Текст книги "Overlord - The Man in the Kingdom - Part 2"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Thanks to the thief's choice of routes, they had not encountered a single demon so far. They might not even have made it here without him.

Although they had some confidence in facing demons who relied purely on strength and speed, they would be done for if any demons who could use special abilities showed up. Given that this team was a largely mundane one that lived and died by their steel, they would have a hard time defending against attacks that weren't purely physical in nature.

Their acquaintance had only been a brief one, but because of this, the thief understood that Climb and Brain were sorely deficient in this department, which was why he had joined this pair of clearly suicidal men.

Brain silently thanked him as he ran on, hunkering down to reduce the size of his silhouette. Gradually, the style of the surrounding buildings began to change; the amount of non-residential buildings began to increase. It seemed they were nearing their objective.

"I have to ask, why are we headed for the warehouses?"

Climb answered the thief, who was inspecting their surroundings.

"Renner-sama mentioned that if they were rounding people up and taking them prisoner, they would need a big space to control and imprison all of them. With that in mind, it would be easier to separate families and lock them up in several big warehouses instead."

"I see. If the families are split up, they'll think they're all being taken hostage and be less likely to flee. If that's the case, we have to hurry... well. Even if we double back on our original route, we still need to pick a safe path."

"Thanks. We're counting on you."

There was more to do after the rescue. While thinking about how they would make it out of there, one thing that stood out as absolutely important was a safe axis of retreat. The choice of route was crucial, especially since they would be moving a lot of people.

But how long could this streak of luck last? Brain wondered.

This mission was essentially ordering Climb to die.

Since the other side was rounding up the civilians, that meant they had a plan for them. In turn, that meant they would be watching them closely. And according to what he had heard, the enemy leader Jaldabaoth was a being who could kill adamantite ranked adventurers in seconds. Any sentries he placed would be formidable indeed.

Brain's attention turned to Climb by his side.

He had worn his white armor to let people know that he was Renner's knight. Currently, he was stroking his gauntlet... or rather, the ring he wore on the ring finger underneath it.

Gazef himself had given him that ring.

It was something he had obtained from an ancient granny who used to be part of Blue Rose. According to the legends, it was an extremely rare item born of ancient magic, that could raise a warrior's powers beyond its limits.

You must return alive. Brain recalled Gazef's face as he said that.

Gazef had not shown any particular emotion at that time. No anger, sorrow, or despair. He understood that as a warrior in service to a lord, there would eventually come a time when he would be ordered into a battle that would result in his death. However, in order to aid Climb without being physically present, he had lent him the ring.

Brain had been following the thief's hand signals when he suddenly sensed a presence. Looking up, his line of sight followed the building– in that instant, Brain felt an impact that seemed to stop his heart.

On the edge of a roof of a nearby warehouse was – judging by her height and body type – a girl with long, blonde hair. She wore a dress made of pure white fabric that had been elaborately embroidered, and under the hem he could see that she wore a pair of high heels which sparkled like diamonds. Combined with her extravagant array of rings, jewelry and other necklaces, it made one think that she was some noble’s daughter, or a wealthy heiress of some sort.

Her beautiful figure, illuminated by the wall of fire, contrasted sharply with her bone-white mask, yet, her mystique was not diminished in the slightest. And in contrast to her striking appearance, her presence was far too subdued, as though she were nothing more than a wraith in an oversaturated world.

Her clothes and the color of her hair were completely different from that time. Back then, she might have been said to have been born of the night, but this time, she seemed to have descended from the moon. But even so, there was no doubt that they were the same person. The image Brain had seared into his soul from before layered itself over the person he was looking at now.

He was sure of it. Under the mask of the young girl above him was the face of that monster– Shalltear Bloodfallen. It seemed that she had not noticed them yet, but if it was truly that same monster standing before him, then no matter how far apart they were, they would be instantly killed if she discovered them. Was there a way they could flee without being detected?

There was none.

When Brain realised this, he felt as if he was putting a foot on cracked ice. He was suddenly aware of the oily, disgusting sweat oozing out of his pores.

