Samurai of the South Wind

Ainz marched beside the carriage alongside his maids, rustic black metal clanking rhythmically as they traveled. Even though his outward appearance showed nothing except stoic indifference, the truth was that he was absolutely ecstatic to be adventuring again. How long had it been? For the past few years he'd done nothing but grind away at the dungeons within Yggdrasil with only mindless resource gathering as a motivation. This was the first time in a very long time that he'd actually done anything like this. Actually going out and enjoying an entirely new world.

Ainz gazed up in the bright blue sky…and smiled. In Japan, it was considered a special occasion whenever the toxic clouds spread enough to show the sky. Allowing the unfiltered rays of the sun through and boiling the country, yes, but still worth at least some celebration as the very gods spread the veil enough for the Japanese to see what laid outside the reaches of Earth. Ainz's mood suddenly soured, as he readjusted his gaze forward with a snap. Japan…once a beautiful country with a perfect combination of tradition and innovation, an island developed through its own unique identity…brought to such a low point…

Ainz's frown deepened as he clenched his fists tight in rage. Japan…his home…it wasn't destroyed by a plague, nor by a war…not even by the bombs they had once dropped on them all those years ago. No, Japan was destroyed by the same thing that destroyed every other fucking nation on Earth…greed…

Greed, and arrogance, and gluttony, and jealousy, and the laziness of the masses to do anything to stop it! There was no great battle! No Samurai upon horseback to slay the brutal overlords that ruined their home! The great and noble Japan was lost through a desperate whimper of a dying people! Left stagnant to rot and decay as death became the only constant within the lives of the people!

The denizens of this New World didn't understand how beautiful the sky was! They didn't know the pleasure of being able to breathe clean, unfiltered air! To drink fresh water straight from the rivers! In Japan, the sky was choked with clouds that only bled raindrops of death! The air filled with microorganisms corrosive enough to poison even the healthiest of adults! The water so acidic, that all the aquatic life on the planet died long ago!

Ainz's eyes radiated in anger within his helmet. These humans…occupying themselves with petty squabbles, playing lords and kings while the people under their watch suffer…it made him sick to see a repeat of what fell Japan happening here within the New World. But…this world was still young, still so vibrant with life. It wasn't too late in this world like it was in Japan! He could save them! He could save this world before the mistake that was humanity destroyed it! Correct the error while it was still fresh!

Ainz let out a small chuckle as he slowly shook his head, quickly tossing the thought from his mind. Yeah right, him as…what? A supreme overlord, or something like that? Heh…what a joke. Many men smarter and better than him had tried in the past…all of them failed…

"Hey!" Ainz jolted his eyes towards Nfirea as the pharmacist pointed to a pleasant-looking riverbank, "Let's rest over there for a little bit!"

Lupusregina gave an exasperated sigh at that, "Thank goodness…my feet were starting to kill me!"

Ainz let out a huff before moving with the rest of the team to sit by the riverbank, "Yes, it's always a good idea to rest and save your strength. We wouldn't want to be woefully unprepared and exhausted when a dragon inevitably strikes."

Ninya let out a nervous chuckle at that, "I know you're just being fun, Momon, but I don't think even someone like you could take on a dragon!"

Ainz slowly turned his head towards Ninya, slightly creeping out the young adventurer as he did so. Before a laugh echoed from his helm, "Heh, you're probably right about that one my friend…" Suddenly, Ainz's tone grew very dark, "…but who knows? Maybe one day, with Regina and Nabe there to help me…well, it's fun to fantasize if nothing else."

"Speaking of fantasies!" Lukrut swooped in with a cheeky grin, "You really gonna tell me that there's nothing going on between you three!? Come on, you can tell us, no judgment here!"

Narberal curled her lip in disgust at the man, "You'll find that the only reason I haven't cut your sorry tongue from your chops, is due to our lord holding my sword in its hilt."

Lukrut gave a small laugh at that…until he actually noticed the giant samurai literally holding Nabe's blade in her sheath with an off hand. The ranger's smile suddenly turned into a very nervous one, "Ah…I see…well I understand if you want to keep things private between you three. Don't tap and tell and all that."

