The question echoed inside the carriage with the weight of a thousand ogres falling, turning everyone silent.
It was such an inconsiderate question that even Ninya couldn't help but be amazed by Lukrut's thoughtlessness.
After this, we'll need to make an intervention. What if this idiot keeps acting like this and provokes someone like Momon?
She looked at Enri, who seemed to be slowly processing the question.
After a brief moment, Enri opened her eyes wide and began frantically moving her hands in denial.
"N-No way! I feel nothing but admiration for Ainz-sama!"
Then she stopped for a moment and added with some shyness.
"How should I phrase this? Ainz-sama feels like someone so far above that it's hard for me to even think of him in those terms…"
"To me, he feels more like a mentor or a father figure. I don't know how old he is, but that's what I think when I see him, so please don't make such assumptions about me, Lukrut."
Ouch! That's got hurt, but it's your own fault, so I won't pity you.
"Is that so? That's good."
Far from looking hurt, Lukrut sounded relieved.
"Ha ha ha, I'm sure Ainz would like to hear that, Enri Enmot," Momon said from the other side, seemingly in a good mood.
"You think so? You don't think I'm being presumptuous?"
"Not at all. Ainz is much more of a family man than you think, and if he didn't like you, he wouldn't have put us in your care, so be more confident in yourself, little girl."
Thankfully, the atmosphere didn't turn heavy.
Let's consider this a small victory and try not to offend someone who could very well become an adamantite adventurer until we reach the city, shall we?
"Fufufu, you guys don't know, but Enri-chan already has a childhood sweetheart waiting for her in E-Rantal." Lupita suddenly added fuel to the fire of gossip.
"Oh?"
"Really?"
"What!!!? I just cleared one rival, and suddenly a new one appears before me? Are we supposed to be starcrossed lovers forever?"
Everyone collectively decided to ignore Lukrut's outburst and turned to Enri, waiting for her to reply.
"What do you mean by that, Lupita?"
Enri looked just as confused as everyone else.
"Oya? Aren't you and that boy, childhood friends, ready to become more than that? What was his name again? Nfirea Bareare?" The smiling beauty looked to be having a lot of fun.
"But we are just friends!"
"Oh? That's not what it looked like when you were talking about him. I saw the glow of youth shining brightly on your face. Uh, I'm so jealous; my Enri-chan is going to be stolen from me, boohoo."
"What? Don't cry, Lupita. Wait, what are you talking about, glow of youth? When did you see that? Hey!"
The two girls continued bickering for a while before Enri noticed that everyone was looking at her.
"What? Why are you staring at me like this?"
"Sigh. Maybe we're not really meant to be. First, there was a great mage, and now I even need to compete with a genius pharmacist. Life is really unfair sometimes."Lukrut spoke, deflated.
"Genius pharmacist? What do you mean by that?" Enri asked, surprised.
"Wait, you didn't know?" She couldn't help but interrupt upon seeing this.
Isn't she his friend? Are you telling me she's not aware of his reputation?
"I know Nfirea is a pharmacist, and that his grandma is a good one, but I don't know why you guys are reacting like this."
"Unbeliavable. To call Lizzie Bareare just a good pharmacist has to be the biggest understatement I have ever heard." Ninya felt a bit of a headache listening to this.
Seeing that none of her party members seemed inclined to explain, Ninya decided to do it herself.
"Look, Enri, Lizzie Bareare is not just good; she is the best Pharmacist in E-Rantal and has a lot of influence there. For an adventurer, a good potion is the difference between living and dying when outside, so everyone wants to get their hands on her potions, something she is aware of. If she so wanted, she could order more than half of the adventurers in the city to do something for her, and no one would complain, so do you understand why we're reacting like this?"
"What? Is Grandma Lizzie that important? She always looked like such a kind old lady… To think she is a bigshot, what a surprise."
"Kind? Lizzie Bareare?" Dyne had a big reaction.
"Yeah, isn't she nice?"
"Well, let's just say that people can show different sides of themselves to different people." Peter tried to bring the topic to a diplomatic end.
"Yes, let's call it that. But, Enri, Nfirea is even more famous than his grandmother." She added.
