Chapter 22: First Mission Part II
"Don't let them escape," I called out to Fubuki, making her instantly release a little spray of little rocks that burst through the heads of the fleeing creatures. I raised my spear and dashed toward the nearest group of goblins and unleashed a flurry of thrusts.
With every hit, I penetrated their body. It was as if I poked some balloons filled with water. Their blood spurted out as my spear pierced through their green skin. A swipe at them completely broke the bones inside their body, before tearing them apart with unfathomable ease. I mowed through them as if I was moving a sickle to cut grass. It should be horrifying, but honestly, it felt kind of therapeutic.
Perhaps the goblins saw me as the evil that massacred their people, but this was life. Perspective turned the shade of your gray vest lighter or darker. There was no good or bad, but there was better and worse. For my bias, these goblins were worsening the environment they were in, and I was the sword of judgment that hunted them down to restore the environment I found desirable. This was life. I was more powerful and had the right to decide.
The goblins were the first that fell under our attacks and the wolves soon followed. It was only after I stabbed through the roof of a wolf's head, not even giving it the chance to give a dying whine before it slumped to the ground. I glanced over the bloody meadow with corpses and parts of flesh being split in all directions.
At that point, my ears picked something up and my eyes snapped towards the rustling of grass, making me walk towards it. A litter of wolves crying out for their dead parents. It was a tragic sight, and it floored me for a moment before I reached down and picked one up at the scruff of his neck.
I raised it to eye level and saw it wake up slowly, probably didn't realize that it had just lost its relatives. With [Sleep], I let them sleep and then picked up the three wolves that had survived. There were two more, but they died by being crushed by the body of a corpse.
I carried the three pups in my arms as I ordered Fubuki to gather the proof of our victory, as well as the things that were said to earn us a coin or two. Although there were a lot of corpses, her psychic abilities made quick work of the task.
Afterward, we headed back to the village while hugging the pups and I could feel Fubuki's gaze on me, though when I glanced at her she just smiled at me explaining no further. We arrived after a brief moment and were instantly greeted by some curious grandmas surrounding Yuri.
"Yuri, place them in the carriage," I said, before giving her the three gray pups. She looked surprised and somewhat relieved to not be bombarded with more questions as she accepted them and immediately placed them inside. When she opened the door, I looked at the small white-winged 'cat' sleeping on the bench. I completely forgot that he was still inside...
Not that it mattered much. He could sleep for days if he wanted to. Though, should I be worried about Edan? He wouldn't wake up and kill them, right? I mentally shrugged and just left it up to fate. He wasn't a dumb tiger, even if he was lazy, so he probably either wouldn't notice them or would just leave them alone.
I glanced at the villagers that now joined the elderly women to surround us, though they were quickly held at arms-length by Yuri. The village chief came out of the walls and greeted us as well. He had a surprised and relieved look on his face. Seemed like he didn't think I would make it out unharmed or I would come out alive at all.
"The job is done. You don't have to worry about them any longer." I said to him, which made him smile and nod gratefully.
"How many did you get?" He questioned. Did he think I wasn't capable of killing them all since I was only a copper plate?
I tilted my head. "All of them... minus three pups, but I think I will keep them."
"A-all of them??" His eyes widened in shock and the surrounding people murmured in shock, though I heard several gasps and exclamation that it was impossible.
"As I said, I am only a newbie to being an adventurer. My wife here-" "Ee!" "-is an accomplished mage, so it was fairly easy to deal with them. If that is all, we will declare this mission complete. Do you want to buy some wolf's meat?" I asked as I pointed towards Fubuki, who then pulled a large bag out of her magical purse. The bag floated for a moment before it settled on the ground. Afterward, it unraveled itself to reveal what it was carrying.
It was quite fascinating to see. Despite what physically supernatural feats I had just displayed and what knowledge I already held about magic, it was still something else to see the heavy bag move by itself. The villagers' focus was instantly attracted to the bag, though they quickly turned their gaze to us again.
It was like we attracted their attention almost magically. Was it one of the passives? But I didn't remember having something active that would target the attention of nearby humans. It took them a moment to come out of their stupor as they recognized what I had told them and confirmed that the meat was real once again before they gathered the bit of money they had.
