Overlord: The Wandering Sorcerer Chapter 6 — The Road to E-Rantel
The caravan reached its destination two days later.
Nothing particularly exciting happened.
Momonga was beginning to appreciate that.
In YGGDRASIL, nothing happened unless a player made it happen.
Every dungeon existed for a reason.
Every monster encounter had a purpose.
Every quest had a reward.
Here, a road was simply a road.
Sometimes people walked along it.
Sometimes wagons broke down.
Sometimes it rained.
Sometimes nothing happened at all.
Momonga found the experience strangely relaxing.
He spent most of the journey walking beside the wagons with Nabe.
Occasionally they talked.
Mostly, they didn’t.
And gradually, Momonga discovered that he liked having someone beside him who didn’t expect him to constantly make decisions.
Narbe did not ask where they were going every five minutes.
She did not demand a grand strategy.
She simply walked.
It was almost peaceful.
Almost.
“Mommon.”
“Yes?”
“There are six people following us.”
Momonga sighed.
“Of course there are.”
He turned around.
The road behind them appeared empty.
He could see nothing unusual.
“You can see them?”
“Yes.”
“How far?”
“Approximately three hundred meters.”
“Are they hostile?”
“I believe so.”
Momonga looked at the caravan.
The merchant was completely unaware.
He glanced at Nabe.
“Let’s deal with them quietly.”
Nabe nodded.
They waited until the caravan reached a bend in the road.
Then Momonga stepped away.
Nabe followed.
They disappeared into the trees.
The six men were not bandits.
At least, not exactly.
They wore ordinary clothing.
They carried concealed weapons.
And they were following the caravan very carefully.
Momonga watched from the branches of a tree.
Nabe stood beside him.
“Who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should I capture one?”
“Yes.”
Nabe disappeared.
A moment later, one of the men was hanging upside down from a tree.
The others hadn’t even noticed.
Momonga approached.
The man struggled.
“Let me go!”
“Who are you?”
“No one.”
Momonga stared.
“That’s a terrible answer.”
The man said nothing.
Momonga looked at Nabe.
“Search him.”
She did.
She found a knife.
A small amount of money.
And a sealed letter.
Momonga examined the letter.
It bore a symbol he did not recognize.
“Nabe.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know this?”
She looked at it.
“No.”
That bothered him.
Narbe knew more than almost anyone he had encountered.
If she didn’t recognize it, the symbol was either insignificant…
Or important.
Momonga opened the letter.
Inside was a short message.
He read it.
Then frowned.
It was written in code.
“Can you decipher it?”
“No.”
Momonga looked at the prisoner.
“Who sent you?”
The man refused to answer.
Momonga considered using magic.
He could.
Easily.
But something stopped him.
He didn’t want to become that kind of person.
Not unless necessary.
He released the man.
The prisoner fell to the ground.
“Tell whoever sent you that Mommon noticed.”
The man stared.
“You’re letting me go?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Momonga smiled.
“Because I’m curious.”
The man ran.
Nabe watched him disappear.
“You should have killed him.”
“No.”
“He will report our presence.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because whoever sent him will now know that we’re not ordinary.”
Nabe considered that.
“And that was your intention?”
“Exactly.”
He smiled.
“Now we wait.”
They didn’t have to wait long.
That evening, the merchant approached Momonga.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Momonga turned.
“What is it?”
The merchant lowered his voice.
“Those men weren’t after the caravan.”
Momonga looked at him.
“They were watching you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
The merchant hesitated. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“People have been asking about you.”
“Who?”
“Adventurers.”
Momonga’s expression sharpened.
“How many?”
“Three groups.”
“Nabe.”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow we return to E-Rantel.”
Nabe nodded.
The merchant looked surprised.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Momonga smiled.
“Because I have a feeling we’re becoming interesting.”
They arrived back in E-Rantel several days later.
The city felt different.
Momonga couldn’t explain why.
Perhaps it was simply because he had begun to recognize it.
The gate guards knew them.
The streets were becoming familiar.
He knew which tavern had decent food.
Which merchant charged too much.
Which road led to the Adventurer’s Guild.
It was strange.
He was beginning to feel as though he belonged somewhere.
Even if only slightly.
Nabe seemed to notice it too.
“You are becoming comfortable here.”
Momonga looked around.
“I suppose.”
“Do you want to stay?”
Momonga thought.
“For a while.”
“Why?”
“Because there are things I want to learn.”
“About the world?”
“Yes.”
“And about yourself?”
Momonga smiled.
“That too.”
The Adventurer’s Guild was unusually crowded.
Momonga noticed immediately.
Adventurers were gathered around the quest board.
Whispers filled the room.
Something had happened.
Momonga approached the receptionist.
“What happened?”
She looked at him.
“You’re back.”
“Yes.”
She glanced around.
“There’s been an incident.”
“What kind?”
“A group of adventurers disappeared.”
Momonga’s expression became serious.
“How many?”
