Chapter 8: Prelude to Disaster
Once the stew had reached the perfect simmer, it was only a few minutes of cooking before everyone had filled their bowl.
Everyone, save for one person: Rose.
Diablo knew the obvious reason for Rose not partaking. It was anatomically impossible for her to actually eat or drink, given her status as an automaton. Luckily, he had already rehearsed a reason for her to give if anyone else in the group questioned her on it. Strangely though, he noticed that Momon and Nabe were simply staring at their filled bowls, as if they hadn't decided on eating it.
Unfortunately the scenario he had in mind played out a little edgier than he had hoped, thanks to the likes of Lukrut.
"Rose, is there something you dislike? If that's the case, you know I can feed you mouth-to-mouth right-"
Normally when receiving a comment like this from a human she viewed as no greater than a bug, Rose would have taught him a lesson in etiquette with 《Asterismos》, but her master had made it very clear how she was to act in these situations.
"I know such an idea is above you, but as a warrior of my caliber, my metabolism is incredibly refined. Since I didn't have to lift my blade today, I have no need to eat. In fact, it would more likely throw my body out of equilibrium."
Rose's language on the different functions of the body left most of those present scratching their heads in confusion, but they were able to get the gist of her reasoning nonetheless. The only one who properly understood and was left intrigued, was Ainz.
I didn't think there was anyone in this world who understood modern concepts like the body's metabolism or state of equilibrium… This dietary restriction she's describing almost sounds like some form of intermittent fasting…
It was clear to him now that Diablo and Rose were not only anomalous in power, but also regarding their knowledge.
It's possible that there were other players present in past eras of this world, and certain pieces of modern information were carried down the generations, but this seems too specific…
However, now that Rose had given her explanation, everyone's attention turned to Momon and Nabe, as they had yet to touch the stew in their bowls.
"What about you guys? Is something not to your liking?"
This time it was Peter who inquired, thankfully in a much less inflammatory way.
I had a contingency in mind for this, but thanks to Diablo hogging all the glory, I can't use it in this scenario… Guess I have to improvise, something I'm getting more used to with each day here…
"It has to do with our religious teachings. We shouldn't eat with more than four people after sundown."
"Ho… You hold belief in such interesting teachings, Momon-shi."
Thankfully, it was the wise Dyne who had responded to his fabricated belief system. Everyone else seemed to respect his claim as well, so for now Nabe and himself were out of the spotlight. Just to be sure though, Ainz made sure to control the direction of the conversation.
"By the way, why do you call yourselves the Swords of Darkness?"
Lukrut had a sheepish look on his face as he started to describe his team's namesake.
"Oh, that? Well, Ninya-"
"Please stop, it was a slight mistake!"
Before he could get into the details, Ninya quickly cut him off from what was likely an embarrassing explanation. However, Dyne was quick to provide the exasperated Ninya with some relief.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Ninya."
"Please give it a rest…"
Ainz simply stared on in slight amusement at what was obviously some kind of inside joke. He relished the days when his guildmates would tease each other in similar ways.
Just like the constant bickering between Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino, although it didn't help that they were brother and sister…
Seeing that the rest of his team wasn't providing a clear answer, Peter spoke up to give the actual explanation.
"Um, the name 'Sword of Darkness' comes from the swords of one of the Thirteen Heroes."
Huh? That's it?! Is it something everyone should know about?!
"Who are they?"
Well done, Narberal!
Funnily enough, Ainz wasn't the only one internally rejoicing that he didn't have to admit his lack of knowledge on a well known subject of this world. Sitting across from him, Diablo was having very similar thoughts.
How embarrassing would it have been if I got put on the spot like that? I know I say I'm from another world, but a demon lord is supposed to be all-knowing! At the very least, a proper demon lord should know of other powerful entities…
"So you don't know, Nabe-chan?"
Ainz knew that Narberal wouldn't be a fan of Lukrut, a human, addressing her with the '-chan' honorific, but luckily Ninya chimed in with the full answer before anything derogatory could be said by his companion.
