...

Carne Village

Before dawn, Gazef and his men were already up and preparing to leave for E-Rantel. They were feeding their horses, donning their armor, and checking their inventory. Although Carne Village is only a couple days from E-Rantel, their goal wasn't that city, rather it was the Royal Capital, which was at lease a couple weeks journey overall. Forgetting to pack something would only come back to bite them, so they were taking extra precautions to account for everything.

That and well, they simply didn't have anything other to do. Yesterday felt so far away, all the events that took place up until now felt like a lifetime ago, yet the scars still burned fresh. it wasn't that they didn't think much about everything, in fact, it was the opposite. So much occurred in the past days that there wasn't any capacity in their minds to process it.

A month ago, when their Captain enlisted them to save the Frontier Villages, no one could have predicted the outcome they received. From learning about the hidden plot in motion, to meeting a certain magic caster, everything that occurred was outside the boundaries of their imagination. But, they were still thankful.

Without him, they would've all died; they had no doubt about it. The higher ups would have slid right into the palms of the puppeteers, not giving any thought for the way things unfolded.

Gazef lifted his head with his eyes closed as a wave of refreshing wind rushed over him. Consuming himself in the limited peace, he stood like the plants beside him. Still, unmoving, and fading away with time. When the first drops of morning dew rolled off the leaves, his eyes opened with vigor. With his heart ablaze, he waited for his unknown guests.

A month ago, he left the Capital with the resolution to be the Kingdom's Shield from outside threats.

And now, he returns with a new fire. He will return as the King's Sword to purge the cancer inside his beloved country, the nobles eating away at the core and leaving a trail of rotting flesh.

"Do you hear that?" Unwavering, he spoke to the presence he felt crawl up to him. If he was correct, it would be his Vice-Captain.

He was right.

"Hmm? I can't hear anything" Focusing at the scenery, Thomas tried to find the meaning in Gazef's words. But he couldn't. There was nothing he could hear that pricked the hairs on his neck.

"Exactly. It's the sound of nothing. Even if it's only for a while, the resounding silence is a peace we won't have for a long time." Gazef watched as the sun started to slowly ascend into the sky. The spectrum of light and darkness converging over the villagers was a spectacle to behold. Shadows chased away as the sunlight spread through every corner.

"What do you mean? We finished the mission, our purpose here is done. All we have left is to return back, unless you're implying we'll come across some monsters on the way...?" Thomas really had no clue to what Gazef was hinting at.

"When we return, do you really believe things will be as peaceful as they are now? The nobles who orchestrated this plot will only be enticed to further see our demise. The bloodbath ended here, but when we set foot in the Capital once more, the real war begins."

Both of them remained silent to picture the scene. The corruption in the Kingdom wasn't a national secret, it was common knowledge. Yet thinking about how deep it ran only made them want to puke.

Trying to change topics, Thomas looked around for something that stood out. But all he could see was the rising sun in front and the waking villagers behind him. His eyes swept across as the villagers began to wake up and stat their daily lives.

For people who went though hell, they're quite the early birds. Or is it because of hell that they're up early? Who knows...

Thinking about the people made him happy for some reason. He didn't know why, but seeing people who could persevere like them only made him want to push through his limits too.

As he pondered about things, he remembered that they were supposed to meet up with one of the magic caster's subordinates. If they didn't have to travel back with him, then they surely would've left already.

It was just at Gazef said, the village was indeed peaceful. And because of that, there wasn't anything left for them to do.

"It's dawn." He couldn't find anything meaningful to talk about, so he just changed the conversation to buissiness.

Gazef caught onto what Thomas was implying. They said they would group up at dawn, yet there was still no signs of anyone new. He didn't need a super brain to put two and two together.

"Wait a little longer. If there's anything you need to do, then finish taking care of it quickly. We'll leave once he comes." He made it sound like there was actually something that needed to be done. He knew that everything was accounted for, and they were already prepared to move out. He only said it though because he could feel Thomas' impatience. He would feel the same way too if their positions were switched, so instead, he used the chance to have him take his leave.

