"We're here," Nico announced, landing discreetly beyond the city walls where patrolling guards couldn't spot their descent.
He crafted a jar from Mold and presented it to the three royal-looking women. "You'll draw too much attention. Disperse into flies and travel inside this."
"Absolutely not," Bela declared, chin raised imperiously. "We're experiencing the full adventurer life, just as promised."
"Worth a try." Nico shrugged and set off toward E-Rantel's imposing walls.
The sisters followed, each revealing distinct personalities as they moved—Bela with regal posture, Daniela skipping impatiently ahead, and Cassandra trailing behind, distracted by potential prey among the commoners.
Inside the outermost wall, military presence dominated—weapons racks, armor stands, and disciplined troops everywhere. Nico approached a guard. "The adventurer's guild?"
"Middle zone," the guard replied crisply. "Can't miss it if you look around."
As they departed, the guard's gaze lingered on the three elven beauties. His expression darkened with recognition—only one man in these parts owned such slaves: Erya Uzruth.
"There," Nico pointed as they reached the middle district. "The adventurer's guild."
Daniela clapped her hands excitedly. "Finally! Some action!"
Inside, Nico immediately spotted trouble—a cluster of archetypal thugs whose eyes lit up at the sight of the Dimitrescu sisters.
"Ladies," the apparent leader swaggered forward, "why waste time with this novice? Real adventurers await."
His companion circled Bela, eyeing her jewelry. "Those are noble ornaments. Need proper escorts? Our services come... reasonably priced." He winked.
"Move aside, weakling!" A third shoved Nico roughly.
Bela's eyes flashed momentarily crimson before she masked it with a seductive smile. Cassandra licked her lips imperceptibly. Daniela's fingers twitched toward weapons hidden beneath her dress.
As the six left the building, Cassandra threw Nico a knowing wink that promised bloodshed.
"They'll destroy my cover," Nico muttered, approaching the receptionist, whose sympathetic expression revealed she'd witnessed similar scenes before.
"I'd like to register," he said.
"I apologize for that... incident," she offered.
"They'll return." Nico smiled cryptically.
Male screams suddenly erupted from behind the guild. Nico closed his eyes momentarily.
"My sisters have... strong reactions to unwanted advances," he explained diplomatically. "The men will survive... mostly."
Through their hive mind: "NO KILLING! I swear, one corpse and we're going straight home!"
The receptionist cleared her throat. "Twenty silver for registration, twenty copper for literacy testing."
Nico froze—he had only Yggdrasil currency locked away in his treasury. "Liberate those gentlemen of their purses," he commanded mentally. "Consider it payment for their behavior."
Moments later, the sisters returned with bulging pouches.
"The fees," Nico said smoothly, placing coins before her.
After completing their literacy tests—a simple matter with the Megamycete's absorbed knowledge—the receptionist presented copper plates to each.
"Lowest rank," she explained. "Above you: iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, orichalcum, and adamantite at the pinnacle."
She detailed the advancement process, then added with unusual earnestness, "Though exceptional deeds might elevate you several ranks at once."
"We'll stick to appropriate challenges," Nico replied with calculated meekness.
"Perfect timing," she brightened. "An old farmer just posted about goblin raids."
Nico accepted the quest with a humble nod that made Daniela roll her eyes behind him.
"You've chosen vermin extermination?" she complained once outside. "I wore my best killing dress for this?"
"Patience," Nico replied, plucking the paper from her increasingly destructive fingers. "We test the waters before diving in."
"This is embarrassing," Nico sighed, casually crushing a goblin's skull. "These creatures barely qualify as warm-up exercises."
"Last one," Bela announced, wiping her bloodied sickle on grass with aristocratic distaste.
"Creator," Daniela whined, kicking corpses aside with increasing agitation, "I'll die of boredom before reaching silver rank!"
"I'm enjoying myself," Cassandra countered, biting into a goblin's thigh with disturbing enthusiasm. "Such fascinating flavor notes—fear, filth, and just a hint of desperation."
"Stop eating that!" Nico snatched the carcass away. "We have standards!"
They had transcended their simple assignment—eliminating forest raiders—by tracking the creatures to their hive and slaughtering the entire colony.
"Mission accomplished," Nico announced to the astonished farmer. "Both raiders and their breeding grounds are eliminated."
Why do I feel some armored figure would approve of this thoroughness? The thought vanished as quickly as it came.
"Our services are complete," he concluded with a formal bow. "Your goblin problems are permanently resolved."
Once airborne and safely away, Nico revealed, "We're moving beyond these trivial tasks. I have larger designs."
"It went well, Piers!" he added cheerfully to his unseen companion, earning curious looks from the sisters who respected few mortals.
Landing again at E-Rantel's outskirts, Nico scanned the buildings. "Lodgings first, then strategy."
