After a night of rest, the three of them couldn't wait any longer. They left the inn early in the morning and, under the innkeeper's satisfied gaze, set off on their adventure.
The Adventurer's Guild was a fascinating organization. Everyone who gathered there carried different goals in their hearts. People who should have had no reason to ever meet were somehow brought together under the same roof.
The Guild never lacked members. Every day, people chasing dreams or driven by ambition joined this big family, constantly bringing in fresh blood.
Of course, there were exceptions. Somewhere in the countless worlds out there, there was a city built on the ideal of freedom, where the Guildmaster of its Adventurer's Guild was actually troubled by the lack of new recruits.
"So this is the Adventurer's Guild… pretty impressive."
Following the directions they'd been given, Naohara and the other two arrived in front of a large building.
It was built in the central district of the city, surrounded by all kinds of shops. Perhaps because it was close to the forest and the Kazte Plains, the place looked particularly grand. It couldn't compare to Nazarick, of course, but compared to the surrounding buildings, it was clearly far more luxurious.
Adventurers gathered here in small groups, wearing armor or simple cloth clothing. Some were chatting, some were arguing, and others were quietly planning their next move. The atmosphere was lively and chaotic.
Naohara and the others didn't linger. They headed straight for the reception counter inside the guild hall.
Registering as adventurers went smoothly. All they had to do was provide their names and their party's title, and the staff handled the rest.
They decided to use their current names since there was no real need to hide them. As for the party name, after some discussion, they ultimately chose "Ainz Ooal Gown." (They were so used to saying "Nazarick" that they had almost forgotten the name.)
"Our adventure is about to begin. Naohara, Herohero, let's take a photo together. A keepsake for our first day."
Momonga brought the two of them to the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild. Excitement seeped through his voice beneath the mask. It was obvious he was genuinely happy.
In order to properly enjoy the adventure, Momonga had even asked Naohara for the World-Class Item [Eternal Seal], using it to forcibly seal away the Undead's passive forced calm.
In exchange, Momonga handed [Millennium Rod] to Naohara. After all, having only one World-Class Item between them was still too risky.
"No problem. Just make sure you capture me looking cool."
"Same here."
Naohara and Herohero agreed without hesitation.
Naohara immediately started posing. He leaned back slightly, striking a weirdly flamboyant stance. His armor gleamed brilliantly, giving off an oddly mesmerizing presence.
"Pfft—Naohara, what kind of pose is that supposed to be?"
The moment Herohero saw it, he completely lost it. His usual cool composure vanished as he started shaking with laughter. Naohara looked so ridiculous that he couldn't hold it in.
"Blackie, don't worry. You'll be doing the same thing soon enough."
Under the dark-gold helmet, Naohara wore an expression that was gentle and friendly.
He wasn't angry.
Not at all.
Dropping the pose, Naohara slowly walked toward him.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?! Stop it! There are people watching!"
Herohero tried to run, but as a Slime, how could he possibly outrun Naohara, a Dragonoid?
In less than three seconds, Herohero was shamefully captured on the spot.
After using magic to immobilize him, Naohara began adjusting his body like he was setting up a mannequin.
Herohero tried to struggle, but it was pointless. In desperation, he looked toward Momonga, who was watching the whole thing in silence.
But Momonga coldly ignored him, showing absolutely no intention of helping.
Momonga activated the camera and snapped a photo of the two of them.
After all, these were memories. Something they could look back on whenever they wanted.
With a cheerful air, Momonga tucked the photo away. He was already planning to make an album, one dedicated entirely to recording the adventures of the three of them.
Seeing Momonga's reaction, Herohero finally gave up in despair and stopped resisting, letting Naohara do whatever he wanted.
Naohara, completely unaware of Momonga's thoughts, continued perfecting his "masterpiece."
He crossed Herohero's arms, spread his legs apart, and adjusted his head into position. After a final check, Naohara nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Now that's the feeling."
Ignoring the constant mental bombardment in his head, Naohara nodded in satisfaction at his handiwork.
Herohero stared at him fiercely, feeling utterly humiliated. Being forced into such a bizarre pose was bad enough, but the commotion had already drawn a crowd of adventurers. Their murmured comments drifted into his ears one after another, making him wish he could dig out a two-bedroom apartment with his toes and crawl inside.
Thankfully, he was currently using a thief skin that concealed his face, so no one could see his expression. That at least spared him a bit of dignity.
He could have forcibly broken free from Naohara's magic, but he chose not to. The pose had already been struck, and everyone had already seen it. If he stopped now, it would feel like he'd suffered for nothing.
"Alright, Momonga, you're up."
After finishing with Herohero, Naohara turned toward Momonga with a smile.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Naohara."
Momonga didn't resist at all. Instead, he replied in an upbeat tone and obediently stepped beside Herohero, striking a casual pose.
Naohara didn't hold back. He stepped forward and began adjusting him without hesitation—hands placed on hips, chin tilted upward. In just a few seconds, the pose was complete.
"Now then… hey, miss over there. Could you do us a favor?"
With both of them posed, Naohara looked over his work in satisfaction. All that was left was to find someone to take the picture so he could jump in as well.
Their earlier antics had drawn quite a crowd. Onlookers surrounded them, clearly entertained. Naohara scanned the faces and quickly locked onto a woman in light armor with long red hair. He vaguely recognized her—she seemed to be a character from the original story.
Spotting the familiar figure, he waved enthusiastically.
"Huh? Me?"
The red-haired woman let out a small gasp and pointed at herself in surprise.
"Who else? You're the only beauty around here."
Naohara jogged over and pulled her closer, laughing. His expression couldn't be seen beneath the helmet, but the teasing tone was obvious.
"You've got good taste. Since you called me beautiful, what do you need me to do?"
"Just hold this item toward us and press this button."
After a few more compliments, the red-haired woman was clearly in a good mood and agreed without hesitation.
Once he explained how to use it, Naohara handed her the camera and skipped back to Momonga's side.
He resumed his original flamboyant pose and gave her a nod to signal she could start.
"What a strange but interesting trio. Looks like the Adventurer's Guild is going to be lively for a while."
The red-haired woman muttered softly to herself as she aimed the camera.
"I'm pressing it. Don't blame me if it turns out bad."
"Click!"
She followed Naohara's instructions and pressed the shutter decisively. With a crisp sound, a photograph slowly slid out from the camera.
The image froze the three of them in that moment.
And just like that, their story began.