Brain signaled to Climb and the thief, indicating he had something to say. Sensing that he had spotted something, the two of them halted and held their breaths.

What now? What can I do to get out of this? If we fight her, we'll be killed for sure. Even if we tried to run, we'd be chased down and killed anyway. Back then I used an escape tunnel, but there aren't any here now. But why is she here? Is she looking for me?

Brain smiled bitterly at that last thought.

If that were the case, then there was only one solution to this problem.

"Climb-kun, I'll go buy us some time. Use it to flee."

After that, Brain looked to the thief, and bowed his head.

"I'll leave him to you."

Without wasting any time on second thoughts, Brain immediately leapt up the building where Shalltear was, hoisting himself up in a single motion. Although he did not have the climbing skills of a thief, the building was only two stories high, and a warrior's arm strength could easily scale it. On the roof, Shalltear remained where he had first seen her.

Brain's heart pounded mightily. He was scared, terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. The memories of his desperate flight from her reappeared in his mind. In spite of that, he was still able to muster up the courage to face her head-on.

"...is something the matter?"

The ice-cold woman's voice called out, only slightly muffled by the mask she wore.

Doesn't she recognize me? What's this, some kind of game?

The best course of action now should be to pretend he didn’t know her and observe her responses. With that in mind, Brain raised his voice and answered her.

“I’m here because I saw a strange woman on a rooftop. What are you doing in the capital?”

“And why, pray tell, must I answer you? Perhaps you could tell me what a human is doing in this area. Are you the only one who has infiltrated this far?”

His heartbeat sped up and increased in intensity. Although he didn’t know where Climb was, he knew he could not let his eyes leave hers. In order to confuse her, he raised his voice and continued speaking.

"Are you looking for someone else? Not me?"

"And why would I seek you out in particular?"

"This is the second time we've crossed paths. From the start, I've been unable to forget your beautiful face."

Shalltear reached out her hand, and lightly stroked her mask.

"...do you have the wrong person, perhaps?"

Brain was at a loss for words. He wanted to ask if he'd gotten the right person, but he immediately abandoned that idea. It was her. There could be no other.

...so she's saying, I can't be bothered to remember a puny ant?

If she wasn't taunting him, if Shalltear truly did not remember, then that must mean she did not have even the slightest bit of interest in him. For an overwhelmingly powerful being like Shalltear, that was not arrogance or overestimating one's abilities.

"No... my apologies. Maybe... perhaps. Yes, this is the first time we've met."

"Is it, really? Well, even if you understand that now, it makes no difference. Perhaps it would be safer to just kill you off. Do you wish to live? To die? If you genuflect before me and lick my shoes, it might please me enough to change my mind."

"Sorry, but I think I'll pass on that."

Brain settled down into a sword-drawing stance as he slowed his breathing. The technique he was using was, of course, ‘Field’. Needless to say, though, Brain knew it was useless against Shalltear.

"Haaaa..."

The dumbfounded Shalltear gently shook her head.

"You don't understand the difference in strength between us, do you? How annoying..."

Actually, I do understand, Brain thought as he looked at her.

Shalltear scared him so badly he wanted to throw up. That much he understood. But knowing this, why hadn't he fled yet?

The corner of his mouth turned up as he thought about this question.

If his heart was a lake, then it was perfectly still and calm. Even in the face of a being that made him want to flee at all costs, he still managed to retain his composure. This serenity was quite unnerving.

Shalltear stalked forward again. It was like a repeat of the last time, and surely the outcome would be Brain's utter defeat. The sum total of his life's work, his effort and dedication and dreams, would be shattered with the contemptuous ease of a child breaking a toy.

That's right. That's how it'll be.

He was terrified.

Up till now, he had been through countless battles, wagering his life on the edge of his blade. Suddenly admitting his fear of death now would be very embarrassing. This battle felt like he was throwing himself off a cliff. Even if could muster up the determination to die in battle, he could not prepare himself to commit suicide.

The thing was, the feeling of abject terror that he'd carried with him, from the bandit hideout all the way to the capital, was mysteriously absent.

Brain recalled the back of a certain young man.

