Chapter 9 - Battle for the Carne Village

Whoever was setting the trap likely knew what they were facing. For all he knew, Baharuth could even send their secret weapon: the legendary Fluder Paradyne.

The man was hailed as the only sixth-tier caster in the world and the most powerful known magic user. Few knew how old he was but rumors spoke of him walking this world for over two centuries.

'If they want to remove me that badly, I should be prepared for the worst.' Gazef led his troops up the hill. The scouts had reported that the main bulk of the attackers were stationed just over it so it was the best spot to strike.

Even if they all would fall at the hand of the enemy, the villagers should be safe. At least he hoped they would. 'Sir Gown seemed like a man of his word. I hope my instinct is not wrong about him. But that monster he commanded… Gods forbid the foolish nobles to make an enemy out of him.'

The appearance of the mysterious group was a blessing for the villagers, but was it for the kingdom? This question he could not answer.

"Captain, was it wise to entrust the protection of Carne to those people? For all we know, they could attack us from behind." The vice-captain voiced his concerns riding beside Gazef.

"I doubt they are in league with the rest. You saw the pile of dead Baharuth soldiers." Gazef replied adding as they reached the top of the hill. "For now, let's concentrate on breaking the formation of those who are surrounding the area."

A group of men in black coats came into view with all of them, save for one, wearing plate helmets. Above them floated figures clad from head to toe in plate armor with snow-white pairs of wings keeping them afloat. The largest of such figures floated beside the blonde man without the helmet.

'Angels!? Then those are Slane Theocracy's casters!' Gazef recognized the floating figures which were rarely employed by anyone besides the nation that controlled the spiritual matters of all of humanity.

"Halt!" Gazef raised his hand and carefully observed the twenty or so men. There were more approaching from the distance, making it obvious that their only target was him and the group didn't care about the village.

"Be careful around those monsters. They are called angels. We are facing Slane theocracy's casters." Gazef pointed at one of the summoned monsters.

From what little he knew about angels, the opinion about them was split into two camps. One believed that they were the messengers of the Gods and only true believers could employ them. Others thought of them as simple monsters summoned by magical means like every other controlled creature.

"Understood, sir. Your orders?" The Vice-captain saluted.

'So many casters and summons. This must be one of their fabled scriptures. But to send that much to deal with me. Why do they consider me such a threat?' For whatever reason, not only did the Theocracy decide to target him, but they had amassed such a large force that it was mind-boggling. He wasn't the most religious man but at the same time had done nothing to draw the clergy's ire either.

"We are facing a large group of casters. If possible, target them directly. And above all watch each other's backs. Make every arrow and every weapon swing count!" Gazef shouted and charged forward. If he could keep their attention on him then his men would have a better fighting chance.

He activated two of his martial arts abilities. "Body Strengthening and Flow Acceleration!" With greatly improved strength and reflexes, he shot an arrow at the nearest angel, piercing it in the helm. The monster exploded into light particles and disappeared.

"Keep him busy with angels! Replace the destroyed ones!" The man without a helmet barked orders loud enough for Gazef to overhear them.

'Taking out the leader should make them disorganized.' Gazef shot arrow after arrow at the angels but they got replaced almost instantly. As they moved closer the casters started to target him directly with the spells.

"Enhanced Magic Resistance!" Gazef activated another martial arts ability, starting to feel the strain. With much greater magical resistance the constant barrage of spells against him was not as effective and it would give him enough time to deal with the group's leader.

Unfortunately, his horse was not affected by the same resistance, and the casters, seeing how infective their attacks were, hit his horse instead.

'Dammit!' Gazef cursed, jumping up in the air as the horse dropped dead. While still in the air, he executed his most devastating attack: combining a sword strike with martial art. "Sixfold Slash of Light!"

Six brilliant white lines of light charged forward, hitting three angels, instantly destroying them with the remaining three aimed at the casters and their leader.

