Maruyama Kugane: The Invaders of the Large Tomb

While being conscious of the attention he was getting, Ainz opened the menu that was next to him.

Can't read it…

Ainz slowly flicked through the menu, even though he couldn't read, to prevent others from finding out.

Even though Ainz brought along the item that had previously been lent to Sebas which allowed one to read any language, in the current situation, it would be weird to suddenly take it out and use it.

"Sebas… and Tsuare..."

The image of Sebas along with Tsuare popped up in Ainz's mind when thinking about whether or not to use the item.

"Is something wrong with that woman?"

"Ah, no, it's not a big deal. I was wondering about how she is adjusting."

Although Ainz had handed everything to Sebas, he still had the obligation to ensure Tsuare's wellbeing since he made the promise to protect her.

"I don't think there's any problem. At the moment... because the head maid is currently under house arrest, Sebas-sama is personally teaching her the skills needed as a maid. After she has learned an adequate amount of proper etiquette, she will then study cooking and a few other types of work. We plan on teaching her a bit of everything until we discover what work she is most suitable for."

"Is that so? Well then, it should be fine leaving it to Sebas. Also, it's about time to release those two from house arrest… Albedo’s temper should have cooled off by now."

Narberal lowered her head without saying a word.

Noticing that their conversation had ended, a waiter quietly walked towards them.

"Have the two of you decided on what to order?"

"I'll have iced Makyatia. What do you want, Nabe?"

"I want the same."

"It's okay to order something that you like."

"No, I want to have the same drink. Oh, and also, I want milk to be added to mine."

"Certainly."

Having received the orders, the waiter bowed deeply, and left quietly.

Makyatia was a drink that looked similar to latte, and Ainz often saw it in E-Rantel. It smelled like latte as well. However, since latte and coffee also existed in this world there must be some difference. Nevertheless, Ainz would never find out because he could not consume any food or drinks. He had previously experimented by attempting to eat and drink, but the only results were that everything spilled out from below his chin without tasting anything. Not a single benefit was found.

The reason why Ainz chose this drink was because it was only served in high-class establishments.

It was probably the most suitable choice for the current setting.

While wiping away non-existent sweat, Ainz thought of the most pointless question to ask.

"Nabe... what does Makyatia taste like?"

Knowing that Narberal had tried the drink before, Ainz curiously asked her.

Narberal made an expression that showed that she was thinking. It was the kind of expression one would make such as when being asked what does coffee tastes like by someone who has never tried it once in their life.

"Hmmm... If I had to describe it, I would say it tastes similar to Shakerato. Except it leaves behind an aftertaste of condensed milk."

"...Is that so? Sounds delicious."

Never heard of a drink called Shakerato before. Is this perhaps a type of drink that only exists in thisworld? The possibility of that seems high.

"It's not bad. Only so-so." Narberal replied.

Just as Ainz responded to Narberal with a "Hmmm", the drinks that were ordered arrived.

"Don't mind me and drink up. Otherwise it'll be weird if neither of us touched our drinks."

Having becoming accustomed to wearing his helmet all day long, Ainz did not notice the unnaturalness of not removing his helmet despite drinks being served in front of him.

"Thank you."

"It's fine if you drink mine as well. Anyway, listen up. For the time being, the plan is to first tour the capital in the next two days. I've heard that the amount of goods they sell at the central market is unbelievable. It's definitely worth taking a look. Also, they sell magic items in the center area of the northern market and adventurers frequent that place."

This information was acquired from the captured members of "Eight Fingers". Although most of the reports received were related to the black markets, Ainz didn't have any plans on visiting them. He only knew of it from glancing at the reports provided.

"The third day is to visit the Adventurer's Guild. If possible, I would like to make connections with some of the adamantite adventurers of the Empire, if not, then let's simply complete our current tasks and head home. Overall it should take around seven days. Do you have any other

suggestions?"

Narberal, who stopped drinking halfway, listened in silence and shook her head.

Part 2

The capital of the Empire, often regarded as the manifestation of the Empire's power, contained many aspects which surprised people. One of them was something which the majority of travelers that arrived at the capital were amazed of—that every road in the capital was covered by bricks and stones.

Amongst the surrounding countries—even within the technologically more advanced Theocracy—

the thought of having to cover the roads of an entire city in stones would make most cower. Of course it wasn't possible to do the same for every city within the Empire, but the fact that the capital of the Empire was capable of achieving this further reinforced its might. It was something which often made the diplomats from other countries sigh.

Especially the design of the roads; when one walked on them, one would immediately be able to appreciate their elegance and practicality.

Unlike the typical roads seen elsewhere, the roads in the capital were segregated into separate lanes where the ones in the center were the driveways for carriages and the lanes on the two sides were the sidewalks for pedestrians.

To ensure safety, the sidewalks were raised higher from the ground and were protected by a fence.

At night, street lights which were placed in sets on the side of the roads lit up, powered by magic.

Furthermore, platoons of knights regularly patrolled the streets to ensure the peace.

On one of these roads within the Empire's capital, a young man could be seen humming and smiling as he strolled leisurely on the sidewalk. The man was maybe 170 cm in height, and looked around twenty years old. With blonde hair, blue eyes, and a healthy skin color that suggested he had regularly been exposed to sunlight, the man's features could only be described as common throughout the Empire.

He was not the pretty boy type. If put in a group of ten people, the man would definitely not stand out. However, an indescribable charm radiated from him which seemed to attract other people. It might be because of the invigorating smile on his face, or his confident way of walking.

With every step he took, a metallic jingling which sounded like it was caused by the friction of chains could be heard from beneath his. Knowledgeable observers would realise that it was the noise made from wearing chainmail.

Two swords hung from his waist. From their length, they seemed to be short swords. Parts of the handles were completely covered by the hand guard, with the blades hidden in the sheaths. One could tell that they were definitely not cheap. And finally, a mace and a yoroidoshi were stored behind his waist.

[TL-Note: A Yoroidoshi (鎧通し) is a variant of the tanto and lit. an “armor piercer”. For more information, click here.]

Possessing two weapons was considered normal for this world. However, it was quite uncommon to see someone with weapons which could be used to slash, pierce, and make bludgeoning attacks.

To an average person, the man would seem like an adventurer. However, the well-informed ones would be able to tell that he was a worker simply from the fact that adventurers were required to wear metallic plates around their necks.