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

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

“…No choice then.”

Next, he moved over to try and open the next biggest crate measuring about a meter on all sides.

This one opened easily. Peering inside, there was a variety of garments. Starting from a shabby one-piece, there were even a number of clothes a noble’s daughter would wear.

“What is this? Is there something hidden beneath these… it doesn’t appear that way. Are these spare clothes? Some of these look like work clothes, and this is a maid outfit? What in the world?”

Climb could not understand what all these clothes meant and twisted his face. He held one in his hand but it was normal clothing. If these were related to a crime, then they would be stolen goods. However, it was not enough as evidence for bringing down this brothel.

Leaving the stuff that he didn’t understand alone, Climb headed for a crate that was a similar size to the one before. That was when he heard a loud rattle fill the room.

That was impossible. He had checked the entire room and confirmed that no one was here. At that moment, a thought flashed across his mind. Someone could have used ‘Invisibility’ to hide themselves here from the beginning.

Climb was startled by the thought and hastily turned in the direction of the noise, the 2 meter crate that did not open. One of the sides of that crate had been up against the wall, and the opposite side was now open.

There was no luggage inside the exposed interior. Instead, there were two men. The inside was a passage and there was a hole where the wall should have been. The inside of the crate had been connected to a secret tunnel.

While Climb blinked, the men stepped out of the crate one at a time.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

The appearance of one of the men closely resembled the description that he had heard from Sebas. His name was Succulent, the one who was considered to be their biggest obstacle in this attack and at the same time, the one they wanted to capture the most.

He was a member of ‘Six Arms’ who was said to be equal to adamantium ranked adventurers. The enemy that Climb could not hope to defeat drew his blade and spoke while narrowing his eyes.

“I knew that there were intruders from ‘Alarm’ so I went out of my way to take the secret passage but… …Maybe you should have prepared more paths, after all?”

The man behind him responded in a shrill voice.

“Even if you say that now, I can’t do anything about it.”

Meanwhile, the man saw Climb and spoke while tilting his head.

“Huh? I saw that kid from somewhere.”

“A boy that you’re familiar with? Even I will get angry if you say something like that in this situation.”

“What’s with you, Succulent? There’s no way that that’s what I’m talking about. No doubt, he’s a subordinate of that female I hate the most in the world.”

“You’re saying that he’s a subordinate of that princess?”

Succulent looked over Climb from top to bottom like he was licking him all over.

Although the eyes of the man behind him, frighteningly enough, were filling with lust, his eyes seemed to be trying to gauge Climb’s abilities as a warrior. They were like the eyes of a snake trying to determine if the prey would fit inside his mouth.

The man behind him licked his lips with his tongue and asked Succulent.

“I want to take him with me, can I?”

A shiver ran down Climb’s back and he felt an itch in his butt..

That bastard, he swings that way!

“I will require additional fees.”

Succulent ignored the screams of Climb’s mind and turned to face him. Although Climb could not spot any openings in the first place, he was ensnared by the feeling that he was facing off against a strong citadel.

Succulent abruptly moved a step forward.

The pressure forced Climb to retreat a step back.

Without a doubt, it would not take long for a fight where the difference in skill was clear to finish. However, Climb had to overcome that difficult crisis.

If I maintain my defenses and focus on blocking, then I will be able to buy time until either Brain-sama or Sebas-sama arrives.

But there was something that he had to do before that.

Climb drew in a big breath.

“Please help me—!!”

He shouted in a voice loud enough to force all the air out of his lungs.

Winning the individual battle was not victory. They would only be victorious if they tied up the men here so that they could not run away. Another way to put it would be that if they let a man of his skill– and by extension, a man who seemed to possess a lot of information get away, then that would mean their defeat. If so, there would be no reason for him to hesitate to shout for help.

Succulent’s face turned savage.

The other side was now pressured by the need to finish this fight as quickly as possible. In other words, there was a considerably higher chance that he would mainly use bigger skills.

Climb did not let his guard down and observed them.

“Cocco Doll-sama, it’s become a bit more difficult to take this guy with us. It looks like I have to finish this fight before his reinforcements come.”

“What the hell! Didn’t you say that you’re a member of the Six Arms? You can’t knock out a kid like him? You’re making your name cry, Devil of Illusions!”

