Breeding Issues

by The Ruff Pusher

Momon the Dark Hero encounters Zesshi Zetsumei. mature content/smut

20. Chapter 20

This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

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"I'm here," said the guard, poking the other man in the shoulder. The other man nodded, his eyes bleary, and stowed his long halberd to the side. He stretched his arms out and yawned. Beside him, his fellow guard also placed his long weapon aside.

"Appreciate it," he said. That officially marked the changing of the guard, from the evening shift to the morning duty.

"Anything happen?" asked the new guard.

"Nope," said the other evening guard, who was picking up the wooden mugs filled with water and ale from the table. The nights were cold, and those who stood watch on that particular time needed the warmth despite being technically on duty.

"He thinks he saw a wolf," the other guard said, smirking. "But other than that, it was just us and the evening breeze. Now, we should also be asking about the inside. How're things back there?"

"Everything's still the same," the new guard said, picking up the halberd from the wall and flexing his muscles with its weight. "Everyone all cramped up in the same rooms like flies n' a bloated corpse."

"Eugh," his fellow new guard said, rolling his eyes in disgust.

The new guard chuckled. "I'm telling you, you night watch guys got it lucky. You get to hog the sleeping rooms all to yourself without much fuss."

"Anything's better than night watch," the old guard muttered, shaking his head. "Well, good luck." The two night watch guards left the other two to their day shift.

From within the mansion they were guarding poured forth a seemingly endless number of soldiers, all armored up and bristling with weapons. That lot had just gotten out of the morning repast, just like the guards that had come to relieve them. They had been "encouraged" to use the outside grounds as a training ground or a camp, as there were no proper barracks to house all the soldiers here. They replaced the soldiers who had stood the night watch, who were heading within the mansion to eat their breakfast and then head off to sleep; in preparation for their duties at sundown.

They were all here to serve the noble who was currently using this particular mansion as his own personal garrison. The guards in particular were part of a mercenary company that had been contracted to this particular place. That was in addition to the sworn soldiers that the man already had at his disposal, though their number was significantly less. This was perhaps the reason for mercenaries being hired in the first place.

There were rumors that the man was trying to be some sort of Marcher Lord, but the man would have to be very rich to bribe all the mercenaries gathered here to become his soldiers. No one wanted to be bound to any one employer, particularly if they would fall on some king's shitlist. (Though with recent events, that was a little more unclear)

What was apparent was that the noble was probably expecting some sort of attack. To that end, he had thrown literal mountains of gold to hire them. It was strange, because if the noble was expecting to fight an army then they wouldn't be enough. And they wouldn't have even stayed to fight if that was the case.

There was talk among the ranks that they were instead to be sent to fight against the encroaching Sorcerer-King, but their leaders had assured them that the job wasn't going to be that suicidal. Let the Re-Estize Kingdom fight it out to the bitter end. Theirs was just to assist this one noble, fulfill their end of the contract, and then get paid.

The guard idly scratched his bearded chin as he kept his eyes on the horizon.

"Wait, what's that?" said his fellow guard.

The man blinked, and followed the man's line of sight to the forested area right outside the gates.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"That's… strange…" the man said, scrunching up his eyes. "I thought I something glinting. Like some light in the distance."

If it had been night then the guard would have told the man off for seeing will o'wisps and allowing his imagination to cloud his senses. But this was daylight, under a clear blue sky.

Still, no matter how long he stared, nothing was happening. So he couldn't just raise the alarm without needing to explain that his fellow had been spooked—by the reflection of light from a leaf perhaps.

"It's just nothing," he finally said. "Pay it no mind."

"Yeah."

---

Far off in the distance, there was a shimmering portal that had opened in space as if a god-like finger had swiped through reality itself. The tear in the spacetime fabric gleamed like a polished mirror for a few seconds as the spell stabilized.

Then, a moment later, two forms materialized from within the haze of light. One was slightly taller than the other. The other was slightly bulkier in body mass than the first. These were Sebas Tian and the enforcer Zero; and they had arrived to perform the duties that were demanded of them.

Zero stumbled out of the Gate, blinking her eyes and waving her arms slightly. She looked like she had been told to step onto the surface of a deep lake, only to find that she had gained the ability to walk directly on the surface. She stomped her feet on the ground once and twice, as if she wasn't completely sure she was standing on solid earth. Then she glanced at Sebas, who looked completely unperturbed as he surveyed the surroundings.

She looked back at the shimmering Gate and whistled. "Now that's some powerful magic. Now I know how you guys managed to take over everything." She grinned. "We never really stood a chance." With portals like these, nothing and nowhere would have been safe from the Eight Fingers. The portals would have facilitated various schemes and plots that would have given them numerous advantages, like the ability to slip an assassin behind seemingly impenetrable guard or to steal some priceless object with impunity. He had not doubt now that Sebas Tian's masters had managed to spread throughout the world like a far greater version of the Eight Fingers—that was just being logical.

Sebas cocked his head. "Your observation is noted. But please, direct your attention more to the mission." After he spoke, the Gate disappeared, dissipating into nonexistence as if it had never been there. Zero thrust her arm into the space where it had been, and waved her arms, as if she was feeling for its existence. She hummed to herself and shook her head.

Then, her gaze sharpened as she took a look around her surroundings. She sniffed the air, and allowed all her senses to take complete stock of the whole situation, including the presence of the nearest possible hostiles.

They had arrived on the outskirts of some sort of rural area. They were both standing at the side of a road which was leading up a hill towards a tall-looking mansion at the very top. A high stone wall stood as a barrier around the mansion. There were two soldiers standing right outside the main gate leading further inside.

It didn't take a genius to ascertain that this was their actual target. Zero cracked her knuckles. "So that's the place huh? What do you think? You wanna scope things out first? Or do we go in flashing our fists in everyone's faces? Either way, I'm game."

She was reminded of her times as the chief of the Six Arms. It was uncommon to send all six of the members to accomplish a task, as just one of them would be enough to perform some specific thing. Zero herself was specialized for playing bodyguard or a quick assassination; while infiltration or theft or magical matters were never his forte. When all members were gathered together, it was usually for something that would typically take an alliance of middle-ranked adventurers to accomplish.

One such task, of which she was reminded on this particular day, had been to reach some crazy perverted noble who'd had some outstanding debts to the Eight Fingers. The idiot had hidden himself out in the countryside and had cut off all contact, ostensibly to hide himself from anyone they sent to collect. The man had completely hidden his tracks, and it would have taken some divine bloodhound to ascertain where he'd hidden. It was then that the Six Arms as a whole had been sent to deal with the situation, leveraging the full power of their group to solve a unique problem.

Thanks to the talents of their magic caster, the pervert had been duly located. But after scouting out the situation, it became clear that the bastard hadn't just intended to disappear. He was discovered to have been literally hiding in plain sight; under the mansion of a certain Great Noble with no one the wiser. He had commissioned spells to veil his presence from those living there, especially from the Noble who had unknowingly become his protector. As that Great Noble was not someone that the Eight Fingers could reasonably bargain with (at least, not without proof), they had to be smart.

The mansion had been heavily guarded. It would have taken some small army to breach it and reach the pervert below. But there had been concerns that the ruckus would have alerted the wretch and make him bolt. So they either had to strike like lightning from a clear sky and secure the location, or they would have to bypass the guards entirely.

For that situation, they had chosen the subtler, quieter approach. That meant drawing the Great Noble and his family away through the nobles the criminal group had on retainer. Then bribing certain guards to hold a party for their comrades, to confuse the pervert and hide their approach. And then there had been the magical infiltration, which was the least exciting part, but at least it got them inside to drag the pervert out to finally pay what he owed.

This seemed to be a repeat of that situation. She wondered now what they would be doing to reach their target.

As if in response to her question, Sebas quietly pulled out a golden time piece, which displayed the time on its surface. He blinked. "We do not have much time before the lord's armies arrive to occupy the place. Before that happens, we must have already completed our objective. And judging by the time… that gives us… perhaps fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes at most."

"Ten minutes?" Zero snorted confidently. "That's way too lenient. But I'll make it happen."

"Your bravado is noted," Sebas said. "And is to be encouraged. However, do remember the rules of your employment. Any violation will fall on your head, Zero." The tacit, unspoken rule was that she would always follow Sebas' commands, no matter what.

"Look, I got it, alright? It's not like I'm dumb," Zero said, a little irritated. "Besides, I may not have mentioned this to you, but I do good work in a deadline. Gets the blood pumping at least." She started to walk forward, her eyes already scanning the two guards, while her mind started thinking on the right approach to destroying them in under a second. But before she could begin, Sebas' voice returned.

"Wait," he said.

"What?" Zero said. "Oh, did you have another plan? Are we going to go for the stealthier approach? I thought we were just going to bash some heads in and go as loud as we can be. Let's carve a bloody swathe through the whole place."

"But that is not what we're here to do," Sebas said. Zero clucked her tongue as she met the elderly butler's fierce, hawk-like eyes head-on.

"So what, you wanna waste time talking? Negotiating with them?"

Sebas snorted. "Don't move."

"Wha—" Before she could even properly process his words, Sebas' form had literally blurred, as if he was just a mirage. Then, in the next moment, she heard a large, booming sound, like thunder rolling over the plains. She suddenly realized that she was no longer standing on the soft earth beneath the trees; but that she was standing on some sort of red carpet. All around her were crumbled debris and dust, and it took her another moment for her mind to recall that she had witnessed what had happened—and that everything had been done in so quick a manner that it had taken less time than it took her to blink.

In her mind's eye, she flashed back to just a second ago, right after Sebas had said those words. He had grabbed her shoulder, and then his legs had kicked off the ground with such almighty force that it shattered the earth. Then, they were flying through the air, though she could not remember ever processing the fact that they had flown, or jumped, straight up; and then over the high wall above the gate. Like a missile thrown from a catapult their trajectory had continued unchecked, and they were heading straight for the second floor of the mansion. Sebas had then punched the wall in the mansion's exterior, smashing it wide open. Only then had he let her go, and now here she was, standing in the wreck of that violent entry.

She blinked and took a huge breath, her mind still struggling to reconcile what her body had experienced. She looked around and heard—above the sound of masonry breaking apart—many ringing shouts and cries. Sebas' action had effectively alerted the whole damned place, averting stealth entirely—though who could have ever expected to bypass the goons at the gate, at the courtyard below, and the first floor to land in the second? Not a single one of them, perhaps.

Sebas was busy adjusting the gloves on his hand. He wiped some dust from his shoulder with casual indifference.

Finally, Zero had something to say. She blew out her breath and nodded. "Well! That was certainly a good approach. Very direct. I like it." It was good that even after she had been turned into a woman, her instincts for battle still remained the same. She doubted any normal civilian would have managed to stay strong as she did; they would have probably started puking right about now.