Ninya felt the wheels in her head turning, and she smelled an opportunity here.
Depending on how things went, her party might secure access to some Bareare potions, and for that, being a wingwoman for these two would be a small price to pay.
"As a pharmacist, he is not much worse than his grandmother, and considering his age, everyone thinks that he will surpass her in the coming years."
"Is that so? I didn't know Nfirea was this amazing; I thought he just really liked helping his grandma with her shop."
"Well, that's not technically wrong, but the reason he is so famous has a lot to do with his talent; are you aware of that?"
"That I know. He can use many magic items, right?"
"Yes. His talent is very powerful, and when combined with his ability as a pharmacist, it makes Nfirea a hot commodity for many factions. From what I've heard, he has received offers from many nobles from all around the Re-estize Kingdom, and even from other countries to work for them, but he always refused, choosing to stay in E-Rantal."
I always thought he simply liked his hometown, but after seeing Enri today… Maybe there's another reason for that.
What was that thing Lukrut always says?
'Love is the biggest motivation in the life of a man'?
While Enri was busy digesting the information she gave her, Lukrut looked in Lupita's direction.
"Enri-chan is out of consideration, but what about you, Lupita-chan? Are you in a relationship with Momon? If not, then give me a chance!" He then struck a pose that she was sure he thought made him look cool.
"Huh!?" Lupita's voice deepened, and her face morphed into an unmistakable look of fury.
Ninya felt goosebumps all over her body.
A coldness filled her insides, and suddenly, breathing became impossible.
Her body was heavy, and all the strength was drained from it as she looked into Lupita's eyes.
A primal fear began to take over her.
She wanted to run.
No, she had to run!
But at the same time, there was the instinctive feeling that she couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried.
On those dangerous eyes, she saw death.
If I move, I'll die.
"That's enough." Momon's scolding voice reached her ears, and with one touch on Lupita's shoulder, the suffocating atmosphere vanished, as if it had never existed.
"Arff, arff."
"Uff"
"Pfiu"
"Huff."
For a minute, the carriage was filled with the sounds of the members of Sword of Darkness catching their breath.
Her arms trembled as she held her chest, feeling her heart beating so fast she was sure it would explode.
"It's okay, Jugem, don't worry."
She saw Enri explaining something to one of her goblins, who had stopped the carriage after sensing Lupita's presence.
"I'm sorry about this. It's just that the priestesses of Lupita's order are not allowed to have romantic partners, so Lukrut's question could be interpreted as accusing her of heresy. Please forgive her outburst; she didn't mean to scare you, right, Lupita?"
"Y-Yes, Momon."
Lupita lowered her head with a guilty expression. She looked nervous, like someone who just made a big mistake, but Ninya could see that these feelings were not directed at them, but only at Momon.
What is the relationship between these two?
Although I considered that she might be powerful since she was following Momon, I didn't think it would be to this extent. It felt like she could kill all of us in seconds if she wanted to.
What is her level? Adamantite? The Realm of Heroes?
What are these two monsters going to do in E-Rantal?
Could it really just be to register as adventurers?
Ninya swallowed her doubts.
Even if she understood their objectives, there was nothing she could do about it.
"Well, since my romantic life seems to be of interest to you, I must tell you that I'm already married."
Maybe to diffuse the situation, or just to lighten the atmosphere, Momon changed the subject.
"Is that so? She must be a very lucky woman to have you as her husband, Momon." Peter accepted the peace offering.
"Ha, you're thinking backward, Peter; I bet she is a very capable woman herself, to be able to get the eyes of Momon." Dyne continued.
"Is she pretty?" Lukrut also asked.
The interior of the carriage quickly returned to its friendly atmosphere as everyone began to contribute to the conversation.
"Ha ha ha, you are all correct. She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, capable of dazzling bards throughout the world and making rulers start wars to win her favor. As a warrior, she outclasses me completely, and she's gifted with wits that are just as fearsome as her prowess."
Momon spoke happily about his wife, and everyone opened their eyes in awe, trying to conjure the image of this mythical woman.