One of the casters got hit and fell to the ground with a wide slash wound. The larger angel managed to get in front of the enemy leader in time but the third caster that was in the path of the attack leaned aside with a blur to avoid the attack with impossible speed.

'What in the…' Gazef assumed a fighting position as soon as his feet hit the ground.

Not having time to think about what just happened he charged forward striking angel after angel with the mental strain growing with each martial arts move he performed.

The sweat from his forehead started to fall on his cheeks with his eyes mercifully protected by his bushy eyebrows.

One glance around only confirmed his worry. His men were dropping left and right while the angels were getting resummoned, not dropping their numbers for long.

He performed another Sixfold Slash of Light and then another but it wasn't enough. His moves started to get sluggish. Even the most powerful warrior tired out over time and he was no exception. With his energy almost spent it became harder to fight back the angels which swarmed him in increasingly larger numbers.

Just as he was attempting another Sixfold Slash of Light, a sharp pain in his side interrupted his concentration and he dropped to one knee.

"Is that all? I would have expected more from the famous warrior captain, Gazef Stronoff." The enemy leader said with a mocking tone.

"I am not done yet!" Gazef spat back, doing a whirling attack that destroyed four angels, and jumping back to his feet.

"Summon them again." The blonde man gave an order to his men with a lazy flick of his wrist, as though he already knew what the outcome of this battle was going to be. He turned his attention back to Gazef. "We are here only for you, so lay down like a good dog and we will spare the villagers. We wouldn't want another massacre, would we?"

"In that village, there are people a lot stronger than me! You go there and touch the innocents and there will be a massacre." Gazef spat at the blonde man.

"Bluffing at a moment like this!" The man laughed theatrically. "Finish him!"

The angels swarmed Gazef again with their swords piercing him in multiple spots. With a pained groan, Gazef hit the ground. 'Sir Gown, I pray you'll keep your word and protect those people.'

Suddenly, there was a flash of light that permeated the battlefield. When it died down, men on both sides were utterly dumbfounded to find out that all the angels disappeared.

Gazef lifted himself up with one hand and looked around in confusion. Ainz Ooal Gown and his people were approaching the battlefield.

Unsure of what was going on, Gazef got into a kneeling position, fished out a healing potion from his pouch, and gulped it down to stop the intense bleeding from the multiple piercing wounds.

Even if he wanted to assist them, he was too spent to do so.

Some of his men who were alive did the same and drank healing potions, taking advantage of the momentary peace. Despite their growing fatigue and the overwhelming odds being stacked against them, the soldiers did not falter and maintained their resolve.

'It's up to you, Sir Gown.' Gazef slumped deeper into a kneeling position and held himself upright with one arm.

<X>

"It's time to start the show. Pero, clear the sky." Ainz gave the order the moment the battlefield came into view.

Together with Pero and Buku, they would perform in front of Gazef, making him believe he was being saved from an enemy that is impossible to defeat. Albedo stayed behind in the village for appearance's sake and to coordinate the monitoring of the surrounding area with the stealth teams and Demiurge.

"Sure thing, boss," Pero smirked and raised his bow. With no hesitation, he used a multishot ability and targeted every single archangel flame in his view. With them being third-tier summons, even multishot was considered overkill.

{ Nice one. Looked flashy enough. } Ulbert messaged in the group chat that linked him and his friends.

{ You wanted a show, man. I could have gone for an even flashier effect but third-tier summons are too low to bother. } Pero shot back.

"What are you people?" The leader of the sunlight scripture shouted in a theatrical surprise.

"I am Ainz Ooal Gown and these are my associates. Your senseless massacre ends here." Ainz waved his left arm sideways.

"Attack them!" Nigun shouted, pointing his finger at the group.

The casters started to blast them with third-tier magic while Nigun's summon charged Ainz. The low-tier magic obviously did no damage to any of them, and the scripture was well-informed that the whole thing was a farce and the only thing that would make these Gods even budge was the sacred artifact their captain held.