"Focus," Sebas said.

This was as much a test for the gender-swapped enforcer as it was a mission for Sebas. He had been tasked with observing his new helper, to see if she had potential to become more useful to his Master's goals.

He cocked his head and expanded his latent senses, focusing on all that surrounded him. His innate racial senses could pick out the life energies of humans approaching from the distance. He expanded his senses, and perceived the forms of other lives scurrying about the area. Some were even fleeing the mansion, most likely the noncombatants. That was good—there would be no needless bloodshed.

"As expected, their defense forces are incoming."

Zero made a humming sound. She had furrowed her brows in thought. "There's about… ah, twelve of them close by."

Sebas blinked, and it was only his practiced mien of a perfunctory butler that kept him from showing his emotions on his face. The enforcer had been exactly right in naming the number of forces nearby, neatly matching what Sebas himself had sensed. She had done it without even seeing them directly, nor less hearing their approach, which meant she had used some other ability in doing so. It was surprising for Sebas that she had such an ability, for she hadn't demonstrated any of that as far as he had observed. He resolved to talk with the woman about it later, after the mission was completed. For now, he would observe her, as he had been ordered.

"Let us move," Sebas said, walking forward.

"I know it's a little late to be asking this, but what's the deal with the enemy combatants? Are we going to kill them all, or just knocking them out?"

"They will be given exactly one chance to surrender," Sebas said, without turning his head. "After that, they will be given no quarter or mercy. Our only objective remains the same no matter what; nothing and no one else matters."

"Hmph." Zero smirked. "Now that's more like it. It's a shame for them, but that's life. Since we're really strapped for time, though, you want to make a contest of it?"

Sebas stopped. "A contest?"

"Yeah, see how many more we can kill over the other," Zero said. "Make it interesting."

Sebas took a moment to think it over, before sighing. "That is acceptable."

"Eh? Really?" Zero exclaimed. She blinked her eyes in surprise. She did not expect a guy like him to be agreeing to her proposal so fast. She had expected him to come up with a definite and unequivocal "no".

Sebas cleared his throat. "Come," he said. Having a contest to celebrate bloodshed was something he would not personally accept, but he reasoned that perhaps it would be good to give that one some motivation to do better. Sebas continued his forward pace, pausing just at the threshold of the door to the hall outside. He could sense the majority of the enemy combatants converging at the area just beyond. They were getting ready to break down the door. It was easy enough to guess their plan: smash through the door and swarm the intruders with sheer numbers. It was logical, but not when facing such enemies as themselves.

Zero took up a ready pose, brandishing her fists in front of her. She was more than ready to charge out, with fists blazing wild. When she noticed that Sebas wasn't doing anything, she also did the same; correctly guessing the intent to wait for the enemies to come to them.

The door presently bulged inward, shattered by the weight of two bodies clad in thick plate armor. They stood close to the opening; their shields raised to cover their upper body. They glared over the top of their shields, while their other hands wielded a short sword, ready to strike.

In that instant, the two of them spied the other warriors just waiting beyond. One was wielding a bow with an arrow already nocked and trained on the room. Lurking just beyond sight—though both of them could detect their presence easily enough—were two caster-types, each wielding objects brimming with magical power in their hands.

Zero was quickly able to judge that these were soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom, thanks to the markings they wore on their body: stylized heraldry which proclaimed their allegiance to a number of great houses. She had a breadth of experience when it came to dealing with soldiers. Though she only engaged with two groups of soldiers: those who could be bought and were willing to sell their master's secrets or their swords for any price, and those who steadfastly remained loyal, whom she usually had to assassinate with a well-timed skull-shattering punch.

What sort of soldiers would these one be then?

"Hey! Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing?" said one of the shield-bearing soldiers. It looked like this one was the leader of the group here, as Zero could judge from how lavish his armor looked, as if he'd acquired the means to afford sprucing it up, when compared with the rest of his fellows.

"It is none of your business," Sebas announced. "But here is my warning for you. Turn around and leave this place now, and you can keep your lives. I will only make this offer of peace once. Should you choose to spurn it, then it shall fall on your heads."

There was a pause, as those who heard his words processed it. Then the leader's eyes hardened, as he visibly gripped his sword harder. "I'm afraid we can't—"

Zero found herself surprised for the second time that day. Right in the middle of speaking, the leader suddenly found his head gone, as it exploded into a chunk of blood and meat inside its helmet. It was only a second later that Zero realized this, and the instincts within her surged to the fore. Quickly, before the other armored soldier could react, Zero had dashed forward to grasp his helmet. Another second later, she had snapped his neck with a sickening crunch. Another second later, and his lifeless body clattered noisily to the ground beside his fallen comrade.

"… fucking head start," she muttered. She looked up, and even her adrenaline-fueled senses couldn't track Sebas' movement as he moved out of the room, his fists already slamming into the head of another poor sap.

She hurried to follow, picking a different direction than him and began punching her way through as well. The fight had begun.

Soon enough, the battle—if it had ever been one—turned into a rout. While others charged blindly at them one after another, there were others who turned to flee, wisely seeing the hopeless situation. How else would they react when they saw such wanton destruction and death delivered so flawlessly? And they were standing alone against many, moving with such speed that it defied reason.

When a guard charged right at her, she turned and delivered a brutal roundhouse kick that flattened his head against the wall. The sight was terrifying enough to make the others put down their wepaons and flee. The surrounding environment made things a whole lot easier, as the cramped space meant the opposition could only match them alone or in pairs.

Though even then, there was no one who could have ever resisted Sebas' destructive advance. The man was damned creative when it came to killing, which was a surprise given his mild-mannered temperament. For example, right at that very moment, he deftly knocked a sword from some fool's hand, caught it in one motion, before turning to hurl it like a javelin straight through the bodies of three guards—the force neatly carving a large hole inside their bodies. Now the sight of that was funny, but not for those who immediately yelled and fled, not wishing to be the next in the line to be skewered in such a grim, comedic way.

It did not take long for hostilities to end. Standing in the midst of all the devastation, Zero could only be impressed by Sebas' work ethic. It was clean and efficient, even if the clause of mercy seemed rather suspect. But it made sense, if their duty was not to annihilate an army, but something else entirely. If he had been in the Eight Fingers, he could well have taken over it using just his skills alone. Few would have dared to challenge him if it meant annihilation. It was strength like that of an actual hero—or a demon lord.

That also made the one holding Sebas' strings to be a much more dangerous entity. She shook her head to herself, recalling her own changed body. She did not need to wonder, having already experienced such power firsthand.

They stood outside the door leading to the innermost sanctum. Judging from Sebas' stare, it was obvious that their immediate objective lay just beyond. Still, Zero was able to sense the chi of powerful warriors just beyond, which meant that not all of the mansion's defenders had been dealt with. And judging by the fact that they hadn't just charged out like these idiots, they might actually have some brains between their ears.

Zero looked to Sebas expectantly. The butler adjusted his gloves one more time. Then he turned the latch on the doorknob and entered. Such boldness was foolhardy; even the greenest bronze-rank knew better than to enter a hostile room without a plan. After all, a trap would surely have been placed upon the door opening. But this was Sebas Tian, and his sheer power offset made up for the perceived hubris of ignoring any danger. She wondered how it felt like, to be able to charge unseen into any danger, knowing you would always come out on top.

Following behind Sebas, Zero was instantly able to smell them a second before laying eyes on them. She could detect a whiff of blade oil, which indicated a well-prepared warrior. There was also a strong whiff of something pungent, which she recognized as some form of dried venom. Then there was the aroma of medicinal herbs, which indicated the presence of a healer of sorts; she had smelled enough of those herbs in her long experience as an enforcer to pick out what the Eight Fingers healers typically used to salve wounds. Next, he smelled something foul, like something that had been fermented for long. There were many of them, which obviously pointed to a magic caster's collection—reagents one carried around to cast various spells.

She was able to confirm her supposition with her eyes not long after, as she sauntered further into the room. There was one woman clad in full plate, and three men wearing clothes that somehow spoke to their specialties. There was one wearing tight leather armor and wielding two daggers lightly, another was wearing loose-flowing robes, like some priest; and the last wore a simple doublet with a magical cape, and from his belt hung many magical implements and various vials filled with reagents. Her good eye scanned the four warriors—adventurers it seemed like, as they weren't bearing any sort of heraldry. On the other hand, they might also be Workers, assuming the adventurers weren't here specifically to guard the target but for some other political aim, which would have gone against the Adventurer Guild's creed.

"Wait, what the hell?" said one of the warriors. "Those tattoos… and that build… Isn't that Zero?"

"Zero?" said the woman, her hardened gaze never leaving the two of them. "What are you… Do you mean that rumored enforcer of the Eight Fingers?"

"Yeah, him," said the first man. "I got his description memorized, even down to the type of animal tattoos he got sporting on his body. It's always good to keep track of the dangerous ones. But still…"

"It's kind of obvious it's not him. Because it's obvious this one's a woman."

"You're right about that," said another man. He wagged his eyebrows, as his eyes raked over Zero's body from head to toe. "A lot meatier and ruggier than you, boss. So there's no way she's Zero. It must be a relation, or some wannabe? Either way, you're still looking fine, girl."

"I'm honored that you lot care enough to take notes of what I look like." Zero could only smirk back coldly. That one, that one would be the first to go. She didn't even feel anything but contempt for the man leering at her.

"Alright, shut up," said the female leader. "This is no time to be making japes." She nodded grimly towards them. "Let's get down to business. I think it's safe to assume that you lot are responsible for all the ruckus outside is that it? Furthermore, you're also probably the reason why we were hired by our current employer."

She smacked her lips, waiting for them to reply. Since Sebas didn't say anything in response, Zero also kept her mouth shut.

"Well now, that silence of yours still answers my question," the female said. "So you carved your way through a whole horde of amateurs and cowards to come here and fulfill your objective. Well done. But see, here's the problem." She drew her sword from her scabbard and then, quick as lightning, brandished it towards them. "This is where we will stop you."

"You better give up now," said the leering man from earlier. He was still intently staring at Zero. "We're the best that money can buy around these parts. We've even worked with the Eight Fingers on occasion. No one knows our names, but you'll find that it's because no one who's crossed us has ever lived to spread our tales. Which is a shame, but… heh. That's how we roll."

After hearing that, Zero was forced to scoff loudly. "No one knows your names? Boy, that's because you're fucking nobodies! I don't recognize you, and believe me, it was my job to know which sack of deadbeats the Eight Fingers hire."

It was part and parcel of being a member of the Six Arms. They were meant to cleaning up after the organization, and that didn't just extend to the sort of external messes that had brought in Sebas Tian to their attention. They also kept a steady eye on the inner machinations of the various groups, ensuring that no one person or faction could muster up enough to utterly dominate. It had been a guiding principle of the founding members that the Eight Fingers must ever be discrete, or one decisive strike would decapitate the organization and leave its remains to be picked over by carrion and vermin. The Eight Fingers had not survived as long as the Re-Estize Kingdom for being so lenient on its more ambitious members.

