"Oh, I see. No wonder..." On the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild, Chu Lian and the others sat to one side, speaking as they looked at the group opposite them.
"Then let me introduce myself. I'm the leader of 'Swords of Darkness,' Peter Mauk." The brown-haired man who had stopped them earlier stood up and introduced himself. He did not look down on Chu Lian and her group because of his adventurer rank. He seemed like a very easygoing person.
"That over there is our scout, the 'Ranger,' Lukrut Volve." Peter pointed to the blond youth with a frivolous smile. Lukrut greeted them as well, his eyes lingering on the beautiful Nabe. "Hello there."
After that, Peter gestured toward the squinting, dependable-looking middle-aged man beside him. "This is our 'Forest Priest,' Dyne Woodwonder, who uses nature and healing magic." The light-blond-haired uncle revealed a gentle smile. "Nice to meet you."
"And lastly..." When Peter reached her, he looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, Chu Lian had just pointed out her true identity. For this girl who had always disguised herself as a male adventurer, he did not quite know how to introduce her.
"I'm sorry, Peter. This is my fault." The short-haired girl with faint freckles lowered her head in apology. She had already explained her reasons earlier, and everyone had forgiven her. It was just that they needed time to adjust to the sudden change in her identity, which made the atmosphere a little awkward.
"I'm a magic caster, Ninya." The girl's azure eyes swept over everyone as she introduced herself.
"Ninya is also the brains of our team. Even though she's a woman, that won't change anything for us." After learning that Ninya was actually a girl, Peter's feelings had subtly shifted. However, now was not the time to dwell on that faint ripple in his heart.
"Actually, Ninya is a talent holder." Lukrut kept his eyes on Nabe as he revealed Ninya's background.
"Oh, a talent holder?" Ainz understood what that term implied. "That's a unique ability people are born with in this world, right?"
Since Lukrut had already brought it up, Peter did not hide anything. "Her inborn talent is 'Magic Aptitude.' It lets her master eight years' worth of magical study in just four. It's an extremely useful gift for magic training."
After saying that, he glanced at the still-silent Ninya. Sensing his gaze, the girl lifted her head and forced a faint smile. "Being born with this talent is my good fortune."
"That's quite an impressive ability, Ninya." Chu Lian chimed in, smiling at her. "You don't need to worry that your teammates will react badly now that they know your true identity. Maybe you had some unpleasant experiences in the past, but now you should trust the members of 'Swords of Darkness.'"
"After spending so much time together, you should know them well enough. They won't have improper thoughts just because you're a woman. You were only protecting yourself. You weren't deliberately deceiving them."
Hearing this from the girl who had exposed her, Ninya lowered her head, unsure how to respond. Lukrut, however, waved his hand nonchalantly. "Yeah, Ninya, don't worry. We're not going to do anything weird just because you're female." As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and began grinning foolishly.
"Some of what you said is true, but you're still pretty annoying, you know~" Chu Lian shot him a sidelong glance.
"Ahaha..." Even Lukrut's thick skin could not withstand being stared at by such a formidable girl. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and fell silent.
"Once again, I'm truly sorry for deceiving everyone. But I hope you'll still treat me as the same Ninya as before—the magic caster of 'Swords of Darkness'—not as 'girl Ninya.'" Ninya stood up and bowed to her teammates one by one.
"All right, all right, Ninya. You've already said that three times. We don't mind." The good-natured Dyne smiled, soothing her unease. Peter also spoke up. "That's right, Ninya. Don't worry about it so much. We're still going to adventure together. Didn't we agree to restore the glory of 'Swords of Darkness'?"
Their words finally eased Ninya's anxiety. She sat back down, took a deep breath, and looked at Chu Lian. "Miss Liliana, thank you for speaking so frankly. I finally understand what I should do. I was trapped by my past memories and refused to change."
Seeing her lift her face, Chu Lian's eyes shone with satisfaction. "Young lady, don't worry. No one in this world will hurt you. I can teach you very powerful magic, you know. Are you interested in training with me and becoming a magical girl?"
This was actually Chu Lian's main reason for exposing the girl. There was no need to elaborate on how beneficial Ninya's inborn talent, 'Magic Aptitude,' would be for magical cultivation. Chu Lian wanted to teach her magic while simultaneously gaining insight into the essence of magic through observing her learning process. That would be the most beneficial approach to her own training.
After all, this was her first real contact with magic. All her previous abilities had relied on spiritual power. Even though she had now converted to Magic Power, she still could not fully grasp what magic truly was. It was nothing like learning spiritual power, which had felt completely natural to her.
As a result, over the past few days she had only managed to learn a few basic applications of wind, water, and fire magic. Anything more advanced was somewhat difficult to master.
