Still getting positive reviews and follows, I updated my Overlord fic and I'm working on the Minato one so I thought I'd get something down for this one. It may take some time for me to update the Minato story since I didn't really have much in my head to start with, so writing out the next few chapters is gonna be hard. At least until I start writing original arcs that's not just him arriving. No questions for me to answer as I'm writing this, so I'll get started.

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All in all, I'd like to think that last night's quest went pretty well for the most part. After mostly Aqua and I exorcised all the spirits, we called it a night and went to bed, with Kazuma and Aqua going to the guild at some point during the day to cash in the quest.

Morning did eventually arrive so I awoke at the crack of dawn'Went from an odd dream to a dreamless sleep'. I stood from the bed inside the mansion and had a good stretch, popping any stiff joints, even though the bed was nice, I still liked to do it. I quickly flashed on an outfit before I left the room, which was just a tight white short sleeved shirt with the loose black pants I slept in and a pair of black shoes.

When I stepped into the hallway, it was quiet 'Guessing everyone is still asleep, not many people get up as early as I do'. With a slight shrug, I shut my door and continued towards the set of stairs that lead towards the main floor. 'I wonder what I should do until everyone wakes up?' I thought as I reached the main floor 'Haven't explored anywhere else, maybe I should check for a kitchen and make something to eat with my own hands'. From what I could tell, it was closer to seven in the morning so it probably would be best to get something to eat. Plus I felt like cooking since for the past while I had been eating things not prepared by me. Not saying that the food I had at the Toketsu's was bad, but while I was on the road back to Axel, I didn't make much myself and just had my gate make food.

With that, I started my search for the kitchen. I walked around the main floor for around half an hour before I actually found something. One of the rooms I walked into was the dining room and it was fairly large and looked like a typical fancy dining room you'd expect in a manor or mansion 'There was a table up in the rec room we found before so they'd probably use that more than this room since it's probably a little too big for only four people'. We hadn't cleaned this room so I wasn't gonna use it or clean it.

There was a set of double doors that led to another room which I assumed was the door to the kitchen. I pushed open the doors and I was not wrong with that thought. The kitchen was large and just like the rest of the house, it was made of mostly stone. Wooden cabinets lined the walls which could only be holding large quantities of plates and cutlery. A large island was in the middle of the room as well, pots and pans were hanging from the racks, even a few spices. While some of them would have to be thrown out, they mostly still seemed usable. A wood burning stove was placed in between the cabinets and there was also an oven of sorts opposite of it built in to a wall.

It was probably one of the more nice kitchens I had seen in my past and current life 'Doubt any of the food that's stored around isn't in the best shape. 'Good thing I keep plenty of food and ingredients stored on me for such an occasion' I made my way in front of the stove and inspected it. While it was a little dirty, which could be fixed easily, it still seemed to be in working condition and even had some wood in it.

'I haven't had French toast or anything since I came to this world and I haven't seen it anywhere here so maybe I can make it myself. I'm not sure if syrup has been introduced to this world yet and its most basic components are sugar, water and some kind of juice or nectar. Could even use corn starch and my gate could easily do that for me since I personally don't know how to make it. Could even make a profit out of it, if it hasn't been mass produced already'. From what I remember, it wasn't mass produced until maybe the eighteen hundreds but was 'discovered' before then and this world wasn't and kind of was around that level at the same time. I shrugged my shoulders and got to work before I lost myself in Canadian history.

I didn't want to use any of the pots, pans or plates, so I cleaned up the oven and some space on the island that was across from the stove. I procured a mixing bowl and some ingredients which were an egg, vanilla and cinnamon. I mixed the ingredients and had my gate give me some bread while I lit the wood in the stove with a simple use of the tinder spell. I 'greased' up a pan and placed it on the stove to heat up while I coated some bread that I sliced in the mixture of egg, vanilla and cinnamon. 'Good thing cinnamon is a thing here or that would've sucked' I chuckled to myself as I placed the first few coated slices of bread onto the pan. It immediately made a satisfying sizzle and almost immediately filled the room with the scent of cinnamon.