Narberal's frustration grew to even higher heights, her teeth grinding each other to dust as she snapped her rage-filled eyes towards the adventurer, "You pig! Our lord's personal matters are none of your concern! The very thought of sleeping with a Supreme Being, it is the height of betrayal against Lady Albedo!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Lupusregina's eyes shot open in shock, and Narberal felt a drowning sense of rage directly behind her.

"Nabe!" Ainz yelled, and for the briefest moments, Narberal was back within the Great Tomb, little more than a child against the horror that was Ainz's wrath. Though Ainz quickly buried his anger, and directed his growing frustration towards Lukrut, "Mr. Volve…I would kindly request that you stop trying to pry into our 'very' personal matters as soon as possible…it would be beneficial to your long-term health if you did…" Ainz's tone was deadly cold, a frigid ice top from its usual welcoming and charismatic warmth.

Peter marched up to his friend with a harsh frown, "Lukrut! How many times do I have to tell you not to-!"

"Shh!" Lukrut suddenly cut off his leader. The ranger lifted a hand up to his ear to better listen to something, before a confident smirk carved its way onto his cheeks, "They're coming."

Peter immediately stood at attention and looked all around them with focused eyes, "Where?"

Lukrut jutted a thumb over his shoulder just as dozens of monsters skulked out from the forest brush, "Over there."

Dyne motioned towards Nfirea, "There's too many for us to simply go around. Stay in the cart and keep low. We'll take care of the rest." The druid pulled out a hefty mace as his colleagues revealed their respective weapons in turn.

Ainz laughed before walking forward with his maids and gripping the odachis that hung sheathed on his back, "Do not worry, 'Swords of Darkness.' My companions and I will make quick work of these ogres and goblins, and show Mr. Bareare that our services were worth every last coin. Regina, Nabe!"

Narberal and Lupusregina prepared for battle as a look of concern overtook Ninya's features, "Are you sure Momon? There's a lot of monsters…"

Ainz pulled his blades from his sheaths and allowed the ruby red color of the swords to sparkle in the sunlight, "I'm quite sure, just make sure that none of the stragglers escape, the rest will be childsplay for us."

Lupusregina brought her hand forward as a glowing aura surrounded her comrades, "Swift Motion!"

Ainz didn't feel the weight of the armor at all as he surged forth, practically flying towards the wave of greenskins that led the charge, Nabe closely following just behind his large form. This was new for the Supreme Being, he'd always hung back in order to cast his spells rather than charging headfirst into a fight, swords swinging, armor gleaming…what fun! He suddenly understood the overwhelming appeal that was being a warrior charging into battle. In a flash, the goblins were decapitated. An unfamiliar look of fear washed over the other monsters as Ainz swung his massive curved blades as if in an articulate dance, "Nabe, focus on the goblins at range, I'll focus on the ogres." Not waiting for a response, Ainz exploded forth and cleaved through the hulking orange beasts as if they were butter.

Nabe gave a bow to her lord, and then pointed a finger towards the smaller monsters off to the side, "Chain Lightning."

Ainz felt a rush in his blackened veins, this…this was what he was missing! How many beasts had he cleaved into pieces? A dozen? Two dozen? He didn't keep count, he just kept swinging his blades. Magical enhancements swirling within his veins from Lupusregina's enchantments, and spellcasting support from Narberal to his side. He felt…different…happy…just like how he felt when he tore the Sunlight Scripture apart.

"Not on my watch! Vine Tangle!" Dyne called out, entangling the ogres and goblins that had decided to do the wise, yet inevitably useless, thing and run away.

"Thanks for lining them up for me Dyne!" Lukrut said with a smirk, as he let loose a rain of arrows down upon the trapped monsters. The young adventurer was so distracted with picking off the stragglers however, that he didn't notice the goblin that inched its way closer to him.

"Nice try, runt!" Peter called out before decapitating the goblins head with a swift stroke of his broadsword, "Watch your back Lukrut! I don't wanna have to save your ass every mission we go on!"

"Now's not the time for fighting you two! Fireball!" Ninya sent a flaming sphere towards the entangled beasts, his simple staff crackling with magic as he did so.

