Chapter II

—for hands of gold are always cold,

but a woman's hands are warm…"

Some guy side glanced at her while mumbling the catchy song that had spread through town last night.

The ginger girl chose to ignore that and walked past him.

Feeling the air had taken on a shade of color, Brita sniffed several times like a dog. The faint green component of the smell was probably not her imagination. It was some chemical or mashed plant. That told her she was nearing the block she was aiming for. Brita followed the road and reached the block where the smell was even stronger. Looking both ways, she stopped before the largest house on it. The other houses in the area were constructed with a store in the front and a workshop in back, while this one was more like workshop, then workshop and workshop again. Reading the letters on the wooden plate hanging from the door and the sign out front she confirmed it was the right place.

She pushed open the door. The bell attached to the top of it jangled so loudly she almost jumped. Inside seemed like a sitting room where discussions with customers could take place. Two sofas faced each other in the center of the room, and along the walls were shelves lined with things that appeared to be documents. There was a houseplant in the corner.

The moment Brita stepped inside, a voice called out to her. "Hello there!" A man's voice. No, it was too young sounding.

When she looked over, there was a boy standing in the back of the room wearing a beat-up work apron, which seemed likely to give off a pungent odor, judging from all the mashed plant material sticking to it. His long blond hair hid half of his face, so she couldn't tell how old he was, but judging from his height and voice, he was probably in the middle of a growth spurt.

Brita had an idea who he might be. Yes, his grandmother was renowned, but this boy could also be counted among E-Rantel's celebrities due to his talent.

"…Nfirea Baleare?"

"Yes, that's me." He nodded and then asked, "What can I do for you today?"

"Oh, uh, just a moment."

Brita took out of her pocket the folded paper the innkeeper had given her and handed it to the boy, who had come closer. He opened it and began reading carefully.

"So this is… I see. Then, could you show me the potion?"

Nfirea took the potion she'd taken out and raised it up to the level his eyes must have been under his hair.

Something in the atmosphere changed.

Nfirea parted his bangs, exposing regular features that made it seem certain girls would fuss over him in the future. He still looked so young, but now, a sharpness appeared in his expression. His gaze was incredibly keen for the casual tone he had taken earlier. He blinked several times, and his excitement was visible in his eyes. Then, he rocked the bottle a few times and nodded once. "Excuse me. There's not much I can say about it at this point, so would you come this way?"

Assenting, Brita followed Nfirea to a messy room. No, it only seemed messy because she didn't have the knowledge to understand it.

On a table were round-bottom flasks, test tubes, a still, mortars, funnels, beakers, burners, a balance, strange jars, and other various pieces of equipment. The walls had shelves full of countless medicinal herbs and ores. The whole room assaulted her nose with a singular reek that seemed like it might be harmful to her health.

The occupant of the room turned to glare at the two intruders. It was a seemingly extremely old woman. Wrinkled face, wrinkled hands. Her hair, cut to shoulder length, was pure white. Her work clothes had even more green splotches than Nfirea's and smelled strongly of herbs.

Entering the room, Nfirea called out to her, "Grandma!"

"What is it? What is it? I can hear you without all the shouting. My ears are stll doing just fine."

Nfirea only had one grandmother. This was the woman said to be the best apothecary in the city, Lizzy Baleare.

"Look at this!"

Lizzy took the bottle as he thrust it into her hands, and her perceptive gaze was so sharp that Brita was almost compelled to brace herself. She sensed that she was in the presence of a powerful veteran.

And it wasn't just her imagination. Apothecaries needed to use magic in the course of making medicines, so the better the reputation of the apothecary, the higher tiers of magic it indicated they could use. That meant that as the best apothecary in E-Rantel, Lizzy's individual combat ability surpassed Brita's.

"This… She brought it? The legendary…? It can't be… Gods' Blood? Hey, what is this thing?"

"Huh?" Brita blinked. That was her question.

"This potion…it shouldn't exist! Where did you get it?! Is it from the ruins?"

"Huh? Uh, no, I mean…"

"You're not very good at making yourself understood, child. Just spit out what's asked of you! Where'd you get it? It's not like you stole it, right? Hmm?"

Brita's shoulders jumped. She felt like she was being scolded even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Grandma! Don't frighten her!"

"Whaddaya mean, Nfirea? I'm not frightening her one bit. …Right?"

Nope, definitely scared, Brita wanted to say, but of course, she couldn't, so she swallowed hard and quit beating around the bush about how she acquired the potion. "Someone, uh, gave it to me."

"Huh?" Lizzy's gaze became more damning. "You think—"

"Grandma, just wait a minute. Um, Brita, who gave it to you and for what reason?"

Reaching out for the lifeline Nfirea offered, she gave a simple explanation of how she'd received it from a mysterious stranger.

Lizzy's wrinkled face grew even more wrinkly.

