Chapter 59 - 『A Glimpse into Darkness』

Arche stood there, looking over the dress which lay sprawled out on her bed in the room Jack had given her. Her studying, her sisters, it was all thanks to him that she was able to get back to it. She was able to live a life that her parents had been deprived of, and continued to stride towards regaining with very short-term thinking. A small smile crept across her lips as she thought about the world and how bleak it had been.

She thought about how she and Foresight had to fight over jobs with other workers. How they had to make ends meet before being saved by Jack. Though they were sure they'd escape with their lives from the Dragon, she was thankful he stepped in.

With him as their sponsor, she knew how high they could reach. Because of him, she was able to reconnect with Jet of all people. Though it was clear he had feelings for her, she had very little left for anyone else but Jack.

She closed her eyes, her eyelids stuck shut before she went on opening them again. Turning her head she saw her sisters hiding behind either side of the door frame.

Smiling up at her with their big blue eyes and vibrant dresses. Jack had dotted on them, though at the same time taught them serious lessons, ones her parents probably wouldn't have comprehended.

Wealth is earned, but it can always be taken away should someone with more power come along. They were under his roof. The clothes on their backs, the beds they sleep in every night was a privilege and not a right.

These were things she knew, as she was a worker and sometimes even sleeping in the wilds when she was on the job. Though thankfully with Jack tagging along half the time, that was no longer her reality. Sleeping under the stars seemed to have turned into a pass time rather than an occupational habit.

She watched as their big smiles faded, replaced by high pitch giggles as they ran off down the hall. The maids, Jack's proclaimed sisters were chasing them about, Shizu always trying to put stickers on them.

"No! No more sticky things~!" The twins squealed as she could hear them running up the stairs.

Arche just shook her head as she smiled a bit more, taking in a deep breath and sharply exhaling. It was strange to feel this way after this long. For months she had been working since dropping out of the institute. Now she was back to going there on club days with Jack, and that was almost every other day at this point.

With the stave, he had given her now in her hand, she made her way over to the doorframe and peered down the hall. Other than the pattering of her little sisters' feet running about upstairs, there was no one else in the hallway.

Then came the fluttering of wings and as she turned her head, she narrowed her gaze on a tall imposing figure that towered over her. "Took you long enough," she laughed quietly to herself.

Jack ran a hand through his hair slightly, "Yeah... It did."

"Hmhm," Arche made a triumphant noise within her lips closed, the sound resonating in her throat. She didn't hesitate to jump at his central mass, letting go of the stave and grasping his shoulders before she fell tot he ground.

"Now you're acting like your sisters," Jack wheezed sarcastically as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her in place. "I'm not a jungle gym you know."

"A jungle what now?" She blinked up at him curiously as she went to pull herself up a bit more, her knees clamping on either one of his hips as she climbed him like a rope.

"It's a... Construct children climb on," speaking he let out a sigh as he now faced to face with her. His hands moving down below to cop a feel of her bottom, supporting her from below.

"Ah... Touching my butt again," she furrowed a brow and shook her head before looking to the window. "So, did Fluder give us another job?"

"I actually have someone for you to meet." Jack rolled his shoulders lightly at this, before looking to the door of the room he spent most of his time with her in.

Blinking at him, her face inches from his, she was rather confused. "Someone... For me to meet...?" She raised a brow at this. Who didn't she know? Other than the Elves that were spoken of, but never seen, who else had she not met?

Greeted by only silence from Jack, she became even more curious and intrigued by his claim. "Are we taking the rest of Foresight with us?"

"We're not going anywhere. A friend of mine is coming here," He finally replied as he made his way towards the door with a quiet stride. His movements were quickly calculated as to avoid making a sound.

In the next five minutes, they were standing in the foyer as a duo of shapes were making their way from the front gate. One was large, muscular probably. The setting sun made them out to be silhouetted.

Who were these people? The red plume, the dark black armor with trimmings of gold. A female wearing a mantle and casual clothes. It was hard to ignore the evidence before her eyes in which her sight could describe. The names Momon, Nabe and the party of Darkness came to mind.

After a brief moment of silence, she found the ability to speak once more, however subtly. "Are those...?" Failing to finish her question, as her voice tapered off, he answered anyway.

"Momon and Nabe," Jack snickered quietly to himself as he tilted his head to the side.

"Jack-sama," Nabe stepped had moved ahead of the Supreme Being, to the other.

Raising a brow, Jack looked over the Doppelganger which was chosen as Momon's escort and partner. It was clear she was rather interested in seeing what exactly the relationship was between the Angel and the lowly human she saw before her.

"Why are you holding that mag--"

Momon had caught up to her in record time, placing a hand on her shoulder to quickly silence the fellow heteromorphic being. "Uh... Nabe, we are here to meet her."

Blinking, "She is the talent holder...?" The doppelganger scrutinized over the girl for a few seconds. She was smaller than herself, petite that was for sure. Perhaps that was his taste?

"It... It's...It is a pleasure to meet you," Nabe's behavior had confused and made Arche a bit anxious, causing her to stumble over her own words. Scrambling out of Jack's arms, she landed flat on her feet. She proceeded to bow her head to them, they were famous and an incredible connection for Foresight to possibly make.

"The pleasure is ours," Momon spoke through the lip bug which gave him the voice he used commonly with others, rather than using the true voice that he was used to using in his head.

"Is it true that you slew a giant lizard in a single stride!?" Figuring that it was typical for strong people to usually know other strong people, she didn't hold back from admiring Jack's friends' feats.

"Uh... Yes," Momon seemed rather hesitant watching the small blonde become excited.

Nabe hardly gave a reaction before her eyes flickered towards the other Supreme Being. "Jack-sama, I apologize for my rude behavior." She then bowed before the man before lifting her head.

Despite the stoic expression she wore, Jack could see the hopefulness towards being forgiven. He simply nodded his head in acknowledgment of her desire. "Just don't let it happen again."

After three months of working alongside Momon, one would've thought that she should've become used to the presence of humans. Especially humans being around the Supreme Beings.

"How is the home in E-Rantel?" Jack didn't hesitate to ask since he hadn't been back to the town since he had come to the Empire. He had mostly been sticking to the Arwintar and other locations during their trips.

He had yet to check Carne Village, but he was sure Ainz took care of that.

"The Swords of Darkness seem to be thriving, no longer having to pay for board." The dark hero seemed rather amused at the question, and the answer he gave. "I believe we're getting closer to our individual goals," Momon chuckled at this.

It appears that he had been letting the humans stay there, rather than purely using the home for Nazarick's operations. It didn't necessarily matter. In three more months, if everything went as planned, the Empire would invade the Tomb. Foresight was going to be taken hostage for a time, the other workers being slaughtered, and he was going to be publically 'forced' into joining Nazarick.

That is of course if everything went as planned. If a plan didn't go the way he wanted, he would have to do away with the plan and do as the situation called for. The question was, however, what exactly was that going to be?

"So you're supplying them with housing too?" She blinked up towards Jack hearing this little conversation. Watching him nod, her lips parted slightly. "Are you trying to form a team of workers and Adventurers or something...?"

"Perhaps," Jack smiled faintly down at her.