The light of dawn began to seep into the high-end room through the many windows and the sound of melodic birdsong echoed through the city. Eventually, the rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky and shined softly on both Ninya and himself.

Morning had come, and he had yet again spent the entire night lost in his own thoughts. At least he finished everything that he wanted to do before the sun decided to grace him with her presence.

The faint murmur of a little girl reached his ears and Momon turned his head to see Ninya slowly getting out of bed.

Taking in the soft white gold of the new day, Ninya let out a yawn. When she eventually spotted Momon in the corner of the room next to his work table, she blew up in a flush.

Replaying the last few scenes of the night before, the tiny magic caster couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Good morning Ninya. Go wash up and meet me here when you're done."

Nodding her head, she muttered, "y-yes sir."

The girl ran out of the room with far more vigor than what was expected of someone who just woke up. Momon couldn't help but wonder why she was acting so sporadically this early in the morning.

"Bad dream probably."

Tapping his desk, the undead called for one of his wraiths to show themselves and give a report. An ethereal entity came out of the floor and promptly prostrated itself in front of the Overlord.

"Have you found them?"

Nodding its intangible head, the wraith responded, "Yes master. We found the woman first, she's currently a sex slave in an underground brothel in the Re-Estize capital. As is expected from your genius, your prediction was spot on."

Momonga let out a nervous chuckle, "r-right, my genius. And what of the noble who initially kidnapped her?"

"We invaded the brothel master's office and discovered several bills of sale. Her entire history as a product has been properly recorded. She was initially sold for exactly 93 silver coins and 6 copper coins by Crown Prince Barbro."

"What! That makes no sense! How in the world did the Crown Prince kidnap this woman?"

The wraith prostrated even further, "n-no my lord, he wasn't the one who initially kidnapped her, he was the one that sold her."

I don't understand. Momonga thought before ordering, "explain."

"O-of course my lord. The bill of sale states that she was a 'used' product that has been 'used' by two previous owners."

"...Two?"

"Yes my lord. The second owner was Crown Prince Barbro. So it's a fair assumption that he was given this slave-product by someone else."

The dark warrior slammed his armored hand on the table, "stop leading me on and just tell me the name of the gods damn noble!"

Its ethereal body shook in fear, "I-I-I'm sorry my lord. We couldn't find his name. It was nowhere in the bill of sale."

A green light came off of his fleshless body, with his emotions suppressed, Momonga took a second to calm down and formulate a response, "I see… do you have the other names of the previous owners and those who purchased her 'services'?"

"Yes my lord. Rather than take the individual bills of sales and arise suspicion, we wrote everything down in a concise list." the wraith handed Momonga a piece of paper, "the front has the name of every previous owner, minus the first one. And the back has the name of every man and woman who has purchased her for her 'services'."

The Overlord took the piece of paper and began investigating it, "why is the writing so small."

"Sorry my lord, we had to fit all the names onto the piece of paper. Thus, we had to decrease the size of our words. If you find it difficult to read, I shall rewrite it in more intelligible writing. However, it will be around twenty-two pages long."

He fit twenty-two pages into one double-sided piece of paper!? No wonder the hiragana was so tiny. I want to tell him to rewrite it but that would make me a really bad boss…

"It's fine. Preferably, I need to know the name of the original noble who kidnapped Tuareninya. I'll kill everyone else on this list, but he's the one I actually want."

"The others have been searching everywhere, many have even searched LoosieLuso village for any possible clues. But the searches have come up dry my lord. We got desperate and expanded our search into the Royal Palace and Crown Price Barbro's various personal rooms, but found nothing."

The wraith moved around erratically, a way to signify its rage with its intangible form, "the fool more than likely destroyed all of his bills of sale out of ignorance or a way to cover his tracks. The only way to get the information we want is to—"

"—get it straight from his mouth." Momonga finished.

"That is correct my lord, I apologize for my incompetence. Please accept my life as a mere fraction of compensation for my failure."

Already annoyed with the whole 'take my life for my failure' shtick that his summons always performed when they made the smallest of mistakes, Momon muttered almost robotically, "it's fine. Simply use this situation to learn and grow so you may serve me faithfully in the future."

"Y-yes my lord!" Taking that as his sign to leave, the wraith melded back into the floor to await his master's summons when his services were once more required.

Eventually, Ninya made her way back into the room, now all washed up and clean. She was still rubbing her growing hair with a towel, since she allowed her hair to grow out due to Momon's suggestion, it was getting far more difficult to clean.

"Good, you're all done. Sit down, I have some things I would like to share with you."

The tiny magic caster nodded, "aren't you going to take a shower, Mr. Momon?"