Ainz couldn't help but laugh as he overheard the adventurers begin to bicker, his ruby red blades a variable hurricane of slashes and strikes against what little remained of the monster threat. What fun…what fun! This was just like back then! Young comrades killing beasts, completing important missions together, making long lasting friendships! A new world of wonder! A new world of joy! Who cares about a shithole of a country that was his Japan!? Who cares…when he had this entirely new world all to himself!? All for him…all for him and his tomb! HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH̵͚̜̯̀̀̃A̴͕̫̼̾̄̅Ḧ̵̩̯́̒͜Ą̴̞̇̎͝H̷̗̤̊A̵̼̰̗͛̊̒H̵͚̜̯̀̀̃A̴͕̫̼̾̄̅Ḧ̵̩̯́̒͜Ą̴̞̇̎͝H̷̗̤̊A̵̼̰̗͛̊̒H̵̡͕̤͖̓̈̃̕A̵̤̹̔H̶̰̦̻͜͝A̷̡̟͙̽͠H̴͖̤͈̥̍̉A̸̘͈͠!

"Uhm…Mr. Momon, sir…are you alright?"

Ainz broke out of his trance as if he'd suddenly awoke from a long sleep. Almost groggily, the Supreme Being turned to face the slightly nervous smile of Nfirea and the forms of the adventuring party cutting the ears off the various monster corpses. As if he hadn't just laughed maniacally within his mind, Ainz swerved to give the young pharmacist a bow, "My apologies, Mr. Bareare. Whenever I find myself within the heat of battle I tend to somewhat…lose myself."

Nfirea's obviously fake smile faltered at the statement as cold sweat drops fell from his forehead, "O-oh, well…whenever you're ready, the Swords of Darkness are getting ready to leave. With how many ears they've collected, I'm sure the guild will give them a hefty payday!"

Narberal's brow furrowed ever so slightly, "Ears? Why are they collecting ears?"

Nfirea simply waved off the question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Obviously to have proof of the kill. The guilds usually pay a hefty sum depending on the type of monster killed, but the easiest way to prove they actually killed the monster is to provide a piece of it to them."

"I see…" Narberal responded, her tone completely neutral as she did so.

"Well then…" Ainz started, the samurai swinging the blood from his blade as he did so, "…we should be off then, with how long it took us to best these foes, we'll need to make as much ground as we can before dark if we hope to complete our quest on time."

Nfirea gave another faux-smile, "You're right, don't worry I'll head back to the carriage and get it ready to go." Before Ainz could respond, the young man had already bolted towards his cart and began fiddling with the horse and the knots to leave. Though…if one were to listen closely, they could hear multiple deep and rattling pants coming from the young man's mouth. Nfirea stiffened for a moment as an intense chill ran up his spine. That man…Momon…there was something off about him. That uncanny feeling he got before only skyrocketed after seeing him fight. No man that big should move so fast, with reflexes that were impossible for any human. The gap in power between him and Momon was…insane! It was as if he was walking, talking apex predator!

Nfirea calmed his panicked breaths…before resting himself down onto his carriage. He had to hold it together…just a day or two more…and hopefully, he'd never have to see that-that thing anymore! Nfirea cursed his grandmother under his breath, "Dammit Grandma…why'd you have to find that stupid potion?"

"…I'm telling you, the thing was massive! Must have been over two dozen feet tall!" Lukrut exclaimed through the humorous laughs of his friends, before immediately adopting a charming grin, "Though luckily I was there to put an end to its mindless rampage with a well-placed shot from my bow."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say Luk." Peter chuckled through his shaking head. The leader of the group turned to Momon and quirked a brow at Nabe and the samurai's full bowls of stew…as well as a sweatdrop at the voracious speed in which Regina ate hers, "What's wrong you two? Is the stew a little hot?"

