SPLAT!

That was the sound of a zombie's head getting squished flat by a warhammer-wielding adventurer. The zombie was one of the last members of the undead horde.

The battle was pretty much over.

All of the flying ones had been eradicated by the magic casters, especially the one who had been casting unfamiliar spells that looked like flying snakes made of light. Everytime that 'light snake' spell was casted, at least one flying undead would just disintegrate into nothing.

And that was amazing, because while bone vultures weren't that sturdy their nimbleness made them able to evade arrows and magic projectiles quite easily. They were pretty much the annoying and dangerous 'hit and run' type monster.

The wraiths were a different story. Their existence was incorporeal, so the only way to hurt them was with magic. They were also a 'hit and run' type in a different way. Instead of speed they could go almost perfectly transparent temporarily, making them practically invisible except to the keenest of eyes. Their negative touch were almost always fatal to anyone getting ambushed by them.

Both the wraiths and vultures were taken care of thanks to the 'light snake' spell being able to home in on targets, making the job easier against the ground forces.

"We're done here! Let's go to aid the one who had gone in first!"

Even though each adventurer already had their own team, there always one who acted as if he was in charge. In this case it was the guard officer who had come with them. Still, the teams agreed to follow his command since that was what they were gonna do anyway.

However, before they even began to advance, they saw something approaching.

There were three figures. Two were human, one was not.

Nobody paid attention to the two human figures because of the one beast figure. It was a giant furred beast with a snake for its tail. There was only one word needed to describe the beast.

Majestic.

"Momon-san!"

The adventurers heard someone calling, probably towards one of the two humans. The one calling was the same magic caster who had been casting the 'light snake' spell.

Once the three figures were close enough to the group, they stopped and the one wearing full plate armor began speaking. It was at this point when everyone noticed that he was carrying a guy on his shoulder.

"I have taken care of the culprit causing this undead outbreak and rescued the civilian they kidnapped"

The officer mustered up his courage to ask.

"Are you the one who broke through the undead horde first?"

"Yes, and I believe there are surviving guards who can testify. Now if you excuse me, I have to return this unfortunate civilian to my client, his family"

The group gave way to the three figures and they nonchalantly walked through, eventually disappearing behind the gate.

Having no idea what to do, most of the teams decided to dismiss themselves and let the guild decide on their follow up rewards. It was late at night after all, so most of them were already quite tired.


At the following morning, Ryu woke up from bed feeling not fully rested yet. He wanted to sleep again, but last night on the way back he was approached by a guild officer telling him to come to the guild in the morning. The other adventurers participating in the battle did not get told so, so Ryu felt it would be important.

After having breakfast and paying the fee for one week in advance, Ryu and Lily went to the Adventurer's Guild building. He went to the receptionist and told her about the matter.

"A room has been prepared. Please follow me"

Ryu followed the receptionist lady to a small meeting room just like the one he had entered a few times. There was nothing special about this room, just the same set of table and chairs for a small meeting.

"Please have a seat and wait here for a moment"

Ryu and Lily sat down after the receptionist lady left the room. Both of them felt a bit uneasy sitting around and waiting for whoever going to meet them.

Thankfully, the wait didn't last more than two minutes.

The door opened, and the one entering was a middle aged man with a thick moustache. His outfit was pretty neat and elegant compared to most people Ryu had met in this world.

"Greetings. I am Pluton Ainzach, the Guildmaster of Adventurer's Guild"

"Pleased to meet you. I am Ryu and this is my partner Lily"

Ryu and Ainzach had a handshake, and then they all sat down.

"I would like to talk with you longer, but I have many pressing matters to attend to, so I will get straight to the point. Your team is now promoted to Platinum rank"

"I see... wait, what?!"

Both Ryu and Lily couldn't hide their surprise. Did they hear it right that they had been promoted just like that, and they skipped a number of ranks as well?

"Our investigation regarding the event last night revealed that according to witness testimony you singlehandedly held the line with your magic so none of the undead broke through the gate until reinforcements came. On top of that you also eradicated most of the flying undeads and before that you killed at least a thousand undead"

"That was totally exaggerated, Ainzach-dono"

"Also, you seem to never ran out of mana despite the great amount spells you casted"

"Well..."

"To tell you the truth, I was not happy with this promotion to Platinum"

Despite saying that, Ainzach's face and tone did not show hostility. In fact, it felt like he was ashamed.

"Indeed. You don't have to do that, Ainzach-dono"

"You should have been promoted to Orichalcum!"

At this point, both Ryu and Lily's minds could no longer compute. Only one word could come out from their mouth.

"What...?"

