Disclaimer: I do not own anything (except my OC)
A/N: First off since so many offered their opinion on chapter length, I'll just address that here instead of by name... looks like everyone likes long chapters (except 1 person) so I'll try to keep them between 8k-10k... can't promise they will always be that long but I will try... Also, there is a poll up on my profile about this story... check it out... you don't have to vote if you don't want to... also if you have any suggestion on what I should call Ainz' party let me know in a message or in the reviews... I was going to name them Eclipse but then I remembered in Falling to Temptation he named the group Eclipse Nebula and I felt like I would just be copying him... I don't want to name them Darkness like in the LNs and anime so send me your suggestions and I'll pick my favorite or maybe I'll combine some suggestions
Generation Zero: I will be adding other perspectives as I did with Enri, Clementine, and Khajit in the last chapter... it won't be an every chapter type of thing but I will add them as needed
Kyle77776: I won't lie I dislike Climb... Renner has the perfect name for him in my eyes, her puppy... doesn't mean I'm going to murder him in my story or anything... I will just do what fits... When I figure out what to do with Princess Renner, I'm sure my plan for Climb will just come to me... I'll do what I think is good for the story... I mean, I made fun of and pretty much bullied Shalltear in the beginning and I love her... I only like Albedo and Demiurge more than her
Darth Vulpes/offshorephillip: well one of you thinks Taylar doesn't have enough lines and the other thinks Taylar is overshadowing Ainz... I'd love to help both of you but I'm guessing one of you is going to be disappointed lol... I'll try my best to balance out the dialogue between characters
maxreaper: Zuranon is coming up shortly and just about every interaction you remember from the LNs and anime will be different with this party make up
god of all: this is the one LN/anime I doubt I'll get writer's block with... I've read all 13 LNs, have seen all the anime, and read the manga so I should have plenty to work with for a while
The Eternal Winter: I was honestly surprised at how many people liked and followed my story and felt motivated to write as much as I could... it helps that I am completely obsessed with Overlord... I've read all 13 light novels multiple times, watched every episode, and read all the manga's so writer's block isn't a problem for me... it is why I could write so many chapters so fast... I did just get vol 12 of DanMachi and vol 7 of Sword Oratario so my writing has slowed down a bit but will pick back up when I finish those LNs... I did notice people confusing our stories... I can kind of understand a little why bc we both made him the Angel of Death but being a Diablo fan myself I see the differences immediately... I think the people confusing our stories have never played Diablo... glad you are still reading my story... I like your second chapter... I am also a big fan of long chapters and love that yours are over 10K so far... keep up the good work!
Thanks for the love again and let's get to the next chapter!
There were two different ways to get to Carne Village from E-Rantel. First, you could travel north along the road then turn east and follow the edge of The Great Forest of Tob. The second one you could follow the road east then take the road north. The second route was by far the safest way to get there. They chose the first route. Their reasoning was so they could do both jobs at once.
Normally, no one would choose a more dangerous route when hired as bodyguards, but when they got just outside the city, Nabe and Bella showed the Swords of Darkness that they could cast tier 4 magic.
Nabe cast the tier 4 spell shock lance while Bella cast a tier 4 summoning spell and summoned a Principality of Observation just like the captain of the sunlight scripture did.
They were all very impressed that there were two people so young who could already cast tier 4 magic. Ninya was a little jealous. Bella and Nabe didn't look much older then her and she had the talent to learn magic faster but they could already cast tier 4 and she could only cast tier 2 right now.
Once they decided on a route, they set the formation they would travel in the majority of their journey. Nfirea would be driving the cart, Lukrut and Dyne would take the lead with Lukrut walking a little ahead of the druid. Peter and Ninya would be on the left side of the cart, Albedo and Taylar would be on the right side of the cart, and Ainz and Narberal would be the rear guard.
They had been traveling along the road for a while now and had yet to have a reason to be nervous. It was a nice day out, visibility was good on the plains they were traveling on, and there was nowhere for monsters or bandits to ambush you from. They could see the forest getting closer and closer as they traveled. When they were just a little bit away from the forest, someone finally said something.
"This is where we should start to really be on alert Mr. Momon. We should be able to handle anything that comes our way, but it is best to be as alert as possible anyway." Peter says to him
"I understand." Ainz says
Ainz was in deep thought about what he had learned about this world so far. He knew he was strong by this worlds standards, he was one of the top 3 PvP players in all of Yggdrasil after all. After he lost to Touch Me in the world tournament finals, he put all his effort into PvP with his brand new class exclusive to him.
When he realized that the more people he killed with his scythe the stronger it got, he became obsessed with PvP. That is why Seraphim feared his name so much. He remembered when he met Taylar and the things she told him Seraphim guild members said about him. He was like the boogeyman to them and it brought a very satisfied grin to his face. He got so engrossed in PvP, before he knew it, even Touch Me couldn't defeat him.
Unlocking the Eclipse class had taken Ainz over the top when it came to battles. The ability The Goal of All Life is Death made it so that he could kill anyone, at any time, if he could survive for twelve seconds. It was true it had a very long cool down but there were few people he would actually need to use that ability on.
He had heard of no one in the world who would even give him an interesting fight. It was true there could always be someone hiding out there just as strong as Nazarick was but it was unlikely. He would still be cautious because you never know but he wasn't concerned for himself in this world. He was only concerned with keeping the three people with him safe, along with the rest of Nazarick and its denizens.
Ainz, Taylar, Albedo, and Narberal had already discussed what they would do in an emergency situation. They would cast tier 5 magic if necessary but Ainz doubted that would be necessary. Even if he could only cast a few spells with this armor on, he was still a top tier fighter.
"Fear not, only an ambush would cause us problems, and nothing escapes my eyes and ears. Aren't I the best Bella?" Lukrut says to Taylar
"I know I already told you not to ask about our personal lives. You should have got the hint that it also meant none of us are interested." Taylar replies to the ranger
"Such cold words from Bella, very well, I will slowly close the distance betw-" Lukrut is interrupted by something very tall and jet black landing right next to him.
