Lydia's POV
The next morning, Ainz and I, now Momon and Lily, arrived at the guild once more.
After entering the building, I quickly scan the place with the Eye of Heimdall. I see a lot more adventurers than yesterday, and most of them have silver or gold medals around their necks.
Wait... are we the only coppers in the building right now? That makes me feel somewhat self-conscious.
Some adventurers look wildly different from one another. There are warriors wearing full-body armor, agile-looking people with bows or daggers dressed in light armor, and magic casters that are either wearing a long robe with a staff or a priest's attire coupled with religious symbols.
Another thing peculiar about the appearance of most of them is their hair color. I've come to understand that most adventurers use magic items to dye their hair as a trademark or to advertise themselves and their team. Most adventurers' teams have a color or a symbol that represents them, for example. It makes them more recognizable. Most teams also have a name as well; I wonder if we will have to find a name and a color as well?
Some of the adventurers in the hall turn their attention to both of us, probably because of our appearances and our copper tags.
Ignoring the attention—or doing my best to ignore it, in my case—we both walk towards the counter after a group of adventurers finishes their business with the receptionist and leaves. The receptionist greets us with a professional smile.
"Sorry, but we are looking for a job," informs Ainz.
"In that case, please choose one of the parchments over there and bring it over," answers the receptionist, pointing at the quest board by the wall near us.
Ainz nods and walks towards the boards, and I follow him silently like a shadow.
Of course, while walking towards it, my gaze is already on it, analyzing the different pieces of paper, and I don't understand a single thing written on them.
During our tour yesterday, Ainz caught me up on the information he gathered about this world as well as some of his speculations—mostly things he learned from the Chief of Carne Village.
He theorizes that a wish-granting World Item was used in the past to make everyone understand each other in this world. This would be why we understand what everyone is saying, despite them obviously not being Japanese and surely not speaking it either. In fact, he is quite certain that is what happened. He told me that the words and the lip movements don't match each other when people speak... and visibly, writing isn't taken into account by the global translation spell.
In a strange way, it makes me want to dissect that strange spell affecting the whole world for who knows how long. I want to know how it does what it does and perhaps even how to replicate it. Perhaps it's hidden in the atmospheric mana all around the world? I'll have to investigate. There may even be more than just a translation spell. Perhaps there are more hidden global spells affecting this world.
We both arrive in front of the board, snapping me out of my thoughts when I bump into Ainz's back. It's a bit hard to direct my body correctly while my view is all around at the same time. It sometimes makes me forget that I'm even there to begin with.
Fortunately, Ainz doesn't seem to mind, and no one around is giving me a weird look for it either, for some reason.
Ainz stares at the papers on the board for a few seconds, surely realizing himself that he doesn't understand anything either.
Perhaps I could cast a translation spell with Primordial Magic? But how do I visualize a translation spell exactly? Do I just imagine the words changing into Japanese characters?
Suddenly, Ainz tears one of the sheets of parchment from the board randomly and walks towards the counter with it in hand.
What is he doing?
I follow him back to the counter, confused.
Does he believe that it'll work? He doesn't even know what kind of quest he took.
He places it on the counter in front of the lady and says confidently, "I want to take this job."
The receptionist, legitimately confused, replies, "I am sorry, this job can only be undertaken by Mithril-ranked adventurers..."
Her response makes me feel such a wave of second-hand embarrassment that it makes me want to teleport away as quickly as possible.
Of course... of course the quest you grabbed randomly would be a high-level one. And you sounded so confident as well. I'm sure my face must be red right now with how much heat I feel around my cheeks.
I reach for Ainz's arm, trying to pull him away, and mumble, "We're sor—"
"—I know, that’s why I took it," Ainz interrupts me as he replies to the lady, probably not even feeling my pull.
I look at Ainz as I feel my cheeks flushing even hotter in embarrassment. I feel like steam will start coming out of my ears with how embarrassed I feel under the gaze of all the adventurers around who turned their attention to us from the small commotion. I can see all of them so clearly... It makes me want to turn off the Eye of Heimdall like I did yesterday at the tavern, but if I keep doing that for everything, I'll never get used to it...
