Chapter 49

Overlord Volume 7 Bab 1
Bab 1: Undangan Menuju Kematian

(Re) Diterjemahkan oleh: Nigel
Proofreader / Editor: Deus Ex Machina

Bagian 1

Arwintar, Ibukota Kekaisaran, terletak di wilayah barat Kekaisaran Baharuth. Di tengahnya adalah Istana Kekaisaran yang merupakan tempat tinggal pria yang dikenal sebagai "Kaisar Berdarah" – Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix. Itu dikelilingi oleh universitas, Akademi Sihir Kekaisaran dan segala macam bangunan pemerintah yang terpancar darinya, dan itu bisa dianggap sebagai jantung Kekaisaran.

Sementara populasinya lebih rendah dari Ibukota Kerajaan Kerajaan Re-Estize, cakupannya lebih besar dari Ibukota Kerajaan. Selain itu, beberapa tahun reformasi berarti bahwa Kekaisaran saat ini berada di tengah-tengah booming terbesar dalam sejarah, dengan inovasi tanpa henti dan aliran sumber daya dan bakat manusia yang mantap datang. Yang lama diruntuhkan untuk memberi jalan bagi masa depan yang menjanjikan, dan wajah para penghuninya cerah.

Ainz dan Narberal berjalan melalui jalan-jalan kota yang panas dan ramai.

Dalam keadaan normal, Ainz akan melongo dalam segala hal saat ia berjalan, seperti udik desa yang baru saja pulang dari pertanian. Pada saat yang sama, ia akan sangat tersentuh oleh betapa berbedanya tempat ini dari Kerajaan.

Namun, emosi itu hampir tidak ada di Ainz.

Keadaan hatinya tercermin dalam tindakannya, dan langkahnya yang bermasalah.

Apa yang memerintahnya sekarang adalah perasaan tidak bahagia.

Datang ke Kekaisaran telah menjadi bagian dari rencana Demiurge, dan semakin dia memikirkannya, semakin alisnya – seolah-olah ilusif – diikat bersama.

Konsep "kesabaran" sama sekali tidak perlu bagi Ainz Ooal Gown, penguasa tertinggi Nazarick. Dia juga tidak perlu menekan perasaan frustrasinya. Kata Ainz adalah hukum, dan sebagai seorang pemimpin, yang harus ia lakukan adalah berbicara dan hitam akan menjadi putih. Dengan benar, tidak ada yang tidak berjalan sesuai keinginannya.

Karena itu, mengapa semuanya berakhir seperti ini? Itu karena dia ingin menolak proposal Demiurge, tetapi dia tidak bisa, karena berbagai alasan.

Tujuan dari rencana tersebut – menunjukkan kekuatan Nazarick – cukup sederhana untuk dipahami, dan efeknya akan segera terlihat. Yang mengatakan, Ainz tidak menyukainya, karena dia merasa melakukan itu akan memalukan pada kreasi buatan tangan teman-temannya.

Sangat tidak sedap dipandang jika menolak rencana luar biasa hanya berdasarkan perasaan pribadi, dan dia tidak ingin yang lain merasa bahwa dia adalah orang yang tidak dapat ditebus dalam perannya sebagai pemimpin tertinggi. Selain itu, dia tidak punya ide lain untuk dijadikan alternatif.

Keberatan dengan proposal seseorang tanpa ada yang menggantikannya pada dasarnya bertengkar dengan pihak lain. Bukan status Ainz sebagai penguasa tetapi pengalamannya sebagai pegawai yang memberitahukan hal ini kepadanya.

Ainz mulai menggumamkan kata-kata yang sudah ia gunakan untuk berbicara sendiri beberapa kali.

Saya harus tenang. Saya perlu mendinginkan kepala saya. Saya harus rasional. Jika terpaksa memilih antara alasan dan emosi, seorang atasan harus memilih alasan. Tipe yang bertindak berdasarkan emosi mereka mungkin dapat menuai imbalan besar jika mereka menyalurkan semua energi mereka ke dalam pekerjaan mereka, tetapi sebagian besar itu tidak pernah berakhir dengan baik bagi mereka. Selain itu, sudah—

"—Di telah dilemparkan?"

Ainz tidak memiliki paru-paru, tetapi dia masih menarik napas dalam-dalam, dan kemudian menghela napas.

Warga di sekitarnya menatap bingung pada prajurit ini yang tiba-tiba mengisap dan mengeluarkan udara saat dia berjalan, tetapi mereka tampaknya tidak keberatan.

Tubuhnya yang gagah dan gagah berani sering kali menarik perhatian orang yang lewat. Secara khusus, itu bahkan lebih umum bagi orang lain untuk memandangnya setelah dia dipuji sebagai pahlawan. Karena itu, dia tidak memedulikan pandangan orang lain kecuali dia sedang mengadakan pertunjukan, menunggangi Hamsuke, atau keadaan khusus lainnya muncul.

Setelah mengulangi siklus itu beberapa kali, hanya sedikit gangguan yang tersisa di dalam dirinya. Saat itulah dia memperhatikan Narberal, yang tertinggal di belakangnya.

"Maafkan aku, sepertinya aku berjalan terlalu cepat."

Ainz adalah seorang lelaki, dan cara dia mengambil langkah besar dalam baju besi benar-benar berbeda dari cara yang Narberal feminin bergerak dalam jubahnya. Setelah mempertimbangkan atribut fisiknya, dia mungkin tidak mengalami terlalu banyak kesulitan, tetapi sebagai seorang pria, dia harus meminta maaf karena berjalan di depan sementara hanya memikirkan dirinya sendiri.

"Tidak sama sekali, tidak apa-apa."

"Apakah begitu…"

Apakah itu jawabannya sebagai pelayan, atau apakah dia benar-benar tidak keberatan? Ainz tidak tahu, jadi yang bisa dia lakukan adalah mempersingkat langkahnya sambil mencari sesuatu untuk dibicarakan.

Dia merasa tidak nyaman tentang udara berduri di sekelilingnya sekarang, dan dia memutar otak untuk mencari cara untuk mengubah suasana hati. Namun, dia tidak bisa memikirkan topik yang cocok.

Pengusaha sering menggunakan hal-hal sepele seperti cuaca dan sebagainya untuk memulai percakapan. Membahas olahraga juga bukan ide yang buruk, tetapi itu membutuhkan pengetahuan sebelumnya tentang tim mana yang didukung pihak lain.

Saat Ainz merenungkan bagaimana memulai pembicaraan, dia tiba-tiba "tch" di dalam hatinya.

Mengapa saya berjalan di atas kulit telur di sekitar Narberal, bawahan saya sendiri? Ini adalah kesempatan langka bagi saya untuk memainkan peran bagaimana seorang master harus berbicara dengan pelayannya. Yang mengatakan, apa yang harus dikatakan seorang penguasa – atau mungkin, makhluk absolut – kepada bawahannya?

Ainz mengingat kembali pembicaraannya dengan bosnya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Apakah itu pantas? Ainz bingung. Dia adalah otoritas tertinggi dalam Makam Bawah Tanah Besar Nazarick, bukan direktur perusahaan. Sebenarnya, dia lebih dekat dengan presiden perusahaan.

Tidak, presiden tidak benar … yang mengatakan, apa yang akan dikatakan Raja Kerajaan kepada Gazef Stronoff? Kalau saja saya bisa menggunakannya sebagai referensi …

Yang mengatakan, tidak ada gunanya memikirkan itu sekarang. Berlangsung dalam keheningan seperti ini membuat suasana hati terlalu suram. Ainz memutuskan untuk berhati-hati terhadap angin dan mengatakan hal pertama yang terlintas di benaknya.

"… Nabe … apa pendapatmu tentang suaraku ini?"

Ainz mengetuk pita suaranya dengan jari telunjuknya – atau tepatnya, tempat pita suaranya seharusnya. Dia menggunakan tangan tantangan untuk menekan tenggorokannya. Dia seharusnya tidak merasakan apa-apa melalui logam, tetapi ada sensasi kelesuan sebagai gantinya. Ada juga kelembaban aneh di tempat itu.

"Aku berdoa kamu akan memaafkan keterusteranganku, tapi aku tidak terlalu suka suara itu. Ini bukan karena kedengarannya aneh, tetapi karena saya menemukan suara Anda yang biasa sangat luar biasa, Momon-sa — n. Saya mengerti bahwa Anda memiliki alasan yang mencegah Anda melakukannya, tetapi saya tidak bisa membantu tetapi berharap Anda akan melanjutkan menggunakan suara normal Anda, Momon-san. "

"Apakah begitu. Saya pikir suara ini memiliki kualitas magnetis, dan kedengarannya cukup bagus … Neuronist memilihnya dari antara 50 orang, jadi saya merasa memiliki daya tarik tertentu yang tidak dapat diungkapkan dengan kata-kata. ”

Ainz tiba-tiba mengingat seperti apa suaranya dalam rekaman, dan mengerang pelan. Namun, suasana hatinya segera kembali stabil.

"Apakah begitu? Saya lebih suka suara normal Anda, Momon-san. ”

"Terima kasih, Nabe. Namun, sekarang aku memikirkannya, aku tidak berharap bisa memanfaatkan ini … ”

Tidak ada yang tahu apakah Ainz berbicara dari hati atau hanya mengoceh berbasa-basi. Saat dia berpikir, dia menusuk tenggorokannya sekali lagi. Dia bisa merasakan makhluk hidup terjebak di sana – Lip Bug – bergeser di sekitar. Mungkin itu geli jika dia manusia.

Apakah saya tidak mengetahuinya, atau ditambahkan dalam pembaruan yang lebih baru? Saya tidak bisa mengatakan dengan pasti bahwa tidak mengetahui tentang hal ini tidak akan membuat saya tidak nyaman. Bukan hanya pengetahuan saya tentang dunia ini yang perlu saya periksa, tetapi juga pengetahuan saya tentang YGGDRASIL. Betapa merepotkan.

Perusahaan game ingin agar pemain YGGDRASIL dapat menikmati perasaan menjelajahi hal yang tidak diketahui. Mereka ingin para pemainnya bermain-main dan bereksperimen dengan segala macam hal, sehingga pengembang menghasilkan konten game yang luar biasa, dan memasukkan sistem yang dapat menyempurnakan data itu.

Dengan demikian, yang tidak diketahui terbentang di hadapan para pemain.

Mereka tidak memberikan informasi apa pun tentang peta dunia game, dan mereka juga cukup tidak peduli untuk tidak memasok berita apa pun tentang ruang bawah tanah game dan hal-hal seperti penambangan bijih, persiapan makanan, atau pemeliharaan binatang ajaib. Di dunia seperti ini, seseorang harus menyelidiki dan menemukan hal-hal sendiri. Faktanya, bahkan barang yang bisa dan tidak bisa digunakan hanya bisa dirasakan melalui percobaan berulang-ulang di pihak pemain.

Ada situs walkthrough dan situs berita, tetapi situs tersebut hanya menghosting kompilasi informasi yang diketahui publik atau rumor yang sangat tidak dapat dipercaya. YGGDRASIL adalah permainan menjelajahi hal-hal yang tidak diketahui. Dengan demikian, setiap informasi yang ditemukan akan sangat berharga. Tidak ada gunanya menerbitkan informasi berharga ini untuk dilihat oleh orang asing tanpa biaya.

Pada akhirnya, seseorang hanya bisa mengandalkan informasi yang telah ditemukan oleh guild seseorang, atau informasi yang diperdagangkan dari guild yang andal. Yang lainnya adalah berita yang tidak berguna dan tidak berguna.

