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

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Brain smiled bitterly.

“Most of the people that I meet for the first time today seem to know about me… if this was the past then I would’ve been happy but I’m not really sure how I feel about it now.”

Succulent’s smile suddenly turned friendly. Brain was puzzled but his confusion was immediately lifted.

“Listen, Unglaus! What do you say we stop fighting? Someone like you is more than qualified to become our comrade. How about you join us? If it’s you, I can tell just by looking that you’re strong enough to become a member of Six Arms. You’re the same as us. Aren’t you seeking power? That’s what your eyes tell me.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

“Then Eight Fingers will be pretty good for you. It’s the greatest organization for those with strength! You can get magic items with powerful abilities. Look at this orichalcum chain shirt! This mithril sword! Ring! Clothes! Boots! They’re all magic items! Now, Brain Unglaus, become our comrade. Like me, you’ll be a member of Six Arms.”

“…How boring. That’s all your gang amounts to?”

His unbelievably cold attitude filled with contempt froze Succulent’s face solid.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said that your gang with only that much power is nothing special.”

“Y-You bastard! … H-Hmph. Then that must mean you’re not so strong yourself!”

“You’re quite right. After seeing a truly strong monster, someone like me is nothing.”

Brain took pity on the frog in a small pond who believed that he was strong and gave him an honest, friendly warning.

“The strength that you speak of is the same. We’re probably speaking about similar things so let me give you a warning. Even if we claim that we’re strong, we’re nothing special.”

Brain looked over his shoulder and confirmed that Climb had finished drinking his potion.

“And there’s something that I’ve come to understand. Strength that is for the sake of others is greater than strength that is only for your own sake.”

Brain smiled. It was a friendly, light hearted smile.

“The difference might be tiny. But I still came to realize it.”

“I don’t understand a word you’re saying. …It’s a pity, Unglaus. It’s a pity that I have to kill that genius swordsman who was Stronoff’s equal.”

“You? Do you think that you who only wield your sword for yourself could kill me?”

“Of course I can kill you, quite easily, in fact. I’ll kill you, and then I’ll kill that brat lying down over there. There’s no more reason for me to hold back and I won’t play around either. I’ll come with everything I have.”

While keeping Succulent who started to prepare his magic in his line of sight, he sensed the presence of the one behind him begin to move and sent out a warning.

“Stay still, Climb. You’re not fully recovered yet, right?”

Twitch. The movement stopped.

Brain wore a smile and spoke, despite feeling the same surprise that he felt a moment ago at this side of himself.

“Let me take care of the rest.”

“—I leave it to you.”

Rather than reply, Brain laughed and sheathed his katana as he lowered his stance. At the same time, he flipped the katana, sheath and all, so that its top and bottom side were switched.

“Be careful. Succulent uses illusions. Just because you can see it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s real.”

“Oh, so that’s it… That seems like an annoying opponent but… it won’t be a problem.”

Brain silently watched Succulent without moving. He must have finished casting his spells, for the number of his afterimages had increased to five. Not only that, he was wearing a mantle that looked as if it was made of shadows. He could not even begin to guess as to what sort of spells he cast on it.

“Thanks for giving me time to prepare. A magic caster with enough time becomes stronger than even a warrior. You defeat is certain, Unglaus!”

“Right, don’t worry about it. It’s the same for me. After talking with my friend here... I don’t think I could ever lose.”

Crunch. He heard the sound of Climb, who had been lying prone on the floor, moving.

He was regretting the fact that because of him, they had allowed the enemy to cast buffs. That was why Brain made his announcement so that Climb could clearly hear it.

“—One hit.”

“What?!”

“I said that I’ll end this in one hit, Succulent.”

“Try it if you can!”

Succulent ran towards him with his afterimages.

As he entered the range of his katana, Brain turned his body so that his calm and defenseless back was exposed to the charging Succulent. And– his god speed slash flew towards empty space, right next to Climb.

Smack.

