Chapter 4: The Hunt Begins
Diablo could feel the heat of the sun beating down on him from directly above, something he had been forced to get used to, yet he couldn't help but admit it made him feel sluggish.
The various shops and inns of E-Rantel passed by him and Rose as they continued down what seemed to be a main street.
We have a few days until the date of the planned attack, so that gives us some time to figure things out… but man does all this walking stink…
After being informed on the details of the Count's operation, Diablo and Rose parted ways with the abnormally strong warrior Momon and his companion Nabe, for the time being.
Registering with the guild was actually easier than he had assumed it would be, as the guild worker who had registered himself and Rose wrote down all the relevant information for them.
For once in his life, Diablo was thankful for the existence of bureaucracy.
Normally I hate having to deal with intermediaries and the like, but having to admit my illiteracy would've been infinitely worse!
A copper plate hung from his neck, one that he'd received from the guild after his registration. He held it out from his neck and stared at it for a moment, growing slightly annoyed at having to start from the bottom, but also excited at the premise of gaining notoriety again.
It doesn't really make sense for a Demon Lord to only be copper rank, but it's all roleplay anyways… maybe if I was a real Demon Lord I could've been a little more insistent…
It was far from uncommon for Diablo to burn bridges or start confrontations with people because of his Demon Lord roleplay, but he also knew when he had to respect the system.
This place doesn't have a formal concept of level, let alone a means of measuring it, so it only makes sense that people have to prove their worth through feats alone…
"Master, do we really need to trouble ourselves with an inferior product when we have more than enough provisions in the dungeon?"
Rose's complaint pulled Diablo out of his head, reminding him of what they were out walking for in the first place.
"You're mistaken, Rose. Even with our current supply, this place could have entirely different kinds of potions. Besides, even if they prove inferior to ours, it means we can make a hefty profit selling some of our own."
Rose let out a small sound of shock, but she quickly regained her happy composure since she remembered she was out alone with Diablo.
"Not to mention, I doubt the gold we have stored in the dungeon has much use as currency, so building up Re-Estize coinage is essential right now."
Even though Diablo had always hated crowds, he did enjoy the experience of exploring a new city for the first time, with a proper companion nonetheless.
I never would have imagined I'd be adventuring with someone back when I played Cross Reverie, but then again I never would've expected to be transported to another world, not once but twice now…
"Look ahead, master. That sign indicates an apothecary of some sort."
Dead ahead where Rose was pointing was a decent sized shop with a sign written in the local language.
"I trust your judgement, Rose, but how can you be sure?"
"Simple. I've been analysing the Re-Estize written language since we've stepped foot in this city. My understanding isn't fluent, but it's more than enough to identify what's written on a sign."
I would have no means of navigating this place besides looking at pictures without Rose, sometimes I forget she's actually an AI and can do these amazing kinds of things…
"Of-of course! As expected of a disciple of the true Demon Lord."
That last comment made Rose blush, but Diablo quickly diffused any possible awkwardness by swiftly walking into the shop.
As they entered the building, Diablo saw all the things he'd expect from a potion maker's workshop.
The walls were lined with shelves containing countless labeled and unlabeled bottles, various types of glass tubing that looked straight out of a chemist's lab were scattered about, and even an industrial looking refinery sat in the corner.
This looks a lot more in depth than the potion making process I know, but it is another world after all…
After a few moments of looking around, a short elderly woman came around the corner to greet them.
"Welcome! My name is Lizzy Bareare, the owner of this shop. Forgive me for making assumptions, but you two are adventurers, correct?"
Rose's current robe was rather unassuming, but Diablo's EX rank gear was on full display, and even to an untrained eye, it's quality was obvious.
"An easy assumption, but yes, we are adventurers new to the city."
Diablo promptly showed his copper plate as he said this, which made the shopkeeper's face drop a little bit.
She probably assumed I was some high ranking adventurer based on my gear, but fortunately for her, I'm a bit more interesting than a normal copper rank customer…
"Don't act so glum, I'd advise you don't judge my worth as a customer based on something like this plate."