To this end, it had been necessary to vet the various adventurers, mercenaries and workers that the different groups hired at times. It was to guard against busybodies like Blue Rose, who might be seeking employment in an effort to destabilize the group. But it was also to keep checking if some group was hiring a whole bunch of skilled combatants at any one time, all ready to deliver some takeover or coup. They did not have the foresight to keep track of everyone's far-reaching plans, but they could at least nip some problems in the bud. This necessitated that they keep a whole catalog listing all the mercenaries for hire, along with all the Workers. Then, they had someone inside the Adventurer's Guild who kept them updated with promotions up the ranks or new additions. The last she had checked, there was that one Momon who had joined—Momon the Dark Hero and his partner.

"What? You're still insisting you're Zero, lady? Your bulging muscles do make you look the part, but that's all." His lecherous grin widened. "But if you really do insist, then maybe we can make a deal? Let's go somewhere private, so you can show me every inch of your body for me to inspect. I'll need to make sure your claims of being Zero are authentic as can be. Wouldn't that be nice, my dear?"

The female rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. "Gods damn it, not now, you idiot! Don't be ruled by your fucking cock all the fucking time!" That shut the man up, though he still continued to stare at Zero. She didn't really know if the man's unabashed lechery was some sort of front to keep them off guard, but she wasn't sensing any trickery—not at this point. And if Sebas hadn't acted yet, then he also hadn't sensed anything wrong, which meant that everything was just as she saw it.

The female cleared her throat. "…Do not think that invoking the name of Zero will intimidate us in any way," she continued. "Even if it was the real thing facing us, we would still not worry. We are always prepared to face one such as he. We could take him down easy. And you won't even be a stain on our boots."

Zero had to admit, the chick's arrogance was kind of irritating. They seemed so self-assured in their skills that she was tempted to put that to the test right now. She flexed her fingers, ready to clench them in a full-on punch. But Sebas had still not moved, and he still hadn't made his offer of leniency.

"So here's our offer. Turn around now, and you can leave with your lives. This will only end up badly for you two. We've taken on jobs that would make even Blue Rose shrink back in fear. You look at us and think to yourself—well, it's just another adventurer group? Think again. See those things under my friend's belt?" She was obviously indicating the magic caster's reagents. "Those were pilfered from the trove of an actual lich. A fool that had lived for centuries, until he started shit with some rich lord. And then we just bagged him, just like that." She swung her sword in a skilled flourish, as if to show off her skill with it.

She raised a brow. "You think that's impressive? There are plenty of adventurers who've taken down liches by their lonesome. You're not special at all. And don't quote me on how 'terrible' and 'powerful' that lich claimed he was. They all boast to some extent. So really, you're not making yourself look better. You're still nobodies, to my eyes."

"Believe what you will, fool," the woman said smugly. "We shan't expend effort for those who would blindly seek out their own doom. Underestimate us, at you peril." And with the way she said those words, it was like she really did believe in them.

The sheer arrogance… Zero so wanted to start bashing in heads, but she looked to the side and saw that Sebas Tian still wasn't doing anything. She raised her brow; indeed, he wasn't even paying attention to the exchange. He was looking off to the side, as if he was deeply interested in the far wall instead of these workers.

Indeed, Sebas was giving the situation the barest amount of his attention. From the time he'd entered the room, he had judged that the room held no hidden threats. A second later, he had concluded that the four people barring their path forward were also no threat.

After all, not a single one of them had detected the shadow demons that had been lurking in this mansion for a long time, even before they had come here to accept their current job. Their target had been tracked a long time, long before there had been the potential of a war between the Re-Estize and the Sorcerous Kingdom. Their presence and everything else about them had long been observed, documented, and sent back to Nazarick. They were deemed uninteresting, and thus to Sebas' eyes they were just on the level of ordinary humans, no matter their profession.

Currently, he was communicating with one of the shadow demons lurking here, using his authority as a Guardian to get the latest report without even needing to open his mouth. The shadow demon relayed the information that their current objective was still inside the mansion, and that their target had not used the current commotion to escape. Towards the end of the report, he silently ordered the shadow demons to return to standby; had Ainz-sama commanded it, the demons could have taken care of these adventurers and everyone else here without any effort. But Ainz-sama also repeatedly emphasized the need for challenging oneself in one's duties, so that they would never rust away like ill-used blades. A worthy sentiment, and one which Sebas could readily understand.

Finally, after giving the last set of instructions, he dismissed the shadow demons. Then he turned to face the adventurers. He was just about to speak, when Zero preempted him.

"You morons!" Zero said. She pointed right at them. "I don't fucking care if you've been licking a dragon lord's assholes to feed on his power! You're all adventurers here. Do you not know the very basic thing that's drilled into you since you came in as newbies? Well, do you?" She slapped her hand on top of her other one, repeatedly. "It's to Know. When. You're. Beaten. It's basic shit! You see some huge-ass monster and you've got nothing on you, well tough luck, but it's better to run than be yesterday's meal tomorrow! If your client tells you to kill off a goblin camp, you'd be better off ducking when you see they've got ogres and giants in tow! And when you see two people whose very presence screams 'badass motherfuckers' without even needing to say it—like you—you better turn tail and save your fucking selves! By the gods!"

How could they not have seen it? The question that rang inside Zero's brain echoed in her very soul, as if it was bouncing back and laid itself at her feet.

How could she not have seen it? She realized then that she had been just like these adventurers—too arrogant and cocksure at the height of their abilities, their skills honed by a lifetime of experience. She refused to see what was so obvious before her eyes, exactly just like these adventurers. Sebas Tian was a monster, in every sense of the word, despite looking for all the world like the humblest, most venerable butler around. Her tirade against the adventurers was as if she was screaming at her past self, at the man who had been arrogant enough to defy the unknown and had then been forced back—utterly humbled and afraid.

"… The fuck are you talking about, you bitch?" the female leader said. "That was a whole bunch of nonsense you just spat out of that mouth."

"Such an impudent mouth only deserves the best kisses," the leering man remarked, wagging his eyebrows.

"My apologies, Sebas-sama, but might I offer them the first terms of surrender instead?" Zero finally asked.

Sebas blinked. Then he shrugged. He even looked a bit bemused at the situation. "Please, be my guest. Ensure that they know it will be the first and last time the offer will be made."

Zero exhaled a sigh. "You hear that, idiots? Take a close look at this guy here." She jerked a thumb at Sebas. "I'm really surprised that you're not sensing any danger from this guy. He basically just mowed down over half of the other guards here without breaking a sweat. Without even getting soaked in blood—does that seem natural, you morons?"

"Big deal," scoffed the man.

"Exactly, he is a big deal. And let me tell you, from one human to another, your continued ignorance in the face of his presence is as much a credit to you as it is to him."

"Hang on, what exactly are you trying to tell us, here?" said the leader, her eyebrow cocked.

"Let me make this as plain as I can, so even your dumb, oblivious asses can get it." Zero drew herself up, and glared at them with the full, malignant force of the Six Arms' leader, who had reaped a bloody toll in the Re-Estize Kingdom's underworld. "I'm only giving you this warning once. Leave here now, take everything with you, and you will live to see another day. You all know how life is very much priceless, or you wouldn't be standing here as Workers. You will find more jobs, more time to earn gold. Leave here now, or you will forever regret it—in whatever afterlife there is in this godsforsaken world. Because this man here, all by himself, will send you to that place in less time than it will take to blink. And more than that: whether you believe me or not, I am that Zero you seem to recognize, and you will learn why I am feared in the underworld. And you'll just be one more body to add to my overall tally."

They stood there in silence, just staring at her. Then their incredulous expressions broke, as peals of laughter came streaming out their mouths. They howled, they hooted, they jeered, as if Zero's entire speech had been entirely amusing.

"If there's one thing that impudent mouth of yours could be used better for, my dear," said the lecherous man, tears streaming from his face. "It would be for far more pleasurable things than making dry speeches. It should be for worshipping me so thoroughly, so lovingly… I promise you it'll be the best night of your life."

"Hush, you idiot," said the leader, who struggled to look stern despite the smile splitting her face. "But, I agree with his sentiment. If that was an attempt to get us to back down without fighting, then you'd need to be a bit more charismatic, my dear. Now you're just looking foolish."

"Once and for all," said the magic caster. "Zero was definitely recorded as a male. You might be his twin, his colleague, we care not. We know not of you, and so your attempt to intimidate us is quite useless."

"Yeah… we've heard enough empty bravado from inexperienced low-rankers to last us a lifetime," the leader said, wiping her eyes. "Now, enough games. Now, this time it is you who must listen to—"

*SPLAT!*

And then, just like that, Sebas had moved, twisting in place to deliver a brutal axe-like overhead kick that completely bisected the female leader. A second later, blood sprayed everywhere—coating her former comrades in the blood. Surprisingly, Sebas had already darted away, avoiding all the mess entirely. Her comrades just watched, in shock, in disbelief, at what had just happened.

Did I really look like that? she thought, as she moved in her turn. Her hands found the target quickly enough, though not as quick as Sebas. Her hands closed around the neck of the impudent man that had been sending her lustful glances from the very start. The fool had even dropped his daggers—such a disappointment from these vaunted workers who valued themselves so highly. She lifted the man in the air, until his legs hung suspended, kicking weakly.

"Gaaahckkkk..!"

The man's eyes started to bulge, his arms scrabbling to break her grip. "Please…" he begged, foamy drool leaking from his mouth.

"Don't take it personally," she said. "One more for me."

With a burst of exertion, she squeezed tight, crushing the man's neck and making blood spurt out from him like a crushed tomato. Then she tossed him to the side like dirty trash.

She looked to the side and frowned. In the time she had taken killing him, Sebas had already neatly dispatched the other two. It seemed the man was not wasting any time at all, and was clearly intent on getting it over with.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you're just showing off at this point," she said, wringing her hands free of the loathsome man's blood.

She stared down at the bodies on the floor. In a way, she had been very close to becoming just like them—alive and arrogant one second, and then just mere bloody meat sacks on the floor in the next. There, but for Sebas Tian's mercy, was Zero. She felt a shudder go through her body, as of a man who had just narrowly missed the arrow streaking through his eye-socket during a battle. She would not say a prayer for these idiots, but she would pity them all the same.

"The forces are due to arrive soon. We must hurry," Sebas said, stepping gingerly over the pools of blood and the pieces of scattered offal. Even his shoes, which had dealt the killing blow, remained pristine and immaculate, as if he had been enchanted to always look like the perfect butler no matter the battle.

"After you, sir," she said gracefully.