Stronger than the man who could cut ogres casually while blitzing through the battlefield.
A beauty capable of starting wars.
And wits comparable to her strength.
Ninya found all of that hard to believe, and she wanted to attribute this to the delusions of a doting husband, but one thing, or rather, one person, made it difficult to do so.
Lupita, who was nodding in agreement with every word Momon said.
Wasn't Lupita an incredibly beautiful and powerful woman herself? If someone like that could be in complete agreement with Momon's words, then who was she to disagree?
"Truly, I'm still new to this romance thing, and sometimes I feel that I'm unworthy of her admiration. Navigating feelings is way harder than I anticipated, and things are only bound to become more complicated as it looks like I'll have a second wife soon."
"Wow!"
"Congratulations, Momon."
"Ugh, I'm so jealous!"
The men each spoke in turn, but she had a question of her own.
"It may be difficult for you to marry a second wife, Momon. The laws in the Re-Estize Kingdom prohibit polygamy, so you would need permission from the king in order to do it. Is such a practice common where you come from?"
He paused for a moment.
"Is that so? I'm still not used to how things are done in these parts. In my country, there are very few regulations when it comes to family arrangements, so it didn't occur to me that such a problem would occur."
"But I think it will be fine. If anyone has a problem with that, they can come to me directly, but somehow I think it won't come to that, hahaha!"
He looked up before staring at them.
"Since we're already on this topic, I think it's time for this."
Momon then removed his helmet to reveal what she could only describe as a flawlessly handsome face.
Momon looked like someone in his mid-twenties.
His features seemed to be sculpted by a talented artist.
A chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, and eyes of a deep red mixed with perfect brown skin to give rise to a hard-to-resist face.
Ninya felt a blush spreading through her face as she looked at him.
He had the type of beauty that made her feel attracted and hesitant at the same time.
She wanted to keep looking at him, but at the same time felt that he was suddenly unapproachable.
Thankfully(?) Momon only showed his face for a brief moment before putting his helmet on once again.
"Wow, Momon, I can only say that I should have expected that." Peter struggled to find the words.
"Damnit, I'm so jealous!" Lukrut was having a melt down.
"If you're so handsome, why do you keep your helmet even when outside of combat? I thought for sure that you would be either hideous or have an ugly scar or burn. For you to be so handsome came as a surprise." Dyne asked directly.
"Thanks for the compliments, but there's a reason why I keep my face hidden most of the time."
"You see, in my country I am what is called a Dark Warrior, a name for members of my knight order. Our code dictates that, when acting as members of the order outside, we should be seen only as warriors, refraining from pursuing personal fame or drawing attention to our real names."
"For this reason, I wear this armor that covers most of my body and continue to use it even outside of combat. The name Momon itself is just a pseudonym given to me by the leader of our order to use in this pilgrimage."
"Who I am, or what I was before coming here, is of no importance. The only reason I spoke about my marriage is to make up for my companion's mistake, so please pay no mind to this, and just think of me as Momon the warrior, someone who came to this place in order to amass a good number of feats under this fake name before returning home, so forgive me if these limitations brought you discomfort." Momon then lowered his head briefly.
From then on, they continued their conversation, going through many topics.
The boys talked about their flings over the years, with Dyne surprisingly revealing that he had far more successful entanglements than Lukrut, while Peter still remained unbeatable in this regard.
As they continued the conversation, everyone seemed to grow closer together.
She felt uncomfortable with the topic, so she chose to remain silent throughout the conversation, while Enri was considered to be already 'taken', Momon claimed to have had no previous experience before his current wife, and no one was dumb enough to ask Lupita for this again.
Looking through the window, Ninya saw that the sun was already showing signs of setting.
Soon it would be time to set camp, she thought with some relief. The day had been an emotional and physical roller coaster for her, so she wanted nothing more than to eat and go to sleep.
It was then that Lupita turned to her with a teasing smile on her face.
"Ninya-chan, why are you so silent? Are you gonna tell me you didn't even have one boyfriend before? Also, why are you dressed like a man? It's such a waste of your good looks."
Like a demon out of hell, Lupita ousted her in front of the whole group.