Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

Inside the spacious castle hall, a banquet was underway. After the heroic feat of wiping out the gnoll tribe, Lord Martin Smith hosted a victory celebration in his castle and had personally invited EeDeChi and Barrett to join in.

Although a parchment offering 10,000 gold coins for tracking down EeDeChi was posted on the castle's outer wall, after nearly two months of trekking through forests and wastelands without a proper meal or a cozy, warm place to sleep, EeDeChi and Barrett swaggered into the castle without a hint of fear.

Both of them were reckless adventurers at heart—after all, if you're not willing to take risks, can you really call yourself an adventurer?

Inside the hall, a dozen long tables were arranged in two rows, all filled with people.

Perhaps because the lord title wasn't very high, he was rather approachable.

He announced that anyone who had contributed to the "campaign" was eligible to attend the feast—even the grooms who fed the horses with buckwheat made the cut. Everyone gathered together in high spirits.

The banquet was bursting with joy; the warm, lively atmosphere pushed away the chill of winter. In the stone-brick arched fireplace, pine wood burned fiercely, and the rich scent of pine resin carried warmth throughout the hall.

In the open space between the two rows of tables, people danced a spirited tap dance with hands linked. A few hearty old soldiers, beer in one hand and a foot stomping on a table with the other, belted out folksy tunes in gruff voices praise of spring.

Lord Martin delivered a hearty toast, deliberately trying to make EeDeChi and Barrett the stars of the feast, but the two adventurers politely declined. They settled at a long table in the corner of the hall, busy devouring the delicious spread.

At the table, EeDeChi arranged several opaque wine bottles to shield herself from the curious glances of onlookers admiring the warrior famed for defeating the stone giant, then began ravenously clearing her plate.

Although Martin Smith was only a viscount—just one rank above the lowest baron with a modest domain—the fare he provided certainly did not disappoint the two adventurers.

Whole roasted chicken stuffed with tender mushrooms and sweet bell peppers, braised red lamb that's both fall-apart tender and satisfyingly chewy, honey-glazed roasted suckling pig, oysters brushed with lemon juice, and butter-seared pork… Every autumn and winter delicacy was on offer.

There was also the local specialty: cured ham, sliced paper-thin and chewed slowly to savor its fresh, sweet, and rich flavor—fatty without being greasy. Paired with a couple of refreshing gulps of malt beer, this feast was thoroughly enjoyed.

EeDeChi picked up a few kumquats and stuffed them into her mouth, biting through the skin with bright teeth so that the tangy, sweet juice splattered all over. Barrett raised a glass of red wine to his lips, savoring the aged brew as it flowed between his teeth.

Both of them stretched luxuriously at the same time. A man and a woman, each holding a wine glass, cautiously sat down beside them.

"You guys are adventurers too, right?" asked the silver-haired girl. Tucked among her delicate locks were pointed ears—a clear sign that she was at least half-elf.

Another young man in a red robe cozied up next to her, moving even closer. His eyes were a fiery red, and each breath he exhaled seemed to emit a rush of heat. Barrett shot him a quick glance, suspecting that the man might have dragon blood in his veins.

These young man and woman were the adventurers hired by Lord Martin. Their surprise raid on the gnoll stronghold yielded an indeterminate amount of spoils, but the real mess began when they inadvertently awakened a stone golem.

It wasn't surprising that they recognized EeDeChi and Barrett—the so-called "travelers"—as fellow adventurers. Like magnets, kindred spirits naturally gravitated toward one another.

Suddenly, EeDeChi remembered that her bounty notice was still posted outside the castle. With a cool detachment, she turned away, ignoring their chatter. Yet the white traces of cream clinging to the corner of her lips made it impossible for her to appear truly aloof.

Barrett then engaged in a lively discussion with the two fellow adventurers. After a while, he learned that the young man's name was Dravenir Drakos—an orichalcum-level adventurer nicknamed "Blazing Ranger" who excelled in fire magic and melee combat, a bona fide melee mage.

Just as Barrett had suspected, Dravenir carried one-quarter draconic blood. His father was a half-dragon bandit, and his mother was the nun his father had abducted. Such a background usually spells tragedy, so Barrett chose not to pry further.

The silver-haired girl, a half-elf with an ordinary human name—Emily Darcy—kept her origins close to her chest, far more reserved than her companions. She, too, was an orichalcum-level adventurer, working as both mage and cleric, devoted to the elven goddess Elariontha.

"After defeating the stone golem, did you get any treasure?" the silver-haired girl asked, her bright green eyes fixed on EeDeChi.

EeDeChi picked up a wide-brimmed leather hat to cover her golden hair, leaning back in her chair as if taking a nap, and ignored her.

Barrett quickly replied, "Sorry, he doesn't like to talk to outsiders. That stone golem was nothing more than a heap of rubble—its magical core blew up, so we didn't get anything."