Realizing that she had shown her emotions on her face, the elderly shopkeeper started nervously laughing and waving her hands as if she had just been joking.
"Banish the thought! I treat all customers equally, regardless of the status of their finances. Please, tell me your names so we can be properly acquainted."
"I am Diablo, a demon lord from another world!"
Guess I got a little too comfortable for a second there…
Lizzy Bareare had been in the business of dealing with adventurers long enough that she was willing to brush his introduction off as the eccentricity expected of some adventurers.
"And you certainly fill the part, the horns work great with the whole "demonic" image."
She held a finger up on each side of her head and curled them to imitate Diablo's own horns as well, further demonstrating the lack of seriousness she took his demon lord claim for.
Ah, I guess she doesn't really believe it either… Me being a weirdo adventurer is more likely than actually being a demon lord, can't blame her for that…
"My name is Rose."
The magimatic maid at his side jumped in with her introduction, slightly annoyed at how her master was being treated.
"Ah! A beautiful name for a beautiful young woman. I'd love to help you two however I can."
"Excellent. In that case, I'd like you to appraise a few potions for me. I know their value, but I'm curious as to what kind of price an expert potion maker would give them."
Lizzy's interest was somewhat piqued at the idea of appraising these potions, but she doubted this copper rank could show her anything like the true potion she had appraised earlier that day.
"Please, follow me to the workshop."
Following the elderly shopkeep through a short hallway, they arrived at a large wooden table that looked like a workbench.
Lizzy took a seat and prompted the others to do the same. Diablo sat down next to her, but Rose decided to remain standing at his side.
"Alright, let's see what you have,"
Diablo reached into the item pouch at his waist and pulled out a 《Basic HP Recovery Potion》.
Lizzy couldn't tell from this simple action, but the pouch at Diablo's waist held far more than its small size should physically allow, a bonus of having fully upgraded the pouch, a process which had cost the original Takuma Sakamoto six thousand yen.
Imagine the look on her face if I start pulling out potions by the dozen… It'd be like a bad magic act, except it'd be actual magic in this case…
Inside the test tube-like container that Diablo had pulled from the pouch was a green liquid sealed with a cork.
Lizzy instantly lit up with intrigue when she saw it.
"I've rarely seen potions in a container like this, let alone one that is green, very peculiar…"
The veteran potion-maker was now clearly intrigued with what Diablo had to offer.
"Would you mind if I examined it?"
Diablo obliged with an "Umu", and handed her the vial. What she did next was not in his expectations.
"「Appraisal Magic Item, Detect Enchant」."
As she said this, a soft greenish glow came from her hand, which slowly faded after a few seconds.
"Impossible… and it's not even red like the other!?"
Was that magic she used just now?! And it's not like any spell I've ever heard, there certainly wasn't any appraisal magic in Cross Reverie…
"Impressive, I suppose I expect nothing less from a professional like yourself,"
Rose had a small look of amusement, most likely because of her ability to appraise any weapon, which, unlike what Lizzy had just demonstrated, doesn't extend to things like consumables.
"This is not a true potion in the sense that it wasn't made purely by magic, but it still has the properties of never expiring as well having nearly the same effectiveness!"
Really!? If she's that amazed over a basic healing potion, she's probably gonna lose it when she sees the others…
"I-Is that so? Well I wouldn't have bothered you if I didn't have something worth showing,"
"By my estimation, this should be equal to a first-tier healing spell, worth about four gold pieces. Would you mind telling me where you procured such an item?"
She seems to think this potion is really something special… I guess just like in the last world, the average level of things was lower across the board, even with potions…
Also, what does she mean by "first tier"? That guy leading the Sunlit Scripture mentioned tier magic as well, but I've never heard spells categorized in such a way… Although if this basic potion is only in the first tier, what tier could my superior potions possibly be in?
"I made that potion myself, I am a 《Master Combiner》 after all."
Upon hearing such a revelation, Lizzy's face lit up in genuine curiosity.