The receptionist, of course, looks surprised at Ainz's bold words. "Uh, that—" she begins hesitantly, but Ainz speaks up once more before she can continue.
"—I wish to take this job," he repeats, sounding as confident as the first time, even though I'm sure he isn't.
"Huh? But even if you request it, the rules and conditions—" the receptionist tries to explain, but Ainz cuts her off once more.
"—The rules are stupid. I’m not willing to repeatedly do these mindless tasks before I am eligible for a promotion," he explains arrogantly.
"Momon!" I whisper-scream in a half-panic.
Many of the adventurers' gazes turn unfriendly or even hostile at Ainz's words and tone. And it's understandable, given that he just insulted the rules of the Guild meant to save lives. The only saving grace that prevents me from having a full panic attack is that their gazes are fully turned toward Ainz and not toward me. In fact, most of them seem to even give me looks of pity, which I'm not sure is better or worse.
I even see the eyes of the receptionist turn sympathetic when she looks at me, before looking back at Ainz, who ignores me. "If the job ends in failure, many people will lose their lives," she explains firmly.
Ainz, in response, places a hand on my head (again). "My companion here is a priestess of the 3rd tier," he introduces me out of nowhere.
Now I feel every eye on me, and it makes me want to disappear. I instinctively and uselessly try to make myself look smaller in the hope that they'll all overlook me and look somewhere else.
I want to cry...
I clutch my wand tightly as I press it to my chest, as if transferring some of my tension into it.
In the gazes of the adventurers around us, I see a lot of skepticism. And, once again, it's understandable. From what Ainz told me yesterday, in this world, the 3rd tier is the stage of masters, and I look barely 16, maybe even younger. It's like saying that a child is a black belt in martial arts.
Yet even with the skepticism, they seem to... believe it, for some wild reason. Is it because of Ainz's armor? I don't know.
Ainz, seemingly uncaring as ever, continues, "As for me, I am a warrior who matches her strength. I can affirm that this level of job is a walk in the park for us."
The eyes of the receptionist and the adventurers around us change and take this information with less surprise than I thought they would.
"We didn’t become adventurers just to perform simple tasks and earn some copper coins. I want to challenge higher-grade missions. If you want to see our skills, we can show them to you. Could you let us take this job?" asks Ainz once again.
Now, almost all of the hostile gazes of the adventurers have disappeared; instead, looks of understanding have replaced them.
But the receptionist is different from the adventurers: "I am very sorry, I can’t let you take this job because of the regulations," she refuses with a bow of apology.
"It can’t be helped then... I was being too forceful, sorry," Ainz apologized as well with a slight bow of his head, making me sigh in relief.
It's over... Never again. Should I be the one talking next time? Would I have been able to pull off what Ainz just did? Maybe it's not so bad that Ainz is the one talking. His undead body allows him to stay calm while I was panicking.
"Please help me find the most difficult copper-ranked job. Are there any others apart from those on the board?" Ainz requests of the receptionist.
"Ah, I understand. There are other jobs available." The receptionist stands up, probably to look for the 'harder' Copper-rank quests.
"How about helping us with our job?" a male voice calls out to us, interrupting the receptionist.
Both Ainz and I turn in the direction of the voice, Ainz with an almost menacing growl.
"The job... Is it a worthwhile job...?" asks Ainz with audibly suppressed annoyance, for which I hit him lightly on his armored arm.
"Yeah—we think it is worthwhile," the silver adventurer that looks like the leader of his party replies.
He has short blond hair and blue eyes; he wears chainmail armor on top of leather armor. He also has a sword hanging at his waist, making it visible that he is a warrior.
After a short hesitation, I see Ainz nod his head. "Since I am seeking worthwhile jobs, let’s work hard together. But I still have to ask what kind of job it is," asks Ainz.
After hearing Ainz's question, the man asks the receptionist to prepare a room for both teams to talk more privately.
It's a small room, similar to a meeting room, with a large wooden table at its center and multiple wooden chairs all around it. The room itself has not much decoration, having just a window and spare chairs.
Ainz pulls up a chair for me to sit before I can do it myself. So I sit after mumbling a weak "thank you" with embarrassment.
We both sit beside each other while the other party, composed of young adventurers—with the youngest, a magic caster, looking 14, maybe even younger, and the oldest, a druid, looking around 30 at most.
