"You aren't well liked are you, Stronoff-dono?"
"No, I guess not Momon-dono." Gazef gritted out.
Momon turned towards the man as if in searching before saying. "So... you know who they are?" Gazef nodded. "Is there an old history I should be aware of, or is this a blatant assassination of a person of authority?"
*sigh! "If I die... yes, an assassination. If I live? It would be a declaration of war. This is Sunlight Scripture. One of the Six Scriptures of Theocracy. And also its greatest organization... their reputation precedes them... along with atrocities they had committed..." Gazef clenched his fists at the various villages that had been reduce to rubble. "This is as clear a indication as any that the Theocracy has sided with the Empire."
"Umu..."
「 It is as you had inferred. 」
「 Truly? 」Eliza sarcasticly replies.
「 Umu.」 Momon answers, smiling as he ignored her words. 「Archangel Flame. A beginner class summon but, the fact that it is here is proof enough... There indeed had been others before us. 」
「Let us not be hasty my love.」Eliza laugh softly at her beloved's words and the slight bit of panic, already leaking from it. 「Before you order the complete Lockdown of Nazarick, let us seek out more proof of other player's presence here.」
Momonga blushed, unable to deny that he had already started planning for further contingency plans, expansion plans and protection of the guild base. 「As much as I trust your words, I cannot in good conscious let us be exposed in this way. Let me raise the anti-divination protections at the very least. 」
「You would alarm them of our potential strengths. It is best they think us at a level that they can gauge as to not rouse suspicion.」
「....Call for Albedo. Someone must be by your side if-"」
「My love~」Momonga froze, hearing her familiar soothing tone. Reminding him of both the reprimanding yet encouraging tone that she can frighteningly convey. 「The Throne of Kings was clear... despite the influence of Yggdrasil, there are no longer any other players here.」
「We can't be certain. You said so yourself, as powerful as the Throne is, it could only show you so much. And what it shows, you could barely see. What if you had potentially missed it... or at worst, what if they were just outside your field of influence.」
「*sigh~ I won't deny the truth of your words. Its true, I barely saw the general history of the world... I will also concede to your precautions but! I will not be cooped up in Nazarick... I won't, am I clear?」
「Eliza... the dangers a player pose to us, to you most of all.」
「Look Suzuki-」
「Years had passed.」Momonga presses on. 「Hundreds of years. Can you imagine the power gap they may hold over us if they had found a way to strengthen themselves!?」
「And that doesn't apply to you!?」Eliza nearly shouted, her face morphing into a frown. 「You are every bit in danger as much s I am!」
「I have more than enough spells, skills and items to allow me to retreat.」
「That guarantees nothing!」Eliza replies annoyed. 「If what you say is true then they would have found a way around those already!」
「If they had then the information is valuable enough. Besides, with your skills, bringing me back to life should be easy.」Eliza flinched unseen by Momonga.
「...do not say those words...」her heavy tone made Momonga clamp his jaws shut. 「We know nothing! Of what resurrection does to us! To you!」
「Eliza-」
「For all we know you could lose your sense of self!」Eliza continued. 「Leaving behind either a husk or nothing but the Undead! I do not want that!」she nearly shouts, but her anger did not abate making her clenched her fists.
「Look Eliza-」she listens, waiting for his apology. 「I am a World Champion, A God of Yggdrasil-」
"Not to me!!!" Sera shouts in an explosion of anger, making everyone flinch out of the way. Her face turned to an angry visage, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes as she stomps her way inside the Chief's house, passed Gazef, his Vice Captain and towards Momon. And with her tiny hands, she forcefully turned him to face her and yelled... "As strong as you are! For all your powers and skills you are not! Infallible!" with tears streaming down her cheeks, she grabbed his face and made him look down towards her.
"I have seen you lose! I've seen you die! I've held you before at your last breaths when those monsters intruded at our home!" her voice cracking at every memory. "You are brave... You are unshakable and your determination and faith has always been beyond question. But damn it Suzuki... It wasn't easy watching you die." she sobs out, with broken words leaving her lips. "Please... remember? How strong we were together."
Suzuki was stunned at her words. Feeling stupid at the sudden realization that hit him like a truck. A truth he had failed to realize, now rattling him to the bones. Yet, the moment did not allow weakness, not when she was hurting in front of him.
As if to appease her heart, he intertwined his hand with hers and said. "...yes we were..."
"We were undefeated, weren't we?" she asks, hope spilling from every word.
"..yes we were.."
"The armies we faced... the demons we fought... The fools who thought to take me from you?" she listed out with a soft smile.
"Hahaha! Yes we are."
Softly running her thumb against his cheek, making him lean closer to her warmth. "Don't question that now. Don't let your fears decide the course of your actions. Believe in me like you always did! I would never begrudge you of your fears, worries and woes... just as I know I would not deny you mine... But just- please my love. Do not lose faith in us now...not now."
A moment of silence engulfed the two before Momon gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and raised her high enough for his lips to reach hers.
Gazef and the others looked away, not wanting to intrude at such a private conversation. And in his peripheral, he saw how the mage outside looked towards them with her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes, dilated as she gazed at the two.
Gazef could only shake his head at the envy that the woman could only silently convey.
With a soft pop of their lips, the two separate. "Never alone..."
"Never."
With one last peck, and soft suckle of her lips to bring out a soft giggle from his woman. Momonga then turned to the village chief and said.
