"Alright, we'll be heading into the forest now. Since everyone is here today, I'd like to go deeper than usual—but safety comes first. Is everyone ready?"
Nfirea looked around at each of them as he spoke.
A large herb-collecting basket hung from his back.
The members of Swords of Darkness nodded, and Momonga gave a confident dip of the head—as if to say of course.
Their escort mission from E-Rantel to Carne Village was only the first half of the request.
The main task began now: entering the monster-infested Great Forest of Tob to gather herbs that grew nowhere else.
Fortunately, Nfirea knew the forest well and had hired adventurers many times before. They weren't going so deep as to encounter monsters only high-ranked adventurers could handle, so the job wasn't especially daunting.
"Then let us depart!"
Dyne declared proudly, sounding as if he spoke for the whole group.
As a druid, the forest was his domain—and he seemed unusually excited today.
"We're relying on you, Dyne," Momonga said.
"Of course!" Dyne answered with a strong thumbs-up.
"Hey, hey, Momon-chan," Lukrut leaned in with a grin. "You know, I wouldn't mind being relied on too."
"You're very reliable as well, Lukrut. That's why the party brought you along—for your detection abilities."
"Yes! Momon-chan says she relies on me! That means we're practically—"
"I'm not going on a date with you."
"Ahhh, the path of love is a harsh one…"
Lukrut fell back into his usual antics.
Behind him, Peter and Ninya sighed and rubbed their foreheads.
With such comedy woven into their march, the group entered the forest.
Hours passed.
They encountered goblins several times, but the outcome of every battle was obvious.
They reached the herb patch without trouble, and the harvesting progressed smoothly.
Nfirea's basket was already over eighty percent full—according to him, today was a "bountiful haul".
Lukrut and Ninya scouted the surroundings, while Peter and Dyne helped with the gathering.
Meanwhile, the strongest fighter—Momonga—stood ready for combat at any moment.
"...I'm bored," she muttered internally.
The uneven terrain should have tired anyone, but Momonga's undead body felt no fatigue.
Swords of Darkness wanted her to conserve energy for emergencies—but such concern was unnecessary.
She folded her arms, leaning against a large tree, stifling a yawn inside her helmet.
If only something interesting would happen—
"Who's there!"
Lukrut's sharp voice split the air.
It wasn't his usual playful tone—this one was tense, serious.
A monster?
Momonga raised her guard slightly, though her mind remained relaxed.
Swords of Darkness immediately readied their weapons, trusting Lukrut's senses implicitly.
Momonga reached for the hilt of her greatsword.
"Damn… I didn't sense anything until it was already this close," Lukrut said.
"My Alarm spell didn't catch anything either," Ninya added.
Whoever was watching them had slipped past both scouts—meaning it was no ordinary foe.
"Could it be… the Wise King of the Forest?" Momonga asked, lowering her blade slightly.
The Wise King was a legendary beast said to live in this region, with silver fur and a serpent's tail—though no one who'd seen it had survived to confirm.
Lukrut whispered back, "No idea. Could be. They say it uses magic."
"Oh? That sounds… exciting."
Lukrut stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously…?"
While Swords of Darkness looked stunned, Momonga's anticipation only grew.
A creature unknown even in Yggdrasil—fighting it would gain huge recognition at the Adventurers' Guild.
She lowered her stance, shield raised.
Peter sucked in a breath at the knight's imposing aura.
"If it really is the Wise King," Momonga said, "take Nfirea and retreat. I can handle it, but not while protecting someone."
"Understood."
Swords of Darkness exchanged tense looks, acknowledging their own limitations.
"Um… Momon-san," Nfirea called softly.
"What is it?"
"If it is the Wise King… could you avoid killing it?"
"…Explain."
"If it dies, the balance of the forest might collapse. That could threaten Carne Village."
Momonga hesitated only briefly.
"I'll… keep it in mind."
Swords of Darkness wanted to protest—nobody could afford such mercy in a life-or-death fight—but Momonga's presence shut them up.
She steadied her blade.
"You hiding there—show yourself!"
Silence.
Then—
"…Huh?"
A small shadow stepped out from the brush.
A girl—skin like tree bark, hair like deep green foliage.
A forest spirit.
