The Dark Warrior (8 page)

“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 proven our 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—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 Narberal 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, Momon?”

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 parchment 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.”

Ainz wondered a bit about their relaxed attitude. The goblins he’d known in
Yggdrasil
all had various names and had been anywhere from level 1 to 50—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?”

“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 Nabe can use tier-three magic, then even the more elite types will be a piece of cake.”

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

All the 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. I have no records of encountering any other wild beasts that put up much of a fight in this area. On the plain, 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.”

I see.
Ainz nodded.
So we’ll fight the monsters that spill out of the forest onto the grass.

“So that’s the job, Momon. How about it? Will you help us out?”

“Uh…I suppose…but actually, before that, could you tell me 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.”

Ainz pretended to think for a moment and then nodded. “That’s fine by me. 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.”

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

“…Black hair and black eyes, like Nabe. You’re definitely not from around here. I heard that down south there’s a country where people look like you… Are you from that area?”

“Yeah. I traveled a pretty long ways.”

“He’s older than I thought…kind of an old dude.”

“Don’t be rude! A warrior on a level equal to a tier-three magic user would be about that age!”

“Miss Nabe must have learned so fast!”

Ainz had sharp enough hearing that he could pick up the other three’s whispers. He felt a little young to be called an “old dude,” but compared to these kids, he probably
was
old. 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?”

“Yes!”

In response to Ainz’s question, a hand flew into the air. It was Lukrut. When he saw no one else had anything to ask, he threw a question loudly at Narberal. “What exactly is the relationship between you two?”

Silence.

Ainz couldn’t fathom why he would ask such a thing.

Peter and the rest could, though, and keenly.

“…We’re friends.”

Lukrut’s reaction to Ainz’s answer completely disrupted the mood of the meeting. “I’m in love! It’s love at first sight! Will you go out with me?”

Everyone stared at him. When they realized he hadn’t said it as a well-intentioned joke, their eyes moved to Narberal. Under everyone’s gaze, she sighed before replying, “Shut up, you slug. Don’t speak to me again until you know your place, or I’ll rip out your tongue.”

A silence descended, incomparably more still than the previous one.

“Uh, er…” Before Ainz could get a word out, Lukrut was talking.

“Thank you very much for that intense rejection! Let’s start as friends!”

“Drop dead, maggot. As if I’d be your friend! Do you want me to gouge out your eyes with a spoon?”

Peter and Ainz looked away from the back-and-forth and bowed to each other.

“…I’m sorry my friend is causing trouble.”

“…Not at all, I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

“Okay, can we say that no one has any questions?” Peter addressed the group once more, leaving out Lukrut with his goofy grin and icy Narberal. “Then let’s head out once you’re ready. Our preparations have already been made.”

At the word
preparations
, Ainz remembered something. He’d purchased the minimum necessary provisions from the innkeeper, but neither he nor Narberal required the 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 more adventurers around than before, and several groups had gathered around where the parchments were posted, but almost everyone was focused on one 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 Ainz.

What the heck?
As Ainz 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. Ainz felt the unreserved stares of numerous curious eyes. The members of the Swords of Darkness also seemed surprised.

Narberal made a slight move in response to the mysterious change in atmosphere. She was shifting just in case she had to deal with a situation, preparing for combat.

Ugh.
Narberal’s movements were bad, no matter what her reason. She may very well have been acting to protect him after detecting something off about the vibe, but it wasn’t appropriate here. Or rather, someone with common sense wouldn’t do what she was doing. Even if she was prioritizing Ainz’s safety above all else, she was being too thoughtless.

That idiot. She’s as bad as Albedo, but gah, what is she thinking? Actually, she’s probably
not
thinking. She looks down on humans, so to her it would be like stepping on some noisy bugs.
I guess it makes sense to have that attitude, since Ainz Ooal Gown is a guild made up entirely of grotesques, but there’s still a time and a place for it.

Ainz put his head in his hands. He wanted to ask his old guildmates why all their NPCs were like this.
I don’t care what kind of backstory you assign them—at least give them minimum interpersonal skills, like being able to read a room and understanding the context of their actions.

He didn’t have time to reprimand her now. But he didn’t know what would happen if people picked up on the fact that she was going into combat mode. He quickly karate-chopped her on the head—not with full strength, of course, but the pain he inflicted with his gauntleted hand had apparently been pretty serious; Narberal looked up at him, her tearful eyes taken over by surprise and confusion.

Completely ignoring her, Ainz asked the receptionist, “By who?”

The minute he’d said it he felt stupid. It had to have been that boy.

“Nfirea Baleare.”

Ainz 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.” He tilted his head, and Ainz reciprocated. “So about the reque—” He started to speak, but Ainz held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m already 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 Momon, he’s requesting
you
!”

Seeing Peter’s reaction, Ainz wondered if a request by name was really worth getting so excited about, but…

“That may be, but it’s only right to prioritize the previous engagement, don’t you think?” It seemed Ainz’s conclusion was not mistaken. Some of the onlooking adventurers 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 (who is not only famous himself but also has 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, Ainz 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 weren’t even planning on today or tomorrow anyhow.”

“Then let’s have 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.