Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord or any other intellectual property used in this story and would like it if none of you, clamed I did.

Note: I'm not apologizing.

(Sounds)

"Talking"

'Thinking'

-Messages

Special Item Name

"Special voice"

[Spoken Spell/Ability]

{Wordless Spell/Ability}

/A Few Days Later/

'And that makes twenty.' I thought to myself as I finished bottling the last of the potions.

"Miss Lizzie I've finished my load for the day. I'll be in the back studying if you need me." I shouted deeper into the shop.

"Do as you like, as long as you finish your work I don't care what you do after." I head the owner shout back.

As I folded up my working outfit, I continued to think to myself. 'I thought Nfirea said she would warm up to me. Maybe it's because it's only been a few days… or I'm just not that likable.' I told myself as I stored away the outfit and made my way over to the back room and another thought came to my head. 'If that were true then why don't the other members of the guild not dislike me, perhaps they can't because I created them? I suppose that makes sense, but I'd prefer it not to be something so… technical.' I let the thought pass and continued towards the back room that now doubled as my new living area.

Once having entered the room, I noted the short stack of papers laid on top of one of the worn barrels that were all over the small room. I moved over to the barrel, pulled a pencil from out of my inventory, and got to work. This had been my routine for the last couple of days in the city. Wake-up, make my daily demand of potions, work on the assignments Liz leaves for me and then head off to do a job with Ivan and his team. A somewhat dull set of errands, but one that gave me enough free time to research this new world.

As I sped passed the written assignment and into the question segment, I thought back to a few interesting moments of the past few days. 'I can't believe I acted so rashly, I should have controlled myself when I was trying to get this job.' I scolded myself while answering another question. 'I should have done some research and then come back and asked for the job by using tier-two magic, but no, now I look like a god dammed prodigy!' I angrily scribbled down another answer.

'I even scolded Anima over not acting incognito and then I go and do that, It's downright hypocritical!' I internally yelled as I flipped to the next page.

'Thankfully I got both of them to promise not to tell anyone. It would be flat-out impossible to move throughout the city without drawing attention if anyone figured out I knew tier-three magic at the age of nineteen because apparently that's impressive in this world.' I told myself.

'That aside I don't think I could handle the constant staring. I've never been good with attention.' I told myself as I looked through my finished work… before I began changing a few answers into the incorrect ones.

"And don't even get me started on this bullshit." I grumbled as I reworked the few questions into the wrong answers. A small oddity I had begun doing when I realized the full extent of how much [King of Humanity] effected my mind. Thanks to the ability, I had nearly perfected my understanding of the language after around six hours of starting it. An impossible feat had I been normal, but clearly my current body was anything, but normal. Unfortunately, thanks to that understanding I had little to no problem answering the questions presented to me. A quality admiral in to most, but did leave me in a very peculiar situation. It left me looking like a liar.

I had explicitly told my caretakers that I had zero skill in understanding the lands written language and yet I had near mastered the concept in under a day. This would clearly be seen as a lie on my part because there is no way anyone could have achieved this level of mastery in such a short time, thus I must have been lying.

'I'm not a god dammed liar!' I screamed to myself as I finished un-correcting my paper. I internally sighed at the outburst as I began collecting the papers. 'Yet another aspect [KOH] had on me.' I had grown a tendency to become enraged when I'm called a liar or given aspects that I clearly didn't display. 'Probably has something to do with how a real king would think or something along those lines. Either way the emotional outburst are not welcome.'

I piled up the last of the papers and stacked them on a separate barrel Lizzie had designated as the 'Finished Pile'. After doing so, I closed my eyes for a second and the time came to mind. 'Three forty-three in the afternoon… that's a lot faster than usual. That leaves me few hours before tonight's mission. I should check on how things are back in the guild.'

[Message: Barthandelus]

.

.

-Dieu, is there a situation that requires our assistance?

'French.'

-No, nothing is wrong. I am simply calling to get a status report.

-Of course, how foolish of me to think something was causing you problems in this weak world.

I frowned at how he addressed the world, but refrained from saying anything.

-Nothing abnormal to report Seneschal, Kall is currently training the L'cie in their new abilities. They have shown exceptional motivation to learn and are proving to show acceptable skill in teamwork-based activities.

'A strangely straightforward answer for people he normally treats with distaste.'

-High praise for people you normally scorn. Why the change of heart?

-Although it is true I despised them as L'Cie, you have dictated they have the traits of a guardian and I shall respect that decision to the best of my abilities, Erdrick.

'Using my real name, he's really serious about honoring my choices.' I surmised before I got a slight tingle in the back of my mind.

-I thank you for the trust Barthandelus; I will see to it that I don't betray it. Now if you would excuse me, Anima is attempting to contact me.

-By all means Creator, I shall await your next call.-

Like that, the connection was cut and a new one was established.

~Hello Anima, what do you have to report.

-Erdrick-sama, you know how you told me to report people of interest.

~Yes, why have you found one?

-Two actually and I would recommend you come over immediately.

~Why, are they hostile?

-No, not from what I can tell, but they aren't human and their strong, that much I can tell.

'Not human? For me that's not all that strange, I have contact with non-humans on a regular basis, but from what I've gathered this city doesn't take too kindly to demi-humans or non-humans in general.' I gave the situation a once over and then responded.