It took us two hours before we sold everything to them and we convinced them we wouldn't stay for an additional night. After we could finally leave, I felt more drained by that interaction than the slaughter I had unleashed on the wolves and goblins.
Honestly, we sold it at a bargain, but I had no interest in carrying this much low-level meat with us just to earn another coin or two. Besides, in the end, I didn't want to deal with their hagglers anymore. Shouldn't they be more grateful? Why were they this ruthless? Of course, we could have just stored it inside Fubuki's purse, but it kind of felt like a waste to use this fancy purse to keep some low-level meat fresh.
I sat back next to Yuri as I weighed the bag holding the copper coins that I got from the villagers. It wasn't what I expected from going out to kill some goblins, but I guessed that was how it would be in real life. I had imagined them to be like NPCs, which would run at me mindlessly even if it meant their deaths, but as long as they lived, I guessed they had to have some survival instincts, right?
Their decisiveness could probably be attributed to their experience. Most of the goblins had scars and probably survived a previous extermination mission. Considering their low difficulty ranking, the guild probably always sent out weak adventurers to deal with them to gain some experience.
Perhaps they would only send out stronger adventurers when their size grew too abundant. This would also mean that the goblins gained some life experience and knew when they were over their heads.
I leaned against the backrest of the coachmen's bench. Fubuki sat next to me and fiddled with her hands as if she wanted to ask me something. It took her a minute or two before she opened her mouth to speak. "Why did you keep them?"
I glanced at her. Of course, she would inquire about that. "... I don't know. I like wolves, I guess." As I enjoyed the ride back, I leaned my head back into my hands and closed my eyes.
The slight jolts from the carriage driving across the rough terrain, feeling the fresh air in my face as I took a deep breath in and out. Fubuki leaned against me, making me internally groan again that I couldn't enjoy how her body felt pressed against me with the armor on.
It was quite peaceful before I could feel the pace slowing down as the surrounding noise increased. More people meant we were closer to the city. I opened my eyes and looked at the few carriages in front of us, being checked by the guards at the entrance.
It didn't take too long until our turn arrived. After seeing that we were adventurers, we were about to be waved through when I asked them what I could do about the wolf pups I obtained. After getting a friendly reminder to register them or to hand them over to a tamer, we were let inside.
Inside the city, we directly went towards the guild. There was some commotion at the entrance but I ignored it and just let Yuri park away the carriage and get the horses something to eat.
I glanced at the fat noble with some guard arguing with an adventurer, who looked like he was backed into a corner. Honestly, I would have left them alone if he hadn't seen us pass and then shouted, "You!!" as he pointed his fat finger at us, or rather at Fubuki. Great.
I stopped in my tracks and turned my head towards him, though I said nothing and just glared at him. However, he didn't seem to have any eyes for me as he eyed my Fubuki. I gave her the bags, holding the proof of our work, and let her get inside before standing at the entrance as the guy wanted to follow her inside.
"Wait! B-by the Conscription Edict, I will take you under my authority-" He called out before trying to push me to the side, causing me to slap his hand away. It was a light slap, but he looked like I had broken his arm before his rage took over him.
He pointed at me and frowned heavily before looking at my copper plate, giving him renewed confidence. "You piece of-" He swallowed his words as the atmosphere suddenly changed.
I could feel the icy and murderous atmosphere coming from behind me. "You should leave before something happens to you." With the warning, he looked at me as if I was an idiot and turned to his guard. "What are you waiting for him, ki- move him!" He ordered the man, and the mercenary remained rooted in place with his hand resting on his sword handle.
I tilted my head as I looked at him... Was he trembling? I could see his widened eyes as he stared at me as if I had reawakened a humility in him. He didn't dare to move forward and after a hard-fought battle inside him, he finally took a step backward. It was this step that allowed him to regain his control over his body before he bolted away.
Not what I expected, but I guess he had a good perception of danger. As a mercenary, he should at least know that he couldn't defeat me, but to be this humbled was kind of strange. Oh, he knew he would die, but I could tell that wasn't what he feared...
