Well well, it's been a long time hasn't it, o readers of mine? I'm happy to say that finals are finally done, so I'll be able to place my focus on writing this story out once again. However, despite there having been a long break between updates there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you.

When I started writing this, I was fairly sure that the story wouldn't read like the original material if I didn't place emphasizing on the Japanese honorifics and the way that everyone seemed to naturally use them when speaking. However, now that I've thought it through I don't think they add that much to the story and would much rather do without them. What do you guys think? I'll write this chapter with honorifics added just in case, but depending on popular opinion this might be the last chapter that uses them.

Also, my memory is a bit shoddy since the last few chapters' events, so if you notice any inconsistencies feel free to point them out and I'll try to rewrite the chapter to address them.

Chapter 10: Reunions and Meetings

"It's so good to see you again, Enfi!" Enri smiled brightly, clasping her hands over those of his friend as she eagerly leaned over the table. "I missed you."

"Y-you too..." Nfirea stammered out weakly, cheeks so red that it looked as if steam would blow from his ears at any time. "I'm glad that you're okay, Enri. Though, about your dad..."

"Yeah." The village girl looked down, saddened by the loss of her father. Over a month had passed since the attack on the village by the 'Imperial Knights', but the aftershocks of the attack continued to linger in the village. People were finicky and wary of anything that crossed their path, some had even been traumatized and flinched at the slightest touch.

In hindsight, out of the village's survivors Enri's family had come out of the incident fairly well. Due to the intervention of the heroes that called themselves Ainz Ooal Gown, two of their lives had been saved from the brink of death and while the pain remained, at least Enri could draw comfort from her mother to mourn her father's passing.

"I… I never thought that he'd be gone so soon." For a moment, Enri's hands trembled over those of Nfirea. "He was always there to cheer us up, you know? He told us that his daughters would grow big and strong like him… That's not something you're supposed to tell your daughter, right?" She giggled for a second, blinking back tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Enri…" His excitement over the situation faded, as his heart twinged with sympathy for her crush. It was unbelievable, that moments ago he'd been wishing nothing happened to Carne just for his hopes to come crashing down when he learned of the attack. His parents had died when he was young, so he couldn't understand how losing a father must be like. However, he could only imagine how he would react if he saw his grandmother killed before his eyes.

"I'm okay." Enri shook her head, demonstrating her nerve when she stopped trembling. "Nemu's the one who was shaken the hardest. I can't just let Mom handle both of us being wrecks, so I have to be strong for them!" She smiled with confidence that didn't reach her eyes.

Right then Nfirea wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He wanted to shout that she shouldn't have to bear such pain by herself, to gather her in his arms and to share in everything that caused her sadness, if it would make her happy again. If it were for her sake, then he would even swear vengeance on the knights that attacked the village. He'd seek them out to the ends of the earth, and he would do all this because he loved her. But much as he wanted to say and do all this, he knew that he couldn't.

Because it would mean taking a step he wasn't ready to make. Admitting the truth of his feelings, with Enri like this… He didn't know what could happen, not like this. If he ended up breaking the bond they'd had since childhood...

He shuddered. "Enri, I'm sorry." Taking a short breath, he tried to seek Enri's eyes but quickly found interest in the table when he felt her gaze. "I-If there's anything I can do for you, if anything else bothers you… I-I'll do everything I can to help you, alright!? Y-You can rely on me." His cheeks burned, even as he cursed himself for spouting such a lame line that in the end didn't fix anything.

His friend, however, reacted positively. "...Thanks, Enfi." She smiled, more genuinely this time. "You're the best friend one could ever ask for, you know?"

Oh you're her friend alright. Just her best friend, that's all you are, isn't it Nfirea? Contrary to the dark thoughts in his head, Nfirea merely nodded his head. "Don't mention it, alright?" He gave wry smile. "After all, weren't you the one who cheered me up all the time back then?" He said, bringing up memories of their childhood together.

Enri laughed, music to Nfirea's ears as her gloomy tone was replaced by mirth. "That's right! Enfi was such a crybaby back then, wasn't he?"

Even as he sputtered out a denial, he couldn't help the smile that blossomed on his face as Enri began to recall the many incidents that had gone by in their childhood.

-After their encounter with the band of monsters, the Swords of Darkness had only engaged in minor skirmishes as they approached Carne Village. Interestingly enough, the strength of the creatures faded the closer they got to the village to the point that the last few miles were completely devoid of the presence of monsters, even though they were constantly bordering the files of trees.

Even more surprising had been the presence of walls in Carne Village. Of course, all cities tended to use walls to fortify themselves against outsiders and a few lucky villages also happened to share such structures, but Nfirea had never seen such a thing around the village. That they had been erected on a month in a village with a single carpenter was shocking in the first place, yet that had not been what he had reacted to.