Ainz had heard Lukrut's comments and was just going to let it go. He was having to deal with things like this on a daily basis because of how the three of the women with him looked and he was learning to let it go.
When Bella told him they weren't interested he was glad it was over but Lukrut still didn't get the hint. He wasn't going to let this jackass make any of them uncomfortable. He planted his right foot in the ground and pushed off with all his strength. He jumped over the cart, over Nfirea, and even over Dyne.
He landed right next to Lukrut, he was going to put a stop to this right now. He was angry to the point he thought of just killing him but realized what that would lead to. If he couldn't even control himself over something like that, he didn't deserve to rule Nazarick.
"Lukrut, she told you they weren't interested. I might be an adventurer and go on many quests but nothing is more important to me than protecting these three. If you continue like this I will do what is necessary to protect them."
After he finishes saying his piece, he makes his way back to the rear guard and Narberal. He could see the stares coming from everyone else. He noticed Taylar, Albedo, and Narberal all blushing. He was even more clueless why they were like that then last time. This wasn't the first time he said that about any of them now and didn't know why they were still reacting like that.
He noticed Dyne, Ninya, Peter, and Nfirea all looking at him with jaws on the floor. He realized when he saw their expression that he just leaped about 40 feet in full plate armor over a cart. Probably not something any of them have seen someone do before.
Nfirea finally snapped out of his amazement and noticed the tense atmosphere around everyone. He tried to get everyone thinking of something else by mentioning they shouldn't have to worry about monsters around here.
"We will be fine around here. This is the Wise King of the Forest territory. We shouldn't see any monsters unless we have really bad luck on our trip."
"The Wise King of the Forest huh?" Ainz says
He remembers the village chief talking about this creature. The chief made it sound like it was some incredible magic creature. Ainz had no doubt it was a magical creature of some sort but doubted it was actually very strong. The chief talked about Gazef like he was undefeatable so he figured the wise king was probably somewhere around his level. So Ainz had nothing to worry about.
He had a good grasp of the power of the creatures and people from this region. What he was clueless about was how they could use Yggdrasil magic, martial arts, politics, policies, and things of that nature. It seemed Ninya was the most knowledgeable in the Swords of Darkness so Ainz thought he would try talking to her about it.
"Ninya, do you mind if I ask you about magic?" Ainz asks her
"Wouldn't Nabe be better to ask then me Mr. Momon? I can only cast two tier 2 spells and I know Nabe can at least cast tier 4." Ninya asks Ainz
"While you are right, she can cast that high of a tier because she is specialized. She is pretty much limited to lightning spells. It makes you learn tiers quicker but you can't cast nearly as many spells. I was hoping someone like you who doesn't specialized could inform me of other spells. I must be as prepared as possible to protect the people close to me." Ainz tells Ninya. Some of what he said was the truth, other parts were an excuse to ask about an array of things.
"Sure Mr. Momon, ask whatever you like." Ninya says to him
When Ainz asked Ninya about the magic in this world he was surprised what he learned. He knew the people of this world weren't strong by his standards but to find out tier 5 and 6 spells were considered the realm of heroes was baffling.
When he asked about combination magic Ninya had no idea what he was talking about. It sounded like ritual magic but different. Ainz had discovered combination magic 2 years ago just minutes after HeroHero turned in all his gear and logged on for the last time. He was frustrated beyond reason when it happened because he knew it was now just him and Taylar.
To think Ainz Ooal Gown would be down to only two members filled Ainz with sadness and rage. He went to the arena to blow off some steam and discovered it by complete accident. He tried to cast Grand Fireball (tier 4) but slammed his fist on the icon to cast and accidentally hit ray of negative energy (tier 4) at the same time. What happened blew Ainz' mind and he told Taylar the moment she logged on.
His Grand Fireball had a new name when he cast it at that time. It was called Grand Deathball, a tier 6 spell. They figured out together that if you used two spells at the same time it would combine their magic into something new. This did not work for every spell, and for Taylar, it was pretty much useless. It wasn't possible to combine healing spells. The only two spells she knew that could combine were Napalm (tier 7) and Holy Ray (tier 4). It was called Holy Firestorm and counted as a tier 9 spell. It was very effective but used a lot of MP.
Ainz actually took full advantage of this new discovery because of the number of spells he knew. While he didn't know as many as say, an Overlord Wiseman with Dark Wisdom, he did know quite a few and since most of his instant death magic is simply granted to him, he chose a lot of offensive spells of all elements.
His favorite of those he could never choose. Grand Deathball fit his build perfect, but his tier 10 combination magic spell Chain Negative Lightning was cool looking and very effective. It turned the Dragon Lightning into negative energy. It not only did lightning and negative energy damage, but it also drained someone's life force. Sometimes they would lose levels, sometimes stat points, other times people simply just died instantly.
"While I have never heard of such things Mr. Momon, it does not mean they aren't possible. I am from the Re-Estize Kingdom, and while we have a mages guild, there is nowhere to formally train or grow wizards here. A place like the Baharuth Empire that has a magical academy might be able to do or create the type of spells you are asking about. The Slaine Theocracy has a similar academy but it is for divine magic casters and I know nothing of that. I think Bella would have a better understanding of that kind of magic than me or anyone else in the Kingdom." Ninya tells Ainz
"I see, so it would take a whole country to try to produce the sort of spells I am asking about huh. Do you mind if I ask you about something else then?" Ainz says
He kept asking questions about anything he could think of. He did learn some interesting things he didn't know. The Argand Council was supposedly made up of 5 Dragon Lords. Dragons were the strongest race in Yggdrasil and he would have to be careful with them.
He quickly realized this world was nothing like Earth at all. Their technological advancements had all centered around magic and Earth obviously didn't have magic. He thought that was a good thing. Industry had completely destroyed his world. There might still be a world there with people on it but very few were happy and the planet was being destroyed at an alarming rate. The first time he ever laid his eyes on stars was with Taylar when they came to this new world.