"Among the Thirteen Heroes, the Swords of Darkness are the four swords that the one called 'Black Knight' owned."
Nabe replied with an unenthusiastic 'Hmm', yet the others seemed to take it as a sign of fatigued interest rather than boredom.
"Well, our ultimate goal is to find those swords."
Lukrut explained their connection to the legendary weapons, and Peter served to display their current placeholder.
"Until we get our hands on them, this is our symbol."
From a small leather sheath, each member of the Swords of Darkness drew their respective blade, which was closer in size to a dagger, as well as black as the night sky.
"Real or fake has nothing to do with it. These represent the creation of our team."
It was a surprisingly touching story, and in a way it related to something within Diablo.
While I never had comrades during my time in Cross Reverie, my entire persona as a demon lord was incredibly "Fake it 'till you make it"... Even to this day I'm not technically the real thing, but as far as anyone else is concerned, Diablo is the one true demon lord!
"Hmph. Lukrut said something surprisingly insightful for once."
Dyne couldn't let up the chance to chide his usually crass teammate, although it was gift wrapped in the form of a compliment.
"I have to agree. The only way to truly accomplish one's goals is to will it into reality yourself. It will take time, but with enough effort you may one day reach that precipice."
Diablo wasn't one to normally make comments like this, but a certain feeling of nostalgia left him a little more open than usual.
Opposite himself, Ainz was awash in the little feelings his undead physiology allowed him.
In the past, I was like this, too… I adventured with everyone, collected materials, and helped build Nazarick…
Now he was the last of the forty one supreme beings that remained. While Ainz held out hope that some of his guildmates may be somewhere in this world, he was slowly coming to terms with the reality that it simply wasn't true.
Although with the presence of someone like Diablo, anything could be possible…
"I have to admit, your words resonate with me, Diablo. There was a time where I was weaker and less experienced than everyone present, and it was only thanks to arduous trials and the aid of my dear friends that I can stand before you as I am today."
The thought of someone like the warrior Momon being weak was hard to imagine, but no matter how talented someone was, strength of his level was earned, not made.
If you could count my time playing Yggdrasil as effort, then in a way it's no lie to say that my power was earned, albeit my actual life was never on the line…
Such a thought was present in the mind of Diablo as well, who had sacrificed any semblance of a social or work life in his pursuit of being the one true Demon Lord of Cross Reverie. Unlike Ainz though, he had come close to dying on several occasions since becoming Diablo. It was the high price that came with the experience he had accrued over the past several hectic months.
While everyone was touched by Momon's words of encouragement towards the Swords of Darkness, Ninya couldn't help but detect a hint of sadness behind the dark warrior's visage.
"These friends of yours, are they still around? If they were able to help someone like you I'm sure they're amazing people!"
What had been a hint of sadness had manifested into something more due to Ninya's question. While at its surface, it was innocuous enough, but to Ainz, it dug up many memories of times that could never be replicated, not as things currently stood.
"No, they're no longer with us. If I could still travel amongst them, there would be no place I'd rather be. I'll never forget the days I spent with them…"
The way I said that makes it seem like they're dead, but functionally, that may as well be the case… While the people behind the characters continue on in our bleak world, the sides of them that could only manifest in a place like Yggdrasil are gone for good, but there's still always a chance…
"Well, I'm sure one day you'll find more allies like them, right?"
"That day will never come."
The already somber mood had immediately soured even further. Without realizing it, Ninya had broached into a touchy subject matter for Ainz, and some of his true feelings had leaked through his heroic facade.
"Nabe and I will eat in our tent, please excuse us."
With a curt valediction, the adventurer duo that would be known as Darkness picked up their bowls and walked silently to their tent.
That same silence hung over the group for an extended period of time, as no one knew the right words to console the now disheartened Ninya.
"I-I didn't realize they meant that much to him… Did I really say something so wrong?"
Peter elicited a sigh as he moved next to Ninya and put a consoling arm around him.
