Текст книги "Overlord - The Men in the Kingdom - Part 1"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Volume 5. The Men in the Kingdom.

Prologue

Translator: Sene9ty

Editors/Proofreaders: JcqC, Ferro, TaintedDream, Namorax, Skythewood

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 1, 14:15

He raised his face and saw the darkened clouds covering the sky bleed out a fog of rain. Seeing the world of gray spread out before his eyes, Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff clicked his tongue.

If only he had left a bit earlier, perhaps he could have avoided this rain.

Although he scanned the skies for a clearing, the thick clouds completely enveloped Re-Estize, the Kingdom’s capital and showed no signs of abating even if he were to wait.

Having abandoned the notion of waiting it out inside the palace, he donned the hood attached to his coat and stepped out into the downpour.

He passed through the palace gate’s guards with only a flash of his face and headed towards the center of the capital.

Normally, the place would be overflowing with life, but the usual bustle of activity was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was replaced by the scant number of people moving about, careful not to slip on the wet surface.

Seeing his empty surroundings, he could guess how long this rain had been falling.

Can’t be helped then. Leaving a bit sooner wouldn’t have made a difference.

With his coat steadily growing heavy from the water, he brushed past the other pedestrians in mutual silence. Although his jacket was able to serve as a raincoat, the wet sensation of it clinging to his back made it uncomfortable. Gazef quickened his stride and headed for home.

As his house grew closer, the fact that he would soon be liberated from his drenched coat brought a sigh of relief to Gazef’s lips. Suddenly, his senses were drawn to the side. His vision shadowed by a thin veil, a narrow road veering off to his right. There, seemingly uncaring of his soaked body, was a ragged man plopped down on the side of the road.

Appearing to have roughly dyed his hair, patches of his natural hair color could be seen all over his head. His hair was drenched and clung to his forehead, dripping droplets of water from his locks. His face was slightly bent downwards and hidden from view.

The reason Gazef stopped his eyes on the man was not because he thought it odd for someone to be outside without a proper coat in this rain. Rather, he felt that something else was out of place. His eyes darted especially to the man’s right hand.

Like a child grasping onto the hand of his mother, the man held a weapon that did not match with his ragged appearance. It was a very rare weapon called a ‘katana’, crafted in a city located within a desert in the far off south.

He’s holding a katana… A thief…? No. This feeling I’m getting from him is different. Am I feeling glad to see him?

Gazef felt that something was off, like a coat with mismatched buttons.

With his feet planted, Gazef stared earnestly at the man’s profile. At that moment, his memory resurfaced like a surging wave.

“Is that you… Unglaus?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his mind was filled with doubt.

The man he faced in the finals of the palace tournament, Brain Unglaus.

Even now, the appearance of the man with whom he fought a close match was engraved in Gazef’s mind. Quite possibly the strongest opponent he has faced since first picking up the sword and living his life as a warrior– and even if it was one sided, it was the face of a man he considered to be his rival.

That’s right. The man’s gaunt profile matched almost exactly with the face from his memories.

However– that was impossible.

Without a doubt, their faces were very similar. Even if the passage of time changed his appearance, traces of his past self were still apparent. But the man from Gazef’s memories did not have such a pitiful countenance. He was a man who was filled to the brim with confidence in his sword and a fighting spirit that burned violently like fire. He did not have the look of a wet dog like this man before him.

With the sound of splashing water, Gazef walked towards him.

As if responding to the sound, the man slowly looked up.

Gazef felt his breath fall short. Looking at him from the front, he was now certain. This man was Brain Unglaus, the genius of the sword.

However, the light from the past was gone. The Brain that was in front of him was a defeated man with his will completely broken.

Brain staggered to his feet. This dull, languid movement was not that of a warrior. It was difficult to even call it the movement of an old soldier. With eyes downcast, the man turned around without a word, trudging away.

As his back grew smaller in the rain, Gazef was struck by an ominous foreboding that if they parted here, he would never see him again. He closed the distance that grew between them while shouting.

“Unglaus! Brain Unglaus!”

If the man denied it, he would decide that the two simply looked similar and admonish himself. However, a tiny voice flowed into Gazef’s ears.