Buku jumped in front of Ainz and stopped the angel's attack with her shield. Before the fourth-tier summon could even move his arm for another attack, Buku obliterated it.

{ Put more effort into it. It looks like you do not even give a fuck! } Ulbert commented on the rather casual manner in which his friends blew off the attack.

{ Do you want to get shot? } Pero asked him.

{ Like you could hit me. } Ulbert taunted him.

"That's not possible! I didn't think it would come to this but you have earned the right to face the miracle of the Gods." Nigun took out the storage crystal and raised it above his head.

"Be on guard. Who knows what spell that thing holds!" Ainz raised his voice. Buku raised her shield and motioned for Ainz and Pero to step behind her.

Ulbert had already warned them that the crystal holds a seventh-tier summoning spell and there was no way that angel could do serious damage to any of them but for the show they needed to pretend the situation was serious.

"Protect me while I perform the summoning!" Nigun barked an order.

The group resumed the bombardment with the low-tier spells and even Ulbert theatrically used a few third-tier spells on his friends.

Gazef watched the unfolding scene with both horror and amazement. 'What in the world are they? How do they so easily blow off all the attacks?'

His men fought and fell to the overwhelming might of the Theocracy's scripture but Ainz Ooal Gown and his team blew off their attacks with casual ease.

There was something off with the caster that casually avoided his attack but even that man was using the same spells as others. 'Maybe he is a talent holder or maybe knows martial arts as well.' Gazef tried to rationalize his observations.

Meanwhile, Nigun performed the angel summoning. Solely for a performance, the Dominion Authority was the most impressive one as dominions were the largest type of angels by far. The ten meters tall plated figure had many wings that not only were spread behind its back but also fully covered its lower body.

"Behold, the dominion authority! The same angel that defeated the Demon Gods two centuries ago." Nigun shouted in religious ecstasy with maniacal laughter.

"Impressive. Finally something worth our consideration." Ainz clapped his hands, "But I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"Lost your mind in fright? I don't blame you." Nigun shook his head and glanced at Ulbert to be sure he wasn't overdoing it and insulting the players.

Getting a subtle nod of approval from the new God, he continued. "Dominion Authority, smite them!"

The angel obeyed the command and a moment later a blinding light shot down from the sky striking the three players. For a moment Nigun broke into a cold sweat. What if the attack was too powerful and he had caused the deaths of players?

As the attack continued the sweat from his face started to fall to the ground. He leaned forward trying to appear calm.

Once the attack ended, and he could see the three figures standing, Nigun did his best to not let out a sigh of relief.

Buku was the first to seemingly recover and charged the angel, jumping up in the air to strike it. Pero quickly followed with rapid shots leaving holes in the creature's plate armor. Ainz was last to join the action with six and seventh-tier spells.

With all three of them holding back as much as they could and simultaneously trying to make the fight look impressive, the angel could withstand the onslaught for less than thirty seconds. The final blow came from Ainz casting the seventh-tier spell Hell Flame. The angel let out a scream and disappeared into dark red flames leaving nothing behind.

Nigun glanced at Gazef to make sure the man was still conscious and then shouted in shock. "You… you… This is not possible!"

This was the queue to end the show. Ulbert stepped forward and using the doppelganger ring switched to another persona, making his voice and speaking manner unrecognizable. "Captain, this is enough. We have met something we didn't prepare for." He walked past the captain of the Sunlight Scripture who, to his credit, was a good actor, and played a very believable state of despair.

"Ainz Ooal Gown, you claim to protect this village, does that include the warrior captain Gazef Stronoff as well?" Ulbert stood in front of the casters who gathered in a tight group, ready to retreat at his order.

"Yes, that includes Gazef and his men. Do you have another secret weapon or is this some last-effort bluff?" Ainz spat.