Bahkan ada periode waktu ketika orang-orang meninggalkan posting mencurigakan di papan pesan di sepanjang baris "Aku meninggalkan guildku, jadi aku akan mengungkapkan semua rahasia guild ku sekarang".

Ya… beberapa informasi itu akurat.

***

Pernah ada guild bernama Three Burning Eyes

Itu adalah guild yang dibentuk oleh master situs web yang mengelola situs informasi keanggotaan berbayar, dan mereka sering mempraktikkan kebiasaan buruk mengirim mata-mata ke guild tingkat tinggi untuk mencuri informasi mereka. Namun, para pengembang tidak menganggap ini sebagai "kebiasaan buruk". Mereka diam-diam setuju bahwa ini adalah cara yang sah untuk mendapatkan informasi. Namun, itu tidak melakukan apa pun untuk meredakan pihak-pihak yang informasinya dicuri.

Guild tingkat tinggi itu benar-benar marah, jadi mereka membentuk aliansi dan menyerang Three Burning Eyes. Aliansi menempatkan orang-orang di titik respawn di dalam kuil kota yang berisi basis guild, kemudian mulai PKing anggota guild. Mereka kemudian melanjutkan untuk berulang kali PK anggota guild tepat setelah mereka respawn. Akhirnya, Tiga Mata Terbakar runtuh dan anggota serikat tersebar ke angin.

Pada akhirnya, mereka menerbitkan semua informasi mereka secara gratis ke web. Itu adalah kenangan nostalgia.

Yah, tidak ada mata-mata di Ainz Ooal Gown … tetapi jika insiden itu tidak terjadi, mungkin kita mungkin memiliki lebih banyak anggota.

Insiden itu telah menyebabkan Ainz Ooal Gown untuk berhenti merekrut. Dengan hanya 41 anggota, mereka adalah yang paling sedikit dari guild berperingkat tinggi.

Mungkin ada situs web yang sangat andal di hari-hari terakhir YGGDRASIL. Namun, Ainz hanya melihat-lihat situs-situs tersebut selama zaman keemasan Ainz Ooal Gown, ketika mereka telah dalam kemuliaan penuh mereka. Pada waktu itu, ada sedikit informasi berguna yang berharga di situs-situs itu.

Pengetahuan saya mungkin mandek di sana. Memang, saya memperhatikan pembaruan pengembang … pasti ada pemain YGGDRASIL lain di dunia ini selain saya. Saya perlu mempertimbangkan bahaya kehilangan mereka dalam hal pengetahuan.

Setelah membawa Eight Fingers di bawah spanduknya, Ainz telah belajar banyak tentang wilayah di sekitar Nazarick. Itu termasuk banyak informasi tentang Kerajaan dan Kekaisaran, yang saat ini dimanfaatkan dengan baik. Namun, hanya ada sedikit informasi tentang Kerajaan Suci, Teokrasi dan Republik, jadi ia harus hati-hati mengumpulkan informasi tentang tempat-tempat itu di masa depan.

“Astaga, semakin aku memikirkannya, semakin aku khawatir. Saya berharap saya memiliki topik yang lebih ceria untuk dipikirkan. ”

Ainz berhenti di sini, dan kemudian dia dengan santai melihat sekeliling.

"Omong-omong, Kekaisaran benar-benar cukup hidup."

"Apakah begitu? Rasanya hampir sama dengan E-Rantel bagi saya. ”

Setelah mendengar kata-kata Narberal, Ainz melihat sekeliling sekali lagi.

“Jalanan dipenuhi dengan kehidupan dan mata orang-orang berkilau. Ada suasana tertentu di udara, yang dimiliki oleh orang-orang yang percaya hidup mereka akan menjadi lebih baik. "

"Seperti yang diharapkan dari Momon-san," kata Narberal dari kejauhan di belakangnya. Namun, Ainz merasa malu dengan kata-katanya sendiri dan tidak menjawabnya. Itu hanya kesan yang didapatnya, dan dia tidak percaya diri dengan keakuratan penilaiannya.

Jangan memberi tahu saya bahwa saya terinfeksi oleh Pandora's Actor … "ambience", saya tidak percaya saya bisa mengatakan sesuatu yang sok seperti itu tanpa merasa malu. Apakah saya pikir saya adalah seorang penyair atau sesuatu ?!

Di Ibukota Kerajaan, dia perlu bertindak seperti pahlawan sampai batas tertentu, jadi Ainz memainkan peran sebagai pahlawan. Tampaknya dia belum sepenuhnya keluar dari bagian itu.

Wajah di bawah kemudi tertutup memerah karena malu ringan – meskipun wajah kerangka tidak bisa memerah – dan saat itu Ainz melihat penginapan yang pernah dikatakan Fluder kepadanya di depan matanya.

Ini adalah penginapan kelas tertinggi di Ibukota Kekaisaran, dan bahkan dari kejauhan, orang dapat mengatakan itu lebih mewah daripada penginapan terbaik E-Rantel. Jika seseorang menganggap penginapan di Ibukota Kerajaan memiliki sejarah panjang dan terkenal, maka penginapan di Ibukota Kekaisaran ini adalah hotel mewah yang baru dibuka, dan pertanyaan tentang penginapan mana yang lebih baik akan diputuskan oleh preferensi pribadi.

"Baiklah, kita tidak bisa memastikan sampai kita masuk untuk melihatnya, tapi saya pikir kita sudah mendapatkan tempat yang tepat."

Ainz dengan singkat merasakan lempeng peringkat adamantite menggantung di dadanya, dan kemudian menuju pintu masuk penginapan.

Sama seperti di E-Rantel, pintu masuk diapit oleh penjaga berotot dengan baju besi kulit. Orang-orang itu melirik Momon dan Nabe dengan curiga saat mereka berjalan melewati lengkungan. Kemudian, ketika mereka melihat barang tertentu, mata mereka tiba-tiba menjadi lebar.

"Apakah … apakah itu yang asli? Pasti, diberi perlengkapan mereka … "

Dia bisa mendengar mereka saling berbisik.

Ketika Ainz berjalan di depan para penjaga yang tegang dan gelisah, mereka dengan sopan bertanya kepadanya dengan nada kaku:

"Tolong maafkan aku jika aku menyinggungmu, petualang-adamantite-peringkat, tapi bisakah aku melihat bukti identitasmu?"

Ainz melepas piring dan bertanya:

"Apakah penginapan ini tidak menerima pelanggan yang datang langsung?"

"Iya. Sayangnya, untuk mempertahankan nada yang sesuai, properti kami tidak mengakomodasi tamu yang belum diperkenalkan sebelumnya. Tapi tentu saja, kamu akan menjadi pengecualian, petualang adamantite-sama. ”

Salah satu penjaga menyeka tangannya di pakaiannya, membungkuk dalam-dalam, dan kemudian dengan hati-hati menerima plat identitas seolah itu adalah sesuatu yang rapuh.

Dia kemudian membaliknya dan membacakan surat-surat di sana.

"Momon … si Hitam-sama?"

"Memang."

“Saya sudah memverifikasi dan tidak ada keraguan! Terima kasih telah menawarkan kami bukti peringkat adamantite Anda! "

Sama seperti sebelumnya, penjaga dengan hati-hati mengembalikan piring ke Ainz. Pelat yang menunjukkan peringkat petualang terbuat dari bahan yang sesuai dengan peringkat tersebut, dan sepotong kecil adamantite ini harganya mahal. Memang, adamantite adalah logam yang sangat keras dan tidak akan lecet atau tergores hanya dengan menjatuhkannya di tanah, tetapi jika mereka salah meletakkannya, mereka harus membayar jumlah yang lumayan. Misalnya, Guaranperat – burung seperti gagak – mungkin merenggutnya dari samping saat dikembalikan.

Ini bukan dongeng yang dikarang untuk mengingatkan mereka agar berhati-hati saat memegang barang berharga. Ini adalah contoh nyata dari apa yang terjadi di masa lalu.

Setelah Ainz mengambilnya kembali, kedua penjaga itu tampak tampak lega, seolah ada beban yang diambil dari pundak mereka.

"Lalu, bolehkah aku masuk?"

“Tentu saja, Momon-sama. Tolong izinkan saya untuk mengantar Anda ke petugas. "

"Saya melihat. Lalu, dengan segala cara. "

Kerajaan tidak memiliki praktik tip. Apakah itu sama di Kekaisaran? Ainz memikirkan hal-hal seperti itu ketika dia membiarkan penjaga memimpin mereka.

Setelah memasuki penginapan, mereka melewati sebuah ruang santai yang lantainya terbuat dari lempengan batu besar sebelum langsung menuju ke petugas.

"Aku memiliki petualang berpangkat adamantite Momon-sama dan temannya."

Pria yang tampak berbudaya itu duduk di konter melirik penjaga. Penjaga itu kemudian membungkuk hormat kepada Ainz sebelum kembali ke posnya.

“Aku menawari kamu, Momon-sama. Tolong terima terima kasih yang tulus saya karena telah memilih untuk tinggal di tempat kami yang sederhana selama Anda tinggal di Imperial Capital. ”

Pria di konter itu membungkuk dalam-dalam pada Ainz.

"Tidak, tidak apa-apa. Saya akan tinggal di sini selama satu malam. "

"Sangat baik. Lalu, dapatkah saya menyulitkan Anda untuk menandatangani daftar tamu kami? "

Ainz tersenyum di bawah helmnya yang tertutup, lalu mengambil pena dan menulis.

Tanda tangannya berbunyi "Momon" dalam bahasa Kerajaan. Dia sudah berlatih menulisnya puluhan kali.

"Terima kasih banyak. Boleh saya tahu kamar seperti apa yang Anda inginkan? "

Secara pribadi, Ainz tidak keberatan dengan kamar murah. Namun, seperti biasa, dia tidak bisa melakukan itu.

Saya tidak bisa makan, jadi kamar tanpa makan akan baik-baik saja.

Ainz mengingat beberapa hidangan dari dunia ini.

Ada jus buah berwarna hijau dengan aroma manis. Ada sesuatu berwarna merah muda yang tampak seperti telur orak. Ada juga potongan daging yang diiris dalam semacam cairan biru. Mereka semua membangkitkan rasa ingin tahunya, tetapi dia tidak bisa memakannya.

… Libido, nafsu makan dan kebutuhan untuk tidur. Tubuh saya ini memiliki banyak manfaat, tetapi saya telah kehilangan banyak hal juga. Sayang sekali. Yang mengatakan, jika saya masih memiliki tubuh kedagingan saya, ada kemungkinan besar saya mungkin telah kehilangan diri saya dalam keinginan saya …

Ainz membayangkan dirinya di tempat tidur bersama Albedo, dan wajahnya sedikit bengkok.

Itu karena citra mental seorang atasan yang melakukan pelecehan seksual terhadap seorang karyawan wanita – atau lebih buruk lagi – telah muncul dalam pikirannya.

Memang, Albedo tampaknya mencintaiku … ini adalah perasaan yang rumit. Kalau saja saya belum melakukan itu saat itu … oops!

"Maafkan aku, beri kami kamar yang tepat … ngomong-ngomong, karena kita tidak memiliki mata uang perdagangan yang sama, bisakah kita membayar dengan koin Kerajaan?"

"Tentu saja. Mata uang Kerajaan dan mata uang Kekaisaran selalu ditukar dengan basis satu per satu. "

"Saya melihat. Maka kami harus memaksakan pada Anda. "

“Baiklah, maka kita akan menyiapkan kamar yang cocok untukmu, Momon-sama. Bisakah aku menyusahkanmu untuk menunggu sebentar di lounge bar? ”

Ainz memandang ke bar yang dimaksud. Itu sangat luas dan memberikan perasaan yang sangat berkelas, dan sepertinya bisa menampung sekitar 50 orang. Kursi-kursi itu tampak sangat nyaman. Seorang Bard melakukan musik yang tenang di latar belakang.