"Ninya, you know you have to be careful when asking about someone's past, especially someone as mysterious as Momon. There was clearly a bit more to his story that he wasn't comfortable mentioning. His comrades probably died in battle, that's something anyone would be scarred from."
Dyne nodded along, chiming in with his own sage advice as well.
"It's not our place to pry into such details, but thankfully, Momon seems like the type to forgive. Even strong people like him need time to collect their thoughts and emotions when dealing with strong memories like these. But regardless, you'll need to make up for your words with action."
"I'll… make sure to do so."
Despite the reassurance of his team, Ninya still couldn't shake the melancholy that had befallen him. To make such a conversational blunder with a person worthy of everyone's respect, he felt like he wouldn't be able to live it down.
"Life is all about making mistakes, Ninya. It's the only way we can properly grow. Take my advice, it's much better to make those mistakes in a way like this than in a place where your life or the lives of your companions are at stake. For a team of adventurers, this holds especially true."
The rest of the group couldn't help but admire the words of a gifted mage like Diablo, who they assumed had seen more deadly scenarios then the rest of them combined. It also piqued their curiosity as to why someone as haughty and seemingly unbothered as Diablo sometimes had such choice words for the situation at hand. They had no way of knowing it was the occasional breaking of character where Diablo's, no, Sakamoto Takuma's true feelings leaked through.
Who would've thought that Takuma the shut-in would have people he could consider dear friends? I still feel like a social amateur, but with all the practice I've had interacting with others, even with the demon lord persona, my ability to communicate my thoughts properly has grown!
Despite this personal growth, Diablo still believed himself to be nowhere near competent enough to fully drop his Demon Lord act. Even if he wanted to, it was how everyone knew him, and for him to suddenly do a one eighty on his personality would leave those people bewildered.
Not to mention making them dislike me for having lied to them about myself for all this time… Haaa… To think that I could've started fresh in this world, just to immediately jump back into the act, I truly am a garbage-tier person…
But it doesn't always have to be that way…
Reaching into his item pouch, Diablo retrieved one of the precious items that could only be obtained from Cross Reverie.
"This won't heal your relationship with Momon, but I want you to have it, Ninya."
What Diablo had in his hand was a pure white feather that gave off a soft ethereal glow. Ninya could only guess as to its purpose, so he asked directly.
"What is it, exactly? It sure is beautiful, though."
"It's called an 《Angel's Feather》, a consumable- I mean, a one time use magic item that allows you and anyone in your party to teleport anywhere that everyone has previously been to."
Ninya, including the rest of the Swords of Darkness, gave audible sounds of awe at the description of the 《Angel's Feather》.
"So it's like a scroll containing the 5th tier spell 「Teleportation」?! I couldn't possibly accept something like this!"
The other members of Ninya's team shared the sentiment, knowing that such an item had to be incredibly rare, and more importantly, expensive.
"I insist that you take it. While it is indeed hard to procure, I have a decent stock of them to my name. More importantly though, it might allow you to make a mistake that would normally prove fatal. You and your team will inevitably face an enemy that is too powerful for you to deal with, even with combined efforts. It is not an admission of weakness to know when to retreat, especially if it can prevent lives being lost in vain. With this item, you and your team have a 'get out of jail free card'. Er- actually, that reference may be lost on you, consider it a last resort plan of retreat, something many adventurer groups never have the luxury of."
No one present could find fault in Diablo's logic, and while it could be considered poor manners to accept a gift of this worth, many would say it's even more egregious to deny it when it's been presented so thoughtfully.
"V-Very well, I accept. I promise I'll only ever use it when there's no other option!"
Diablo couldn't help but smile as he handed off the 《Angel's Feather》 to Ninya, who held it with the delicacy one would expect when handling an infant. Such a reaction was completely understandable though, as not only were magic scrolls exceedingly expensive, it wasn't currently possible to store spells of the 5th tier on scrolls, as far as Ninya knew. Not to mention, the usage of scrolls was limited to the branch of magic a caster was capable of using. An item like the 《Angel's Feather》 bypassed that restriction altogether, as even someone with no knowledge of magic could utilize it.
