Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

On their way to Karn Village, the group was ambushed by goblins.

These goblins were well-trained and well-equipped, unlike ordinary wild goblins. Just as conflict was about to erupt, Enri ran from the direction of the village. The goblins were obeying her commands.

Ainz quickly realized that the girl was a villager from Carne Village whom he had saved under the name "Ainz Ooal Gown," and that the "Horn of the Goblin General" he had casually given her was now protecting the village.

Enfreya became emotional upon seeing Anri. His reaction made Ainz realize that this village meant much more to Enfreya than just a place to gather herbs.

Enfreya astutely connected "Flying" with "Ainz Ooal Gown." Faced with Enri's testimony and the clues of the potion, Ainz no longer denied it. The boy bowed deeply to him, thanking him for saving Enri and the village.

The task of gathering herbs led them deep into the forest. This forest had recently become unusually active, with even ogres daring to trespass into the territory of the Forest King.

As the group ventured deeper into the forest, Ainz briefly separated from the main group with Narberal to reunite with Aura, who was already waiting in the woods. He instructed Aura to find the Forest Wise King and bring him before him—another step in Ainz's strategy to enhance his reputation.

The battle between Ainz and the Forest Wise King ended in a subtle atmosphere.

To Ainz, this monster known as the "Forest Wise King" looked exactly like an absurdly gigantic Ghulkarna hamster. It had a round, silver body, black eyes, and a pink nose, and its belly was covered in soft, fluffy fur when it stood on its two hind legs.

"I am the Forest Wise King you speak of. I have no other name," the monster declared.

The battle itself wasn't intense. Ainz tentatively exchanged blows with it while mentally criticizing it. This magical beast had decent physical defense and could use several low-level spells, but in Ainz's opinion, its combat strength was only around level 30 in YGGDRASIL. Its title of "Forest Wise King" didn't match the appearance of this giant hamster in front of it at all.

During the battle, Ainz even thought of a guildmate who had been depressed for a week because of the death of his pet hamster.

He quickly lost interest in fighting seriously. After easily deflecting a round of attacks from the monster, Ainz unleashed a weakened version of "Aura of Despair V." An aura of fear immediately caused the giant hamster to roll over, exposing its belly, and loudly surrender: "I surrender! I have lost!"

Looking at its defenseless, soft belly, Ainz sighed. Killing it seemed a bit of a waste, whether out of nostalgia for his comrade or because he felt turning it into a zombie wouldn't be of much use.

"My real name is Ainz Ooal Gown. If you are willing to submit to me, I will spare your life," Ainz finally said.

"Thank you! I will repay your life with utmost loyalty—King of the Forest, I dedicate my life to the great warrior Ainz Ooal Gown!" The monster immediately jumped up, its beard trembling with excitement.

Ainz named it "Kurasuke". Although he immediately felt that the name was tasteless, the monster itself—this beast—was very satisfied.

When Ainz rode Kurasuke out of the forest, the Black Sword members and Enfreya, who were waiting outside, were stunned. But the reason for their surprise was completely different from what Ainz had expected.

"This is the Forest King! Amazing—a truly magnificent magical beast!" Nina exclaimed.

"You can feel its immense power just by seeing it!" Dain exclaimed.

Ainz was stunned. He looked at the round hamster beneath him, then at the adventurers before him, their faces filled with awe. The Forest Sage they saw seemed to be a completely different creature from the one he was seeing.

"...Everyone, don't you think this monster's eyes are cute?" Ainz asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened as if they had heard something unbelievable.

"Mr. Feifei! Don't you think this monster's eyes are cute?" Peter's reaction was the most exaggerated.

Ainz looked around and found that apart from Narberal, who remained expressionless, everyone else's expressions seemed to say, "Are you crazy?" He looked at Kurasuke's round, dark eyes in confusion, and could only conclude that: this world's aesthetic sense might be a bit off.

After the initial shock, Enfreya raised a practical concern: without the deterrent power of the Forest Wise King, would other magical beasts attack Carne Village?

This was exactly what Ainz wanted to do. He was planning to use this opportunity to demonstrate his strength and further solidify his relationship with the apothecary's grandson. However, Enfreya's next request was completely unexpected.