Thomas understood what Gazef implied and decided to wait by his horse. When he was almost out of sight, he heard Gazef talk once more, but it wasn't directed to him. "Ah, speak of the devil"

Turning back with curiosity, his eyes instantly fell upon two figures demanding his attention. One was a man in full plate armor, covering the entirety of his body. It was dark as night, with an aura of power around him, and the golden decals on the edges only added to it. He had a red mantle that covered one shoulder, and protruding upwards from it, he could make out two swords. With the man's height, Thomas didn't have to see the swords unsheathed to know they were large.

The other person was a girl appearing to be in her late teens or early twenties, but what made her glow was her unnatural beauty. She had fair, snow-white skin and carried herself with an air around her. She wore a pair of long black leather boots with loose black pants tucked into them. She also had a white button-up blouse underneath an Autumn Brown mantle. If it wasn't for the sword at her hips, she could have been mistaken for royalty. No, even with the clothes she wore, people would still think that. It's hard to believe that a beauty like her wasn't one.

They walked throughout the village, straight to where Gazef was. It was like they knew every nook and cranny of this place. Thomas had an idea of who these people were, so he decided to head back to Gazef.

"Sorry we're late, you must be Gazef-dono." The person who spoke was the man in armor. His spoke with a noble voice, and hints of a familiar sound came to their minds.

"Yes, that's me. And you must be?" Gazef couldn't help but wonder if this was really his first time meeting him.

"Ah yes, we are subordinates of Ainz Ooal Gown..." Ahh talking about myself sounds so weird! "...I am Momon. And this is Nabe." He pointed his hand to her direction.

Nabe didn't even glance at them, she just shifted her eyes to the side in an indifferent manner. Underneath her breath, she muttered something inaudible. But to Ainz, his increased hearing allowed him to hear her sneer the word Insects.

"Now that everyone's here, lets leave for E-Rantel right away." Gazef knew his men were ready to go long ago. They were only waiting for these two people who just showed up. So naturally, they would leave as soon as they could.

Thomas took initiative and already left to inform the others, while Gazef, Momon, and Nabe moved out to the edge of the Village. Gazef couldn't help but notice that they didn't have any horses or mounts. Wondering how they were going to travel, he asked. "Momon-dono, how do you plan on traveling to E-Rantel without horses?"

Momon reached to the side of his hip towards the rear, moving the mantle to show a small pouch latched onto his armor. It was a small leather bag that had nothing but a small string that kept it tied together. Grabbing it with one hand, he detached it from his armor and used his free one to place his hand inside.

When his hand came out, the inside of his palm held a small wooden carving. It was the size of his palm and could be mistake for a children's toy. However, the intricate carvings that emphasized every detail showed that he held onto a true master piece. This wooden piece was something that even the most experienced Craftsmans would struggle to replicate. With every line and curve, Gazef could understand that the wooden model was a horse, but he couldn't figure out what it represented.

"With this..." Momon held out his palm with pride. "...This is an item that can summon an Iron Golem War Horse."

Even if it was something so simple, he couldn't hide his pride at such an item. Gazef picked up onto it too, and looked with amazement. He had never seen this item before but he could tell that it would sell for an extremely high price. Golems were hard to create, taking the most skilled mages at least a year to make the simplest type, a Wood Golem. How much would it take to create an item that can summon one?

Gazef himself would take pride in owning such a luxurious item. The practical uses as well as bragging rights of owning it was too much to keep any person humble. But-

Momon wasn't this way. Yes, he took pride in owning this item, but it wasn't for the reasons Gazef was thinking about.

The [Statue of Animal] was a series of items from YGGDRASIL that was released with the Golem Invasion Event in the Game's 5th Year. Players would have to take on quests to travel the worlds in order defeat hidden golems. Using the dropped items, players would have to craft them together to unlock a specific animal statue. There was no recipe for the right proportions, so it was basically a trial and error event.

There was many times when Ainz Ooal Gown would argue because they failed, or celebrate for a success. The usage of materials was insanely high, that majority of the players gave up, letting the stronger and more organized guilds take on the event challenge. It came to a point where people wouldn't look for the hidden golems, and instead try to PK members of other guilds for their resources. For months there was countless Guild Wars for the required items.

