Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

The two adventurers were discussing their next move when two figures approached from a distance.

Dressed in leather gloves, earmuffs, gray felt hats, sheepskin coats, ice picks, enchanted crossbows, and iron-bone spears, they were the true winter huntsmen.

The two false winter huntsmen, empty-handed, felt a wave of nervousness. If they were discovered, they'd have to kill and dispose of the bodies, something EeDeChi wasn't willing to do.

Barrett tossed a linen cloth to EeDeChi, signaling her to wrap herself in it, covering her hair and face. The two sat across from each other by the fire, hoping the passing winter huntsmen would just move along.

But to their surprise, the two winter huntsmen headed straight toward them. The winter huntsmen looked young, their faces unscarred by time or the claws of beasts.

One of the winter huntsmen, tall and thin, squatted down by the campfire and casually said, "Hey, buddy, get the fire going."

The other winter huntsman, equally casual, pulled out a pipe, held it over the fire, and took a deep, satisfying drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke. The scent of tobacco immediately wafted into Barrett's nostrils. They looked so at ease, it was as if the fire was burning just for them.

Barrett and EeDeChi exchanged a confused glance. They couldn't tell if these winter huntsmen were too full of themselves or if they simply didn't take them seriously.

"Bro," the tall, thin winter huntsman noticed Barrett's clothes drying by the fire. "What are you doing here, did you fall into the lake?"

Barrett quietly removed his spatial ring and played along with the conversation, "Ah, don't even mention it. I'm a hunter too. I was being chased by a pack of winter wolves, jumped into the river to escape, and all my gear got washed away in the current."

The spatial rings were no ordinary items. Only nobles, mages, and top-tier adventurers had the wealth and means to possess them. Both EeDeChi and Barrett's spatial rings had been gifts from Emperor Baharuth and the local lord. An ordinary winter huntsman would have to sell themselves just to afford half a spatial ring.

"You're pretty brave," the tall winter huntsman slapped Barrett on the shoulder, then suddenly raised his fist, his expression turning dark. "Can I punch your friend?"

"Huh?" The sudden change in tone caught Barrett off guard. He pointed to EeDeChi, who had her head wrapped up. "You want to punch my friend? Why?"

"I don't know why, I don't even know him," the tall winter huntsman cracked his knuckles. "I just don't like the look of him. I want to punch him in the face."

The other winter huntsman, who had been smoking his pipe, stood up and glared at EeDeChi, who was wrapped in cloth. "I'd like to give him a beating too," he snarled.

Both winter huntsmen assumed EeDeChi was male, and it seemed they hadn't noticed her true identity.

Barrett couldn't help but wonder if their brains had frozen or if this was just some street thug tactic. Then it clicked—EeDeChi had mentioned that her "Favorability Level" had dropped by 66%.

He looked at EeDeChi, his eyes questioning, "Is it a problem with the Favorability Level?"

EeDeChi nodded silently.

The two winter huntsmen, looking more and more menacing, began to approach EeDeChi. Before things escalated, Barrett quickly stepped in to stop them. "Let's talk this out."

"You're gonna protect your friend?" The tall winter huntsman glared at Barrett, his eyes filled with malice. It seemed like the next words out of his mouth would be, "Then I'll beat you up too."

"No, no, no, I'm trying to protect you!" Barrett urged, his voice full of desperation.

The other winter huntsman with the pipe spoke up. "Yeah, if we just beat someone to death for no reason, we'll end up with a murder charge. Ronald, we need to calm down."

The tall, lean winter huntsman, who was called Ronald, nodded. "Makes sense. But can we get him to move? Just looking at him is irritating, like there's a thorn stuck in my eye!"

Barrett waved at EeDeChi. "Brown, get your ass … go away, don't interrupt our grown-up conversation."

EeDeChi kicked a pine branch on the ground, thick as a human arm, snapping it in two, and walked away in frustration, leaving behind only her lonely figure draped in white cloth.

Ronald rubbed his eyes and said, "Bro, you should quit being a winter huntsman. Haven't you heard? There's a good gig going around."

