The room's windows had been sealed off by someone, leaving it in total darkness and eerie silence. The only sound that broke the oppressive quiet was EeDeChi's arrogant laughter, piercing through the dead silence of the room.
Her laughter was unrestrained, bold, and more striking than pleasant, creating a jarring contrast. However, it slightly eased the fear in the hearts of Barrett, Stella, and Sean.
After all, the captain's formidable combat skills were well-known; even a 4th Tier necromancer had been dispatched with a single strike. It seemed there was little to worry about.
It was widely understood that those who wielded magical power, whether humans, elves, or other races, belonged to the wealthy elite. Their extraordinary abilities allowed them to amass immense wealth.
Barrett was well aware of this fact, so after calming down a bit, he started rummaging through the house as an adventurer. He searched through drawers, ripped down curtains from the windowsill, and knocked over wooden tables and cabinets. His efforts soon bore fruit.
He found an ivory snuff bottle with gold inlay, a ruby ring with some kind of unclear magic attached, four gold coins discovered in the crevices of a soft chair, along with six silver coins and two copper coins.
Barrett continued to rummage through the cabinets; Sean stood guard with his sword by Stella's side. Stella was kneeling next to the body of Mage James, trying to find a way to get her teacher's body out of the room. EeDeChi, meanwhile, sat on a chair, engrossed in reading the Mystery of Magic.
In that dark and gloomy living room, a peculiar calm settled over the scene. If the castle's original owner were to see this, they would probably be outraged, wondering if they were there to complete an adventure or just to vacation.
EeDeChi turned a page in her book, engrossed in her reading; Barrett placed the two newly found shards of magic crystal into his spatial ring; Sean arranged the limbs of Mage James's body; Stella was drawing a magic circle around the body, trying to create a temporary storage space to contain her teacher's remains.
Each person was focused on their own task, working harmoniously without disturbing one another.
Until…
"Knock~ knock~ knock~, knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking echoed through the room.
EeDeChi looked up from her book, Barrett stopped what he was doing, Stella put down her wand, and Sean grabbed his crossbow. The four of them turned their attention to the door in the living room.
The door was made of red sandalwood, adorned with dark golden decorations. The knocking came from there.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knocking continued, neither rushed nor slow, as if the person knocking was very polite.
"Excuse me, may I come in?" After the knocking stopped, a clear, pleasant female voice came from behind the door.
The four in the living room exchanged confused looks, unsure of how to respond to the situation. Even EeDeChi, usually the least concerned, looked a bit puzzled.
"Come in?" Barrett said tentatively.
As soon as he spoke, he wished he could slap himself. After all, he was a seasoned adventurer; how could he have agreed so rashly? In such a bizarre situation, they should have been preparing for a fight!
In a mansion overrun by undead and vampires, with even the mansion's owner dead, the visitor was unlikely to be a friendly maid delivering coffee.
Creeeak~ The not-so-heavy wooden door slowly opened, and a figure stood in the doorway. Barrett, holding his sword, peered out and saw, indeed, a maid!
A young woman stood outside the door, dressed in a black-and-white maid's uniform with a light gray waist belt. Her dress had white embroidery on the collar and sleeves, and her smooth black hair was styled into an elegant bun. She wore narrow-framed glasses perched on her high, straight nose.
Her appearance was poised and graceful, the epitome of an ideal maid for any noble family. The only unusual thing was the three-finger-wide diamond-studded iron collar tightly fitted around her pale, slender neck, as if it were meant to keep something from falling off.
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In such a perilous environment, the four adventurers were momentarily taken aback by the sight of this elegant maid.
But they quickly noticed that the maid wore heavy, sturdy iron gauntlets on both hands. The gauntlets were as large as a grown man's head, with steel spikes the size of fingers welded onto them, their cold gleam reflecting in the light.
image [https://image.civitai.com/xG1nkqKTMzGDvpLrqFT7WA/a655dc81-e67a-4ce6-9f1f-ab7ec85b39d3/width=450/00028-2069583817.jpeg]
Such massive wolf tooth gloves! Barrett swallowed hard. A maid armed with such dangerous weapons was definitely not just there to serve tea or clean rooms.
EeDeChi waved her hand, signaling everyone to stay calm. "Don't worry, her Justice Value is 150, which is 'good'. She's a good pers…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the maid moved swiftly, striding into the living room with her enormous iron gauntlets raised, aiming a powerful strike directly at EeDeChi.
If EeDeChi hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would hardly believe that such a dignified maid could make such a precise offensive move in an instant.
As the wolf tooth gloves rushed towards her face with the sound of whistling wind, EeDeChi did not retreat. Instead, she drew her giant sword from behind her and met the gauntlets with a resounding clash!