A Dryad.
She looked timidly up at them.
Swords of Darkness bristled, weapons raised.
Momonga sheathed her sword, but the others crouched defensively.
"W-wait! I'm not here to hurt you!" the dryad squeaked.
"We'll see about that," Lukrut muttered, aiming his arrow.
"You're treating a dryad like a monster? Isn't that awfully rude?" she protested.
"It's our job to be cautious."
"Or maybe she's luring us into a trap," Ninya added. "To feed us to the Wise King."
"Sharp thinking, Ninya," Lukrut nodded.
"Hey! Stop making this sound so scary!" the dryad cried.
Seeing the one-sided hostility, Momonga stepped in.
"Wait."
She moved between them, softening her voice.
"This spirit shows no hostility. Yes, caution is good—but shouldn't we hear her out first?"
"…Momon-san…" Peter murmured, lowering his weapon.
The others followed.
Momonga crouched to meet the dryad's gaze.
"My name is Momon. These are the adventurers of Swords of Darkness, and this is the herbalist Nfirea. May I ask your name?"
"Oh—thank you! I'm Pinison Pol Perlia. It's such a relief to meet someone reasonable!"
"Pinison-san. You approached us for a reason, didn't you?"
"I'm looking for a group of seven people who came here before," she explained. "I thought maybe they were back to fulfill the promise they made."
"A promise?"
"A young trio of humans, a big guy, an old man, someone with wings, and a dwarf—seven in total! Excellent fighters."
Momonga and Swords of Darkness shook their heads—they knew no such group.
"What promise did they make?" she asked.
Pinison hesitated, looking pained.
"…To defeat a monster capable of destroying the world."
"...A monster that can destroy the world…?"
Swords of Darkness exchanged alarmed looks.
Even Nfirea tensed.
"It's a plant-type monster," she continued. "Name was… uh… Zy'tl Q'ae. A subspecies of something like… Zycro-whatever."
Momonga searched her memories—nothing even in Yggdrasil.
But the phrase destroy the world stuck out sharply.
"What does that mean? How powerful is it?" she asked.
"Well… it's a long story…"
Pinison began her tale.
Monstrous beings falling from the sky.
Battles rivaling Dragon Lords.
Sealed horrors.
One such horror: Zy'tl Q'ae.
Recently, its parts were awakening.
The seven fighters had beaten a fragment—but never returned.
"And just a little while ago," Pinison added, "a huge undead army marched through the forest carrying a dying human. Ever since then, Zy'tl Q'ae's been way more active—its seal might break any moment!"
Momonga froze.
Wait. Huge undead army? Carrying humans? Oh no—
She remembered.
That was me.
Her summons marching Nigan's team into the forest.
And that may have accelerated the resurrection of the world-ending monster.
She held her helmeted head.
"Where are those undead now…?"
"They vanished," Pinison shrugged. "Fought with a fragment of the magic tree for a while, then disappeared. Total nuisance."
Momonga felt cold sweat pour down.
I accidentally hit the world-destruction switch…?
If Zy'tl Q'ae truly rivaled Yggdrasil's World Enemies…
Even her current body couldn't guarantee victory.
She decided instantly:
If she could beat it, she would.
If she couldn't… she would run—and take Enri and Nemu.
Pinison pleaded for help finding the seven warriors.
Peter hesitated.
Then Nfirea spoke.
"If she's telling the truth… Carne Village is in danger."
He turned to Momonga.
"Momon-san… please. We're not asking you to defeat it right away. Just… investigate the magic tree."
Momonga nodded slowly.
"Investigation first… that's acceptable."
"Are you really believing her?" Lukrut objected.
"She might be lying," Nfirea admitted. "But she might not be. If the threat is real and we walk away… that would be unforgivable."
He turned to the group.
"Once we confirm its existence, we can report to E-Rantel. The Guild and city will take action."
Momonga nodded again, satisfied.
Pinison jumped with joy.
"Yes! Yes! I knew you two were smart!"
Nfirea bowed deeply.
"I'll pay extra. Please… help protect Enri's life. Investigate the magic tree."
Swords of Darkness exchanged helpless smiles—and agreed.
Momonga accepted as well.
Thus began the investigation of Zy'tl Q'ae.