"You done?" I asked the stupefied noble, who snarled and ran away after leaving some 'You will see' threats. What a waste of breath.
With that out of the way, I patted the young adventurer's shoulder before heading inside the guild to get my reward. This first mission wasn't what I had hoped or imagined it to be, but it wasn't too bad, just a bit dull. Though I could have spent the entire day being sucked off-
"D-darling, here is our reward." Fubuki stumbled over her address to me as she handed over the bag holding. I nodded my head, though I couldn't help but be surprised, as it was more than I thought it would be.
She seemed to see my surprise and explained that we apparently killed a hobgoblin and a wind wolf? Probably the first ones I killed. I had deliberately aimed for the meanest-looking of the bunch, but who knew that they were actually a different race than the rest? I just took it with a shrug. Not going to complain about having my actions acknowledged.
With our reward in hand, I headed toward the quest board again, wanting to take the next mission I was looking for while ignoring the stares of the present adventurers. I just looked for a simple extermination quest aimed at slimes. With a glance around, I found that most quests were still extermination quests.
Most of it wasn't even monsters, but demi-humans. Perhaps it had something to do with the nation having a hate boner for demi-humans, making them disregard the monsters instead. Of course, it could also be because there were just more demi-humans around compared to monsters like slimes. After going through most of them, I couldn't find the mission I wanted, so I took another goblin-slaying mission.
I would not emulate Goblin Slayer, but this one was said to be in a cave. It might teach me something different compared to today. I might be powerful, but my tactical sense of extermination or how to approach missions wasn't really on an equal level, so it was best to get a variety of experiences.
To be honest, I might have gone for some other races like orcs or ogres, but I couldn't take them since I wasn't high-ranked enough. They were only for iron or even higher plates if they were some special variety.
Perhaps I could just go out of my way and kill them anyway, causing my rank to jump a few levels, but a slower pace was fine with me. There was no need to rush things. Adding to the goblin mission, I took another kobold extermination, and some skeletons were seen wandering around in the graveyard of Kalinsha.
I wondered why they didn't burn their dead. In a world like this where the dead could be brought back to life and the resulting undead hating the living, one would think it would have clued the people in that it would probably be a better idea to solve their troubles by burning their dead.
After thinking to this point, I just took the quests and headed for the reception I had been at yesterday and this morning. It was a long bench with multiple receptionists working there, though it looked like only three stations were actively used.
There were fairly few people that needed to be attended, so the other guild workers had some free time now. Behind the counter was a young decently-looking woman, greeting me with a smile. The woman from the morning wasn't around. Neither was the guy from yesterday. He might not work today since our arrival was almost the same time as the day before, just an hour or two earlier.
"Good evening." I greeted her before placing the mission in front of her. "I would like to take these missions for the next few days." Of course, I could just come back each day to hand it in, but that wouldn't really give me an excuse to hang out in the wilderness for longer... Or could I have stayed away for longer? Did I do my first mission too quickly?
"S-sir." She opened her mouth, too stunned to speak at my request before she shook her head. "I am terribly sorry, but copper plates aren't allowed to take on multiple missions. To be honest, even higher-ranked adventurers don't take on multiple if there isn't a city near their mission area. Without resupplying, it is difficult for adventurers to handle multiple missions on their level."
I was about to scratch my head when I realized I wore a helmet. "Hm, I understand. Then I will just take the goblin mission... Is there a time limit on these missions?"
She smiled, relieved I just accepted her explanation without making a scene. "Usually, missions like these take about 3 to 4 days, especially with additional scouting and planning when one has little to no experience, but after being aware of the basics the time is usually reduced to two or three days with the travel time included. Of course, most reckless adventurers would head out and get it done in less time, but they usually have some injuries or worse to show for it. Most of the time, they would need potions or herbs to recover for up to a week before they can take on another mission. If you need one, there is a shop down the road. It would be a shame for you to be hurt after your first mission. It was your first mission, right? I heard it from a colleague that someone in impressive gear was a copper plate-"
"I understand, makes sense. So, the time limit?"