"Makanan dan minuman di sana gratis, jadi silakan bersantai di waktu luang Anda."

Satu menerima layanan yang lebih baik jika satu membayar lebih. Itu sama saja di dunia mana pun seseorang pergi. Namun, layanan ini sama sekali tidak menyenangkan Ainz.

"Dimengerti. Lalu, ayo pergi, Nabe. "

Ainz membawa Nabe ke bar lounge dan duduk di kursi terdekat.

Ada beberapa tamu lain di ruang tunggu, semuanya tampak seperti petualang.

Petualang tingkat tinggi akan menerima pembayaran besar hanya untuk satu pekerjaan, dan standar hidup mereka akan cocok untuk mencocokkan. Tinggal di penginapan seperti ini bukan masalah bagi mereka.

Itu mungkin benar untuk kota mana pun, baik Ibukota Kerajaan atau E-Rantel.

Ainz memeriksa untuk melihat bahwa lempengan adamantite di lehernya terlihat oleh orang lain. Membiarkan tamu lain berbicara di antara mereka sendiri dan membangun reputasinya adalah ide yang bagus juga.

Ainz merasa orang lain menatapnya sambil membaca menu minuman di depannya.

Saya tidak bisa membaca ini …

Dia membalik-balik halaman secara acak. Dia pergi melalui menu meskipun tidak bisa membacanya, untuk menangkis kecurigaan.

Ainz membawa kacamata baca yang dia pinjamkan ke Sebas sebagai tindakan pencegahan, tapi dia tidak bisa menggunakan waktunya di sini.

"Sebas … Tsuare, ya."

Dia ingat wajah bawahannya, dan diam-diam berbicara nama wanita yang namanya dipanggil untuk diingat.

"Apakah ada sesuatu yang terjadi pada wanita itu?"

"Ah, tidak, itu tidak penting. Saya hanya berpikir tentang bagaimana dia beradaptasi dengan semua ini. "

Sementara dia telah mempercayakan Sebas dengan perhatian Tsuare, Ainz telah menjanjikan perlindungan padanya, dan sebagai pemilik bisnis, dia berkewajiban untuk memperhatikan kesejahteraan karyawannya.

“Aku pikir mereka akan baik-baik saja. Saat ini … Pembantu Kepala berada di kurungan, jadi Sebas-sama mengajarinya bagaimana menjadi pelayan yang tepat. Setelah dia mempelajari etiket yang sesuai, dia akan diajari cara memasak dan cara melakukan tugas-tugas lainnya. Setelah kami menentukan tugas apa yang cocok untuknya, ia akan secara resmi diberi posisi. ”

"Saya melihat. Baiklah, itu seharusnya baik-baik saja menyerahkan masalah itu kepada Sebas. Juga … Saya pikir sudah saatnya kita melepaskan keduanya dari kurungan … Kemarahan Albedo seharusnya sudah mereda sekarang. "

Narberal tidak menjawab. Yang dia lakukan hanyalah menganggukkan kepalanya.

Merasakan ketenangan dalam percakapan mereka, pelayan itu mendekati mereka.

"Sudahkah kamu memutuskan apa yang ingin kamu pesan?"

"Aku seperti macchiatia es. Narberal? "

"Hal yang sama untukku."

"Pilih apa yang ingin kamu minum. Tidak apa-apa."

“Tidak, aku memang menginginkan hal yang sama. Ah, tolong, lebih banyak susu di tanganku. ”

"Sangat baik."

Pelayan itu membungkuk dalam-dalam, dan kemudian mundur dalam diam.

Macchiatia adalah minuman yang biasa Ainz lihat di penginapan E-Rantel, dan itu tampak seperti kopi latte. Baunya mengingatkan pada latte juga, tetapi Ainz juga melihat kopi latte dan kopi terpisah. Kebetulan, Ainz tidak tahu bagaimana rasanya. Tak perlu dikatakan bahwa dia tidak bisa meminumnya. Dia sudah mencoba, tentu saja, tetapi semuanya bocor melalui bagian bawah dagunya dan dia tidak dapat merasakan apa pun.

Namun, dia akhirnya memesannya, karena itu terlihat seperti sesuatu yang hanya dijual oleh perusahaan kelas tinggi. Dia merasa itu cocok dengan tempat-tempat seperti ini.

Ketika Ainz menyeka keringatnya yang tidak ada, Ainz mengajukan pertanyaan kepada Narberal dengan cara yang sebenarnya.

"… Nabe, seperti apa rasanya makchiatia?"

Dia bertanya padanya karena dia tahu dia sudah minum sebelumnya.

Narberal berhenti untuk berpikir. Ini mungkin jenis tampilan yang akan ada di wajah mereka jika mereka berpikir tentang cara menjelaskan rasa kopi kepada orang lain.

"Bagaimana saya harus mengatakan ini? Ini sangat mirip shakerato caffe. Namun, rasanya susu kental, jadi saya tidak begitu menyukainya. ”

"…Apakah begitu. Itu kedengarannya lezat."

Shakerato? Saya belum pernah mendengar tentang minuman seperti itu sebelumnya. Mungkin juga minuman yang unik di dunia ini.

"Aku merasa itu hanya lumayan."

Ainz dengan santai menjawab, dan kemudian minuman datang.

"Jangan pedulikan aku, bantulah dirimu sendiri. Akan aneh jika kami berdua tidak menyentuh minuman kami. "

Dia sudah terbiasa tidak melepas helmnya di Kerajaan, dan Ainz benar-benar lupa melepasnya ketika minuman datang. Cara dia mengatakannya dengan cara yang alami terasa sangat tidak wajar.

"Terima kasih banyak."

“Minumlah, dan dengarkan aku seperti dirimu. Saya berencana untuk menghabiskan dua hari melihat pemandangan Ibukota Kekaisaran. Saya mendengar bahwa pasar pusat memiliki berbagai macam stok, dan hanya menjelajahinya cukup menarik. Lalu, ada pasar utara, yang tampaknya berisi sebagian besar toko yang menyimpan item sihir. Petualang pergi ke sana secara teratur. "

Informasi itu telah diberikan oleh Eight Fingers, yang sekarang berada di bawah ibu jari Ainz. Mereka juga memberikan banyak berita tentang dunia bawah, tetapi Ainz tidak punya niat untuk terlibat dalam masalah seperti itu, jadi dia hanya membaca sekilas informasi itu.

"Kami akan melanjutkan ke Adventurer's Guild pada hari ketiga. Saya ingin bertemu dan mengenal para petualang peringkat adamantite Kekaisaran, tetapi jika itu tidak mungkin, kami hanya akan mengambil tugas sederhana, cepat selesai untuk menyebarkan ketenaran kami … jika semua berjalan sesuai rencana, kami akan dapat untuk pergi dalam waktu tujuh hari. Apakah Anda punya saran? "

Narberal – yang belum menyentuh minumannya, tetapi hanya mendengarkan dalam diam – hanya menggelengkan kepalanya.

Bagian 2

Ibukota Kekaisaran adalah kristalisasi otoritas Kekaisaran, dan berisi banyak pemandangan yang akan membuat seseorang terkesima kagum. Salah satu dari mereka membuat setiap pengunjung ke Imperial Capital berseru dengan heran. Itu – fakta bahwa hampir setiap jalan ditaburi dengan batu bata atau batu.

Itu adalah pemandangan yang tidak bisa dilihat orang di negara-negara sekitarnya – selain Slaine Theocracy, yang bahkan lebih maju daripada tempat ini. Tentu saja, tidak setiap kota di Kekaisaran seperti ini. Meski begitu, itu adalah bukti kuat namun kuat untuk kekuatan dan kekuatan Kekaisaran, yang telah mengesankan para duta besar dari negara-negara sekitarnya.

Dari catatan khusus adalah Central Avenue. Itu adalah jalan raya utama dari Ibukota Kekaisaran, dan seperti jalan-jalan umum lainnya, pusatnya adalah untuk kuda dan kereta, sementara sisi-sisinya adalah untuk lalu lintas manusia.

Perbedaannya adalah bahwa ada pagar pengaman yang dipasang di sepanjang garis pemisah antara bagian-bagian untuk orang-orang dan bagian-bagian untuk kuda dan kereta, untuk memastikan keamanan pejalan kaki. Lampu jalan tumbuh di kedua sisi jalan, dan mereka bersinar dengan cahaya magis setelah malam tiba. Omong-omong, banyak ksatria berpatroli, memperhatikan keselamatan lingkungan mereka.

Seorang lelaki tersenyum berjalan santai di sepanjang jalan ini, yang paling aman di Kekaisaran, bersenandung saat dia pergi.

Pria itu tingginya sekitar 175cm, dan dia tampak berusia sekitar 20 tahun.

Rambutnya pirang dan matanya biru, sedangkan kulitnya berwarna cokelat sehat. Penampilannya tidak jarang di Kekaisaran.

Orang tidak dapat mengatakan bahwa dia sangat tampan, dan wajahnya yang seperti itu akan mudah hilang di tengah orang banyak. Namun, ia memancarkan karisma yang halus. Sumber karisma itu tampaknya berasal dari senyumnya yang samar, namun lincah di wajahnya, serta sikapnya yang percaya diri dan terbuka.

Dengan setiap langkah yang diambilnya, bunyi denting rantai berdentang terdengar dari balik pakaiannya yang bermutu tinggi. Seseorang yang tajam akan dapat mengatakan bahwa itu adalah suara kemeja rantai.

Dia memiliki pisau di kedua pinggulnya. Masing-masing sekitar panjang pedang pendek. Mereka memiliki buku-buku jari yang bundar dan tertutup sepenuhnya, dan meskipun sarungnya tidak terlalu bagus untuk dibuat, mereka jelas bukan barang murah. Di belakang pinggangnya ada gada untuk serangan memukul dan penusuk surat untuk serangan menusuk.

Membawa satu atau bahkan dua senjata adalah hal yang sangat masuk akal di dunia ini. Tetapi sangat sedikit orang yang akan membawa semua senjata yang diperlukan untuk melakukan metode serangan, menusuk dan menebas.

Siapa pun yang berpengetahuan luas akan mengenalinya sebagai seorang petualang. Siapa pun yang benar-benar berpengetahuan akan menyadari bahwa ia tidak memiliki piring yang dikenakan petualang di leher mereka, dan dengan demikian akan menyimpulkan bahwa ia adalah seorang "Pekerja".

***

Pekerja Mereka adalah mereka yang telah menyimpang dari jalur petualang standar.

Adventurer's Guild akan menerima, meneliti, dan memberikan permintaan kepada para petualang yang berperingkat tepat. Dengan kata lain, Persekutuan akan menyelidiki secara menyeluruh keabsahan permintaan pekerjaan apa pun yang dibuat darinya. Karena itu, Perserikatan kadang-kadang menolak pekerjaan berbahaya – hal-hal yang akan membahayakan warga sipil atau yang ilegal di alam. Tergantung pada situasinya, mereka bahkan mungkin menganggap pemohon sebagai musuh. Misalnya, Persekutuan akan menentang pekerjaan seperti mencari bahan baku untuk narkotika dengan sekuat tenaga.

Persekutuan juga akan menolak permintaan yang mengancam keseimbangan alam. Misalnya, Persekutuan tidak akan pernah menerima permintaan untuk membunuh predator puncak hutan. Ini untuk menghindari gangguan pada tatanan alami yang akan dihasilkan dari membunuh makhluk seperti itu, seperti monster lain yang meninggalkan hutan. Tentu saja, jika monster puncak meninggalkan hutan atas kemauannya sendiri dan menginvasi tanah manusia, itu akan menjadi masalah yang sama sekali berbeda.

