Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, bringing another chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back.

Zesshi/Antilene takes a "refreshing" walk and makes a friend.

With you

The One Who Came Back

Chapter 56: Awakening

The next day, Antilene was invited by the elves to meet their savior. They had just left the treehouse and were walking on the grass when a being emerged from the forest: a massive Death Knight. He carried a tower shield in one hand and a flange in the other.

At that moment, she positioned herself in front of the other elves, ready to face the creature when she realized she wasn't armed with her scythe or any weapon. Her clothing, despite being high-level, wasn't her most powerful equipment. With no option, she grabbed a small stone, struggling to lift it as she was still very weak. That's when she heard the elves stifling laughter.

"What are you doing, ma'am?" one of them asked.

"I-I, that, the monster," she gasped, dropping the stone with a thud.

"The Sir Death Knight? It seems you forget where you are," all three laughed openly, embarrassing the half-elf.

It was indeed easy to forget with the open landscape before her.

"Sir Death Knight?!"

"Yes, he is our savior's companion. Sometimes they train here or at the coliseum further ahead; they are good friends."

Antilene didn't know what to think. Someone strong enough to train with a Death Knight, she could easily do that with her full strength, but she didn't know anyone who would be a friend to such a creature.

At that moment, something leaped from the forest, fast as lightning, and struck the Death Knight's raised shield. With the momentum, it was thrown skyward towards the sun; only its shadow was seen before hitting the undead again, causing it to stagger to the side. The creature then rolled close to the elves.

"Hi, Hamsuke didn't see you there, sorry if we startled you."

"Don't worry, ma'am, we're used to it. We would like to introduce a guest."

*"I thought you were going to introduce me to the warrior who saved you,"* she whispered to the elves.

They simply pointed to the enormous hamster.

"Yes, new elf friend, I am Warrior Hamsuke, Wise King of the Forest."

"Wise King, I am Zess... Antilene... I have to get used to that."

"Hello, Antilene, would you like to train? Sir Death Knight needs to rest."

"I'm sorry, but I need to rest too, maybe another time."

"Yes, another time then, new friend. Want to go see the lake?"

'She's inviting me for a walk? Am I a new friend? Do I have friends?' Antilene looked at the elves who nodded. "Y-yes, let's go then."

At that moment, she saw the elves climbing onto the back of the enormous hamster.

'Am I supposed to ride?!'

When they were all in position, Hamsuke gave a pull that almost threw the semi-elf off the saddle. It ran across the grass, leaped over rocks and fallen logs. Antilene had to cling to the elf in front of her, who just smiled.

After a short run, they were by the edge of the lake.

Antilene dismounted, panting, took a few steps, and sat on the grass. Suddenly, the giant hamster sat close by, then shuffled sideways until it was snug. The sensation of the fur's touch was hypnotic, and soon she was nestled against her new friend's belly, watching the sun shine over the lake while the three elves brushed Hamsuke's fur, filling her with a sense of calm.

"Are you feeling better?"

She opened her eyes, and there was the elven child again.

"Hello, yes, I am, thank you, Lord Mare," she said, watching the elves mount Hamsuke and leave with a wave.

"Is there something happening, my... lord?"

"N-no, they said they had things to do and didn't want to wake you up."

"And you wanted to do that, like in the stories?" she said with a sleepy smile.

"N-NO! I didn't know if you were alive."

"You are very shy, if you weren't so young..."

"What?" the boy said with a dark tone.

She could lie, it would be easy to deceive the child, could say a half-truth or change the subject, but...

"I made a promise."

"W-what promise?"

"That I would have children only with the one who defeated me."

"I CAN'T HAVE CHILDREN NOW! I-have too much to do!"

"Don't worry, I think I'm too old for you."

"I am 72 years old."

'AHH! MY GODS! HE IS OLDER THAN ME!',"Elves, I'm an idiot, I forget how slowly you age."

"You are also an elf, a half-elf, from what I know, you don't seem to be more than 16 human years."

"Thank you, you are quite the gallant, aren't you?!" she said, placing her hand on his.

"St-stop it," he said annoyed, getting up, "it's annoying, it sounds like the others insisting on doing things, sounds like your father talking."

Another punch to the stomach - 'my father, the rapist' - Antilene thought, a tear ran down the semi-elf's face as she tried to hide it.

Mare saw it.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, Ainz-Sama got angry when the Elven King said things like that to me."

"I should apologize, sniff, I never knew my father, I only knew his bad reputation, I think unintentionally, I did something like what he always wanted."

"At least he can't do it anymore."

"Yes, finally it's over, you killed him, and now he's fertilizing some garden in the elven palace."

"Oh no! He's in the frozen prison on the fifth floor; Ainz-Sama wanted answers and didn't like how he speaks, so Neuronist is working on him every day."

