Northshire Valley was a tranquil place, easily the most tranquil town they had ever been in. Farmhouses peaked through the dense tapestry of the woods, harmonizing with the lush greenery and fertile soils. The locals, looking up from the fields with friendly smiles, painted a picture of a close-knit, peaceful, and prosperous society, something impossible back on Earth.
Upon their arrival at the abbey, Ainz and Buku parted ways with the adventure team, waving them off. The team headed straight for the entrance of a magnificent stone building, with its vibrant red roof and intricately stained glass windows, which stood as a beacon of tranquility amidst the organized chaos of the populace.
Ainz scanned the small town, encircling the abbey with a critical eye. The town's few inns exuded a fine rustic charm, while the small bazaar buzzed with the lively hum of prosperous trade. The marshal's outpost, sturdy and imposing, hinted at the town's vigilance towards foreign threats. A few groups of adventurers and lone mercenaries mingled around with the locals, most of whom were either bustling merchants at the bazaar or serene clerics dedicated to the abbey's upkeep.
"So, what are we doing first? I'm dying to find out how food tastes in this world." Buku sniffed the air, eyeing a stall selling skewers of mouth-watering meat sizzling enticingly over an open flame. The tantalizing aroma of roasting meat wafted through the open air, a scent, unlike anything they had ever experienced in their world, where food was either bland or had crappy artificial flavors due to the scarcity of natural ingredients, let alone wonderful scents.
"We should get local currency first. Using Yggdrasil coins isn't wise; someone might recognize them and identify us as players," Ainz cautioned.
"As if the name 'Ainz Ooal Gown' wouldn't give it away," Buku retorted, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms while still side-eyeing the food stalls. The guild had been particularly infamous during its heyday thanks to its mighty prowess and staggering collections, with him in particular in the spotlight thanks to his leadership position.
"It's a good point," Ainz conceded, "We should still keep a low profile for now." His resolve remained firm, meeting his wife's intense gaze without flinching. Caution was necessary when faced with the unknown.
"I'm not suggesting we start dropping piles of gold left and right," Buku grumbled, "But I have a few million coins in my inventory. Let's at least see how much one coin is worth here, if people get too nosy, we'll tell them we found it and want to exchange."
"We can do that," Ainz sighed, recognizing the practicality of Buku's suggestion. He knew his wife well. While she could stick to the plan if he put his foot down, it was clear to see that Buku wanted to sample local food badly, and truth be told, he wanted to do the same. He fished a single Yggdrasil coin out of the inventory and handed it to her, noting how he too had millions of coins to spend.
Buku's eyes lit up as she snatched the coin and instantly skipped over to the skewer stall, eager with glee. The scent of savory meat, with a hint of spices, made her mouth water in anticipation.
"Miss, what are you selling here?" Buku asked the young woman operating the stall.
The woman smiled warmly, "These are skewers of boars, marinated in a blend of buttermilk and mild spices."
Buku's face lit up in amazement, "Miss, would you accept such currency?" She asked as she held up the Yggdrasil coin, grinning.
"Missy, that is a gold coin!" the woman's eyes widened. "I can weigh it for value, but I won't have enough money to give you a difference even if you buy every single piece of meat I'm selling today on top of all the coinage I have on me." The woman shook her head apologetically, already wondering about the identity of her customer. Gold coins were rare to find in rural areas, though merchants, adventurers, or nobles carried them around when traveling, so seeing the woman trying to use one wasn't that strange.
"Oh… I didn't think of that. Could you please tell me where I could exchange this coin for smaller denominations then?" Buku inquired in response. The disappointment that she couldn't treat herself was immense, but there wasn't anything she could do about it for now. It would be beyond foolish to just give away the coin and attract unnecessary attention from the local populace. She was already pushing Ainz's overcautious stance and having a fight with her husband a few hours into their new lives wasn't something she wanted.
"Merchants in Goldshire could take it off your hands. You're here to help folks by killing the nasties that are making our life hard, right?" The woman inquired.
"Correct, my husband and I are planning to do mercenary work. Would the stall still be open in a few hours?" Buku gulped down her saliva as she stared at the food like it was an unattainable treasure, eyeing it with visible greed.
"Tell you what, I'll give you one stick right away and you come back and pay for it once you have the coin later. It wouldn't be kind of me to send adventurers to risk their lives on empty stomachs, and you strike me as an honest type." The woman handed over one skewer with eight gorgeous pieces of meat, juicy and dripping animal fat.
"Thank you. You're a saint, miss." Buku grabbed the skewer and skipped back to Ainz with a wide smile on her face. She tore off the first piece, chewing on it loudly, and offered the treat to Ainz. The meat was succulent and tender, induced with a medley of spices and buttermilk that practically danced on her tongue.
