“So we won’t be going into the forest?”
“No, the forest is quite dangerous. We could probably handle jumping leeches, giant beetles, and the like, but the hanging spiders that dangle down from the trees and the forest worms that come out of the ground to swallow you whole are a bit tough.”
I see. Ainz nodded. So we’ll fight the monsters that spill out of the forest onto the grass.
“So that’s the job, Momon. How about it? Will you help us out?”
“Uh…I suppose…but actually, before that, could you tell me what kind of reward we’ll get?”
“Oh yeah. That’s important, isn’t it? Since there are two teams, yours and mine, we’ll split it in half.”
“Considering the number of members in each team, that’s awfully nice and generous of you.”
“But if some monsters appear, we’ll have you guys take half of them, and we can only use up to tier-two magic. I think it balances out if you take those things into account.”
Ainz pretended to think for a moment and then nodded. “That’s fine by me. It’s a deal. And since we’re going to be working together for a while, I’ll go ahead and show you my face.”
Ainz removed his helmet. Mild surprise registered on the faces of the four adventurers.
“…Black hair and black eyes, like Nabe. You’re definitely not from around here. I heard that down south there’s a country where people look like you… Are you from that area?”
“Yeah. I traveled a pretty long ways.”
“He’s older than I thought…kind of an old dude.”
“Don’t be rude! A warrior on a level equal to a tier-three magic user would be about that age!”
“Miss Nabe must have learned so fast!”
Ainz had sharp enough hearing that he could pick up the other three’s whispers. He felt a little young to be called an “old dude,” but compared to these kids, he probably was old. Considering people came of age here at sixteen, he was pretty ripe.
“Well, now that you’ve seen my face, I’ll cover it up again,” he said, replacing his helmet. “If it got around that we’re both foreigners, there might be trouble.”
He smiled under his helmet. He’d used a low-tier illusion that would break if it were touched, but he was glad he’d thought of it.
“Okay, if we’re going to go hunting together, we should get any questions out of the way ahead of time. Do you have anything you’d like to ask?”
“Yes!”
In response to Ainz’s question, a hand flew into the air. It was Lukrut. When he saw no one else had anything to ask, he threw a question loudly at Narberal. “What exactly is the relationship between you two?”
Silence.
Ainz couldn’t fathom why he would ask such a thing.
Peter and the rest could, though, and keenly.
“…We’re friends.”
Lukrut’s reaction to Ainz’s answer completely disrupted the mood of the meeting. “I’m in love! It’s love at first sight! Will you go out with me?”
Everyone stared at him. When they realized he hadn’t said it as a well-intentioned joke, their eyes moved to Narberal. Under everyone’s gaze, she sighed before replying, “Shut up, you slug. Don’t speak to me again until you know your place, or I’ll rip out your tongue.”
A silence descended, incomparably more still than the previous one.
“Uh, er…” Before Ainz could get a word out, Lukrut was talking.
“Thank you very much for that intense rejection! Let’s start as friends!”
“Drop dead, maggot. As if I’d be your friend! Do you want me to gouge out your eyes with a spoon?”
Peter and Ainz looked away from the back-and-forth and bowed to each other.
“…I’m sorry my friend is causing trouble.”
“…Not at all, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“Okay, can we say that no one has any questions?” Peter addressed the group once more, leaving out Lukrut with his goofy grin and icy Narberal. “Then let’s head out once you’re ready. Our preparations have already been made.”
At the word preparations, Ainz remembered something. He’d purchased the minimum necessary provisions from the innkeeper, but neither he nor Narberal required the bulky food and drink. Of course, it would be suspicious if they ate nothing, so he supposed it was necessary to some extent.
“Okay. We’ll be ready to leave once we replenish our food supply.”
“Just food? If you don’t need to buy from a particular store, the desk has nonperishables. They can get you ready in no time.”
“Oh, that sounds good. And then we can leave right away.”
“Shall we go, then?”
They all stood up and left the meeting room.
When they got back to reception, there were more adventurers around than before, and several groups had gathered around where the parchments were posted, but almost everyone was focused on one boy.
The blond youth was talking with one of the receptionists, but the other two were listening in. The atmosphere had done a complete one-eighty from the earlier bustle.
Just then, the receptionist’s mouth made a perfect O—of surprise. And her line of sight led to Ainz.
What the heck? As Ainz wondered what was going on, the receptionist stood up and came over.
“You have been requested by name.”
At her words, the vibe in the room changed dramatically. Ainz felt the unreserved stares of numerous curious eyes. The members of the Swords of Darkness also seemed surprised.
Narberal made a slight move in response to the mysterious change in atmosphere. She was shifting just in case she had to deal with a situation, preparing for combat.
Ugh. Narberal’s movements were bad, no matter what her reason. She may very well have been acting to protect him after detecting something off about the vibe, but it wasn’t appropriate here. Or rather, someone with common sense wouldn’t do what she was doing. Even if she was prioritizing Ainz’s safety above all else, she was being too thoughtless.
