E-Rantel was unusually lively tonight.
With the Undead invasion brought to an end, the entire city had erupted into celebration. At the same time, curiosity about the adventurer team "Ainz Ooal Gown," who had stopped the disaster, spread like wildfire.
It was said that the team had originally consisted of only three members. After advancing to Gold rank, two more had joined them, including the Wise King of the Forest, whose strength had reached the Hero tier.
By most estimates, the team now had at least four Hero-level powerhouses. People could not help but marvel. What kind of monster party was this? The strongest warrior in the Kingdom was only at the Hero tier.
And yet four of them had appeared at once, all in a single team. It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.
...
The Spinning Bird Inn was packed to capacity.
Armored soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with Magic Casters in robes. There were even a few well-dressed nobles mixed in among them.
People who would normally never cross paths now wore the same bright smiles, raising their mugs high as cheers rang through the tavern.
"Cheers!"
The scent of ale filled the air. They were celebrating victory. Celebrating survival. After enduring the crushing pressure of the Undead invasion, everyone needed an outlet.
At the bar, Naohara watched the revelry and took a sip of ale. The roar of cheers and the rich aroma of malt blended together, making the moment feel almost unreal.
Beside him, Clementine held her glass and took small, measured sips. For once, she did not dislike the lively atmosphere.
Even Hamsuke sat on a specially made chair, clutching her custom hamster-sized mug. Her plump face was slightly flushed as she hiccupped between drinks.
Naohara raised his cup toward the crowd, then glanced at the two figures sitting stiffly beside him.
"You two, relax. Have a drink. Think of it as part of the plan."
Looking at the somewhat tense Doppelgängers, Naohara smiled and raised his glass. Before they could react, he clinked their cups together and drained his in one go.
The two Doppelgängers froze.
They looked at Naohara. Then at their own cups.
Their minds felt dizzy.
Had the Supreme Being just toasted them?
Doppelgänger Herohero: Should we kneel and thank the Supreme Being for this honor?
Doppelgänger Momonga: …No. Naohara-sama said it's part of the plan. We'll just follow along.
Though their hearts pounded with excitement, they kept their composure and finished their drinks. When no one was looking, they quietly stored the cups away.
These were the cups that had touched the Supreme Being's glass. They planned to take them back to The Great Tomb of Nazarick and show them off to the other demons.
Meanwhile, Naohara had no idea what they were thinking. He was chatting with one old man and one young man at the bar.
"Yago, why are you bald?"
Naohara looked at his familiar drinking companion, his gaze fixed squarely on the man's smooth scalp, amusement evident in his tone.
"Well… it's a long story."
Yago rubbed his shiny head and sighed, casting a resentful glance at Ainzach beside him.
The response was immediate.
Bang!
Ainzach's fist came down cleanly on Yago's head. A miserable cry rang out as Yago collapsed on the spot.
"You brat, and you still dare to look dissatisfied? Be grateful I didn't shave what's below too."
Ainzach snorted at the fallen Yago, then turned toward Naohara with a friendly expression.
"My apologies. You had to see that."
"It's fine. I can more or less guess what happened."
Naohara glanced at Ainzach's equally bald head, then at the motionless Yago on the floor.
There was only one thing to say.
"Serves him right."
...
While Naohara was chatting with Ainzach, several figures in a corner of the inn were carefully watching Naohara and the others.
"Naohara-san and his group have really become celebrities."
Ninya of the Swords of Darkness looked at them, surrounded by people on all sides, and let out a quiet sigh.
"I've worked so hard, but it still feels like we live in completely different worlds."
She unconsciously touched the necklace at her throat and the cloak around her shoulders.
After they had parted last time, Ninya had rushed back and found her companions' bodies. Using the magic scroll Herohero had given her, [Shallow Twilight Cavern], she successfully revived them.
After giving them a brief explanation of what had happened, the newly revived Swords of Darkness decided to take revenge on the thieves first. They spent several days tracking down the enemy's hideout, then launched a surprise attack and wiped them all out.
Once that was settled, they discussed their next step and chose to return to E-Rantel to look for news of Naohara and the others, so they could repay the debt of being saved.
