In the wonderful and spacious meeting room of Titania, the two remaining supremes of G.O.D.S. were chatting.
"So... You want me to infiltrate that city Stronoff mentioned to gather information about those 'talents' and other things that our favorite plant took from Nigun's guys?" Black Abyss asked, sipping some juice left by one of the maids for the Supremes.
"Yesh~ I found the existence of mechanics that didn't exist at all in Yggdrasil very interesting. Both the 'Talents' and the 'Martial Arts'... This Nigun had a 'Talent' that enhances summonings... We should see how much it enhances them, but I doubt it's much, considering that even the Dominion Authority was barely stronger than a normal one... At least I suppose. We've squeezed all the juice out of them. So, I'm going to try some things with some of the Theocracy men, and then I want to experiment with that Talent. If Nigun dies but his body is reanimated as an Undead, will he still have his talent~?" Dont said with an incredibly fascinated and sadistic intrigue, smiling at the idea.
But seeing Black Abyss's expression, she coughed to get back to the topic.
"Ejem. Anyway, I'll go out myself too. I want to get out a bit and explore the world with my own eyes~ But unlike you, I wouldn't stand showing myself as an adventurer and having all those unpleasant eyes on me... Ugh... So I'll take a separate and more... Diplomatic~" Dont said with a smile, leaning over the meeting table, with her chest emphasized somewhat unconsciously by her arms. "You can take one or two NPCs above level 50, and if you want, I'll have several stealth units follow you everywhere so that you have more protection and can communicate with me or Bachelory, or whoever~"
Black Abyss stood up from the chair and drank what was left of the juice in her glass.
"I understand. Still, there's no need to worry so much about me, knowing everything that Nigun's men said, I'm practically indestructible... Still, your defense is much lower than mine, make sure to take protection for yourself. Also... We saw that summonings and spells from Yggdrasil exist here, there's no doubt that there might be even more things, perhaps even World Items." Black Abyss said with a serious tone in the end, and although the possibility was very low, it wasn't zero.
Dont blinked at this last thing. And shivered.
If something like a World-Class Item were in this world, in the hands of anyone... Literally the weakest and most dying baby could kill her or Black Abyss permanently if it had something like Longinus.
She shook her head slightly at that, clearing the murky thoughts from her mind to prevent her from canceling all the exterior reconnaissance missions she had planned and locking herself and Black Abyss in Titania for the rest of eternity.
"Ahem, of course... However, going alone, even if you're level 100, I don't see it as an option. Take at least 1 NPC above level 60 and maybe a few Shadow Demons to communicate in case you lack [Message]... I'll see who I take..." Dont sighed, leaning back in her comfortable seat and massaging her temples.
And looking back at Black Abyss, she raised an eyebrow at seeing her without her divine-level armor, instead, she was using another one… Maybe level 80, but nothing compared to her previous equipment.
"What do you think? It's a light armor of Level 85, I could pass as one of those adventurers in fantasy stories."
".. .Generic, and it wastes your great defensive capabilities..." Dont immediately said, but then sighed. "... But it's okay... If you encounter something higher than level 80, switch to your usual equipment."
"Sure. Although there will hardly be such a thing as it seems... Anyway, I'll be leaving, I'll see who to take with me in the meantime." Black Abyss said, waving her hand and turning around, walking towards the exit door of the meeting room.
"... Don't be overconfident... I don't want you to die foolishly today..." Dont muttered in an audible tone.
Black Abyss raised a thumb with a slight laugh.
"I didn't wake up with a strong desire to die~" She said, leaving the room, closing the double door behind her.
Dont didn't respond, just sighing and hoping that her crazy companion wouldn't trip and die by breaking her neck. It was impossible for a tank like her, but considering that it was HER, it wouldn't surprise her...
…
Two women exited a two-door building, descending to the street and attracting attention.
One of them was a rather tall woman compared to the average, perhaps measuring around 191 cm. She wore a shiny black cloak that reached just above her heels, not touching the ground. Her face was covered by a hood extending from the cloak, but part of her hair could be seen descending from it. It was evident that she had white, shiny hair, almost like pearls under the limited sunlight.
Her body was covered by a white dress from the middle of her stomach to the middle of her thigh. A second dark garment covered the openings left by the split skirt of the dress, slightly visible but showcasing a masterful sewing skill by whoever created it. The lower part of the skirt had golden details.
Her upper part was mainly covered by the lower black dress, although she had a light silver chestplate covering her chest and part of her stomach, leaving some visible cleavage. Her clearly white and flawless skin could be observed, maintained in place by a flat strap attached to a shoulder pad of the same material. Her arms were hidden by the white dress, with a single black leather glove on her right arm.
Around her neck, she wore a beautiful necklace, undoubtedly a masterpiece, with a shining blue gem held in place by a silver pendant resembling a goat's head with different horns. The necklace's chain consisted of various gemstones of the same color, clasped by silver.
Black leggings covered her thighs, while her legs were quite secure with the light armor covering them, a bright and beautiful silver color, complementing the equipment on her chest.