Ainz Ooal Gown was placed first on the leaderboards for the amount of animals statues they were able to create, and everyone was envious of them. It was because everyone wanted the grand prize of the event. Nobody would place too much on a Golem summoning item, but the Grand Prize was worth all the trouble they went through. When a Guild collected all 30 of the animals, the game developers would let them create 5 of their own personalized golems. While it didn't seem like much, the golems gifted by the developers wouldn't cost anything for maintenance, and was practically a free NPC addition.

Holding onto the small statue filled him with nothing but memories. Although it was a long time ago, the simple meaning of camaraderie built behind it was worth being proud of.

Momon activated the item and a medium sized magic circle glowed on the ground. From it came a life sized Golem War Horse, covered in metallic armor. Momon hopped onto the Horse. He was staring at Nabe for a while before he thought he should address her first.

"Umu, Nabe, what are you doing?" Naturally, he wanted her to ride with him, but she just stood to the side as if it was normal to be the only person walking.

Nabe was the only person who knew Momon's real identity, so when she heard him call her name, she diverted her full attention to him and responded.

"Momon-sama, did-"

"Nabe! It hasn't even been an hour yet. Did you forget the rules I set?" He interrupted her, whispering with urgency.

"N-No! Of course not Momon-sam-"

"Nabe! Don't address me with honorifics. It's just 'Momon', not 'Momon-sama' or anything else." This time, he was more frustrated. He specifically told her that when they were undercover, she is to be his equal. It would be bad if someone caught onto their phony act and investigated their suspicions. Luckily, no one was close enough to hear them squabble.

But if they were in a public group and this happened again, who knows what backlash would be unleashed unto them. And the worst part is that they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Nabe's face flustered, understanding that she had already made a mistake. In her heart, she was at an inner turmoil. As a servant, she could never allow herself to regard herself as an equal to a Supreme Being, but her one and only purpose is to serve and carry out the wishes of one. And when their wish is to be equals, she can't help but feel a little lost.

On one hand, she's proud to serve her master, but on the other hand, in the pursuit to fulfill his wish, she must first disregard what she thought was the proper way to serve. Never did she know accompanying him on this journey that she would face this problem. If she knew what she did now when she was chosen, she would still be happy, but she would've spent more time preparing instead of dreaming of this position.

"Yes, Momon-sama-an" She knew she made another mistake, but she would work her hardest to redeem herself.

Momon could only sigh when he saw Nabe in this state. But he tried to look for the positive instead.

At least she's making progress.

"Hmmm. Nabe, don't think too much about it. It's alright to make mistakes, but you must work hard to ensure you don't repeat the same ones over and over again."

Hearing his words, Nabe thought 'Ainz-sama is such a Kind master, forgiving my blunders so easily. I must work hard to not let him down.' and Held her head up again with a new goal. On this journey, she would protect her master with her life, and improve herself to serve him better.

"What I was asking earlier was why are you just standing there? Are you not going to hop on?" Momon gestured to to the space behind him on the Golem. There was quite a bit of space. With his huge frame, he took up most of the Horse, but it was enough to fit someone with Nabe's body.

Nabe looked with widened eyes as she knew what was being implied. "H-How can I share a mount with a Supreme Being!? Walking is perfectly fine Momon-sa-an" Even though she would love to accept his offer, she was a servant first and drew the line between what she deemed appropriate for actions.

"It's fine, and wouldn't it be suspicious if you were the only one walking? After all, we're partners. Our objective is to covertly gather information, and if sharing a mount will help with this, then I see no problem with it." He was insistent on having her accept and taking no for an answer wouldn't suffice this time. He was firmly putting his foot down as her superior, but he didn't want to be too assertive so his choice of words were molded to sound more logical and friendly.

Now that he was in a position to lead, he wouldn't make the same mistakes of his old world. As someone who was at the bottom, only he could know the pains of corruption. And he wouldn't let that same corruption ruin his precious Nazarick and it's inhabitants.

