The distant snow-covered mountains seemed almost within reach, yet everyone knew that covering that distance would still take an unknown amount of time.
After the initial excitement wore off, Rania gradually slowed her pace, following behind the moving caravan while keeping a vigilant watch on the surroundings.
Within the forest, the silhouettes of magical beasts occasionally appeared before vanishing again. They were the same group Chu Lian had accepted yesterday. Now that she had set off, they naturally followed along.
Seeing how obedient they were, Chu Lian could not help but extend her hand toward the forest. As if understanding her intention, a brilliantly colored long‑tailed bird flew out and landed on her hand, placing a fruit it had been holding in its beak in front of her, inviting her to take it.
"Good." Chu Lian gently stroked the head of the large bird called a Blazefinch before taking the fruit, which somewhat resembled an apple, and handing it to Nabe.
She then waved her hand, letting the Blazefinch return to the forest. Nabe used water magic to wash the fruit clean before handing it back to Chu Lian.
"Hmm..." Holding the fruit, Chu Lian examined it for a moment before taking a small knife from her storage space and slowly peeling the skin.
"Liliana, that should be my task," Nabe said with a slight frown, reaching out as if to take both the knife and the fruit to prepare it for her.
"No, let me do it myself." Chu Lian stopped her hand and said gently, "I should handle some things on my own, shouldn't I?"
Nabe hesitated for a moment and did not insist further. Instead, she watched attentively as Chu Lian peeled the fruit, as if worried she might accidentally cut her finger.
Aware of the maid's concern, Chu Lian unusually focused on the task. After neatly peeling the fruit, she cut it into two halves, took a bite from one, and handed the other half to Nabe.
The little maid looked at the fruit in her hand, then at Chu Lian's gentle eyes, before raising it to her lips and taking small bites.
"Your Excellency seems very happy," Rania remarked, sensing the subtle atmosphere between the two behind her.
"Not really. I'm just a bit more relaxed." Chu Lian turned her head toward the direction of the snow mountains and spoke softly. "This place feels quite safe. I think we'll reach our destination without trouble. After all, we drove away so many enemies yesterday and even slaughtered dragons. I don't believe dragons will appear again today."
"That should be impossible, Your Excellency," Rania replied. "The number of dragonkind isn't very large. Sending four dragons at once yesterday was already extraordinary."
"According to legend, near the outskirts of E-Rantel in ancient times, there existed a dragon with the divine power to control catastrophic changes in heaven and earth." Ninya, walking ahead of them, suddenly joined the conversation. "Also, north of the Azerlisia Mountains we can see now, it is rumored that a large number of frost dragons dwell there. I don't know what type the four dragons that attacked us yesterday were, but since none of them used frost abilities from beginning to end, they probably weren't frost dragons. So we should still be careful."
Ninya's words caused everyone who heard them to fall silent for a moment. Seeing this, Ainz coughed lightly and asked, "Do you know the name of that dragon with the power to control catastrophic changes in heaven and earth?"
"Uh..." Hearing Ainz's question, Ninya thought for a moment but realized she could not remember. "I'll check when I get back to town."
"Ah, alright, Ninya. I'll leave it to you," Ainz replied. He was actually quite curious about the dragon's name. Perhaps he might recognize it.
"No matter what kind of dragon it is, if it dares to jump around in front of us, I'll slaughter it for you." Chu Lian's remark left everyone unsure how to respond. They could only laugh awkwardly. After all, this girl truly meant it when she said she would slaughter dragons. Yesterday, none of the four dragons had lasted even two seconds against a single strike from her. She was practically a professional dragon slayer.
"Liliana, perhaps that dragon isn't something you can defeat right now," Ainz said after estimating Chu Lian's maximum displayed combat power. She had likely already crossed the thirty-level gap and reached roughly level seventy-five in strength. However, once an opponent exceeded level eighty, she might not be able to handle it.
The legendary dragon said to control catastrophic changes in heaven and earth would probably not be below that level, so he felt it necessary to remind her. It would be bad if his little sister became overconfident.
"Well, if I can't win, isn't big brother here? You wouldn't just stand there and watch me get bullied, would you?" Chu Lian stretched lazily and leaned back against Nabe's embrace.
"Haha. With those words from you, even if ten dragons show up, I'll slaughter them all." Chu Lian's remark made Ainz feel delighted. Hearing that felt incredibly satisfying. To live up to his sister's trust, not just one dragon, even ten would be slain if necessary.
"Mr. Momon also seems to be an incredible powerhouse." Hearing this, everyone present raised their estimation of Ainz's strength even further. As expected of siblings. Miss Liliana could easily slaughter dragons after displaying her power, but Ainz had never revealed his true strength. Just how powerful was he?
"We're almost at Carne Village." Nfirea, who was driving the horses while sitting on the carriage, spoke about their current location before turning back to address the group.
