Hi, all! Sorry for the extended absence. I will just be honest and say that I have been hooked playing Monster Hunter World. I blame my brother for that. XD
I'll just cut to the chase and begin the chapter. See you again in the afterword.
[X][X][X]
In the dead of night, somewhere in Re-Estize Kingdom...
A man was standing still deep inside a great forest. He stood with his arms folded, and his bright red eyes were facing straight to his front. His spiky magenta hair waved with the wind, and the same applied to his dark grey long coat, the collar of which was tall and went around his head, keeping his mouth concealed by the collar most of the time.
The forest didn't particularly have strong monsters, but wild monsters did exist in this forest. None of them, even the usually aggressive ones, dared to get close to this man. There was something dark, sinister, and menacing about him, and all of the wildlife could feel that.
"Hmph!"
A dark, blood red energy vortex appeared around the man. He released his armfolding stance and began floating up slightly. Within seconds, his body was fully enveloped by the energy vortex and disappeared from view. Then, in its place, a humanoid creature appeared as the energy vortex dissipated.
The creature was four meters tall and its body seemed as if it was made from a strange kind of stone. If it were not for the fact that it was four meters tall and its lower half of its legs had reverse joints like a quadruped, it could pass as a person wearing full armor.
Behind its back, a large curved sword seemingly made of the same material as his body was attached in a way that the sword looked like a large mohawk hair reaching all the way to its ankles.
This creature was Hunar, the humanoid lesser form of Dark Falz Elder.
Hunar took the sword from his back and tried swinging it around. Crescent shaped energy shockwaves were shot from the sword as he was swinging it, cutting off every trees and rocks in their path before they dissipated about ten meters away. He ended his practice with a heavy downward slash.
"UGH!"
The sword slipped from his hand and dropped to the ground. Hunar himself fell to one knee and panted heavily. Both his sword and his body started to crumble like shattered rock. Once again, a blood red energy vortex appeared and enveloped both his body and his sword, and they disappeared from view.
The aforementioned man reappeared as the vortex dissipated, still down on one knee and panting.
"Not enough... Not enough at all!"
The man shouted and slammed the ground hard with his fist. This man was known by ARKS and his fellow Dark Falzes as Elder. Not so long ago, he had waged war against the ARKS fleet, destroying a number of their colossal spaceships. However, the combined effort of the ARKS managed to cut him down to size and ultimately destroyed his true body, forcing him to flee in this human host body.
He had fled while following a trace of photon energy spike he had detected. Normally he would have never done this, but he somehow had felt something interesting about this particular energy spike and the ARKS person relevant to that. As a result, he had arrived on this planet he never knew existed.
This planet was very interesting for Elder. The energy radiating from this planet as a whole was very potent and suitable for him to absorb and use to regain his true body. But his attention was mostly fixated on the being whom the ARKS person seemed to ally with. That being had so much energy, Elder himself couldn't believe it. He really wanted to battle that being.
Unfortunately, as of right now, Elder was very beat up. His lost battle had left him with barely enough energy to maintain his Hunar form for one minute. He needed much more than that if he wanted to have any hope of challenging the bearer of that energy.
"I need more..."
Elder stood up with determination to find other possible sources of energy before he would dare to challenge that bearer. To do this, he heightened his senses to scan for energy readings.
Interesting...
He had vaguely sensed it before landing on this planet, but now that he was standing on the planet, he felt confirmed that other than the energy bearer, he also could sense a number of high energy readings from nearly every directions. None of them were as intense, but a few of them were quite close.
This planet is like a dream come true!
Ever since his awakening, Elder only had one interest; A good battle. He had long ignored his destined task as a Dark Falz in favor of challenging worthy opponents. With each victory he would absorb energy, and with each loss he would flee and try again later. This planet had numerous amounts of potent targets.
But he was not stupid. He would never challenge an opponent he knew he had no chance of winning. Therefore, in order to be able to challenge the high energy bearers, he would challenge the lesser ones first.
"I sense a quite suitable one at the northwest"
Elder couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but he still could sense the general direction and rough distance of this particular energy reading, and therefore he was determined to begin his hunt. A blood red energy vortex appeared behind him and he jumped backwards into the vortex, disappearing from view.