"The feats you have done were more than worthy for Orichalcum, maybe even Adamantite if we stretch it a bit. However, circumstances just wouldn't allow us to promote you that far!"

Ainzach then briefed Ryu and Lily about another adventurer team with exceptional feat in that event. The team managed to beat two skeletal dragons at the same time and killed the mastermind behind the event. He also would have liked to promote them to Adamantite, but since that team had no prior accomplishments the guild decided to be prudent and promoted them to only Mithril.

Ryu's team had the same circumstances as that team, and it was decided that the other team's feats was the greater one, so Ryu's team was promoted to Platinum because promoting two different Copper rank teams straight into Mithril would raise unrest among other adventurers.

"Ah, I'm running out of time. I have arranged the receptionist below for the paperwork. Go visit her after this"

"Alright"

"Thank you for your hard work. Be seeing you again someday"

After saying that, Ainzach hurried himself away from the room. His face really showed that something serious was happening.

"Ryu-san. I think I need time to let it sink in"

"Me too, Lily. Me too"

"By the way, the other team is Momon's team, isn't it?"

"No doubt about it"

"I wonder if I can be as strong as him someday"

Lily's tone and expression showed admiration towards this Momon person. It seemed she now had someone to look up to, a goal to work towards. Ryu felt that it would be better to keep the fact a secret that Momon was actually her creator.

"Who knows. Anyway, let's go downstairs"

The two of them went down to the receptionist lady. Like Ainzach had said, everything had been arranged for their promotion. Two plates of pure white color had been prepared to replace their brown plate.

"With this, your promotion is complete. From now on you can take jobs of Platinum level and below"

"Thank you"

"Also, take this"

The lady gave them a small bag. Ryu could easily recognize it as a money pouch. He took a look inside and saw a bunch of silver coins with several gold coins visible among them.

"W-What is this money?"

Ryu tried to keep himself calm and composed, but it was very difficult.

"Our estimate worth of all the undeads you exterminated last night"

"I-I don't know what to say. It is so much it is overwhelming"

Ryu's mind were overwhelmed. In the pouch he could notice at least four gold coins. That meant he could just rest and relax for at least six months without lifting a finger.

But that also meant something else.

It also meant that now he had enough grace period to begin investigating why and how he had gotten stranded on this unknown planet.

Despite that fact, he still had no idea where to begin.

"Ryu-san. You're spacing out"

Lily's words woke Ryu up from his muse.

"Ah. Sorry. We will take this then. Thank you"

"Thank you for your hard work. We hope to see more from you in the future"

Ryu was planning to leave, but he remembered something about Ainzach and he got curious about it. So he asked the receptionist.

"By the way, Sir Ainzach seemed to be very pressured. Is something serious happening, if I may know?"

"I still have not been told the details, but I do know that a number of Mithril rank adventurers had been called to gather here"

"I see. Thank you"

Ryu walked away from the receptionist lady. From her answers something serious was definitely happening, and that matter was so serious it was off limits to adventurers lower than Mithril. He was concerned but it seemed there was nothing he could do at the moment.

Ryu and Lily took a seat on the first vacant seat he saw. He went back to thinking about what he should do next. But it didn't last long.

"Ryu-san!"

Ryu looked at the one calling him with familiar voice. His face brightened seeing them.

It was Peter, along with his entire Swords of Darkness team.

"Peter-san! And the others too! You're all right!"

"It was thanks to you"

"No objections to that!"

"Thanks to you I'm now still alive to feel the love I'm having inside!"

Dyne and Lukrut were back to their bright side. Though Ninya has been silent so far.

"Uhh... Ryu-san..."

"Yes?"

"T-Thank you for saving my life!"

Ninya bowed down deeply as she said that.

"I-If you weren't there I..."

"No, please don't say that. While I did heal you, you should thank someone else. You should thank Nfirea"

"Nfirea?"

"Yes. If he had not offered himself in exchange, I wouldn't have been able to heal you"

Peter then replied on Ryu's words.

"We actually went to his house earlier and did so. Also, it seems he and his grandmother were preparing to move out"

"Did he say where?"

"He said that they would move to Carne Village and live there. He wouldn't tell why, though"

"I see. By the way, are you here looking for another job?"

"We're actually planning to move to the Capital of Re-Estize"

"Oh, why is that?"

"I believe from last night you know a bit of Ninya's story"

"Oh... yes..."

Ryu then remembered about Ninya's backstory, though all he remembered was that her sister had been kidnapped and now Ninya was on a mission to someday rescue her.

"The aristocrat holding her is very likely from somewhere in the capital. We will continue our work as adventurers there while gathering information as well"

"An aristocrat? That sounds dangerous. Are you sure you are ready?"