Nabe was at a lost for words, but since Momon told her to, she would do it regardless of her personal opinions. She silently hopped onto the rear of the War Horse, wrapping her arms around his waist.

She did this so she wouldn't have to focus on balancing herself. Instead, she could advert her attention to the sides and look for any danger that approaches, and, it also serves as a way for her to directly shift herself and move him if something spontaneously occurs.

While this was her thought process, Momon only had one line of thought.

Success!

When he felt her arms wrap around his waist, he was flustered at the sudden connection. He had never had any experience with girls before, and a beautiful one was right behind him, hugging onto him. It made him feel like one of those princes in movies; however, his emotional suppressor kicked in and the storm of emotion he felt subsides as if they never were there.

When he calmed down, he was able to re-analyze his situation and felt a great deal of happiness. With Nabe on the horse too, he would now have another person to accompany him. This had two reasons.

The first, he doesn't know how to ride a horse. He never did in the past, and in YGGDRASIL, there wasn't a need to actually learn horse riding. If he wanted to mount onto something in the game, all he had to do was press a button. Now, with Nabe on board, she can act as the Navigator and steady him if he begins to loose control.

The second reason is, if everything fails, then at least he won't go down alone. It's a selfish reasoning, but with Nabe riding in the back, it would look better if they both tripped and fell, rather than just him falling by himself. At least they could blame the Golem and claim 'it isn't made for carrying two people', or something like that.

He had absolute faith in his foolproof plan.

A short while after, Gazef's men rode to the edge of Carne and met them. Once everyone was accounted for, they set out for their destination, E-Rantel.

The trip to the city wasn't filled with much suspense or anxiety. Other than a couple loose goblins and ogres at the Forrest's edge, there wasn't any sightings of monsters or danger. Gazef didn't order anybody to take care of them, so Momon wondered why and asked.

"Gazef-dono, the goblins and ogres over there seem to be watching us intently. Shouldn't we take care of them before someone gets hurt?"

Gazef understood what he was saying, and he would rather want to do something about it than watch as they kill an innocent person. But his priorities were already set.

"That is indeed wise. However, our goal isn't to subjugate the forrest and everything inside of it. Those goblins are scouts, if we kill them, then their tribes will only send more and we'll have a larger problem in our hands. We can leave subjugation to the adventurers. Right now we have to return to the capital as soon as possible." Normally, they would have sent out a couple people to kill them, but their goal wasn't to subjugate monsters.

Momon listened to his words carefully. They were the key to understanding how this world's natives think and act.

Adventurers, huh?

Momon wanted to ask what they were, but he didn't want to appear incompetent or ignorant in front of Nabe. It would be bad if she reported his incompetence and it spread like wildfire throughout Nazarick.

But lady luck was on his side today, literally. Nabe was sitting next to him, and she was the one to ask the question he was wondering.

"Adventurers? What are they?" Her voice was calm and neutral, but her words were laced with cold ice.

Gazef heard this, but thought that this was just part of her personality. He couldn't recall offending her in anyway, so he dismissed her coldness for apart of who she was. But he still answered with his usual tone. "Adventurer's are people who get paid for taking on various jobs. They can be something as simple as protecting a merchant wagon, or something as crucial as subjugating an attacking demihuman tribe."

That's not what the title 'Adventurer' sounds like

Gazef saw him contemplating about his explanation, so he added on. "In E-Rantel, there's an Adventurer's Guild where you can register and learn more about them."

I guess we'll check it out then

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. When he heard about adventures, he thought it would be like in the game, where people travel into the unknown and uncharted territories.

If that was the case, then he'd at least have a little fun while he could gather intel. Unfortunately, he got his hopes up, and they crashed down on him when the truth unveiled itself.

"Then I'll be sure to visit it. Can you tell us more about E-Rantel?" He had to raise his voice when he spoke, otherwise Gazef wouldn't be able to hear him. The journey to E-Rantel should take about 3 days on foot; however, they were riding on horses. Because they were traveling faster, the wind pressure was loud and talking normally wound't be heard. But the increase in speed meant that they should be arriving tomorrow morning.

