Chapter 7: The Wise King of the Forest
Road to Crane Village
After a rather long night, the group set out at daybreak, along a hidden path on the plains. While the others moved beside the carriage, Ben and Ninya were about thirty feet ahead of the others, with Ainz and Nabe just four feet behind them, listening to their conversation
"So you're telling me Dragons exist in this region?" Ben asked as they continued walking
"There are plenty of local legends to support it." Ninya said. "Apparently, there's a dragon near E-Rantel that's able to control nature at will. And north...I've heard that there are quite a few living frost dragons that make their nests on the other side of the Azerlisia mountains. There could be hundreds up there."
"Um. Ninya. You wouldn't happen to know the name of the dragon with the power over nature?" Ainz asked
"Huh? Sorry. No idea. I'll ask when we're back in town."
"Please do. That would be of great help to us." Ben said
"'Kay! Consider it done. I won't let you down."
Meanwhile, with the others
"You know, if I didn't know better, I would think Ben was trying to steal Ninya from us." Lukrut said as he watched his teammate lecture Ben on some urban legends
"Nah, if I remember correctly, he already has someone." Peter said. "Though considering his looks, I won't be surprised if some men chase after him."
"He must be really popular." Nfirea said with a hint of jealousy
"Well, beside his looks, his strength as a magic caster is also amazing." Lukrut said. "Even though his robe looks basic, it also seems to be quite expensive, meaning he's obviously quite wealthy. Though he looks like the type of person who only make tasteless noodles."
"Oh…" Nfirea muttered
"All right, spill it." Lukrut said as he noticed the boys attitude
"Well. There's this girl." Nfirea said hesitantly. "I can't help being afraid that she might fall for him once we get to Carne. It's stupid, I know."
"Is that all?!" Lukrut asked. "Don't worry, I'll teach you all the ways to make a woman's knees bu-"
"Zip it!" Peter said, kicking Lukrut family jewel
"Ow! That's my money-maker you just assaulted, jerk!"
"It doesn't matter what kind of person she is." Dyne said. "Just keep trying. If you give up, it's all over."
"We'll even help support you, at no extra charge!" Peter said
"Come on!" Lukrut said while giving a thumbs up. "You can do it!"
"You guys…"
"Be persistent!" Dyne added causing them all to laugh
"We'll be at Carne Village soon." The other travellers nodded in response to Nfirea, the only person who had been to Carne Village before. Apart from that, they walked on in silence. Nfirea seemed somewhat put off by that.
The group advanced in silence, and they soon made it to the outskirts of Carne Village where Ainz, Ben, Ninya and Narberal were seen waiting for them.
Everyone looked at the village before their eyes. It was a rustic hamlet at the edge of the forest. There was nothing strange or unusual about it, so Nfirea's silence was a mystery.
"What's wrong, Nfirea? Is something the matter?" Peter asked
"Ah, no, it's fine. Just… I don't recall seeing a sturdy fence like the one in front of us..."
"Really? But it looks like an ordinary fence. Actually, it's kind of shabby for a frontier village fence, right? It wouldn't be a surprise that a village at the edge of the forest would have a sturdy fence to protect against monsters, right?"
"Hm-you might be right… but Carne has the Wise King of the Forest, so they've never put up a fence before…"
Everyone looked to the village. The village was surrounded by a fence as far as they could see, and the fence was made of logs which were resilient to cutting.
"How strange… did something happen...?"
Ainz remained silent, even after hearing the lad's uneasy question. In the past, he had come here as the magic caster Ainz Ooal Gown, but now he was the adventurer Momon.
Ben on the other hand, didn't seem bothered as he cut in. "You don't need to worry, I'm sure everything is fine."
"Have you been here before?" Peter asked as he walked at the head of the group and because his armor touched the wheat stalks, it was soon covered in wheat grains. Peter muttered as he saw this, feeling that something was wrong.
This was a warning born from his instincts, which had been honed through countless brushes with death. Would the green grains fall off so easily?
Driven by instinct, he looked back into the wheat fields, and saw a pair of eyes staring at them. It was a small creature, its body even smaller as it hunkered down in the wheat. Although its face was obscured by the wheat stalks, it was clearly not human in nature.
"What!?"
Peter was shocked to see that Ben was already Infront of him, holding the blade end of a Goblin with his bare hand
"How can a magic caster move so fast."