“Six.”
“Where?”
“Near a village south of the city.”
Nabe looked at him.
Momonga already knew what she was thinking.
“How long ago?”
“Three days.”
“Any survivors?”
“No.”
“Monsters?”
“We don’t know.”
Momonga stared at the quest board.
There was a notice.
REQUEST FOR ADVENTURERS
Search and rescue mission.
Missing adventurers.
Reward: high.
Momonga reached for it.
Nabe spoke quietly.
“You intend to accept it.”
“Yes.”
“Because of the reward?”
“No.”
He looked at the notice.
“Because someone disappeared.”
Nabe nodded.
“Understood.”
Momonga turned to the receptionist.
“We’ll take it.”
She looked relieved.
“Thank you.”
Then she hesitated.
“There is one more thing.”
“What?”
“The missing adventurers were not copper-ranked.”
Momonga raised an eyebrow.
“What rank?”
“Silver.”
Momonga smiled faintly.
“That’s more interesting.”
The village was called Carne.
Momonga remembered the name.
He had heard it before.
It had appeared in several conversations around E-Rantel.
A remote village.
Not particularly important.
But there had been rumors.
Strange monsters.
Unusual goblin activity.
And recently…
People disappearing.
The journey took half a day.
As they approached, Momonga noticed something.
There were tracks.
A lot of them.
Human.
Goblin.
And something much larger.
Nabe crouched beside the road.
“Orcs.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
Momonga frowned.
“That’s the second time.”
“You believe it is connected.”
“Possibly.”
They continued.
Then they saw the village.
Carne was larger than the farming settlement they had visited before.
There were more houses.
More people.
And something else.
A strange atmosphere.
The villagers were nervous.
The moment Momonga and Nabe entered, several people looked at them.
A young woman approached.
She was carrying a basket.
Her eyes widened when she saw Momonga. This story is hosted at g.com.
Then she smiled.
“Are you adventurers?”
Momonga nodded.
“Yes.”
“My name is Enri.”
Momonga froze.
Nabe noticed.
Again.
“You know her?”
“No.”
Momonga smiled.
“Not personally.”
Enri looked between them.
“Are you here because of the missing adventurers?”
“Yes.”
Her expression became serious.
“Then you came at the right time.”
Momonga looked at her.
“Why?”
Enri lowered her voice.
“Because something has been watching the village.”
Nabe’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
Enri looked toward the forest.
“We don’t know.”
Momonga smiled.
The mystery was becoming more interesting.
“Then perhaps we should find out.”
That evening, Momonga learned the story.
The missing adventurers had arrived three days earlier.
They had been searching the surrounding forest.
They never returned.
The villagers had found blood.
But no bodies.
Enri showed them the location.
Momonga examined the ground.
“There.”
Nabe followed his gaze.
A footprint.
Not human.
Not goblin.
Something larger.
Momonga touched it.
“Heavy.”
Nabe nodded.
“Very.”
“How old?”
“Less than a day.”
Momonga stood.
“Then whatever took them is still nearby.”
Enri looked frightened.
“Can you find it?”
Momonga smiled.
“Yes.”
Nabe glanced at him.
“You can?”
Momonga paused.
Then smiled sheepishly.
“Probably.”
Nabe sighed.
They followed the tracks into the forest.
The moon was already high.
Momonga moved quietly.
Nabe was almost completely silent.
Enri followed behind them.
Momonga turned.
“You should stay here.”
Enri shook her head.
“I know these woods.”
“That’s not the same as being safe.”
“I want to help.”
Momonga studied her.
She was frightened.
But determined.
He remembered something.
In another life…
Or perhaps another timeline…
He had seen people like her.
People who were weak but refused to remain helpless.
He nodded.
“Fine.”
Enri smiled.
“Thank you.”
They continued.
After almost an hour, they found the bodies.
Six adventurers.
Dead.
Momonga stopped.
His expression became cold.
Nabe examined the scene.
“They were killed recently.”
Enri covered her mouth.
Momonga looked around.
There were no tracks leading away.
No obvious attacker.
No signs of struggle.
He activated his detection magic.
Nothing.
Then he heard something.
A whisper.
From behind them.
“Mommon.”
Nabe’s voice was quiet.
“Yes?”
“Do not move.”
Momonga froze.
Something was standing behind him.
Very close.
He could feel its presence.
A voice whispered into his ear.
“Found you.”
Momonga’s eyes widened.
He turned.
And saw a woman.
Beautiful.
Young.
With pale skin and golden hair.
Her smile was terrifying.
She was holding a curved sword.
Momonga recognized her immediately.
He knew that face.
He knew that presence.
And for the first time since arriving in the New World…
Momonga felt something that even his undead body could not completely suppress.
Fear.
The woman smiled.
“Well, well.”
Her golden eyes moved toward Nabe.
Then back to Momonga.
“What an interesting undead.”
Momonga knew the name.
Clementine.
And she had just found them.