"I-I've never heard of an adventurer being so adept in potion making! I understand wanting to protect your trade secrets, but would you inform me at all about your process?!"
The woman beside Diablo was bordering on aggressive with how she was speaking and leaning towards him, but he had dealt with far more pressing social situations up to this point, to his dismay.
"Well, I simply combine the ingredients with my hands, are potions like these not done in such a fashion normally?"
"Of course, any potion made without magic would be created in such a manner, but the quality of this simply surpasses my knowledge on handcrafted potions…"
I can only imagine how she's going to react to these next ones…
"This is one of my weaker potions anyways, I'd like you to inspect this next one."
Diablo reached into his pouch once again, and pulled out a glass tube identical to the last, except this time the liquid inside was blue.
"Ah, well it's nice to see something familiar. As a potion-maker yourself, I'm sure you're aware of how potions normally turn blue during the manufacturing process. What's so special about this one?"
Of course I'm not aware of anything like that… Not only did I just have to click "combine" on my interface, but I've never heard of potions changing colors either…
"It's nothing spectacular, just a simple MP potion. Although the ingredients for it are on the rarer side."
"MP? What exactly do you mean by that? Is it a potion that induces a buff?"
This lady just used magic in front of me, so I was expecting her to understand that term… maybe they use a different term here? Perhaps…
"Mana. It's what you would call a mana potion."
After hearing Diablo's answer, the previously jovial shopkeeper grew dead serious.
"Normally I'd assume you would be joking about such a thing, but based on this first potion you showed me, the idea doesn't seem entirely out there."
"What exactly do you mean? The ingredients for MP potions are rather hard to find, but it's something any decent sorcerer uses, correct?"
Lizzy Bareare stared at him silently for a moment, before shaking her head and holding out her hand.
"I'm not sure what place you come from Diablo, but in all my years of living, not once have I seen a real potion that can replenish mana. I've never even heard stories outside of the fantasies of potion-makers like myself. The real test though, is my appraisal magic!"
No one uses MP potions around here?! That makes it sound impossible to level up as a sorcerer, but then again, most people adventure in teams… My solo play style definitely wouldn't have been viable here…
"Hmph. I did say I came from another world didn't I? A demon lord doesn't obey the known order of things."
He handed her the potion as he said this, and there was the smallest sign of Lizzy starting to believe his claim.
"「Appraisal Magic Item, Detect Enchant」!"
The same glow appeared from before, except this time Lizzy seemed like she was about to pass out.
"Th-this potion, it really does replenish one's mana stores…"
I've got a bad feeling about what I've just shown this woman…
"Diablo, do you have any idea what this means? This is the precipice of an alchemical revolution! Please! I'd do anything, give you anything, I beg that you tell me your secret! Oh, if only Nferia was here right now to witness this miracle!"
I guess you can't just look up the ingredients on a strategy guide in a world like this, but even if you could, based on her explanation, I doubt the ingredients to make MP potions even exist in this world if they haven't been created yet…
"A demon lord doesn't reveal such things so easily, but for the sake of my own interest, I'll enlighten you on one of the ingredients."
"E-Even just that would be amazing, how could I possibly repay you for such information?"
I don't want to rob this old woman blind, and I imagine I can make more than enough just selling her some of my extra potions, so let's just try this…
"Consider this one a freebie, a token of knowledge to start our business relationship. As far as I'm concerned though, the ingredients for this potion can't be found in this plane of existence. For starters, do you possess, or have at least heard of 《Sacred Mountain Water》?"
The ecstatic look on Lizzy's face disappeared almost instantly.
"No… I've never heard of such a thing. You say this is a key ingredient of a mana potion?"
Just as I thought, either rare ingredients from Cross Reverie can't be obtained here, or no one ever knew what to look for…
"It's unfortunate, but you shouldn't despair. I have a great stockpile of potions to my name, including MP potions of course. I would be interested if someone of your skill could perhaps create a similar potion if you have a finished product to work with."
The veteran potion-maker's eyes lit up once again at the prospect being offered to her.
