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

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

During her days spent living as an assassin, she had used drugs if the situation called for it. And because her organization had cultivated similar plants as well, she didn’t have any ill feelings on the matter. Even drugs can be greatly effective if used with caution. They were not too different from a medicinal plant with dangerous side effects, so to speak.

However, this was a request and her personal opinions were not a problem. Only that—

… Requests that aren’t made through the Adventurer Guild are dangerous.

She frowned beneath the mask. The client this time was a friend of the team leader. Despite the adequate reward, accepting a request that bypasses the guild could have troublesome repercussions in the future. Even if they were one of the only two adamantium class adventurer teams in the Kingdom.

Hmm? Was it three now?

Now that she mentioned it, she remembered hearing that a new adamantium class team was formed– whilst having such thoughts, the woman arrived near the building that they had codenamed No. 2.

Her role was to collect every scrap of information in this building. Afterwards, she was to set fire to the field.

Although it was true that the smoke from the burning plants was poisonous, it had to be done in order for her to complete her mission. Depending on the wind, it may even end up affecting the villagers. There was neither the time nor method for evacuation.

Necessary sacrifice.

Having told herself as much, she tossed aside the safety of the villagers.

Raised as an assassin, the loss of human life almost never affected her emotionally. She wouldn’t even bat an eye, especially if they were strangers. She only disliked the leader’s expression when there were casualties. But since this plan had the leader’s approval, she did not feel even a shred of desire to go save them.

And more importantly, they had to use teleportation magic as soon as the attack was over so they could move to another village and repeat the job. Her head was filled with nothing but thoughts about the plan.

This was not the only village where the ingredient for the drug was being cultivated. According to their investigations, there were twelve large scale plantations in the Kingdom. Most likely, there were still more that they have yet to find. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the amount of the drug that has spread throughout the Kingdom’s lands.

Weeds have to be pulled as soon as they sprout… Even if a lot of it is fruitless, it’s the only way.

If they found something like written orders in this village then that would be a stroke of luck. Regrettably, it was never that easy. They could only hope that the one in charge of this village would know something.

The leader will be happy if we can get even a small piece of information on the organization.

The powerful syndicate that cultivated the drug was named “Eight Fingers,” named after the eight fingers of the God of Theft, subordinate of the God of Earth. They were the group that controlled the underworld of the Kingdom.

The criminal organization was divided into eight categories: slave trafficking, assassinations, smuggling, larceny, drug trade, security, banking, and gambling. Their reach extended to every criminal group in the Kingdom and the sheer size of the organization meant that they were shrouded in mystery.

On the other hand, what was plain to see was how much influence they wielded in the Kingdom. The village sprawled out before her was proof of that.

They cultivate illegal plants in plain sight. That alone was enough to implicate the noble of the land as an accomplice. But charging him would not lead to a conviction.

It would be a different story if the royal family or someone from the judicial authority were to investigate the matter. But even so, it would be difficult to reach a guilty verdict when it involved the feudal aristocracy. The nobles of this land will claim that they did not know that the plant could be used as an ingredient to drugs. They may even accuse the villagers of acting on their own volition in order to shift the blame.

Public denouncement was ineffective and trying to forcibly curb the circulation of the drug was almost impossible with the organization bribing the nobles with influence over the distribution channels.

That was why the only option left was violence, burning the fields as a last resort.

In all honesty, she believed that even if she burned the drugs here, it wouldn’t even make a dent in their operations. With their fingers even in politics, that was how powerful the organization was.

“A bid for time… If we don’t make a decisive attack someday, then even this will be useless.”

Part 2

It was raining, accompanied by the noisy ringing in the ears.

The Kingdom did not build its roads with particular attention to drainage, especially when it came to back alleyways. The result was that an entire roadway could transform into a huge lake.

The rain falling on the surface of the lake splashed about, the wind carrying the scent of water and spraying it into the air. It was a part of the reason why the whole Kingdom exuded an atmosphere of being submerged underwater.

Within the world dyed in gray by the sprays of water was a single boy.

He was living in a deserted house. No, even calling it such was doing it a service. Its pillar was wood that was only as thick as a man’s arm. Rags were used in place of a roof and the only walls to speak of were simply the rags draping over the sides.