As Ainz and Ninya's conversation was starting to die down, Lukrut spoke for the first time since being scared nearly to death by Ainz.
"There is movement up ahead coming out of the forest."
"Where exactly is it coming from?" Taylar asks
Lukrut points towards the edge of the forest. Ainz followed the rangers finger and saw about 50 creatures starting to make their way out of the forest. He noticed two different types of monsters coming at them. The first was obviously goblins. He was a little surprised that, unlike in Yggdrasil, all the goblins did not look the same. They each had individual appearances like any other race.
The second group also had their own appearances but where definitely Ogres. There were 10 Ogres and 40 goblins, nothing Ainz couldn't handle on his own with ease. He needed to let the whole party show off though and couldn't kill all of them.
"So Mr. Momon, how should we do this? We can't really split them in half because we don't know what side they will go to." Peter says to Ainz
"Why don't the Swords of Darkness and Bella guard Nfirea. Nabe, Ariel, and I will take out the enemies." Ainz says to Peter
"Mr. Momon, there are 50 enemies, surely some will slip past with just three of you." Peter says to him
'Is he really this worried about 50 goblins and ogres? We might stand out faster then I thought if Silver ranked adventurers are worried about fighting these odds. At this rate I bet an adamantite party couldn't stop a level 100.' Ainz thinks to himself
"If they do get past I'm sure you will handle them, but I doubt you have anything to worry about Peter. Bella, please cast your protection spells on the cart so Nfirea is not in danger. Nabe, Ariel, let us go handle these creatures." Ainz says
*SANCTUARY* *WALL OF PROTECTION FROM ARROWS*
Taylar says after she jumps up on the wagon next to Nfirea. They were surprised at the bubbles that formed around them that felt like a protective blanket was over them.
"Don't show off too much Momon. Let them have some fun too." Taylar says to Ainz
The Swords of Darkness and Nfirea were dumbstruck at what Taylar said. They were still trying to get a grasp on the spells she just cast then she casual asked Momon to share the kills and not hog them all. They had a feeling they were about to see something special happen in a moment.
As Ainz, Albedo, and Narberal casually strolled towards the enemy, he gave them both orders.
"Nabe, I will give you first shot at the goblins since they are bunched up. Ariel, you take care of the Ogres and I will clean up the goblins left after Nabe's attack. Don't take too long or I'll have to steal some of your Ogres." he says to Albedo smiling
The Swords of Darkness notice that they finally start to draw their weapons after Nabe cast the fly spell and started floating up in the air. They saw Ariel reach for her shield and weapon. None of them had seen her weapon yet but judging from what they thought was the handle sticking out from behind her shield with a strange symbol on it and her pure white cloak, they guessed it was a mace. When she pulled out a greataxe and held it in one hand they all had one thought 'where the hell did she hide that ax?'
If they were surprised when she pulled that out when Momon pulled out his dual greatswords that seemed to be made of pure darkness they had no words to describe that scene. The only reason they could tell the size of the swords was because of the small silver edge that seemed to wrap its way all around the blade. The end was shaped like a half moon and the razor edge seemed to shine in the light. Only someone who could be called a hero would be able to wield such ridiculous weapons.
When they finally came back to their senses Nabe started her attack. Since Lord Ainz had allowed her to cast up to tier 4 she could use metamagics on her spells. It was time to go all out based on her restrictions and roast these insects for attempting to harm the Supreme Beings.
*[TWIN - MAXIMIZE MAGIC] ELECTROSPHERE*
As Nabe spreads out her arms, two small spheres of electricity form in her palms. When she brings her hands together they form one ball and grow about five times in size. Nabe is aiming for the back half of the goblins so that Lord Ainz doesn't have to chase insects around. It was her job to keep the Supreme Beings safe and she would do it as effectively and efficiently as allowed. If it was up to her she would just cast Chain Dragon Lightning and kill all of the enemies at once but she was not allowed to use spells of that tier.
As the ball of lightning explodes in the back of the goblin formation, Momon and Ariel both make their moves.
Ariel sprung forward with a speed matching Momon's when he leaped over the cart and dashed past three Ogres. When she finally came to a stop, she didn't look back as the Ogres bodies suddenly started spraying blood from slashes that went all the way across their chests. When they finally gathered themselves and figured out what just happened, their upper and lower half slid apart and they hit the ground dead.
Not to be outdone, Momon dashed forward with his greatswords spread out wide. He slashed with his right sword and decapitated 8 goblins at once. He kept his momentum going after the swing and spun his body to match while bringing his other greatsword around like a backhand from death itself. When he finally finished his two rotation whirlwind attack there were already no more goblins left to kill.
When Albedo saw him dispatch them so quickly she needed to step up her game. She could not allow herself to let anyone think someone in their party was weak. She dashed through three more Ogres but instead of stopping she continued her forward momentum and shield bashed the fourth one in line. The shield bash sent the Ogre flying into the one behind it.
She jumped in the air to come down and finish off the ones laying on the ground. When she looked down, she saw a lightning bolt go under her and kill the last two Ogres who were still standing. She knew Nabe had just done that and was a little disappointed. She thought maybe she took too long to kill her enemies and was making all of them look weak.
Momon flicked the blood off his greatswords and turned around to the caravan. He saw Taylar smiling at him and smiled himself, not that anyone could see it. When he saw the look on the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea's faces, he thought maybe they overdid it.
