The following travels went peacefully without any other enters with monsters.

  Before even the sun began to set, they could see tall, wooden fences with sharpened peaks in the distance, signifying civilization. And the only civilization they knew would be within their viity, if they did not somehow go the opposite way, would be e Vilge.

  However, the sight caught he one who knew of e Vilge the most, by surprise.

  “Eh…? That’s…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Peter asked, and Nfirea responded with half doubt.

  “Those tall wooden walls… I don’t recall e Vilge having them. It is supposed to be a very small, rural vilge…”

  Lukrut focused his eyes at the distant view of the vilge.

  “Hm… They seemed to be built quite sturdily. They even sharpehe top of each stake. For a rural vilge, that’s quite impressive.

  “Maybe they just built it retly?”

  “...”

  Nfirea didn’t want to simply brush off Ninya’s words, as there might be some truth to it. However, he knew more than anyone here how limited the resources e Vilge had in their possessions, may it be in building material or human resources.

  Unless a generous and rich mert or noble somehow decided to help such a small vilge with building such defeructures out of nowhere, it’d be impossible for e Vilge to acquire such tall walls.

  However, without any other pusible answer, ayed silent and tinued making his way to the vilge.

  Upon arriving closer, the sight of the tall and thick wooden stakes firmly buried to the ground and ected with thick hemp ropes became even more impressive, sidering it was a small, rural vilge. While it may not be that effective against a group of bandits e, powerful monsters, it was suffit to deter groups of goblins or wolf packs that seeked to attack the vilge.

  The raised, rocky ground to the side of the road with tall grasses and shrubberies were also details Nfirea hadn’t seen before.

  But what caught his and everyone else’s attention wasn’t the structure that was only impressive for a vilge, but the group of goblins, muuscur and armed with steel ons aher armors, standing by the gates, as if guarding it.

  “Are those goblins…?!”

  Lukrut, being the first oo see the group of goblins, quickly drew his bow and knocked an arrow to its string.

  Peter and the rest of the Swords of Darkness simirly went into formation, surrounding Nfirea who sat on the head of the carriage.

  “Who the hell are you guys?!”

  One of the goblins drew his own bow and arrow. And the moment he did, a number of goblins appeared from betweeall grasses and shrubberies around them, immediately surrounding them.

  The sight of these many goblins, armed with ons, seer and the rest into high alert.

  These were clearly not ordinary goblins. One was even capable of speaking, which proved how different they were from the mindless, savage goblins they entered just the day before.

  Moreover, with suumbers, Peter didn’t know if they would be able to defeat them, if not for Alexander and his party.

  But just as he was calg on what to do, anoblin, the one wielding a broadsword, spoke up.

  “Hey guys, we don’t want to fight if we don’t have to. Especially that full-pted guy! You give off a real dangerous feeling!”

  The goblin pois sword at Alexander, who was standing silently, not drawing his sword.

  Yuuji, Aika, and Momonga knew who these goblins were, and khey were not hostile. While Lupu, seeing as her masters did not make a move, also stood silently.

  Of course, although she could easily decimate the small group of goblins easily, she did not lower her guard entirely. After all, if somethio somehoen to her masters, no matter how small or insignifit, she wouldn’t be able tive herself.

  Hearing the words of the goblier became just as flicted as he was fused.

  Being outnumbered while having a bunch of ons poi them by goblins was something he registered as a threat based on his experienbsp;

  The goblins had said that it didn’t wish to fight for fear of Alexander. However, he still couldn’t let his guard down, as they might still attack when he did.

  But just then, a young girl with sunny blonde hair, dressed in a regur vilge girl outfit of leather and cotton, appeared amidst the group of goblins and approached the one who had just spoken to them.

  “Mister goblin? What’s wrong? What’s with the otion?”

  And that was when Nfirea finally broke his silen reition of the girl.

  “Enri!”

  --------------------------------X--------------------------------

  The wind blew past the vast, grassy fields upon a small hill overlooking a sizable fttened grouhe edge of the vilge.

  Yuuji sat down on top of a b on the ground, his jet-bck hair swaying with the wind having removed his helmet, as he held a bck, starry slime in his hand and caressed it softly.

  He looked over to the grounds beh the small hill. There, he could see an old woman, rotund, dressed in a pin shirt, a faded pink long skirt, and a off-white headscarf, pulling the arrow she had knocked onto her bow.

  To her side, one of the goblins he had seen upon arriving in the vilge was there, seemingly instrug her on her form and the basics of wielding a bow.

  She let go. The arrow flew in a wobbly ar the midst of the gently blowing winds, and struck the lower half of a makeshift target made of hays and a cloth that had been painted with circles.

  Several other vilgers, from middle-aged men, young boys, to women of various ages all took turns shooting the bow or swinging wooden sticks while the goblins instructed them.

