Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

The crescent moon, like a curved hook, gradually climbed into the sky. A thin, transparent gray cloud veiled the moonlight, creating a misty veil over the fields. After the evening clouds drifted away, the smoke cleared from the fields, and the water-like, clear light bathed the gentle autumn night.

The cool, mountain breeze swept away the white mist, drifting down the mountainside, while the shadows of the peaks quickly fell over the village. The darkness grew deeper, blending with the night, but soon was illuminated silver-gray by the moon.

After being expelled from Sheep Horn by the angry old village chief, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team chose to set up camp in the wilderness outside the village. They pitched simple tents and set up a stove, cooking and making soup.

The warm flames licked the blackened soup pot, where chunks of lamb and sliced potatoes and turnips simmered, bubbling and rolling. Barrett chopped some scallions and added them to the pot, releasing an even more enticing aroma that teased the taste buds of the hungry diners around.

A wooden ladle scooped up some of the boiling soup, which Stella blew on before tasting. The flavor was rich, smooth, and delicious. Stella had to admit that Barrett, this mithril-level adventurer in his thirties, was not only more skilled in combat and richer in adventure experience than she was, but also a better cook.

Meanwhile, EeDeChi grabbed a black ceramic bowl, snatched the wooden ladle from Stella's hand, and filled the bowl with large scoops of the still-boiling lamb soup and meat chunks.

She then took a big bite of oat bread and slurped the steaming hot soup from the bowl, chewing enthusiastically and praising, "Delicious! So good!"

Sean and Stella, standing by the campfire, were stunned. Barrett, the cook of the lamb soup, stood by holding a bundle of scallions, equally surprised.

The fragrant lamb soup was just freshly cooked, and the temperature was still close to boiling. They would need to adjust the small fire and wait for the soup to cool to a temperature that was safe to eat before slowly enjoying their meal.

Most people would have burned their mouths if they ate like EeDeChi.

Barrett glanced cautiously at EeDeChi, who was eagerly slurping the boiling hot soup from her ceramic bowl. Once he confirmed she was okay, he let out a sigh of relief and waved at Stella, who was preparing to cast a healing spell. "Don't worry, it looks like the captain's flame resistance is as high as a magma monster's."

Sean adjusted the small fire with a piece of pinewood, then handed out four ceramic bowls to Stella, Barrett, and the twin sisters, who were the "dead weight" in Barrett's eyes.

Each of the five scooped up a bowl of meat soup, with chunks of meat and slices of potatoes, and enjoyed it with thick slices of bread smeared with butter.

As the soup pot neared empty, Stella grilled eight skewers of beef slices over the fire, brushed them with a dark sauce, and sprinkled spices on them. The group savored their meal and finally felt full.

After cleaning up the dishes and cooking gear, they gathered around the warm campfire. Sean and Barrett chatted and boasted while Stella, holding the sweet-natured twin sisters on either side, quietly listened to their stories and occasionally added a comment.

The conversation moved from the magical powers of adult black dragons to the ancient legends of the Eight Greed Kings, and finally returned to Sheep Horn near their campsite.

"Are people from the Re-Estize always so unfriendly? Or have they detected our Baharuth accent?" Sean looked toward the distant village lights on the other side of the hills with curiosity.

"I think the girl who was herding sheep was quite friendly," Stella poked the glowing embers in the fire with a stick. "It's just that the village chief really dislikes us."

Sean nodded, "Yes, every place has its good and bad people. I didn't expect the village chief to be out selling things at the market; otherwise, we wouldn't have run into that uncle."

Barrett wasn't too happy about being called "uncle" by Sean. He thought with displeasure, "I'm only 35, just 12 years older than Sean. I'm still quite young!

Of course, he disliked being called a "young man" or "kid" by EeDeChi, who was even younger than Sean. Compared to that, he could somewhat accept being called "uncle."

"Uncle" added another piece of pinewood to the fire and said, "Actually, the issue isn't just the village chief's attitude towards us. The problem is that Sheep Horn has too few young men, not even enough to organize a capable militia. If we wanted to, we could easily overpower the village with just the women and old men. Their heavy-handed vigilance is really just about fearing they might invite trouble."

"I see, Uncle, you have experience," Sean said. "But where have all their young men gone?"

EeDeChi didn't join in their casual chat. She sat cross-legged, flipping through a book thicker than the Empire's chronicles, titled *The Mystery of Magic*. 

This was a magical book she obtained from Peyton Manor, written by a group of self-proclaimed high-tier human mages. It contained a lot of 4th and 5th Tier magic, the origins of magic, and directions for exploring even higher-tier magic.

EeDeChi had recommended the book to Stella, hoping she could learn from it, but the cleric girl, who barely managed 2nd Tier magic, couldn't understand the spells in the book and had to give up.

A heavy drowsiness began to settle in, and the four of them prepared for bed. Sean extinguished the campfire, and Stella cast a simple protective spell around the campsite.

Since they were camping on the edge of the village, there was no need for a night watch. Everyone crawled into their respective tents. The autumn night in the wilderness was cold, and the thin linen tents did little to keep out the chill. Each person wrapped tightly in their blankets and fell into a deep sleep.

The starry sky stretched across the night, with a crescent moon hanging high, and unknown night insects chirped away.

Barrett slowly drifted into sleep…

His dream was a hazy pink. A girl in a white dress stood among black thorns.

Her wine-red hair fell loosely over her shoulders, with bangs perfectly grazing her eyelids. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her watery eyes seemed to speak. Her petite nose was perfectly proportioned, and her pink face, with its moist lips, made one want to take a bite.

"Raye..." Barrett murmured in his sleep. In his dream, he found himself walking toward the girl, but was blocked by the thorny darkness of the night.

"Damn it..." Barrett reached for his waist to draw his sword and clear the thorns, but found nothing. However, the thicket gradually withered, the thorny branches turning into dry sticks that fell to the ground.

As Barrett pushed through the thorns and approached the girl, her face began to change. Her slightly pointed chin softened into a beautiful oval face.

She wore narrow-rimmed glasses on her fair nose, her wine-red hair now black and styled into a bun. Her white dress had turned black, transforming into a maid's uniform. Her large, expressive eyes seemed to ripple with water.

She smiled gently at Barrett, her elegant and intellectual beauty captivating. It was the iron fist maid he had battled at Peyton Manor. Barrett swallowed hard. But now, the maid's hands were bare, with no dangerous wolf tooth gloves, only delicate hands beneath white lace cuffs.

She gracefully adjusted her glasses, elegantly lifted her maid's skirt, and walked through the thorns towards Barrett.

Barrett felt his heart pounding loudly, its beat clear and loud, like the sound of hooves thudding on the earth.

Thud, thud, growing louder. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

No, that wasn't his heart! Barrett woke up with a start, fully alert. He rolled over, grabbed the longsword under his oak pillow, and cautiously peeked out of the tent.

From the direction of Sheep Horn came the distant flicker of firelight, the sounds of horses neighing, running, cursing, and shouting, piercing the night's silence.

Barrett woke the other three from their tents, and the four of them grabbed their weapons and checked on the sleeping twin sisters.

EeDeChi let out a long yawn. They left the campsite, moving stealthily through the pitch-black night towards the flickering firelight of the village.