The silver-haired girl and the young man nodded in understanding; after all, strong individuals often have a streak of nonconformity. In their conversation, they naturally assumed EeDeChi was male, which eased Barrett's mind considerably.

"We heard a rumor that a sleeping stone statue was guarding the legendary mage's secret treasure, so we went to check it out—and ended up waking the stone golem," the young man explained.

The girl stuck out her tongue in mild apprehension and said, "Thanks to you guys smashing the stone golem, or else Dravenir and I would have been branded as criminals in these towns. We just don't have the experience or the chops to handle giant constructs."

"I always feel like your companion's face resembles EeDeChi's a bit," said Dravenir, who carried red dragon blood. "You know, right? The girl who's been all over the adventurer gossip lately—the one with a 10,000 gold bounty from the Sorcerer Kingdom."

"Aha, that's right. I've always thought he looked kind of like her," Barrett replied with a stiff smile. "When I'm broke one day, I'll dye his hair black, tie him up, and ship him off to the Sorcerer Kingdom—maybe I'll scam a ten-thousand gold bounty out of it."

EeDeChi snorted in a low, gravelly tone.

"I'd advise you not to do that," the silver-haired girl earnestly told Barrett. "You don't know? Over a dozen people who faked news to scam bounties were exposed by the Sorcerer Kingdom—entire families were wiped out, and even friends and neighbors didn't escape unscathed."

"Yeah," Dravenir interjected. "Even though everyone despises the Sorcerer Kingdom, such a huge bounty really tugs at people's heartstrings. Forget about 10,000 gold—even nabbing the minimum 3,000 would set you up for life.

"Many adventurers once pulled all-nighters for days on end chasing EeDeChi's trail in the wild. But after the Sorcerer Kingdom, based on half-true rumors, killed hundreds of people, hardly anyone dared to look for EeDeChi on their own.

"After all, who can tell if a clue is genuine or fake? Unless you tie EeDeChi right in front of the Sorcerer Kingdom, those undead bastards will find any excuse to kill you and your friends—what else can you do?"

"As an old proverb goes, 'a deal with death always ends in death.' I still don't know who EeDeChi really is, but she's managed to get the Sorcerer Kingdom so riled up that they're hunting her down in full force," the half-elf girl sighed.

A worn, world-weary voice cut into the conversation, "I heard that near the capital, a 3,000-meter-wide chasm has appeared—the result of a battle between EeDeChi and the Sorcerer Kingdom's demon gods."

Everyone turned to look, and they saw the host of the feast, Lord Martin Smith, standing beside them holding a silver wine cup.

He took a sip of red wine and slowly said, "I reckon the demon gods of the Sorcerer Kingdom have been fighting amongst themselves, and EeDeChi might have betrayed them. In this world, aside from those terrifying figures from the Sorcerer Kingdom, who else could emerge unscathed from an onslaught by demon gods?"

"Heh… heh…" EeDeChi, seated at the side, squinted his eyes, hunched over in his chair, and let out a series of incomprehensible grunts.

"What's wrong with your companion?" asked the half-elf girl with concern. "Is he about to fall asleep? You know, sleeping in a chair can give you a chill."

"No worries, just ignore him," Barrett laughed. "When he drinks, he falls asleep like clockwork—and when he does, he starts snoring like a pig."

EeDeChi stretched out her shins beneath her cotton robe and lightly kicked Barrett. Barrett winced in pain, gritted his teeth, and quickly raised a glass of wine to his lips to cover his awkward reaction.

Martin smiled kindly, "You two warriors, what's your plan next? Aren't you tired of this nomadic life? Next spring, I'm leading the militia to wipe out the manticore group that's been raiding nearby villages. We're short on manpower—would you two like to stay and help?"

Manticore isn't a herd animal, and Barrett knew full well that the lord was just making excuses to keep them around. He firmly declined, "My lord, I'm afraid we can't stick around in one place for too long. My companion and I have vowed to travel the entire world. Whether it's the icy deep seas of the far north, the Eight Greed Kings Desert in the south, or the three great nations of the West, we're determined to journey and see the wonders of this world that no book ever captures."

"Alright… fine," Martin replied, his tone laced with regret.

A girl in a cashmere dress ran up to Martin with an angry look on her face, "Daddy, Cheeko's here again! We have to get rid of it!"

"That damned stupid cat!" Martin's gentle expression instantly turned stern. "If we didn't drown it last time, this time I'm going to catch it and toss it into the fireplace! Come on, call over all the knights who haven't passed out yet!"

With that, the lord and the girl walked away.

Under the brim of her wide hat, EeDeChi's eyelids twitched as she caught a glimpse of a blue ball leaping across one of the arched support beams on the ceiling.