"Nabe is my fiancée, so you can give up now." Chu Lian rested her chin on one hand and looked at Lukrut with a mysterious smile as she spoke lightly.
"Fi… fi… fiancée? You two…" Her words turned the members of Swords of Darkness to stone. What kind of setting was this? How did two girls end up engaged to each other?
"Oh? Don't tell me you didn't know that women can marry other women? Ah, I suppose customs differ from place to place." Chu Lian narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile deepening.
"Liliana…"
Ever since Chu Lian had said that sentence, Nabe's face had been flushed red. Now, hearing her continue like this, she finally could not help but speak up.
As for Ainz, though his helmet hid his expression, the stiffness of his body made it obvious that, beneath it, his jaw had likely dropped. Chu Lian's words had dealt him a critical, unavoidable blow.
"Well, Nabe, isn't that right?" Chu Lian turned her head and looked at the maid gently. She kept gazing at her until Nabe's face turned completely red, leaving her unable to speak. The maid could only give a tiny nod in acknowledgment before Chu Lian finally shifted her eyes away and looked at the members of Swords of Darkness. "So? Do you have any other questions?"
"N-no…"
Any remaining questions had been obliterated by the shock of that statement. They were foreigners from another land. Since the others were unfamiliar with their homeland, there was no way to determine whether what she said was false.
Moreover, judging from Nabe's blushing face and Ainz's silent, stunned reaction, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance that it was true.
"I was just about to say I wanted to try dating Miss Nabe… ah…" Lukrut still wore an expression of disbelief, his mouth hanging open as he tried to speak. However, before he could finish, Peter appeared behind him and slammed his head down onto the table.
Thud.
"I'm very sorry. Lukrut went too far," Peter apologized sincerely.
"A mere insect should at least measure its own worth before saying something like that." Although her face was still red from Chu Lian's earlier words, Nabe's view of this human did not change in the slightest. Especially not after he had the audacity to say he wanted to date her. It was utterly revolting.
"Oh dear, Nabe, don't say things like that in the future. Even though I don't like insects either, we're companions for now. If you can't avoid them, just ignore them." Chu Lian only said that out of courtesy. She truly did not care about Nabe's attitude toward others. If anyone was dissatisfied, they could defeat her first.
"Yes…"
To her surprise, Nabe actually responded shyly.
That made Chu Lian feel a little guilty. Wait, this can't be real, right? I was just joking, hey.
Inside the system space, Ayase stood with her arms crossed, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the scene unfold. Yet the dangerous glint in her eyes grew increasingly intense.
Little Lian'er… You forgot what you promised me so quickly? Even if you were joking, the outcome is still your responsibility. It seems I'll have to make you properly fulfill what you agreed to. Otherwise, you'll never learn to restrain yourself.
Chu Lian, who had just stood up to stretch, suddenly shivered for no reason.
Then she remembered—she seemed to have done something truly terrible.
Ayase… Ayase…
She did not even dare imagine what kind of punishment awaited her after this was over. It was too horrifying. She decisively chose selective amnesia.
Forget it. Forget everything.
Since the decision had been made, the others tidied up and headed downstairs.
While walking down the stairs, Chu Lian suddenly felt as if someone was still on the second floor. She turned around to look, yet saw nothing at all. Frowning, she muttered inwardly, I clearly sensed someone there. Why did they disappear the moment I looked? What's going on? Did someone overhear our conversation? That shouldn't be possible. Even if I didn't notice, with Ainz's strength, there's no way someone could spy on us so easily. Strange… what exactly was that? That didn't happen in the original story.
Unable to figure it out, she slowed her steps slightly, only to be bumped into from behind by the absentminded Nabe.
"Liliana, I'm sorry. Are you all right?" the maid's voice sounded beside her ear.
Standing up from Nabe's embrace, Chu Lian shook her head lightly. That fleeting sense of abnormality was probably just her imagination. If even Ainz had not noticed anything, how could she have? Smiling at her own paranoia, she buried that unease deep in her heart and continued forward.
Beside her, Ainz and Peter were chatting.
"Since everything is ready, let's depart as soon as possible."
"Agreed." Ainz also wanted to head out quickly and test things, so he nodded.
Just as they were about to reach the first floor, the receptionist who had registered Ainz earlier leaned over from beside the staircase and called out, "Mr. Momo."
"Yes?" Ainz stopped and looked up at her, unsure why she had called him.
"There is someone who has specifically requested to commission you."
That made Ainz frown slightly. "Who is it?"
"It's Nfirea Bareare." She extended her left hand and pointed in a certain direction.
Her words stunned the people inside the Adventurer's Guild. Although Ainz's group had displayed considerable strength, for a named commission to find them so quickly was extremely unusual.
While they were still wondering about it, the crowd suddenly parted down the middle, creating a path as someone walked forward.
Sensing potential danger, Nabe immediately rushed in front of Ainz and Chu Lian. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
"Eek—"
The next instant, a hand chop from behind struck the top of her head.
The maid, having been smacked, turned sideways to look at Ainz, confusion written all over her face.