"…Did you know that there are three types of potions?…" Despite asking the question, she didn't wait for Brita's response before continuing, "… there are potions made just with herbs. These don't have instantaneous effects, but basically work by enhancing humans' natural healing processes. They aren't terribly effective, but they're extremely cheap.

Next are potions made with herbs and magic. These take effect more quickly than the ones I just mentioned, but they still take some time. These are the ones you often see adventurers drinking after a battle or something when they have more time.

Lastly, there are potions that use only magic. They're made by infusing alchemical solutions with spells. They take effect immediately and can work just as well as spells would. Of course, you pay for it.

This one you brought me doesn't have any herbal sediment, so we can assume it was created entirely with magic, but…"

Lizzy picked up a potion bottle full of blue liquid and thrust it at Brita. "This is your typical healing medicine. Notice the color difference? No matter what we do, they end up turning blue during the production process. But yours is red. In other words, your potion was made with some completely different process. That means that you have something incredibly rare! it may have the potential to change potion-making technology! Though I'm not sure if that makes any sense to you…"

After saying that much, Lizzy cast two spells on the potions. "Appraise Magic Item! Detect Enchantment!" Astonishment registered in her expression. "Heh-heh… Waa-ha-ha-ha!"

Suddenly an almost cracked sort of laughter echoed throughout the cramped room. Lizzy looked up slowly. She had the crooked smile of a crazy person. Brita was so taken aback by the sudden change that had come over the old woman that she couldn't move a muscle, much less speak.

"Heh-heh-heh. I knew it! Take a good look at this, Nfirea! This, this is potion perfection! This is what has eluded us apothecaries and alchemists, anyone involved in potion making, even after all our research over the years: the ideal potion!" Lizzy's face was flushed with excitement, and she breathed in quick gasps. She held the potion bottle out toward Nfirea, her hand clamped around it as if to say she would never let it go.

"Potions degrade, right?"

"Yes, everyone knows that." Nfirea spoke in even tones, quite a contrast from Lizzy's state, but Brita could see a hint of excitement on his face.

She just couldn't understand why they were so excited. But she could sense quite acutely that she was involved in something big. It had to be huge if the greatest apothecary in the city was getting this fired up over it.

"Potions made entirely with magic use an alchemical solution. Those are made by using alchemy on minerals, so it stands to reason that they would degrade over time! That's why we have to cast Preservation!"

She paused for a beat for effect. "Or rather, had to!"

Brita vaguely understood what Lizzy was saying and eyed the red liquid in surprise.

"This! This potion—this potion! It won't degrade! In other words, it's a perfect potion! No one has ever been able to produce one! According to legend, a true healing potion signifies blood of the gods. This story has been told for ages!" The potion shook in her hand and the crimson liquid sloshed. "Of course, it's only a legend, and apothecaries even joke with one another that the gods themselves must have blue blood, but…" She paused for a moment to stare at the bottle clasped tightly in her trembling hands. "This potion must be true Gods' Blood!"

Lizzy wheezed, out of breath and Nfirea gently rubbed her back.

Brita was speechless. The silence the three of them created was broken by Lizzy. "…And I think you're here to inquire what the effects of this potion are. This is equivalent to a tier-two healing spell. Without adding value for rarity or anything, it would fetch eight gold pieces. Factoring in added value, the price goes so high that it's possible people might try to kill you for it."

Brita's whole body shivered. Even just the value of its effects was worth quite a lot to an iron-plate adventurer like her. That added value, though, was a problem. She even felt like Lizzy, with her perceptive eyes, was waiting for a chance to jump her.

But she still didn't understand everything. How could that mysterious man in the full plate armor give a potion like this to her as if it were nothing? What in the world did his face look like under that helmet?

Countless questions assailed Brita, and Lizzy added one more. "You wouldn't be interested in selling that to me, would you? I'll make it worth your while. How does thirty-two gold pieces sound?"

Brita's eyes widened even more.

To Brita, it was an incredible fortune. A family of three could probably live modestly on that for three years.

She couldn't make up her mind. She knew the potion was ridiculously valuable. So was selling it here for thirty-two gold pieces the right move? The chances she would acquire another one were extremely low.

But if I turn her down, will I make it home in one piece?

"Picking up on Brita's indecision, Lizzy shook her head. It couldn't be helped. Then she made an alternative suggestion…

A scolding voice came from a warrior whose full-body dark armour seemed to fight off the first light of the rising sun.

"Answer the fucking question!"

The man by his side shrugged and sighed while playing with the three golden earrings on his left ear.

"Look, Momon-san, all I did was asking for a fair day's pay after a fair day's work. I entertained the old fart and his guests at his party from lunchtime to supper! Then, he kinda got a little angry just 'cause of the way his wife had been staring at me the whole time... And since he wouldn't pay, well I admit I also kinda got a little angry…"

Momon almost stopped walking.

"Did you kill him?"

"What kind of fucking animal do you take me for?! no I didn't kill him!"