Nfirea had never held a high opinion of Goblins. Filthy smelling creatures whose savage ways led them to gather as tribes that lived by raiding human settlements, rare were the humans who held sympathy for the creatures. However, the Goblins that were guarding the gates of the village were completely unlike any he'd ever seen.

They were no savages, as their calculating eyes told when they halted the adventurer's passing. Their equipment, while lacking in magic items, was definitely of high quality and not the garbage that Goblins would either make using primitive tools or get by looting the corpses of their enemies. Moreover they were disciplined, spoke with only a slight accent and were both calm and polite.

That they called Enri their 'Big Sister' only added to Nfirea's confusion.

Suddenly, the noise of a loud impact shook Nfirea from his musing thoughts. "What was that noise!?" The shock of the sound had been enough to rattle the furniture on the house, but rather than be intimidated by it Enri just stood up from her seat with an exasperated frown on her face.

"Give me a second, Enfi." Stomping her way to the entrance of her house, she threw open the door and yelled. "Pino, are you misbehaving again!?"

"Pino?" Nfirea asked, completely bemused as he looked out the door as well.

His jaw dropped.

At first, he thought that the party he'd come with was engaged in battle with some kind of terrible monster. Seeing the villagers nearby, including Enri's sister and mother staring at the scene, he was momentarily overcome by panic. He was about to pull Enri back and shout at the villagers to flee, but-

"Fuck! Get him off me!" A muffled voice exclaimed from beneath the huge beast's silhouette. When Nfirea took a closer look, he realized that the source was really Lukeluther, the Swords of Darkness' sole Ranger. His upper torso was visible, as with his fists he kept trying to pummel the creature's head.

"I don't know, I think you make a great pair like that." Mocked Dine, as he stepped out of the way of the behemoth monster's flailing tail. The rest of the party laughed loudly, while Nabe stared at the scene with an unpleasant smile and Momon cradled his head with both hands.

Nfirea couldn't understand. The creature before him couldn't be called anything but the most terrifying of monsters. Its long, serpentine body was covered in thousands of purple, armoured scales that gleamed in the sunlight. It had a dozen legs, each of them strong enough to draw gouges on the ground. Its head was reptilian, even draconic in shape as it bore a maw with rows of jagged teeth and an impressive crest of scale and bones at the top of its head.

It was over forty feet in length, long enough to crush a small house between its muscles, and looked heavy enough to flatten a cow. Forget about towering Ogres or Trolls, by physical appearance alone this creature would give them a run for their money and Nfirea could tell that even beyond that this creature had a truly terrifying power. Taking into consideration all of this, the creature's actions…

...Made absolutely no sense.

The monster whined, as it finally stopped trying to lick Lukeluther's face off his head with a tongue longer than his arm. Its head rose in tandem with Enri's warning voice, and with a few stomps that Nfirea felt all the way from his house, the beast released his grip on the adventure and directed itself towards the girl that called it.

To Nfirea's further surprise, it did not do this by walking but rather by pulling its legs back and slithering along the ground, as if it was a snake. He would have thought further on this, were he not terrified out of his mind that the beast was coming straight towards them.

"Wh-What the hell is that!? Enri, get-" But as Nfirea hurried to warn his crush, he stumbled as Enri not only brushed him off but advanced towards the creature, hands on her hips. Words left him, as the confused Nfirea could only watch as the one he loved stepped towards her doom.

The terrible creature rose as Enri approached, raising its head from the ground far enough that it towered over Enri-

-Before the girl brought her hand down on its snout, and the beast's entire body doubled back as if whipped. "Pino!" Enri exclaimed hysterically. "Just look at what you did to the grass! Everything's a mess because of you!"

Nfirea's brain shut down. That thing is 'Pino'?

'Pino' let out another cry, head bowed as it nudged its lowered head towards Enri. Despite its beady eyes seeking forgiveness, the girl huffed and crossed her arms with a scornful expression. "None of that! I told you not to jump around, didn't I?"

Pino whined again, though its rumbling voice made it far more imposing than it had any right to. It rolled on its back, all ten meters of it turning as it exposed its belly while lifting a large cloud of dust. Its legs poked uselessly at the air, as it continued to look up at Enri with its haunting gaze.

"Geez…" Enri sighed… Then realized that her friend currently resembled a statue more than a man. "A-Ah! That's right, Enfi never met Pino after all! Nfirea, this is Pino." She gestured at the immense beast like it was a common sight. "He's our house pet… Snake? Lizard? I'm not sure."

"Where the hell did you get that thing, anyways!?" Lukeluther exclaimed, trying to use a rag to wipe himself of the creature's spit that dripped from all over his coat. "That thing's like you took a snake and a dragon, put them together and come out with a freaking dog!"