~How strong?

-I don't know exactly, but from what I can tell, they surpass anyone we've seen so far.

'That not actually all that surprising if the level of weapons sold in this city are anything to go by. In addition, Heteromorphic and Demi-humans are known for their above average stats. Still seems like enough reason for me to take a look.'

~Understood, make sure to keep an eye on them until I get there… try and keep them from leaving until I do.

-Can do Erdrick-sama. Hey you, tall dark and bulky! Yeah you with the-

The call cut off before I could hear more, but the little I had painted a good enough picture. 'I forgot to tell her to do it covertly.' I smacked by face.

'Sigh, no point in worrying about it now.' I collecting my things and headed out of the small room.

"Miss Lizzie, I finished by work for the day early so I'll be heading out a little sooner than usual." I yelled into the deeper parts of the store.

"I already told you, after your done I don't care what you do." She yelled back.

"Just trying to be nice by telling you." I grumbled to myself as I left the shop.

As I quickly made my way over to the guild, I remembered something that could be useful here. Reaching into my inventory I pulled out the item I was thinking of.

It was a small wooden sculpture of an ear, one covered in several Nordic runes and markings. It was known in Yggdrasill as Loki's Earone of the many items one could obtain through the games Gacha system. It provided untraceable auditory reconnaissance on any one player on your friends list. A semi-useless item in most situations, but for something like this it was perfect. With a little bit of pressure, the ear collapsed in my hand and turned to dust before its remains melted into my skin and I began to hear Anima within my head.

'Now let's see how Anima deals with situations when I'm not there.'

/Anima POV/

"Hey you, tall, dark and bulky!" The individual looked up to me on the second floor and pointed to himself. "Yeah you with the huge swords. Mind coming up here, I have a deal for you." I called over to the two people standing in front of the message board. The man seemed a tad confused, but not discouraged. With a curt nod to his partner, they began their trip up.

'Alright I got his attention. Now how do I keep him here without seeming like I'm trying to stall for time?' As I thought the idea over, I heard the sound of several footsteps behind me. It seemed my conversation had drawn the attention of more than just the armored man.

With a tired sounding voice I heard my team's resident leader address me. "Anima, what did I say about yelling at people in the guild?"

"That I shouldn't do it because I could piss off some higher ranked adventurers." I perkily answered back.

"And…" He lead on, clearly looking for a specific answer.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Look its fine, I made sure he was only a bronze plate this time and he looked like they could use a good team." I half lied.

He seemed warry of my response, but caved soon enough. "Fine, I guess we could still use a few more membe-"

"You requested my presence." The voice came from the individual I had called over.

The voice quickly drew the attention from the rest of the team and they all turned to see who it had come from. One by one, each of the members of The Sword of Darkness, minus myself, was left slack jawed by the man and woman standing behand them. The shock was mostly because neither of the two were what one would associate with Bronze-plate adventurers. The shorter of the two was a beauty that most would only see in a lifetime, she held herself like a deadly princess. One with an unmatched appearance and yet capable of severing of a man's head from his shoulders with a single strike. A remarkable image to most, but what overshadowed the woman was her armored companion. Standing tall as a house, covered in blackened armored and carried two great-swords, each as large as a regular man, he stole everyone's gaze. Arms to his side he still stood imposingly over everyone else, simply waiting for a response to his question.

Unperturbed by his presence I answered. "Yup, I called you over to see if you wanted to join our group. Names Anima by the way and this is the sword of Darkness." I gave him a playful two-finger salute and a wink while looking over to the frozen group.

If he was amused by the gesture, I couldn't tell because of his helmet, but if he was anything like his partner, he wasn't. He took a moment, but began giving his introduction. "My name is Momon and this is my companion Nabe." He gestured towards the woman.

He looked back to me and spoke again. "Why do you wish to have us join your group? You seem to already possess adequate members." He observed the still stunned members.

'He's not wrong, but I have to come up with something to make him want to join… I got it!'

"I have information you may find interesting." I cryptically replied.

He seemed a bit more interested now. "And what might that be?"

I gestured for him to come closer so I could tell him something quietly. He seemed slightly puzzled, but complied anyway. He gave a slight pause and gestured to his partner to lower the weapon she had begun readying when she saw him come so close. I let the slight pass and whispered my small tidbit of information to the man.

"I know that both of you are new around here and that neither of you can read." I lightly whispered.

If the man was shocked he did well to hide it, but his partner wasn't so disciplined. She gave the lightest twitch at the accusation; clearly, she had heard my hushed words, which only strengthened my earlier assumption.

'Enhanced hearing, I would expect nothing less from a non-human.' I reasoned.

"Why would you think that?" he quietly questioned back.

I smiled. "Well why else would you be looking at the noticeboard for gold plates and up if you could. I mean it's spelled out nice and pretty right at the top." I explained, but yet again, the man did not seem phased. Unfortunately, his partner was once again the man's tell by the way her sword hand twitched ever so slightly.

'She seems to really not like it when I call out her friend on his mistakes.' I internally chuckled at her disposition.