"Ah, good…"

"But I did get what I was owed."

And he tossed him two silver coins.

"How?"

"Well, I may have accidentally knocked some sense into his head when he suddenly fell and hit my knuckles with his forehead…"

"You idiot! who's gonna offer us a job now, uh?! We might even be expelled by the Adventurer Guild two days after we enrolled in it. And after your first job!"

"Well, at least I did get a job…", retorted the man now known in town as Oshiku the Bard.

Momon grumbled under his helmet. "It's not my fault the best offers are to carry other people's bags and no way I'm gonna do that…" Momon hit a pebble in the middle of the street and it got shot to the other side of town.

Oshiku had returned to the inn early in the morning after having fun with local girls all night long and he was now going to the Adventurers' Guild together with Momon, in a bad mood after having had to report to the clingy Albedo. Also, he had so far been unable to find a decent job offer.

Oshiku looked at the sun rising as he spoke. "Bah, it's not that big of a deal anyway. I didn't hit him hard and it was his fault, he wouldn't pay or listen to reason. But I've got a good idea about getting a real job today!"

"If they don't kick us out first, you know."

"I'm sure that merchant won't even dare to show up to complain. Not because he's afraid of getting a stronger punch, but because no man wants people to know your wife wants to cheat on you!"

"Hm, you might be right about that. At least I hope so… but let's try not to seem violent to regular people. You've already tossed a man through a room and punched your first patron…"

"Fine. I swear I'll try to use violence only on who or what we'll be paid to hit. But if people deserve to be lightly poked at to learn some manners, I'm not holding back! I'm sure you would have done the same in my shoes anyway."

"About that guy at the inn, definitely. But beating the hand that feeds you, that's another story…"

"I beat him exactly because he wouldn't feed me!"

"Alright, fine. Let's just try not to be known as troublemakers. That'd be bad."

"Agreed, but you needn't worry. People love us… or at least, they love me and my songs. I'm glad it turned out to be useful, back in Yggdrasil I almost wanted to reset my account because being a bard was useless more often than not."

"Why'd you get that class then?"

"I thought it was cool and on some occasions it did help me out. Still, having some craftsmanship classes would have been better… luckily I could add them later to my dark side…"

"I still don't understand how you managed to do that…"

"It was a long and tedious process which involved a massive amount of data crystals and I had to recreate Ambition as well. It's not something which can be done in this world where we don't even have a menu… We're arrived anyway, better to shut up or change topic."

Momon looked up and found himself almost in front of the Adventurer's Guild front door.

He pushed it open and entered with long, measured steps.

Inside, they saw the desk at the back. Behind it were three smiling receptionists assisting adventurers. There was another knight in full plate armor, an agile-looking guy in light armor carrying bow and arrows, someone wearing priestly garb with the sigil of a god, a magic caster in a robe holding a staff, all sorts of adventurers. On his left was a big door and, on his right, the board. There were several sheets of parchment posters that hadn't been there yesterday. And several adventurers clustered around them.

Damn, we should have arrived even sooner! Cursed Momon under his breath.

A team was conferring with one another in front of one of the parchments. With a bad feeling about that scene and the posting, they walked in.

Both felt the room's eyes gather first on the plates around their necks and then lap up and down the bodies, taking in their appearance. It was the same vibe they'd gotten almost everywhere they went on the last two days, so they were getting used to it.

They observed the other adventurers back from the corners of their eyes. The plates were silver and gold. Not a single copper but them.

Feeling a bit like playing an away game, Oshiku stepped up to the counter. It seemed as though a team had just finished, so there was a receptionist open. He stepped in front of her and said, "Excuse me. I'm looking for work…"

"Oh! Then please select a sheet of parchment from the board and bring it over."

I know that, you stupid byach, he thought. Yet he flashed his best smile at her and said:

"Yeah, well, that's the problem. There's no decent job for copper plates, but my friend and I are not made of copper, we're higher material. Would you be so kind to give us a better job so we can prove our worth?"

The girl seemed to get lost in his one eye and to melt before his smile, but she somehow managed to recover.

"Huh? Uh, I do see what you mean and I'm very sorry, but it's a rule—"

"It's a stupid rule. I can't believe we have to keep grinding out these crummy, easy jobs until the promotion exam."

"But your failure could result in the loss of many lives." Not to mention the reputation of the guild that so many adventurers worked so hard to cultivate, her hard voice implied.

"Hmph." Oshiku's voice and face seemed not to like the bitter taste of defeat. The expressions of the adventurers in the vicinity grew hostile to match the receptionist's. Here was a newbie mocking the rules they'd all diligently followed. It's only natural for them to be upset, he thought. Crap, even if I were to use Charm Person on the receptionist, nobody would accept us newcomers bending the rules.