Since they have to travel a while, he wanted to be proactive and learn as much as he could, not wasting any time. Traveling together with Gazef and his men wasn't bad, but camping outside and staying in the wild can't possibly compare to Nazarick.

"Well, common knowledge is that E-Rantel is a Fortress City. It has three walls and each zone serves a specific purpose. The inner most part is where the high class citizens stay and where all the city officials are. The next layer is where the common people are. You could say it's where the term 'city' is most shown. And the outermost part is used for the garrison." Before continuing, Gazef pulled his horse back a little, to be next to Momon and Nabe. He didn't want to holler at the top of his voice while explaining the basics.

"You already know that E-Rantel is located between the 3 countries, so it serves as a focal point for travelers and merchants. Most of the trade between Re-Estize and foreign countries occur here."

As they rode on, both sides continues to converse. The only times they stopped was when Gazef had to direct the group or stop for a short break. Unlike their mount, the soldiers were using living horses. They needed water, food, and rest; unable to run continuously.

E-Rantel

Nothing exciting occurred the whole day and they were on track to make it to the city within their expected time frame.

When the city walls came into view, giant shadows loomed over the plains till where the eye couldn't see anymore. That's how tall the walls were. They were made of stone and nothing special in particular stood out about them, the only part that was different was the corner side where a platform was raised higher. Standing on top of it was guards.

People stood watch all over the wall, leaving a small space between each other, but the platform was different. The people over there didn't wear the usual open face helmet with leather armor. Instead, they wore something different; they wore half plate metal armor, and defensive machines were placed on the platform as a means to fight back oncoming attackers.

Just as Gazef said, the sight of the wall truly did it justice to call E-Rantel a fortress city.

From the base of the wall, a thin line of people spread out for a couple hundred of meters. Merchants, Travelers, Foreigners, and all different types of people wearing different types of clothes were lined up with the same goal. They were all waiting to enter.

While the line was long, most of the space was taken up by carriages filled with goods and items belonging to merchants. Other than that, there wasn't a long wait for them to make it to the front of the line. Soldiers stationed at the gate had to check the identification of people entering, and check the items they brought along to make sure nothing illegal was smuggled.

When their group made it to the wall, all the guards began working with more energy and passion. The speed at which people were checked increased, and the shouts and conversations grew louder. And there was only one reason for it.

The Warrior Captain.

These guards were all conscripts, peasants drafted by the law, and since Gazef was a peasant too, everyone looked at him with nothing but admiration. He was their hero.

When Gazef's turn came for inspection, none of the guards dared to stop his movements. They let him pass without question. They all knew who he was and knew most of the men in his band of Royal Warriors. So none of them would have any reason to check for identification or contraband items.

It wasn't until Momon and Nabe approached that they became a little curious. A person wearing expensive armor, that most nobles wouldn't be able to afford. And a world class beauty. Of course they would wonder who these two people were.

However, they trusted Gazef and since they were with him, the Guards let them all pass without hesitation. It was only their fixed eyes that were locked onto him and Nabe that made him wonder.

Did they see through our disguises!? How can that be? We just arrived and they're all staring us down!

If it was anything to worry about, he could only worry about it later. Though he would keep a mental tab to look out for suspicious interactions, he already had much on his plate and adding this would only break him, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

In the garrison section, Gazef's men tied their horses to stalls used to store them, and they began walking onward. Momon followed their actions and dismounted from the Golem. Once Nabe was off too, he released the summon and it disappeared into the magic circle it came out of.

The garrison section wasn't anything unique. It was an empty space of land filled with dirt from the constant feet trampling over it. There was multiple tents and barriers set up. Obviously, there was buildings to store food and weapons, and a stable to hold their horses and keep them hydrated and well taken care of. But other than that, there really wasn't anything. Just a field of dirt.

When they passed through the second wall, it was designed differently than the first. While the outer wall was giant and thick, the second one was tall, but not as high, and had people working inside the walls too. The space was clearly meant to give off a civilized feeling, as the walkway was lined with stone tiles, and the number of guards dwarfed compared to the heavily protected first wall.