“If you say it like that, then you’re putting me in a difficult position. Well, I’ll do my best but don’t forget that our victory lies in Cocco Doll-sama getting out of here safely.”

Climb maintained vigilance and glared at Succulent as he tried to figure out why he was called the Devil of Illusions. He wouldn’t get a nickname if it was completely at odds with his abilities. As such, if he could find its origin, then he could read at least a sliver of his opponent’s abilities. But unfortunately, he couldn’t tell anything from the man’s appearance or his equipment.

Even though he knew that he was at a disadvantage, Climb yelled to encourage himself.

“I am guarding this door. While I still stand, I will not allow you to escape!”

“We’ll know if that’s possible soon enough. When you fall pathetically to the floor, that is.”

Succulent slowly raised his sword.

Hmm?!

Climb doubted his eyes.

The sword was swaying. His eyes were not mistaken. Although that strange phenomenon quickly subsided, he had seen it clearly.

Some martial art—?

It probably had something to do with the reason he was called the Devil of Illusions. If so, it meant that his opponent had activated some power. Although he hadn’t let down his guard, he now had to be even more cautious.

Succulent closed in on him while raising his sword.

It could not be said to be the movements of someone who rivaled adamantium ranked adventurers. Rather, looking at his movements alone, it fell slightly short to Climb. He raised his sword to match the path of the swing and– felt a shiver that caused him to quickly retreat back.

At that instant, he felt a sharp pain in his side and was almost knocked away.

“Ugh!”

He staggered back just like that against the wall. He did not have the luxury to think about what just happened. Succulent was already in front of him.

His sword was raised like before. Climb raised his sword to protect his head and leapt towards his left side as if he was rolling headfirst.

Pain ran down his upper right arm.

He rolled using the momentum and as soon as he stood up, swung his sword without even looking.

The sword cut through air.

He realized that his opponent had no intention of giving chase and looked around while pressing down on his right arm. He saw Succulent run towards the door leading to the stairs while being wary of him.

Climb ignored Succulent who was about to open the door and directed his gaze at Cocco Doll. He deemed that if Succulent was in charge of Cocco Doll’s protection, this would be enough to keep him in check. His prediction was correct.

Succulent’s hand stopped abruptly. He then placed himself between Climb and Cocco Doll and clicked his tongue. His eyes moved to the door, Climb, and Cocco Doll in that order and his face grew twisted.

“He got me! I apologize but I’ll have to kill this brat right here.”

“What~? If we keep him alive then he’ll be a good card to use against that bitch.”

“I was mistaken because of him. I focused on the fact that he was guarding the door and… that was the reason why he babbled about guarding the door. This bastard… toying with me.”

…Alright, he fell for it! As I thought, they don’t seem to have any information about what’s happening outside. Now they won’t be able to run.

In a situation where Succulent was the only bodyguard, it was a foolish idea to run while leaving Climb alive and able to continue fighting. The reason was because they would be hit with a pincer attack should one of Climb’s allies be at the top of the stairs. For the same reason, he also couldn’t let Cocco Doll escape alone before he finished the battle with Climb.

Climb separating himself from the door after announcing that he would guard it and showing signs that he was aiming for Cocco Doll caused Succulent to fall for his bluff. He was now deeply entrenched in the thought that someone was on standby beyond the door and that they would use a pincer attack to capture Cocco doll alive. In order to escape safely, he should have determined that he had to first defeat Climb here.

Of course, this was because he did not know the situation outside. If he did, he would have simply opened the door and fled.

Having won his gamble, Climb received the rising killing intent and raised his sword.

“Haa…”

Climb endured the pain being transmitted from his side and upper right arm. Several of his bones might have been broken but he was lucky to still be able to move. No, if that pervert did not harbor any weird lust towards him, then Climb might have died to a single stroke of the sword. Even though he was wearing a chain shirt, it didn’t protect him from the slash completely

But what was that attack? Did he slash with an incredible speed? But it didn’t seem that way…

Gazef’s face rose to Climb’s mind.

Gazef Stronoff’s original martial art, ‘Sixfold Slash of Light’, was said to deliver six attacks at once. If so, perhaps he was using something similar, but not quite as powerful, a ‘Twofold Slash of Light’.

