Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

Chapter 37 - The Stubborn Old Man

In the depths of autumn, the world was steeped in decay. Withered leaves drifted down in a rustling cascade, littering the path of four hurried travelers, while the bare branches of trees clawed at the sky.

This was a frontier town in Baharuth, perched on the edge of Re-Estize's territory.

The two nations were sworn enemies, but since most of the fighting raged on the northern plains, life here remained relatively calm. Over the past three years, the Baharuth's higher-ups had abandoned their usual war-hungry posturing, issuing strict orders to avoid conflict with Re-Estize and even pulling the knight garrison back to the capital. The town's defenses had grown lax as a result.

The Last Defender of the Way adventuring party barely had to flash their credentials at the border shack before they were waved through to cross into Re-Estize.

They were stocking up on dried rations that could last, camping gear, and drawing clean well water for the long trek ahead.

Teleportation circles? Forget it. Even a carriage was too much to hope for. This backwater had no paved roads leading straight to Re-Estize's cities.

The war might be over, but the two nations were still at each other's throats on paper, and border routes were few and far between. Only profit-chasing merchants, driving mule carts through muddy trails, bothered to stop in this town now and then.

For adventurers who called the open road home, crossing into the neighboring country meant hoofing it on foot.

For Barrett, well water was a poor substitute for proper drinking water, but a frontier dump like this wasn't exactly brimming with magically distilled reserves. He grimaced, hauled up a bucket from the well, and filled his leather waterskin with a shrug.

Sean's shoulder was healing fast, and as the designated invalid, he was off the hook for chores. He tagged along with Stella, wandering through the town's short market street.

Maybe because the town still had some trickle of trade with Re-Estize, a few of the tools and trinkets for sale had the distinct flair of the kingdom's southern regions. Sean and Stella, born and raised in Baharuth, were fascinated, lingering at vendors' stalls for ages.

Barrett took charge of gathering supplies, refusing to let EeDechi get involved. EeDechi was happy to kick back, slipping off on her own to hunt down shops selling goji berries and dried red dates. According to her, she was running low on ingredients for her "health preservation" brews.

Stella still couldn't wrap her head around it. How did EeDechi, with zero alchemy know-how, decide that steeping a few common ingredients in boiling water would whip up a life-extending potion? Still, their orichalcum-rank team leader must have her reasons, right? Stella figured she'd try brewing some herself sometime.

The cleric girl in her white cotton robe, Stella, held Ureirika's hand in her left and Sean held Kuuderika's in his right as they strolled side by side through the market. From a distance, they spotted Barrett's tall, burly frame arguing heatedly with a scrawny old man crouched on the ground.

"Why the hell is your borago officinalis so damn expensive? This tiny bundle for one gold coin? Let me tell you, two months ago in Trellami, I got a bundle twice as big as your pathetic sprigs for just ten coppers!" Barrett, longsword hanging at his hip, loomed over the crouching old man, his tone sharp and accusing.

In front of the old man was a tattered yellow straw mat, strewn with strips of dried mutton, a big bundle of dried nettles, a few bags of mystery herbs, and a couple of borago officinalis bunches.

Boragis nocturnalis, known as 'courage grass,' dulled pain and calmed the nerves.

Adventurers with even a scrap of herbal know-how loved to dry and grind it into powder, keeping a tin stashed in their packs. Barrett was dead set on getting some.