Chapter 7 - 『Road to E-Rantel』

Ever since he had gained his senses in this world, all he wanted to do was fly.

Jack's eyes stared at the grounds below as the morning sun consumed the landscape. The grassy plains waved at him as the wind brushed over it. His wings remained spread as he would hover like a seagull before a storm.

He enjoyed the sight of the Warrior Troop moving about the Carne Village in the distance. He also liked how the villagers themselves had begun to follow their daily chores.

Jack watched as children ran off to fetch water from the underground well, playing along the way. His eyes continued to take in the village life as the women hung clothes out to dry. His nostrils flared as he could smell the bread rise as smoke rose from the chimneys.

"Mmm..." It was a good day to hang around.

Glancing to the side, his eyes rested on Aura and Mare as they were flying on up towards him, whilst holding hands with one another. He chuckled as they flew up behind his left wing, using it as cover.

"Cipher-sama," Aura said his name with a small smile across his lips. "Your sister is looking for you," she'd place a hand on his wing. Feeling his feathers.

"She is always looking for me," Jack said as he turned his head back down to watch the Warrior Troop as they were leaving the village. They seemed to be in a pleasant mood, with filled stomachs and their stamina fully charged.

Aura nodded with a big childishly happy smile across her lips, giggling a bit. "You're not wrong. Ever since you've left this morning, she has been asking every single Floor Guardian about you."

"Aren't you happy she can't follow you up here?" Jack asked jokingly as he would turn his attention back to the Village. Nothing seemed to be happening. The Sunlit Scripture didn't seem to have any reinforcements and none even seemed to be on the way either.

"What are you looking for?" Aura asked, as it seemed Mare was remaining quiet, just observing the world around him. Her brother seemed amazed by the world he had done to hide the ruins so well.

"The Slane Theocracy attacked the Carne Village in order to get to one person," his eyes traced over the field of dead soldiers who had been picked clean of valuables. "It was an act of terrorism to cover up an assassination plot, to kill the Head Warrior of the country we're currently in the territory of."

"T-terrorism?" Mare's attention immediately shot back to Jack as he spoke of this.

"An unlawful act of violence and intimidation against civilians and or citizenry."

"Wouldn't War be considered terrorism?" Aura asked as she rested her eyes on the human village. Everything seemed so calm now that there were no soldiers about trying to wipe out the place.

Jack shrugged, "If war was about killing civilians that will work the farms after you takeover the territory, before you acquire the land. Probably. However," he'd say as he let out a light huff. "This was needless killing, murder. Even though I'm capable of killing without remorse here, I do not just needlessly massacre men women and children."

Aura and Mare frowned, while he wasn't wrong, he was talking about humans with such care. "Even if they're lesser lifeforms?"

"Are your beasts lesser life forms? What if someone killed all of them, just to get to you?" Jack asked with a calm voice, though he didn't make eye contact as he stared off into the distance ahead of him.

Aura head perked up slightly, but not in a happy fashion. Her nose scrunched up, the idea of all her friends dying just for someone to get to her, it didn't sit right with her at all. Was this how he was thinking? Her eyes stared at the back of his helmet.

Mare glanced back towards the Great Tomb of Nazarick. "Sis… W-we sh-should get back to Nazarick. Ainz-sama might be in need of us..."

Jack turned his head to look over at Mare and gave a light nod, then glanced to Aura who was still holding onto his wing with her hand. "I'll fly you around the Amphitheater around sometime, so you can let go of my wing."

Aura snorted, "If you say so Cipher-sama," she'd release his wing with a wide excited grin across her face. "Promise?" She held out a pinky, her head turned to the side so that her left eye seemed bigger than the right.

"Do I look like someone who could break a promise?" Jack asked as he'd reach back and locked his pinky with her petite little digit, shaking it lightly. "It's a pinky promise. Now go," he'd say before looking forward once more.

Aura nodded, "Lets Go Mare!"