Dengan kata lain, para petualang seperti sekutu keadilan.

Namun, cita-cita yang terdengar tinggi itu bukan satu-satunya hal yang membuat dunia berputar.

Cukup mudah untuk membayangkan bahwa beberapa orang bersedia melakukan pekerjaan berbahaya demi uang. Dan kemudian ada orang-orang yang hanya menikmati membunuh monster.

Orang-orang ini – yang tidak mencari cahaya kehidupan petualang, tetapi yang haus akan kegelapan – adalah putus sekolah dari profesi yang berpetualang. Mereka dikenal sebagai Pekerja, dan orang-orang berbicara nama itu dengan ejekan dan hati-hati.

Namun, tidak ada yang bisa mengatakan bahwa semua Pekerja dipotong dari kain yang sama.

Misalnya – jika ada seorang anak lelaki yang terluka parah di sebuah desa dan seorang petualang yang kebetulan lewat dengan menggunakan sihir kuratif untuk menyembuhkan luka-lukanya secara gratis, apakah petualang itu berada di kanan atau salah?

Jawabannya adalah dia salah.

Aturan Persekutuan menyatakan bahwa para petualang harus mengumpulkan biaya tetap untuk perawatan tersebut, dan mereka tidak dapat memberikan penyembuhan secara gratis.

Dalam keadaan normal, sihir penyembuhan ditangani oleh kuil-kuil, dan seorang pasien akan perlu memberikan sumbangan sebelum kuil-kuil itu merapalkan mantra padanya. Jika seorang petualang mengabaikan hal itu dan memberikan penyembuhan gratis, ia akan mengambil bisnis kuil.

Oleh karena itu, kuil-kuil membuat permintaan yang sangat keras kepada Persekutuan untuk menghentikan kegiatan semacam itu.

Jika seseorang tidak dapat menerima aturan-aturan ini, maka ia harus menjadi Pekerja.

Ini mungkin terdengar seperti kedengkian di pihak kuil, tetapi itu karena mereka dapat mengambil keuntungan dari mantra mereka sehingga kuil dapat memberikan pelayanan kepada orang-orang tanpa harus khawatir tentang gangguan luar. Selain itu, sumbangan-sumbangan inilah yang membiayai pemeliharaan dan pelatihan para imam, pengusiran mayat hidup, pengembangan mantra penyembuhan baru, semua agar orang-orang menjalani kehidupan yang lebih aman dan lebih bahagia.

Jika para petualang menggunakan mantra penyembuhan secara gratis, kuil mungkin akan dipaksa menjadi lebih sekuler, dan perlahan-lahan meninggalkan cita-cita mereka.

Ada dua sisi untuk setiap koin, dan Pekerja tidak terkecuali. Itu karena mereka merampas binatang untuk uang sehingga obat-obatan murah dapat dibuat, yang pada gilirannya meningkatkan kehidupan masyarakat.

***

Pria ini – Hekkeran Rayap – adalah Pekerja, dan dia tersenyum.

"Apa yang harus saya beli?"

Ada banyak item sihir yang dia inginkan, tetapi pada akhirnya prioritas utamanya adalah perlengkapan pertahanan. Lalu, ada satu hal lagi. Itu adalah masalah yang tidak berhubungan, tetapi ada sesuatu yang dia inginkan.

"Aku akan menyisihkan uang untuk itu … sisanya bisa pergi ke item sihir untuk bertualang. Hm? Bukankah itu jalan yang salah? Saya harus membeli barang-barang ajaib terlebih dahulu dan menyimpan apa pun yang tersisa untuk itu. "

Hekkeran menggaruk kepalanya.

Dalam hal itu-

“Sebagai seorang frontliner, saya harus meningkatkan resistensi magis saya, jadi saya kira sudah waktunya untuk mengambil simpanan saya. Tidak, kita mungkin terus membunuh mayat hidup di Dataran Katze untuk mendapatkan uang, jadi untuk menangkal racun mayat, aku harus membeli barang-barang ajaib yang meningkatkan ketahananku terhadap racun, kelumpuhan, dan penyakit. ”

Peralatan magis sangat mahal, khususnya yang digunakan para petualang dalam pertempuran. Barang-barang unik bisa sangat mahal sehingga Hekkeran tidak mampu membelinya.

Bagaimanapun, barang yang diinginkan Hekkeran tidak semahal itu, tetapi harganya masih sama dengan upah rata-rata orang selama bertahun-tahun. Tentu saja dia akan mempertimbangkan dengan hati-hati untuk melakukan pembelian yang mahal.

As he looked forward to his shopping, his eyes met those of the knights standing by the roadside for an instant, and his easygoing expression immediately tightened up.

A tag team of a heavily-armored knight and a lightly-armored knight stood at the street corner, surveying the surrounding conditions.

Everyone knew that the temples to the Four Gods were in the vicinity, and so security was especially strict here. While he doubted that they would arrest people off the streets, Hekkeran could sense their gazes resting on the weapons at his waist.

It would be one thing if he was an adventurer, but as a Worker without any form of backing, he did not wish to go up against the knights who enforced the Empire’s safety.

The gods seemed to have smiled on him, because the knights compared his face to a wanted list, but did not stop him. Thus, he passed through the densely-packed temple district.

His guilty conscience at ease, Hekkeran looked into the distance and saw a unique-looking building ahead. At the same time, the wind carried the sound of cheering to him — he could hear bloodthirsty voices and battlecries in the air.

That unique building was the grand arena that could only be found in the Imperial Capital of the Empire. It was a very popular tourist spot within the Imperial Capital.

There was no need for him to go all the way there. He saw more than enough blood in the course of his work, and he had no interest in gambling, so one could say that that place did not interest him at all. However, it was still the biggest entertainment outlet for the common man in the Imperial Capital — the nobles preferred the theater. Given the cheers had reached all the way here, the arena must have been packed to the brim once more.

“The crowd sounds really excited; is it a final?”

The Worker team which Hekkeran led had fought a series of battles against magical beasts in the arena for work purposes. Surrenders were useless against magical beasts, so defeat meant death. Of course, battles against human beings could be fatal, but it was very rare that the day’s activities in the arena did not conclude without a single fatality. Or no, the more people who died, the more fired up the crowd became.

The most heavily-attended shows were the grand fighting tournaments, where many people died beautiful deaths.

Hekkeran shrugged.

He had no interest in this. He did feel like looking at a blood-soaked battlefield on a day off work. However, he did not fully chase the notion out of his mind, because the various events within the arena might make for excellent conversation topics.

I don’t want to step into the arena again, but it might be a good idea to ask others about the details of today’s show when I get back.

After making a mental note of that, he continued walking along a road lined with shops. Soon, he saw a familiar signboard with the words “Singing Apple Pavilion” written on it.

Apparently, a group of bards who all used applewood instruments came together to found this tavern cum inn. It looked old, but the interior was surprisingly sturdy and clean. There were no gaps in the walls to let the wind in, and the floorboards were brightly polished. Naturally, staying here was not cheap, but it was not completely unaffordable either. To Hekkeran and his crew; no, to all Workers, this was arguably the highest-grade inn around.

Granted, it could not measure up to the finest establishments of the Imperial Capital. But those places were best suited for aboveboard adventurers; they were not at all suited for Workers.

For starters, people who hired Workers generally had dirty jobs to offer. Therefore, their clients would hesitate about having to walk into conspicuous locations. However, if they set their meeting point in a place with poor security because of that, it might wind up causing trouble for them.

In addition, the fact that many other Worker teams used this place as a home base made the Singing Apple Pavilion popular with the requesters. That was because unlike with the Adventurer’s Guild, someone looking to hire Workers had to find them with their own connections. Therefore, having the Workers scattered all over the place was very troublesome for the requesters.

Another reason for the Workers to stay at this inn was because staying in the same place fostered a sense of closeness with each other, which would reduce the chances of requests where they might have to fight each other. Finally — and most importantly — the food here was delicious.

Hekkeran thought about dinner as he stepped through the door. He hoped that he would be able to have his favorite pork broth.

While he pondered.the topic, the first thing which greeted him was not his friends saying, “oh, you’re back” or “thanks for your hard work.”

“—I told you already! I don’t know!”

“No, no, if you say that, it’ll put me in quite a fix…”

“I’m not that girl’s keeper and I’m not her relative, how would I know where she went?”

“Aren’t you companions? I can’t just walk away meekly because you say you don’t know. This is my job!”

A man and a woman were glaring at each other in the middle of the bar cum dining room’s first floor.

The woman’s face was very familiar to him.

Her face lacked the slightest trace of fat and her eyes were vicious. The most eye-catching features of this woman were her ears, which were far longer than those of ordinary people. Still, they were only half as long as those of a Forest Elf’s. Indeed, she was a Half-Elf.

Forest Elves were slimmer than a human being, and after seeing her body, it was clear that she had inherited that bloodline trait. She was slender from head to toe, and her bosom and buttocks lacked a woman’s fullness. They looked like someone had welded iron slabs in place over them, and if one looked solely at her body, they might mistake her for a man.

She wore a tight-fitting suit of leather armor. The bow and quiver she usually carried were not on her person. The only weapon she had was the shortsword at her waist.

Her name was Imina. She was one of Hekkeran’s companions.

However, he did not recognize the man in front of Imina.

The man appeared to be bowing and scraping, but there was no trace of apology in his eyes. In fact, there was a look in there which annoyed Hekkeran. Still, at least he was being polite, so he had some brains.

The man’s arms and chest bulged with muscle, and he looked intimidating just standing there. People like him would probably not hesitate in using violence, but brute force was useless against Imina.

That was because Imina looked frail, but she had first-rate skills, and she was capable of easily slaughtering a mook who thought he was something.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you all this while!”

As he heard that angry, high-pitched voice, Hekkeran hurriedly interrupted.

“What are you doing, Imina?”

It was only when she heard Hekkeran’s voice that Imina noticed him and turned around. Then, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

A ranger with keen senses like herself had gotten so lost in her words that she had failed to notice Hekkeran’s presence. That indicated just how worked up she was.

“…Who’re you?”

The man took Hekkeran to be an unwanted interferer and questioned him in a threatening tone. The man’s gaze was keen, and he radiated an aura which suggested that he might start hitting anyone at any time. However, Hekkeran had frequently faced down vicious monsters and survived the encounter, so all it got out of him was a wry grin.

“…He’s our leader.”

“Ohhhh, wonderful. You must be Hekkeran Termite-san, then. I’ve heard of you.”

The man’s expression changed immediately, becoming an ingratiating smile which filled Hekkeran with mild revulsion.

Hekkeran did not know why this man had come here, but the fact that he had come to this inn — the base of operations for Hekkeran’s group — meant that it was unlikely that he did not know about what Hekkeran did for a living.

Perhaps his threatening tone from just now had been intended to gauge Hekkeran. If Hekkeran had flinched, the man would have continued speaking in overbearing tones.

Among Workers and adventurers, there were those people who could kill monsters without blinking an eye, but who would recoil from human beings. However, these people would only take a step back momentarily. If pressed, they would draw their weapons and they might end up killing the opposition.

We’ve just met and he’s already trying to scare me to show who’s boss… this guy… I dislike his type.

Hekkeran understood that this was a negotiation technique. It was also a very obvious one. However, Hekkeran disliked negotiations like these. He preferred to speak his mind and get straight to the point.

“…You’re being noisy. This is an inn. There are other guests around. Do you really want to make a ruckus here?”