"You were saying we need certain parts of monsters to collect the reward. What is it for goblins and Ogres?" Ainz asks them
"You're amazing Mr. Momon. You too Ariel and Nabe. I can't believe you handle all of those enemies so fast and so easy. There really is always someone stronger isn't there." Peter says to them
"In time the Swords of Darkness will be able to do the same Peter. We just have more experience then you do right now. We might only be copper plates but as we said, we are adventurers where we come from." Ainz says to him
"I'm not sure about that Mr. Momon. Based on what I just saw, you guys are already at least Orichalcum rank if not Adamantite. As far as your question goes, we need to take their ears, either right or left, but pick one because if there are right and left ears it will only count as one kill since they could have come off the same monster." Peter replies
"Mr. Momon, what kind of man are you..." Ninya says in almost a whisper
"What do you mean by that Ninya? You saw my face, I'm clearly just a man." Ainz says to her
"I've just never seen someone so big with so much strength, move so fast Mr. Momon. Ariel was just as fast as you too but she is much smaller then you are. How did you train your arms to be able to wield two weapons so big?" she asks him
"Oh there's no need to go that far Ninya, that was nothing much. Ariel could have done the same thing." Ainz replies
"I know you said at the guild you were both warriors on par with tier 4 casters but you were obviously not bluffing. I bet you could even beat the Warrior Captain." Dyne says to him
Taylar, Albedo, and Nabe were just standing there with their chests puffed out as if to say, of course he could. Ainz, on the other hand, was trying to play it off as best as possible but was failing miserably.
{If you didn't want praise like this, you three shouldn't have killed 50 enemies in 8 seconds} Taylar tells him in a message. Trying her hardest to keep the grin off her face.
{Yeah I think we kind of overdid it. I seriously underestimated the power of the people from this kingdom}
The Swords of Darkness had worked hard to make themselves stronger, and they had carefully saved all their earnings, using them to strengthen themselves. However, even when they looked back on all the effort they had put in since becoming adventurers, none of them could imagine themselves on Ainz, Ariel, Nabe, or Bella's level.
To the Swords of Darkness, Ainz stood for a strength that almost nobody could reach. This people traveling with them would someday become heroes, whose name would be known all over the world. They would become great hero's that would stand atop all other adventurers. Everyone was sure of that.
After they removed the ears from their kills, they traveled until dusk, then they set up camp. Ainz took the wooden poles handed to him by others and erected them around the campsite. Because they had to shelter a horse and wagon, the campsite in question was around twenty meters on each side and covered a fairly large area.
The poles went into four points around the campsite, and then thin ropes were tied around the poles, forming a perimeter. Finally, they tied a knot in one of the ropes and pulled it over to their tents, where they attached a big bell to it. This was their alarm system.
As Ainz was driving the poles into the ground, Narberal came around.
'Narberal should have some work to do. I wonder what she is doing over here. Maybe she's finished already.' Ainz thinks to himself
With those thoughts in mind, Ainz turned around. As he did, Narberal spoke, in a low voice that suggested that she was holding back feelings of anger
"Mr. Momon, you should not be doing work like this." Nabe says to him
Ainz sighed in relief as he learned the reason for her anger. He looked around, and then quietly replied.
"Everyone's working together to pitch camp. Albedo and Taylar are gathering wood. The Swords of Darkness are checking the perimeter. It would be odd if I was the only one not doing anything."
"Have they not seen your incredible fighting power? People should do what they are suited for, so this sort of work should be left to insects like them." Nabe says to him
"Don't say things like that Nabe. We need to establish ourselves as powerful individuals, but we mustn't project an image of arrogance while we do it. You need to check yourself a little too. I know Albedo already warned you about this." Ainz says to Narberal
Narberal nodded to show that she understood, but her displeasure was evident on her face. She was only going along with this because it was an order from Ainz and Albedo. She didn't think these insects deserved to even witness her lords might.
It was evident to Ainz that, while she didn't like these orders, she was loyal enough to him, Taylar and Nazarick that she would go along with this. He was sure he would still have to remind her every once in a while about her attitude, but it should be better then it was. He would have to thank Albedo later for whatever she said to Narberal to get her to calm down somewhat.
In all honesty, Ainz was having fun being out here with everyone. It was true the monsters were weak and no challenge at all, but traveling with Taylar, Albedo, and Narberal was turning out to be a good time.
Unlike in Yggdrasil, this was reality, not virtual reality, so Ainz could enjoy everything that came along with traveling.
When Ainz finished, he noticed Ninya casting an alarm spell that didn't exist in Yggdrasil. It made him wonder if anyone from Nazarick could learn these spells since the magic system was identical. It also brought up the question of whether they could gain levels in this new world.
He assumed that he, Taylar and the floor guardians that were level 100 were at level cap, but the Pleiades, some subordinates of the guardians, and the homunculi maids were all below level 100. He would need to keep an eye on Narberal's experience gain and hope she could level in this new world. He didn't want to risk any subordinates or the homunculi maids unless he was certain they could gain levels.
While he was pondering these questions, Ninya noticed Ainz was staring at her intently.
"There's no need to watch me so intently Mr. Momon. I'm sure what I'm doing is very boring for someone of your strength." Ninya says to him
"No not at all Ninya. I told you I was curious about magic and you know a lot of spells Nabe and Bella do not Ninya." he tells her
"It is still hard for me to believe someone so much stronger then I wouldn't know these spells, but I guess if she specialized to gain power faster it would make sense." she says to him
"I wish I could cast spells like you Ninya." Ainz says to her
"To think you'd want to be able to cast spells even though you are a swordsman of unequaled power. I'd say it seems kind of greedy, but it sounds more like any other adventurer." Lukrut mutters to himself.
"I could see you having the talent for magic Mr. Momon. You seem different from other adventurers, you all do, almost like you guys aren't human." Ninya says to him
"You really think so? I mean you saw all of our faces, it isn't like we are not human." Ainz replies
"I didn't mean it like that Mr. Momon. Taking out an Ogre in one blow, or killing 40 goblins in 6 seconds is not something a normal person can do." Ninya says then Dyne joins in as he arrives and hears Ninya's comments.
"Appearances aside, Ninya has a point Mr. Momon. A hero is someone who surpasses the realm of human possibility. All of us get that feeling from every one of you four."
"I think you might be exaggerating a little bit Dyne. I wouldn't claim to be some sort of hero from a story or anything like that." Ainz says to him
Just as they were finishing up their conversation, Taylar and Albedo came around the tent.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation Momon but dinner is ready." Taylar says to him
"Don't worry about it Bella. We were just finishing up. I'm starving after that battle. Did you and Ariel make dinner for us?" Ainz asks her
"We sure did. Don't worry we only poisoned your share Momon hehe." Taylar laughs.