He was a youth who was far, far weaker than him. Who had, even in the midst of a roaring torrent of murderous intent, stood firm, despite his body trembling like jelly.

And then, Brain laughed.

The old man had said that sometimes humans could display unexpected power, but Brain knew that it was impossible for him.

He was not like that youth, who would give everything he had for the princess he served, and he was not like Gazef who could offer his body and life for king and country. Those two could do it, but not him. Brain was a selfish man who could only think of doing as he desired.

Even if that's the case... huh. Maybe this is how I square things with him, by buying him time to flee.

Taking one step at a time, Shalltear raised her left pinky finger, approaching at an unnaturally slow pace.

Was it because his heightened perceptions made it seem as though time had slowed down for everyone but him, or was it because Shalltear really was moving that slowly, to prolong his fear? It felt like both were the case, and he smiled ruefully.

Well, that's just how she is.

Even though they had only met for a total of a few minutes, Brain felt like he understood her better than any other woman he had ever met.

Two more steps, huh... two steps before she enters the range of my sword...

He wanted to run, but more than that, he didn’t want to let go of the weapon in his hands. His whole life had been spent holding a sword. Perhaps it was fitting that it should end the same way.

Brain had found his answer. With that in his mind, he followed Shalltear's silhouette with his eyes.

"Live by the sword... die by the sword?"

In that moment, Brain's mind cleared. The enemy was a distant existence, and his thoughts were sharpened into a single razor's edge.

Brain used ‘Instant Flash’. It was a martial art that no human opponent could detect, let alone defend against.

Even so, he could not touch the monster before him, not even if he stacked the ‘Field’ and ‘Instant Flash’ techniques.

At that level, his opponent could still stop it between her fingers. Therefore, Brain added one more technique to the mix.

The face of Gazef Stronoff rose before his eyes.

If not for him, I would never have ended up here.

He had thought that way at first, but after his various encounters in the capital, he had changed his mind.

Brain now felt nothing but camaraderie for his greatest nemesis– no, his rival. He had accepted that he would die here and now.

Perhaps it's too late... but thank you, my greatest enemy… and dearest friend.

With that, his heart turned calm. Without confusion, he allowed himself to let go. Even the shame of the past had vanished.

"—Aaaaaaaaa!"

Brain cried out like some sort of strange bird. It came from the depths of his soul, carrying the full power of his being.

He executed an incredibly high-speed ‘Instant Flash’, aiming it based on the information gained from the use of his ‘Field’. But it didn't stop there– from the ‘Instant Flash’, he continued into another move.

That move was—

Four simultaneous sword strikes.

That was Gazef Stronoff's technique, the very same one that had defeated Brain Unglaus at the martial arts tournament where they had first fought. It was a move that Brain had admired, even as he told himself he was only learning and imitating it in order to fully understand his opponent. It was a technique that he had sealed away with his hatred and resentment.

But now, in this moment, freed of all self-doubt and restraint, Brain used it without hesitation.

"「Fourfold Slash of Light」!"

In truth, the Fourfold Slash of Light had a massive weakness.

Executing four simultaneous attacks would place a massive burden on the body, and it would cause the attacks to scatter in different directions. Because this technique's accuracy was low, even its creator Gazef only used it when surrounded by multiple opponents.

Although the Fourfold Slash of Light did not make as many attacks as the Sixfold Slash of Light, it was easier to direct all the attacks toward the same opponent. Even so, getting them all to connect was still quite unlikely.

This wild attack should not be able to strike Shalltear Bloodfallen. Brain was very clear on that.

But Brain possessed a martial art that Gazef did not. It was a support technique that provided an incredible power-up within its radius– ‘Field’.

The four wild swings were corrected mid-flight by the superhuman precision of ‘Field’, following the path Brain had visualized for them. All four blows struck home with complete accuracy at super-speed.

Even a hero – one who had surpassed all other humans – would have had trouble blocking that attack. Mortals, wrought of weak flesh and bones, would not be able to even muster up the stamina to defend against it. This was a strike that had transcended the realm of mortal ability.

But Shalltear Bloodfallen was well above humanity herself, standing in a league of her own that nobody could ever hope to exceed. To someone like her, those four simultaneous strikes were little more than a snail taking a stroll in the sun.