"Was he resurrected?! C-can I see him, can I kill him when they don't need him anymore?"

"Maybe, if Ainz-Sama lets you live here, I c-can ask him."

"It would be a gift for dating... SORRY! Force of habit, but should I know about this? About Decem, the Tomb, the floors, maybe I would try to escape and run to those mountains."

"If you tried, I would have to kill you," said Mare nonchalantly. Antilene felt that he was telling the truth - but it wouldn't help to run there, that doesn't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a wall a few milles from here, remember, this is a floor of the Great Tomb, that's just an illusion, the sky is an illusion."

She forgot again that she was in a closed place, looked around admiring the clouds moving and the wind blowing, a work that not even the ancient gods could do or had left for someone to see.

"And the lake?" - she asked, leaning over the edge, then took a kick that made her fall into the water.

"The lake is real," said Aura – "come on, we have things to do."

Antilene swam back to the edge, started to get out of the water and then a hand was extended.

"I-I'll help you."

"I... thank you, Lord Mare."

As soon as she was pulled out, a blast of hot air hit her and dried instantly, leaving her hair all standing.

"R-ready, let's go."

"Thank you" - she said somewhat disoriented, following the elven boy, while Aura maintained that look of displeasure.

"Lord Mare, I saw something in the lake, something big, looking at me."

"Oh! That, he's another guardian, he lives here this week, Ainz-Sama thought it best for us to be together these days.

Shalltear will come here too."

"The vampire we attacked."

"Sister, you attacked her twin sister."

"Oh! I didn't know Lady Aura, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Honeyopenyoko was evil and a traitor, went against our master and ended up killed by an adventurer, if it weren't for that, we would have dealt with her ourselves."

"She was evil? So does that make you... good?!"

"Y-yes, we are the good guys."

"But Katze, and Re-Estize?"

"Doing those things doesn't make us bad! Winning a fight or plowing a field isn't bad, it just depends on the reasons, just look at the places that support us."

"If someday I can get out of here, I would like to see" - she said looking at the elven boy – "sorry to ask, Lady Aura, your brother is a Druid, I recognize the powers, but you, I don't know anything, I only know you're strong."

"I'm a Ranger, and I train animals, like that one" - she said pointing to the Ankiloursus rubbing against a huge tree until it knocked it down and then was surrounded by unhappy Dryads.

"You are very strong, are you Decem's children?" - she spoke now realizing the possibility of being their own relatives.

Both stopped and spoke together.

"NO!"

"We are children of Bukubukuchagama-Sama," said Aura proudly.

"Who is Lady Buku... buku...?"

"Bukubukuchagama-Sama, is our creator, one of the 42 Supreme Beings."

"'42! ARE THERE 41 BEINGS LIKE THE SORCERER KING?!' – "Your master, the Sorcerer King, I heard him called Supreme Being, I don't know who they are?"

"Th-they are the c-creators of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

"You know your gods, the six, add those other eight and someone strong you remember, they couldn't face a Supreme Being, they are above mortal gods."

"I always imagined that gods were powerful beings, maybe truly divine, but not invincible, they could die" - she said thinking it might be an exaggeration from the kids.

"That's right, she was more powerful than your gods, that's why they're called Supreme Beings."

The conversation seemed to have entered a vicious and repetitive cycle.

"Was she an undead like the Sorcerer King?"

"No, she was from the Slime race, a very powerful heteromorph of the Tank type."

"She must have been really strong to create someone like you."

"Yes, Bukubukuchagama-Sama was amazing; in her original world, she was a life creator, giving voices to the creatures she created" - they said with visible enthusiasm, finally something they wanted to talk about.

"Life creator?"

"Yes, she gave life to things, like the other Supreme Beings, everyone whlives here was created by them, well, almost everyone now" - Aura spoke, looking at the "guest."

"So they are summonings."

"N-no, they are beings tailor-made and created to their liking, each g-guardian and maid. Ainz-Sama says we are children of our creators."

"And why do you wear swapped clothes?"

"That's a story for another time" - said Aura, seeing Mare embarrassed.

...

Author's Note

Hello everyone, I wanted to talk about the characters' behavior.

Antilene behaves in that sassy and insinuating way because of her upbringing by the Theocracy, a way of protecting herself by embarrassing others, in the Tomb this can lead to death, but she is learning, about herself and how to behave better, she knows that You can't miss this opportunity.

Mare talks nonchalantly about everything in the Tomb simply because he knows there is no escape, and if necessary he will actually kill Antilene without question.

Aura takes a shine to Antilene, doesn't like the insinuations at all and will train the demi-elf like any pet.

About the lie about Honeyopenyoko's attack and death, yes they will maintain that, now she is Shalltear's twin sister, the story keeps getting worse jajaja

I hope you enjoyed the interaction with Hansuke, many forget that the hamster is a girl. ?