That sound rang out and the walls shook.

Both Cocco Doll and Climb looked in the direction of where that sound had come from.

There, Succulent’s body was collapsed on the floor and did not budge. A sword was rolling on the ground near him.

Brain’s draw slash had blown back Succulent’s body and it had crashed into the wall at unbelievable speed. If he had not used the back of his blade, even with the orichalcum chain shirt, Succulent’s body would have been in two pieces. That’s how much power was behind that attack.

“… My ‘Field’ can detect your presence even if I can’t see you with my eyes. To think that you would use an auditory illusion to try and focus my attention to the front so you can attack from behind… It was a great trick, but too bad your opponent was me. And going for Climb was also foolish. You were probably planning to kill him and babble about how I couldn’t protect him and what not, but you focused too much of your attention on trying to attack Climb who was on the floor. Did you forget who you’re facing?”

Brain sheathed his katana and smiled at Climb.

“See, one hit, right?”

“That was splendid!”

His voice was overlapped by another voice that also said “That was incredible.” The two were shocked. The voice they heard belonged to Sebas, but that by itself was nothing to be surprised about. What shocked them was the direction that the voice came from.

The two turned their eyes in Cocco Doll’s direction.

There, they saw Sebas. Cocco Doll was collapsed next to him.

“When did you arrive?”

Sebas calmly replied to Brain’s question.

“I just arrived. It seems everyone’s attention was focused on Succulent and did not notice me.”

“I-I see.”

Even as he answered, Brain didn’t think that was possible.

But I had my ‘Field’ up. Its range is narrow but it should still catch anyone who ran in a straight line. And I still couldn’t sense him…? The only one who’s capable of moving like that until now was that monster, Shalltear Bloodfallen. I’ve thought this when I got hit with his bloodlust, but is he on the same level as that monster? Just who is he?

“Regardless, I have rescued everyone who was taken captive. And I must apologize to Climb-kun, several of the guards fought back so fiercely that I had no choice but to kill them. Please forgive me… or so I’d like to say. It seems that before I apologize, it would better for me to treat your wounds.”

Sebas walked up next to Climb and touched his stomach with his hand. He very briefly held his hand lightly against his stomach and immediately retracted it. But the effect was dramatic. Climb’s face that had been pale even after he drank the potion had immediately regained its healthy complexion.

“My stomach’s healed…! You were a priest?”

“No, I did not use the power of God, but rather poured in my Ki to treat you.”

“So you were a monk! No wonder, I finally understand.”

Brain nodded his head, now he understood why he didn’t have any weapons or armor. Sebas showed a smile of affirmation.

“Then what will the two of you do from now on?”

“First, I plan to run to the guard office to explain what happened here and bring some soldiers back. Meanwhile, I would like to ask Sebas-sama and Brain-sama to keep watch here. However, Eight Fingers might send reinforcements.”

“… I’m already on board this ship. I’ll ride it out til the end.”

“I do not mind either. However, could you keep me and my matters a secret? I only came to this country for business and do not wish to involve myself any further with the darkness of a foreign land.”

“I don’t care either way, Climb. Well, know that my guarantor is Stronoff for now so I’ll leave it to you.”

“I see. I understand. Then to you both, I apologize but please give me some time.”

 

Part 3

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 19:05

As night began to fall on the Kingdom, Climb finally returned to the palace.

Although his injuries were completely healed, his body was tired. Not just the battle, he had to mediate several times to handle the aftermath and those took time. The reason it had worked out in the end was not because Climb was Renner’s bodyguard, but because the guards feared the Eight Fingers and remained passive. What was especially significant was the problem of responsibility.

The one responsible would be made an example of and murdered by the Eight Fingers– it was a not a groundless worry. There was a high possibility of it actually happening. That was why he ordered a soldier to deliver to Renner a document containing a brief account of the situation. He then received permission to write down his name and the name of his master as the ones responsible.

Even though it would obviously have its share of disadvantages, there were at least two benefits.