"I'm fine, I had a shower last night. However, I did far more last night than just bathe myself."

"And what would that be Mr. Momon?"

Clasping both of his hands, Momon explained, "last night, I talked to a few associates of mine and dug up some information and clues for our quest."

"Like who?"

"There were a number of people, but Igvarge was one of the few that I reached out to."

Ninya straightened her back, when she was still a member of Swords of Darkness she had often looked up to Igvarge and his mithril-ranked adventurer team. They were an inspiration for her, something to strive for. Of course, most of that ended when she became an Adamantite adventurer and worked with the man on several quests, but she still had an acute sense of respect for the man. "R-really?"

"Indeed, and I made several discoveries and formulated several theories."

Momon raised one of his fingers, "however, I have concluded the single most likely fate and location of your sister."

Noticing that he had his comrade's indisputable attention, he continued, "she is in an underground brothel in the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital."

Ninya had expected that her sister would be sold into slavery after that pig-faced noble was done with her, but she had always hoped that she became some kind of menial slave worker. To hear that she was a sex slave? It was almost too much for her heart.

Noticing her distress, Momon stood up from his chair and walked toward her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "did I not tell you that this was a pilgrimage? No man or woman ever walks the path that they do without inflamed calluses-ridden feet. We will all bear scars from this, but we will come out of it all the stronger for it."

She gripped the bottom of her shirt while trying to reign in her emotions. "Y-yes Mr. Momon, I understand."

"Good," he released his hand from Ninya's shoulder, eliciting a slight pout on her face.

Momon didn't pay it any mind as he went to grab the various items he picked out for Ninya, "you will have to be well armed for the fight we have ahead of us. Your equipment will have to be better than whatever gear we can get from some mediocre magic shop."

He extended his hands to his charge and presented all the items to her.

"Mr. Momon… I don't deserve all of this!"

"That's just your opinion, and I'm afraid that it doesn't align with mine. So please accept them."

Ninya stuttered, "w-where did you even find these?"

Making up a lie on the spot, "They were a friends, but these items were left to me after their untimely passing, they're yours now."

"I-I can't accept this! They were your friends! I could never come close to them! It would be an insult!"

"Don't worry little one, they weren't close. Just one of many passing travelers that I had the pleasure of befriending. These don't belong to any of my real friends."

Ninya looked downcast, "...r-real friends."

"Did you say something?"

The tiny magic caster froze, "i-it's nothing… I accept your gifts, Mr. Momon."

Momon dropped the issue and handed her the items, helping her put on the various magic items.

Like a caring father, Momon placed the Circlet of Iron Will on top of her head and the Belfast on her ring finger. He didn't understand the importance of such a gesture but it wasn't lost on Ninya who had blown up in a blush as a result.

"Is something wrong?"

Waving her hands, "Wagh! N-no! Nothing's wrong, thank you for the magical items, Mr. Momon."

Momon rubbed his chin in confusion, "I see… you can change into your new magical robes on the other side of the room, I'll face the other direction like usual."

"Okay."

After a few minutes, Ninya exclaimed, "I'm done!"

Turning around, Momon was greeted with the sight of Ninya in form-fitting magical robes. These robes had transformed into a fashionable white and pastel pink color. Along with her robes, she held a white staff that elicited a slight glimmer, the Grâce de Fey.

In combination with her white-gold ring and ornate headband, she almost looked like a fairy.

Momon was just glad that all the items paired well together. He wasn't sure what to do if Ninya found them all too gaudy.

Fighting the blush that threatened to overwhelm her face, Ninya muttered, "I'm not super sure about this color… those it look good on me?"

Like any good father, Momon answered in a way as to not offend, "of course it does. You look beautiful Ninya."

"B-b-beautiful!?"

"Mhm, yes. You look beautiful. But more importantly, how do you feel?"

"Wagh, um… I guess I feel more powerful. Almost as if my magic pool increased twofold."

The dark warrior nodded his head, "good, this gear provides a variety of other bonuses. All of which I will explain on our way to the capital."

The brief joy that came from getting called beautiful by the man she admired had all but melted away as the prospect of the mission ahead overwhelmed her.

"Come, we should leave before we lose any more light. Even if we ride Hamsuke, it'll take at least two days to reach the capital."

"Yes!"

—x—

"Milord! Milord! Milord! Are we almost there yet!"

An armored hand gently stroked a giant hamster's head, "Not yet Hamsuke, we just passed E-Pespel though. We should be there in a few hours."

"Understood Milord! Hamsuke shall aspire to serve you well!"

Momon pet the hamster once more before averting his attention to Ninya, "are you doing alright back there? Ninya?"

