Baharuth Empire.
In the resplendent royal palace, a tall, slender man with golden hair was lazily reclining on a sofa.
This golden-haired man was none other than the current emperor of the Baharuth Empire, Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, the Bloody Emperor!
"Hoh, to think another Adamantite-ranked adventurer team has appeared in the Re-Estize Kingdom in such a short time."
Gilmore supported his chin with one hand while flipping through the documents on the table with the other. A trace of emotion appeared on his usually impassive face.
It must be noted that throughout the entire Overlord World, Adamantite-ranked adventurers were extremely rare existences.
Due to the powerful combat strength of Adamantite-ranked adventurers, various countries signed a treaty… prohibiting the use of Adamantite-ranked adventurers in wars.
This was similar to nuclear weapons.
Although the use of nuclear weapons was explicitly prohibited, even unused, they held immense deterrent power.
Therefore, countries in the Overlord World still secretly tried to recruit Adamantite-ranked adventurers.
Not long ago, Gilmore had received news that an Adamantite-ranked adventurer team named [Darkness] had been born in the Re-Estize Kingdom. (T/N: The Author seemed to make a mistake, as Ainz is only Mithril-rank adventurer in this story.)
And now, another Adamantite-ranked adventurer team had appeared in the Re-Estize Kingdom.
The Kingdom giving birth to two Adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in succession was something even the Empire had to take seriously.
"This newly formed Adamantite-ranked adventurer team is called Fairy Tail, led by Kenichi."
"Not long ago, the royal capital of the Kingdom was invaded by a large number of monsters. The Fairy Tail team led by Kenichi performed brilliantly, displaying strength not inferior to the Thirteen Heroes."
A man in clerical robes sitting opposite Gilmore's sofa reported.
'Not inferior to the Thirteen Heroes!'
Hearing this term, Jircniv couldn't help but frown. (T/N: I don't know why it's this matter again. Maybe the Author forgot he had written this?)
The Thirteen Heroes were powerful figures who had broken through human limits.
Each possessed immense strength.
The phrase 'not inferior to the Thirteen Heroes' was enough to illustrate the strength of this adventurer team called Fairy Tail.
"Never mind. With the two established Adamantite-ranked teams, the Blue Roses and the Red Drop, the Re-Estize Kingdom now has four Adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in total."
The clerical official intended to advise the Emperor: it was time to take action against the Kingdom.
But the current Emperor was different from previous ones.
He was known as the Bloody Emperor, and since taking the throne, his hands had been stained with the blood of numerous nobles and officials.
Furthermore, this Emperor was extremely opinionated.
Therefore, this clerical official didn't dare to advise directly.
"Four Adamantite-ranked adventurer teams, huh?"
"That is indeed somewhat troublesome."
"Pass down the order: have someone make contact with the Darkness and Fairy Tail to see if they can be recruited to the Empire."
At this point, the Bloody Emperor curled the corner of his mouth into a smile and continued in a light tone:
"If they cannot be recruited to the Empire, have the Four Knights meet these Adamantite-ranked adventurers."
Although the Bloody Emperor didn't explicitly say it, the clerical official already understood his intention.
If they couldn't be recruited, then make them disappear.
…
Baharuth Empire's Capital, Arwintar.
Compared to the Kingdom's royal capital, Arwintar appeared more prosperous and free.
The bustling streets were extremely lively, and one could occasionally hear the singing of bards.
"This was a great harvest. Just one more mission with such a rich reward, and I can replace all my weapons."
On the lively street, a golden-haired man with a sword at his waist said happily.
"Yeah, it's been a long time since I replaced my bow."
Beside the golden-haired man, a tall woman with purple hair also said happily.
If Kenichi were here, he would definitely recognize these two speakers.
They were none other than the targets Irene was looking for… members of Foresight: the leader Hekkeran and the archer Imina.
Behind Hekkeran and Imina followed the other two members of Foresight: the mage Arche and the warrior Roberdyck.
Hekkeran, Imina, and Roberdyck, having just received a generous reward, were very happy.
Only Arche kept her head down, preoccupied with her thoughts.
"Arche, what's wrong?"
Arche's abnormality caught the attention of the warrior Roberdyck beside her.
Hearing Roberdyck's words, the leader and the archer, who had been talking animatedly, also stopped and turned to look at Arche.
"Arche?"
Hekkeran asked out of concern for his teammate.
Arche tightly gripped the mage staff in her hands. After a long time, she finally spoke: "I've decided to leave Foresight after one more mission."
As soon as Arche said this, the faces of the other three Foresight members changed dramatically.
The four members of Foresight had worked together for a long time.
They all considered each other important teammates to whom they could entrust their backs.
At this time, for Arche to say she was leaving, the other three teammates naturally found it hard to accept and understand.
"Why?"
"Arche, why are you leaving?"
The leader asked in an urgent tone.
Facing the anxious gazes of the leader and the other two, Arche felt a sense of guilt.
Arche only said 'I'm sorry' in her heart.
She didn't explain out loud.
After all, this was her family matter.
She had two twin sisters at home, waiting for her to return.
And the tasks of workers were quite dangerous.
There was no guarantee of tomorrow.
Arche's idea was to take her twin sisters away to live separately from their parents once she had earned enough money.
As Arche's teammates, the other three members of Foresight knew a bit about Arche's family situation.
Seeing Arche's troubled expression, although they couldn't accept her sudden decision to leave the team, they understood.
"Alright, since Arche has decided to leave, we respect her decision. How about we go to the bar to celebrate this opportunity?"
The leader was the first to break the heavy atmosphere, speaking in a deliberately cheerful tone.
The other two members had no objections to the leader's suggestion.
Perhaps this celebration would be the last time the four members of Foresight gathered to drink together.
With that, Foresight, led by the leader, headed towards a tavern not far away.
And not long after the four members of Foresight left, a woman holding a magic staff and wearing a large mage's hat slowly walked along the street from the end.
This woman was naturally Irene.