One was obvious; it would raise Renner’s reputation.

They were the organization that was dirtying the Kingdom. And not only that, she exposed the people who committed filthy acts while being involved with the slave trade. Even better, for Renner who does not step outside the palace, the fact that she sent her bodyguard to the front would raise her evaluation.

Next were Sebas and the fact that they could protect the girl that he was sheltering. If they became the ones responsible, they could hide her since she was trying to not stand out. And once that was done, it would be difficult for them to become Eight Finger’s primary targets.

I couldn’t be of much help when we charged in so I have to do at least this much…

Brain said that he was going to deliver the news to Gazef personally and told him to not worry about it.

Climb absent-mindedly pondered such thoughts as he knocked on Renner’s door.

Normally, he could just enter without having to knock. But he declined to do so when it was late, thinking that it would be rude after all. After that one time when he encountered a Renner who was only wearing a thin silk dress, even his master consented to him on that point.

Climb smelled himself before he could hear the answer. Even though he had washed, his nose was used to the smell and he wasn’t confident whether or not the smell of blood was gone from his body. There was just no way that his attire was good enough to enter the room of a princess. However, it was necessary that he promptly report today’s events with his own mouth.

More than anything, the people who had been held captive were the most important. For now, those women had been entrusted with the station, but they would have to be moved to a safe location in the near future. And since some of them were hurt, they would have to send someone like a priest who could use healing magic.

The kind-hearted Renner-sama will definitely extend a helping hand to the suffering citizens.

It pained him to cause all these troubles for his master. If only he were a bit stronger… he ended up not knowing his place and wished for something like that. Even when it was all thanks to her that he could serve such a wonderful master, that he could live like this.

…Huh? There was no answer…right?

He did not hear the reply giving him permission to enter.

There was no night watch in front of the door and according to the time, Renner should not be asleep yet. Or did she simply fall asleep without informing the person on night duty?

Climb knocked on the door again.

This time, he heard a faint voice from inside giving him permission to enter. Climb felt a sense of relief and went inside. What he had to do first had already been decided.

“I apologize for being late.”

He deeply bowed his head.

“I was worried!”

The anger was evident in Renner’s voice. It was surprising. Climb’s master rarely ever got angry. Even if she was insulted, in front of Climb, she showed no signs that she was angry. That was why he understood that Renner had been worried from the bottom of her heart.

He felt as if something warm was going to gush out of his eyes. He endured it and bowed his head and sincerely apologized over and over.

“I was really worried! I thought that maybe Eight Fingers attacked first and had done something to Climb and… So what happened, exactly? I received a brief report but can you explain it to me in detail?”

When Climb was about to start speaking while standing up, Renner offered him a seat per usual.

Now that he was seated, black tea from the ‘Warm Bottle’ was poured into the teacup placed in front of him. A faint steam rose into the air.

He gave his thanks and drank a gulp of the tea that was at optimal temperature.

Climb told of everything that he went through in the brothel. He said that he was relying on Renner’s power and that there were people that he wanted her to aid.

“So what did you think when you saw them?”

When his story was roughly finished, the first question that Renner asked seemed strange. But as long as he was asked a question, he had to answer.

“I pitied them. I thought that if I was stronger, I could have saved those people before they fell into such suffering.”

“So that’s how it was… Climb thought of them as pitiful.”

“Yes.”

“I see. Climb is kind.”

“Renner-sama, if those women require a guard then I am prepared to leave at any time.”

“…I’ll be counting on you when that time comes. More importantly, I should tell you this beforehand. Tomorrow, or two days at the latest, we’re going to attack the facilities that were on the parchment that Lakyus brought in. Because of the attack on the brothel, I predict that they’ll grow more alert as more time passes.”

“I apologize! It’s because I acted on my own!”