The shocked Peter wanted to shout, but Ben spoke first, "Could you put down your weapons, please?"
There were faint sounds from another direction. When Peter looked to the source of those sounds, he found that there was a marvellously camouflaged hole in the wheatfields, with half a demihuman sticking out of it. The Goblin was covered in wheat stalks as further camouflage.
Ainz raised his hand to stop Narberal from killing them all. After examining the Goblins, he was certain that his guess was correct.
"They should be the Goblins summoned from the Horn of the Goblin General." Ainz thought
If the girl who had received that horn was controlling these Goblins, then he had to avoid antagonizing them, as much as possible. If that was not the case they would have to think of something else. However, they were not enemies of Ainz, so it should be fine.
The Goblin who's sword was still in Ben hand, couldn't help but sigh. "You're scary." He said, before Ben released his sword
"Really now?" Ben asked. "I've always been told, 'I'm 'too nice'."
The Goblin looked over to Ainz, who stood tall and steady, and said. "What about your friend in the full plate?"
"Relax." Ben assured him. "If you don't attack, neither will he."
"Thanks for that. That guy seems scary. When I think about him and that girl as enemies, my hairs stand on end."
Ben did not reply, but shrugged. "They can be like that sometimes."
"Then, please wait here for a bit before Boss lady arrives." The Goblin said
"Who's that Boss Lady you're talking about!? Did she take over Carne Village!?" Nfirea's agitation was reflected in the obvious surprise on the Goblins' faces.
"Boss Lady's village was recently attacked by people dressed up as Imperial knights, we're just staying on guard."
"The village was attacked…! Is she all right!?"
As though in response to Nfirea's shouts, a girl appeared at the entrance to the village, escorted by more goblins. As he saw the girl, Nfirea's eyes went wide, and he shouted her name with all his strength:
"Enri!"
The girl heard the shout, and responded in turn. Her voice was gentle and filled with kindness, as though addressing a close friend.
"Nfirea!"
At this moment, Ainz recalled what he had heard earlier. "Ah… it would seem that her herbalist friend was not a woman, but a man."
"Big bro Ben!" Another voice caught the attention of the group, as a younger girl tackled Ben into a hug
"It's nice to see you again Nemu." Ben said while petting the girl on her back
Enri's House
"So that's what happened."
Nfirea sighed deeply, and mumbled to himself.
Nfirea had been close to Enri's parents. They were great parents, and the way they loved their daughters was quite enviable. Nfirea had lost his parents at a young age and only had murky impressions of them. Therefore, when he thought of an outstanding father and mother, Nfirea immediately thought of Enri's parents.
He was filled with rage when he heard that her parents had been killed by the Imperial knight impostors, and all he could think when he learned that they had been slaughtered in turn was serves them right. He was also somewhat angry at the higher-ups in E-Rantel, who refused to send soldiers over.
However, he felt something was wrong about him displaying this anger, when Enri for whom that anger was far more justified had set those feelings aside.
He looked at Enri, her eyes brimming with tears. As he wondered whether he should try to comfort her, Enri wiped her tears away and smiled
"I still have a little sister. I can't lose myself in sadness forever."
Nfirea was halfway off his chair, and now he sat down again. Having lost the chance to console her, he felt like he had wasted an opportunity and was ashamed of his own uselessness.
Even so, his desire to protect her had not changed. After a brief pause, Nfirea made up his mind. He would not let anyone other than himself sit beside Enri, even if that person was a powerful being who could protect her.
He felt a little anxious, but while he was riding on this surge of emotion, Nfirea decided that he would share the feelings he had had ever since he came to this village for the first time as a child.
"Then." His throat seemed to have clamped shut. Come on, say it! Although he desperately wanted to speak, the words stuck in his throat and refused to leave.
Both Enri and Nfirea were at an age where it would not be unusual for them to be married. In addition, due to his income as a herbalist, Nfirea had enough money to support Enri and her little sister.
"I could probably provide for a child too…" He thought. The image of the family he wanted to make appeared in his mind but he immediately waved away his runaway imagination. The knowledge that Enri was looking at him in surprise made him even more nervous.
His mouth opened, and then closed.
"I like you."
"I love you."
But the words refused to leave his lips, because he was afraid of hearing her reject him.
Then, what else could he say to shorten the distance between them?