"We were simply inspecting future opportunities for when we achieve such a level." He clarified back. At the quick response, his partner relaxed slightly and gave me the slightest leer as if she was warning me to try proving her friend wrong again.

'Poor naïve fool, fine I'll show you some humility.'

"Well then I hope you also read the part that says notices only stay up for a month before they have to be reposted." I watched in contempt as Nabe's face returned to its earlier state of simmering detestation, before continuing. "And that should be in three days away, so unless you plan on passing gold in two, then that information would be useless, but then again you already knew that, right Momon?" I cheerfully asked the warrior.

The man calmly stood silent for a moment, probably trying to come up with an excuse, but his partner was anything but calm. She seemed to be close to her limit if the shaking of her shoulders were any indication, that and the way her eyes just screamed bloody murder.

'As fun as this is, I think I'll get this meeting moving.'

"Calm down Momon I don't plan on blurting out to everyone your little secret. After all I can't read this stuff either." I loosened up the mood.

"Then how-" he tried to ask.

"Who better to know a non-reader than one who can't do it themselves?" I cut in. he gave me a quiet stare, then took one of the open seats across from me.

"I'm listening." He said.

'Wow, I can't believe that actually worked. Looks like all that time I spent with Erdrick-sama had some hidden benefits.' I lightly smiled at myself and went on with the conversation.

"Just to be clear, I don't want to start anything between us. Your both clearly strong…" the female gave a cocky smile at my words, but I wasn't done just yet. "…but you also don't know what you're doing." I added.

That seemed to be the last straw. "How dare an insect like you accuse The great Ainz Ol-!"

"-THAT'S ENOUGH NABE!" shouted Momon. Nabe quickly realized her mistake and covered her mouth in shock before retreating a few steps back.

"I am sorry for my partner's remark." Apologized the man.

I simply waved off the remark. "It's alright Momon, I'm actually a little sorry I've been somewhat instigating her from the start." At the words, the woman regained her temper and seemed ready to start again, but a quick stare from Momon returned her to her previous position.

"I would like it if you ceased such attempts to instigate conflict." Requested Momon.

"Sorry she just seemed so easy to tease I just couldn't resist." I teasingly replied.

'Ainz Ol-what? Is that some kind of family name or is he trying to masquerade as someone else…'

"Either way I was trying to show you that simply walking in like a badass decked out in sweet armor isn't enough around here. You need a team and I wanted to let you see that we aren't just some low level trash trying to strike it rich on your success." I explained to the larger man.

"Showing that I don't have adequate information and then offering it in exchange for partnership. A rather bold strategy, wouldn't you say?" he questioned back.

"Hey, if it works it works" I smiled back.

"And what exactly do you get out of this? As I said before, you have an appropriate number of members, why look for more?"

"A rival." I quickly replied without thinking.

"A rival?" Questioned the dark knight.

"You heard me, I need someone who can match me and you seem to fill that role rather well." I elaborated.

"Are your current members inadequate?"

"There good as a team, but much like yourself I don't really fall under the skill level of a bronze plate and unfortunately I have no one in the team that I hope to surpass… but you, you might be exactly what I need to grow stronger." I spoke while I let a feral grin reach my face.

Yet again, Momon was unaffected. "I see your problem. It is rather dull when you have nothing to strive for. What types of missions does your team do exactly?"

'Hook, line and sinker.'

"Nothing big, just small monster hunts where we collect an ear or finger from each one we kill as proof of the kill."

He seemed slightly more interested. "Ears and fingers? Do the monsters ever drop anything like gold or crystals?"

"Not that I've seen, but then again I only recently got here so they still might. You'd have to ask Boss man over here if you what to know." I said while shoving the still frozen members of the team. With that, they all stumbled to the floor and began regaining their senses.

"If that is all then I shall agree to join your team." Announced Momon.

"That's great, did you hear that guys? We have two new members, so don't be rude and introduce yourselves." I told the group while ignoring their confused faces.

Soon their faces twisted into surprise while they all let out the same question. "WHAT!?"

'I'm such a good girl.' I told myself while dreaming of how Erdrick-sama will praise me over how well I did. A gentle smile reached my lips at the thought.

/Erdrick POV/

'I have to admit, aside from a few slipups, Anima handled that situation rather well.' I mentally praised the guardian as the effect of the item wore off.

'I have to say though; it's strange to hear her as anything other than the energetic ball of libido I've had to deal with these last few days.' I cringed slightly at the memories, but quickly shook it off and refocused myself on reaching my destination.

As I neared the destination I could now get a distant look of both Momon and his partner Nabe looked like.

Looking at them now I had to wonder how Anima knew these two weren't human. Aside from Momon's absurd stature I wouldn't say either really had any Demi-Human features. Giving it a second I realized that maybe that was the point. As I had thought before Demi-humans aren't really accepted by most so disguising ones nature only seemed natural. Even so, I'd have to ask Anima later how she's able to tell.

'Still, Aside from the non-human aspects, those two are kind of like us, new to the city and trying to gain information on it. Though, unlike us their doing it by standing out as much as possible instead of doing it from the background… at least like we've been trying to do anyways. Everyone to their own I guess.' Giving the two a quick once over then made my way towards the group.