"Very well. Our goal was to make this rotten kingdom fall so the Baharuth Empire could conquer it and wipe away all the rot. I must admit I didn't expect to meet the peak of humanity here. My offer is simple, either join us and help Slane Theocracy unite humanity once again, or remain here and make this kingdom better for the sake of humanity. If this godless rot is left to spread, we will be forced to come back and resolve the situation once and for all." Ulbert spoke in a passionate tone.

"You are in no position to make demands. You must pay for this slaughter." Ainz stepped forward and started to cast a spell for a show.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken about what you can and cannot do, Ainz Ooal Gown." Ulbert bowed and cast a Gate and Shield simultaneously.

Ainz's hellfire collided with the shield, leaving an ark of burned grass behind as the Scripture members went through the gate one by one. Ulbert was last to walk into the void, and just before he did, he turned around, saying. "Until we meet again, Ainz Ooal Gown. Regretfully, I had to show my presence here and let you see the true might of Slane Theocracy." With those words, he walked into the Gate backwards and the dark void instantly disappeared.

"Those bastards got away. Why didn't that high-tier caster participate in the battle?" Ainz cursed as he approached Gazef. Pero and Buku meanwhile checked other soldiers.

The head warrior of the kingdom was in bad shape even after using whatever constituted healing potions in this world.

Noticing Ainz walking towards him, Gazef stood up by sheer willpower alone. Despite his exhausted state, he spoke with a clear strong voice, "Sir Gown, thank you. None of my men or I would be alive if you didn't come to aid us."

"We could not let you fall and endanger the villagers even more." Ainz took out a vial of green liquid from a small void that suddenly appeared in front of him and handed it to Gazef.

"What is this?" Gazef asked, accepting the glass vial.

"It will give you a small boost of energy," Ainz said, glancing around the battlefield. Those of Gazef's men who survived the battle were in no better condition than the head warrior himself. But for testing purposes, there was no need to waste more than one minor energy potion. The healing potion worked just fine on the locals so in theory other types of potions should as well.

Gazef carefully eyed the green liquid inside. "I haven't seen this kind of potion before."

"During our studies, we have uncovered some ancient knowledge once lost to time."

"I see." Gazef didn't ask any follow-up questions. There was no reason to mistrust Ainz's intentions to help at this point. He removed the cork and drank the not-very-pleasant-tasting concoction.

The effect was immediate, as if an explosion of energy just happened inside him, filling his body with vigor he had rarely felt.

"This… is there any chance I could buy some of these wonderful potions from you?" Gazef asked, sounding fully refreshed.

"I'm afraid I can't spare any more at the moment. Our ability to produce them is still rather limited." Ainz shook his head. "I would like to ask you a few questions about your abilities and that group we chased off once you have taken care of the fallen."

"Of course, but I don't know much more of what they told themselves. Only Slane Theocracy's casters can summon that many angels at the same time so I don't think they were lying." Gazef spat the religious nation's name out with visible disdain.

'Humanity's protectors, they are nothing more than thugs who took innocent lives to trap me. Someday, somehow, I will bring them to justice.' This promise may be nothing more than a silly dream but if the opportunity arose Gazef knew he would not hesitate.

While Ainz and his friends returned to the village with the same strange transportation magic the Theocracy's caster used to escape with the rest of the attackers, Gazef picked up two of his fallen subordinates.

They and the rest of the dead deserved a proper burial. With no option to safely deliver them to their families, the fallen men needed to be hurried to the village's cemetery.

He put the two bodies on the back of a horse and looked for the next ones to pick up.

'So many paid with their lives today. If not for Ainz Ooal Gown, none would survive. I can only hope nobles will show him and his allies proper respect. Making enemies out of such a group would spell doom to my homeland.'

The subtle dread of an uncertain and dark future crept up in his mind. He had witnessed their power and one thing was sure: They were far beyond what Re-Estize could offer as a countermeasure.

<X>

The moment he stepped through the dark void, Nigun and the rest of the scripture members were standing on a sandy floor in the middle of a magnificent arena.

"Where are we?" Nigun asked no one in particular.

"My home," Ulbert replied, canceling the illusion that made him look like a member of Sunlight Scripture.

