With the help of these three small-time crooks, the Last Defender of the Way adventure team hooked up with the Thieves' Guild.
Under Barrett's barrage of bribes, and after EeDechi showed off by smashing three Adamantite warriors with a single punch, the Thieves' Guild's master followed every word from EeDechi's group of three people and one cat, and quickly set up the teleportation circle to E-Rantel.
...
Eight Greed Kings Desert, the City of Remnants, underground temple.
The tall Albedo stood in the underground city, stepping over the moat piled high with gold, silver, and jewels, entering the grand city gate, and climbing onto the lift platform.
She had originally led the supreme conquest team to excavate ruins in the Eight Greed Kings Desert. After Demiurge's presence vanished, she rushed over to the City of Remnants without a moment's rest.
Thirty level-100 guardians sat on the throne, their voices unified and booming, "We have already told you about the great deeds of the eight emperors surpassing level 100. But we cannot provide a way to reach the Godfall Lands. The last skyship has been given to the previous guest—you're too late."
Albedo nodded slightly, showing she didn't mind.
"Guest, do you have any other requests?"
Albedo straightened her back, her fair face unusually serious. "I want to know about one important major event. I've been digging into this secret for years, but I've come up empty. Still, I haven't given up, because I believe the book's author wouldn't lie to me."
The thirty level-100 guardians exchanged glances and spoke in unison: "Speak freely. The thirty of us have inherited the empire's glory—we know everything there is to know and can surely give you an answer."
Albedo was over the moon, her eyes sparkling with endless delight as she beamed, "I want to know, how can a level-100 undead skeleton grow a dick?"
"..."
The thirty level-100 guardians all fell silent.
Silence...
A long, drawn-out silence...
Finally, one wizard guardian spoke up, shattering the temple's quiet. "Little nympho, we don't have an answer either—we can only offer a line of thinking.
"As everyone knows, dirt can't be inlaid into gold. A level-100 undead's body is gold, while ordinary flesh is dirt. If you want to make your wish come true, you need to find material equal to gold to forge the dick and inlay it on.
"In other words, you need flesh material that's level-100 or close to it."
Albedo furrowed her brow and sighed in defeat. "That's not how it's written in the book."
"What book? Some magic tome?" a bunny-eared guardian asked curiously.
Albedo pouted, and a thick red book with gold embossing appeared in her hand. "This one."
The thirty guardians fixed their eyes on it and nearly spat blood—Albedo's book was The Extraordinary Demon Lord's Exclusive Love for the Proud Princess. It was just a romance novel!
...
The direct city under the Sorcerer Kingdom, E-Rantel.
EeDechi and her group stepped out of the teleportation array hall, only to find the area ahead riddled with scorch marks, like it'd been torched on a whim. The Dragon Zoo was empty too, all the original giant dragon specimens gone.
EeDechi stretched lazily, ignoring the patrolling death knights nearby. "Let's go, to Baharuth!"
The three wandered around the square for a bit, pulling out a map to hash out which way to head next.
They roamed aimlessly through E-Rantel a few times, picking up supplies and weapons, and swapping their gold bars for a few bags of gold coins issued by the Sorcerer Kingdom. Before long, through the glass wall of a cafe, they spotted an old acquaintance sitting inside.
William Scott, his posture tall and straight, sat rigidly in the cafe, his red hair still a chaotic mess like a bird's nest.
Across from him, a slender young girl perched on a bamboo chair, her face flushed with shyness, nervously stirring her coffee.
William looked dead serious, saying something all straight-laced, and the girl's hopeful expression crumbled in an instant. She bit her lip lightly, fighting back tears with everything she had, then covered her face and bolted out of the cafe.
Once the girl was gone, William sat alone in the cafe for a while, then walked out the door with a blank look on his face.
The moment he stepped outside, he ran smack into EeDechi's group of three people and one cat.
"Kid, how'd you go and piss off a pretty girl like that? Careful, or you'll end up alone for life," Barrett teased.
"Lord Hero!" William's expression was full of surprise. He suddenly went on high alert, scanning the street left and right, and only relaxed once he was sure there were no suspicious people around, smiling as he greeted EeDechi.
The group went into the cafe, settling down in a quiet corner to chat about recent fun stuff.
"What's the deal with that girl?" Barrett smiled, ready to school William a bit on love and romance like a wise old mentor.
"She's my junior—she asked me out, confessed her feelings, and I turned her down." William's voice was totally calm.
"You don't like her?" Barrett asked. He remembered the girl was drop-dead gorgeous, with an air about her like some noble's pampered daughter.
"Why?" Franco jumped in, totally baffled. "She's smoking hot. Even if you don't like her, you could just say yes for now, tumble in the sheets, bang her quick, and it's no skin off your nose."
"No, I do like her." William shook his head. "But if I accept her confession, I've got to take responsibility for her. My path's meant to be a solo journey—I can't drag anyone else into it."
EeDechi's heart suddenly clenched. William still had the enemy who murdered his father and brother etched in his mind, never forgetting his revenge for even a second.
But his enemy was the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the king of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the level-100 demon god—Ainz Ooal Gown.
William recounted his experiences from this time period in detail. He was still attending the racial integration school in E-Rantel, with top-notch grades and stellar performance—he'd even been elected as the student council guildmaster.
Thanks to his Innate Talent for using any magic items, even without any magical aptitude, he still stole the show in the academy's combat tournaments, earning rave reviews from the teachers sent by the Sorcerer Kingdom.
Even when Ainz Ooal Gown came to check out the school's setup, William got picked as the rep and snagged a commendation from Ainz himself.
That was the closest William had ever gotten to the enemy who'd killed his father and brother. Thinking back to kneeling less than five meters(16.404 feet) away from Ainz, a smile tugged at William's lips, loaded with deeper meaning.
"You still dead set on revenge?" EeDechi stirred her coffee, a flicker of worry in her eyes. To EeDechi, William's mindset was rock-solid, sure, but his power was way too puny. Even with that Innate Talent, it wouldn't crank up his strength by much.
His plan was straight-up suicidal—like a moth flying into a flame or an ant picking a fight with an elephant. It was a one-way ticket to the grave.
"Lord Hero, no need to fret. I'm closing in on my target one step at a time, right? Sure, in Ainz's eyes, I'm still just a worthless speck, but I've earned his trust. His arrogance, his ego—they're my perfect camouflage."
William stared steadily at EeDechi, his gaze firm and piercing.
Even a small stone should sharpen its edges to make those who dare to tread on it regret it!
EeDechi thought back to the words she'd once said, and couldn't help but feel moved. The seed of defiance she'd planted in the kid's heart had finally taken root, sprouted, and shot up into a massive tree.
"You can't kill him—the power difference is too huge." EeDechi tried to talk William into dropping this pie-in-the-sky goal.
"I know." William gave a slight nod. "But I've got to make him feel the pain, make him repent for his crimes!"