Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

In late autumn, everything is desolate. The withered yellow leaves fall in a flurry, drifting alongside the hasty steps of the four travelers, leaving only the bare branches of trees pointing towards the sky.

They are in a small border town of the Baharuth Empire, with the territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom just beyond the town. 

Although the two nations are sworn enemies, most of the fighting takes place in the northern plains, so life here remains relatively peaceful. Especially in the past three years, the Empire's high command has shifted from its usual aggressive stance to a more restrained one, strictly forbidding conflicts with the Re-Estize and recalling the stationed knights to the capital, leading to even laxer defenses here.

The Last Defender of the Way adventurer team only needed to register symbolically at a small border outpost to get permission to cross the border. 

They are now buying long-lasting dried food, camping supplies, and gathering clean well water for their long journey ahead. 

There's no point in hoping for a teleportation array or even a carriage; this place definitely doesn't have smooth roads leading straight to the cities of the Re-Estize. 

Although the war has long since ended, the two nations are still officially hostile, and border transportation routes are scarce. Only profit-driven traveling merchants still brave the muddy paths with their mule-drawn carts, occasionally stopping in this small town.

For the wandering adventurers, the only option to reach the other side of the border is to trek on foot.

For Barrett, well water cannot substitute for drinking water, but there's no way a border town like this would have magically distilled water, so he resigned himself to it. He quickly drew a bucket of water from the well and filled his leather water sack.

Sean's shoulder will soon be fully healed, so as the injured one, he didn't have to work and spent his time strolling through the short market in town with Stella.

Perhaps due to the town's sporadic trade with the Re-Estize, some of the items for sale feature the unique style of the southern part of the Kingdom. Sean and Stella, both born and raised in the Baharuth, were intrigued by these items and lingered at several vendors' stalls.

Barrett took it upon himself to handle the procurement of supplies, not allowing EeDeChi to get involved. EeDeChi was happy to have some free time and went off on her own to find stores selling lycium chinense and dried red dates. According to her, she was running low on ingredients for her "health preservation" potions.

Stella still couldn't understand how EeDeChi, with no knowledge of alchemy, could be so sure that steeping these ordinary ingredients in boiling water would produce a potion that could extend life. But, given that the orichalcum-level leader must have her reasons, Stella decided she might as well try making it herself in the future.

The cleric girl in her white cotton robe held Ureirika's hand with her left, while Sean held Kuuderika's hand with his right, strolling together through the market. They soon spotted Barrett, who was engaged in a heated argument with a thin old man squatting on the ground.

"Why is this borago officinalis so expensive? A tiny bundle for 1 gold coin? Let me tell you, two months ago in Trellami City, a bundle of borago officinalis only cost 10 copper coins and was twice the size of this tiny one you're selling!" Barrett, with his sword strapped to his waist, glared down at the old man from above, his tone harsh and accusatory.

The old man had laid out a tattered yellow cloth in front of him, on which were displayed several strips of dried lamb, a large bundle of dried nettles, several bags of unknown herbs, and a few bunches of borago officinalis.

Borago officinalis, known as the "herb of courage," is said to dull pain and calm the mind.

Adventurers with a basic knowledge of herbs always like to dry and grind borago officinalis into powder and keep a box in their backpacks. Barrett was particularly determined to get some.

The old man selling the borago officinalis was quite aged, with nearly all his hair gone, leaving only a few wisps of white hair fluttering in the wind like thin threads stuck to his head.

He looked up defiantly at Barrett, his cloudy yellow eyes glaring. The significant difference in height and stance did nothing to diminish his presence. "Ha! Two months ago? Let me tell you, the last borago officinalis on Mount Furl withered last month. The season is over, understand? These are the last few plants I grew myself. Take it or leave it!"

"You think you're the only one selling these scraps of grass? I can find others selling it just as well!" Barrett retorted harshly, though his tone betrayed a lack of confidence.

"Ah, go on then, hurry off and buy somewhere else. Don't block my sunlight," the old man said, waving his hand dismissively as if shooing a fly.

"You greedy old man... why don't you just go rob someone? You must have been quite the bandit in your youth!" Barrett said, his voice fierce but with a hint of nervousness.

After searching the short market of the town, it turned out this stubborn old man was indeed the only one selling borago officinalis, which was why Barrett had been arguing with him for so long.

"What's all this noise?" Around the corner, EeDeChi came strolling up, holding a magic insulated cup in one hand and the other hand behind her back, her posture upright. She sipped her lycium chinense tea and spoke calmly, "Barrett, let's speak nicely, no need to bully the elderly. When people are in trouble, we should communicate more."

"Captain, come take a look. This tiny bit of borago officinalis is selling for 1 gold coin per bundle. Does that make any sense?"

"Is it really that expensive?" EeDeChi blinked, "I just bought 6 miras of red dates for only 2 gold coins. The shopkeeper told me they were premium dates from the western part of the Empire, and even brewed some tea for me."

Barrett facepalmed, feeling that his earlier haggling had been completely pointless.

