Inside the borrowed house, Adam sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, eyes half-closed, pondering his next steps.
Crunch~ Creak~
The Invisible Hound cub lay beneath the bed, gnawing on a goblin's leg bone, its teeth grinding softly as if sharpening them.
The goblin corpse from earlier had been devoured, leaving only this bone.
Suddenly, the cub's chewing paused. It lifted its head toward the door, then glanced at Adam, who had opened his eyes.
Light footsteps approached.
Adam's gaze flickered, his expression neutral as he looked at the bone in the cub's mouth.
Crack!
The cub's jaws clamped down, effortlessly shattering the sturdy bone and swallowing it in a few gulps.
"Odorless."
Adam raised his arm, waving a hand.
The faint blood scent lingering in the air vanished completely.
Knock! Knock!
A gentle rap sounded at the door.
Adam rose from the bed, and with a soft click, opened the door.
Enri, holding a wooden tray, saw Adam and lowered her head, speaking softly. "My mother asked me to bring this food to thank you for your help today."
"I've already eaten." Adam said, glancing at the tray's contents.
Enri froze, unsure how to respond.
Noticing her growing unease, Adam opened the door wider. "Come in, then."
Enri exhaled in relief, stepping inside to place the tray on the room's weathered wooden table.
After setting it down, she glanced at the Invisible Hound cub peering at her from under the bed, her body stiffening.
Though she knew it posed no threat, the dangerous magical beast still unnerved her.
Adam left the door open, pushing it wider before entering the room.
"Um, sir, I'll leave the food here…" Enri said, her hands clasped nervously at her waist, voice hesitant.
"If you're not in a hurry, I have a few questions." Adam said, pulling a chair to the table and sitting down, his tone gentle.
He hadn't expected Enri to bring food, but since she was here, it was a chance to confirm details about the recent adventurer visits.
Small villages like this couldn't keep secrets.
The chief's words needed verification.
"O-okay." Enri stammered, nodding and taking a seat.
Adam glanced at the food: a creamy soup with meat chunks, an odd combination, and a pile of pine-like nuts.
"I'll accept the gesture." He said, picking up a nut, cracking it, and tossing it into his mouth. "The nuts are good."
Enri's posture straightened, her eyes brightening at the compliment.
In truth, both the hearty meat-filled soup and the nuts, harvested from the perilous forest, were luxuries her family rarely enjoyed.
Yet Enri knew such food might seem meager to this young man.
She'd anticipated he might not touch it, but courtesy demanded the gesture. In the village, helping each other, big or small, always warranted a response.
To Enri, this was simple decency.
Adam, unbothered by such thoughts, moved on after tasting a nut, asking about the adventurers.
Enri hadn't sought details herself, relaying only what she'd overheard from villagers, which aligned with the chief's account.
Adam nodded, unsurprised.
"Um, sir, aren't you an adventurer?" Enri asked softly, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Oh? How'd you know?" Adam replied, intrigued.
Encouraged by his openness, Enri, eager to learn about the outside world, shared snippets of the chief and Latimon's conversation she'd overheard while delivering the food.
"I see." Adam said, chuckling lightly. "I'm indeed not an adventurer."
Shortly after, Enri left the room, her face beaming as she carried the untouched soup and the nearly full plate of nuts.
Click.
Adam closed the door, a glint of amusement crossing his face.
He'd noticed something overlooked before.
Enri's hair color stood out distinctly from the rest of the village.
Carne's residents typically had brown or dark brunette hair, like Enri's parents and sister, Nemu.
Enri alone had lustrous chestnut-gold hair.
A minor detail, but curious.
Adam returned to the bed, patting the Invisible Hound cub's head. "You're proving useful."
"Wrrf."
The cub's eyes blinked in confusion, not grasping his meaning.
Adam didn't elaborate.
Keeping the cub wasn't just for disposing of the goblin and ogre corpses cluttering his item box, it was also a form of camouflage.
Or rather, a deliberate reveal of select information.
When weak, minimizing one's presence was wise.
But now, as he planned to operate in human society, hiding completely was unnecessary.
Activity left traces.
Like when the Eight Fingers inexplicably targeted him, some troubles couldn't be avoided by staying low.
In this world, outwardly stable but inwardly and externally chaotic, trouble often found you.
Constantly suppressing his presence only to cause a big stir later would draw more attention.
The cub's presence was a subtle deterrent, intimidating yet not overly so.
Ainz Ooal Gown's approach offered inspiration.
Their methods differed in purpose.
Ainz formed the Darkness team to quickly gain fame and infiltrate human society for intelligence.
Adam, however, faced not just this world's humans but the future arrival of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
As he'd noted, this intelligence war had already begun!
His strongest asset was melee combat, likely to remain so until he unlocked the special Valkyrie class.
Thus, Adam planned to disguise his primary attack style as that of a magic caster.
He was undecided, though.
Should he pose as an arcane magic caster or a divine one?
All his spells, except Minor Healing, were arcane. Yet he'd previously revealed his healing magic.
A dilemma.
He could pose as a dual-type caster, such individuals existed in this world.
"Pity." Adam sighed, thinking of Enri.
Recognizing her potential in command-based classes, he'd considered recruiting her.
But to develop Enri's General or Commander classes and boost their strength, she'd need a small army to lead and train.
Adam lacked the resources for that now.
"So much to consider." He muttered, rubbing his temples with a headache.
"Wrrf." The cub looked up, nuzzling his leg.
***
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