And then, just as before, he walked up to the door leading to the next room. He knocked on it, and without waiting for a response, turned the knob and entered.

Zero followed quickly, curious about their actual objective. Inside the room there was one man, and behind him was a woman and a child. The woman was huddled forward, her arms closed around the child, her eyes staring at them in fear.

When she saw the face of the man, she did a double-take and narrowed her eyes. Then she chuckled.

"Well, well, well," she murmured, having recognized that one's face. "The Marquis Raeven himself. Who woulda known." Her knowledge of heraldry was a bit rusty, but she knew that those soldiers out there could only have been commanded by some high-ranking noble. And who else but a Great Noble could afford to hire those workers whose bodies were now cooling outside? Only a big shot could afford to snub his nose at the Adventurer's Guild.

She couldn't really say that she knew the man, but it had been necessary as the enforcer of the Eight Fingers to keep track of all the notable nobles in the Kingdom, even if they would never actually meet face to face. For one, it was necessary to keep track of those who were on their payroll, and those who would be vehemently opposed to them for some reason or another. Keeping track of the Kingdom's many big players was also necessary for anyone with ambitions in the group—or those tasked to stifle such ambitions. And there were many opportunities that could be gained from listening to the right places.

"A good day to you, sir. Marquis Raeven, I presume?" Sebas said pleasantly. Gone was the steely-eyed determination of a man on a mission. Now he was acting like a steward greeting an honored guest.

"Wh-what do you want?" said the blond man, standing resolutely before the woman and child, who were presumably his wife and son. His knees trembled visibly, and his eyes despite their hostility was clearly filled with spine-chilling fear. And yet he still stood before them both, ready to give his all to protect them. Something to be respected from the once great noble at least.

Zero cast her senses about, trying to see if there was some trap, and found nothing. Therefore, she crossed her arms and leaned back on a corner. As there was no need to fight anymore, she would leave this to Sebas.

"My apologies for the rude entrance, Marquis," said Sebas. "I think we both know exactly why I'm here."

"D-dear?" asked the woman, her attention now on the Marquis. "What is he—"

"Not now, please," Raeven said. He leveled his gaze at Sebas. This was the gaze of one who had stared down many others in the course of ruling the Re-Estize Kingdom. "If you are indeed a minion of 'them', then yes, I agree that I know why you're here. But that doesn't explain why you had to barge in and cause a panic, and cause a massacre out there. You may not look like it, but the both of you stink of blood, sir, ma'am."

"It was regrettable to have to do that, my lord," said Sebas courteously. "But you left us no choice. And yet you must have known that responding in that way to the last communique has forced our hand."

"I do not regret doing it," Raeven said, "If it meant being free of your nefarious influence!"

"You have made your decision, and now we are here. The bloodshed is regrettable, but our orders were absolute."

"I will not let you harm them. I'll… I'll fight you, you know!" The blond brandished his fists and struck a pose as if he were about to trade fisticuffs with Sebas. It looked rather ridiculous, and made her smile.

Sebas closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please, my lord, enough of that. Be assured that my orders never included harming your loved ones. Of course, I have been ordered to do all in my power to retrieve you. As I have regrettably done to your soldiers, so must I regrettably do the same for you if you still choose to resist. Come now, you are a smart man. You know what it is you must do."

Raeven gritted his teeth, before nodding shakily, his body sagging in defeat. "Very well. It is not as if I can even do anything to stop you at this point. But listen here," he said, raising his head. "We will not beg. No matter what you do to us, we will persevere. Tell that to your masters."

"I am sure that can be arranged," Sebas said with a bow. With that, he walked off to the side, and put his hand to his head. "It is I. We are ready to begin."

Zero cocked her head, puzzled, at this. Then reality seemed to bend and break in front of her. Yet another one of those "Gates" opened, a shimmering mirror-like rip in space that cut through the room. The Marquis and his family shrank back in fear from the sight. She could hear the wife and child sniffling and crying.

From out of the Gate emerged several monstrous forms which he did not recognize. One of them looked to be some sort of diminutive maid wearing a chiffon hair-style. Its face looked odd, as if it was some sort of mask. It bowed to Sebas, before turning to look expectantly at the Marquis.

"Now, Marquis Raeven, please enter through the Gate," Sebas said, gesturing towards the shimmering opening. "I assure you, you will be safe."

The Marquis licked his lips, looking towards him, then towards the Gate. Then, as if he was steeling himself, he walked forward, steering his family behind him. Right at the threshold, he took a deep breath, gripped his wife's shoulder harder, then walked on through, as if he was actually bracing for the death that might greet him on the other side. And perhaps he might be right.

Still, the sight of the mighty Marquis cringing before his captors amused her. Here was a man whom she knew by reputation as the one who had literally helped move the Re-Estize Kingdom through the corridors of history. And now he was being led away like cattle. She started to laugh at the absurdity of it all, her great chest heaving mightily.

Unfortunately, she laughed so hard her chest binds broke, and the stringy cloths parted to allow her breasts to come lolling out.

"Aw fuck! Fucking hell!"

She clucked her tongue and stared down ruefully at those lumps of fat. Now she would have to rebind them all over again, a painful and tedious process.

Sebas, who had been observing, nodded to himself. Perhaps it would actually be good to address Zero's problem before they moved on to the next objective.

Entoma, who had also been watching, raised her dainty arms towards the human. "Hey, big girl! You look like you're having trouble with your body."

"Yeah?" Zero grunted. "How'd you figure huh?"

"Don't worry! I've got just the solution for you!" Entoma chirped brightly. Zero raised a brow. Sebas stared down at the Pleiades' back, puzzled by her words.

---

Keeno checked the time-piece on the table for the current time of the day. The time-piece was gold-plated, and displayed the time in increments on the dial, fueled by a magic crystal at the center that pushed the latent mechanisms within to churn onward with precise repetitions. Each component by itself was worth a large fortune. When put together, such time-pieces like these were considered hallowed relics in her experience, as even after many centuries the enchantment within the device would never tire or run out. There were few in the world who could fashion and repair such devices, and so acquiring one was a matter of paying a king's ransom, or paying for it dearly with blood.

But this particular device had been a gift from Ainz-sama, after she had been settled here in her chambers at his home, Nazarick. It was quite undeniably extravagant, and she would have raised a brow that someone like Ainz would offer such a thing to her. She considered herself someone who was not swayed by grandiose gifts, as many would-be suitors in the past could attest to. She liked simpler, nobler things—or more importantly, things that could not just be put to mere words or superficial deeds. It had been Momon's noble soul that had drawn her, and kept her love even when he had become Ainz-sama.

She feared that Ainz-sama's gift was akin to him bragging about his immense wealth, that he was "honoring" her arrival here by gifting her these expensive things in exchange. She expected him to wait for her reaction, to see if she would gush about the gift, that he would be secretly gratified to have appeased a woman. And that was so shallow an act that it would have made her sick.

But she needn't have feared.

In the next moment, Ainz-sama had moved on to other topics, as if the gift was not and had never been something of consequence—to him at least. It was like he was a bird decorating their love-nest, and this was but another twig to add. He talked about how the maids would be assigned to serve her, and of adding any sort of furniture that she liked. He promised that all her needs would be satisfied, within reason, and that she could always count on his support in whatever he needed. They never returned to the topic of the time-piece. It sat there on the bedside table, and had remained there ever since.

Ainz-sama was rich, there was no doubt about that. He had many secrets, and one of those was undoubtedly that he possessed this vast "Tomb" where she lived, a wondrous place that felt like the halls of a divine being more than a king. And in these halls were things that could have purchased an entire country, all by themselves. Ainz-sama possessed vast wealth, but it seemed that he was not one to use it in such a way.

In the many months she had stayed here, she still did not completely understand exactly who her lover was. She felt like she had glimpsed only one particular aspect of him, while the others remained submerged, like the depths of an iceberg. But in a way, she no longer cared. He was the man she had chosen, and she would never settle for another.

She turned her eyes from the time piece and then towards the ceiling. Her stray thoughts seemed to drift upward like lazy puffs of smoke, quickly abandoned after being made. Eventually, she would drift off to sleep, as the fatigue of child-bearing caught up to her.

And yet, it was because of her condition that she woke up almost immediately, causing her to check the time-piece and find that only some minutes had passed. And from then her thoughts would return to that time-piece, and she would once again look up at the ceiling, allowing her thoughts to carry her back to sleep.

This tiring cycle went on and on for hours, enough to frustrate even her. As Evileye, she had spent entire days without sleep, owing to her changed body. And even the very worst times had not left her mind in such a ragged state, dozing off and waking up repeatedly in short bursts of time. Her body felt drained of energy, and her mind swirled with unwanted thoughts, distracting her from getting the rest that the healers had recommended.

Eventually, the tedium got to her, and she rose from her pillows with a frustrated sigh. She raised her hand and summoned a book to her hand, which shot itself from the bookshelf at her magical command. The bookshelf was yet another of Ainz-sama's gifts, something that was certainly high quality. Though she couldn't really make an opinion on it, not unless she went and asked a carpenter or something. The books themselves had been her own collection she had brought with her, along with some recent acquisitions that had been gifted to her without cost from Nazarick's own library.

She felt her babe kick inside her belly, which made her pause. She put her book aside and smiled and patted the surface of her pregnant abdomen, as if she could touch the wondrous life growing inside it. She liked to imagine her child placing its hand against hers, and the imagined scene made her heart flutter that she all but squealed. It was a most uncharacteristic sound she made, for those who knew her. But here in the hallowed sanctuary of her home, she had no fear. She even caught her wide-open smile on the nearby mirror, and she didn't immediately stop. Keeno only wished she could pour out this invisible energy of affection towards her babe, like a magic spell that would make it grow strong and healthy. She so wanted to hold them in her arms, to feel the pulse of their life against hers, to finally behold the unexpected miracle and realize: no, this was no dream.

After a while, the initial euphoria ended, and she returned to the well of unease that had been plaguing her. She knew she had to sort these feelings out, which were bursting out of her like wine from a leaking barrel. And yet she could not find anyone here with whom she could share her thoughts. Though she loved Ainz-sama, she was ever wary of his servants. Her fellow mothers were also out of the question. Even Zesshi Zetsumei, who had unanimously declared herself the ally of all "outsider" mothers in Nazarick, was not someone she could call a friend. Her intentions were entirely too transparent for her tastes, and she needed to distance herself from shallow intrigue—both for the sake of her own sanity, and for the safety of her own child.

No, what she needed right now was advice from true friends. The comrades with whom she had fought for many years. It had never been an idyllic existence, but her time in Blue Rose had given her something she only appreciated in hindsight: a life.

She wanted to talk to them right now, but how could she manage that? She thought about it.

