"Here you are. Henceforth, the two of you are certified Mithril-Ranked Adventurers," stated Pluton, presenting Vahn and Lupusregina with a pair of thin metal plates in a lacquered, felt-lined box.
"Thank you for your hard work," expressed Vahn, accepting the two plates before turning to Lupusregina, prompting her to smile and turn her back to him.
While casually affixing Lupusregina's Adventurer plate to her neck, Vahn glanced back at Pluton and asked, "Did your people get a chance to look into the abnormalities I sensed around the cemetery?"
"We sent a group to investigate..." affirmed Pluton, his expression turning grim as he revealed, "But what they discovered was the opposite of what we expected. There were far fewer undead than usual, and the Priest sent to purify the area reported no abnormalities."
"You don't seem convinced," Vahn noted.
"It's because of our proximity to the Katze Plains, the staging ground for the Empire's annual war," explained Pluton. "Generally speaking, negative energies accumulate over time, especially in the lead-up to and aftermath of war. The fact that there were no abnormalities reported when levels of negative energy should be abnormal is anomalous in and of itself..."
"I can see why you were chosen as E-Rantel's Guildmaster. You possess keen insight," remarked Vahn, nodding approvingly.
"To that end, I would like to personally request that your Party, Retinue of the Dragon, perform a supplemental investigation of E-Rantel's communal cemetery..." Pluton proferred, a bead of sweat trickling from his forehead down the left side of his nose and fusing with his handlebar mustache as he clarified, "I can't promise you a great reward from the outset, but if you uncover anything the previous investigation squad overlooked, you will be rewarded accordingly..."
"Sure. I don't mind being paid contingently," responded Vahn, his smile and casual affirmation lifting a weight from Pluton's heart. As a general rule, the stronger and more capable a person was, the more difficult they were to reason with. Many Mithril-Ranked Parties would require payment even to consider a request, so Vahn's ready acceptance spoke volumes of his character and his overall confidence in his abilities.
"Is there anything else...?" Vahn questioned, preempting Pluton's thanks.
Shaking his head, Pluton offered a curt, "No," before expressing, "I'll send a messenger to inform the guards at the cemetery to allow your Party free passage. By the time you've finished your preparations, everything should be in order."
"Alright—sounds good," Vahn affirmed, nodding. Then, extending his right hand, he shook hands with the surprised Guildmaster before departing his office and the Guild in search of a quality, middle-district hotel. One of the many perks of being a Mithril-Ranked Adventurer was the right to lodge at virtually any inn or hotel at the Guild's expense. There was the caveat that using the service obligated them to assist with the city's protection in the event of a crisis. But as crises were a great way to bolster an Adventurer's fame and receive monetary rewards from the local administration, it was a win-win-win in all but the most dire of circumstances...
...
..
.
As the undead were most active at night, along with negative energies being the most concentrated, Vahn and Lupusregina spent much of the afternoon indulging in each other's bodies before relaxing in a large hot tub he produced from his Inventory. There, Lupusregina straddled and ground against him with glowing golden eyes as he utilized the Message Spell to apprise Ainz of his situation and vice versa.
"It appears that Ainz and Narberal were successfully able to become Copper-Ranked Adventurers under the aliases of Momon and Nabe..." revealed Vahn, his voice a low, sensual hum as he fondled Lupusregina's round, taut, and springy bottom.
"Copper-Ranked? Even if they're in disguise, those fools at the Guild must be blind to label Lord Ainz as anything below Adamantite..." Lupusregina asserted, her brows creasing and her expression scrunching into a ruddy-cheeked pout.
"It's really not that big an issue..." countered Vahn, shaking his head and giving Lupusregina a peck on the lips, leading to a brief makeout session as she eagerly invaded his mouth with her tongue. He was partly at fault, but she was an extremely sexually charged creature. And since he always had more to give, her appetite grew with time.
Waiting for Lupusregina to separate and stare at him hungrily of her own accord, Vahn grinned appreciatively and stated, "We should get ready to head out. We'll scout the situation and, if we find anything of note, we can chance upon Ainz's group and request his assistance. Not that he requires our help to stand out..."
"If we're just going there to scout, you should allow me to take care of it," Lupusregina argued, her breathing slightly labored as she traced her lips with her tongue, tightened her hold on his neck and shoulders, and hotly contended, "I want to be of greater use to you, and such inconsequential explorations are beneath Supreme Beings like yourself..."
"That's for me to determine," countered Vahn, rising from the hot tub with Lupusregina continuing to cling to him, his penis pulsating within her tight and remarkably hot pussy. She was the type that, if he permitted it, would never separate from him. Contrastingly, if he asked or commanded her to release him, she wouldn't hesitate. Thus, after a bit of coaxing, the two of them were on their way to E-Rantel's communal cemetery, their departure attracting many a gaze as the remaining guests at the hotel had spent the better part of six hours listening to Lupusregina's moans echoing as far as the streets outside...
...
..
.
After a leisurely, ten-minute walk to the middle district's entrance to the cemetery, Vahn and Lupusregina were permitted entry without too much of a fuss. The guards were surprised that it was just the two of them, but as even the weakest Mithril Rank was said to possess strength equivalent to a hundred footmen, they just had to fingerprint a waiver of liability, and they were good to go.
"Mmn...this place stinks of death and disrepair..." remarked Lupusregina, her nose twitching as she proactively sniffed at the air.
