From a distance, they could already see the village.
"Strange," Peter, the leader of Swords of Darkness, remarked.
"What's strange?" Momonga asked.
"I remember the last time I was here, there weren't any walls this sturdy."
As they approached the barricade, several goblins poked their heads out from within.
"Goblins!" The Swords of Darkness members immediately raised their weapons.
Suddenly, more goblins emerged from the bushes surrounding the convoy, encircling them.
"Brothers, we wish to avoid combat if possible," the goblin leader said.
"Especially the one in black armor—you radiate danger," he added, eyeing Momonga.
"Who are these guys?"
"What's going on?" a girl's voice interrupted from among the goblins.
"Enri!"
"Nfirea!"
"Momonga, these goblins... don't tell me they're..." Peroroncino approached Momonga, whispering.
"Yes, they're from the Horn of the Goblin General I gave to that girl."
After clearing up the misunderstanding, the group took a short rest within the village.
Enri and Nfirea had a private conversation, while Momonga and Peroroncino observed the changes among the villagers.
The villagers, regardless of age or gender, were practicing weapon use under the goblins' guidance.
"Should I summon some goblins of my own for fun? Nah, they're too ugly," Peroroncino thought, glancing at the goblins.
"The villagers have changed a lot, haven't they?"
"Indeed. When we first came here, they could only surrender or run. It must've taken a harsh lesson to make them pick up weapons to protect themselves."
"Mr. Momon, are you actually Ainz Ooal Gown?"
Nfirea suddenly ran up to Momonga, blurting the question.
Momonga froze momentarily, while Nabe unsheathed her sword in response.
Momonga raised his hand to stop her.
"Thank you so much for saving Enri. I truly appreciate it."
"..."
"Is it because of Albedo's name?" Momonga muttered.
"Yes, Enri mentioned that a magic caster named Ainz Ooal Gown saved the village, and that someone by the name of Albedo was with him," Nfirea explained.
"I deeply apologize for hiding something from you," Nfirea added.
"Nabe, Yulia, step back for now," Momonga instructed.
"Understood," Nabe and Yulia replied before leaving.
"Actually, Mr. Peroroncino visited my family's potion shop to have a red healing potion appraised. I later learned that the potion came from you, so I wanted to approach you to obtain its formula," Nfirea confessed, bowing deeply.
"What would you do with the formula if you had it?"
"I haven't thought that far... It's just pure curiosity..."
"If you really want it, I can give it to you, but any potions you make with it must not be sold externally," Peroroncino interjected.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Peroroncino!"
"Does anyone else know you think I'm Ainz Ooal Gown?" Momonga asked.
"No, only I know. I haven't told anyone. I assumed you had your reasons for keeping your identity hidden," Nfirea replied.
"Good. Do not tell anyone about it," Momonga warned.
"I promise I won't. Thank you again for saving Enri and the village."
After Nfirea left, Peroroncino apologized to Momonga.
"Sorry, it's my fault for causing trouble by having the potion appraised."
"Don't worry about it. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Lord Ainz, I deeply apologize for speaking Albedo's name earlier," Nabe said.
"Indeed, that was your mistake. But—"
"Allow me to atone with my life!" Nabe interrupted, drawing her sword to end herself.
Yulia quickly grabbed Nabe's blade, shaking her head. As Peroroncino's personal maid, Yulia had already grasped his thoughts and acted accordingly, even before he had the chance to signal her.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Nabe. What matters is learning from them and not repeating them. I forgive you, Narberal Gamma," Momonga said.
A short while later, the group arrived at the forest's edge, ready to begin gathering herbs for Nfirea.
"From here on, I'll leave the protection to you."
"With Momon here, we can be at ease," Peter said from the side.
"Um... Mr. Momon, if the Forest King shows up, please don't kill him. Just drive him away," Nfirea said.
Earlier on their journey, Ninya had introduced Momonga to the Forest King.
"Why is that?"
"Because the Forest King is the reason why Carne Village isn't troubled by magical beasts. If we defeat him... Carne Village would..."
"This is still too exaggerated, isn't it?" Lukrut said, clearly dissatisfied with Nfirea's request.
"No problem!"
"Isn't that a magical beast that's been alive for hundreds of years?" Lukrut replied skeptically.
"Now that's the attitude of a true strong individual!" Dyne remarked in awe.
"Then, I have a suggestion. Nabe can use similar magic, so we would like to wander around this area," Momonga added.
"That's fine, but please don't go too far," Nfirea responded.
"Of course."
"I'll also go for a walk with Momon. Let's have Yulia stay with you to ensure your safety!"
"Take care, Chino!" Ninya called out.
"It's fine, I'll be with Momon and Nabe, I won't be in any danger," Chino reassured.
