"You… you're that damn bandit woman!" The Marquis's wife jabbed a finger at EeDechi, roaring so hard that spit flew everywhere. "You filthy adventurer! I'll see you swinging from the gallows!"
A young guard lunged forward with his sword, the tip aimed straight for her chest. EeDechi sidestepped with a casual twist, grabbed the guard's armored wrist with one hand, and tossed him like a ragdoll.
The poor bastard yelped as he crashed onto the street. The other guards stumbled back two steps, their encirclement breaking apart, though they huddled even tighter around the noblewoman. Nearby, a Magic Caster who'd been lurking for a cheap shot saw the scene unfold and wisely decided to sneak off.
"My family and I won't let this slide! You'll soon find out what happens when you cross the Luffman lineage of the Empire!" The Marquis's wife's voice screeched higher, but her left foot slid back a step despite her bluster.
After witnessing EeDechi chuck a guard single-handedly, the noblewoman's bark had no bite left.
EeDechi let out a cold snort and hefted her giant sword with one hand. Barrett grabbed her arm in a panic. "Captain, cool it, cool it. No point stooping to their level."
He knew damn well that if they killed another noble in the Empire's capital, they'd be in deep shit.
EeDechi sheathed her sword and turned to Barrett. "Barrett, there's an old saying: difficulties are like springs. The weaker you are, the stronger they become; the stronger you are, the weaker they get. You need to be tougher so you're not bullied by your opponents, understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Barrett dragged the girl with a mouth full of weird sayings toward the edge of the encirclement. The surrounding guards instinctively parted, clearing a path.
Ignoring the noblewoman gnashing her teeth behind them, the two strode past the guards and the gawking crowd, heading outward.
The recently lifted wanted posters still seemed to linger in effect. A bunch of regular folks—citizens, vendors—trailed behind them like sneaky rats, but not a single one dared to stir up trouble. The road ahead stayed wide open.
But at the city gate, a finely dressed guy who looked like a knight blocked their way.
"Are you the great hero EeDechi?" The knight unhooked the sword from his waist, asking with a respectful tone. Barrett squinted at the golden emblem on his chest and realized this was no ordinary grunt—he was a freaking Royal Knight.
"That's me, EeDechi, but I ain't no hero." EeDechi crossed her arms. Barrett whispered to her that this was a high-ranking Royal Knight, making her gut tighten with suspicion about Emperor Jircniv.
The knight bowed. "His Majesty ordered us to stand watch at every city exit. If we ran into the great hero, we were to present some gifts." He waved to two squire-looking guys behind him. They hauled up a massive sandalwood chest, so heavy it bent their backs under the strain.
"Just a little token from His Majesty. Please accept it," the knight said with deference.
Then the Royal Knight pulled out a fancy little box—silver, etched with slick imperial designs. Facing EeDechi, he bowed again and offered it with both hands.
EeDechi took the box and popped it open. Nestled in red silk padding was a delicate golden ring, small and gleaming.
"Are you proposing to me?" EeDechi froze, holding the box.
The Royal Knight looked up, confusion plastered on his face. Clearly, he hadn't expected the esteemed hero to hit him with that kind of response.
"It's a spatial ring!" Barrett couldn't help but laugh at his captain's remark, his eyes glinting with envy. "And it's top-tier quality!"
"Oh, gotcha." EeDechi shrugged and stuffed the fancy spatial ring into her pocket.
She already had one on her finger—picked up back in Montell City after wiping out a bandit crew. A local lord had handed it over as a thank-you.
EeDechi hoisted the heavy sandalwood chest with one hand and stashed it into her spatial ring. Then the two of them said goodbye to the overly polite Royal Knight and headed out of the city.
The second they stepped outside, they spotted Sean and Stella waiting anxiously. Each held a little girl, scanning the crowd with nervous eyes. When they saw EeDechi and Barrett stroll out unscathed, they bolted over, grinning like idiots.
The twin girls they'd brought along—Ureirika and Kuuderika—had been rescued by EeDechi earlier. Thanks to Stella, a pro from the temple, their mental states had calmed down a lot.
Still, their origins were a bit of a mystery, which made dealing with the city watch a pain in the ass. Lucky for them, Sean was quick on his feet and managed to bullshit their way through with Stella's help.
The four of them walked off, chatting and laughing—or rather, EeDechi lectured while the others listened. They hired a carriage, and the group of four, plus the twin girls, rolled up to an inn just outside the city. They settled in to rest and figure out their next move.
