Connections

After a long talk, everyone decided to pick up their belongings and head out. After a while of walking the group came upon an old wrecked building or ruin, they decided to make camp here. After setting up everything they decided to have dinner, the meal was soup, which consisted of some dried meat and rise.

Everyone was currently sitting in a circle around the fire as they were eating. During the meal, Lukrut started bragging about his love life and what happened when he hooked up with a married woman.

He said that he had only had a little fun with the lady because the man was an abusive husband, but Filius believed that he just said that to cover the fact that he got beat up by the man.

Ainz was looking at the food in his hand, because of that, Filius and Nabe didn't touch their food until he started eating.

Then someone annoying spoke, "What's the matter? Is the soup too hot? If that's the case, I can let it cool down in my mouth and feed it to you that way if you like?"

Nabe was so pissed that she snapped her spoon in too, she then got up and moved on the other side of her new fiance, "May I sit here?"

Filius smiled, "Sure", he said as he scooted over, Nabe sat down and Filius wrapped his arm around her waist, he then looked at Lukrut with a smirk.

Lukrut gritted his teeth under his smile, he turned to his team, when he noticed everyone glaring at him.

"The food is fine, we were just observing your religious custom. In our faith, it's inconsiderate to have a meal with several people the same day we take another's life", Ainz said.

Filius and Nabe looked at each other in confusion.

"Oh, you believe in some interesting teachings Master Momon. I respect that", Dyne stated.

"I was wondering, where did the name (Swords of Darkness) come from?", Ainz asked as he was curious about the origins of the party.

"Oh that, tell them Ninya", Lukrut said as everyone turned to the other female in the party.

"Don't make me!", she shouted, "I was young and stupid!", she exclaimed.

"I thought you were still young", joked Filius. Everyone chuckled, and Ninya pouted at Filius.

Dyne relaxed after laughing, "Its really nothing to be embarrassed about."

"That's easy for you to say. You didn't come up with it", she sighed.

"Anyway. It's a reference to the old legends, The Thirteen heroes. We named our party after the swords of one of the fabled warriors", Peter stated. They all just looked at the trio, expecting them to know that legend.

"What is this legend?", asked Filius. He was curious, if there were thirteen powerful heroes that meant that they were powerful beings that could be a threat or allies. If they were that powerful then they must've had some powerful items, he needed to look deeper into this.

"Here I thought everyone knew the legends", Lukrut stated.

"The legend says that before the great empires were built, the world was in havoc. The evil deities wanted the mortals of this world to be annihilated, for many years that was everyone's fate. Then suddenly appeared the thirteen warriors, they were powerful beings with the ability to kill the deities. After a fierce battle they managed to finally kill the evil deities and brought peace to our world", Dyne said.

"Interesting", Filius whispered.

"Among The Thirteen Heroes, there was one called the (Black knight) who wielded four powerful swords known only as (The Swords of Darkness)", Ninya added.

"See, when we started our party, our ultimate goal was to find the swords for ourselves someday"

"But, we needed a symbol in the meantime. So we carry these daggers as placeholders", Peter said as he pulled a black dagger from his waist.

"I don't care that these aren't the real deal. They represent the creation of our team, and that's more important to me than any mythical blade", Lukrut said as he pulled his dagger out of its seethe.

Ninya and Dyne pulled their own daggers out and looked at them as well. "You know, I think that's the first time Lukrut has said something mildly meaningful", Dyne joked.

"Hey! Take that back!", Lukrut yelled as she sat up

"Who are you and what'd you do with our friend", Peter joked as he laughed.

"Shut up! I'm a silver-tongued fox and you know it", Lukrut rebutted.

Filius smiled as he started eating the soup, he might have been a humanoid/ undead, but he could still eat food as usual. Thanks to his magical abilities and skills he could have any form he desired, but he prefers the body his father gave him at birth. He would never give up on a gift from the supreme being, his father and creator. Thanks to his abilities, he could taste the food, he didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as good as the food of Nazarick.

"You all seem very close. Is it common for adventures to get along?", Nphirea asked Peter.

"Yeah! We all trust each other with our lives", Peter said as he looked at his team.

"It helps that our team is nothing but guys, too. Throwing a girl into the mix would be distracting",

"I think our greatest strength comes from sharing a common goal. It keeps us focused on the future", Ninya stated.

