On the second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, inside a soundproof room reserved for parties discussing requests.
The four members of the Swords of Darkness sat around a wooden table, enthusiastically explaining to Ainz which areas outside the city were frequently infested with monsters and where they intended to go this time.
Lucien leaned against the wall beside the window, holding a cup of barley tea provided free by the guild and only half listening to the conversation.
These monster-hunting requests were officially issued by the local authorities.
The purpose was to make use of adventurers, an armed force that otherwise existed largely outside direct government control, to help protect the city.
It conserved military manpower while also giving people who made their living with swords and brute force something productive to do, reducing the chances of them turning to crime once they ran out of food or money for alcohol.
The pay was rather stingy, though.
And being paid by the number of monsters killed made the whole thing feel like factory piecework.
Lucien could not bring himself to care.
He was only sitting through the discussion as a formality while gathering whatever information he could.
Just as Lucien was wondering whether his next target for some extra spending money should be a merchant or a politician, someone knocked on the wooden door.
“Excuse me.
Sorry to interrupt.” The receptionist who had spoken with Ainz downstairs entered the room, looking noticeably excited.
She walked directly to Ainz and gave a small bow.
“Mr.
Momon, I sincerely apologize for interrupting your discussion, but the guild has just received a request specifically naming you.
The client has explicitly asked for you to serve as his personal escort.” The room immediately fell silent.
The four members of the Swords of Darkness exchanged glances.
Their leader, Peter, looked surprised.
“A direct request?
Momon and Miss Nabe only registered as adventurers recently.
How did they already receive one?” “Direct commissions usually pay extremely well too,” Ninya added thoughtfully.
“Normally, only established adventurers with a strong reputation receive them.” Ainz remained seated.
The red lights beneath his helmet suddenly flickered.
His first reaction was suspicion.
This was too unusual.
He had only been in E-Rantel for a few days.
Momon had no noteworthy achievements to his name.
The only occasion on which he had attracted any attention was at the inn, where he had shown off slightly.
Even then, all he had done was defeat an Iron-ranked adventurer.
Iron-ranked adventurers were everywhere.
Defeating one was hardly enough to justify such a specifically targeted request.
“Who is the client?” Ainz asked in a low voice.
“Mr.
Nfirea Bareare,” the receptionist answered with obvious respect.
“He wishes to travel into the forest outside the city to gather medicinal herbs and would like you to accompany him as his personal escort.” “As for payment, Mr.
Bareare is willing to offer somewhat more than the standard rate for an escort request.” At the mention of Nfirea, Lucien’s hand paused around his cup.
The nurse from the infirmary had mentioned that same name while he was buying breakfast that morning.
A talented young apothecary.
Well known throughout E-Rantel.
Coincidence?
An apothecary…
Wait.
Ainz had mentioned that he had accidentally given someone a low-tier healing potion not long ago.
There had to be a reason for this.
The members of the Swords of Darkness all considered the offer excellent and immediately encouraged Ainz to accept it.
Ainz listened to their suggestions, but his suspicions did not disappear.
“Miss.” He looked toward the receptionist.
“Since this is a direct commission, I would like to speak with the client personally.” “Of course.
Mr.
Bareare is waiting downstairs right now.
I’ll ask him to come up.” It was not long before the door opened again.
A somewhat shy-looking young man entered.
He wore a simple linen robe.
His most striking feature was his short golden hair, cut in an awkward bowl-like style, with long bangs covering most of his forehead.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr.
Momon.
My name is Nfirea Bareare.” The young man bowed politely.
“Mr.
Bareare, I have only recently registered as a Copper-ranked adventurer.
There is nothing on my record proving that I am qualified to serve as an exceptional escort.” Ainz went straight to the point.
“If you need a bodyguard, there are plenty of higher-ranked adventurers outside who would gladly take the job.” “Why specifically request me?” “I’m hardly famous.” Nfirea answered without hesitation.
“I heard about what happened at the inn a few days ago.” “You threw a strongly built Iron-ranked adventurer aside with one hand.
That suggests you’re considerably stronger than your current rank indicates and simply haven’t been registered long enough to advance yet.” “And…” Nfirea hesitated briefly.
“Precisely because you’re still Copper-ranked, your basic hiring fee is much lower than that of a high-ranking team.” “Even though I’m willing to pay more than the standard rate, hiring you would still cost less than employing one of those parties directly.” The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable.
A faint green glow flickered beneath Ainz’s armor.
Perhaps this really was nothing more than an ordinary direct commission.
Maybe he had been overthinking it.
However, another problem immediately occurred to him.
He had only just agreed to hunt monsters with the Swords of Darkness.
If he abandoned them the moment a better-paying job appeared, people might eventually hear that Momon was powerful but unreliable, someone who discarded agreements whenever a more profitable offer came along.
Ainz wanted to build Momon’s reputation as both exceptionally strong and morally respectable.
He wanted even the most critical observer to find little fault with him.
There was also another issue.
At the moment, he was operating as the warrior Momon.
He could not openly use magic.
More importantly, Ainz had no real experience protecting other people.
He had never done escort work before.
If something unexpected happened in the forest and monsters bypassed him to attack the vulnerable client, he lacked the specialized abilities needed to protect that person effectively.
In a serious battle, even the slightest distraction could prove fatal.
