Chapter 9 - Volume 2 (1/2)
Overlord Volume 2 Chapter 1
The Two Adventurers
Part 1
The Fortress City of E-Rantel stood at the intersection of three borders — those of the Slaine Theocracy, the Baharuth Edom It was so named because it was defended by three layers of walls The districts enclosed by each concentric circle of the walls were distinctly different from each other
The outermost district was sometimes used to billet the troops from the Royal Army, and so it was fully furnished with barracks and other military facilities
The innermost district was the administrative area of the city In addition, the district also contained storehouses for couarded
Between these two areas was the residential district, where the people of E-Rantel e that caht of a city
There were several plazas here, and the largest of them was called the Central Plaza It was filled with stalls selling vegetables, spices, and other such commercial products
Aetically shouted their sales pitches to the people walking by, while the older woled with the rant scents, young men purchased skewers of roasted etic atmosphere of this place should have lasted until the sun went down However, it suddenly went silent as a pair of figures e nearby
Everyone in the plaza froze where they stood, their eyes were drawn to the two of theirl, who looked to be in her late teens Her tapered eyes gleamed like onyxes, while her thick and lustrous black hair was tied into a ponytail Her snohite skin shone like pearls in the sun
What drew their attention ance which surrounded her, followed closely by her exotic beauty that would h the dark brown robe she as plain in ender of her partner was unclear Or rather, there was no way to tell her partner’s gender
Someone muttered, “Dark Warrior”
Indeed, that person was sheathed in an intricately engraved suit of full plate arold There was no way to see that person’s face through the narrow slits of the closed helreatswords were visible below that person’s flowing red cape, and they looked as impressive as that person’s armor
The two of them looked around, and the fully armored person took a step forward
The onlookers watched the pair vanish into the distance, and then i about what they had seen They did not seem afraid of their ar the pair had just left was called the “Adventurer’s Guild,” It was a place that onlyprofessionals would visit, so it was hardly strange to see ar out of there In fact, several other si in the ht have noticed a pair of copper plates hanging around the necks of that pair
That said, the two of them had drawn all that attention because of the wonificent set of full plate
♦ ♦ ♦
The pair walked quietly down a narrow road
Sunlight reflected off the water caught in wagon-ruts on the road Unlike proper cobbled roads, said water mixed with the earth and sand, which ht have led to a fall, but the two of the the road al that there was nobody else around theht-footed woman turned to the fully-armored person beside her and said:
“Ainz-sa—”
“—No, my name is Momon Neither are you Narberal Garound To partner”
The person in full plate — Ainz — interrupted the girl — Narberal — halfway through her reply
“Ah! My apologies, Momon-sama”
“Also, don’t call me -sama We are simple adventurers, and companions It would be weird to address me like that”
“B-But! How could I possibly be so disrespectful to the Supreestured at Narberal to keep her voice down She had raised it in her excitenation and helplessness, he replied:
“Like I’ve already said, several times, in this place I am Momon the Dark… no, just Momon, and your partner So don’t call me -sama That’s an order”
After a short silence, Narberal reluctantly replied:
“Understood, Moet it, this is fine too Actually, dropping the -san would be good as well After all, how shall I say this, addressing your partner as -san ht make people think there’s a distance between us”
“But… would that not be too disrespectful…?”
Ainz shrugged as Narberal mumbled
“We cannot reveal our true identities You understand that, right?”
“Of course”
“…Your tone… et it In any case… what I want to say is that you must be very careful in your words and actions”
“…Understood, Moht for entle Albedo-sama be better for this task?”
“Albedo…”
Ainz’s words betrayed his cos as he replied:
“I need her to ”
“…Though I fear to offend you, could the task of running Nazarick not be given to Cocytus-sama? The Guardians all say this too… that for the sake of your safety, Albedo-sama is the best choice as your companion Do you not think so?”
Narberal’s questionall the Guardians, Albedo had objected the most strenuously when Ainz had announced his decision to visit E-Rantel It began when she learned that she would not be able to accompany Ainz on his journey
After the transition to this one for a ithout his vassals, so which Albedo blamed herself for Thus he could not rebuke her too harshly However, this was a deliberate expedition, unlike the stroll he had taken last tiuns
As a Guardian she would obey his orders without fail, even if they conflicted with her own opinions Yet, Ainz did not think of that as a good thing All the Guardians were the product of his fellow guildhis will upon them
Therefore, Ainz tried to persuade Albedo — who staunchly disagreed with hi However, neither of theht they would be deadlocked forever, but after De into Albedo’s ear, her resistance suddenly evaporated In the end, she fully approved of his journey and even sent him off with a se had said to her Ainz was a little uneasy about what could have made Albedo reverse her opinion so suddenly
“…I did not bring her along because I trust her more than anyone else It is because she is in Nazarick that I can leave it in peace”
“I see! In other words, Albedo-sama is the closest person to you, Momon-sa—n?”