"He's weird…" Enri sighed. "He's really excited whenever he's up, but he likes to sleep around for most of the day. He eats so much, too! The only reason we can feed him is because he hunts on his own."

"I-I think he's cute." The compliment came from Ninya, which elicited cries of shock from her comrades.

"No, but… Enri." Nfirea approached, still looking at the monster with an expression between complete puzzlement or abject terror. "How did you even find this… thing? Where did it come from?"

"You could say, it was a gift." She clasped her hands, looking at Nfirea with a sparkling gaze that could only sprout from admiration. "Pino's a gift from this village's saviors, Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"Oinz Al Goon?" Lukeluther deadpanned. "What the hell kinda name is that?" He suddenly felt a shudder go through him, and instinctively turned to regard Nabe, who was giving him a profound glare that promised nothing but hell. Was it something I said?

"Ainz Ooal Gown? Who are they?" Nfirea asked, having never heard before of such a name. From Enri's words however, it sounded like they were an organization of some sort.

"They're adventurers! At least, that's what I think they were…" Enri scratched her head. "Anyways, remember the goblins? Those guys appeared because of Ainz Ooal Gown as well!" Grabbing at her neck, she showed Nfirea the small horn that was tied to a small necklace. "Momonga-sama, a powerful magic caster, gave me two of these. I used the first to summon the goblins that are protecting the village."

"Wow, looks like a magic caster stole your thunder, Momon-san!" Peter joked, to which Momon replied by giving a sordid, awkward laugh. Inwardly, the disguised warrior was about to experience a nervous crisis.

Momonga? The names are similar but… Nfirea shook his head. "And the… Lizard thing?"

If it were possible, her eyes brightened even more. "That was Herohero-sama's gift! It's in my house because it's pretty big, but it's basically this big horn that summons Pino to me whenever I sound it!" Her lips tightened for a moment, before she smiled again. "He's a bit of a troublemaker, but he's still amazing!"

"Yeah… That I can see." Nfirea voiced numbly. Suddenly, a thought wandered into the boy's head. "Did these Ainz Ooal Gown people give you anything else?"

Unnoticed by the rest of the adventurers, Momon froze like he'd been thrown a bucket of cold water.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. They gave me this red healing potion that managed to heal me in an instant! I was surprised because it wasn't like your grandma's potions Enfi, but they worked just as well… Enfi? Are you listening?"

He wasn't.

Nfirea was too busy staring with wide eyes at Momon, who appeared to have realized the intensity of his stare and had gone very, very still.

Just like that, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Fuck. Momonga thought, just as his mind buzzed with the presence of an incoming message. His mind still troubled as it desperately tried to come to terms with the realization that the boy he thought was dangerous had figured him out, he barely managed to establish the connection successfully.

"Momonga-san? I think I made a mistake…"

Oh. Well, that's good. Momonga thought snidely.

At least he wasn't the only one that had dropped the ball.

"Amazing!" Lizzie exclaimed, holding out a newly-made potion in her hands. Within the vial, a thick red liquid glowed visibly. "You really are able to make such potions!"

Herohero scratched his head. "Yeah… That was interesting, to say the least." It was incredible, just how natural the manufacturing process of the potion had been to him. None of the actions he'd taken resembled the ones from the game, after all. It wasn't so simple that he'd accessed the menu and chose what to make between a list of recipes.

In YGGDRASIL, craftable items came in certain varieties. Some were so trivial that they could be made anytime, anywhere as long as one had the materials. Others needed the use of lighter, portable tools while items of the highest complexity needed stationary crafting workshops, such as the ones in Nazarick. In addition, as the quality of the item increased, the crafting levels in that class that were required went up.

While the process he'd used to mint the gold coins were something he could do purely with his own body, creating the potion had required the use of the 'Alchemical Toolkit' he kept within his item chest. This was to prevent people from constantly making potions in the middle of a fight, and were generally accepted as far as constraints went.

However, in the game there had been little explanation as to what said 'tools' did, at least in the case of the crafting item he had used. Despite this, in the process of demonstrating his abilities to Lizzie, Herohero had gone through several different tools within his kit, which looked more or less alien to him yet he could swear he knew how they worked down to the bone.

The most interesting detail that Herohero could tell from how alchemy had transitioned into this world was that everything felt more real. Whatever he'd done to distill the potion, it had all been paced through several sequential steps. From making the alchemical liquid (which only required water and some salts found in the apothecary), to boiling the substance and then injecting magic power into the formula, Herohero had felt that even the slightest alteration in the process could have disappointing, maybe even disastrous results.

If he were to be honest, he felt like he was back in Chemistry class, making soap or turning dust into crystals while the professor hung behind him and warned him not to drop anything. It had been decades since high school, but he couldn't help the mental image. In hindsight, his professor would likely foam at the mouth that something as unreal as 'magic' was even slightly like his own subject.