"That decrepit hovel?" Bela recoiled as he indicated a ramshackle inn. "I'd rather sleep in the graveyard."
"That can be arranged," Nico answered dryly. "Either there, or back to Mother's watchful eye."
The sisters exchanged alarmed glances at the mention of Alcina Dimitrescu. Suddenly, the inn seemed tolerable.
Inside, a confrontation was unfolding—a towering armored figure and stern raven-haired woman facing off against a red-haired adventurer amid broken furniture and spilled potions.
Momonga, Nico recognized instantly, recalling his crow's surveillance. The resemblance to Yggdrasil's Death Knight armor was unmistakable.
The warrior produced a healing potion—its distinctive crimson glow identical to Yggdrasil's alchemical creations. Momonga passed without acknowledging Nico's presence.
Perfect camouflage, Nico thought, approaching the innkeeper. "Room for four."
The man sneered. "After that commotion? Prices just doubled for copper plates."
"Unfortunate," Nico replied softly, his face splitting unnaturally as teeth sprouted where no teeth should be. "Perhaps reconsider?"
"F-free of charge," the innkeeper stammered, pointing with a trembling finger. "First d-door on the right."
Their room, Nico noted with unease, shared a wall with Momonga's quarters. "Absolute silence," he commanded the sisters.
Lying still, he enhanced his hearing to eavesdrop:
"That despicable woman—" came a cultured female voice.
"Ranks above us," interrupted Momonga pragmatically. "We maintain appearances."
A pause, then: "Your thoughts on humans?"
"Vermin," the woman answered contemptuously. "Except those who just entered. They carry... different signatures."
Nico's pulse quickened.
"Nabe, contain your hostility," Momonga admonished.
"Yes, Lord Ainz," she responded immediately.
Ainz? The guild name, not the individual. He's alone then—no other players arrived with him. Relief mingled with caution in Nico's mind.
"You are Narberal Gamma no longer," Momonga continued, "but Momon's companion, Nabe."
"Forgive me, Momon-saaa...n," she replied, struggling visibly with the honorific.
"Momon-saaa...n sounds rather comical, but acceptable," Momonga remarked.
Nico's unexpected laugh shattered the silence, drawing bewildered stares from the sisters and silencing the conversation next door.
Tactical error, he chided himself, switching to telepathy. "Our strategy: I'll impersonate Jack Baker and fabricate a village monster crisis."
"Low-ranking adventurers will respond to the unidentified threat—perfect vessels to expand our influence." He rose and slipped out.
Transforming in a secluded alley, Nico burst into the guild as Jack Baker—wild-eyed and desperate.
"Help us!" he pleaded, trembling convincingly. "Something's killing our livestock... moving closer to our homes each night!"
"Reward?" the receptionist asked sympathetically.
"All we have," Nico sobbed, dropping a pathetic pile of coppers. "My family... my village... please..."
Her professional demeanor cracked. "I shouldn't, but..." She stamped the form with priority status.
"Thank you," he whispered brokenly, completing the location details with trembling hand.
Outside, human form restored, Nico watched six eager adventurers already clutching his quest notice. The receptionist had even increased the reward from her own funds.
"Lambs to slaughter," he murmured, contacting the Baker family telepathically. "Six incoming. Prepare the welcome."
Returning to the inn, he discovered the sisters feasting on one of the earlier harassers—only a single hand remaining.
"Seriously?" Nico's exasperation was genuine. "I leave for ten minutes..."
"We were discrete," Cassandra protested, blood dripping from her chin. "Not a single scream escaped."
Bela dabbed her lips aristocratically. "He entered uninvited with dishonorable intentions."
"Sexual assault," Daniela added casually, licking blood from her fingers like frosting. "Technically community service."
"Let's hope our neighbor didn't notice," Nico sighed, glancing worriedly at the shared wall. "Rest now, we move at dawn."
No sooner had he fallen asleep than the sisters exchanged mischievous glances.
"Is he truly unconscious?" Bela whispered, testing with a sharp nail against his cheek.
"Out cold," Daniela confirmed gleefully. "Let's explore!"
They slipped into the hallway just as the armored figure emerged from the adjacent room.
"Well, hello, handsome," Daniela purred, slinking forward. "Care for entertainment more stimulating than dungeon-crawling?"
The warrior's companion materialized instantly, hand on weapon.
"My, what a protective little bird," Bela observed with aristocratic amusement.
"We don't bite," Cassandra added, then with a predatory smile, "unless requested."
The door behind them exploded open. Nico's hand shot out, snatching Daniela mid-seduction and yanking her inside. The other sisters quickly followed.
"Deepest apologies," Nico managed, face ashen as he glimpsed Momonga's imposing silhouette. "My sisters suffer from chronic... flirtatiousness."
The door slammed shut as Momonga's companion reached for her sword.