While he did not reply, “Mm, well, kind of,” he did nod in response to Narberal’s question
“I aerous”
Ainz raised his gauntleted right hand and wiggled its ring finger
“However, I o in person If I stay in Nazarick, there is a chance that I ht make a miscalculation Therefore, I need to personally make contact with the outside world… indeed, there are other iven that there is so little we know about the situation”
Narberal replied, “I see,” with a look of understanding on her face
Ainz narrowed his eyes at her through the slits of his helmet, and then asked in a somewhat uneasy tone:
“Incidentally, I have a question… Do you think humans are inferior lifeforms?”
“Yes, they are Humans are worthless trash”
Narberal delivered her ansith firm conviction and without a moment’s hesitation Ainz muttered, “Ah, so you felt that way too,” but his voice was too soft to reach Narberal’s ears
After that, he continued gru because her personality makes her react poorly to humans Looks like I should have been certain of my subordinates’ personalities beforehand ”
One of the reasons why he had not taken Albedo with him was because she firht sohly populated city and then took his eyes off her for just a ht look back to find a gore soaked abattoir In addition, Albedo had no disguise skills and could not conceal her horns and wings, which was another point against her
The greatest reason, however, was one that he could never speak out loud
That was the fact that Ainz was a anization if he had to rely on reports from others, with no direct observation on his part Because of that, he handed the task ofthe Nazarick to the talented Albedo If one had a capable subordinate, allowing theesture; interference froedy
In addition Albedo was bound to Ainz by the twin shackles of “love” and “loyalty” That hy Ainz could leave the operations of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick to her
Love, huh…
Every time he saw Albedo, and every time she declared her love for hi Albedo’s settings Indeed, in the last ed Albedo’s character settings so that she would deeply love Moa — in other words, Ainz Of course, he did not know that he would be transported to this neorld It had merely been a final, little joke
Still, when he thought about it — even if Albedo did not dina think about what Ainz had done?
What if it were himself? What if his comrades had interfered with his hand-created NPC (Pandora’s Actor)…
Worse still, he had ain He hated himself for that
Ainz shook his head to clear away these dark thoughts Although his undead body auto emotions he felt, he still experienced petty emotions like those as keenly as he had when he was human When he fully assuer feel that sense of guilt
Distracted by these thoughts, the helmed Ainz turned to Narberal and said:
“…Nabe, I won’t tell you to cast away those thoughts, but at the very least, you must control yourself This is a human town, and we do not knohat exceptional individuals they have a them Therefore, we should try our best not to make enemies”
Narberal bowed deeply to him to show her loyalty and obedience Ainz extended his hand to her, to bid her raise her head Then he continued:
“There is one ht radiate a… killing intent, which huht happen Therefore, you are not to get serious without my permission Do you understand?”
“I understand, Moood… Then, the inn we heard about should be nearby”
Ainz looked around
There were several shops open for business nearby, their custo in and out of the goods
In this densely populated commercial district, Ainz and Narberal had to look for the inn by inspecting the pictures on the shops’ signs This was because neither of the, Ainz found the picture that he was looking for His steps quickened, and Narberal followed suit
He scraped off the mud caked on his sabatons, climbed the steps to the western-style saloon doors, and opened them with both hands
The ere closed, and so the interior was soht outside would probably not be able to see their hands stretched out in front of their faces However, Ainz possessed darkvision, and he could see clearly with this er a was quite spacious The first floor was a dining area, with a counter further within That counter was backed by shelves that contained dozens of bottles of alcohol The door beside the counter most likely led to a kitchen
A spiral staircase turned up in the corner of the dining area According to the receptionist at the guild, the guest rooms were located on the second and third floors One could see the scattered customers within seated around several round tables Al heavily over them
Everyone’s attention was on Ainz They looked at hi him up The only person who did not pay attention to Ainz was a wo intently at a small bottle on her table
This tavern scene made Ainz furrow his nonexistent brows under his hel, but this place was filthier than he had i places in YGGDRASIL, of course Even the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick which Ainz ruled over contained such places, such as Kyouhukou’s room, the Venomous Cave, and so on
However, the filth here was different from those places
The floor was covered in scraps of mysterious food and unknown liquids, while the walls were stained and there were chunks of some hed internally, and looked into the tavern
Afrom his rolled-up sleeves They were covered in several scars, and Ainz could not tell if they were caused by the claws of wild beasts or by blades of so and bestial, and there were scars on his face as well His head was shaved co on his scalp
This man, who looked more like a bouncer than an innkeeper, sized up Ainz as he held a ?” a voice like a broken bell called out to Ainz
“We wish to stay for one night”
The innkeeper replied crudely, “…A copper plate, huh A night is five coppers The food’s oat days-old bread instead of the oatmeal”
“If it is at all possible, I would like a double roo
“…In this town, there’s three inns that cater to adventurers, and uild sent you here?”