Chu Lian quickly reached out and pulled Nabe—who was now holding her head with both hands, looking wronged—behind her. Facing Ainz, she said angrily, "Big Brother, try bullying Nabe again and see what happens. Believe it or not, I'll take her far away with me immediately."
Her display made Ainz's heart ache once more, even though he had deliberately tried to forget what she had said earlier.
Was even her "harem" more important than her big brother?
Ever since she had let go of her former restraint, the things his little sister did had grown increasingly outrageous.
Yet for some reason, he did not dislike it. On the contrary, he felt a faint sense of joy at her change.
Perhaps it was because the former Deloris had been far too steady for someone her age. She lacked Shalltear's tsundere pride and Aura's liveliness. Though she was slightly better than the shy Mare, she had still been overly mature.
This transformation suited her age far more—this kind of behavior and willfulness.
But in the face of Deloris's accusation, Ainz still had to explain himself. He bent down slightly and spoke softly to the two of them, "Nabe's reaction was too extreme. I know she was trying to protect me, but she needs to exercise some restraint."
"I'm very sorry." Nabe also understood that her reaction had been excessive. Instead, it was Chu Lian who refused to let it go. "Wasn't her overreaction because she was worried the other party might do something bad? And yet you're blaming Nabe, Big Brother."
"My fault." Ainz knew that if he did not admit it now, the matter would not end. He decisively took the blame upon himself, then straightened up and looked at the newcomer. "You are Nfirea Bareare?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you. I am the one who requested you by name—Nfirea Bareare." The golden-haired youth with straight bangs covering the upper half of his eyes spoke calmly.
"I'm very sorry. We have already accepted another job. Although we are honored by your named commission, however…"
Ainz's words made Peter anxious. He stepped closer and whispered, "Mr. Momo, this is a named commission."
Turning to look at Peter, Ainz replied seriously, "Even so, isn't it only natural to prioritize the commission we have already agreed to?"
His attitude caused the onlookers to stare in surprise. This man truly was...
"But this is a rare named commission…" Peter still wanted to persuade him, but Chu Lian interrupted.
"Since we've accepted your job, we won't change or abandon it halfway through before it's completed. Isn't that something we should always uphold? Even if it's a rare named commission, if we compromise our seriousness and rigor toward tasks because of that, who would entrust work to us in the future?"
Chu Lian's words earned Ainz's wholehearted agreement, though he did not want to embarrass Peter, who was only acting out of concern. So he said, "How about this—we'll first hear what Nfirea Bareare's commission is. All right?"
His compromise made the others breathe a sigh of relief. Chu Lian clicked her tongue, then pulled Nabe and turned back toward the second floor. Ainz gestured to the blond youth. "Let's discuss it upstairs."
The boy nodded and followed them. This task truly could only be accepted by Momo.
"My name is Nfirea Bareare. I am a pharmacist in this city. This time, in order to gather medicinal herbs, I plan to head to the forest near Carne Village."
"Carne Village…" Ainz muttered inwardly.
"So I would like to hire you as my escort and also assist with gathering herbs." Nfirea stated his request plainly.
"An escort, is it?" Ainz repeated.
Yet his thoughts wandered elsewhere. This is troublesome. I don't really have skills suited for protecting others. Although Deloris has healing abilities, she also lacks protective techniques. It seems we'll have to handle it this way…
"As for the reward, according to the standard—" Nfirea continued, but Ainz cut him off.
Turning to Peter, he extended his hand. "Peter, would you be willing to work under my employment?"
Peter was momentarily stunned. "You mean?"
"For an escort mission, we'll need someone like the Ranger, Lukrut. And if we're collecting herbs in the forest, having the Forest Priest, Dyne, will greatly improve efficiency."
Uncle Dyne's eyes lit up. He nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. Momo's judgment is truly outstanding."
Lukrut chimed in as well. "We have no objections on our side."
Since his teammates had agreed, Peter naturally accepted gladly. "We'd be honored."
Nfirea's true objective had never been mere herb gathering, so he did not object either. "I have no problem with that."
"Good." Ainz nodded, then looked at him. "One final question. Why did you choose our copper-ranked team for this commission?"
"Big Brother is such an idiot. He must have heard about our recent deeds—especially about this young lady's strength." Chu Lian lifted her chin proudly. "When there are people with high strength but low adventurer rank available, why would you choose those with higher rank but weaker ability? After all, while rewards vary depending on the mission, for commissioned tasks, the stronger the adventurer, the higher the payment required—and vice versa. Am I right, young man?"
After speaking, she looked up at Nfirea.
Her bluntness left the boy embarrassed. Especially when those dazzling, star-like eyes fixed on him, his heart began pounding violently. This girl… she's truly beautiful…
"Y-yes…"
It took him quite a while to recover under her slightly disdainful gaze before finally admitting it.
At that moment, Chu Lian once again sensed that strange presence from earlier.
Her eyes shifted toward a corner.
Suddenly, they widened—as if she had just seen something utterly terrifying...