'Ah, what a pain,' Ainz dragged himself through the halls of Ro-Lente castle, with Melina by his side, 'I can't believe I wasted my entire night exploring this labyrinth of a castle. I think this place may have more twists and turns than even Nazarick,' The Undead Overlord sighed.
"Is something wrong father?" The petite girl said while cocking her head and looking up at the 'man' beside her.
"Not at all, I was just contemplating some things. By the way, is there anything you want to do today, we will be spending some time here after all," Ainz asked.
"I will do anything that you so wish, I have enjoyed every single second that I have spent with you, father. I am sure that my sisters would agree, there is no greater reward than to spend even as much as a day with you."
sigh 'That's not what I meant... I wish that the NPCs would do more than praise me,' Ainz slumped his shoulders in defeat.
Basking in the silence that enveloped the hallway, Ainz continued to wander through the halls of the giant castle, briefly stopping every five minutes to admire the paintings that coated its walls.
"Ah, Sir Ainz, what a coincidence, I was just thinking about you,"
The aforementioned Undead turned his head towards the direction of his calling, 'Isn't that the same man who came to the King's rescue during the meeting yesterday?'
"It's a pleasure seeing you again. Let me introduce myself, I am Marquis Raeven, one of the Six Great Nobles of this wonderful kingdom." The man continued to get closer to the inhuman duo.
Ainz inspected the man from head to toe. His blonde hair reminded him of the young prince that sat beside Ramposa when he first met him. Raeven's facial features reminded Ainz of an ever-scheming fox., but when paired with the fact that his skin was both pale and sunken, it reminded him more of a snake. The man's pauldrons were almost identical to those of a high military official, which younger Suzuki would've loved to get a hold of.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marquis Reaven," Ainz stepped closer to the Marquis and extended his hand.
'So cold,' Raeven thought as he shook Ainz's steel gloves, "May I join you two on your walk? There are some things I wish to discuss with you. I'd also like to get to know you better, after all, I have a feeling that we're going to see each other very often."
'Hmm, I don't see why not, plus, by the sounds of it, he seems to have a proposal for me, I might as well hear him out.' Ainz motioned the Marquis to his side, "well, of course, I'd love to hear what you have to say, Marquis Raeven."
Raeven flashed the duo with a genuine smile, "Thank you for indulging my selfish request." There was a brief silence before Raeven finally decided to speak up, "I would have never guessed that someone of your status would've joined the Adventurer's Guild."
Ainz turned his head to the Great Noble, "Oh? We only signed up yesterday, but I can't really say that I am surprised that someone such as yourself has already managed to figure it out." Ainz narrowed his eyes under the pristine mask that he was wearing, 'I doubt that Raeven is the only one who knows I joined the guild. Pity, I had hoped to keep a secret for a bit longer.'
The Marquis chuckled, "You overestimate me, I was just taking a brief look at the adventurers that the kingdom has to offer when I spotted a mage that is able to cast 6th-tier magic, and a swordswoman that is just as strong. It didn't take long for me to notice the similarities."
"Are magic casters of the 6th tier really that rare?"
'So was the guy that we captured really telling the truth? I was hoping that there was some kind of misunderstanding during the interrogation, but what are the odds of that happening when the one that is doing the probing is one of the Five Worst?' Ainz shuddered.
"Incredibly so, the only other human that is able to cast 6th-tier magic is Fluder Paradyne, and he is currently serving under the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire."
'Ah, what a shame…' Ainz lamented, whilst the girl next to him puffed her barely-noticeable chest in pride.
"Anyhow, whilst I'd love to keep talking there is a… certain matter that I must attend to. Here," Raeven extended his hand to the secretive Overlord, "This is the insignia of my domain. It's located just below the capital. If you are ever in need, feel free to visit. There is also a rather important matter I wish to discuss when you are next available." The prestigious noble bowed before parting ways with the Nazarickian duo.
'What an odd fellow, meh, whatever.' Ainz thought, finally spotting the gates of the castle. "It seems that we traveled quite a bit during the conversation with the kind Marquis."
Melina replied to her master's comment with a simple nod.
The guards positioned before the castle entrance widened their eyes when they realized who was coming their way. They had both been present when the magic caster demonstrated his power to the king and nobles. They particularly remember the feeling of dread creeping up their spines.
"Quickly open the gate!" The younger guard whispered to the one next to him. The human duo hastily grabbed the handles of the oversized door and pulled. After a second or two, the door finally gave out and burst open, making the two soldiers stumble back.