  The trauma, pain, and loss they’ve experienced just a few weeks ago had pushed these regur vilgers, who only knew how to avoid dangers by staying within the fine of their vilge, to take arms and learn how to protect themselves and their families, and face the dahat may e to harm all they cared for.

  As he looked at them, he could see the fear, desperation, and most of all, determination they all held within themselves.

  And for a moment, he could see himself in them.

  The version of him if he didn’t e across the group chat.

  If he were to still be powerless, he wouldn't be able to protect his dear sisters from the many unscrupulous perverts who only saw them as the object of their disgusting desires.

  He wouldn't be able to protect his mother and aunt, who simirly attracted the attention of many men whose mind was only filled with the selfish desire to obtain them and lust for their bodies.

  And if something unfortunate did happen to them… he would have the same gaze as the vilgers here as well.

  He dared not ponder on such a tragedy for long and quickly shook his head. His a earned him the attention of Aria, who turowards him from on top of his palm with a look of fusion.

  He smiled softly. Brought her up towards his fad kissed her head, causing the starry, bck slime to shine in delight before shivering in embarrassment.

  Aika asked what he's thinking.

  Yuuji looked up to her. The girl from beyond his universe. The girl who existed only in fi as far as he knew previously. The girl ted his everything.

  The girl who gave him ce. The girl who loved him. The girl who ged his life pletely.

  He wouldn't be who he was right now if not for her.

  With the sun behind her, Aika, though her tenance was covered by the fox's mask, shined shtly aifully like her.

  He smiled and shook his head.

  "I'm just thinking about how gd I am to meet you."

  "A~ You have such a sweet tongue, honey~ Hehe~"

  Aika giggled and moved herself closer, nuzzling to him.

  The bright, white, rainbow-colored slime jumped down from Aika's head onto Yuuji's shoulder and jumped up and down, trying to get his attention.

  "And of course, I'm so gd to have met you too, Alice. Aria."

  Yuuji kissed the adorable white slime on her head, and she began to shine even brighter as she jumped up and dowically.

  Aria, who stayed in his hand, also began to fidget and began nuzzling to his hand as well. A gesture of affe.

  Yuuji tilted his head aed it on Aika as the two silently ehe gently blowing winds and fresh, natural air untainted by pollution and dust.

  In the distance, Momonga watched them with a small smile on his fabsp;

  Seeing the two people he sidered his little brother and sister, though they were both much more capable and smarter than him, so close warmth his heart. A warmth he wouldn't have been able to feel in his overlord form filled his chest ai.

  A warmth he hadn't felt for years... perhaps, decades. The warmth of a family.

  Solitary had always been the only panion Satoru had since... as far as he could remember.

  Although he had parents, their presend attention, or ck thereof, only served to atuate his loneliness.

  He was alone in his school. And loneliness tio follow him to his workpbsp;

  The only time he wasn't on his ohen he's within Yggdrasil. That was the only time he had ever felt alive.

  But, even that came to an end.

  The pain he felt... And the realization that loneliness had ruly left him.

  Perhaps, it would've hurt less if he never knew such a life in the first pce, if only to have it robbed from him once more.

  But then... a miracle came.

  People from beyond his own world came to his life, ected by an "App" beyond prehension.

  And for the first time, he saw yet anht at the end of the dark, long, lounnel.

  Apprehension, stemming from his fear of loss, closed his heart to them for a time.

  But these people... They knew him. They knew how he felt, his true feelings, his pain, his loneliness...

  Ae knowing all of that, they still chose to befriend him. To rid him off his loneliness. To be with him.

  They quickly get to know each other more, and grew closer. And they get to find out things even their "stories" didn't get to tell.

  Their bonds grew as they went through missions. They taught him how it felt to be cared for.

  The warmth of a family.

  And before he k... he had sidered all of them his little brothers and sisters.

  "Hah... But those lovebirds should learime and pce for such pda..."

  He shook his head with a helpless smile.

  Just then, Momonga noticed his shadow shifting and began to ripple.

  "What is it?"

  A telepathic message came into his mind as the deep, wispy voice of a Shadow Demon resounded within.

  "Momonga-sama... I have e to report."

  "Tell me."

  "We have spotted two beings within the crypt near E-Rantel accumuting a great amount of ive energy. It is as you have foretold, my lord."

  The shadow demon lowered his head in deep reverence over the omnisce his lord seemed to wield. Truly, it was the joy of his life to be of servieone so great and wise as him.

  "I see. tio monitor the situation within the crypt. Also, have the other shadow demon follow the golden-haired woman. Tell me if she es to E-Rantel."

  "As you and."

  Momonga let out a sigh as he thought of the busy few days, when they will be hailed as heroes and move on to the phase of the pn.

  VergsX