'Lord knows I've missed this smell' I reminisced while keeping an eye out on the bread so it didn't burn. I flipped the toast as it got sufficiently toasted on one side and I stood there for a moment to appreciate how damn good of a flip that was. Within twenty or so minutes, I already almost had enough to serve everyone. I was just putting another few slices in the pan, when I felt a pair of eyes on me.

Turning around, I saw a familiar pair of red eyes staring at me from the kitchen doorway "Something you need?"

Megumin jumped a little but quickly snapped out of her stupor "What is that?" she asked with curiosity as her tired gaze looked hungrily at the stack of food on the counter.

"French toast" I replied while flipping the bread.

"What's a French?" she asked with a head tilt.

I chuckled at that "Nothing to concern yourself with" I then had an idea "You're a child right?" she pouted at that "I'll take that as a yes. Anyways I want you to try something for me" a gate opened in front of her and she barely managed to catch a small vial filled with a thick brown liquid.

She suspiciously looked at it "You're not trying to poison me are you?"

I laughed a little before I responded "Nothing like that, it's called syrup. Think of it like a sweeter less healthy version of honey that I will be serving with this" I gestured to the pan.

She cautiously sniffed it and didn't see anything wrong with it so she took a cautious 'sip' from it and she immediately brightened up before trying to down the small vial which took a bit since it was thick and the vial was small. "It's amazing!" she shouted.

"Of course it is" I said rather smugly "Now run along and wake the rest up and bring them to the rec room".

The syrup was a success, now I just needed to finish this up and store it to keep warm while I bring it up to the rec room. It's certainly a good thing that icing sugar exists in this world as well 'Can't have it without icing sugar'. With a few casual flicks, I put the rest of the toast onto the large stack I had beside me and without a glance I stored it in my gate and left the kitchen. I made my way back to the main hall and ascended the stairs to the second floor.

Within minutes I had ascended the stairs to the second floor and made it to the door of the rec room. With a simple push, I opened the door and was greeted to the site of the 'gang' all rounded up by the table. Everyone was still in their sleepwear and were currently waiting at the table expectantly, Kazuma sitting on one end of the table next to Megumin and across from a very tired looking Aqua.

Kazuma was the first to notice my appearance, he gave a short yawn before addressing me "Yo man" he said with a slight wave "Megumin was telling us you made something?"

I nodded "I have made French toast" I said rather smugly.

Kazuma's face brightened up "Whoa really! I haven't had that stuff in forever! I thought I could faintly smell something familiar"

Darkness seemed curious "You've had this before? I've never heard of it" she said from next to Aqua.

Kazuma nodded "Yea that stuff wasn't ultra-popular from where I came from specifically but I'm stoked!" he finished joyfully.

"Did you and Gil come from the same country?" Megumin asked curiously.

"Something like that" I said while taking a seat at one of the heads of the table, Darkness was to my left and Megumin was to my right. "Now" I waved my hand and a golden portal opened in front of all of us, slowly plates started to materialize with cutlery and the food on the plates. "Now place this on top" small pitchers of syrup then appeared in front of everyone.

Megumin and Kazuma immediately started pouring theirs on, while Aqua and Darkness did it a little more slowly. I did my own at my own pace and watched everyone take their first bites, they immediately froze after their bites.

"Well?" I asked while looking somewhat lazily at them, they seemed to shake themselves out of a stupor and started tearing into the food. "I will take that as its good" I mostly mumbled to myself with a small smile as I dug into my own.

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When breakfast was over, I dismissed all the plates and accepted the praise on how good it was. Kazuma even asked if I'd like to live here and cook for them but I declined that almost immediately. Once all the food had settled, Kazuma and Aqua went to get ready so they could go cash in the quest in order to get the reward. Not having anything better to do, I decided to go with them and possibly see if there was any good quests today, maybe even get Kazuma's party to come along.

I was dressed in my usual leather jacket outfit as we entered the guild and walked up to Luna at the counter.

She noticed our approach and gave us a wave "Good morning you three" she said with a smile "Anything I can help you with?"