That said, there were hardly any guests nearby, and even the inn staff were gone.

It was not that they had hidden away, because squabbles like this were like appetizers for Workers. It was simple coincidence that nobody was around.

Hekkeran stared at the man’s face. The other man could not hold up against the glare of a mithril-ranked warrior. He immediately cowered as though he were facing a magical beast.

“No, no, no, I’m sorry, but I have my reasons too.”

The man had lowered his voice somewhat, but he still wanted to continue speaking. Given the way he was still sticking to his guns in the face of Hekkeran’s glare, he must have been well-versed in the application of force — particularly violence.

Why did a man like this come here?

It was true that Hekkeran was involved in shady business, but he did not recognize this man, nor had he done anything to warrant such an attitude. Neither did he look like he was going to offer a job.

Baffled, Hekkeran decided to ease off on his glaring and directly asked him a question.

“…What’s going on?”

"Tidak apa. I just wanted to meet with your friend Furt-san, Hekkeran-san.”

There was only one person Hekkeran could think of when the word “Furt” came up.

Hekkeran did not feel she would be connected to this man in any way, because she was a comrade who had been through countless life-or-death struggles at Hekkeran’s side. That being the case, she must be in some sort of trouble.

“Arche? What happened to her?”

“Arche… right, yes. We know her as Furt-san, so I couldn’t recall her name for a moment. Mm, it’s Arche Eeb ryle Furt-san.”

“So?! What do you want with Arche?”

“It’s nothing, I just want to talk to her… it’s a private matter, so I’d like to ask when she’ll be coming back—”

“As if I’d know!”

Hekkeran rudely interrupted the other man. Such was his abruptness that the other man was close to rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“Now then, are you done yet?”

“I… it can’t be helped. I’ll wait here for a while…”

“Get lost.”

Hekkeran jerked his chin at the door, and his attitude left the other man staring dumbly.

“Let me make this abundantly clear. Your face is pissing me off and I can’t bear to have you within my line of sight for a moment longer.”

“This is a tavern, I—”

"Oh ya. It is a tavern. It’s also a place where drunkards often get into fights.”

Hekkeran smiled evilly at the man.

“No need to be so tense, relax. Even if you get drawn into a fight and and get badly hurt, we’ve got a priest who knows healing magic. All you have to do is pay.”

“You’d better take more of his money, or the temples won’t be happy. I don’t want their assassins after me,” Imina added from the side, with a wicked smile on her face.

“Well, we’ll give you a special discount, so you’ll be grateful, right?”

“—Got that?”

“If you’re threatening me—”

The man’s words cut off halfway, because he saw the expression on Hekkeran’s face changing rapidly.

Hekkeran suddenly stepped forward, so close that the other man’s face filled his line of sight.

“Hah? Threatening you? Who’s threatening you? Fights are common in a tavern, aren’t they? I’m giving you good advice here and you say I’m threatening you? Are you looking for trouble, huh?!”

The veins popped on Hekkeran’s forehead. His face was that of a man who had experienced numerous brushes with death.

Cowed by his presence, the man took a step back, though he went “tch”, unwilling to concede defeat. Then, he ran for the door. He tried his best to pretend otherwise, but it was clear to everyone that he had been scared off. When he reached the exit, he turned around and spat one last reply at Hekkeran and Imina.

“Tell the Furt girl! The deadline’s here!”

“Ahhh?!”

Hekkeran’s low growl sent the man fleeing from the inn.

After the shouting man vanished, Hekkeran resumed his original expression. That change was so great that it was almost comical. In truth, Imina was applauding him quietly.

“So, what was that all about?”

“No clue. He only told me what he told you.”

“Good grief. If I’d known, I’d had asked him to explain in more detail.”

He grabbed his head in annoyance.

“We’ll ask Arche when she gets back.”

“…Still, I’m not too eager to stick my nose into others’ business.”

“Mm, alright, I understand. Still, you’re the leader, so do your best.”

“Then I’ll invoke my leader’s authority and order you, as a fellow woman, to ask her, Imina.”

“Give me a break, I don’t want to ask her either.”

The two of them smiled bitterly at each other.

Both adventurers and Workers had several taboos.

The first was that they could not look into or ask about each other’s pasts.

The next was that they had to hide excessive desire.

Since desire drove many people to become Workers, it was unavoidable to some extent. However, being too open about it kept the team from functioning normally. For example, if a teammate whined about money, would anyone trust him when it came to a job which involved handling a large sum of cash or when keeping a secret which absolutely could not be leaked? Would anyone dare sleep in the same room as someone who desired the opposite sex all day long? Everyone had to count on each other when their lives were in danger. At the very least, every member of a team had to trust each other.

The fact that Arche had gotten herself into trouble like this was a massive blemish on her reliability. It was most definitely not something which could be handwaved away with a simple, “there, there”..

As people who worked a job with a very real risk of death, they could not allow any factors of unease to remain.

Hekkeran scratched his head, his expression clearly reluctant.

"Itu tidak bisa membantu. I’ll ask her when she gets back.”

“Please do~”

Imina smiled and waved, and Hekkeran glared at her.

“What, are you trying to run away? You’re asking her with me.”

“But whyyyy~”

Imina pouted but she could only give up when she saw that Hekkeran’s face was unchanged.

“Nothing to be done about it. I just hope the situation isn’t too serious.”

“So where is she now, anyway?”

"Hm? Oh, she’s gone to collect information about the details of that job.”

“Weren’t Rober and I supposed to do that?”

After Hekkeran and the others had finished clearing the undead from the Katze Plains, they had returned to the Imperial Capital, whereupon they had received a new request. The terms of the request were pretty good for their team, so everyone was inclined towards accepting it. However, they would need to research it first.

They had agreed beforehand that their best speaker Roberdyck would investigate the details of their employer and the reasons why he had sought them out, while Hekkeran would go to the Empire’s government offices — eliminating the undead of the Katze Plains was a national enterprise — and collect the payment for slaying the undead, and then help Roberdyck in his investigations.

Imina and Arche should have been waiting here for further instructions.

“In addition, she said she wanted to investigate the conditions and history of our objective.”

No wonder, Hekkeran nodded. Arche might have abandoned her studies in the Imperial Mage Academy, but she still retained her connections. Nobody could gather academic knowledge like she could. On top of that, she could consult the Magician’s Guild for information.

“So that’s why she went running around with Rober. After all, he also knows quite a bit and has connections with the temples. Then how about your end?”

“Well, about that…”

Hekkeran took a seat as he spoke in a hushed voice.

“I know why they want Workers. Or rather, I know why you can’t hire adventurers to go to the place in question. However, the requester also said that he was looking for other teams, that much should be true.”

“Are we seriously going to work with other people? They might be ruins that nobody’s ever entered before, but is the requester sure that we’ll get big returns from it?”

“The team I asked — Gringam’s people — said so too. Heavy Masher seems prepared to accept, and we need to decide whether or not we’re accepting it by tomorrow.”

They had only listened to the details of the request, and they had not accepted it yet. While they had until tomorrow to respond, there would be additional preparations to be made if they accepted.

“And a conflict that just happens to come up now, at this crucial time… you think it’s related?”

“We can’t completely rule out the possibility that one of the other teams has a hand in this. However, we have to hear Arche out before deciding. If it’s another team up to their tricks behind our backs, it would be better not to accept. Or perhaps we ought to accept while being fully prepared for a confrontation?”

“Of course we should accept. If they have a bone to pick with us, then we’ll beat them up until the only thing they’re picking is their teeth from the floor. That’ll teach them to mess with us.”

“That’s pretty extreme.”

Imina was far more intense than her looks suggested, but Hekkeran felt that her proposition had merit.

While others looking down on them was not the end of the world, it would definitely damage their reputation. Considering Workers were one foot into the underworld, it was something they needed to avoid.

A determined light filled his eyes as he nodded silently, and then the sound of wood scraping rang through the tavern. The forms of two people stepped in through the opened door.

“—Back.”

“We’ve returned.”

The first voice belonged to a girl and sounded like a whisper. A beat later, it was followed by an elegant, proper male voice. In all likelihood, he had wanted to avoid drowning out the girl’s quiet words.

The first person to enter was a skinny woman, someone who could still be called a girl.

She looked to be in her late teens. Her lustrous hair was neatly trimmed at her shoulder, while her eyes and nose were perfectly positioned. She was not so much beautiful as elegant. However, she had an inorganic, doll-like quality about her.

In her hand was a metal staff that was about as tall as she was. Said staff was inscribed with Countless inscriptions which looked like characters and symbols. She wore a loose, long robe. Underneath that were various thick articles of clothing which provided her with a modicum of defense. One could tell at a glance that she was a magic caster.

The man wore a suit of full plate armor — albeit without a full-faced helm — and over it was a surcoat stitched with a holy symbol. He had a morningstar at his waist, and a holy symbol which matched his tabard hung at his neck.

His facial features were rough, and his hair was parted. His tiny moustache was neatly trimmed and he gave others the impression of being relaxed. He looked to be around 30 years old.

They were Hekkeran’s other friends, Arche Eeb Ryle Furt and Roberdyck Goltron.

“Oh, you’re back.”

Was this good or bad timing? Hekkeran addressed the two of them in stiff tones.

“What happened to the two of you?”

Roberdyck spoke in a tone which did not sound like a senior person addressing his two juniors. Part of that was because of his character, but it was also because he viewed them as fellow, equal Workers.

“It… it’s nothing.”

“Yeah… that’s right, it’s nothing.”

The two of them looked suspiciously at Hekkeran and Imina as they waved their hands.

“Er, anyway, let’s not talk here. We’ll speak over there.”

Hekkeran’s face turned serious and he stopped fooling around. Then, he pointed to a round table deeper within the room.

“Before that, how about drinks… Oi, Imina, where’s the boss?”

Imina looked at him with a face that seemed to say, “why are you only asking that now?”

“…He went shopping. I’m minding the place for him.”

“Seriously? Then what should we drink? Anything we want?”

“—I’ll pass.”

“Ah, I can go without.”

“…Really now. Then, mm… then we’ll begin this meeting of Foresight.”

Everyone’s original expressions were gone now. They leaned slightly in, bringing their faces close to their colleagues. They could not help it even though there was nobody else around; one could say it was a professional habit.

“Let’s verify the details of the request.”

After ensuring that everyone’s eyes were on him, Hekkeran continued speaking. His tone was vastly different from just now. He was serious when he had to be serious, just like how a team leader ought to be.

“Our client is Count Femel, and the request is to investigate a set of ruins within the Kingdom’s borders — a structure which seems to be some kind of underground tomb. We’ll be paid 200 up front and 150 after completion. Unusually enough, the downpayment is higher than the rest of the fee, and the overall amount is very large. In addition, there might be a bonus in it for us depending on the results of the investigation. However, all magic items we find will go to the Count. According to them, they’ll pay the discoverers half the market value for anything they find. Precious stones, works of art and so on will be valued and then split 50/50. In addition, the requester has also been negotiating with other Workers’ parties at the same time, and depending on the circumstances, there might be more than one team on this expedition — proving what I said earlier.”

Hekkeran shared the news he had learned with Arche and Roberdyck, and then went on to explain the details.

“The expedition will be three days long at the most, and our objective is to perform a thorough investigation of the ruins. The biggest problem is that these ruins are probably going to be filled with monsters, and we’ll need to scout out their lairs and so on. In other words, a standard ruin delve.”

Abandoned cities and the like were usually nests for monsters, and so when Workers “investigated ruins”, it was more like a “reconnaissance in force”.

“Still, the most important thing is that it looks like an undiscovered tomb.”

The mood in the air changed as that fact was mentioned.