“No it’s not, don’t worry about it. Rather, I was able to make my decision thanks to you. Besides, what Climb did is held in extremely high regard. You managed to capture Succulent, a member of Six Arms, and the leader of the slave trade group, Cocco Doll. This should be more than enough to shake up our opponent at the roots. That’s why I want to deliver an additional attack to our enemy.”

Renner punched the air, a cute punch with neither power nor speed.

“We’ll hit them again before they steal information from the capital!”

“Understood! I’ll rest up and gather my energy for tomorrow!”

“Please. Expect tomorrow to be a fierce day.”

Climb left the room. He seemed to slightly smell of blood.

“It must’ve been hard on you, Climb. Now then…”

Renner drank the rest of the black tea that had grown lukewarm and stood from her seat. She made her way to the hand bell. It was a magic item that when shaken, the one in the next room that it was linked to would shake as well. She thought of the face of the maid who was on standby in the next room. Luckily enough, it was that girl’s turn today, thinking so, Renner wore a cold smile.

“Shoot, which face was good here?”

Renner stood in front of the mirror and stretched her face up and down while holding her cheeks with both hands. Even if a human like her did something like that, her face would hardly change. What she was doing was something like affirmation.

Renner removed her hands and smiled.

“No. This is for when I make my rounds as the princess…”

This time, Renner tried a sneer and then another smile. One after another and finally, she wore an innocent smile.

“I think this one will be best.”

Having determined that she was finished preparing, Renner rang the bell. Immediately after, a maid knocked on the door and entered the room.

“I have a request. Could you prepare me some hot water?”

“Understood, Renner-sama.”

Renner smiled at the maid who was bowing her head.

“Did something happen? You seem to be in a good mood. You look as if something pleasant has happened to you.”

Renner happily smiled again as she confirmed that the prey took the bait.

“Yeah! It’s really incredible! Climb did something amazing!”

She spoke like a young girl; perfectly fitting for the foolish princess who coughs up valuable information.

“Congratulations, your Grace.”

Although the maid skillfully hid the hostility she had towards Climb, she ended up revealing the feelings that she could not hide. That reaction caused a stir in Renner’s heart.

—I’ll kill her.

—I’ll kill this maid too.

—I’ll kill anyone who looks down on my Climb.

But Renner’s expression showed no signs that she knew the truth. For the current Renner was an innocent princess; the type who was oblivious to the malice of others and who forgives her maid’s rudeness, that kind of naïve– foolish princess.

“It’s amazing! Really amazing! Climb defeated some really really bad people and freed all of the people who had been captured. Now they should be… um, he said that he left them somewhere in the guard station. Now we can punish the nobles who helped those bad people!”

“I see. That is really amazing. As expected, Renner-sama’s Climb-san is splendid. But could I hear about that incredible thing he did with more detail?”

Stupid girl, Renner spread her poison to the fool who was not even suspicious.

She controls everything in the palm of her hand, all in order to obtain the object of her desire.

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 22:10

There was a suspicious looking group that looked as if they were melting into the darkness.

All of them each wore different equipment and their atmosphere was completely different from that of soldiers. If one had to mention who they smelled the closest to, perhaps it would be adventurers.

The one at the front was a man with a rough physique. Next was a lean man along with a woman wearing light silk. A person in a robe followed them from behind and lastly, there was a person wearing full plate armor.

In the direction that the group was staring in, there was a door that was opened wide. The inside was covered in darkness and there was no longer the presence of other people. Even when looking around the surroundings, there did not seem to be any people.

This was a strange. All of the goods that were in the brothel had already been seized and transported to one of the stations for soldiers. However, it was out of the question that they would not leave sentries behind just because there was nothing there. If one were to actually look towards the entrance that was empty of people, they would see a bright bonfire and realize that they were keeping vigil at night. But the reason that no one could be seen was because those people used their authority to temporarily remove the sentries.

The boulder-like man standing at the front– Zero, sent a terrifying gaze to the captured brothel and spoke in a low voice, as if he found it despicable.