However, that meant that Succulent was using a bizarre technique where the first attack was normal speed and only the second attack was fast.

It doesn’t connect. I’d be able to deal with it somehow if I knew what kind of technique it was but… anyways, it’s dangerous to be on the defensive. Should I attack?”

Climb swallowed his saliva and ran in. His eyes switched from Succulent over to Cocco Doll, causing Succulent’s face to twist greatly.

A bodyguard won’t like it if you go for their target, even if it’s only a threat. I know that from experience.

Approach while doing everything that he himself would not enjoy.

Devil of Illusions; a devil that uses illusions… there’s a chance that the nickname itself is a deception but… it’s worth checking.

He brought down his sword while closing the distance. But as expected, it was easily repelled. He endured the impact that was being transmitted and swung again. It was not an attack that was raised high so there was no strength in it. Regardless, it was enough.

As his broadsword was again deflected by Succulent’s sword, Climb nodded his head in satisfaction and widened the distance.

“An illusion! It’s not a martial art!”

He felt that something was out of place when his sword was repelled. Rather than the weapon he could see with his eyes, he had felt his sword being deflected by something slightly in front of it.

“Your right arm itself is an illusion. Your real arm and your sword is invisible!”

The sword that he thought he blocked was an illusion and the invisible blade was what slashed his body.

Succulent erased all expressions on his face and began to talk in a flat voice.

“…That’s right. I just combined a spell that made a part of the body invisible with illusion magic since I chose classes in Illusionist and Fencer. Now that you know, it’s a boring trick, right? You can laugh if you want.”

Just how could he laugh? Without a doubt, it sounded incredibly simple when said out loud and even made one wonder how they didn’t notice it before. However, in a battle where a single slash could mean your death, there was nothing more frightening than a sword that you could not see. And the fact that the illusion was visible on top of that made it that much easier to forget about it.

“My strength purely as a warrior might be less than yours since my skills are split, but…”

Succulent turned his hand holding the sword with a flick. But was that truly his real arm? There was a chance that the arm he could see was an illusion and that his real hand was holding a dagger while looking for an opportunity to throw it.

Cold sweat trailed down Climb’s body as he realized the terror of illusions.

“Among magic casters, an illusionist can only use illusion spells. The higher tiers have damage spells that attack with illusions and kill by tricking the brain, however… I have yet to reach that level.”

“That sounds like a lie. Where’s your proof?”

“I guess you’re right.”

Succulent spoke with a smile.

“Well, but there’s no reason for you to believe me. So, hmm, what was I going to say… right. As such, I can’t cast any spells to strengthen myself or weaken you. However… will you be able to tell the difference between illusion and reality?”

As soon as his words ended, Succulent’s body became divided and it looked as if several Succulents were overlapping.

“「Multiple Vision」.”

Although it seemed like one of them would be the real body, there was no guarantee that that was true.

Why did I give a magic caster time!

Climb’s objective was to buy time, but giving a magic caster time to cast buffs was incredibly dangerous.

With a roar, Climb activated the ‘Ability Boost’ and the ‘Strengthen Perception’ martial arts and closed the distance to Succulent in one breath.

“「Scintillating Scotoma」.”

“Ugh!”

Climb felt a portion of his vision fade away. However, the effect disappeared immediately. It seems his magic resist had succeeded.

Having endured with his feet planted, Climb swung his sword like he was trying to slash through all of the clones. But only one of them was within the reach of his swing. As expected, if he wanted to hit all of them, he had to engage the original. Otherwise, there would be no strength in his sword.

The Succulent that got hit was cut in two. However, there was no blood and the sword passed through him without resistance.

“—Wrong.”

A chill rose from his guts and the area around his neck grew hot. Climb covered the area where he felt the heat with his left hand.

He felt a sharp pain from the hand covering his neck and the ominous sensation of his clothes being dyed in fresh blood. If he had not sensed his bloodlust, if he had hesitated to sacrifice his hand, his neck would have been severed. Relieved to have escaped death, he gritted his teeth to endure the pain and slashed his sword horizontally.

Again, the sword only cut air with no resistance.

Anymore was dangerous.

Having realized this, Climb used ‘Evasion’ and retreated back. His eyes reflected the image of two Succulents simultaneously raising their swords. Climb knew that all the swords were illusions and focused his ears.

The chain shirt he wore and the beating of his heart sounded noisy in his ears. The only thing that he had to listen to was the sound coming from the man before him.

—No. —No. —This one!

The noise was not coming from the sword that was heading towards him. The faint sound of a blade cutting through air came from the empty space in front of him. It was heading for the middle of Climb’s face.

Climb hastily turned his face and– felt heat graze past his cheek as well as the pain of his flesh being slashed open. Hot liquid spilled from his cheek and flowed down his neck.

“One in two chances!”

Climb spit out the blood that was trailing into his mouth and poured everything he had into this attack.

Because he had used it for earlier to shield himself, he could feel nothing but pain below his left wrist. He wasn’t sure if his fingers could move properly. It was even possible that the nerves were severed. But even if he could only hold on to it, Climb grasped the handle of his sword.

The pain exploded and caused him to grit his teeth. However, his left hand moved properly and he could grip the sword’s handle. Perhaps the pain was the reason his hand felt like a swollen balloon.

He firmly gripped it with both hands and brought down his sword from overhead with as much strength as he could muster.

Blood– sprouted. Along with the sensation of cutting through something hard, blood erupted like a fountain. It seemed that he had managed to hit the real one this time.

Succulent fell to the floor like he had been stabbed in the vitals. Although it was hard to believe that he had won against a man who was as skilled as adamantium ranked adventurers, the fact that he had collapsed was the undeniable truth. Climb forced down his rising joy and turned his eyes to Cocco doll who was quietly looking in his direction. He didn’t seem to have any intention of fleeing.

Perhaps because he lost a bit of his tension, the flaring pain from his cheek and left arm made him nauseous.

“This… can’t be called a complete victory.”

Although it would have been ideal to capture Succulent alive, that was impossible for Climb. Even so, they should be able to get a lot of information if they capture the man that the Six Arms were protecting and helping to escape.

Climb stepped forward to capture him but felt something out of place with Cocco Doll’s expression. He was too calm.

What was the basis for that composure?

At that moment, he felt a hot sensation stab through his stomach.

As if his strings had been cut, strength left his body. For an instant, his vision turned pitch black and when he came to; he was lying on the floor. He could not understand what had happened. It felt like a hot, metal rod was lodged in his stomach. The pain spread and made him violently expel the air in his lungs. A foot entered his vision that could only see the floor.

“Unfortunately, it seems you can’t call this a victory at all.”

He desperately raised his face and saw Succulent who was almost completely unharmed.

“’Fox Sleep’. It’s an illusion that I can activate after receiving an injury. It hurt, you know. You probably thought that you killed me, right?”

He moved his fingers and slowly traced a straight line across his waist. It was probably the path of Climb’s sword.

“Haa. Haa. Haa. Haa.”

His breaths were short and rough. Climb could feel the blood sprouting from his stomach stain his chain shirt and clothes alike.

—He was going to die.

Climb desperately clung onto his fading consciousness that seemed like it would be torn away by the tremendous pain.

—Losing consciousness here meant certain death.

However, even if he stayed awake, it was only a matter of time. Succulent will probably come over to personally finish him off.

He fought well, considering that he was up against a man at the level of adamantium ranked adventurers. Since it ended up like this, he had no choice but to resign himself to his fate. The difference in strength was clear.

However– he could not give up.

How could he?

Climb gritted his teeth as if he was trying to shatter them.

He could not accept death. He could not allow himself to die without Renner’s orders.

“Ku, guh! Ugh, urk.”

With the sound of grinding teeth and a forceful shout that was more like a groan, he filled his heart with anger, the heart that was about to cave to the pain.

He could not die just yet. He could not die.

Climb desperately thought of Renner. Today as well, he wanted to return to her side—

“There isn’t much time so I’ll just finish you off. Die.”

Succulent pointed his sword at the boy who was groaning.

It was a fatal injury; his death was only a matter of time. However, he had a hunch that it would be better for him to kill him here.

“…Um, can’t we take him with us?”

“Cocco Doll-san, please give it a rest. There’s a good chance that this brat’s allies are through that door. And even if we do take him with us, he’s probably just going to die before we get to someplace safe. Please just give it up.”

“Then at the very least, let’s take his head. I’m going to send it to that bitch with some flowers.”

“Yes, yes. If it’s only that much… huh?!”

Succulent leapt back.

The boy had swung his sword.

For a boy who was almost dead, the cut was sharp and steady. As Succulent was about to give a look of disdain at the last-ditch resistance of his pitiful prey, his eyes grew wide.

The boy was rising to his feet by using the sword as a crutch.

That was impossible.

Succulent, who had killed in numbers that could not be counted in the hundreds, was certain that his attack from a moment ago was fatal. It was a wound that you could never get up from.

But the scene before his eyes too easily betrayed the knowledge that he had built up from experience.

“H-how is he standing up?”

He felt goose bumps. He was truly like an undead.

With a long string of saliva trailing down his mouth, the boy’s pale face could only be described as someone who had thrown away his humanity.

“I… can’t… die… yet. Not… before… re…pay… ner-sama… kind…ness.”

For an instant, his breath stopped in his throat when the boy’s eerie eyes turned to him. That was terror. He was scared of the boy who had done the impossible.

Seeing how the boy staggered on his feet, Succulent came back to his senses. What seized him then was shame. For a member of Six Arms to be afraid of someone who was so far beneath him, he couldn’t accept it.

“You half-dead bastard! Die!”

Succulent charged forward. He was certain that the boy would die if he stabbed him.

But he had been too arrogant.

Looking at them as a whole, there was no doubt that there was an overwhelming difference between Climb and Succulent. But Succulent who had two classes in Illusionist and Fencer and Climb who was only trained in the Warrior class, when comparing the two from a warrior’s perspective, there was not that big of a difference. Rather, Climb would be above him. The only reason that Climb was weaker than Succulent was because of the existence of magic. In a situation where he wasn’t strengthened by magic, Succulent was the weaker one.

With the sound of cutting through air, the sword shot up high and the high pitched noise of clashing metal rang out.

The reason that he was able to block the boy’s overhead strike was because his body was close to dying and his movements were dulled.

Cold sweat ran down Succulent’s face. He had been too focused on the fact that his opponent was almost dead. This preconceived notion was completely blown away.

As a Fencer, Succulent who was trained on how to evade the enemy’s attacks, had used his sword to defend himself. That was how far past the norm the boy’s attack had been.

—That wasn’t an attack that could be done by a half-dead human.

This thought brushed past Succulent’s anxious mind.

No, the speed of his sword was even faster than before he was injured.

“Bastard, what’s with you?!”

To become stronger in the middle of a battle. Thought it wasn’t impossible, Succulent had never seen something like that in reality.

Rather, it felt as if he had shed a layer of something.

“What the hell is going on?! Is it a magic item? A martial art?”

His panicked voice sounded desperate, so much so that it was hard to tell which side had the upper hand.

What happened to Climb was simple.

Thanks to Sebas’ training, the function in his brain that protected the body was thrown into disarray.

He had experienced death during Sebas’ training. His tenacity for life overlapped with the death he now faced and like back then, the limiters in his brain were released, granting him superhuman strength similar to the one that was sometimes displayed at the scene of a fire.

Although he had only seen a single blow during his training, without it, he would have died here without being able to do anything.

Succulent blocked a powerful blow and was suddenly blown back a great distance.

The impact from being dashed against the ground escaped through his back and shook his stomach. Although the orichalcum chain shirt blocked the impact, for an instant, the air in his lungs was expelled and he could not breathe.

What happened? Even though Succulent, the one who had received the impact, could not figure it out, it was obvious to Cocco Doll who had been watching from the sidelines.

He had kicked him with his leg. As soon as the overhead slash was blocked, the boy had immediately delivered a kick to Succulent.

Unable to understand what had happened, Succulent hastily got back on his feet. For fencers, being nimble was their creed. Lying sprawled out on the ground was fatal.

“Damn it! This bastard doesn’t act like a soldier! To think you would even use your feet! You need to just stick to textbook swordsmanship!”

Succulent rolled on the floor while quickly getting back up and with the sound of clicking his tongue, he poured out his criticisms.

It was a style that was different from what the soldiers trained in. It was dirtier; it felt like he was facing off against an adventurer. That was why he couldn’t let down his guard.

A feeling of anxiety ran down Succulent’s back.

At first, he thought that he would win easily, that he could quickly finish off a brat like this. However, now he could feel that composure start to disappear.

Succulent drew in his breath as he saw how the boy who he deemed dangerous was slowly weakening.

His complexion looked as if their previous series of clashes had burned out the flame of his life. No, that was probably the truth. Like how a candle burns brightly just before it goes out, that power was the same.

Now, he will really die even if he were to simply touch him.

Succulent felt a tiny relief and after a moment of hesitation, was dominated by anger.

He was angry at the fact that as one of the Six Arms, he had this much trouble with a single soldier. Also at himself for thinking it was dangerous. However, the fight was decided. He just had to kill him and run.

However—

“—That’s enough.”

He had just barely made it on time.

Climb who was lying on the ground, his face was a mess of dirt and sweat. It had gone past the point of turning blue and was now completely pale. Even so, he was still alive. But being stabbed through the stomach was fatal and if he was not treated immediately, he would die in a matter of minutes.

Brain entered the room, unable to feel relieved.

Inside, there were two men. One of them didn’t seem to be a combatant.

“Can’t you just kill the kid quickly without paying attention to that suspicious guy over there?”

“If I do then that man will close the distance in an instant and blow me away with a single slash. He’s on a whole different level compared to this brat. I won’t be able to win unless I concentrate and fight with everything I have. If I let my guard down even slightly or let my mind wander, it’ll be over.”

—Then the one who just answered must be Succulent.

That’s how Brain understood it. It was clear that he closely resembled the description. Honestly, that was what he thought back when he saw him with a clone and holding a bloody dagger. But he was done confirming it.

Brain stomped over without a word and half-heartedly used a draw slash. Succulent retreated back with a leap and the katana sliced through thin air. But Brain had only attacked with the intention to separate the enemy from Climb. He stepped over the collapsed Climb and stopped his feet at where he could cover for him.

“Climb, you okay? Do you have any items that can heal injuries?”

He did not have the luxury of time and thus spoke quickly. If there was nothing to treat him with, they would have to quickly find another way.

“Haa, haa, haa, haa. I… do.”

He glanced over and saw that Climb had put down his sword and was moving his hand.

“I see.”

Brain replied with a deep sense of relief and looked at Succulent with a penetrating stare.

“I’ll be your opponent from now on. I’m going to have to take revenge for this guy.”

“…No wonder you seem confident. You have a katana, an expensive weapon that rarely travels up from the south. I’ve never heard that a warrior like you was in the Kingdom…Mind if I ask for your name?”

He had no intention of answering him.

Climb was someone who he shared a common objective with– his comrade. In a situation where that comrade might die, he didn’t have time to go back and forth with questions and…

All of a sudden, Brain asked himself.

Is this me?

Didn’t he throw away everything that did not involve improving his skill with the sword? As Brain was about to slightly tilt his chin, he let out a quiet laugh.

…Ahh, I see now.

His heart, his dream, his goal, his path in life, what made life worth living, all of it had been destroyed by that monster, Shalltear Bloodfallen. And the one who found a place in its cracks was Climb. When he himself broke under the savage bloodlust of the mysterious figure named Sebas, the figure of Climb enduring despite being weak won Brain’s respect and admiration. He saw the resplendence of a man who possessed what he did not.

While he stood in front of Climb, he and Succulent stared each other down. Seeing him like this, could Climb see the same brilliance that Brain had seen from his back?

If his past self saw this situation, he would have laughed until tears came from his eyes, saying that he got weaker.

He had thought that a warrior grew weaker if he had to shoulder something. He used to think that the only thing a warrior needed was sharpness.

However– now he understood.

“So this kind of life existed as well… I see now. Gazef… it seems that I’m still no match for you.”

“Didn’t you hear me? Mind if I ask again? Your name is?”

“Sorry about that. I don’t think there would be any meaning in telling you but I’ll answer… it’s Brain Unglaus.”

Succulent’s eyes opened wide.

“What! You?!”

“Oh my! The real thing?! He’s not a fake?!”

“No, there’s no doubt, Cocco Doll-san. An expensive weapon reveals a warrior’s worth. For the Brain Unglaus that I know of, a katana would be a fitting weapon.”