In the residence that was no different from sleeping in the open was a six-year-old boy. Like garbage that has been carelessly tossed aside, he was curled into a ball and lying on top of a thin cloth.

The wood acting as a pillar, the rags serving as both the roof and walls, they seemed like the sort a child his age would build as a secret base.

This house that was no different from being outside, it’s only merit was the shelter it provided from the rain. The sharp drop in temperature from the unending rain wrapped the boy in a chill that caused his body to shiver uncontrollably. The warmth of his breath that confirmed his existence was immediately robbed of its temperature and vanished into the air.

Before he had fled into the house, the rain had soaked the boy and he was now losing his body heat, fast.

There was no way to stop his body from shivering.

The chill seeping into his body soothed the bruises he got from a beating. Perhaps this was his one, small happiness in this worst case scenario.

The boy lay on his side and stared at the empty alleyway, at the world.

The only sounds he could hear were the rain and that of his own breathing. It was a stillness that made it seem like he was the only one in the world.

Although he was young, the boy knew that he was probably going to die.

He was not of an age to fully understand the meaning of death and thus did not feel too afraid. He also didn’t feel as if there was anything worth living for. The only reason he clung to life up until now was because he didn’t like pain, almost like an escape.

Although it was cold, if he could die painlessly like this, then death wasn’t so bad.

As his drenched body grew numb, his consciousness began to fade.

He should have found a place that would shield him from the billowing wind. But he was grabbed by a group of hoodlums and his current place was the best he could manage with his battered body.

He had a small happiness. Then was everything else misfortune?

His mouth hadn’t touched food in two days, but something like that was normal so it wasn’t misfortune. His parents were gone so he was alone with no one to take care of him. But it had been like that for a long time so it wasn’t misfortune. The unpleasant odor around him also wasn’t misfortune. After all, it was from the rags so it couldn’t be helped. The life that revolved around filling his stomach with rotten food and foul water also wasn’t misfortune since it was all he knew.

Then the empty house where he was comfortable, the home he toiled to build that was trashed by someone in jest, his bruised body aching from the beating from the drunkards, were they misfortune?

No.

The boy’s misfortune was such that he was unable to see it for what it was.

But even that was over.

The misfortune that the boy was ignorant to was to end here.

Death comes to fortunate and unfortunate alike.

Indeed. Death is absolute.

He closed his eyes.

For his body that could no longer feel the cold, even keeping his eyes open was a chore.

He could hear the small, unreliable sound of his own heartbeat from the darkness. In the world where the only noise he could hear was the rain and his own heart, a strange sound was mixed in.

The noise seemed to block the rain. In his fading consciousness, a child’s curiosity drove the boy to channel strength into his eyelids.

In his vision narrow like a string, it was reflected.

The boy opened his eyes wide.

It was beautiful.

For a moment, he did not understand what he was looking at.

‘Like a jewel, a lump of gold.’ Such expressions would have been fitting. But someone who sated their hunger on half rotten foods from the trash could not think of such words.

That’s right.

There was only one thought that ran through his mind.

The sun.

The most beautiful object in his world and at the same time, the furthest from his reach.

The world dyed gray from the rain, the dark rainclouds covering the sky. Perhaps they were the ones responsible. The sun left for a trip because no one was there to see it and returned, appearing in front of his eyes.

That was what he thought.

A hand stretched out and stroked his face. And—

Until now, the boy was not a human.

No one ever saw him as such.

But on that day, he became human.

♦ ♦ ♦

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 4:15

Located in the deepest area of the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom was Ro-Lente castle. Its walls surrounded a vast stretch of land measuring 1,400 meters with a protective ring of twelve enormous cylindrical guard towers.

The room was located inside one of these twelve towers.

With all of its lights turned off, a person was lying on the one bed in the room. He was of a delicate age, the boundary between boy and man.

His blond hair was cut short and his tanned skin gave off a healthy complexion.

Climb.

With no surname, he was the one who was granted permission to stand closest to the girl called the ‘Golden Princess,’ a soldier who invited the jealousy of many.