“What a farce. I’ll have to apologize to Cocco Doll. I lent him Succulent, a member of Six Arms and they still fell this easily. And it was even on the same day… truly, what a farce.”

Zero sent a sharp glare over his shoulder at the snickering that came from behind him. The woman who was wearing the light silk knew Zero’s personality well and quickly changed the topic.

“Ah, right right. So boss, what should we do? Do we kill Succulent who got caught? He’s at a station so it’ll be hard to use force. Then we’d have to borrow an assassin from a different division… what do we do?”

“No, we won’t do that. He’s still useful. I will request the Count to have him released immediately. …This will become an unexpected expense. Find out the Count’s tastes.”

The thin, frivolous-looking man asked a question.

“And Cocco Doll?”

“He will likely use his own connections. If he asks, then we will use our connections as an apology. Also, what happened to the client list? There wasn’t any information about it falling into the hands of a patrol officer.”

“There has been no news on that front. To be more precise, I haven’t heard of any further details on the matter.”

The voice coming from the robe was dark. It was like an empty echo flowing out of a hole in a graveyard that sent shivers down the spine.

“That is something that I am very eager to get my hands on. It can be used to make all kinds of threats.”

“Don’t say something so stupid. If we kept that with us, it would only make us look more suspicious. Others may think that we had planned for all of this to happen. If we find the list, we will hide it in a safe location and hand it over later to Cocco Doll with an apology. Besides, it’s probably written in code that can’t be cracked by normal methods so it’s useless to us regardless.”

At Zero’s words, the lean man shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

“Anyways, I’ll go in later and try to find out what happened to the list. If they have it, it’s probably in a secret safe or something. …With that said, this is pretty amazing. How was this hole made? The weapon… was it magic?”

“It was a fist.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on Zero. He repeated himself, declaring that this imprint was made by a fist.

“A fist huh… that’s amazing~.”

“—Foolish. This is nothing.”

He cut off the woman’s admiration and, collecting his breath, Zero stabbed the door with his fist. His hand became lodged in the door as if it was ripping through paper. As Zero slowly pulled out his fist, leaving behind a same hole as the one that Sebas had made.

Looking dumb-founded, the lean man opened his mouth.

“You can’t really use the boss as a comparison… Well, the enemy had enough skill to pierce through a steel reinforced door and defeat Succulent, even if he’s the weakest among the Six Arms. I’m guessing we should consider him to be a formidable foe, right?”

“What nonsense. Just because that guy lost doesn’t mean that his opponent was strong.”

The one who had his hood pulled deeply over his head spoke in a voice filled with ridicule.

“If his illusions are seen through, then his battle strength falls greatly beneath ours. He is strong when there is a clear difference in ability between him and his opponent. But if it’s similar or he falls behind even slightly, then his defeat is certain. You all should know this as well.”

There was faint laughter. It was a laugh that agreed with his comment and at the same time, one of contempt for someone whose skill was beneath them.

“With that in mind, let me ask, what do we do? Are you going to take your hand off the matter? I do not think that clashing will prove beneficial, considering the losses.”

“Foolish.”

Zero’s voice was filled with an anger that he could not suppress.

“If we don’t kill the one who attacked this brothel and set an example, our value will drop. From this point on, don’t think about losses. All of Six Arms will step forward and kill the invader– ‘Undying King’ Deibanock”

The one wearing the robe held out his hand. The hand that did not belong to a living person was firmly grasping an orb. The orb responded to the emotions of its owner and exuded a strange aura.

“‘Void Executioner’ Peshurian.”

The one in full plate armor who had been silent until now beat his fist against his chest and the loud sound of metal rang out.

“‘Dancing Scimitar’ Edstrom.”

With the ringing of the metal bangle around her arm, the woman wearing the light silk gracefully bowed her head.

“‘Thousand Kills’ Malmvist.”

The lean man brought his heels together with a click.

“And I, ‘Battle Demon’ Zero!”

As if in agreement, those around Zero all nodded their head.