…
"Captain, what's in this chest? Did the Emperor really send it to you?" EeDechi pulled the heavy sandalwood chest out of her spatial ring and plopped it on the table. Sean and Stella crowded around, eyeing it with curiosity. Even Barrett, who usually didn't give a damn, stood off to the side, interested.
The chest was reinforced with Adamantite strips at the corners, its lid covered in intricate silver designs. A steel padlock hung on it, keeping everyone's nosiness at bay.
"Let's see what goodies the Emperor's got for us." EeDechi rubbed her hands together.
Truth be told, she wasn't exactly hyped about whatever was inside. The Empire had poured its best cash and resources into building the badass Four Imperial Knights, and they couldn't even last one round against her. So, Emperor Jircniv probably didn't have any weapons or magic gear worth her time.
Stella blinked her lively brown eyes and asked, "But how do we open it? They didn't send a key, did they?"
"I picked up some thief tricks back in the day. Wanna give it a shot?" Sean whipped out a wire from who-knows-where, looking eager to try.
EeDechi reached out, grabbed the sturdy steel padlock, and twisted. It crumpled like she was squeezing a squishy slime, the lock turning to mush in her hand.
"This…" Barrett, Sean, and Stella's eyes bugged out, staring at the steel lock that looked like wet dirt in their captain's grip.
Stella was flat-out stunned. She could sense this lock had a magical "Unbreakable" enchantment on it. Was this really human strength? Even a troll couldn't pull that off, right?
EeDechi brushed her hands off like it was nothing, yanked the mangled lock—still bearing her fingerprints—free, and flipped the sandalwood chest open.
Under the glow of the bright candle chandelier, a dazzling wave of gold burst out, the shimmering light practically blinding everyone. Gold coins! A whole chest stuffed to the brim with neatly stacked Baharuth gold coins!
"Jircniv, that little kid, knows how to play nice, huh?" EeDechi grinned, eyeing the haul. This was exactly what she needed right now. No matter the place, no matter the world, cash was always the rarest damn thing.
"This chest of gold… there's gotta be three or four thousand coins in here, at least." Sean swallowed hard, spitballing a rough count.
EeDechi slapped the chest of coins with a palm, sending a few coins bouncing and clattering across the floor. Barrett scrambled to pick them up.
The adventurer captain, flush with sudden riches, puffed out her chest. "This loot's ours. First, let's split some wages—everyone take 80 gold coins."
"Thanks, Captain!" Sean whooped, floored by EeDechi's generosity. Stella's smile lit up like a flower in bloom, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She lunged at EeDechi, wrapping her in a tight hug.
EeDechi breathed in the faint scent wafting from the cleric girl's chestnut hair—a whiff of tea blossoms tickling her nose. She shoved Stella off with one hand. "Alright, quit clinging like some lesbian."
"Oh, Barrett," EeDechi called out. She pulled a coin pouch from her spatial ring, then slid the ring off her finger and tossed it to him.
Barrett caught it with both hands, puzzled. That ring held most of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer squad's supplies and gear. EeDechi had never let it leave her side.
EeDechi tapped the table, gesturing for everyone to look over. "I officially nominate Barrett Monde to be the vice-captain of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team, also serving as map navigation specialists, also serving as logistics manager, also serving as a warehouse custodian, also serving as a procurement officer. Any objections? Raise your hand to vote."
Sean and Stella were still buzzing over their eighty-gold-coin payday, glancing at their captain.
EeDechi gave them a stern look, and they quickly raised their hands.
"Good." EeDechi clapped her hands. "No objections, unanimous vote. From now on, Barrett, you're the vice-captain. Take this spatial ring and handle the team's procurement, storage, and distribution. I'll use the new one the Emperor gave me."
A team of just four people—did they really need a vice-captain, logistics manager, warehouse keeper, and procurement officer? This wasn't some damn knight order. Barrett grumbled to himself. Besides, wasn't he already the one handling trades anyway? And even with all these fancy titles, would he get paid extra for each gig?
Of course, he didn't argue with his stubborn captain. Owning a spatial ring had always been his dream.
EeDechi watched the three of them gleefully counting their coins, then raised her fist high and shouted, "Alright, our next goal is clear—find the Great Tomb of Nazarick, take down the demon lord Ainz Ooal Gown, and rescue the twins' big sister, Arche!"