Still, both Oshikuru and Satoru hated people who turned down proposals without even listening to explanation and without even bothering to suggest an alternative. So he wasn't going to back down so easily. Really, he did not want to make a fuss, but they needed to push things to a certain point first, so he played a little trump card.

"Look, I'm not some unqualified jerk, I can use 3rd tier magic."

That said, to prove his point he cast [Fly] and started levitating while he could not help but think, This is ridiculous. Indeed it was, for his own slippers granted [Fly] as a passive. Also, magic of the 3rd tier was nothing but useless in Yggdrasil.

But to all the presents who were no players, it was a different story. The air buzzed, and all at once he became the target for amazed stares. In this world, tier three was the level of an accomplished caster. Also, many knew of him being strong enough to toss an adult man as if he was an apple. Then, there were three swords hanging at his side, but he had never been seen wielding them. The only thing he was known to be extremely good at was being a bard. At least, until he dropped a 3rd tier spell out of nowhere.

Just what kind of man is this guy? was almost everyone's thought.

Seeing the change in everyone's eyes, he gave himself a round of applause in his mind and played another card. "And of course Momon-san is a very strong warrior who earned that armour after killing all kinds of monsters in the place where we come from. He didn't inherit it like some noble."

Everyone's reaction was a bit subdued compared to his first revelation, but he could see they were seen in a different light now.

"We didn't become adventurers to do odd jobs for a handful of coppers, we want to take on higher-level assignments. If you want to see what we can do, we'd be delighted to demonstrate, so why can't we take an actual job?"

The hostility from earlier was rapidly dissipating. The atmosphere was one of Ah yeah or I know the feeling. For this rough bunch who valued strength above all, what he was saying made sense.

But the receptionist was not so understanding. "…I'm sorry, but rules are rules."

Still, Oshiku did a mental victory pose in response to her apologetic bow. "I see, there's nothing we can do, then. Sorry to have been so presumptuous." He bobbed his head. "In that case, please give us the most difficult thing for copper plates. Maybe something not posted to the board yet?"

She seemed to take the hint. "Ah, yes, sir!" Thank you, handsome! I must make it up to the mistery man here, I want him to sing for me and then…

Just as the receptionist stood up and he was about to cry mental tears of joy at his final victory, a man's voice called out, "If it's a challenge you're after, how about helping us out on our job?"

"Huh?" Oshiku let some intimidating irritation slip into his voice while interrupting his [Fly] spell. He looked up to try to gloss that over and saw four adventurers' silver plates gleaming in the light. But we finally had things going my way! He grumbled in his head as he turned to face them with a half smile. "Is the job…worthwhile?"

"Well, hmm, I think it'll be what you make of it," a man who seemed like the leader of the group replied. He was a warrior type, wearing banded mail, a type of armor where thin bands of metal covered layers of chain mail and leather.

Oshiku turned to Momon while thinking: should we go with these guys on a job? Of course, I can decide after I hear what it is, but I'm not sure if the receptionist will pick a job for me next time. But if I take this job, we can network a bit and maybe even get some important information.

He was unsure, but Momon slowly nodded. "A challenge is exactly what we're looking for! Do tell us what the job is about, but I'm quite confident we'll join you."

At this reply, the men had the receptionist, now oddly stiff, prepare them a place to sit down.

It was one of the many small conference rooms on the first floor used exactly for these situations. So nothing more than wooden table and chairs filled the space. The four men in the same team seated themselves on the far side.

"Okay, please have a seat you too."

The two did as told and sat on the opposite side, a little excited about what this could be about.

The other adventurers were very young as none of them seemed more than twenty, but they didn't look green. They seemed more composed than one would expect of people their age; relaxed, but they had sat down with space between them so they could take up arms at a moment's notice. They'd done so unconsciously, so it must have been a habit that stuck with them from many life-or-death battles.

"Okay, before we talk business, let's introduce ourselves."

The warrior-type man from before spoke up as their representative. He had the typical blond-haired, blue-eyed look of kingdom people, and although there was nothing about his features that made him stand out, he was still handsome.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the leader of the Swords of Darkness, Peter Mauk. Over there is the eyes and ears of our team, ranger Lukrut Volve."

A blond man in leather armor bobbed his head. There was a jokey tenderness, like Oshiku's, in his brown eyes. Overall Lukrut was slim with especially long arms and legs, almost bringing a spider to mind. It was clear, however, that his thin frame was the result of trimming away any excess.

"And this is the brains of our team, a caster, Ninya the Spell Master."

"Looking forward to working with you," was Momon's reply.

We'll see about that, thought his associate glancing at Ninya. He was probably the youngest of the group, still in his early teens. He had blue eyes and brown hair, plus a smile too youthful to belong to an adult spread across his face as he bowed. Compared to the other members of the group, rather suntanned, he had a pale skin. He was also the most attractive of the bunch. It wasn't so much a masculine beauty as androgynous. His voice was also a bit high, so he definitely still had to grow up.