“I do not Could you tell me why?”
Faced with Ainz’s answer, the innkeeper furrowed his frown and turned a frightening look upon him
“Use your brains a little! Or is that flashy helmet of yours empty inside, huh!?”
Ainz remained calm, despite the innkeeper’s annoyed retort Perhaps his ability to weather this childish tantruo
That battle — as well as the information squeezed out of the prisoners they had taken — had allowed Ainz to understand hoerful he was Because of that, he could cal
The innkeeper seemed surprised to see Ainz’s reaction, and said:
“…You’ve got souts, huh… The people who stay here are ot soth, you can form a party here, if you’re lucky Therefore, there’s no better place than this to find partyseeh the innkeeper’s eyes
“It’s fine if you want to sleep in a room, but if you don’t make contacts here, you won’t be able to find partyteaainst the monsters That’s why novices with no comrades advertise themselves in places with a lot of people So I’ll ask you one more time: do you want to sleep in the dormitory or in a double room, huh?”
“A double room And I’ll pass on the food”
“Cheh, another punk who doesn’t appreciate other’s kindness… or are you trying to say that you’re soet it, that’ll be seven coppers a night Upfront, of course”
The innkeeper extended his hand in one smooth motion
Ainz stepped forward, followed by Narberal The two of the looks of everyone in the room — when suddenly, soh to prevent Ainz fro forward
Ainz halted, and turned to thesmile on his face, which was mirrored by everyone else at his table They stared at Ainz and Narberal
Neither the innkeeper or the other custo silently
Although everyone see forward to a good show, there were quite a few of the the situation
Give htly kicked away the foot in front of hih he had been waiting just for that Since he was unar muscles were clearly visible under his clothes He had a necklace like Ainz did, but his was an iron plate, which swayed as the man moved
“Oi, oi, that hurt”
Theauntlet on his hand, which heup It creaked as he clenched his fist
The two of thelared at each other rathful eyes It seeht Ainz decided to fire the first shot:
“Is that so? I must have missed the foot in front ofwas just too short… well, that’s ive erous look crept into the ry gaze to Narberal, as standing behind Ainz, plastering his eyes on her
“You’re an annoying fellow… But I’ht, I’ll forgive you”
“Ku, kukuku…”
Ainz could not help but sneer at the htly raised his hand to keep Narberal fro forward
“…What’s so funny?”
“Oh, it’s nothing I couldn’t help but laugh at the way you sound like a stereotypical punk Don’t worry about it”
“Wha?”
The angry man’s face flushed red
“Ah, before we start, can I ask a question? Are you stronger than Gazef Stronoff?”
“Wha? The hell are you talking about?”
“I see, it’s all clear from your reaction If it’s like that, then I won’t even need to play with you”
Ainz swiftly grabbed the round
The e, much less resist the sudden clinch He went, “Uoh!” in surprise as he was lifted up Thethe show only added to the exciterown inations of everyone present were now considering that topic
A wave of surprise and consternation swept the inn As though to shatter the ats were dangling and kicking furiously — and gently tossed hientle for Ainz
The thrownthe ceiling as he went, and fell heavily to the ground
The sounds of thea nearby table, an object on the table breaking, the planks of the table splitting apart and the h the tavern Then, the whole place fell silent, as though startled by the noise However—
“Ogyaaaa—!”
—A beat later, the woe wail It was a cry of despair that a soul ht make as it rose to heaven
No, it would only be natural to scream like this if a man suddenly fell out of the sky and landed in front of someone There was another reason here, mixed into the shocked cry
“…Then, what do the rest of you plan to do? Can you save me the trouble and cos like this”
Ainz’s words were directed at the other men seated at the table of the fellow he had just thrown They i, and hurriedly lowered their heads
“Ah? N-No! Our buddy offended you! We’re very sorry!”
“…Mive you Besides, it hardly inconvenienced me However, you had best pay the innkeeper for that table”
“Of, of course! We will pay the full price!”