"Thank you, gentlemen. I'll be gone for a bit, if anyone asks, please tell them that I went to the Adventurer's Guild to take up a request."
"O-Of course, sir!" The guards stiffly said.
Ainz nodded and continued to make his way outside, "Ah, I never tire of seeing the beauty of this world, it truly brings warmth to my undead heart" Ainz reached into his inventory and pulled out his Adventurer's Plate, and held it up to the sky. "Well, let's get going."
…
Adventurer's Guild, Re-Estize Capital.
Thump
"Here's your payment. Once again, I can't thank you enough for coming to my rescue," Said a sheepish young man as he placed a large bag of coins in the hardened hands of the adventurers in front of him.
One of the four monster hunters swept away his worries, "Oh, it's fine, though, I do have to ask, what happened to the previous adventurers that you hired?" The blonde man questioned, sitting down at the table next to him and inviting the rest to do the same, not ever taking his eyes off of his patron.
Accepting the party leader's request, the young client sat on the opposite side of the adventurer group. He parted the hair that covered his eyes to maintain eye contact with the ones in front of him, "The only thing that was said to me was that; they went on a monster extermination quest and had yet to return, which I find odd, as they accepted that quest nearly a week ago."
"That is certainly strange…" A short brunette with blue eyes, who was barely tall enough to see his patron eye to eye replied. He shifted in his seat for a couple of seconds before asking his next question, "Do you know where the location of this quest was? I think it would be a good idea to notify the guild of their disappearance." He spoke with a hint of worry.
"That would certainly be wise, they might've run into something that they couldn't handle. If that is indeed the case, then we must also ask the guild to increase the rank requirement for that specific quest. The idea of sending a search party to look for them might not be a bad one either..." A burly man with a serene aura, who was sitting next to the small adventurer said.
The young lad on the opposing side of the table nodded in agreement, "And to answer your question, Ninya…" He put his hand up to his chin, which made him look like he was pondering something, "I think it was somewhere deep inside the Forest of Tob."
The young man sighed, "But I can't guarantee it, the receptionist wasn't too specific when I asked her,"
"Don't worry about it, we can ask the guild in E-Rantel once we make our way back," The party leader assured, "But we might take on another quest before we do that."
The quest that the squad had just completed was a last-minute one. A rather famous pharmacist in E-Rantel had been planning to make his way to the capital, but his usual group of adventurers was nowhere to be seen. Seeing the young man in peril, and having nothing better to do, the young party decided to take their place.
The group of adventurers had accepted this escort mission for three other reasons as well; Firstly, they already had plans to visit the kingdom's capital, as they wanted to buy some magic items that could only be bought inside the Magician's Guild's central quarters. Under normal circumstances, they couldn't afford any of the items inside, but thanks to the paycheck that they'd just been given by Nfirea - and the rewards that they had received from their previous quests, they could splurge a bit. It'd also be necessary if they wanted to take on tougher quests in the future.
The second reason that they had taken up the request was thanks to the amount that the young pharmacist was offering. Since he was in a hurry, he had almost doubled the amount that he was willing to pay, which was already a large sum. With that amount of gold, they could easily live an easygoing life for the next year. Though this was not their objective, as they loved their profession, there was no way that they would decline such an offer.
The third reason was not as complicated as the previous two. The last reason why this ambitious group of adventurers took on this straightforward quest was simply that they wanted a change of pace. They had taken five monster-exterminating quests in a row, and it was taking its toll on them. Do not be mistaken, they all loved their job, and they couldn't be more grateful to have found each other when they did. The comradery that they shared was second to none, like any good adventurer team, they handed their lives to each other, for they completely trusted one another.
They had actually completed the quest earlier in the day, but since they had arrived at the capital at an unreasonable hour in the morning, they -alongside their client, decided to hold off on payment until later, which is why they were meeting with Nfirea Bareare.
The young pharmacist took a deep breath, "Well, if that is all that we needed to talk about, then I guess I should get going. I have an important meeting later today, and I can't afford to miss it." He carefully stoop up, paying attention not to knock down any of the decorations that were placed on the table.
The 4 member squad followed his lead. Once they were near the exit, the party leader came closer to the young man and extended his hand, "It's been a pleasure working with you Mr. Bareare, I hope that you accomplish whatever you came for."