A giant metal gate made of multiple bars of steel crossing vertically and horizontally came into sight when they approached the end. It started to rise. The dry gears turning could be heard, releasing a scrapping sound because they lacked oil, as the workers pulled the ropes so the gate could rise.

Once the gate locked into place, the blazing sunlight scorched onto them and the bustling lives of the city came into view. Sounds crashing all together competed for the rights to their ears as salesmen were yelling to promote their goods, beggars were asking passerby's for change, mothers were calling out to their children to be careful, and groups of armored people were conversing about various topics.

This truly is a city.

From the first point of contact, everything could be deciphered from it. Careers, Families, Friends, Social classes, and all the other aspects of society were shown without shame. Familiar sights of the poor were still there, but poverty wasn't a problem that was every abolished, regardless of what time period you were in. At least there was no toxins killing everyone with every breath they took.

This sight was like a fantasy he could only dream of.

This isn't something that I could have ever dreamed of seeing in my old world.

Taking his first steps into actual life - it was ironic because he was now Undead - he was deeply moved by the blank slate given to him.

As they walked down the main road, the sea of people parted ways.

Hmph, at least the maggots can see a true divine being, even when he's undercover. Nabe slightly smiled as she saw the people acknowledge her master.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

The people were indeed moving out of the way Momon went, but it wasn't because they revered him. It was because the person walking next to him was Gazef. The commoners didn't want to interfere with Gazef's duties, so they silently moved around him. Although it did look like Momon was causing the pathway to form, it wasn't the people's reasoning to make it look like that.

When they reached the crossroads, dividing the main road to multiple streets, Gazef stopped. He turned to face Momon and Nabe and spoke. "We're going to go ahead to a familiar alchemist shop, so I guess this is where we part ways now."

"It was nice to make your acquaintance Gazef-dono, hopefully we can work together in the future." Momon stuck his hand out for a handshake. Gazef just looked at his metal gauntlet, causing him to panic.

Shit! Do they not know how to handshake? Damnit, I made a fool of myself agai-

Interrupting his thoughts, he felt a hand grasp his outreached hand. Gazef firmly gripped it and gave a nod before leaving. Momon was confused as to why things occurred the way they did.

I swear, one day I'm going to have a nonexistent heart attack

Momon and Nabe were now alone, amidst the sea of people. They turned to go down one of the available roads. But-

They were lost.

People were passing by in all directions, making it hard to find the Adventurer's Guild. Momon circled around for a bit, looking for any signs of hope, while Nabe blindly followed him around.

Although they were still new to the city, they already had gained a lot of attention; the one thing they weren't trying to do. Rumors people were speaking about could be heard, whispering voices about the 'Dark Warrior' or 'Beautiful Princess', describing Momon and Nabe respectively. And the fact that they traveled with Gazef didn't help them keep a low profile. As it turns out, when a person in exotic armor and a beauty travel with the Kingdom's most renowned warrior, of course it's going to draw attention.

Arrhh! How didn't I think about this!

He was frustrated that he let such a simple fact slip his mind. But with the new attention placed on them, he couldn't lament about the past anymore. He was already trying to figure out how to use this get the help he needed.

And as lady luck would have it, a group of kids, around age 13, ran up to him for some reason, all shouting and talking quickly.

"Are you and Adventurer?"

"Wow, your armor is so cool!"

"Hey how strong are you?"

"Can you slay and Ogre?"

"Are your friends with the Warrior Captain?"

Nabe was listening to the kids rant, and watched with vengeful eyes as the kids started touching his armor. They were patting the grieves and began hopping up and down, attempting to cling onto his back. Seeing this, she became enraged and scoffed at their folly, and she would make sure with certainty to put them in their place. Touching a Supreme Being like that was punishable by death. Nabe started walking in front of Momon and was already about to silently cast a spell.

The lightning particles were flickering on the tips of her fingers, begging to sate their itching desire and jump at their target, when a hang placed on her shoulder froze her from continuing. The metallic gauntlet that was worn by the person she loyally served, rested on her shoulder.