"Ah, yes. So missions are usually set with the travel and planning phase in mind." She then pointed to the corner of the quest paper where 7 days was written. "After this time is over, we declare the mission as failed and sometimes we need to send other adventurers and...." She then explained how other adventurers were rarely sent out for a rescue mission and that most of the time just a reevaluation of the mission was undertaken.
Something I had already heard the previous day, but what I was truly fishing for was some sort of penalty. However, after she spoke verbosely about all the different aspects, she had yet to mention anything of that sort.
"What about me turning on a mission after the time had ended?" I asked directly, not wanting to be drowned with more information that wouldn't affect me whatsoever.
"There are no penalties for the first day of delay, but afterward there are some percentage penalties on the reward. This is to avoid unnecessary spending of resources. Adventurers that are sent out to scout might be more important in a different region, so the guild discourages a delay of mission completion."
"Thank you for the explanation. It was much appreciated." I thanked her before making my way outside.
"No worries. I- come back whenever you are done with your mission!" She called out behind me as I left the guild. "Whenever you are done with your mission?? Why else would he come back? Elise, you stupid-" I couldn't help but chuckle at her mumbling under her breath as she continued to wave for a moment.
After stepping out of the guild, I looked into the sky with the stars shining clearly above us. "It really is beautiful," I said absentmindedly as I looked at the unfathomable, clear night sky.
"Hm." Fubuki nodded and let herself be dragged into my side as I wrapped my arm around her waist.
After enjoying the view for a moment longer, we then stepped into the carriage that Yuri had prepared. "We need a different carriage to transport our loot. This was good for our initial arrival, but it won't be suitable for our future endeavor."
"I will tell Yuri to arrange something," Fubuki said as she leaned against me. With such a woman by my side, my hands were inevitably going to wander. I caressed her thighs, making her squirm underneath my touch, though I didn't go further than this. My mind was on the next few days.
My book about magic would be the next and then I would get started with the few items I had saved up. I could read books later on, even in the tomb, but the items would be best to take while being outside.
I could only guess what effect some of them had, but I couldn't be too sure. My books were said to give me the knowledge instantly, but they had given me it in a span of hours. Based on the amount of content spanning several lifetimes' worth of knowledge, it didn't surprise me it took some time to transfer it, but that wasn't what limited its functions.
It wasn't the background setting or the books. I could feel that it could have fulfilled its functions, but it didn't. My first idea was that the limiting factor was my body, but then I realized that I had slowed down the process to digest it consciously.
Like someone would subvocalize instead of speed-reading something. It wasn't something I did consciously. I knew I could still comprehend it if I didn't do it, but it was less enjoyable. Was this realization a problem? In only so far that I knew how to instinctively enjoy an activity that I had never undertaken before. It just made me feel weird, though I couldn't deny its usefulness at other times, like when I was genuflecting in perfect sync. Of course, one could argue that I did these actions as an NPC, but semantics.
Either way, it was mostly good news since it fulfilled the idea that everything I wrote literally applied. All in all, it was a good realization to have and gave me the confidence to hasten my experiments.
I could take my time becoming a high-ranked adventurer, but becoming untouchable shouldn't be delayed any longer. Even though it was a shame to only make Fubuki come with a kiss instead of fucking her right then and there, I would be busy for the next few days, and what better time to start than today? If I delayed it to tomorrow, I would never get it done.
...
Several days had already passed since her dear Azazel-sama had left. Now Albedo was seeing off Ainz and Naberal to adopt a similar approach to her husband. Although Naberal was a good choice among Solution, Yuri, and Lupusregina to go into a human settlement, she would rather have Ainz take Solution.
Azazel-sama took 1.7 times more glances at Naberal compared to Solution and Lupusregina, so she would rather have her within reach to present her to her hubby. Of course, Solution would be fine as well. The only one she had a problem with would be Lupusregina. Given what she had heard during her interview with her, she might kill her if she put a single scratch on her husband.
Given what a great husband Azazel-sama was, he would probably try to protect her. "What are you sighing about, Albedo-sama?" Demiurge's voice sounded out behind her. Wasn't he out to delegate his demons?
