Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

"You… you're that female bandit!" The Marquis's wife pointed at EeDeChi, roaring with spittle flying from her mouth. "You lowly adventurer! I'll see you hanged!"

A young guard lunged forward with his sword, aiming straight at EeDeChi's chest. EeDeChi sidestepped slightly, grabbed the guard's armored arm with one hand, and tossed him aside effortlessly.

The guard hit the ground with an "ouch," and the remaining guards took two steps back, their encirclement loosening. Instead, they crowded around the noblewoman even tighter. A Magic Caster, who had been waiting for an opportunity, wisely chose to quietly slip away upon witnessing the scene.

"I won't let you and your family go unpunished. Soon, you'll know the consequences of crossing the Luffman family of the Empire!" The Marquis's wife raised her voice, but her left foot involuntarily took a step back.

After witnessing EeDeChi's display of strength by effortlessly tossing the guard, the noblewoman's bravado had turned into mere bluster.

EeDeChi snorted coldly and lifted the giant sword on her back with one hand. Barrett quickly grabbed her arm. "Captain, let's just drop it. We don't need to waste our time with these people."

He knew very well that if they killed another noble in the Imperial capital, they would be in serious trouble.

EeDeChi sheathed her sword and turned to Barrett, said,  "Barrett, there's an old saying: difficulties are like springs. The weaker you are, the stronger they become; the stronger you are, the weaker they get. You need to be tougher so you're not bullied by your opponents, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Barrett guided the girl, who was full of strange sayings, out of the encirclement. The surrounding guards instinctively made way.

The two ignored the furious noblewoman behind them and walked past the guards and onlookers, heading towards the exit.

Not long after, a well-dressed, knightly figure blocked their path as they were about to leave the city.

"Is it Lord EeDeChi the Hero?" The knight removed his sword from his waist and asked respectfully. Barrett took a closer look at the gold insignia on the knight's chest and realized he was a royal knight.

"Yes, I am EeDeChi, but I'm no Hero," EeDeChi replied with her arms crossed. Barrett quietly informed her that this was a High-tier royal knight, which made her more wary of Emperor Jircniv.

The knight bowed deeply. "His Majesty instructed us to wait at the major city gates in the capital. If we encounter the great Hero, we are to present some gifts." 

He signaled to two attendants behind him, who brought up a large mahogany chest. The chest looked quite heavy, bending the attendants' waists.

"This is just a small gift from His Majesty. Please accept it," the knight said respectfully.

The royal knight then produced a small, exquisite silver box adorned with intricate imperial designs. He faced EeDeChi, bowing and presenting it with both hands.

EeDeChi took the box and opened it to find a delicate, golden ring nestled on a red silk cushion.

"Are you proposing to me?" EeDeChi stared at the box in surprise.

The royal knight looked up, equally puzzled, clearly not expecting the great Hero's response to be so.

"This is a spatial ring!" Barrett exclaimed, laughing and showing envy. "And it's of the highest quality!"

"Oh," EeDeChi shrugged and pocketed the elegant spatial ring.

She already wore a spatial ring, one given to her by the local lord when she eradicated a bandit gang in Montell City.

EeDeChi hefted the heavy mahogany chest and stored it in her spatial ring. Then the two bid farewell to the respectful royal knight and exited the city.

As they exited the city, they saw Sean and Stella anxiously waiting. Each was holding a little girl and scanning the crowd nervously. When they saw EeDeChi and Barrett emerge unharmed, they ran over excitedly.

The twins, Ureirika and Kuuderika, whom EeDeChi had rescued, had calmed down significantly under Stella's professional care. However, their origins were somewhat unclear, and dealing with the sheriff's inquiries had been quite a hassle. Fortunately, Sean's quick thinking allowed him and Stella to slip past the scrutiny.

The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked out, with EeDeChi giving instructions while the others listened. They hired a carriage and, with the twins, headed to an inn outside the city to rest and plan their next move.