200 years ago, several countries had been destroyed as the Demon Gods rampaged throughout the land. It was not just human kingdoms which had been devastated, but those of demihumans and heteromorphs. These ruined kingdoms sometimes concealed priceless treasures; namely, magic items. Discovering such things was arguably the dream of adventurers and Workers.

Therefore, adventurers and Workers often longed to discover unexplored ruins. And now, one such ruin had appeared before their eyes.

As he saw the gleam in his comrades’ eyes, Hekkeran yielded the speaker’s role to his two friends who had returned after collecting information.

“Also, the Count will handle transportation to and from the tomb, as well as our rations. Itu dia. Now then, Arche, Roberdyck, tell us what you’ve learned.”

“—First off, Count Femel’s position in court is precarious. Apparently the Bloody Emperor has been treating him coldly. However, he is not in any financial difficulty.”

“Regarding that ruin within the Kingdom, Arche and I did some research, but we haven’t heard of any ruins in the area, or any cities in the past. Since it’s a tomb, there ought to be some information about it left behind… Frankly speaking, I have no idea why there would be a tomb there. The only thing in the area is a small village; perhaps we could learn something if we asked around. Bagaimana menurut anda?"

“Can’t do that. We were asked to keep our movements secret. The requester said that we were not to eliminate witnesses, and he hoped we would not have to do so.”

“—Of course, that region is Crown-controlled territory. If we act rashly, we’ll be making enemies of the Vaiself Royal Family of the Kingdom.”

The fact that they were delving into a ruin in a foreign nation was practically a crime, which was why they had not hired adventurers, but Workers.

“In other words, this is the usual dirty business, am I correct?”

"Iya. However, there are some sensitive issues.”

"Memang. the Empire’s Workers causing trouble in the Kingdom will lead to all sorts of problems. If things go badly, it might even affect the Count himself.”

“In that case, there’s only one more problem left.”

“That is, the origin of the information about the tomb, am I correct?”

"Memang. It smells fishy, no matter how you slice it.”

“Does it? It’s near the Great Forest of Tob, right? What if they found it while cutting down the forest?”

“—That would be strange. Look at this.”

Arche opened up a map and circled a certain location.

“The exact location is unclear, but it ought to be around this area.”

Her delicate finger slid over the map’s surface, and then tapped twice.

“—And then this is the village, though it’s so small that perhaps it might be better to call it a hamlet instead. I don’t think a village like that could clear-cut a forest.”

"Memang. A small village ought to have a hard time clearing a dangerous forest… Perhaps the Kingdom cleared it for some national enterprise, but there’s nothing nearby which would offer any national-scaled benefits nearby, and more to the point, no news about it has leaked out.”

The four of them were worried. They did not know if they should accept this assignment.

Since they did not have an Adventurer’s Guild to back them up, they had to thoroughly investigate the job themselves, starting with their employer’s background and the location of the job. After that, they had to check out the details of the job itself before they could accept it. Even after doing all that, they still ran into trouble time after time.

Their jobs were a gamble with their lives as the stake. No Worker could do the job without telling themselves that no amount of checking was enough. If they sniffed out a hint of danger which they could not handle, then they would have to refuse the job, no matter how good the terms.

“…I’ve done some checking on the payment side, and as for the deposit…”

Hekkeran put a metal plate on the table. If they rejected the job, they would have to return it to the client. Various tiny characters were inscribed on its surface.

“—I checked the credit plate with the Imperial Bank, and it’s been fully paid up. We can exchange it for cash at any time.”

Credit plates were a guarantee of payment from the Imperial Bank that functioned like a cheque.

They were intricately made as a countermeasure against forgery. Their drawbacks included being tedious to use and the fact that one had to pay processing fees to use them, but there were many advantages to them.

The Adventurer’s Guild usually handled this sort of thing in other countries, but the country itself guaranteed this in the Empire.

“That means it’s not a trap… alright, the truth is, I had the feeling that the other side was serious from the moment I got this plate.”

If they were planning to set a trap, then there would be no need to pay such a large deposit as a hiring fee — of course, the opposition might have done just that to catch people off-guard, but Hekkeran did not know this noble and had no quarrel with him.

"SAYA…"

"Berhenti. Imina, I’m not finished yet. I hope you can be a bit more flexible in your thinking.”

"Baik baik Baik. Then tell me something. There’s a few questionable points about this job, like how the employer’s hiring several teams. Mengapa demikian?"

Imina had a point. It would be unwise to use more than one team for a time-critical task, after considering the time needed to contact each of them. It defied explanation.

“—I’m not sure. Frankly speaking, I don’t know why they’re in such a rush to check the place out. I haven’t heard of any emergencies involving the Count or anyone related to him, or any ceremonies to be hosted in the next few days. If you really wanted me to give an answer, maybe he’s afraid of someone on the Kingdom’s side finding the ruins? And maybe hiring multiple teams was to increase the chances of success?”

“Say, Hekkeran? Didn’t you ask Gringam about all that?”

“As if he’d tell me that much! Just asking him if our client hired him took a lot of effort, and I had to keep our own info from leaking out.”

Hekkeran shrugged, indicating that he was out of ideas.

“—There’s another possibility, which is that someone is going up against the Count.”

"Itu mungkin. If that were the case, then the rushed investigation and hiring a lot of people would make sense. Right, right. Apparently, something big happened in the Kingdom recently, but it doesn’t seem to be directly connected to the ruins near E-Rantel…”

“Tell us about it too, Rober.”

“I didn’t learn too much about it, only some rumors,” Roberdyck said, and then he launched into a muddled explanation of the disturbance in the Royal Capital. Collecting more information would have taken time, but he lacked reliable information now.

“Hm~ doesn’t seem related, yet it seems related too. In any case, what Arche said is most likely. Plus, Rober agrees too.”

“Assuming that’s the case… considering the client’s planning to hire multiple Worker teams and the fact that we’re working in the Kingdom’s territory, are we going to end up competing with a lot of officially-hired adventurers from the Kingdom? If that’s the case, then we’re just wasting our time no matter how much info we gather within the Empire’s borders.”

“We also need to be wary of teams hired by another client — in other words, traitors. I don’t want to end up getting stabbed in the back by our own side just as we think we’ve completed our task.”

“Traitors or adventurers. If I had to choose, maybe adventurers might be better. At least you can reason with them and keep things from blowing up too much.”

“After all, we might actually end up killing each other if it’s between Workers.”

“—What do you plan to do, leader?”

Everyone had said their piece. All that was left now was to try and figure things and and predict how they would go.

“Before I decide, I have something I want to say… or rather, something I want to ask. This is vital.”

Hekkeran took a deep breath, and beside him, Imina sighed.

“Arche, a weird man was looking for you.”

Arche’s face was initially blank, like a mannequin’s, but at that moment, her brows twitched. Judging by her reaction, Hekkeran was sure that she knew that person.

“That guy said something at the end… what did he say?”

Hekkeran turned to Imina, and she immediately shot back a look which said, “What are you playing at?!” In the end, she realised that Hekkeran really did not remember, and she replied in a tired tone:

“Tell the Furt girl! The deadline’s here!”

“Or something along those lines.”

Everyone’s eyes focused on Arche. She paused a beat, and then spoke in leaden tones.

“—I owe him money.”

“You owe him?”

Hekkeran exclaimed in surprise. Of course, it was not just Hekkeran, but Imina and Roberdyck who were shocked as well. The money they made as Workers was evenly divided among them, so they knew exactly how much each of their colleagues earned. When they thought about the payment they had received, it was hard to imagine she would end up owing someone money.

“How much do you owe?”

“—300 gold coins.”

After hearing Arche’s reply, everyone looked at each other again.

This was an astounding amount when one considered the amount of money a regular person made. Even Workers of their caliber could not earn that much money in one go. The total payment for this job was 350 gold coins, but that was for the entire team. After deducting necessary expenses and turning them into a shared fund used to buy consumable items and other team resources, the remaining money would be divided among them. In the end, each person would only receive about 60 gold coins.

Their team was quite highly-ranked among the Workers. If one went by the adventurers’ ranking system, they would be around mithril rank. Yet even a group at their level could not make that much money in one payout. How had she come to owe so much money?

Arche’s expression turned gloomy. She had probably sensed everyone’s doubtful gazes.

It was only natural that she would not want to speak of it, but she had no choice but to do so. If she decided to break off the discussion here, being expelled from the party was a perfectly understandable outcome.

Perhaps she was worried about that problem, but in the end Arche finally spoke.

“—I’ve kept quiet about this all this time because it’s a family shame… my family used to be nobles, but we were stripped of our status by the Bloody Emperor.”

The Bloody Emperor — Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix.

Just like his nickname suggested, he was an emperor whose hands were stained with blood.

His father — the previous Emperor, had died and left his position empty. After that, he had broken ties with one of the Five Great Nobles — in other words, the Empress Dowager’s family — on suspicion of plotting to assassinate the Emperor. After that, he killed his siblings one after the other. As though she had been caught up in the storm of death which swept the city, his mother had perished from an accident during this time as well.

Of course, there had been opposition to him. However, the Bloody Emperor had taken control of the knights and their military prowess during his time as Crown Prince, so they were no match for him. Backed with overwhelming military might, he wiped out the influential nobles like he was scything down grain. In the end, all that remained were a group who pledged loyalty to the Emperor on the surface, regardless of their true intentions, and thus he had consolidated all power into himself.

However, the Bloody Emperor did not stop there. He stripped many nobles of their social position in the name of weeding out incompetents. In contrast, talented individuals could be elevated to lofty heights, even if they were commoners, and thus he built the basis of his power upon that policy.

There were two points about all this which awed those who witnessed this. The first was the masterful way in which he had orchestrated his purge of the nobles in such a way as to not diminish the power of the Empire, despite the purge’s scope. The second was that the Emperor who had accomplished such an incredible feat was not yet 15 years of age.

Many nobles had fallen on hard times because of him. Namun-

“—However, my parents are still living a noble lifestyle. Of course, we didn’t have the money to support such a lifestyle, so they had to borrow money from shady places to make ends meet.”

Hekkeran, Imina and Roberdyck looked at each other.

Arche had hidden it well, but her voice was still flavored with a hint of annoyance, displeasure and anger

“—I’m confident in my magical abilities, please let me join.” That was what the tiny, skinny girl — who clutched a staff that was taller than she was — had said to them. Hekkeran was not the only one who recalled the dumbfounded way in which they had stared at her when she said that, as well as the look of shock on their faces when they had seen the true power of Arche’s magic. All these memories returned to their minds.

Over two years had passed since that day, and they had gone through many adventures together. Yet, even after making a tidy sum of money from adventures fraught with the risk of death, Arche’s equipment had not changed much.

Now, they finally understood the reason for that.

“Seriously? Do you want us to go beat some sense into them?”

“They need to hear the word of God. No, maybe they need to feel the fist of God first.”

“Maybe their ears are all stuffed up, surely punching a hole in them would be more important!”

“—Please wait. Things being what they are, please let me talk to them. Depending on the circumstances, I may have to take my sisters with me.”

“You have sisters?”

After seeing Arche nod, the other three looked at each other again. They did not say it, but they all felt that perhaps she ought to quit this job.

It was true that workers made more money than adventurers. In turn, the risks they took were very high. All of them took jobs after ensuring they were safe, but accidents they could not predict were a frequent occurrence.

If something went wrong, she might end up dying and leaving her sisters with nobody to count upon. However, everyone felt that they would be busybodies if they said any more.

“Is that so… then we’ll put your problem aside for now, Arche. We’ll let you handle that yourself… let’s return to the topic of whether or not to take this job.”

