Chapter 6: Journey

Earlier

"Well I'll be damned." Ben whispered as Nfirea approached him and the group

"Pleased to meet you. I was the one who put out that job." The boy in question said, prompting Ben to nod. "Actually, this request-"

Before the boy could finish speaking, Ainz raised his hand to interrupt. "My deepest apologies, but Ben has already made an agreement with someone else for a job, so he cannot accept your request right away."

The air in the room seemed to shudder as he said this. The reaction of the Swords of Darkness was more intense than Ainz's own

"Mr Momon!" Peter called. "He asked for him by name-"

"Momon is right." Ben said cutting Peter off. "I believe I should carry out your request before accepting another."

The decision of both Players seemed to have been the right one. Some of the adventurers around them were nodding in approval.

Despite this, Peter reluctantly said. "I appreciate you prioritizing our request…but the job is hardly a request. If we don't meet any monsters, there won't be any pay to speak of…"

Peter's words to the players trailed off. Being hired by the boy with the famous grandmother was a far cry from wandering around the place trying to kill monsters. That was why Peter sounded like he wanted to give up on the job.

With that conclusion in mind, Ainz gently said. "...Then how about this, Peter? Bareare has not told us about the job's details, payment, timeframe, and such. We will hear him out and make my decision then."

"I'm all right with that, of course. Though I'd like to finish it quickly, it can wait a day or two." Nfirea said

"In that case, please allow my friends from the Swords of Darkness to be present during the job briefing… no, I should say, if the negotiations fall through, I would like the privilege of carrying out my previous task first." Ben said

"Eh? Ben, is it all right for us to come with you?" Peter asked

"Of course. I was hoping you could give your opinions concerning the mission."

After the Swords of Darkness gave their approval, Ben and company returned to the room from just now.

Once more, Ainz took his seat from just now. Ben and Narberal sat beside him, while Nfirea was one seat away from them. The Swords of Darkness went back to their previous places. The first to speak among them was Nfirea

"The receptionist mentioned it earlier, but I think it would be best if I introduced myself. I am Nfirea Bareare, and I work as a herbalist in this city. As for the details of the job, I will soon be heading into the nearby forest as planned. Since everyone knows the forest is dangerous, I was hoping that you could be my guardians, as well as help in harvesting herbs if possible."

"Bodyguarding, huh. I see." Ainz nodded calmly.

"Compared to the usual amount, the payment will be-"

"...Please hold on a moment." Ben said to Nfirea, before turning to Peter and his allies. "The task of bodyguarding suits you guys well, right Peter?"

"Eh?"

"What Ben is trying to say is this." Ainz spoke next. "Since it's a job that involves bodyguarding and harvesting herbs, Lukrut the ranger and Dyne the druid would be far more effective for the job."

"Oh!" Dyne eyes widened in realization. "You have good eyes Ben. As a druid, I can show my true ability in the forest, perhaps even more so than Lukrut the ranger."

"Dyne, you really went and said it, huh." Lukrut said in an annoyed tone

"It's an undeniable truth, given the abilities of druids! And don't forget that I'm trained in herbalism too!"

"Hmph…" Lukrut scoffed. "Peter, I'm fine too. I'll show you who's the better of us, between a Druid and a Ranger."

"I'll take that to be agreement, then." Ben said. "If we see any monsters on the way, we'll kill them and claim the reward when we get back to town. As for Bareare's payment, what if we divided it equally, Peter?"

"If you're fine with it, then I have no objections." Peter said

Nodding Ben turned to the Talent Holder. "Bareare right, sorry for the wait. If it's all right with you, could you permit everyone here to accept the job that you just offered?"

"I don't mind that." Nfirea said. "Then, I'll be counting on all of you. Ah, you can just call me Nfirea."

Ben and the others began introducing themselves to Nfirea. Although Narberal lashed Lukrut with her sharp tongue, they managed to successfully complete their self-introductions.

"Then, what I've done in the past is to proceed to Carne Village to set up a base of operations before venturing into the forest." Nfirea said. "The amount of time we'll spend depends on the herbs that we can gather, but it will be three days at the latest. In the past, it's been a couple of days on average."

"Will we be walking there?" Ainz asked

"Ah, yes. There will be a horse cart, but it'll be full of pots and bottles for gathering herbs, so there's not much room for you to ride."