“…Stronoff.”

It was a lifeless voice, one that could not possibly have belonged to the Brain of his memories whom he crossed swords with.

“What, what happened?”

Dumbfounded, he asked.

Just what exactly was happening?

Of course, anyone could have their life ruined and fall on hard times. Gazef had seen countless examples of such people. A man who always chose the easy way out could lose everything from just one failure.

But was he such a man? The sword genius, Brain Unglaus; it was completely unthinkable. Perhaps this was simply born from his own sentiment of not wishing to see the strongest opponent of his past reduced to such a disgrace.

The two men met eyes.

How can he make such a face…?

With gaunt cheeks, he had dark bags under his eyes. His eyes were deathly pale and devoid of all energy. The man was like a corpse.

No, even a corpse would be better than this… Unglaus is dead on his feet…

“…Stronoff. I’m broken.”

“What?”

From his words, the first thing Gazef looked to was the katana that Brain held in his hand. But he soon realized that wasn’t it. What was broken wasn’t the katana, but—

“Hey, are we strong?”

He couldn’t say yes.

The incident in Carne village flashed across Gazef’s mind. The mysterious magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown; had he not come to his aid, both him and his soldiers would have perished. Even with the title of the strongest in the kingdom, that was all he amounted to. He could never call himself strong with his head held high.

To his silence, Brain continued to speak.

“Weak. We’re weak. After all, we’re only human. We humans are inferior.”

Humans are indeed weak.

Compared to something like the strongest race, dragons, the difference was clear. Humans do not have hard scales, razor-sharp claws, wings that soared through the skies, Breath that obliterated everything; these were everything that humans did not possess.

That was why warriors held Dragon Slayers in high esteem. With their trained skills, weapons, and allies, there was glory in overcoming great odds and bringing down such a race. It was a merit allowed only to the warriors who could be described as ‘exceptional.’

Then could Brain have fought a ‘Dragon’ and lost?

He stretched out his hand to a place that was beyond his reach and failed; lost his balance and plummeted back to the earth.

“…What are you saying. Any warrior would understand that humans are weak.”

That’s right. He couldn’t understand. Anyone would know that a world for the strong existed.

Even if he was called the strongest by the surrounding countries, Gazef held doubts about whether that was really true.

For instance, there was a high possibility that the empire could be hiding a warrior who was stronger than Gazef. Not only that, the physical strength of demi-humans like Ogres and Giants far exceeded that of his own. If demi-humans ever gained even the roughest semblance of technique, Gazef would not be able to defeat them.

That world might be invisible to him, but Gazef was still fully aware of its existence. A fact that could even be considered common sense to any warrior, did Brain truly not know?

“There is a world where only the strong exist. Are we not training so we can win against such foes?”

With hope that one day, they will reach them.

But Brain emphatically shook his head, causing his drenched hair to fling droplets of water to his surroundings.

“No! That’s not the level that I’m talking about!”

A shout like coughing up blood.

The man before him overlapped with his image from Gazef’s memories. Despite his energy seeming to be directed in the complete opposite direction when compared to back then, it was the same spirit as when they crossed swords.

“Stronoff! We can never reach the world of the truly powerful, no matter how hard we try. As long as we’re born human, this is the truth. In the end, we’re just children holding sticks. We’re playing with swords now, but we are still mere children pretending to be swordsmen.”

A calm expression that lost all traces of emotion stared at Gazef.

“…Listen, Stronoff. You should be confident in your sword too, right? But… that’s garbage. All you’re doing is deluding yourself if you think that you’ve been protecting these people with that useless thing in your hand.”

“…Was the peak you saw really that high?”

“I saw it and realized; a height that humans can never reach. Actually—”

Brain let out a self-mocking laughter.

“What I saw was just a glimpse. I was too weak to see the actual pinnacle, you see. It was like child’s play, hilarious.”

“Then if you were to train so you could see that world…”

Brain’s face twisted in anger.

“You don’t know anything! You can’t ever reach that monster’s level, not with a human body. Even if you were to swing the sword without end, it’s obvious that it still wouldn’t do any good! …Useless. Just what was I aiming for all this time?”

