“How do we get there?"
"There’s a horse carriage, but it will be filled with containers for the gathered herbs, so there won't be any space for you to sit in."
"Can we resupply our food stock in Carne village?"
"Water will be fine, but food will be a bit hard. Carne isn’t a large village.”
The members of the Sword of Darkness started to discuss the necessary preparations and asked Bareare various questions. Seeing this, Ainz enquired:
“May I ask a few questions?”
Seeing the youth nod with a smile, Ainz stated his first query:
“Why me? I only came to this city by stagecoach recently, so I don’t know anyone here and I’m not famous. But you asked for me despite that and since you mentioned ‘the usual practice’ just now, that means you hired other adventurers before correct? What happened to them?”
Ainz’s gaze under the helmet became sharp.
He didn’t know why the youth asked for him. If his cover was blown, he would need a new disguise and method of approach.
Observing carefully───since half of the young man’s face was covered by his bangs, he couldn’t see his eyes clearly───he still couldn’t see through the youth’s real motive.
Was he just thinking too deeply───just as Ainz was feeling doubtful, Nfirea answered:
“Ah, the adventurers I used to hire seem to have left E-Rantel for other cities. That’s why I am looking for new adventurers. Also… I heard about the incident at the tavern from the customers visiting my place.
“Tavern incident?”
“Yes, I heard that someone easily threw an adventurer one grade higher than him.”
“I see…”
He wanted to display his strength and raise his fame back then. Did the youth take the bait? As Ainz was feeling relieved, the young man pointed at the copper medal on Ainz’s chest and added jokingly:
“And copper medal adventurers are cheaper, right? We might be able to work together for a longer term.”
“Haha, indeed.”
Hiring a fresh recruit, Ainz understood that feeling. He felt his wariness easing, but there was still something that worried him. If that was really the case───
While Ainz was thinking, the others asked several questions and Nfirea answered them one at a time. After making sure no one else had any questions, Nfirea said:
“Let’s hit the road after the preparations are done!”
Part 5
It was the middle of the night when a dark figure floated across E-Rantel's great cemetery.
Dressed in a black, hooded cape, it advanced in a unique, ghostly fashion without moving its shoulders or waist.
The figure nimbly evaded the magic light of the cemetery, entering the inner parts.
After the shadow reached a shrine, it removed its hood.
It was a young woman around twenty years old, at the peak of her youth.
Her features were delicate, giving her a cat-like beauty. She might've looked cute, but hidden underneath her expression was the ferocity of a carnivorous beast that might lash out at any moment.
"Finally here."
The woman said in a joking tone, brushing her short blond bangs as she pushed the stone door of the shrine open. The sound of metal creaking against metal came from under her cloak, just like a chain armor.
Inside the shrine, the stone platform were dead bodies would be placed were empty. All the offerings for those who passed on had been removed.
The stone seemed to had absorbed large quantities of perfume; the sweet smell irritated the woman’s nose.
She frowned slightly and moved towards the stone platform.
"Hmmm-hmm-hmm~ he~"
The woman hummed as she pressed a unremarkable marking below the seat.
When the marking was depressed, a clicking sound was heard, indicating that a gear had snapped into place. A heartbeat later, cracking sounds could be heard as the seat moved slowly, revealing stairs leading underground.
"Coming in~"
The woman dragged the ending of her words in a carefree manner and walked down the stairs. Turning around the corner in the middle, she arrived in a vast space.
The mud in the walls and floor were exposed, but it had been processed by craftsmen and wouldn't collapse easily. The air wasn't stale; it was rather fresh from a ventilation somewhere.
This place wasn't part of the cemetery, but somewhere more sinister.
Strange tapestries hung from the walls, with red candles made from blood below it, emitting a faint glow and the smell of charred blood.
The flickering candle flame cast countless shadows. There were several caves within this space, and all of them were rank with the unique smell of low-level undead.
The woman surveyed her surroundings until her eyes lingered on one spot.
"Hey~ The person hiding over there, a guest is here~"
The man who was hiding in a dark corner and spying on her shuddered.
"Hello~ I am here to meet Kaji-chan, is he here~?"
The man was at a loss on what to do, and started trembling when the sound of her footsteps approached him.
"It's fine. You are dismissed."
These words were spoken by another man who suddenly stepped out into the open, addressing the man hiding in the shadows.
He was a skinny man.
His eyes were sunken in, and his complexion was completely different from a healthy person. He didn't have any hair on his body. Not only was he bald, he didn't even have any eyebrows or — lashes.
His appearance made it hard to judge his age, but he couldn’t be too old since his skin wasn't wrinkled.
This man was dressed in a dark red robe and around his neck was a chain made from the bones of small animals. His hands were just bones covered with skin and in one of his hands, which had yellowish nails, he held a black staff. He looked more like an undead monster than a human.
“Hi~ Kaji-chan.”
The woman’s casual tone made the man frown.
“Can you not call me that? It tarnishes the name of Zuranon.”
Zuranon.
A powerful, evil, and secret organization with a notorious leader. Made up of veteran Magic Casters, they were the masterminds behind several tragedies and were treated with hostility by surrounding nations.
“Is that so…?”
The woman seemed to be ignoring the man’s request to change her way of addressing him, causing his frown to deepen.
“… So? Why are you here? You knew I was injecting energy into the Pearl of Death here. If you plan to make trouble, I have my ways of dealing with you.”
The man squinted, gripping his staff tightly.
“How mean~ Kaji-chan. I came to bring you this~”
The woman showed a cute smile while she searched for something under her cape. After finding the item, she happily held it out in her hand.
It was a crown.
Countless small jewels decorated the gold threads, like droplets on a spider web. It was a delicate artwork. The center of the crown — where the forehead should be — was a large jewel which looked like a black crystal.
“This is!”
The man was tongue tied.
He was looking at it from a distance, but he was very sure this was the crown he saw a long time ago.
“The symbol of the Miko Princess, the 「Crown of Wisdom」! Isn’t this one of the greatest treasures of the Slane Theocracy?”