Bareare grabbed the blonde man's hand and shook it, "If I am ever in need of a group of adventurers, I'll make sure to specifically request the Swords of Darkness. Anyways, I should get go-"
creeeeek
Nfirea dragged his gaze from the adventurers in front of him, to the guild's entrance. He raised his eyebrows that were hidden behind his hair in curiosity. He inspected the tall man covered in robes that entered the building from head to toe, not letting a single detail escape his mind.
The imposing figure blocked out most of the sunlight that fought to get inside the building, and the rays of sun that did manage to plague the guild's interior were swallowed up by the ever-consuming darkness that swam over and around him.
The man's mask gave Nfirea an uneasy feeling. The grin that was chiseled into the mask made him look like he was mocking everyone else inside. The strange individual turned his head from left to right, it looked as if he were peering into every adventurer's soul, to be frank, the man unnerved Nefria.
'What is a noble doing here? They usually offer up their requests via a messenger.' The reason that he asked himself this question was because of the exquisite clothes that the masked man wore; an elaborate, jet-black, almost black-hole-looking academic gown adorned with golden and violet edges. The golden threads imbued with the gown looked too realistic, almost as if they were threaded with actual gold. And when he squinted at the night sky-colored robe, he could swear that he could see his own reflection, which seemed impossible.
Eventually, the man's gaze landed on the young pharmacist. It may have lasted for but a second, but for Nfirea, it seemed like an everlasting eternity.
Seemingly satisfied, he proceeded to walk over to the receptionist that was positioned on the other side of the building, "Good evening, I was wondering if there are any quests that I could take at the moment."
Nfirea, and the adventurer party that he had just recently hired opened their mouths in astonishment and confusion.
"Do you guys know who that is?" Nfirea whispered to the people behind him.
Ninya walked closer and replied, "N-no, I haven't seen him here before."
Nfirea shrugged, not wanting to think about this any further, he preferred to get some fresh air, especially now that the unsettling man was in here with him. He didn't really have any reason to fear him or anything of the sort, but there was something telling him -begging him to get out of there.
He signaled his goodbyes to the Swords of Darkness once more and quickly -but quietly, made his way closer to the exit. He took a deep breath and opened the door, anxious for what else the day would bring, he took one step outside but was quickly stopped by the next words that the kind receptionist behind him said.
"Of course, Sir Ainz, Lady Melina, please take a look at the quests over here, they're the only ones that you are allowed to take since you are still only a Copper adventurer."
Nfirea racked his mind, trying to remember where he had heard the name Ainz before… 'Ainz, Ainz, Ainz, why does it seem so familiar? Wait -it can't be!'
"Thank you," the man walked over to where the receptionist had gestured and grabbed one of the pieces of paper hanging on the board.
Nfirea gathered all of the courage that he could and slowly and steadily started to make his way toward the imposing man. Step by step he approached him, steadily increasing his pace.
As soon as he was about to speak up, he was blocked by a stunning beauty who stood in his way. His eyes widened in amazement, the only time he had seen someone as beautiful as she was when he visited a small village close to E-Rantel. He would've instantly declared his love for her, had he not already promised himself to give it to someone dear to him.
Noticing there was some sort of complication, the man turned to face Nfirea, "Is there something that you need, young man?"
The aura that he had just sensed, now seemed like a nightmare that never happened. Now more at ease, Nfirea decided to say something, "E-Excuse me, are you by any chance, Ainz Ooal Gown?"
"Yes… Is there anything that you need? If not, then I'd like to resume my quest scavenging."
"Oh! Sorry, first off-" Nfirea quickly bent his body at a 90-degree angle in a bowing motion, "I'd like to thank you for what you did in Carne Village! I-If it wasn't for you, many of the people I cherish would be gone. I can't thank you enough for what you did!"
'What is he talking about? Oh -is he referring to that village where I fought that Harbinger?' Ainz put down the request form that he had in his hands.
"Please, raise your head, there is no need for you to thank me." To be honest, Carne village was the last thing on Ainz's mind. The Overlord hadn't thought about the village since he had saved it, he had been very preoccupied with adding the final touches to Demiurge's plan, which he was very excited to see…
"...Say, how come I didn't see you when I was there? I am sure that I would remember a face such as yours." Ainz questioned.