Momon could see Nabe's face expression change and he knew things wouldn't end well if he didn't intervene. Once he stopped her from mass murdering a bunch of kids, one of the kids said something that grabbed his attention.

"I don't see an adventurer tag. Are you sure you're an adventurer?"

This boy was a little taller than the rest, and from the tone of his voice, he seemed to be older. The other kids talked about strength, slaying monsters, and things like that, but everything this boy talked about was related to adventurers directly.

"You seem to know a lot about adventurers." Momon picked up the kids from his back and started putting them on the ground. He was trying to calm them down and begin a conversation to gain something from this interaction.

"Of course I know a lot!" The kid shouted. "Becoming and adventurer is my Dream!" He was blending anger and passion together, creating a furious voice.

When he was a young boy, all he wanted was to become an adventurer like his uncle, but because he was only a kid, his parents and all the adults mocked at him and never took him seriously. From then on, he spent all his free time studying how to fight and everything he needed to know to succeed as an Adventurer.

When Momon heard the kid, he mentally gave himself a high five and thanked whoever this Supreme Being was that always rescued him.

This is the one!

He was certain that this kid was the key to solving his predicament.

"Hoh? Dream you say? I'm actually looking for the Adventurers Guild right now. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?" Momon asked the question he needed an answer to. If he knows where it is, then how much can I offer to pay him to lead me there? I don't have this world's currency and giving him something strong would put me on the losing end. What could he want?

"If I didn't even know something so basic, then I'd just be a joke!" He snorted his response as if it was common sense.

Momon wasn't shocked at this kid's attitude. His passion for something was quite adorable to him, like watching a puppy playing with adult dogs. He really is dead set on becoming an Adventurer.

Knowing what this kids's goal was, he realized that the price he should pay was obvious. It's a simple business transaction, and for a salaryman like himself who specialized in sale evaluation, this was actually an easy thing to fix.

In sales, the customer would look to buy an item they wanted, and the corporation would provide it to them for the highest price that allowed for. The price would be high enough for corporations to make the most profit, but low enough so customers would buy it from their company and not a competitor. The process was basically waving a carrot in front of a rabbit, but holding it in the air at a point where it would have to jump the highest it could in order to grasp onto the carrot.

This boy wanted to be an adventurer, so all I have to do is offer something that would be useful to one. He's still young, so he wouldn't have any fancy weapons or armor. But if I gave it, would he outgrow it? Most likely.

Letting the world around him slow down, hundreds of ideas flowed throughout his skull in that one moment. But the only thing he could come up with was a support item. Something that would be useful regardless of when he wore it.

"Umu, kid. If you take me to the Adventurer's Guild, I'll give you something that will help you as an Adventurer in the future."

His eyes widened with stars. So far, everybody he told about his dream would laugh at him. And now this mysterious man would give him something to help him achieve his dreams for something so simple. He was suspicious at first, but all he had to do was lead him to the Adventurer's Guild. Even if it's bogus, it was worth doing anyways. Then at least he'll be able to see the Adventurers again, and if the item is useful, he would consider it as a bonus.

"Mmm, sure." Not saying anything else, he looked around the crowded space to find the right street. Once he located his target, he moved out immediately, not leaving and room to fall behind. Weaving back in forth between people, he slithered through the crowd in an arrow like speed.

Momon could only watch and rush to follow along as the kid was on the verge of disappearing from his sight. He ran through the crowds, bumping and shoving his way through. in this scenario, manners were the least of his worries. His priority was to not loose the kid. How can he run like that? He's so quick! He was actually impressed that the boy was agile and evasive, not to mention his awareness for his surroundings. But he thought of it more of him being used to the area, rather than his ability to observe.

Nabe wanted to crush every person that Momon pushed out of the way. In her eyes, they weren't worthy of touching him and should be punished with death.