Just as Ainz felt the matter was at an end and turned away, a voice froze hi around, he saw the wo up to hier, and her red hair was th for movement It could not be described as neat by any stretch of the word To be more precise, it resembled a bird’s nest
She had a pretty face and a keen edge to her eyes She did not wear makeup, and her healthy body was tanned brown by the sun Her arms werea sword The word that first came to mind when he saw her was not “wo around her chest, and it shook htily with every step she took
“See what you’ve done!”
“What have I done?”
“Hah!? Don’t you even knohat you did?”
The woman pointed at the shattered table
“You threw that guy over and broke my potion, my precious potion!”
“And?”
“And!? You—!”
Her gaze sharpened further, and her tone becaerous
“Pay me back for my potion”
“…It’s just a potion…”
“…I starved and scrimped and saved to buy that potion today! And now you broke it! I’ve always believed that I could get through a dangerous adventure as long as I had a potion, but now you’ve shattered ot an attitude like that? Ahhhh, it makes me so mad!”
The woman drew closer to Ainz
It see hih at hi the ht land However, Ainz had his own reasons for not paying co thatout, this tragedy would not have taken place Aaze swept across the h the slit of his helht…”
“However…”
“Forget it, I don’t care who paysas it’s a potion or its equivalent in cash… although, that potion orth one gold and ten silvers”
The men lowered their heads It would seeirl turned on Ainz again
“As I thought, these drunkards wouldn’t have that sort ofas you’re dressed in such a flashy suit of arht?”
No wonder, Ainz thought So that hy this woht briefly about it, composed hih, that was a recovery potion, am I correct?”
“Indeed I saved up for every little—”
“—All right, I get it, that’s enough I’ll pay you back with another potion, and we’ll be even”
Ainz handed her a Minor Healing Potion She looked at the potion bottle in surprise, then reluctantly accepted it
“…This should be fine, right?”
“…Muess”
The woman seemed to have more to say, but Ainz cast aside his doubts Thewas his uneasiness over whether Narberal would do so and blow their cover
Narberal still had a coh Ainz had already chided her Some of them seeo,” Ainz curtly told Narberal They went before the innkeeper and Ainz withdrew a single silver piece fro it on the crudely-made counter
The innkeeper silently slipped it into his pant pocket and returned Ainz several copper pieces
“Mm Here’s six coppers back”
He placed the copper coins onto Ainz’s gauntleted hand, and then laid a sht once you go up the stairs You can put your gear into the chests at the foot of the bed This goes without saying, but don’t barge into people’s rooets the wrong idea Although, it’s a pretty good way to let people know you You look like the sort who can handle all kinds of probleive me a problem”
The innkeeper narrowed his eyes at theon the floor
“Understood Also, I’ll need a basic adventurer’s kit for us We’ve lost sos and the Guild said that you’d prepare one for us if we asked”
The innkeeper looked at Ainz and Narberal, and then looked straight at Ainz’s purse
“Met it ready by dinner Just be ready to pay”
“Understood Then, Nabe, let’s go”
Ainz brought Narberal up the old staircase The wood creaked under his feet as he headed for his room
♦ ♦ ♦
After Ainz’s silhouette vanished up at the second floor, the buddies of the ic on him Their actions seemed to be the spark which caused the silent tavern to burst into cla as he looks”
“Yeah, that’s it His arth is unbelievable, how did he train it?”
“He must be pretty confident to carry no weapons besides those two greatswords”
“Da to leap ahead of us as well”
The scattered conversations were filled with awe, surprise, and fear
They all knew that Ainz was not an ordinary person
The first reason for that was his impressive equipment Full plate arone on many adventures — in other words, be an experienced adventurer — in order to purchase it One would need to be at least a silver plate in order to accuh capital for such a feat However, some people inherited their suits from their predecessors, or found those suits on the battlefield or in ruins
That hy they wanted to take a measure of his ability
Everyone here was a comrade and a competitor at the sath of any newcomers The circumstances froain
The truth was, everyone here had experienced this sort of thing in the past However, none of them had passed the test so easily before In other words, that pair of copper ranked adventurers…
They would be very strong, either as rivals or allies Everyone here was fully convinced of that
“No should we deal with those two?”
“Flirting with that beautiful woet them into our party…”
“You must be mistaken, they should be in our party”
“What does he look like under that helht”
“Didn’t he est man, Gazef Stronoff?”
“Could it be that he’s a disciple of the Warrior-Captain?”