Ainz tapped his wooden spoon against his equally wooden bowl and let out a sigh. Narberal didn't need to eat seeing as she was a doppelganger, and while he certainly could enjoy the meal they had prepared for him…he couldn't help but let his mind wander. These adventurers…they were something more, "Let me tell you a tale." Ainz spoke, as if not hearing the question Peter had asked, before gathering the entire group's attention towards himself, "Once upon a time, there was a small group of only nine adventurers, only nine…but even still, these nine managed to somehow move mountains, swim across vast oceans, and slay the most horrific of beasts!" Everyone looked on at Ainz's performance, the Supreme Beings body language only serving to enhance the listening experience, "These nine had set out on a goal, to travel all across the world and become overlords through conquest. But not bloody conquest, oh no, through honorable conquest. Challenging the rulers of the lands and their armies for the riches they held, and winning."

"This doesn't sound feasible for only nine people…" Ninya commented offhandedly.

Ainz snapped a finger towards the mage with a tad more gusto than what was necessary, "Correct! These nine were woefully unprepared for the challenges that laid ahead of them, but they didn't falter!" Ainz spoke as if giving a sermon, his tone taking on a unique edge as he continued, "Nine became ten, ten became eleven, and so on, and so on, until they consisted of forty powerful and noble adventurers! These forty were unstoppable pillars of power and might, with magic that rivaled the gods, skills that bested the strongest of beasts, and above all else…camaraderie…" Suddenly, Ainz's tone fell, "But…the dream they sought for so long…was not meant to be. One by one these fine adventurers left. For what reason? Only they know…until finally, that dream they had sacrificed so much to attain…became impossible. There was no one left to complete it, no one left to carry its weight."

There was a deafening silence that followed his words, the group of men that surrounded him left without words at his tale, until, abruptly, Nfirea broke the silence, "T-that can't be the end…right?"

Ainz's lowered helm shot up with renewed vigor at the words, "No!" The mage shot to his feet and clenched his gauntlet tight, "Their dream is still not completed! Anyone can pick up where they left off, and complete what they couldn't! And I believe the ones who will achieve this…are all of you…" Ainz held out his arms as his voice grew soft and inviting, "Even now, I see the vestiges of their greatness in you. Sure, you may not be able to move mountains, or swim through the vastest of oceans, or even slay the most horrific of beasts, but inside all of you, I see the one thing that matters…the friendship that allowed them to achieve all those things."

Peter couldn't help but blink in uncertainty at the tale, "Uhm…those are nice words and all…but what exactly are you getting at, Mr. Momon?"

Ainz lowered his arms and laxed his shoulders before sitting back down with a thump. A chuckle bubbled out from his throat as an unnerving tone filled his voice, "Nothing…absolutely nothing at all." Ainz removed his helm and took a sip from the stew, his illusionary eyes and teeth shimmering under the beautiful night sky, "The stew is good, thank you…"

Ainz walked alongside the carriage just as he had done yesterday, Narberal and Lupusregina leading the cart a few yards away as they inched ever closer to Carne Village. The air was quiet, only broken by the occasional chirp of a bluebird and clopping of the horse. In truth, Ainz had simply resigned himself to spacing out as sheer boredom overtook his senses…that was, until the obviously nervous Nfirea managed to swallow his fear enough to speak to him.

"Y-you know, I have a friend in Carne Village. A girl by the name of Enri Emmot." Ainz almost tripped over his own feet at that, "Yeah, and a couple days ago I got a message from her. Apparently some horrible lunatics had ransacked the village, killing and maiming a large portion of the villagers."

"I heard about that. It's quite a shame that they had to go through such a tragic event." Ainz spoke carefully, making sure not to give any more information than he had too.

Nfirea continued, "In fact, Enri said that her and her sister were this close to being killed as well…that was…until a magician with a red cape and oil-like black hair, along with a woman clad in heavy armor came to her rescue." Nfirea's eyes remained straight as he felt an uneasy aura radiate from the samurai, "A-and…the names of these rescuers? Ainz Ooal Gown…and Albedo…"

Ainz let out a heavy sigh, he wasn't stupid, he knew what the pharmacist was getting at…fuck! He was careless! Narberal was careless! Hmmm…but maybe he could salvage this breach in security, "Yes, Mr. Bareare…I am Ainz Ooal Gown." Nfirea snapped to face the warrior, his mouth agape at the honesty of the man. Ainz continued, "Momon is simply an alias I'm using so as to not draw unwanted attention. I'm surprised you were able to figure it out so quickly, though…that might be more my fault for not keeping my subordinate's lips shut."