"You're saying you want me to try and reverse-engineer a mana potion of my own?! I never would have imagined it, but with the real thing in my hands, I can't say no!"
"Also, who is this Nferia you spoke of? Someone that works here?"
"Ah, Nferia is my grandson, and a prodigy potion-maker in his own right. He can even use magic at his age, I know he would be more than excited to see all of this."
Not that I know anything about the theory behind magic, but he's got to be a pretty smart kid to use spells at a young age… I wonder how he leveled up?
"Where is your grandson then? I'd suspect he would be running the shop with you."
"Of course, he's just out running errands. He should be going to the adventurer's guild right now, since we need to put a request in for an escort to Carne Village."
I guess the world is a small place after all… It's a good thing I saved that village, I can't imagine if that poor kid were to happen upon Carne after those knights were through with it…
"Carne Village? Why would your grandson need to go to a small village like that?"
"It's the closest village to the Forest of Tob, and even though the roadways there are relatively safe, it's best to have extra protection when wandering into the forest where the herbs used for potions are located. Though as long as the Wise King of the Forest is around to ward off more powerful monsters, it's an easy job."
Did she say the Wise King of the Forest?! I guess Hamusuke does have some legend around her, but I didn't realize she served such an important purpose! I told her to monitor the area around my dungeon, so I can't be sure she's still performing her former duties as well…
"Potion ingredients you say… It might be worth my time to gather these herbs as well. I'm still unsure as to the compatibility of your ingredients with my potions, so it's worth a try."
"I would be honored to have a master of the craft work with Nferia! If he's kept to schedule, he should be on his way back from the guild soon. He's requesting another peculiar copper rank like you who's potion wound up in my shop. All I know about him is that he has expensive looking black armor and two massive swords on his back."
She's talking about Momon, huh? So not only is he powerful, he's got access to unknown potions as well…
"Before I leave, what kind of potion did this copper rank have? Did they look anything like mine?"
"No, what that man possessed was a true potion. I could tell from its red color, but I didn't believe it until my appraisal magic confirmed that it was indeed a true potion. It's similar to that first potion you showed me, except it was made purely from magic rather than herbs."
I've never seen a red potion in Cross Reverie before, not even in the world where I could've run into it as an unimplemented part of the game… Yet this woman says she's never seen a potion like that one either…
Who could this Momon really be? Maybe he had a potion from his home country that had developed the technique to make such a thing… But that doesn't make sense, if he's traveled so far, either he would have run out of potions or at the very least wouldn't give them out as easily as he did…
That would suggest he has enough to give away some without issue, which means he has a stockpile… But where? He's obviously not carrying them on his person, and there's no way he would leave a fortune like that unattended in his inn room…
None of this makes any sense, but all I can do is be more wary of him…
"Someone of my level is too much for a simple escort mission, but since I require your grandson's knowledge of the area and local flora, I'll join him on his next trip, pro bono."
"Th-that would be wonderful! You're welcome to stay at the shop until Nferia returns, perhaps I could show you some of my process in the meantime?"
Getting my potions appraised was the only thing on my list for now, and it's already almost dusk…
"Very well, I permit you to entertain me while we wait for Nferia."
It wouldn't be very demon-lord-like to be too interested in someone else's potions, I think ended the conversation organically enough though…
…
Diablo felt like he was back in chemistry class with the lesson he had just received on potion-making from Lizzy Bareare.
She was just finishing up explaining the process of the alchemical refinery when the creaking sound of the front door opening got everyone's attention.
"Grandma! I'm back!"
A boy who looked to be in his late teens came around the corner into the workshop. His long bowl-shaped haircut almost covered his eyes entirely, and his white collared shirt and leather apron really sold his look as a craftsman.
He was surprised to see two customers in the back, especially this close to closing time.
Nferia couldn't help but let an audible gulp escape his mouth when he saw the menacing horned man sitting beside his grandma.
"Ah! Welcome back, Nferia. These two are very special guests of mine, please, don't look so stressed."
Seeing the genuine look of reassurement from his grandma, Nferia exhaled and relaxed his face.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Nferia, although it seems like most people know me around the city these days."