This was her first attempt at cooking in this new world. She could cook pretty well in Japan, but this was completely different. She learned Albedo had cooking skills given to her by Tabula and was having her teach her. She wasn't sure she was getting the skill or anything like that but from what she just tasted in the pot. She certainly was getting pretty decent at it.
They informed Nfirea about dinner and all sat down to share a meal. None of the members of Ainz' party needed to eat but they could if they wanted to. Truthfully, he wanted to taste Taylar's cooking. He knew it wouldn't taste like the dishes from Nazarick but those were all made with the best ingredients possible and by a being specifically designed to cook.
He was very surprised by how outstanding dinner was. He wasn't sure what kind of ingredients Taylar and Albedo used but it was almost on par with Nazarick's fare. He had no idea how she made that happen out here in the wild.
"Bella, Ariel, dinner was fantastic! I had no idea you could eat so well while traveling. I can't believe you can cook so well and be so strong on top of it. Maybe I'm going about getting stronger all wrong." Ninya says to them after she devours her share of the stew.
As they were all finishing up their dinner, Ainz asked a question he was curious about since he met the Swords of Darkness.
"I know you guys call yourselves the Swords of Darkness but I don't see any of you wielding black blades. Why name yourselves the Swords of Darkness?" Ainz asks no one in particular.
Peter chuckles before he answers. "Those are Ninya's dreams Mr. Momon."
"You're never going to let me live that down are you Peter?" Ninya asks
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about Ninya, it is good to have dreams!" Dyne tells her
"Come on Dyne, I'm not kidding here." Ninya says to the druid
"Well, the name Swords of Darkness refers to the swords used by one of the thirteen heroes." Peter tells Ainz
'Great, that doesn't answer my question at all. Who the hell are the thirteen heroes? I've heard of the 6 gods of the Slaine Theocracy and the demon gods but never the thirteen heroes. I wonder if I should act like I know what they are talking about.' Ainz thinks to himself
"Who are the thirteen heroes?" Bella asks
'Oh thank you, Taylar!' Ainz thinks
"You really don't know Bella? He was one of the Thirteen Heroes, but because people thought he was a demon, he ended up being more of an anti-hero instead. Therefore, his origins were covered up in the saga of the Thirteen Heroes. The Swords of Darkness belonged to a man known as the black knight. There were 4 weapons. Kilineyram, Crocdabal, Sfeiz, and Hyumilis." Peter tells everyone.
When Ainz thought about these weapons and someone called the black knight, he thought of Yggdrasil. There was a class known as a cursed knight that wielded weapons just like that. It also made him almost certain the person was from Yggdrasil and a cursed knight when they talked about demonic ancestry. If you put enough levels into cursed knight you started to gain demonic resistances and your appearance slightly changed to resemble that of a demon.
After hearing about the weapon Ainz thought this knight could be over level 75 at most. Listening to Nigun tell him that the Dominion Authority he summoned could kill a demon lord made him think he might be around level 60 actually but better to overestimate your opponent then underestimate them. Ainz quickly started listening to the ongoing conversation after he contemplated what he had learned so far.
"Finding those swords was my first objective. There is a ton of legends about weapons like that, but the existence of the Swords of Darkness is still a mystery to everyone." Ninya says to them but then Nfirea interrupted him.
"Ah, there is someone who already possesses one of the Swords of Darkness Ninya. The leader of Blue Rose, Lakyus. She possesses the demonic sword Kilineyram."
"Really?! That means we can't give one to everyone in the party now." Lukrut says. It was the first words he had spoken since Ainz warned him about how he was talking to the women in his party. It seemed finding out the legendary treasure they were after gave him the courage to speak up again.
"Well, if it is owned by a member of an adamantite team I guess there is nothing we can do about that." Peter says to them
"That's true Peter but if one of them exists that means the other three must also be real. We just need to get strong enough to get them ourselves." Ninya says to Peter
"Well, at least for now, we still have that." Dyne says
"What do you mean by that?" Taylar asks them
Peter pulls a dagger out of a hidden scabbard. It had a black blade with four jewels embedded in the handle. He holds it up for everyone to see.
"Before we discover the real thing, we planned to use this as the symbol of our party."
After that round of questions and answers, the adventurers continued laughing and carrying on with the conversation. They asked questions of Ainz, Taylar, Albedo, Narberal, and Nfirea. Ainz was affected by the atmosphere more then he would like to admit. It made him smile watching the Swords of Darkness interact like this.
It made him think of his past comrades and the adventurers they used to go on. He was lucky to have Taylar still with him or he was sure this would be having a much heavier burden on him then it was. He looked over in her direction, almost out of instinct, just to make sure she was still there. He couldn't help but smile at her sitting there listening to the Swords of Darkness intently.
"You all seem like you get along quite well. Are all adventurer parties like yours?" Ainz asks them
"I would think so Mr. Momon. I mean you do face death together on a regular basis. I don't think a party would survive very long if they didn't get along." Peter says to him
"It helps we don't have any women in our party. I hear mixed parties have a lot of arguments." Lukrut says
Taylar looks at Ninya. She might be acting like a lower powered version of herself but she was still the Angel of Life. She knew Ninya was a girl, she just wondered why she was hiding it from her party members. Before she could ask Ninya, Ninya said...
"If there were, I'm sure Lukrut could sniff them out. It helps we have a clear objective all of us are aiming for."
"Yeah, it's different when everyone has the same goal in mind. Were you in an adventuring party before Mr. Momon?" Peter asks
"I don't really think we were adventurers..." Ainz pauses thinking about his first comrades he ever made in Yggdrasil. After he realized how silent it was at his somber mood, he continued trying to break the awkward silence.