Ainz sat silently, trapped between two undesirable choices.
Lucien, who had been watching the entire thing from beside the window, noticed his hesitation immediately.
Ainz’s real foundation was that of a magic caster.
While wearing that armor and pretending to be a warrior, his capabilities were severely restricted.
Being asked to perform the role of a dedicated frontline protector would naturally put him under pressure.
Lucien set down his tea and walked over to the table.
“Momon, I think there’s a simple solution.” Ainz looked up.
Only then did he seem to remember that a highly experienced player was standing right beside him.
“Lucien, what do you suggest?” Lucien approached the table and calmly explained his reasoning.
“Escort work is relatively safe, but it won’t earn you much recognition, and the pay probably isn’t extraordinary either.” “Monster hunting is paid by results.
As long as you kill enough monsters, especially strong ones, you’ll earn far more money and reputation than you would working as a bodyguard.” “That does make sense…” Ainz nodded thoughtfully.
“Mr.
Momon!” Peter looked genuinely baffled and immediately tried to persuade him otherwise.
“Requests like ours are mostly something we take so we aren’t sitting around doing nothing.” “If we’re lucky, we might have one particularly profitable day, but the income is extremely inconsistent.” “Normally, we might kill a dozen or so goblins in a day.” “You’ve been offered a much better job.
You should absolutely prioritize it.” “But I already agreed to work with you.” Ainz answered calmly.
“Breaking my word immediately after reaching an agreement would reflect poorly on my character.” “But Mr.
Bareare’s request is obviously far better…” “Then how about this?” Seeing that all four members of the Swords of Darkness genuinely regretted Ainz giving up such a good opportunity, Lucien stepped forward again.
“Why don’t I handle Mr.
Bareare’s escort request instead?” “My previous work involved protecting paying clients through dangerous combat situations.” “I have plenty of experience keeping them alive even in extremely hostile environments.” Ainz immediately found the suggestion convincing.
Lucien had made a profession out of carrying paying players through difficult content.
His ability to react to unexpected situations and fight effectively outside controlled encounters was far greater than Ainz’s own.
More importantly, Lucien was not restricting himself behind a false warrior identity.
If combat broke out, he could fight at full strength immediately.
Ainz, by contrast, was stuck in armor that prevented him from displaying his real abilities.
If they encountered a genuinely dangerous enemy, Ainz would first have to worry about eliminating witnesses before he could fight seriously.
The restrictions were far too inconvenient.
Having Lucien protect Nfirea was practically foolproof.
Meanwhile, Ainz would be free to go outside the city and hunt monsters without worrying about anything else.
“You’re right.” Ainz nodded before turning back toward Nfirea.
“Mr.
Bareare, I am grateful for your confidence in me.
However, I have already promised the Swords of Darkness that I will accompany them on their monster-hunting request.” “I cannot break that promise.” Nfirea’s expression visibly changed.
He clearly was not pleased.
“However…” Ainz gestured toward Lucien.
“I would like to recommend my friend, Lucien Vale.” “His abilities greatly exceed my own.” “With him protecting you, you would be considerably safer than if I accompanied you personally.” “Stronger than you, Mr.
Momon?” Nfirea studied Lucien in surprise.
“Yes.” Ainz smoothly continued.
“Lucien, perhaps you should explain your profession to Mr.
Bareare.” Lucien answered casually.
“I’m a light fighter specializing in close combat.
I can also use some basic magic.” Nfirea’s brow furrowed slightly.
“That…
might be difficult.” He deliberately sounded hesitant.
“I would still prefer to employ Mr.
Momon.” “Since he’s Copper-ranked, his hiring fee falls within my budget.” “If you’re significantly stronger than Mr.
Momon, your fee must also be considerably higher.” “And from what I’ve heard, warriors and magic casters generally can’t train both paths at once…” “You misunderstand.” Lucien interrupted him directly.
“I’m not even Copper-ranked.” “I’ve never registered with the Adventurer’s Guild.” Lucien walked over to Nfirea.
“So the guild’s pricing regulations don’t apply to me.” “As for my abilities, there’s no need to worry.” “My Talent allows me to develop both paths.” “I’m stronger than Momon and his companion combined, and hiring me will only cost you the fee for one person.” Lucien placed both hands on the table and looked directly at Nfirea.
“I guarantee that you won’t encounter any danger during this herb-gathering trip.” “If you’re still worried, give me a list of everything you need and go home.” “You won’t even have to leave the city.” “I’ll collect everything myself.” “The price stays the same, and you can pay me after the job is finished.” “How does that sound?” The offer was almost absurdly favorable.
Every excuse Nfirea had used to justify specifically hiring Momon had now been completely blocked off.
His real purpose was to investigate the mysterious healing potion.
He wanted to learn where it came from and how it had been made.
But if he continued refusing now, his behavior would become far too suspicious.
“This…” Nfirea gritted his teeth before finally giving in.
“If Mr.
Momon recommends you so strongly, then I’ll place myself in your care, Mr.
Vale.” He quickly added another condition.
“However, I need to personally inspect the quality of the herbs, and gathering medicinal plants requires specific techniques.” “So I still need to accompany you.” “You only need to handle the escort and protection.” “No problem.” Lucien straightened.
“You’re the client.
Your call.” And just like that, the matter was settled.
(To be continued.)