"You're lucky. Amazing things happen when everyone shares the same goal", Ainz stated.

"Were you on a team, Mr. Momon?", Ninya asked Ainz.

"It wasn't as an adventurer, but, yes, I was", Ainz then looked up at the sky, "Once when I was a weak and alone, a holy knight clad in white armor saved my life. He led me to the people I would eventually call my comrades. It changed me forever. They were the best allies I could ever hope for. More than that. They were friends, family. I will never forget the days spent with them, as long as I like."

After that statement, Ainz remained silent and looked at the fire as if he was digging up through his memories.

Filius knew why his father was silent, he knew his father missed the other supreme beings. He kind of wished he could do something to help his father, but sadly he didn't know whether he would help or make it worse.

"Mr. Momon...Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll find more allies just like them, one of these days", Ninya said after the silent moment.

"That day will never come!", he yelled, which shocked everyone. Yup it was better Filius didn't say anything or he'd be in Ninya's place. "Excuse me", Ainz said as he stood up, "Nabe, Killstag, I'llbe eating over here."

Ainz walked away and sat by himself, Filius grabbed Nabes hand, "Please be with father, I'll be there in a while", he then placed his forehead on hers and she smiled. Nabe then stood up and walked away as she sat down

"I think I might have insulted him", Ninya looked down at the ground in sadness.

"Mm. Something bad must have happened", Dyne stated.

"If I had to guess they're probably all gone", Peter said.

"I bet. It's hard to imagine. Killstag do you know what happened? He has the aura of someone who's lost all his comrades. That feeling stays with you", Lukrut asked him.

"No, but I knew who these people were...they were my uncles. My father's family", Killstag said as he ate his soup.

Everyone gasped, which meant that Momon's entire family was gone. All except for his only child.

"I know what my father feels, being alone is a dreadful thought, especially if you lost all those you cared about. All the family my father has is me, and I have to get stronger so he isn't worried for me or anyone else he cares about", Filius said out loud, he made sure not to say anything that would compromise Nazarick.

"That's such a noble cause sir Killstag", Dyne stated.

Dyne looked at Ninya and noticed the regret in her face, he knew she was ashamed of what she said. "You can't take back what you've said, so don't fret over it. All you can do from this point is atone through your actions. Work hard to paint over this mistake, and move forward", he told her.

"Mm-hm. I'll do my best", Ninya said, she looked as if she was remembering something.

"Well, thank you for the food, I'll be resting now", Filius said as he stood up and walked to his father and Nabe.

"Yes, have a good night then", Peter said.

Filius stood up and walked to his father, "Father, we should rest, tomorrow will be a new day", he whispered.

Ainz sighed, "You're right, thank you Filius", he said to his son. "Nabe, you should rest, I'll go in a while", he told Narberal.

"Yes lord", she said with a bow and then she followed Filius to where they would be resting. Since they were considered betrothed they had to make it look like it was true. So they had set their bed's side by side to one another.

Filius sat down and waved for Nabe to lay down, "Come."

Nabe grew a blush and started getting comfortable, she placed her sword beside her pillow and placed her dagger beside her. She then laid down and Filius laid beside her, he had also removed his sword and pack. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled at her, he noticed she was red as a cherry. Filius smiled, "You okay?", he asked her.

"Yes young master", she said in a shy tone.

Filus smiled and then moved in for a kiss, both of their lips touched and he smiled at her, "How was it?"

"It was soft and gentle", she whispered.

"Do you like it?", Filius asked, Nabe blushed but nodded in agreement. "Do you want another?", he asked, she nodded as her answer. Filius once again kissed her and instead of it being a normal peck it was a long passionate kiss. After a minute both of them separated and smiled at each other, Filius just laid there staring at Nabe and she stared at him. After a while, both of them fell asleep like that, Ainz had finally come to sleep when he saw this son and Naberal together.

He smiled at their actions, "kids grow up so fast."

Meanwhile, in another part of the Re-Estize kingdom, there was a town where there was a certain woman that was in a mass killing spree.

It was morning already and Filius had just woken up, he really didn't need sleep but he felt that it would always help clear his mind for the next day. He had woken up and he looked at Nabe beside him, she looked so peaceful and beautiful. He felt relaxed and overjoyed that she had accepted his proposal of being his concubine and mother of his heir, but first, they had to get to know each other on a deeper level. So that they could raise their child properly and make a wonderful heir. He moved his hand over her hair and he noticed her lips form a smile.