"Y-yes! I'm doing well Mr. Momon."

"That's good to hear, how do you feel? Is your new equipment satisfactory?"

The tiny magic caster blew up in a blush, "well… it's honestly amazing. I still can't believe that I'm wearing this to be honest with you Mr. Momon. After you explained everything, I almost fainted!"

Her blush had traveled all the way up to her ears, "it didn't help that everyone in town began staring…"

"Well, it can't be helped. It's only expected that any passersby would stare when made to bear witness to so many magical items on a single person."

"Y-you think that's why they were staring at me?"

The dark warrior waved his hand with full confidence, "of course, what other reason would someone have to stare at you?"

Ninya sighed, "I see, that's a relief…"

The magic caster had feared that the various men eyeing her were stalking her person for some nefarious reason. Luckily, Momon verified that it was only admiration for her new equipment. Momon was never wrong, so she wouldn't doubt his words.

"Well it doesn't matter, you'll become the victim of such stares once more when we enter the capital. So better to just get used to it now."

"Understood!"

The giant hamster underneath them exclaimed, "I don't mind if people look at me! And I'm sure milord doesn't mind either!"

When I'm riding a giant hamster like a horse I do mind! Momonga internally screamed.

"Indeed, one shouldn't care for the stare of others. For that is all they are, stares, nothing more."

That statement was a bit of a hard sale for someone like Ninya who was only just blossoming into adolescence but she accepted the advice nonetheless.

The dark warrior tapped Hamsuke's side, "we're not too far from the city, we'll be there in a few minutes if you sprint Hamsuke."

"I'm tired! Super tired! But I shall do as milord says!" With that backhanded response, the giant hamster sprinted toward the capital. As one may expect, they had been traveling on the major roads for the sake of saving time. However, that led to several uncomfortable situations.

For one, they often had to jump over travelers and merchant caravans which led to a number of misunderstandings. In one instance, they had to dodge several bolts and arrows from a merchant caravan when they thought Hamsuke was some type of blood-thirsty monster. The Overlord still couldn't imagine how anybody would find a giant hamster intimidating but that was a can of worms he didn't want to open right now.

There was also another instance where they encountered a group of bandits that ambushed them in a particularly quiet section of the main road. The unwashed men had bragged about being led by the great Brain Unglaus and ordered him to hand over all of his belongings and Ninya.

Luckily, they launched the attack at night so Ninya had been asleep in his arms at the time. He didn't want her to see him mutilate every single one of them.

The 'infamous' Brain Unglaus didn't even bother showing his face, so he just continued his journey to the capital as if nothing happened.

But all things considered? The journey had been quite peaceful! No civilization-threatening monster or a horde of man-hungry beasts. He had even managed to dispose of the few humans that threatened them without having Ninya watch.

The former guild master didn't even want to think about what Yamaiko would say to him if he let a kid watch something like that.

"..."

Wait. What would she say if she knew that he was taking a kid on life-threatening adventures?

Before that pandora's box had the chance to crack open, Ninya interrupted his train of thought, "I see it!"

"Hm?" Momon hummed before he regained his bearings.

In front of them was a massive city, even behind the massive walls, one could spot the monumental Royal Palace on top of a hill. Swathes of houses of varying quality surrounded the palace as well.

Although the city lacked the massive layered walls of E-Rantel, it did have an egregious number of houses and an atrocious smell. A smell so foul, one would think that all the residents threw their own excrement out of the window on a daily basis.

"Wagh, it sticks milord!"

"Huh, I guess it would be tough for you Hamsuke since you have a far keener sense of smell than the rest of us. I'm afraid that you must get used to it, expecting a city this large to have an efficient sewer system is but a fantasy."

Hamsuke sulked while trotting toward a massive gate, "so strange. Why don't they just bury a hole, poop in it, and then fill the hole back up with dirt?"

"Because they're not hamsters."

"Hmph, so sad to see humans live in such ignorance."

She's really trying to live up to her title of the Wise King of the Forest, huh? It would've been annoying if she wasn't a large cute-looking hamster.

"So, milord… what're we gonna do about the line."

Momon took note of the massive line in front of them and shrugged, "we will wait. We're no more special than everyone else in this line, so we shall wait."

Hamsuke would've been offended by such a statement, but she had become accustomed to the dark hero's strange views.

Regardless of Momon's personal beliefs, the various members of the line had all but thrown themselves out of the way. It had elicited a groan from Momon, he didn't want to cut the line like some jackass but they weren't really giving him a choice.

