One hour later:-
Three adventurer parties had decided to go on a somewhat high-ranking quest: exterminating Goblins and possibly their nest.
These creatures had been attacking nearby villages, looting them, and kidnapping women and children during their raids.
It was technically a Gold Rank quest. However, since two of the parties involved were Silver Rank, they were eligible to take a quest one rank higher than their current standing without any problem.
Not to mention, their combined party consisted of three adventurer groups, a total of eight members, so it was anything but hard or risky with this much manpower.
The three adventurer teams were: Reinhard and Felt first; the "Swords of Darkness" second; and Momon and Nabe third.
And, as it was mentioned, Momon and Nabe were late. Not by too much, but they were definitely later than their agreed meeting time at the E-Rantel city gate to go on the quest which they had decided to join by themselves, going as far as to say it would be alright if they wouldn't get any rewards.
It was afternoon, and the group waited in the shadow of the massive city wall to avoid sweating from the sun's heat.
The road was busy with merchants going and coming, as it was the most active time of the day.
As they waited by the side of the road in the cool shadow of the wall, Peter checked his gear for the one-hundredth time.
He asked his party members if they didn't forget anything.
It would be quite embarrassing if they realized they were missing supplies in front of the others later on the quest.
And so, they were waiting for the last party to join before they could go. It had been five minutes past the agreed meeting time now.
Peter Mauk, leader of the Swords of Darkness, adjusted his sword belt for the sixth time as he looked down the road, straining his eyes to see Momon and Nabe.
To be honest, Peter was excited. Nervous, but excited nonetheless. He was going on a quest with a two-person rookie team, one being the talk of the whole city, especially among adventurers.
The party that jumped from Copper to Silver not in weeks or days, but in a matter of hours.
It sounded like a bunch of bullshit if he had heard it in another city from someone else. But he too was present in the city and witnessed the aftermath. So, nope, it wasn't a bunch of bullshit.
One may or would ask why he was so excited about going with adventurers of the same rank, other than them being somewhat strong. Well, nothing else but just going.
He, for one fact, sure knew... that Reinhard and Felt would be way above them in a matter of weeks. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if it happened in just a few days.
"Momon is late," Peter said, shading his eyes as he looked down the main cobblestone street leading to the gate.
He saw carts, he saw guards, but he saw no sign of the black-armored man.
Felt, standing by Reinhard's side, kicked at a loose stone on the ground. She had her arms crossed, her foot tapping an impatient rhythm against the dirt.
"That he is," Felt snapped. "Making us wait like we are his servants or something. Who does he think he is?"
Reinhard, standing perfectly still with one hand relaxed at his side and the other resting lightly on his sword, just smiled a little. He radiated a calm patience that contrasted sharply with Felt's irritation.
"I'm sure he will be here soon, Lady Felt," Reinhard said soothingly. He wasn't in a hurry, nor were the others, but seeing Felt's reaction, it seemed she didn't like Momon, probably still holding a grudge from being knocked over by him yesterday.
He said again, "Perhaps he got busy with some urgent matter. Preparing for a journey often has unexpected delays."
"We said an hour," Felt grumbled, scowling at the empty road. "An hour is an hour."
Before Reinhard could offer another excuse for the tardiness of Momon, Peter perked up, pointing down the road.
"Oh! There they are. They are coming."
The group turned to look. Parting the crowd like a ship cutting through water, Momon approached.
His black armor absorbed the dying sunlight, reflecting glints of it, making him look even more imposing than usual in the daylight.
Behind him, Nabe walked with her usual cold grace, her eyes scanning the surroundings as if expecting an ambush or something unworthy to jump out.
It took a few seconds for them to reach the group. Momon stopped, his heavy boots clanking against the stone.
"I apologize for being late," Momon's deep voice rumbled from within his helmet. He sounded genuinely apologetic.
"An urgent matter came up just in time of departing. I had to secure some... supplies that I nearly forgot. I hope I didn't make you wait long."
In reality, Ainz had been frantically lecturing Nabe one last time about not calling humans "insects" so as not to antagonize others, and not to mention having to go back somewhere due to an urgent matter that took quite a few minutes, if not more.
Peter waved his hands dismissively, eager to keep the peace. "Hey, it's no problem! No one knows what comes up when or where. And it's not like we waited here for a long time. Just a few minutes."
Reinhard joined in with a nod, his smile unwavering. "He is right. It was no problem at all. We are just glad you could make it."
Felt let out a long, loud sigh, making sure everyone heard it. It was clear she didn't hold him high in her eyes.
Momon internally thought, 'She is still angry from yesterday. Huh. What a hassle. Kids do hold grudges longer... Maybe she will forget it later. I hope so.'
"Can we go now?!" she asked, looking between the men. "If everyone is finally here? Daylight's burning, and money doesn't wait."
She was like a merchant, willing to go anywhere as long as she gets money and nothing else matters.
Momon looked down at the small girl, then at Reinhard. "Yes. Let us depart."
With the party finally assembled, the group of eight turned their backs on the E-Rantel city gate, departing for their quest.
….
A/N: Yeah yeah i know it is a short chapter. But the next chapter is twice of this one.
Oh and if you want to read the next chapter immediately its already available on my discord. Free of course no charge…
https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y