The city's safer, do you want to live with me? I'll take care of you and your little sister. If you want to work, you can help in Granny's shop.
If you feel uneasy about the city, I'll do my best to help you.
He should say that. The chances of those words being rejected would be a lot lower than a confession of love.
"Enri!"
"Wh-What happened, Nfirea?"
Enri jumped as Nfirea loudly called her name. He began to speak
"...If, if, if you've got any problems, let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help you!"
"Thank you… You're such a good friend that it's almost wasted on me, Nfirea!"
"Ah, ah, er… it, it's fine, we've known each other for so long, after all."
Nfirea was unable to say anything else in the face of Enri's beaming smile. He cursed himself for his uselessness, but at the same time he fondly reflected on how cute Enri was, and of the times he had spent talking with her.
Just as it seemed the matter was at an end, Nfirea asked a question. "Come to think of it, what's up with those Goblins?"
Those Goblins called Enri their "Ane-san." In addition, those Goblins differed greatly from the ones they had encountered on the road to Carne; they had the air of veteran warriors. It was even more surprising to see a magic caster in the village. When and where had these Goblins encountered a simple village girl like Enri, and what sort of relationship did she have with them?
Enri simply replied. "They appeared after I used a magic item given to us by one of our village's savior, Ainz Ooal Gown. They follow my orders."
"I see…" Nfirea said. "That's the man who helped Ben save you right?"
"Yes."
At that moment, Nfirea remembered the reason he had hired Ben
"I'll be right back." Nfirea said before rushing out of the house.
Elsewhere, Ben looked over to a certain part of the village. There, he saw several villagers lined up in a row. There were men, women, and children of all ages. He could see a motherly-looking forty year old woman as well as teenagers. The one thing they had in common was the stern look on their faces, which might even be mistaken for hostility. It was a clear sign that nobody here was in the mood to play around.
A Goblin with a bow addressed the villagers.
After a while, the line of villagers slowly raised their bows. They were simple, shabby shortbows which looked warped and were probably self-made.
After drawing their bows all the way back, they took aim at the strawmen some distance away.
The Goblin must have given an order, because the villagers loosed as one.
The bows looked crude, but the arrows they launched flew in beautiful trajectories. All of them struck the straw men, without a single miss.
"Not bad…" Ben said to himself before noticing Nfirea running towards him. "Problem?"
"You saved this village." Nfirea panted. "Thank you. It really means a lot to me."
"It's fine-"
"You don't understand." Nfirea said. "See, if you hadn't done what you did, Enri might not be alive today. If she wasn't here, I'd have nothing to live for. You saved us both."
"You like her don't you?" Ben asked
"I…uh…"
"It's fine." Ben said placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, Ben?"
"Yeah?"
"There's something I've been hiding since we met."
"What's that?" Ben asked
"The red potion, the one you gave to that adventurer back in E-Rantel. it's so rare that none of our modern methods could ever hope to duplicate it.
"Oh…"
"If I could learn the secret, I could produce it on my own. That's the reason I specifically asked for your help. It was dishonest, and I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize"
"What?"
"You requested my assistance because you wanted to get in contact with me. I fail to see how that is a problem." Ben said. "That said. I would like to know what you planned to do with the potion once you had learned to craft it."
"To be perfectly honest, I hadn't really thought that far ahead." Nfirea admitted. "The knowledge was tantalizing enough on its own."
"Then there's nothing wrong with wanting to know. As long as you aren't using your knowledge for evil, I have no issue."
"Enri's right about you. You're great. I can see why she admires you."
"Thanks I guess…just try to keep this info to yourself okay?"
"You have my word."
"Good." Ben sighed in relief. "Now then, I need to start cooking."
"Cooking?"
"Well, Nemu talked me it making something for her, so I've decided cook for everybody."
"Still…you can cook?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"Not at all…it's just that, Sir Lukrut made a comment once about you probably not knowing how to cook."
"What did he say?" Ben asked coldly
"He said you could only make Tasteless Noodles."
"Heresy!" Ben growled as he started marching towards Enri's House. "I'll show him."