After saying that, Hekkeran looked coldly at Arche.

“Arche, pardon my bluntness, but you have no say in this.”

“—There’s no need to apologize. Tidak apa-apa. I understand that I can’t give a proper answer, since I’m in debt.”

This was what they called being blinded by greed.

“—Frankly speaking, I’m lucky I haven’t been chased out of the team already.”

"Apa yang kamu katakan? We’re the lucky ones to have a skilled magic caster like yourself joining us.”

This was not an empty pleasantry. Ini adalah fakta.

Of particular note was her Talent. Those miraculous eyes of hers had saved Hekkeran and the others countless times.

If one had to name Arche’s Talent, perhaps calling it the Mystic Eyes of Revelation might be appropriate.

Apparently, all arcane magic casters radiated an invisible aura of magic. Arche’s talent allowed her to perceive this aura, and understand which tier of spells someone could use.

The usefulness of being able to perceive the strength of one’s opposition needed no explanation.

Hekkeran knew of only one other person in the Empire with a talent like Arche’s. That would be the greatest magic caster in the Empire — Fluder Paradyne.

In other words, by the power of her eyes alone, Arche was in the same league as the mighty Fluder.

“Still, I can’t believe the Magic Academy would actually let go of such a talented girl.”

“Indeed, she’s capable of using magic of my tier at this age. For all we know, she might end up being able to attain the sixth tier.”

“—That would probably be very difficult. However, just knowing that the possibility exists makes me very happy.”

After the mood had cooled down again, Hekkeran clapped his hands. The clear, crisp sound got everyone’s attention.

“Now then, shall we or shall we not take this job? — Roberdyck.”

“I think it’ll be fine.”

“Imina?”

“There aren’t any drawbacks to it, right? Besides, we haven’t had proper work in a long time.”

Workers did not get jobs often. While they had been slaying undead on the Katze Plains two days ago, that was a regularly-scheduled extermination, and it was not the same as a request from a client.

"Kemudian…"

“—If you’re worried about me, I hope you won’t be that way. I have other ways to make money even without taking this job.”

The three of them looked at each other, and then Imina smiled thinly.

“As if. Think about it, this job is really good, and the payout’s really generous. Right, Rober?”

"Persis. This isn’t for you, but the treasures sleeping in the ruins. Isn’t that right, Hekkeran?”

“Did you hear that, Arche? The only shame is that we can’t make ourselves famous by announcing the discovery of the ruins.”

“—Thank you all.”

Arche bowed in thanks, and the three of them smiled as they saw it.

“Now then, come with me to redeem this credit plate for cash, Arche. As for the two of you, I’ll have to trouble you to help prepare our adventuring gear.”

Adventuring gear included things like rope, oil and magic items. They required careful checking. The meticulous Roberdyck and Imina with her thief skills were well-suited to the task. However, the real reason was that Hekkeran was not suited to doing these things.

“Now then, let’s move. Although… Arche.”

Arche tilted her head, as though to ask “Hm?” Hekkeran spoke the question that was on his mind.

“Say, will the payment from this job be enough to clear your debts?”

“—It’ll be fine. If I pay this money first, we’ll be able to last a while longer.”

“If it’s not enough, I can lend you some.”

“Yeah, just give it back the next time we get paid.”

They would never say “we’ll pay for you”. That was only to be expected. The members of Foresight were equals, after all.

“—Permit me to refuse. I believe it is time my parents paid their own debts. All I can do is give them some time, as an act of filial piety.”

“But of course.”

The four of them looked at each other, and then they began their respective tasks.

Part 3

This was a certain high-end residential district in the Imperial Capital, whose sprawling grounds were covered with old yet sturdy and luxurious mansions. Most of the residents of these venerable, yet most certainly not decrepit homes were nobles.

A noble’s residence was a status symbol. Anyone who could not bear to spend the money to pretty up their home would become the laughingstock of noble society.

Things like accessories, jewellery, clothes, homes and courtyards; all of these decorative items were military assets on the battlefield known as noble society. That was because these items were not only a sign of wealth, but also of the breadth and depth of one’s connections. Living in an austere home was reason enough for mockery. Therefore, unless they were of a military inclination and had no interest in political matters, the nobles fought tooth and nail to decorate themselves and their homes. In other words, it was like a military show of force; only people with sufficient strength could do such a thing.

If one looked around, one would notice a few things.

This place was in a part of the Imperial Capital with excellent security, and it was very quiet. However, there was another reason for the silence of the surrounding region beyond the security. It was also because many of the homes here did not feel like they were inhabited.

In truth, nobody lived in many of these mansions. They were empty houses, formerly owned by nobles who had been stripped of their titles by the Bloody Emperor and had to abandon them after they could not afford the upkeep on these dwellings.

Amidst this sea of empty residences, one mansion was still inhabited. However, the outer walls had not been properly maintained, and it would seem someone had neglected to care for the vegetation in the courtyard.

Arche’s parents received her with stiff expressions in the reception lounge of this mansion. Their faces displayed the attitudes appropriate to a noble. They were dressed in superior clothing.

“Oh, you’re back, Arche.”

“You’ve returned.”

Before Arche answered them, her eyes noticed the glass ornament on the table. It was an exquisitely-carved wineglass, and it radiated an air of class and elegance.

Arche’s face twitched, because she had never seen that item before.

“—That is…?”

“Oh, this is from the renowned artisan Jean…”

“—That’s not what I’m asking. We didn’t have this in the house before, why do we have it now?”

“That’s because I bought it this morning.”

As she heard her father’s casual tone — like he was discussing today’s weather — Arche’s body wobbled.

“—How much was it?”

“Oh… I believe it was 15 gold coins. Cheap, no?”

Arche’s head drooped in despair. Anyone would have done the same, if the debt they had to pay had increased again after they had paid off part of it with the deposit for the job.

“—Why did you buy it?”

“As nobles, people will laugh at us if we don’t spend money on such things.”

Her father laughed proudly, and Arche could not help glaring at him with hostility in her eyes.

“—We aren’t nobles any more.”

Those words made her father’s face stiffen and turn red

"Tidak!"

Her father pounded his fist on the table with a thump. Fortunately, the guest room’s table was thick enough that the wineglass barely budged. While Arche would not have minded it breaking, her father would not have minded either. He would simply have thought that it was an expense of a mere 15 gold coins.

As Arche tried to suppress her irritation, her father continued spewing curses and spittle.

“Once that damn idiot dies, we’ll be able to resume our noble status immediately! We’re nobles who have served as the backbone of the Empire for over a hundred years! How can he just cast us out like that? This is an investment for when we regain our status! Besides, this show of strength will show everyone that we won’t give in to that idiot!”

What a fool.

That was Arche’s opinion of her father as he snorted in agitation. “That idiot” probably referred to the Bloody Emperor, but surely he would not care about a family that was as insignificant as Arche’s . More to the point, there had to be better ways to show defiance than this.

He was like a frog in the bottom of a well, who could not see anything outside it.

Arche shook her head tiredly.

“That’s enough out of the two of you.”

Her mother’s relaxed tones brought about a temporary ceasefire between Arche and her father.

She then rose to her feet and offered Arche a small bottle.

“Arche, I bought you perfume.”

“—How much did it cost?’

“Three gold coins.”

“Is that so… thank you.”

A total of 18 gold coins, Arche calculated in her head as she thanked her mother, then carefully tucked the bottle and the small amount of fluid inside it into her pocket.

It was very difficult for Arche to treat her mother coldly. That was because buying perfume or cosmetics was a very sensible purchase, from a certain point of view.

Looking pretty, attending classy dinner parties and catching the eye of wealthy nobles. A woman’s joy was to be married, get pregnant, bear children and raise them; that was very proper from a noble’s point of view. Investing in cosmetics for that objective was hardly a mistake.

Even so, she felt that buying perfume was too much when the family was in such dire straits. More to the point, three gold coins was enough for a plebeian family to live on for a month.

“—I’ve told you several times, don’t spend recklessly. Only spend the minimum amount necessary to get by.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you! This is a necessary expense!”

Arche tiredly looked at her father, who was so mad that his face was covered in red spots. They had argued like this several times in the past, and it had ended inconclusively each time. It was partially Arche’s fault that things had ended up like this. If she had put her foot down earlier, perhaps things might not have ended up like this, and she would not have given Foresight trouble.

“—I won’t be bringing money back any more. I’m taking my sisters and leaving this house.”

Her father began panting heavily upon hearing her calm voice. At least he’s smart enough to know what’ll happen to him if nobody brings home the bacon, Arche thought coldly.

“Who do you think brought you up so you could live the way you do now?”

“—I’ve more than repaid that kindness.”

Arche’s pronouncement was simple and final. The money she had given to her parents was a sizable sum. In addition, that money had been earned through adventures. It was the money that should have been used to become stronger with her companions. While it was true that everyone was free to spend their money as they saw fit, there was a tacit understanding that most of it would go towards strengthening themselves.

What would Arche’s friends think when they saw how she hardly bought new equipment?

Not strengthening her wargear meant that she would remain weak forever.

However, the members of Foresight had not said anything to Arche. Arche had taken their kindness for granted.

Arche turned a burning stare on her father. Under her unyielding gaze, her father shrank and turned away, That was only to be expected. Arche had walked the edge of death countless times. She could not possibly lose to a foolish nobleman.

Arche glanced at her father once more, saw that he did not dare speak again, and left the room.

She closed the door behind her, and sighed. A voice called out to her, as though it had been waiting for this moment.

“Young Mistress.”

“—What is it, Jimes?”

It was Jimes, the butler who had served them faithfully over the years. His wrinkled face was stiff and nervous. Arche immediately realized the reason for that. That was because he often made that face in the years since her father had been stripped of his noble status.

“I apologize for having to tell you about this, Young Mistress, but…”

Arche raised a hand to interrupt him. The two of them felt that this was not a matter that should be discussed in the corridor right outside the receivjng room, and so they went some distance away.

Arche took a leather purse from a hidden pocket and opened up. Several different colors gleamed there. The most numerous were glints of silver, followed by those of copper, and the least numerous were those of gold.

“—Will this be enough to tide you over for now?”

Jimes took the purse from her. His expression had softened a little after seeing the coins within.

“My wage and the money for the traders… I believe it will be enough, Young Mistress.”

“—Good.”

Arche sighed in relief. While this was just financing a debt, it ought to last for a while.

“—Couldn’t you stop Father from buying that thing?”

“I could not. The seller came with a noble he knew. I tried to remind the Master several times, but he still…”

“—I see.”

Both of them sighed.

“—I wish to ask a question. If we terminate everyone we’re employing now, how much will we need for severance pay?”

Jimes’ eyes went wide, and he smiled glumly. There was no shock in his facial expression; a sign that he had been prepared for this.

"Saya mengerti. I will calculate the amount and report it to you, Young Mistress.”

“—Please do.”

Just then, the pattering sound of quick footsteps reached her ears. She knew who had made it even without turning to look.

The thin line of Arche’s mouth softened, and when she turned around, she saw someone running over. The other party did not slow down, simply ran head-first into Arche’s arms.

The person who had tackled Arche was a girl less than a meter tall, around five years old, and the shape of her eyes was very similar to Arche’s. The girl puffed up her pink cheeks, seemingly very displeased.

“So haaard~”

That was not a criticism of her chest being too flat after throwing herself into Arche’s embrace.

Her adventurer’s outfit used a lot of leather and provided excellent defensive strength. The cuirass in particular was made of hardened leather. Surely the girl must have felt like her face had been flattened when she charged head-first into it.

“—Does it hurt?”

Arche touched the girl’s face, and caressed her head.

“Mmm, not at all, onee-sama!”

The little girl smiled happily, and Arche smiled to her sister as well.

“…I shall take my leave, then.”

The butler departed, not wanting to disturb the two of them, and as Arche watched him go, she patted her sister’s head.

“Ulei… running around in the hallway isn’t…”

Arche swallowed her words halfway. She wanted to say that running around in the hallways was not befitting of a noble daughter, but Arche had already told her father that they were not nobles anymore. In that case, what harm did it do for them to run in the hallway?

Arche’s hand did not stop as she thought, and the girl whose hair had been ruffled into a mess laughed innocently. Arche looked around, and saw that the other one had not come with her.

“—Where’s Kuude?”

“In her room!”

“I see… there’s something I’d like to tell you. Let’s go to your room together.”

"Mm."

Her little sister smiled happily. Protecting that smile was her job. Arche squeezed her little sister’s petite hand as that powerful emotion gripped her heart.

Arche could feel the warmth through the hand that was even smaller than hers.

“Onee-sama, your hand’s so hard.”

Arche looked at her other, empty hand. It had been cut several times during her adventures, and it was rough and hard, no longer a noblewoman’s hand. But she did not regret it. Her hands were the proof that she had lived with her friends — with Foresight.

“But I like them lots!”

Her little sister’s hands closed around her own, and Arche smiled.

“—Thank you.”

***

The North Market of the Imperial Capital was as lively and bustling as always. However, very few of the average citizenry came here to buy things, so unlike the packed Central Market, one could browse the stalls as one walked and not bump into anyone.

Hekkeran and Roberdyck let the tension out of their shoulders as they saw the familiar sight, and they began window-shopping.

They were relaxed and carefree, as though the word ”caution” did not exist in their minds. This was because there were no pickpockets or thieves in the North Market — it might well be the safest place in the entire Imperial Capital.

“In any case, what are we buying, Hekkeran?”

“Healing items first. I hope we can get wands of (Cure Light Wounds) for the sake of our budget. Judging by the circumstances, wands of (Cure Middle Wounds) are fine too… but buy the ones that are less than half-charged. I hear we’re going to a tomb, so we might be able to use them on the undead. After that comes the basic anti-undead essentials, items to resist poison and disease. Ideally, we’d be able to find some way to deal with negative energy or incorporeal undead… Permanent items are too expensive, though, so scrolls scribed with the relevant spells are fine too. However…”

Wands were magic items infused with multiple castings of the same kind of spell, and they were cheaper than scrolls on a per-cast basis. Therefore, buying wands of frequently used spells, such as curative magic, was more economical than scrolls.

"Saya melihat. I thought you were planning to buy a gift, and that you asked me to accompany you to hear my opinion.”

“A gift?”

“…It’s nothing. Hekkeran. Put some effort into finding something good.”

“…Er, mm.”

Almost everything sold in this market was junk.

For the most part, the displays were simply a bunch of items on a thin board. Few of them were new goods too; all of them looked like old or beat-up second-hand goods.

Almost all the traders here looked like they could fight, complete with bulging biceps. That, or they were dressed like magic casters who looked better suited for battle than bargaining.

At a glance, they looked like bodyguards, but the truth was that they were the bosses of their stalls. However, they were only bosses for today. They made their living as adventurers or Workers. In other words, they were in the same business as Hekkeran and Roberdyck.

What they sold here were items they had used before, or items they had discovered during their adventures, but which their party members could not use. In that case, rather than sell them to a dedicated magical item dealer or the Magician’s Guild, it would be better to find clients themselves and save themselves the expense of a middleman in the process. This approach offered many benefits to both buyer and seller. Even after factoring in the costs of paying the Merchants’ Guild to set up a stall, they could still make a profit.

For that reason, many adventurers and Workers like Hekkeran and his ilk would come to this place to look for hidden treasures. Some people even came here every day during their stay in the Imperial Capital in search of a good deal.

This was also the reason why there was little crime in the North Market. Who on earth would try something on all the combat veterans here?

The two of them browsed the stalls for a while. They were not gloomy, but neither were they glad.

“I’ve got nothing.”

"Aku juga tidak."

All the items on sale here were items which Hekkeran and the others did not need or which they could not use. Perhaps if the two of them were low-level adventurers or freshly-started Workers, they might be something they could use, but unfortunately, there was nothing that the pair — or even their colleagues — wanted to buy.

“What a shame, maybe it would be faster if we went to a regular store.”

“Well, we were just bargain-hunting here anyway, it can’t be helped if we can’t find anything. Ah well, humble scrimping like this is how you get your savings started.”

“Savings, huh… Hekkeran, what do you think’s going to happen?”

“If I could understand what you meant just from that, I could be a super high-tier magic caster… do you mean Arche?”

“So you did get it after all.”

“Well, I grew more confident as you went on talking.”

“So you know what I’m trying to say?”

“…You’re trying to say that this might be our last adventure, right?”

“Please don’t phrase it in such an inauspicious way,” Roberdyck smiled bitterly. “Still, it’s not too far off the mark. Arche said she was taking her sisters away to raise them on her own. That being the case, coming out to adventure again will be difficult.”

"Ya. She’ll make good use of her talents or find some job where she can make money without adventuring.”

“Finding work won’t be hard. She’s a third-tier magic caster. While I don’t know how many people there are in her family — how many sisters she has, rather — she ought to be able to support three or four people.”

“Mm, I think so too. That’s why she could come out and say that she could raise them on her own.”

“In that case, we’re the ones who’ll have the problem. Once Arche-san the wizard leaves our team, who should we get to fill the hole in the group?”

“Perhaps we’ll be lucky and stumble across a third-tier arcane magic caster somebody left by the roadside?”

“Do your dreaming on the bed, please… If we were adventurers, we could ask the Guild to put out feelers for us… but if we’re looking for one on our own, it’s all down to luck.”

The two of them looked at each other and then sighed in unison.

There were times when one lost a friend, when a friend could not keep up with the group, or when one’s strength exceeded that of the other members of the group. In these situations, an adventurer or a Worker would leave their team. It was hardly a rare situation. Rather, actually staying with the same team throughout one’s career was the rarity; for the most part everyone would change teams two or three times.

Hekkeran, Roberdyck and Imina were the same way.

However, even if that was the case, that did not mean they could easily find an arcane magic caster — and one capable of casting third-tier spells — who was also a Worker without a team.

“How about letting a second-tier caster join and then training him up?”

“That ought to be the last resort. I’d rather avoid that if at all possible.”

“Headhunting will be hard too. People who become Workers usually have some sort of personality defect, and just grabbing someone off the road to join us will be bad if it leads to problems down the road. Like say, if they’re battle maniacs or something.”

“…From that point of view, we’re practically a miracle.”

“Ultimately, our team simply does it for money, which is a rarity. Well, Arche joined after hearing the rumors about us, so she’s kind of an exception.”

“When Arche-san came, we were thinking about who to get as our last member.”

Roberdyck gazed off into the distance. Hekkeran felt that he probably had a similar expression on his own face.

“I still remember what I was drinking back then… Arche-san came at just the right time. It even made me feel like the gods were telling us to form the team.”

“Oh, that’s amazing, my memory isn’t that clear. So what were you drinking back then, Rober?”

“Water.”

“Isn’t that the same as what you always drink… you really are a teetotaler. Still, it would be troublesome if you drank as much as Imina did.”

“It can’t be helped, I just don’t drink alcohol. Of course, Imina-san’s bad taste in alcohol is a problem of its own…”

“Ahh, well, you’re the sort who changes color from red, blue and then white the moment you down a cup of wine. If not for that antidote spell, I have no idea how the first time you drank would have gone.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t be here now, but someone else. People have died of alcohol poisoning before,” Roberdyck shrugged. “But back to the topic. If Arche-san leaves, what do you plan to do? ISmit possible that you might dissolve the team?”

“…If we can’t get enough members together, then we won’t have a choice. Adventuring with three people is just too dangerous… or do you want to go back to being an adventurer?”

“I don’t want to go back to those days of begging the temples for permission to save someone. I’d rather retire instead.”

“Retirement, huh… that might not be a bad thing.”

“I’ve got a sum of money saved up, and I hope I can find my way into a job where I can help the weak and become a source of strength for others. Maybe I could go to a frontier village and be a part-time priest as I plow the fields. How about you, Hekkeran?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

The corner of Roberdyck’s mouth curled up.

“…It might not be good to decide on your own.”

Hekkeran did not understand the meaning of Roberdyck’s words for a moment. In the end, he finally understood what the other man was getting at, and Hekkeran’s face twitched.

“—Why you!”

“Kuku,” he smiled evilly. “You thought I hadn’t noticed?”

“Ahhhhhhh~! It’s not like that, I wasn’t hiding it from everyone on purpose! Think about it, I just couldn’t find the right time to tell you guys, right… so that’s what you meant by the gift.”

“Who confessed first?”

“Oi, Rober! Look over there.”

Hekkeran was pointing at a pair of people who were inspecting the merchandise within a luxurious tentage.

One of them was a warrior in jet-black armor. A crimson cape descended from behind him, and there were a pair of greatswords crossed at his back.

“That was a sudden change of topic… alright, so be it. I’ll ask you about it later. Hmm, his equipment looks top-notch; if he’s as good as his gear, then he ought to be a mighty warrior indeed. Is that someone you know with new weapons or armor?”

“I’m not sure, but I have the feeling I’ve never seen that person in the Imperial Capital before. I mean, do you see that girl beside him? I think he’s blocking her. I’ve never seen her before.”

“Yeah, the angle was bad, so I didn’t see her. So, who’s prettier, between her and Imina-san?”

“—Enough of that! How am I supposed to answer that question?! …Though frankly speaking, that girl there is prettier.”

“Imina-san is a beauty in her own right! And of course, they do say that one’s beloved is the fairest in one’s eyes, so if even you think that way, Hekkeran… I see, the two of them are travellers, or adventurers from foreign parts. They might also be a team that’s just shifted their base of operations to the Imperial Capital.”

“Still, they’re buying daily-use magic items, isn’t that strange?”

The luxurious-looking tent was festooned with all sorts of magic items. However, those items were not the kind which adventurers or Workers would use, but rather, they were items intended for use in daily living. For instance, a box that generated cold temperatures within itself and kept food fresh, or a fan that could create air currents to keep people cool.

Many of these items had been innovated 200 years ago, by a Minotaur known as the All-Talk Sage.

That warrior came up with ideas for all sorts of devices, but he did not have the ability to make them, and he could not explain why these items had to look the way they did or what principles drove them, hence his nickname.

However, the man himself was an absolutely top-notch warrior, who had left a hole slew of unbelievable tales behind him, such as the ability to call forth hurricanes with a swing of his axe or create earthquakes by slamming it into the ground and so on. In addition, he had become famous by elevating the status of humanoid races from food to slaves within the Minotaur nation.

The fact that adventurers — who typically lived in inns — would actually take an interest in these daily-use magic items which had been designed by such a demihuman, was quite unusual.

“It’s not like it’s that strange. The Empire’s magical technology is quite advanced, and these items are cheaper than in other nations. They’re probably thinking that it’ll be worthwhile to bring them home, even if it does take a bit more effort.”

“Ah, begitu. Yeah, that’s definitely possible.”

“It’s weird from our point of view, but if you consider it from a traveller’s perspective, it’s hardly strange.”

“Mm, indeed. From that angle, I can understand why they’re picking them out so seriously.”

The armored warrior seemed to be carefully fiddling with the magic item. He opened and close the doors, picked it up and then turned it over. One could almost see the sweat forming on the salesman’s forehead.

“We should probably shop for our stuff as earnestly as he does.”

“You have a point.”