"Explore Peyton Manor, located in the far outskirts of this city, and clear out the undead and evil creatures within. Reward: 150 gold coins. Requirements: At least one orichalcum-level adventurer, one mithril-level adventurer, one female cleric, no more than five members, and the adventuring party must be from out of town."
Barrett furrowed his brow. Orichalcum-level, mithril-level, a female cleric with no level requirement, from out of town, and a party of five or fewer—these conditions fit them like a glove. With EeDechi, a powerhouse of raw strength, this job should be a walk in the park, and the payout was damn generous.
Usually, adventuring parties and clients would haggle for hours over rewards and hidden catches, but a gig this sweet just falling into their laps made Barrett's gut twist with a faint unease.
"The client who posted the job saw your info on the list. He's impressed and specifically wants the Last Defender of the Way adventuring party for this task," the receptionist said earnestly. "He also mentioned he's willing to up the reward if it's not enough."
"I'd like to meet this client—" Barrett started, but before he could finish—
"We'll take it." EeDechi shoved the parchment to the receptionist, her hand slicing through the air as she sealed the deal.
Even though they weren't hurting for cash, EeDechi stuck to her creed of kicking ass and helping the weak along the way. Plus, as an adventuring party, she needed the adventurer gig to keep her cover while sniffing out the whereabouts and secrets of the big bad, Ainz Ooal Gown.
Meanwhile, outside the Adventurer's Guild hall, across the street in a three-story building, a tall, distinguished old gentleman stood by a window. His long, gray-white eyebrows were knitted tight as he stared toward the Guild.
If EeDechi had spotted this old man, she'd have recognized him instantly as the refined, almost otherworldly gentleman who'd recently strolled into the Adventurer's Guild hall.
In front of the old man sat a magical device that looked like an old-fashioned phonograph, its oversized morning-glory-shaped horn aimed straight at the Adventurer's Guild hall.
"Did EeDechi take the job?" the old man asked without turning around.
Behind him stood a stunning blonde woman, looking maybe in her mid-twenties, with soft, curling locks cascading over her shoulders. Her perfectly tailored maid outfit hugged her curvy figure just right. If anyone in Baharuth's noble circles knew a woman this gorgeous was just a maid, they'd probably lose their minds trying to win her service.
The blonde maid unfurled a parchment scroll in her hands, stamped with the Adventurer's Guild emblem. A magical seal on it had shifted from gray to vibrant green—a message scroll issued by the Guild to clients.
"Reporting to Lord Tian, they've accepted the mission," the blonde maid replied.
Sebas Tian, the old gentleman, nodded. "Prepare for the next steps. Also, inform Lord Ainz that this magical device has failed again. It still can't eavesdrop on EeDechi's conversations."
He frowned at the phonograph-like magical device by the window. This was a Artifact from the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a high-tier item capable of piercing most anti-detection spells up to the tenth tier. It reliably reported the names and combat levels of everyone in the Adventurer's Guild hall—everyone except EeDechi and those around her.
"Understood." The blonde maid tucked the magical device into a spatial pocket on her maid outfit. With a flash of white light, both figures vanished from the window.
EeDechi stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild hall, feeling a fleeting sensation, like a breeze brushing over her. She glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary and shrugged it off.
According to the mission details, the client would meet them tomorrow morning to discuss the exploration's specifics and share some intel. For now, they needed to head to the outskirts to prep for the adventure.
The next day, the four members of the Last Defender of the Way adventuring party arrived at Peyton Manor by carriage, as specified in the mission. Truth be told, since forming their party, this was their first proper job.
Veteran adventurer Barrett had already sorted out all the gear and supplies. Cleric Stella, clad in chainmail and clutching a gold-and-white staff, looked nervous, her eyes darting around. Archer Sean had spent the night enchanting his arrowheads with basic holy magic to boost their damage against undead and necrotic creatures.
EeDechi, as usual, was her laid-back self, slinging just her massive giant sword over her shoulder, not bothering with any extra prep, her expression calm and carefree.
A four-wheeled carriage rolled to a stop in front of them, and a tall figure in a sharp black tuxedo stepped out. Barrett's eyes lit up—this was the same dignified old gentleman from the Adventurer's Guild hall yesterday. But instead of heading straight for them, the old man opened the carriage door and helped a blonde woman step down.
The four adventurers were caught off guard. This classy old guy, who they'd pegged as the client, was acting more like a butler. Whoever this client was, they had some serious aristocratic clout.
The blonde woman wore a corseted dress that hugged her curvy figure, her striking beauty rivaling even Stella in her cleric robes. Her haughty gaze swept over the four adventurers, lingering on EeDechi for a moment before she tilted her head and murmured something to the old gentleman beside her.
EeDechi gave Barrett a quick pat on the back, signaling the deputy leader to handle the talk. She wasn't savvy with adventurer business and didn't want to get played.
Barrett tore his eyes away from the blonde noblewoman's plunging neckline, shook his head, and strode toward the pair.
After some back-and-forth, the four adventurers got the gist: this sprawling manor was owned by some noble. Lately, it had been tainted by a dark, corrupt vibe, likely overrun by a necromancer and undead creatures. The job was to clear out the evil lurking inside. Ever since the Sorcerer Kingdom popped up in the distance, undead seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork.
They didn't get key details like the number or types of undead, but EeDechi didn't give a damn. She led her three fully geared, tense teammates toward Peyton Manor's front gate.
As the Last Defender of the Way adventuring party vanished behind the manor's rusty iron gate, the butler-like old gentleman turned to the blonde noblewoman beside him, his tone dripping with irritation. "Solution, what's the deal with this manor? Didn't I say to just buy some abandoned shack near the city?"
"It was Lady Shalltear's call," Solution Epsilon replied, her eyes shedding the haughty noblewoman act in an instant, reverting to her role as a member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick's Pleiades maid squad. "Lady Shalltear said she'd just clear out a manor's occupants herself. No need to waste coin."
Sebas's brow furrowed. He knew exactly what "clearing out a manor" meant for a True Vampire like Shalltear.
"What were the people in this manor doing before?" Sebas asked. The deed was done, so there was no point arguing now.
"A bunch of human mages were holed up in there, holding some gathering about 'unlocking the supreme mysteries of 6th Tier magic,'" Solution said, a mocking smirk curling on her flawless face. "6th Tier magic? What's there to unlock? Narberal was right—they're just a bunch of worthless gnats."