Her entire attire screamed, "Look how rich I am!"
Meanwhile, her companion, who would hardly have anything to envy, seemed to contrast even.
In contrast to the woman in white, she was smaller, measuring around 1.73 perhaps. However, she had many more curves and flesh than the other. But with a slightly more conservative style, although it's not as if the woman in white's outfit was revealing or anything.
She wore a long one-piece black fabric dress, in a tight pencil skirt with a side slit to show her bare leg. A thin black leather belt accentuated her waist and hourglass curves, adorned with a series of two silver earrings on the belt with another earring attached to another.
Over her shoulders, she had a beautiful black plush coat, clearly of high quality, with a dark red interior that seemed suitable even for the generally high temperatures of the area.
Her slender and well-kept hands were visible, delicate, as if she had never worked a day in her life, adorned with several silver rings between her fingers. Around her neck, she wore a black choker, from which hung a silver hoop attached to a silver rod.
Her face... It was beautiful. Delicate, refined, almost like an innocent maiden, almost distressed, except for the large patch of black leather over her right eye, covering almost half of her face. With lips painted in shiny black, a bit of blush under her eyes on her pale cheeks. Her hair, black as coal, had intense red strands inside, as if imitating or following the pattern of her coat, reaching down to her lower back due to its length.
Following that, she only had a pair of black heels and a large black wide-brimmed hat with a black silk scarf in flower patterns.
If one was light, the other was darkness. Although neither seemed evil at all.
However, those who looked at them could notice, after seeing all they could display, two small bronze plates on their necks. So they were Adventurers...
Anyone seeing them would think it should be a beautiful aristocrat followed by her overly cool bodyguard. Even though they were walking on puddles in wet soil, they moved as if it were asphalt, so it could be said that they must have good balance at least.
And when they were far enough away from most people, the dark girl spoke.
"Should I turn all those inferior humans into corpses for looking at her, Lady Black Abyss?" She said with a pitiful, delicate voice, as if she were about to cry at any moment.
"... We are on a spy mission... And don't call me that; my name at the moment is Titania, you must refer to me that way. You are... Elise." Black Abyss whispered under her hood.
"Understood, Lady Titania Abyss..." Elise said with the same pitiful sadness.
"Just Titania, no Lady or Abyss, if you keep that up, it won't sound like we're companions..." Black Abyss said with a sigh.
"But calling someone like you, my Lady, in such a disrespectful way would be unforgivable, my Lady... You who saved me..." 'Elise' almost seemed really about to cry, wearing a rather sad, desolate expression.
"Ha... I've already said it, here, I'm simply Titania. Even Dont calls me that outside of... Our home... You must do it too; it's an important part of the mission, therefore, it's an order," Titania exclaimed to the goth.
"..." 'Elise' remained silent for several seconds, looking at the ground, and then spoke. "Understood... Titania..."
"Good, much better." Black Abyss said, patting 'Elise' on the shoulder.
She just put on a pitiful face and walked silently alongside Black Abyss.
The Paladin then glanced at 'Elise,' noticing how her sad eyes almost seemed to want to kill with a glance every human who passed 'too close' to Black Abyss...
"I have a question for you," Titania said in a low voice. "Do you think humans are inferior beings?"
"... Calling them inferior beings is too generous for what they are... Less than trash even." The busty gothic said sadly, but without a hint of doubt in her words.
"Hm. I see, I won't tell you to change your thinking, but you must suppress any hostile intention. We're in a human city; it would be a problem if your murderous intent leaked out and scared everyone..." Black Abyss said.
"... As you command, Titania..." She responded sadly.
"Now, we should be close to that tavern they recommended to us at the Adventurer's Guild. Can you see it?" Titania asked, looking in various directions trying to find the place. She could see shops, businesses, people working, but nothing about the tavern they had been told about before. After several minutes of searching, 'Elise' pointed in a direction.
"There... Titania..."
She looked in that direction and nodded; that was the description of the place. She began to head towards it, and in no time, they arrived at the double door of the tavern.
She entered the dimly lit place; it almost had no windows, not a problem in itself, as she could see perfectly in darkness. 'Elise' entered behind Titania, looking around with a depressive disgust but managing to control her facial expression. After all, it was not only full of humans but disorderly.
Titania had to say it was certainly a mess. She was accustomed to the impeccable order and cleanliness of her home, and she loved such a thing, so she couldn't help but feel disgusted here.
Although, due to paying too much attention to the disorder, she couldn't pay much attention to the looks of everyone present, seeing both her and her companion, hearing an occasional whistle.
She paid no attention to such things, having the great ability for things to not give a damn about her. Although then she looked forward when a deep voice spoke in their direction.
"Are you looking for a room? How many nights?" The person behind the counter looked at them, he must be the manager, so Titania raised a finger.
"One night." Titania's kind and beautiful voice came out, although she glanced slightly backward, unsure of her companion's emotional condition, but she had to commend her for enduring so much with all the looks, whistles, and words they had received since they arrived.
