The group traveled for a couple of hours before making a quick stop for some food. Usually, they'd use their traveling rations, but after seeing Momon defeat Motoyasu, Raphtalia insisted on training with him more. Filo ended up joining in, not wanting to be left out. And so, with them preoccupied, Naofumi made some stew with help from the witch accompanying them.

"Filo, move back!" Filo jumped back into the air, avoiding Momon's blade sweep. Raphtalia charged from behind, aiming in between his armor plating, only for him to block with his other blade and shove her away.

"Better, but you must learn how to fight with Filo and her body language. She was already primed to dodge my attack before you warned her. You wasted time and effort on a useless warning. And you!" Momon buried his blade into the ground and raised it suddenly, flinging multiple rocks at Filo, catching her off guard. They all hit her body, making her flinch in pain.

"Oww! That hurt!"

"Fighting is painful, especially when you make mistakes. Never drop your guard just because you think you are out of enemy range. Now, again!" The two of them charged at him as he defended himself again.

Naofumi enjoyed the entertainment as he and the witch cooked. However the stew they were cooking was already finished, and they were still training. Frustrated, Naofumi yelled out to them.

"Hey! Wrap it up, you three! We were supposed to arrive at the temple before nightfall!" The three looked over and nodded.

"We'll be right over." Momon and Raphtalia gathered some thrown weapons as Filo ran over to Naofumi.

"But master, I was having fun."

"Oh, so you don't want any food I spent time making specifically for you. Fine, I'll eat it." He grabbed one of the prepared meat skewers he had set aside for her and began eating.

"Nooo! Master, don't! That's mine!" As Filo panicked over her meat skewer, the other two were made their way back to the makeshift campfire.

"You put on quite a show for us. How long have you been training for? It's rare to see such talent in one so young." Raphtalia blushed slightly at the witch's compliment.

"Thanks, but I'm still just a beginner. I've only gotten this far because Momon has been training me for the past couple of weeks. Before that, my only experience was from fighting low-level monsters."

"I wouldn't sell yourself short. I've never seen someone at your skill level with so little experience or training." Momon sat nearby and grabbed a bowl of stew.

"She's right. Your progress has been impressive. However, we still need to work on your combat magic." He looked to the witch.

"Is there any way she could shorten the spells? It doesn't seem viable for her to use amid combat to concentrate on performing the incantation."

"Hmm, I don't believe it's possible at her current level. The incantation is the vocalization of the magic words mages need to learn to cast spells, calling upon the world to give the spell form. Highly skilled mages can cast without incantations, but it significantly lowers its effectiveness." After answering his question, the witch looked confused.

"It's not exactly widely known, but I thought someone of your experience would've already known that. Do you not have much magical knowledge?" Momon hesitated as they all looked at him.

"Ah, well… As an adventurer, I learned about the types of spells and how to counter them, but I never dedicated myself to learning how magic functions. It was never my area of interest." Naofumi moved Filo away from his face, giving Filo her meal serving, to enter the conversation.

"Hold on, you used to be an adventurer? I thought you said you were a royal knight."

"I am a royal knight, but before that, I used to travel as an adventurer with my companion, Nabe. Heh, back then, I used to be called the Raven Black Hero, with Nabe being The Beautiful Princess." Naofumi laughed hearing their adventurer names.

"The Beautiful Princess? That's such a stupid name- Hey!" Raphtalia smacked Naofumi's arm.

"Mr. Naofumi, you're being rude!" Momon just smiled at Naofumi's slight at the name.

"No, it's fine. Naber- Nabe hated that name. She thought it indicated that she was ranked above me. Haha, I had to hold her back from the poor soul that first called her that. While people yelled out my name with zeal, they would whisper her's or else risk a bloody nose."

"Let me guess, you two are lovers?" Momon panicked as he shook his head violently.

"No, no! She's special to me, but not in that way. We were adventuring companions, nothing more." Naofumi smirked and nodded sarcastically.

"Sure, you two were "just friends." I've heard that before."

"Trust me, that's all we were. She's the adoptive daughter of one of my old friends. Trying a romantic relationship with her would've been extremely weird."

"Ah… okay." Naofumi went back to eating the stew, trying to hide his embarrassment. Raphtalia giggled seeing Naofumi flustered and turned to Momon.