"Hmph."

Shalltear snorted at him as his left hand moved faster than the eye could see. A sound of metallic clashing rang out through the night air. What had happened was that the simultaneous deflection of the four strikes had blended into a single sound.

All four blows had been repelled, leaving her untouched.

Shalltear shrugged her shoulders, laughing under her mask. It wasn't directed at the foolish warrior before her eyes, but rather at herself for having played along with him thus far.

But then, in the next moment, Shalltear's eyes went wide.

Right now, if someone had converted their ability into data and compared them, he would undoubtedly be cheering for Brain. It was a miracle, like the sun rising from the west, a sight that would fill people with awe and respect.

"...eh?"

Before her eyes, the nail of her left pinky finger had been shortened. It was a tiny flaw less than a centimeter in length.

Shalltear considered the current situation. The place which had been cut was the same place which had been used to repel all the strikes.

Come to think of it, those four strikes had been executed in two pairs, one above and one below. They had intersected on the spot where Shalltear had intercepted the attacks.

"...were you aiming for this?"

"Kuh– Ahahahaha!"

Suddenly, the man in front of her began laughing. Is he insane? Shalltear wondered. But it did not feel that way. More likely, he was laughing heartily over the fact that he had managed to slice off the tip of her fingernail, but she did not understand. So what if he managed to do it?

Shalltear’s nails and teeth were natural weapons, so using specialized weapon-destruction techniques to sunder them was technically possible. However, they would simply grow back with the application of healing magic, and in comparison to manufactured weapons of a similar class, they were far more resistant to harm. They were not on the same level as Divine class magic weapons like the Spuit Lance.

As such, Shalltear could not understand the reason for this man's laughter.

Cutting off a fragment of her fingernail would not change anything. Shalltear looked at the other four fingers of her left hand. Even if the nail of the little finger was shaved down a little, it would still be enough to tear a human body to pieces.

"...so, cutting it off means you pass, then?"

The man's eyes went round, and his jubilation intensified.

"I'm very grateful to you for such praise. My sword... my life was not spent in vain, after all. At the end, I still managed to make some progress toward the peak!"

That was not praise, however. Shalltear was just mocking him.

However, she could tell that his feelings were honest. In other words, the man was truly rejoicing about being able to clip a fingernail.

Did he have a few screws loose? Come to think of it, he had spouted a pack of rubbish when they had first met. All in all, it made her feel uneasy, so she had better kill him quickly. With that in mind, Shalltear stepped forward and—

—and Demiurge's call to battle came through.

Shalltear knew what that meant. Despite herself, she looked over to the distance, but she could not sense a presence.

"Is that the effect of Master's ring?"

One of the rings that Ainz wore would completely conceal him from all kinds of divination-type magic. It was normally issued to all the guardians, but it could also erase the presence of the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

With a sense of regret for not being able to sense her master, Shalltear turned her head back, and found that the human with a screw loose in his head had vanished.

Ah! I completely forgot about that strange fellow!

After a quick look around, Shalltear discovered that the man had turned his back on her and was busy jumping down into an alley. He must have made his move while she was distracted.

There's no way a mere mortal could escape unscathed from me.

If she used magic to slow down the flow of time, she could catch up to him before he even hit the ground. Without hesitation, Shalltear cast her spell.

"「Time Accelerator」!"

The air felt thick and viscous as Shalltear moved through it at incredible speeds, heading toward the place the man would land. As she descended, she observed his posture as he leapt down with glacial slowness. Although she could not harm him directly while the spell was in effect, she could still set up an ambush and make other preparations.

Just as well. I'll open my arms to receive him as he falls. Surely a human like him will be overjoyed to be embraced by a beauty like myself.

The corner of Shalltear's mouth quirked up as she thought of the expression that she could see on his face. As she landed on the ground, just before the spell ended, she sensed another presence close by.

—What's this?

It was a young man in a suit of pure white plate armor with a roguish-looking companion.

Brain landed in the alley and looked back up, but Shalltear was no longer there.