“That’s certainly possible Leave this task to a big-eared thief like erly discussed the mysterious pair, the innkeeper walked up to one of the adventurers
She was holding the potion Ainz had given her just now
“Oi, Britta”
“Hm? What?”
The wo at the red potion and looked disinterestedly at the innkeeper
“What kind of potion is that?”
“Who knows?”
“…Oi oi, you don’t know either? You accepted his potion as compensation, shouldn’t you know its value?”
“How could I? Besides, I’ve never seen a potion like this before Graht?”
Britta was right
“Does it cover the value of your potion that got sht”
“That’s true It’s definitely a ga that guy in the flashy arave me after he heard the price of my potion”
“I see…”
“…I’ve never seen a healing potion of this color before It ht be a rare treasure If I delayed and he said he would pay in cash, I’d be co to show for it, right? In any case, I’ll take it for appraisal tomorrow and find out how much it’s worth”
“Oh, in that case, I’ll cover the appraisal fee for you In fact, I’ll even recoramps?”
Britta furrowed her brows The innkeeper was a good man, but he was hardly a Good Sa in mind
“Ah, don’t look at me like that I just want you to tell me the effects of this potion”
“So it’s a trade, then?”
“Hey, it’s a good trade, right? Besides, I can recohabout that Lizzie Bareare”
Britta’s eyes ith surprise
E-Rantel was a place withweapons and other ite them the trade in potions was quite brisk Therefore, E-Rantel had more herbalists than a normal city
Amidst this fierce competition, Lizzie Bareare had earned faion She could make the most complex potions of all the herbalists in the city Since the innkeeper hadhis offer
Part 2
The wooden door closed with a thud
The room was bare, apart fro chests After opening the blinds, they could directly feel the sunlight and outside air
Ainz was somewhat disappointed as he finished his circular sweep of the roos and cleanliness in a Godforsaken place like this, he still wanted to get out of here
“I can’t believe he would dare let you stay in a place like this, Momon-sama”
“Don’t say that, Nabe Our aim is to become adventurers, and then increase our fame to the point where everyone knows of us Until then, it won’t hurt to experience the life of a newbie”
Ainz tried to soothe Narberal after closing theblinds, without expressing his own dissatisfaction There was not enough sunlight coht up the entire room Ainz and Nabe both possessed darkvision, so it was hardly an obstacle to them, but for a normal person, this roo
“Still… the life of an adventurer is pretty banal”
Adventurers
Once, Ainz dreamed about that profession
He envisioned them as people who chased after the unknown and had adventures in various parts of the world Ainz had previously thought that adventurers were a physical ht way to play YGGDRASIL, but after listening to the Guild receptionist, he realised that adventuring was ajob than he had expected
Simply put, adventurers were “anti-h so into the ruins of kingdoo and investigating mysteries in uncharted lands — for the most part, they were simply monster hunters
Every monster possessed different special abilities, so they could only be taken care of by people who knewby that point, one ht think that they were heroes ere loved and relied on by the coames
However, the reality was somewhat different fro authorities did not sroups which they could not control Therefore, aside from the prices they commanded, adventurers did not have much status
Another reason why adventurers were not accepted on a national scale was because of the sa whichexpensive permanent staff Thus, et by without hiring theard in those nations which could eliminate monsters by dint of their ownto the Guild receptionist, there were no adventurers in the Slaine Theocracy, while life had gotten worse for adventurers in the Baharuth Empire after the ascension of their new Emperor
Ainz banished hisin life to find that a job which one adlamorous in reality
With a brief wave of his hand, the black arreatswords on his back ic items was revealed
He wore a pair of black ht The silver circlet on his head was set with a it look like a rose vine
Then there were the long-sleeved shi+rt and slacks, auzy black material A black belt secured the pants around his waist
Ainz took off the sturdy gauntlets, and there were rings on all his bony fingers save the left ring finger
His half-boots were made of a reddish-brown leather, and they were eold thread
A silver necklace with a lion-head pendant hung around his neck, and around it was a red cape
Magic ite an item skin with a data crystal, so it was quite difficult to coordinate their appearance However,a clownsuit, so after a certain update, players were given several ways to change their equipear
(TL note: ”clownsuit” is the MMO term for a visually mismatched set of equipment only worn for their stat boosts)
The suit of finely articulated black plate armor, made by the 「Create Greater Item」 spell, was one of those ways
Currently, Ainz earing Sure-Hit Glasses, a Crown of Mental Fortitude, Black Widow Spider Clothes, a Black Belt, the Jarngreipr fro other iteic items was usually done in the form of data crystals However, there were people who sold second-hand iteer ones It was at this point that a probleht include forbidden language, or it ht insult someone Sometimes, the GMs would ask the players in question to rena items was left to the fancy of the creator
As a result, items eird nah cash items which could rename them were not expensive, very few people wanted to make that expenditure
Thus, every player racked their brains to give their itelish, or they would coy
Of course, there were exceptions to this as well
For instance, nas was very troubleso3 and so on Ainz had even seen so, Middle Finger Ring, and so on
Ainz had a friend called Warrior Takemikazuchi, ielded two katanas frohth of its line — “Take had also been naht
Inspired by an anti-hero from American comics, it was called the Necroplasmic Mantle
(TL Note: in other words, Spawn’s cape)
All of these were relic class iteear, but he had considered that proble, so he settled for equipment of this level
Ainz worked his shoulders and savored the sensation of being free from his ar of which, how shall we deal with that annoying woman?”