"Our plan was to rank up to Gold first before moving there, but what happened last night felt like a message for us to get on with it immediately"

"And I somehow feel that I won't be able to see my sister again ever if I don't go now"

Ninya looked depressed as she said that. Ryu wanted to cheer him up a bit, but he didn't know what to say other than one thing.

"You really love your sister, don't you?"

"Yes. In fact, I want to confess that my name is not my real name"

"Eh?"

"Ninya is a part of my sister's name. It is the reminder of my mission, and I won't go back to my real name until I complete it"

Ryu looked at the other members. Peter was the first to catch the drift, wrapping his left arm to Ninya's shoulder.

"She confessed to us this morning, including the fact that she's a girl"

"You should have told us from the beginning. Despite what I said our team will be fine!"

Lukrut said that, patting Ninya on the back pretty hard.

"What is the name of your sister?"

"Tuareninya Veyron"

"Tuareninya Veyron, eh?"

Both Ryu's team and Swords of Darkness team got surprised by the sudden voice from behind them. It was the towering figure they were very familiar with.

"Momon-san!"

"Ah, the lovely as always Nabe-chan is also here. Please allow me to once again ask for a date soon!"

"Get out of my sight, you insect"

"Ooh, as cold as ever!"

Despite Nabe's harsh reply, Lukrut remained cheerful. It was the first time Ryu saw such exchange, so it felt weird for him. But it seemed that the others were already used to it.

"What are you doing here, Momon-san?"

"I was called here for a serious matter, Peter. And I am already late, so I will take my leave now"

"I see"

"And Ninya, I will keep that name in mind if I happen to come across it by chance in the future"

"T-Thank you, Momon-san!"

Ninya bowed very deep to express her gratitude. Momon just nonchalantly walked to the stairs after that, but the entire Swords of Darkness team's faces brightened, as if a new light of hope appeared before them.

"Momon-san is so great!"

"Indeed! I just feel like we will definitely find Ninya's sister when he said that"

Ryu couldn't help but agree. Momon seemed to have become someone dependable in the eyes of most people, if not all. He wondered if this was what Ainz was aiming for, or it was just natural. In any case, since Ryu still didn't know the purpose of Ainz's masquerade as Momon, he just decided to not think too hard about it.

"By the way, I still don't understand why you are here if you are planning to move"

"We want to see if there is any job that involves a one way trip to the capital or at least somewhere inbetween. Like a delivery mission or such"

"Oh, I see. Let's check the board then"

The whole group then went to the job board and browsed through it. It didn't take long until one was found by Peter, though there was one problem.

"This one sounds good. Tranmere Village, looking for bodyguards for one day. Reward 2 gold coins, express carriage provided. But... Gold rank"

"Aww..."

"Anyone else found something?"

"Unfortunately no"

"Not our luck today then"

Ryu approached Peter to see the job he mentioned. Indeed the job paper said so, though he had no idea why Peter said it was good. He could make a guess, though.

"I'm guessing this Tranmere Village is located somewhere between here and the Capital?"

"Yes, and only three hours from here if we ride express carriage. While the capital is still a long way to go after that, saving time by riding express carriage and earning money is well worth it"

"Since now I'm Platinum I can take this job. How about this? I take this job and recruit Swords of Darkness as reinforcements"

"Wait what? You're Platinum now?"

Peter couldn't hide his surprise. He immediately looked at Ryu and Lily's plates, and he finally noticed they were pure white instead of copper brown.

"Yeah, they recognized my contribution during the incident last night and promoted me and Lily to Platinum"

"Well, I do know that your capabilities are greater than your rank since you're a traveler, but I didn't expect the guild to allow you to skip ranks"

"Momon and Nabe skipped to Mithril by the way"

"At this rate I'm no longer surprised. What did you do?"

"They said I killed a total of a thousand undeads, but I honestly think it was exaggerated. Momon and nabe killed the two culprits and two skeletal dragons"

The entire Swords of Darkness group froze in awe hearing Ryu's explanation.

"Anyway, how about it? Shall I take the job?"

"If you're fine with it, please do"

Ryu then took the job paper from the board and brought it to the receptionist. Lily and Peter's group followed behind.

"Let me confirm. You are going to take this Gold rank quest: One Day Bodyguard at Tranmere Village, and you will be bringing a group of Silver rank adventurers as your reinforcements"

"Yes"

"Alright. Your quest is now initiated. Good luck"

With the quest initiated, the team was informed on where they would take the express carriage. After preparing rations for the trip, they went to the designated location. The carriage has been already prepared when they got there, and they departed immediately.