"Mr. Ainz! Please let me join your team!" The boy's eyes were sincere, and his tone was firm. "I want to protect Anri... to protect Carne Village. But I don't have that power right now. So I want to become stronger! Even if it's just a little bit, I hope Mr. Ainz can pass on his great power to me! I have some confidence in my pharmacology, and I'm willing to do anything, whether it's carrying luggage or any other chores! Please agree!"

Ainz fell silent. He recalled how, in Yggdrasil, countless people had sought to join Ainz Ooal Gown's guild, mostly for personal gain. This boy, however, was doing it simply to protect a village and someone he loved.

"Ha, hahahaha!" Ainz couldn't help but laugh, a laugh devoid of sarcasm, only pure joy. He removed his helmet and bowed solemnly to Enfreya, causing Narberal behind him to gasp.

"I apologize for my outburst." Ainz looked up. "I admire your determination, but to join my team, two conditions must be met, and you've only met one. Therefore, I cannot accept you. However, I will do my part to protect this village."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Enfreya's face, but hope quickly returned, and he nodded vigorously.

Two days later, the group finished their collection and returned to Ye-Lantir.

Ainz rode Kurasuke down the street, feeling like he was engaging in some kind of humiliating play. His round, chubby body forced him to sit in an extremely undignified posture, like a lonely old man riding a carousel. However, passersby and adventurers around them cast admiring and envious glances, some even whispering, "Is that the legendary Forest Wise King?" and "What a magnificent beast!"

Ainz could only question the world's aesthetic standards once again.

Back in town, the group decided to go to Enfreya's house to collect their reward. The members of the Black Sword escorted Enfreya ahead, while Ainz took Narberal and Kurasuke to the Adventurers' Guild to register Kurasuke.

The procedures took longer than expected, mainly because drawing a portrait of Kurasuke took a lot of effort. When Ainz finally finished registering and rode Kurasuke to the Enfreya family's shop, they were greeted by an anxious old woman—Liji Barreya, Enfreya's grandmother.

"Are you the one who went to gather herbs with my grandson? Where is my grandson now?" Lizzie asked.

"He should have already returned with the herbs. We're on our way there to collect our payment," Ainz replied.

Rigi seemed relieved and offered to go with them. But as they opened the shop door, a sense of foreboding washed over Ainz.

The shop was eerily quiet; there was no sign of human presence. Ainz placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Narberal immediately drew hers.

They followed the scent to a herb storage room, where a horrific scene unfolded before their eyes.

Peter, Lucrete, Dain, and Nina slumped against the wall, a large pool of blackened blood beneath them. Their eyes were vacant, their faces deathly pale.

"Zombies," Ainz said in a low voice.

Just then, Peter's body moved like a puppet on strings. Without hesitation, Ainz flashed his greatsword, and Peter's head rolled off. With a backhand strike, Lucrete, who had just stood up, also fell. Dain staggered to his feet, only to have his throat pierced by Ainz's sword.

Rigi screamed in terror and rushed into the house to look for Enfreya, while Ainz walked up to Nina, the only one who hadn't turned into a zombie. He knelt down and gently lifted Nina's face.

The face was unrecognizable, swollen like a pomegranate, and the left eye was ulcerated with vitreous humor oozing out. Ainz pulled open his clothes and found that his entire body was covered in marks of brutal beatings, with almost no patch of intact skin.

"...This is a little unsettling," Ainz murmured.

Lizzie returned quickly, her face deathly pale: "Emfreya is gone!"

Ainz calmly examined the scene, pointing to a line of blood-written words beneath Nina's body: "This is Nina's death message. It says 'underground sewers,' and there's also the number '2-8.'"

"What...what does this mean?" Rigi asked, trembling.

"It could be misleading, or it could be a real clue." Ainz stood up. "However, I've found a more reliable method of tracking."

He had Narberal retrieve the scroll and activated the "Object Location" spell. The target wasn't Enfreya, but the missing metal plaques belonging to the Black Sword members. The spell reacted quickly; Narberal pointed to a point on the map: "Here, deep within the graveyard of Ye Rantil."

Through the "Clairvoyance" magic, Ainz saw the scene deep within the graveyard: countless undead surrounded an altar, in the center stood a gaunt man holding a black orb, and a cute blonde woman, and at their feet lay the unconscious Enfreya.

"Preparing so many undead, the other side must be plotting something big." Ainz deactivated his magic and said to Rigi, "I can accept the task of saving your grandson, but the price will be high."

