"Orichalcum-level adventurer. The Last Defender of the Way. Leader of the adventuring party."
"Is this all the info we've got?" Ainz stared at the message scroll made from the parchment of the Roble Holy Kingdom, the red glow in the eye sockets of his skull flickering brighter.
His slender finger bones tapped lightly on the emerald armrest of his golden chair as he mulled it over. He was damn sure this girl, whose strength was still a mystery, had combat power way beyond orichalcum-level.
This was the first time Ainz had run into something like this in this world. Up until now, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had been cruising along like it owned the place.
Even when he'd bumped into local heavyweights like the "Eight Fingers" or the "Frost Dragon," Ainz had gone in hard, pulling off some slick moves like a tiger on the hunt. When the dust settled, he realized he'd just been shadowboxing with the air. Looking back, everything that happened made sense, even if the process had been a cakewalk.
But now, shit was different. This girl, judging by her race, was just a plain old human. Yet she could see straight through Ainz's 8th Tier invisibility magic with her naked eyes. That meant she was packing some serious firepower.
Even for Ainz, cracking high-level concealment magic took counter-invisibility spells and the right magic gear.
To humans, mastering 5th Tier magic was enough to step into the legendary "hero" territory. If there was a Magic Caster among them who could see through 8th Tier magic with her bare eyes, she'd already be a household name, revered and worshipped like the chief court mage of Baharuth. No way she'd still be some run-of-the-mill adventurer, let alone stuck at orichalcum-level.
When Ainz first rolled into this world, he started off pretending to be an adventurer too. After a wild flurry of half-assed moves, he shot up to the top as an adamantite-level adventurer.
Of course, there was always the chance this girl had some Innate Talent that let her shrug off concealment magic like it was nothing. After wrapping up business in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz teleported to the capital palace of Baharuth, but the girl was nowhere to be found.
He couldn't tell if she was a friend or a foe. Thinking back, Ainz remembered how she had the balls to snatch a notebook right out of his hands, and it left a weird taste in his mouth. Honestly, it'd been a hot minute since anyone had the guts to treat him like an equal—or even a punk underling.
Most of the dumbasses who'd tried flexing on Ainz were already six feet under. The few left had turned into total bootlickers, kissing the ground he walked on. He couldn't help but wonder how this girl would react once she found out about his true power. That'd be a hell of a show, no doubt.
Ainz mulled it over and turned to the guardians bowing halfway before him, his tone dead serious. "Within five days, I want every damn detail about this girl! Test her strength first. If she's weak, drag her back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick. If she's got some Innate Talent that lets her see through disguise magic, that's worth a closer look."
"Understood!" Sebas Tian snapped a salute and led his combat maid squad out the door.
"Albedo, you've been rubbing elbows with the Re-Estize royals and nobles lately. You're more in the loop with human affairs—keep an eye out for anything on this too." Ainz shifted his gaze to Albedo, the Guardian Overseer standing by his side, and noticed her face freeze up for no damn reason.
"Yes, Lord Ainz." Albedo nodded, agreeing quick, then hightailed it out of there. Ainz didn't think much of it. What he didn't catch was the jealous fire blazing in her eyes as she turned away.
"Making Lord Ainz this obsessed, you filthy homewrecker! If you dare stick your nose in our relationship, I'll fucking end you!" Albedo clenched her delicate hands, wrapped in white silk gloves, her black wings trembling faintly behind her as she stormed deeper into the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
…
EeDechi had no clue someone was out for her head, so after teaching the empire's emperor a lesson he wouldn't forget, she was in a damn good mood.
She hopped lightly across the rooftops of Baharuth's capital, scouting for her crew from the Last Defender of the Way adventuring party. They'd agreed earlier to meet up in the suburbs after slipping out through the western gate of the city.
After leaving the palace, she bolted straight for the meetup spot, but nobody was there. So she doubled back into the city, searching high and low.
