The Terror of Option

The Swords of Darkness turned in unison to look at Ninya. Picking up on their thoughts, Ninya began explaining with a teacherly look on his face.

"We're likely to encounter Goblins and the wolves they raise. As for other monsters, there haven't been any strong ones sighted around this area. The most dangerous monsters we might encounter on the plains are probably ogres."

"We won't be entering the forest?"

"Yes, because the forest is very dangerous. We can still deal with things like Jumping Leeches and Giant Beetles, but the Hanging Spiders which spit webs at you from the trees and the Forest Worms which maul you from the ground with their huge jaws are harder to handle."

No wonder.

Ainz nodded in acknowledgement. So their aim was to hunt the monsters from the forest which made their way onto the plains.

"That's how it is, Momon-san. How about it? Want to lend us a hand?"

"...Mm. Then, I'll be in your care... although before that, could you tell me about the pay for this?"

"Ah, yes, that's right, the payment is very important. Basically, since Momon-san's team and our team are working together, the plan is to split it evenly."

"Going by the numbers in our teams, it seems awfully generous."

"However, when the monsters appear, I hope you and Nabe-san will take half of them as well. We can only use spells of up to the second tier. So when we factor your abilities in, that division of the money seems quite logical."

Ainz pretended to think for a while before nodding his head in agreement.

"I have no problems with that arrangement. Then, let us fight shoulder to shoulder. Also, since we're working together, I guess I should let everyone see my true face."

With that, Momonga removed his helmet. The four people before him seemed quite surprised by what they saw.

"...Black eyes and hair like Nabe-san, so he shouldn't have been born in this area. I've heard that in the south, people like Momon-san are commonplace... did you come from that region?"

"Yes. We have come here from a faraway land."

He's older than I thought, he's already an uncle.

Hey, that's rude.

A warrior on par with a magic caster of the third tier should be around that age.

Miss Nabe's pretty amazing too.

Ainz's keen ears picked up their whispered words, with the exception of Peter's.

Being called an uncle made Ainz feel uncomfortable, but it probably couldn't be helped that he was an uncle in the eyes of these youngsters. If one was an adult by the age of sixteen, then Ainz was definitely an uncle to them.

"I'll be covering my face up after showing it to you. There might be trouble if other people know I'm a foreigner."

With that, Ainz put his helmet back on again. After that, he smiled in satisfaction under his helmet. This was because Ainz had enchanted himself with an illusion — although it was a low-grade type, which would be seen through if touched — just in case.

"Since we'll be hunting together, it would probably be good to get questions out of the way at this point. Do you have anything to ask me?"

"Me!"

A hand shot up toward the ceiling after Ainz asked his question. That hand belonged to Lukrut.

After making sure that nobody else was asking a question other than himself, Lukrut cheerfully asked Narberal:

"What kind of relationship do you two have!"

The room was filled with silence.

Ainz had no idea what Lukrut meant by that question. However, Peter and his people had picked up on Lukrut's intentions.

"...We are companions."

After Ainz's answer, Lukrut's next few words threw the room into an uproar.

"I've fallen for you! It's love at first sight! Please go out with me!"

Everyone turned to look at Lukrut. After realising that Lukrut's words were not a joke to deepen their friendship, Ainz shifted his gaze to Narberal. As the center of attention, Narberal took a deep breath before replying:

"Silence, inferior lifeform (slug). Learn your place before speaking again, or should I rip your tongue out of your head."

The silence was even more deafening than before.

"Ah, no..."

Ainz made to lighten the mood, but Lukrut stole a march on him and said, "Thank you for the firm rejection! Then, let's start as friends!"

"Die, inferior lifeform (maggot). How could I possibly be friends with you? Or do you want me to gouge out your eyeballs with a spoon?"

After turning away from the feuding pair, Ainz and Peter bowed to each other in apology.

"...My comrade has made trouble for you."

"No, I should be the one apologizing."

"We'll call it quits, then. Is that all right?"

Peter looked around before speaking, though he kept his eyes from the grinning Lukrut and the cold-eyed Narberal.

"Then, Momon-san. If you're ready, then let's move out. We're already prepared."

After hearing the word "ready," Ainz suddenly thought of something.

