Chapter 21: Causing Trouble for the Emperor

"Great Tomb of Nazarick?" Barrett paused, "Could it be that incident?"

"What incident?" EeDeChi asked curiously.

Sean, Stella, and Barrett all looked at EeDeChi with strange expressions, unable to understand how their orichalcum-level elite adventurer captain could be unaware of this matter.

With EeDeChi's candid expression, Barrett began to recount the event that had shaken the entire adventurer community.

It happened several years ago. Among adventurers, there was a tempting rumor: between the borders of the Baharuth Empire, Re-Estize Kingdom, and Slane Theocracy, there was an undiscovered ancient tomb. Judging by the information from the tomb's exterior, it was incredibly vast and possibly filled with treasures and gold buried deep within. If one could explore it, the rewards would be immense.

Of course, such a massive tomb would undoubtedly be guarded by undead with powerful necromantic magic, and there might be all kinds of bizarre defensive spells. Entering rashly would surely bring unknown dangers.

But none of this could stop the adventurers and nobles from their greed for money and magical artifacts. Soon, someone with a noble background organized several adventurer teams, including some well-known adventurer squads. They all entered the Great Tomb simultaneously to explore.

The final result was that none of the adventurers who entered the Great Tomb came out alive.

Dozens of well-equipped, experienced veteran adventurers disappeared overnight. After that, a new country called the Sorcerer Kingdom rose near the Great Tomb, with all kinds of powerful undead creatures rampant, and no one dared to seek out the tomb anymore.

Barrett spoke of this with a sigh, reminiscing that he had been invited to explore the Great Tomb back then. Fortunately, he refused due to the distance. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here telling this story now.

"Great Tomb, Great Tomb of Nazarick… Sorcerer Kingdom… Ainz Ooal Gown…" EeDeChi furrowed her brows, piecing together the incomplete names in her mind like a string of pearls.

She suddenly realized, "I understand now. I know where their sister is!"

"You know where Arche Eeb Rile Furt is?" Barrett, Sean, and Stella looked at EeDeChi in shock.

"Hmph, Arche is definitely being kept as a part of Ainz Ooal Gown's harem!" EeDeChi declared confidently.

"Harem? What does that mean?" Sean, Stella, and Barrett looked at each other in confusion.

EeDeChi then explained in detail to the three of them the meaning of a harem, which is the process of collecting one girl after another.

In her opinion, since Arche's younger sisters, the adorable blonde twin lolis, were so cute, Arche must also be quite beautiful. Ainz must have taken a fancy to her and added her to his harem. This meant that the twins' older sister was still alive; all EeDeChi needed to do was rescue her.

"But…" the well-informed Barrett raised an objection, "it's said that the King of the Sorcerer Kingdom is an undead, a skeletal being, so he might not have sexual capabilities… Captain, could you be mistaken?"

EeDeChi snorted coldly, "I've been through countless battles and seen it all. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and I've used more toilet paper than the pages of books you've read. The protagonist of an isekai story, Ainz Ooal Gown, is easy for me to figure out even with my eyes closed. I'll negotiate with him to hand over Arche. If he refuses, I'll smash his skull!"

"Isekai? Protagonist?" The three listening to EeDeChi's loud speech exchanged confused glances, not understanding what their captain was rambling about.

The night grew late. After Stella had comforted the emotionally unstable twin girls and put them to sleep, EeDeChi temporarily gave up on her plan to "teach the Emperor Jircniv a lesson in life." The four members of the adventurer team, "The Last Defender of the Way," returned to their rooms and fell into a deep sleep.

As the night faded and the moonlight dimmed, the morning sun began to peek over the horizon, casting its gentle light upon the world. It was dawn.

The four packed their bags, preparing to visit the Adventurer's Guild to see if there were any tasks available. 

Barrett stopped EeDeChi from leaving the inn, suggesting that Sean first go out and gather information in the capital, while the other three waited in their room.

About half an hour later, Sean came running up the stairs, pushing open the inn room door, holding two rolled-up parchments, and gasping for breath, "Uncle, you were right! You and the captain are wanted!"

"WHAT!" EeDeChi slammed the table and stood up, "How dare they! They dare to put a bounty on me?"