"Lord Ulbert, are these the humans you brought in for the tests?" A youthful voice asked.

'Tests?' Nigun turned his head to look at the owner of the voice. An elven child in a white suit with a red vest had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. 'Strange, why does that child look familiar?'

"Yes. They are the ones." Ulbert responded with a cheerful chuckle.

"In that case, welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick." The child said with a smirk.

'Nazarick?…That name… no, it can't be. It must be some sort of test.' Nigun gulped.

As a captain of a scripture, he had the privilege to read the true holy texts and this dreaded name was something he would never forget. Nazarick was the home of the most monstrous of Yggdrasil's creatures.

The rest of the team obviously was not aware of what that name represented.

"Lord Ulbert, may I have a word with you?" He approached the God with nervous steps. 'This is a test and nothing more… It is just a coincidence that this looks like the sixth floor and there is an elven child that looks just like the picture… just a test of faith! Just a test of faith.'

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Ulbert asked as both stepped aside from the rest of the men.

"My Lord, if this is a test, the rest of my men won't know its true meaning. They have not seen the holy texts left behind by the Gods. None of them had heard of Nazarick." Nigun said, desperately trying to sound calm.

'He knows what Nazarick is… shit.' Ulbert cursed. 'I guess I can try to drag this out a little bit.' "I see, and what did the rest of the Gods say about it?"

"Nazarick was the place even the Gods could not conquer. But if you had seen this place then you must have been part of the great invasion." Nigun hands started to shake. 'Please let that be the case.'

"Invasion? Oh right, that one." Ulbert's expression darkened; he leaned in and added with a hissing whisper. "So you worship the pricks who invaded our home and killed our children."

'No! No! Gods, please no! This can't be. He is a human…' "Lord, but you are a human." Nigun whimpered, not daring to move.

"Damn, you are stupid." Ulbert grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "You, shits for brains, are in Nazarick. The same fucking Nazarick your pathetic Gods failed to invade." Ulbert snarled in the man's face and then tossed him at the rest of the scripture members who looked at the exchange in confused silence.

Nigun collided with a few of his men, taking them down in the process.

Ulbert canceled the doppelganger ring and stood in front of the scripture members in his natural demon form.

"Let me introduce myself again." He said with a sadistic smirk. "I am Ulbert Ooal Gown, the Demon God of Trickery. As of now, you all are nothing more than resources we plan to put to good use."

"Captain, what should we do?" One of the scripture members asked Nigun, who stood up with a stager and coughed. They already knew no matter what they did, they could not harm the monstrous creature.

'This is hell! Gods please forgive my sins… they can't help me. Gods can't help me now. I am on my own.' Nigun closed his eyes. 'I am on my own in this hell. I can either hope for quick death… or I can try to join them. If the Gods have forsaken me, I might as well forsake them.'

"L-Lord Ulbert, w-we promised to follow you. I-I promised to follow you." Nigun whimpered while prostrating before him.

Most of his men followed his example while a few frantically looked for a way to escape. One man took off and ran towards what looked like an exit out of the arena.

"Aura! Do not let him escape. I want him alive." Ulbert pointed at the running man.

She picked up a small pebble off the ground and threw it toward the man with a loud boom. He didn't manage to take another step as one of the man's legs exploded into a bloody mess.

The man fell to the ground and shook uncontrollably.

"Mare! Come cast a heal on him. I didn't think he would be so weak." Aura shouted to her brother, who was watching the unfolding scene from the VIP lodge.

He teleported next to her and looked at the human who was rapidly bleeding out. "Y-You should be more careful. Humans are too squishy." Mare shook his head.

"I hit him with a pebble! Now hurry up and don't make Lord Ulbert wait."

The elven boy put his glove-clad hand over the man. The man's leg regrew almost instantly.

Aura grabbed the man by the collar and tossed him back to the other scripture members.