He stopped and then looked up, he then noticed his father was already awake. He was sitting down on a rock as he was making sure the area was clear. Filius approached his father, "good morning father."

Ainz looked at him, "Ah, good morning son, did u sleep well?"

"Yes, what about you? Let me guess u didn't", Filius said.

"You know me, as an undead I do not require sleep, as well as you. So why is it that you sleep?", asked Ainz.

"Well I do it because of Cocytus's teachings, he said that warriors are recommended to rest after a any conflict or battle. It helps rest the mind so you can think more clearly than before", Filius said.

Ainz thought about it, maybe it could help him when he was feeling distressed or tired.

After a while of chatting, Filius sat beside Nabe and started working on combining more spells and magic elements. He wanted to create different types of defensive elemental spells, Combining (Sheild) with different elemental spells. He made various shields, like (Flame Shield), (Water Shield), (Ice Shield), (Earth Sheild) and etc.

After a while, the others woke up from their sleep, they all started packing up their equipment and getting the horse ready.

In the middle of the process, Ninya walked up to the trio, which attracted their attention, she then bowed, "Hey...About what I said last night. I'm really sorry ."

Ainz didn't react to her words and just remained silent, Ninya couldn't say anything so she left. After that small talk, everyone started walking, it was somewhat awkward as the whole group walked down the road.

A few minutes of silence passed, everyone felt the tension in the air. Lukrut was the one who broke the silence, mostly because he felt like it was suffocating, "Uh...This area's got quite the scenery, doesn't it? It's so peaceful. Why don't we just relax and enjoy it?

"It's important to be on guard", Peter said.

"He's right. Carelessness gets you killed", Dyne added.

"A dragon could come down and roast the lot of us before we'd have time to react", Ninya said.

"Give me a break. You can't seriously believe that would happen", Lukrut tried brushing of her statement.

Ninya looked at him seriously, "There are plenty of local legends to support it. 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."

Ainz then coughed to get everyone's attention, "Um Ninya. You wouldn't happen to know the name of the dragon with the power over nature?"

Ninya turned to look at him, "Huh? Sorry, I have no idea. I'll ask when we're back in town."

"Please do. That would be of great help to me", Ainz asked.

Ninya smiled, it was as if all the life had returned to her body, "Kay! Consider it done. I won't let you down."

Everyone saw the interaction and smiled, they believed that any remaining tension from the previous night was gone.

"We should be in Carne Village within the hour", Nphirea said with a wide smile.

"Young lor- I mean Killstag, why would your father ask about the dragons?", Nabe asked Filius.

Filius thought about it and then spoke, "Dragons are the strongest monsters in Yggdrasil, so maybe he wants to test his power in this world. Or he could be wanting to make them our servants."

Nabe looked at Filius with raised eye's, she was always shocked by how smart her young master was, no her new fiance. As soon as she remembered Filius's words, she blushed once more, she would have never expected that she would be considered as the concubine of a supreme being. Even though it wasn't expected, she didn't dislike the idea, she would be of use to the supreme beings, she would carry the son of her young master. Thanks to her the supreme blood like would be able to survive.

After more walking, they finally arrived on a steep hill, once they were at the top, they noticed that at the bottom of the hill there was a village surrounded by a wooden fence. The wall wasn't the best protection, but it seemed to be strong enough to defend against most weak monsters.

"Huh? That's strange", Nphirea said as he was looking at the fence.

"What's the matter?", Peter asked him.

"That huge fence. I'm sure it wasn't here last time", Nphirea stated.

What they didn't know was that there were some creatures watching them. One of them turned to the other creature beside him, "Hey, get the boss. We might have trouble."

As soon as the group of adventures arrived at the front of the fence the gates opened and out stepped some small-greenish creatures, these monsters were actually goblins, but unlike the goblins from before these ones seemed to have more intelligence than the others. Then even more goblins appeared

"I thought I smelled something foul", Lukrut said as she pulled out his bow and arrow. He wasn't the only one, everyone else except for Ainz and his two followers, pulled out their weapons.

"That's enough, blondie", one of the goblins said as Lukrut started pulling on the bow's string.

"Put down your weapons! Now!", one of the other goblins ordered.