Unsurprisingly, Ninya's spirits seemed to be back, as he carefully examined the feather with a look of childlike astonishment glued to his face.
Given everyone in the group had experience in adventuring, they all were extremely impressed with Diablo's gift, but out of all of them, Nfirea felt it the strongest.
Not only does he have incredible potions and the knowledge to make them, he has magic items of such a tier that I didn't think it was possible they could exist… And he gave it away just to encourage a young adventurer…
How could I ever compare to a guy like that?
After observing both Momon and Diablo, as well as the way their female companions interacted with them, a growing sense of dread had been building in Nfirea.
What if Enri falls for them instead of me? I wouldn't even be able to fault her, compared to the likes of them, I may as well be an ant…
Thus, while the adventurers all crowded around Ninya to get a closer look at the feather, Nfirea sat despondent, his worry beginning to show on his face. The only one to pick up on this was Diablo.
"Is something the matter, Nfirea?"
The young Bareare was hesitant to confide in Diablo, given how he was one of the sources of his insecurity, but thanks to the insight he'd learned from the Demon Lord thus far, he decided to roll with it.
"It's not that important, but it does make me feel uneasy… Would you say… you and Momon are popular with women?"
This question out of left field made Diablo's eyes nearly bug out of his head.
What could have possibly provoked a question like this?! I was expecting something about the 《Angel's Feather》, or maybe about potions, or magic, but he's asking about my success with women?!
"Must you ask a question you already know the obvious answer to? Much to my own dismay, most women are drawn to Diablo like a moth to a flame. While I'd love to have him to myself, his powerful and alluring presence makes such a thing impossible. I couldn't care less about Momon, but he seems to have Nabe under his spell, despite the claims of their relationship being purely platonic."
Rose jumped in to answer before Diablo could say something stupid, and while he thought her description was exaggerated, he couldn't deny that he tended to attract women he had no chance of properly interacting with. The Swords of Darkness, upon hearing such a pointed question, quickly re-entered the conversation as well, starting with Peter.
"Rose is the only one here who can offer a woman's perspective, but it is true that women favor powerful men. The aura of strength that Diablo and Momon give off certainly means they don't have many problems wooing anyone. Being attractive definitely helps too, but I'm not sure I'd apply that aspect to Momon."
While slyly admitting that Diablo was decently attractive, he also revealed the fact that he had seen Momon's true face at some point in time.
"You mean to say you've seen under Momon's helmet? What did he look like, if he wasn't on the attractive side?"
Diablo was genuinely interested in this, as he still knew next to nothing behind Momon's identity. He hadn't expected that someone so secretive about their appearance had revealed themselves to a group they had just met.
"Well he wasn't ugly by any means, I'd say pretty average. He also looked a bit older than us, probably in his late thirties or early forties."
It was Diablo's intention to push for more information, but Nfirea beat him to the punch with a question he had planned on asking.
"What country did he say he was from?"
"We didn't get that specific."
Lukrut then jumped in to provide at least a little more context on Momon's appearance.
"He's the same race as Nabe, probably from some country to the south. He definitely wasn't what I'd call attractive, though."
Nabe's facial features had piqued the interest of Diablo as soon as he had seen her. While it wasn't one hundred percent accurate, she undoubtedly looked somewhat Japanese, but he chalked that up to coincidence. For Momon to look like a Japanese salaryman given his average description, it made things seem like more than just a coincidence.
"Did he ever mention a place called Japan?"
Given the lack of a reaction, Diablo confirmed that people from this world didn't know of his original homeland. As for Momon and Nabe though, his suspicion only grew.
"No, like I said he never got that specific. It's possible though, since we never got a concrete answer. Maybe we could ask him tomorrow morning?"
"Ahh- perhaps we shouldn't, I think it's best we leave his past alone for now, given how things turned out earlier."