"What did I just do?" Nfirea asked with a sweat drop
Later that evening, after scouting the entirety of Crane village (on Ben's suggestion), Lukrut decided to meet up with the others who were suppose to be waiting for him Infront of Enri's House. On reaching the house though, he was met with the sight of his allies, who were all laughing as they all seem to be enjoying the meal in their hands
"Lukrut, how nice of you to join us." Ben said, as he is seen working up something in a pot, while wearing a blue apron
"I can't believe you guys would eat without me." Lukrut said as he walked over to the magic caster.
"Here." Ben said as he levitated a bowl of Noodles towards Lukrut. "You're going to have to wait for the sauce to get ready…unless you would prefer eating the noodles like that…tasteless." He added the last coldly
"Oh I know what this is, you're trying to get back at me."
"Of course." Ben said blankly
"Okay I'm sorry for insulting your cooking. Now can you please-"
"No." Ben said, as he slowly stirred the now finished sauce.
"Come on."
"Ah yes, the Art of Culinary creation." Ben dramatically said, ignoring Lukrut. "An art so mundane, yet revealing of a persons character."
"Uh, Ben-"
"For what is cooking, if not a battle between the chaotic elements of nature." He added, while holding up a lone tomatoe. "Each ingredient a universe in it's own, destined to become a greater whole. In this pot, I Ben, will combine them to form a whole new reality."
"Yeah, yeah, can you just add the sauce." Lukrut said
"Oh hush," Ben shunned him. "The balancing of flavour must be perfect. Just as I balance the delicate equilibrium of creation and destruction."
"Look, I'm hungry."
"Oh I know." Ben added before tasting the sauce. "Never before has spaghetti sauce ever been created, with such…existential weight."
"For god's sake, will you please sauce my noodle!" Lukrut yelled
"No I will not." Ben said firmly
"That's enough teasing Ben." Ainz said from the corner. "I'm sure he's learnt his lesson."
"Tch, fine." Ben reluctantly added sauce to Lukrut's bowl
"Hey Ben, have you ever thought about going into poetry?" Peter asked after controlling his laughter
"Probably when I was younger."
"Thanks for the food Ben, it was lovely." Nfirea said
"No problem."
"Well then, I need to get ready so we can enter the forest." Nfirea said
"Guess we have to get ready as well huh." Ben said while taking off his apron
"Oh, yeah. One thing." Nfirea added. "If we happen upon the Wise King, I'd like for you to scare him off instead of killing him."
"Why?" Ainz asked
"This entire area is within the Wise King's territory. He's the reason monsters have never attempted to attack Carne Village before." Enri said
"If you kill him, it could mean disaster." Nfirea said
"I'm pretty sure that's impossible, even for him." Peter said
"I'll certainly try." Ainz said, causing the others to gasp
"You do realize this is a legendary creature we're talking about, right?" Dyne asked. "You must be confident in your strength to have that attitude."
"Actually I have a suggestion, if you don't mind." Ben said
"Please, feel free." Nfirea said
Wise King Territory
There was a disturbance in the forest. Lukrut pricked up his ears as he sensed the change in the air. He surveyed his surroundings with a grim expression on his face and wariness in his heart. Ben's idea of destroying some trees to draw the beast out had worked a little too well, or that was what Lukrut thought as he was unaware that Ainz sent Aura to lure the creature towards their direction.
"Something's coming."
When they heard this, the Swords of Darkness stopped their herb-gathering and drew their weapons in preparation for battle. Shortly after, Ainz tightened his grip on his greatswords as well.
"Is it the Wise King of the Forest?"
Nobody answered Nfirea's uneasy question as he stuffed the herbs into his bags. Everyone merely watched the depths of the forest in silence.
"This is bad."
Even the usually flighty Lukrut was speaking in a serious tone
"Something massive is coming. I don't know why it's moving in a serpentine pattern, but from the sound of trampled grass, it should be here soon. However… can't be sure if it's the Wise King of the Forest."
"Let's fall back, it doesn't matter if it's the Wise King of the Forest or not, staying here is very dangerous. Even if it's not the Wise King of the Forest, we've entered its territory, so the chances of it giving chase are very high."
As he said this, Peter looked to Ainz.
"Sir Momon, can we trouble you to be the rear guard?"
"No problem. Leave it to me… We'll take care of the rest."
The Swords of Darkness called out their encouragement to Ainz one after the other as they helped Nfirea retreat from of the forest.