"Can we replenish our rations in Carne Village?" Peter asked

"Water should be fine, but food might be a problem, because Carne Village isn't very big."

Ainz and The Swords of Darkness began discussing the preparations for the journey, as well as asking Nfirea several questions. As Ben saw this, he decided to speak up as well

"May I ask a few questions?" After seeing Nfirea smile and nod in reply, he began with the first question. "Why me? I've only arrived in this city by carriage recently, and as such I have no friends here, neither am I renowned in this area. That being the case, why did you ask for me? In addition, you mentioned that you've done this in the past, which implies that in the past you've hired other adventurers. How about them?"

Ben's gaze was keen as he studied Nfirea closely. It was as though he could see his eyes, despite the hair concealing them but he could not tell what the boy truly wanted.

"Ah, the adventurers I hired in the past have all left E-Rantel for another city. That's why I was looking for new adventurers." Nfirea said. "Also, actually…I heard about what happened in the inn from one of its guests."

"What happened in the inn?" Peter asked

"Yes, I heard that someone effortlessly knocked out an adventurer one rank higher than himself..."

Ben couldn't help but rub his head sheepishly. "I see…"

"Plus, copper ranked adventurers are cheaper, right? Hopefully we'll get along for a while yet."

"Haha, I do hope so."

"Then, let's move out once we're ready!" Nfirea announced

Present time

The group was arrayed around the wagon as they moved forward. Naturally, Nfirea was driving the wagon. Lukrut the ranger walked ahead of him, Peter the warrior was on the left of the wagon, while Dyne the druid and Ninya the magic caster were on the right. Finally, Ainz, Ben and Nabe brought up the rear.

After about an hour of walking, Nfirea noticed a nearby stream before turning to Peter. "Why don't we take a break, around that area?"

"Good idea." Peter said, causing the rest of the group to take a break from walking. The area's Visibility was good, so everyone was not too tense. However, Peter's voice contained its first hint of severity as he spoke

"Mr Momon, this stretch is a dangerous area. Although we should be able to handle any monsters that appear, please be careful all the same. Yes?

"Don't worry about us. We'll be careful." Ainz said

"Everthing'll be fine as long as I'm here." Lukrut said as he approached Nabe. "I'm the best set of eyes and ears this side of the Re-Estize Kingdom Don't be shy. You can praise me."

"Can I squash him yet?" Nabe asked

"Nabe." Ainz called

"Mosquitos should be handled without mercy." She argued. "Please, Sir."

"Harsh." Ben thought

"It's okay, gorgeous." Lukrut continued. "I so can tell you want me." He added, causing his teammates to laugh nervously

"You know, I just realized something." Nfirea said, swiftly breaking the tension. "We've crossed into the Wise King of the Forest's territory."

"Who is this "Wise King"?" Ainz asked

"It's a very old and powerful magical creature. At least, that's what the legends say." Nfirea said. "Not only can it cast magic, but it's physically strong. And if its four razor claws don't finish you off, its snake tail will."

"Snake tail huh?" Ben asked thoughtfully. "Could it be that this creature is actually a Chimera?"

"What's a Chimera?" Ninya asked

"It's a creature that's said to have three heads." Ben explained. "The first two heads are that of a Lion and Goat, while the final head is that of a snake, which also serves as it's tail."

"That's…wow…" Peter said in shock. "...does such a creature really exist?"

"It's just a myth." Ben said with a shrug. "Besides, that's far from the weirdest Mythological creature I've read about."

"You're joking right?" Lukrut asked as the rest of his teammates gathered round Ben

"Let's see, where do I start…"

Nazarick

The rooms of the Forty two Supreme Beings were modelled after royal suites, and featured a vast bathroom, a bar counter, a living room with a grand piano, a main bedroom, guest rooms, a dedicated kitchen, a dressing room, and so on.

Demiurge advanced to particular bedroom without a second's hesitation. He knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.

There was only a single bed within, but the king-sized bed was adorned with a stylish canopy. There was a large lump, slightly larger than the size of a human, and it was squirming.

"Albedo."

Unable to bear Demiurge calling out to her, the world class beauty revealed her face from under the sheets. Her skin was an uninterrupted stretch of silky smoothness down to her shoulders, so she was probably naked under those sheets. Perhaps it was because she had burrowed into those sheets, but there was a faint blush of arousal on her cheeks.