"I-I actually live in E-Rantel, which is not very far from Carne. I often make my way there to gather medicinal herbs. I've gone enough times to make friends with a couple of the residents there. They're good people, and… If it weren't for you, t-they'd all be gone, so please, the least you could do is accept my thanks. "
Ainz shook his head, "I said it's fine. I saw the people there in need of assistance, and I decided to help. I only did what was right, and so, there is no need to thank me for it."
Nfirea's eyes widened, "I-I… wow. If you are ever in need of assistance please come to me, I'll be sure to help in any way I can, it's the least I can do to repay your kindness."
Ainz nodded, "I'll be sure to remember that," the masked skeleton stared at the Pharmacist for a couple of seconds, 'I wonder, what kind of medicine do people such as him produce? Is it something akin to potions? Maybe something closer to pills… I should investigate this sometime in the future.' He thought to himself.
"A-Anyways, I don't want to take any more of your time so I'll be heading out now. If you're ever in E-Rantel please make sure to stop by." Nfirea sheepishly smiled at Ainz.
The undead Overlord said his goodbyes to the pharmacist and resumed his previous activity, '…I-I can't read any of this…' Ainz said in both disbelief and disappointment, "Melina, are you able to read this?" He asked the petite girl beside him as a last resort. He had given the only pair of [Magic Glasses] to Titus, who he had assigned a rather odd job.
"Forgive me, father. I cannot understand any of this."
Ainz first noticed that the languages of this world were automatically translated when he took a closer look at the mouths of people like Gazef, the words that they spoke didn't match the movement of their lips. 'Maybe I can capture some sort of scholar to teach me how to read and write… It'd have to be someone whose absence wouldn't be noticed though…'
"...Is something wrong, sir?" The blonde receptionist in front of him asked.
"N-No… I'll take this quest!" At the speed of light, Ainz grabbed one of the random forms in front of him. Though he didn't know what type of quest he had accepted, he knew that he'd at least be able to complete it.
The woman -with her delicate fingers, accepted the request that he'd handed over to her, "Hmm, this request is from one of the Marquis and is a bit far away, are you sure that you want to partake in it?"
'Huh?'
"Erm, erm. Well, of course, I can't think of a better quest that I can take on as my first."
"Very well!" She flashed Ainz a smile that could make any man fall under her spell in well under a second, "Just to be safe… I think it'd be a good idea to take another team with you, even Adamantite-rank adventurer teams like Blue Rose have five members in their crew."
'Isn't one of the groups the Shadow Demon mentioned? It'd be a delight if I could gather some information on them in person, but at this stage, I think it'd be a challenge. Wait, if this is a request for copper-level adventurers, why would we need more than one team? Yeah, it's only the two of us, but we've already demonstrated our prowess…'
"Uhh, I don't see the harm in that… Who should we take with us though? I don't want to bother fellow adventurers if they're busy."
"Oh, don't worry" The receptionist opened the drawer to her left and pulled out a stack of papers, "Let's see here…" She quickly flipped through each paper. Most would think that she paid no attention to the contents within, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Madeline had been working at the adventurer's guild ever since she was a young girl and had only taken up the role of receptionist after her older sister had passed away. Each movement she made was both swift and gentle thanks to all of the years of hard work she had poured into this job.
"Here we go," Madeline pulled out a single file from the large stack and handed it to Ainz, "I am sad to say that there is only one group of adventurers who can assist you at the moment, but they are more than capable for the task."
'I still can't read this!' Ainz sighed, "Would you be kind enough to introduce them to us? I know that all of their information is in this sheet, but I'm afraid that I have no idea what they look like." Ainz had no idea if this piece of paper held any information about whatever team the receptionist mentioned, it was an incredibly dangerous gamble, but one he was willing to take. Otherwise, he would be left stranded, without a single clue on who to look for, he didn't even know the name of the group for heaven's sake!
"Why of course! Please give me a second to make my way to you."
Madeline passed through the gate that separated the reception desks from the rest of the guild, "Now, the Swords of Darkness just returned from a quest, so they might be a bit busy, but we should still ask them whether or not they're willing to help you."
'So that's what they're called,'
"Oh, I don't want to pile another quest on top of them if they've just recently finished their previous one." Ainz held up his hand as if to signal the receptionist to slow down.
Madeline just brushed Ainz's worries, "Please don't worry, they checked in a while ago, so it should be fine." The current scene reminded Melina of a mother who wanted to introduce her child to a new group of friends, so, she let out a little laugh. She then made a little "eep" when she noticed Ainz turning his gaze toward her.