Without another second on the clock, the two of them disappeared as Mare used the ring given to him by Momonga to teleport back to their rightful place in the Dungeon known as the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

"Now… Lets see where this Head Warrior is heading off to," with a surge of movement from his wings, Jack rocketed through the air at high speeds.

Soon enough he was already catching up with the Warrior Troop as they were on the path back to E-Rantel. A small grin formed over his lips as a portion of the group looked up at him. Without hesitation, he dove and pulled up, quickly doing several barrel roles and then a completed loop-de-loop.

Watching from his Peripheral vision, as his head was turned to the side, Gazef chuckled. "Sending us off are you?" Shaking his head slightly, he turned his eyes forward.

…

After speeding ahead of the Warrior Troop to the point that he was out of their sight. He dropped down to the ground; landing on his feet. His armor would dematerialize, being replaced by sturdy priestly hooded blue robes.

Glancing over his shoulder at his wings, he watched as they faded out of view, using silent magic to make them invisible to those around him without reciting the glamour spell. Making it as if they weren't ever there. With that done, he waved a hand over his face, the abnormally colored electric violet-blue eye, became an ice blue.

Jack took out what appeared to be an amulet made of silver from his item box, with a sizable tear-shaped blue sapphire embedded into it, and dressed it around his neck.

Bringing up the hood over his head, he would continue his trek towards the Western Gates of the Fortress City. He was curious about this town. It was massive from a distance away.

So while the others were busy with whatever they were doing in Nazarick, he was going to have a look at the City. Soon enough he was at the front gates, a few merchants were lined up in front of the customs officials which were taking them in one by one and inspecting their goods.

With a slight frown across his lips, Jack glanced up to the tall wall which stood overhead.

Before anyone noticed his presence, he vanished with the single use of the Teleportation spell.

Resurfacing on the other side of the wall, in an alleyway, he stepped out into the busy market square. His eyes tracing over the items which were for sale. There wasn't really any fish, but there was plenty of other landlocked culinary delights that could be purchased, or stolen.

"Stop right there!"

A young child went running past him, Jack instinctively reached out and grabbed them by the nape of their neck and lifted them off the ground. A ragged boot finding its place against his robed chest. Yet, he didn't let go. He was completely unfazed and unharmed by the child's futile attempts to continue to flee.

In the child's arms was a loaf of freshly baked bread, yellow in color and sweet to taste.

Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes were on a man who had sweet flour on his apron. He was pleasantly plump and bent over, panting.

"Th-thank you..." The apparent baker huffed as he walked over once he caught his breath, then paused seeing the man dressed like a priest. His eyes resting on the water amulet. While the Robes weren't official, it definitely looked like the man fashioned himself a priest of the Water God. "Oh, a priest."

The Baker's eyes then stared at the foot print on the robe, though the robes were relatively undamaged. When he looked to the child, he took the bread from their hand. "Next time, pay for a loaf of bread!" As the stranger went to raise a hand though to the child, Jack took a step back, moving the child out of harms way.

"No need for physical violence," Jack said in a somewhat sagely voice.

The child had stopped squirming, their arms crossed over their chest as their legs dangled. They didn't look very happy, though they were definitely content with not being beaten by the man they stole from. However they were a bit wary of the one holding them by the neck with one hand.

The baker reluctantly lowered his hand, "You are surely a man of great virtue..." While he would've had no problem hitting the child, the baker had no choice but to admire the person who could stop him with such few words.

Watching as the baker wondered off, Jack turned his eyes to the child as he dropped them to their feet, but before they could run off like a mouse in the crowd of thousands. He pinned them, placing a hand on their head until he pulled a small bento box of fried chicken strips and mashed potatoes and handed it to the child.

When they looked up at him and their eyes locked. They slowly took the box, before darting away the moment Jack had lifted his hand. There was no words that needed to be said.