"I'll pay any price!" Lizzie said eagerly.

"It's not money," Ainz said, his tone eerily calm. "It's everything you have. If Enfrea returns safely, you'll have to hand over everything you own."

Lizzie's face turned deathly pale. She took a step back, her voice trembling, "You...you're not a demon, are you?"

"So what if I'm a demon?" Ainz retorted. "Do you want to save your grandson?"

Lizzie bit her lip, a struggle flashing in her eyes. Ultimately, her worry for her grandson overcame all fear: "...I promise you. I'll give you everything I have to save my grandson!"

"The contract is established." Ainz nodded, turned, and walked towards the door. "Then, let's not delay."

When Ainz and his group arrived at the cemetery, it was already in complete chaos.

The cemetery gates were tightly shut, and the guards stood in panic on the walls, thrusting their spears at the undead surging below. The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh and the low groans of the undead. Even more terrifying, a colossal undead—a necromantic giant pieced together from countless corpses—was slowly climbing the walls.

The guards were taken aback when they saw Ainz riding on the hamster, then noticed the bronze badge on his chest with disappointment. What could a low-ranking adventurer do in this situation?

Ainz flipped off and took the greatsword from Narberal's hands.

"Look behind you, it's dangerous," he said casually.

The guards turned and saw the undead giant approaching, baring its fangs and claws. Just as they screamed in despair, Ainz made an incredible move—he hurled his greatsword with the force of a javelin throw!

The greatsword transformed into a black lightning bolt, instantly piercing the undead giant's head. The immense impact sent the monster, composed of countless corpses, crashing to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"—An undead blocking the way."

Ainz drew another sword and walked towards the door. "Open the door."

"Don't talk nonsense! There are thousands upon thousands of undead outside the door!" the captain of the guard shouted in terror.

Ainz didn't answer, but simply pushed off the ground, leaping over the four-meter-high wall and disappearing on the other side of the gate. Narberal also floated up lightly, carrying Kurasuke over the wall.

The guards looked at each other, trembling as they climbed the wall to look outside.

The black-clad warrior charged into the horde of undead, wielding his greatsword left and right. With each strike, several undead were cleaved in two or sent flying. He was like a black blade, forcefully carving a path through the endless tide of undead.

The corpses of the undead lying on the ground were piled up like mountains, while the figure moved forward with unstoppable momentum, getting further and further away.

"...He calls himself Feifei," a guard murmured. "That skill...it can't be a bronze-level adventurer. He must be a legendary steel-level adventurer!"

"A dark warrior..." another guard whispered, "No, a dark hero!"

Ainz fought his way deeper into the graveyard. Behind him lay hordes of fallen undead, while those in front of him began to shrink back in fear.

Even these low-intelligence monsters, after being killed in one blow countless times, instinctively felt fear. They surrounded Ainz, but dared not approach easily.

"This will only lead to a stalemate," Ainz frowned. He didn't want too many undead to escape, lest the casualties among his guards damage his reputation, but he also couldn't waste time here.

He unleashed some of his power, summoning two mid-level undead—Jack the Ripper and the Corpse Collector. These two more powerful undead immediately began slaughtering the surrounding undead.

At the same time, he summoned several low-level undead as a guard to prevent any adventurers from snatching the spoils of victory before him.

"Then, let's go."

When Ainz led Narberal and Kurasuke to the shrine deep within the cemetery, they saw a group of people dressed in black robes forming a circle. In the center, a gaunt man was holding a black jewel and chanting incantations. Enfreya lay unconscious not far away.

"Oh, what a beautiful night. Don't you think it's a waste to use it for such a boring ritual?" Ainz said loudly.

The men in black robes immediately went on alert. The gaunt man—Kajit—looked up at Ainz: "Hmph... Just who are you? How did you manage to break through that group of undead?"

"I'm an adventurer commissioned to find the missing boy." Ainz glanced around. "Are you the only ones? Where is the others?"

"Only us—" Before Kajit could finish speaking, a flirtatious female voice came from the direction of the shrine.

"Oh dear—we've been exposed—hiding any longer isn't an option."

A blonde woman walked out slowly, the clanging of metal echoing with each step. She opened her trench coat, revealing a collection of all sorts of adventurer's metal badges, ranging from the lowest bronze to the highest mountain bronze.

"My name is Clementine, nice to meet you." The woman revealed a predatory smile.