"What kind of gig?" Barrett asked, uneasy.

"The Sorcerer Kingdom put out a bounty notice, offering 10,000 gold coins for a girl named EeDeChi—black hair, black eyes, short stature." He pointed in the direction of EeDeChi. "She's about the same height as your friend there."

Barrett: "..."

The winter huntsman with the pipe exhaled a cloud of smoke and pulled out a papyrus scroll from his pack, showing it to Barrett. "Here, this is what she looks like."

The scroll clearly displayed a detailed oil painting of EeDeChi, with a front view, a side view, a full-body shot, and the bounty details:

Provide true whereabouts, reward: 3,000 gold coins.

Provide true destination, reward: 6,000 gold coins.

Provide exact location, reward: 10,000 gold coins.

Provide false information, reward: death.

At the bottom-right corner of the papyrus, the Sorcerer Kingdom's emblem was stamped, along with the local sheriff's official seal.

Barrett thought to himself, "Oh, turns out I have so much money right beside me."

"She's not bad-looking, black hair, black eyes, wearing a black outfit, like some nun. But who knows what her body's like." Ronald started to comment. "I heard there was a magical explosion near a small town by the capital, and it's connected to her."

"I kinda like that nun style," the winter huntsman with the pipe said. "Sometimes, I wish I could be a priest, just to be around nuns all the time."

Barrett stole a glance toward EeDeChi and saw that the nun with the 10,000 gold coin bounty had already clenched her fist.

"We were both planning to head into the mountains to try our luck, see if we can find any trace of EeDeChi. If we do find her, we'll make a fortune!" The tall, lean winter huntsman invited Barrett. "Bro, want to come with us? The more people, the stronger we'll be."

Barrett politely declined. He then pressed the two winter huntsmen for more information and learned that throughout the towns and villages outside the mountains, posters offering a bounty for EeDeChi were plastered everywhere. The Undead Legion and the kingdom's cavalry were also stationed all around.

The winter huntsman with the pipe walked to the lakeshore, unbuckled his belt, and began to pee. Ronald, the tall winter huntsman, did the same, facing the cold lake water, the sound of his urine splashing loudly.

"I heard that David from Mist Tower Town saw a black figure fall from the sky," Ronald said while relieving himself. "He reported it to the knights, and the knights reported it to the lord. The Sorcerer Kingdom offered a 3,000 gold coin reward, but most of it went straight into the lord's pockets. Poor David only got two silver coins."

The two huntsmen were peeing while chatting about random things.

"If I find EeDeChi, I won't report her to the nobles. I'll blackmail her, make her give me just as much gold, and then I'll report her to the Sorcerer Kingdom."

"I'll threaten her to wear a nun's habit..."

"AH!"

The pleasant conversation was cut off abruptly. Both winter huntsmen were suddenly kicked into the cold lake, flying through the air and splashing into the icy water with waves high enough to reach a person's height.

Swimming was a necessary skill for winter huntsmen, and they flailed in the lake, which was covered in ice shards, shouting at each other as they struggled.

"Why'd you push me?"

"You were the one who pushed me!"

"Don't try to lie…"

The cold winter lake water soaked through their clothes, and the two winter huntsmen finally stopped splashing water at each other. They scrambled to the shore, looking like two drowned rats pulled from the freezing water, shivering uncontrollably. Their teeth clattered, making a "chattering" sound.

Barrett stayed where he was, unmoving, but he now understood why the two had flown into the lake. It was because EeDeChi, like a ghost, had silently appeared behind them. With one swift, high kick, she sent both of them crashing into the water.

Fortunately, EeDeChi had held back her strength; otherwise, they definitely wouldn't have landed in the lake in one piece.

"Why did you kick them?" Barrett asked. "The water in a frozen lake is really cold."

"They were peeing in the lake, polluting the water. They had to be punished!" EeDeChi said, looking righteous.

"We should get going," Barrett said with a shrug. He pulled out a map and added, "Looks like we'll have to climb the snow mountain."