Chapter 9
The fortress city E-Rantel was dominated by three concentric rings of fortified walls. The doors on these walls were some of the sturdiest and strongest parts of the walls themselves, and they seemed to radiate a sense of solidness.
It was a common sight to see travellers on the street staring open-mouthed at the city that was said to be able to repulse any invasion the Empire made. And the people on the streets had surely made similar expressions in the past.
Besides these gates were customs inspection posts, manned by several soldiers who were relaxing just out of the direct sunlight.
Although some people might question whether it was all right for the soldiers of a city near the frontline to be so relaxed, the "truth was that the troops at the inspection posts were there to vet travellers. Their job was to uncover contraband and spies from other countries, so they had nothing to do when nobody was entering the city.
As a result, the currently idle soldiers ― though they maintained discipline instead of passing their time by playing cards ― couldn't resist the urge to yawn.
They might look slack now, but when they were busy, they were extremely so. It was especially hard to describe the mornings in words, when the city had just opened its gates.
With the sun at its highest point in the sky, the travellers began appearing on the streets in small groups, scattered sparsely among the other pedestrians. It was only natural that people would travel in numbers, given "that this was a world inhabited by monsters.
When they show up, they show up in force; we're going to be busy soon, thought the guard who was idly contemplating the streets from his counter. His eyes rested on a wagon about to enter the street, waiting for some pedestrians to pass.
A woman was driving it. He couldn't see anyone else on the uncovered wagon bed. She was travelling alone.
He couldn't see any weapons on her either. His first guess was that she was some village girl.
As the soldier thought this, he tilted his head as he second-guessed himself.
It wasn't anything rare to have people from the nearby villages coming here. However, a woman travelling by herself was a different matter entirely. The area surrounding E-Rantel wasn't completely free of bandits and monsters. Thanks to the efforts of the legendary adventurer team "Darkness", most of the dangerous monsters and bandits had been wiped out. But "most" didn't mean "all", and there were still mundane beasts like wolves and the like to look out for.
This wasn't unique to E-Rantel; it applied to all of the other cities as well. And come to think of it, could women travel by themselves?
While the thought that she might have just outrun the bandits came to mind, he didn't sense any tension or nervousness from her at all. It was as though she knew the journey was a safe one.
What kind of woman was she?
"The soldier shifted his now-suspicious gaze to her horse, and that was when he did a double-take.
The horse was exceptional, not something a mere village girl would have. Its condition and coat reminded him of a warhorse.
Warhorses were extremely valuable. Even if you could actually raise the money to buy one, a normal person wouldn't be able to get one easily. Leaving aside monstrous riding animals like wyverns and griffins, warhorses were some of the mightiest creatures which could serve as mounts.
A normal person would need money and connections to obtain such a warhorse, and a simple village girl wouldn't have those connections.
It was also possible that she had stolen the horse from its original "owner, but anyone who stole such a valuable item would be hotly pursued and targeted for retribution. This was why bandits wouldn't steal horses or attack mounted soldiers.
In short, after considering all the visible evidence, the chances that she really was a simple village girl were very low. So what was this creature posing as a village girl?
The important thing was that she was travelling alone. That meant she was very confident in her abilities, and those abilities were not limited by the fact that she chose to dress as a village girl. With that in mind, it was likely that she was a magic caster, since their equipment and power rarely matched their appearance.
That was an answer he could accept. If pressed for the reason, it was because magic casters ", or adventurers in general, were wealthy and connected, so obtaining a warhorse would be easy.
"Is that a magic caster?"
His partner beside him went through the same thought process.
"Might be."
The soldier furrowed his brow and answered.
Magic casters were very irritating people to check and clear.
To begin with, their primary weapon, magic, was a thing that didn't exist in a form that was visible to the naked eye. Which meant it was impossible to see what they were armed with.
Secondly, they might use dangerous items as part of their magic and finding those was hard.
"Thirdly, magic casters usually had a lot of baggage, so checking them all was troublesome.