"...You have your own accommodations, why are you in Lord Ben's room?"

"I was rubbing my scent into everything I could. I wanted it to be the first thing he smelled when he finally returns."

Demiurge was dumbstruck. All he could do was silently watch the highest ranked NPC created by the Supreme Beings, the Guardian Overseer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Then, he tiredly shook his head. "You should probably not take it too far."

"...I don't know what you mean by too far, but I understand. Right, Lord Ben?"

The person lying in bed beside Albedo suddenly revealed his face. Demiurge was so shocked that he had no words to say. For a moment, he thought it was Ben Strega himself, but a closer look proved otherwise.

"Is that... a life-sized body pillow?"

"Yeah. Isn't it great? I made it myself." Demiurge's nearly-closed eyes widened slightly as he heard Albedo's prompt reply. He had not expected her to be possessed of such skills. "Be it cleaning, washing clothes, or sewing, I possess all these skills at a professional level."

Elated by Demiurge's surprise, Albedo continued showing off in a self-satisfied tone. "I've already made socks and clothes for our future baby, up through the age of five."

Albedo's full-faced smile and laugh left Demiurge feeling a little powerless. He considered simply leaving her here and departing forthwith.

"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl… ah! What if the child is a hermaphrodite, or sexless?"

"If the twins are any indication, I believe the Supreme Beings don't mind children crossdressing." Demiurge said, causing Albedo to smile brightly

"Ah…thank you Demiurge, I needed to hear that."

"I'm glad I could be of help." He said nonchalantly. "Well then, in accordance with Lord Ainz's orders, I will be setting out now. That being the case, the only Guardians remaining in Nazarick will be yourself and Cocytus. There is nothing which needs to be said, but I do hope you will take care of yourself."

"So, after Aura, Mare, Sebas, and Shalltear, it's your turn? Mm, leave it to me. I'll have my sisters help me in an emergency. I will also mobilize the Pleiades. They should be enough to hold on until everyone returns."

"...I believe that your little sister cannot be deployed without Lord Ainz's permission, even in an emergency. The same applies to the Pleiades. I believe two of them are already out on missions, so you will not be able to assemble all of them. Perhaps you should move Victim to a higher floor, depending on the circumstances?"

"Still, going that far… preparations have been made in case of such a situation. If something goes awry, please return as soon as possible."

"As you wish." Demiurge said, before leaving Albedo to her business

Elsewhere

"There's this Dragon like creature known as, Nidhogg." Ben said as he continued to list various creatures from different Mythologies. "It basically feeds of the root of the World tree-"

"Forget this Ninbug thing…"

"Nidhogg." Ben corrected Lukrut

"Yeah, yeah…" Lukrut muttered. "I'm more concerned about that Eight Legged Horse."

"Sleipnir?" Ben asked

"Yes, that." Lukrut said. "I've heard some weird things in my life, but a man transforming into a female horse and…"

"I wouldn't overthink it if I were you." Ben said seriously. "Trust me, I've tried."

"I don't know, it's still too hard to take in that's all." Lukrut said

"Forget about the myths for now, there's something I need to ask you." After seeing Ninya nod her head, Ainz began with his questions. "Earlier you said something about magic being used to cook? How does that work?"

"With the use of Creation magic." Ninya answered. "Even basics like salt and sugar. There are also spells like Alarm that can warn you when danger is nearby."

"Doesn't the ingredients created by magic…lose it's effect after sometime?" Ben asked

"Well so far, there have been no record of that happening." Ninya answered

"I see. may I ask about something else?" Ainz continued questioning Ninya, until he was satisfied.

He asked Ninya and Peter so many things that the other Swords of Darkness looked at him with eyes that said, 'Are they still talking?' The topics he touched on were quite diverse, including magic, martial arts, adventurers, the politics of the region, among other things.

Although he had to ask his questions carefully, the answers were still very helpful. Ainz was certain that this had greatly increased his knowledge about this world.