"So, these old friends of yours, did you used to adventure with them as well? These must've been incredible."

Momon's smile slowly dropped as she asked. The pleasant atmosphere faded as Momon stayed quiet, looking down at his bowl in thought. They'd never attempted to learn more about him before, but it was clear her question bothered him. Raphtalia, seeing his discomfort, tried to save face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. I know you want your privacy." He shook his head.

"No, it's alright. It's just been a while since I've thought of them…" A small smile returned as he spoke.

"Yeah, I traveled with them for many years. We traveled the world together, fighting beasts and monsters of all kinds. We even created a guild together, "Nine's Own Goal". At the guild's peak, there were forty-one of us, all of us working together to make our guild the best there was. Not all of them got along, but, heh, what group doesn't have a bit of drama? They were my family, but as time passed, they started to leave. Until I was the last one." Momon's tone became somber as he continued.

"I thought I'd never find people I could share that bond with ever again. And I was right, I never did… But I've learned in my years that I should not try to replace what was lost but rather embrace the ones that I have. Of course, if I had a chance to see my old comrades again, I would. But not if it meant leaving the family I have back home."

The group listened to his story as he drifted into memories of the long past. Seeing their attention on him, Momon shook his head, bringing himself back to reality.

"Sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about. We've all lost someone, one way or another. It's a part of life." The witch gave him a kind smile as he nodded back.

"Life, huh… I guess that's true." He put his bowl down and stretched his arms.

"Thanks for the meal, it was delicious as always. We should probably be on our way to the temple if we need to get there before nightfall, right?"

"Yeah, we should've already been on the road by now. Ugh, whatever. We'll finish up quick and then be on our way." Momon nodded to Naofumi's confirmation.

"Alright, I'll be waiting in the wagon."

At Naofumi's insistence, the group quickly finished their meals and returned to the road.

It only took a few hours before the group reached the ruined temple. The structure was carved into a crack in the mountainside. While it showed signs of erosion, it was still a sight to behold.

'Impressive architecture. Reminds me of the ruins I explored when I visited the Minotaur kingdom. Strange it hasn't been destroyed to access to the crystals Naofumi's after.' Ainz turned to the witch.

"You mentioned an alchemist used to live here?"

"From what I've heard of local stories, yes. However, the temple does not have access to the crystals we need. There should be a tunnel nearby that goes underneath the temple. That's where the crystals are." Naofumi hopped down from the wagon and faced them.

"Alright, everyone, fan out and look for an entrance. Filo, look for an entrance in the higher areas while we look down here."

"Okay!"

It only took them a bit before they found a tunnel dug out between a crack in the mountain. After a small debate, they decided to check it out, with Filo barely squeezing through the entrance.

The tunnel's interior was clearly man-made, with stone bricks lining the walls and flooring. They passed several tables with cobwebs and old alchemy equipment as they continued forward. At the end of the tunnel was a pedestal with a locked strongbox sitting on top. Naofumi approached it, seeing ancient text chiseled below it.

"Hey, Witch. Do you know what this says?" She walked over to examine the text more closely.

"Hmm. It's quite old, but I believe I can. "To he who would break the seal of the seed. It is my desire that this seed never be unleashed onto this world. It will play with people's desires to be freed from famine, granting their wish in the worst way imaginable. The seal is not easily broken." Hmm. Please keep in mind that I'm going off from what I recognize." Ainz, overhearing their interaction approached the pedestal as well.

"Is it still locked?"

"Looks like it. Think we should open it?"

"Mr. Naofumi! After hearing that warning, you still want to see what's inside?" Raphtalia popped in with her objection, with the witch nodding in agreement.

"It might not be worth the risk. Whatever the alchemist was working on must have been dangerous to warrant that writing. And I can sense an old seal protecting it and may very well be linked to a trap." Naofumi rolled his eyes

"This place is ancient. I doubt any trap would still be active. Leaving it would be a complete waste, and I bet I could sell whatever's inside for quite a bit. You agree with me, right, Momon?" Ainz inspected the strongbox and its lock, careful not to move it too much.

'There's something cursed inside, that's for certain. Hmm, while I'm curious to see what Naofumi's shield would do with this, there may not be anything else like it in this world...' Ainz debated for a second, before deciding it was not worth the risk of losing a unique item.