Gazef could say nothing.

He had seen a person whose heart was this wounded. A person whose heart was shattered from seeing his comrades die in front of him.

There was no way to save such a person. He cannot be saved by others. Without the will to stand with their own strength, any attempts to help him would only be futile.

“…Unglaus.”

“…Stronoff. Strength achieved from the sword really is garbage. It’s useless in front of true power.”

As expected, those words showed no signs of his past splendor.

“…I’m glad to have met you in the end.”

As Brain turned his back and walked away, Gazef stared at him with pained eyes.

The pitiful figure of his once greatest rival with his heart in tatters. Gazef could no longer find the energy to speak to him. However, he did not miss the short phrase that he heard as they parted.

“Now… I can die.”

“Stop! Wait, Brain Unglaus!”

He shouted feverishly to Brain’s back.

He ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.

His staggering appearance no longer had the light from the past. However, despite the fact that Gazef pulled him with all of his strength, Brain’s posture did not falter nor collapse. It was proof that he possessed both a well-trained lower body and an outstanding sense of balance.

Gazef felt a small relief. In the end, his skill had not rusted.

It still wasn’t too late. He couldn’t leave him to his death.

“…What are you doing.”

“Come with me to my home.”

“Forget it. Don’t try to stop me. I want to die… I’m done with being scared. I don’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder, frightened by shadows. I don’t want to face reality anymore. And to think I used to be content with this trash in my hand.”

Hearing Brain’s pleading voice, Gazef felt his irritation swell up inside him.

“Shut up and follow me.”

And with that, Gazef began to walk while holding onto Brain’s arm. Seeing how Brain followed with faltering steps, without putting up resistance, Gazef felt a sense of displeasure that he couldn’t describe with words.

“After you change your clothes and eat something, immediately get some rest.”

Mid Fire Month (8th Month), Day 26, 13:45

The Kingdom of Re-Estize and its capital, Re-Estize.

A country with a total population of 9 million, ‘old’ would be the best way to describe its capital. A place of history, the unchanging daily life, a dirty city that hides under the guise of antiquity, a static city– the place held various such meanings.

It was something that could be easily understood with a simple stroll through town.

Aside from the few actual houses on either side, the apparent harshness of the surroundings meant that freshness or splendor was sorely lacking. However, how this was interpreted was different depending on the individual. Indeed, there may be those who see it as the tranquil atmosphere of a land rich with history. Others could see it as a dull city, endless in its stagnation.

It looked as if the capital would continue to exist as is, even if there was nothing that was immune to change.

The capital had many roads that were left unpaved. Because of this, in the event that such places became wet from the rain, they would turn into mires that raised doubts over whether one was truly inside a city. This did not mean that the Kingdom was poor. You could not compare them with places like the Theocracy or Empire.

With the roads being narrow, people did not walk in the middle of the path – in the way of the carriages – instead, they squeezed through the sides in a disorderly manner. The Kingdom’s citizens were already used to such congestion and walked like they were trying to slip through the cracks, skillfully avoiding others heading in the opposite direction.

Despite this, the path Sebas was taking was different from the norm in that it was wide and paved with the seldom seen stone blocks.

The reason was obvious with a glance of the surroundings. As the central road of the capital, the houses that were lined up side-by-side were large and magnificent, radiating a feeling of wealth.

As Sebas walked briskly with a dignified air, followed by the eyes of various middle-aged women and young ladies charmed by his elegance. Though there was the occasional woman who would brazenly send him a sultry gaze to his face, Sebas paid them no mind. With an upright back and steady eyes directed straight ahead, his feet did not falter for even a moment.

The feet that seemed to show no signs of stopping until it reached its destination suddenly halted and focused its attention on the carriage that was approaching from the side. It then turned ninety degrees and crossed the road.

At the place he was heading to was an old woman. She was sitting next to a bulky carrying frame while massaging her ankles.

“Is there a problem?”

Surprised at having been suddenly approached by a stranger, the old woman raised her face, revealing a pair of wary eyes. But that suspicion immediately weakened upon seeing Sebas’ appearance and elegant attire.