Honestly speaking, he hated dealing with them. Because of that, they'd hired a man from the Magician's Association — after paying a suitable fee, of course — to help them out. However…
"Do we have to bring that guy out? I don't want to."
"It can't be helped. If anything happens, it's our asses."
"It would be nice if she'd just dressed like a magic caster to begin with."
"Carrying a weird staff, wearing a weird robe?"
"Yup. At least you'd know she was a magic caster. Then we'd forcibly enlist her into the Magician's Association and make her "carry the obligatory Adventurer's Guild identification seal."
The two soldiers got up as one, laughing to each other. This was to welcome the girl who might be a magic caster.
Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, the wagon rolled up to the door and stopped.
The girl disembarked. Her forehead was slick with sweat, but she seemed used to travelling under the sun. Her sleeves were long, probably to ward off sunburn. Her clothes didn't seem expensive or well-tailored. No matter how you looked at her, she was a simple village girl.
But you couldn't judge a book by its cover. She could be hiding something. Their job was to find out what that was.
The soldiers warily approached the girl.
"They spoke to her with kind and gentle tones. Something along the lines of, "We don't want to spook you, so please calm down and relax."
"Yes. No problem."
The soldiers escorted the girl to the checkpoint.
In order to protect against the use of 'Charm' spells, two more soldiers followed at a distance of several meters. The others watched her carefully, wary of any suspicious movements.
The girl tilted her head several times, as though sensing the tension in the air.
"…What's wrong?"
"Eh? Ah, no, nothing's wrong."
Someone who could notice the minute changes in the air couldn't possibly be normal. The guards brought her into the checkpoint with that in mind.
"Then, could you sit down there?"
"Yes."
The girl sat in one of the chairs provided in the small blockhouse.
"Let's start with your name and origin."
"Yes. My name is Enri Emmot. I come from Carne Village, near the Great Forest of Tob."
The soldiers exchanged looks, and one of them stepped out of the blockhouse. He was going to check the register for any matching records.
In order to manage its residents, the Kingdom kept records of them in the form of registers. That being said, the registers were crude affairs, and the relevant details of birth and death were update very slowly, if at all. At a very conservative estimate, there were tens of thousands of "mistakes in them. As a result, relying too heavily on the registers would be a bad idea, but even so, they had their uses.
This register was muddled, but it had a lot of entries, so searching it would take a long time. The soldiers understood this, and decided to try and take care of something else in the meantime.
"Then, in place of the toll, could I see your permit?"
Normally speaking, everyone who used the Kingdom's roads had to pay a toll ― something like a passage tax. However, charging residents this money would cause trade to grind to a halt, and as a result every village was issued travel permits with which they could enter the city free of charge. Of course, as there were different nobles in each region, there were different rules for each region too.
"Hmmm, let me see… here it is."
"The soldier stopped Enri from opening her bag to search it.
"Ah, we'll do that. Could you give us your bag?"
Enri handed it over without protest. The soldiers carefully searched the insides, and found a parchment.
They unrolled it on the table so everyone could see. Although the literacy rate amongst Kingdom citizens was very low, it was a given that every soldier stationed at a checkpoint could read and write. Or rather, they were here precisely because they were literate.
"I see. Well, it looks all right. This is definitely the permit issued to Carne Village. I have confirmed this."
The soldier rolled the parchment back up and returned it to the bag.
"Next, state the reason why you're coming to E-Rantel."
"Yes. Firstly, I'm here to sell the medicinal herbs that we've picked."
The soldiers looked outside at the wagon, whose urns were currently being searched.
"And what are the herbs you're selling?"
"Four urns of Nyukuri, four urns of Ajina and six urns of Enkaishi."
"Six urns of Enkaishi, you say?"
"That's right."
Enri was proud of this, and it showed on her face. The soldier understood why.
After all, when manning a checkpoint, one eventually picked up a working knowledge of medicinal herbs.
"Enkaishi only flowered for a very short time and could only be gathered during that time, but it was a major ingredient in healing potions. The demand was very high, and thus the price was always good. If she had six urns like she said, that meant that she would have a lot of money when she sold them off.
"Then, where do you plan to sell them?"
"I was planning to sell them at the former residence of Madam Bareare."
"Bareare? You mean the pharmacist Lizzie Bareare?"
Although she didn't live there any more, she had been the most important person in E-Rantel's pharmaceutical business until recently. If she was selling the herbs at Lizzie's place, that meant Lizzie trusted her very much.
"Then, there's no need to pry deeper, the soldiers thought.
The truth was that although their job was to stop dangerous things from entering the city, investigating these things once they entered the city was no longer their problem.
The soldier nodded with a grunt, and watched Enri's expression.
Up till now, their conversation hadn't been suspicious, and he didn't feel that she was lying.
Which meant that after the cargo inspection was complete, his job would be over.
At this moment, the soldier who had just returned nodded his head.
That was to say, a girl called Enri was recorded in the register.
"However, that record simply said that there was a girl called Enri born in Carne Village. Without any guarantee that the person in front of them was the real Enri, there was also no proof of the kind of life Enri had led. Perhaps during her travels, she had acquired some powerful magic, or she had died in her journey and some criminal was using her name.
Because of that, one final check was needed.
"Understood. Then, call that man here."
The soldier nodded, and left the blockhouse.
"After this, we will be examining your body. Is that alright?"
"Eh?"
A surprised expression dawned on Enri's face. The soldier hurried to qualify his words.
"And, there won't be any other questions. I'm sorry, these are the rules. And we won't do anything weird to you, so don't worry."
"…I understand."
Seeing that Enri was okay with it, the soldier sighed with relief. He didn't want to be the one who angered a possible magic caster.
The soldier who left returned once more, this time with a man trailing behind him.
This man was a magic caster.
His nose protruded like an eagle's beak, while his thin face was sallow and pale. His body was wrapped in a black robe that looked very hot. His sweat flowed freely, and his hands which resembled claws clutched his curved staff tightly.
"If the soldier had his say, he would have gotten rid of that robe if it was so hot, but the magic caster personally liked that style, and stubbornly refused to change his clothes. As such, when the magic caster entered the room, the temperature seemed to rise by a few degrees.
"So it's this girl, then?"
The magic caster spoke calmly, which his soldier escort found strange, as usual.
Although he seemed to be a man in his twenties, his extremely hoarse voice made it impossible to determine how old he was by his voice alone. Was it that his appearance was abnormally young, or that his voice was abnormally hoarse?
"That…"
Enri turned a surprised look at the magic caster who had "replaced the soldier. In his heart, the soldier thought that her surprise was inevitable. He too, had been frightened the first time he saw the man.
"This is a magic caster from the Magician's Association. He's going to perform a simple check, so please wait."
The soldier gestured to Enri to remain seated, and then nodded to the magic caster.
"I'll leave this to you, then?"
"Of course."
The magic caster took a step toward Enri, and then he cast his spell.
"「Detect Magic」."
After that, the magic caster squinted his eyes, like a beast sizing up its prey. Yet, Enri remained calm in the face of this strange sight.
"Seeing that, all the soldiers could think was "No wonder".
Someone who could remain calm under such a mighty gaze could not be a simple village girl. At least, if she hadn't had experience confronting monsters or people who wanted to kill her, there was no way she could have borne that pressure. In the soldier's mind, that just cemented his suspicions.
"Don't try and deceive my eyes. You're hiding a magic item. It's on your waist."
Enri heard it, and looked to her waist in surprise, for the first time since she came here.
The soldiers took up a stance. They understood weapons like swords, but magic items were a mystery to them.
"You mean this?"
"Enri produced a small horn from her clothing, small enough that both her hands could hide it. The soldiers couldn't overlook this.
"…Is that a magic item?"