The captain had been ripped off again by an unscrupulous merchant. How could this backwater town possibly have premium dates from the western part of the Empire? Even if they were, they should cost no more than 2 silver coins per mira. 

The shopkeeper was clearly taking advantage of her, making sure she was well-served while being overcharged! So eagerly making tea for her!

Holding her insulated cup, EeDeChi crouched down to look at the old man and said kindly, "Old man, if you're having any difficulties, let me know. Our young friend here can be a bit blunt. Please don't take it personally."

The old man glared at EeDeChi. "What's with all this false politeness? What's the difference between you adventurers and bandits? Are you buying or not?"

After being rebuffed by the crowd, EeDeChi stood up dejectedly. Barrett shook his head, took out 4 gold coins from his pouch, and threw them down in front of the old man. He then picked up the four small bundles of borago officinalis from the stall and turned to leave.

Before he left, he made a parting remark: "If I were still a bandit, I'd definitely target stingy old coots like you!"

The old man, not to be outdone, gathered up the remaining herbs on his stall and spat angrily on the ground.

This small incident quickly faded, like warmth swept away by the autumn wind. Barrett didn't dwell on the rude old herb seller and continued to gather the remaining supplies.

By the next morning, all the necessary gear and supplies for the journey were packed and ready: food, water, medicines, magical potions, vitality elixirs, and more—all stored in Barrett's spatial ring.

The Last Defender of the Way adventurer team exchanged tired greetings with the sleepy sentinel at the town's checkpoint and set off on their new journey.

The crisp morning breeze, carrying the chill of autumn, swept in through sleeves and collars, prompting everyone to tighten their coats around them. Stella's soft chestnut hair was tousled by the wind, forcing her to stop and gather her loose strands. Sean's shoulder was almost fully healed, and he helped Stella tie her hair into a bun.

Barrett, walking ahead, noticed a blue butterfly hair clip on the cleric girl's head that differed from the usual imperial style and asked curiously, "Is that new hair clip from the town? I see its design is not typical of the Empire."

Stella nodded, "Yes, a traveling merchant sold it to me. He even mentioned it's the same style worn by the Golden Princess of the Re-Estize." A blush spread across her face as she spoke.

Barrett thought to himself, "You're as easy to fool as the captain," though he kept this comment to himself.

EeDeChi slapped her forehead, "Right, I had a silver pendant that I could have given you, a family heirloom from that old gentleman who commissioned us last time. Unfortunately, I used it to throw at a bird and it ended up in the river. Such a pity."

"Um... throwing at birds..." Stella blinked, not quite understanding what the captain meant. She and Sean were used to EeDeChi occasionally spouting odd phrases that made no sense and knew better than to press her for explanations since EeDeChi seldom cared to clarify.

The breath of autumn wafted through the wide expanse of the fields, the clarity like water spreading across slopes and embankments, with the dry yellow trees and crops beginning to sway in the breeze.

The travelers stepped over the dried wild grass on the road, continuing their journey forward.

…

"What's going on?" In the fifth floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz frowned at a glowing dot on the magic screen in front of him.

Theoretically, this dot marked EeDeChi's current location, but it hadn't moved since the day before yesterday. Ainz watched it remain motionless yesterday and, upon checking again after waking up today, found it still in the same place!

Does this mean EeDeChi has been standing in one place for days, without moving an inch?

"Could the tracker's magic have failed? That's impossible; it's a legendary item."

"Perhaps Sebas didn't manage to trick EeDeChi into wearing the tracking pendant," said a tall demon in a pinstripe suit with small round glasses standing in front of Ainz.

Ainz shook his head at the demon, "Demiurge, I trust Sebas's abilities. If he said he got EeDeChi to accept the silver pendant tracker, then she definitely accepted it."

Demiurge bowed slightly, "Esteemed Ainz-sama, I also believe Sebas succeeded, and the high-tier tracking magic on the pendant is difficult to detect. However, I've sent a servant to investigate the exact situation at the dot's location. It should return soon."

Before long, a red demon with bat wings approached them, kneeling before Ainz and raising its arms to its forehead. "Honored Supreme One, this is what I found at the bottom of a river where the dot was located. There are no humans at the riverbed or in the water."

In the red demon's outstretched hand was a delicate silver pendant, glinting with a few spots of mud and water droplets, clearly just pulled from the river.

Ainz glanced at the magic screen. The dot had moved to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, meaning the tracking magic hadn't failed.

"Demiurge, what's your take?" Ainz's tone was somber, as he was secretly alarmed by EeDeChi's counter-detection skills.

The silver pendant was an item he had drawn from a gacha before his traversal, with magical effects comparable to Super-Tier Magic—"Eye of Invisibility."

Ainz had given it to an allied player to track others, but now EeDeChi had easily seen through it. She was truly remarkable.

Demiurge picked up the silver pendant from the red demon, his expression serious. "Ainz-sama, I believe EeDeChi is a very tricky character. She sensed our intentions but deliberately didn't show hostility, indicating she has deep schemes.

"We need to approach her with more caution. If we haven't found any force behind her, we might consider making contact and offering some goodwill."