"So, did you manage to catch anything from that?" Herohero said, looking at the once blank book that had Lizzie's notes scrawled all over it. Interesting to know that they already have a printing press. That might be thanks to the Boastful Sage, as well…

"Yes, yes! Actually, we didn't know that such a high temperature was needed in order to inject the mana into the liquid! Furthermore, those tools you used looked to be of very high quality. Are those methods all from the place you were living in?" Lizzie inquired, not taking her eyes away from the potion.

"That's correct." Herohero nodded, then made a troubled expression. "Also, about your earlier question…" He remembered Lizzie's frustration when Herohero had been unable to properly explain the 'why's and 'how's of his crafting methods. It was weird, the muscle memory was all there but he could hardly find terms for what he did until he was doing it. Because of this, he had been unable to detail to Lizzie how to replicate his crafting methods.

"...I can't very well explain what I'm doing because I learned what I did through magic. It's all very natural to me, but in the end it's just artificial knowledge. So it's not that easy to place in words." It was the truth, at least. Herohero didn't think there was anything more magical than suddenly having the magic equivalent of a PhD just because of game levels.

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad that at last there's someone with an answer to the questions our society has been asking themselves after all this time." Lizzie put down the potion, and then looked back at Herohero. "By the way, are you perhaps acquainted with a warrior in black armor?"

Herohero's eyes went wide. "You know about Momon-san!?" That's way too fast! How did she make that connection so easily? "C-could I ask why you think we're related?"

Lizzie sighed. "That man also carelessly handed a potion identical to yours to an adventurer girl, apparently as some kind of remuneration. When I realized what it was, I paid her to keep her mouth shut and also to give me a sample of the potion." She turned her eyes away. "I may have also sent my grandson after him with the hopes of finding out more…"

Nfirea Baleare! That… That explains a lot, actually… "Well, that's… Bad." Herohero sighed, leaning against the wall. Too fast- They were found out too fast. If he hadn't made a mistake then maybe Momon wouldn't be linked to Ainz Ooal Gown, but at the very least people would have connected the two of them and realized something was up.

He'd planned on coming out eventually, but this was an entirely different curveball. "Yeah, Momon actually comes from the same place as me, and his real name is Momonga." He sagged visibly. "I didn't expect someone would make that connection any time soon, though…"

"Don't worry," Lizzie reassured him. "If these are all the moves you have made, then your secret is safe. I won't question you further on the issue, I was merely curious."

"Right…" Herohero sighed again. He'd have to tell Momonga about this, no doubt about it. He could only be glad that Lizzie hadn't tried to blackmail them and seemed trustworthy herself. It would have been annoying to have come this far yet be forced to kill the woman just because of his own carelessness. It would have been a simple matter, really, overpowering her and then using his body to digest her.

There would not even be a trace of what he did-

What the fuck am I thinking!? Herohero started, chastising himself for those thoughts as anger surged up his being. The amoral act of killing someone to silence them was bad enough, but the cannibalism was too much. The worst thing was that despite feeling a slight aversion to the former act, he didn't find anything emotionally wrong with eating a human being.

It's the avatar, he realized with growing unease. Oozes eat anything except other oozes, and even then there are exceptions. This really took everything from the game and made it real, didn't it?

"Herohero-dono, is something the matter?" Lizzie asked, noticing her benefactor's distracted mood.

"It's nothing." Herohero breathed quietly. "Let's see what else we can make with what there's on the shop, alright? Then you can try and see if you can't imitate it." He made his way back to the strewn tools absentmindedly, centering his thoughts on one of the recipes ingrained in his mind and mechanically starting the first steps.

He could cope with being a monster later. For the moment, there were things he needed to do.

Throughout the forest, two large figures rushed through the thickets, roaming their hunting grounds with a speed and grace that lesser creatures couldn't compete with. One of them was an invisible blur, melding with its surroundings and existing only in the sound it made by rustling the life in the forest. The other was a massive wolf, with pitch black fur that sported strange, golden markings and bright red eyes.

Riding on top of the lupine creature was one Nazarick's Floor Guardians, Aura Bella Fiora. A beautiful dark elf girl with tomboyish looks, she smiled brightly as she felt the wind rush past her body. "Come on, Fenny! Momonga-sama is waiting for us!"

When she'd received a message from Momonga ordering her to meet, Aura couldn't help but be besides herself in happiness. She had no qualms about sending her daily reports to Albedo, but while she considered the Overseer a friend there was nothing like talking to one of the Supreme Beings. Even Demiurge could only express awe at the Supreme Beings' eternal wisdom, and she knew that he was the most intelligent of all the Guardians.