“You seem to be having trouble. Is there any way I can be of assistance?”

“N-no sir. Not at all.”

“Please do not let it bother you. Extending a hand to those in need is a matter of course.”

Sebas showed a bright smile, causing the old woman to blush. The handsome smile from the gentleman overflowing with charisma shattered her last vestige of defense.

Having finished peddling from her street stall, the old woman was returning home when she sprained her ankle and had found herself in a difficult situation.

Even though the area around the road generally maintained a decent public order, it didn’t mean that the people who traversed here were all law-abiding citizens. It was still possible to run into bad luck by asking the wrong type of people for help and end up losing both the money and goods. Knowing that such incidents were reality, the old woman could not blindly ask for help and was at a loss.

Then it was simple.

“I will accompany you. May I ask you to guide me?”

“Good sir, will that really be alright?!”

“Of course. It is customary to help those in need.”

Sebas turned his back to the old woman who was thanking him repeatedly.

“Then, please get on.”

“T-that’s…”

The old woman’s embarrassed voice.

“I’ll end up dirtying your clothes!”

However—

Sebas showed a kind smile.

Just how was having one’s clothes dirtied significant? Something like that did not even merit a cause for concern when helping others.

He was suddenly reminded of his comrades in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Their strange expressions; scowling faces that showed clear contempt. And at the head would be Demiurge. But no matter what he may say, Sebas firmly believed that this was right.

Helping others was the right thing to do.

Having convinced the old woman through her repeated refusal, he carried her on his back and lifted the luggage with one hand.

The sight of him lifting such a heavy object without even a falter drew a sigh of awe from not only the old woman, but from those around them.

With her as his guide, Sebas began to walk.

Chapter 1

A Boy’s Feelings

Translator:  Sene9ty

Editors/Proofreaders: JcqC, Ferro, TaintedDream, Namorax,  Skythewood, SifaV6, Kaezar

Part 1

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 2, 23:30

The man lit the lantern hanging from his waist. The special oil gave rise to a green flame that dyed the surroundings with a ghastly hue.

He stepped outside, feeling the heat seep into his body. Though the man wore a bitter expression, he had to attest at least this much to the season. Even when the sun wasn’t up, at this time of the day, everywhere in the Kingdom was humid from the heat. With that said, the worst of it was supposed to have passed and the days to get steadily cooler. Not even the smallest sign of this could be found anywhere.

“Man~ it’s hot today too.”

“No kidding. They say it’s supposed to be cooler up a bit north, near the ocean.”

The man’s partner for the night said in response to his grumbling.

“If it rained then this heat might ease up a bit.”

He looked to the sky as he spoke but saw only clear skies with no trace of even a single cloud in sight, let alone rain clouds. The stars shining brightly overhead, it was the familiar sight of the night sky.

“Seriously, I wish we’d get a good squall… Well, let’s get to work.”

The two men had an air about them that made it difficult to call them ordinary villagers. First was their equipment. A long sword at their waist and leather armor– their gear was too excessive for a village militia. Not only that, their face and body did not belong to those who worked the fields. Rather, they held the dangerous aura of people well versed in violence.

The two men walked into the village without exchanging a single word.

Silent under the darkness, the only sounds that could be heard in the village were their footsteps. A veritable ghost town. With great strides, the two men calmly walked through that creepy atmosphere. Their composure was proof that this was routine.

The village that these men were walking through was surrounded by tall walls and even with a cursory glance, one could see six watchtowers. It was difficult to find such strong fortifications even amongst the frontier villages where monsters were more likely to appear.

Rather than calling it a village, it was more accurate to describe it as a military base.

Though with that said, a third party may see it simply as just another village with tight security. However, the scene that would follow next would make them furrow their brows.

That was how much of a peculiar sight it was. Normally, a wall would encompass the residential buildings or storage warehouses while the fields were spread out outside. Plowing the fields inside the walls would require an incredible amount of work in order to surround all of the vast farmland. However, this village had surrounded the verdant grass swaying in the wind and was guarding them as if they were made of gold.