Elder's teleportation technique brought him into what seemed like the front yard of a large mansion. The distance from the front gate and the entrance into the mansion was quite great an average person would need at least five minutes to walk through the distance.
"Hmm..."
Elder felt that the energy signature he had sensed should be somewhere nearby, but with his current condition he couldn't put much trust to his own sense.
Therefore, he decided to just storm into the mansion and see if anyone inside would be a worthy opponent.
CRASH!
With a single strike from his fist, the front door slammed open to the inside. The lighting inside the mansion was very dim, which was natural since this was bedtime for humans.
"S-Stop right there!"
A pair of men, seemingly the guards of the mansion, stood in front of Elder at a fair distance. They wore light armor with a spear as their weapon. They seemed to be very surprised by the sudden rude visit, but they maintained their position and pointed their spears at Elder. Elder was indifferent, ignoring their threats because he didn't feel any power from them.
"Worthless bugs"
With a swift move, Elder charged at one of the two guards and delivered a straight punch to the face. After hitting, he followed up with a hook to the other guard. Both of the guards were thrown away by the force of the punch and died on the spot from snapped necks. Their bodies hit the wall, and then the floor, with loud thud sounds.
"I'm nowhere close to my full strength and yet you still end up dead. Worthless"
Elder felt that his teleportation had missed the mark. There was nobody strong enough to give him a decent challenge in this mansion. Therefore, he was about to turn back and leave the place of no significance. However, he noticed a faint energy reading in a very close distance. It was weak and nearly worthless, but he would welcome any energy source at his current state.
And so Elder decided to approach the bearer of this energy.
[X][X][X]
From behind the corner of a wall where a person could peek and overlook the front hall of the mansion, a woman was leaning to the said wall. Her outfit was merely a bed robe, since she had been about to fall asleep when she had suddenly heard a loud crash sound, and had decided to take a look. Her face was pale and grim, as if she knew the end of her life was near.
This woman was Hilma Cygnaeus, the head of Eight Fingers Drug Trafficking Division, and this mansion was her home base.
Hilma had no idea what had just happened within her home base. When she arrived at this corner and tried peeking, all she saw was two of her guards dead and a mysterious man standing over their bodies.
That man, whoever he is, is dangerous.
Indeed there were only two guards stationed there, but if that man got there it meant he had broken through the main guard force stationed at the front gate, unless this man could teleport past them somehow. In Hilma's knowledge, the only person within the kingdom who could cast teleportation magic was one member of Blue Rose, so it was better to assume that he had broken through. In either case, she knew that she had to escape, because it was her principle to move when she had to, or else she would become food for others.
Unfortunately, her options were limited.
The secret room which she would use to escape from situations like this, was located in a place where she had to walk past that man to reach. In her current situation, her best bet was to hide somewhere in the mansion and wait until the man went away. Not the best course of action, but it was the best option she had.
Hilma stealthily began walking away from the spot, trying her best not to make any noise that would give her position away to the man.
"Hey, you!"
Chills went down through Hilma's body as she heard the voice. There was no mistaking it. She had been found by the mysterious man. Realizing that her chance of escaping was pretty much none, she slowly turned back to face the man.
"What do you want from me?"
Hilma knew that she was very likely to be killed soon by this man. He was swift and very capable of combat, so her only possible way to get out of this alive, however slim the chance, was to talk her way out. But first she had to find out this man's goal.
"Fight me!"
Hilma couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had no combat capability at all, and any normal person would know it.
"But I'm just an ordinary woman. I can't fight"
"Lies! I sense your energy. You have something up your sleeves"
Is this man sensing my Viper's Tattoo?
Viper's Tattoo was Hilma's ace in the hole. With her command, the tattoo of snake figure on her body could come to life and bite the target, injecting powerful lethal neurotoxin. However, it was mainly a tool for assassination instead of actual combat. In addition, Hilma herself was physically just an ordinary woman. There was no way she could fight this dangerous man.
"I really can't fight... Is there anything else I can possibly give you...?"
The man let out a sigh.
"You're worthless. I will just look somewhere else then"
He then turned back. At this point, a feeling of being offended crept up into Hilma's mind. She took pride in her ability to conquer any man, one way or another. Being called 'worthless' by a man was a huge hit in that pride, and she couldn't just accept that.
