After some serious thinking, EeDechi decided to put together a squad of adventurers.
She figured she could take down the big bad Ainz Ooal Gown all by herself, but this trip through Mistwood taught her a thing or two—she'd need to lean on the strength of others in this land.
If it weren't for Barrett, the top-notch adventurer guide, she'd probably still be wandering around Mistwood, lost as hell. Plus, since she's set on living as an adventurer, leading a crew and making a name for herself in this world just made more sense.
EeDechi pitched the idea to Barrett Monde, Sean Tachya, and Stella Famillion—the four of them forming an adventurer squad with her as the captain.
Sean and Stella jumped at the chance, thrilled to team up. They'd seen EeDechi's badass skills firsthand, and having an orichalcum-level adventurer as a teammate? That was like a gift from the gods.
Barrett nodded too, agreeing to join the squad, though his brow twitched just enough to hint at some unspoken baggage he wasn't letting out.
"So, how about we call our adventurer squad 'the Last Defender of the Way'? It's got a nice ring to it," EeDechi suggested. She made it sound like she was open to input, but in truth, she'd already locked in the name, no question about it.
The other three didn't raise a peep about this name that totally clashed with the adventurer vibe. Even if they had, EeDechi would've listened patiently and then shot their objections down flat.
The four of them headed to the Adventurer's Guild in Golden Sheaf, signed the contract, pressed their handprints, and bam—the Last Defender of the Way adventurer squad was officially in the books! Since EeDechi was the strongest and the one who kicked the whole thing off, she took the captain's spot.
In the wide-open tavern lit up by Everlight magic chandeliers, waitresses in light blue maid outfits flitted around the tables like butterflies on the wing.
Adventurers decked out in all kinds of gear shrugged off their leather armor and chainmail, setting their swords and weapons by their feet. They dug into fancy, hearty meals and knocked back rich wine to unwind their worn-out bodies, shaking off the exhaustion from days of high-strung adventuring.
This was the Golden Harvest tavern, a spot run by Golden Sheaf's Adventurer's Guild just for adventurers. Golden Sheaf lived up to its rep as a big economic hub north of Baharuth—the Guild hall was twice the size of Montell's, and the tavern setup here blew Montell's dingy little dive out of the water.
EeDechi and her crew of four were posted up in a quiet, out-of-the-way corner of the tavern, chowing down on lunch while figuring out their next move—or as EeDechi put it, "holding a meeting."
Barrett made an excuse about needing to pee and ducked out of the tavern to find a bathroom. At the door, he shot EeDechi a quick hand signal, telling her to follow him outside.
EeDechi glanced back at the table. Sean was busy sliding a peeled jumbo shrimp from his plate onto Stella's with his fork, while Stella couldn't care less about his sucking up—she just kept nibbling at her pork chop without a word.
The freshly minted adventurer captain grabbed a bite of lemon cake and strolled out the tavern door.
"What's up? Got some opinion you can't spit out in there? No big deal, just say it—I'm a pretty chill leader," EeDechi said, chewing her cake nice and slow.
I know you're the leader, but can you quit tossing that word around like it's your damn catchphrase? Barrett grumbled to himself. He'd already heard this young girl drop it a bunch of times in that snooty, noble-official tone of hers.
But that wasn't what bugged him. Adventurer squads were usually tight-knit, like best buds or even couples, and he figured the Last Defender of the Way would end up that way too someday.
"Look, I'll just cut to the chase," Barrett said after picking his words. He was always a straight shooter.
"A solid adventurer squad shouldn't have members more than two levels apart. You're orichalcum-level, so two levels down is platinum-level. That means we should stick to recruiting orichalcum, mithril, and platinum adventurers. Stella Famillion's just a silver-level cleric—her skills are too weak. Whether we're hunting monsters or raiding ruins, she's gonna slow us down."
EeDechi shook her head. "Stella's not the strongest, sure, but she's good people. Her Justice Value is 216—a whole 70 points higher than yours. She's exactly the kind of talent our team needs!"
"Justice Value? What the hell's that?" Barrett asked, totally lost. "Does it tell you how hard someone can swing a sword?"
