Tale of the General

Continuing to ignore the small child that had stalked them all the way to the centre of the village, Zelphyr greeted Enri and the Village Chief with an affable tone. Had he removed his helmet, a soft smile would be adorning his face. This was not a forced smile, as he felt genuinely happy to see the state of everyone in Carne Village.

However this was not out of sympathy or worry, but rather relief that his presence in Carne Village had not drastically changed the event too much. While he was prepared for a situation like that and was expecting it to happen eventually, he hoped that his knowledge of events would last him for a little while longer at the very least.

"Lord Zelphyr! You're back!"

Enri greeted Zelphyr with a bright smile before turning back to Albedo.

"It is good to see you too, Lady Albedo!"

Her joyous tone brought smiles to everyone around her.

"It is good to see you're doing well Enri, the same with everyone in the village. I must say I am impressed with the rebuilding process, it seems to be coming along well"

He swept his gaze around at all of the sweat-covered villagers who had slowly started to resume their work. Large pieces of lumber were sorted into orderly piles, while groups of men were working on the reconstruction of the damaged houses and fencing. Meanwhile, the women of the village seemed to be continuing with the farming, cooking and sewing.

"Well our families would be sad if we grieved too much and let our village fall into ruin"

As Enri said this, she clenched her fist tightly with a serious expression on her face, as though she was envisioning the lost souls watching over them.

Noticing the remaining stares on them, the Village Chief suggested they head to the storage warehouse as his house was being used for sewing. Just as Zelphyr was about to agree, Enri interjected with a tinge of nervousness.

"Excuse me... if you both don't mind, maybe we could use my parent's house... there are chairs and a table and it's not being used at the moment"

Her gaze wavered slightly as she looked at the two armoured figures. She had realised how forward she had been since they met. Normally, she was a lot more reserved around strangers and usually tried not to impose. Yet for some reason, her body acted before her mind whenever around the two, or to be more exact, around Zelphyr.

The Village Chiefs eyes widened slightly as he went to speak, prepared to cover for Enri's impulsiveness, but he was swiftly interrupted by the armoured man.

"Lead the way"

It was short but the friendly tone, allowed both Enri and the Village Chief to breathe a sigh of relief.

The group of four strolled to Enri's abode. The door was slightly broken, with it hanging off of the hinges, however, compared to other areas of the village, this level of damage was a godsend.

"It is not much, especially for someone of your stature Lord Zelphyr, but welcome to my families home"

Enri spoke with a higher pitch than normal, it seemed nervousness had quickly started to infect her.

"Albedo and I are just thankful you would open your homes to us, do not mind anything else"

Taking care not to humble himself too much, Zelphyr exchanged pleasantries. Having Albedo beside him, meant he could not lower himself too much, as he was still the Lord of Nazarick first and foremost. He would be asking for trouble should he act too lowly.

'It is such a bizarre difference from being Guild Leader compared to a Supreme Overlord...'

He thought to himself as he gazed upon those around him.

Other than having the final decision, his guild responsibilities were more along the lines of being administration. Thus Zelphyr was constantly met by the slight differences between the two, one major example was his own usage of 'Please'. This single word had caused a few unwelcome incidents ever since he had transmigrated, especially with the Floor Guardians. Their fierce loyalty caused them to view Zelphyrs use of 'Please' as a negative event since they felt it was unnecessary to accompany his orders with it. Nevertheless, Zelphyr had slowly been breaking his habits of using the term.

Sat at a cracked wooden table, Zelphyr watched as Enri prepared what seemed to be the tea of this world. Its colour was much lighter, showcasing the quality of the plants.

'I wonder what the tea in the capitals tastes and looks like... Nothing will beat English Breakfast Tea, but I am curious about this worlds tea culture'

His thoughts then turned to the clay-like cups that Enri was using.

'I suppose this is the reality of living in a small village like Carne, in fact, I would be more surprised if they have silver goblets and wine'

"Lord Zelphyr, I would like to formally thank you once more for your help back then... Without you, I doubt the rest of us would have survived..."

Zelphyr stared into the eyes of the Village Chief who had dragged him out of his Tea trance, before shaking his head lightly.

"I am thankful for your gratitude, but I ask that you stop, too much gratitude can become disingenuous. Rather, soldiering on and living is a much better way of returning the gratitude."

The room fell silent as Albedo, Enri and the Village Chief stared at Zelphyr with a multitude of emotions.

Noticing the gazes, an awkward smile crept upon his face, wondering how he should react in such a strange atmosphere.

The one to break the silence was Enri, as she placed all of the cups in front of those sat at the table. Her face wore a serious expression with a fire in her eyes that could burn the very soul of those that gazed deep enough.

"Lord Zelphyr... thank you... for everything. This village still has the spirit to carry on, that's why... I hope you come back to visit again"

Her words were nothing but a whisper, but they crashed into Zelphyr like a truck. Luckily, reincarnation was not on the schedule anymore.

Though simple, these pure feelings were like a breath of fresh air for Zelphyr who had been preparing himself for the past few years, in order to survive in the dangerous terrain that is the Throne.

As all of this was happening, Albedo sat silently, her eyes calm as she watched the interaction between the two.

"Well Enri, that brings me onto the main topic of today."

