Disclaimer: I do not own anything (except my OC)
"Talking"
'Thinking'
{Message}
*SPELL/ABILITY/MARTIAL ART*
*[METAMAGIC]*
A/N: First to start, I'm very surprised at the poll... someone asked me if I was going to have wedding scenes (I didn't plan on it) but thought I'd ask in a poll just so I gave everyone the option... what I didn't expect was so many people to want me to do it... That kind of backfired on me lol... If the poll keeps up like this I'm actually going to have to write some wedding scenes which I have no doubt I'll butcher lol...
Without further ado... Chapter 7!
"Enri!" Nfirea yells
"Nfirea? Is that you?" Enri says to him
Nfirea is relieved that Enri is the girl the goblins were talking about, but wonder how in the world they came to call her elder sister. While he was pondering that, Enri spoke up.
"It's nice to see you Nfirea. I'm sure you are wondering about the goblins and wall. Why don't you come to my house? We can sit down and talk." she says to him
Nfirea clearly sees that Enri isn't worried in the least at the goblins and seems to be in a rather good mood. He wondered what happened and wanted to talk to Enri about it as soon as possible.
"I would like that Enri. It seems a lot has happened since I was here last." Nfirea says to her
"Boss are you sure about all of them? Those four in the back give off a very dangerous feeling." Jugem says to Enri
"Yes Mr. Jugem, if Nfirea trusts them enough to guard him then we can trust them not to cause trouble in the village." she tells the goblin.
With that said, Nfirea brought his cart just inside the gate then hopped down to follow Enri on foot. The Swords of Darkness stayed to guard the cart while Momon and the rest said they wanted to check the perimeter. It wasn't totally a lie, Ainz did want to see what kind of progress they made in just a few days and wasn't disappointed at what he saw.
He still found it funny the villagers were in awe of 10 golems. He wondered how they would react to seeing hundreds of them used as nothing more than spectators in the Colosseum on the sixth floor of Nazarick.
Once Ainz and everyone were far enough away that no villagers or goblins could hear them, Albedo spoke up to tell Lord Ainz and Lady Taylar something she had overheard at the camp.
"Lord Ainz, Lady Taylar, I believe we can use that girl Enri to trap Nfirea into doing whatever you two wish of him."
"Albedo, I thought I asked you not to call me lord. I know we are not at home so you shouldn't call me Momonga but please stop with the lord stuff already." Ainz says to her
"I second that Albedo, and what do you mean we can use him because of something you overheard at the camp?" Taylar says to her
"I heard that Nfirea human tell the Swords of Darkness that he was in love with that Enri girl Lord Ainz saved. I'm sure we can use that to keep him indebted to us for however long you like." Albedo tells them
"You don't seem to be budging on this Lord and Lady thing Albedo. Why is that?" Taylar asks her
"I don't feel I deserve such a reward after my mistake Lady Taylar." Albedo tells her
"We both already told you that you did not make a mistake Albedo. Didn't Ainz tell you he would have done the same thing if you would have waited for just a second longer?" Taylar asks Albedo
"Lord Ainz is kind and merciful, he was probably telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. I do not deser-"
"ARE YOU SAYING I LIED TO YOU ALBEDO!" Ainz yells at her "Do not presume you know what I am thinking. If you fuck up, I will let you know! Like right now, do not put words in my mouth Albedo!"
All three of them are a little startled at Ainz' tone. They haven't witnessed him get mad like this yet. He always managed to reel it in when it was taking him over, but he was getting so angry his Aura of Despair was kicking in and even effecting Taylar and Albedo even though they were level 100. Ainz notices this and calms down a bit to finish his words to Albedo.
"I am sorry about getting that angry, but Albedo hear me and listen carefully. You DID NOT make a mistake with that adventurer. It brought two humans to us that can be very useful without us having to do much of anything. Now you have brought us information Taylar and I would have missed out on because of my outburst at the camp. You have done more on this trip to help Nazarick then anyone else so far. Do not regress back to what you were when we first got here just because you think you fucked up. You did not and when or if you do, we will let you know."
"I am sorry Lor-... I mean Ainz. I will keep working hard for Nazarick!" Albedo tells him
"That is much better Albedo. We are all in this together and we will figure it out together. If you have questions about anything just ask one of us. We will do the same to you Albedo." Taylar tells her
Meanwhile back at Enri's house...