'Anima was right though, just on their equipment alone I can tell they are a few steps above even Ivan. I hope that they're not here to cause harm or we're going to have a problem.' I let that last thought wonder into the back of my head for now.

I had now reached the table of the group and it seemed my arrival had grabbed their attention. "Hey guys, how have you been and who's your friend here?" I casually addressed the members of the Sword of Darkness.

"Oh shit Erdrick when did yo-" Quick as the wind Peter was shoved to the ground by an overenthusiastic brown blur.

Thankfully, Peter's unintentional sacrifice would not be in vain, by using the moments delay the man's body provided I quickly duked my body down and let the blur sail past me. With the danger having passed, I simply took to watching as the now visible girl flew over the second floor guard railing and down to the second floor before landing with a huge crashing sound.

Turning back to the group as if nothing happened I gave little mind to sighing members of the swords and simply look to helping up the still prone Leader, while applying a little light healing to his now bruised face.

"Does she have to do that every time she sees you?" dejectedly asked the still disoriented leader.

"Hey at least you're not the target of her insane attacks, you don't get to complain." I shot back.

I could see the slight shiver that ran up the man's spine before he spoke. "Point taken."

"Who might you be?" The question came from the still stock Momon.

"Oh, so sorry for that, but Anima tends to be rather… energetic when I'm around." I apologized to the man.

"And who exactly are you to get such a reaction?" He asked again.

"Names Erdrick, I'm Anima's brother. Nice to meet you Mr.…" I dragged out waiting for him to reveal his name.

"Just Momon is fine." He finished.

"Well, Momon, what where you talking about with the Swords of Darkness?" I questioned.

"I have been requested to join the group on their next mission and we were simply ironing out the finer points of the agreement." He explained.

"Oh, so you'll be joining Anima's team!" I faked my surprise. "Well glad to hear an adventurer as impressive looking as you will be helping my sister. Though she can be a bit of a hassle from time to time so if you ever do have her angrier than expected, just stare her down. She's much like me in that if you're just stern with her she'll end up defeating herself." With a smile on my face, I drifted closer to the giant of a man and whispered to him the last bit of the conversation.

"Because if you so much as scratch Anima, I'll make sure not even the black scriptures will be able to find what's left of you." I quietly fake threatened the man.

Unfortunately, I had not realized, but the man's companion had apparently heard my threat and was not about to take it sitting down. Just as the last word left my lips, I felt sensation of something at my throat. With a gaze at my side, I noticed Momon's companion Nabe had her covered sword to my throat.

'Right, non-human equals above average abilities like hearing or sight. Shit, maybe I overplayed the 'Overprotective brother' thing I was going for. Now how do I-' as I was thinking of a way to salvage the situation Momon placed his hand over the weapon and gestured for her to put it down.

"But-" she tried to protest.

"Showing concern for loved ones is not a crime. Erdrick-san has done nothing to warrant such actions, now control yourself." Scolded the adventurer. It seemed the word did their job because almost as soon as he finished saying so Nabe retreated to her seat, head down and sword across her lap.

Turning back to me Momon continued speaking. "My apologies Erdrick-san, Nabe can be quick to jump to conclusions." Apologized the larger man. I pretended not to notice the small twitch from the aforementioned partner when those last words were spoken.

I quickly waved the offence off. "Don't worry about it. My bad for not being more mindful of your partner listening in… Also don't tell Anima about what Nabe just did." I whispered to the taller man.

"Why not?"

With a shy look, I responded back quietly. "Much like your partner, Anima has a tendency to overreact when I'm in danger, so for the sake of the team, please don't tell her." I pleaded with the older man.

For a second the knight seemed to be recalling something from his past and then held out his hand in a greeting gesture. "I understand Erdrick-san; I shall do everything in my power to better the team."

Realizing his intent, I smiled and leaned in for the handshake. "Glad to hear it Momon. Best of luck to you." As our hands reached out to finish the gesture, I was suddenly tackled to the ground by a familiar brown blur.

"Ahmima! Fwat hid hi hay afout hoing his!" I muffled out in between Anima's ample chest. The girl did not respond and simply continued to deprive me of oxygen.

As the air continued to leave my body I looked over to see that the Swords of Darkness had gone back to talking as if nothing was happening 'Traitors'. The only attention I was given was Momon's stinging gaze at my odd predicament. 'Don't judge me. I didn't ask for this.'

'Then again he's probably looking at both of us as if were weird because up until I showed up, Anima was a rather calm and collected individual. I guess it would be rather weird if…" before my inner thoughts could even finish I passed out from oxygen deprivation and fell into unconsciousness.

When I awoke, it was to the familiar celling of the guild's infirmary.

'What is this now, like the third time I've ended up here?' I questioned myself as if I had not just woken up from being suffocated into unconsciousness.

"Good morning Erdrick." Greeted a voice from outside my vision.

Looking over I saw who had greeted me. The woman in question wore an outfit that was a near identical copy to the guilds receptionist outfit except for the small blue tassel added to the hem of her dress. She had a young face that could not be more than late twenties much like the other workers at the guild, but I knew better. This was one of the most prominent nurses in the guild, one that I had grown far too accustom to seeing.

Though considering her status in the city I doubted it have been too long before I'd heard about her considering her accomplishments.