He wakes even before the sun rises.

The moment he regained consciousness from the world of darkness, his mind immediately turns sharp and his bodily functions almost completely recovers. Sleeping well and waking up promptly was one of the things that Climb took pride in.

His sanpaku eyes opened wide, revealing an iron-like will etched within them.

Climb pushed aside the thick blanket covering his body and stood. Even in the summer, the stone walls surrounding him meant that the nights were still cold.

He rubbed his eyes and found that his fingers came away wet.

“…That dream again.”

Climb used his sleeves to wipe the tears from his face.

A memory from when he was a boy, the heavy rain from two days ago must have been what caused him to remember.

The tears were not from sorrow.

How many times in a person’s life will he meet someone worthy of respect? A person who you are willing to throw away your life for in servitude… just how many?

The girl Climb met on that day was such a person.

These were tears of joy, tears thanking the miracle that was created from their meeting.

Climb stood, his face showing a strong determination and a youthful energy befitting of his age.

His voice, rough from excessive training, recited a word.

“Light.”

The lamp hanging from the ceiling responded to the keyword and illuminated the inside of the room with a white light. A magic item enchanted with ‘Continual Light’.

Even though they were used widely, the reason he was given such an expensive item wasn’t because of his special position.

Even if it was for light, burning something in a tower made of stone, with its poor air flow, was unsafe. That was why almost every room was provided with a magic light source, despite the initial development costs.

The floor and walls illuminated by the light were made of stone. A thin carpet was laid out in a futile attempt to cover the cold, hard surface. Aside from that, the furnishings in the room

included a shoddy wooden bed, a slightly larger closet to accommodate weapons and armor, a desk with drawers, and a thin cushion resting on a wooden chair.

An outsider looking in would think of it as unimpressive, but to others who were of Climb’s rank, it was an incredibly envious treatment.

Soldiers did not get private quarters. They were placed into a large room with bunk beds. Excluding the beds themselves, the only furniture the soldiers were given was a wooden chest with a lock for storing their personal belongings.

Also, in a corner of the room rested a white full plate armor. The spotless armor had a gloss that made it look as if it was shining. No foot soldier would ever be granted such equipment.

This special treatment was not something that Climb had earned with his own strength, but rather a sign of favor from the master whom he swore his life to. As such, it would be impossible to not invite jealousy from others.

He opened the closet and changed while staring at the mirror attached inside.

Having changed into his worn clothes that smelled of metal, he then donned the chain shirt over the rest of his attire. Normally this would be where he put on his plate armor, but instead, he opted for a vest with numerous pockets and finished with a pair of trousers. In his hand was a wooden stick wrapped in towel.

Lastly, he looked himself over in the mirror, checking for anything that was amiss, making sure that his gear was tidy.

Any fault in Climb could potentially become a weapon to hurt his master, “Golden Princess” Renner.

That was why he must always be on alert. His reason for living wasn’t to cause her harm. It was to pledge his all to her.

Climb closed his eyes in front of the mirror and thought of his master’s face.

Golden Princess – Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.

As kind as a goddess, a benevolent and radiant mind befitting her royal blood, and wisdom that devised many types of policies.

In the truest sense of the word, a noble amongst nobles, the greatest woman.

Possessing the brilliance of gold, nothing can be allowed to blemish such a flawless gem.

If one were to compare her to a ring, Renner would be akin to huge, brilliantly cut diamond. Then what was Climb? He would be the prongs that the jewel is set on. Even now, her worth was diminished because he was lacking, he could not allow it to grow worse.

Climb could not stop his chest from growing warm at the thought of his master.

Even a devout believer of his faith would be hard-pressed to outshine Climb as he was now.

After staring at himself in the mirror for some time, Climb, having determined with conviction that he would not be a hindrance to his master, nodded his head in satisfaction and stepped out of the room.

Part 3

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), Day 3, 4:35

The place he headed to was a large hall. An entire floor of the tower had been emptied to serve as a training area.

Normally the place would be radiating the heat of soldiers going about their training. However, it was deserted this early in the day. The empty space was quiet; one could almost hear the silence. Because there was stone in every direction, the sound of Climb’s footsteps rang out loudly.