"Wait! Please let me ask one thing! Is your objective only to fight?"
The man stopped, and answered without looking back.
"What if it is? It's none of your business"
"I know strong men who can fight you. How about we make a deal?"
The man turned around and stood there with his arms folded, seemingly at least willing to listen.
"It better be a good deal, or you will regret wasting my time"
Hilma smiled in her mind. This unexpectedly strong intruder might turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
[X][X][X]
Tomb of Nazarick, Grand Dining Room, Noon. Two Days After Carne Village Monster Attack.
Ryu felt confused and astonished at the same time.
In front of him right now was a grand long dining table which normally only be used by nobles or royal family. He was seated facing one side of the table, and next to him were Lily at his left and Alice at his right. Across him, seated at the other side of the table, were three people from Carne Village whom he already knew; Nfirea, Enri, and her little sister. Everyone seemed to have the same feeling as him.
At one end of the long table, there seated Ainz; the one and only owner of this grand place. He once again wore his mask and gauntlet since he wanted to maintain the secret of him being an undead to the three villagers.
The table was mostly empty other than some decorations and candles, but that didn't last for long. Soon, the door at one end of the room opened, and from there came in several women in maid outfit bringing forth dishes. They swiftly, yet neatly, put the dishes in front of every seated guest. Within less than one minute, the table was filled to the brim with various kinds of grand cuisine.
"I wanted to have an arranged course for this at first, but I decided that it would have felt too restricted and stifling"
Ainz said that without moving from his spot.
"In any case, before you start digging in, allow me a few words"
Ainz stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.
"We are here in celebration of two different matters. One, for the successful creation of a new kind of healing potion by the hard work of Nfirea Bareae. Two, the bravery of the adventurers defending Carne Village from monster invasion. If it were not for your effort, Carne Village would have been destroyed before I arrived, and none of you would have been here"
Ainz briefly stopped, and then he began speaking again.
"Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Ryu over there. Thanks to his assistance in my research, we have understood much more about the mysterious monsters, and therefore if they attack again we will be more prepared"
After saying that, Ainz gave a slow applause which sounded strange since it was the sound of two metal gauntlets clapping. Everyone else other than Ryu himself followed, and Ryu couldn't help feeling a little happy and proud at the same time.
"Without further delay, you can start digging in. I have some things to attend to, so I won't be joining in. After all..."
Ainz once again briefly stopped. His face turned to look at the three villagers.
"Families"
Ainz then looked at Ryu's group.
"And comrades"
Another brief silence.
"All of you should enjoy the meals without reservations. Afterwards we will continue discussing business"
Ainz then turned around, walked away from the table, and left the room. The guests all sat in silence, being unsure if they could start eating all the meals in front of them.
Ryu was the one who finally broke the silence. He began scooping some of the food into his plate.
"I think we should start eating, or else they will get cold"
The rest of them agreed, though at varying time. Lily and Enri's sister were the fastest to follow, and Enri herself was the latest along with Nfirea.
"Ryu-san"
Liz called him with low voice, seemingly trying not to let anyone else hear her.
"Yes, Liz?"
"With a home this grand, and everything I have no idea of, I say that you were lucky that you didn't become his enemy. His power is worlds apart from what any human could ever hope to achieve"
"Definitely"
Ryu replied with a straight tone and face. Thinking about it, he first had met Ainz, who back then still bearing the name Momonga, just by chance thanks to his photon tech test. If he had met Ainz any other way, there would have been no guarantee that they would become allies like this.
Despite the alliance, Ryu once again felt a feeling of fear and worry creeping up in his mind. The photon discs he had given to Ainz two days ago had turned out to be of much greater significance than he had expected. He had essentially empowered the already all-powerful being, and he would be the one to take responsibility if someday Ainz became an enemy to mankind for some reason.
Ryu's appetite took a hit from the worry, and he slowed down his eating.
About half an hour later, Ainz returned to the dining room. At this time the table had already been cleaned from all the food. He sat down on his previous seat and began speaking.
"I suppose you all have had your fillings. How was it?"
"They were all delicious! I loved them!"
Enri's little sister was the one to answer first. She looked very happy saying that.
"Nemu!"
Enri looked embarrassed, and she bowed frantically to Ainz.