The last nail in the coffin was when a contingent of guards escorted them past the gates with a level of reverence. Everyone had treated him with respect and kindness, but it still peeved him how he had basically just cut the line. Like some bully pushing a kid out of the lunchline to take their spot.

His guildmates would have his hide for such selfish behavior, bare Ulbert and Luci Fer.

"Wow… did you see the way that they looked at us? Mr. Momon?"

"Hmph! It is expected."

The dark warrior rose his hand to silence his comrades, "enough, we can talk about this later, for now, we have a task ahead of us."

Ninya hardened her resolve, "I understand Mr. Momon, where should we check first?"

"Huh? Oh, I apologize Ninya, I wasn't referring to the mission. There is some other business that we must attend to as adventurers."

The tiny magic caster tilted her head in confusion, "like what?"

"Paying respect to our seniors, the adamantite team, Blue Rose." It was only natural in his mind to say hello to the various members of Blue Rose. After all, as a salaryman, it was expected to greet and pay respect to one's coworkers, especially if they held seniority. The last thing he wanted to do was portray an aura of arrogance and possibly disrespect his future coworkers by not even bothering to greet them.

"B-Blue R-rose!?" Ninya stood up from Hamsuke's back and grabbed Momon's helmet, "the Blue Rose? The all-female adventurer team!? Heroes of humanity!?"

You do realize that we're adamantite adventurers too? Right!?

"Indeed, we will be greeting them as fellow adamantite adventurers and coworkers. It would be disrespectful not to." Momon explained while guiding Hamsuke to the inn that his summons last told him that the members of Blue Rose were.

Ninya's eyes sparkled, her hands were still holding onto Momon's head, "coworkers!? Will they help us? Join us on our pilgrimage!?"

I didn't really think about that.

"Perhaps… we will have to see how the conversation goes."

The energetic little girl aggressively shook her head in understanding and finally sat back down on Hamsuke's back. However, she only let go of Momon's head when he gently pried her hands off of him.

As a result of Hamsuke's presence, little to no one approached them. In fact, most made a path. Which was a relief, especially when they had to pass several slums to finally reach the more affluent inner sanctums of the city.

It was sort of strange to see such a massive wealth divide within such a short amount of time. Nothing new to Suzuki Satoru, after all, his entire world was run by corporations. But it was still something to note.

Eventually, they finally made their way to the inn. It was located in quite an expensive-looking area. The roads were well paved and the adjacent buildings were made of stone and long-lasting wood. A sharp contrast to the muddy tracks and disheveled homesteads they had just passed. The inn was also several leagues more extravagant than their own back in E-Rantel.

With some reservations, Momon dismounted the giant hamster. Once on the ground, the dark warrior extended his large arms to grab Ninya and gracefully placed her on the ground. Momon had made it a habit to always do this whenever they dismounted Hamsuke.

Even though it was a bit redundant since she had leveled up and built enough strength to jump down a couple of feet without hurting herself, she had all but refused to do so.

Perhaps she was still afraid of heights? Momon wasn't entirely sure but that was his greatest theory as of now.

With both Ninya and himself on firm ground, he prepared himself mentally to meet Blue Rose. Entering a sort of 'work mode' that he had created in this new world where he made use of his abilities as a salaryman.

"Alright. Let's do this."

"Mhm," Ninya hummed nervously, "let's do this."

Gently swinging the doors open, the two adventurers had all but become the center of attention of the various inn residents.

In their eyes, a tall yet intimidating man in full plate armor and an adorable fairy-like girl had entered their place of residence with the flourish of storybook heroes. Such a spectacle wasn't missed by a particular group of adventurers conversing with each other at a table at the far end of the room.

"Come Ninya, let's book a room first and then pay respect to our seniors."

Nodding her little head, Ninya responded, "yes Mr. Momon. Make sure you get a room with two beds."

"Right." Although he thought it was a bit odd to share a room with his surrogate daughter, she had been fairly adamant about the rooming arrangement ever since they first became 'Darkness'. He simply played it off as some childish whim and allowed Ninya to share a room with him.

Yamaiko had often told him stories about her students and the strange habits they picked up as children. Stuff like picking their nose, still taking showers with their parents, and owning several nightlights. It was a bit odd, and Momonga had understandably asked why a child at that age would still participate in such acts. In an almost clinical manner, Yamaiko explained how some children matured differently and adopted certain habitual behaviors.

Almost all of it flew over his head, so he just labeled it as a case of 'different folks different strokes' and applied that logic here. So he would just wait until Ninya got sick of sleeping in the same room as him and demand a room of her own. Teenagers did that… right?

Feeling even more out of his element than usual, Momon breathed out a sigh and walked toward the reception desk. "Excuse me, ma'am, if possible, we would like to book a double room, preferably one with two beds."