"When I was still weak, I was saved by a paladin of pure white with a shield and sword. Through him, I met four more comrades. We formed a team that numbered six people, including myself. After that, we met three more weak people like ourselves, and we ended up as a team of nine people. They were all great companions. A paladin, sword master, priest, ninja, sorcerer, alchemist, blacksmith, and an ass (Pero)."
Ainz looks up at the stars reminiscing about the beginning of Nines Own Goal, that would later become Ainz Ooal Gown when they went from a clan to a guild. Taylar notices this and chimes in with her own story.
"I was saved when my comrades turned on me for helping someone they did not like. I was running through the woods, about to be caught, when a man in pure black swooped in and saved me..." she looks at Ainz and smiles "that is how I met Momon and we have been traveling together ever since." Taylar tells everyone.
Even Albedo was listening intently to Taylar's story. She had no idea how Taylar and Ainz met but knew they were almost inseparable after she joined the guild. She had a feeling that wasn't the whole story but she knew she couldn't say exactly what happened since the Swords of Darkness were present.
"I'm sure you will find companions like that again someday Mr. Momon." Ninya says to him
After hearing Ninya's words something snapped inside of Ainz.
"They all left! I have everyone I need right here with me!"
The anger in Ainz' voice even startled Albedo, Taylar, and Narberal. They were all happy about what he said about them but knew he was having trouble with everyone leaving them. They were all sad too except Taylar and Albedo. They both felt just like Ainz' but for a different reason. Both of them didn't care if no one else came back, they just wanted to be with Ainz.
Once Ainz realized he just snapped for no real good reason, he stood up to get some space from them and calm down.
"Dinner was delicious Ariel and Bella. I'm going to check the perimeter. Please excuse me."
He gets up and walks away from the fire. It was moments like these he wished he chose a race that suppressed your emotions when they got out of control. Being a fallen angel did not help at all in that regard. He felt all his emotions, stronger than he ever remembered when he was on Earth.
"I will join him and check the perimeter. Ariel, Nabe, can you please clean up dinner for us." Taylar says to them.
They both nod in agreement and Taylar sets off to find Ainz. She knew he missed their old comrades and she wanted to help him get over them leaving. Hearing him say all he needed was her made her heart fill with joy, but she couldn't be too happy when Ainz was still so sad and angry. A few seconds after leaving the tent, she found Ainz talking to himself a little ways off from the camp. They begin to walk away from the camp so they can talk without anyone hearing them.
"Are you alright?" she asks him
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have snapped like that." Ainz tells Taylar
"It is okay to be angry at them. I am angry also. If you weren't here, I don't know what I would do. I certainly wouldn't be able to rule Nazarick alone." Taylar says to him
"I'm glad you are with me. I'm sorry if it seemed like I cared more about those who aren't here, instead of those that are." Ainz says to her, regret in every word.
"No need to apologize. You said you had everything you need with you. I assume that means me..." she says and gives him a radiant smile. She noticed it always picked him up when she smiled at him like that.
"Yes, I meant you. All of Nazarick really. It gives me a purpose in this world. I just want all of you to be happy." he tells her
Taylar steps in front of Ainz and wraps her arms around him.
"And that is why I love you. Always thinking about everyone else before yourself. I really hate it when you wear this armor. Hugs just aren't the same." she pouts
Ainz takes his helmet off, smiles at her, and gives her a kiss. He might have saved her in Yggdrasil but she was doing the same thing for him in this world. While Taylar and Ainz were having their conversation, the Swords of Darkness, Nfirea, Nabe, and Ariel had their own conversation.
"I definitely just said something I shouldn't have." Ninya says to them
"It seems like something happened in his past." Dyne says
"They might have all been wiped out. I've seen that kind of reaction from someone who has lost all his comrades in battle." Peter says
"No, they were not wiped out." Albedo interrupts them. She didn't want to give them too much information but listening to them talk about the guild members was starting to anger her.
"They all abandoned Lord Momo-" Nabe is interrupted by a slap to the back of the head by Albedo
"Watch what you say Nabe." she gives her a look and Narberal finally realizes she just called Ainz lord.
"They all left like Nabe said. They weren't killed they simply didn't want to travel with Momon and Bella anymore. It is still a sore spot with Momon so please, don't bring it up again. Thinking about his past companions just makes him sad and angry." Albedo tells the Swords of Darkness.
"You can't take back what you said Ninya. All you can do is try to make up for what you already said." Dyne tells her
"I know what it is like to lose someone. I should have known better than to say something like that." Ninya replies
Everyone saw the depressed look on Ninya's face, but no one knew what to say to her to cheer her up. After a few moments of silence, Nfirea spoke up to try and lighten the mood a bit.
"Mr. Momon and Ms. Ariel were spectacular weren't they."
"I knew they would be strong after seeing Nabe and Bella's magic but I didn't think they would be that strong. She cut three ogres in half with one attack and he killed 20 goblins in seconds." Peter says
"Beating an Ogre in one blow is amazing in its own right, but how good do you have to be to cleave three in half?" Nfirea asks them
The Swords of Darkness looked at each other after hearing Nfirea's puzzled question. Nfirea was a young man who was famous for his innate talent, as well as an excellent magic caster. Although he might well shake the world with his abilities, it was difficult for him to understand the full extent of Ainz and Albedo's power without another warrior for comparison.
"Normally you use a greataxe to hack things to pieces, but Ariel not only used it as a slashing weapon, but she also wielded it one handed. I thought it would be impossible for anyone to cut something in half like that, let alone three of them at once. It would seem there are exceptions to that train of thought." Peter tells Nfirea
"Honestly speaking, I think Ariel, Momon, Bella, and Nabe are on the same level as the Warrior Captain." Lukrut says
"I believe they are adamantite level adventurers already, they are just new to this area. They definitely stand at the peak of humanity. Living legends in other words." Peter tells them
"Of course we are. I have never met an adamantite adventure before, but I doubt they would stand a chance against Momon." Albedo says to them. puffing her chest out with pride at loving such a man as Ainz.
Nfirea couldn't believe what he was hearing from them. All he could do was mutter...
"That's incredible."