They had already purchased the minimum required gear from the innkeeper. Although Ainz and Narberal did not need to waste space on food and drinks, it would be weird if they did not eat or drink anything, so they had some ready just in case.

"All right, once we distribute the rations, we can set out right away."

"Are rations the only thing you need to prepare? If you're not going to buy them from a specialist shop, why not get some dry rations from the counter? They'll prepare them for you right away."

"Is that so? That's good to hear. We can finish our preparations right away."

"Then, let's go."

Everyone rose and left the room.

-x-X-x-

After returning to the guild lobby, there were more adventurers than before, and there were several teams standing near the parchment-covered noticeboard. However, everyone's attention seemed focused on a certain teenager.

The blond-haired teenager was talking to one of the counter girls, and the other two receptionists were leaning in to eavesdrop on their conversation. If things had been busy when Ainz came in, the current situation was now the exact opposite.

The counter girl's face — no, her mouth was in an O shape. It was a look of surprise. And the person she was looking at was none other than Ainz himself.

What's going on here?

Just as doubt started welling up inside Ainz, the counter girl approached and said:

"There is a job here asking for you by name."

Those words changed the air in the room instantly. Ainz could feel many curious eyes staring unreservedly at him.

The Swords of Darkness were similarly shocked.

Narberal shifted briefly at the unpleasant change in the room's atmosphere. This was to make it easier to act during the critical early stages of a battle.

Ainz could not help but feel worried by this.

This is bad, Narberal's movements are bad. Judging by the way Narberal stood beside him, she must have thought that something strange was about to happen and had taken up a defensive posture to protect Ainz. However, it was an action completely unfitting for a situation like this. Normal people would not do such a thing under these circumstances.

Granted, protecting Ainz was her top priority, but her movements were far too thoughtless.

You idiot. Albedo's the same way too. What the hell are the both of you thinking? No... it's more like they didn't think at all. They feel like they can crush humans like insects because they look down on them.

While that sort of attitude could not be helped from NPCs of a guild composed of heteromorphic beings (Ainz Ooal Gown), there was a time and place for that sort of thing.

An annoyed Ainz wanted to ask his past comrades, "Why are all your NPCs like this?" He did not care what kind of backstory they had, but they needed to have basic social skills, as well as the ability to take note of the time, place, situation, and respond accordingly.

He did not have time to scold Narberal now. If someone discovered that Narberal was in battle mode, who knew what sort of trouble they might get into.

Ainz immediately karate chopped Narberal on the head. Although he did not use his full strength, he was still wearing his Jarngreipr. Narberal looked back at Ainz with tear-filled eyes, a look of surprise and confusion on her face, as though Ainz had grievously wounded her with that strike. However, Ainz paid her no heed and asked the counter girl:

"And who is this person who has asked for me by name?"

The moment those words cleared his mouth, Ainz cursed himself. Who else could it be but the boy in front of him?

"That would be Nfirea Bareare-san."

I just heard that name — as Ainz thought this, the boy approached him.

"Pleased to meet you. I was the one who put out that job."

The boy nodded slightly, and Ainz returned the gesture.

"Actually, this request—"

Before the boy could finish speaking, Ainz raised his hand to interrupt:

"My deepest apologies, but I've already made an agreement with someone else for a job, so I cannot accept your request right away."

The air in the room seemed to shudder as he said this. The reaction of the Swords of Darkness was more intense than Ainz's own:

"Momon-san! He asked for you by name!"

Peter's response filled Ainz with doubt. Was a personal request something to be surprised about? However—

"That may be so, but should I not carry out the job I've been requested to do earlier?"

Ainz's decision seemed to have been the right one. Some of the adventurers around him were nodding in approval. Just then, he had a flash of inspiration:

"However... our job is hardly a request. If we don't meet any monsters, there won't be any pay to speak of..."

Peter's words to Ainz trailed off, and he sounded reluctant to speak them.

Being hired by the boy with the famous grandmother was a far cry from wandering around the place trying to kill monsters. That was why Peter sounded like he wanted to give up on the job.

With that conclusion in mind, Ainz gently said:

"...Then how about this, Peter-san? Bareare-san has not told me about the job's details, payment, timeframe, and such. I will hear him out and make my decision then."

"I'm all right with that, of course. Though I'd like to finish it quickly, it can wait a day or two."

