"If possible, I would like a double room."
The owner snorted:
"…There are 3 taverns used exclusively by adventurers and mine is the worst of the lot… Do you know why the people at the guild introduce this place to you?"
"I don't know, please enlighten me."
In response to Ainz's query, the owner raised his brow and showed his intimidating side:
"Use your brain! Or is the inside of this flashy helmet empty?"
Even after hearing the impatient and loud voice of the owner, Ainz remained unmoved. He calmly dismissed it and treated it like a children's tantrum because of the battle several days ago.
After that battle, and the intelligence he got from the prisoners, Ainz understood just how powerful he was. That was why he didn't get agitated after being shouted at.
The owner was a bit surprised by Ainz's reaction:
"… You have guts… Most of the adventurers staying here have copper or iron medals. Even if you meet someone for the first time, you can form an adventuring party if your abilities are around the same level. That's why my place is best suited for you to find teammates matching your current abilities…"
The owner's eyes flashed for a moment:
"You can sleep in a room if you want, but you won't get teammates without using the common grounds. If you can't form a balanced party, you will be dead if you fight monsters. Rookies without comrades will advertise themselves in a crowded place like this. I will ask for the last time, you want the communal hall or a double room?"
"Double room. I will pass on the meal."
"Tch, brushing off my good will… Or do you think you are something special and your flashy full body armor isn’t just for show? Never mind, one night will be 7 copper coins. Payment in advance, of course."
The owner promptly held out his hand.
Under everyone’s judging eyes, Ainz started walking towards him with Narberal following behind — when suddenly a foot was stuck out to block Ainz's path.
Ainz stopped, only moving his gaze to the man who was sticking his foot out.
The man showed an annoying smirk. The other men at the table did the same, staring at either Ainz or Narberal.
The owner and the other customers kept quiet and didn’t interfere.
Everyone appeared to be indifferent, but they were actually expecting to see a good show, with some of them watching the whole scene closely.
Well, well…
Ainz sighed softly in irritation and gently kicked the foot away.
The man seemed to be waiting for this action and stood up. Because he wasn’t wearing armor, the bulging muscles under his shirt were easily visible. A necklace hung around his neck, swaying with his every move. It was similar to the one Ainz wore, but this one was made of iron instead of copper..
"Hey hey, that hurts."
The man threatened Ainz with a sharp voice and approached him slowly. He was wearing his gauntlets when he stood up and the metal parts squeaked as he clenched his fist.
The man was just as big as Ainz and they stood a bit too close for a brawl as they glared at each other. Ainz flamed the fight on:
"I see. My field of vision is rather bad because of my helmet, so I didn’t see your leg in front of me. Or maybe I didn’t notice your leg because it was too short… That’s my reason, would you forgive me please?"
"… Bastard."
Ainz's taunt made the man glare dangerously, but when he turned his gaze to look at Narberal who was standing behind Ainz, his gaze stuck onto her:
"You are an annoying fellow… but I am a generous man. I’ll forgive you if you lend me that woman for one night."
"Ke, kekeke."
Ainz laughed coldly, holding back Narberal who wanted to confront the man.
"…What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, it's just that you said a classic line befitting a mob villain, which made me laugh, don't worry about it."
"Huh?"
The man's face turned red from anger.
"Oh, before we start I wanted to ask: Are you stronger than Gazef Strolonoff?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"I see, I can tell from your reaction. I don't even need to use my strength to play with you — fly."
Ainz grabbed the man’s chest and lifted him up in an instant.
The man couldn't dodge or resist, shouting 'Whoa!' in surprise. The men watching the scene got rowdy. Just how powerful was his arm strength if he could lift a full grown man? Everyone present could imagine how powerful he had to be in order to do that.
The man’s legs kicked vainly as a wave of shouts and gasps came from the crowd. Ainz gently tossed him away.
But ‘gently’ was relative when it came to Ainz.
The man nearly hit the ceiling as he flew in an arc and heavily hit the ground.
The sound of bodies colliding, something on the table shattering, wood cracking and the man’s painful howl reverberated within the hall. The tavern was silent as if they were shocked by the moans. But—
“Hya─────!”
───The woman seated at the table screamed a beat too slow. It was a scream as if a catastrophe fell from the sky.
No, it was normal to scream like that if a man suddenly fell from the sky, but something other than surprise was mixed in that scream.
“…So, what do you guys want to do? Can you come at me together to save me some trouble? Wasting time on this is stupid.”
Ainz taunted the men who shared table with the troublemaker, and his companions understood the meaning behind these words and lowered their heads:
“Ah? Ehh! Our friend has offended you! We are very sorry about that!”
“…Okay, I’ll forgive you. It didn’t trouble me too much, but make sure to compensate the owner for the table.”
“Definitely. We will compensate the full sum.”
When Ainz felt this matter was settled and was planning to leave, someone stopped him;
“Hey, hey, hey!”
He turned and saw the woman who had screamed miserably approaching him unceremoniously.
She was about 20 years old or younger, her messy hair trimmed short for easy movement. No matter how you put it, her hair was untidy. Frankly speaking, it looked like a bird-nest.
Her features weren’t bad, her eyes were sharp, she didn’t wear makeup and her skin was wheat colored after long exposure to the sun. Her arms had solid muscles and her hand was full of calluses from wielding a sword. The first impression that came to mind wasn’t ‘woman’ but ‘warrior’.
A necklace with a iron medal hung above her chest, swaying violently as she walked.
“Look at what you have done!”
“What is the matter?”
“Huh? You don’t even know what you did?”
The woman pointed to the broken table.
“Because you threw that man there, my potion, my precious potion broke!”
“It is just a potion…”
“…I didn’t even eat in order to save the money for it. I just bought that potion today, but you broke it! No matter how dangerous an adventure is, that potion would’ve kept me safe. But you have shattered this pious hope of mine and still show me such an attitude? This is infuriating.”