Peter hears the amazement in Nfirea's voice and adds his own thoughts.
"The first time I saw Mr. Momon, dressed in a suit of stylish full plate armor while wearing the copper plate belonging to the lowliest of adventurers, I felt jealous, but now that I've seen that he has the skills to match his looks, there's nothing more I can say. Mr. Momon's abilities are worthy of his full plate. I'm kind of jealous of how strong he is, to be honest."
After hearing Peter start talking about how jealous of Ainz he was. Albedo and Narberal got up to finish cleaning up for Taylar. Once they walked away, Lukrut finally said something he had been thinking for a while now.
"Maybe we should reconsider the whole no females in the party plan. If we had beauties like those three traveling with us, I'm sure I'd reach my potential faster trying to impress them." Lukrut laughs at the end of that.
"I bet you'd get nothing done and we would get ambushed regularly. Don't you have the motto to keep pushing until you can worm your way into their heart?" Dyne says to him.
"Pssh with women that hot I'd never let anything possibly harm them. You underestimate me Dyne." he replies to him
"At least you got the message from Momon and laid off his companions. After seeing what they did to those Ogres and goblins I'm not sure what they could do to a human but it wouldn't end well for you Lukrut." Peter tells the ranger. Lukrut is about to reply to him but they all hear Nfirea say
"Yeah they are all very beautiful aren't they..." with a bitter look on his face.
"Nfirea is something wrong?" Dyne asks him
"Ahhh, no it's nothing Mr. Dyne." Nfirea says
"You're not in love with one of them are you Nfirea?" Lukrut asks him hoping someone would take the pressure off him so Momon wasn't watching him so intently.
"Of course I'm not! I don't even know them!" Nfirea yells
"Lukrut, you're being ridiculous again. Think before you talk." Peter tells him
Nfirea looked uncomfortable, and he was not sure how to respond to Lukrut.
"No, it's not like that. Well, I'm just a little uneasy. Would Mr. Momon really be that popular?"
"He'd be a hit just going by his strength alone. Plus, he looks pretty wealthy, given the armor he wears and the swords he carries. Not to mention he is already traveling with the three most beautiful women I have ever seen." Lukrut says to Nfirea
"Oh..."
Nfirea's face was cast in shadow. Peter carefully asked
"Is something the matter?"
Nfirea wanted to speak, but cut himself off halfway. The effect repeated itself over and over again, making him look like a fish who was trying to figure out what to say. Peter and the others did not press him. There was no need to force an answer out of him if he did not want to talk about it. Soon, however, Nfirea made up his mind and finally managed to speak.
"Um, it's because I don't want to let the person I like in Carne Village fall in love with Mr. Momon."
The Swords of Darkness deftly picked up on the hidden message within those words and then smiled warmly.
"All right then, young man. Big brother here will teach you his amazing techniques to land any woman you come across!" Lukrut says to Nfirea
Peter slaps Lukrut in the back of the head to get him under control. The Swords of Darkness paid no attention to the painful look on Lukrut's face and began to give Nfirea all the advice they could think of to win over the girl he liked. It finally brought a smile to Nfirea's face and the group continued talking until it was time to rest.
The group set out at daybreak after they broke down the camp and had breakfast.
"We'll be at Carne Village soon." Nfirea says to them
The other travelers nodded in response to Nfirea, the only person who had been to Carne Village before. Except for Ainz, Taylar, and Albedo but they were undercover right now and needed to act as they had never been there. Apart from that, they walked on in silence. Nfirea seemed somewhat put off by that.
An air of awkwardness hung between them. Ainz, who was the cause of this situation, hid his guilt underneath his helmet. Ninya kept peeking at him, and it was annoying. However, this was all his fault, so he could not say anything about it. This was the result of what he had said last night.
Ninya apologized at breakfast, and Ainz should have accepted the apology on the spot, but for some reason, he could not say a simple thing like "I forgive you." Though he felt he was being petty, Ainz could not simply let bygones be bygones.
Finally, it was Lukrut who spoke up and tried to change the mood.
"It seems pretty wide here, so maybe we don't have to stay in a line as we move," he announced, seemingly with some other motive in mind.
A glance to the sides revealed stretches of forest around them, so the deliberate mention of being wide and open seemed somewhat suspicious. In addition, the point of being guards was that they could not lower their guard in an open area, so moving in a tight formation like they were doing now was the wisest choice. It was just that they all knew their silent advance in a line was not due to their adventurer's sense of caution.
"It's important to stay alert. So let's get to the village first." Peter says
"Indeed! We need to stay on guard at all times lest we get attacked!" Dyne says
Lukrut put on an as if expression in response to Peter and Dyne's statements.
"Maybe a dragon might attack us from far away." Ninya says.
Lukrut immediately shot back at Ninya.
"What kind of shitty plot development would that be? Logically speaking, how could such a thing happen, Ninya!?"
"You're right, it is impossible. The stories of dragons near E-Rantel are nothing more than stories. Although they say that in the ancient past, there was a dragon which could shake the heavens and the earth. Nobody's seen any dragons recently. I think there's a colony of Frost Dragons living along the Azerlisia mountain range towards the north, but they are the only dragons that I know that roam the lands." Ninya says
Ainz was intrigued by this development. In YGGDRASIL, dragons were the strongest enemies one could encounter. They boasted great physical attack and defense power, boundless stamina and wielded numerous skills and spells. They were in a totally different class then every other monster there was.
'I need to be careful if dragons exist. Dragons could live forever in YGGDRASIL's backstory, so it wouldn't be a surprise to encounter dragons with mind-boggling powers.' Ainz thinks
"Do you know the name of that dragon which could shatter the sky and shake the earth?" Ainz asks no one in particular.
Ninya sees her opening to try and bridge the gap her comment last night made between Ainz and herself.
"I'm very sorry Mr. Momon I don't know the dragons name! I could look it up when we get back to the city if you like!"