“Ah, the one whose potion we broke? We don’t need to split hairs with her I’d be angry as well if so important to me”
Or at least, until his emotion suppression kicked in Ainz paused for a while, before continuing:
“…Well, probably It’s only natural for her to scold me for my carelessness”
“But all that was because a foolish hu That man is the one as to blame”
“Perhaps, but I was the one who threw that ive her What we should be doing in this city is beco a part of this world, to increase the renown of Momon and Nabe It would reflect badly on us if rumors spread that we could not even pay sole potion”
Narberal nodded, although she could not quite accept what Ainz had said
“Also, we should give her some face, since she’s technically our senior in this field”
Ainz fiddled with the necklace he wore, though he kept his fingers away from the Nemean Lion
If it’s just a sih that should probably be so for the Guild to worry about
That ss It hat allowed people to know the strength of an adventurer
Copper Iron Silver Gold Platinum Mithril Orichalcum Adamantite
The latter metals were more valuable, which meant that adventurers of those ranks could selectquests This was part of the syste to pointless deaths
Ainz, a freshly-registered adventurer, was of the lowest class — copper That wo her a basic level of courtesy was the secret of successfully blending into society
“However, I feel that such soft metals like adamantite are not worthy of you, Ainz-sama Apoitakara, hihiirokane, or other pris of yourself These people in the Guild have no taste at all”
The hest tiers in YGGDRASIL Ainz turned a sharp look on her, and then said:
“Narberal, just to be safe, call me Momon while we are in this town”
“Understood, Moain? Call ies, Momon-sa—n”
“…Moet it, if it’s hard for you to just call me Momon, then Momon-san will do Got it?”
“I understand, Moain, Narberal bowed deeply at the waist Ainz tapped at his forehead with a finger
She has no idea why I want her to call et it, there’s nobody else I can use for now, so I’ll forgive her
“This is our plan for the future—”
“Yes!”
Narberal proenuflected before Ainz It was the attitude of a vassal awaiting orders
An annoyed Ainz had no idea how to proceed Though he had locked the door after coossip would swiftly spread if people saw this scene
Still… why doesn’t she understand the reason that I want her to callto the inn…
With a tone of vague resignation, Ainz said:
“We are here to go undercover as adventurers in this city This is because we have to collect inforest people in this world — though our e about YGGDRASIL players, like her ranked jobs, which will also allow us to collect more reliable and useful information Therefore, our first objective is to become successful adventurers”
After Narberal indicated that she understood, Ainz told her about the things she had to do
“However, there are several problems at the moment”
Ainz withdrew his small purse and opened it, then dumped its contents onto his hand They were coins, and there were very few of the the coin
“To begin with, we have no money”
There were several reasons why Ainz had paid with a potion during the prior dispute One of them was because he was not confident they could solve this problehable
Ainz turned to the surprised Narberal, and explained:
“No, I should say that we do have a lot of old coins Therefore, I would like to use those gold coins as a last resort”
“Why is that? Haven’t we already confirmed that YGGDRASIL coins have monetary value?”
“Indeed, I learned froold coin is worth two of the local gold coins However, if we use YGGDRASIL gold coins here, there’s no telling where they’ll end up If things go bad, the news ht spread beyond to others, and it’ll be a blatant advertisement to other YGGDRASIL players that we’re here Therefore, we have to avoid that situation as long as we do not fully understand the situation”
“Players… entities on the same level as yourself, Ainz-sama, and the villains who once attacked Nazarick”
Ainz frowned as she referred to hi, for the same reasons as just now
“Indeed They are people that cannot be taken lightly”
His — Ainz Ooal Gown’s — level was the highest in YGGDRASIL, level one hundred However, to players, beingIt could be said that most players were level one hundred
Ainz considered hia levels in classes to better roleplay an undead iven the divine class iteht be ranked in the s easy There was always a bigger fish, after all
Thus, he had to avoid being found by other players, at any cost There were many opponents Ainz could not defeat if he was drawn into battle
In addition, there were many players ere human, and they would naturally protect other humans If these players clashed with people like Albedo, who viewed huround Toht very well count hu was dangerous
Still, I didn’t expect Narberal to feel the same way as well
Ainz did not view hus with no hesitation for the sake of his goals Even so, he wanted to avoid conflict with other players
“Well, that was a waste”
“What was a waste?”