Aura's ears twitched as her inner senses picked up the presence of Momonga, a few hundred meters away from her location. "Let's go, Fenny! Quadracile, keep an eye out alright?" Giving orders to the invisible creature, she rode off towards the thicket where she could sense the location of the Supreme Being.

As she approached Momonga's location, Aura had her beast ease its pace until it was stalking along the ground, laying low so as to escape notice. Aura herself stepped off it, and carefully advanced through the bushes until she could peer into the thicket without being noticed. She saw Momonga and Narberal, but hesitated to approach when she noticed there was a third figure among them.

However, any misgivings she may have had fled when Momonga's voice echoed from his helmet. "It's alright, Aura. You can come out."

"Yes, Momonga-sama!" Aura cheerfully jumped from the bushes, twirling across the air as she flew and landed cleanly on her feet. The young human alongside Momonga started, looking at her with shocked eyes through his hair. "Aura Bella Fiora, reporting for duty!"

"A dark elf?" The boy reacted, surprised. "That's amazing, I thought they all lived underground…"

"Well, we are from underground after all." Momonga replied, looking nervous around the boy from some reason. "Aura, please report to me the state of the forest pertaining to monsters and other creatures' activities, as well as any peculiar observations you may have noticed."

"Right away, Momonga-sama!" Aura repeated herself, as she then began to recall everything she'd noticed since the start of her patrols. "At first, this part of the forest was pretty much empty, but around two weeks ago a lot of monsters started to appear. Um, most of them were really weak though. Goblins, ogres and trolls mostly, though they had a few barghests. I think they were coming from the northeast, too."

"The northeast…" The boy sighed thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers. "That's right! Momonga-san, do you know about the powerful monsters that inhabit the Forest of Tob?"

Momonga tilted his head down. "Powerful monsters? You mean like…" He paused, as if reluctant to mention the name he was thinking of. "...The Wise King of the Forest?"

"Yes." The human nodded assertively. "There are two monsters that live at the eastern and western fringes of the forest, and they each have command over many hundreds of monsters, maybe even thousands. They're called the Giant of the East and the Serpent of the West. One is rumoured to be the physically strongest monster in the forest, while the other is said to be wise and cunning, capable of casting magic on its own. They are terrible creatures, Momonga-san!"

"But the Wise King of the Forest was stronger, am I correct?" At the boy's nod, Momonga went to sigh but it came out as a snort instead. "Right, of course. ...So, what you're trying to say is that these monsters might be the ones commanding the rest to come south?" When he nodded again, Momonga turned back to the guardian. "Aura, what do you think of this?"

The dark elf child looked at the boy for a moment, comparing his words to what she'd observed, and finally nodded. "It makes sense, Momonga-sama. A lot of them moved together, like they were part of a party or a guild. Maybe they were raiding?" Aura put a finger to her cheek, humming in confusion. "I didn't find any dungeons in the forest, though."

"Ah… Haha…" Momonga laughed awkwardly, the only one in the thicket that realized the misunderstanding Aura was going through. "They might have been parties not interested in loot, though…"

"Huh!?" Aura voiced her surprise at the idea. "But didn't Peroroncino-sama say, 'there's no point in raids if there isn't a dungeon to sack'?" That was what her creator's brother had said, when the Supreme Beings had been discussing going after what he'd called a 'lame event boss'.

Momonga shook his head. "Indeed, but there's a lot of things they could have been after. There's territory, resources or even food issues. It might also be a show of force from one or the other, and that would explain the raids. Peroroncino-san is… Wise, but he might have overlooked this anyways."

"Wh-what are we going to do, Momonga-san?" The boy stammered nervously. "If those two are sending waves of monsters through the forest, there's no doubt they're going to try and sack the village at some point!"

Something in the black warrior's eyes flashed.

"Which is why I will not let them do that. Carne Village was taken under the protection of Herohero-san, to attack it is an insult to Ainz Ooal Gown. Feel at ease, Nfirea. I will hold to my end of the bargain." Turning towards Aura, Momonga dramatically extended his arm. "Aura."

"Yes, Momonga-sama!" Aura straightened, ready to obey any command from the Supreme Being.

"You may continue to oversee the protection of Carne Village until further notice. Take as many servants as you need to ensure that their people are protected, but stay out of their notice. As for this 'Giant of the East' and 'Serpent of the West'... Try capturing one of their troops, and interrogate them to learn of their plans. Other than that, simply kill any of their monsters that happens to wander too far south." Momonga nodded towards the human called Nfirea. "Is this enough, Nfirea-san?"

The boy nodded jerkily. "Yes, Momonga-san. That should reduce the danger for adventurers and tradesmen going to Carne."

"Very well. Those are your orders, Aura. Please see to it that they are realized as soon as possible." The guildmaster boomed, causing Aura's heart to burn with willpower and determination.