Enri and Nfirea are sitting at the dining room table talking about the events that lead to this point in Carne Village. When he heard what happened to the village and to Enri's parents Nfirea was filled with a rage he hadn't experienced yet in his young life. When he looked to Enri though, she seemed to already have put it behind her and he realized he had no right to be that angry if she wasn't. He could see the tears about to form in her eyes but she simply wiped them away and replaced it with a look of determination on her face.
"I still have Nemu to worry about so I can't just lose myself to despair. Someone needs to teach her how to grow up and be a good person, and that has to be me. I am her big sister after all." Enri tells him
Nfirea was deep in thought once the rage passed him by. Maybe now was the perfect time to tell Enri how he felt about her. He certainly made enough money at his job to take care of Enri and Nemu. Maybe he should just ask them to move to the city with him where he could take care of them. He felt the determination well up inside of him and he started to stand but as soon as he looked into her eyes he lost his will to tell her and managed to stumble out the only thing that came to mind.
"I-I-If you n-n-need anything Enri, j-j-just let me know!" he says shouting and whispering some words.
"Thanks Nfirea, I know I can count on you. You are the best friend I could have." she tells him
'Yeah friend, that is how she sees me. Maybe I'm just not what she is looking for in a man.' he thinks to himself
"Of course Enri, we have been friends for a long time." is all he gets out. When he looks at her radiant smile all he can think is how beautiful she is. He needs to ask about something else, he can already feel his face heating up just staring at her.
"So what is up with those goblins Enri? They call you elder sister. Why is that?" he asks
"Oh, those goblins appeared after I used the horn my savior Lord Ainz Ooal Gown gave me. They seem to follow any order I give them and they have been very helpful around the village since we lost so many in the attack." she tells him
The look in Enri's eye is not lost on Nfirea when she is talking about Ainz Ooal Gown. It gave him an empty feeling inside like she had already found someone worthy of her. It wasn't the first time she had mentioned his name and she always had that look in her eye when she talked about him.
When he asked what he looked like and she described an angel with black wings and his facial features he knew from the way she said it she thought he was attractive. When she described the other two women with him Enri's expression seemed to change to one of admiration, not attraction. It must have been something to be saved by two angels and it clearly left an impact on Enri.
"I believe he called it the Horn of the Goblin General if I'm not mistaken." she finished
Nfirea had never heard of such a magic item but it clearly existed. He wondered what kind of being this Ainz Ooal Gown could be to give away such a magic item. He could see the unused one on Enri's waist and it gave off a tremendous amount of magical energy. The one thing he did know is that summoned creatures were not supposed to last indefinitely. It was certainly a very powerful magic item.
"Do you happen to know where this Ainz Ooal Gown is from Enri? I would like to thank him myself if I could." Nfirea asks her
"You don't know who they are Nfirea? I thought since two of them were magic casters you would know who they were. I got to see Lord Ainz, Lady Taylar, and Lady Albedo again but I didn't get a chance to talk to them. They flew off after they introduced Lupus Regina to us and lent us the golems that are outside. I was really hoping to thank them properly." Enri says to him
"W-W-Why do you w-w-want to talk to them again Enri?" he asks her
"Well, I'd like to thank them properly. The villagers had the idea of building a statue for them, but if they would have shown up a second later, I would definitely be dead. I think I should at least show my gratitude for what they did for me and Nemu." she replies
The admiration and longing that Enri's voice carried did nothing to ease Nfirea's tension. He gathered up what determination he could to ask everything he could about Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Of course you would want to thank him Enri. If you could remember the spells they used or anything they said or did it would help me narrow down the search."
"Oh, their magic was amazing! I can't remember what Lord Ainz said when he came through that portal thing but Lady Taylar did ask him why he started with a tier 9 spell. Lady Taylar took down the other knight attacking me with a spell called Holy Ray. At least that is what she said before a beam of pure light went through him and he dropped. She also said she was surprised he died from tier 4 magic." Enri tells him
Nfirea is doing everything in his power not to shake in his chair. Tier 9 magic! That is just stuff in myths. It didn't actually exist and there was no one except one person in this entire world who could even cast tier 6. He needed to know more but wasn't sure if prying into these people was a good idea. Before he could make up his mind, Enri remembered some things that she didn't mention.
"Oh yeah, after the knights were dead. Lord Ainz tried to give me a potion to heal my wounds but Nemu and I freaked out because we thought it was blood. Then Lady Taylar cast a spell on me called Heal. It made me feel better than I ever had then she cast three protection spells on me. Umm.. they were called... anti-life cocoon, wall of protection from arrows, and sanctuary I believe." Enri finishes
When Nfirea heard her say she didn't drink the potion because it looked like blood, he immediately thought of the potion the adventurer Brita brought in and the party that was here with him that gave her said potion. Even two of the three spells Enri just said he had witnessed Bella cast on him when the Ogres and goblins attacked them.