Although his smile didn't seem insincere, there was something about it that made it seem pasted on like a mask.

And though the other members all wore armor, he was just wearing some leather clothes. Instead, a number of curious objects could be seen hanging from his belt in the shadow of the table: strangely shaped vials, odd bits of woodwork. If he was called the Spell Master, he was probably a wizard.

But he now looked embarrassed.

"Peter, can you please stop calling me that?"

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"He has a nickname, huh?"

Lukrut hopped in to provide an explanation, since the other party didn't seem to know what it really referred to. "He has a talent, you see! This kid's a famous casting genius!"

"Oh, I see!" Momon reacted while Oshiku's gaze deepened. What is your hidden power, sorcerer?

They'd gone through three of their Sunlit Scripture captives to get information about talents, which were powers some people were born with. They were delighted to have an example of one in front of them.

But Ninya did not seem like he wanted to brag about it.

"It's not such a big deal. It's just that the talent I was born with happened to be that type."

"Oh-ho." Momon was even more interested and leaned in with ears pricked up.

Talents, like martial arts, did not exist in Yggdrasil: they were specific to this world. About one in every two hundred people was born with one, so having a power itself was not so rare, but there was an infinite variety of them, spanning the continuum from weak to strong. They ranged from things like predicting the next day's weather to being able to speed up the growth of plants to summoning stronger monsters or being able to use the power of the mighty dragons who once ruled the world, something known as Wild magic which Nigun had said was different from tiered magic. Suspecting that was what had pulled them to the New World, Oshiku and Momon were especially interested in it and whoever could use it. From the Theocracy prisoners they had learned about the existence of a country known as the Argland Council State, ruled by powerful dragonlords they were both wary of and extremely interested in. If they could find someone with a talent related to Wild magic they'd be thrilled.

However, the type of power was fixed upon birth; it was not possible to change or select powers later in life. That meant there were lots of times when talents didn't match the natures of their holders. For example, if someone were born with the talent to boost the destructive power of spells but didn't have the knack to become a caster, the talent would go to waste.

If a talent did match a person's nature, they just considered themselves lucky: with the exception of some truly major powers, having a talent didn't generally determine the entire course of one's life. The fact that a warrior like Gazeff Stronoff wasn't a talent holder illustrated that well enough.

Even so, there was a tendency for people with talents useful in combat to slide into the adventuring occupation, so there were many adventurers with talents. Among them, Ninya was a fine specimen of the fortunate variety where the talent matched the holder very well.

"Didn't it take you like four years with your magic aptitude or whatever to master what took others eight years? I mean, I'm not a caster, so I don't have much of a sense of how awesome that really is, but…"

As a magic user, the one impersonating Momon was curious, but he was also motivated by a Gimme that! greed typical a collector. If he could acquire a power nobody in the Great Tomb of Nazarick had, it would surely make their organization stronger. If there was a way to steal the ability, it might be worth the risk of making enemies to do it.

Assuming there was a way, it would probably be the super-tier spell Wish Upon a Star.

Ninya didn't realize that Momon was thinking such things under his helmet and looking at him as if he were sizing up his prey, and the continued his conversation with Peter.

"It was really lucky that I was born with this power. It helped me take the first step toward making my dreams come true. If I didn't have my power, I'd have ended up some crummy villager." His mumbling voice was gloomy.

Attempting to brighten things up, Peter spoke in a tone that was, of course, the exact opposite. "Anyhow, he's a famous talent holder in the city."

"Still, there's someone way more famous than me."

"The leader of the Blue Roses?"

"The leader of the Blue Roses is famous, too, but I mean someone in this city."

The last member of the team, whose name Ainz hadn't heard yet, mentioned someone in a loud voice. "He means Mr. Baleare!"

His curiosity piqued, hoping it was a fighting skill, Oshiku asked, "What talent does he have?"

Everyone looked surprised. Apparently this was something anyone would know. He had been so eager for info he'd let his guard down. It was unfortunate, but he was confident he could bounce back from this minor of a mistake. But before he could even make an excuse, they seemed to have reached their own conclusion.

"I see! So the fact that we hadn't ever heard of you guys means you're really not from around here?"

Oshiku took the timely cue. "That's exactly right. We just arrived the day before yesterday."

"Ah, then you wouldn't know, huh? He's quite famous here, but I guess word of him hasn't spread to other cities."

"No, it doesn't seem like it; I've never heard of him. Do you mind telling me?"

"His name is Nfirea Baleare. He's the grandson of a well-known apothecary, and his talent is the power to use any and every magic item. He can use scrolls from different magic types, which you usually can't do, and he can even use items that only nonhumans are supposed to be able to use. I'll bet he can even use items that require the user to have royal blood."

"…Hmm…" Momon took pains to not let wariness show in their voice.

How far would this talent go? Could he use items like the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown? World Items, too? Or is there some limit?