"Nope, it's got nothing to do with fighting power," EeDechi said, tapping her eyes. "I've got this Innate Talent that lets me see people's Justice Value. Everyone's got a number floating over their head in my eyes—that's their Justice Value. It shows how good or rotten a person's morals are."
"If it doesn't measure fighting strength, then what's the point? We're an adventurer squad, damn it! We're out here battling monsters and exploring uncharted places, not handing out bread in the empire's slums!" Barrett shot back, completely baffled by EeDechi's logic.
He snapped, "So what, from now on the only way we pick adventurers is by checking their Justice Value?"
"You got it," EeDechi said with a nod. "That's the benchmark—Justice Value. When I recruited you, you know why I singled you out from dozens of adventurers in that tavern? It's because your Justice Value was higher than everyone else's. You better hope it doesn't drop, or I'll boot you from the team without a second thought!"
Barrett stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him, her face cool as ice. It finally clicked—back at the Marina tavern in Montell City, when EeDechi, a total stranger, had bounced up to him out of nowhere and asked him to be her guide.
Barrett had always figured it was his rep as a badass elite adventurer that drew her in. Now, he realized that EeDeChi had hired him at a high price simply because "his Justice Value was higher than others." What a ridiculous reason.
"But, EeDechi," Barrett pushed back, still not sold, "you've seen what I can do. Ten Stellas couldn't take me down together. With your orichalcum-level skills, we could easily snag a way stronger cleric or priest."
EeDechi waved him off, a flicker of anger crossing her face. "I've made up my mind on this, so quit yapping—it's pointless to argue. And from now on, call me Captain! You're just a regular member of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer squad now!"
"Captain, sir," Barrett said with a sigh, "you've got orichalcum-level power. The missions we'll take on down the road are gonna be way too dangerous for a silver-level like Stella. Just like the Titan Python you easily defeated a few days ago—it swallowed her whole! Letting Stella join our team might look like a win for her, but it's really just putting her life on the line."
EeDechi's hand shot down like she was about to slam something. Realizing there was no table, she smacked her palm—bam—against the door of a tailor shop nearby, making every passerby turn and stare.
The new captain locked eyes with Barrett, glaring. "Am I the leader here, or are you? Do you even respect me as captain? What, did you read some Chicken Soup for the Soul crap and decide arguing with the boss makes you look all special and badass or something?"
"I…" Barrett mumbled, tripping over his words. Chicken Soup for the Soul? What the hell was that? EeDechi was spouting that half-nonsense talk again.
But her haughty vibe totally threw him off, so he backed down fast. "Fine, whatever you say. You're the captain, after all."
EeDechi nodded, pretty pleased with Barrett's attitude. The two headed back into the tavern, digging into the rest of their lunch while hashing out their next steps.
Sure, he'd caved with his words, but Barrett still felt a little pissed inside. He'd been in the adventurer game for nearly twenty years and could tell EeDechi's fighting style was all chaos—no strategy, just swinging her sword and charging in.
Down the line, when they were up against beasts and monsters, orichalcum-level EeDechi would barrel forward like a lunatic, platinum-level Sean would hang back firing arrows for support, and guess who'd get stuck babysitting silver-level cleric Stella? Him, the mithril-level guy—especially since his old nickname was "Shield of the Mage."
Back in the day, he'd guarded platinum-level and mithril-level adventurers who could sling 3rd Tier or even 4th Tier magic—not some newbie cleric.
Barrett shook his head to himself, trying to chill out. With a captain like EeDechi, who fought like a damn war god, he probably wouldn't have to risk his neck against monsters as much. Plus, they'd snag higher-tier, better-paying orichalcum-level gigs. Life would get easier, and the workload lighter.
He was lost in that thought when EeDechi filled her tall glass with champagne, stood up, and gave the other three a quick once-over before launching into a toast:
"Today, 'The Last Defender of the Way' adventurer team is officially established. This is a significant day, and we will surely make our mark in history. Our legend will echo across the world. I'm thrilled to see so many exceptional talents gathered under my command.
"Let's raise our glasses and work towards a common goal! That goal is—to defeat the King of the Sorcerer Kingdom, Ainz Ooal Gown! Cheers!"
"WHAT?!" Barrett had been daydreaming about a cushy adventurer life ahead. His hand jerked, and his mug of frothy ale nearly crashed to the floor.