Nfirea let out a less nervous chuckle, "Well…I suppose I should thank you for protecting the village." The young man gave a slight blush as he continued, "You see, I may or may not fancy Enri…and the thought of her getting hurt by those maniacs…I owe you…"

Ainz hummed in thought, "Tell you what. If you can keep my more 'personal' identity a secret, I'll consider your debt paid."

Nfirea smiled and instantly accepted, "Deal!" The two were quiet once more for a few seconds…before Nfirea slapped his forehead as a look of recollection crossed his features, "Oh, I almost forgot! Yesterday you gave a woman by the name of Brita a potion, and I was wondering…" Nfirea's nervousness reemerged with a vengeance, "Could you tell me how you managed to get it to turn red? Every potion I've ever seen has been blue, the distilling process makes sure of that, but a red one? Well as a pharmacist, I have to know how you did it."

Ainz quirked a brow at the question, a picture of Nfirea's intentions clearly forming in his mind. Was this what all this was about? A regular old potion? He'd never heard of a blue potion before. It'd make sense if someone like Nfirea specifically sought out his help just to learn more about such a weird occurrence within the New World, hell, he wanted to know about these blue potions just as badly.

Ainz hummed in thought and Nfirea waited patiently, if not a bit worried, for a reply. In truth, Ainz had no clue how to make potions. Sure in Yggdrasil he'd just craft them by the hundreds whenever he was feeling a little needy, but it was obvious that Yggdrasil rules didn't translate exactly to New World rules. Not to mention the fact he was a mage, he didn't know the first thing about alchemy. Tabula on the other hand was a whiz when it came to that crap…man he missed that kooky occult wannabe.

"My apologies Mr. Bareare, but I'm afraid that I lack the knowledge you seek. I'm not even sure if I can craft such a potion again." Nfirea lowered his head in disappointment, "However…" The pharmacist looked up with a curious eye, "…your reputation as a potion-maker precedes you…perhaps I could invest in some professional research to recreate the potion. That is, if you're willing too of course."

Once more Nfirea smiled at the opportunity Ainz gave him, "Absolutely! That would just be amazing, thank you!" Nfirea couldn't help but feel his nervousness and response to Ainz's uncanniness fade as his heart was filled with nothing but joy at the new prospect. Maybe, just maybe, Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't that bad a guy after all.

Ainz gave a long, uncomfortable stare at a completely unaware Nfirea, a genuine smile filled with sharpened teeth threatening to cut his face in half underneath his helmet, "Fantastic…"

"Careful now, the closer we get to Carne Village the closer we get to the Wise King's territory." Dyne cautioned, giving a careful glance towards the treeline.

"Wise King?" Lupusregina asked.

"The Wise King of the Forest. It's a beast that rules over the woods near Carne. It's said its razor-sharp talons can eviscerate anything, and that it has a giant venomous snake for a tail." Ninya explained.

Lupusregina gave her sister a coy look at the explanation…only for Peter to shake his head in disapproval, "Forget about fighting it, hopefully we won't even get close to it-!"

Peter suddenly halted in his tracks as the small squad came across a large, if not horribly makeshift, wooden gate surrounding the edges of what was Carne Village, "What the…fuck?" Lukrut asked with a weird expression, "Since when did they-Pete look out!"

Ainz was immediately at attention as around a dozen or so goblins wearing surprising complex gear leap from the tall grass and surrounded them. The Supreme Being clasped his blades in preparation for battle as he surveyed the new goblins with a peculiar gaze. These greenskins…they were different from the ones he slaughtered yesterday. Those goblins were sickly things, capable of wielding only clubs or the scant shiv…these goblins were bulkier, well-geared…and remarkably familiar…

"Yo!" The adventurers took a visible step back as the head goblin sheathed his longsword and raised his hands in a sign of peace, "Uhm…do you guys come in peace or whatever? We were told by the boss to only attack bad people and uhm, if you're not that we really don't need to get all bloody over nothing." The goblin then gave a nervous chuckle before pointing towards Ainz, "Especially when you've got big, tall and spooky on your side. That guy just screams danger." As if struck with a lightning strike of realization, Ainz then recognized the goblins. No fucking way…no fucking way! These were Yggdrasil goblins!