The man who was walking in that eccentric town felt someone’s eyes on him from one of the watchtowers. In reality, it should be his comrade equipped with a bow. If something were to happen, he could receive help by shaking his lantern above his head.

Considering his comrade’s skill with the bow, he would pass on his covering fire. Rather, just ringing the bell to wake the others was all he needed to feel secure.

But if he happened to accidentally use the signal, he would have to suffer through his comrades who were fast asleep. Despite this, the man was ready to shake the lantern as soon as he felt even the slightest suspicion.

After all, he didn’t want to lose his life.

With that said, it was doubtful that such a situation would arise. He had repeated this same job for the past couple of months and would continue to do so.

As he circled exactly half way through his patrol route, something like a snake struck the man’s mouth. No, it wasn’t a snake. The thing that had latched onto the man’s mouth and would not budge was a tentacle of an octopus.

His chin was forced upwards and followed by a searing pain on the exposed neck. Everything up to this point didn’t even take a second.

A sucking noise flowed from his neck.

It was the last sound the man would hear in his life.

The hand that was on the man’s mouth released its grip. His back, supported from behind so the body would not fall. After confirming that the blade had absorbed the blood, the magic weapon, ‘Vampire Blade’ was pulled out.

The one hugging the man from behind was a figure covered in pitch black attire. Aside from the eyes, the whole face was hidden and the entire body was covered in black garment. The fabric itself was made of cloth but the gauntlets and greaves on the arm and legs augmented its defense. Same for the chest, it was covered with a metal plate but the female curvature was plain to see and easily recognizable.

Similarly, behind the other man was a figure wearing the same outfit. This side also had an uplifted metal plate covering the chest. The eyes turned to the other side and nodded once.

Having confirmed that the assassination was successful, she checked her surroundings. There was no sign that they were detected, a small room for relief in the corner of her mind.

Even with the light from the lantern, they were sticking so perfectly close to the bodies that it was difficult to tell the difference from the watchtower. The only cause for concern was the instant they attacked– the short distance covered while moving between shadows, ‘Dark Crossing.’ But even that concern was over and done with.

With the dagger reddened from drinking the blood still lodged inside, she propped up the body that was about to collapse.

To the people in the watchtower, it would look as if the man patrolling had paused for a bit. Regardless, standing so stiffly like this or falling over would definitely rouse suspicion.

Then it was necessary to immediately move on to the next phase. However, that was not her role.

The woman felt a sensation in her hands; the feeling of the man’s lifeless body growing stiff, as if the inside was propped up by a pillar. As if confirming that she wasn’t mistaken, in the next moment, the man’s body jerked.

Even when the dead body moved, there wasn’t even a shred of surprise. Everything was going according to plan.

The woman released her hands and at the same time, launched a skill. One of the skills she learned from her Ninja class, ‘Hide Shadow.’ As long as a shadow existed, one could completely meld into it and render detection impossible with the naked eye.

Leaving behind the two who were now completely hidden in shadow, the men started to walk forward as if they had just been released from chains. They were returning to continue their patrol route. It was as if they had just remembered their original task. But the speed of their gait was clumsy and heavy. Even if their wound wasn’t finished healing, fresh blood did not seep from the slash on their necks because all of their blood had been drained.

There was only one reason that they could still move. They had become zombies and were now following the orders of their creator.

The one who turned them were not the women.

Looking at it normally, the only people present here were the two men. Even if someone were to see past their concealment ability, there would still be no more than four people. However, there was a fifth. That unseen fifth figure was the one responsible for the zombies.

That figure was invisible even to the women. But their ninjutsu allowed the two to detect hidden presences by using magic or skills. This ability reacted to the one before them.

“Preparations here are complete.”

“Perfect.”

Low voices rang out and a small voice soon answered in response.

“I know since I’m watching. I’ll move to the next location. I have to capture the one with highest authority here.”

This was also a female voice. But this one had a high-pitch tone that lacked maturity and exuded the feeling of a child.

“Then our side will start the attack. What about the other two?”

“Don’t tell me they’re playing around somewhere since they don’t get a turn?”