In fact, the magic caster and I look to be of similar age in appearance, or at least not that far off from one another.
Despite their age, the way they sit allows them to quickly reach for their weapons if necessary. It is probably a habit and reflex for them rather than a conscious choice, as they don't seem that on guard against the two of us. Yet, it shows experience one wouldn't expect from 'mere' silver-rank adventurers.
"Before talking about the job, let’s do a simple introduction," the leader of the party proposes with an easygoing smile.
"Nice to meet you. I am the leader of the 'Swords of Darkness', Peter Mauk. This is our team’s Ranger, Lukrut Volve," he introduces himself and the Ranger beside him.
The ranger also has short, messy blond hair—as blond hair seems to be the most common hair color in the kingdom—with brown eyes. He wears light leather armor with a red shirt underneath, a bow hanging on his back with a quiver full of arrows beside the bow, and a short sword at his waist. He also has a tall, thin build.
He has a relaxed expression and seems to be an easygoing person as he nods in acknowledgment with a cheerful smile.
The leader, Peter, continues, "Next is our Magic Caster, the strategist of the team. Ninya—a 'Mage'."
"Please take care of me," the young magic caster adds softly. He has short, messy brown hair and a youthful face.
Yet I can't help but keep my full attention on him. Something's off about him and I don't know what. I feel some kind of affinity with him for some unknown reason. The ambient mana also behaves weirdly around him, as if he were loved by the ambient mana. Additionally, his body seems way more acclimated to mana than a normal human body should be, even for a magic caster.
Fascinating...
His voice is also quite high-pitched, probably due to his age, making him sound rather androgynous.
Ninya turns to Peter with an embarrassed expression, "Peter, could you please not use my shameful nickname during the introductions?"
"Eh? But it’s cool," retorts Peter, sounding genuinely confused. And it would be credible if he wasn't so bad at hiding his smirk.
"A nickname?" I ask softly.
"He was born with a talent, the famous 'genius magic caster'," answers Peter proudly.
"Oh..." I blurt out in realization.
The reason mana behaves weirdly around him must be his talent. So, is he born with a greater affinity toward magic? Is it something peculiar in his body that provokes that? Or perhaps even deeper, something in his soul? I really want to investigate in depth that talent of his.
From what I understand, a talent could be absolutely anything, from something completely useless to something world-breaking. I really want to understand what allows the natives of this world to develop those unique abilities at birth. Not that I'll kidnap a talent wielder to dissect them or anything like that, of course. It's just so... fascinating.
"I think your innate talent, 'Magic Talent,' allows you to learn a spell that would normally take eight years in just four years. I’m not a magic caster, so I’m not sure how great that is," Peter continues, exposing Ninya's talent.
Well, isn't that even more interesting? Normally, only level-surpassing spells such as [Wish Upon a Star] would allow that kind of thing. And [Wish Upon a Star] is limited to a few options in terms of actual wishes—
—Wait a minute... Is it still the case? We are not in a game anymore... could we wish for anything? I don't know that spell, but if I learn it... Could I find a way to cast it without it actually costing XP? One of my passives as [Mother of Monsters] allowed me to replace the XP cost with MP, but will it work on spells as well? The passive had XP-costing summons in mind, not spells, so I'm not sure... And it could be a little risky to try if it still costs XP.
But that brings another question to light: what is XP?
There are various ways to gain XP, even though the easiest is killing other beings. Some skills allow someone to gain XP by doing other activities, such as a passive from [Sage] that allows me to gain XP by reading, and crafting parchments and grimoires.
Other crafting classes have similar passives that allow them to accumulate XP through their craft.
My summons are also a bit special in that regard. Normally, summons from a summoner can't level up and don't give XP when slain. But since I became the [Mother of Monsters], my summons have gained the ability to level up on their own and give XP to those who kill them. It was also at that same time that I gained the option to put my summons into [Wild] mode.
Is XP souls? Or at least, soul energy or something like that? That would explain almost everything, and that explanation fits neatly with everything.
That also answers a question I have been asking myself for a while now, even back in YGGDRASIL: what made my summons different from those of other summoners? The answer, if I'm right, would be a soul. My summons have souls, while the others are simply temporary, artificial lives created by spells.