As Ainz continued with his question, Ben chose that moment to test the use of creation magic away from the group. At least that was the plan till he noticed Nabe shadowing him from behind

"Problem?" Ben asked the battle maid without facing her

"Not at all…Sir Ben…" Nabe stuttered. "... I'm just keeping an eye on you…per my duty as a Pleiades" Though that was true, the main reason Nabe was actually stalking him was due to Albedo's orders

"First of, you're not a Pleiades outside Nazarick." Ben said. "Also, if you keep following me around Lukrut might get the wrong idea."

"Well what do we have here?"

"Speak of the devil." Ben whispered before facing the Ranger. "Hey."

"You know, I just realized." Lukrut said while eying Nabe. "You always seem super relaxed, Nabe. Is it because you know that I'm keeping you safe?"

"It has nothing to do with you. I'm with sir Ben."

"Shit."

So, what you're telling me is…" Lukrut grinned as he eyed the player. "...that the two of you are lovers after all?"

"No, I never said that!" Nabe yelled, making the others turn to her direction. "Stop putting words in my mouth! Lady Albedo is the only one he needs...!"

"Stop, Nabe! What are you thinking?" Ben said quickly

"Uh…" Realization seem to hit Lukrut. "So, he's already taken."

Clearing his throat, Ben glared at the Ranger. "Lukrut, I am this close to setting you on fire."

"My bad Ben." Lukrut said. "Though, from the sound of it, you're one lucky man." Peter suddenly appeared behind the ranger, before smacking his head

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "He can be really idiotic sometimes. Please forgive him. I promise he doesn't mean any harm by it."

"It's fine." Ben sighed. "As long as he's careful from now on. We'll have no trouble."

"You really need to stop delving into people's business." Ninya scolded

"They're on the move," Lukrut suddenly said, in a voice which held a hint of tension. It was completely different from the flighty attitude he had taken while flirting with Nabe.

"From where?" Ainz asked

"Just past the tree line." Ben said. "Ten Ogres and twenty Goblins. I don't think we'll be able to avoid this fight."

"You have good eyes." Lukrut said

"It's going to get rough very quickly." Peter said to Nfirea. "The best thing you can do is stay hidden in the cart."

"My life is in your hands."

"Mr. Momon, what's the best way to split the group up?" Peter asked

"All of you should stay close to Nfirea." Ainz said. "I'll show him that our services are worth every coin."

"That sounds good to me." Peter said. "But we're not just gonna watch. You'll have all the extended support we can muster."

"If we go completely defensive, most of them will escape back into the forest." Ninya said

"Don't worry about the stragglers, Ben should have no problem dealing with them." Ainz said

"Good grief, and here I thought I would be only playing support." Ben said

With their plan set in motion, Ben and Ninya stood beside the wagon with the others guarding the front from a good distance. Ainz casually strolled towards the approaching enemies, with Nabe just behind him

Three Ogres, who were too stupid to be afraid continued heading toward Ainz. As they closed in on him, the Ogres raised their clubs. Just as the Ogres were about to make their move, Ainz stepped forward.

His movements were as swift as the wind. And then, faster than that, he swung the greatsword in his right hand. The flashing blade left a silvery afterimage in its wake as it cleaved through the air.

The stroke was an astounding one, it raised goosebumps on the onlookers' skin. Even though the blade was not aimed at them, they could not help but feel that death stood by their side.

It was over in a single blow.

Ainz turned his gaze from the Ogre in front of him, seeking another target. As though waiting for Ainz to look away, the upper body of the Ogre slid off and fell wetly to the ground, leaving its motionless lower body still standing. Yet, the spray of blood and organs and the vile stench that hung in the air proved that this was not an illusion.

The Ogre had been cut diagonally in half.

The battle was still on, but both sides were motionless, save Ben who whispered something to himself.

"You just had to overdo it huh."

"...Amazing." Ninya muttered those words, which carried clearly across the silent battlefield.

"...Absolutely incredible. This is beyond mithril or orichalcum… no, could he be adamantite?" Dyne said

In the face of this jaw-dropping sight, the Ogres unconsciously stopped moving, and began backing off with looks of fear on their faces. Ainz strode forth, shrinking the distance between himself and the Ogres.

"What's wrong? Not coming?" His casual, relaxed words resounded through the battlefield.

These simple words filled the ogres with fear. After all, they had seen with their own eyes the vast disparity between their own power and Ainz's.

On his part, Ainz closed the gap to the Ogres with startling speed. His movements were swift, with a speed that someone wearing a suit of full plate armor should not have possessed.