He reached out his hand towards Diablo, who reluctantly raised his in return.
"You can call me Diablo, your grandma here was just appraising some potions for me."
Even though Nferia had no ability to properly sense someone's magic power, just from a simple handshake alone he was able to tell that the man before him was not someone to make an enemy of. He imagined that his grandma could probably sense it as well, since she also had the capacity for magic.
The beautiful woman standing beside the aptly named Diablo also sent a chill down Nferia's spine. She didn't give off any magical energy, but her gaze alone seemed enough to kill.
"Wh-what would your name be, miss?"
The stone cold beauty gave a look of disinterest, and gave a simple response.
"Rose."
"I-I see! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
First I met a man like Momon, and now this guy too?! Is there a reason all these new, powerful adventurer teams are showing up to E-rantel? They're both only duo teams as well, it makes no sense how they've survived as long as they have…
"Anyways… What kind of potions did you guys bring in? You mind telling me where they're from?"
"Diablo here is actually quite the experienced potion-maker, Nferia. The two potions he showed me were made by none other than himself."
"I can't say I've ever heard of an adventurer taking the time to learn how to make potions, but I'm very impressed! It must've been hard balancing adventuring with learning a craft like this."
It's not like I can just say that I maxed out my《Combiner》 class in a video game…
"Hmph, I come from a chaotic world where such a thing was necessary for my survival. Don't expect to understand my intentions so easily."
His casual claim of being from another world confused Nferia at first, but he quickly assumed Diablo was merely being metaphorical.
"Well, whatever place you came from must've been very dangerous, I'm glad that someone so strong has decided to stay in E-Rantel."
"Speaking of which, your grandmother here told me you were planning a trip into the forest of Tob. I assume you've already made arrangements with another group by now, but I was planning to accompany you anyways. I wish to learn about the potion ingredients that lay in the forest, in exchange for protecting you, of course."
"It would be a pleasure to bring you along, I imagine the other adventurers won't mind at all since it won't be affecting their pay."
Nferia was already interested in the dark warrior called Momon, but he hoped he could possibly learn something from Diablo along the way as well, given his alleged knowledge on potions.
"You might as well tell the other adventurers they won't be needed. There exists no enemy that Diablo cannot defeat that some other lesser adventurer could."
Rose chimed in for the first time in the conversation, unsurprisingly in a somewhat hostile manner.
"W-Well, I don't doubt Diablo's strength, or your own, but I've already made a commitment to hire them. It's business etiquette, but beyond that, it never hurts to have more adventurers when dealing with monsters."
Rose looked like she had more to say, so Diablo cut in to prevent severing this relationship right after forming it.
"Bring however many, it matters not. As long as I'm present, no mere monsters are going to cause a problem."
Nferia smiled reassuringly, and nodded his head.
"It's a deal then! We're leaving tomorrow morning, so meet us at the northern gate around midday, alright?"
Diablo replied with an Umu, and stood up from his chair.
"With all that settled, I think we'll be taking our leave. I imagine we'll be doing business again soon, Mrs. Bareare, and Nferia, I'll see you at the gate tomorrow."
Lizzy Bareare seemed like she had much more to ask Diablo, but instead she said her goodbyes, quelling her immense curiosity.
"Come back once you've completed your job with Nferia, I know you must have more amazing potions up your sleeve somewhere!"
I wish I had known about the lack of MP potions around here before showing her one, but at least I was able to procure some information about this place…
"See you tomorrow, Diablo!"
After a few steps around the corner, Diablo was out the front door with Rose in tow, back onto the bustling streets of E-Rantel.
…
Later that night, under the cloak of darkness, a hooded shadow made their way through the largest graveyard in E-Rantel. Their jet black cloak blended perfectly with the darkness, minimizing any signs of movement as they nimbly avoided all the sources of magical light throughout the graveyard.
After traversing deep enough into the necropolis, they came upon a mausoleum. The shadowy figure slowly removed their hood, revealing them to be a young human woman. She looked to be around twenty years old, and very attractive by conventional standards, although her feline-like face could be described as slightly off putting.