“I’un so easily He had a lot of infor”
There were roughly ten people still alive froht Scripture captured at Carne Village The rest died during questioning and became media for Ainz to summon undead with his skills
As he recalled the information tortured out of his captives, Ainz could not help but mutter:
“Most players would want to support the Slaine Theocracy…”
The Slaine Theocracy was a religious nation which venerated the Six Gods, who descended upon the world six hundred years ago
In the words of the Sunlight Scripture, the Slaine Theocracy fought to allow the weak hu, and defeat other species Any player with any re humanity would approve of the Slaine Theocracy’s aims
Unlike his oorld, where hu creatures, in this world, huh they could build such an impressive city upon the plains, the fact that they had to live on the plains only highlighted huerous places Firstly, there was no place to hide, so it was easy to be discovered by the enemy Only weak species, who lacked darkvision, would choose to live in a place like this They would have no safe spaces or living room if they chose otherwise
There were species ere physically stronger and possessed more advanced civilizations than humans, but they were not in control of the continent This was because they had ended up fighting the Eight Greed Kings, who doo Humanity was one of the few survivors of that war If not, the hu since be extinct
Any players in this world would want to help out huainst players and kept his distance from the Slaine Theocracy
“In any case, I plan to sell off the swords taken frohts… but before that, we need to get a job”
“Understood Then, shall we visit the guild again toh I’d like to learnaround this city, we should leave that for after we’ve earned some money”
“I see As a battle th”
“Is that so Then, I’ll be counting on you, Narberal”
Ainz felt a war deeply Then he cast a spell, and rapped in his ar our surroundings You will stay here and wait for orders”
“Please allowaround the neighborhood I’ve heard of a large graveyard which I want to visit… and the other reason why you’re staying here is to ward off intruders You uard and never slack off While I don’t think there’s any vulnerabilities in our defenses for the ht well be considered enemy territory, so you must never relax”
“Understood”
“I’ll leave the scheduled call-ins to you as well”
♦ ♦ ♦
As Ainz left the roohed deeply
Then she rubbed the corner of her eyes, and her eyes, previously filled with a keen expression, drooped powerlessly Her face looked completely relaxed Even her ponytail see limply down
However, she still recalled her supre to look around outside the roo the feats of thieves Therefore, she used the skills she was familiar with to make up the shortfall
“「Rabbit’s Ear」”
A pair of adorable bunny ears grew fro ears immediately picked up all the sounds around her
This was one of the three spells known as “Bunny Magic” to the players of YGGDRASIL The other tere 「Rabbit’s Foot」, which boosted luck, and 「Bunny Tail」, which reducedall three of these spells at once would change the appearance of a fe, and so they were very popular However, Narberal did not cast the other two because they were not needed
Most of Narberal’s spells pertained to combat This was one of the few exceptions
After listening to the sounds around her, she e」 spell As she expected, a pleasant female voice spoke within her head
『Narberal Ga the matter?』
“Yes, this is the scheduled report”
Narberal was speaking to the Guardian Overseer of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, Albedo
She described every detail of the situation to Albedo, and finally sheto hear:
“Ainz-sama mentioned you, Albedo-sama He said that there was nobody else he could trust apart froht resounded within Narberal’s head
『Good — very good — Narberal, you’re a good girl! Keep spreading that news for me! This is an order from Nazarick’s Guardian Overseer!』
Narberal wondered, Is this really worth an order? However, she realized that this le to better serve the Supreme One Thus, such an order made perfect sense
Just as Narberal was about to express her doubts, she heard Albedo’s excited voice once more
『I’ll slowly decrease the distance between myself and Ainz-sah the objective is hard to breach, as long as I keep up the pressure and gain a beachhead, I’ll be able to bring it down one day! On that glorious day, Shalltear eep bitter tears of regret!』
Albedo’s cry of delight made Narberal furrow her brows That excited voice was starting to annoy her
With a voice that suggested she ht burst into dance at anyabout what she would do next, and how things had to be, and then suddenly, she asked in a cal me? Why did you choosefrom me?』
