Chapter 147: William Scott

William Scott?! EeDechi jolted in surprise.

Meeting him again now, William's once-youthful face had grown more mature, the freckles on his cheeks faded, though his eternally messy red hair remained unchanged.

Back at the inn, she'd heard tales of William—how he was a guy who groveled shamelessly before Ainz. Yet just moments ago, he'd chugged a polymorph potion to shift into a kobold, then swung his sword and sliced off another kobold's finger, stopping it from sounding the alarm.

What the hell had happened in the time since they'd parted ways at Sheep Horn?

William caught the mix of confusion and awe in EeDechi's eyes. He pointed at the kobold's corpse on the ground. "Lady Hero, let me deal with this thing first, then I'll fill you in on what I've been through."

Barrett was just as floored, his shock hitting him like a brick. Unlike EeDechi, who sometimes struggled to remember faces, Barrett's memory was sharp as a tack. In an instant, he recalled that redheaded kid from Sheep Horn—penniless, on his knees, begging like a whipped dog.

He could tell William Scott's dagger skills were damn near masterful now. Drawing his blade and lopping off the kobold's finger, standing calm as you please over its skull-smashed corpse—he'd grown fast, outpacing most adventurers his age by a mile.

Good thing no one else was around; the kobold's death barely made a peep.

Barrett stepped up to help. He stuffed the kobold's body—still sporting a gleaming throwing axe lodged in its head—into his spatial ring. Franco strolled over, casting a cleaning spell to wipe away the pool of blood on the ground.

After scrubbing the scene clean, they headed back to the waiting lounge. EeDechi fixed her gaze on William, that creepy feeling of being watched in the shadows finally gone, vanished like smoke in the wind.

EeDechi couldn't help but ask, "These past couple of days in E-Rantel—have you been tailing me the whole time?"

"Yeah, Lady Hero, your instincts are sharp as a dagger," William said, slipping back into that eager, boyish energy from before. "I first spotted you and Barrett outside a church, but you were disguised so damn well I wasn't sure it was you. Honestly, I couldn't wrap my head around it—you, bold enough to waltz into E-Rantel? That's the kind of guts only a hero's got!"

"So why were you following me?" EeDechi pressed.

"I've been dying to thank you in person. Those gold coins you gave me—they're the reason I've made it this far, getting closer and closer to my revenge. But I wasn't sure it was you at first." William glanced around, scanning the room. "By the way, I remember there was an archer and a lady cleric with you. Where'd they go?"

"They…" EeDechi's eyes dimmed for a moment, a flicker of sadness crossing her face. "I dragged them into a fight no ordinary person should've been part of…"

William picked up quick that this was a sore spot. He shifted gears. "After you and your adventuring crew left, I took those coins and set out to avenge my dad and brother. Problem was, I had no clue where to start. Like you told me once—"

He gave a bitter chuckle before going on. "I'm just a nobody with no power. No matter how hard I try, there's no way I can beat that demon god—you know, that… Supreme Overlord."

EeDechi nodded, getting it. If he said Ainz Ooal Gown's name outright, it'd likely trip E-Rantel's surveillance system.

"But I decided to go for it anyway. I heard the city closest to Supreme Overlord was E-Rantel. Thanks to your gold, I had enough to cover the trip, leave that backwater Sheep Horn behind, and make it here. I even managed to settle down in the city."

"Turns out the Sorcerer Kingdom opened up some kinda racial integration school, tossing humans and all sorts of weird-ass species together to learn and live. Most folks wouldn't touch that mess unless they were forced—dealing with roughneck non-humans ain't exactly a picnic.

"I'm still young, so I figured, screw it, and signed up. The teachers took a shine to me, even slapped me with some fancy 'Honored Student' title. Now I'm juggling school—picking up knowledge and basic combat skills—while pulling part-time shifts at the Dragon Zoo."

"After I ran into Barrett a few days back, I've been chugging polymorph potions, shifting into different races and tailing you guys on the down-low. It wasn't until you dropped your disguise in the waiting lounge just now that I knew for sure—you're the Lady Hero."

EeDechi let out a wry chuckle. "I ain't no hero. That 'hero' stuff? Just a hollow label. I just do what I can with what I've got. But you—you've pulled off things way beyond what anyone'd expect from you."

"No," William said, dead serious. "With unmatched strength, you saved me and Sheep Horn, gave me hope. You are a hero."

Barrett glanced at his pocket watch—ten minutes until the teleportation circle to Slane Theocracy fired up. He cut William off, voice stern. "Which kobold were you pretending to be? We just killed a kobold waiter—any chance we're screwed?"

"I was posing as a kobold waiter named Otoka. The real Otoka's out cold in the bathroom—I slipped him some knockout potion. He won't wake up 'til nightfall at least. I've still got two vials of polymorph potion." William patted his pocket. "I can slip out no problem, no one'll catch on. You guys don't need to sweat it."

"You're planning to… take revenge on that demon god?" EeDechi asked, hesitating.

"Yeah, I'm damn well gonna get my revenge!" William's tone was rock-solid, unshakable.

"Give it up," EeDechi sighed. "You're just a regular guy. This ain't something you can pull off—you'll get yourself killed!"

"Lady Hero, didn't you say it yourself?" William's eyes were clear and steady, showing he hadn't lost his head to rage. "Even a little pebble's gotta sharpen its edges, make anyone who dares stomp on it regret it! I've kept those words carved in my heart, my motto, pushing me to never stop moving forward."

EeDechi went quiet. After a long pause, she let out a soft sigh."You can't kill him."

"I never said I'd kill him. I know my limits," William said calmly. "But one day, I'll make him repent for his atrocities."

WOO—WOO— The whistle blared like crashing waves. The teleportation circle's energy pool was fully charged, and the massive stone gate to the array rumbled open. Magic rippled like water, dancing through the air.

Time to go.

EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco headed toward the teleportation area. They waved goodbye to William, watching the redheaded kid down a polymorph potion, morph into a satyr, and slip away into the shadows of the hallway.

Runes on the carved teleportation circle flared to life, magic surging. Huge white rings of light spun fast around the three adventurers. The energy whipped up a gale like crashing waves, sending their hair and sleeves flapping wildly. Space warped like a lake hit by a tossed stone, rippling outward.

"Hell yeah!" Franco hollered, pumped up, his blond hair sticking straight out in the wind. "No kidding, Captain, you guys had some wild times back then—and people even call you a hero!"

"I'm no hero," EeDechi's voice sliced through the warped space, still crystal clear. "Only someone with a hero's heart can claim that title. William knows he's walking a path with next to no chance of success, but he's still dead-set, stepping forward with grit. He's the REAL HERO!"