The blazing sun beat down without mercy, and shimmering heat rolled over the endless sea of sand. The silver-white yacht "Ride the Wind and Break the Waves" raced forward like an arrow in flight.
Following the route they had taken before, the group finally arrived at the location of the Vast Stellar Gate.
They had camped in the arid desert for seven days and seven nights. Just as the legends described, on the fifth day before the month's end, the Vast Stellar Gate rose above the horizon.
It appeared as a massive, pure azure semicircle, like a blue sun ascending into the sky. Beyond it lay the City Alliance, a merchant city situated along the northern coast of the continent.
EeDechi, Barrett, Franco, Cheeko, and Kilua guided the yacht straight toward the Vast Stellar Gate, pressing onward with unstoppable momentum.
The stern of the yacht slipped into the azure Vast Stellar Gate. EeDechi felt as if she were traveling through a tunnel of blue space and time.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Deep blue waves rushed toward them, crashing against the windshield and throwing up glittering white spray.
"The sea!" EeDechi cried out in delight.
In that instant, the yacht floated upon the boundless ocean, rising and falling with the tide.
Just a second earlier, the azure Vast Stellar Gate and the scorching, dry desert had all vanished without a trace.
The ocean heaved restlessly, one swell following another. The salty, damp sea breeze swept in, refreshing their spirits at once. Seawater battered the yacht Ride the Wind and Break the Waves, washing away the yellow sand clinging to it and revealing its original pure silver-white hull.
Barrett switched off the yacht's ice-halo cooling spell and leaned against the window glass, gazing out at the vast ocean. Even someone as worldly as he was felt his heart stir at the sight.
Franco and Cheeko leaned against the glass as well. It was Franco's first time seeing the sea, and he marveled at it in wonder.
Cheeko's obsidian-like eyes were filled with curiosity. Its round face was pressed flat against the glass as it stared at everything outside. Suddenly a wave crashed against the window, and it shrank back in fright.
Kilua, on the other hand, showed little interest. The little girl fiddled listlessly with a cloth doll in her hands, paying no attention to the ocean beyond the glass.
Barrett glanced sideways. He noticed her odd behavior and made a mental note of it.
Once the initial shock passed, the four of them pulled out a compass and map, confirmed their direction, and set course for the City Alliance.
The yacht sliced through the water. After some time, a long, drawn-out roar echoed from where the sea met the sky.
"Roar~"
EeDechi tilted her head to listen. "Is that whale song?"
"It's a dragon's roar," Kilua said, staring toward the sound. For an instant, a faint, distant nostalgia passed through her eyes.
Right on the heels of the dragon's roar came towering waves that scraped the clouds.
A fierce wind rose. Far out on the ocean, a colossal wall of water lifted like a mountain and swept across the sea, bearing down on their tiny yacht.
"This is bad—it's a tsunami!" Barrett shouted.
The others sat in the rocking yacht, craning their necks to stare up at the terrifying wave through the window glass. It looked ready to smash their fragile vessel like a giant hand.
EeDechi stood up. "I'll handle it."
EeDechi pushed open the porthole and climbed out of the Ride the Wind and Break the Waves. She crouched on the hull, shut the porthole tightly behind her, and turned to face the tsunami alone.
The raging sea roared in. A fierce wind mixed with rain lashed her face, drenching her instantly. Her jet-black hair clung to her forehead as water streamed across her skin.
EeDechi leaped from the yacht and sprinted across the water using her lightness technique and martial skills. In a flash, she moved beneath the vessel, braced herself, and lifted the entire yacht overhead with one hand. Then, carrying it high above her, she strode across the rolling sea.
On the treacherous ocean, the tsunami crashed toward her like a mountain. EeDechi held the yacht high as she ran, pitting her strength against the immense power of nature.
She bounded over the spray, leaped high, and landed atop the crest of the giant wave, letting it carry her forward.