"The communal room is 5 copper coins per night. It includes cooked oatmeal with vegetables, but it'll be 1 more copper coin if you want meat."
Black Abyss raised an eyebrow under her hood.
"Oh, no. We want a double room."
The man leaned against the counter, looking at the hooded woman.
"Three. That's the number of taverns that exclusively serve Adventurers; mine is the worst. Do you have any idea why the Guild sent you here?" He asked the woman with his raspy voice.
"Well... Not really..."
"Use your brain! Or are you just a pretty face with nothing inside?"
Black Abyss shrugged, as if not caring about not knowing such a thing. Dont told her worse things anyway...
"You... Most of the Adventurers who come here are of your same rank or higher, but they don't go beyond Iron. But even if they meet once, they could form a team if they are similar in strength levels, that's what I mean. You can sleep in any room you want, but only in the common room can you find team members. After all, if you don't manage to form a balanced team, you could die out there. So I ask you again. The common or the double?"
For Black Abyss, there wasn't much to think about.
"The double. And some food, meat if you have it."
"Tch, so you ignore my advice... Or do you think you're special and that shiny light armor is just for show?... No matter, one night will be 7 copper coins. Payment is in advance, of course."
Black Abyss nodded and began to walk toward the counter, but then a foot entered her field of vision.
She looked at the man and inspected him. Nothing impressive, really; he was just a guy who looked like a vagabond. But he was annoying; with her foot, she gently moved the man's leg, although for him, it was the force of a kick.
"Hey, hey, hey! That hurt." The man threatened Black Abyss with a sharp voice and approached him slowly.
"Oh. As you can see, I have a hood, and this place is dark, so I didn't see you." More than an apology, it was a clear justification.
"You..." The man looked at her dangerously, but looking between Black Abyss's bust, her face under her hood, and a glance at 'Elise,' who kept her eye closed all the time, made him smile. "Hm~ You're annoying, but I'm a generous man~ If you and your companion accompany me for one night, I'll let it pass~"
Black Abyss could almost see how the negative energy was being repressed with effort by her companion, scratching against her resistances as the slight and insignificant amount of negative energy barely grazed her.
"Pff~" Black Abyss let out a small laugh, while with her left hand, she pushed 'Elise' a little away, fearing she might not be able to control herself. "How cliche~ It's exactly what a random guy says before getting a beating~" Black Abyss exclaimed.
"Huh?" The guy looked at her somewhat doubtful.
What the hell was this woman talking about? Was she stupid or something?
"Hm. There's no point in continuing to argue; you're not a match for me." Black Abyss grabbed his clothes and lifted him easily, impressing those present. That man was about the same height as the woman, and undoubtedly heavier, but she was lifting that guy of around 80 kg with one arm and without showing any difficulty.
"Woah!" The surprised man looked down, and suddenly Black Abyss threw him to the side, crashing against a table and breaking it, in addition to the sound of broken glass.
Although the woman didn't really care, she also didn't pay much attention to the scream of a woman from the direction in which she threw the guy.
"Now. How do you want to resolve this?" Black Abyss asked the remaining men at the table. "I don't want this to take much time, so if you want to fight, let's do it now."
"Huh? Did our friend offend you!? We're really sorry!" The rest of the men quickly said, all bowing slightly with their bodies very tense.
"It's okay, just make sure to pay for the table to the owner." Black Abyss said, turning around to head to the counter.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Black Abyss blinked at the angry call from someone. A female voice, but somewhat deep and hoarse.
She turned to see her; she wasn't very tall compared to her, but she had a clear physical build of an experienced warrior. Her iron plate spoke of someone of higher rank than her.
She had disheveled red hair, somewhat dark skin due to clear exposure to the sun, her hands had calluses, indicating she was someone who used a sword.
"Look what you've done!" The woman said to Black Abyss, who raised an eyebrow under her hood.
"Hm? What?"
"You threw that man! And my potion! My precious potion broke!"
Black Abyss looked at the table seeing the spilled blue liquid from the broken vial.
"I don't see the problem... It's just a potion..."
The girl blinked, looking almost mortifyingly offended.
"You... I couldn't even eat to save up the money to get it... I just bought it today... But you broke it! Regardless of how dangerous the adventure was, that potion would have kept me safe... But you destroyed that hope for me and still show me that kind of attitude!? This really enrages me!" She roared furiously.
"Okay, okay..." Black Abyss raised a hand, stopping the woman. "I can replace the potion if that's the case... Is that settled then?" The hooded woman asked with a sigh, tired of this situation.
Moreover, with all that clothing made of luxury materials and that shiny silver light armor, she must be someone with a lot of money in the eyes of Brita and everyone else.
The hooded woman ran her hand under her cloak, searching for something.
"Tch. Why did I listen to her...? Now I have everything messy and full of low-level trash..." Black Abyss muttered to herself, then sighed, took her hand out from under her cloak, and bent down a bit, opening the small leather bag on her thigh. Brita raised an eyebrow, seeing three bottles there, one red, one green, and one yellow. Black Abyss took the red one, extended it to Brita.