The last she heard, Ainz-sama had helped relocate Lakyus to a secret house in the city of E-Rantel, where she could recuperate safely under the watchful eyes of the rest. It was a place that was said to be connected to Nazarick through secret protocols, which meant they were as safe as can be—not that Keeno really had any illusions that the city could ever be breached under Ainz-sama's watch.

But she could not just go back outside, to where they were. Ainz had proclaimed a blanket restriction on the mothers' movements. With him currently somewhere else attending to matters pertaining to the war, the entirety of Nazarick was on high alert, and this extended to the mothers who were supposed to be of great importance. She had heard it said that many things had been prepared in secret to ensure their protection no matter what.

She'd had no problems with the restrictions—until now. Now, she desired to meet her friends again, if only for a little while, just so she could converse a little bit with them.

But Ainz-sama wasn't here. And opening up communication with him while he was outside was forbidden, though she was sure that he wouldn't get completely mad at a mother for very long. Not that she would specifically go out of her way to earn his displeasure. He had made the proclamation for an important reason, and that was to keep them safe. She couldn't fault a man who was just trying to protect what was important to him.

On the other hand, she did need this. And so, she would have to find a way to get to that house from here in Nazarick. Obviously, that meant using the excellent teleportation Gates that existed to ferry the servants of Nazarick to many different locations. It was an astonishing feat of magic, something that no magic casters had ever achieved in her memory. Even just the opening of a Gate—a single Gate—would have been a feat of someone who had mastered the ninth levels of magic. She hadn't witnessed it herself, but she had read it from old texts: of ancient kingdoms where a cabal of magic casters had been required to open Gates by pooling their powers. And even then, it had been done for some great Purpose, like sending an assassin to end some crucial war, or to save some monarch's kin from tragedy. Yet the magic casters of Nazarick opened and closed such Gates daily, as if it were merely a matter of opening windows to let the air out.

A plan had already formed in her mind. She was already bundled herself into appropriate clothing and had accordingly left her chambers. She knew where her destination would be: the nearest chamber of Teleportation. Luckily, one was here in this very Floor.

As with the other chambers, it was managed by a powerful lich assigned to the task. They were there constantly, never tiring as the true undead they had become, their only purpose to facilitate the opening of a Gate. She would have to beg passage from the lich, like she was begging a caravan master to take her on the next caravan out. Trying to reason with an unfeeling specimen of undead seemed rather difficult, but she would try her best.

"Lady Keeno!" The guards at the teleportation chamber greeted her as she approached.

"Hello," she said cautiously. Though the guards would never harm her, they were still inhuman things with fearsome weapons. Her hands never once left her belly: both to remind those watching of her status as a Mother, while also being sure to proactively protect her child. "I'm here to see Kit Varion."

The guards looked at each other. Would they deny her entry? Would they cleave to Ainz-sama's commands in the strictest sense? She got her answer a second later.

"Please come in then, Lady Keeno," they said, their monstrous heads nodding. She bowed at them gratefully, before rushing inside, before they or anyone else could change their minds.

Kit Varion was the lich who had been assigned to this place. She was not really sure if the lich was a servant of Nazarick, or someone from these lands who had been gifted ascension to a lich. Little was ever heard from them in the daily gossip, perhaps rightfully for reasons of security. He was the one lich she was familiar with, as she had used his Gate in the past.

She steeled herself at the threshold. If she wanted to do this, she would have to be as persuasive as she could be. And of course, for a lich she would need to phrase her request in logical arguments, as it would be futile to appeal to charm or any sort of sentiment.

The lich was turned with its back to her. It seemed to be looking at the far wall, a tall edifice with no decoration or ornament. That location was where the Gate was usually opened.

"Ah, greetings, my lady," the lich said in its reedy voice, every syllable tinged with the chiming of sepulchral rites. It affected a regal, officiating presence, as of some high official granted unique and vast bureaucratic powers. It wasn't too far off the truth, in a way. "How may this one serve today?"

"Hello," she said. "I… I wish to use the Gate. The Gate to E-Rantel."

For a moment, the lich said nothing. No expression could be seen on its smooth, gleaming skull. Was it raising its brow? Was it surprised? Annoyed? Or was it merely pondering her request in silence?

"My pardons, my lady," the lich finally said. "But that is a most… difficult request." It was trying to be diplomatic, but she knew that refusal was the bygone conclusion. She did not need to see the lich's facial expression to gauge its response.

"I only wish to visit one place and one place only," she hurried to say. "The house where Blue Rose is currently staying. Nowhere else. I won't be leaving the house, and I certainly won't stay there for too long. Just an hour. Or two. Maybe just an hour. Please. There is something that needs to be done, and my health will suffer if I cannot do it." Bringing up her condition seemed a good enough reason for any servant of Ainz to accept, but would it be enough?

"Oh, my lady, please do not misunderstand," the lich said, raising its hand up in a placating manner. "I only meant to say that it would be difficult to send you there, when there are not enough shadow demons in the roster to accommodate you. In these past few days, we have been spread thin, I am afraid to say, too thin; but if you will wait for a bit longer, we can wrangle off a bunch to accompany you."

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked. She could not believe what she was hearing. "You mean to say that… It's… okay for me to leave?" She did not want to remind the lich of Ainz-sama's directive, because it seemed farfetched that this one would not know.

The lich rubbed its chin, and continued to speak as if it were a scholar drily describing a magical theorem. "We are both aware of the Master's prohibition."

"O—oh…"

"But he did leave certain contingencies in place. For you, and the rest of the Mothers. In your case in particular, lady Keeno, you have been allowed to visit your comrades in Blue Rose." Her eyes widened in surprise. "But it must be under heavy guard. That was the only stipulation." The lich turned and gestured to the empty air. "Alas, currently, we have not the means for that, as I have already stated before. You must have a full complement of shadow demons, as any Mother deserves, before you may leave. We must have those shadow demons, and yet we do not." Then it bowed towards her. "Please wait a while longer, and I shall endeavor to send a messenger to retrieve you should the opportunity arrive."

"No that's—" But she really wanted to do it now! Who knew when her guards would arrive? She could not take waiting for too long!

There were tales that said of how one could win arguments with a lich, or even outwit them; but these were mostly parables and stories for children, meant to teach a story more than anything. She was not looking to outwit the lich, but she did mean to win her case and an opening of a Gate.

Just then, the lich whirled, cocking its skull head as if it was listening to something. Then it said, "Acknowledged." It snapped its fingers smartly. He turned back to her. "Please stand back, lady Keeno. A Gate is about to open."

Even as he spoke, the Gate did rip open, glowing a brilliant sheen that illuminated the room. As she stood, surprised, the maid Entoma emerged, and with her came several monsters of various sizes and shapes. They all paused when they saw her, and immediately bowed. "Hail, Lady Keeno!"

"Ah, yes, right right," she said distractedly, waving it off.

The maid Entoma turned to Kit Barion. "That's about the last of them for me today. I'll be reporting to Demiurge-sama now!"

"Hold, please," the lich said. "Are you saying that these forces will no longer be used?"

"Not at the moment, no," Entoma said, turning her unblinking visage back.

"Then, in that case, allow me to take the shadow demons," the lich said. When the maid tilted her head, he continued, "They will be needed to guard Lady Keeno here, on her excursion to E-Rantel."

"Ohhh!" Entoma clapped her hands together. "Okay, okay, go ahead. They're not using them at the moment, so they can go." She turned to wave at her. "Happy travels, my lady! I shall see you around!"

"Yes, thank you," She stuttered. "Thank you for your hard work."

As Entoma shuffled away with some of the other creatures in tow, the lich began to address the shadow demons. Then it gestured towards her. "It seems you are in luck, my lady," he said, and to her it was as if the lich was smiling, though that might have just been a fanciful imagination. Liches were not known to feel any positive emotion—that would have burned them from the inside out. "We shall be sending you to E-Rantel momentarily."

"Thank you very much." If she could, she would have bowed, but that would have been strange for a Mother to do.

---

Keeno stepped through the Gate, and experienced a wave of nausea. This was the "teleportation sickness" some described, felt by those who didn't use the Gates frequently. It was as if the body knew it had crossed great distances in just one second and one step, and was struggled to process the incongruity of it all. Or perhaps it was the brain trying to contain the incredulity at the magic's sheer magnitude. Or maybe it was something right in-between.

She fought down the wave of nausea. It wouldn't be good for her child; this was why the healers had recommended to Ainz-sama that portal movement be restricted for mothers. She made a silent prayer to whatever god was listening for the sake of her babe, then took one more step forward.

The shadow demons escorting her streamed out of the portal behind her, and disappeared into the house. They would take up their positions and keep watch for as long as she stayed here. Then the Gate closed, leaving behind nothing but the cold wall.

She had to move quickly. She was only given an hour to be here, before a maid would be sent to retrieve her. The lich Kit Barion had reminded her gently—or as gently as a lich could get—that if she were to refuse, he would be forced to contact Ainz-sama. It was not an idle threat, but a reminder that this was the word of their Master, and that they were dutybound to follow it regardless of what she wanted.

Still, an hour would be enough. Keeno just had to talk with them.

She was currently inside the house's basement, which contained the area where the last-minute contingencies would occur. In case of an emergency, the inhabitants of the house could go down to this place and go through the Gate that would be opened. Her friends were aware that a basement existed, but she hadn't told them about its explicit purpose. The basement had been sealed to them with powerful magic, preventing them from investigating further.

There were stairs leading up, but ever since Blue Rose had been housed here a small lift had been made for her purposes. It took her straight up to the ground floor, behind a façade of statues in the gardens. There was little risk of being seen from outside, as Ainz-sama had similarly warded the grounds outside the house with illusion spells—shielding her from view from outside, and also from inside the house. This allowed her to arrive at the door and knock on it without being seen or being noted by anyone but the Nazarick guards lurking all around the estate. Even someone stepping into the estate—assuming they weren't immediately set upon by the guards—would not even see her. Her lover was nothing if not meticulous when it came to his spell-crafting.

It was an easy cover for the "official" story: Momon the Dark Hero had special teleportation magic that allowed her to come here to E-Rantel whenever she wanted, no matter where they currently were. She already had a city in mind where they were currently staying: one in East Garvia, a region on the outskirts of the City-State Alliance. It was reasonably distant that making inquiries would be discouraged; and even if one made the effort, enough time would have passed that it would be difficult to sift truth from lie.

She presently knocked on the door, and it took a while of her standing there before someone responded.

"It's you isn't it, Evileye?" Tia said, as she opened the door to let her in. Her quick eyes inspected her in a flash—an ingrained behavior of an assassin—before nodding and stepping aside. "Come in."

As the door closed behind her, she asked, "How is the Leader?"

"She's a bit healthier now," Tia replied. She was still looking at her, as if she was observing her. "And she's tried out some sword exercises out in the garden." They stepped past the foyer into the living room.