As he turned to walk towards a nearby shop a bit away from the market square, he paused seeing a young woman with short brown hair and blue eyes. She looked almost exactly like an older version of his little sister. She had a silver tag around her neck and she was with three other blonde men.

Shaking his head slightly, he raised a brow. "This is weird..." He'd mutter to himself before narrowing his eyes on the back of her head as they were heading off towards the Adventurer's Guild building. "Interesting nonetheless though," he'd bring his thumb up beneath his chin in thought.

Jack made his way towards the Inn nearest to the Guild and walked inside. His eyes scanned over the people present. There were more adventurers in there. Most of them resembled scoundrels in the way they held their postures whilst standing or even sitting.

"Hm..." His eyes moved over towards a group of people around a table. They had iron tags around their necks. He could only assume they were adventurers, thanks to the knowledge he had gained from those he had already consumed.

Walking over to the group at the table, he glanced over each of their faces before they noticed he was there.

"Can we help… You mister priest?" Brita raised a brow looking over the hooded man. Her hand was on her stomach. It was rather evident she hadn't been eating to those were observing others closely.

Jack couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, a friendly and genuine one. "I'm new to E-Rantel, I was wondering if I could find some Adventurers who'd be willing to show me around. For a price of course," he smiled at them. He had one of the NPCs melt down some of his coins and mint them into the currency of the land for him to use when he returned the day before.

Raising their brows, the Iron Adventurers weren't expecting to be asked to be tour guides.

"Is there anything in particular you'd be looking for?" Brita laughed a bit, dipping her head to the side while looking up at him. She had this smile across her lips. It seemed since she was out for coin, she was willing the humor him.

"Magic Guild?" Jack was curious about the world, mostly about its magic. The main thing was wanting to know if he could use 'devour' to learn spells it the way he could in the other world. He already knew that there were spells that didn't exist in YGGDRASIL that existed here. So it was clear, they were capable of making their own.

Taking out two minted gold coins from his 'sleeve,' Jack held them out between his fingers. "Show me around?" He asked with his head tilted to the head slightly.

The woman's and her companion's eyes all opened wide when they saw him offering two gold coins.

Was he seriously a priest!? What was with the insane amount of money he was throwing at them? With just two of those coins, they could buy a least one healing potion and almost a month's worth of food for a normal sized family.

"So?" Jack asked as he pulled a parlor trick, which he used on his little sister several times over when they were younger, making the coins disappear from his palm.

Brita shot up from the table, planting her hands flat on the wooden surface with a loud clap sound. "Yes!" Her eyes flashed brightly, as if all her prayers had been suddenly answered. Perhaps the God of Water had been listening to her plight?

"Also, I'm not a Priest." Jack said as he pulled back the robe's hood, revealing his heroic face stolen from Alexander the Great, a mythological level Hero and King.

"Oh?" Brita stared at his face, it was beyond attractive and it wasn't something natural for her to do. Once she noticed what she was doing, she wiped her hand down the front of her face, before looking away and giving the table a once over before giving him another glance. "And you'd be a what then?"

"My name is Jack, Jack Graham. It's a pleasure to met you…?" He'd hold out a hand as he waited for her name.

"Brita, my name is Brita." The red haired woman with tanned skin smiled in contentment, taking hold of his hand with her calloused ones and shook his hand firmly.

"A swordsman?" He'd ask curiously, he could feel her callouses, before he let go.

Brita nodded, seemingly proud of herself, even more proud to have been recognized.

"In that case, since that's settled, shall we go?" Jack smirked a bit as he gestured towards the door.

Brita nodded and turned to her friends, fellow Guild Members, since only she was needed and gave them an assuring nod. "I'll be heading out to show him around. I'll be back when I'm done."

The Arcane Magic Caster, Cleric, Ranger and Three other Warriors which were part of her team nodded. "Good luck," they said as she didn't really need it. It was an easy job which gave outrageous pay. It was also a personal request and not necessarily through the Guild itself.