Enri and the Village Chief tilted their head with curiosity.

"I am a firm believer of finishing what I have started, you see, therefore, I intend to send over one of my subordinates to assist in the restoration of the village."

A bright smile blossomed on Enri's face as visible excitement bubbled inside her. On the other hand, the Village Chief wore a pensive expression.

'He said subordinate? That means Lord Zelphyr is likely a noble of some sort... well regardless of who he is, all that matters is that he is our villages saviour, whether he is from the Re-Estize kingdom or not... we owe him our lives'

After that thought, the Village Chief expression brightened up.

"Lord Zelphyr, we truly appreciate the help, thankfully young Enri here is helping out with the villagers but we have lost a lot of manpower..."

A tinge of sadness floated onto the Village Chief expression as he spoke, however, he quickly swallowed it.

"So any help would really be appreciated! We hate to impose on you like this, especially since you're our saviour, but the kingdom has already stated that it isn't in a position to help us with the restoration..."

Zelphyr watched silently, before slowly reaching his hand for his helmet. Off to the side, Albedo jumped slightly as she noticed her lords intentions. Her mind raced as she tried to comprehend her lord's reasons, however, no matter what scenario she simulated in her mind, she could not come up with a satisfactory reason.

Ignorant of Albedos dilemma, Zelphyr slowly removed his Falcon-like helmet, revealing his appearance for the first time outside Nazarick. The golden glow from his eyes captured the gazes of everyone in the room.

"Fret not Village Chief, soon, Carne Village will be able to restore its former glory and exceed it. That I promise you. My subordinate will act as a link between us, and while she will not be present all of the time, an extra pair of hands should help out"

With those words, Zelphyr smiled slightly before turning to Enri with a serious expression once more. His golden gaze bore into her soul, causing a light blush to colour cheeks unbeknownst to herself.

"Now then, Enri, do you still have that item I gave you?"

With a jolt, Enri ran out of the kitchen, before quickly returning with a wrapped cloth.

"Here Lord Zelphyr, I kept it wrapped so it should not have gotten dirty"

Enri hurriedly tried to hand over the item in question, only for Zelphyrs hands to gently push it back towards her.

"It is yours. I bestowed it upon you Enri. I am not so heinous that I would steal gifts I have already given."

Zelphyr chuckled as he saw Enri expression light up again.

'Such an expressive girl... even though it is just a Flute of the Goblin General- Hmm, it is a bit ahead of schedule but it should be fine...'

"In fact Enri, let me give you a bit of information about that artefact."

Hastily sitting down on a chair, Enri straightened her back, like a child in a school lesson.

"This horn has the ability to summon, much like the mages of the world. The summoner will have complete control over the summoned creatures too"

The two humans jaws dropped as they heard Zelphyr casually state the usage of the tool in Enri's hands.

It has to be said that in the New World, magic items are treated like high-class products regardless of how simplistic they are. This is especially true for those that have combat uses, in fact, those that had found magic items with ruins and dungeons, have often retired immediately after, due to the price they had sold it at.

"L-L-Lord Zelphyr! I cannot accept such a precious gift! I am sorry for not realising!"

Enri screeched as she held out the wrapped horn once more, petrified to drop it or even scratch it. The Village Chiefs face had turned slightly pale as he comprehended the value of the item too.

"Listen Enri, I have already stated, I do not take back gifts I have given unless you would like for me to go against my principles?"

Her body shivered slightly as she felt the stern tone of Zelphyrs voice. In response, Enri withdrew her arms once more, but kept her face down, unsure of how to react in the current situation. Noticing her troubles, Zelphyr spoke.

"The purpose of that gift is so that such an indiscriminate attack can no longer happen. However, I have one condition. Only you are allowed to use this item, that is my one condition."

Zelphyr stated as he stared into the eyes of Enri who had gradually looked up. Eventually, a determined look spread across her face as she nodded with conviction.

"In that case Lord Zelphyr, I promise I won't waste such a precious gift!"

Following this, Village Chief Ald relayed the status of the communications with the surrounding villages and cities, as well as, informed Zelphyr of those that had left.

After nodding with satisfaction, Zelphyr put on his helmet once more. Two sighs of disappointment sounded amidst the room.

"That is all I have come for today, I will visit in the future, I hope to see you all well"

Without missing a beat, Zelphyr and Albedo left the abode, leaving the Village Chief and Enri to discuss.

When they were roughly 1 kilometre away from the village, Zelphyr spoke to Albedo who had remained silent for the entire trip.

"Albedo"

Albedo turned to her Lord beside her and replied.

"Yes, My Lord?"

Her voice was level, yet Zelphyr could not shake the feeling that something was off.

"What is bothering you?"

His tone was firm, but a trace of concern could be felt. Sensing this, a small smile appeared on Albedo lips as her cheeks reddened slightly.

'Ahhhh Lord Zelphyr, such a magnanimous man, truly the other Supreme Beings cannot compare'

"I am just confused My Lord, I apologise for this subject's lack of intellect. I fail to see the benefits of giving that human a personal gift from the Supreme One"

Zelphyr chuckled lightly in relief.

"I shall explain my thinking soon. That being said, when we return, gather everybody. I will be addressing The Great Tomb of Nazarick to inform those who are in the dark"