"Everyone, calm down", spoke a goblin in the center of the group, "We'd rather not have to cross swords if we can avoid it." The goblin then looked at Ainz, "Especially with that giant in the plate armor. I know a bad vibe when I feel one, and he's givin' me a serious case of the willies."

"Who the hell are these guys?", Peter asked, it seemed like he wasn't asking anyone, but he was actually asking Nphirea.

Suddenly a girl appeared, she had light brown hair, it almost seemed like as it was a dirty blonde. She had a white shirt and a brown vest, her skirt was of the same color it even had patches where it had ripped from old use.

Her name was Enri Emmot, she was the supposed leader of these goblins. "What's going on Mr. Goblin?", she asked one of the goblins.

"Oh boss", the goblin responded.

"Enri!", Nphirea was happy to see the girl, he felt grateful these goblins hadn't hurt her.

"Huh?", Enri turned to look at where that familiar voice came from, "Nphirea!" She was so happy to see her old friend.

The swords of darkness smiled and let down their weapons.

"Hey. Is she...?", Ninya said, what she was referring to was the small talk they had the night before.

They talked last night about who was Nphirea's crush and why he was worried that he felt like he might not be as attractive enough.

Dyne nodded to Ninya's words, "Yes, definitely."

Filius walked closer to his father, "Aren't those the intelligent goblins from the (Goblin summoning horn)? Why are they here?"

"It was from before when I came here alone with Albedo, this village was attacked by some knights, I came and saved them", Ainz whispered.

"And then you gave them the horns, right? You are very benevolent father", Filius said with a smile. Ainz couldn't see it but he knew that his son was proud of him, somehow he was happy that he was looked up to.

Ainz placed his hand on Filius's shoulder, "Thanks, son."

When the trio looked forward again, they noticed that Enri and Nphirea were stuck talking for a while. After entering the fence, the swords of darkness decided to rest up under a tree, that was close to Enri's home. Nphirea and Enri walked into the house and started talking to themselves. Ainz and Filius decided to walk around a while, they went up the hill and saw the scenery. They then noticed that some of the villagers and goblins were practicing on their archery.

"They're really quite good", Ainz said. Even though Ainz, Nabe, and Filius were miles away they could still see everything clearly.

"If you say so, lord", Nabe responded.

Filius snickered, Ainz looked at him and then back at Nabe, "Hm? All right, I wouldn't call any of them a natural. But think about it. Until ten days ago, none of them had even touched a bow before. They've been through a lot. They had to watch as their friends, children, and parents were murdered. But instead of giving in to misery, they're working hard to make sure that atrocity never happens again. If nothing else, it's inspiring."

"I hadn't thought of that. Please, forgive me, Lord", Nabe said with a bow.

"Hehehe", Filius laughed, Nabe looked at him and then pouted. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry", Filius said as he patted her head.

Ainz saw this interaction and finally spoke about the elephant in the room, "so I see that you two have gotten closer."

Filius stood straight and nodded, "Yes, you see I have something to tell you." Filius grabbed Nabe's hand, "Father, I want Nabe to be my family."

Ainz looked at him, then suddenly he was shocked, [F-FAMILY!!??] "Wait. What do you mean?", Ainz asked in shock.

"Father, I know you might not be happy, but please let me explain", Ainz calmed down when Filius said this. "I'm worried about you, father... actually... I'm worried about all of Nazarick."

Ainz tilted his head in confusion.

"I know I shouldn't think about this, but...father, you are the last supreme being, and I am your fleshed and blood son, but I am your only son. I know that you are undead and can't die from old age, but I want to make sure that your bloodline, the blood of a supreme being will never die. You might be undead, and old age won't kill you, but that doesn't mean that you can't be killed. That is why I want a family, and I want to make sure that you will never really be dead", Filius said.

[He's been worried about this...just how long], Ainz walked up to Filius and held his shoulder, "Son, I appreciate that you worry about me and Nazarick's future. But, you shouldn't force yourself to create a family or a future, what matters the most is that you love each other. Without love, any relationship you might have will be brittle, and if children are involved they will also be affected by that broken relationship. If you want to try it then I suggest you start getting to know each other before taking any bigger steps."

Filius thought about it, "Ok father."

"...That doesn't mean you can't get to know each other and then get closer", Ainz said.

Filius smiled, "Ok, thank you for your advice", he said with a bow.

Ainz looked at his son and smiled, [Huh? Being a grandpa, doesn't sound so bad.]