"Good job, you two. Tell your mom I told you that you can have an extra portion of sweets." Ulbert said to the kids and returned his attention to the prostrating men before him.

He walked up to Nigun, putting his hooved leg on the man's head, and pushed just hard enough to cause pain but not crush his skull. "You, a man of God, are willing to betray everything you know just to save your skin?"

"I know what you are. I know that the Gods failed to stop your kind. I know better than to ever stand against you and the other monster Gods." Nigun said with a muffled voice, trying not to choke on the sand that crept into his mouth with each word he spoke.

"Is that so? Let's put you to a test then." Ulbert smirked, removing his foot from Nigun's head. "I will give each of you two choices. First, you can kill yourselves right now and spare us the trouble."

Ulbert intentionally paused to observe their reaction. Obviously, this choice was only an illusion and those who took it would be subjected to the resurrection experiments.

When no one reached for their weapons, Ulbert continued. "And the second one is to go through trials to prove if you are worthy to be servants of Nazarick. You will confess everything you know. You will denounce your humanity and you will serve as test subjects to see if humans can be made into something more. And only then you will start as the lowest of the low among our servants."

"I agree!" Nigun exclaimed without any hesitation.

'I will go through any pain to live. I survived all my trials to become what I am today and I will not fail this time! If it means not being human anymore, then so be it.' He assured himself. Humanity would not be able to stand against the monster Gods so it was better to abandon it.

The rest for the most part were not so enthusiastic. About half of his men agreed while the rest seemed undecided. Four of them took their own lives upon hearing what the second option was.

"Don't make me wait. There are far worse fates I can give you." Ulbert tapped his foot against the sandy floor.

Three more decided that suicide was a better option while the rest agreed to go through the trials.

They would be sent off to the seventh floor to tell everything they knew to a demon who ruled over it.

'I hope I haven't made a mistake by siding with monster Gods. But if even the great six and all their allies could not defeat them, then Slane Theocracy has no chance standing against them.' Nigun could now only pray to his new demonic god that his resolve was strong enough to guide him through the path he chose over death.

<X>

Even though the village was saved, its future didn't look particularly rosy. It was obvious even for someone like Ainz who knew little about medieval life.

Almost all men of working age were dead as they were the ones that faced the attackers first. What remained were the children, elders, and although also a minority, women of working age.

The small village graveyard was getting far too many permanent residents. Ainz reanimated a few of the Theocracy's soldiers and together with the death knight, ordered them to help dig graves for the deceased who deserved a proper burial.

The option to test out resurrection was still on the table but considering that he didn't know if a revival of the dead was a known practice in this world, Ainz decided against using the wand of resurrection.

While he was observing the burial rites being performed, Buku walked up to him and stood by his side. She had checked on the two sisters they had saved.

Losing parents was hard, especially at such a young age. And from what little Enri had told her, they were loving, and as any decent parent in such a world, a tad overbearing.

After standing silent by his side for a few minutes, she spoke up. "What are we planning for this place?"

"I think we should keep an eye on the village so another attack can be prevented. Beyond that, I don't know." Ainz replied.

"You know, it felt good to help them. To be in charge for once. Maybe this is the first place where we can become the Gods that take care of mortal worshipers." Buku slowly spoke.

"Not a bad idea, but let's start slow." Ainz agreed.

"Thinking of worshipers already?" Pero landed at Ainz's other side after taking a few circles of the surrounding area. With his current hearing ability, even in elven form, he could overhear the conversation from kilometers away.

"We have to start somewhere and it would be plain stupid to just leave them as is after we saved these people," Buku said to her brother.

"Let's not tell Ulbert just yet. He might decide to put some mind control statue right in the middle of the village." Pero chuckled. Out of all players, Ulbert seemed to be the most eager to fully embrace his new role.

"For now we can leave a patrol of eight edge assassins to guard the village and then see what more we can do to help. It's a fair guess they will need help with the harvest and restoration of destroyed houses." Ainz scratched his chin. "But I think it's better to talk with the King first and establish some sort of relationship with this kingdom."