He had never seen or heard of those before and it couldn't be a coincidence she could cast those also. They even had red potions like the ones they tried to give Enri. The ease with which that party killed those Ogres and goblins was far beyond anything Nfirea had ever heard of. It was pointing more and more towards them being Lord Ainz, Lady Taylar, and Lady Albedo. At the very least, Nfirea was sure they at least served this Ainz Ooal Gown.
"The 9th tier is the stuff of myths Enri. I'm sorry but that doesn't help me at all. Maybe if you told me more about that potion I could help you. I am a potion maker after all." he says to her
"Wow, that is amazing. Lord Ainz casts magic from the story books! I really can't tell you anything more then what I already did Nfirea. I was scared to drink it because it looked like blood even when Lord Ainz told me it would heal my wound then Lord Ainz put it away before Lady Taylar cast that healing spell on me." she tells him
It couldn't be called conclusive proof, but Nfirea was sure Momon was either Ainz Ooal Gown or served him. That brought up all sorts of thoughts from him. If Momon was Ainz Ooal Gown and was capable of casting tier 9 spells on top of being an unequaled fighter, he was nothing short of a god-like being. The only thing that Nfirea really couldn't connect the dots on were their appearances. He thought it would be awful hard to hide a huge pair of white or black wings and Momon, Bella, Ariel, and Nabe clearly didn't have any.
Bella was standing right next to him in the cart and he didn't feel any feathers or anything like that. He never heard of an angelic shape shifter before but couldn't rule that out completely. He knew Illusion magic would not be able to get rid of something like that and someone would feel the wings if the person got too close. Although if Ainz was capable of casting tier 9 spells, there could be any number of spells Nfirea knew nothing about that might do something like that.
He then remembered all the questions Momon was asking Ninya about magic. Why would someone who could cast tier 9 magic be asking a novice mage about spells? It didn't make any sense to Nfirea. The deeper he thought about it the more confused he got. Maybe he should just give Enri the support she needs for now and get to know Momon before making up his mind.
"I'm sorry for asking so many questions about that day Enri. I just wanted to help you out but I'm afraid I don't really know anything that can help you based on what you told me." he tells her.
"It's OK Nfirea. I'm sure I'll get a chance to thank them someday." Enri says to Nfirea
After she said that, they sat there in a weird silence. Nfirea finally said he needed to start preparing to head to the forest and made his way back to his cart.
Back with Ainz and company...
They are walking back towards Nfirea's cart when Ainz sees a group of villagers gathered near the wall. He looks to see why they are all there and notices them all practicing archery. The goblins summoned with the horn are teaching them how to shot a bow. He thought it was admirable at how much they learned in such a short time.
He had no doubt Albedo and Narberal would probably think these villagers were weak insects who had no business using a bow. After all, he witnessed Taylar teaching Albedo, he thought maybe this would be a good moment for him to do the same and possibly calm down Narberal a bit. He couldn't have her calling every human they met some sort of insect every time she addressed them. He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot of them.
"Albedo, Narberal, what do you think of those villagers archery skills?" he asks them
"They don't even look skilled enough to hunt to me." Albedo says
"I agree with Lady Albedo, Lord Ainz. These insects shouldn't even be picking up weapons if that is all the skill they have." Narberal says to them
"Now it is my turn to teach you something about humans Albedo. Narberal, I want you to listen as well. It is true they are not that skilled but think about this. Until about a week ago, none of them had ever even picked up a bow let alone fired one. They saw their friends and family slaughtered in front of them because they couldn't defend themselves. Now, with a little help from us and a determination to never be victims again. They have all taken it upon themselves to learn to defend themselves. Even the old people are learning from the goblins so that they never feel helpless again. That is why Taylar is so positive that girl Enri we saved will grow to be someone special in this world. She learned very young you have to learn to be strong to survive. While humans will never be as strong as we are even if they reach their full potential. They can be useful if treated properly." Ainz tells both of them
"I see Lord Ainz. I did not think of it that deeply. They can be useful tools for the Supreme Ones. I never thought of them like that Lord Ainz." Narberal says
"I understand Ainz. I have been trying to see them as more than insects like Taylar has asked of me, and now I know why you bothered wasting your precious time to save this village. I will continue to try hard to treat humans as you think I should." Albedo tells him
The response from Albedo was pretty much as expected. She had been doing very good learning to treat humans at least somewhat respectfully. He decided Narberal calling them tools was much better than insects. He doubted he could persuade Narberal to learn to act like Albedo had been but this was certainly a start.