"How were those?" she asked, with raised brow.

She shook her head. "Not good."

"Oh, look who's here!" Gagaran immediately shouted, bounding out of her chair in one big motion and then slapping her arms around Keeno. She blanched from the act, but Gagaran had been considerate enough to do it gently.

"Yo," Tina said, from her spot seated at the windowsill. It looked out to the garden beyond—where she had recently ascended from the basement. But she would not have seen anything thanks to the enchantments.

"Hello there again, Evileye," Lakyus said. Her leader was seated at the large central chair, her feet propped up before her on a small ottoman. It was located directly next to the fireplace, where the presence of dying embers could still be seen.

"I would ask how you are all doing here," Keeno said, slipping on the figurative mask of Evileye, the one they had all known in Blue Rose. "But I will reserve my primary greeting for you, Lakyus. How are you? Tia tells me you've been able to do sword work?"

"Pathetic sword work!" Gagaran said, snorting. "She couldn't even go through a whole series of forms before she had to be led back to sit like some old granny! Out of breath!"

Lakyus glowered. "That is… I cannot deny the truth in the statement. But I know it is a marked improvement from not being able to move at all."

According to the healers she'd consulted, Lakyus was likely suffering from an intense mana drought, as a result of the backlash suffered from utilizing the magical dual swords. Her long days of required bed rest had also dulled her body's instincts—stifling the movements that were necessary of a mithril-ranker.

It was rather detrimental to work as an adventurer. In any lower-ranking group, a very difficult discussion would need to be made. Fortunately, in this case Blue Rose didn't really need to take on jobs just to survive. By this point in their careers, they could all have retired like veterans of many battles. Indeed, Keeno herself was semi-retired in this sense—having chosen to pursue her heart instead of devoting herself to adventure. These four could all afford a year or two of waiting for Lakyus to recover.

Besides, at the current state of affairs, the outlook of adventuring in the Re-Estize Kingdom was not quite clear.

Keeno sat down on a proffered chair and gratefully accepted a cup of tea from Tia.

"You've gotten a bit bigger from before," Gagaran said, smirking down at her belly. "I assume the little 'un's growing nice and healthy?"

"We are all glad to see you're looking well yourself," Lakyus said. "And, please, don't feel obligated to come back here. I do not know how wise it would be to keep travelling in your condition, but please do think about your own self first."

"We can do without you for months," Tia said blithely.

"Ouch, that's harsh, squirt," Gagaran said, frowning. "What she prolly meant to say is that you've got your family now, and you should be devoting more time to that instead of visiting old friends. That can wait."

"Need I remind you that you were the ones who dragged me here?" She ended her acerbic message with a chuckle. "Not that there's anyone else you could've asked anyway. It just goes to show how you're all lost without me."

Then she sighed and looked down.

"What? Hey, what's wrong?" Gagaran asked. "You've put on a pretty long face. I'm sure it's the longest we've ever seen your face."

"Probably because she'd been wearing a mask," Tina quietly said. "But, she is right. You look like something's bothering you."

"Is something the matter?" came Lakyus' concerned voice.

She thought about it. She really wanted to talk to them, but she needed to be careful about it. She would have to approach this delicately, without revealing too much about the actual situation.

First, she crossed her arms before her chest. "I didn't really come here to be interrogated, you idiots." She paused carefully. "But, to tell you the truth, I do have some worries on my mind. It is… difficult to talk about it to anyone." She nodded to Gagaran pointedly. "Especially to you idiots."

"Hey, that's not fair," Gagaran said, slapping her chest in mock-injury. "Weren't we a constant drinking buddy? Did we not share many a soul-searching moment together?"

"More like you were always the one who got sloshed while I had to remain sober to pick up after you," she replied. She looked at the rest of them, who were looking at her expectantly. She sighed.

"Don't tell me," Gagaran said. "It's about Momon, isn't it?"

"That's…" she sagged her shoulders. "…Not entirely untrue. Though, it's not really a problem with him specifically."

"If there were any trouble with him, I know you wouldn't be speaking to us about it," Gagaran replied shrewdly.

"She is right," Lakyus said. "We know you. It would have been something you would have dealt with yourself. And you would have shown up here with all your things and telling us you're back. So it is obviously something different."

She said nothing for a few moments, trying to draw out the conversation. "Well, you're not wrong in that assessment, leader. It's not about him, like I said, or about our relationship or anything like that. Everything's fine. But…" She looked at them. "Remember when we talked about Calmitra and her husband?"

Gagaran made a humming sound, frowning as if she was trying to remember. Lakyus cocked her head—she definitely didn't know, as she hadn't talked about it with them. It was one of the twins, who both knew, who answered.

"Ah. That messy thing with the man who went off adventuring."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, that," Gagaran said, snapping her fingers, her memories returning. "It's about the wife who hired us to track down her adventurer husband." They had to turn it down, obviously, there were other jobs they had to undertake that were of higher priority—like cleansing an undead enclave suspected to be a Zuranon cell. The twins and Gagaran had kept up with the gossip afterwards, from the adventurers who did end up accepting. To make a long story short, the man had apparently been enchanted by a river witch, then freed by an adventurer from another kingdom, and then spent some time laboring under amnesia and finally ended up marrying that same adventurer and settling down—in the same town where his first wife was.

"So that's what happened?" Lakyus said, after Gagaran presently recounted the summary of the events. "So what does…" She stroked her chin. "Oh, I see. Obviously, you are not concerned about his infidelity, or you would have struck first. You would have come here a lot angrier than you are. So it refers to another aspect of the matter."

"Well, duh, that was obvious the moment she mentioned it, leader," Gagaran said, rolling her eyes. "To put it simply, you're just being worried about him as the wife of an adventurer, eh?"

Keeno affected a sigh, and nodded as if they had hit the nail right on the head.

"It would be rather difficult to stay faithful, is it not?" Tina pointed out. "With that woman working with them."

Keeno had to really fight the urge not to react. She was now strongly reminded of the arrangement back at Nazarick, of how she was one among many mothers. It would be awkward to point that out after refuting their claims that Momon was just like Calmitra's husband.

"I'm not worried about her," she said sardonically, even allowing herself to grin. It was easy to project her feelings about Narberal Gamma in this context, as that one was a mother she didn't particularly like. "She's as faithful a servant as can be, which in my husband's culture means that she's not allowed to seduce him. It would be… demeaning, like a master and its dog. Well, not unless Momon initiates it." Which he technically had.

"If you're not worried about that," Gagaran said. "Then it's the other aspect of the story that's bothering you huh?"

She let her head droop down. "Just a little bit. It's been on my mind a lot. You mind if I vent a little?"

"Oh, this'll be golden," Gagaran said with a guffaw, rubbing her hands together in glee. Lakyus and the others glanced at her frostily.

"We are all ears, my friend," Lakyus said seriously.

"Let it all out," Tia said, Tina nodding beside her.

So she did. She let out a long, rambling diatribe that she no longer quite remembered, as it was something she hadn't prepared. The words were nonetheless born out of her own heart, an outpouring of the emotion that had lain burning like hot coals inside her heart for the longest time. The more she spoke, the more she called to mind her love for Ainz-sama, and of her fevered anticipation for the life they would live together: with him and her child.

Despite speaking so many words, the main thrust of her thoughts could be distilled to one thing. Ainz was on a dangerous mission, something which he had to do as part of his duties, or his job. And she couldn't fault him that, but she was still worried, and it was this worry that she had wrestled with, for she had known and accepted the reality of the life she had agreed to take. But it just felt so painful to experience, even when she was confident that he would return, which could not have been said for Calmitra's husband, who had just been an average adventurer.

Obviously, she substituted Momon for Ainz-sam, and described the war with the Re-Estize Kingdom as just a "dangerous mission" that she couldn't really divulge to Blue Rose.

"It's just been occupying my mind so much, which I'm told is bad for my baby," she said. "And I got few people whom I can talk to about this, so that's why I came here." She wrung her hands. "I can't sleep, I can't relax, and I'm jumpy a lot, which is not something you want to experience as a pregnant woman, let me tell you that. This kid's already taxing my body enough as it is." She sighed. "I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to scream. Because what's the alternative? I can't be with him, because I'm pregnant. And it is because I'm pregnant that he has to be out there. It's… I don't know… I guess there's not a whole lot else I can say about it…"

She lapsed into silence.

A silence which Gagaran broke in her characteristic way.

"How long ago have you guys had sex?"

After Gagaran delivered that explosive proclamation, Keeno could only sigh.

"What's the matter with you, Gagaran!" Lakyus all but shrieked, her cheeks aflame.

"Well, I seen this before," Gagaran argued. Surprisingly, the twins were also nodding along, as if they agreed with her. "Wives can get easily frustrated if they haven't had sex in a while. Double that if you're pregnant, because some wisdom forbids sex."

"That much I know," Keeno said drily.

Gagaran continued, "And then of course, if the husband's a working stiff who has to travel somewhere to work, then that's also part of it. He comes home, he's tired, and he doesn't wanna do it. 'Maybe later, dear' or some bull. That happens day after day after day, and eventually no one's having sex in that relationship. It's a sad life, but it's all too common. Even when there's a whole lot of love involved."

"Trust me, we're having enough sex, you buffoon," Keeno said in a deadpan voice. She literally could bring to her mind the various times she had done it with her lover, even when she was pregnant; and the unimaginable pleasure she had experienced. Naturally, that brought a blush to her cheek, which the ever-reliable Gagaran saw.

"Girl, you have to give us the details now!" she crowed. "Tell us how the sex feels instead."

"No thank you," she said smoothly. "And I thought we were talking about what I was feeling?"

"You are right," Lakyus said in a firm, no nonsense voice. "Now, Evileye, allow me to offer my own opinion on the matter. I think you have already realized that this happenstance is not something that will happen only rarely."

"Well, duh," she said.

Lakyus shrugged. "But none of us were born to this world with a silver spoon already in our mouths. Even the greatest of kings must wrestle with the vagaries of rule and fate. Even the richest of men needs to climb to the highest points of avarice, or forever lose his hoard. And even a strong adventurer like Momon will need to fight, and fight, to the end of his days. Such is the nature of life." She smiled. "And I know you already know this. After all, it was your reality before we met Momon."

"Yeah."

"And despite knowing it, you willingly decided to change your life into what it has become," Lakyus said. "No one here begrudges you that choice. And I assume that deep inside you, there are no regrets for following your heart."

"No," she said, looking her in the eye.

Lakyus nodded. "Then you will have to accept that the shadow of that fear will always be with you, no matter how much time has passed. Perhaps they will even multiply when your child has grown and they decide their fate in this vast world." She coughed. "The most you can do… is keep the faith. When we were just Blue Rose, we were bound by this faith, this unswerving faith in our comrades that no matter what, we would always push through and survive. Together."