Whew. Almost let that one get out of hand… If he actually was from Japan and they found out I was asking about it, my Demon Lord persona would be kaput! I'll have to investigate this more on my own, asking so directly like that was a bit too risky…
"I have to agree with Diablo on this. If Momon wishes to share more, he'll come to do it on his own time. Although, Nfirea, you looked rather upset, so I'm curious to hear how all of this is related."
Much to Diablo's relief, Dyne backed him up on laying off Momon with the personal questions. More importantly, was why this conversation was brought up in the first place.
"Well, in Carne village, there's someone I don't want falling in love with Mr. Momon or Diablo…"
All of sudden, the reason for Nfirea's distress was made apparent. Diablo almost felt bad that he had unknowingly caused the boy so much grief.
If he knew me better, he wouldn't have been so worried… It's not like I would've been able to do anything if this girl wound up liking me… Rose certainly wouldn't have allowed it anyways, I barely got her to accept Rem and Shera as my wives in the first place…
"All right! Big bro here will teach you some amazing techniques- Gah!"
Lukrut's inappropriate remarks were cut short by a bowl chucked at his head, courtesy of his party leader.
"Give it a rest!"
"You hit my face, you stupid jerk!"
While Lukrut was nursing the growing bump on his forehead, Ninya, Dyne, and Peter had all gathered around Nfirea.
"What kind of person is she?"
"If you're persistent, your feelings will reach her!"
"We'll help support you if you'd like!"
Nfirea sheepishly held his hands up as the group pushed for more info on his girl of interest, all the while Diablo looked on with a grin.
Ahh… I wish I had gotten to experience love as a young man… I couldn't even enjoy it through a dating sim, those managed to stress me out almost as much as the real thing…
For the time being, Diablo allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Sat around a campfire with a group of people who genuinely cared for one another, all under a beautiful starry night sky.
The same could not be said for Ainz, who had been stewing in his own thoughts, too distracted to properly enjoy the scenery.
Perhaps I was too harsh towards Ninya, it's not as if he could've known anything close to the truth of the matter… Even with this emotional suppression, slow burning emotions like these continue to persist. If I'm to be a truly competent leader for Nazarick, I have to control myself better in such scenarios…
His journey as an adventurer had been mostly a wash so far. Despite being admired by the rest of the group, he never got a chance to properly show off his might, thanks to the actions of Diablo. He still intended to learn about the alchemical herbs that grew in the Forest of Tob, but the focus of this whole trip had become learning more about Diablo and his companion Rose. If he walked away from this with an inkling more of an understanding of his past or power, Ainz would consider the whole endeavor a success. Due to his status as an undead, he had no need for sleep and would have no choice but to think over his plans until daytime. He had given Narberal a 「Ring of Sustenance」, so she wouldn't have to sleep either, which made him wonder how she would pass the time.
Unfortunately it's not as if I can just take off to Nazarick until the sun rises. If my disappearance was discovered, it would raise far too many questions… Looks like I'm in for a long night…
…
Around that same time of the night, within the heart of E-Rantel's poorest district, a nefarious act was being carried out. In a particular back alley, the makeshift clinic setup by Lumachina was nearing its max capacity, to the point that some of her previous 'patients' had volunteered to assist her. While these laymen couldn't offer blessings like their savior, they assisted in keeping everyone hydrated and fed during their stay, as well as helping guide those in search of the clinic's services.
Without ever realizing it, Lumachina's actions had started a small religious movement, as all the people she had saved had gone forward with a new sense of faith in the God that cured them with such mercy. Compared to the temples of the four great gods, who charged their followers for their services, the benevolence offered by Lumchina was more than enough to change their minds. However, the identity behind what many considered a prophet was still a mystery to her followers. She had told them that she was from the Kingdom of Lyferia, but no one had heard of such a place. By their logic, it meant it had to be an incredibly distant land, yet whenever they had asked how she got to E-Rantel, she would reply along the lines of: "God brought me to a place that was calling out in suffering, I merely answered his call."