That idiot. She’s as bad as Albedo, but gah, what is she thinking? Actually, she’s probably not thinking. She looks down on humans, so to her it would be like stepping on some noisy bugs. I guess it makes sense to have that attitude, since Ainz Ooal Gown is a guild made up entirely of grotesques, but there’s still a time and a place for it.
Ainz put his head in his hands. He wanted to ask his old guildmates why all their NPCs were like this. I don’t care what kind of backstory you assign them—at least give them minimum interpersonal skills, like being able to read a room and understanding the context of their actions.
He didn’t have time to reprimand her now. But he didn’t know what would happen if people picked up on the fact that she was going into combat mode. He quickly karate-chopped her on the head—not with full strength, of course, but the pain he inflicted with his gauntleted hand had apparently been pretty serious; Narberal looked up at him, her tearful eyes taken over by surprise and confusion.
Completely ignoring her, Ainz asked the receptionist, “By who?”
The minute he’d said it he felt stupid. It had to have been that boy.
“Nfirea Baleare.”
Ainz realized it was the name he’d heard earlier, and the boy was already approaching.
“Nice to meet you. I’m the one who made the request.” He tilted his head, and Ainz reciprocated. “So about the reque—” He started to speak, but Ainz held up a hand to stop him.
“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m already contracted for another job. I can’t take on your request right away.”
A commotion went through the room. The Swords of Darkness members were especially startled.
“But Momon, he’s requesting you!”
Seeing Peter’s reaction, Ainz wondered if a request by name was really worth getting so excited about, but…
“That may be, but it’s only right to prioritize the previous engagement, don’t you think?” It seeme
d Ainz’s conclusion was not mistaken. Some of the onlooking adventurers nodded; he’d made a favorable impression.
“But…our request can’t even properly be called a request, and we can’t even pay you if we don’t encounter any monsters…,” Peter mumbled.
The difference in value of the work between a request from this boy (who is not only famous himself but also has a famous grandmother) and roaming around hunting monsters is enormous. That must be why Peter is trying to give me some space. Guessing that was the case, Ainz replied with kindness in his voice. “Then how about this, Peter? I haven’t heard anything about the job or the compensation, so I’ll listen to what Mr. Baleare has to say and then we can decide.”
“That’s fine with me. We’d like to go sooner rather than later, but we weren’t even planning on today or tomorrow anyhow.”
“Then let’s have the Swords of Darkness come while we talk it over. If we can come to an agreement…or rather, if we can’t, I suppose, I’ll go ahead and prioritize my previous engagement.”
“What? You want us in your meeting?”
“Yes. As a concerned party, your input is important to me.”
Once the Swords of Darkness agreed to the plan, they all returned to the meeting room they had just come from.
Well, this is a bit hectic. Ainz smiled wryly and sat in the same seat as before. Narberal sat next to him again, and Nfirea sat one seat down from her. The Swords of Darkness members, like Ainz, all took the same seats as before.
The first to speak was, naturally, Nfirea. “The woman at reception mentioned my name before, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nfirea Baleare. I’m an apothecary in this city. As for my request, I’m planning to go to a nearby forest, but as you know, the forest is a dangerous place. So I’d like you to escort me but also, if possible, help me collect medicinal herbs.”
“An escort job? I see.” Ainz nodded confidently, but privately he thought it sounded like kind of a pain.
Ainz knew that he was strong himself, and if he teamed up with Narberal, annihilating any monster that came at them would probably be a piece of cake. The problem was that when it came to escort duty, he wasn’t so certain he could pull it off. As casters, neither he nor Narberal had the tanking skills that would be useful to guard someone.
“Compensation would be a fixed amo—”
“One moment. How convenient that it’s an escort job. Hey, Peter, what would you say to me hiring you instead?”
“Huh?”
“For an escort job in the woods collecting herbs, wouldn’t it be better to have a ranger and a druid along?”
“Indeed! That is very perceptive of you, Momon. Druids are really in their element in the forest. I’d probably be even more useful than Lukrut!” Some pride slipped into Dyne’s dignified tone.
Lukrut didn’t seem so amused. “Keep talkin’, Dyney.”
“With my druid powers, it’s a given that I’d be more useful. And don’t forget that I dabble in the medicinal arts.”
“Hmm. I’m game, Peter. Seems like I need to show Mr. Druid here who has the superior gathering skills.”
“Then that seems fine. And if any monsters show up along the way, we can slay them and get the reward from the city, too. Mr. Baleare’s compensation can be split by head count, right, Peter?”
“I have no objection if it’s all right with you, Momon.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Baleare. If you don’t mind, we’d all like to take on your request.”
“Oh? That’s fine with me. Then, I’m looking forward to working with all of you. Oh, and you can call me Nfirea.”
Then, they all introduced themselves to Nfirea, and although Narberal whipped her sharp tongue at Lukrut a couple times, there was no real trouble.
“So, our plan will be my normal pattern of proceeding to the village of Carne, getting a place to stay, and then heading to the forest. The time we spend gathering herbs will depend on how much we can get, but it’ll be three days at most. The average has been two.”
“How will we get there?”