"Please forgive my sister's rudeness, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono!"
Ainz just raised his head and laughed.
"Hahaha! It's fine! Anyway... Huh?"
Ainz's speech suddenly got cut off. He lowered his head and raised one hand to his ear.
"Solution? Ah, this isn't the right time but since you're contacting me... Wait a moment"
Ainz gave a hand signal to the guests, telling them to wait a moment. He then turned away and walked some distance to prevent them from hearing him.
"That's very likely a Message spell he received from somewhere"
Alice was the one speaking, and the rest of the guests could hear her clearly. Nobody said anything, though.
Ryu looked at Ainz who was still in conversation with whoever called him. The distance prevented him from hearing anything, but soon Ainz's body gesture clearly showed that he was surprised. The conversation continued for several minutes until he finally turned back and walked to his seat.
While still standing, Ainz spoke to the guests.
"It is unfortunate, but something urgent has come up and I need to take care of it. Therefore, I have to end this event early and send you home. I apologize for that"
Ainz bowed a bit as he said the last sentence.
"No, it's fine, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono! We understand that you are busy! Please don't apologize!"
Enri frantically said that, looking quite in a panic.
"I will make up for this later. But for now, I must ask you to return home"
"No! You don't need to make up for anything! We are already more than happy for all these!"
Ainz conjured the usual dark portal next to him. Nfirea, who had been just watching flustered Enri, stood up and spoke to her.
"Let's go home, Enri"
He said that with a smile, and that seemed to calm her down. Enri nodded, took her sister's hand, and then the three villagers then walked into the portal and disappeared from sight. The portal still stayed, and Ainz looked at Ryu's group.
"You three should go too"
"Ainz-dono. Is there any chance I... we can help you with the matter somehow?"
"Ryu, your concern is appreciated, but there is no need. This is my own problem which I should take care of personally"
"I see"
"No need to worry. I suspect that this is not as bad as it sounds"
"Then, we will take our leave"
Ryu's group stood up from their seat and walked to the portal. Before going through, each of them said their farewell in their own ways.
"See you again later, Ainz-dono"
"Good luck with the matter, whatever it is"
"Bye, Papa!"
Soon enough, the group arrived back at Carne Village, and the portal disappeared behind them. In front of them were the three villagers seemingly waiting for them.
"Well, I guess this is time for us to go back then"
Ryu said that, knowing that the village should be safe now that Ainz had increased the security. Though he couldn't see any difference, he just assumed that Ainz had added invisible creatures or something.
"Thank you for all your help back then! I can't imagine what would have happened if you all were not here!"
Enri bowed as she spoke out her gratitude.
"I want to pay you properly, but we are quite short on money. Please wait until I can gather enough!"
"Ah, no. There's no need to pay. I mean, there's no official request to the guild and I came here intending just to visit"
"But-"
"I'll be happier if any amount of money you have in your mind for paying us is used for the betterment of this village"
Ryu looked at his two partners and asked a question.
"You agree with me, right?"
Both Lily and Alice nodded.
"T-Thank you!"
Enri bowed in gratitude. Her sister and Nfirea also followed.
"Besides, this is already much more than enough as payment"
Alice said that while holding the Flight Necklace she wore.
Soon, the three villagers went away after saying proper farewell, and Ryu's group stood there looking at each other.
"Let's go back to E-Rantel then. By flying"
"We all will need this then"
[Minor Barrier]
Alice casted a spell on everyone there including herself. A minor yellow light radiated from their body.
"Can't have bugs and dust go into our eyes, can we?"
"True"
Ryu had not thought about that matter since his photon armor always protected him wholly, but indeed such protection was needed when flying at high speed for normal human.
"Let's go then"
With a little countdown beforehand, the three of them flew away from Carne Village and sped towards E-Rantel. While flying, Ryu had several things going in his mind. One of them was his hesitation on a decision.
Should I also try giving photon discs to Alice and Lily?
He had planned to give some discs to them, but with what had happened in Nazarick, he couldn't help hesitating.
[X][X][X]
Afterword:
Like I have said before, Volume 5 is mostly offscreen. Right now Sebas should be 'training' Climb and soon will be raiding the brothel.
The bestiary gallery linked in my bio has been updated. Check it out if you like.
See you again later.