The hall was brightly lit from the semi-permanent light of the magic fire.

Inside, there was armor mounted on stakes and hay dolls to act as archery targets. The walls were lined with weapon racks filled with various arms that were left unsharpened.

Ordinarily, a training area should be set up outdoors. But there was a reason that it was decided to have it inside.

The city of Ro-Lente was home to Valencia castle. Having the soldiers train outside would mean that they would be seen by foreign ambassadors. To avoid the risk of appearing low class, numerous areas within the tower were cleared out to serve as training areas.

A demonstration of strong soldiers dauntlessly practicing their drills would have diplomatic benefits, but the Kingdom did not see it as such. More than anything, there was a trend to be seen as elegant, splendid, and highborn.

With that said, there still were drills that were impossible to conduct indoors. They would either be done discretely in a corner or on a field outside the castle, albeit outside the capital.

Climb entered the quiet hall as if he was cutting through the cool air and slowly started to stretch in the corner.

Thirty minutes later, after a thorough stretching session, Climb’s face was reddened, his forehead was drenched with sweat and his labored breaths were heavy with heat.

Climb wiped the sweat from his forehead and approached the weapon rack. Checking the grip, he makes sure that it fits securely in his hands. His palms were already rough and hard from the numerous blisters that came and went.

Next, he filled his pockets with chunks of metal and buttoned them tightly as to prevent them from falling out.

The many pieces of metal that filled his clothes made it as heavy as full plate armor. Regular plate armor without any magical enchants provided an excellent defense at the cost of one’s freedom of movement. Keeping actual battles in mind, training with it equipped was the right course of action.

But even so, it was rare to bring out full plate armor for mere training, not to mention the white armor that he was given. That was why he was using the metal chunks as an alternative.

Climb gripped the iron weapon that exceeded the size of a greatsword and held it high over his head. He slowly brought down the sword, exhaling as he did so. Stopping just before it struck the floor, he breathed in and raised the sword to its original position over his head. He stared at the space in front of him with sharp eyes, completely absorbed in his training as he gradually raised the speed of his swings.

He had already finished 300 swings.

Sweat poured down Climb’s completely reddened face. His breaths were hot, as if he was expelling the built up heat in his body.

Although Climb trained arduously as a soldier, it was difficult to handle the weight of the large greatsword. Stopping the blade just before it touched the ground was especially challenging.

Such a feat required a great deal of strength.

As the count of his swings reached 500, his arms started to cramp and felt as if they were screaming out in pain. Sweat fell from his face like a waterfall.

Climb knew very well that this was his limit. Despite this, he showed no signs of stopping.

However—

“—Perhaps that is far enough.”

Hearing the voice of another, Climb quickly turned to the direction of the voice and his eyes reflected the figure of a man.

Calling him burly would have been an understatement. The man was like the embodiment of steel. The wrinkles in the face reminiscent of rock made him look older than he actually was. His bulging muscles made it evident that this was no ordinary man.

There was no soldier in the Kingdom who did not know of him.

“—Stronoff–sama.”

Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff, lauded as the strongest in the Kingdom and unmatched even in the surrounding nations.

“Any further would be overtraining. There is no meaning in pushing yourself so far.”

Climb lowered his sword and stared at his trembling arms.

“You are correct. I overdid it slightly.”

Seeing Climb’s expressionless face as he gave his thanks, Gazef shrugged his shoulders.

“If that is what you truly think, could you not make me repeat myself so often? How many times does this make it…?”

“I apologize.”

Gazef shrugged once more as Climb lowered his head.

This was a conversation that had been repeated countless times between them, like a greeting of sorts. Usually, this was where their exchange would end and each man would pursue their own training. But today was different.

“How about it, Climb. Would you like to try crossing swords?”

At Gazef’s words, Climb’s blank expression almost faltered for an instant.

Up until now, they had never crossed swords upon meeting at this location. It was their unwritten rule.

There was nothing to be gained even if they were to train together. No, it wouldn’t be completely fruitless, but the cons greatly outweighed the pros.