However, in one aspect she surpassed others—raw power. Her spells were far more destructive, as if she were naturally suited to become a ruinous mage. Moreover, due to her temperament, the magic she controlled could reach an extremely delicate level of precision.
Although this was not yet apparent with her limited grasp of basic elemental spells, she had a premonition that these traits would prove immensely helpful in the future.
"Ah, I couldn't possibly." Ninya did not agree immediately. They had only just met. She would not trust someone so easily.
"It's fine. I'll wait for you to say yes." Chu Lian did not mind. After speaking, she rested her head on one arm atop the table, looking bored.
"There are quite a few people born with talents, aren't there? Ninya's ability should be considered quite strong among them." Ainz, secretly pleased to see his little sister fail to persuade another girl for once, finally felt a bit relieved. Then he looked at the members of Swords of Darkness and asked.
"According to statistics, about one in every two hundred people has a talent. But the abilities vary wildly—some are powerful, some are weak. While I'm considered relatively strong and well-known in this city, there are still people far more capable than me." In this regard, Ninya was quite self-aware.
"It's Bareare, right?" Uncle Dyne supplied the name for her. His words made Ainz take notice, though he did not question it immediately. Instead, he pointed at Nabe and Chu Lian. "Oh, right. This is Nabe. And you already know she's called Liliana—she's my younger sister. My name is Momo. I'm the captain of our team."
After finally introducing himself and Nabe, he asked, "Is there anything special about Bareare's talent?"
"I see. Since you don't know him, you must not be from around here," Peter said. Hearing Ainz's question, he immediately understood why they had seemed unfamiliar with the name. They were not from E-Rantel.
"That's right. We only arrived yesterday," Ainz admitted with a nod.
"Nfirea Bareare is the grandson of a very famous pharmacist. His inborn talent allows him to use any magic item."
Peter's words made both Ainz and Nabe's hearts jolt.
"That person is dangerous." Almost simultaneously, Nabe and Chu Lian leaned close and whispered to Ainz. With their insight, they naturally considered the worst-case scenario.
"I know." How could Ainz not have thought of it? But the situation was still unclear, and there was no way to test anything yet. It would be better to wait for an opportunity in the future.
"Now that we've talked about that, can you tell us what the mission is?" Chu Lian yawned and looked at Peter.
"Oh, right. Our task this time is to hunt the monsters around E-Rantel." That had originally been the main topic of their conversation, but Chu Lian had deliberately steered it elsewhere from the start. Only now did they return to it.
"Subjugating monsters? Well… actually, this isn't a commission from a client." Peter looked slightly embarrassed as he said this.
"Then?" Ainz was curious why they would take on such a job.
"Based on the strength of the monsters we kill, the city will issue corresponding rewards through the guild. That's our pay for this work."
Peter explained, and Chu Lian immediately lost interest. If the monsters were as few and as weak as she remembered, it would be terribly dull.
"I see. So not only can we eliminate monsters, we can also obtain whatever they drop," Ainz said, still viewing monster hunting from a gamer's perspective, assuming there would be loot.
"This is work we have to do to make a living," Uncle Dyne said earnestly. Beside him, Lukrut proudly raised a finger. "But it feeds us and reduces the danger faced by the people nearby. In other words, everyone benefits."
"That's right. So we're planning to head south and explore the outskirts of that forest. What do you think? Interested in working together?" Peter asked with a hint of nervousness. Even the youngest-looking among them, Liliana, had displayed overwhelming strength. The other two were surely no weaker. He was worried this kind of job would not attract them.
"Sure. Please take care of us." Ainz did not mind. They needed to take on quests to raise their adventurer rank anyway. It did not matter what kind. Working with higher-ranked adventurers would also bring greater rewards. Why not?
Upon receiving his agreement, the members of Swords of Darkness smiled.
"In that case, since we'll be working together, let me show you what I look like." As he spoke, Ainz removed his helmet, revealing short black hair and a resolute face.
Chu Lian rolled her eyes. She knew it was merely an illusion. Beneath it all, he was still that skeleton.
"I've heard that people who look like you are quite common in the southern countries," Peter said hesitantly.
After seeing Ainz's appearance, Lukrut leaned toward Ninya and whispered, "Didn't expect him to be a middle-aged man."
"That's very rude," Ninya scolded him softly. It seemed she had already adjusted and was no longer troubled by her own identity.
"If people knew we were foreigners, it might cause unnecessary trouble. That's why we conceal ourselves like this." Ainz put his helmet back on, sounding entirely convincing.
Lukrut had originally been somewhat suspicious about their relationship. After seeing Ainz's apparent age, he stood up excitedly and asked, "Then may I ask what relationship the two of you have?"
Before Ainz could answer, Chu Lian spoke from the side, uttering a sentence that left them petrified...