"Here they are, excuse me, gentlemen."
The four young men turned to look at the incoming trio, "…They aren't coming towards us, right?" the shortest in the group asked. His gleeful smile turned into a sour frown when she noticed the luxurious clothing that one of the people wore, of course, he'd been there when they were taking up a quest, but he couldn't rule out that it wasn't just a disgusting noble playing pretend.
He turned toward the group's leader and gave him a look that indicated, "What should we do?". The blonde man just shrugged in response and whispered, "I don't know, let's just hear what they have to say."
PeterPeter steeled himself for what the incoming conversation might bring, the contrast of what they'd seen a bit ago combined with the attire that the man wore left him completely clueless about the situation that they were about to be placed in.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," The leading woman said.
"Good morning, Madeline, what can we do for you," PeterPeter asked in the kindest voice he could muster.
"These two are about to take on their first job as adventurers, and I thought it'd be best if they took another group with them, as you can see, they are a two-person party… And although I'm confident that they can complete the quest they asked me about, I can't just let them off alone."
"I understand, may we look at the quest at hand?" Peter asked.
"Of course, here it is,"
"Estimated difficulty rating: E+ to C+ class
Large hoards of monsters have been spotted near E-Raevel. The kinds of monsters that we've spotted so far include Ogres, Goblins, Barghests, Trolls, and even a few undead.
The Marquis has already sent in a few scouts where he believes the monsters reside, they counted over a hundred Goblins and skeletons, a couple of dozen of Ogres, a few Barghests, and under 5 Trolls.
The lord of the land has no explainable reason as to why they suddenly appeared within his domain and is cautious about the fact that they may soon attack the villages under his protection. He has already sent in a few of his men to deal with the issue but they have yet to return.
The Marquis wishes to hire a couple of Copper-rank, Iron-rank, Silver-rank, and Gold-rank adventurer parties to deal with the issue.
Any party who accepts this request should depart to E-Raevel's manor, where they'll be further informed about the matter. In regards to payment, each adventurer party will be paid 30 gold coins upfront and 30 after the monsters have been exterminated. The total amount may vary depending on how many monsters the party slays."
"Lukurt," Peter turned to face the party's ranger, "Have you ever encountered this many monsters before?" Peter asked this because Lukurt Volve was the party's ranger, and would often scout ahead to see what dangers may impede their path.
"…No" Lukurt scratched his chin, I've seen more than those listed, but never in one single location… especially undead."
"Do you think we could defeat such a force, Dyne?" Lukurt based the group's Druid.
"Hmmm," Woodwonder massaged his beard to show that he was in deep thought, "Alone, we'd be overwhelmed. But if we have the help of other parties, we should be fine. We could always attack and retreat over and over again, if We are not alone, we could fend them off. The only problem is the Trolls with their regenerative ability."
For the first time in the conversation, Ainz spoke up, That's… a lot of monsters," Peter whispered to himself.
"Yeah… We wouldn't stand a chance if we faced them alone, but that isn't the case, right ms Madeline?" A bearded bear-like man asked.
"You're correct. There will be other adventurer teams present, so you don't have to worry about numbers. A total of four other teams have already signed up for this request, one Copper-rank party, two Iron-rank parties, and one Gold-rank party. If you decide to take up this quest it'll be a total of 6 groups."
Peter nodded at the receptionist's explanation but decided to switch the topic, "Lukurt, have you ever spotted such a large number of monsters before?" Lukurt Volve was the lone ranger in the Swords of Darkness. Thanks to his heightened senses he often scouted the terrain around them before the rest of the party did. This meant that most of the time that they entered combat, Lukurt would already have an idea of what they were facing.
"If you sum up all of our experiences monster hunting, definitely… But no, I don't think we've ever faced that many monsters at a single time. Still, apart from the Barghests and Trolls, everything should fall easily enough."
"You're right, the Trolls might pose a bit of an issue. Still, we cannot ignore the possibility of there being Hobgoblins among their ranks…" Dyne said with caution.
"Forgive me if I am interrupting, but if we come across any, I'll take care of the Trolls. If I am correct, their regeneration is prevented if one uses either fire or acid on them. If that's the case, [Fireball] should do."
Ninya's eyes opened in pure shock, "Y-You can cast third-tier magic!" Although Ninya was very talented in the magic department -at least for this world- she was nowhere near the third tier. She leaned forward eager to know if the masked mage was serious or merely joking.
"Yes, it took me a rather long while to finally master it, but I am now able to cast it without much issue," Ainz feigned.
"With a mage that can cast third-tier magic, we shouldn't have any issues! Of course, we should still be weary though." Lukurt nodded at his own comments.
"Ok, so we know that you're a mage, but what about your companion over here?" Peter asked.
Apart from Peter, the only one who had noticed Melina was Ninya. The Pleiade was concealed thanks to her position behind Ainz, his large body prevented her from being seen.
"I am a swordswoman and specialize in combat on the frontlines. Usually, my job is to protect my father while he casts-"
'What a wonderful idea' Ainz thought to himself.
"-but since we might be working together, I can leave that to someone else so I can fight to my fullest potential."
"Interesting… What do you guys think? Shall we take on the job?" Although Peter was the leader of the Swords of Darkness, he still wanted the opinions of his comrades, what kind of leader would he be if he only thought of himself?
"If we have the help of other teams it might be a smoother ride, so sure. If anything does happen, we can always retreat, it's bound to be a long journey after all." Lukurt said.
"I concur with Lukurt, if we aren't the only ones dealing with the disturbance then we should be fine, there's nothing a good strategy can't overcome." Dyne was now onboard.
"I see no downsides, so sure, why not?"
Peter stood up and smiled, "Very well, it looks like we'll be working together for a while. Oh! Forgive me, but we have yet to introduce ourselves, we are the Swords of Darkness, my name is Peter Mauk, and I'm a warrior as well as the leader of this party." Peter gestured toward the bulky man beside him.
"I'm Dyne Wonderwood, I'm a druid who uses healing magic. Just like our previous client -which you met earlier, I'm also knowledgable about plants." Although his large body made it tough, Dyne bowed to the "inexperienced" adventurers in front of him.
'Weird, we're indoors yet, I can smell the faintest touch of mint on him, how pleasant.' Ainz thought to himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Lukurt Volve, I couldn't fail but notice your divine beauty the moment I laid eyes on you," Lukurt swiftly moved across the room and to Melina's feet. He kneeled, reached for her hand, and kissed it.
Peter managed to speak first before the young lady could respond to the man's weird behavior, "What the hell! We've only just met them and you're already acting like this? God, what are we gonna do with you…" Peter sighed, "As he said, this is Lukurt, he's a great archer as well as our scout. I hope that you can forgive his behavior."
"Please, pay it no mind. I understand his behavior, my daughter is quite gorgeous after all."
"Oh, perfect! Can you, as this beauty's father, grant me her hand in marriage? There's nothing I'd love more than to spend the rest of my life by her side!" Lukurt turned his freaky gaze toward Ainz.
"DYNE!" Peter screamed in distress.
"On it, [Twine Plant]!" The moment Dyne pointed toward his teammate, thick, dark branches sprouted from the ground. They interested Ainz because -although solid, they seemed to move like tentacles. The dozens of branches started to entangle Dyne's comrade, and slowly but surely they pulled him back into his chair. Once that was done, the druid ordered the living tree to wrap itself around Lukurt's mouth, they couldn't have him interrupt the conversation again.
With beads of sweat dripping out of every pore in his body, Peter tried to switch the topic yet again, "...Lastly, we have Ninya here, our spellcaster."
"Stop it, Peter! You know I don't really like that name," The young caster whispered that last part.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I am Ainz Ooal Gown. Just like your companion, Ninya, I am a magic caster… And as you may know at this point, this is my daughter Melina."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," the disguised maid bowed.
"Alright!" Peter raised his fist high into the air, "Since we'll be working together how about we start preparing for our departure?"
Madeline -who had been quietly standing off to the side, raised her voice, "Very well before you go, let me bring you a copy of the request as well as the signature document."
"Signature document?" Ainz repeated.
"Ah, I forgot that this is your first quest. A signature document -like its name implies, is a document that we have to sign before taking up any requests. Like a contract, it binds us to the client until we either complete the request or fail it. It's the guild's way of preventing us from running away if there's upfront payment."
Ainz nodded his head, "Now I understand. There used to be a similar practice back where I'm from. It just had a different name, which is why I got confused."
Peter bobbed his head up and down in understanding.
"Since we'll be working together, do you mind if we take a seat?" Ainz asked, of course, he knew what answer he would get, but he was just asking out of pure courtesy.
"Please, go ahead."
The two heteromorphs sat down.
"Before we continue, I'd like to mention something,"
Ainz motioned him to continue, "We were planning on giving the Magician's Guild a visit before our next quest, and we are still planning on going."
"I completely understand. It's unreasonable for me to expect you to be ready to move out so quickly… I'm also interested in what types of items or information the guild has to offer, so is it fine if we tag along?"
"Of course! So, let's spend the next couple of hours preparing ourselves for the trip, You, Melina, Ninya, and I will head towards the Magician's Guild while Lukurt and Dyne go buy some resources that we'll inevitably need. Is that fine with you, Sir Gown?"
"Yes, that's fine. Also, since we'll be working together for a while, please just call me Ainz"
"Sure, Ainz." Peter smiled.
Tap tap
Both Ainz and Peter turned to face the source of the noisy heels, "Here's both a copy of the request and the Signature Document. There's one for each party."
Since Ainz couldn't read any of the contract's contents, he decided to wait until the leader of the Swords of Darkness filled his document with what he assumed was his signature.
'I shouldn't have given Titus those [Magic Glasses]... But I can't ask him to give them back to me at this point, it'd make me look ridiculous. I can already imagine what they'd think, "what kind of ruler wasn't prepared for this outcome? He should've kept in the mind the possibility of contrasting cultures, how foolish can one be?" Even if it was just a theoretical situation, Ainz's [Emotional Supressor] flared up again and again at the hypothetical embarrassment he felt.
Madeline left both parties alone once they'd given her the signed manuscripts.
"Now, is everyone ready to go?" Ainz was about to stand up when Peter opened his mouth.
"Yes… But can I ask one last thing of you, Ainz?"
The aforementioned undead cocked his head in interest.
"Since we'll be working together, is it fine if I ask you to remove that mask of yours? I think it'd be better to know who exactly we're working with if you don't mind."
'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit… What do I do? Uhhhhhh…'
"[Silent Magic: Time Stop]"
And so, the world lost its vibrant colors. All that was left was a dark, monochrome atmosphere. Even the radiant beauty that sat beside him was but a doll that lay there, as still as a statue, ready to be painted by an old artist. The Swords of Darkness fared no better, they looked like puppets whose masters had left them to rot. This comparison could be made thanks to all of the similarities, they didn't breathe, they didn't blink, they didn't speak, they. could. not. move. The moment that Ainz Ooal Gown cast this terrible spell, everything stopped.
The Undead Overlord reached for his face and pulled off his mask, "I… I can't show them my true nature, can I? Don't be foolish, of course not. And I can't just refuse their request, that'd just make them suspicious, if I were in their shoes, I'd ask the same question. So, what can I do? Oh! God, I'm so dumb, why didn't I just think of that in the first place."
Ainz placed the disturbing mask over his face and canceled the spell, "Of course. The reason in which I am wearing this mask in the first place is that it boosts my casting abilities, but since we aren't in combat at the moment, it can't hurt to remove it."
He repeated the motion that he'd made a second ago -or since time stopped I guess it never happened and removed his mask.
"Woah" Ninya wasn't the only member of the Swords of Darkness that was surprised, but she was the only one that voiced her amazement.
"Now that I think about it, it makes sense that we've never seen you around here, you're a foreigner aren't you?" Peter asked.
"Indeed, my daughter and I come from a land located to the far east, even further than the Baharuth Empire." Ainz hadn't memorized the entirety of the map that Neuronist had drawn up for him, but he did remember the locations of places like the empire, or theocracy.
"Impressive, maybe you can tell us stories from your home during our trip," Lukurt said optimistically.
"Maybe…" Ainz quietly repeated to himself rather than the people around him.
"Now," Peter clapped, "If that's everything, shall we get going?"
"Yes, let's" Ainz and Melina stood up in perfect synchronization. It looked as if they had practiced for quite a while, but that's just how in tune the two were.
"We have a long journey ahead of us, so let's make the best of it, no?"
'Maybe that'll be like the times that Ainz Ooal Gown journeyed into the vast unknown of Alfheim, or maybe it'll be like the time we explored the sunken dungeon inside the Rotten Forest? Well… I suppose time will tell'
It's good to be back! I know I've kept you guys waiting for a loooong while, but I believe that this is the longest chapter so far, so I hope that makes up for it? Anyways, I wonder what Ainz, Melina, and the Swords of Darkness will find in the Marquis' domain... I guess only time will tell, no? ;)