Rather than receive a response, the receptionist just took a minute to stare at Momon. As if she was in some sort of reverent daze, the receptionist just gawked at the dark warrior.

"..."

"Excuse me?" Momon tapped his finger on the counter. "Are there any rooms available?"

"Wagh! O-of course there is Sir Momon! I apologize for wasting your time!" she went to grab a pair of keys, "the best room in the inn! For you good sir!"

Garnering even more eyes because of the receptionist's exclamations, Momon felt even more out of place, "n-no… we just want a simple double room."

"What! We could never do something so disrespectful! My boss would have my neck for giving the infamous adventurer team Darkness a mediocre room!"

"It's really fine."

"I insist!"

"How about a room a little less extravagant?" And actually affordable! I don't have enough money for this crap! I gave most of it away!

"Please Lord Momon, I can promise on its quality! The beds are imported from the Roble Holy Kingdom and the magical lamps were made by the finest Slane craftsman."

I don't even know where those places are!

"That is quite admirable, however, I'm adamant on this, I would like a simple double room."

"But—"

"Oi!" A massive woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bulky build exclaimed, "can't ya see the man made up his mind? Now shut up and get him his room!"

"Eek! Yes, miss Gagaran!" The receptionist bowed her head and yanked a pair of keys for a room that fit Momon's requirements.

Silently thanking the large woman in his mind, Momon accepted the keys and took out his coin purse, "how much will it cost to book the room for a week?"

"Booking that room for a week will cost around 30 silvers and 4 coppers."

Steep! That's way too steep! Absolutely exorbitant!

"I see," he began pulling out the number of coins she asked for, "a reasonable amount for a room in one of the most acclaimed inns in the city."

The receptionist smiled, "I'm glad you think so good sir! We shall endeavor to serve you well. Breakfast will be delivered to your room and you have free access to the washroom connected to your room."

"That's good to hear," Momon placed a hand on Ninya's back, "come, it's time to greet our seniors."

"Y-yes Mr. Momon!"

Walking towards a table with five female adventurers, one of them being the one who yelled at them from across the room, Momon squeaked out a greeting.

"Good afternoon."

A dignified gree-eyed woman stood up from her seat in a hurry, "I'm so sorry for my comrade's outburst! She means well I swear! Please accept my humble apologies."

This is NOT how you greet people!

"I see, there's no need to ask for forgiveness. Your ally actually helped me out of quite a sticky situation. For that, I would like to extend my thanks."

A chuckle escaped Gagaran, "a sticky situation? What, are ya too broke to afford the more high-end rooms or something?"

HOW DID SHE KNOW!?

"Gagaran! That is not how we talk to a fellow adamantite team."

"Rude—"

"Very rude."

A pair of red-eyed twin assassins muttered.

The bulky woman broke out in an uncontrollable laugh, "oh man, I'm just kidding. I know you ain't broke big man. Only an idiot would walk into the finest inn in all of the Re-Estize with a pouch of silvers."

"Right… it's good that you believe so." Momon knew the importance of appearances when interacting with business partners, it was paramount to flaunt one's wealth in these sort of situations.

"Regardless, we apologize for approaching all of you without prior warning, however, I and my partner were hoping to pay our respects."

"Why in the world would you do that for?" A masked woman in a red cloak annoyingly muttered.

"It's only natural to pay respects to one's seniors. It would've been rude of us to come to the capital without greeting Blue Rose."

She frowned underneath her mask, "and why did you bother coming to the capital?"

Before the dark warrior could stammer out a response, the green-eyed woman interrupted, "Evileye! There's no need to villainize our comrades. I apologize Momon."

"It's fine, it's only understandable to be apprehensive of a stranger."

"Right… so I guess it would make sense to actually introduce ourselves before we derail from the conversation even more. I'm Lakyus."

She pointed at a pair of twins, "the one with a red ribbon is Tina, and the one with a blue ribbon is Tia."

Tina and Tia delivered a silent greeting to Momon and his charge while Lakyus continued her introductions.

"The tall one is Gagaran, as you may already know." Lakyus's finger then landed on the masked figure, "and she's Evileye, our magic caster."

Evileye grunted in dissatisfaction, barely acknowledging Darkness.

"I see, you have quite a colorful group. You all must have wonderful synergy."

"Are you gonna keep complimenting us like a fool or are you gonna introduce yourselves like you said you were going to?" Evileye scoffed.

This is not going well!

"Evileye! Please!"

Momon coughed into his closed fist, "it's fine, we have wasted enough time with pleasantries anyway, allow me to introduce my team."