“I have one single-horse cart, but that’s where the bottles for the herbs will go, so there won’t be room to carry everyone.”
“Can we restock provisions in Carne?”
“Water is no problem, but food might be difficult. It’s not a very big village.”
The Swords of Darkness discussed preparations among themselves and peppered Nfirea with questions. Then Ainz spoke up. “Do you mind if I ask some questions?” Nfirea smiled and said to go ahead, so Ainz asked his first question. “Why did you specifically want me? It was only just recently that I boarded a carriage and arrived here, so I have no friends in this city, nobody knows me, and yet you requested me? And you mentioned you have a ‘pattern,’ so doesn’t that mean you’ve been hiring a different adventurer up till now? What happened to that person?”
Ainz’s eyes were sharp under his helmet. He didn’t recall ever being introduced to this boy. If his true identity had been discovered, he would need to take a different approach with his disguise. He tried to discover the boy’s real motives, but he couldn’t detect changes in his eyes because of the long hair that covered half of his face. As Ainz was wondering if he was overthinking things, Nfirea spoke.
“The person I used to hire left E-Rantel to go to a different city. That’s why I was looking for someone new. And then…actually, I heard about the incident at the inn from someone who came to my shop.”
“The incident at the inn?”
“Yes, how you beat up an adventurer a rank above you in the blink of an eye.”
“I see.”
He had shown off his strength there to try to spread his name, and it seemed like it had worked. Ainz was about convinced when Nfirea joked, “Plus, copper-plate adventurers cost less, right? I’d like it if we could work together for some time.”
“Ha-ha, that’s right.” Ainz could certainly understand the concept of getting in on the ground floor. He felt his caution being dispelled. But there was one thing he feared. If that were the case…
As Ainz was thinking it over, some other questions were asked and Nfirea answered them. When it seemed like the questions had petered out, Nfirea raised his voice. “Then, let’s get ready and be off!”
5
In the dead of night, a hooded shadow slipped into E-Rantel’s huge graveyard. The jet-black hooded cape combined with the shadow’s singular way of moving, keeping its shoulders and hips from bouncing, made it look like a ghost. It nimbly avoided all the magical light sources that had been placed around the graveyard, going in deeper and deeper.
Before long, it came upon a mausoleum. The shadow slowly removed its hood. It was a young human woman. Age-wise she was somewhere around a fresh twenty or so. Her face was attractive but in a vaguely feline way. She had ample charm, but there was also something dangerous about her—like she might reveal her true nature as a carnivorous beast at any moment.
“This is the place!” she said playfully, smoothing back her short blond hair before pushing open the stone door. From beneath her cape came a sound like the soft rubbing of metal on metal, almost exactly like the sound chain mail makes.
When she entered the mausoleum, there were no bodies on the stone platforms for laying out corpses, and the ornaments put up when praying for the departures of deceased souls had already been taken down. Still, a cloying smell tingled her nose, as if the rocks had absorbed all the tons of incense.
With a slight wrinkle in her brow, she approached a large platform in the back. “Hmm-hmm-hmm! Let’s seeee…” Humming, she pressed one of the surprisingly detailed carvings near its base.
Something went ker-chk as if catching, and a beat later the platform rumbled to the side to reveal a staircase leading underground.
“I’m coming iiin!” she shouted down the stairs, stretching the final vowel in a carefree way, and began her descent. There was one turn along the way, and at the bottom yawned a huge cavern.
This place was not part of the graveyard. No, it was something far more sinister.
Strange tapestries hung from the walls and below them burned a number of bright red candles with blood mixed into the wax, sending up the stench of scorched gore as they gave off their dim glow. Among the countless shadows cast by the dancing light were several holes, big enough for humans to pass through, that reeked in the putrid way only lower-tier undead do.
The woman swept her eyes across the room before focusing on one point. “Oh! Hey, you hiding over there! You have a guest!”
The shoulders of a man watching from the shadows of a passage flinched.
“H’lo! I’m here to see Khaj! Is he here?”
The man wasn’t sure what to do, and his shoulders flinched again at the sound of more footsteps.
“It’s fine. Leave us.” The newly arrived man dispatched the hesitant one with just that and showed himself.
He was very thin. His eyes were sunken, and he had so little color in his face it was questionable whether he was even alive—ashen was the perfect word to describe it. Not a single hair could be spotted on his head. In fact, he had neither eyebrows nor lashes and there was so little evidence of anything hairlike on his body that one began to wonder if he had any at all. With those looks, it was impossible to guess his age, but since his skin didn’t have wrinkles, he must not have been too terribly old. He wore a deep, bloody-red robe and a necklace that was a string of small animal skulls. His skin-and-bones arms ended in hands with yellowed nails that gripped a black staff. He looked more like an undead monster than a human.
“H’lo, Khaj.”
The man frowned at the woman’s lighthearted salute. “Stop using that bastardized greeting! It’s an insult to the proud name of Zurrernorn.”
Zurrernorn—an evil secret society made up of casters who always had their powerful leader in mind and kept death close. They had caused more than a few tragedies and were considered an enemy by the countries in the area.
The Dark Warrior Page 6