Ainz pulled off a piece and took a bite. The human form did give him the ability to eat even if he didn't need to do so, and for that he was grateful. The rich flavors took him by surprise, even after seeing his wife's reactions to the meat. It was juicy, soft, and had a pleasant afterburn to the throat. He and Buku did eat at organic food restaurants a few times after she had become famous, but lab-grown meat just couldn't close to the explosion of sensations this simple, authentic piece of treat offered.
"Holy… this is so good!" Buku gushed as she tore another piece of the stick, her eyes closing in pure delight.
"I wonder how fruits taste," Ainz mused, glancing over to other stalls. Once they had money, he planned to go along with Buku and indulge in food, sampling all the flavors this world could offer, or at the bare minimum this town.
"Sweets!" Buku gasped, her eyes lighting up with excitement upon noticing a stall filled with all manner of sweets and snacks. "We should go earn some money right away and treat ourselves a bit. Though I wonder how much the inn costs. Staying outside isn't something I want to try right away."
Ainz nodded in agreement as the couple made their way down the lively market with its cheerful vendors and vibrant stalls. Vendors called out to potential customers, peddling everything from fresh produce to finely crafted weapons, countered by the squabbles of negotiating citizens and travelers haggling the prices. Children darted through the small crowd, their laughter mingling with the cacophonous hum of the talking crowds. People who looked like adventurers milled about, some examining the wares on display, others in deep discussions, and others wolfing down or packing the items they had purchased on the spot.
The couple approached the market square, their eyes drawn to a large notice board situated at the center. It stood majestically compared to the rest, its wooden frame ornately carved with intricate designs depicting scenes of legendary quests of this culture. They paused before the notice board, their attention caught by the myriad of requests and announcements pinned to it. The parchment sheets fluttered slightly in the breeze, covered in a script that was foreign to them in its entirety.
Ainz glanced around to ensure no one was watching too closely, and with a swift, discreet motion, he reached inside his robes and fished out a pair of enchanted glasses. He quickly slipped them on and leaned in, making the letters shift and reshape to his eyes, becoming legible and easily understandable.
There was a list of requests available, ranging from delivering some packages to purchasing specific types of meat and killing beasts harassing the livestock. Additionally, the marshal had put a bounty on kobolds and Defias bandits, paying one silver for a kobold bounty and five silver for a human criminal if proof was provided. In the case of kobolds, the candles they carried on their heads served as proof, while for bandits, it was red bandanas they wore as identification of belonging to the infamous crime cartel. The rest of the corpse was at the discretion of whoever undertook the requests.
"It's strange. It seems kobolds carry candles on their heads," Ainz commented as he scratched his chin.
"Why would kobolds carry candles on their heads?" Buku inquired, her brows furrowed in confusion.
In Yggdrasil, they had been small dog-like creatures known for dirty and downright sadistic tricks, which came off as disproportionately cruel since they were low-level creatures and it was the newbie players encountering them. They likely were a different type of creature in this world, so extra information was needed.
"No idea," Ainz replied, shaking his head slightly.
"You must be new around these parts." A loud authoritative voice interrupted. Turning they saw a bald man in a full plate set with a bushy mustache approaching them. His armor gleamed under the sunlight and his eyes held a look of curiosity.
"Yes. We are," Ainz responded, inclining his head respectfully. "We are here looking to take on some work and earn money by helping locals solve their problems," Ainz added, pointing at the board.
The man nodded as he extended his arm in a greeting, "Marshal McBride at your service. I keep the order in the Northshire valley. You two have the aura of experienced adventurers around you. How come you don't know a thing about kobolds? Those rats are everywhere."
"Ainz Ooal Gown and this is my wife Buku. We are seasoned adventurers, but there were no such creatures in our homeland, and thus we are unsure of the local wildlife." Ainz returned the greeting and accepted the handshake. Getting on the good side of the local authority was a must if they wanted to keep out of trouble or avoid revealing too much about themselves.
"I see. Kobolds are bipedal rats, about a meter tall and they carry large candles to see in the dark caves and mines they infest. I advise taking the candles only after you have killed the pests, for the little of them that communicate often make it a battle cry to defend themselves. Do be careful - they are dangerous in large groups," McBride explained.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marshal. We look forward to working with you." Buku joined in. "Could you point us in the direction where these rats can be found?" As she spoke, McBride found himself momentarily struck by her beauty. Her features were striking, her aura exuding a confidence and grace he had never seen before. The words had rolled off her tongue carrying a charm that made even a hardened marshal like him pause in admiration.
He cleared his throat, regaining his composure as he continued, "The mine to the north past the old mill. For now, just deal with the ones wandering near the entrance. Once it's clear, I'll send men to establish a post to provide on-location support for clearing the mine in its entirety. Be sure to gather the candles as proof of the deed, even if they're damaged. Good huntin'." Marshal saluted and turned his attention to the next group mingling around.
"It seems that the local police force is doing their job," Buku commented, as they turned to leave the room.
"It all comes down to how the people in the top brackets are. Touch Me also wanted to do the right thing but never could," Ainz replied.
This world still had hope, the people and those in power weren't as cynical and self-serving as the ones left on Earth. But then again, it wasn't easy to be an upstanding person in hell. Ainz carefully observed the people as they left the village and headed north, gathering references from various civilians nearby who were more than happy to point the way. For all the troubles going on, they seemed to be optimistic and compassionate.
"I wonder if I can feel pain," Buku muttered after they had walked for a few minutes in silence.
"I guess we will find out soon. I wonder about that too. I haven't felt any signs of tiredness or soreness from walking as much as we have so far." Ainz remarked thoughtfully. He poked his right palm with his nail, testing his senses. "I can, at least in visage form," he reported his findings.
Buku, intrigued, removed her gauntlet and did the same. At first, she cautiously poked her palm, and when it didn't hurt, she began to push her nail into her palm with a moderate amount of force before commenting, "I can barely feel it. As a human, this would've hurt or even broken my nail, but now it doesn't even leave a single mark. I guess my high physical resistance is responsible," she observed with a hint of wonder and relief in her voice. Back in their world, she knew pain all too well, and this form shielded her from the agonies of her past.
"Don't leap in harm's way needlessly," Ainz cautioned gently.
"I won't, darling," Buku replied, flashing him a reassuring smile.
They continued to traverse along the trail towards the local mine where their targets awaited. It was a rugged hour of hiking before they arrived at the mountainside, dotted with several makeshift camps spread around the entrance of a mine. The air echoed with raucous sounds of kobolds, shrieking and screeching. The small ugly creatures were making a cacophony of noise fighting over scavenged food and the discarded tools and items left behind by the displaced workers, squabbling over the best things left behind. The camps were decently spread out in a manner that would allow the two to clear them out before kobolds from other camps nearby came to help, at least by Ainz's internal judgments.
Ainz focused his attention on a camp to their right, noticing the trio of adventurers they had traveled together with earlier in the day nearby. He gently touched Buku's shoulder and silently pointed at them.
"Oh, they'll provide a useful demonstration, I wonder," Buku mused. "Ainz, do you think the message function still works?"
Ainz hadn't considered the possibility that such a convenient game function would translate to the real world. Yet it seemed too promising not to try. Worse came to worse, it didn't work. Instinctively, he tapped into the knowledge of how to use it. What's more, he understood the arcane mechanics behind this magical ability.
{ Can you hear me? } He attempted to send a message directly into his wife's mind.
{ Whoa, it works! This is awesome. We can communicate without giving away vital information or risking our cover. } Buku replied with excitement using the message function.
{ I agree. Let's observe how they fight these rats and adjust our strategy. }
Annie was the one to open the charge, sending her pet pig on a rampage through the camp. The massive animal tossed the kobolds around like ragdolls and trampled them under its feet, causing chaos and drawing attention. Meanwhile, the girl picked off kobold after kobold with precise strikes from her bow, racking the kill count at a rapid pace.
Robyn stood firm as a stalwart guard, using his strength to kick and shield-slam the approaching kobolds rushing them. Beside him, Leoroy cast protective spells, creating a barrier of shimmering energy to ward off any projectile attacks of stones and wooden items.
{ They're effective. Let's try the camp next to theirs and see how we fare. I doubt the rats can even harm me. } Buku communicated, her stance defensive with the shield and sword at the ready.
Ainz didn't reject the suggestion. As a caster, he would focus on dealing the damage in the back line while Buku guarded him as the vanguard. It would be foolish to start with high-tier spells given the low ability of their opponents, so he settled on the fourth-tier spell [Chain Lightning]. It was one of the weakest ones he had and if it didn't work he would go for the seventh tier [Chain Dragon Lighting] to finish them off. Should the superior spell prove to be ineffective as well, he would resort to using the formidable ninth and tenth-tier spells, but those were only to be used after repeated trials.
He extended his hand, silently casting the spell before him. Lightning crackled and surged from his fingertips, striking a group of kobolds that were butchering a fawn without any regard for their surroundings, caught unaware. Unlike in Yggdrasil, where there was base damage and layering additional casts to maximize spell power, here he just needed to feel how much mana he wanted to use for each spell, and his undead baseline allowed him to do that perfectly.
So as not to overdo it on the first try, he chose a relatively low amount of power and sent the deadly projectile towards his main target- a kobold in oversized chain mail.
The creature couldn't even let out a cry of death, its body blackened and smoked as it fell to the ground. The lightning danced from target to target, leaving smoking corpses behind in its wake. In total nine kobolds had died from the singular spell, about a third of the total present in the camp.
The survivors let out furious war cries and charged toward Buku in a disorganized frenzy, wielding whatever they had. The largest among them led the chaotic charge, but Buku stood firm. She raised her shield, ready to perform a similar move with the shield as her peer from one camp over. Meanwhile, Ainz cast the chain lightning again, further thinning the number of approaching creatures even more before they reached Buku.
The moment the kobold was within striking distance, Buku swung her shield forward with formidable strength. The shield connected with the kobold's face with a satisfying crunch. What remained of the creature was sent flying through the air like a bullet.
The corpse, held together by the chainmail, collided with a nearby tree with a loud thud. Wood splintered and cracked, sending fragments in all directions before it slumped to the ground.
The small creatures, witnessing the display of overwhelming power, let out panicked loud screeches and fled, making them easy pickings for Ainz and his lightning spell.
"Whoa!" Buku exclaimed, surprised by the strength she exerted. "I need to tone it down," her mind was reeling from the sensation of wielding such immense strength.
"At least now we know we have the confirmation that we are quite strong here. It required effectively no effort to deal with these creatures. I think we can collect the candles and clear a few more camps before heading back," Ainz suggested, depowering his next spell.
"Sounds like a plan. This is surprisingly easy." Buku nodded in agreement. However, her uplifting mood was soured when she turned her head and noticed the trio staring at her and Ainz, their mouths agape and faces pale as snow. They had cleared their camp and seemed to have had the same idea to observe, only occasionally glancing around for possible survivors.
{ I think we should go over to the kids and… you know, make sure they don't sound an alarm. } Buku sent a message.
{ This is problematic. At least you didn't go all out. } Ainz replied.
{ Oh, not even close. I barely strained my muscles. } Buku responded.
The trio continued to stare at them, their expressions a mix of awe and astonishment, as Annie's pig nervously hid behind his owner.
"Everything all right?" Buku asked.
"What was that!?" Robyn shouted, his voice laden with a mix of awe and terror.
"Well, we might be a bit stronger than your average adventurer, but for now, we'd prefer to keep a low profile. You know that unsavory people who would want to exploit us for their agendas could be around," Buku spoke in a calm tone, raising her voice a pitch slightly louder to disarm the young adventurers. If she could calm irritable bosses hellbent on nitpicking faults, she surely could handle this group.
"That is understandable. But how are you so strong? And that lightning spell, mister Ainz, you are no doubt a powerful mage to wield magic with such ease." Leoroy ventured cautiously, the most composed out of three but still shaken.
"We've trained very hard and received some blessings that helped us grow," Buku replied diplomatically. "We just want to find our place in this world and not cause too much trouble."
"Miss Buku, Mr. Ainz, I implore you to consider using your talents to protect those in need. With such power, you could be heroes and deal with monsters like dragons," Leoroy pleaded earnestly.
"We'll be around to lend a helping hand when needed. Can we trust you won't go around telling everyone about us?" Buku inquired, her tone firm yet accommodating.
"We will keep your secret. Just one condition." Robyn interjected, suddenly adopting a business-like tone.
"And what would that condition be?" Ainz asked, feeling a tinge of apprehension. There was a chance they would have to kill these three to keep their secret from coming out, but the idea was unsettling. The thing that horrified him wasn't the act itself, but the sheer indifference he felt at the thought. He worried for his wife too, she, same as him, had never taken a life.
"You leave us a camp or two to clear. We need a payday too," Robyn replied as he broke into a cheeky grin.
"You better hurry then," Buku retorted as she let out a taunting laugh in return, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"Let's go. We'll take camps to the west," Robyn stated to his team as he quickly waved for them to follow.
As Robyn and his team headed westward to clear their designated camps, Buku's expression turned serious, a glint of suspicion lingering in her eyes even as she turned to address Ainz.
{ Do you think they will keep their word? } she asked through 'Message', her tone now edged with caution.
{ I'm not sure. But I don't think killing them should be our first option either. } Ainz replied, his tone reflective.
{ You know, we can paint them as unreliable weirdos if they decide to babble around. Luckily, there were no other witnesses. } Buku watched them disappear from view over the horizon.
"Let's go kill the rest of the kobolds for a nice payout," She declared aloud, moving on.
"First we need to collect the candles," Ainz reminded, pulling a simple woolen bag out of his inventory to carry them with. He didn't want to conjure a bunch of candles out of thin air later on.
This encounter had proven that, at least in this area, they were very strong compared to the average fighter, and according to the rather believable testimony by Leoroy, they were strong enough to defeat dragons that no doubt were high on the pecking order even in this world. A huge relief for Ainz at least, but there could always be hidden trump cards.
Editing by NabeisWaifu and aidan_lo.
Proofreading by IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, Malguis, Ainz-sama, miraculous-trash, fvvck, and aidan_lo.
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