"I am Momon of Darkness, a warrior." He slightly nudged Ninya in front of him, stopping her from hiding behind his back again, "and this is Ninya, our magic caster."

A kind smile found its way onto Lakyus's face, "hello little one, it's impressive to see someone reach the peak of humanity at such a young age."

"I-it's nothing, Miss Lakyus! It's all because of Momon, no one else."

Momon allowed a small chuckle to escape his mouth, "don't be ridiculous Ninya, you were the one to land the killing blow on the Gigant Basilisk. You can even cast third-tier magic, you earned your spot on the peak."

"Gigant Basilisk?" Gagaran muttered.

"So I guess—"

"—the rumors were true."

"Don't make me laugh."

Everyone at the table stared at the masked woman, "it's not possible to take down a Gigant Basilisk without a faith-based magic caster to provide healing and restoration. Not to mention that Gigant Basilisks are one of the worst enemies for a close-range combatant to fight. Their scales are as hard as mithril, and the poison coursing through their veins is enough to paralyze a giant. That's not to even mention their [Petrifying Gaze]."

She pointed at the dark warrior, "knowing that. It's reasonable enough to say that you're hiding information about the additional help you most likely received. After all, you, as a close combatant wouldn't stand a chance against the Gigant Basilisk." Evileye then pointed at Ninya, "and regardless of your ability, no one so young could have mastered the third-tier, you may know a few third-tier spells, but it's obvious that you lack the mastery necessary to take down a Basilisk."

She scoffed, "even a master of the arcane would run out of mana before whittling down a Gigant Basilisk to near death. Only the Tri-Arts magic caster, Fluder Paradyne, could accomplish such a feat, and even I doubt that he could slay one without support."

The members of Blue Rose all adopted apprehensive expressions, Gagaran even muttered, "the poison from its saliva would melt and corrode any armor like it was butter. Unless one was wearing adamantite, and it doesn't look like your armor is made out of the stuff."

Of course, the armor he was currently wearing was made out of a metal that was arguably harder than adamantite. But Gagaran didn't know that, all she knew was that his suit of armor wasn't made out of adamantite specifically.

As the apprehension of Blue Rose increased with Momon failing to respond to Evileye's accusations, Ninya had nearly screamed, "you're wrong!"

Momon placed a hand on Ninya's shoulder, "it's fine. They are entitled to believe what they want to believe. For all intents and purposes, Miss Evileye is correct in her belief."

"W-what are you talking about Mr. Momon! We did defeat the Gigant Basilisk! You defeated him!"

The black hero shook his head, "that is true, but I was referring to Miss Evileyes apprehension. She is obviously a smart and rational woman, it's only natural for her to question the validity of such an outlandish quest."

"If I told you that the sky was purple, would you believe me? No. Of course, you wouldn't. Miss Evileye is following a similar mindset, that of objective reasoning and rational questioning."

"B-but we did…"

"Enough Ninya, strength. True strength! Is shown, not discussed. Only a coward brags of their strength. It is the responsibility of the strong to allow those around them to determine if they are strong, not themselves."

Although the pout on her face didn't dissipate, she refrained from commenting any further.

"I apologize for my comrade's outburst, Miss Lakyus. It was not reasonable of us to act in such a way with our seniors."

The green-eyed woman waved her hands erratically, "No need to apologize! If anything this was my comrade's fault."

"Nonetheless, I would like to—"

"Holy crap! Will you two stop apologizing!? I swear Momon, you act just like a fresh cherry! Just accept our leader's apology and be done with it!" Gagaran exclaimed.

Fresh cherry?

"Although I hate to agree with the ape, she's right. This conversation has become repetitive, let's just get into the meat of the matter. Why did you come to the capital and visit us specifically? Only a fool would drop by to greet us for something as irrelevant as a greeting, so what's your purpose for being here?"

But that is why I dropped by! Crap. It's too late to pull out now, I have to somehow save face!

Momon coughed into his fist, trying his best to cool his nerves. "I see… nothing can get passed you, as expected of adamantite adventurers."

The dark warrior rather awkwardly walked toward a separate table and grabbed two spare chairs. Luckily, they were in a rather isolated section of the inn, so he wouldn't have to worry about anyone overhearing their conversation.

"Sit Ninya, this will be a long conversation."

His charge followed his command and promptly sat down on the offered chair. She was sitting adjacent to Gagaran who lovingly rubbed her head like a big brother.

Momon went on to take a seat between Ninya and Evileye. He made sure to increase the durability of the chair so it wouldn't break under him. This meeting had already gone terribly, he didn't want to make it worse by falling on his ass.