Kazuma nodded "Yeah we're here to turn in a quest" he pulled out some sheet of paper "We cleared out that manor of spirits last night".

Luna then gained a surprised look "Oh! We have a special reward for that one" she then pulled out a tray that had a decent amount of Eris on it. "The guild was at its wits end trying to get that solved, since all the spirits would be exorcised and more would show up"

Kazuma and Aqua high fived and started doing a mini celebration "Why was that place so special?" I asked Luna.

"Well it wasn't the house itself" she started "But someone erected a barrier around the nearby cemetery and all the ghosts flocked to that house since it was empty"

Kazuma and Aqua immediately went pale as they just looked at each other "Would you give us a sec?" Kazuma asked Luna as he slowly walked away with Aqua as he pushed her.

"Uhhh" Luna just kind of sat there as she stared at Kazuma looking at Aqua with a mean look, she then looked to me "Do you know what that's about?".

I shrugged and put my hands in my pockets "I have a few guesses".

As the two were talking to each other, Luna seemed to realize something "I forgot to tell you something!" she then bent down to grab something. She came up a moment later with a guild request form "I know you just got back from a request… but you got a specific request again".

This was interesting for sure "Oh really? By whom?"

She scratched her cheek slightly "Well… It's kind of from the royal capital"

I arched an eyebrow "What would they want with me?"

"Well, do you know who Mitsurugi is?" she asked me.

I nodded "Kid with the powerful sword"

She nodded "Apparently his sword was stolen and sold so he's been working to re acquire it and he regularly helped fighting on the front lines against the demon king. And since his sword is a large portion of his power…"

"He can't properly fight"

"I mean… he's strong on his own but he can't fight on the front lines right now and the borders have been getting more difficult to defend"

"And they need me?"

"Who needs you?" Kazuma walked back to us with a defeated Aqua in tow

"Apparently the royal capital needs my assistance in defending against the demon king's army since Mitsurugi doesn't have his sword" I responded.

Kazuma flinched then spoke again "So uhh… you gonna do it?"

I shrugged, and then looked back to Luna "What kind of reward are they offering?"

"It's up in the air but they are offering a base of two million Eris and depending on how well you do or how much you do, the reward can increase".

"TWO MILLION" shouted Kazuma as he slammed his hands on Luna's desk, startling her a bit "PLEASE tell me he can bring people!"

Luna nervously responded "T-they requested him specifically so I'm not too sure"

Kazuma then slumped forward "Why does the world hate me…"

"W-well there's still your reward?" she pushed the tray from earlier a bit further.

Kazuma then looked even more deflated "I can't… Not in good conscience"

"Alright then" she responded rather slowly as she put the tray aside before looking at me again "Well?"

"Where exactly would I need to be and when?"

"You'd first have to go to the capitol which is on the way towards the border between the kingdom of Belzerg and the Demon King's territory"

"I can't just go right to the border?"

"I don't know too much, but supposedly a garrison of troops are going to be leaving the capital to assist and they'd want you to go with them and meet the garrison leader who will be taking over"

I closed my eyes in thought 'The royal capital huh? While I don't care that much about royalty, it probably would be a good idea to either integrate myself or at least gain good relations. It would definitely be beneficial and plus…' I outwardly smirked 'It'll be a good way to test my skills on an army'. I opened my eyes and addressed Luna "I'll go assist them"

Luna let out a sigh "Thank you" she then handed me a few sheets of paper "This is a rough overview of the details and when you should be expected"

I took the papers and nodded "I guess I'll leave as soon as I can" I looked back to Kazuma who still seemed deflated "I'll go back to the mansion with you and relax a bit before I leave, also give a proper goodbye since I'll probably be gone for a while"

Kazuma straightened up a little "Yeah… lets go" he then slowly walked towards the door with Aqua. I followed behind the two and once we reached the outside, Kazuma groaned into his hands "What's the point of having a high luck stat if it SUCKS!"

I patted him on the shoulder as an idea struck me "You know…" I started "They requested me specifically sure". I handed Kazuma the paper "Doesn't say anything about me bringing a party or assistance now does it?"