“The answer is simple If someone asked me whether Albedo-sama or Shalltear-sama was more suitable to sit beside Ainz-sama, I would definitely ansith your name, Albedo-sama”
『Kufu—! Wonderful I didn’t think you’d be able to see the future of Nazarick I’m impressed』
“Also, Yuri-neesa with Shalltear-sama”
『Oh, Yuri Alpha I see, so that’s how it is Are the others on my side as well?』
The faces of the assistant leader Yuri Alpha as well as her other comrades appeared in Narberal’s ina is with you, Albedo-sama, but Solution is on Shalltear-saiances are not yet known”
『Can Solution be won over?』
“It would be very difficult, because her tastes are very similar to Shalltear-sama’s”
『Oh, I see… what crude hobbies she has』
Narberal agreed with Albedo’s words She had no idea why Solution liked what she did, and she could not help but tilt her head in puzzles were inferior lifeforms — with one exception — none of the huot in their way, even if doing so was tedious That said, they would not go out of their way to kill them
『Well, it can’t be helped Then, irls into my camp Start with Entoma and shi+zu』
“That should be fine Solution and Ento Ento an ally as a result”
『That’s right… I’ve got it Then, onto so else… can you tell ?』
“Yes, I understand”
The scheduled co very heated — when Albedo heard Narberal and Ainz were sharing a rooe noises and kicked up a fuss — to the point where she had to cast the same spell four times Ainz was mildly annoyed when he returned, but that is a tale for another ti like a color upon the wind, Britta sniffed several ti
She was not reenish scent This odor cas and crushed plants The smell told Britta that she was at her destination
Britta continued forward, to a place where the sht, she walked on until she was in front of the largest house
This house was different froned with a shop area in front and a work area in the back It seeround up as a workshop
She knew that she had arrived fro above the door and outside the place
The bell ly loudly as she pushed open the front door
After she entered, she found herself in so benches in the middle of the room, cabinets of books on the walls, and ornamental plants in the corners of the rooe, a voice called out:
“Welcoh it sounded too young to belong to abefore her, dressed in a beat-up set of old work coveralls that were stained with juices from crushed plants
His blond hair covered half his face, so it was hard to guess his age, but froht and his voice, he should be in puberty
Although he was a teenager, Britta could still guess his narandmother, he had become one of the few notable people in E-Rantel by virtue of his innate talents
“…Nfirea Bareare-san?”
“Yes, that’s me”
The boy — Nfirea — nodded and asked:
“May I knohat business you have here?”
“Ah, yes Hang on a bit”
Britta retrieved the folded slip of paper the innkeeper had passed her and gave it to the boy
Upon receiving the piece of paper, Nfirea opened and read it
“I see… so that’s what’s going on Then, can I see the potion?”
Britta took out the potion and handed it to Nfirea, who brought it so close to hied
Nfirea swept his hair away, revealing a handsoirls
However, within that youthful face of his was a pair of steely eyes It was hard to iine that someone who spoke and acted like he did could have eyes like that Those eyes sparkled with excitement Nfirea shook the potion bottle several tiive me, it’s not convenient to speak here Could you follow uidance, she soon arrived at a ht that way because she lacked professional experience
On the table were round-bottomed flasks, test tubes, distillation equipment, mortars, funnels, beakers, alcohol la pot, and various other items The shelves on the walls were filled with mysterious herb andin the air It seeerous to one’s body
The person as already within the rooed in
She was a very old woman, and both her face and hands were heavily wrinkled Her hair, which reached to her eyebroas pure white Her work clothes were stained with even rass
Nfirea, who had just entered, called out to the old lady:
“Granny!”
“What is it, what is it, I can hear you even if you don’t shout My ears are sharp, you know”
Nfirea only had one grandreatest herbalist in this city, Lizzie Bareare
“Come take a look at this”
Lizzie accepted the potion Nfirea offered her As she studied it, her gaze was so focused and keen that it unsettled Britta She looked like a grizzled veteran ofHerbalists needed to usetheir potions and her the tier of reatest herbalist of E-Rantel, Lizzie Bareare, was a much better co it here? …A legendary potion? No, could it be… God’s Blood? What on earth is this potion?”
“Eh?”
Britta’s eyes ide, thinking That’s et it from? A ruin?”
“Eh? Ah, no, that…”
“What a shrinking violet you are Just give et it from? Did you steal it? Hm?”
Britta’s shoulders shuddered in surprise She had done nothing wrong, yet she felt like she was being rebuked