That was someone to keep an eye on. Of course, he might also make a valuable pawn.

Oshiku must have had the same take. He brought his mouth near where he seemed to have decided Ainz's ears were under his helmet and whispered, "This guy could be dangerous".

"…I know. Coming to this city was the right move."

"Is something wrong, Oshiku?"

"Ah, It's nothing. More importantly, could we ask you to introduce the last member of your team?"

"Sure. This is Dyne Woodwonder, a druid. He uses healing magic and spell that manipulate nature, and he also has a wealth of knowledge about medicinal herbs, so if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. He even has medicines for stomachaches and that kind of stuff."

"Looking forward to working with you!" The man whose messy beard and solid build combined to create a somewhat barbaric impression spoke in a dignified voice. That said, he was younger than he appeared to be. A faint grassy smell came from a pouch at his hip.

"Okay, now it's our turn, huh? This is my pain-in-the-ass friend Oshiku.."

"Hi, guys!"

"… and I'm Momon. Looking forward to working with you."

"Likewise."

"Yes, we should make a good team. Momon, Oshiku, feel free to call us by our first names. Now, I don't mean to hurry us along, but I'd like to get down to business. Not that it's a real job per se…"

"Uh…"

In response to Oshiku's dubious interjection, Peter held up a hand entreating him to wait. "Our aim is to hunt the monsters that pop up near town."

"Subduing monsters…?" Oshiku thought that fell pretty squarely under the work umbrella. Or is there some reasons adventurers don't consider it work? he almost wanted to ask, but if it turned out to be basic common sense, it would seem like he didn't know anything, and that would be bad. Instead, it was Momon who chose a more benign subject to ask about. "What are the monsters called?"

"Oh no, not like that. I wonder what they call it in your country, it's when you hunt monsters and get rewarded by the city via the guild, based on how strong the monsters you got were. That thing."

"Aha!" They both understood now. Putting Peter's work that wasn't work into Yggdrasil and similar game terms, they would grind monsters for drops.

"If you want to make a living, it has to be done," the druid, Dyne, solemnly noted.

Then Lukrut chimed in, "We get to eat. Things are less dangerous for other people. Merchants can travel safely. The country can collect their taxes. Nobody loses!"

"Nowadays, any country with guilds has this system, but it's surprising because even just five years ago it wasn't like that," Ninya said, and everyone nodded nostalgically. They practically forgot about the newbies and started going off on various tangents.

"Long live the Golden Princess, right?"

"The proposal ran into some setbacks, but I heard she was motioning to get rid of the foot tax for adventurers, too."

"Whoa. It's amazing that she thought so highly of us."

"Right? She did all that even though we're armed groups that haven't true loyalty to the kingdom. Depending on the team, some might even be enemies! Not even the empire is that tolerant."

"That princess really does have some wonderful ideas…even though they mostly get shot down."

"I hope I get to marry a lady that gorgeous!"

"You got a lotta work to do if you're hoping to join the ranks of the nobles!"

"No way, no way. That stiff, formal life ain't for me."

"Oh, c'mon, it'd be great to be a noble! It's established by the country that you get to screw over the people and do whatever you want!"

The true feelings behind Ninya's smile were beginning to show. Ainz knit his nonexistent brow under his helmet, but Oshiku was unfazed.

Lukrut called out in a purposely lighthearted voice, "Yikes! Always with the harsh words! You hate the nobles as usual, huh?"

"I know that some of them are honest people, but…as someone whose older sister was abducted by those pigs, I just can't…"

"Well, this conversation has taken an unexpected turn! We probably don't need to discuss this sort of thing in front of Momon and Nabe!"

On board with Dyne's course correction, Peter cleared his throat rather deliberately and continued his explanation, "Well, so that's about it. We'll be on the lookout for monsters in this area. This close to civilization there probably won't be anything too strong… I hope that doesn't bother you guys…"

Peter took out a sheet of parchment and opened it across the middle of the table. It seemed to be a rough map of the area, with groves and forests, rivers, and other features indicated.

"Our basic plan is to head south and hunt around here." He started from the middle of the map and traced down with his finger to an area near a forest in the south. "We'll mainly be fighting monsters that come out of the forest on the Slane Theocracy border. The only monsters that are likely to use weapons or launch an attack on someone with an escort are goblins at the nastiest."

"Yeah, they're weak, though, so even if we take 'em out the pay is peanuts."

Momon and Oshiku wondered a bit about their relaxed attitude. The goblins they'd known back in Yggdrasil all had various names and were anywhere from level 1 to 50 so it wasn't possible to lump them all together like that. If they weren't careful, they could find themselves in trouble.

Are they so laid-back because they're sure high-level goblins won't show up around here? Or is it because in this world goblins just aren't so tough?

"…There aren't any strong goblins?" Momon asked.

"Yes, there are. But they don't hide out in the forest we're headed to. The strong goblins are the ones who lead tribes. I can't imagine they'd have their whole tribe attack."