Aqua then peaked over Kazuma's shoulder "Your right! It just says they need your help, not to come alone!"

Something clicked in Kazuma's head as he whipped his head to look at me with some sort of pleading eyes "You'll take us?"

His face was certainly humorous "Sure" I shrugged "If they have a problem with it, they can take it up with me directly".

"Alright!" Kazuma pumped his fist in the air "Let's go get ready and get a move on!"

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As lazy as Kazuma was, at least from what I've seen and how he handles quests, I was surprised at how pumped up he was for this. It was more than likely for the money since he still didn't really have any and with how much debt he's in, a large sum of money split between us would still be a lot for him.

When Kazuma, Aqua and I agreed to head back to the manor, I split off from them and went to prepare a means of transport. Just went to the local business that rented out carriages and rented one to take with us. I had some slight experience with carriage driving so I was gonna be the driver for the most part. With an hour or so passing, I arrived back at the manor with a small one horse carriage that could comfortably hold all of us and whatever baggage the party had, which I could store if needed. It had cushioned seats on the inside and on the driver's seats, as well as a standard cover to protect the passengers against rain and/or wind.

"Easy now" I said while giving a slight tug on the reigns to stop the horse, I pulled the brake to lock the wheels and hopped off the carriage. Within less than a minute I was already inside the main entrance of the manor.

I certainly didn't have to wait long, as I could already see and hear everyone coming "I can't believe we're heading to the front lines". I heard Darkness as she came from around a corner at the top of the stairs along with everyone else who were all carrying bags. "Just the thought of facing hoards of demons has got me excited"

Kazuma responded as they started descending the stairs "You have a different definition of 'exciting' Ms. Freak"

"I am most certainly NOT a freak!" she shouted back.

Kazuma completely ignored her and turned his attention to me "Yo" he started with a small wave "Saw you coming from the rec room and we're all ready to go"

"Good" I nodded "It's going to take a while before we get to the royal capital and a little longer until we reach the kingdom's borders. But once we finish our quest, I can immediately teleport us back"

"You think you'll have enough magic to get us all back in one go?" Kazuma asked.

"Including the carriage, I should have more than enough"

"At least we don't have to sit through a whole ride back" said Aqua.

I then turned my back to them "I only rented a somewhat smaller carriage so if it gets too crowded then I can store your belongings until you need them". We then all climbed into the carriage and set off on our journey to the royal capital.

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We didn't encounter anything on our way to the capital, no real troubles occurred other than Aqua doing the classic 'Are we there yet?' every god damn hour. It was quickly silenced after the fifteenth or so time by me taking her bottles of alcohol that she brought with her and storing them in my gate. It didn't work the best but when I threatened to destroy them and not give her a share of the reward, it seemed to do the trick.

Did also have to deal with Megumin wanting to 'release herself' by casting an explosion spell every day but that was Kazuma's problem to deal with during the few breaks we had during the time we traveled. We took four or so breaks a day to let the horse rest and stretch our legs for a bit before continuing. At night I supplied some tents and prepared the meals, mostly just stews and such since they were simple and didn't need too much attention.

Darkness didn't really give any trouble since we didn't encounter any world ending monsters so she was pretty docile. Other than a few comments that triggered her 'other side' managed to do something but I was used to it and Kazuma seemed slightly fed up with all three of them at some times but then again… that was a 'him' problem.

It took nearly two to three weeks just to get to the capital, which wasn't the worst but it had so far been the longest distance I had traveled just by carriage alone. Upon reaching the city gates, it was just a matter of showing the request form and my Adventurer card along with everyone else's to get in. We were quickly approved and told to head directly to the castle where we would meet up with the garrison leader who would be setting out with his troops in a few hours. So I did just that and proceeded to drive us towards the castle and it certainly was a very prestigious castle with its many towers and other features that made it stand out.

"Whoa that place is huge!" Aqua said aloud as she poked her head beside me through the opening in the carriage. "The kind of place someone like me should be living in"

"I wouldn't mind living in such a fancy place either" Megumin spoke with Kazuma agreeing.