Despite the mystery behind her sudden appearance, all of her followers had complete trust in her. Although in this instance, it would be more accurate to say they had faith, many of them for the first time in their life. What these followers would soon learn though, was how not everyone would be convinced of their righteous God, that there was also those who sought to oppose that goodness in the name of evil.
A particularly potent source of that evil had been stalking them silently under the cover of night, eventually finding her way to the heart of their operations.
"Miss Lumachina, we've found another victim of the disease! He already has seven marks, so he should be treated immediately, but that's not all. It looks like he has a stab wound in his left shoulder, but it doesn't look like a wound from any knife I've seen."
Leaning over the shoulder of one of her followers was a haggardly middle aged man, who clearly had spent a long stint living on the streets, given his unkempt greying hair and beard.
"There are many in this city driven to desperation, but it pains me to see God's children resort to such pointless violence… Please, bring him over to the empty bed."
The one she had previously saved carried the decrepit man across the room, setting him down in the cot adjacent to Lumachina.
"You don't need to worry anymore sir, I'll ask God to ease your suffering. You're safe here."
However, before she could begin giving the blessing, a hooded figure seemed to melt out from the shadows, quickly swooping in next to Lumachina.
"Well if it isn't my good friend the Head Priestess. You don't mind coming with me real quick, don'tcha~?"
Unseen to anyone else in the room, Clementine stabbed Lumachina in the upper arm with her stiletto that was enchanted with the 「Charm Person」 spell as she gave her friendly greeting. Every time the former member of the Black Scripture had made use of this technique, her target would view her as a close friend, even despite the stiletto sticking out of them. This time however…
"Ahhh! Where-where did you come from?! Why would you stab me all of sudden?!"
This woman… she's strong enough to resist a mind control spell? The way that bastard Batutta made it sound was that she was a weakling parading as someone important… It doesn't seem like her physical capabilities are that good, seeing as she never saw me approach, but still…
"You're a feisty one, aren'tcha~? Change of plans then, unless you want to see everyone in this shantytown die a slow painful death, you're gonna come with me, nice and quiet."
"Release Miss Lumachina now! We'd rather die than see her taken away by someone like you!"
The same faithful servant from before immediately protested at the idea of Clementine's offer. And while the rest of her followers were more hesitant due to the terrifying aura emanating from the intruder, their faith propelled them forward, and they stood alongside the man, blocking the exits.
"Wowww~! You've really hoodwinked these guys, haventcha~? I mean, it makes no difference to me. Yet, I try to be a thoughtful kidnapper, and this is how I'm repaid?"
In that instant, Clementine appeared behind the outspoken man, and before anyone could realize, stabbed him straight through the heart.
"Guhah!"
Everyone watched on in horror as the life faded from his eyes and he slumped to the floor, wheezing out a few quiet last words.
"I'll get to meet Kami-sama now, right… Miss Lumachina?"
Tears began to well from Lumachina's pained hazel eyes, as she very quickly realized the gravity of her situation.
"Please, don't hurt anyone else! I'll- I'll go with you, but I beg of you, let me heal this man before we go!"
Clementine wasn't on a super tight timetable, as she still needed to wait for Nferia's return from Carne before being able to kidnap him, so she decided to humor the desperate woman.
"I hate to break it to you, but you'd need some pretty high tier healing magic to save this guy, assuming he's even still alive. But I can't help my curiosity, I just have to know why… my client- is so interested in you."
Nearly slipped up there, I couldn't find a fitting word for Batutta… I definitely wasn't about to call that one-armed geezer my boss or superior…
As soon as Clementine gave the go ahead, Lumachina ran over to the man's despondent body and clasped his hands tightly.
"Oh Lord, please answer my call in this desperate time. Your child has only just begun his journey into seeking your everlasting love. Please hear the voices of those who seek your salvation!"
Without having to be told, all of her disciples had knelt down, hands clasped in prayer, and chanted in unison.