"Yes, Momonga-sama! I will do as you command and drive the creatures from the forest!" She voiced, undying loyalty and devotion evident in every word. With a giddy smile on her face, she turned tail and ran towards Fenrir as soon as Momonga dismissed her. "Let's go, Fenny!" Without skipping a beat, the wolf rose from its rest and started running, even as Aura jumped on top of it.

Momonga watched them go and sighed. The day wasn't at all playing how he'd expected it to. First he learned that the item that Herohero had given the village girl summoned a mid-level mount that was extremely flashy, only for his surprise to be replaced with shock when his cover was almost completely blown by details he'd overlooked.

-However, even that had been eclipsed by the latest turn of events.

"Momonga-san… Thank you." The lich in disguise looked back at Nfirea, who was avoiding his gaze even as he spoke. "I know I can't join your party, but just being allowed to work for you is enough. I'm… I'm glad that at least someone still cares about this village."

Momonga grunted. "I was going to protect Carne Village regardless of your intentions, Nfirea. Just don't forget- We might be associates, but you work for us now. You understand, of course, the dangers you risk if you were to expose even a fraction of what we've shown you, right?"

At his side, Nabe's grip on her sword tightened along with her stance. Her eyes were like stone as she judged the boy that had been so troublesome to her Master.

Nfirea shook his head. "I'd never sell you or Herohero out, Momonga-san. After what you did for Enri and the villagers… There's not a person in this world I'm more grateful to than the both of you. Grandma will keep her word as well, especially if what you told me is true. She really is only interested in her research. Money and power means nothing to her."

That was it in a nutshell. After Nfirea's conversation with Enri, Momonga had gone over an exhaustive talk with Herohero. The only comfort they could draw from the way they had been outmaneuvered was that the result of Nfirea and Lizzie's findings had thankfully not destroyed their plans, and indeed were something they could work with. Herohero claimed that he could handle Lizzie's end of the business, but then suggested that this might not be an entirely negative result. After all, they had dirt on the Baleares that they could use to keep them in check.

For his part, Herohero learned that Lizzie Baleare cared about only two things: her grandson, and her potions. Likewise, the knowledge that Nfirea was deeply attached to Enri was another factor that could be used to tie him down, especially given that Enri was completely under their grasp. Indeed, despite their initial disadvantage they were entirely capable of turning this situation on its head.

In the end, they'd decided to come clean with Nfirea anyways. He would find out from Lizzie eventually, so it had only been a matter of time. However, they would also make clear the power they held over Carne Village and determined that should be enough to keep the Baleare boy in check.

However, when finally confronted, Momonga had been completely blindsided by Nfirea's willingness to support them. After a brief talk where Momonga had explained how they had dealt with the Imperial Knights, Nfirea had been in awe of the strength they had displayed and immediately after requested- No, even begged to be allowed to join their team in order to become strong.

To Momonga, it was as if he had won the lottery. After Herohero's given consent, it was trivially easy to convince the boy to become their pawn. Nfirea agreed to work for them, knowing that they would protect Carne Village and that eventually Ainz Ooal Gown would help him become stronger.

All of that had led to this situation, with Nfirea tagging along with them as Momonga felt there was little to fear from the boy. Perhaps their identity as monsters was a taboo they might not be able to reveal, but he somehow felt it wouldn't be too tragic even if the boy managed to uncover that well-hidden secret.

"The Swords of Darkness have probably found the 'herbs' you were looking for already, Nfirea." Momonga said, glancing coldly at the boy. "Perhaps we should go back."

"Yes." Nfirea nodded. "There's a lot of free space in the village, so staying the night shouldn't be much of a problem. If all things go well, Momonga-san, we'll be back in E-Rantel by tomorrow evening."

"That sounds fine." Momonga said, as he walked past Nfirea and towards the path that led to the village. Behind him, Nabe followed closely. "Just remember, from now on I am the warrior 'Momon', and not Momonga."

Nfirea smiled awkwardly. "Don't worry, there's no way I would forget something so simple."

For some mysterious reason, Nabe growled.

"You're clear." Eric voiced, having finished looking through every nook and cranny of the man's caravan. He gestured to his companions, and they stepped aside to let the merchant's many carriages through.

"Shit, another false alarm…" The guard sighed, leaning against the walls that connected to E-Rantel's western gate. E-Rantel's city guard generally had a very cozy job, as crime rates were generally low in a city with as much military importance as this one. Being one of the few cities in the Kingdom that had a standing garrison throughout the year, their reinforced ranks meant that being a guard was a job that, while not paying too much, was relatively safe and granted him an excuse to kick people who pissed him off.

However, being part of the city guard also meant that he could be assigned all kinds of duties that weren't exactly the most pleasant of jobs. Gate duty was one of the worst, since it was at the same time mind-numbingly boring and risky enough that he couldn't just sleep through the job. Knowing when to call a search was important, since it could freeze the transit of an entire gate. As such, one needed to be careful enough to identify shady guys and call them out.

Despite this, the truth was that ninety nine times out of a hundred, whoever passed through the gate would just be normal people minding their own business. This meant that he got to sit his ass out waiting for anything exciting to happen for the entire day, and should he let anything past all the blame would fall on him and he would get fired.

"Damn, I hate gate duty…" Eric shook his head in frustration. What he wouldn't give for a good glass of booze right then…

Another of the guards squinted, throwing an arm over his head to look at the distance. "Hey Eric, there's someone coming up… And he doesn't look very normal."

"Oh yeah? Just… Let me get up from here…!" Eric yawned, stretching as he straightened and walked back to the path. "Alright, who's the one that's coming?" Eric imitated the actions of his fellow guard, trying to reduce the glare of the receding sunlight. When he saw the figure, his arm sagged with surprise. "Whoa."

As the newcomer's body gradually became more visible, he drew the attention of more and more of the guards. Their curiosity was spiked, as even from the distance they noticed the magnificent quality of his armor. They were plates of shining platinum metal, completely covering the man's body in a way not unlike a dragon's scales completely encased their bearer with a solid defence. The interlacing plates moved visibly in tune with the man's steps, some of them bound so tightly they looked like muscles of plated steel.

The guards moved as the mysterious figure approached, his blue cape trailing behind as he advanced. The garb was clasped on the man's shoulders, flowed freely in the wind and yet it did not get in his way in the slightest. As the guards moved to block his advanced, they grew aware of the man's rather tall height and the imposing presence that he bore.

"H-Halt!" Eric shouted, and the mysterious man stopped. He craned his neck, looking at him through the glaring visor of his helmet. He gulped at the intimidating nature of the headgear, noting the long horns that curved back only to stretch forwards, like a laurel wreath. "State your name and your business in E-Rantel, sir!"

"...My business…" The man's voice, muffled as it was, carried a deep undertone and a weight that had the guardsmen shivering. "...I guess you could say that I'm chasing down a great threat." He chuckled, in a way that was anything but humorous to the guards. Continuing to advance, the man looked over the guards and nodded his head. "As for my name… Well, there's no problem in telling you."

"I am Vaison." He stepped forwards smoothly, through the guards and onto the gate as nobody dared to bar his way. They knew instinctively, that questioning this man's intentions was an extremely bad idea that they would surely regret.

For a fraction of a second, Eric could have sworn he saw a glaring green light flare from behind the man's visor.

"Tsaindoruks Vaison."

Dusk fell in the city of E-Rantel, and everyone began to retreat to their homes. As humans, E-Rantel's citizens naturally held a primal fear of the dark. It was only natural, to fear the night in which they could not see. A man who found danger in the dark was surely trapped, compared to one who faced it in the light. Because of this, they shied away from the darkness and closed their eyes under their blankets, hoping to wait out the dangers of the night and wake up to see the sunlight. However…

-In this world, there were some nightmares that one could never escape from.

It started in a single warehouse out of the myriad that existed in E-Rantel. The few roaming guards in it were taking it easy, knowing that few people would wander into a place that mostly held uncooked food storage that would be held there until the start of winter. A single pair wandered in, wielding a single torch to keep their wits about.

"-Yeah, but if you factor in that Red Drop's team has that super advanced armor on their side, I don't think Peron can break through their defense before he gets whittled down by their attacks. He might be crazy strong, but there's no way he's invincible. He's just human after all." One of the guards remarked, confident in his argument.

"I'm telling you, Peron is crazy. My pops lives in E-Pespel, I know what I'm talking about. You could put Red Drop, Blue Rose and Gazef Stronoff all together and they wouldn't stand a chance. If you ask me, Peron has a solid fighting chance against a freaking Dragon Lord." The other guard insisted, making his counterpart laugh.

"Come on, nobody believes that shi-" Whatever the guard was about to say, it was suddenly drowned out by a thunderous noise that echoed all around the warehouse, followed by the high-pitched noise of a horrified scream.

The guards paused for a moment, and then they suddenly took off. "Shit!" One of them exclaimed, stepping ahead of his friend and turning a corner at the end of the building. "What the hell was that?" He scanned the darkness, using the meager light from his torch to try to see anything else. As a remote part in the city, the warehouse lacked the 'Continuous Lights' that decorated the main streets of the city.

Perhaps it was the way the light of the torch flared, or maybe it was because of how used he was to the dark, but the guard noticed it. At the edge of the neighboring building, he caught the crimson glint of blood. He moved as fast as he could, racing towards the red glint in the distance as it gradually spread and became a pool at the center of his vision.

Drawing a deep breath, he brandished the sword on his left hand and very slowly turned the corner that led into another dark alley. However, when he turned to find the corpse…

...Nothing.