"Mr. Goblin, is something going on?" Ainz remembered that voice. And as if summoned from the very name he spoke in his mind, Enri Emmot appeared from the side and placed a comforting hand on the lead goblins shoulder, "Everyone please, lower your weapons. This land has already shed more blood for one lifetime. Remember, what would Lord Ainz do?"

The goblins immediately sheathed their weapons at her calm words and clasped their hands together in prayer, "What would Lord Ainz do?" They repeated in unison.

Enri nodded her head in satisfaction and turned towards the group of adventurers, "Oh, Nfirea! It's so good to see you again! Come in, come in! We have so much we need to talk about!"

Nfirea was paralyzed in…well…he wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. The young pharmacist looked upon one of his oldest friends and was taken aback by what he saw. A woman wearing navy blue robes with a red and gold sash surrounding her torso and back. A twisted golden pendant in the form of some sort of staff laid gently on her chest as she gave them all a smile that didn't reach her dimmed eyes. Nfirea swallowed his maelstrom of emotions as a sense of familial care and love filled his mind, "Enri! I'm so good to see you're alright!"

Enri's smile grew wider as she ushered the group into the wooden gate, "Of course I'm alright…after all, Lord Ainz promised he would watch over us. And how truly blessed are we that our god would choose to save us of all people? Yes…yes! We are truly blessed! For the very land we stand on has been purified by his presence!"

Nfirea gave a tentative glance towards the armored form of Ainz, but had no fathomable clue the thoughts that ran through the samurai's head. Ainz let out a sigh deeper than he'd ever given in his entire life. Just as things were starting to get back to normalcy, this crap happens…maybe he should take a vacation from his vacation…

"So…how've you been faring since the attack?" Nfirea asked, the young man sitting next to Enri as the two of them finally had some alone time.

"Heh…you already know the answer to that Nfirea…my sister and I are still trying to get a grip on this whole thing." Enri said with blank eyes, a complete lack of any sadness on her face, "Though with the goblins Lord Ainz has given us, we've been able to rebuild at least somewhat."

"Uhm, right, about that…why are goblins following your orders?" Nfirea's curiosity was clearly festering. Normally only beast tamers could order monsters, to have Enri control so many strong goblins…

Enri gave another wide smile, "Oh that? Lord Ainz gave me two horns to use. I've only used one so far, but the goblins it summoned are really nice, and are super helpful in the rebuilding efforts."

Nfirea felt a sweatdrop roll down the back of his neck. Ainz-Momon-whoever had a horn that could just summon goblins from out of nowhere!? Damn…he was lucky he managed to get on the samurai's goodside, nothing good could come from being on that man's shit list, "H-he sounds like a very generous man-!"

"Oh, he is!" Nfirea leaned back as Enri suddenly grew the faintest of glints in her eyes, "He saved us! As if coming down from his divine perch just to rescue my sister and me! I've seen the wonders he can perform! Miracles that only a god could create, just for us! Just for the village!" Enri strangled the golden staff-esque pendant in her hand as a small blush dusted her cheeks, "I…I need to see him again! A god in all but name! The God of the Night!" Enri lowered her gaze at Nfirea and relaxed from her sudden outburst, "Nfirea, if you ever do meet Lord Ainz, could you let me know?"

Nfirea felt a piece of himself crack at those words. Enri, the girl he loved, was completely obsessed with Ainz. He could see it in her eyes, she was broken, her fragile soul torn apart by the tragedy that befell Carne Village. Desperately grasping onto the coattails of the powerful man that saved her, hoping to feel safe in his embrace once more…

Nfirea used every last ounce of self-control to not grind his teeth into dust out of sheer rage. No…Enri needed help, she needed someone like him to protect her, not Ainz! Nfirea gave Enri his best smile, "Of course Enri! You can count on me!" Enri brought Nfirea in for a hug…all the while the pharmacist continued to whisper blatant lies into her ear, "If I hear anything about Ainz, you'll be the first person I'll tell." It was okay if he lied to her just a little bit, after all, Ainz couldn't give Enri the true love she really needed. Only he could…only him…