"This is the place!"
She said this playfully, smoothing back her short orange-blonde hair before pushing open the stone mausoleum door.
Inside the large stone building, there were no bodies on the stone platforms for laying out corpses, and the ornaments put up when praying for the souls of the deceased had already been taken down. Still, a cloying smell tingled her nose, as if the stone had absorbed the tons of incense burned over the years.
Wrinkling her brow, she walked up to the large platform in the back of the room.
"Hmm~hmm~hmm! Let's see…"
As she hummed to herself, she knelt down and pressed one of the ornate carvings at the base of the platform.
A ker-chk sound resonated through the room, after which the platform began to rumble to the side, revealing a descending staircase underneath.
"I'm coming iiin~!"
The woman gave her greeting to whoever may be at the bottom, stretching the final vowel in a carefree way as she began her descent. There was one turn along the way, and the bottom opened up into a large cavern.
The walls and floor were made of dirt, but due to the cavern being partially man-made, it seemed like it wouldn't collapse any time soon. There was no apparent source of fresh air, yet the underground space lacked the stale smell one would normally expect. However, this place was not part of the graveyard, it was something far more sinister. Strange tapestries hung from the walls, and beneath them sat numerous blood red candles that gave off a gorey scent along with their dim glow. Obscured by the dancing shadows given off by the candles' light were several holes in the wall, large enough for humans to pass through, although not comfortably.
The woman swept her eyes across the room before focusing on a silhouette in the corner.
"Oh! Hey, you hiding over there! You have a guest!"
The shoulders of the shadowed figure flinched after being called out.
"H'lo! I'm here to see Khaj, is he here?
The man was clearly unsure of what to do, and he flinched again as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps from behind him.
"You can excuse yourself, I'll deal with the girl."
The new arrival dispatched his hesitant colleague and showed himself, walking out from the shadows.
Instead of the undead-looking Khaj that the woman was expecting, a different old man walked out into the light.
"You must be Clementine, Khajit told me about you."
He spoke with a distinguished voice that matched his aged looks: long greyish-white hair that went past his shoulders, as well as a lengthy goatee to match.
The most peculiar thing about his figure though, was his left arm. All that remained of it was just above the elbow, and it seemed to be completely frozen over.
"I didn't know Khaj kept cripples around his secret lair, but it's none of my business. Why don't you be a dear and take me to him, hmm~?"
Clementine didn't think much of the old man before her. He only had one good arm, and his glory days were obviously far behind him.
What intrigued her though, was the spear he gripped tightly in his right hand. Appraising weapons was hardly one of her strong suits, but as a warrior who had entered the realm of heroes, Clementine could feel the power in that spear calling out to her.
"Khajit is busy preparing for the death spiral, although I assume you already knew such a thing. And I suggest you show some respect to your elders, both in age and experience."
"Oyah~? Maybe 'ole Khaj didn't give you the full picture?"
The two stared each other down for a moment, before Clementine, without missing a beat, dashed towards the man at speeds impossible for a normal human. She pulled one of her stilettos from her hip before she reached the man, aiming it towards his neck.
Clementine didn't plan on actually killing the man, just getting close enough to remind him of his place on the totem pole. However, his reaction was the last thing she was expecting.
Before she could get her weapon anywhere close to him, the grizzled veteran whipped his spear forwards at a speed nearly indecipherable to Clementine, despite his one-handed grip, stopping it just before Clementine's own neck.
"Foolish child, did you think I would be welcomed into this organization without any merit? You've grown drunk on your power over others, always fighting as if your opponent is weaker than you!"
Clementine's jaw was clenched shut, her teeth slowly grinding back and forth as she endured the first sense of embarrassment in what felt like her entire life. She could count on one hand the humans strong enough to possibly best her in combat, and this geezer was not one of them.
"Who are you, then?"
Her usual carefree, singsongy tone was now gone. It was clear that whatever facade she normally put up, was now gone.