"Gather your people to the barn Chief. Looks like we'll be staying till this is over."
"Thank you so much!!! Momon-sama!" Thomas bowed deeply in thanks.
"I take it you will be staying to defend them."
"I am."
"Would you ride with me?." Gazef asks sincerely. "Name your price. I will pay what ever it is you ask of me, so long as it is in my capabilities to do so."
"Apologies Stronoff-dono." Sera intervenes. "But it is best that my husband stay with me. The encirclement is a trap for you, chances are there are additional forces nearby meant to encircle you from behind. Even if there weren't, we cannot discard the fact that it is a possibility when magic is involved."
"I see..." Gazef said, not entirely convinced. After all, he was deprived of all his sacred treasures before being sent for this specific mission. 'That can't be a coincidence.'
"What is your plan then? Use the village's narrow pathways to control their numbers? Or do you plan to confront them while sending a secondary force to circle them from behind? Seeing as your forces are more diversed in equipment, I would assume you have rangers among your ranks, do you perhaps intend to use the nearby forest, bring the fight within it and use their expertise to your advantage instead?"
"No...none of that." Gazef answers. "With wooden walls, I can't take the risk of it falling on top of my forces instead. Or at worst, unable to stop their magic at all. My rangers are far too few, I would spread us too thin unnecessarily. They would chase me and me alone after all. The only thing I could do is to lead them away."
'...eh?' Momonga then silently scanned the man's equipment and noticed some minor enchantments on his armor and only one magic item on him. Mainly his ring. 'That is at the very least, a Legendary Grade accessory... could it be his trump card?'
"My forces will cut through their ranks and ride off. They would be forced to chase me down. Most likely knowing what my survival entails. When they do... can I count on you?"
'a pincer attack... I see.'
"I understand. Very well."
With a shared acknowledgement, the two shook hands.
"Stronoff-sama!" a warrior yells. "They're getting closer!"
"They seemed impatient..."
"Aye but that does not bode well for me. I need them widely separated to brake through." he then turns to his men. "Mount up!" while signaling for his horse.
"Good luck Momon-dono."
"To you as well Stronoff."
Momonga then turned to Nabe offering his hand to her to which she took with a blush adorning her cheeks.
Eliza then casted, "[Mass Teleportation!]"
Reappearing inside the barn filled with the surviving villagers, Momon stood at the middle, his right arm held between Sera's enormous breasts and his other shyly leaned on by Nabe.
The position he had found himself in was something that blindsided him completely that he doesn't even know what to do about it.
Arriving at the barn he immediately commanded Nabe to take out the Mirror of Remote Viewing. She then activated the device allowing them observe the fight.
At the moment, he did not mind the various witnesses. Believing that his part was done and all that was needed is to wait out the clash before heading out to do the cleaning before making plans for the nearest major city, E-Rantel.
And as Gazef urged his horse forward with his sword drawn. Momon looked on in curiosity wondering what the effect of his ring is.
But instead, he was baffled at what they were doing.
Gazef had promised him to lead the mages out of he village. If they did follow, and left their backs exposed then they would be able to strike from behind. Perhaps saving the Warrior Captain would earn him a favor from the royal family.
And so he watched not questioning why was Gazef the one leading the charge.
'Their enemies are spellcasters, summoners, mages, possibly even sorcerers yet they are just charging at them head on? No-no-no... they can't be that stupid. His ring must be a magic shield or something.'
Such was what he reasoned. After all, that was the only way it made sense why Gazef was at the forefront and exposed, instead of surrounded by his men. Men he could have used to shield himself from spellfires and break through their paper thin barricade.
Of course his expectations were high... this was hailed as the strongest man in the Kingdom, with some speculate to be the strongest in the The Kingdom and possibly even The Empire.
But instead, he saw the man charge with a warcry, set aside his bow and arrow after bouncing off uselessly. And strike aside two of the angels that faced him only for his own horse to dismount him after being hit by a [Confusion] spell.
"Eh-" Momon voiced out. 'Did he forgot to activate his ring?'
One of his men offered a hand at him but an angel swiped in with great speed, forcing Stronoff to draw his sword instead and strike at the angel.
The summon, as Momon had expected, endured despite the large gash on its torso.
[Focus Battle Aura!]
The unfamiliar skill resonated with Gazef's weapon, and as the angel re-engages Gazef, the Warrior Captain moved with greater speed, shearing straight through the summon in a single swing.
"Impressive."
He thought they could turn things around when the warriors pierced through unhindered. And to Momon's elation, they circled back but...
"Idiots..."
The warriors circled back and instead attacked the angels, driving them away from Stronoff. The idiots cheered as if achieving something great when they had unknowingly thrown away the chance to decimate the enemies numbers from behind with only a handful actually trying to go for the mages and failing.
"Fools... we gave our trust to fools." Momon voiced out with gritted teeth and clenched fists. And none around him could deny his words, afraid at the scene they were seeing as more and more Warriors died, unable to breach the line of angels let alone the Magic Casters.
Gazef fought bravely, performing incredible acrobatic moves that belied his size while taking on half a dozen angels compared to his men barely surviving against one.
"As expected of the Warrior Captain."
"Momon... they lifted the circle."
"Good! Get ready." the two then pressed their bodies up against him. Waiting for the opportune moment.