“First, we pay the bail on Succulent and the others who were arrested and gather information. Once that is done… arrange for people who know how to torture. We will show the invader hell. He will greatly regret his foolishness!”

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 17:42

By the time Sebas had finished everything and was heading back to the mansion, the sun had already begun to set.

Climb-kun protected the ones that were being held captive and Succulent and the owner of the brothel were all arrested. It seems they will be quite busy so it should buy a bit of time.

Then what was he to do with Tsuare? The best option was to take her somewhere safe. However, as far as Sebas knew, only one place fit that description.

While worrying over it, Sebas arrived at the residence.

He stopped his hand as he was about to open the door. There was someone on the other side close by. Although this presence belonged to Solution, he could not understand why she was standing right in front of the entrance.

Was it an emergency?

Feeling uneasy, Sebas opened the door. What he saw next was so unexpected that he grew rigid.

“Welcome back. Sebas-sama.”

It was Solution wearing her maid uniform.

A shiver ran down Sebas’ back.

While acting as the daughter of a merchant, in this house where a human whose circumstances were unknown – Tsuare – existed, Solution was wearing her maid uniform. Was it because the act was no longer necessary? Or did a reason that required her to be in her maid uniform appear?

If it was the former, then it meant that something had happened to Tsuare. If it was the latter—

“—Sebas-sama, Ainz-sama is waiting for you.”

Sebas heard Solution’s quiet voice and felt his heartbeat grow louder.

He who was calm in the face of a powerful enemy, in front of a Guardian class existence, that Sebas now grew nervous at the news of his master’s arrival.

“W-Why…”

He squeezed out his words, as if his tongue was twisted. Solution stared at that Sebas without saying a word.

“Sebas-sama, Ainz-sama is waiting for you.”

There was nothing else that needed to be said. Her demeanor said as much. Sebas followed behind Solution and began to walk.

Those steps were heavy, like the steps of a condemned criminal heading to his executioner.

Afterword

(Picture cleaned by Hiiro)

I am the author, Maruyama Kugane. In the blink of an eye, 《OVERLORD》 has already published its fifth volume. Thank you to all of my readers who have been supportive of this series. Thank you everyone.

Since the fifth volume and the sixth volume are two parts of a single piece, I wonder if an afterword is actually necessary? Thus I have discussed this matter with editor-sama, and in the end editor-sama said that there should be some readers who look forward to the afterword and hope that I write one… there are people who look forward to reading the afterword… right? Is the kind of stuff in the afterword interesting to read? Hm… editor-sama’s words do make sense, or perhaps he wants me to dig up from somewhere something interesting to write about?

An interesting thing… in order to deal with many various matters relating to the fifth volume and the sixth volume, from August to the end of November I had spent every holiday huddled up at home to rush out this book… that’s the only thing I can think of.

Not only that, because just like the fourth volume, the sixth volume also has a special edition which comes with a Drama CD, the publishing process became even more compact than normal. It was really killing me...

That’s what it’s like as a part-time writer!

Huh. Not one bit… interesting. All it does is simply shatter everyone’s dreams.

Let’s change the topic.

At the same time as 《OVERLORD》 there is also a new web novel. However after the release of the sixth volume, at least 90% will be original material.

Originally, when I had the intention of rewriting the webnovel version as a book, I had to possibly supplement it with some brand new elements. This kind of thought has taken shape in the next volume.

The work itself has already been finalised. So long as there are no incidents, it should be available for sale in January 2014, and I hope to see everyone again in the in the afterword of that volume.

With that, let me get to the part where I credit others.

So-bin-sama for the book illustrations, Chord Design Studio which is responsible for the design work. Osako-sama who is responsible for the proofreading and editing, F-tan-sama the editor, and the various individuals who assisted in the production works. Thank you everybody. There is also Honey, thank you so much for your help.

Finally, I would like to give my sincerest thanks to all of my readers who show up to purchase this book!

December 2013, Maruyama Kugane