Once everyone sat down, Lakyus spoke up, "Please, speak freely. Formalities and etiquette have a place among nobles, not adventurers."

"Right. Although we truly came to greet the esteemed Blue Rose, there's another reason behind our visit." Momon paused to look at Ninya, "we are looking for someone."

The leader of Blue Rose adopted a contemplative expression, "I see… did the contractor provide any further details?"

"I'm afraid that this search of ours isn't a compensated quest. Rather, it's a personal matter."

Ninya frowned, "my sister… she was sold here."

All of the members of Blue Rose looked at the little girl with pity. Bare Evileye, "and what do you want us to do about it?"

"Some information and advice."

"Advice? You came to us for advice?"

Momon nodded, "indeed if the rumors are to be believed, you're the only people in this entire kingdom to have stood against Eight Fingers."

"Eight Fingers has her?" Lakyus frowned, "that means she's a—"

The dark warrior raised his hand to stop her from finishing her sentence, "we are well aware."

"Right… although we are happy to provide whatever information we can, we would like it if you didn't go screaming about our fight against Eight Fingers. Baseless rumors are one thing, but another adamantite adventurer backing those rumors will put us in danger."

"Of course, you don't even need to ask."

"With that said… are you truly prepared to fight Eight Fingers and save her sister? You'll be hunted for the rest of your life."

"That is a decision for me to decide."

The green-eyed cleric raised an eyebrow, "y'know, we can use your muscle for our future raids. Possibly increase our scope and attack more of their facilities. We'll target their slave trafficking departments first and try to save the young one's sister. All without revealing our identities or painting a target on our backs."

Momon shook his head, "I'm afraid that I've already made up my mind on how I'm going to approach this issue."

"Oh? And how exactly are you planning to approach Eight Fingers without spending the rest of your life on the run?" Gagaran asked.

"Directly. I will first go to the underground brothel that is storing Tuareninya and save her. Then I will go to every Eight Fingers facility in the capital and destroy them."

The shock on all of Blue Rose was almost comical. Lakyus's jaw dropped while Gagaran spit out the ale she was drinking. The twin assassins tilted their heads in an adorable yet apprehensive manner. Evileye was unreadable.

Lakyus sputtered, "y-you do realize that the Eight Fingers are spread across all of the Kingdom right? They might even have bases set up in the Baharuth Empire. Destroying all of their facilities here won't do anything except inconvenience them."

Evileye was the next to throw in her two cents, "not to mention that such a task is borderline impossible. Their security department is said to have members with power comparable to adamantite adventurers and they have thousands of grunts. There's a reason why no one has succeeded in taking the fight directly to them."

"They are also protected by—"

"—the nobles."

Wiping the ale off her lips, Gagaran muttered, " Not to mention that any violence against them and their clients will result in you getting thrown in jail. Especially since most of the clientele are nobles. You already know that it's illegal to lay a hand on a noble, cherry."

The raven hero nodded, "I understand the consequences of my actions, but there is little alternative. No matter what I do, I'll become an enemy of Eight Fingers, I might as well do it my way." He paused before muttering, "I'll never be able to look my old friends in the eyes if I don't do anything about these degenerates."

Slamming his fist onto the table, "with that said. I don't plan on rolling on my back like a coward either. I will destroy them."

"Then have fun killing yourself, but don't involve us. We have a way of doing things here." Evileye muttered in annoyance.

"I will, but I want some information first before I decide to walk toward my death."

The masked magic caster scoffed, "ha! Fine, what do you want to know."

"Their security department for one, and their general leadership so I know who to kill."

"We'll start with the easy one first, the security department." Evileye muttered, "they are led by Six Arms, experienced murderers and mercenaries that have the power to challenge an adamantite team. The grunts are worthless in comparison to them. The security team is the muscle of the organization, take them out and the remaining departments are left open. The king's personal army, despite their weakness, could probably stand against them with Six Arms out of the picture."

"...How can I lure out all of Six Arms to one location?"

"Fairly easily actually. Openly challenge them or Eight Fingers, and they will track you down to make an example. Or alternatively, they will send you a challenge and invite you to a location to kill you, probably with their affluent clients watching."

Momon nodded his head, urging the petite woman to continue.

"On to the leadership of Eight Fingers. We have been able to dig up several bills of sale and other classified letters that were meant to be burned. Even though we couldn't get all of their names. What we did get was the location of their usual meeting spot to discuss their operations."

Evileye queued Lakyus to slide the raven hero a piece of paper. "This slip of paper has the location of their headquarters and their typical meeting spot. Memorize it and give it back to us."

Momon did so and offered his thanks for the information while returning the note.