She didn't pursue me? No, that's not right, what if she wants me to lead her to the others, like last time?

He had not planned to flee at first. His thoughts had been that it would be easier to buy time for Climb and the rest by escaping to lower ground.

Brain's every action had been to let Climb escape. It was because of that that he had put on this entire show of running away.

But as he ran, he discovered something that should not have been. That something was Climb and the thief, who were waving to him.

How could this—

Brain's mind filled with emotion– intense anger and frustration.

His face distorted by wrath, he charged toward the two of them, grabbed them by the collar and kept running. This was obviously slower than just running by himself, but Brain was not calm enough to have considered that.

After they had run for some distance, and after checking repeatedly behind him to make sure that Shalltear had not caught up with them, he slammed Climb against a nearby wall. Because Brain had not thought to control his strength, Climb practically bounced off it.

"Why? Why didn't you run?!"

Although his emotions were on the verge of overflowing, Brain still had enough presence of mind to keep himself from shouting out loud.

"That... that was..."

Brain grabbed hold of Climb again.

"That was what?! Were you worried about me?! I clearly told you two to escape!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, I don't know what happened, but back then, you just said some stuff and ran off. The fault isn't Climb-kun's alone!"

After hearing the thief's words, Brain began to calm down. It was true that he hadn't explained anything at all. He forced himself to take deep breaths.

"...forgive me, Climb-kun. I seem to have gone a little mad."

"Ah, no, you must forgive me too, for not heeding your words."

"No, I was the one at fault, and I am truly sorry. Things just... happened."

"Hey, Unglaus-san, what happened? We may not have known each other very long, but just now, you seemed like a completely different person, like a novice who just picked up the sword."

"Stopping here is very dangerous. I'll tell you once we move. Let's just say I met a monster who could give Sebas-san a run for his money."

The three of them moved on warily. It might have been sheer luck that they had not met Jaldabaoth's underlings while they were fleeing, but counting on that luck to continue would only end badly.

"Then... you're unhurt, so it must have been a complete victory, right? Or… no, you settled it with words?"

"Not so. It was with the sword... I cut her fingernail off."

Brain was filled with glee as he said it. There was no mistake about it– he, Brain Unglaus, had clipped the nail of the monster Shalltear Bloodfallen.

"I cut her fingernail off," Brain repeated. He was trying his best to control the overflowing joy that welled up from the depths of his heart, but even so, he was practically trembling with emotion.

"I... I see. Cutting a fingernail off... I guess doing it with a sword is pretty impressive..."

The thief shook his head and trembled slightly.

"...that nail belonged to someone who could rival Sebas-sama. Don't you think she must have been very strong?"

"Is that so? As expected of Brain Unglaus..."

Brain struggled to contain his girlish excitement as he was showered in praise. He shook his head to clear these foolish ideas from it.

"Climb-kun, no, Climb. After seeing Sebas-sama you should know, right? There are people stronger than me everywhere. Even someone like Momon the Black has probably reached Sebas-sama's level too. So keep this in mind, when I tell you to run, run. Even if you try and help, you'll just get in the way. Please promise me, next time, don't question what I say and just do it."

"I... I understand."

"Then that's good. You're serving the Princess, right? Because of that, you could endure Sebas-sama's killing intent, right? Then make sure you keep your priorities straight."

Brain patted Climb on the shoulder, and looked back at the direction from which they had fled.

Why? Why hasn't she pursued me yet? Is there some reason? I totally didn't expect her to show up here. Could it be, it was because of the warehouse district?

Brain recalled Renner's words.

Could it be that she was looking for the same item as Jaldabaoth? If that's the case, wouldn't that make her one of Jaldabaoth's agents?

Since a monster like Shalltear had shown up, the only sensible thing to do would be to abandon the mission and flee right away, but would Climb be able to do that? Since he had already heard Brain's lecture, he would probably listen to Brain and escape.

Would that really be a good thing?

It was obviously good to be concerned for Climb's safety, but people sometimes chose to put their lives in danger for the sake of something else, and being ordered by Renner on this suicide mission was such an occasion.