"Then, please allow my friends from Swords of Darkness to be present during the job briefing... no, I should say, if the negotiations fall through, I would like the privilege of carrying out my previous task first."

"Eh? Momon-san, is it all right for us to come with you?"

"Of course. I hope you will be party to the discussion and provide your opinions."

After the Swords of Darkness gave their approval, Ainz and company returned to the room from just now.

He felt very busy.

Once more, Ainz smiled bitterly and took his seat from just now. Narberal sat beside him, while the boy was one seat away from them. The Swords of Darkness went back to their previous places.

The first to speak among them was, of course, the boy:

"The receptionist mentioned it earlier, but I think it would be best if I introduced myself. I am Nfirea Bareare, and I work as a herbalist in this city. As for the details of the job, I will soon be heading into the nearby forest as planned. Since everyone knows the forest is dangerous, I was hoping that you could be my guardians, as well as help in harvesting herbs if possible."

"Bodyguarding, huh. I see."

Ainz nodded calmly. He had the feeling that this job would be a troublesome one.

Ainz knew he was powerful, and he could probably exterminate any attacking monster when working with Narberal. However, he was not as confident when it came to carrying out an escort mission. This was because Ainz and Narberal were both magic casters, and lacked the specialized magic and skills needed to become shields for other people.

"Compared to the usual amount, the payment will be—"

"—Please hold on a moment. The task of bodyguarding suits you well. Then, Peter-san, would you like me to take you on instead?"

"Eh?"

"If it's a job that involves bodyguarding and harvesting herbs, don't you think we'd be more effective with Lukrut-san the ranger and Dyne-san the druid?"

"Oh! Good eye, Momon-shi. As a druid, I can show my true ability in the forest, perhaps even more so than Lukrut the ranger."

Dyne's baritone seemed to carry an undercurrent of pride. Lukrut was not happy and said:

"Dyne-san, you really went and said it, huh."

"It's an undeniable truth, given the abilities of druids! And don't forget that I'm trained in herbalism too!"

"Hmph — Peter, I'm fine too. I'll show you who's the better of us, between Druid-san and myself."

"I'll take that to be agreement, then. If we see any monsters on the way, we'll kill them and claim the reward when we get back to town. As for Bareare-san's payment, what if we divided it equally, Peter-san?"

"If you're fine with it, then I have no objections, Momon-san."

"Bareare-san, sorry for the wait. If it's all right with you, could you permit everyone here to accept the job that you just offered?"

"I don't mind that. Then, I'll be counting on all of you. Ah, you can just call me Nfirea."

Ainz and the others began introducing themselves to Nfirea. Although Narberal lashed Lukrut with her sharp tongue, they managed to successfully complete their self-introductions.

"Then, what I've done in the past is to proceed to Carne Village to set up a base of operations before venturing into the forest. The amount of time we'll spend depends on the herbs that we can gather, but it will be three days at the latest. In the past, it's been a couple of days on average."

"Will we be walking there?"

"Ah, yes. There will be a horse cart, but it'll be full of pots and bottles for gathering herbs, so there's not much room for you to ride."

"Can we replenish our rations in Carne Village?"

"Water should be fine, but food might be a problem, because Carne Village isn't very big."

The Swords of Darkness began discussing the preparations for the journey, as well as asking Nfirea several questions. As Ainz saw this, he decided to speak up as well:

"May I ask a few questions?"

After seeing Nfirea smile and nod in reply, Ainz began with the first question.

"Why me? I've only arrived in this city by carriage recently, and as such I have no friends here, nor am I renowned in this area. That being the case, why did you ask for me? In addition, you mentioned that you've done this in the past, which implies that in the past you've hired other adventurers. How about them?"

Ainz's gaze was keen under his helmet.

He did not know why the boy had called him out. If he had been exposed, then he would need to change his disguise and his approach to things.

Ainz studied Nfirea closely — though he could not see his eyes, due to the hair concealing them — but he could not tell what the boy truly wanted.

Could it be that he was overthinking this? Just as Ainz was beginning to get suspicious, Nfirea replied:

"Ah, the adventurers I hired in the past have all left E-Rantel for another city. That's why I was looking for new adventurers. Also, actually... I heard about what happened in the inn from one of its guests."

"What happened in the inn?"