Does that mean that I create souls?
"Next will be us. This is Lily, and I'm Momon. Pleased to meet you." Ainz's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
Oh...
I bring my attention back to the conversation as I nod bashfully, embarrassed to have zoned out in the middle of the introductions.
"Alright, pleased to meet you both. Momon-san, you can just address us by name. Sorry for getting to the topic so quickly, but let’s talk about the job. Actually, what we want to ask of you is not really a job." Peter takes back the lead.
His words mean that they have all introduced themselves already... I can't just ask for their names after they have introduced themselves, can I? I'll have to figure it out on my own...
I suppress a groan of annoyance at myself.
"Then—" Ainz was about to protest, but Peter stopped him by raising his hand.
"—The job is to hunt the monsters around the city," informs Peter.
"Monster extermination...?" I ask, trying to bring myself back to the conversation to focus.
"What kind of monster are we exterminating?" Ainz asks right after me.
"Ah, it’s not really about exterminating monsters. We’re hunting monsters and, depending on their strength, the city will pay a suitable reward through the guild. What is this kind of activity called in Momon-san’s country?" answers Peter.
So, is it just a patrol and hunting mission? And we get rewarded depending on what we find? That seems incredibly dull and exhausting. It's just like a farming quest back in YGGDRASIL.
"This is something we have to do to earn a livelihood," the druid—whose name I still didn't get—intervenes, as if hearing my thoughts.
"It’s not just a livelihood for us; it reduces the danger to the people around us, ensures the safety of traveling merchants, and secures the nation’s tax collection. No one will lose out from our actions," the Ranger—Lukrut, I believe—adds cheerfully.
"Most guilds and nations do this, but it was unheard of five years ago. Isn’t that surprising?" Ninya continues, and every member of his team nods in agreement.
Then they start talking among themselves, giving us no chance to actually join the conversation. Instead, I listen silently, and I see Ainz doing the same beside me.
"All of this is thanks to the Golden Princess's wisdom," Ninya begins.
“It wasn’t put into place, but she wanted to execute this policy even if she had to exempt taxes for the adventurers,” the druid continues.
“Oh—she regards adventurers so highly,” Peter exclaims.
"That’s right. An armed organization that doesn’t swear fealty to a country and might even be seen as an enemy. Even the Empire isn’t so magnanimous," replies the Druid.
"That princess is rather wise, proposing many virtuous policies... it’s just that most of them were rejected," adds Ninya softly.
"I want to marry a beauty like that—" chimes Lukrut.
"Then work hard and become a noble?" Peter replies, though his tone indicates that he doesn't have much faith in his friend.
"Ah—impossible, I can’t accept such a restrictive lifestyle," Lukrut retorts vividly.
"I think being a noble isn’t bad. The laws of the Kingdom allow the aristocrats to oppress the citizens, letting them do as they wish," Ninya intervenes with a sarcastic smile.
"Wah—your tongue is as vicious as usual. You really hate nobles—" Lukrut retorts to Ninya.
"I know some of the aristocrats are honorable men, but because of that pig who snatched my elder sister away, I can’t help hating them," replies Ninya.
Hmm? Are nobles really that bad? His sister has been taken by one of them? Somehow, I'm not really surprised. From what I just heard, they seem to act very similarly to the rich back in real life. I really despise those kinds of men.
"We are going too far off-topic! These aren’t things we should be saying in front of Momon-san and Lily-san, who will be fighting alongside us," Peter intervenes.
"That’s all; we will explore the surrounding areas. Because it’s near the newly developed region, there might be no monsters that are too strong. Will Momon-san be unsatisfied with this?" Peter explains, trying to bring the conversation back to the main topic.
While explaining, Peter takes out a map and lays it out on the table for all to see. He then drags his finger from the center of the map to a forest in the south.
"We are mainly hunting monsters in the forest near the border of the Slane Theocracy. The only monsters that can use ranged weapons to attack from the rear are Goblins," he explains.
"But the rewards for disposing of such weak monsters aren’t high," Lukrut adds.
Their easygoing attitude could mean one of two things. The first is that they are simply not as experienced as their posture indicates, as—from my knowledge—goblins range from levels 1 to 50. But it could also mean that goblins are much weaker in this world than those of YGGDRASIL.