After a long and stressful street chase, they finally caught up to the kid. But the boy they were after was out of breathe. He was heaving for air like someone who just survived being drowned. His back was bent over and rested his hands on his knees. He tilted his head upwards to see the two figures halt. Despite the exhaustion he felt, he failed to hide his surprise. The duo following him weren't showing any signs of having ran a long way.

"H-How... A-are you... Not out of b-breathe?"

He didn't know Momon was an Undead, and that Nabe silently casted magic to increase her movement. He only knew that they ran a kilometer. Any person, even the most skilled adventurers would be hard pressed to run that distance at that speed and not feel anything.

"We can wait for you to rest a little before we continue onwards."

"N-No... it's fine... w-were already here." He pointed with his right hand to the building across of where he was facing.

Momon and Nabe turned around to see where his finger led to. When their eyes laid upon the building, it would have widened at the immaculate condition it was in; however, they have been to Nazarick, where everything is in an immaculate condition.

The building was perfectly symmetrical and clean. Although it was plain, the condition it was kept in couldn't be disregarded. The building was 4 stories tall and made the neighboring buildings look like midgets. Stairs lead to the buildings, elevating it even higher, and at the end of it was a patio space with an extended roof over it, allowing multiple people to stand in the shade. To the sides of the patio was two pillars of white stone that held the roof in place. Continuing forward from it, the front of the building had two large doors made out of grey stone that complimented each other, the main entrance.

Dangling from the side was a sign that help letters unknown to him. He could only assume it said 'Adventurer's Guild.

Momon turned back around, not forgetting his promise, and faced the boy while reaching for his pouch. He unraveled the string tied together, and placed his hand inside to select what item to give.

He didn't want to give this random kid an item that was rare or had a great value to it. Revival rings, Illusion Bracelets, Flight Amulet, these and anything similar were off the list of choices. Now that he was here, ready to pay up, he didn't think as far as he should have.

Yep, I've done it again. Standing in the middle of road fumbling for an item like an idiot. He mentally face-palmed himself. For someone who tries to accound for everything, he always lets the little details slip through his mind. Something simple like what item to actually give this poor kid.

Just my luck...

As he thought this, an idea of what item to give was born. Luck. The one thing that wouldn't affect him. Luck was something that would help or harm him, so he should give a luck increasing item.

It's not like luck actually exists in real life

Knowing what to take out, he looked in the pouch for a certain item. When he took his hand out, he held onto a small, flat piece of gold. It was a little smaller than a post-it note and on the back side of it was a pin. He handed it to the boy to take.

"This item is called [Clover Luck]. It's a badge that increases the luck you'll have, so put it to good use."

When it left his hands and fell into the boy's possession, he could see the starry eyes that stared at it. Normally kids would have this look when staring at a piece of candy. Momon thought that this boy was overrating this item and saw it as a huge boon for his dream as an adventurer.

But to the boy, he wasn't really listening when Momon talked about the item's abilities. His hearing went deaf the moment he saw the piece of pure gold. Gold was common as currency, but to own an item crafted from it was something only nobles or citizens in the high class could afford. A mere peasant like him would be lucky to just glance at a gold coin, and now in his hands was a badge in pristine and perfect condition.

If he sold this, he could get enough money to live for years, or better yet, he could pay for quality weapons and armor when he's older. But he wouldn't do that. He already knew what he would do with this item. He was going to show it off. Adventurers make an income where the money earned scales with their strength. The strongest adventurers are rich enough to pay for their grandchildren's lives, and naturally, that means they can afford the fancy exquisites of life. He was going to wear this item and show off his status to everyone who laid their eyes upon him.

He would become the strongest adventurer.

He was already pinning it onto his shirt when Momon and Nabe turned away to leave him. His original goal was to gaze upon adventurers, but with how things turned out, he was closer to his dream than he ever was before.

Momon and Nabe were approaching the Adventurer's Guild, walking up the staircase, when a thought crossed his mind.

Wait a minute. Magic didn't exist in the real world either... Does that mean luck really is real now? Hahhh, another thing to add to my never ending list of things to do.

He let out a sigh that even Nabe could hear, making her wonder if she displeased him in some way. But Momon was only thinking about two words.

Lucky me.

...