{ I want to leave some of the eight edge assassins to guard this village.} He messaged Albedo.

{ Lord Ainz, may I ask what sort of value this location holds? These lesser beings can't even be used as a workforce. } Albedo replied, sounding both curious and disgusted at the idea.

{ This is our first foothold in this world… } Ainz paused for a moment. 'What should I tell her? I know, I'll tell her that Carne can be used for various test purposes.' { Also, we need to see what effects our declared Godhood has on mortals like these people. }

{ I see. Thank you for indulging my curiosity, Lord Ainz. I will carry out your order at once. } Albedo messaged with determination.

"For sure." Buku agreed, noticing Albedo approaching them. "But somehow I think a king who can't be bothered to properly protect his people won't be much different from politicians of our former home."

"Lord Ainz, a defensive perimeter is established," Albedo reported.

"Good. I'll entrust the protection of the village to you. You have my complete trust on the matter." Using the opportunity of having a face capable of expression, Ainz smiled at Albedo.

The succubus squirmed and replied with a higher pitch voice than her usual speaking tone. "You are giving me too much credit, my be… Lord Ainz."

{ Buddy, I think we better finish the business here fast before she drags you into the bushes for some fun time. } Pero said in the group chat that was still active between all five players.

{ He has a point, Ainz, you better give your girl some attention before she just jumps you. } Buku agreed with her brother.

{ I will! } Ainz replied louder than intended.

"I'll ask Gazef a few questions and then we can return to Nazarick." Ainz said out loud and walked off before more of his private life was discussed.

The man was standing over the graves of his fallen men with a stony expression.

"They were good men. Wanted to serve their country and protect the people. This is a good resting place for them." Gazef spoke hearing Ainz's approach.

"They died as heroes. I'm sorry we didn't come to help you sooner." Ainz said. 'Nothing. I feel nothing about their deaths.' There was not even an excuse for emotional suppression at the moment. These lives meant nothing to him.

Back on Earth, he was used to seeing dead bodies all the time as the death of people belonging to the lower classes was ever present but even then at least some spark of sorrow over the death of a fellow human was present. 'Now there was only us and them and these men were not part of 'us'.'

"You did more than I could have asked, Sir Gown. I won't ever forget your kindness." Gazef turned to face him. "Once I have returned to the capital, I will report everything to my King. I have no doubt he will want to thank you in person."

"As I said, we will send our representative if your King decides to work with us. Before we go, can you tell me what you know about the attackers?"

"Not much I can tell you, I'm afraid. The Slane Theocracy are human supremacists and consider themselves the protectors of humanity. I have only heard rumors about their scripture units and this was the first time I saw any of them in person."

"I see. There is another thing I was curious about. What were the abilities you used during the battle?"

"You haven't heard of martial arts before?" Gazef asked. Considering that martial art usage was more common than magic, someone of Ainz caliber should at least have heard of it.

'Does that mean that those inhuman feats of two elves were the result of raw strength and agility? That means those two are far into the realm of heroes.' The group's power grew more impressive with each new titbit of information.

"I'm afraid not. But as a pursuer of knowledge, I would like to know more."

"Martial arts can be learned by people who have reached a certain level of physical prowess and have enough energy to execute them. Most common ones are body strengthening abilities but there are some who can perform purely offensive feats like my Sixfold Slash of Light."

"Is there a place where such abilities can be learned?"

"There is a school in the capital run by my teacher and a few retired adventurers can also offer private training."

"Thank you for the information. Until we meet again, Gazef Stronoff." Ainz said and departed.

It was time to return home, rest, and plan the next steps.

Bonus Story - Picking up the pieces.

Even in the softest of beds and in perfect silence, sleep would have been an impossible feat to achieve. Enri lay in her bed watching the clear night sky through the small window.

Nemu fell asleep once she was too exhausted from crying. Her little sister held onto her with all four limbs while letting out a whimper from time to time.

It took just one bad day and all her life was in pieces. Her parents were dead along with many other people she had known all her life.

Enri closed her eyes, pushing the tears back in. She could not afford them. She needed to be strong for her little sister. Nemu would cry for both of them from now on.

Every horror-filled face was fresh in her mind. Nemu at first refused to believe what she was seeing and ran around the village looking for her mother and father. She had to tell her sister again and again that their parents were dead.

Just laying like this, the morning came.

"Nemu, it's time to wake up." Enri gently nudged her sister.

"But I want to sleep, mama." Nemu sleepily replied, not fully awake.

"There is so much to do." She hugged her sister again.

After a few more attempts Nemu finally opened her eyes.

"Enri?" She whimpered at her sister once the reality set in.

"It's alright. It's alright." Enri hugged her tightly. "We have to wake up. I'll make us a nice breakfast."

Nemu clamped onto her and quietly sobbed.

When her younger sister finally calmed down, both of them went to fetch some water to make a quick vegetable stew.

The scenery was no better than yesterday night. Many houses were missing doors and some had been burnt down. A lot fewer people were outside.

As they walked towards the well, Enri noticed her friend Mili sweeping the front porch of her family home. She moved back and forth in a zombie-like manner, ignoring the surroundings. Her left leg, which peaked out of the torn dress with each swing of the broom, was covered in dried blood. What little of her face could be seen through her hair was blue and swollen.

"Good morning Mili." Enri greeted her Friend and walked closer.

Mili looked up at her with a blank expression, "Enri…" and returned to sweeping.

'She looks horrible. And that blood…' Enri stopped, not wanting to think about what the attackers did to her friend. 'I have to distract her somehow.'

"Do you want to join us for breakfast?" Enri asked carefully.

"I'm not hungry," Mili mumbled, not stopping the monotonous and pointless task.

"Come on, you have to eat." Enri tried to take Mili's hand but the girl pushed her away.

"I can take care of myself," Mili said just as quietly as before.

"I know it's selfish, but I'm not good at cooking and hoped you could give me some pointers." Enri timidly said and extended her hand once again.

Mili looked up, understanding what her friend tried to accomplish. With a small nod, she followed both girls, first to the well to get water and then back to their home.

While Enri and Nemu cleaned the vegetables and cut pieces of bread for frying, Mili started a fire and prepared a pot. They had cooked together many times in the past. The important task of making meals was entrusted to them during the harvest season or if one of their mothers fell ill during the cold winters.

They didn't talk during the cooking and when they sat down only Enri tried to eat despite not feeling hungry.

Nemu poked the stew with a spoon while Mili just blankly stared at her bowl.

"This is so good," Enri said with a cheerful voice. "You have to eat while it's still hot."

Her encouragement did little. Nemu took a piece of a carrot and started to chew it to give the appearance of her trying to eat while Mili showed no signs of moving.

"Come on you two. We did such a good job making this stew. We can't let it go to waste." Enri continued to encourage them. Somehow, by some miracle of the Gods, she managed to persuade both girls to eat as well.

With Nemu sent outside to wash the bowls, Enri and Mili were left on their own.

"We could go pick some spices today. I'm running low on the fire grass." Enri suggested, sounding just as cheerful as before.

"How can you be like this? How can you just go on?" Mili asked quietly with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Because I have to." Enri replied but her true state of mind slipped through making her voice crack. "I have to be there for Nemu… and for you. But I need your help."

"My help… They are all gone, mother, father, Thom. You know, my father had given a blessing for us to marry. He tried… I can't help anyone."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's not your fault. You are a good friend. If you can go on then I will try as well." Mili looked up at her friend with tears in her swollen eyes.

Enri reached over the table and touched her friend's hand with a pained smile, holding back her tears. Somehow, some way they would go on and live their lives despite the tragedy.

Proofreading by Tophrel, Aterro, Ethal07, Sad_Smiles, Dtrackt, and Zirmeister.

AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader.