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

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

“That is true, but…”

Sebas breathed out a sigh and shook his head.

“I refuse.”

“You… you’re kidding, right?”

“If that is what you wish to believe. There is only one result to come of this.”

“… Please…god.”

Sebas remembered when he picked up Tsuare and slightly narrowed his eyes.

What right did a man of this kind of profession have to ask something of god? And to Sebas, the 41 Supreme Beings were his gods. It felt as if they had just been insulted.

“This is what you deserve.”

From the steely voice that rejected everything, the man seemed to have realized that he was going to die.

Was he going to run, or fight? The moment when that choice was placed before his very eyes, without hesitation, the man chose– to flee.

Even if he were to fight Sebas, the result was obvious. Instead, no matter how small it was, he had a better chance of surviving if he ran. The thinking behind his decision was correct.

Because for a few seconds, no, even though it was only for a tenth of a second, his life had been extended.

Having instantly caught up to the man who was making a break for the door, Sebas lightly turned his body. The gust of wind went past the man’s head and he collapsed like his strings had been cut. A round object hit the wall with a thud and rolled down to the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood.

A moment later, blood sprouted from the man’s headless neck and sprayed onto the floor.

That was truly a splendid technique. To blow away a head with a roundhouse kick, although it had the speed and power to make something like that possible, the most frightening part was that not a single stain could be found on Sebas’ shoe covering his foot.

With the sound of his footsteps, Sebas walked towards the man who had fainted with his eyes rolled back and brought down his foot. With the sound like an old tree breaking, the man’s body convulsed. After a few spasms, he no longer budged.

“…Is it not self-evident what would happen to you from everything that you people have done thus far? But rest assured, at the very least, you have atoned with your bodies.”

Sebas retrieved their corpses.

He lined the area around the stairs with the utterly destroyed bodies. Even looking at them was horrifying; it would strike fear and hesitation to any who tries to flee. It was a method that Sebas thought of should he be unable to destroy the point of entry.

After moving the corpses, Sebas brought his foot down on the secret floor entrance.

First was the sound of mechanical parts being destroyed. Following that, a large hole opened up on the floor. The broken floor cover loudly tumbled down the sturdy stairs.

“Aha… If I just destroy these stairs, then it would be difficult for them to escape through this way.”

♦ ♦ ♦

The room was not very large.

The desolate interior had a wardrobe to store garments and a bed, nothing else.

The bed was not the shoddy kind which would only have a sheet on top of it. Rather, it was a mattress stuffed with cotton, a luxury used by nobles. However, as if they focused on functionality, the design was plain and its ornaments lacked flavor.

And on top of it was a naked man.

He looked to be well over his middle age. Due to a life of indulgence, his body was fat and unattractive.

Although his looks could have been passed off as barely average, the blubber on his face lost him points fast. Looking at him, anyone would think that this man was like a pig. Pigs were smart, charming animals that liked things that were clean. However, in this case, the pig was stupid and base, used as an insult.

His name was Stafan Hevish.

He brought down his raised fist– towards the mattress. The sound of hitting flesh rang out.

A look of euphoria rose to Stafan’s flabby face. It was because the sensation of crushing flesh was transmitted to his hand and he felt a quivering pleasure ride up his spine. His body then shivered.

“Ohhh…”

As he slowly raised his fist, it came away sticky with blood.

Stafan was lying on top of a naked woman.

Her face was swollen and her skin was dyed with red spots due to internal bleeding. The blood flowing from her crushed nose matted her face. Both her lips and eyes were swollen as well and her former attractive face was nowhere to be found. The bedding was discolored, the scattered blood staining the sheets.

The hands that had been raised in the air to try and protect her face now rested on the bed. The image of her hair sprawled out on top of the sheets made it look as if she was floating on water.

“Hey, what, you’re already done? Ahn?”

The woman no longer seemed to be conscious.

Stafan raised his fist and slammed it down.

Smack. The fist and the cheeks, along with the cheekbone inside, pain from the collision was also transmitted to Stafan’s hand.

“Che, it hurts!”

In a fit of rage, he struck again.

The bed creaked along with the sound of beating. The woman’s skin that was swollen like a ball split open and his fist became covered in blood. Fresh, sticky blood splattered onto the bed sheets and stained them in red.

“… …Uuu.”

Even though she was being beaten, the woman no longer moved and her body barely showed any reaction.

If this repeated beating continued, her life would be in danger. Even so, the reason that she was still alive was not because Stafan was controlling his strength. It was because the impact was absorbed by the mattress. If she had been beaten on the hard floor, she would have already been dead.

Stafan didn’t hold back his strength not because he knew this, but because there would not be any problems even if the woman were to die. If he just paid the cost to have her disposed, then everything would be taken care of.

In reality, Stafan had killed multiple women in this shop.

Since he had to paid the disposal fee back then, leaving his pockets lighter, perhaps he unconsciously held back the strength from his hands.

Stafan licked his lips as he stared at the woman’s unmoving face.

This brothel was the best place to fulfill a certain fetish. Something like this would never be allowed in a normal brothel. No, even if it was allowed, Stafan did not know of such a place.

He liked the days back when there were slaves.

Slaves had been considered property and those who had abused them had the tendency of inviting scorn. It was the same reason that people frowned upon those who squander away their fortune. But for someone like Stafan, who had a peculiar fetish, slaves were the easiest and only way for him to satisfy his lust. Now that they were taken from him, Stafan had no choice but to vent his lust in these types of places. What would he have done if he hadn’t known about this place?

Without a doubt, he would have been unable to endure it. He would have committed a crime and been arrested.

And the one who introduced this brothel to Stafan – though he had to make backroom dealings and use his legal influence for their benefit – he was truly grateful to his master, the noble whom he served.

“Thank you– master.”

A quiet emotion rose to Stafan’s eyes. Although it was hard to believe considering his nature and personality, at the very least, he felt a deep gratitude towards his master.

Only—

Fire rose from the inside of his stomach– anger.

It was his emotions regarding the girl who was the reason why he lost his slaves, his outlet for his lust.

“—that bitch!”

His face was dyed red in anger, his eyes were bloodshot.

The face of the royalty that he had to serve– of the princess, overlapped with the face of the woman he was on top of. Stafan gathered the anger building inside of him in his fist and brought it down.

With a smack, fresh blood splattered once more.

“How, refreshing, would, it, feel, to, mess, up, her, face!”

Over and over, he beat the woman’s face.

The inside of her mouth must have been split open by a tooth. An alarmingly large amount of blood trailed out from between her swollen lips.

The woman’s only reaction now was to twitch every time she was struck.

“—Haa, haa.”

After several hits, Stafan’s shoulders heaved and both his forehead and his body were wet with oily sweat.

Stafan looked down at the woman beneath him. Her appearance was now past the point of being hideous. She was half dead, no; her body was already a few steps deep in death’s mire. She was truly a puppet that had its strings cut.

Gulp. The sound of Stafan’s throat rang out.

Nothing excited him more than doing it with a battered woman. Especially if they used to be beautiful, the more beautiful they were the better. There was nothing that sated his sadism more than when he destroyed something beautiful.

“How good would it feel if I could mess her up like this?”

Stafan recalled the mistress of the residence that he had visited earlier. He remembered the arrogant face of the woman whose beauty rivaled that of this country’s princess, the one who was hailed to be the most beautiful.

Of course, Stafan knew that he could not do anything to a woman like her. The ones who took care of his cravings were the daily scraps of this brothel before they were disposed of.

A beautiful woman like her would be bought by a powerful noble for a huge sum and imprisoned in their domain as to not reveal their illicit trading.

“Just once, if I could beat a woman like that– beat her to death.”

If something like that was possible, how enjoyable and satisfying would it be?

Needless to say, it was an impossible dream.

Stafan looked at the woman lying beneath him. Her exposed chest was slightly moving up and down. Having confirmed this, his lips became wickedly twisted.

Stafan grabbed the woman’s chest, causing it to contort greatly in his hand.

The woman showed absolutely zero reaction. She could no longer react to a pain of this level. Currently, the only difference between the woman beneath Stafan and a mannequin was that she was soft.

Only that Stafan felt a small dissatisfaction over her lack of resistance.

Please don’t kill me

Please forgive me.

I’m sorry.

Please stop.

The woman’s screams were revived in Stafan’s mind.

Should he have raped her when she could still speak like that?

With the tiniest feeling of regret, Stafan continued to play with the woman’s chest.

Nearly all of the women who end up at this brothel, their minds were already broken and their hearts fled elsewhere. Looking at it that way, it could be said that Stafan’s partner for today was better than usual.

“Was that girl like that too?”

What Stafan was recalling in his mind was Tsuare. He didn’t even want to hear what happened to the man who had let her go.

However, Stafan could not stop the jeer from showing on his face when he thought of the old butler whom he had visited earlier in the day.

What use was there in sheltering a girl who had done it with countless men and when the situation called for it, with women and even non-humans? He could barely contain his laughter when the butler showed that he was willing to pay a fortune of several hundred gold pieces.

“Now that I think about it, that runaway woman’s voice was pretty good.”

He searched his memories and recalled the girl’s screams. Compared to the others who ended up here, she hadn’t been all that bad.

Stafan grinned and moved to fulfill his carnal desires. He grabbed the woman’s leg with one hand and wrenched it open. The bone showed through her emaciated leg and was thin enough to fit in one of Stafan’s hands.

With the woman’s crotch spread bare, Stafan mounted her.

He grabbed what had hardened from his lust and—

With a click, the door slowly opened.

“What?!”

Stafan quickly turned towards the door and saw an old man who seemed familiar. He then immediately recalled the old man’s identity.

He was the butler he met at that residence.

The old man– Sebas entered the room without restraint, his steps ringing out the sound of his heels. From how he walked in so naturally, Stafan could not say a word.

Why was the butler from that house here? Why did he enter this room? Faced with a situation that he could not understand, the inside of Stafan’s mind became blank.

Sebas stood next to Stafan. And after looking at the woman who was lying beneath him, he turned his cold eyes in Stafan’s direction.

“Do you enjoy beating others?”

“What?”

The strange atmosphere prompted Stafan to immediately get up and reach for his clothes.

However, even before that, Sebas had already begun to move.

Slap. Such a sound rang out right by Stafan’s side and at the same time, his vision shook greatly.

A moment later, his right cheek grew hot and he could feel the pain spreading wildly.

He had punched him– no, he had been slapped across the face. Stafan finally managed to realize what had just happened.

“You bastard, doing something like—“

Slap. Again, Stafan’s cheek cried out in pain. And just like that, it did not stop.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right—

“Shtaaalp!”

Stafan had always been the one who hit others but had never been struck himself. His eyes welled with tears.

He covered his cheeks with both hands while retreating backwards.

As if his cheeks had been burned, the pain slowly began to spread.

“Y-you bashtard! You shink you can get awhay vithe thish?!”

His swollen red cheeks throbbed every time he spoke.

“I can’t?”

“Of courshe not! You imbeshile! Who do you shink I am!”

“A fool.”

He easily closed the distance that Stafan had put between them and– Slap! Once again, Stafan’s cheeks burned.

“Shtaaahp! Please shtahp it!”

Stafan covered his cheeks like a child being scolded by his parents.

Although he liked violence, the people he beat on were always the ones who were powerless to resist. Even if he were to go up against Sebas, who looked like an old man on the outside, Stafan would be too scared to hit him. He could not when he had no guarantee that his opponent could not fight back.

As if he had understood what was inside Stafan’s heart, Sebas’ eyes seemed to have lost interest as they turned towards the woman.

“What a horrible thing you have done…”

Stafan ran past Sebas who had walked up next to the woman.

“Moron!”

Stafan’s head filled with heat. What a stupid old man.

He would call for the men in this building and teach him a lesson. Now that he has done something like this to him, he would never forgive him so easily. He would have him taste horrible pain and fear.

In his mind, he thought of the butler’s beautiful master.

The master was responsible for the errors of the servant. He would have them both take responsibility for this pain. He will make them realize who they had struck.

With such thoughts in his mind and his belly flopping up and down, Stafan ran outside.

“Hey! Ish anyone there?!”

He shouted in a loud voice. One of the employees should be coming soon.

However, he realized that his thoughts were betrayed after stepping out into the hallway.

It was quiet.

Quiet enough to feel as if the place was empty.

While naked, Stafan nervously looked around his surroundings.

The silence that lingered over the hallway– the strange atmosphere instilled fear into Stafan.

Looking to either side of him, there were many doors. It went without saying that no one would come out of them. A shop where people with special fetishes– even dangerous ones, visited often would be perfectly soundproof.

But there was no way that the employees could not hear him.

He had seen several employees back when he was ushered to his room. All of them had been rough-looking men and had splendid builds that an old man like Sebas could not compare with.

“Why ishn’t anyone coming?!”

“—because they are either dead or unconscious.”

A low voice responded to Stafan’s shouting. He hastily turned around and saw Sebas standing quietly.

“It seems there are a few inside… most of them are asleep.”

“T-thatsh’s not posshible! Just how many do you shink are here?!”

“…Three people who look to be employees, ten below. And there are seven people like you.”

What was he saying?

Stafan stared at Sebas with that kind of expression.

“For the time being, there is no one here who will come running to your aid. Even if they should regain consciousness, I destroyed their legs and broke their arms. They will have to crawl here like maggots.”

An expression of shock surfaced from Stafan’s face. He thought that it was impossible, but the strange atmosphere within the brothel made him realize that Sebas was speaking the truth.

“However, I do not feel the need to keep you alive. I will have you die here.”

He made no move to draw a blade or a weapon and merely approached in silence, seemingly unconcerned. Stafan feared that incredibly normal movement. He realized that Sebas was really going to kill him.

“Wait! Wait! I half a gooh proposhishon for you!”

“…It is difficult for me to understand you. Do you mean to say that you have a good proposition for me? Let me think… I am not interested.”

“Shen why are you shoing shomshing like thish!”

There was no reason for him to end up in a situation like this. Just what reason could there be for him to die? For the first time, Sebas was able to understand his thoughts.

“…Even when you think of everything that you have done thus far, you still do not know?”

Stafan tried to remember. Did he do something that he shouldn’t have?

Sebas sighed.

“…I see.”

At the same speed as his words, Sebas’ delivered a powerful front kick to Stafan’s stomach.

“So this is what it means for someone to not deserve to live.”

Stafan was assaulted by the unbelievable pain of several of his internal organs exploding. Although it wouldn’t have been strange for him to fall unconscious from the pain and die, he only felt faint while his consciousness still remained.

It hurts!

It hurts!

It hurts!

Even though he wanted to scream and thrash about, the pain was so intense that he could not even move.

“Die as you are.”

Stafan heard a chilling voice. Although he wanted to beg for his life, his throat did not move.

Sweat entered his eyes and his vision grew murky. Within it, he saw Sebas’ back as he walked away.

Save me!

Save me!

I’ll give you as much money as you want so save me!

The one who could respond to the silent voice begging for help was already gone.

In the end, Stafan died slowly with excruciating pain flaring from his abdomen.

 

Part 2

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 12:12

“Climb, I’m going to kill all of the guys upstairs. We don’t have anything to tie them up with and it’ll be bad if something goes wrong and they scream for help. Even if I knock them unconscious, it’ll be dangerous if they wake up when we’re going in blin… what, what’s wrong?”

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

Climb shook his head to rid himself of his unease. Although his heart was beating loudly like when he ran with all his might, he ignored it.

“My apologies, I’m fine now. I am ready to begin whenever.”

“Is that so? …Hmm, it seems you’ve changed the way you think. You’ve been different since we got here. Right now, you have the face of a warrior. I know you’re anxious. After all, there are a lot of people here that you can’t beat. But relax, I’m here and Sebas-sama is here as well. Just focus on staying alive for the person who supports you.”

He patted Climb on the shoulder and with his katana already drawn, Brain knocked four times on the door.

Climb also gripped his sword.

They could hear footsteps approaching from the other side of the door and the sound of it being unlocked rang out three times.

Like they planned, Climb threw the door open.

Before they could even hear any panicked voices, Brain charged. The sound of flesh being cut could be heard, soon followed by the sound of something dropping to the floor with a thud.

Climb followed him inside.

Brain who had gone ahead of him was already cutting down a second man. Other than that, Climb saw a man in leather armor holding a short sword. Climb closed the distance between them in an instant.

“Wha! Who are you?!”

In a panic, the man swung his short sword but it was easily deflected by Climb’s blade.

He then brought down his overhead swing in a single breath.

The man tried to block it with his short sword but it was just not enough to stop the slash that had Climb’s entire body weight behind it. Climb’s sword knocked away his opponent’s weapon and slashed through the man’s shoulder and through the nape of his neck.

As the man collapsed groaning in pain, an incredible amount of blood spilled out onto the floor; enough to make one wonder just where it had all come from. His body went into convulsions as he neared death.

Having determined that it was a fatal wound, Climb maintained his stance and remained cautious as he retreated to a corner of the room. Behind him, he heard Brain run up the stairs leading to the second floor.

Having confirmed that the only things in the interior were ordinary furniture, Climb ran for the next room.

A minute later.

Having searched around each of their respective floors and confirming that there were no more enemies, Climb and Brain met up at the entrance.

“I searched the first floor and saw no signs of other people.”

“Same with the second floor. The fact that there aren’t even any beds here probably means that this isn’t where they sleep… Like I thought, there’s a secret passage and they live on the other side.”

“About that secret passage, did you manage to find it? I doubt that it would be on the second floor.”

“No, I couldn’t find anything like that. Like you said, it’s probably the first floor.”

Climb and Brain looked at one another and searched the interior.

Climb didn’t have any thief skills and could not find anything by simply searching the area. If they could take their time and had fine powder like flour with them, they could have scattered them over the area and blown on it. The powder would have fallen into the cracks of the secret entrance and made it easier to find. However, they had neither the flour nor the time to spare. Climb took out a magic item from his pouch.

It was a set of small hand bells given to him by Gagaran of Blue Rose.

『Even if it’s dangerous to go adventuring without a thief, there’ll be times when you won’t have a choice. When that happens, this’ll make a world of difference. 』

That was what she said when she gave him this item. Climb compared the pictures drawn on the side of the three bells and picked out the one he wanted.

The name of the magic item that he had taken out was ‘Bell of Detect Secret Doors’.

He could feel Brain looking at him curiously as he shook it once. A refreshing tone rang out, a sound that only the user could hear.

In response, a pale light gathered at a section of the floor. The light flickered repeatedly, indicating the location of the secret door.

“Hoh, that’s a convenient item. All of mine are only for strengthening myself and things useful in battle.”

“But is that not obvious for a warrior?”

“A warrior huh…”

Having memorized that spot, Climb separated from Brain who was wearing a bitter smile and circled around the first floor once. The magical effects of this item had a time limit. It was necessary to investigate as many places as possible before the time was up. Although he did a lap around the floor, aside from the first, there were no other areas that reacted to the magic.

Their next course of action was to infiltrate through this door. However, Climb narrowed his eyes and stared at the secret entrance. He then breathed a sigh and again, took out the set of three handbells.

The one he chose this time had a different picture than the one before it. And like before, he shook it.

A sound that was similar yet different from the other rang out.

‘Bell of Remove Trap.’

Be cautious of your surroundings. As a warrior, Climb had neither the ability to detect traps nor a way to handle them should he fall into one. If they had a magic caster, then even if he were to get hit with a paralyzing poison, he could be treated. However, there were only two warriors here. Among martial arts, ones that nullified poisons did exist. However, Climb had not learned them and didn’t have an antidote with him either. He had to assume that he would be doomed if he fell into one.

That was why he had to use an item with a limited number of uses per day without hesitation.

A heavy click sounded from the secret door.

Climb stuck his sword between the edges of the door and forced it open.

The bent side of the wooden floor sprang up and fell to the other side. A crossbow had been set inside the secret entrance. Light reflected oddly off of the tip of its quarrel.

Climb changed his position and stared at the crossbow.

The tip was covered in some viscous liquid. The odds were ten to one that it was poison. If they had tried to open it carelessly, it would have fired the quarrel dipped in poison.

With a small breath of relief, he looked for a way to get rid of the crossbow. Unfortunately, it was set quite firm and it did not seem like he would be able to disarm it without tools.

Having given up, Climb peered into what was through the secret door.

A steep set of stairs led downwards and he could not see anything beyond it due to the angle. Both the stairs and areas around it were packed with stones, making it seem very sturdy.

“So, what’re you going to do? Are you going to wait here?”

“It’s a bit difficult for me to fight indoors. If possible, I would like to go and find a place that’s wide and easy to fight in and attack their position there.

“Considering a 1v1 situation, you’d have a higher chance of winning if you waited at the top of the stairs. But if there’s a battle, there’s a chance that I would be too far ahead to hear it… And since reinforcements might come running, we should definitely forget about that idea. Then let’s go together.”

“Yes. I leave myself in your care.”

“I’ll lead the way. Follow a bit further behind me.”

“Understood. And although the item that I used a moment ago to clear the trap can be used three times per day, it can’t be used consecutively and need a thirty minute interval between uses. We can’t rely on the item.”

“Got it. I’ll advance with the utmost caution. And if you detect something then give me a shout.”

After saying that, Brain moved to the front and walked down the stairs. Just in case, he advanced one step at a time while prodding the ground in front of him with his katana. Climb followed him from behind.

At the bottom of the stairway, the ground and even the walls were lined with hard rocks. A few meters ahead, they saw a wooden door with its edges reinforced with steel.

Although it was difficult to imagine that they would place a trap at the level of the crossbow in the passage with the emergency exit, it was common for heavily armed warriors to be incapacitated by a single floor trap. That had to be avoided at all costs.

Despite the short distance, Brain advanced carefully and took his time reaching the door. Climb was on standby at the bottom of the stairs. He did so to avoid being dragged into any accidents should they occur.

Brain first poked the door with his sword. After repeating this several times, he grabbed the doorknob– and twisted it. His movements then stopped.

As he worried over what might have happened, Brain turned to him and spoke with a plaintive voice.

“…It’s locked.”

Of course. A door would be locked.

“Ah, I have something. One moment.”

He rang the last of the three handbells at the door.

With the power of ‘Bell of Open Lock’, the faint sound of a key unlocking the door could be heard.

Brain turned the knob and opened the door slightly, searching for a presence from within.

“No one’s there. I’ll go in first.”

Climb followed behind Brain and broke in as well.

They were in a hall.

In one corner of the room, there was a cage that was large enough to fit a person. Countless number of wooden crates was stacked up against the wall. Was this where they stored the luggage? Even so, it still seemed a bit too spacious.

There was a door with no key on the opposite side. When Climb listened carefully, he heard a faint noise, as if there was a commotion in the distance.

Brain turned around and asked Climb.

“What about here? It’s certainly big enough, but… you’re probably going to end up having to fight several people at once.”

“If that becomes the case, I will open the door leading to the exit and fight at the stairs.”

“Alright. I’ll take a quick look around and be back soon. So don’t die, Climb.”

“Good luck. Brain-sama as well, be careful.”

“If you don’t mind… could you let me borrow that item from before?”

“Of course. I apologize for not having thought of that.”

Climb handed all three bells over to Brain who put them into his belt pouch. He then wore the determined face of a warrior.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Leaving only those words, Brain went through the keyless door and moved deeper into the brothel.

Now that he was alone, Climb looked around the quiet interior.

First, he checked to see if anyone was behind the crates and whether there were any other passages. Although it was the searching skills of a warrior at best, there did not appear to be any hidden doors. He then investigated the vast number of wooden crates.

If possible, he wanted to find information on Eight Fingers’ facilities other than this one. It would be great if there were contrabands or illegal goods. Of course, the real search would have to wait until after this place was taken over. But he had to conduct his own investigation within the scope of what he was capable.

Among the countless crates, both large and small, he approached the largest of them all. Its length, width, and all, everything was about two meters tall.

He checked the large crate for any possible traps. Needless to say, it was the same as before. He had no skills of observation and could not imitate the skills of a thief.

He pressed his ear up against it and listened.

Although it didn’t seem like something was locked inside, in a place like the underworld, anything could happen. They could even be smuggling illegal creatures.

In a way, maybe it was to be expected that he didn’t hear any noises. Climb then placed his hand on top to try and open it.

—It’s not opening.

It did not budge.

He looked around for something like a plank or a stick but a quick look revealed that there were none.