"As nice as it is" I spoke "The amount of space that isn't needed and the fact that it is just too big"

"Come on man, you're saying you wouldn't want to be a king and own a sweet castle like that"

"I certainly wouldn't mind" I responded with a small smirk "commanding and leading seems like fun but until more experience is gained, then it would be useless"

"Yea I guess that would be tough but man I would love to just kick back on a fancy chair all day and do mostly what I want" Kazuma spoke with a distant look in his eye.

"That's because you're a NEET" Aqua spoke.

"I AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"ENOUGH!" I raised my voice to quiet them down "Don't make me look like a fool for bringing you two on this quest"

"Yes sir" they both said dejectedly.

"Good" I said with a nod as I looked back into the carriage as they sat down. I glanced at Darkness who seemed oddly quiet "You're oddly quiet".

"O-oh uh yea! The castle is very nice"

I just hummed at the odd response 'She's definitely hiding something, maybe she's been here before? I won't bother for now'.

With that thought over, we had made it to the front of the castle where a few guards and a woman who was wearing a full white suit with gold trimming, a blue necktie and a sword strapped to her waist. She had short blond hair with a single braid on the right side of her head and swept bangs that covered her right eye.

Darkness upon seeing her immediately leaned back as to not show her face to this woman 'Now that is something I will have to ask her about'.

When I stopped the carriage in front of them, the woman looked up to meet my eyes "Greetings" she spoke evenly "I am Claire of the Shinfornea house, I will not be the one accompanying you to the border but I have been instructed to meet with you". I could just barely hear Darkness sigh at the part where she would not be joining us. "I would assume that you are the adventurer that they call Gilgamesh?"

I nodded "I am, I come in response to the request for my aid" She looked me up and down then back to the carriage that had everyone's head but Darkness' poking out.

"And who are these people you have brought with you?" she asked rather sternly.

The group flinched a little under her gaze but I did not "I brought a few people with me to assist me"

She scanned the people that she could see and after a moment she looked back to me "You do realize that-" she pointed directly at me "You were requested, not these people".

I narrowed my eyes a little "The request did not state that I could not bring a party, just that I have been requested".

She also narrowed her eyes but soon relaxed her posture a bit more "Alright then" she motioned to the two guards beside her "These two will take you to the garrison leader, I must return to the princess". She said with a tone of finality as she walked away towards the castle without another word.

I huffed a little when she was out of ear shot "A pleasant one isn't she?"

Kazuma responded "Kind of scary but she was pretty hot not gonna lie"

I more or less just hummed as we disembarked and approached the two guards, Darkness staying at the back of the group and trying to keep out of sight.

One of the guards spoke "We will have someone take the carriage and any of your belongings that you need to leave here to the stables just over there" the guard pointed towards the stables that were nearby. "If you would follow us, we will take you to the barracks" the guard walked off after that.

We walked for only a few minutes but something was certainly off. Darkness kept walking behind me or beside me and it seemed she was trying to stay out of view of certain people. 'She certainly isn't the type of person to shy away from the gazes of strangers. As soon as I can, I will have a word with her'.

After that, we arrived in front of a somewhat large stone building that was close to the castle. It wasn't an overly large building but it was still large, as a barracks should be. Two guards were standing up front while there were soldiers not too far away training, the guard that was leading us nodded to the two at the front and lead us inside.

The guard turned to us and spoke "Wait here for a moment while I get the garrison leader" he then walked off down a hallway.

The area we found ourselves in was what you'd expect for a waiting room of sorts, there were a few benches that lined the walls and a few soldiers walking around. Some were in gear on patrols, while others were in a more casual outfit and lounging around, probably their day off.

Kazuma, Aqua and Megumin took a seat on a bench but Aqua didn't seem to want to wait "Kazuma! Can't we just go and take these stupid demons on? I can easily take them down on my own!"

Kazuma then started to retort her but before I could hear anything more, I tapped Darkness on the shoulder as she was kind of spacing out a bit. She jumped a little and looked at me, I motioned my head behind me where there was an empty hall not being guarded at the moment. I didn't wait for a response and just walked over, she followed behind but at a slower pace. I leaned on the entryway frame of the hall and looked at her as she stood opposite of me.