"Why would they place a cursed item in the middle of a room with nothing guarding it? Best case, there is no trap, and it contains a cursed item that'll kill us or whoever we sell it to. Worst case, it's a decoy meant to trap adventures, with nothing inside." Naofumi grumbled under his breath before giving in.

"Ugh. Alright fine, we'll leave it. So, do we go back the way we came? I don't see any other way down."

"Master, I think there's something behind this thing."

Filo looked at an old stone bookshelf curiously, scratching at its edges. Naofumi approached it, feeling the air move along the wall. He looked down where some old scratches were on the floor in front of the bookcase.

"I think she's right. Hey, Momon. You mind moving this?"

"Sure. Shouldn't be a problem." Everyone stepped back as Ainz forced the bookshelf to the side, revealing a rough tunnel further down.

"Perfect, let's go." The group funneled into the tunnel, with Ainz giving the strongbox a final look.

'I'll have my shadow demon pick it up after we leave. Even if it ends up being weak, I bet Mare or Demiurge could utilize it. Depending on what it does, they might be able to create a new crop or even a type of plant being.' Ainz's mind wondered about the possibilities as he caught up with the others.

Unlike the previous room, the tunnel was bare rock with little signs of development, save for a few unlit torches. Further down, they started hitting splits in the tunnel. Thankfully, they only encountered paths that obviously led to the surface. A few monster tracks led from one of the other paths, but with the number of people they had they chose to press forward.

Ainz noticed some small monsters hiding in the shadows of the tunnel, ready to ambush.

'Hmm, they don't look like much. I'll just sit this one out. Even if they don't notice the monsters in time, I doubt they could do any real harm.'

They only had to walk a bit further before the monsters made their move. The group panicked after being blinded by the monsters. Ainz was frustrated that their magic blinded him as well.

'I hate using this body. It's so fragile, but, hah, its mana usage is significantly lower than any illusion magic I-'

"Abandoned…"

Ainz froze as he heard a distorted voice from behind him. He could swear he recognized it but couldn't quite make it out.

"You abandoned them…" Ainz's body began to sweat as shivers went down his entire skeleton.

He knew the voice.

"Bukubukuchagama..."

"You abandoned our home. You left our children to suffer alone, without you. For your own selfish reasons." Ainz started to hyperventilate. He could feel his emotional suppression activated multiple times, but his human flesh still quaked in fear.

"No… I didn't… I just wanted them to see you again. They all wanted you back, and—" Another voice yelled out.

"Liar! You only thought of yourself! We trusted you, and you failed us, Momonga. Ha, but what should we expect from a loser whose entire life was a game. Even when we all left, you were still grinding your life away. Pathetic." Tears fell from his eyes as they spoke to him.

"Did you think that country you created off the bones of countless innocents would make us happy? You're such a fool. Why did I ever think you were fit to be guild leader?"

"Touch Me...? Ugh!" Ainz grabbed his head trying to shut the voices out.

"Shut up! You're not real! You can't be!"

His friends and comrades, whom he hadn't heard the voices of for decades, continued to blame him, mock him, and criticize everything he had done as the Sorcerer King. And he was forced to listen no matter how often his emotion suppression was activated.

'Why is this happening? I know it's not real, but then why do I feel like this? Why!' His undead mind searched relentlessly for the reason behind the voices, while his soul could only weep at the voices' ridicule.

In between the voices, he felt something scratching at his armor. He looked down to see one of the small monsters that had ambushed them, desperately trying to get through his armor. A revelation suddenly came to him. If they were able to blind his human body, then...

His body. The monsters. They were the cause.

Ainz balled up his fists in rage, crushing the human flesh around it. He knew the source of his pain and how to end it. He raised his broken hand to his skull and cast a spell.

"[Death]"

Author's Note:

I'm back. So, an issue I ran into was when I first started this story a year ago I had certain scenes in mind I wanted to write, this being one of them, but putting those scenes into the story was harder than I expected. It wasn't this chapter that I had issues with it was the next one. The next chapter's scenes should've been released with this one but the flow didn't feel right being in the same chapter and I haven't even finished it and I didn't want to delay the chapter even longer. So, after struggling to write the next scenes for a few weeks, I release these scenes as their own chapter. I hope to release the next chapter soon... maybe, I don't know.

Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next.