"Yes, I heard that someone effortlessly threw an adventurer one rank higher than himself..."

"I see..."

Ainz had planned to use a show of strength to increase his renown. Had this boy taken the bait? Once more, as suspicion welled up in Ainz, Nfirea smiled and pointed to the plate on Ainz's breastplate.

"Plus, copper ranked adventurers are cheaper, right? Hopefully we'll get along for a while yet."

"Haha, I do hope so."

Ainz understood how it was like to hire an untested rookie. He slowly felt himself lowering his guard, but there was one thing that worried him. If that really happened —

As Ainz thought about this, the other were asking questions one by one, which Nfirea took in stride. After there were no more questions, Nfirea announced:

"Then, let's move out once we're ready!"

-x-X-x-

In the dead of night, a hooded person entered the giant graveyard of E-Rantel, with steps that made it seem as though it were gliding across the ground.

The person's hooded, jet-black cape and the way its waist and shoulders did not move up and down as it advanced was quite peculiar, resembling a ghost when viewed from afar.

The figure deftly avoided the magical illumination of the tomb and proceeded ever inward.

Before long, the figure arrived at a mausoleum, and shed its hood.

The figure was a young woman of around twenty, in the flower of her youth.

She had a pretty face, and she was cute in the way of a kitten or other small animal. Still, while she looked adorable, there was a carnivore's predatory nature hidden under that face of hers.

"I'm here~"

As she spoke in playful tones, the girl ran her fingers through her short blonde hair and pushed open the stone doors to the mausoleum. The noises of clattering metal came from under her cloak, like the sound of chain mail.

Once inside the mausoleum, all the slabs for corpses were empty. The grave goods for the deceased had already been taken away.

Perhaps it was the scent of all the incense absorbed by the stone, but a fragrant smell tickled the girl's nose.

The girl furrowed her brows, then headed steadily inwards.

"Hm hm hm — hm~"

The girl pressed on an unobtrusive little carving as she hummed. As the carving moved, there was a click as something made contact with something else. A moment later, the sound of grinding came forth. The slabs slowly moved aside, and a path leading downstairs appeared.

"I'm coming in~"

With those sing-song words, the girl descended the staircase. It curved halfway, and led to a wide open space beneath the earth.

Although the walls and floor were made of mud, they looked like they had been reinforced so they would not collapse so easily. The air was relatively clean; the airflow to this place was good, which kept the air in here fresh.

However, this was not part of the graveyard; it was something far more malevolent in nature.

Menacing tapestries hung on the walls, with several crimson candles made from fresh blood below it. They gave off a pale radiance, as well as a smell of burning blood.

The flickering flames generated countless shadows, and there were several holes here, big enough for people to pass through. The unique corpse stench of low tier undead wafted out from those holes.

The girl looked around, and her eyes stopped on a certain place.

"Ah~ creepy guy who's hiding in a corner, you've got a guest~"

The man watching his surroundings from his hiding place in the dark corners of the room heard those words, and his shoulders trembled.

"Hi~ I'm here to meet Khazi-chan who's supposed to be here, is he~?"

The man seemed a little lost as to what to do, and as he heard the sound of footsteps again, his shoulders shook once more.

"It's fine. You may leave now."

After the newcomer spoke to the man, he revealed himself.

He was a skinny man.

His eyes were sunken in, and his face was a corpse-like pale white, which could be summarized in the word "lifeless." His scalp was bereft of any hair, nor were there any eyebrows, eyelashes, or any body hair at all. He gave the impression that he was completely hairless.

Given that, there was no way to tell his age at all, but since there were no wrinkles on his skin, he probably was not that old.

The man was dressed in a dark red robe that was the color of dried blood, and wore a necklace made of the skulls of small animals. His hands were so shrivelled that they resembled claws, and his fingers — tipped with dirty yellow fingernails — were wrapped around a black staff. Rather than a human, he looked more like an undead monster.

"Hai~ Khazi-chan~"

The man frowned as he heard the girl's playful greeting.

"Can you not address me like that? It'll damage the reputation of Zuranon."

Zuranon.

They were a powerful and evil secret society, counting several veteran magic casters among their number and led by a wise leader. After orchestrating several tragedies, they had become enemies of the countries in the region.

"Reeeeally...?"