Afterwards, the Swords of Darkness team and Nfirea went off to gather herbs, while Momonga, Peroroncino, and Nabe headed deeper into the forest.
"This should be far enough," Peroroncino said.
"Then, to boost my reputation, let's meet it!"
"Alright!" A voice came from above, from the trees.
Nabe immediately prepared to cast a spell toward the figure, but stopped when she saw it was Aura.
"Lord Aura, please don't scare me like that."
"Sorry!" Aura smiled cheerfully at Nabe.
"When did you arrive?"
"Just when Ainz-sama, Peroroncino-sama, and Nabe entered the forest."
"Didn't miss a single moment," Nabe remarked.
"So, my task is to lead the Forest King to fight with Ainz-sama, correct?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll go now."
"Can a humanoid still use special class abilities? Let's find out!" Peroroncino thought to himself.
[Eye of the Scout]
Peroroncino looked at Aura, who was surrounded by two magical beasts. One of the beasts threw Aura onto its back, while the other licked her face with its long tongue.
Peroroncino dismissed the Eye of the Scout and walked with Momonga to the herb gathering spot.
Before long, many birds in the deep forest took flight. The ground began to shake.
Lukrut felt the tremor, pressing his ear to the ground.
"This is bad, something big is coming."
"Could it be the Forest King?"
"Most likely. It's dangerous here, you should leave."
"Please be careful, Mr. Momon."
"Understood."
At that moment, a shadow charged at Momonga. He swiftly struck it away with a single sword swing.
End of chapter
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Chapitre 13: Chapter 13: Goblins
"A quest specifically for me? Could it be something Peroroncino arranged? No, probably not. He didn't mention anything like this to me."
"Who is it?"
"Nfirea Bareare," the receptionist replied.
A boy with hair covering his eyes approached Momon.
"It's me," Nfirea said.
"I just arrived in this city yesterday. Why would you commission someone you don't know?" Momon asked.
"I'm an alchemist. At my shop, I heard about a skilled copper-ranked adventurer who single-handedly tossed an adult man. The adventurers I usually work with are unavailable, so I decided to ask for your help. Also, hiring a copper rank is cheaper," Nfirea explained.
"What is your quest?"
"I need to gather herbs from the forest near Carne Village. I'm looking for someone to escort me and help collect the herbs."
"I must decline. First, I don't have the ability to protect anyone, and second, I don't know anything about herbs," Momon replied bluntly.
"This is a designated request! Are you sure you want to refuse?" Nfirea asked, visibly frustrated.
"Yes, I refuse."
"Wait! I think you should accept this quest," a voice interrupted. It was Peroroncino, who had arrived with a four-person adventurer team.
"That's… the guy who came to the alchemy shop to appraise the potion," Nfirea thought to himself.
"Chino, who are they?" Momon asked.
"I met them while hunting goblins. They invited me to join their team for goblin and ogre hunts, so I agreed," Peroroncino explained.
"Then I'll go along with Chino's suggestion. I'll accept your request, but we'll team up with them, and you'll need to compensate them as well. How does that sound?" Momon asked.
"Fine," Nfirea agreed after some thought.
.......
The next day, the group set off after making their preparations.
Nfirea drove the carriage while leading an eight-person team toward Carne Village.
The team included:
Peter, the warrior and leader of Swords of Darkness,
Lukrut, the ranger,
Dyne, the druid,
Ninya, the magic caster.
Joining them were Peroroncino, Momon, Yulia, and Nabe.
The main task of Swords of Darkness was to explore the forest near Carne Village and eliminate goblins and ogres along the way.
Peroroncino had been invited primarily because of the powerful swordswoman, Yulia, at his side. Given the uncertainties of exploring the forest, her presence provided an extra layer of security.
As they traveled, Momon approached Peroroncino and asked, "Weren't you planning to form a harem party? Why are you teaming up with this all-male group?"
"Don't even get me started. I spent half the day in the Adventurer's Guild, and the male-to-female ratio is 15:1.
And the few women I did meet were either tanks or… not exactly great-looking. When I ran into these guys during a goblin hunt, they invited me to join, so I agreed. After all, the best way to learn about this place is through the locals," Peroroncino explained with a sigh.
"I see…" Momon said thoughtfully.
During the journey, Momon learned quite a bit from Ninya about the production of magic items and the basic workings of this world.
Lukrut, the ranger, glanced at Nabe, who looked completely at ease, and asked, "Nabe-chan, you seem so relaxed. Is it because you trust my vigilance?"
"It's not because of you," Nabe replied coolly. "It's because Mr. Momon and Mr. Chino are here."
"Chino?" Swords of Darkness turned to Peroroncino with puzzled expressions.