Raising the yacht above her, EeDechi gazed far into the distance. In the chaotic depths of the ocean, in the direction the tsunami was approaching from, she could faintly make out wings vast enough to blot out the sky and a dragon's head larger than an island.
"Roar~"
The long roar sounded again, bringing with it another towering tsunami.
EeDechi turned away from the horizon. She ran across the sea, making for the City Alliance.
...
City Alliance, eastern entrance.
A lavish carriage forged entirely from adamantite and adorned with gold and silver inlays slowly rolled into the city.
City Alliance was a merchant city with lax defenses—it didn't even collect an entry tax. The guards took one look at the extraordinarily luxurious carriage and let it through at once.
Even the seasoned old guards marveled at it. They exchanged looks with their colleagues and began quietly guessing at the identity of the carriage's owner.
Anyone important enough to travel in a carriage like that had to be either royalty or a powerful merchant lord. In either case, they were far too influential to offend.
Inside the carriage, heavy silk curtains hung down, shutting out the noise from the outside world. On the fox-fur cushions, a blonde noblewoman sat with reserved, ladylike poise. Across from her was a handsome elderly gentleman in a tailcoat.
The blonde noblewoman was Solution, a maid from the Great Tomb of Nazarick. The straight-backed old man was Sebas, Nazarick's butler.
The two had originally been operating in the north, maintaining their usual disguise as a noble lady and butler while gathering intelligence and investigating the local customs and conditions of each region.
They had suddenly received a secret order from Ainz Ooal Gown commanding them to head immediately to City Alliance. Their task was to collect military intelligence and troop deployments in preparation for Nazarick's assault.
The order specifically mentioned that EeDechi and her group were also heading to City Alliance. If they prepared in advance, the two of them might simply wait for their prey to walk into the trap.
Solution checked her small gold-threaded wallet, recalling the order's contents, and let out a cold laugh.
"Lady Albedo said EeDechi is still digging sand in the Eight Greed Kings Desert. Who knows when she'll finally reach City Alliance?
"We can take control of this city first and make every preparation at our leisure. Once they step into City Alliance, we'll catch them all in one sweep and wash away our previous disgrace!"
Sebas gave a slight nod. The last time he and Solution had crossed paths with EeDechi, the pair had suffered a crushing defeat. Despite holding every advantage during their duel, he had been utterly beaten by EeDechi's iron fists.
Afterward he had been gravely injured and lost consciousness, only to discover later that the crude adventurer named Barrett had searched his body.
The most infuriating part was that after Barrett couldn't find any loot, he had actually yanked off Sebas's underwear and taken it as a trophy! (Chapter 134)
Solution had been restrained by a lecherous mage nearby, watching in helpless distress.
That had been Sebas's favorite pair of underwear!
Not only was it indestructible—blades couldn't pierce it and magic couldn't burn it—but it also possessed unparalleled flexibility, lighter and softer than the finest silk. When worn, it felt like a thin layer of flowing water against the skin, incredibly comfortable.
Its greatest feature was this: whenever Sebas took a lethal blow to the lower body, the underwear would instantly harden like steel, granting him defense far superior to even an adamantite-enchanted shield.
Of course, this active defense effect recognized its owner. Only Sebas could activate it by wearing it.
All of Sebas's other clothes were washed by the maids, but this particular underwear he always cleaned himself.
Every time he washed it, he had to prepare ten tons of fresh water and the most expensive soap—soap so valuable that a single pound was worth a pound of gold.
First, he would soak it in clear water for three days and three nights. Then he would wash it four times with soap, rinse it four times with clean water, and only then consider it clean.
Afterward, he would carefully iron it flat, sprinkle it with precious ambergris perfume, and store it away with great care, only wearing it on the most important occasions.
And now, this most treasured underwear had been stolen by a mere human adventurer!
Sebas's eyes flashed with anger. EeDechi was still deep in the Eight Greed Kings Desert, an immense distance from City Alliance, and the thought filled him with disappointment. He wished her group would arrive as soon as possible, so he could finally take back what belonged to him.