"In YGGDRASIL, dragons were also the strongest race. The four yesterday looked rather ordinary, but what about that legendary dragon? And the frost dragons that haven't appeared yet? What about their strength?" Ainz was well aware of the power of dragonkind.
Their powerful bodies and defenses, bottomless stamina, the ability to use various special abilities and magic, and lifespans without limits. Gathering intelligence on the dragon species that stood at the top of this world's monsters would be extremely significant for Nazarick's development and production.
"Big brother doesn't need to worry. Dragons generally don't actively attack people," Chu Lian said, though she was mostly just trying to reassure him. "In their eyes, the entire world is a hunting ground. As long as they can fill their stomachs, they'd rather lie down and sleep than bother flying out."
"Let's hope so," Ainz replied with a nod. Yesterday's upheaval had made him even more cautious. Even if the intelligence they gathered might not be useful later, at least Nazarick would possess its own information that could be analyzed for valuable insights.
After that, everyone fell silent and continued moving forward.
After traveling for quite a while, the outline of a village appeared before them. When Nfirea saw it, he spoke with a hint of concern.
"Hmm? That's strange."
Peter, walking ahead of him, turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I've never seen such sturdy barricades before. Did something happen?" Nfirea's words made Peter and the others grow cautious as well. Could something have happened to Carne Village too?
Chu Lian, sitting on Rania's back, paid it little mind. She knew someone would soon explain everything that had happened here. All she needed to do was arrange for the magical beasts.
Raising a finger, Chu Lian traced a mysterious symbol in the air. As magic surged, the symbol flew upward into the sky and burst apart, scattering tiny white fragments that drifted downward.
As if receiving a command, the centaurs who had been following—except for Rania—stopped in their tracks. Silently, they entered the forest together with the other magical beasts and moved into the woods near Carne Village to await orders.
Rania knew that this was her mistress communicating through the rose emblem on their backs, conveying her command to them. The message was simple: enter the forest and stand by. Even though they were technically her subordinates, under Chu Lian's will they still obeyed her instructions and carried out the tasks she assigned.
The others also noticed what Chu Lian had done, but no one said anything. She clearly had her own plans, and even if they were curious, they had no intention of questioning her.
Amid a slightly tense atmosphere, the group slowly moved forward. When they finally reached the gate in the barricade, Lukrut frowned slightly and raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
A group of goblins in equipment stood blocking the open gate, staring at them while drawing their bows and shouting loudly, "Who are you people?"
"Aren't those goblins?" Not only were the goblins showing hostility, but Lukrut and the others also drew their weapons and raised their bows in response, refusing to yield.
At that moment, however, green figures began emerging from the surrounding grass one after another, glaring fiercely at them as if ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
But after experiencing yesterday's battle, the members of Swords of Darkness had at least witnessed a grand spectacle. Especially since they knew there were three unfathomable powerhouses in their party, they were not worried. They simply disliked the feeling of being surrounded and remained on guard.
"Lower your weapons," the goblin leader said. Surprisingly, its tone was not particularly fierce. Perhaps seeing the situation already under control had eased its tension.
"These guys are..." Ainz had already realized what was going on the moment he saw them, so he made no move. He simply waited for the arrival of that girl.
"Everyone, we'd prefer to avoid a fight if possible. Especially the one in full armor and that centaur—you both radiate a very dangerous aura. It's extremely obvious."
Just as the atmosphere grew taut, a girl's voice came from behind the goblins. "Goblins, what's going on?"
Seeing the girl approaching, the leading goblin broke into a bright grin. "Boss, you're here."
Nfirea also saw the girl and called out, "Enri."
Hearing his voice, the blonde girl looked toward him and immediately brightened with joy. "Nfirea!"
"So those goblins were summoned by the horn I gave her back then. But..." Ainz recalled what the girl had said when they rescued her: "Because there's an apothecary who sometimes comes to the village. He's my friend, and he can also use magic."
Watching the people ahead begin chatting, Ainz instantly realized who that so-called apothecary was referring to. "So that's the apothecary she meant."
"Miss, do you remember me?"
Enri had been happily talking with Nfirea, seemingly discussing the changes that had happened recently. But when that voice reached her ears, she suddenly froze.
Especially the crisp "jingle" of small bells that followed—it was unmistakably familiar. That was the unique sound of the girl who had recently appeared again and again in her dreams.
She looked up.
What she saw was a pure-white girl sitting on the back of a centaur, leaning against another woman's embrace. Although she looked completely different from before, from her attitude, her voice, and the sound of her bells, Enri knew—it was her.
"De—"
She tried to call out the girl's name, but in the next instant Chu Lian appeared in front of her. A slender finger pressed gently against her lips.
"Shh. My name is Liliana. Nice to meet you."
"Yes... Liliana..." Feeling the warmth of her presence, the girl's gaze softened.
She had come again...