"Way to rationalize what we just did with you, Leader," Tina said, sarcasm dripping from her tone, though it wasn't hostile.

"And in your specific case, Evileye," Lakyus continued, "Your new husband, Momon, is a powerful adventurer in his own right. And as you know, such people do not go around finding lost husbands for their wives. They fight the hardest, toughest monsters around, because they can; and because there is no one else in the world who can. All you can do, aside from being there in person to aid him as yourself, is to keep the faith that he will survive his next job. That he will return to you."

"Well, in that case, I'm not really worried about him surviving whatever trials he faces," Keeno said confidently. "I can safely say that he might be the strongest human I have ever met." She was describing that of Momon, but it was also a strong description of Ainz-sama in his full form. Not only did he command great power himself, he also had at his disposal many individuals who would have each have become a great hero or a terrible demon lord in this world. That he was able to command their respect and their utmost loyalty was a testament to the true power he held in his hands. She truly believed that there were few things in the world that could pose a threat to him, and that he was smart enough not to put himself as too prominent a target to be hated. Or else he would not have been the man she loved.

"Oh?" Lakyus cocked her head. "Stronger than even Rigrit?"

That stopped her short. Rigrit was an acquaintance, the one who had helped recruit Keeno to Blue Rose in the first place. She was also one of the oldest people she knew, who had personally lived through the age of the Thirteen Heroes a couple of centuries past. She was this world's living legend, and was even now still traveling through the world.

"I… I don't know…" she said, stumbling over her words.

Lakyus raised her brows. "The fact that you're unsure is interesting," she said. "So you do estimate him highly, eh?"

"I—I guess," she said, blinking. She felt distracted at the moment. That was because she had just realized the one worry that had been hiding like a thorn inside her heart.

The needless worry she'd had for Ainz-sama was not just about himself, but what would come in response to whatever he did.

There were powers in this world that did not brook the existence of an all-powerful being. Many were the wars that had reshaped the land precisely because of their presence. Some of these were people in her Keeno's own past. She feared what would happen if the things buried back there would come to light. Now that was truly worrying.

And then there were the people like Rigrit who would have been very interested to know more about Ainz-sama.

"Well, here's an idea," Gagaran then said. "When they have the time, Momon should definitely meet Rigrit!"

It took Keeno a while for her to comprehend what she'd just said. Then she raised her hands and shook them, while shaking her head left and right most emphatically. "Wha—No, no, no, you can't! They shouldn't!"

"Huh? But why?"

"B-because—" Not only was Rigrit someone from her past, she probably wouldn't think too highly of Ainz's background. Well, they could stick to the Momon story, but she was unsure if that would still work on her. That one was quite unpredictable, and rather perceptive in the extreme.

"It's certainly an idea, Evileye," Lakyus said. "I neglected to tell you, but she did contact us sometime before all this happened."

"What? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Well, it neatly slipped our minds. And you didn't exactly have much time to visit."

She stopped herself. "Well… that's true."

"She was curious about the Crybaby," said Gagaran.

"Hey!"

Lakyus smiled, as if torn between being amused by the affectionate term or to chastise Gagaran for saying it. "Leaving that aside, she was surprised to hear that you had managed to marry. And more than that, that you had managed to get pregnant with a child. She did bless you, of course, but she did hint that she wanted to meet you. And Momon."

"Meet Momon?" She shook her head repeatedly. "Oh no no. That won't work. No, no, that's definitely not happening." She just had such a bad feeling thinking about that.

"What? It should be interesting!" Gagaran said. "I would be definitely down to hear what that old fart would say about your marriage."

"Gagaran," she said, through gritted teeth.

"Or wait," Gagaran's grin widened. "Are you perhaps more worried that the old girl ends up seducing your man instead?" She whistled. "Now that's a spicy outcome I hadn't really considered!"

The others sighed. Lakyus began to lecture Gagaran about being less vulgar, even with jokes.

While Keeno just sat there, suddenly feeling rather sick. She had a sudden vision of Ainz successfully bedding and impregnating even that Rigrit. Yes, that old woman. And with how Ainz's past record of successfully breeding even women of other races, it wouldn't be too much of an impossibility for him to get successful with the old bat.

A wave of nausea hit, though she was sure this wasn't completely because of the baby. She smiled and patted her child.

Still, it would be good to speak to Rigrit again. Perhaps she would have some wisdom she could impart about her new life.

"Well, it would be ungracious of me to refuse," she said, addressing Lakyus. "Later, when everything's done, perhaps I will bring my child to meet with her. And maybe…" she hissed through her teeth, unable to believe she was even bringing this up. "And maybe I can bring Momon with me as well, to meet with her."

---

Every day, at the break of dawn, Miraya would wake up from sleep. She would slip from the bed, guided through the darkness of her home by the light of a simple lamp of wicker and wax. She would peek into her children's rooms, and see that they were still safely tucked in bed. She would then descend to the larder, and there would lay out the food in preparation for their morning tasks. She would eat her own share in relative silence—today it was one slice of butter, a cold side of ham and a mug of milk. She set a pot of water to boil—for the children later that morning, and for the rest of the day.

Usually, her husband would arrive by this point, newly woken, to also eat his share. Today, he did not. She didn't wait for him, for she had to leave the house to start on her own duties for the day.

She went to their water stores and picked up a bucket that had been recently emptied of water. Her first duty of the day, as it had always been ever since she had married her husband and moved to this small border town of Aleslino, was to retrieve the water from the well.

It was a long walk, taking her through the dirt road that ran through their vegetable fields, then past the great wooden fence that declared the borders of her husband's land. Then she went onward to the larger dirt road that wended its way past several farms belonging to their neighbors. The sun was just about to peek up over the horizon, its early rays filtering through the forest canopy to the far east. Around this time, the woodsmen of the town would also have risen around this time, to hunt game and chop down a tree or two for trade.

Once, a long time ago perhaps, she had loved to walk this road, even during the quiet time of dawn. Yet now she walked it with an air of trepidation, as if she was expecting a monster to bar her way beyond the next corner.

When she reached the well, she looked around warily. Then, she worked to retrieve the water from the well, pulling on the rope with quick, practiced strokes. She checked the clear liquid that had been scooped up from the bottom, ensuring that the well's bounty remained clean.

Movement from the corner of her eye made her freeze. She looked up and saw something that made the hairs on her skin rise. Her heart thudded hard and powerful inside her chest, and a scream almost left her throat.

Standing there, on the far side of the road, was an undead. It was a skeleton, bleached white, wearing cruel black armor bristling with spikes. The supernatural gleam in its eye-sockets burned blue like some strange bonfire. It was turned towards her, and the grim light in its eyes made it seem as if it was looking directly at her. The mere appearance of the undead was enough to send any farmer's wife terrified and screaming.

And yet, after the initial shock had faded, she took one breath and willed herself to relax. There was nothing she could do about her rapid, thundering heartbeat, or her instincts screaming at her to run quick and run very, very far. But she willed herself to be calm; and remind herself once more that this particular undead would not hurt her. That she had faced down this undead for over a week now, and she had survived every time. She had to believe that she could survive this time again. All she needed to do was walk. All she needed to do now was take the first step away.

And so, she hefted her bucket of water and started back on the road to her home. Her motion was hurried, but too much haste would just let her stumble and spill her water, which would only have kept her in this place for a while longer. It had happened on the very first time, and while the undead had not done anything, it had still been the most terrifying moment in her life. She hastily made her way back down the road she had gone, never once looking back for fear of seeing something that would drive her mind clean out of wits.

Once her husband's fields were in view, she broke into a trot, letting the water slosh all over her ankles and the hem of her lower dress. She did not stop running until she had reached her home once more, and had placed the bucket of water amongst its fellows. Only then was she able to stop and catch her breath, her breaths coming out in long, explosive gasps. Her whole body ached from the exertion of carrying a bucket of water while she'd been running for her life.

"Miraya," came her husband's voice.

"Oh, dear," she said, sobbing, practically slamming her body into her husband's. Once she felt his strong arms around him, she let the rein free from her emotions, her expression collapsing into panicked sobs and wails.

"There… there…" her husband whispered, patting her back in long, downward strokes. "You did good, you did good… You know, you really have to lemme handle this shit. I don't want to risk my wife, ever, no matter what those damned outsiders say."

"But it's my job," she said, giggling.

She had lived her whole life in Aleslino. For ten years since her marriage, she had woken up at morning, every day, to retrieve the water from the well. And that had never changed—until just recently.

Miraya was hardly the first or only person who used that particular well. It served their particular community with the water they needed for their daily life. Practically everyone for a mile around knew, therefore, of the horrific guardian that haunted that particular spot—ever since the Sorcerer-King's forces had occupied the town.

Aleslino's peaceful provincial life had changed just under a year ago ever since their noble lord had declared "independence". He had proclaimed to all his servants that his demesne would from then on be treated as a land independent from the Re-Estize Kingdom. Their town was located far to the south and west of the Kingdom, close to the borders with Roble. For the average inhabitant, they knew that directly to their north was the string of fortresses that watched over the border, for it was said that the Holy Kingdom was a fortress of its own that stood guard against countless hordes of monsters. If this vigilance failed, then they would pour in unnumbered legions straight into their lands. Their liege lord was responsible for protecting them, whose blood had long presided over this town among others.

It had been the talk of the town for many a week. People were divided on their opinions about such a strange move: on one hand, the man was their liege lord and they were obliged to serve him, no matter what. But some also feared the enormous repercussions of repudiating the King, which would see their town burned by vengeful troops. They saw the move as foolish, especially when they knew nothing of what was happening outside their town. If the King was dead, and his kingdom had fallen then it would have been easier to swallow. But as it is, they would have had to contend with war and battle suddenly coming to their quiet provincial lives. "Things were better under the King", it would be argued. The tension had boiled up to the point of fights on the streets or at the town hall, between those who believed in either sides of the argument.

Sometime later, their lord's troops came marching into the town, formally proclaiming the change in status. Then they took up residence right inside town; most tellingly at the houses of those who had spoken up loudly against their lord's decision. Seeing this, the rest of the people wisely shut their traps from then on, and returned to minding their own business.

Despite the use of silent force, their entire town continued to live under a great tension, as if there was an invisible axe about to fall down upon their heads. They knew full well that the King would never take his defiance lying down. Unless there was a clear message from the King's messenger himself that this was no longer Re-Estize land, none of them could afford to sleep peacefully.

Many started planning for a time when riders would be spotted in the distance. The forest was just close by, and there were enough places to hide there should the worst come to pass. Enough of the families had an expert woodsman among their number, so rebuilding another settlement anew in the very depths of the forest was not such a daunting prospect.