After Ainz' lesson to Albedo and Narberal, they made their way back to Nfirea's cart. He should be ready to start his adventure into the forest to gather herbs soon. Ainz was interested in this Wise King of the Forest. He had no doubt it would raise their name considerably faster if they were to defeat this monster. He would call Aura when they entered the forest and have her bring him this Wise King.
{Aura, are you available right now?}
{Yes Lord Ainz! What can I do for you Lord?!}
{I have been hearing about this Wise King of the Forest in the Forest of Tob. Do you know what creature they are talking about?}
{I believe I do Lord Ainz. I was thinking of skinning him and making a blanket out of his fur. If you would like him Lord, I can deliver his corpse to you whenever you like.}
{No, I want you to lead him to me alive. They need to witness this creature if I am to raise the status of our party in this world}
{Very well Lord Ainz. When shall I deliver this creature to you?}
{I will call for you when we enter the forest and meet you. We will discuss the details then}
{Yes Lord Ainz!}
As he ends the message with Aura, he sees Nfirea making his way to his cart. When he looks at Ainz, he seems to tense a little bit. Ainz isn't quite sure why that is but figures he might need to keep an even closer eye on this boy than usual. It would be easy to trap him using Enri as the bait but the boy's talent still scared Ainz to death. He wouldn't let that boy come within line of sight of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.
"A-A-Ah Mr. M-M-Momon, we w-w-will be heading into the f-f-forest in about an h-h-hour if you are ready by then." Nfirea stutters out. He is quite obviously nervous around Ainz now for some reason.
"We can be ready whenever you are Mr. Bareare. You are the employer after all." Ainz tells him
"R-R-Right! We will h-h-head out in an hour!"
At this point, even the Swords of Darkness are wondering what is up with Nfirea.
*[SILENT] ZONE OF TRUTH*
Taylar casts her spell so no one would hear it. She wanted to ask Nfirea why he was so flustered. She knew he would have learned about the attack but even that wouldn't bring about a reaction like this even if he really did love that girl. He had lied to them once and she didn't trust him at all. Before she could ask, Dyne asked for her.
"Mr. Bareare, are you alright? You seem like you've seen a ghost or something."
"I-I-I'm fine Mr. Dyne (lie), learning what happened to Enri and her village just shook me up more then I expected. (lie)"
Taylar has Zone of Truth up and knows Nfirea is lying to them. She also noticed he was glancing at Ainz on and off while he was talking nervously. She wasn't sure what it was about but it certainly had to do with Ainz. Taylar would have to figure this out soon before something bad came of this.
{Ainz, whenever we set out, tell everyone you, Narberal, and Albedo are going to scout ahead while I stay behind in case someone needs to be healed. Nfirea was lying about why he is so flustered and was looking at you too much for it not to be a coincidence. I will try to get him alone and figure out what he knows.}
{I wonder what it could possibly be? I know he talked to Enri but what would that have to do with me? There is no way he figured out I am Ainz Ooal Gown. We took many precautions against that and I have been acting completely different than when I am Ainz.}
{Well, he is pretty intelligent even for a boy but I believe you are right that he couldn't have figured out you were Ainz. It would be more likely he would figure out who I was because of the spells I cast on him but he was looking at you, not me when he was acting like that.}
{Very well, I will scout ahead. I need to meet up with Aura anyway so she can lead this Wise King of the Forest to me.}
After 45 minutes had passed, Ainz thought this would be a good time for them to go ahead of everyone else. It would give him time to talk to Aura and hopefully buy enough time for Taylar to figure out what Nfirea knows.
"Nabe, Ariel, and I will be heading into the woods now to scout ahead and deal with any monsters we might come across. Mr. Dyne and Lukrut should follow after about 15 minutes as the leads so they can get a clear path to the herbs Nfirea needs. Bella will stay with Nfirea in case he needs protection magic or healing cast on him and Peter and Ninya can bring up the rear. We will meet you in the forest once our scouting is done." Ainz tells them then immediately heads into the forest so no one can question his orders. He figured that was the best way to give Taylar some space to talk to the boy and leaving abruptly wouldn't give anyone time to argue with him.
Once they had gone a few hundred meters into the forest Ainz calls out to Aura.
"Aura, let us talk about raising the name of Momon in this world." he says
Albedo and Nabe are looking around wondering if Ainz had lost his mind only to hear a voice come from the trees above them.