"Goblins are also aware how far the humans' sphere of influence extends. They know how much of a pain a huge invasion would be, especially the stronger, more clever, elite types.

"Plus, if Oshiku can use tier-three magic, then even the more elite types will be a piece of cake."

The samurai was sure no monster could escape him, but wanted to know more.

"I see. I just want you to be aware, though, that we met goblins who can use tier-three magic, too. Just for reference, would you mind telling me the names of all the other monsters we are likely to encounter?"

Swords of Darkness' members looked immediately at Ninya, who assumed a professorial expression and began his explanation. "The monsters we often encounter are goblins and their pet wolves. And there are no records of other wild beasts that put up much of a fight in this area. On the plains, the most dangerous thing we could encounter would probably be an ogre."

"So we won't be going into the forest?"

"No, the forest is quite dangerous. We could probably handle jumping leeches, giant beetles, and the like, but the hanging spiders that dangle down from the trees and the forest worms that come out of the ground to swallow you whole are a bit tough."

"Got it"Said Oshiku relaxing on the chair while Momon nodded.

"So we'll fight the monsters that spill out of the forest onto the grass."

"Aye, that's the job. How about it? Will you two help us out?"

"Uh… before that, could you tell us what kind of reward we'll get?"

"Oh yeah. That's important, isn't it? Since there are two teams, yours and mine, we'll split it in half."

"Considering the number of members in each team, that's awfully nice and generous of you."

"But if some monsters appear, we'll have you guys take half of them, and we can only use up to tier-two magic. I think it balances out if you take those things into account."

Oshiku and Momon pretended to think for a moment as they stared at each other and then nodded.

The Dark Warrior stated: "It's a deal. And since we're going to be working together for a while, I'll go ahead and show you my face."

He removed the helmet. Mild surprise registered on the faces of the four adventurers.

"…Black hair and black eyes. You're definitely not from around here. I had heard that down south there's a country where people look like you… Are you from that area?"

"Somewhere even further. We traveled a pretty long ways." Well, that's not lying…

"He's older than I thought…"

"Don't be rude!"

Ainz had sharp enough hearing that he could pick up the other three's whispers. He felt a little young to be called old, but compared to these kids, he probably was. Considering people came of age here at sixteen, he was pretty ripe.

"Well, now that you've seen my face, I'll cover it up again," he said, replacing his helmet. "If it got around that we're both foreigners, there might be trouble."

He smiled under his helmet. He'd used a low-tier illusion that would break if it were touched, but he was glad he'd thought of it.

"Okay, if we're going to go hunting together, we should get any questions out of the way ahead of time. Do you have anything you'd like to ask?"

The silence that followed was self-explanatory.

"Then let's head out once you're ready. Our preparations have already been made."

At the word preparations, Momon remembered something. He'd purchased the minimum necessary provisions from the innkeeper, but neither he nor Oshiku required bulky food and drink. Of course, it would be suspicious if they ate nothing, so he supposed it was necessary to some extent.

"Okay. We'll be ready to leave once we replenish our food supply."

"Just food? If you don't need to buy from a particular store, the desk has nonperishables. They can get you ready in no time."

"Oh, that sounds good. And then we can leave right away."

"Shall we go, then?"

They all stood up and left the meeting room.

When they got back to reception, there were many more adventurers than before and several groups had gathered around where the parchments were posted, but almost everyone was focused on a boy.

The blond youth was talking with one of the receptionists, but the other two were listening in. The atmosphere had done a complete one-eighty from the earlier bustle.

Just then, the receptionist's mouth made a perfect O—of surprise. And her line of sight led to Oshiku.

What the heck? as he wondered what was going on, the receptionist stood up and came over.

"You have been requested by name."

At her words, the vibe in the room changed dramatically. He felt the unreserved stares of numerous curious eyes. The members of the Swords of Darkness also seemed surprised.

He asked the receptionist, "By who?"

"Nfirea Baleare."

Oshiku realized it was the name he'd heard earlier, and the boy was already approaching.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the one who made the request." Nfirea tilted his head, and he reciprocated. "So about the reque—" He started to speak, but Oshiku held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I just contracted for another job. I can't take on your request right away."

A commotion went through the room. The Swords of Darkness members were especially startled.

"But, he's requesting you!"

Seeing Peter's reaction, Oshiku wondered if a request by name was really worth getting so excited about, as he already had been by that merchant to play music at his party, but…

"That may be, but it's only right to prioritize the previous engagement, don't you think?" It seemed his conclusion was not mistaken. Some of the onlookers nodded; he'd made a favorable impression.

"But…our request can't even properly be called a request, and we can't even pay you if we don't encounter any monsters…," Peter mumbled.