Though Vahn was tempted to ask how the cemetery differed from The Tomb of Nazarick, one only needed to look around to notice the jarring disparity. Due to the ebb and flow of negative energies, combined with constant squabbles with the undead, the cemetery's terrain was uneven and perpetually shrouded in fog. There were hundreds of trees scattered about, but there wasn't a single leaf among their gnarled branches, many of which resembled the protracted fingers of witches threatening to drain the warmth and life of anything they touched.
"Can you track the path of the previous party? Or, better yet, are there any scents that don't seem like they belong to Adventurers or everyday citizens...?" Vahn questioned, choosing to give Lupusregina a chance to show off. His senses were likely much better than hers, particularly with his Domain, but there was such a thing as being too capable. He didn't want Lupusregina thinking she contributed nothing but her presence and sex appeal to the situation.
"Hmmn...let's see..." hummed Lupusregina, closing her eyes and raising her nose to sniff the air. As she did, her snout subtly elongated, and her nose gained a reddish-brown tint reminiscent of a dog.
"Animal Instinct...Ability Boost...Mental Enhancement...Focus Maximize Senses...Anti-Detect Aura...Detect Negative Energy...Detect Life...Detect Magic..." Lupusregina muttered, each phrase causing her body to briefly emit different colored lights that were imperceptible without the ability to see or detect Mana.
Pointing in the direction of an ancient-looking, vine-covered mausoleum, Lupusregina smiled confidently and proclaimed, "The enemy is that way. I sense traces of people, magic, and undead congregating in that area. And there are at least two separate barriers in place—one to inhibit perception and another to block surveillance."
"Oh? Sounds like someone has a secret they don't want others learning..." Vahn mused aloud. At the same time, he extended his left hand to caress Lupusregina's head, prompting her canine ears, disguised as buns hidden beneath her habit-like cap, to perk up. Her tail also unfurled and began to sway beneath her mantle, but only fleetingly as he retracted his hand and asked, "Shall we go and say hello?"
"Please, allow me to take point..." Lupusregina responded, removing her oversized axe from her back and taking point. As her animal-earred habit suggested, she had Job Levels in the Cleric, Battle Cleric, Warlord, and Hierophant Classes. However, unlike the vast majority of healers, she specialized in close combat, tanking, and infiltration. She even had three levels in the Epic Class, Silent Assassin, so as she advanced, her voice came out like a low purr, her body evaporating like mist as she hummed, "Complete Invisibility..."
"And just where do you think you're going...?" Vahn asked, grinning as he followed Lupusregina with his gaze. After turning invisible, she halted her forward progress and attempted to get around him, ostensibly to surprise him.
Seeing Vahn track her without issue, Lupusregina raised her brows, tilted her head, and asked, "You can see me...?"
"Did you forget about my Domain?" asked Vahn, smiling as he reminded, "As long as it's within ten or so meters of me, I can passively sense even the molecules within the air. Think of it like omnipotence but restricted to a generally imperceptible bubble."
"Damn. And here I was looking forward to sneakily flicking my bean and playing pranks on you without you noticing..." Lupusregina purred, placing her left hand on Vahn's chest and caressing it.
"I mean...you would still be invisible to other people..." Vahn pointed out, matching Lupusregina's energy with a cheeky, wolfish grin. For a moment, it appeared that their exploration and investigation would be delayed for a third time. Instead, after gazing up at him for several seconds with hungry golden eyes, Lupusregina removed her hand from his chest, exhaling from her nose as she explained, "It's a real shame. But since I can only use this form of invisibility once per day, I should probably scout ahead before the effect runs its course..."
"We'll go together," Vahn countered, preempting Lupusregina's response by pointing out, "In case you've forgotten, I'm functionally immortal. Even if I walk directly into a trap that explodes this entire cemetery, I'll be able to walk away unharmed. Your protection and service are appreciated, but I'm far from incapable of defending myself..."
Slipping his right hand into the gap between Lupusregina's white and red mantle and the off-white cloth binding her shapely left breast, Vahn gave it a firm, possessive squeeze as he calmly asserted, "I can't stop you from seeking danger or facing challenges, but for both mine and Ainz's sakes, I will not allow you to face the perils of the unknown in my stead. He values each of you as if you were his children. And though I might be an outsider in this world, I would mourn alongside him if a day arrived where you were no longer able to be at my side..."
"I can see how you were able to seduce tens of thousands of women into joining your harem..." Lupusregina teased, her face flushed and her golden eyes gleaming with desire-tinged moisture. She would sooner tear out her own throat than betray Nazarick, but feeling Vahn's warmth pervading her body as he held her gaze with possessive, passion-filled eyes—she could conceive a future where she served as his exclusive maid or personal-use priestess...
"I may have tens of thousands of women outside..." conceded Vahn, his expression smoldering as he slowly tilted his head, appending, "But here, in this world, I only have you..."
"For now..." Lupusregina corrected, silencing Vahn's response with her lips and long, crimson tongue. The reality of their situation was that many women in Nazarick wanted a piece of Vahn—both figuratively and literally. Her frequent bragging didn't help matters, so while she was happier than she expected to hear that Vahn wanted to keep her at his side, she knew she would garner significant resentment from her peers and sisters if she attempted to keep him to herself...
...
..
.