A few families did not wish to wait for the axe to fall whichever way, and resolved to flee. They sold what they could not bring with them and fled. No one ever knew what became of them: there were rumors that their lord's men had shadowed them for miles before falling upon them a fair distance away from town. Or perhaps bandits had overtaken them. Or it was a combination of the two: the soldiers had slain them in cold blood and had blamed bandits for the deed. After all, those families had little need to send a letter back to the town to tell their former neighbors their progress—mail was not cheap, and their lord had likely severed any connection back to the Re-Estize Kingdom.

This was made clear when their usual wandering merchants never arrived, perhaps discouraged from even entering by their lord's forces. This deprived the town of the means to gather information circulating in the outside world. They were only able to gather their news mostly from the mayor, who was obligated to report to the local soldiers and thus received morsels in kind.

It was the usual fare: many other "Marcher Lords" had apparently followed suit all over the land, apparently including several big dukes of a distant fiefdom. There were also rumors that the kingdom was undertaking some sort of war, though it wasn't clear if it was against the Empire again, or some other aggressor. And then of course, there were some that were even more fantastic: dragons had been spotted here and there, or that the Sorcerer-King had been caught taking a stroll in some city. The uncertainty of such news only served to heighten the townspeople's anxiety. None of them slept well without at least some form of weapon on hand, while mothers and wives secured the bolt-holes inside their houses every night without fail.

This persisted for weeks on end, which made those same weeks nigh on miserable to live through. In those days, she went to the well not for fear of the undead lurking just close by, but for the sudden appearance of some bloodthirsty raiders streaking over the road.

And then, just when things looked to be returning to normal, something changed once again.

The garrison of troops that had been living with them then suddenly went to move out. All of them, to a man, hauled their weapons and gear on many wagons and carts and departed without explanation, leaving a perplexed town and many questions. When they asked the mayor, he was unable to give any concrete information. The only thing he had been told was that the warriors had been needed by their lord for whatever reason, and that they only needed to sit tight and carry on with their lives.

Naturally, they all started assuming the very worst. Those who had been on the fence with leaving started to make hasty arrangements, even though no one was keen on taking up the things they wanted to sell off. A smaller group of brave souls wanted to organize and form a small armed group, led by a retired soldier. Her husband had signed up, and for several days he had attended the exercises where the soldier taught them the basics of fighting.

Eventually, those who opted to flee decided to move on ahead without selling their excess property, valuing their lives more than their gold. They all set off in one huge caravan one day, waved off by an uneasy town.

Then, a day later, the caravan returned. Though it was not because they had changed heart. They were simply hurrying in the other direction, in the road that would take them west towards the Holy Kingdom's borders. When pressed, they could only say what they had overheard from refugees they had encountered along the way: the mysterious Sorcerer-King had declared war once more on the Re-Estize Kingdom, and his forces had swept through the land like a farmer's scythe reaping a grim harvest. That gave new meaning to why the soldiers had left.

Panic had then swept through the town. The veteran who had overseen their little militia had disappeared, and the rumor was that he had bought passage with the caravan that had left. This predictably made the entire effort crumble, which had caused her husband to curse out a storm at the "coward". Though there were others who were willing to organize, none of them had the experience of fighting.

A trickle of families started to leave, in the same direction that the others had taken. Those who chose to remain did so not because of any sort of faith. Some were stubborn, like the mayor, who doggedly went on with his duties as ordered by the lord. Those like her family were pragmatic; they could not trust the future of their family on some other land, where they might become beggars or worse. To that end, they had enacted plans to retreat into the forest when the time came. Her husband and his friends had seemingly found some secret hollow there, which they would use to weather the storm.

Others still were completely resigned to their fates, who had clearly given up the fight and had accepted that such things were normal in their world. They could see little reason in leaving for the unknown; what if worse things happened to them on the road? Perhaps this Sorcerer would be merciful. Until the time came, they would simply do their part as mere farmers, content to live out their lives as much as they could through honest toil.

Surprisingly, this last group ended up being proven right.

There was an unsettling omen on that particular day. Early in the morning, as they worked on the fields, a great flock of black birds swarmed over the sky, as thick as a cloud. Their screaming caws and cries chilled the heart, and many muttered and invoked the names of various gods. And yet, the foreboding that settled in their souls never truly went away. Some even stopped their work, utterly disturbed by the shadow of fear. Miraya herself had started arguing with her husband about starting their evacuation plan, but he had just called her silly.

She was proven right shortly thereafter.

Then came the sound of trampling hooves far in the distance, like a horde of riders had arrived. Before the townspeople could react, there came a noise like thunder. Immediately afterwards a great host of soldiers emerged from the very forest where they had planned to take shelter. These turned out to be skeletons clad in the soldiery of war, animated by a fearsome power. And then, from the direction of the western road came even more skeletons—this time they rode upon steeds of nightmarish aspect which snorted out fire with every step. They wielded wicked-looking blades that looked like it would gouge out a person's guts with one swing. The riders stopped at a certain distance on the road, seemingly barricading it. The sight of all these undead creatures terrorized the people from the outlying farms, all but forcing them to flee to the center of town with all their belongings. Miraya's family joined this panicked exodus, when it seemed that their plans to escape to the forest had been truly dashed.

As they huddled in fear, praying to their gods for deliverance, a trio of riders came from the royal way—the way which led to their lord's demesne. It was another pair of those skeletal riders, save that this time an actual, living human rode at their head, bearing a standard that bore some strange sigil.

He stopped before them and raised his hands in peace. "Who among you leads this town?" he had demanded in a clear voice.

The mayor was all but shoved to the front of the crowd. He had seemingly lost his confidence in the wake of all these monstrosities, his bulbous face pale as a sheet and lined with sweat. He cringed as he walked up to the man, bowing repeatedly. "And how may we serve, master?"

"You do not need to call me Master. I am but a humble servant, here under the name of He who leads this army that now surrounds your lands," he said. "The Sorcerer-King, Ainz Ooal Gown, has declared a just war against the Kingdom that has violated his rights. And now his forces sweep through the land, securing all in his rightful conquest of the realm! He wishes its people no particular harm: as long as you do not defy his soldiers in ill-thought defiance or rebellion, he will allow you to live as you have without changes."

"My pardons sir," said the mayor, in a stuttering voice. "But we answer to a liege lord, who has himself proclaimed that he is no longer part of the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"We have heard as much from the man himself. He has already been sent to confer with the Master himself regarding his current status. But for now, the Sorcerer-King commands us to treat all lands as if they still belonged to the Re-Estize Kingdom. This land, therefore, has been taken as rightful conquest after the local garrison had submitted to His forces."

The townspeople looked at each other in fear, and knew that they were now lingering under a fearsome blade. They now utterly depended on the mercy of a figure that had once been a distant dream. The Sorcerer-King had been nothing but a wraith to scare their children after sunset, to push them to obedience. Yet now his hand had stretched over their land, darkening it with these undead soldiers.

"So then, what will happen to us?" the mayor had asked.

"As I have said, you will be free to live your lives as before. Nothing will be demanded of you, except for you to keep the peace. Understand that attempting to defy the Master's will shall be repaid with extreme prejudice. Remember this should you think of starting some sort of rebellion."

The army then departed, leaving behind a token force of undead to patrol the land. For days the mayor and his cronies waited for news from their lord, hoping that this Ainz Ooal Gown had lied somehow; and that the lord's troops were fighting to defend themselves. But the messenger that had secretly been sent out returned empty-handed, saying that the lord's manse had been empty and that undead were now stationed there. There was no sign at all of the soldiers. No one wanted to know what exactly that implied.

The undead left behind were present day in and day out, standing at their assigned posts from early morning to the depths of night. People avoided walking down the road where they stood, and it was always nerve-racking to hear the clacking sounds of their movements in the distance; or to look up from working at the field to see the macabre grin only a few hundred paces away.

"The sight never fails to make me shudder," she presently said. Her husband had settled her down on the chair, and had given her a mug of the hot water she had just boiled.

"And like I always say, you've got to let me do this thing now," her husband grumbled. He had pulled out his smoking pipe, and was now chewing absently on his precious tobacco. "What, I can't take time out of my day to just run over and get the water myself?"

"You idiot," she said wanly, smiling. "You better hurry up and start the day. The sooner you can finish your work, the better."

Her husband clucked his tongue, but said nothing else. He went and shouldered the short-sword he'd had commissioned from the local smith. It had cost some of their savings, and was supposed to have been for her husband's stint as part of the homegrown militia. Now he carried it around with him, even during work, determined to put it to use defending his farm and his family.

Such was the life of those now living under Ainz Ooal Gown's yoke.

Despite all that though, their town was generally a lot more peaceful now that the threat of imminent danger had passed. Well, the danger was already here and watching over the town every hour of every day, but at least it was a danger they all knew.

And there were certain other boons that came with the occupation. They received a lot more news now from the outside world through the daily arrival of the scout from the Holy Kingdom. It was through these that they learned the whole truth of the war outside the town: of the alliance between their nation and the Sorcerous Kingdom, of the Re-Estize's Kingdom stubborn refusal to surrender, of the King's abdication and the repudiation of his heir apparent.

There were also news that the Sorcerer-King had left the command of his armies to his most powerful champion: a warrior clad in silver armor. This champion rode to glory beside Roble's own champion, Remedios Custodios, and it was considered strange among the wisest of them to hear that a minion of an undead lord was able to work so well together with an actual paladin.

And then of course there was the material aid that came pouring into the town. Before the rider departed on the first day of the occupation, he demanded an unofficial census of all the town's inhabitants. At first, they feared that it was a ploy to measure how much of them could be utilized to sacrifice towards some greater evil.

Then, a day later, the Holy Kingdom representative returned; and with him came a caravan carried by undead laborers. They left the town with a whole host of foodstuffs: grain and other foods that they claimed had come from the Sorcerer-King's own larder. Every household was given a whole sack of food, with more coming for each day the Holy Kingdom returned to inspect the town.

They could hardly believe such generosity, especially as experience had long taught them that occupations and war generally only led to guaranteed starvation from a complete depletion of food stocks. Whether it was the soldiers taking all the food themselves or opportunistic bandits looking to fill their bellies, it would have always been the poor townspeople who would have paid the price of hunger and need. But the food that kept coming into their town, courtesy of the Sorcerous Kingdom, ensured that even if the entire town's harvest failed, they would still be set for at least two more winters—and possibly more as the days passed with more deliveries.

Still, Miraya and her husband prudently set the charity aside and continued to work as they normally did. Old wisdom taught that they should never look a gift horse in the mouth. But in this case, the threat of a distant undead lord gaining advantage of them through his gifts was a lot more palpable. She had heard from her neighbors of this or that family having tried the food, without suffering any noticeable consequences. Yet she would not risk that chance, not until hunger became a very real problem for her family.

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Chapter commissioned by UltraSpink of Da USA, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown under "RHoldhous".