Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

On the mountainside in the wilderness, EeDeChi crouched on the ground, silently gnawing on a roasted leg bone.

Judging by the size of the bone, it was the leg of a rare drake dragon. The meat was firm, tender, and smooth, yet chewy. Sprinkled with dark red rosemary and carefully roasted, it glistened with an irresistible golden sheen.

EeDeChi struggled to swallow a bite of the roasted meat, then suddenly threw the leg bone to the ground and shouted, "I want to eat vegetables!"

Barrett crouched on the opposite side of the campfire. He gave EeDeChi an exasperated look, then continued gnawing on his own piece of drake dragon meat.

For the past month and a half, thanks to EeDeChi's exceptional ability to taunt wild monsters, they had trekked across the desolate mountains without ever running out of food.

Wolves, snowbirds, ice crows, frostbreath arachnids, yetis... wherever EeDeChi went, the monsters seemed to recognize their mortal enemy and charged toward her.

The only problem was that no plant-based monsters were drawn to them, and it was the middle of winter. Apart from a few frostbitten fruit trees, there were no wild vegetables or fruits to be found.

The two adventurers had no choice but to eat nothing but meat for a whole month and a half, from beasts that crawled on all fours to birds that flew in the sky.

They buried meat in the ground to roast it, and even cooked steak on hot stones. Barrett tried every trick he could think of to spice up their campfire meals.

But meat is always just meat. No matter how you cook it, it could never turn into refreshing vegetables or fruit juice.

Barrett didn't really mind. Over the past month and a half, his diet had expanded to include creatures like frostbreath arachnids, and he had collected a lot of valuable monster pelts and magical organs. But EeDeChi had finally had enough.

"I want to eat vegetables! I want bread!" EeDeChi scratched her head with both hands, her beautiful black short hair disheveled.

Barrett looked at her in this crazed state and sighed. "If you want vegetables or grains, we'll have to go to a village. How's your Favorability Level coming along? Do people still want to punch you in the face?"

"I don't know!" EeDeChi hugged her head with both arms. "I don't have some system or character attribute panel thing."

Barrett thought for a moment, then suggested, "Let's go down the mountain to a small village and try our luck."

He remembered that when they first started their wilderness journey, they were attacked by monsters an average of five times a day. Now, monsters only came by once a day, bringing them meat. This had to mean that EeDeChi's taunting abilities... no, her Favorability Level, had recovered by a good amount.

It had to be said that the side effects of using The Great Banishment were severe. No wonder EeDeChi had been so reluctant to use it.

The two stood up and gazed down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a small village covered in white snow, with faint wisps of smoke curling up from chimneys...

…

The wind howled, and the snowflakes danced wildly. The unpredictable winter weather had once again started a heavy snowfall, which seemed to be turning into a snowstorm. EeDeChi and Barrett wrapped cloth around their faces, trudging through thick snow that reached up to their knees, heading deeper into the village.

They were dressed this way because EeDeChi's wanted poster was plastered on the notice board at the village entrance.

The Sorcerer Kingdom's influence had reached even this remote mountain village, but all they had managed to do was put up a wanted poster. The simple villagers likely just saw it as an interesting rumor, discussing it for a while before moving on, forgetting all about it.

Before they knew it, dusk had arrived. In the midst of the heavy snowfall, night fell faster, and the surroundings darkened. The old, tattered wanted poster flapped like a rag in the wind and snow.

EeDeChi stepped forward, tore the wanted poster off, ripped it to pieces, and casually let the scraps fly into the swirling snow.

Barrett wrapped a cloth around his chin, while EeDeChi covered her head completely, leaving only her black eyes exposed. Not a single strand of black hair showed.

In this heavy winter snow, their outfits were understandable. However, travelers who appeared to be homeless in this remote mountain village were suspicious. But Barrett was confident that his charisma (or rather, his ability to deceive) would get them through.

He draped two heavy winter wolf pelts over his shoulders and lightly knocked on the wooden door of a house. After a long pause, the door creaked open, releasing a warm draft and the smell of food. EeDeChi sniffed the air, even catching the scent of frozen cabbage.

The man who answered the door was a strong, muscular figure. He eyed Barrett and EeDeChi with suspicion, a wary expression on his face.

"You two don't seem to be from our village. What do you want?"

"We're travelers sent by Count Charles, also winter huntsmen," Barrett replied smoothly. "We've been tasked with exploring the terrain of this mountain range and mapping out the locations of winter beasts. But in this dreadful snowstorm, we got lost and ended up here. We were hoping to stay the night at your home."

Count Charles was the local lord, and mentioning his name would carry weight— the villagers wouldn't be able to tell if it was true or not.

After spinning his flawless lie, Barrett grabbed one of the thick winter wolf pelts from his shoulder and handed it to the homeowner with a sincere look. "We can offer you these two freshly hunted winter wolf pelts, and we'll also throw in a fair amount of gold coins as payment."

Seeing the soft, dense gray fur of the pelts and hearing the words "gold coins," the man's expression immediately became eager.

Just as he was about to agree, a young voice called out from inside the house, "Dad, who's outside?"

The man's expression immediately hardened. He shook his head and refused the two adventurers.

"No. The village has been unsettled lately. There have been rumors about a night hag stealing children. Several kids have mysteriously disappeared. I can't just let strangers into my home. You should try elsewhere. The manor owner, James Wright, lives to the south of the village, and he's always been generous. Maybe he'll let you stay the night."

The two adventurers had no choice but to leave. They continued their way through the village. Their long footprints in the snow were quickly covered by the swirling snowflakes.

They knocked on other doors, but the villagers' responses were all the same: they were worried about the night hag snatching children and couldn't allow strangers in.

A few villagers kindly suggested that the "lost travelers" try their luck at the manor of James Wright.

…

"What night hag? It's just a bedtime story grown-ups tell kids to get them to sleep. How could these villagers actually believe it?" Barrett grumbled, clearly frustrated. "They're all worried about kids getting taken by a night hag. Can't even manage their own children, and instead, they blame it on monsters."

Amid the heavy snow, the distant sunset dipped low behind the mountain trees, casting a faint glow as dusk faded into night. They had to find shelter quickly, or they'd be stuck camping out in the wilderness in this vicious blizzard.

EeDeChi and Barrett trudged through the deep snow, their steps uneven, until they finally reached the manor's front door. The iron gate in the yard was rusted and worn, not locked, creaking as it swung open in the wind with a high-pitched squeal.