"Won’t powerful goblins show up?" Ainz asks the question I have in mind.
"There are powerful goblins, but they won’t show up in the forest we are heading to. The strong goblins are usually tribal leaders; they won’t mobilize the whole tribe," Peter answers helpfully.
"The Goblins also know the humans' area of influence, so they understand attacking en masse would be disastrous. Especially the powerful Goblins that are intelligent," the druid intervenes.
"Lily-san can use 3rd-tier spells, so there are no problems even if we do encounter them, right?" asks Ninya.
I see most of them are giving me curious gazes at Ninya's words, but Ainz speaks up before they can ask anything or I can say anything in response to their gazes.
"I see. But I have to remind you, there are goblins that can use 3rd-tier spells as well. Can you tell me what kind of monsters we might encounter for reference?" he asks.
Now, all of them turn to Ninya at Ainz's question. Ninya, understanding their intention, begins speaking.
"We are likely to meet goblins and their wolves. As for other monsters, there are no records of strong enemies showing up in the region. The most dangerous monsters in the plains are probably ogres."
"Won’t we enter the forest?" asks Ainz in response.
"Yes, because the forest is dangerous. Jumping leeches and jumping bugs are still manageable. But Execution Spiders that shoot webs from treetops and forest snakes that attack from below with gaping mouths are hard to handle," answers Ninya.
Ainz and I both nod in comprehension at the same time at Ninya's response.
"That’s the plan, Momon-san. What do you think? Willing to lend us a hand?" Peter asks, taking back the lead of the conversation.
"Yes, please take care of us then... but before that, can I confirm the wages?" inquires Ainz curiously.
"Ah, that’s right, wages are important. In principle, Momon-san’s team will be cooperating with our team, so we will split the earnings," Peter replies.
"Considering the number of members, this arrangement seems very generous," remarks Ainz.
"But Momon-san’s team will need to handle half the monsters we encounter. We can only use spells up to the 2nd tier. Taking this into consideration, it’s a fair arrangement," insists Peter.
After a short pause of deliberation, Ainz replies, "This arrangement is fine; let’s fight together. Since we will be working alongside each other, I will let everyone see my face."
He then starts removing his helmet without waiting, and before I start panicking, I notice through the helmet an illusion cast on his head with silent magic.
"Black hair and eyes just like Lily-san, you don’t seem to be from around here. I heard people like Momon-san are common in the south; do you hail from there?" remarks Peter after taking a good look at Ainz's face.
"Yes, we came from a land far away," replies Ainz.
"He is older than expected, old enough to be called 'uncle'," whispers Ninya to the druid beside him.
"That’s rude; a warrior on the level of a third-tier priestess like Lily should be about this age," Peter interjects, whispering as well.
"Isn't she, like, really young to be a priestess of the 3rd tier, by the way?" Lukrut joins the whispers. "And she looks so much like Momon-san that she could be his daughter for all we know," he adds, only to receive a light hit on the back of the head by the large druid.
"Are you insinuating that Momon-san lied about Lily's powers?" he asks, whispering as well.
"I'm just saying... how does she even fight while blind? Does she simply hide behind Momon-san and heal his wounds when the fight's over?" Lukrut continues, and while his doubts are understandable, it's still a little irritating to hear him voice them behind my back.
They probably don't know that both Ainz and I can hear them from here.
Ainz clears his throat and speaks up while putting his helmet back on, "Now that you’ve seen what I look like, I’ll continue to hide my face. We might get into unnecessary trouble if others learn I’m a foreigner." His tone contains a trace amount of hidden irritation that I only picked up on thanks to how long I’ve known him.
"Since we will be hunting together, it would be best if we sort out any issues. Do you have any questions for us?" he asks the group.
Ninya speaks up softly. "I do have one, if that's okay."
He continues after seeing Ainz nod. "How did Lily-san reach the 3rd tier while being so young? I have a talent that allows me to learn spells twice as quickly, but even with that, I'm still only a 2nd-tier mage."
"I do not have a talent that allowed me to advance quicker, if that's what you're asking," I reply before Ainz can shoot a random made-up lie. My voice, despite its softness and low volume, seems to pierce the room into silence.