"Yes Lord Ainz!" Aura says
"Aura, when did you get there!" Albedo says to her
The Dark Elf leaps out of the tree, does a somersault, and lands on the ground soft as a feather.
'She certainly has the skills of a level 100 ranger type.' Ainz thinks to himself
"Oh, I've been following you since you entered the forest. I wouldn't be much of a ranger if you could detect me so easily Overseer Albedo." the dark elf replies with a radiant, beaming smile on her face.
"So you know where this Wise King of the Forest is Aura?" Ainz asks
"Yes Lord Ainz. I believe the creature you are looking for is sleeping in a cave not far from here. After you gave me its description it reminded me of a creature I saw while surveying the forest for dangerous creatures. I'm not quite sure why they call this creature the Wise King of the Forest. It seemed pretty weak when I appraised it." she tells him
"Well Aura, I haven't found anything in this world yet that could threaten any of the floor guardians in Nazarick. It's not surprising you believe it to be weak. It probably is slightly weaker than the Warrior Captain from Re-Estize. So to you, it would be nothing more than a mouse." Ainz tells the dark elf.
"Shall I go retrieve this creature for you, my lord?" Aura asks
"While I would love to get this over with now, we need to give Taylar time to speak with Nfirea. That boy has been acting strange and glancing at me since he talked with Enri and learned of the attack on the village. Taylar is going to have a talk with him and try to figure out what he knows so we need to wait about 10 minutes to give her some time." he tells Aura
"Very well Lord Ainz." Aura replies
"So how is everything going on the construction of the fake Nazarick Aura?" Ainz asks her
"It is going very well Lord Ainz. We should have the building completed in about a week."
"That is good to hear Aura. I believe we are upsetting the balance of the forest though with our construction. We were attacked on the way here by Ogres and goblins. Supposedly, that never happens because of the Wise King of the Forest. They were remarking that something must have changed to swing the balance of power in the forest. The only thing that comes to mind is us now having a presence in there. Be sure to sweep away any monsters that might threaten Carne Village. I can't afford to have the first peaceful place we encountered to be destroyed while we are away somewhere else. It would be a giant waste of time if that happened." he tells Aura
They continued making small talk waiting for the time to arrive that they could bring the Wise King of the Forest out to Ainz.
Back with Taylar and Nfirea...
About 15 minutes had past and Taylar told Lukrut and Dyne to start making their way into the forest to get a good trail for them to follow to Nfirea's herbs he needed. The young man had explained to Dyne what he was looking for and Dyne knew the best places to look for such herbs. Finding ingredients like this was second nature to a druid. He only needed to get close to them to know exactly where they were and could pick up a trail just by the smell in the air once he knew what to look for. When Nfirea and Taylar headed in a couple of minutes after them, she thought this was the perfect opportunity to question Nfirea.
"So Nfirea, what about Momon has you so flustered?" Taylar gets straight to the point
"W-W-What do you m-m-mean Bella?" Nfirea says
"I thought we were past this Nfirea. You are a terrible liar and I thought we established back at the guild, I am not someone you can lie to. I know the reasons you gave us for being flustered were lies and you were glancing at Momon on and off while lying. It is easy to piece together you are worried about something that has to do with Momon. So I'll ask you for the last time, why are you so worried about Momon?"
Nfirea realizes there is no getting out of answering this question. He already knew he was a terrible liar and had admitted it to them. The tone that she had in her last question seemed to say... answer this question truthfully or you will never make it out of this forest.
"A-A-Are you one of the beings w-w-who saved this v-v-village? Lady Taylar or Lady Albedo? You cast the same protection spells on me Enri told me Lady Taylar cast on her and I have never seen those spells before. It can't be a coincidence. Ariel seems as strong as the Lady Albedo that Enri described to me, and Momon seems as powerful as Lord Ainz. He is the only one I'm not very certain about. Enri told me he used a 9th tier spell and I haven't seen Momon cast any magic but he is certainly as strong as Enri described." Nfirea tells Taylar
As soon as he asked his first question, Taylar's mind went into overdrive. She knew this boy was smarter than the average human, but figuring out who they were with that limited information was actually quite impressive. She guessed it was probably her protection spells that cemented in his mind their identities. It was good he asked a lot of questions. It gave her time to message Ainz and figure out a game plan.
{Ainz, this boy figured out who me and Albedo were. He isn't sure you are Ainz but is pretty certain I am Taylar and Albedo is who she is. It is because of the spells I cast on him during our fight that gave me away. I am sorry about that love}
{It is not you fault Taylar. I am the one who asked you to cast those spells on him. If anyone is to blame it is me. I believe you can tell him who we are. Just don't give him too much information and do not mention Nazarick to him yet. We will have him in our service soon where we can keep an eye on him. We will start making our way back to you and when we meet up, Aura is going to send the Wise King of the Forest our way so we can defeat him and raise our names in this world.}
{Don't you think you three defeating 50 Ogres and goblins in 8 seconds would show your power enough?}
{Ogres and goblins are one thing, but a legendary creature, feared by all who know of it, is another. Based on what Aura told me this creature is probably a little weaker than the Warrior Captain we met. I just hope it is worth my time. This world is awfully boring when it comes to challenging fights.}
{And why is that a bad thing? NOTHING is allowed to happen to you Momonga, nothing! I know you are always looking for a challenge but you are not allowed to leave me alone in this world!}
{Sorry, sorry, just old habits. I promise I won't be going anyway Taylar.}
"Are you the only one who knows I am Lady Taylar, Nfirea?" she asks the boy
"Y-Y-Yes, I wasn't certain who you were and I figured you were hiding your identity for a reason." Nfirea replies
"Yes, that is correct. We have been asleep for a long time and are trying to get an idea of how the world works nowadays. Right now, we are just adventurers looking to go on quests. Please keep that in mind and don't tell anyone what you have learned here today." she tells him
"Thank you for saving this village!" Nfirea says and gives a slight bow to Taylar.
"I thought I told you to keep that to yourself. What do you think Peter and Ninya would think if they saw you bowing to me?" she says to him and give him a look as if to say stop acting like an idiot!
"I-I-I'm sorry Lady Tayl-"
"Hey, what the hell did I just say?! My name is Bella, Nfirea. Only call me that, nothing else, for now, please." she tells him
Back with Ainz and company...
"Albedo, it seems Nfirea has figured out who you and Taylar are. I believe it is because of the spells I had Taylar cast on him when we fought those Ogres and goblins. It seems the information you overheard at the camp will be useful much sooner than needed to keep that boy quiet for now." Ainz tells her
"We could simply make him disappear in the woods Lord Ainz. It is a dangerous place after all." Albedo tells him
"First, why are you still calling me lord? Didn't I tell you to stop doing that? Second, we took this job. If he were to disappear under our watch it would make us look very bad and incompetent. We will trap that boy one way or another and Taylar will tell him what he needs to know so he doesn't tell anyone else. We can decide what to do with him once this mission is over and he is no longer our responsibility." Ainz tells her
"I am sorry Lo- Ainz. It is still hard for me to call your name like that when I feel I have been messing up so much. I will continue to try and remember." Albedo tells him
"I know it is hard for you because of how you were created Albedo, and you have been making great progress in a short time. I just want you to keep growing and learning. Don't fall back on old habits so easily or Taylar and my lessons will be wasted." Ainz tells Albedo
"So what should we do about Nfirea, Ainz? I believe Taylar knows spells that alter someone's memory. We could always make him forget who we are." Albedo tells him
"While that could be one solution, I would prefer to just keep him indebted to us somehow. We could certainly use an alchemist from this world to make potions for us. If we can somehow get his grandmother as well, that would be the ideal situation." he says
"We will stay vigilant and look for such a situation Lord Ainz!" Narberal says to them
"We are almost back to the party now. I will tell Aura to send the Wise King of the Forest our way now. It should arrive a few minutes after we make it back to the party. It seems Taylar has handled the situation with Nfirea. We will discuss more about that when we have some time alone." Ainz tells them
As he finished up talking with Albedo and Narberal, they came out into the clearing Nfirea had said he could find his herbs at. He did still seem a little tense but not nearly as much as he had earlier. Obviously whatever Taylar said to him calmed him down even if it was only just a little.
"We scouted the few hundred meters around us and found nothing. We should be alright to harvest your herbs Nfirea." Ainz says
"Th-th-thank you Mr. M-M-Momon!"
'Or maybe he didn't calm down.' Ainz sighs
They had only been collecting herbs for Nfirea for a couple minutes when Lukrut stopped dead in his tracks and started listening to the forest intently.
"What is it Lukrut?" Peter asks him. He has seen this before and knows Lukrut is picking up on something coming closer.
"Something big is coming Peter." Lukrut responds
"Is it the Wise King of the Forest?" Nfirea asks the ranger
"I can't tell exactly what it is but it is big and moving in a serpentine pattern for some reason in this direction." he tells the boy
"All of you head out of the forest and guard Nfirea. I will take care of whatever this is." Ainz says to them
"Mr. Momon, I know you are strong but if it is the Wise King of the Forest. You will need some backup." Peter says to him
"Don't worry about that Peter. The three of us are staying as well." Taylar says to him and motions to the rest of their party.
"Normally I would not agree to running away like this but I believe after seeing what you three did to those Ogres and goblins earlier you can handle whatever is coming this way." Peter says then starts getting the rest of the Swords of Darkness and Nfirea moving back towards Carne Village.
"Well, I can sense it coming now. So it is within 200 meters of us. It should be here in 20 seconds based on its movement pattern. I can't get a good look at it to see what kind of creature it is." Ainz tells everyone
"What do you mean you could sense it Lord Ainz?" Narberal asks him
"Oh, well it is quite an explanation that we really don't have time for. The short version is I can sense anything that is alive or that can succumb to death is probably more accurate." Ainz tells them.
That didn't help Narberal understand at all but she wouldn't tell her lord that. She would ask for the long explanation when the time presented itself to her. While she was trying to figure out what Ainz was talking about he caught a good look of the creature before it darted behind a tree. To say he was disappointed was an understatement.
"Albedo, in 7 seconds pull out your shield and put it in front of my right shoulder." Ainz says to her. It almost sounded like he was depressed while he was saying it.
"Very well my love." Albedo replies.
After exactly 7 seconds, Albedo swiftly pulls out her shield and puts it right where Ainz told her to. The moment she got it into position, something slammed directly into it. The blow didn't move Albedo's shield. She was too strong for such a weak blow to do anything but she wondered how Ainz knew exactly where the creature would attack.
"I can't believe the Wise King of the Forest is a fucking Spiritual Hamster! Talk about disappointing. Is there anything in this damn world that is actually worth my time!" Ainz is almost shouting at this point.
He can't believe the lowest level druid/wizard familiar in all of Yggdrasil ended up being the Wise King of the Forest. Once a caster could use tier 3 magic they abandoned this familiar and got a more powerful one because this one would never get as strong as any of the other familiars one could choose.
Especially a druid, they were essentially a one person army in Yggdrasil which is why Ainz was still a little skeptical about Dyne being a druid. It didn't seem like he connected with animals at all. He certainly wasn't a caster type druid like Mare based on what he saw. He must be this worlds version of a druid which had Ainz very disappointed.
"You did well to block my attack warrior! The second one will not be so easy! Leave my forest or suffer the consequences!" the hamster says to them in the most intimidating voice it can muster.
It is standing on its back two legs at about 10 feet tall. It is covered in a shadow at the moment and the only things visible for anyone to see are its eyes and runes on its chest that are both glowing blue.
"How did you know where it would attack Ainz?" Albedo asks him
"This creature is a spiritual hamster. A low level familiar in Yggdrasil. Its attack pattern is very basic and predictable. If it would stop talking and attack again it would try to slash me with its tail from my right shoulder to my left hip and if that didn't do a fatal blow or mortally wound me, it would try to pierce directly through my heart with its third attack." Ainz explains
Even the hamster is stunned that he knew it's attack pattern. It wondered how this warrior knew so much about him. He was the only one of his kind that he was aware of.
"You know much about me warrior. Do you know of my race?" the hamster asks
"Yeah, I know about you hamster." Ainz says
"What is this hamster you speak of warrior?"
"That is what kind of race you are, a spiritual hamster. You are the only one I have encountered thus far. I have no idea why I am explaining anything to a hamster." Ainz says frustration very evident in his voice.
"Then I shall defeat you and get the answers I desire from you!" the hamster exclaims.
"I don't have time for this nonsense."
*AURA OF DESPAIR - LEVEL ONE*
As Ainz finishes using his skill the hamster falls over on its back and begins to shake in fear.
"You are nothing more than an animal. Anything higher than that and you probably would have died." Ainz says still very disappointed.
"I-I-I will serve you for however l-l-long you need m-m-master!" the hamster says to him
"The Wise King of the Forest might be useful to me. I suppose I should give you a name then huh. Well, let's not think too deeply about this. From now on, you will be known as Hammy." Ainz says.
He wasn't very good at naming things to begin with but didn't think this creature deserved much thought on his name. Short and simple was the way to go here.
"Hammy shall serve you faithfully my lord!" Hammy says to Ainz
"Well isn't he just adorable!" Taylar says
"You are kidding, right? It's a hamster Taylar." Ainz says
"You may be right but it is a giant hamster! His fur is very soft, no wonder Aura wanted to make a blanket out of him." Taylar says that makes Hammy a little uncomfortable knowing someone had already planned to turn him into a blanket.