'Well, she is awfully excited to help me. Probably because of what happened last night. It's better if we settle things this way. I've never been good with people.' Ainz thinks to himself
"If you could find that out for me it would be very helpful Ninya." he says
"I will do my best Mr. Momon." Ninya replies
The mood seemed to liven up after Ainz and Ninya's exchange. Almost as if a dark cloud had been lifted from the adventurers.
"We are almost to Carne Village everyone." Nfirea says
Everyone could hear the cheerfulness in Nfirea's voice as he spoke, but as soon as the village came into view, he went dead silent. The rest of the party took in the village before them. The Swords of Darkness looked at the village and wondered why Nfirea went silent.
It looked like a normal village to them other than the sturdy wall that was around it. When they looked closer they thought maybe his silence was because of the golems. They knew how expensive golems were and by their count, they could see about ten of them. They wondered how a village could afford to have a single golem, let alone so many.
To Ainz and company, they were surprised at how much progress had been made since their last visit. The village already had a wall completely surrounding it and they were just fortifying it right now. It was good to see Lupus Regina was taking her task seriously.
"What's wrong Nfirea? Is something the matter?" Peter asks him
"Ah, no, it's fine. I just don't recall seeing a sturdy wall like the one in front of us." Nfirea replies
"Really? But it looks like an ordinary wall. Actually, I'm surprised you weren't silent because of the golems. How in the world did a frontier village afford one golem let alone ten of them." Lukrut says to Nfirea
"Carne Village has the Wise King of the Forest, so they've never put up a wall before. I didn't even notice the golems. Where in the world did they come from? I wonder if something happened here." Nfirea says to them
Obviously, Ainz, Taylar, Albedo, and Narberal all knew the answers Nfirea was seeking, but they came here as beings from Nazarick. Right now they were adventurers who had never been here before and they all stayed silent.
"Maybe I'm worrying too much but I grew up in a village, and I still remember living there, so there are two things I find suspicious. The first is that the fields haven't been tilled yet even at this time, and the other is that they've already harvested some of the wheat." Ninya says to everyone
They looked in the direction Ninya was pointing and indeed, part of the wheat had already been taken in. Ninya knew a village would only do that in an emergency.
"I see. Looks like something happened?" Dyne says
Ainz turned to the group and offered a suggestion.
"Nabe can go invisible and scout the village with flying magic. So we know what we are walking in to."
Nabe casts fly and invisible and takes off towards the village. After a few minutes, she appeared right next to Ainz, startling all of the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea.
"Everyone in the village seems to be going about their day like normal. I didn't see them being ordered around or controlled by anything. They seem to be working the fields on the other side of the village." Narberal tells everyone
"Guess I was just being paranoid." Ninya says
"Well, it should be fine then. Let us move on then." Nfirea says
As they get closer to the gate, Lukrut tilts his head as if he sensed something off to the side of the road.
"What's wrong Lukrut?" Nfirea asks him noticing the look he was giving to the surroundings.
"I'm not sure. Maybe I was trying to pick up something too hard. I could have sworn I heard something but I don't hear anything now." Lukrut says
As they drew closer to the village, Peter noticed the wheat here was starting to take over the road. He wondered how a village of farmers could let it get to the point it would almost block the road.
"I hope they tend their fields properly. This seems like a waste of good food to let it get like this." he says
As soon as he finished his adventurer instincts seemed to kick in and he sensed something staring at him from the field. When he scanned the surrounding he noticed two yellow eyes staring at him from the wheat field just off to his right. Right as he was about to alert everyone the creature spoke first.
"Would you mind dropping your weapons please?"
As the creature stands up, Peter notices it is a goblin. He didn't know what goblins were doing right near the entrance to this village but he knew he couldn't make a move without this goblin being able to stab him it was so close. Since no one said anything, the goblin asked again.
"I'll ask again. Could you please put your weapons down? The people in the back also, we don't want to have to fill them with arrows." the goblin says to them. When he finishes, eleven more goblins stand up from the wheat with bows drawn, ready to fire at any moment.
"Would you spare our lives?" Peter asks the goblin
"Sure, if you surrender." the goblin says to him
Peter was at a loss at what to do. He had never seen goblins so well versed in tactics and wielding good weapons like a proper company. He didn't know if they should try to fight, run, or try talking to the goblins. These goblins seemed to be much different from the goblins Peter was used to.
As the goblins popped up around them, Ainz and Taylar had to hold out a hand to Nabe to stop her from unleashing electrical death on these goblins. After one look, Ainz knew these were the goblins summoned by the horn he had given Enri. He noticed them in the village when they stopped before and they looked to be the same ones.
One goblin, who seemed to be slightly bigger than the others, walked forward to address them.
"We hope you don't make any sudden moves. We really don't want to fight. Especially the four of you in the back. So as long as you relax we will get through this just fine until elder sister gets here." Jugem says to the group
"Who is this elder sister you are talking about?! Did she take over Carne Village?!" Nfirea shouts. Everyone was surprised at the boy's tone while in such a situation.
"Relax big guy, she will be here soon and you can ask her yourself." Jugem replies
"Nfirea, calm down a bit. We aren't exactly in a position to be shouting and getting angry." Ninya says to him
Jugem seemed to notice Nfirea's anger and anxiousness and decided to explain the situation to the young man.
"Elder sister's village was attacked recently by people dressed up as knights from the Empire. We are just making sure you have no ill intentions for this village. She will be here shortly to verify you aren't a threat to the village."
"The village was attack?!" Nfirea says
'I hope Enri is alright' he thinks to himself
"Ah, here is elder sister now." Jugem says
As Nfirea looks to were the goblins eyes are he sees a girl being escorted by more goblins. His eyes went wide and he shouted her name when she came into view.
"Enri!"
"Nfirea? Is that you?" Enri says
And there is chapter 6... sorry it took a little longer than normal... I just got DanMachi vol 12 and Sword Oratario vol 7 so I was busy reading those... I finished DanMachi and started on Sword Oratario and should be done with it shortly... I should be able to update as normal after I finish as long as work doesn't get insane... thanks for your continued reading and see you next chapter!