With a cry that sounded like a cross between a wail of despair and a shout, the Ogre before him raised his great club to smite the oncoming Ainz. However, everyone here knew in their guts that the Ogre was far, far too slow.

As Ainz closed in, he swung the greatsword in his left hand horizontally.

The Ogre's upper body spun through the air, landing some distance away from the rest of its body.

This time, it had been transversely bisected.

"Mr Momon… are you a monster…?" Lukrut gasped as yet another breathtaking scene unfolded before their eyes, none of them could bring themselves to refute his words.

"...Then, as for the rest of you...:" Ainz stepped forward. The ugly faces of the ogres froze, and they retreated even faster.

The Goblins circled around the Ogres and Ainz's defensive line to attack Peter and the others. Swords of Darkness, stunned by the sights they had just seen, managed to react to the assault and began moving.

Peter raised his broadsword and large shield, prepared to take on the ten or so Goblins headed toward him. He slashed forward, sending a Goblin's head flying into the air, and then Peter evaded the arterial spray before entering melee with the other Goblins.

"Take this!"

The yellow toothed Goblins responded with a garbled cry that was hard on the ears.

Peter adroitly blocked the Goblin's club with his shield, while his magically reinforced armor took the rest of the hits with a low-pitched sound.

"[Magic Arrow]." Ninya said as two magical missiles struck the Goblin trying to attack Peter from behind. It collapsed like its strings had been cut.

"[Accelerate]." Ben added, causing the entire front row save Ainz and Nabe to glow yellow

"What the heck!" Lukrut yelled as his perception and movement increased to levels he never thought were possible

"I feel amazing." Peter stared at his hands before casually slicing three goblins in half

Some of the Goblins surrounding Peter rushed the other two adventurers, but none of the Goblins dared attack Narberal, who stood beside the storm of death called Ainz.

Lukrut put down his composite longbow and drew a short sword from his waist. Together with Dyne, they matched against five Goblins, and the odds seemed to be greatly in their favor. The Goblins were being eliminated one by one

Ninya surveyed the battlefield anxiously, with an eye toward conserving her spells.

Just as everyone had expected, the number of Ogre corpses steadily increased. There were two more Ogres struggling to hold on to life. One of them was pinned down by the grass, while the other was quaking in fear before Ainz.

Ainz's helmet turned to face the last Ogre who was still opposing him. The Ogre seemed to sense Ainz's expression through the slits of his closed helm, because it made a strange cry before turning to flee, discarding its greatclub as it ran for the forest. It was moving faster than when it charged, but there was no escape for it.

"Nabe, do it."

As the merciless order rang through the air, Narberal, who had been standing by behind Ainz,nodded slightly.

"[Lightning]."

The electrical discharge thundered through the air as it leapt forth, and the stroke of lightning cleanly pierced the fleeing Ogre's body. It even went through the Ogre behind it, the one which had been entangled by Dyne's spell.

That single spell finished off two Ogres.

"Run!"

"Run away! Run away!"

The Goblins and four more Ogres, who had watched this scene in stunned silence, began fleeing as they screamed in terror.

"Momon, they're getting away." Ben called to his teammate

"Then you better do something about that." Ainz said before folding his arm. "There's nothing wrong with being greedy once in a while."

"Tch, fine." Ben sighed to himself. "[Thousand Choas Lance]"

Over one or two thousand lances of darkness manifested around Ben. The violet spears assailed the fleeing monsters from all directions, tearing both Goblins and Ogres alike to shreds, leaving no survivors.

"Wow." Lukrut muttered, breaking the silence that befell the battlefield

"I knew you guys were strong, but this…this is something else." Peter said

"I wouldn't be surprised if they're stronger than the royal head warrior." Dyne said

"Far stronger." Nabe said

"It's moments like these that remind me there is always a bigger fish in the sea." Lukrut said.

With nothing else to do, Ninya began cutting off the Goblins' ears with a dagger.

"Are the ears valuable?" Ainz asked

"Not on their own, but you can exchange them and other parts for a reward from the guild. It can be pretty lucrative."

"So crystals or rare trinkets don't just randomly drop from them?" Ainz asked

"To be honest, I've never even heard of ogres carrying crystals or trinkets."

"I see."