Having nearly completed my research on E-rantel I was fairly confident on my knowledge of her. Being one of the best Healing users in the city, she was rather prevalent and influential for having saved several terminally ill or wounded nobles. Moreover, that's not even mentioning the fact that she had developed a Tier three spell that has left her looking like she was in her early twenties, but in truth she was running into the late fifties if my math was correct. A rather curious individual.

"Good morning to you too Anna, I hope they didn't make you carry me down here this time." I greeted back.

"No, not this time, but I simply must say it again. You have to do something to reign in that sister of yours or you'll keep ending up here every time you come and visit." She placed her hands on her hips to show she meant it this time.

"Perhaps, but we both know Anima only means well. She's just not very careful about how much she tries." I defended.

"And there lies the problem young man; she keeps doing this because you let her. What was the reason for it this time anyway, did you start talking to another girl again?" she questioned while folding her arms over her chest, an odd scowl finding its way to her face.

After throwing my legs over the edge the bed, I replied. "I'm not actually sure why she did it this time. I was just trying to talk to her new team mate and she just tackles me down and squeezed me into unconsciousness."

"New team mate?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you saw them when they came in. A man, big as a house, covered in full plate and his partner who looked straight out of a royal gown." I relayed the few details I felt would convey who I was talking about.

Her eyes lit up in understanding. "Those two? Yes, I remember them. They registered the other day and made a bit of a fuss when they showed up today… not as big as your sisters, but still." She recalled.

Letting the last bit slide I continued. "Yeah, those two decided to join the swords of darkness and I was simply setting up some… ground rules." I decided against using the word threaten.

"Oh, did the great 'Stock as a stone' Erdrick actually get mad at something?" her words were dripping with sarcasm and a small voice crack.

"For the last time Anna, I'm not a stone block; I just have a little more self-control over myself than most." I replied not calling attention to her speech problem.

"Say what you want kid, all I know is that even a soldier would crack under the kind of assault your sister likes to use." She hinted at Anima's peculiar methods of greeting me.

"You're just saying that because of what happened to your third husband." I teased.

"Your dammed right, but that bastard had it coming." She spat out.

"Not saying he didn't, but you can't deny that makes you just a tiny bit judgmental when it comes to somebody's ability to resist their desires." I replied.

With a heavy sigh, she conceded. "I know, but I can't help being cautious about men after all the ex-husbands I've had."

"Trust me I know. After I got situated in the city, I did some research on the most influential people in the city and your story was particularly infuriating. Six husbands and all ended up cheating on you, a rather unfortunate past if I do say so." I solemnly said.

The mood in the room suddenly grew heavy. I was about to see myself out for bringing up such a depressing topic, but Anna spoke up first. "Five…"

"Huh?"

"Five of them cheated on me." She finished.

"But the books said-"

"Their wrong, they assumed I left my sixth because he cheated on me, but that's not the real reason why."

"…"

"Why?"

"Why did I leave him?"

"No, why tell me this? We hardly know each other, we've talked like what, three times? This is some personal stuff and I seriously doubt you're the kind of person to tell a near complete stranger about one of your hidden secrets. So I'll ask again, why?"

She didn't seem able to meet my eyes and a pink ting was evident on her cheeks. At the reaction my own eyes widened at what that could mean, the idea was absurd, but I had to be sure, so I gambled.

"You've been trying to compare me to your Husbands, haven't you?" I asked slightly unsure if I should voice something like that so causally, but I needed to gauge her response.

"Heavens no it's just…I-I don't know Erdrick, lords know I've been in love before, but with you it feels different. Almost better than it was with my last husband. I just don't know why, but it's like I'm that young girl I was back with my first husband and I don't know what to do." As she spoke, she continuously seemed to lose her composer until she was on the brink of tears.

'What kind of shitty harem bullshit is this?! Anna is at least in her fifties, she shouldn't be acting like some sort of flustered school girl. And why would she fall for me, we've talked like three times and I haven't done anything to warrant her affection, so why?! Did the game mix me in with some sort of dating sim before I was transported or something like tha… Oh wait right, that…'

"Anna, did you touch my body while I was asleep?" I asked not thinking of the connotations of such a questions.

"W-wha, Erdri-, I-I only-" she spattered out incomplete sentences trying to regain her composer.

"Anna" Realizing she was close to a break down I put my hand on her shoulder as support. "Did you put your hands under my cloak while I was out?" I asked directly.

"O-only to check for any injuries." She finally got out.

Pulling my hand away, I turned around and got to thinking. 'That probably it then, King of Humanity is still in effect under my cloak and it seems physical contact transfers over the effect. It also appears the effect is consistent even without a continuous exposer, all it needs is one touch and that's it… shit, that's why Anima stopped me earlier. Had I touched Momon I could have had a fight right then and there if he is a non-human. I'm going to have to be more careful of who I allow near me if that's the case.' Looking over I could see that Anna was still stuttering incoherently under my grasp.

'I should also do something about this.'

{Memory Wipe} {Sleep}

As the woman's eyes glazed over, I transitioned her now limp body onto the bed and laid her down. Grabbing my equipment I left the guilds infirmary.

'I hope no one comes in before she wakes up or it's going to raise some questions.'

{Message: Anima}

.

.

-Erdrick-Sama!

-Can you please not scream into my head when I call you?

-Sorry, I just get so excited whenever I get to hear your voice in my head.

-Please don't make a habit out of it.

-No promises.

-Sigh, that aside. What happened after I passed out?

-Oh, right I almost forgot. After our little bonding time Momon got an exclusive mission from that friend of yours, you know the one with the hair.

'One with the Hair? Can't be Ivan so…'

-Do you mean Nfirea?

-Yeah, that kid. He came and asked if Momon would escort him to Carne Village.

'How dose Nfirea know enough about Momon to seek him out specifically?' Throwing that question into my ever growing mysteries to solve list. I realigned my train of thought.

-And? Did he take it?

'Let's see were your priorities lie Momon.'

-For a second I thought he would go back on his word, it was a good deal after all, but no, he even argued that he had a prior commitment with us.

'Score one for Momon.'

-So, what happened after that?

-That's the thing, after that he came up with the idea of doing both simultaneously. Were actually on our way out now.

'The areas of interest are relatively on the same path and Nfirea can be rather flexible in his schedule thanks to my helping at the shop. Rather clever of you Momon.' As I mentally praised the adventurer, I remembered something important.

-I almost forgot, thank you for earlier Anima.

- What for Erdrick-sama?

-For stopping me from causing a fight with Momon earlier.

~…of course Erdrick-sama. I know how you must get thinking about your sweet sister having to spend time with such a brute, but do not worry my body belongs solely to you my king.

-…you have no idea why I am praising you, do you.

~Is it because I only knocked you out for one hour this time?

-No. Sigh, ill fill you in later, just focused on your mission for now.

~Alright Erdrick-sama. The tone was slightly down due to the scolding.

'I know I'll regret this later.' Hesitantly I continued.

-If you can do this one without causing too many problems, I might consider going for a stroll around the city together, once you come back that is.

In an instant Anima's upbeat attitude retuned two fold.

~You can count on me Erdrick-sama, I'll make sure nothing goes wrong and then well go on that date you promised. Oh it'll be so romantic we'll walk by the all the ponds and maybe lay down on the grass before we get onto the real fun of~

I quickly cut the connection before I began to get some of Anima's more lecherous thoughts stuck in my head. Letting the cold chill pass I continued on to my meeting with Ivan. Today was after all my first real day of work. The last few night had mostly been training on proper procedure and figuring out how I fit into the team's chemistry.

'Then again support is a rather easy job to understand. Stay back and make sure people don't die, heal them when their down and buff when they're not. Easy, I can after all heal anything short… of… death…' That got me thinking.

"Should I even consider resurrection…?" I whispered to myself.

'Does it even work? Moreover, if it does should I be playing with something like that? Not even a week ago, I was just a regular person, but now I potentially have the power to undo humanities greatest fear.' Before that thought could progress further, I was awoken by a smack to my back.

"Are you even listening to me!?" the outcry was both loud and brash yet clearly feminine, that meant it could be only one person.

Without slowing down or even turning around, I began to talk. "Hello to you too Brita, how's my day? Oh you know, fine until a certain hot headed woman looking to not get any healing later tonight hit me, how was yours." I sarcastically quipped at the older girl.

"Oh, no, don't give me that. I've been trying to get your attention for the last two minutes, but all you've done is stare into space like it's the most interesting thing you've ever seen and mumble to yourself about something." She jabbed back heatedly.

"Did you try, I don't know, taping my shoulder or even pulling on my shirt a bit before you went full Brita on me." I shot back.

"Oh, I'm a verb now am I!" she grew even more tempered.

"Yes you are because in the three days that I've known you you've hit be a total of eight times and I don't appreciate the repeated beatings."

"I wouldn't have to hit you if you would just listen for once!"

"And like I said before, I don't listen to terrible ideas." Now even I was growing far more agitated with our conversation.

"What part of my ideas are bad!"

"Mabey it's the part where I'm supposed to take the front line even though I'm support."

"Don't blame me because you're scared of taking a few hits." She mocked back.

Deciding to put an end to this now, I stopped and directed my whole body towards her. "This isn't about be being able to take hits; it's about you holding a grudge over what happened with Anima and Ivan. Don't go taking out your anger on people who are only partially connected to whatever vendetta you have, trust me when I say it doesn't end well. Why are you so agitated anyway, what do you like the guy or som-" Like an old friend the feeling of having a fist to my face returned and all I could do was pretend to rub my sore cheek and watch my 'Teammate' stomp away in a anger.

'Well that's pretty definitive.'

As I watched her run off I directed my attention to the set of footsteps sounding behind me and lo and behold Ivan came walking out from behind a wall. "I'll assume you heard all of that."

"Yup and I gotta say kid, you're like a god dammed noble when you get into that adult mode of yours, but seems like it doesn't give you the tack of one. Still it's like ya' add twenty years to yar' age whenever you do it, I might even back down if you tried it on me." Replied the gold plate adventurer.

"Mabey you should look into learning it, perhaps then your subordinates wouldn't keep on breaking your rules." I half-heartedly shot back before continuing my walk.

Unperturbed by the comment he simply took to walking next to me and continuing our conversation. "Mabey, but my rules and orders are only guidelines really. I don't expect them to follow them one hundred percent of the time, just most of the time, but I can't deny they should let go of what happened at the guild with yar' sister. I don't hold it against eithar' of ya, even if my neck is still a little stiff from it."

"Don't even try it Ivan, I personally made sure you were back to full health before that day was done. So don't try and tell me you were less than one hundred percent once I was done healing you." I huffed back.

Ivan just shrugged. "Can't blame an old man for trying, whatever you used that day left me feeling brand new and I wouldn't be against trying it a second time." Hinted the older man.

I just gave him a corner glance before lightly smiling and returning to normal. "I'll think about it."

"Thanks kid, I've been having this pain in my lower back for weeks now and was wondering if you could focus on …" Letting Ivan's ramblings continuous I just focused mostly on reaching our destination.

It was about five minutes before ten that we arrived at the city's eastern most gate and it seemed like we were that last ones to arrive. Out of the nine members that made up the team, only Iven and I were the ones that had yet to arrive. Also, if the constant leers I was getting from everyone were anything to go by then it seemed like Brita had already gotten through telling her side of the story over what had happened earlier.

'As if they didn't already dislike me over the other day, now I got someone, not going to name names, dragging my name through the dirt.' I mulled over the situation.

Ivan seemed unaffected because he quickly walked forward and greeted the team, to which they happily greeted back.

"Now I'm sure your all wondering what our job for today is-"

"You get us a good one today boss!" Cried one of the more enthusiastic of members.

"Let me finish before ya start blabbering. Now, yesterday we finally got some rich noble to pay someone to get rid of a group of bandits held out in a cave to the east. Apparently one of the guys carriages got sacked and decided to file a complaint to the city, and apparently the guy was pissed enough to pay upfront to the people who can clear em' out." Explained the axe wielder.

'That would explain the short notice of the mission.' Being in direct connection with the city we get these kinds of mission first, but it sounds like that noble is rushing things up top and the job will soon be deferred to the Guild if it's not completed soon. 'I'll have to assume Ivan decided to take the job before anyone can steal it and that's why heading out in such a rush.'

"Now I know this is a bit sudden, but trust me when I say it'll be worth it." Grinned the older man.

"How much are we getting paid?" Questioned the still scowling Brita.

"Humph, even split up everyone will still get a nice twenty silver." The reply was met by shouts of disbelief among the group alongside cries of joyful laughter.

Even I was slightly taken aback by the amount. It was by no means unheard of for a team of adventures to make 10-20 silver a mission, but from my research, that was usually split three ways; not twenty per person and certainly not for a nine person mainly Iron-class team.

This left me wondering. 'What exactly was in those carriages?'

As I continued to contemplate the idea, Ivan continued his speech. "Also let's not forget, we still have yet to properly introduce Erdrick to what it is we do. So don't go forgetting what his role in the team is; middle of the formation support, meaning we make sure he's the last person to go down minus our eagle eye, I'm I understood."

Unsurprisingly, Brita spoke up first. "Actually, we were talking and decided it would be best if Erdrick stuck back with Jeff."

Although Ivan was a man who respected his team's opinion the idea of leaving the team's best support far from the rest of the team clearly did not sit well with him, but with a cautious nod, he still gave the team a chance to explain why.

Seemingly jumping at the chance, Brita pressed on. "Like you said its best for our support to stay back and survive the longest, were better to do that then as far away from the action as possible. Also worst comes to worse he just has to run over or away."

It was clear that this idea was only a half-baked attempted to keep me from most of the team and Ivan's stare indicated he knew it too. "That might be the single most short-sighted halfcocked, brain dead idea I've ever heard." As his voice grew, Brita seemed to shrink back into herself. "And it's also-"

"The one I will be fallowing for the mission…" my voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a knife. Everyone's eyes widened at the words, especially Brita's who I had essentially just sided with.

"Wha-Erdrick you can't be serious, you know this plan is a terrible idea." Protested Ivan as Brita recoiled again.

"Yes and I fully expect it to fail, but I want all of you, not just Brita, to see that allowing your emotions to dictate your thinking is detrimental to everyone involved and should not be done lightly." Locking on to Brita's narrowed eyes it was clear what my message was. 'If this backfires it's your fault.'

Still Ivan was skeptical. "You sure about this kid? If nothin' goes wrong and ya stick to the back I can't rightly give ya your share."

Flashing Ivan a light smile I did not waver. "Don't worry Ivan, I just want them to understand that they have both the power to change things, but also the responsibility to face the problems they create. Besides it's not like I'll lose my bed if I can't pay so it'll be fine."

Giving a huge sigh, Ivan conceded. "Fine, sense its yar decision to make, I'll concede..." Not ready to give up and let the conniving slide Ivan played one more card. "But if any of ya get hurt durin the trip it's up to ya to pay for yer own healin. Got it, that means you too Erdrick, no healing unless it's absolutely necessary." Ordered the older man.

"Alright, if you say so, I'll just use buffs, no healing." I complied while having my hands in defense. In contrast, the rest of the team seemed only a bit perturbed by the announcement, everyone except Brita that is. She seemed far too preoccupied in burning holes through me with her eyes to care about the implications of what Ivan had just said.