Brain did not know what kind of life Climb had lived before he earned his name, or how he had served the Golden Princess afterward. Even so, Brain did not think it would be wise to unnecessarily interfere with Climb's determination to carry out Renner's orders.

Brain pulled the thief over, and spoke to him after making sure Climb couldn't see or hear them talk.

"Hey, do you think it was a good idea to bring Climb here? Wouldn't it be better to make sure he went home safe rather than completing the mission?"

"...You're a big old softy, aren't you?"

"Enough with that nonsense. And considering you're the one who volunteered to be the emergency stand-in for this suicide mission, I think you're the bigger softy."

The thief laughed nervously, and then looked at the confused youth who was facing them.

"How shall I put it... seeing a kid like him fight so hard made me remember the days when I was still young, even if it was just for a while. I think I understand how you feel about this too. Even so..."

The thief's eyes shone with a sharp and brilliant conviction.

"It was the path he chose. We have no right to force him off it."

Brain sighed.

"I'm interested in that brat too. I'm pretty certain how he feels about the princess, judging by the look in his eye and the way he reacts when put in danger. Hell of a kid, isn't he? He's honest and brash. Because of that... he's like a thief who's set his eyes on the Kingdom's most valuable treasure."

"That’s right. He might still die, but at least he'll have chosen it."

With that, Brain made up his mind.

"Then, we'd best get a move on. Don't know when Shalltear might catch up with us."

 

Part 2

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) , 5th Day, 03:38

The adventurers from the palace retreated past the barricade to the rear. The guards they passed through had been ordered to hold the line until the adventurers' wounds could be healed.

Once the adventurers had passed through the opening in the barricade, it was immediately filled up again with planks and other debris.

Nobody else remained in front of the barricade. This meant that this was the frontline.

Looking back, the guards could see the ragged adventurers as they limped towards the rear. Fresh claw and scorch marks adorned their armor, as did the sprays of fresh blood.

Further behind that was the wall of fire burning in the background. They had penetrated roughly 150 meters into enemy territory. Indeed, judging by the dread that the once-familiar capital had inspired in them, it felt like a foreboding, alien world; enemy territory indeed.

The adventurers had spent time looting the surrounding houses and tearing parts of them down to form a barricade. The guards had thought it would be an useful obstacle, but now it seemed puny and insignificant. It felt like it would crumble at the first sign of serious resistance.

"It's okay. The demons haven't pursued the adventurers. The enemy hasn't chosen to attack, they're just making a strong defense. No problems. They won't attack."

Someone else was repeating these words again. They were meant to mask his anxiety and embodied his wish to return home alive. He repeated his prayer to his god.

There were forty-five men manning the barricade. They carried spears and wore leather armor. Among these was a man in a helmet, Bona Ingray. He was one of the many guard captains mobilized tonight.

Though he had the title of captain, in truth he was no different than the other guards. His physique was nothing special, nor was his mind particularly sharp. The younger guards were stronger and faster than him. He had made it to this position simply because he had served as a guard until he was forty, and because there was nobody else to fill it.

His face turned pale, and his hands gripped his spear so tightly the edges of his fingers turned white. Looking closely, one could see that his legs were trembling. His gaze was fixed forward solely because he did not want to see something horrible. His entirely unreliable posture only increased the guards' unease further.

Then again, it was to be expected, considering this was the first time their lives would actually be on the line in a battle.

The Kingdom fought with the Empire every year, sending troops to Kattse Plain. But the guards were tasked with the protection of the city, and thus they were not dispatched to the frontlines. Because of this, the position of city guard was coveted by those citizens who did not want to fight against the Empire. But now―

They had had ample experience dealing with squabbles between drunken peasants, but there had never been a case where they had to fight to the death. Because of that, their fear grew even further. The only reason they did not break and flee was because they knew running away would be an unforgivable sin.

Even if they were somehow absolved, they would still be guilty of not protecting the city properly. That was the sole reason why they had not been sent to the front. If they failed in doing that, then they would surely be forced into the frontlines during the next war with the Empire.

"I'm going to quit my job as a guard if I make it through this in one piece."

Bona grumbled to himself quietly, and many of the people around him agreed.