"Thank you, I'm in your debt. Please accept this as an expression of my appreciation." The warrior handed Evileye a scroll.

Holding the fancy-looking scroll in her hands, she asked, "what spell is in this?"

"A [Message] scroll that directly reaches me when activated. If you are ever in need, please use it and I will do all I can to aid you."

"Well considering the fact that you're a dead man walking, this doesn't equate to much but it's the thought that counts I guess."

"I'm glad you think so." Momon chuckled before getting serious, "I'm afraid there's one more thing that I would like to ask."

Lakyus smiled, "what is it?"

"When I save and heal Tuareninya, she will become a target. With or without her affiliation with me. So I need her to take on a new identity after I save her."

"I see…"

"If possible, can you disguise her?"

Lakyus frowned, "I'm not sure but I have an acquaintance that could possibly hire her as a maid."

Ninya spoke up first, "who?"

"The Golden Princess."

The tiny magic caster's eyes shot open in shock, "t-truly?"

"Mhm, we were friends growing up. She has a kind heart so I'm sure that she'll accept."

Upon hearing that, Momon slightly bowed his head in respect, "truly, you are too kind."

"Please raise your head! What did I say? We're adventurers, helping each other is a given."

Lakyus stood up and offered her hand, "despite the things my comrade has said, I have full faith in you. Good luck, I hope you succeed in your quest. We will be waiting for when you save Tuareninya."

Momon accepted her hand and delivered a firm handshake, "understood, thank you again."

Getting up from his seat, he directed Ninya away from the table and toward the exit of the inn, "Come, it's time for us to begin our pilgrimage."

"Yes! Momon!"

—x—

Blue Rose POV

Watching the dark hero mount his ferocious beast and trot away from the inn, Lakyus couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

"That guy's a real piece of work huh?" Gagaran muttered before taking another swig of ale.

"Strong, powerful, and indomitable—"

"—yet humble, kind, and respectful."

Evileye scoffed, "you can't be serious, the man is a fool. He might be worse than Climb. The only thing he has going for him is his strength."

"Oh? I thought you were questioning his strength."

"If you thought that, then you really are more muscles than brains Gagaran. I knew that he was telling the truth the minute he opened his mouth. A weak man would either wilt or become irrationally angry at my accusations."

With a nod, Tina muttered, "and a strong man would treat your accusations like a passing breeze—"

"—Because they have nothing to prove." Tia finished.

"Well, at least we know that he's legit now."

Evileye glanced at the Lakyus, "what about you leader? What do you think about the 'Raven Black Hero'"

"What do I think?" Lakyus paused to think, "I think he's a good man, if even half the rumors of his kindness are true, then I may very well be willing to call him a paragon."

The leader of Blue Rose smiled, "and seeing the way he treated that young girl? It all but solidified my respect for him."

"What if he's keeping her around for some nefarious reason? We already know that adamantite adventurers aren't immune to carnal desires. Just look at Cerabrate of Crystal Tear."

"Evileye! Don't say something so ridiculous!"

"I'm just saying that it would be wise to keep an eye open. We don't know who this man is, he's a mystery to everyone… an outlier."

Putting down her mug of ale, Gagaran muttered, "Shorty has a point, leader. No one knows where he came from, let's not go trusting him too much now. His heroic deeds were enough to convince us to depart with some classified information, but we shouldn't be putting our lives in his hands anytime soon."

"O-of course! You think I don't know that?"

Gagaran shrugged, "I don't know, you really looked like a maiden just now when you were watching him walk out of the inn."

"What!"

The masked magic caster groaned, "Ugh, for the love of the gods, let's not degrade this conversation into more 'girl talk'"

"Why—?"

"—It's fun."

"You don't know when 'girls talk' can come in handy Evileye! You might just live to regret not hearing all of our tips on the arduous subject that is love." Gagaran jokingly exclaimed.

"Stop saying such idiotic things muscle for brains."

"E-enough!" Lakyus interrupted, "to answer your concerns Evileye, I don't think that he's evil but I will reserve my trust until we can get a better read on him."

She paused before continuing, "however, let's refrain from comparing him to Cerabrate. We can only be so disrespectful!"

"Too far—"

"—very rude."

Evileye sighed, "I was just being hyperbolic, I don't know if he's a degenerate. I'm simply pointing out the possibility."

"But—!"

Cutting Lakyus off before she could interrupt her, Evileye continued, "—but. From our brief interaction, I can guess that their relationship is familial in nature. A surrogate father and daughter. He even went out of his way to teach her during our negotiations."

Lakyus took a minute to think before muttering, "good… make sure you never mention that little hyperbolic theory of yours to him."

"Naturally."