"Nabe, you have such a sense of humor," Peroroncino said with a forced smile.
Although Peroroncino's current avatar had reached level 3, he was still very weak. At this point, he doubted he could even handle a single goblin.
"Excuse me, are Nabe and Momon a couple?" Ranger Lukrut suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Nabe became visibly agitated.
"What are you talking about… that would be Albedo..."
"Nabe!" Momon interrupted her before she could finish, making her realize what she was saying.
"Lukrut, please don't delve any further," Momon said to the ranger.
"My apologies. So Momon already has someone special," Lukrut replied sheepishly.
"Momon, I'm sorry for my companion's rudeness," Peter, the team leader, said.
"It's fine. Just don't let it happen again," Momon responded calmly.
"Lukrut, be more mindful next time..." Peter warned.
"Shh! Something's coming," Lukrut interrupted.
"Where?"
"Over there!"
Lukrut pointed toward a patch of forest.
Six or seven ogres and over twenty goblins emerged into view.
"What's the plan?" Peter asked Momon for his input.
"You protect Nfirea. Just watch me take care of these goblins," Momon replied confidently.
"Understood. But we'll still support you to the best of our ability," Peter said before turning to his team.
"We'll stick to the usual roles," Peter instructed his companions.
Ranger Lukrut was the first to act, firing an arrow that fell short and landed harmlessly in front of the goblins. The goblins laughed, mocking the weak shot, giving them the impression that their opponents were feeble.
"They've taken the bait," Lukrut said with a grin before releasing a series of precise arrows, taking down several goblins in quick succession.
"Armor Enhancement!" Ninya cast a defensive spell on Peter.
"Plant Bind!" Dyne used magic to summon vines that wrapped around the ogre's feet, immobilizing it.
Peter was just about to step in and use his martial skill Fortress to engage the ogre, but Momon and Nabe walked forward calmly.
Momon approached the ogre, drawing two massive swords from the hilts on his back.
The ogre swung its large wooden club at Momon, but in the next instant, its head was severed cleanly by a single strike.
"Amazing," Ranger Lukrut exclaimed in awe.
"His strength is beyond mithril rank—he's probably at or even above orichalcum," Peter said, equally impressed.
None of them noticed Peroroncino struggling on the side as he fought against goblins.
Seizing the chance while no one was watching, Peroroncino gave a subtle signal to Yulia. She effortlessly cleaved through a goblin in one strike.
Peroroncino wanted to level up but was caught in a dilemma: he couldn't handle the goblins alone, Yulia's strikes instantly killed them, and it would be humiliating if anyone saw him struggling against mere goblins.
"Scared to come at me?" Momon taunted an ogre in front of him.
Not the brightest, the ogre charged at Momon in a rage, only to be cut cleanly in half at the waist.
Dead.
The remaining goblins, seeing how fearsome Momon was, bypassed him and charged toward Swords of Darkness.
Another group of goblins rushed toward Peroroncino's position.
In a flash, Yulia dispatched them all with ease.
The goblins attacking Swords of Darkness were mostly dealt with as the team worked together.
Meanwhile, Momon rushed at the ogres in front of him, taking out four with swift, decisive blows.
The last two, terrified by their comrades' swift deaths, turned and tried to flee.
"Nabe!"
"Yes!" Nabe leapt high, flipping mid-air to position herself so the two fleeing ogres were aligned.
"Lightning!"
A bolt of electricity pierced through both ogres' chests simultaneously.
The two collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Seeing the ogres annihilated, the remaining goblins panicked and fled in all directions.
"Don't let them escape!"
Peter and Ranger Lukrut chased after them. Momon and Nabe, however, didn't bother to pursue—they didn't think goblins were worth their time.
Shortly after, Peter and Lukrut returned. They hadn't managed to kill many goblins, and both had suffered minor injuries.
Dyne cast healing magic to treat their wounds.
.......
That night, the group sat around a campfire sharing a meal.
"So, why are you called Swords of Darkness?"
"It's named after one of the four legendary swords wielded by the Black Knight, one of the Thirteen Heroes. Our goal is to find that sword," Peter explained.
"Momon, you're truly incredible. If only we could be as strong as you," Lukrut said wistfully.
"This level of skill is something you could easily achieve," Momon replied casually.
Hearing this, the members of Swords of Darkness exchanged awkward glances and smiled wryly, unsure how to respond.
End of chapter
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contributions make a real difference!
As a Patron, you unlock:
Exclusive access : Get 60+ advanced chapters ahead of everyone else
Exclusive shout-out : Receive a special shout-out every chapter as a thank you for your support!
Your support not only fuels my creativity but also helps me grow on this community. If you're not a paetron yet, consider joining us.
Join now : patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz