Carne Village?
Genji looked around, surprised to see a village surrounded by wooden fences and guarded by goblins. He remembered that last time Momonga had visited Carne Village, he gave a young girl two "Goblin General's Horns," which allowed her to summon goblins. Each horn brought forth a small but varied group: two archers, a mage, a priest, two cavalry, two wolves, and a commander. Momonga hardly cared about such items, as they only summoned lower-level monsters, but it seemed his previous visit left an impact on the village.
In the distance, Genji noticed a clearing where the goblins had cut down trees to build the fence. It seemed that he and the others were near the forest edge, where they planned to confirm some details. Leading the way, a young man spoke up, "The forest lies ahead. I'll rely on you all for protection. But just so you know, not far from here is where the magical beast 'Wise King of the Forest' roams. Please be careful."
Nfirea glanced over his shoulder at Momonga, who wore dark armor. "But as long as Mr. Momon is here, there should be no problems."
Momonga gave a reassuring nod. "If the 'Wise King' shows up, Narberal Gamma and I will cover everyone's retreat. You all run first if it comes to that."
After a night spent fighting ogres and goblins, everyone now trusted Momon completely. "If anything dangerous happens, you all escape first. The stronger the monster, the harder it is to hold back. I don't want anyone here getting hurt."
The group nodded in agreement, understanding the risk. "We'll make sure Mr. Nfirea gets to safety, but Mr. Momon, please don't overdo it."
Momonga glanced at their worried faces and reassured them, "Don't worry. If things get too intense, I'll retreat immediately."
Nfirea hesitated before speaking up, "Mr. Momon, could you... try not to kill the 'Wise King of the Forest'? Just drive it away if you can."
Momonga raised a brow, curious. "Why's that?"
"Well, the 'Wise King' keeps other monsters away from Carne Village. If we defeat it, the village might lose its protection."
Momonga thought it over. "I see. But if it's as powerful as the legends say, fighting without going all out could be risky for us."
The others glanced at him in admiration, hearing the confidence in his voice. Lukrut muttered, "Is that so?" while the rest of the "Swords of Darkness" exchanged impressed looks.
"I'll do my best," Momonga promised, "but I'll try to be merciful if possible."
Though he sounded sure, they couldn't ignore the legendary beast's reputation. It had lived for centuries, after all. Yet, with Mr. Momon's power, they felt hopeful. Nfirea quietly wished he would show mercy to the creature.
"Alright," Nfirea said, pulling out a dried plant from his herb pouch. "Now, let's go over the herbs we're here to gather. This one here is Ngnak grass—if you find any, let me know."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
…
After a brief discussion, Momon and the "Swords of Darkness" set off, while Momonga and Narberal stepped away from the group. Momonga took in the natural beauty around him, feeling oddly drawn to the forest's quiet. It reminded him of 'Blue Planet-san,' who had always admired nature.
As they moved through the woods, they found it strangely quiet—no sign of animals. They wandered on until…
"Lady Aura! You almost scared me!" Momonga suddenly noticed Narberal was startled by a figure in the trees.
He looked up to see Aura, the dark elf, emerge with a smile. "My apologies, I'll be more careful next time."
Aura was one of the twin guardians of the sixth floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Narberal looked at her in surprise. "When did you get here?"
Aura shrugged, "I arrived when Lord Ainz and you entered the forest. Lord Genji is here too."
Narberal blinked. "Lord Genji?"
Aura nodded. "We have been searching for the 'Wise King of the Forest.' We found its lair. From what we know, it's a four-legged beast with silver fur and a tail like a snake."
Just as she finished, Genji approached them from a nearby thicket. "Yep, it's a Djungarian Hamster, a bit oversized though."
With a hint of humor, he added, "And… it mentioned feeling quite lonely."