The fact that the girl did not wish to change the way she addressed him made the man frown even more.

"...And then? Why did you come here? You know I'm infusing energy into the Orb of Death, right? If you're here to make trouble, I have ways to deal with that too."

The man narrowed his eyes, and tightened his grip on his staff.

"Nooooo, Khazi-chan~ I just came here to bring you this~"

The girl flashed him a coquettish smile and reached around under her cape. There was the sound of clattering, and then the girl triumphantly produced the item she had been looking for.

It was a circlet.

Countless small gems adorned thin, metallic threads, looking for all the world like a spiderweb covered in water droplets. The item was exquisitely made, and in the middle of the circlet — where the wearer's forehead would go — was a large black crystal.

"This is—!"

The man could not help but stare in silence.

Although he had only seen it from a distance, there was no mistake here. This was the crown he had seen once before.

"The symbol of a Miko Princess, the Crown of Wisdom! This is one of the treasures of the Slaine Theocracy!"

"Correct~ I saw a cute girl wearing this strange crown, but it looked so wrong on her head that I took it off~ And then I was sooooo surprised! She went mad~ peeing and crapping herself~"

The girl convulsed in laughter.

The Miko Princesses stood at the heart of the Slaine Theocracy's rituals. There was no way that she — as a former member of the Black Scripture — would not know what would happen when she snatched the Crown of Wisdom away from its bearer.

After all, when the time came for a new Miko Princess to be appointed, the job of the Black Scripture was to remove the Crown from its current wearer, and then promptly send the now-insane Miko Princess to be with the gods.

"Still, it can't be helped. It's the only way to obtain this — it's the fault of the person who made the Crown, he's the one to blame~"

There was no way to safely remove the Crown of Wisdom. The only option was to destroy it.

However, the Crown would delete the wearer's personality and turn a human being into a magic item that could use incredibly high-tiered spells, so nobody would do anything wasteful like destroying it.

Still, there were such madmen around.

"Hmph, to think you'd betray the Black Scripture for such trash. Why not steal one of the divine artifacts of the Six Gods?"

"Calling it trash is too mean~"

The man laughed at the girl who puffed up her face.

"Nothing wrong with calling it trash, right? Girls who can wear an item like this are one in a million. Finding a wearer for this would probably be impossible, even in the Slaine Theocracy."

The Slaine Theocracy was the only one in the surrounding countries that kept detailed registers and genealogies of its citizens. Therefore, by consulting those registers, one could easily find a wearer for the item — in other words, a sacrifice.

Without that, it would be hard for even Zuranon to find such a person.

"But really now, it's impossible to get those artifacts~ After all, that antique show is guarded by the strongest monster of the Black Scripture, that ancient beast with the blood of the Six Gods that's beyond the realm of humanity~"

"A God-Kin, huh... Is that fellow really that strong? I've only heard about it from you."

"It's stronger than the idea of strength. The relevant information has been sealed up, which is why you don't know~ If someone who knew about it was interrogated with mind-affecting magic, it would be really bad. I've heard that if the secret got out, it'd lead to total war with the surviving true Dragon Lords, which means the Slaine Theocracy would get destroyed in the crossfire, so I hope you'll pretend you never heard any of it~"

"...I find that hard to believe."

"Well, anyone who hasn't seen that power would think so~ Well then, let's get down to business, Khazit Dale Badantel — are you willing to help me out as a fellow member of the Twelve Executives?"

The girl's tone finally changed.

"Oh, showing your true face at last, oh fragment of Quintia? But don't call me Dale. I've cast away that baptismal name."

"...Then, don't call me a fragment of Quintia, hm? Call me Clementine."

"...Clementine, what do you want me to help you with?"

"There's a pretty outstanding talent holder in this town, no? Maybe that guy could wear this item~"

"...I see, that guy from the stories. Still, you could easily handle the task of kidnapping a single human being by yourself, no?"

"Mm, that's right~ But I'd like some sort of confusion while I make my move~"

"I see... a distraction while you flee, huh..."

"What about it? What if I was willing to help with your ritual? It's a good deal, right~?"

The man — Khazit — narrowed his eyes, and smiled evilly:

"Wonderful, Clementine. If you're willing to help me, I can carry out the rite of death. Very well, I shall aid you with all the resources at my disposal."

-x-X-x-