"I know you may have some doubts concerning me because of my blindness or my age," I begin, going with the made-up perception they have of me, as it's easier than explaining that I'm not blind. "But while you may—rightfully so, if I may add—believe that my blindness is a weakness, it is, in fact, a part of my strength. It allows me to see the hearts of individuals better than my eyes ever could," I explain, speaking almost overly politely as part of the character. At least all those hours of roleplay won't have been in vain.
"My blindness also allows me to enter more easily into harmony with my faith," I add in a sudden burst of inspiration. "I reached the 3rd tier thanks to my own efforts and faith. And I'll be more than happy to prove myself to all of you if you require it." I conclude with a small bow of the head.
I got carried away and did too much... I want to find a hole to bury myself into.
"No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I doubted you," Ninya speaks up hastily.
"Can I ask something as well?" Lukrut intervenes before Ninya can try to dig himself a hole somewhere and disappear.
Both Ainz and I nod at the same time.
"Exactly what is your relationship? You both look alike and, with the age gap, you could very well be father and daughter, am I right?" He disguises his assumption as a question while also looking for confirmation of said assumption.
I nod, and given how Ainz twists his head to look at me, I assume that he wanted to deny it.
"Lily?" he asks, confirming my assumption.
I turn my head towards him. "Why hide it? It's best if we sort out any issues, right?" I tell him with a small smile, sounding almost cheeky, throwing his own words back at him.
But I'm not going to lie to myself. A growing part of me does like being considered his daughter. Perhaps I just miss my parents... or having a parental figure. I lost them very early in my life and don't remember them much. Most of what I have of them are a few memories, flashes, and images, nothing much more than that. After their death, I've been mostly on my own.
Perhaps I now unconsciously see Ainz as a way to fill that gap in my heart. But that doesn't make a lot of sense. I had made peace with my parents' deaths a long time ago. After that, I never felt the need to fill the gap they left behind. Why am I doing that? Why am I acting this way now?
"Momon-san," Peter calls out, snapping me out of my thoughts and getting Ainz's attention. "Let’s move out when you are ready. We are already prepared," he proposes.
He nods, "Okay. We can move out as soon as the preparations for the food supply are done."
"You just need food? If you don’t have any specific shop you want to patronize, do you want to buy some dry rations over the counter? They will prepare them for you immediately," Peter proposes after a short pause of surprise.
"Is that so? That’s fine with me; we can complete the preparations now," replies Ainz simply.
"Then let’s go." With that, Peter and his team all stand up, with me and Ainz following, and we all leave the private room.
After returning to the guild, they find that the number of adventurers inside has increased. Several groups can be seen loitering near the quest board, but almost all of them are actually focused on one young man.
The young, blond man with his hair hiding most of his face is speaking to the receptionist, who listens to him with rapt attention and surprise.
As we go down the stairs of the private room, she turns her gaze towards our group, particularly Ainz and me, with her mouth in an O-shape of shock for some reason.
Did we do something? What's happening?
The receptionist stands up before walking to us and saying, "There is a job request asking for you by name."
Her words immediately shift the atmosphere drastically, and a lot of adventurers, including Peter's team, stare at us with unreserved curiosity.
I turn my head towards Ainz as he does the same, both unsure as to how to react to the news.
After a short hesitation, Ainz asks, "Who made the request?"
"Yes. It's Nfirea Bareare-san," replies the receptionist while gesturing to the young, blond man beside her.
Then, the man, Nfirea, speaks up with a nod after being introduced, "Hello. I am the requester." His voice is as soft as his appearance suggests.
"As for the request—" he begins, but Ainz quickly cuts him off.
"—My apologies, but I have already signed a contract for another job, so I can’t take yours," he informs him.
"Momon-san! This is a request by name," Peter exclaims behind us.
"That might be the case, but shouldn't we carry out the job we were assigned before that?" I ask.
Although the tension increases with our words, I see various adventurers nodding in agreement.
"B-But... our job is not really a request; we can’t even pay you a reward if we don’t encounter any monsters..." Peter explains, trying to convince us not to pass up this opportunity, as it apparently is an opportunity.