But the Undead assault on the city forced them to stop. They had no choice but to focus on dealing with the Undead until the crisis finally ended. Only then did they enter E-Rantel.
From the rumors among the townspeople, they learned that the ones who had resolved the disaster were the very people who had saved them. So they hurried here without wasting a second.
"Aren't you going to go say a few words, Ninya?"
Captain Peter looked at her and asked quietly.
"…No. Not now. I'm still too weak."
Ninya shook her head. She wanted to go over badly, but when she thought about her plan to ask for guidance, she forced herself to hold back.
In her own mind, she had already decided to treat Naohara and the other two as her masters. But she was still far too weak. She would go when she had become stronger.
"We might not be like our benefactors, but as long as we take it step by step, and make good use of those items, we'll definitely reach Mithril rank in a few years."
Sensing her disappointment, Dyne, the team's Druid, hurried to comfort her.
"But honestly…"
Lukrut looked at Ninya, now back in women's clothes, and couldn't help teasing her.
"Ninya, you finally gave up that terrible disguise. You have no idea how hard we worked to spare your feelings."
"I didn't know you'd figured it out ages ago. I thought my disguise was perfect."
Hearing Lukrut's teasing, Ninya felt a little embarrassed. She had suspected her companions might have noticed before, but hearing it said out loud still left her feeling down.
After Herohero's earlier advice helped untie the knot that had been sitting in her heart for so long, she had given up the disguise and returned to dressing as a woman.
She had even wanted to surprise them, but everyone had worn the same look, as if to say, We already knew, we just didn't bring it up.
"It couldn't be helped. Your tells were everywhere. Like when I told you to go have some fun at a brothel, or how you never once bathed with us."
Lukrut laughed and shot her a glance as he spoke. With her female look restored, Ninya was genuinely pretty. For a moment he felt like he had missed an opportunity, but after his eyes drifted to her chest, he shook his head. Never mind. Not his type.
"Shut up. Only a frivolous guy like you would even think of dragging Ninya to a brothel."
Captain Peter looked fed up. Everyone else in the team was decent. How had they ended up with someone like this?
"You don't get it. That's what living is."
Peter and Lukrut immediately started bickering. Dyne hurried over to break it up, while Ninya sat to the side, smiling as she watched the scene.
In the distance, Naohara, who had been chatting with Ainzach, withdrew his gaze.
"Then I'll look forward to seeing you next time."
...
The celebration went on for a long time, and it wasn't until deep into the night that people finally began to drift away.
Upstairs, in a room on the second floor, Naohara was playing cards with Momonga to pass the time. Clementine and Herohero sat nearby as spectators.
As for Hamsuke, she was asleep in the haystack out back. The hamster lady had drunk too much and was completely out cold.
"Next, I should…"
Just as Naohara was thinking about what to play, a knock at the door broke his concentration.
"Albedo?"
Catching that familiar scent, Naohara gestured for Clementine to open the door, then looked expressionlessly at the fully armed succubus standing there.
"Naohara-sama!"
Albedo stepped inside. She gave Clementine a quick, subtle look, then removed her helmet and dropped to one knee in a respectful half-kneel.
"Herohero-sama encountered a group carrying a World-Class Item and sent me to inform you to come at once."
"A World-Class Item?"
Naohara's expression tightened slightly. So Herohero had run into the Black Scripture from the original story. That World-Class Item had to be Downfall of Castle and Country.
"Yes, Naohara-sama."
"To ensure nothing goes wrong, Momonga-sama retrieved several World-Class Items from the Mausoleum and rushed to the scene first, accompanied by several fully equipped Floor Guardians."
"The two-sama have already deployed barrier magic and successfully restrained the other side. They are currently waiting for Naohara-sama to arrive."
"I see."
Naohara wasn't surprised. With Momonga's cautious nature, and with Herohero there as well, they would definitely observe first. Without confirming what they were dealing with, they wouldn't make contact.
"Then let's go. Leave things here to you."
Naohara glanced at Albedo, said a few words to the Doppelgängers and Clementine, and then followed her into the pitch-black Gate.