordinates, where her main method of communication was a command. And, still, perhaps, a small amount of times when she negotiated with her adversaries, but that was even further from trying to give the order to 'become my friend'.

She doesn't think a probable friend would appreciate being threatened to be burnt alive.

And while under normal circumstances the suggestion of 'let's fight until one of us is almost dead' was an odd way of making friends, for these two particular Servants, it was an appropriate way to start a conversation. Actually maybe with all Celtic Heroes actually, Nobunaga was pretty sure that the Cu Chulainns would try to kill you one moment, and be great friends after.

In that case, her occasional source of amusement, a spar, in this case coincidentally with Scáthach, played out just right. Seeing as she is allowed now to be present while the group of Servants she's supposed to be infiltrating are discussing their plans, she seems to have succeeded very well.

"This is troubling news." Scáthach thought for a moment as she listened to Caster's report, whose name Nobunaga never bothered to find out. And besides, he himself only replied that his real name was unusual and difficult to pronounce, so she followed his advice and didn't bother to remember it. Scáthach then glanced at Nobunaga, who was listening in to the report with her, "So Edison had started moving..."