Her face turned stoic once again. Her perfect picture housewife's mask had been crumbling every time she thought about her lovely husband. Not that she minded, as it appeared to please her husband immensely. "Just thinking about Azazel-sama." She glanced at him.
He pushed his glasses up, though unusual for him, he was spouting a frown, "You think his highness will be alright? From the reports I had gathered, he... had been acting strange lately."
The vagueness and his pause made it clear what he was referring to. Seemed like he had indeed asked Yuri to keep him updated, not that it was unexpected or not within his authority. His primary task was handling foreign relations. Yuri had been the only one that Albedo had allowed to come with her husband for a reason.
Initially, Demiurge wanted to send several of the homunculi to keep Azazel-sama entertained. However, she quickly denied that as it would be detrimental to the adventurous journey her husband wanted to undertake. Drowning in women that would bend over with the slightest suggestion would destroy that idea. Not to mention make his mission even more difficult and the impossibility to keep the news under wraps...
Though perhaps one or two more wouldn't have hurt. Fubuki had told her that in the last few days, Azazel-sama had had no intercourse with her or any other sexual interactions besides some fondling. He hadn't had sex for two entire days! Was he getting depressed?
It would be the last thing she wanted, and she wasn't sure how she could fix his mood. Should she send some cookies or some homunculus? However, he hadn't even touched Yuri yet, despite the interest he had shown in her! Was it because she wasn't 'fragile'?
"Don't worry about it." She didn't want the demon to pry too deeply into her husband's affairs. Azazel-sama's sexual endeavors were only for the female population she approved of to know about. "He is just missing me, but I will contact him soon."
With her reassurance, he smiled. "Then I am relieved. He has heavy burdens on his shoulders."
"Of course..." They then mused about the viable plans Azazel-sama might concoct, but even with the demon's mind sharing new ideas, she didn't think they were getting closer to what he was planning. There were some guesses.
The most likely, secure, and somewhat time-consuming plan would be to join the southern nobles and subvert their influence to cause a civil war before taking advantage of an invasion caused by the natives of the Abelion Hills to threaten the authority of the crown. He could quickly rise through the ranks of the nobles while getting the royalty to depend on him.
The only flaw with that theory was the fact that he had entered the country as a foreign noble instead of disguising himself as a native one. There was also the fact that he entered from the north, making connections with the southern nobles more difficult.
Rising among the northern nobles would be feasible as well, but he would be quickly getting some notice from the royalty and the religious faction that lived in the north and held the major power of the country. At least that was the current standpoint with the information gained through Azazel-sama's group.
Demiurge had guessed that Azazel-sama would cause more bloodshed by simply killing off the people at the top and letting a full-blown invasion cause the nation to crumble without his help. He would swoop in and save it, gaining the acknowledgment of the populace. However, she couldn't help but deny that option. It was simply too crude and inelegant for Azazel-sama.
They could only sigh at the mystery of his plans, especially with how he wanted to achieve his goals without looking too competent in front of Ainz, a factor they hadn't considered too deeply as it increased the difficulty of achieving his goals by several degrees. It would take too long for the little chit-chat they had-
Of course, his plans for the nation weren't too important right now. What was important was how she could bring his mood up again. When she thought about this again, her mind wandered to the village girl she had promised to give the opportunity to speak to Azazel-sama again, so she could thank him once more. She also hinted that if she played her cards right, she could become Azazel's pet.
"We will see what he is planning soon enough. Just cooperate with him and get him what he needs."
"Of course." He then bowed before exiting the room again. The maid standing to the side closed the door again and waited. They weren't in Azazel-sama's office, as there was no way she would let anyone inside his domain while he was away. It had been completely locked and only Ainz and she could enter it...
Should she just visit him? Or was that too abrupt? Would he be unhappy if she didn't announce herself beforehand? If it was her, she would be happy to see him, but she would be happy with whatever he did to her.
She should call him beforehand, though what would be the reason? There was no way she could just message him without a good reason, right...? "Hmm, was that village girl a good reason? I could lay the blame on her, though then I could go big and visit him, right?" She muttered as a plan formed in her mind. Without hesitating any longer, she stood up. There was no time like the present.
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