When EeDechi had been in Re-Estize, a hitman named Clovis had shown up at her door and, with surprising generosity, handed over his own spatial ring along with a silver bracer.
She had never bothered to deal with the ring until now. EeDechi dug it out, had Franco strip away the soul imprint, and emptied everything inside.
Then she loaded the ring with the five thousand Baharuth gold coins she had exchanged plus sixty gold bars and gave it to Stella.
Barrett had found several spatial rings while exploring the Eight Greed Kings Desert; a few were damaged. He picked out one in excellent condition, packed it with thirty sacks of gold dust, three thousand gold coins, and several ostrich-egg-sized rubies, emeralds, and agates, then presented it to Sean.
Sean and Stella stood there stunned, almost unable to believe their luck. They cradled the rings in their palms as if the treasures might vanish if they squeezed too hard.
The pair bowed again and again, thanking her profusely. This staggering fortune was more than enough to lift them from penniless adventurers to one of the wealthiest magnates in Baharuth overnight.
"No need to thank me," EeDechi said, patting Stella on the shoulder. "Just think of it as the death benefit I owe you."
"Captain," Sean asked, still cradling the spatial ring, "do you still need us?"
"No need for that," EeDechi said with a gentle shake of her head. "This is a war between gods, after all. You two don't have to get involved. Haven't you been wanting to leave the adventurer life behind for a while now? Go on—find yourselves a quiet, comfortable city and settle into a peaceful little life together."
Stella stepped forward on her own and pulled EeDechi into a tight hug. On the other side, Barrett wrapped Sean in a bear hug and gave his back a hearty slap.
...
"At the crossroads of life, different people make different choices. We might not understand them, but we can at least show them the respect they deserve."
The setting sun bathed the wide stone-paved road in golden light as Sean and Stella walked away arm in arm. They kept glancing at each other with matching smiles, completely at ease in one another's company.
EeDechi watched their figures grow smaller in the distance and suddenly felt a deep sense of peace.
"If anyone ever asks me why I'm fighting Ainz Ooal Gown," EeDechi sighed, "my answer is simple: I'm doing it to protect all this beauty right here."
"Captain, I think I finally get it," Barrett said, arms folded as he stood beside her. Franco stopped to watch as well, while Cheeko crouched obediently at EeDechi's feet. The setting sun stretched the shadows of the three people and one cat long across the stones.
At the far end of the stone road, Sean and Stella suddenly turned back. They waved at EeDechi's group and shouted, "Captain! When we get married, you all have to come!"
"Count on it," EeDechi called back with a smile, waving in return.
...
Deep in the temple hall of the City of Remnants, in the Eight Greed Kings Desert.
A floor-to-ceiling fan-shaped glass window shattered with a thunderous crash. Shards exploded outward, glittering with rainbow colors in the dying light of the setting sun.
Through the broken window, a blonde little girl flew straight into the hall.
She was tiny, no bigger than a human child of eleven or twelve. Her glossy golden hair was tied into long twin tails, her skin pale and smooth, and she wore a frilly pink dress. She looked adorable.
The only thing that didn't fit was the pair of small dragon wings sprouting from her back. They fluttered lightly, wind magic holding her suspended in mid-air.
The little girl drifted down and landed softly on the hall floor. She looked up at the empty chamber, her bright eyes burning with fury.
The massive bronze doors burst open. A squad of armored guards marched in with longswords drawn, fanning out into an attack formation and standing ready.
From among the gleaming silver-armored soldiers stepped a noble woman in a floor-length gown—the female leader of the Remnants.
"Little flying girl," the leader asked, "you've come all this way and broken into our hall. What's the emergency?"
"I don't waste words on a bunch of dead people," the blonde girl answered. She didn't even turn her head toward the leader, still facing the empty hall with her back to the soldiers.
"Oh?" The Remnants' female leader gave a soft laugh. "Are you here for the Dragon Progenitor's body? Too bad—it's no longer in this place."
The little girl spun around. She tried to make her voice deeper, eyes full of scorn, but it still came out in a childish tone. "Dead woman, tell me—where is the Dragon Progenitor's body? That's the remains of one of the three ancient dragon gods. Weren't you supposed to guard it properly?"
"It was taken away by an adventurer named EeDechi," the female leader said, spreading her hands with a helpless look on her face.
"What?" The little girl's face filled with shock. Her small mouth fell open in disappointment as she muttered to herself, "My body…"
"Little girl, what did you just say?" The female leader frowned slightly, as if she had heard something strange.
The little girl stamped her foot and let out a deep sigh. Her dragon wings snapped open and beat hard. In a flash of lightning she blasted straight through the temple hall's roof and shot out into the Eight Greed Kings Desert.
...
In a border city of Baharuth, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer party sat inside a tavern, stuffing themselves with food while they talked over their plans for the future.
The table was loaded with a feast. Four huge porcelain basins each held a whole roast duck. Why four ducks? Because Cheeko had her own.
The ducks had shiny, reddish-brown skin that glistened with oil. A gleaming knife sliced through a piece, releasing a mouth-watering aroma. The skin was crisp and satisfying, with just the right touch of juicy richness, perfect for dipping in Baharuth's signature basil-leaf sauce.
The flatbreads were fried golden and paper-thin, filled with tender mushrooms and carrot slices. Some were sprinkled with maple sugar and thin apple slices, while others were packed with chunks of smoked meat and slathered in fresh tomato sauce.
EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco dug in with gusto, savoring the Baharuth-style feast. Barrett popped open an expensive bottle of red wine and poured each of the three people and one cat a full glass.
The tavern was doing brisk business. Patrons gulped down black rye beer while they chatted and bragged, and a few snippets of talk drifted over to EeDechi's ears.
"Hey, you hear the news? In the Re-Estize, Queen Renner's wedding is in one month. The whole country's throwing a massive celebration!"
"Of course I heard. It's gonna be huge—same level of excitement as when Queen Renner took the throne."
"I heard her husband is some kid named Climb. The story's wild: no money, no power, not even a noble. He's just her personal bodyguard, a street urchin she saved when she was little!"
"If I were Climb I'd be grinning ear to ear, heh heh…"
"Dream on, kid. Renner's no pushover. She might've been called the Golden Princess once, but the nobles she's secretly gotten rid of could fill the capital's moat with bodies."
"What about Re-Estize's second prince? Shouldn't he be king?"
"The second prince died a while back—under very suspicious circumstances. Bards say it's tied to the Sorcerer Kingdom. The nobles and royals don't dare look into it…"
"And there's even a rumor that the old king's death has something to do with the Sorcerer Kingdom and Renner…"
"Back when Renner was still a princess, she was supposed to be shipped off to some frontier fief and married off to another noble in a few years. To stay with her bodyguard forever, she teamed up with the Sorcerer Kingdom and quietly poisoned the old king…"
"Tsk tsk. Sounds like the Sorcerer Kingdom and Renner are pretty tight. Not like our Baharuth—the emperor's always gotta watch what the Sorcerer Kingdom thinks."
"I heard another rumor: Renner made some kind of deal with the Sorcerer Kingdom. Remember that story about a town near the capital getting wiped out overnight? And that massive pillar of light shooting into the sky, with gods battling in the sky…"
Hearing the nearby drinkers' gossip, EeDechi's brows knitted together. Suddenly the silver spoon in her hand snapped clean in two.