"Paladin Captain Batutta, or I should say 'former' paladin captain."
He pulled his spear away from Clementine's head as he said this, at which she slowly stood back up, putting her stiletto back in its hilt.
"As a fellow member of Zurrernorn, I hold no hostility towards you. But don't think for a moment that I'll allow any such further disrespect."
There was an extended silence between the two, mostly due to Clementine not knowing how to act around this mysterious old paladin who called himself Batutta.
"Well, if Khaj doesn't want to come out, you can at least give him this for me."
As she said this, Clementine pulled something out from within her armor and tossed it to Batutta.
"And this is?"
In the Paladin's hands was a circlet, although one far more ornate than he had ever seen. It was composed of innumerable tiny gemstones which were delicately attached to metal threading as thin as spider's silk. There was also a large black crystal set in its center, about where the wearer's forehead would be.
"Nothing special, just a Crown of Wisdom that I snatched from a pretty looking girl back in the Theocracy."
"A Crown of Wisdom… I wasn't quite sure what they looked like, but if this is what you say it is, then maybe this won't be a waste of time after all."
A smile began to creep back onto Clementine's face, her ego reinflating as her plans still fell into place despite the appearance of this so-called 'Paladin Captain'.
"However, from my understanding these things are useless without a proper vessel to utilize it. Surely you wouldn't have acted with such shortsightedness?"
"I'm not sure if you know, but there's someone in this city with a wonderful talent. One that allows them to use any magical item, maybe something like that crown?"
Batutta let out a chortle as he realized what Clementine was insinuating.
"You want to kidnap this person to aid in speeding up the death spiral ritual, correct?"
"What? Would a paladin never stoop to a low like kidnapping? Surely you've already crossed that hurdle if you're a member of Zurrernorn?"
Clementine was back to her playful teasing, almost as if she had forgotten the display of power that the man before her performed moments ago.
"My past is none of your concern, but I assure you there's no sin I'm unwilling to commit in the execution of our goals. You could even say I have an expertise in the subject."
Batutta gave off no inclination of lying, which led Clementine to wonder why a former paladin would have such a checkered past.
"Here's a question for you, though. What do you stand to gain from all this? I doubt you're the kind of person who would simply be charitable to their organization."
"I just wanna cause a commotion on my way outta this city. I don't know how much Khaj has told you, but I'm kind of a wanted girl."
Batutta fastened his spear to his back, and put his one good hand on his chin in thought.
"I can see how this is all mutually beneficial, but I'd like to ask you one more thing. Khajit has his plans for the Death Spiral, but I have a ritual of my own that I've been working to perfect. It's possible that using the Crown of Wisdom could aid its completion, but there's still a key missing element. Or it'd be more apt to say, a key missing person."
"Oyah~? Is the mighty Captain Batutta requesting my help in finding someone?"
Even Batutta had to be slightly amused at how quickly she was able to flip their power dynamic in her favor, but pride was never something that stood in the way of his mission.
"Normally my Paladin Brigade would be able to handle work like that, but obviously I no longer have that kind of manpower at my disposal. You, however, should be able to navigate this city better than anyone else."
"Well, I'm normally not one for flattery, but I'll keep my eye out. Why don'tcha~ give me a description?"
Clementine hardly felt indebted to this man, but if she could have a favor to hold over him in the future, it would be more than worth kidnapping one more person.
"Knowing her personality, I doubt she's changed her outfit to blend in. Look for a woman with platinum blonde hair and hazel eyes. She'll be wearing a white silk dress with red accents, and a hat with the symbol of the Lyferian faith."
"And the girl's name?"
"Lumachina Weselia, the Head Priestess of the Lyferian Church."
…
Hey everyone, back with an update finally. One of Diablo's biggest advantages is revealed, the MP potion! Many people probably don't know, but there's no MP potions in either Yggdrasil or the New world, which gives Diablo a huge advantage in a prolonged battle of magic. Also the appearance of a familiar face, that's right, Isekai Maou villains will be appearing as well. Feel free to check out my other Overlord crossover that I updated a few weeks ago too!