Because the challenge had ended, the crowd began to disperse on the spot.
At the request of the Adventurer's Guild staff, the crowd cleared the way, ensuring the road in front of the guild's entrance didn't become crowded or disrupt business.
Meanwhile, the fallen adventurers were carried away, quickly clearing the area and signaling the end of a good show.
However, Riezel and Ainz remained in place and didn't leave.
They stared at each other in silence, and after a moment, Riezel stepped closer to Ainz.
"Lord Ainz!"
Narberal reacted to Riezel's movement, immediately placing a hand on her sword, ready to step forward and protect Ainz.
"Don't do anything rash, and call me Momon."
Ainz grabbed Narberal's hand, feeling dissatisfied with her behavior.
He had told her so many times to conceal their identities and relationship when in public, yet she still occasionally acted like this and accidentally let slip his true name, making him regret bringing her along.
If it weren't for the fact that most of the NPCs in the Great Tomb of Nazarick had heteromorphic appearances and few were suitable to bring into a human city, he really wouldn't have taken her with him.
As for going out alone, that was out of the question.
Every NPC in the Great Tomb of Nazarick wouldn't allow their supreme ruler to wander into human territory without any guards, so with no other choice, he had to keep Narberal in check while focusing on Riezel, who had approached him.
"Well, isn't this Sir Dark Warrior? So you've come to E-Rantel too?"
With a faint smile, Riezel greeted Ainz, who was clad in full black armor.
"Umu, it's been a while, Sir Riezel..."
Ainz wanted to correct how Riezel addressed him but felt a bit embarrassed, remembering that it was he who had told Riezel to call him that.
"I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had gone off to some hidden place to seek out treasures."
Saying this, Ainz tried to gauge Riezel's intentions.
He had started to suspect that Riezel was a player from YGGDRASIL, so his wariness toward Riezel had reached unprecedented levels.
Riezel, however, didn't seem to pick up on this and, instead of agreeing with Ainz's words, responded with a question.
"I'm actually curious, why has Sir Dark Warrior only just appeared in E-Rantel now? It's been a few days, after all." Riezel spoke casually, then shot a glance at Narberal. "I thought you had left the grasslands for the big cities already, but it looks like you've been busy with something."
Riezel's implication was clear to anyone listening.
Narberal glared at Riezel, her face as cold as ice.
"Don't get me wrong." Ainz replied calmly and deliberately blocked Riezel's view of Narberal. "She is my companion and has been with us from the start, but on the night we ran into you, she happened to be looking for a way to the city."
In other words, Ainz was trying to express that Riezel and Narberal had missed their chance to meet at that time.
"I see..." Riezel nodded, and then, as if remembering something, asked another question. "What about the guy who was with you last time? I don't see him around."
"He went to another city." Ainz responded with a feigned sense of helplessness. "You also know we're avoiding our enemies, so it's better to split up like this."
"Alright then. Since Sir Dark Warrior says so, I guess that's how it is." Riezel replied with a half-smile.
"Umu, I'm glad you understand." Ainz tilted his helmet slightly as if smiling at Riezel. "Let's not talk about me. What about you? Ever since I arrived in this city, I've been hearing all kinds of rumors about you. Seems like you've been pretty busy these past few days."
"Not too much." Riezel shifted his gaze to Ainz's helmet as if trying to see the expression underneath. "I'm new here, so it's normal to run into some unnecessary trouble."
"Oh? Now that you mention it, I heard you just became an adventurer a few days ago. Is that true?" Ainz finally revealed his true intention.
"Yeah, the day I became an adventurer was the same day I ran into you. Pretty wild coincidence, huh?" Riezel replied bluntly, his expression surprisingly calm.
Such a blunt reply threw Ainz off guard.
How was he supposed to respond to that?
Should he directly ask why, if Riezel had only just become an adventurer, he was claiming it as his main job?
However, wouldn't that raise a clear suspicion?
Honestly, he didn't want to appear too obvious about it.
"Hmm, that's definitely quite the coincidence..." Ainz muttered, calculating how to test the waters further.
However, before he could gather his thoughts, Riezel spoke first.
"Is Sir Dark Warrior at the Adventurer's Guild for something specific?" Riezel asked, changing the topic.
"Indeed..." Ainz replied, interrupted from his thinking. "I'm planning to settle in this city first, so I'm preparing to become an adventurer."