Later

The sun touched the horizon, and the group had their dinner against the ruby radiance of its dying light.

In their hands, they held bowls of thick stew flavoured with bacon bits, as well as toasted bread, dried figs, walnuts, and other nuts. This was today's dinner.

Ainz looked at the bowl of stew in his hands. It appeared to be very salty. He could not feel the heat of the bowl through his metal gauntlets, but judging from the way everyone else was digging into it with big mouthfuls and not blowing on it to cool it down, it should have been just the right temperature.

"Crap. What should I do?" Ainz thought. "If I drink it, it'll go between my bones."

Noticing Ainz predicament, Ben decided to stir up a conversation to distract the group from Ainz

"I've been wondering. Where did the name "Swords of Darkness" come from?"

"Oh, that. Tell 'em, Ninya." Lukrut said

"Don't make me! I was young and stupid!"

"It really is nothing to be embarrassed about." Dyne said

"That's easy for you to say. You didn't come up with it."

"Anyway." Peter said. " It's a reference to the old legends, The Thirteen Heroes. We named our party after the swords of one of the fabled warriors."

"I don't know them." Ben admitted. "Who are they?"

"Oh right." Peter said. "Among The Thirteen Heroes, there was one called the "Black Knight" who wielded four powerful swords known only as "The Swords of Darkness."

"See, when we started our little group, our ultimate goal was to find the swords for ourselves someday." Ninya said as she produced a dagger from her robe. "But, we needed a symbol in the meantime. So we carry these daggers as placeholders."

Producing his, Lukrut added. "I don't care that these aren't the real deal. They represent the creation of our team, and that's more important to me than any mythical blade."

"You know, I think that's the first time Lukrut has said something mildly meaningful." Ben said, causing the others to laugh

"Hey! Take that back!"

"Who are you and what'd you done with our friend?" Peter asked slyly

"Shut up!" Lukrut said, while jumping to his feet. "I'm a silver-tongued fox and you know it." As the other continued to laugh, Ainz and Ben felt a sense of deja Vu as they remembered their guild

"You all seem very close." Ainz said. "Is it common for adventurers to get along?"

"Yeah! We all trust each other with our lives." Peter said

"It helps that our team is nothing but guys, too." Lukrut said causing Ben to groan, while Ninya shifted uncomfortably. "Throwing a girl into the mix would be distracting."

"You don't say." Ben said dryly

"Were you on a team, Mr Momon?" Ninya asked

"It wasn't as an adventurer, but, yes, I was. Once, when I was weak and alone, a holy knight clad in white armor saved my life. He led me to the people I would eventually call my comrades. It changed me forever. They were the best allies I could ever hope for. More than that. They were friends, family. I will never forget the days I spent with them, as long as I live."

"Ben?" Ninya noticed the boys body language at the mention of 'A Holy Knight. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ben said before standing up to leave. "Thank you for the food."

"Did something happen?" Lukrut asked

"It's…the holy knight I talked about was his brother." Ainz said

"If I had to guess, his brother is gone?" Peter asked, prompting Ainz to nod

"It's been years since he died, but he doesn't seem to have moved on from it." Ainz sighed

"That feeling stays with you." Ninya said as she remembered her sister. "I should know."

"Maybe you should go talk to him." Ainz said

"What?"

"You seem to understand what it means to lose a sibling far better than I do." Ainz added

"I…um…okay." Ninya said, coming to her feet. "I don't know how much I can do, but…I'll try."

Meanwhile

Away from the others, Ben looked up above to the black of a night, speckled with a glittering pattern of stars, lit by the crescent moon. No sound but the gentle ebb and flow of the wind. Nothing around except…

"Hey." Ninya called she as stood beside Ben

"Hey." He called back, while still studying the constellations. "Sorry for walking off like that."

"It's fine." She said, before following his gaze. "Mr Momon told us about your predicament. I'm kinda like you in that regard."

"Huh?"

"My sister was taken from me by nobles when I was younger. It's basically one of the main reasons I became an adventurer."

"When you mean taken by nobles, you mean…"

"She was bought." Ninya clarified

"Is she's still alive?"

"I don't know." Ninya admitted. "Hopefully if I make enough money as adventurer, I might be able to find her."

"Ninya."

"Yes."

"I'll help you find your sister." Ben said. "Probably after this mission."