Barrett ignored EeDeChi's outburst. He quickly shut the door, unrolled the wanted posters, and carefully examined them. One side of the parchment was stained with white-gray wall dust, indicating that Sean had just torn it from a wall.

Just as he expected, one of the parchments clearly depicted EeDeChi's appearance and attire in oil paint. The portrait was almost identical to EeDeChi, dressed in black with black hair, holding a giant sword, although the expression was somewhat fierce.

Barrett wasn't surprised. The Empire had specialized Magic Casters capable of reading the memories of living people. The mages would extract the memories of witnesses, and then artists could accurately depict the criminal's appearance in a highly realistic style.

Below the portrait, EeDeChi's crimes were listed:

Assaulted "Julina's Forbidden Paradise," killing 5 and injuring 31 people.

Set fire to "Julina's Forbidden Paradise."

Murdered a Marquis.

Reward: 700 gold coins.

Barrett drew a sharp breath. Damn, killing a Marquis of the Empire! This was serious trouble. According to the Empire's laws, not even three EeDeChis on the gallows could calm the nobles and the royal family's fury.

At the bottom of the parchment, there was a special note: The female bandit is extremely dangerous and possesses 3rd Tier Arcane Magic. Ordinary citizens should not engage her and should immediately notify the Imperial Knights upon spotting her.

The other parchment detailed Barrett's attire and equipment but was unclear about his face.

Thanks to Barrett's experience, he had covered his face with a black cloth while looting the guards. According to the parchment, Barrett was an accomplice of EeDeChi, with a bounty of 100 gold coins.

Only 100 gold coins? Barrett shook his head. Comparing people really makes you angry. Hey, wait, what am I thinking? This is the bounty on my head, not an adventurer task reward!

"What do we do?" Barrett raised his eyebrows at his captain, clearly saying, "You should have listened to me earlier. Now we're in big trouble, aren't we?"

EeDeChi impatiently snatched the parchment, frowning. Sean and Stella also leaned in to look.

"The likeness is pretty good, but it lacks a bit of spirit," EeDeChi said, stroking an imaginary beard on her chin, cautiously giving her assessment.

Sean stared at the wanted poster, then at EeDeChi, and couldn't help but swallow nervously.

EeDeChi glared at him, "What, are you hungry?"

Sean scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "Nothing, it's just that I've never seen 700 gold coins before."

EeDeChi: "..."

"It's not entirely the captain's fault," Stella said, looking back tenderly at the twin girls sleeping on the bed, "If I had the captain's strength, I would have done the same."

Sean, who had just swallowed, quickly agreed, "I also agree with the captain's actions. The captain's intentions were definitely good! Those nobles are all useless and corrupt, not many of them are decent people!"

Barrett shrugged. He had indeed been as reckless as EeDeChi in his younger days. This wasn't his first time being wanted. Escaping the Empire's capital would be a familiar task for him. But now, the capital would be heavily guarded, so they needed to think of a plan.

The main culprit, EeDeChi, put down the parchment and gazed out the window, lost in thought.

They were on the second floor of the inn. Looking out the window, today's sky was an incredibly clear blue, with bright sunlight and wisps of clouds floating gently in the breeze. In the distance, they could clearly see the tall, pristine white spire of the palace.

Thanks to defensive magic, this tallest building in the capital had remained clean and bright since its construction.

Our adventurer captain, with a bounty of 700 gold coins, seemed to have figured something out. She tightened the giant sword on her back and said to the others:

"It looks like I have more to do than just taking down the Great Overlord Ainz Ooal Gown. You guys should leave now; I can't help you. Since I'm already wanted, I'll go teach Emperor Jircniv of the Empire a lesson, impart some elder wisdom, and then leave this country."

With that, she jumped onto the table by the window, placed her left foot on the windowsill, and leapt out, her whole body soaring through the air like a black bird.

"Captain!" Sean and Stella shouted, rushing to the window, while Barrett also leaned out in surprise. They saw EeDeChi, dressed in black with black hair, carrying a giant sword, leaping and running across the rooftops of the brick houses with cat-like agility. After a few jumps, she crossed several streets and disappeared behind the rows of buildings.

"Don't worry, with the captain's strength, probably only the Empire's Four Knights of the Baharuth Empire can stop her."