He wasn't lying about this and truly intended to settle in E-Rantel by becoming an adventurer.
It was mainly for two reasons.
One was to gather information about this world.
Just like Riezel when he first arrived in this world, he believed that organizations like the Adventurer's Guild would help him, being unfamiliar with this world, to gather various information about it.
Because of this, he planned to become an adventurer first, giving himself an identity to act under while slowly collecting information.
As for the second reason, it was simply to gain fame.
Yes.
Ainz planned to make a name for himself in this world under the identity of 'Momon'.
As long as he could build a reputation, he could become a higher-ranked adventurer, and once he became a higher-ranked adventurer, he would have the opportunity to tackle more challenging quests, meet the people who posted those quests, and gradually connect with the upper echelons of this country and world.
As long as he could engage with high-status individuals, he could learn secrets unknown to ordinary people, uncovering the depths of this world.
If everything went smoothly, perhaps he could eventually tie the achievements and influence of the renowned adventurer Momon back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, spreading his name as the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick—Ainz Ooal Gown.
At that time, he might even attract players from YGGDRASIL or perhaps draw his former guild companions, who belonged to Ainz Ooal Gown.
All of these were why Ainz planned to become an adventurer.
Of course, Riezel was aware of this.
In the original work, that was how Ainz had been plotting, and he certainly wouldn't forget it.
It was also for this reason that he had refused Gazef's invitation to head to the royal capital with him, choosing to stay in E-Rantel instead, waiting for Ainz to come.
It couldn't be helped.
All of this was because the cautious Ainz had only revealed information about ninety-nine Tier Magic and then shut up about everything else.
He was, after all, still eager to learn about Ainz's other Tier Magic, so he definitely wasn't going to miss this opportunity just because he was tagging along with Gazef to the royal capital.
At this moment, Riezel acted as a guide and began explaining things to Ainz.
"If you want to join the Adventurer's Guild, you need to prepare five silver coins as a registration fee. If you want help with writing, you'll need to pay an additional five copper coins. Other than that, there aren't any specific requirements. If you're ready, just go to the counter over there and ask the guild receptionist to help you."
Riezel pointed to the interior of the Adventurer's Guild, where the counter directly faced the entrance.
"Umu, thanks."
Ainz nodded at Riezel in appreciation before walking into the guild.
"Hmph."
Narberal let out a cold snort at Riezel before following Ainz into the guild.
Watching the two leave, Riezel smiled slightly before turning and walking away.
Since the one he had been waiting for all this time had already arrived, there was no need to rush. If he showed too obvious an intention to get close, Ainz would start getting suspicious, given his cautious personality.
For now, it was enough to confirm Ainz's location and figure out what he was going to do next.
As for everything else, there would be plenty of chances later.
'By the way, isn't Nazarick about to face its first major event soon?'
Riezel recalled a certain event from the original work.
'I wonder if that incident will still happen?'
Originally, the reason that event occurred in the original work was probably about 90% because Ainz defeated the Sunlight Scripture, prompting the Slane Theocracy to react.
Now that Riezel had been the one to defeat the Sunlight Scripture, it was uncertain whether the Slane Theocracy would act as they did in the original work.
If they didn't, so be it.
However, what if they did?
'If they did... I guess I'll have another chance to reap some benefits from the Overlord.'
Thinking about the possibilities he could influence in that event, Riezel couldn't help but smile a little.
What Riezel didn't know was that the Overlord he was thinking of was already making some arrangements for him.
===
"Nabe."
Meanwhile, once inside the Adventurer's Guild, Ainz lowered his voice and instructed Narberal beside him.
"Use Message to inform Albedo to send several Eight-Edge Assassins or a Shadow Demon over."
Upon hearing this, Narberal immediately grasped Ainz's intentions.
"Is it to keep an eye on that insect?"
It was no surprise that Narberal would ask this.
Both the Eight-Edge Assassin and the Shadow Demon were, after all, skilled in stealth and had various special abilities suited for espionage.
"Umu." Ainz replied, his skeletal eye sockets beneath his helmet glowing red. "Have them monitor Riezel Brynhart closely, track his every move, and report to me daily."
Needless to say, after the recent conversation with Riezel, Ainz had started taking Riezel more seriously and was growing increasingly suspicious of him.
"Understood."
Narberal accepted the order without hesitation and immediately acted on it.