“No way. They’re hiding outside, near the village. The plan is for them to mount an attack from the front and rear if there’s an emergency. Alright then. I’ll be moving to our top priority. You two follow the plan as well.”

Their invisible comrade – even if it’s just her presence – rose into the air. She was moving through the air using ‘Flight’.

The presence that grew farther and farther away soon disappeared towards the building that she referred to as the top priority. It was one of the few buildings that existed in the village as well as a key location that needed to be secured first and foremost.

Normally, they would want to prioritize a different building. But the reason that place in particular was a priority was because of the ‘Message’ magic.

There are many who shirk this magic, calling it unreliable. At the same time, there are those who are unconcerned and use it regardless. The Empire that is ahead of even the Kingdom when it comes to nurturing the growth of magic casters, those who want information as soon as possible, and the enemy who rules this village. As such, it was necessary to first secure the liaison agent located in that building.

Now that their comrade was headed there, they also had to lie in wait at their assigned location. Everyone had to match the timing and finish their assault while they were still undetected.

The two ninjas exhaled and ran onwards.

Moving to and fro in the darkness, they would be invisible to an ordinary person. No, if they used their equipped magic item as well, even adventurers would have a hard time spotting them. In other words, there was no one in the village who could see the two women with their eyes.

Her comrade who was running at her side skillfully moved her fingers. Although it looked as if she was just wriggling them around, the other who saw it read their meaning—

—It’s fortunate that they don’t have any dogs.

She answered ‘agreed’ with her fingers.

It was a sign language used by assassins. At their level of expertise, they could communicate as fast as they could speak. Although they had taught it to their other allies, regrettably, the best they could manage were simple phrases or commands. On the other hand, both the speed and vocabulary of their signing was at a level where they could have daily conversations and would often use them to have secret chats with one another.

—I know what you mean. It makes this easier since they won’t be attracted to the scent of blood.

If the enemy had hounds then this would not have been this easy. Although they had prepared ways to incapacitate them, nothing was more welcomed than avoiding needless work.

As soon as she replied, her comrade’s fingers moved rapidly.

—Then I’ll be heading to my target building.

As soon as she answered affirmative, the comrade who had been running by her side split from her.

Now alone, she looked at the fields with her peripheral vision while running at high speed.

What was being cultivated was not a grain like barley or vegetables. It was the raw ingredient plant of the illegal and most prevalent drug in the Kingdom, Black Dust. Surrounded by these tall walls, the many fields in the village all grew the same plant. It was proof that this village was one of the bases for growing these drugs.

Black Dust, also called Laira Powder, this drug was a dark powder that was mixed and taken with water.

It was easy to mass produce and thus sold cheaply. Thanks to the easy high and euphoria, it was the most famous drug in the Kingdom. Not only that, there were many who believed that the drug was not addictive and that it had no side effects, causing it to be spread far and wide.

She remembered that fake information and snorted back a laugh.

A drug like that did not exist anywhere. ‘I can quit whenever I want’ was it? There should be a limit to such naivety. The results from testing the fluids from a black dust addict had shown that the user’s brain had shriveled to about eighty percent of the average brain size.

Made from a plant that originally grew in the wild, Black Dust is a powerful drug. It is a wonder how people can believe that such a poisonous plant would not be addicting. The reason that the Black Dust circulating through the town is listed as an anesthetic is because the cultivated plants that it was made from was less potent.

Nevertheless, the drug was still powerfully addicting and took a long time for it to completely leave the user's system. As a result, it would often be the case that the addict takes the drug again before it has a chance to leave the body. If Bishops do not use magic to forcefully draw it out, the addict will eventually reach a stage in their addiction where it will be nearly impossible to completely quit of their own volition.

The troublesome part of the frightening drug was that it had weak withdrawal symptoms. Even if an addict experiences a bad trip, they will not react violently or cause harm to their surroundings. That was why the Kingdom’s higher-ups did not truly understand its dangers and mostly ignored the Black Dust. Instead, they opt to focus their efforts on exposing other drugs. It is no wonder that the Empire even suspects that the Kingdom may be secretly aiding in its production.