There was currently a power struggle between the King’s faction and an alliance between three of the six great noble families. The situation was dangerous enough for there to be rumors that the only reason the Kingdom is not split is because of the yearly war against the Empire.

In the midst of that struggle, if the personal confidant of the King, Gazef Stronoff – though highly unlikely – were to lose, it would give the nobility faction a great boon.

On the other hand, the nobles would jump at the obvious outcome of Climb’s defeat to whisper that he is unfit to protect Renner. There were many who disliked the idea of the beautiful, unmarried princess trusting a lone soldier with her protection, one with an uncertain background no less.

Both were in a position where they could not lose.

They could not appear weak, to show a weak point that could be exploited in an attack. The two were of one mind in that they were both carefully cautious as to not hurt their respective masters.

For what reason would he break the unwritten rule?

Climb looked around his surroundings.

Because there was no one else here? That was unthinkable. This was an abode of demons.

There was no end to those who would watch from afar or observe them while hidden. But he could not think of any other reason.

Unable to figure out his intentions, Climb did not allow his puzzling agitation to show on his face.

The man standing in front of Climb was a warrior hailed as the strongest in the Kingdom. Keenly sensing the brief instance of emotion that an ordinary person would miss, he spoke.

“Only recently, something occurred that made me realize that I was lacking. I would like to practice with someone who is competent.”

“Stronoff-sama did?”

Gazef, the strongest in the Kingdom, just what sort of incident could make him feel inadequate?

Climb suddenly remembered that the number of troops in Gazef’s unit had decreased.

Climb did not have any close comrades so he had heard it from a rumor circulating around the mess hall. According to the story, they had lost a number of their troops after being embroiled in an incident.

“Yes. If I had not met the merciful magic caster, if he had not lent us his strength, I would not be here right now—.”

Hearing this, Climb felt his iron mask crumble. No, just who could remain unsurprised? Before he knew it, Climb’s curiosity got the better of him and he posed a question.

“Who was that merciful magic caster?”

“…He called himself Ainz Ooal Gown. This is just a hunch, but I feel that he may rival even that monster of a magic caster in the Empire.”

He had never heard of that name.

Climb looked up to the heroes and had a hobby of collecting stories of their feats. He ignored their races and even collected stories of famous adventurers from the nearby countries. But even so, the name Gazef spoke just now was unfamiliar to him.

Of course, there was a possibility that it was an alias.

“Th-then– *cough!”

Climb held back the desire to question him further.

Trying to ask him about an incident that cost him his soldiers… even rudeness has its limits.

“I will engrave his name in my heart. …But, is it really fine for us to spar?”

“Not a spar, simply crossing swords. What you get out of it solely depends on you. … You yourself are a first rate soldier amongst the country’s troops. It should benefit me as well.”

Although it was a high praise, to Climb, they were merely empty words.

It wasn’t that Climb was particularly strong, only that the standard was low. The skills of a soldier of the Kingdom were only slightly better than that of its ordinary citizens. Even compared to the ‘Knights’, the Empire’s enlisted soldiers, they were weak. There was also no one in the nearby countries with military distinction. Gazef’s troops were indeed strong, but even so, compared to Climb they fell slightly short. If Climb were to evaluate himself according to the ranks of adventurers, with copper, iron, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, orichalcum, and adamantium, he would be gold. Not weak, but there were many above him.

Could someone like that be considered worthwhile to a man like Gazef? A man, who would, without a doubt, be placed in adamantium class?

Climb shook off such weak thoughts.

The strongest man in the Kingdom was offering to train him. This kind of experience would not come often. Even if the end result is that he disappoints Gazef, there would be no regrets.

“Then I ask for your guidance.”

Gazef grinned and eagerly nodded his head.

The two approached the weapon rack and each picked a sword that fit their size. Gazef chose a bastard sword, Climb a small shield and broadsword.

Climb then took out the metal chunks from his pockets. Facing someone stronger than himself with them was a discourtesy. Not only that, he would have to fight with everything he had for the training to benefit his growth. His opponent was the strongest warrior in the Kingdom. A tall, thick wall must be felt with one’s full strength.

Now that Climb was finished with his preparations, Gazef asked.