"Sir Momon, Ben, please don't overdo it." Nfirea's voice carried an absolute faith in them
As they watched them disappear into the forest on the other side of the clearing, a twinge of unease ran through Ainz. He was not sure if he could leave the forest by himself, but then he immediately considered that he could let Ben guide him.
There was a more pressing problem before him at the moment…
"Damn… They might think it's not the Wise King of the Forest… and even if I bring it back to Nazarick, I need some proof of having beaten it… Should I cut off one of its legs?"
"You have got to be shiting me." Ben said as the creature entered into his line of sight
Narberal's gaze was far afield, looking at the mighty shadow that emerged from the distant trees. There was no way to make its shape out because it was hiding behind the trees, and without the sun to light it, there was no way to tell if its body was, in fact, silver.
"Has our guest arrived?" Ainz asked
Ben stepped up in front of Ainz and Narberal. He could see how strong it was including it's level, so he decided to end this quickly.
Once he got in front of his allies, Ben felt the air move. He saw a long, serpentine tail rushing towards him from behind a tree. But before it could make impact, Ben quickly grabbed hold of it, stopping the tail in it's track. With a lazy thug, he pulled the creature away from the tree
An indescribable feeling washed over Ainz. After becoming undead, all the strong emotions he felt were immediately suppressed. With that in mind, this was probably not a very strong emotion. Even so, he had not felt this in a long time including his time in YGGDRASIL the sensation when a monster appeared before him..
"Few can ever hope to stop my attack." The creature said. "Admirable, it is."
"The hell?" Ainz gasped. "What the heck am I looking at?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Ben said as the creature desperately struggled to free it's tail from Ben's grip. "It is cute though."
"Abide interlopers, I do not. Many are the foolish who have perished by my claws. If you wish not to join them, leave this place and respectfully withdraw, I shall. What say you?"
"And it speaks Shakespeare." Ben said
"I don't believe this." Ainz felt himself die, and he was an undead for christ sake
"Your fear and dismay are palpable, knave. Have any last words, do you?"
"Actually, I have a question." Ainz said "I believe I've met your kind before. Are you a Djungarian Hamster?"
"I am!"
"Tell me stranger, how is it that you came to know of my species?"
"Well. Uh. Hm. How should I put this?"
"One of our old allies used to have a pet that looked just like you." Ben answered
"'Tis true?" It asked. "Then, please, tell me where I might find this person and my people. My duty as a living creature to make offspring and continue my species, it is."
"Yeaah, I definitely did not need to hear that information." Ben said before sending a small wave of electricity through the creatures tail, causing it to land on it's back. "I really hope this doesn't count as animal cruelty."
"Bested me, you have. Surrender, I do! Have mercy!"
"Wise King" my boney ass. Fluffy King's" more like it." Ainz groaned. "This is embarrassing."
"He's just a helpless animal." Ben said, finally letting go of it's tail
"Are you gonna kill him?" Aura asked, as she landed beside Ainz. "If you are, I'd like to use his skin to make some leather. His fur might make a good rug, too."
"Oh no you don't!" Ben said while standing defensively above the creature
Later…
Once they left the forest, they encountered the others, who rejoiced that Ainz, Ben and Narberal were both unharmed. Only Lukrut seemed to have his doubts.
In a tone that combined surprise and praise, Nfirea asked Ainz. "You're unhurt… Did you avoid fighting?"
Just as Ainz was about to answer, Lukrut cut in. "Sir Momon, what did you bring back? Were you charmed by something?"
"We battled the Wise King of the Forest, and tamed it. Oi, come out."
They could all see the pearly-white fur of the Wise King of the Forest as it emerged from the trees. The Swords of Darkness gathered around Nfirea, shocked expressions on their faces as they all took a step back with weapons raised.
Well, it's huge, even if it's a Djungarian Hamster…
Though it had cute round eyes, its massive body was still a fearsome sight, and it was only natural that these adventurers should be wary on behalf of the client they were escorting.
With that in mind, Ainz decided to calmly say "Be at ease, everyone. We have subdued it, so it will not lash out wildly and hurt people."
"What he said." Ben added as he approached the Wise King of the Forest, and made a show of patting its furry body.
"It is as milords say; this Wise King of the Forest is loyal to milords, and is milords faithful servant. This one swears to milords that this one will not inconvenience thee, fine gentlemen!"
In this way, the Wise King of the Forest displayed its loyalty.