"Grant him mercy!"
"Forgive him!"
"Grant him mercy!"
"Forgive him!"
As their pleas grew in volume, the tell-tale golden light of a blessing began to culminate around Lumachina, and quickly flowed towards the dying man. To anyone trained in perceiving the flow of magic power, they would've seen small motes of golden light emanating from not just Lumachina, but her followers as well.
The purifying light began to fade, revealing the awed and uninjured man sitting up from the ground.
"You- you really saved me, Miss Lumachina. Even in the face of such a terror, you acted so selflessly…"
Just as his savior had, the man began to cry as well.
"Please… Please come back to us. I know God will protect you, he has to!"
As Clementine tried to hide her look of shock at the feat just performed in front of her, she began to drag Lumachina off by the arm.
"Oyah~? Don't worry, we'll take very good care of her."
Her devotees looked on with anger and dismay as Lumachina was led outside, before disappearing into the darkness. However, not without giving parting words to ease the minds of those she had come to care for.
"I promise you, God has saved me from many dire situations. This will not be his last test of faith, and I will return, only by his grace and indomitable power."
Whether it was the Paladin Gewalt, the Paladin Captain Batutta, or even the Head Cardinal Vishos, God had always managed to save her. Or to be more accurate…
Diablo! I know you'll come find me!
…
Intermission
…
Deep within a cave outside the city of E-Rantel, laid the base of a mercenary group: The Death Spreading Brigade.
At around seventy men strong, all decently equipped and skilled, they were a rather formidable force. Their biggest strength though, wasn't their numbers, but the power of a single individual. Someone who was worth more than everyone else combined. That man was Brain Unglaus, a warrior heralded at the level of the Head Warrior of Re-Estize, Gazef Stronoff. While Brain wasn't technically the leader of the Brigade, most of the men would defer to him given the difference in strength and skill.
Formally, their purpose was to be hired out during times of war, but during peacetime, they spent most of their time raiding and pillaging. They were far from what could be called a moral group. However, this careless attitude was put to the test when they decided to accost someone that was more than willing to defend themselves.
A few days prior…
Sitting in wait, in the coverage of the treeline beside one of the main roads leading to E-Rantel, was a small contingent of the Brigade. This was a common spot for them, where they could raid unsuspecting caravans or carriages traveling into and out of the city. Some of the men were even treacherous enough to take advantage of any women that wound up being their victims. Suddenly, one of them spotted a single person coming into view over the horizon.
"Hey guys, heads up. Looks like a woman traveling alone… Is she insane? Surely she knows the kind of people that could be lurking at a time and place like this, hahahaha!"
His poorly made joke elicited a few snickers from his more black hearted allies, as a few of them joined him in taking a look.
"Yeah, you're right. And look! She's barely wearing anything under her cloak! I can't see it well from here but it might be lingerie or something."
"Cut it out with the fantasies, you really think I'm gonna fall for something that ridiculous?"
"He ain't lying! Come look for yourself Viktor!"
Begrudgingly, Viktor got up from his napping spot and peeked out of the treeline.
"Holy shit, he wasn't lying after all. Looks like we're in for a fun night, boys."
The watchful group cackled in delight as they all had their own twisted fantasy of what was to come.
"Same plan as usual?"
"Of course, so everyone get in position."
As the girl drew nearer, Viktor noticed an even more alluring detail reveal itself.
"I don't believe it, she's got cat ears… and a tail! But I've never seen or heard of a beastman looking this delightful…"
"Hey, I don't think anyone here is gonna judge. Think of it as a rare delicacy, hahaha…"
Finally, their opportunity had arrived. All at once, they crept out of the forest and surrounded her on all sides. Now that they had a proper view, they truly were at a loss for the whole scenario. Underneath her open cloak was an outfit that barely covered her exceptionally small chest, with a velvet colored loin cloth being the only other major source of coverage. She looked rather young, and did indeed have features that they would expect to find from a panther, like her ears and tail, along with her cat-like vertical irises.