When they said express, they weren't lying. Once they were out of the city walls the horses drawing the carriage advanced by cantering instead of the usual trotting-walking combination.

Peter explained to Ryu and Lily that the horses could do this constantly because they were supplied with stamina potions. Also, the driver of the carriage was not a regular driver. He was a magic caster capable of casting low tier rejuvenation spell to complement the stamina potions.

"Unfortunately, thanks to those things express carriage service is too expensive for common folks"

Another downside to this service was that the ride became very bumpy thanks to the speed, so even higher class citizens rarely use the service.

"This quest must be important for the requester if they are willing to spend that much money"

"Most likely, Ryu-san"

"Well, this carriage sure is fast. How long would it take if we walked?"

"Picture it like this. The village we were coming from yesterday took us from morning to sunset to reach E-Rantel by walking. If we had been riding this, it would have taken only two hours"

"And we will be riding this for three hours. That means it might take us two days if we walk"

"Exactly, Ryu-san"

The ride, while bumpy, went on without trouble for the next three hours, and they finally arrived at Tranmere Village. At first look, Ryu noticed that this village was larger and more prosperous than Carne Village. Despite having the title of village, it would not be completely wrong to call this village a small town. The streets were still unpaved, though, so people would get their feet dirty during and after rain.

The requester was the village's chief, so the group went to the chief's house immediately. After asking around for a bit, they arrived at the front door of the chief's house. It was pretty much the biggest house of the village, being the only one with two stories.

Knock Knock!

Ryu knocked on the door, and soon someone opened the door. It was a middle aged man, probably still in his forties. He looked at his guests' chest and his face became unhappy.

"I believe I requested for Gold rank adventurers, but only a bunch of Silver ones come. Can the guild really be trusted?"

Ryu was a bit confused, then he remembered that Silver plates and Platinum plates were not much different in color. In addition, the sun's position might be blinding the chief's vision a little.

"Excuse me, but I am Platinum. The four Silver ranked ones are reinforcements I brought with me"

The chief seemed a little surprised, then he took a closer look at Ryu's and Lily's plate.

"Ah! Sorry! I was mistaken! Come in, then!"

The chief guided the group to one room inside the house. There was a large rectangular table in the middle and a bunch of chairs positioned around it. It was clear that this room was set up as a conference room.

"Sit anywhere you like"

The group did as told, and the chief also took a seat. He cleared his throat and began speaking.

"First, I will introduce myself. My name is Rubeus Frohd, and I have been chief of Tranmere for 10 years. Next, I will admit something I didn't specify about the quest"

There was a silence for a few seconds because chief Frohd seemed to hesitate.

"Indeed I need a bodyguard for a day, and that is because I am going to infiltrate a bandit camp"

The news was quite surprising. Usually when someone of a higher up requested a bodyguard team, that meant he would travel somewhere and would like more security during the travel. But in this case the requester, the chief of a village, was intending to personally do a dangerous mission.

He then continued his speech.

"The bandits used the ruins of an old fort just half an hour walk from here. Over the last week five of my villagers were mugged in the middle of the woods while hunting. Only two made it back alive, but they were severely wounded and yesterday both died from their wounds"

Frohd clenched his fist as he said that. He definitely was angry but also trying to hold it in.

"I have issued a no-hunting order for now, but I fear it is just a matter of time until they do a full scale invasion on our village"

Ryu raised his hand.

"Why did you post bodyguard job instead of a raid job?"

"Use your head a bit. A frontal raid needs a large amount of personnel. The bandit scouts will notice and they will escape before we get there"

Frohd was right. Ryu felt embarrassed hearing that.

"Moving on. I know the structure of the fort very well since I have explored it a lot in the past. My plan is to enter the fort through a secret path and destroy the bandits from within with the element of surprise on our side"

"Alright, when are we going?"

"Right now"

"Wait, what?"

"You came just at the right time. At this hour they should be busy eating lunch"

"Alright then"

"Just give me a moment to change into my combat suit. Wait for me at the front door"

Frohd then left the conference room. Everyone there looked at each other in silence.

"That was... unusual. Does anyone here know anything about him?"

Peter was the one to answer Ryu's question.

"Rubeus Frohd used to be a Mithril rank adventurer, but an injury during a job years ago left his right leg crippled and forced him to retire early. His specialty was stealth and recon. That is all I know"

"I guess that makes sense, though it seems he still can walk normally"

"Maybe it has healed, or he forced himself. I have no idea"

"In any case, let's go"

The group then went to the front door to wait for Frohd. Ryu couldn't help feeling that something seemed not right in the current job, but he couldn't make himself certain what. He could only hope for the best.