Perhaps they were on guard because of its vast size, but since it was a cute Djungarian Hamster to begin with, they would probably stop being on edge once they got used to it. The problem was how to make everyone think it was the true Wise King of the Forest. That was the only thing Ainz had no idea how to accomplish.
And then, things developed in a completely unexpected direction.
"…So this is the Wise King of the Forest! Unbelievable! What a majestic beast!"
"What?" Ben and Ainz mentally asked
"…Wow, the Wise King of the Forest… so the legends really were true! I can feel its mighty presence just standing before it!" Dyne gasped.
"Eh? Mighty presence?"
"Uwah, that's pretty awesome. You actually pulled it off. You guys are certainly qualified to have Nabe at your side."
"You know, these are times I wonder if you're a Ranger instead of a Bard." Ben said to Lukrut.
"If we had encountered him, we would have been killed for sure. I expected nothing less of you, Sir Momon and Ben. Amazing work." Ninya said
As Lukrut, Peter, and the others showered him in praise, both players looked to the Wise King of the Forest again.
Just as the players were agonizing over the creature, Nfirea asked in a worried tone of voice "But if you take this monster away, and thus its sphere of influence, won't the other monsters attack En… Carne Village because it's not there to scare it off any more?"
Ainz raised his chin to indicate the Wise King of the Forest. It got the message, and said. "By village you mean… ah, well, the balance of power in the forest is now in chaos. Even if this one was there, this one would not be able to guarantee their safety by any means."
"No way…"
"I wouldn't worry about the village's safety if I were you." Ben said to Nfirea. "It's still under Ainz Ooal Gowns protection."
The boy couldn't help but smile at this. "If you say so then, I will stop worrying."
"We need to name him though." Ainz pointed to the hamster
"Oh I know." Ben said. "Hamsuke Maximus Williams Shakespeare the first." He said proudly, causing the others to sweat drop at the long name
"Hamsuke it is." Ainz said
"No, no, you're suppose to say the entire thing." Ben protested, causing the others to laugh
E Rental
With the Wise King of the forest captured, the group wasted no time in returning back to the city.
"We're going to escort Nfirea the rest of the way to his shop and help him unload all this stuff." Peter said to Ainz, who was currently mounting the Hamster
"Should we wait for you?" Ninya asked
"Go on ahead. Once we register this magical creature with the guild, we'll catch up with you."
"I've never had a haul this plentiful before. I'll be sure to add extra to your payment." Nfirea said
"Your haul was possible because of my masters strength. Don't forget that." Hamsuke said
"See you soon!" Nfirea said
"Though we'll be apart for only moments, I'm sure it will feel like an eternity." Lukrut said dramatically as Peter began to drag him off. "Be strong for me, Nabe, my love!"
"Come on, let's get moving." Ben said to Ainz, once the others were gone
"My pride is ruined." Ainz muttered. "I look like an old man on a merry-go-round, not a monster-slaying hero."
"Get used to it." Ben said
"Kill joy."
Elsewhere
They drove the wagon into the house's backyard, stopping in front of the back door. Nfirea unlocked the door, a magical lantern in hand. He hung it on a wall inside, illuminating the darkened interior.
Because of the lantern's light, they could see several barrels within the house. The smell of dried herbs hung in the air, suggesting that this room was a place for herb storage.
"Then, could I trouble you to help me with the herbs?"
The Swords of Darkness cheerfully replied in the affirmative as they carefully unloaded the bundles of herbs from the wagon, moving them into the room.
As he showed the adventurers where to put the bundles, a question popped up in his mind:
"Isn't Granny home?"
Nfirea's grandmother was quite old, but she still had keen eyes and ears. She should have come the moment she heard them moving things. However, if she was focused on making potions, then she would not pay attention to lesser noises. Since this seemed like par for the course, Nfirea did not make a big deal out of it.
After all the herbs were in their place, Nfirea called out to the slightly-panting Swords of Darkness.
"Thank you for your hard work! There should be some cool fruit juice in the house, so please come in for some."
"That sounds great."
Lukrut, his forehead shiny with sweat, exclaimed in delight. The others nodded happily as well.
"Then, please come this way…"
Just as Nfirea was about to lead the others into the house, someone opened the door on the other side of the room.
"Hiiii~ Welcome home~"
Before him stood a pretty, yet vaguely unsettling young woman. Her blonde hair swayed in the wind