Ainz speaks up once more after a short deliberation, "How about this, Peter-san? Bareare-san has not discussed the contract details, remuneration, and timeline with me; I will decide after hearing his piece," he proposes.
"I’m fine with that. I want to start soon, of course, but it can wait a day or two," Peter agrees.
"How about letting our friends from the Swords of Darkness listen in on our discussion? If we make a deal... No, if we can’t make a deal, please allow me to take on the job I had promised them," Ainz asks Nfirea.
Wait... Swords of Darkness? That's their team's name? Did they say that when I was zoning out, or did I just forget?
"Eh? Momon-san, will it be fine for us to attend too?" Peter asks in surprise.
"Yes. I wish for your opinion as one of the parties involved," replies Ainz.
With that said, we all turn around and go back to the private room, except this time, Nfirea is with us.
We all sit where we were seated before leaving the room, with Nfirea taking a chair to sit between the two groups.
He doesn't seem bothered by the arrangement despite the probability of us not taking his quest and the additional group. Or, he is good at hiding it.
Once everyone is seated, he begins speaking, "The receptionist already mentioned this, but allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Nfirea Bareare, working as a pharmacist in this city. As for the content of the job, I plan to journey to the nearby forest. As everyone knows, the forest is very dangerous, and that’s why I wish for you to be my escort and help with gathering herbs if possible," he summarizes.
"Bodyguard. I see," says Ainz with a nod.
So... we have the choice between a farming quest with uncertain rewards and an escort mission.
"The remuneration will be higher—" Nfirea begins, but Ainz stops him.
"—Please wait a moment. Being escorts would be better suited for you, Peter-san. Would you like to be under my employ instead?" he proposes, looking at the Swords of Darkness.
"Eh?" Peter lets out in surprise.
"For escort and herb-gathering tasks, having the Ranger Lukrut-san's and Druid Dyne-san's assistance would be more efficient," he explains, and I finally get to know the druid's name.
"Oh! Momon-san has great foresight. Druids can fully utilize their powers in the forest and will be more powerful than rangers like Lukrut," Dyne exclaims in approval with some arrogance in his tone, while Lukrut looks displeased at his friend's words.
As Dyne is about to continue speaking, probably to keep flattering himself given his expression, I speak up, "What is your response, Bareare-san? Are you willing to hire everyone present here for your request?" I inquire.
"I'm perfectly fine with this arrangement. Also, please, just call me Bareare," he replies.
With the matter settled, we all introduced ourselves to him before discussing more deeply the logistics of the job.
"We will head for Carne Village to set up a base and afterward head into the forest; that’s our usual practice. The number of days we will spend gathering herbs will depend on our harvest. But it will be at most three days; the average in the past was two," explains Nfirea.
Carne Village? What a coincidence...
"How do we get there?" asks Ainz.
"I have a carriage, but it will be filled with containers for the gathered herbs, so there won't be any space for you to sit in," he replies.
"Can we resupply our food stocks in Carne Village?" asks Ainz.
"Water will be fine, but food will be a bit hard. Carne isn’t a large village," Nfirea replies patiently to all of Ainz's questions.
Before the Swords of Darkness can begin discussing preparations with Nfirea, Ainz asks, "May I ask a few additional questions?" to which Nfirea nods.
"Why us?" He gestures to both me and him. "We only came to this city by stagecoach recently, so we don’t know anyone here and are not famous. But you asked for us despite that, and since you mentioned 'the usual practice' just now, that means you hired other adventurers before, correct? What happened to them?"
Nfirea pauses for an instant before replying, "The adventurers I used to hire seem to have left E-Rantel for other cities. That’s why I am looking for new adventurers. Also... I heard about the incident at the tavern from the customers visiting my place."
"Tavern incident?" inquires Ainz.
"Yes, I heard that someone easily threw an adventurer one grade higher than him," he adds.
"I see..." is Ainz's only answer before adding, "And copper-ranked adventurers are cheaper, right? We might be able to work together for a longer term."
"Haha, indeed," replies Nfirea with a short chuckle.
Seeing that the conversation is over, the Swords of Darkness begin discussing and asking questions with Nfirea, and only when they are all finished, Nfirea announces, "Let’s hit the road after the preparations are done!"