"Listen little lady, we don't wanna hurtcha'. Why don't you just come with us and make things easy for yourse-"
As Viktor moved to place a hand on her shoulder, the girl gut punched him out of nowhere, revealing her gauntleted hands that were previously hidden from view. More shockingly, she attacked with such speed that everyone was barely able to process what had happened, as it was only made evident by Viktor flying meters backwards until he slammed into a tree, rendering him unconscious. Dusting off her hand, she gave a stern declaration to the baffled men surrounding her.
"He's lucky I held back. There's a part of me that wanted to use my full strength, but the last thing I need is to be covered in pervert blood. Normally I'd beat you all senseless and alert the authorities, but I've got my own problems I'm dealing with right now. Scurry back to wherever you came from before I change my mind."
It took a moment for everything to sink in for the members of the Brigade, but they knew what had just happened wasn't a fluke. Viktor wasn't anything close in power to someone like Brain, but he was the most competent fighter out of their current small group.
"You know what? Fair enough lady. No point in useless bloodshed, right? My boss though, he's not gonna like this. Might consider you an enemy of the brigade for wounding one of his men like that, ya' know?"
The girl merely scowled in return.
"If your boss has a problem, he can take it up with me himself. Although I may as well ask you, have you heard of any appearances of a person with horns? A sorcerer named Diablo, to be more precise."
The man had to stop himself from scratching his head in confusion at such a ridiculous question. Of course he hadn't heard about anyone with horns, definitely not some magic caster called Diablo either. Yet his more cunning side saw a possible opportunity for gain here.
"That's a funny coincidence, my boss mentioned something or other about a guy named Diablo recently. I remember him mentioning the horns, too."
His allies immediately picked up on what his plan was. They all thought it was odd for someone like her to be walking alone out here, but after seeing her abilities, it made sense that she was probably an adventurer on her way to E-Rantel. Her strange outfit could be an expensive magic item, not to mention her pristine looking gauntlets. If they brought her back to their heavily fortified base, she'd have no choice but to face Brain, and relinquish her items upon her inevitable defeat.
"That is pretty funny. Funny that you'd think I'd believe a word out of someone like you. Still, I've got no other leads, and I think your group will know not to try anything funny when they see the state of that bastard over there. So fine, I'll go meet your stupid boss."
Turning to lead the way, the conniving man finally let a devious smirk spread across his face.
"Follow me then. I'll make sure no one tries anything funny, not like they'd be able to get very far before you broke 'em in half though, heh heh heh."
Brain doesn't take part in our servicing of women, but I don't think he'll care what happens to her after he leaves her on death's door and takes his spoils of battle… That leaves the best reward to the rest of us, hahahaha!
"By the way Miss iron knuckles, what's your name? I'm gonna have to formally introduce you to the boss and all. I'm Albin, in case you were wondering."
The pantherian girl sighed as she started to follow behind him.
"I wasn't wondering, and my name is Rem. Rem Galleu. It'll be the last name you ever hear if this winds up being a waste of my damn time."
…
Greetings my dedicated readers, as well as anyone new. It's been quite a while right? I won't lie, I haven't been dedicating nearly enough of my focus to writing, and my summer job made it nearly impossible to write too. I have a renewed inspiration though, and I'm gonna be focusing heavily on this story. It was the latest review prior to posting this that caught my attention and made me rethink how I was approaching these stories. So thank you to that anonymous reviewer, it's insightful reviews like those that help me keep writing. Consistency issues aside, things are definitely heating up in the story, right? Another key character has been introduced, and she's far from the last. Everyone will quickly realize just how off kilter the canon events of overlord are becoming with all these otherworlders from Cross Reverie. Thus, the Dark hero arc is coming to a close, and I can't wait to move on to the Bloody Valkyrie arc. I also have big plans for the lizardmen, try and guess who the main character of that part of the story will be! Until the next chapter, which will be much sooner than normal, happy reading.