I crossed my arms and addressed her "What are you doing?"

She looked around for a second in some form of embarrassment? It was a little hard to tell "W-what do you mean?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my right hand before I spoke to her again "You've been trying to stay out of sight from people and are cowering behind me" she flinched a little at the cowering part "You relish being stared at by strangers"

"I-I do not!" I simply deadpanned at her response "Okay maybe sometimes"

"Exactly, so what is going on?"

She contemplated speaking for a moment "I've just… been here before"

I raised an eyebrow "What, did you go on an exhibitionist streak and get kicked out?"

She immediately went red "Absolutely not!"

"Then what is it?"

She stuttered for a moment before she spoke again "There are just a few people I don't want seeing me" she didn't seem to want to tell me the exact reason.

I let out a sigh and raised my right hand slightly and opened up a gate, a necklace dropped into my hand as I held it out to her. She seemed confused so I elaborated "It's a pendant I got from a pedlar on one of my travels. It alters the general appearance of a person to specific people, if being seen is that much of a problem then just wear this for now. I and the rest of the party will see you normally but any strangers you don't want to see you will see something else. It's either this or I can take you back home, because I'm not gonna be shielding you from sight this whole time". She took the necklace and placed it around her neck, it was a simple gold plated chain necklace with a green gem in the middle. It glowed for a moment before dimming back down, her outward appearance didn't change but that was to be expected.

She gave her thanks before we went back to wait with everyone else, but we didn't have to wait long. A man who had three guards with him rounded the corner, he wore a polished set of bright steel armour that was leagues higher in quality compared to any of the guards or soldiers. He had a full plate helmet tucked under his arm so his face could be seen. He was on the older side since his hair and average beard were all gray. His face was stern and fairly slim that had a pair of gold coloured eyes that seemed to stare into the soul. The man was also tall, very tall, he was at least six foot five, maybe a little taller due to his armour.

He gave us a small smile as we came in view "Ah so you must be the great Gilgamesh I've heard so much about". He approached as we all stood to greet him "I am Erik Gorm, a knight in service of the king who will be leading this operation" he extended a hand.

I took his hand and tilted my head a bit to look at him directly "A pleasure" I let go of his hand "When will we depart?"

"My men are just finishing up preparations to leave within the hour" he responded and looked to Kazuma and his party. "And who might you all be?" he asked with a kind smile.

Kazuma was up first "I'm Kazuma" he said relatively respectful with a small wave.

Megumin was up next "I am the crimson demon an the worlds most ultimate explosion mage, Megumin!" she struck a pose in attempt to impress the knight, which he chuckled to in response. Almost the way a parent would to a child trying to show off.

Aqua not wanting to be outdone, was up next "I am the goddess, Archpriest Aqua!" Erik raised a slight eyebrow and glanced at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and spoke lowly "A little crazy this one, but powerful in her own right" Erik only nodded in response.

Darkness was last "I am Darkness, the crusader".

Erik nodded to them all "Let us hope that you all survive this battle and bring honour to the kingdom". Right after our introductions, a soldier came up to Erik and told him that everything was prepared and everyone would be ready to move out when he gave the order. "Gather everyone and we will set out immediately"

"Yes sir!" the Soldier responded before jogging off.

Erik then looked to me "I can understand why only one of your members are wearing armour. Where is your armour?" I smirked lightly as a golden glow encompassed me, when the light died down, I was in my armour with my hair now defying gravity. Erik seemed rather impressed "I see… A magnificent set of armour". I only chuckled in response "Now let us depart" he flipped his helmet and placed it on, completely covering his face.

The battle would soon begin

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Definitely a pretty short chapter this time around, I posted another story yesterday and I haven't updated this one in a bit so I thought I'd put this out, just to have something. I'm still working on the Minato story but it'll be a while until I put out a second chapter and my Overlord fic is going slower than I'd like, but I'll get there eventually. Anyways, my new story is a crossover between Reincarnated as a Slime and Dragon ball, it is titled 'Reincarnated as a Saiyan'.