"We have all sorts of legendary creatures in Nazarick and you get attached to a hamster." Ainz laughs, of all the things for her to think is adorable it is this weak ass hamster.
Well, he would feel like an idiot riding this thing and figured as long as someone in their party was on it, it would show their power.
"Why don't you use him as your mount then Taylar. It will show everyone we tamed the Wise King of the Forest." Ainz suggests.
"I like that Ainz. All that walking got me tired anyway. Let's go Hammy, mamma needs a ride back to the village!" she says happily as can be.
She mounts up on Hammy and the party heads towards Carne Village. They needed to let everyone know the threat was over and they could get back to collecting Nfirea's herbs. Once they got into the clearing everyone could see Taylar on top of the giant magical creature.
"I-I-Is that t-t-the Wise King of t-t-the Forest?" Nfirea asks
They could all see the silver fur of the Wise King of the Forest as it emerged from the trees. The Swords of Darkness gathered around Nfirea, shocked expressions on their faces as they all took a step back with weapons raised. Though it had cute round green eyes, its massive body was still an intimidating sight, and it was only natural that they would be wary on behalf of the client they were escorting.
"Don't worry everyone. I have tamed this creature. It will not harm any of you." Ainz says to them
"It is as my lord has said. Hammy is my lord's faithful servant and will not bring any harm or inconvenience to any of you!" Hammy says to them
"So this is the Wise King of the Forest! It's Unbelievable! What a majestic beast!" Ninya says
Ainz looked back and forth between Ninya and the Wise King of the Forest, checking to see if Ninya was making fun of him, but Ninya seemed to be dead serious.
'Did she really believe this was a majestic beast?' Ainz thinks
"Wow, the Wise King of the Forest, so the legends really were true! I can feel its mighty presence just standing before it! I can't believe you could tame such a beast." Dyne gasped.
'Did he just say mighty presence?' Ainz thinks to himself
"If we had encountered him, we would have been killed for sure. I expected nothing less of you, Mr. Momon. Amazing work as always." Peter praises.
At first, Ainz thought they were making fun of him but quickly realized they were all deadly serious. Even if the hamster was giant, it still didn't feel powerful at all to Ainz. He guessed it was a good thing though. It would certainly help raise their names if silver ranked adventurers were reacting like this to the creature.
"Yes he is very cute don't you think everyone?" Taylar asks sitting atop his back petting his fur.
As everyone agreed with Taylar, Ainz could only stand there and shake his head.
'How in the world did it turn into this? From Wise King of the Forest to cute hamster. At least I don't have to ride him.' he thinks
"But if you take him away won't the other monsters attack Enri. I mean Carne Village because he's not there to scare them off anymore?" Enri asks Ainz
Ainz raised his chin to indicate the Wise King of the Forest. It got the message and said:
"Well, the balance of power in the forest is now in chaos. Even if Hammy was there, Hammy would not be able to guarantee their safety by any means."
"No way…" Enri says
Ainz did not comfort the shocked Nfirea. He merely smiled inside. This boy seemed to care about only two things, alchemy and Enri. It would be very easy to get this boy to serve him. His grandmother seemed like another story. He didn't learn much about her but from what he could learn she seemed a lot tougher to deal with then Nfirea.
"After talking to the villagers, I believe someone is already looking after this place in the Wise King of the Forests place now Nfirea." Ainz says to him
"I suppose you are right Mr. Momon. I wish I could protect Enr- I mean Carne Village too but I'm just an alchemist." Nfirea says with a sad tone
"There are ways for you to protect the people you care about even if you are just an alchemist Nfirea. When we get sometime later tonight maybe we could discuss those scenarios?" Ainz says to him
"I would love to learn about those opportunities Mr. Momon!" Nfirea exclaims
"Good, we will talk later then. For now, we need to get to harvesting your herbs. We are running out of daylight and Hammy here says he knows a couple of places where your herbs grow in abundance." Ainz tells them
"It is as my lord says. I know of the plants you seek and the best places to get them from!" Hammy tells Nfirea.
After that brief exchange, they all head back into the forest to begin harvesting Nfirea's herbs. It took a lot shorter than usual with the help of the Wise King of the Forest, and the haul was way more then Nfirea usually brought home. He guessed they probably got ten times the amount he normally was able to gather.
After their harvesting, it was getting late so they decided to spend the night in Carne Village and would set off first light the next day. The rest of their time in Carne Village was uneventful and they headed back towards E-Rantel at sunrise.
chapter 7 done... hope you liked it... until next time!