“How are your arms? Are they still sore?”

“Yes, I am fine now. They are slightly worn but will not be a problem for my grip.”

Climb flexed both his hands. Seeing that he was telling the truth, Gazef once again nodded.

“I see. … That is a shame in its own way. One will rarely be in perfect condition on the battlefield. If your grip suffers then you must fight in a way to compensate it. Have you ever trained with those conditions?”

“Hm, No. I have not. Then I will resume my swings and…”

“Ah, no. No need to go that far. But since you are responsible for the safety of the princess, you would do well to learn how to fight in situations where carrying a sword is forbidden. Perhaps also verse yourself in handling various weapons as well.”

“Yes!”

“… Sword, shield, spear, axe, dagger, gauntlets, bow, cudgel, and thrown weapons. It’s training for the nine types of weapons that serve as the foundation for armed combat, however… If you stretch yourself too thin then everything will suffer. It would better for you to narrow it down to two or three weapons and learn from there. Hmm. It seems I’ve said something unnecessary.”

“Not at all, Stronoff–sama. Thank you very much!”

Gazef wore a bitter smile and answered with a wave of his hand.

“If you are ready then let us begin. First, try attacking me in that stance. Soon… yes, I will not be able to spar with you but I can teach you some tactics using the nine weapons.”

“Yes! Then I will be in your care.”

“Come, but I have no intention of treating this as training. Consider this to be the real thing and attack.”

Climb slowly lowered his sword and turned the left side of his body, covered by the shield, towards Gazef’s direction. His gaze was sharp and his senses already knew that this was not training. Likewise, Gazef exuded a presence that alerted him that this was a real fight.

The two glared at one another, but Climb could not make the first move.

Even if removing the metal chunks made it easier for him to move, Climb did not think he could beat Gazef. In both strength and experience, Gazef was overwhelmingly above him.

Simply closing the distance would be immediately met with a counterattack. His opponent was a master who was leagues above him so it could not be helped. But if this were a real fight, could he simply roll over and die because of something like that?

Then what could he do?

He had to fight him with a factor that Gazef did not possess.

Body, experience, and mind, Climb lost in everything that was necessary for a warrior. The difference was in their equipment.

Gazef wielded a bastard sword. On the other hand, Climb had a broadsword and small shield. If they were magic weapons then it would be different, but these were used for training, there was no disparity in the weapons.

Gazef only had one weapon while Climb possessed two, since a shield could be used as a weapon as well. This also meant that he had more ways to attack at the cost of dividing his strength.

Block the first attack with the shield and slash with the sword. Parry with the sword and strike with the shield.

Having decided on a counter as his strategy, Climb focused on observing Gazef’s movements.

After several seconds had passed, Gazef showed a smile.

“Are you not coming? Then I will attack right– now.”

His calm demeanor absolute, Gazef readied his stance. Hips slightly lowered, strength began to mount in his body like a spring. Climb as well; he gathered strength in his body so that he could block the blade, no matter when it came.

Gazef closed in and swung down his sword while aiming for the shield.

—Fast!

Climb gave up the notion of moving his shield to deflect the blow. He focused his entire mind and body on defending, just blocking the attack.

The next moment – his shield was seized by an enormous impact.

The level of force was enough to make him think that the shield had shattered. It was an attack powerful enough to paralyze the hand that held the shield. Withstanding such an impact would require the strength of one’s entire body.

Deflect it?! How do you match the timing for something like this?! Just the shock is enough to…

Climb’s naïve thoughts left him vulnerable; he felt another impact on his abdomen.

“Gah!”

His body flew backwards, his back colliding with the hard stone floor and expelling the air from his lungs. A glance at Gazef made it plain to see what had happened.

Just now, he was lowering his leg that delivered a powerful kick to Climb.

“… Even if it’s the only weapon in my hand, it is dangerous to focus solely on the sword. Like now, you could be hit with a kick. I aimed for your stomach just now but normally, it would be where the armor is lighter. I may break your knees… even if you were wearing a pad over your crotch, if you’re unlucky, armored boots will crush them. Observe your opponent’s whole body and watch every movement.”