The maid blocked EeDeChi's sword with one hand while quickly pulling back the other. She then aimed a punch at the gap in EeDeChi's midsection. EeDeChi, gripping her sword with both hands, deflected the maid's iron gauntlets.
image [https://images-ng.pixai.art/images/orig/569dc559-096a-4c82-9b90-ab81004ef446]
Unfazed by the missed attack, the maid remained expressionless. She pulled her fists back to protect her front, stamped her feet rapidly, and stepped forward to close the distance. She then swung her right fist toward the adventurer captain's head.
With the advantage of her longer weapon, EeDeChi found herself momentarily at a disadvantage. She had to step back, sidestep the punch, and then swung her giant sword again, clashing once more with the maid's wolf tooth gloves.
The two continued to exchange blows, countering each other's moves. Despite her floor-length maid outfit, the maid's speed was unaffected. She moved with the agility of a top-notch boxer, repeatedly closing in on EeDeChi and delivering fierce punches.
Our adventurer captain was no slouch, though. Her giant sword sliced through the maid's attacks with force.
The living room was not an ideal place for a battle; the cramped space restricted movement, but it didn't limit EeDeChi's long weapon.
Wherever her sword struck, things shattered. The round table was cut in half, the crystal chandelier was smashed into glass powder, the bookcase was split in two, books scattered like fluttering butterflies, and even the walls were marked with deep sword scars.
Sean wanted to provide archery support, but the swift movements of EeDeChi and the maid made it impossible to aim, so he had to hold off. Stella, dragging her teacher's body, and Barrett huddled in the corner, trying to stay out of the chaotic sword swings that could hit friend or foe alike.
At that moment, while the castle was in the midst of a heated battle, outside the castle, the client of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team, the old gentleman Sebas Tian, stood at the entrance of the estate.
He gazed solemnly at the castle within the estate and asked the blonde woman beside him, "What's the situation now?"
The blonde woman was Solution Epsilon, a member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick's Star of the Ecliptic combat maid squad. Level: 57, Justice Value: -400; Race: Shapeless Slime.
Ainz had assigned her the task of assisting Sebas Tian in gathering intelligence for the Great Tomb of Nazarick while traveling. Typically, she played the role of a noblewoman, while Sebas took on the role of an old butler. However, in terms of rank and status, Sebas was her direct superior.
Solution waved her delicate hand and unfurled a scroll, saying, "Lord Shalltear has exhausted all the undead and vampires created from the living beings in the castle. Yuri has already gone inside. We don't know what the situation is like now."
As she spoke, Solution's usually proud face showed signs of anxiety.
Yuri Alpha, the composed iron fist maid, was in the same combat maid squad as Solution from the Great Tomb of Nazarick. As Yuri was the senior member of the Pleiades combat maid squad, Solution couldn't help but worry about the outcome of Yuri's clash with the unknown adventurer.
With a loud "bang," a massive hole burst open in the castle's second-floor wall. Marble chunks and brick dust scattered as a black-and-white figure leaped out of the breach. It was Yuri Alpha, dressed in her maid uniform.
Seeing her companion in such a predicament, Solution was about to rush to her aid when Sebas placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Wait a moment. The wall was broken by Yuri herself. She's heading outside to fight. We need to observe a bit longer."
Sebas, who commanded the combat maid squad, was also concerned as his subordinate seemed to be at a disadvantage.
However, Ainz had tasked him with observing and recording. With the current monitoring magic and devices malfunctioning, he needed to detail EeDeChi's battle process, so he couldn't act impulsively.
Finally, EeDeChi appeared, jumping out of the wall after the maid. Both of them continued their fierce battle in the birch forest outside the castle. The giant sword and iron fist clashed repeatedly.
The adventurer captain wielded her giant sword with powerful, sweeping motions, forcing Yuri to retreat continuously. Overall, EeDeChi seemed to hold the upper hand, though she hadn't yet completely defeated Yuri.
Sebas watched their battle from a distance. As one of the four greatest martial fighters of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he calmly assessed EeDeChi's combat abilities.
"Yuri's racial and occupational levels combined total 51. Given the current situation, EeDeChi is likely around level 56. She wields a two-handed sword and specializes in close-quarters combat, never using High-tier magic. Hmm, that seems about right."
The blonde maid, Solution, beside him, swiftly scribbled with her black quill, meticulously recording Sebas's observations on a parchment scroll.
Seeing that it was nearly time, Sebas nodded and said, "Let Entoma take over. She should coordinate with Yuri and capture EeDeChi to bring her back to the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Let's hope Lord Ainz doesn't harm her."