She'd been at it for nearly half the morning, and the girl was getting pissed. Should've known to grab some short-range communication magic gadgets and handed them out to her team—then they'd snap to it when she gave the word.
EeDechi scaled the high spire of a temple, scanning all directions. Her eyesight was sharp as hell, and way off in the distance, at the southern gate, she spotted a gang of guards decked out in fancy plate armor and great helmets surrounding a beefy guy.
That beefy guy was Barrett.
"Ma'am, the warrant's been canceled." Barrett licked his lips, hands gripping his longsword tight. At his feet, five guards were sprawled out, clutching their arms and groaning nonstop. Across from him stood a noblewoman, flanked by a few guards, her eyes wild with some unhinged shit going on.
This chick in a frilly corset was none other than Felix Luffman Marquis's wife.
Marquis Felix had been getting his rocks off indulging his dark twisted fantasies in the Forbidden Paradise when he had the rotten luck of crossing EeDechi. Next thing you know, this high-and-mighty lady was a widow, and Barrett's crew got slapped with wanted posters.
"Goddamn it! EeDechi's the one who fucked shit up—how'd it stick to me?" Barrett steadied his grip on the longsword, his inner bitching burning hotter than a bonfire.
After splitting from EeDechi, he'd made a solo break for it out of the city. Sean and Stella took the twin girls and hightailed it in the opposite direction. Barrett slapped some quick makeup on for a disguise, barely dodging a few checkpoints. Then, to his shock, he saw the sheriffs tearing down the parchment wanted notices from the walls one by one! Their crimes were off the hook!
Barrett didn't know why, but he was damn glad his wanted notice got scrapped. He kept heading out until he ran smack into the noble lady who'd unleashed her family's private goon squad to hunt him down.
This loaded family had casters on payroll, throwing out wide-range magic that sniffed out cheap disguise tricks. It didn't take long for them to spot Barrett, who'd let his guard slip.
Enemies locking eyes—no chit-chat, just swords out and swinging. Barrett, on his own, got boxed in fast, but with his slick Martial Arts, he dropped five guards like flies. The rest didn't dare step up, just kept him pinned in a standoff.
Truth be told, this bunch of clowns in shiny gear wouldn't stand a chance against Barrett even if they all rushed him. A mithril-level veteran adventurer wasn't some punk to mess with. In his twenty years of monster-hunting, any random beast he'd smoked could probably make these family guards shit their pants and run crying.
He just didn't want to start a body count in the empire's capital, or he'd have hacked his way out of this circle ages ago.
"Ma'am," Barrett said, laying it on thick, "I'm real sorry about what happened to your husband. Who'd have thought he'd bump into the wrong person while doing shit he shouldn't have?
"But this whole mess has jack to do with me—I wasn't even a witness. And look, the warrant's gone! That proves we're in the clear!"
"Cut the act!" The Marquis's wife shrieked like a banshee, her neat wavy hair turning into a rat's nest, her fancy makeup twisting into a mess.
"Don't think I don't know—you're her damn accomplice! You filthy lowlife adventurers! I don't know what dirty tricks you pulled to get those old farts in the legal department to drop the charges, but me and my family won't let you off! Guards! Get him! Beat the whereabouts of that bitch bandit out of him!"
The guards with swords in hand inched forward, tightening the circle, but not one had the guts to be the first to tangle with Barrett. Holding his two-handed sword, Barrett took a step in one direction, and the guards there shuffled back a step.
Then, out of nowhere, a guard in full plate armor stumbled backward and ate dirt. Another one went flying back next. It was like some invisible elephant was wrapping its trunk around their waists and tossing them aside one by one, ripping a gap in the circle.
But there was no elephant—just a stern black-haired girl stepping through the breach.
EeDechi shot a glance at the Marquis's wife. "I'm right here. No need to torture him for it."
Barrett sighed at the words. With the arrival of this hot-headed team leader, things were about to get even more troublesome.