There was nothing there, but a pool of freshly spilled blood that seemed to have no source. His body shuddered, unable to cope with the sight that he couldn't in any way decipher.

Feeling numb all over, the guard stepped back. "There's nothing back there." He whispered in horror. "Shit, Rial, there's no body! ... Hey, where do you think it could have gone?"

No response.

"Rial?" The guard turned back where he came from, unnerved by the silence of his partner-

-When the sword in his hand almost clattered to the ground from shock. Oh no, no no no no no…!

His teammate was there, alright. He was still standing, looking onwards with blank eyes that seemed to be frozen in shock. However, he couldn't speak or move. Not because he lacked a mouth, or because something had grabbed.

He couldn't move because he was dead, killed by the bloody chain that gone into his temple and out of the other, splattering blood and brain matter all over the ground.

The guard screamed, doubling back as the ghost chain whipped back and tore a definite hole through the carcass of his former friend, reducing his head to a fine paste. He forgot about his training and skills, only determined to run while he could and get help from someone who could truly handle the situation.

He never got the chance. No sooner had he taken a step, two different chains flew from another direction and wrapped around his neck in a vice grip, yanking him back like a dog put on a leash. The man's torch and sword dropped to the ground, as he viciously clawed at his throat, trying in vain to pull away the chains that were choking the life out of him.

As the lights in both torch and man started to wink out one by one, the dying guard managed to behold the face of their assassin. The pale, bare feet of his attacker approached into view, before the man's view climbed up to the rest of their body. In any other situation, he would have felt lust for the slender, supple body of the girl his eyes saw.

However, the rest of her killed any lust he might have had and replaced it with deep revulsion and fear. Her otherwise naked body was completely covered in steel chains, they wrapped around her so tightly and were pulled so taut as to resemble a dress, but they moved and writhed with life of their own. He knew how deadly the barbs that danced around her form were, and the coppery smell that came from the many tattoos on her body gave him no comfort as to their source.

The raven-haired devil smiled, crouching to stare down at the horrified, gasping head of the guard. Every time her smile widened, the chains around his neck tightened. Her inhuman green eyes gleamed with uncontrolled bloodlust, wide and unblinking to a disturbing degree. She didn't speak, but he knew what she was doing anyways. She was playing with him, making a game out of killing him.

He couldn't really care anymore. He was pretty much dead anyways. The pressure on his throat had faded, because he could no longer feel anything below his neck. As he felt some disturbingly hard bits come out of his mouth, he idly realized he was vomiting his own windpipe-

"Ah..." The chained devil frowned, pouting as the guard's stare turned glassy and void of reason. "He died." The chains around the corpse's neck jerked, pulling back as they receded back around her body.

"That's the last of them." Said a figure as he landed next to her from high above. He was dressed in a similar way to her, but his skin was much darker, his eyes were yellow and his head was bald. "You sure took your time, though."

"What can I say?" The fiend playfully put a bloody finger on her lips. "I like it when they kick."

Both devils paused when the two dead bodies on the ground twitched. They lowered their stares, watching intently as the two guards which should be dead started to get back up. Their wounds remained, their bodies horrifyingly misshapen by the damage incurred. Though they lacked a soul, they moved with purpose again.

Two more undead had joined their ranks.

"Good job, you two." Said a figure, as it stepped from the shadows. Its robes fell away, as its body started to transform. Blue skin turned into scales and bark-like skin, hard as ice as it covered his growing monstrous body. A long tail sprouted from his back, the powerful muscle slamming on the street and throwing up rocks and dust. Four horns sprouted from its reptilian face, as its neck extended to an inhuman length, tensing with supernatural strength.

The ice devil drove its talons on the ground, testing the power of its body which it had abandoned for quite some time. Its green eyes blinked, endless pools of glowing emerald that seemed to stare into infinity. Power gathered in its hands, and a long spear manifested itself between his arms.

The two chained devils knelt, bowing before their superior.

The devil looked at the warehouse, a remote corner in the city whose state nobody would question until it was too late to ask them. Slowly, a dark grin appeared on his horrible maw. "This one will do well enough. Nobody will come here during the day, and during the next night…" It laughed "They will wish they had not."

With a sinister gleam in its eyes, the devil threw its arms up. "Soon, these foolish humans will learn of the dark power of our master, the Archfiend!"

The space around the devil seemed to shudder, as one by one more devils began to show up. Monstrous bearded humanoids, amorphous creatures that were disturbing to even look at, lumbering creatures made almost entirely of thorns, and other abominations started to descend from the gaps between reality.

"Finally," the Ice Devil voiced, "this Festival of Death can begin! Rejoice, fellow fiends! The night is ours!"

Their maddened laughter stretched on until dawn broke.

Next: Nightfall