…

"Captain, what's in this chest? Did the Emperor really give this to you?" EeDeChi took the heavy mahogany chest out of her spatial ring and set it on the table. Sean and Stella gathered around it, curious. Even Barrett, who was usually not very curious, stood by.

The chest was bound with adamantite strips at the corners, decorated with intricate silver designs on the lid, and secured with a steel padlock, which piqued everyone's curiosity.

"Let's see what the Emperor has given us," EeDeChi said, rubbing her hands together.

To be honest, she wasn't particularly interested in the contents of the chest. The Empire's elite resources had produced the renowned "Imperial Four Knights," who were no match for her, so Emperor Jircniv wouldn't have anything of significant value for her.

Stella's brown eyes sparkled as she asked, "But how do we open the chest? Didn't they give us a key?"

"I used to know a bit about thieving skills. How about I give it a try?" Sean pulled out a wire from somewhere, eager to try his hand.

EeDeChi reached for the sturdy steel padlock and twisted it. It came apart as easily as twisting a lump of soft slime.

"Wow…" Barrett, Sean, and Stella stared wide-eyed at the steel lock in the captain's hand, which looked as malleable as clay.

Stella was especially stunned because she could sense that the lock had a magical "indestructible" property. Was this really the strength of a human hand? Even a troll couldn't do this, could they?

EeDeChi casually brushed her hands off, removed the steel lock with the fingerprints still on it, and opened the mahogany chest.

Under the bright chandelier, dazzling golden light spilled out, blinding everyone's eyes. Gold coins! A chest full of gold coins! A chest neatly stacked with Baharuth Empire gold coins!

"Jircniv has a knack for this," EeDeChi said with satisfaction, seeing the chest of coins. This was exactly what she needed. No matter where you are or what world you're in, money is always a scarce resource.

"A whole chest of gold coins… There must be at least three or four thousand of them," Sean swallowed and guessed the amount.

EeDeChi slapped the chest of coins, causing a few coins to clatter on the floor. Barrett quickly bent down to pick them up.

The adventurer captain, thrilled with the sudden windfall, declared, "We'll distribute the money as salaries. Each of you gets 80 gold coins."

"Thank you, Captain!" Sean exclaimed, amazed by EeDeChi's generosity. Stella's face lit up with a radiant smile, her eyes nearly turning into crescent moons, and she excitedly hugged EeDeChi tightly.

EeDeChi inhaled the faint scent from the cleric girl's chestnut-colored hair, the subtle fragrance of camellia lingering in her nose. She pushed Stella away with one hand. "Alright, don't act like a lesbian."

"Oh, Barrett," EeDeChi called out, taking a bag of coins from her spatial ring and then tossing the spatial ring itself to Barrett.

Barrett caught the spatial ring with both hands, looking a bit puzzled. This ring held the main supplies and equipment for the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team, and EeDeChi had never been without it.

EeDeChi tapped the table, signaling for everyone's attention. "I officially nominate Barrett Monde as the vice-captain of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team. He will also serve as the map navigation specialist, logistics manager, warehouse custodian, and procurement officer. Any objections? Raise your hand to vote."

Sean and Stella, still excited about their 80 gold coins, looked at their captain.

EeDeChi gave them a stern look, and they quickly raised their hands.

"Very well." EeDeChi clapped her hands. "No objections, the vote passes unanimously. Barrett, you are now the vice-captain. Take this spatial ring and handle the procurement, storage, and distribution of team supplies. I will use the new ring the Emperor gave me."

Did they really need to set up all these positions for a team of only four people? It wasn't like they were a knight order. Barrett grumbled inwardly. Besides, he was usually the one handling purchases anyway. And even if he had all these titles, would he get separate salaries for each?

Of course, he didn't argue with the stubborn captain. Having a spatial ring was something he had always dreamed of.

Watching the three of them happily counting their share of the gold coin, EeDeChi raised her arm, clenched her fist, and shouted, "Our next goal is to find the Great Tomb of Nazarick, defeat the demon king Ainz Ooal Gown, and rescue the twins' sister, Arche!"