"Here. Does that settle it?"
The girl examined the red potion, frowning slightly as she saw it.
It was red as blood, and thick in equal measure.
Not knowing what to think of the potion, as she had never seen a red potion, she would have to verify the potion with someone experienced... Someone in the city.
"Hm... Alright. I'll take it." Brita said brusquely, putting the potion in a pocket.
Black Abyss then turned around. "Let's go." She said to 'Elise,' indicating that she should control herself and follow her to the counter. She put her hand in the small leather bag on her thigh and took out a silver coin, tossing it to the owner; he took the coin and took out others.
"5 copper coins, take it." He said, leaving the coins on the table next to a small key, which Black Abyss took. "The first room on the right, up the stairs; you can store your luggage in the chest at the foot of the bed. I don't need to remind you not to approach others' rooms carelessly. It would be annoying if there were a misunderstanding, but that wouldn't be a bad way for others to know about you. It seems like you can handle any situation; just don't give me any trouble." He explained.
"Thanks. By the way, can you prepare our equipment? Ours got lost, and the Guild told us you can do that for us."
The man nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of it. Just prepare the money." He exclaimed with some humor, although he was quite serious.
"Ujum. Elise, let's go." Black Abyss said to the girl behind her, heading towards the stairs then. When they left the first floor, those below started talking a lot, clearly discussing them; it seemed that they had left a great impression… "5 copper coins... We have 7 Silver and 2 Gold more than what Stronoff left for Dont..." Black Abyss sighed now in the room, then lowered her hood, showing her perfect facial features, looking at the other woman. "Alicia, you did a great job; you could contain yourself very well despite the situation. You have my praise." She said with a smile to the one who was nicknamed Elise during this journey.
The gothic girl didn't change her expression much, only showing a slightly happier but still desolate and pitiful expression.
"Your praises are wasted on this dirty servant, My La-Titania." She said with a dejected tone but clear gratitude and humility.
Black Abyss sighed and turned around in her seat.
"Don't talk like that about yourself; you're someone who lives with us in Titania, and there's nothing dirty about you. That Crucified..." She whispered the last part to herself. "A-Anyway, you did a good job; keep it up, and I'll let you ask for something in return~" She said with a thumbs up, looking back at the table to put away the coins.
"Would you really give such a reward to a woman like me, Titania?..." 'Elise' asked with incredulous sadness.
Black Abyss got up, storing the bag of coins, turning towards Alicia, and approaching her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Alicia~ I appreciate you as much as Achernar and Mimosa, whom I created myself~ Everyone who lives in Titania is like a child to me, including you~ I'm sure all the Supremes feel the same~" Black Abyss said with a smile and a friendly tone, quite characteristic.
At this, Alicia just gave a deep bow, with a particularly lamentable expression.
"If that's the case, my Lady... I would eventually like to get rid of each of the men in this building." Alicia requested, with a lamentable voice, but almost tainted with contempt and disgust.
Black Abyss turned around thoughtfully, approaching a window. After a few seconds, she responded.
"... I can allow you to get rid of that team that caused us trouble. The owner must live; he seems to be someone important. I apologize for not fulfilling your wish completely, but it's what must be done." The woman in white said in a serious tone with some apology in her accent.
After all, she didn't like senseless killing, but she had to reward her, she had already said it, and if that was her wish... It was the best she could do for now.
"Just allowing me to express my wish is reward enough, my Lady." Alicia's tone was covered in loyalty and adoration, giving a deep bow to Black Abyss.
She nodded her head, simply... What did Crucified and Dont see in making purely evil NPCs...? Although there was no choice, and... She seemed to have a certain weakness towards Titania's NPCs. She really saw them as family... She understood her mission better now, in order to protect what she cherished, she had to better understand the potential danger.
…
Dont laughed politely and gracefully at the unfunny joke made by the merchant she initially decided to connect with.
Honestly… She was a couple of jokes away from blowing up the city...
But she swallowed her displeasure for the merchant whose name she didn't even bother to remember. She only knew he had a pretty daughter, and then did her best to excuse herself from the merchant. Something about women's matters, which the merchant's daughter seemed to understand, so she kept her father away from the Queen of Titania. Or for E-Rantel, Nyx Morgause.
Dont entered her room in one of the city's 4-star inns, using most of the things Gazef gave her, as well as having some subordinates steal some money to fund her facade while posing as a seller of 'incredible' magical items that she pulled from the trash in her inventory.
Obviously, she presented herself as the magnificent Nyx~ But she didn't have to mention Alucard, Black Abyss, the Infernal Protector, Nigun, or any of that shit.
So for now, she would start building a new economic empire among the aristocratic and bureaucratic ranks of Re-Estize. To become someone so important that she could access all corners of the kingdom and beyond with her influence.
Maybe start some kind of mafia! Although she wasn't excited about following in her mother's footsteps, she couldn't deny that she hadn't imagined being at the top several times.
A-Anyway, obviously, she wasn't defenseless and unprotected. As a Shooter, her place was behind the front lines.
She just couldn't choose an NPC from Titania to take with her.
She didn't want to diminish Titania's forces, and many NPCs were crucial in their positions. So, she summoned a couple of level 80 Mercenary NPCs with tank classes to protect her.
Obviously, with a human-like appearance… Or close enough.
The first one was behind her, just a couple of inches taller. A knight in full dark metal armor, with black blends all over the armor, a long, tattered red cape, as if it had seen a thousand battles, as well as a black fabric from its waist in the same state. Two horns protruded from its helmet, pointing upward, and it had some spikes sprouting from the armor on its arms.
Its movements were straight and firm, almost robotic, but with an almost loose fluidity.
The Dark Hero Armor was a Construct, more specifically, an Enchanted Armor. Dont wasn't sure if that would count as a Spiritual Undead, a Spirit, a type of Golem, Automaton, or something like that, but the creature fell into the Construct category, so it was a kind of Golem after all. With knight classes and such, following the role of an evil but noble knight who uses its power for good or something, Dont saw it as a strong and useful enough summon for the task, being level 82.
Her other summon was unloading magical equipment below level 20 from the semi-luxurious carriage she ordered from the artisans of Titania.
It was a Dullahan with tank and guardian classes, a Headless Guardian Valor. Level 87. Originally, the Undead had been summoned without a head, so Dont had to be creative and summoned a Masked Insect and a Bulbous Parasite of low levels to give a fake head to the NPC.
The tank still struggled to move naturally with a 'head,' but it was believable enough while wearing a hood constantly attached to the Masked Insect.
Of course, Dont also summoned several creatures with stealth abilities.
A few dozen of at least 10 of Level 60-70 and took a couple of Hanzos from Achernar's subordinates.
Not to mention the lesser summons hiding, like the Shadow Demons, which, according to experiments Dont conducted with various other summoners in Titania, were among the few creatures that could be maintained permanently using things like animal corpses or weak things.
Apparently, it depends on the strength level of the body itself how powerful the summon that can be used is.
Either way, Dont entered her room, with the Dark Hero Armor following closely. And once she closed the door, she made a hand gesture towards the floor.
From the outside, the signal would make no sense, but for the creatures hiding, it was the sign to apply spells of concealment and stealth in the room, preventing any sound, smell, or vibration from coming out, which could be used for Divination, etc.
Feeling her subordinates's spells apply, Dont relaxed her posture with a soft sigh.
"Hanzos." At her call, a couple of figures emerged from the shadows.
They were humanoid beings, covered in black clothes with golden embroideries worthy of a ninja, their faces covered by talismans.
"Yes, Lady Nyx." Both responded in unison as they manifested kneeling.
"Is everything going according to plan?" She asked, approaching a window and looking out at the merchant from before, who was loading some things onto his cart, ready to leave.
"Of course, Lady Nyx. Lady Titania has already enrolled as an Adventurer with Lady Elise." One of the Hanzos replied.
At this, Dont just hummed.
The plan was simple. On the one hand, Black Abyss and Alicia, an NPC level 75 specialized in the support and necromancer summoner role, would infiltrate the adventurer's guild to gather information more easily and discreetly, while making money from this world so that Titania could have its own capital independent of Yggdrasil's gold.
On the other hand, Dont would be posing as the beautiful Nyx~ Who, as mentioned before, would climb as a great bureaucratic force to gain another kind of information and get under the kingdom's skin, as well as earn more money for Titania.
The mere idea of exchanging a single Yggdrasil coin for a large amount of Re-Estize money was a big no for the Queen of Titania. Not only would it be a huge sign over her head that she was from Yggdrasil if someone recognized the coin, but she was also very protective of gold.
After spending so much time dedicating herself, Black Abyss, and occasional guild members who still connected from time to time, making money to maintain the guild, Dont acquired a miserly spirit, where she wanted to spend as little money as possible for anything.
And when it came to something like Yggdrasil gold, something that could no longer be obtained, Dont was more than happy to waste millions of Re-Estize gold coins rather than a single one from Yggdrasil.
Anyway, Dont never thought that interacting with people would be so exhausting... Did they all have to be so annoying? She hadn't even been here for a day, and she already wanted to go back to the comfort of Titania!
But she couldn't back out... Now she had a mission just like Black Abyss, as well as everyone in Titania doing their best to fulfill their duties.
"I want one of you to find the governor of this city. Get all possible information from him and all the finances of E-Rantel. We'll be leaving in a couple of days anyway... You can go now." Dont ordered, to which the two Hanzos exclaimed 'Yes!' before disappearing into the shadows.
The Queen of Titania sighed softly, and turned, looking at her bodyguard.
Against a level 100, the Dark Hero Armor couldn't do much, really, only act as a shield. But that was exactly its only usefulness as Dont's bodyguard.
She couldn't even feel sorry for the Construct. Not only was it not alive at all, but it wasn't an NPC from Titania. So all the affection she could have had for the creature didn't exist beyond superficially acknowledging that it was summoned from Titania's resources and nothing more.
However, although Dont had shown the Construct several times that she didn't care much about its existence outside its usefulness, the summon remained loyal and obedient. That was a relief at least.
Dont sighed again, preparing to do nothing fun for 3 days... At least she could see how the medieval mafia of this world worked.
…
(I don't understand a thing…)
Black Abyss thought, she was in the guild, and was looking at the mission board, but it seems that, despite the spoken language being the same, this wasn't written in english...
"Huh..." She looked at her companion 'Elise,' and she was just observing, then looked back at her and nodded.
(Uh... Does she think I can read this...? Or does she just trust that I'll pick a good mission...?) Whatever the reason, she extended her hand and grabbed one of the papers, heading towards the reception with it and leaving it in front of the woman.
"We want this mission."
"I'm sorry, this job can only be taken by Mithril-ranked adventurers..." The receptionist said with a tone of apology and some perplexity.
"Lo sé {I know.} I should've taken one of Adamantite rank, but this one seemed interesting enough even despite our higher level." Titania said confidently, the receptionist could see her smile under the hood.
"U-Uh… That's..." The woman didn't know how to respond to that, just giving a nervous and shaky smile while some sweat fell from the side of her forehead. "E-Even if you ask for it... The guild rules and conditions..."
"It doesn't matter. We only have these bronze plates for being new here, but we're not bronze at all. It's a hassle to start from scratch… That's why I want this mission." Titania said with a sigh.
"B-But…" The receptionist cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "If you can't fulfill the job and fail, many people could lose their lives." She said firmly, with a tone loud enough for others to hear.
Titania felt the disapproving atmosphere around her but gestured with her hand.
"This is Elise, my support, and she can cast enhancement spells up to level 3 several times and some at level 4." She explained, then putting her hand on her chest. "As for me, I can easily lift up to 1 ton, a hit from me is like the bite of a crocodile… Or that of a large Basilisk." She explained confidently.
Right now, Black Abyss could almost feel the annoyed looks coming from all the present adventurers, glaring at her with displeasure. Even the other receptionists gave her complicated looks.
Though, of course, there was quite a bit of surprise on their faces, but it was evident that they didn't entirely believe her words, yet they seemed not entirely skeptical of the possibility of her telling the truth.
The receptionist dealing with Black Abyss just looked around nervously, then glanced at her almost apologetically, and gave a slight polite bow.
"... I'm sorry, I can't let you take this job due to regulations."
Titania let out a sigh and gestured with her hand, indicating that there was no problem.
"No, I apologize. Maybe I was too insistent… The idea of starting from scratch bothers me a bit, but I would appreciate it if, being unable to do higher-rank tasks, you could show me the most difficult and dangerous mission you have for a Copper rank. Please." The woman in white said with a friendly tone.
(There are always problems with rules…) She complained internally.
The looks from the surroundings calmed down a bit, and there even seemed to be some empathy with what Black Abyss was saying.
"Ah, I understand. Yes, there are other jobs available." The receptionist said, visibly relieved to have dodged a problem. She prepared to go fetch what the paladin had asked for but stopped when a man spoke from behind the woman in white.
"In that case, why not help us with our job?"
Black Abyss turned around, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow.
"...It's something worth my effort, I suppose." She exclaimed to the young man.
"Yes, we think it's worth it." The young man said; he seemed to be the leader of the group of four. He wore light chainmail armor under leather protection, indicating he was a physical combatant. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a good physical build, though he was shorter than Titania. However… There didn't seem to be anyone taller than her in the room right now.
"Hm… I could hear your offer." Titania exclaimed, to which the man gestured to the receptionist to prepare a room.
Titania and Elise followed them to the room, a conference room with a central table surrounded by chairs. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, so Titania didn't give it much importance.
"Please, have a seat." The presumed leader kindly indicated to the two women. The woman in white sat first, and the gothic one followed shortly after, pulling her chair closer.
The way they were seated seemed curious to Titania; it was as if they were ready to draw their weapons at any moment, though perhaps it was just a habit from their many adventures.
"First of all, how about we introduce ourselves in a simple way?" The young leader said with kindness and grace.
…
"That's the plan, Titania. What do you think? Are you willing to lend us a hand?" Peter asked with a smile.
"Oh, yes. No problem. But how will we split the payment?"
Peter quickly responded.
"Sure, since we are two separate teams, the payment will be divided in half."
Titania raised an eyebrow.
"Even though it's true that we are two different teams, the number of members is uneven. It's quite generous of you, isn't it?"
Peter then raised a finger.
"But. You will be responsible for half of the monsters we hunt. Considering that we can only use Level 2 spells at most, it's fair taking your two's power into account."
Titania then looked at Elise.
"What do you think? Is it a fair deal?" It sounded like a question seeking an independent answer, but it was primarily seeking an affirmative one.
"If Titania thinks so, then so it shall be..." Alicia's depressed and sad tone sounded incredibly melancholic and pitiful, although it didn't seem like she was really forced to accept.
"Okay then, as we'll be working together, I'll show you my face." The four looked at each other, and then at Titania as she lifted her hood.
She was supernaturally beautiful, with flawless marble-like skin, pearly white hair, and golden eyes. They understood why she had said that her face caused problems, and without a doubt, she left them speechless and breathless for several seconds.
She covered her face again under her hood, and as if it had been a spell, they were back to their normal selves.
"Since we'll be hunting together, it's best to clear up any doubts now. Do you have any questions?" Titania asked.
"I do!" Lukeluther said loudly.
In response, Black Abyss remained silent, waiting for the question.
"Titania~! Elise~! I've fallen in love with you~! It's love at first sight~! Please go on a date with me~! Even if only one of you accepts is fine~!" He said almost dramatically and poetically.
"Uh..." Black Abyss didn't know how to respond.
In a way, it hurt his former pride as a man for another man to say he fell in love with him/her. On the other hand, it fed his ego as a woman now, which disturbed him a bit despite having 'resolved' the issue a while ago.
However...
"Please... Go and die in a horrible way before talking to me again..." Alicia responded with a hurtful, almost sobbing tone, looking at Lukeluther with disgust and sadness.
"Elise..." Black Abyss was about to say something, but Lukeluther spoke first.
"Wah~! Thanks for your firm rejection~! Let's start by being friends~."
"Me? Your friend? It seems like you have a brain with a single neuron that doesn't even function correctly... Why don't you do something good for the world and stop wasting oxygen, water, and food by dying on the side of a ditch?" With the same sobbing tone, Elise responded, almost cuttingly, clearly disgusted while her face showed tremendous anguish.
While trying not to look at the fight between the two, Titania and Peter apologized to each other, Peter bowing and Titania with a raised hand.
"My companion has caused you trouble..." he said.
"No problem..."
Then Peter stood up and spoke again.
"So... let's assume this never happened, okay?" He said to everyone while ignoring Lukeluther and Elise on the side. "Titania... We'll leave when you're ready. We already have everything prepared on our end."
She then remembered that he had asked the tavern man to prepare their supplies, although when she set out for her first mission at the Guild, they were not ready yet.
"Well, maybe it will take a little longer, our food is still being prepared." Titania exclaimed, to which the druid spoke.
"Do you only need food? If you don't have a specific store you want to use, would you like to buy dried rations at the counter? They will prepare them for you immediately."
Eh... Dry food? Yuck... She had only paid for the rations to the tavern owner to maintain the image of a common adventurer, but she really didn't plan on eating any of that...
"Uh, no, no, it's okay, we still have plenty of supplies from our journey~ We can leave right away, hehe..."
Peter smiled and stood up. "Then let's go." He exclaimed as his companions also stood up.
Titania did the same, followed by Alicia, who gave a 'Hmp!' to Lukeluther, completely ignoring his gaze.
They went down the stairs to the first floor, where missions were chosen, and she noticed that there were more people now, undoubtedly a busy place, but... Most of them were looking at a specific place, or rather, a specific person.
It was a young blond man in front of the receptionist, talking to her, who seemed quite surprised for some reason. Titania didn't give it much thought and kept walking until she felt someone approaching her. Alicia quickly stood in the way, and when she looked, it was none other than the receptionist herself.
"T-There's a job request... and they're specifically asking for you..."
Titania placed her hand on Alicia's shoulder, signaling her to calm down, as she was about to use a necromantic spell at any moment, while looking back at the receptionist.
"Is that so? Who is supposed to have made the request?" She asked with a more serious tone.
"Y-Yes! Th-The request is from Nfirea Bareare."
(Huh. Wasn't that guy popular in this city? Why the hell is he specifically asking for me?) She wondered to herself. After all, she hadn't done anything to stand out so much, and had only shown her face to these four present. While she was thinking, the young man approached.
"Hello. I am the requester." Nfirea said, standing in front of Titania, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "About the reque-"
He was interrupted by Titania, who raised her hand.
"Yeah, I'm not going to accept it. As a paladin, I honor my word, and I have agreed to take on the job from 'The Swords of Darkness' first." The woman firmly said. If there was already an atmosphere of bewilderment, now it was not only that, but also surprise at having rejected a request from someone like Nfirea.
"Titania! It's a job by name!" Peter told her from behind, clearly surprised at how she had rejected such a thing. Titania turned around and responded.
"Maybe so, but I agreed to work with you first, so that's what I'll do. One must honor their word." Titania exclaimed, to which the other adventurers around her seemed to nod in agreement.
Peter still seemed perplexed but now with a hint of guilt.
"But... Our job is not a request... And if we don't find anything, we won't be able to pay you…" He exclaimed, to which Titania sighed.
In general, all of this was strange for Titania. Did rumors spread so quickly that someone like Bareare would find out that two beautiful women were adventurers? But mainly, why would he even try to request someone like Titania? After all, she was still Copper rank...