"That's right. You've been deceived by her appearance. That thing is imbued with powerful magic."
The soldiers were speechless. If this was an item the magic caster considered powerful, then how mighty was it?
As the soldiers considered that this girl must have dressed plainly for a reason, they couldn't help but feel a piercing chill through their chests.
"Ah, this is―"
"No need for excuses. My magic has already seen through it."
In order to shut Enri up, he cast another spell.
"「Appraise Magic Item」 ― uoooooooh!"
The magic caster's facial expressions changed several times in as many seconds. They went from shock, fear, terror, and then confusion.
"What, what, what is this? Like a sea of power with no shore… Impossible! What on earth is this?!"
The magic caster's face was red, and flecks of spittle flew from the sides of his mouth.
"You, you, what the devil are you! Don't try to trick me!"
The magic caster's dramatic attitude shift took the soldiers by surprise, and Enri was no exception as her eyes widened.
"No, I'm just, I'm just a normal person! A simple village girl! Really!"
"A village girl? You, why are you lying? Then how could you have obtained a magic item like this? If you really are a simple village girl, how could you have gotten something like that?!"
"Eh? This, this is a gift from the one who saved our village, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama―"
"Lies again! A demon from must have given it to you!"
"Eh?"
"Men! Assemble! This girl is just too suspicious!"
Although the soldiers didn't understand what was going on, up till today, they had never seen the magic caster freak out like this before. So if this were an emergency, they should drop whatever they were doing and respond to the summons.
"Fall in! Fall in!"
In response to the soldier's shouts, several of their comrades stopped their cargo inspection and entered the room.
"Who gave you an item like this? How did you get it? You can't possibly be a simple village girl!"
"No, this really was given to me by Gown-sama! Please, you have to believe me!"
Two of the soldiers exchanged looks. All of them, as well as their assigned magic caster, believed that Enri was a magic caster as well. However, given Enri's nervous reaction to the sudden change in the situation, they could not help but think she was a normal girl.
"What, what else is there? Tell me why you think she's suspicious!"
"Hnh! To begin with, this horn can summon a group of goblins — although I'm not sure how many it can call up, but it can do such a thing."
The soldiers frowned. It would be troublesome if something like that was used on the streets. However, was that so bad? Certain people, such as adventurers, possessed a plethora of magic items. Just because this one could summon goblins wasn't too unusual in itself.
"And this so-called village girl's testimony is riddled with inconsistencies. That item is worth several thousand gold coins; why would anyone just give it to a mere village girl?"
"Several thousand?!"
"Several thousand?!"
This unbelievable sum drew cries of disbelief from the soldiers, and Enri herself.
"Several thousand gold coins was a sum no normal person could earn in their entire life. It was hard to believe such a simple-looking item could be worth so much.
"That's right. Nobody would hand out such an item without a good reason, let alone to a mundane girl! I could accept it if she were a top-class adventurer or magic caster. But she says she's just a village girl! It's far too suspicious!"
That much the soldiers understood. Exceptional people would tend to gather exceptional items to themselves. In the past, both the great men of good and evil persuasions were known for their acquisition of powerful equipment. It was their destiny, and it was inevitable.
"No, really, I'm just a simple village girl…"
"And, I've never heard of any Ainz Ooal Gown fellow. At least, "he's not part of our Association, nor have I ever heard of an adventurer by that name."
"The Warrior-Captain knows Gown-sama!"
"The Kingdom's Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff-dono? …You must be uttering nonsense. How would a simple village girl know of such things?"
"Because he came to our village! It's true! Go ask him and you'll know!"
It would be impossible to communicate with the Warrior-Captain, who resided in the Royal Capital, from E-Rantel. More to the point, if she really was a simple village girl, it was unlikely that she would stay in the Warrior-Captain's memory, so proving her identity would be hard.
"So what do we do?"
"Detain her for now, then investigate further. Given that she didn't conceal that item, and was planning to take it into the city openly, she might not be a spy or a terrorist, but that is no guarantee."
Enri looked around in a panic.
She looked just like a normal village girl. If this was an act, she must have been a very good actor.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers watching the perimeter exclaimed in surprise. At the same moment, a voice that Enri couldn't quite remember rang out.
"Yo, we wish to enter the city here! What's going on?"
As they turned towards the voice, they saw the only green-haired man who lived in E-Rantel.
"Uooh!" The soldiers and magic casters exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone knew the foreigner dressed up strangely. The adamantite plate which swayed over his chest was the conclusive proof of his identity. A living legend, a man who made the impossible possible.
Oshiku from 'Thunder and Lightning'.
"I-It's Oshiku-sama! My sincerest apologies!"
"Good… hm? This girl is…"
"Yes! Because of this girl, we spent a bit of time checking up on her. I apologize for any inconvenience we've caused―"
"―Enri, is it? Enri Emmot?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze over. Why would a legendary adventurer know a village girl's name?
"That, you are… ah, yes. That, that time, you were one of the adventurers who came with Enfi. Although I don't think I spoke to you… did you learn my name from Nfirea?"
Oshiku frowned and put his hand on his chin, as though he was deep in thinking. Afterward, he gestured to the magic caster and they exited the blockhouse. Although the soldiers wanted to follow, they couldn't leave Enri alone.
Only the magic caster, now calmed down, returned to the room.
"Let her go. That great man has vouched for her with his status as an adamantite-ranked adventurer. I think there's no point in keeping her here. What do you think?"
"That's an obvious decision… but, is it really all right?"
"Is it really all right to doubt him, of all people?"
"O-Of course not! I get it. We'll grant her passage. Enri Emmot of Carne Village, you are allowed to enter the city. You may go."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
After bowing quickly to them, Enri left the blockhouse. As her back receded into the distance, the soldier turned to the magic caster.
"What about Oshiku-sama?"
"He left first."
"Then… what connection would that hero have with that village girl?"
"Hell if I know. Momon-dono told me what I told you, he vouched for her and asked that we let her go."
"Then, another question. That Enri Emmot girl. Do you really think she's just a village girl?"
"Certainly not. There's no way she could be a simple village girl, otherwise why would a great hero like him help her? And it wasn't a coincidence she was carrying that item… Could it be she is his girlfriend?"
"Frankly speaking, I don't know. After all, Oshiku-dono already vouched for her. If we let the people on top know… well, you would be just doing your job, but do you really want to upset Oshiku-dono?"
The soldier's face twisted.
The exploits of 'Thunder & Lightning' were a common conversation topic when the soldiers gathered.
There was nobody whose blood wouldn't be boiling after hearing the legendary feats accomplished by the greatest adventurers in town. Even those who simply watched from afar could feel the overwhelming pressure of their heroic figures.
Just as women would have a crush on strong men, many men were admirers of them, plus with Oshiku being a bard, it could be said that most of his songs and ballads had fans within the armed forces of E-Rantel.
This soldier was one of them.
As a fan of Oshiku, Momon and Brain, just being patted on the shoulder by his idols was enough for him to "boast about it to everyone he met. As such, he had no intention of upsetting the man he worshiped.
"There is that. Well, since Oshiku-sama vouched for her, I guess it'll be fine."
"I think so too. If we treat a friend of him poorly, I don't think it'll turn out well. I guess all we can do is avoid rocking the boat. Now then… I guess I'll go back to standing by."
"Ayup. I'm heading back to my post too."
Enri drove the wagon with her back to the gate of E-Rantel's city gate, wondering what on earth had just happened. That green-haired man in a loose coat― one of the adventurers who had come with Nfirea to Carne Village to pick herbs ― had helped her out of a tight spot.
By right, she should have immediately gone to thank him, but unfortunately she'd lost sight of him once she entered the city.
If I thank him the next time we meet… will he forgive me? Although she was thinking that she should immediately start searching for him once she had the time, there were reasons why she couldn't. Those reasons were what she was currently worried about. She clutched a portion of her clothes, feeling for the horn inside it to banish her uneasiness.
The goblin-something horn.
This… this is worth several thousand gold coins? No way. Please tell me that's not true…
Enri's sweat flowed like a river. The horns had been given to her so casually that she hadn't expected it to be that valuable. No, Nfirea had said it was a high-end magic item… but the amount was beyond her imagination.
Is it alright for me to use this item? Will it be okay? If she was told to return the other one she had already used, what should she do?
I'll need several thousand urns of herbs… I might not be able to afford it in a lifetime of picking herbs… In addition, she had another item worth thousands of gold coins.
Is Gown-sama a man who can give out such items so easily?! Or maybe, he didn't know its value… no way, there's no way someone like him wouldn't know… but, if he didn't know…
Enri's stomach grumbled and ached.
She looked around her surroundings in suspicion. There weren't many people around, but it was still several times more than Carne Village. Was there anyone who would want to steal the horn? Other such distasteful ideas surfaced in Enri's heart.
If only I hadn't brought it out. There's a lot of crime here, right? What if the horn got stolen… if the horn was blown and goblins showed up to make trouble, wouldn't that make me the criminal?
Just as the cold sweat was pooling around Enri, a person descended on the seat next to her in the driver's cab. The way he landed like a feather in defiance of gravity must have been magic.
"Who—!"
As the surprise of seeing the newcomer faded, an even bigger surprise was awaiting her.
It was her saviour from before. A man whose eyes resembled nothing so much as bright emeralds as they turned to Enri.
"Yo, Enri. Sorry, I had something to quickly deal with. I wanted to ask you a few questions."
Enri had no obligation to answer. However, this was the partner of someone who had helped her. If he wanted to know, then she should answer.
"That, before that, can I ask a favor of you? You helped me earlier and I'm very, very grateful. Thanks a lot for that!"
"Ha, it was no big deal. Why are you here all by yourself anyway?"
"Ah, yes, I, I'm here, because there's a lot of things that need to be done and everyone else in the village was busy. Most importantly, I must sell these herbs."
The man nodded as Enri continued speaking.
"Then, I'll go to the temple, to see if there's anyone who wants to move to our village to live. And I need to buy lots of things we can't get in the village, like weapons."
"Ah, shopping in the city. Very well then, take care. But next time, don't travel all by yourself!"
With ethereally graceful movements which seemed independent of gravity, the man alighted from the wagon and left without looking back, but waving at her.
Enri's impression of him was that of a pleasant breeze which could become a hurricane at any moment and tear apart whatever was in his way.
"He's an amazing man… it feels like she's ten times more powerful than Hekkeran-san…"
There were no men in the village like him. And probably in E-Rantel as well. She didn't know how strong he was compared to Momon-san, but either way they both had become adamantite-ranked adventurers. No way we could afford their services now…
She sighed and then looked around.
E-Rantel could be roughly divided into three zones, separated by the walls of the city. The middle zone seemed to be where most people lived, while the innermost one, the one she was headed to, contained the headquarters of the Pharmacists' Guild.
Using her best friend's grandmother's name might have been a little bit shameless, but with it, she was sure to get the best possible deal. This way, she'd earn enough money to buy all the things that Carne required.
Enri headed down the road Nfirea had told her about.
Although she had been travelling with the goblins before that, they were all waiting outside the city for Enri to finish her business. Ever since she had set out from the village, after being told by Oshiku, she realized that she was alone, and her hands gripped the reins even more rightly.
I need to be careful. And no way I'm coming back here without someone else.
The tension stiffened Enri's shoulders. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she looked around in all directions and her destination was in front of her.
"I found it!"
Enri squealed a little squeal of joy. Now that she was here, she probably wouldn't get lost.
She handed the reins of her wagon to the sentry standing at the door of the Pharmacists' Guild building and prepared to enter.
I got to get lots of money in here. Let's do this!