I quickly gave her a stare back that translated to. 'Know that any problems I could have prevented are now on your head.'

Satisfied with his plan Ivan decided it was about time we left and headed towards the city exit. While everyone went to grab their own bags I took to walking alongside Ivan. "You sure about this Erdrick?"

"…yes, they have to understand, and experience is the best teacher after all."

"Ha, ya sound even older than me when ya talk like that." Laughed the adventurer.

"I suppose I do. By the way, what do we know about this bandit group, Numbers, Equipment, methods, are they famous?" I questioned.

Taking a second to think Ivan came back with a simple response. "Don't know, probably leather equipment, a few iron, and tend to raid carriages in the area, also more like infamous."

The answers were unassuming, but painted a clear picture. 'We came in half prepared for this mission. Sigh, what should I expect from a spur of the moment decision to come anyway.'

"You said they were infamous." He gave a nod. "What for, from the little I know about bandits they mostly hit up carriages out on the roads. Same reason we're being send out. So why are they infamous?" I asked.

He gave I sharp intake of breath before slowly releasing it. "This group is into raiding a different kind of carriage." Was all he seemed willing to say?

For a second I was stumped. "Then what kind of carriages do they-" like a train the reality of it hit me. Even though I knew, what time period I was in and knew that sort of thing tended to happen I still couldn't prevent my next words from leaving my mouth.

"Those bastards."

"I couldn't agree more, but take your own advice and don't let it rile you up too much." Ivan's words were calming, but it was apparent that he too was unhappy with the situation.

Quickly suppressing my agitation I decide to ask one more question. "What's the name of this group?"

"There known as the Death Spreading Brigade." He answered before walking ahead.

Having exhausted by questions I receded to the back of the group with the team's eagle eye. "Hey don't let the other guys get you down. Their just a little pissed about the other day." The bow user tried to comfort me.

Still a bit agitated over our targets I unintentionally sent him a sharp glare. He responded by back pedaling way from my side. "Alright, maybe they're a little more than pissed. No need to take it out on me."

Realizing my mistake I let out a huge puff of air to calm down. "Sorry Jeff, I just got a bit of distasteful news about the bandits we're hunting and nearly took it out on you."

Seemingly accepting my apology the taller man returned to my side. "Hey no worries, I was like that when I first started out as a bounty hunter. It doesn't get easier, but its best to stay focused and not let it get to you too much or you'll end up making a mistake when you can't afford one." Warned the man.

Realizing this was in invitation to talk I went for it. "You said you used to be a bounty hunter, what made you stop?"

"Nothing tragic if that's what you're wondering. I just had a bad run in with a particularly nasty bounty a few years back and decided it was best to move with a group rather than alone." He waved off most of the question.

Unfortunately for him I was a curious person. "What do you mean by bad? Bite off more than you could chew?"

"Kind of, much like we are now I tended to hunt bandits and on my last contract I met unexpected… difficulties." He seemed to cringe at the memory.

I didn't want to pry further, but now I was too invested to stop. "Difficulties?"

"I met up with Brain Unglaus." The name took a second to register, but as soon as I did my eyes grew wider.

"Wait, THE Brain Unglaus? The only known person to be able of fighting Gazef Stronoff, the cities strongest fighter, to a near standstill?" I skeptically asked back.

"The very same and I'll tell you this, that guy is a real monster. He was so fast I could barely get a bead on him from a quarter mile out. Hell, when I did get a shot off he would just split the damn thing in half. If it wasn't for my [Still] Talent I might have died the day I met him." Nodded the older man.

"[Still], I've heard about talents, but what does yours do?"

"It nearly stops all of your bodies' functions, but still gives you the ability to perceive the world, basically makes you untraceable to regular perception. It's great for hunting and the reason why I got into the business, but enough about that. Now where was I…? Oh right, after I left the Hunter business, Ivan came to me and offered me a position on his team as the sniper and well here I am now, but let's not dwell on that. How's about I tell you about the time I…" With that Jeff's stories went on, but for me I was still stuck on Brains.

'I guess it's true. I have yet to meet any truly extraordinary individuals in this world. I should hold off on saying whether I'm safe to relax until I have seen what this world can truly offer in response. I just hope I'll get time to prepare before I go off and fight someone that strong." As I talked to myself I was unaware of the events already set in motion to end the struggle free days I had been having up until now. Fate after all, hates to be tempted.

AN: Well, it's been a really long time since I updated this. Oh, don't give me that look I've been writing, just not a lot… and not very often… alright, alright you got me. I lost a lot of ability to write this story ever since the last chapter and have been having a hard time picking it back up, but don't go spamming me in the comments, life's hard okay.

Now that that's done let's move on to the upcoming chapter section (Warning Spoilers). Trust me when I say that I wanted to put the confrontation with the Shalltear in this chapter, but as you can tell this thing stretched farther than expected and had already reached its limit and had I tried to add more it would have begun to drag on. That aside I don't think it should take too long to get the next chapter out, but considering how long this one took, I wouldn't hold my breath. Also side note, I have never written combat scenes before so take that was you will. If anyone is willing to help PM me and I'll see what we can do to improve that.

Till next time readers, may your other fictions be update so you don't have to worry about mine.