The difference in value of the work between a request from this boy, not only famous himself but also with a famous grandmother and roaming around hunting monsters is enormous. That must be why Peter is trying to give me some space. Guessing that was the case, Oshiku replied with kindness in his voice. "Then how about this, Peter? I haven't heard anything about the job or the compensation, so I'll listen to what Mr. Baleare has to say and then we can decide."

"That's fine with me. We'd like to go sooner rather than later, but we're not in a hurry."

"Then let's have also the Swords of Darkness come while we talk it over. If we can come to an agreement… or rather, if we can't, I suppose, I'll go ahead and prioritize my previous engagement."

"What? You want us in your meeting?"

"Yes. As a concerned party, your input is important to me."

Once the Swords of Darkness agreed to the plan, they all returned to the meeting room they had just come from.

Well, this is a bit hectic. Oshiku smiled wryly and sat in the same seat as before. Momon sat next to him again, and Nfirea sat one seat down from the huge warrior. The Swords of Darkness members took the same seats as before.

The first to speak was, naturally, Nfirea.

"The woman at reception mentioned my name before, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nfirea Baleare. I'm an apothecary in this city. As for my request, I was planning to go to a nearby forest, but as you know, the forest is a dangerous place. So I'd like you to escort me and, if possible, help me collect medicinal herbs."

"An escort job? I see." Oshiku nodded confidently, but privately he thought it sounded like kind of a pain. Teaming up with his best friend, any monsters coming at them would probably be a piece of cake. However, if there were too many, he was afraid that when it came to escort duty, he wasn't so certain he could pull it off without showing his true colours as neither Oshiku nor Momon had the tanking skills that would be useful to guard someone.

"Compensation would be a fixed amo—"

"One moment. How convenient that it's an escort job. Hey, Peter, what would you say to me hiring you instead?"

"Huh?"

"For an escort job in the woods collecting herbs, wouldn't it be better to have a ranger and a druid along?"

"Indeed! That is very perceptive of you, Momon. Druids are really in their element in the forest. I'd probably be even more useful than Lukrut!" Some pride slipped into Dyne's dignified tone.

Lukrut didn't seem so amused. "Keep talkin', Dyney."

"With my druid powers, it's a given that I'd be more useful. And don't forget that I dabble in the medicinal arts."

"Hmm. I'm game, Peter. Seems like I need to show Mr. Druid here who has the superior gathering skills."

"Then that seems fine. And if any monsters show up along the way, we can slay them and get the reward from the city, too. Mr. Baleare's compensation can be split by head count, right, Peter?"

"I have no objection if it's all right with you, Momon."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Baleare. If you don't mind, we'd all like to take on your request."

"Oh? That's fine with me. Then, I'm looking forward to working with all of you. Oh, and you can call me Nfirea."

Then, they all introduced themselves to Nfirea who then went on detailing the job.

"So, our plan will be my normal pattern of proceeding to the village of Carne, getting a place to stay, and then heading to the forest. The time we spend gathering herbs will depend on how much we can get, but it'll be three days at most. The average has been two."

"How will we get there?"

"I have one single-horse cart, but that's where the bottles for the herbs will go, so there won't be room to carry everyone."

"Can we restock provisions in Carne?"

"Water is no problem, but food might be difficult. It's not a very big village."

The Swords of Darkness discussed preparations among themselves and peppered Nfirea with questions.

Then it was Oshiku who spoke up as he had a little suspicion.

"Do you mind if I ask something?" Nfirea smiled and said to go ahead.

"Why did you specifically want me? It was only just recently that my friend and I arrived here, so I am quite sure nobody knows me, besides for me being a bard, and yet you requested me? Also, you mentioned you have a pattern, so doesn't that mean you've been hiring a different adventurer up till now? What happened to that person?"

His bad-eye was even sharper than the good one. He didn't recall ever being introduced to this boy. If his true identity as Oshikuru the lone wolf from Yggdrasil had been discovered, he would need to take a different approach with his disguise. He tried to discover the boy's real motives, but he could not detect changes in his eyes or heart rate. As Oshiku wondered if he was overthinking things, and blaming Momon for that, Nfirea spoke.

"Unfortunately the person I used to hire has left E-Rantel to go to a different city. That's why I was looking for someone new. And then…actually, I heard about the incident from someone who came to my shop."

"What incident?" Unfortunately, you're gonna have to be more specific, kid. Hehehe!

"Well, they said you beat up an adventurer a rank above you in the blink of an eye."

"Oh, that. I see."

He had shown off his strength there also to try to spread his name, and it seemed like it had worked. Oshiku was about convinced when Nfirea joked, "Plus, copper-plate adventurers cost less, right? I'd like it if we could work together for some time."

"Hehe, that's right." Ainz could certainly understand the concept of getting in on the ground floor. He felt his caution being dispelled. But there was one thing he feared. If that were the case…

As Oshiku was thinking, other questions were asked and Nfirea answered them all. When it seemed like the questions had petered out, the patron raised his voice.

"Then, let's get ready and be off!"