Then, she looked at Peter.
"Let's do this. I'll listen to Bareare's proposal, and if it's interesting enough, I'll accept it."
She looked at Bareare, waiting for a response.
"I agree with that. I'd like to start as soon as possible, but I can wait a day or two."
Titania nodded and replied.
"Alright. I'll go and talk. But if it doesn't convince me, I'll return to the mission I initially had with the Swords of Darkness." Nfirea nodded, and the four young ones behind Titania felt a momentary pressure.
They didn't want her to miss such an opportunity for a not very rewarding job like the one they had...
"Elise, wait for me here. Keep an eye on everyone," Titania exclaimed, whispering something inaudible to everyone but perfectly audible to Alicia.
"...Yes, Titania..." She responded with an equally low voice.
And following Bareare, she returned once again to the previous room.
…
Dont groaned internally as she sold the two utterly useless magical items to the pair of merchants.
They were just a ring with level 10 poison protections and a necklace that reduced hunger progression by 10%.
However, she had to maintain a polite smile throughout the entire transaction! Why couldn't she just toss this garbage at them and have them give her the dozens of gold pieces she demanded for these crappy items?
Fortunately, they had left, so she felt better. But now, she had to deal with another little problem.
"L-Lady Nyx, hehe. Do you need help with anything else?" A man came from the side, ignoring the presence of the Dark Hero's Armor.
Dont turned with irritation to the skies, looking at the human she had found thanks to the information obtained from her agents.
He was skinny and unkempt, wearing elegant red and black clothes, with excessively pale skin, a constantly red nose, as if he had a cold 24/7, a somewhat twisted smile, and an ugly face. His brown hair was clean enough, but she had seen him scratch his head several times, as if he had fleas or something. He looked like an ugly clown.
"Ah~ Zach~ Yes, I would need you to carry this bag with coins and my things if you're so kind," Dont said with a charming smile, handing him the bag of gold.
"Right away, Lady Nyx~" Zach said somewhat cheekily, taking the bag carefully and stepping away.
Dont almost wanted to shoot him knowing that he was going to steal a couple of coins at least.
Where did she get him? It had only been a few hours, but she no longer remembered.
However, she had picked him up for a particular reason. Well, a couple of reasons.
First, he was cheap and useful enough to help her with her affairs.
Second, the guy was connected to a group of bandits or something.
As soon as she hired him, he ran off to inform his companions about how beautiful and rich she was, and they began making plans to attack her on the road at some point.
Dont almost wanted to go and shoot them all when she heard what they wanted to do to her, but she restrained herself, knowing that their punishment would come when the time was right.
For now, she decided to act somewhat unaware of Zach's true nature and kept him as a driver for her small carriage with her luggage to transport her merchandise.
The Headless Guardian's Valor really wasn't the best option to be outside the carriage with literally a pair of bugs as a head and a hood. Although if that disadvantage were ignored, Dont wouldn't hesitate to use the Dullahan as a coachman since the summon had a few levels in Rider.
Either way, Dont groaned internally again. She had to keep playing the merchant for a few more days in E-Rantel... At least she wouldn't leave without trying the wonders in one of the city's luxurious restaurants.
Speaking of food, Dont was getting somewhat nervous about leaving Black Abyss alone with an NPC and others. She almost feared that the woman might have already told seven nations Titania's location and how to enter without triggering any traps or alarms.
But Dont took a deep breath and tried to relax, cursing herself for doubting her friend and companion...
Between Black Abyss and her, they should be able to destroy the city in less than 10 seconds without a problem. And if the 2 NPCs, level 80-90 Mercenaries, Alicia, and the stealth units were included, theoretically, they should be able to wipe out at least all of Re-Estize in less than half a day.
Dont shook her head and looked at the Enchanted Armor.
"... Come. Help me store this..." Dont ordered while pointing at some magical items that she hadn't been able to sell to the merchants because they were expensive weapons that weren't useful in her hands without training.
…
"That's why I accepted the job, and you will come with us because you have a Ranger and a druid that would be useful in a wooded environment. We'll divide the payment into 6 equal parts." Black Abyss explained everything to the four young adventurers, having finished the meeting in which she agreed to be a bodyguard for Nfirea while he searched for medicinal herbs near a large forest. Basically, they had to take care of him until he found all his plants.
But… it caught her attention that, during the journey, they were heading to the village of Carne. Was it a coincidence…? Even if it were, it was quite a significant one…
Furthermore, the young man had told her why she had been chosen as a bodyguard from the large number of adventurers available. It seems that her 'scene' in the tavern became somewhat famous when a very pretty girl lifted a Iron-ranked Adventurer and threw him to the other side of the tavern… Besides, it appeared that the adventurers who used to protect him were in another city.
Black Abyss sighed for a moment, but there wasn't much to do other than fulfill this mission.
Although… For some reason, something still felt strange to her.
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Name: Lord Bachelory Antoinette Sheoler II (Look at Authors Comment~)
Creators: Dont-Say-My-Name