"Ah…thank you."

"Don't sweat it."

"It's ironic you know."

"How so?"

"I came to cheer you up, but it ended up being you doing the cheering."

"Sorry about that." Ben chuckled. "Force of habit."

"The stars seem to be many tonight."

"Yeah." Ben muttered. "It's kinda been a nightly routine for me to just stare into the night sky since getting here."

"Really?"

"Well, where I grew up, views like this are basically, no existent."

"You're exaggerating right?"

"Besides drawings and paintings, I've never actually seen the night stars" Ben said, as he remembered how polluted the skys of present day Japan were.

"Well in that case, hope you don't mind me enjoying the view with you?"

"Sure."

Elsewhere

Clementine stormed back to Khazit's hideout the secret shrine under E-Rantel's graveyard. Her strides were wild and forceful, her brows were furrowed, and her mouth was twisted. Her pretty features were distorted into something which could only have been described with the word "ugly."

That said, her true nature was probably more grotesque than that face.

Khazit muttered to himself as he guided a newly-created Zombie over to the undead storage area.

"Oh~ A new Zombie? That's over a hundred and fifty now, the Orb of Death is quite extraordinary~"

The number of undead that could be controlled by the third-tier spell [Create Undead] was limited by the power of the spell's caster. The more undead one made, the fewer one could control. Still, Zombies were among the lowest grade of undead. Someone like Khazit, who was specialized in controlling the undead, could maintain his hold over the unbelievable amount of over a hundred of them at once. The reason Khazit could control more than even that number was due to the power of the item he carried the Orb of Death.

"It's all because you've been fooling around so much."

"Sor-ry~"

There was not even the slightest hint of remorse on Clementine's face as she apologized.

"Still~ it's their fault for dying so soon~ couldn't they hold on a little longer—?"

"…When you bash them like that, it's no wonder they'd die…"

"Adventurers wouldn't die so easily~"

"They weren't adventurers, just ordinary civilians… Clementine, do you like spouting obvious things to waste time?"

"Yesyesyes~ I'm sorry, it won't happen again, please forgive me~"

Khazit clicked his tongue.

"As if I could believe that. In any case, stop going after people."

"Oh-kay~"

Her flighty response made Khazit furrow his brows. Still, there was no point going on about it, so he decided not to continue lecturing her. He tried to express his displeasure with the wrinkles of his frown, but as expected, she ignored it.

"Buuut~ I'm so booooooored, speaking of which, where is he, anyway?"

"Has he not returned yet?"

"Not yet. I missed him since it's hard to get a hold of him, what about grabbing that granny instead~?"

"Stop that. That old woman is a third tier magic caster and a famous person in this city, so don't look down on her. If you move carelessly against her, you might find yourself in too deep to dig yourself out."

"Ehhhhh~ But-"

Khazit reached into his robes, and withdrew a jet-black gemstone.

"…Clementine, I've spent several years preparing to turn this place into a city of the dead. I don't want your pointless antics to set my plans back. If you continue making trouble… I'll kill you."

"…It's called the Death Spiral, right?"

"Indeed. It's the rite our leader is conducting."

In places where the undead gathered, more powerful undead were born. When these more powerful undead gathered, even more powerful undead would appear. The magic rite which made use of this property was like a spiral, constantly spawning ever more powerful undead beings. It was potent enough to destroy an entire city, so it was known as the "Death Spiral."

This wicked ritual had been conducted in the past, and it had turned a metropolis into a city of the dead where the undead roamed free.

Khazit's aim was to turn E-Rantel into another such dead city. He would turn himself into an undead being by harnessing the necromantic energies from such a place.

He had made extensive preparations to achieve his aim. He would not let this woman who had showed up just a few days ago ruin his plans.

"Got it?"

Khazit saw through Clementine's adorably puffed-up cheeks. Her expression was one of cruel malice. In that moment, Clementine surged forward like a killing storm.

She closed the distance between them in an instant, and struck like lightning. The sharp blade in her hand gleamed lethally as it flashed toward Khazit's throat, stopping by an inch

"Hard to believe she was once a Black Scripture." Khazit thought as she slowly drew her blade away from him. "Her power earned her the ninth seat of their order, but that corrupt personality made her troublesome. I'll have to keep an eye on her."