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

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

In preparation for that day, he had to impart her with various possibilities while he still could.

Sebas stopped and stared directly at Tsuare. She blushed and tried to lower her gaze but he covered her cheek with his hand and raised her face.

“Tsuare, I fully know that you are frightened. But be assured that I, Sebas, will protect you. I will destroy any harm that may come your way.”

“……”

“Tsuare, place your foot forward. If you are scared then I do not mind even if you have your eyes closed.”

“……”

He grabbed Tsuare’s hand while she still hesitated and spoke the words that he knew would be mean to her.

“Do you not trust me, Tsuare?”

As time dragged on, a curtain of silence hanged heavily over the hallway. Tsuare’s eyes grew slightly wet as she parted her rosy lips, revealing her pearl-like front teeth.

“…Sebas-sama is un…fair. I can’t refuse if you say it… like that.”

“Please rest easy. Although I may not look it, I am quite strong. There are only a few apart from the 41 who are stronger than I.”

“Is…that…a lot?”

Tsuare giggled at the ambiguous number, believing it to be a joke to console her. Sebas simply chuckled and did not answer.

Sebas continued his stride. Although he knew that Tsuare was stealing glances at his profile, he did not mention it.

He knew that Tsuare held some tender feelings for him, one that could not quite be called love.

However, Sebas felt that those feelings were something that was indoctrinated into her, like a feeling of reliance for the benefactor who saved her from that hell.

Sebas was also an old man and it was possible that Tsuare was mistaking familial love with the love between a man and a woman.

And even if Tsuare truly loved Sebas, he had no intention of accepting her feelings. Not when he was hiding so much, not when their circumstances were so different.

“Then I will meet you after a few words with the lady.”

“Lady…Solu…”

Tsuare’s expression darkened slightly. Although Sebas knew why, he did not say it.

Solution did not try to come in contact with Tsuare and when she did, would only give her a passing glance before leaving without a word. It was to be expected that being ignored to such a degree would create a feeling of anxiety and in Tsuare’s case, great fear.

“It’s alright. The lady has always been like that to everyone. She is not singling you out in particular… And I will only say it here, but the lady has quite a difficult personality, after all.”

As Sebas became overly talkative, the expression that was on Tsuare’s face softened slightly.

“She becomes sulky if she sees a cute child.”

“…I’m… not… compared…to her.”

Tsuare hurriedly waved her two hands.

Although it was true that Tsuare was pretty, she was still no match for Solution. However, what is beautiful and what is not was different for everyone.

“If I had to go by appearances, then Tsuare would be more my type than the lady.”

“T-t-that’s…!”

As he gently looked at Tsuare’s brightly lit face pointed towards her feet, his brows furrowed at her sudden change in expression.

“And… my body… dirty…”

Sebas breathed an inward sigh from seeing Tsuare’s face make a complete change from before. He then spoke while staring ahead.

“Jewels are like that. Those without scratches are considered beautiful and valuable.”

Hearing his words, Tsuare’s expression darkened in an instant.

“However– humans are not jewels.”

It looked as if Tsuare slightly raised her face.

“It seems that Tsuare wishes to keep telling herself that she is dirty. But wherein lies a human’s beauty? For a jewel, it can be appraised with certainty. But the beauty of a human– what is the standard? Is it the average? The general consensus? If so, would the minority opinion be considered meaningless?”

After a brief pause, Sebas continued.

“Like how people have their own definition of what they consider beautiful, ‘I’ believe that if a person’s beauty lies separate from their appearance, it is not in their past, but their heart. Although I do not know all of your history, from what I have sensed of your inner self for these past few days spent with you, I do not consider you dirty in the slightest.”

Sebas closed his mouth and the world changed to one where the only sound was of their footsteps. In the midst of it, Tsuare spoke with determination.

“…If you say I’m… beautiful… then please… hug…”

Sebas did not let her finish and embraced her.

“You are beautiful.”

As he spoke gently, silent tears flowed out of Tsuare’s eyes. Sebas softly patted her back as to console her and slowly parted.

“Tsuare, my apologies. The lady calls.”

“O-okay….”

With a sad goodbye from Tsuare and her red eyes, Sebas knocked on the door and opened it without even waiting for a response. As he closed the door behind him, he gave Tsuare who was still glancing at him a smile.

Because the house was rented, despite having many rooms, there was barely any furniture.

However, this room was decorated enough to not be embarrassed when accepting guests. But a person with a discerning eye would be able to recognize the lack of history and the shallowness of the room.

“Milady, I have just returned.”

“…Good work, Sebas.”

The fake master of the residence sat on a lengthy sofa while wearing a bored expression. In reality, that expression was an act. Because of the presence of the outsider named Tsuare, she was donning the foolish mask of a proud lady.

Solution moved her gaze from Sebas to the door.

“…She’s left.”

“It seems that way.”

While scanning each other’s faces, like usual, Solution was the first to open her mouth.

“When will you drive her out?”

This was what Solution asked every time they met. And like every time, Sebas gave the same reply.

“When the time comes.”

If it were like usual, the conversation would have been finished. Solution would sigh and that would have been it. However, today, Solution did not seem to want to leave it at that and continued.

“…Could you clearly explain when this time you speak of will be? There is no guarantee that hiding that human will not lead to a troublesome incident. Will that not interfere with Ainz-sama’s will?”

“There still has not been any incidents thus far. …To think that you would panic because you fear what some humans might do, that is not appropriate behavior for one who serves Ainz-sama.”

A silence permeated between them and Sebas breathed a small sigh.

This was a very dangerous situation.

Although there was no emotion on Solution’s face, Sebas could feel that she was angry with him. Even if this residence was only a base of operations, Solution still considered it as a branch of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. She could not condone the presence of a human that did not have the master’s permission.

Solution did not try to attack Tsuare thus far because Sebas was firmly keeping her in check. However, if this continued, it would become impossible for him to control her in the near future.

Sebas dwelled on the fact that he was running out of time.

“…Sebas-sama. If that human becomes an obstacle to Ainz-sama’s orders then—“

“She will be disposed of.”

Sebas assured her as to not let her finish the rest of her words. Solution closed her mouth and stared at Sebas with unreadable eyes, then bowed her head.

“Then I have nothing else that needs to be said. Sebas-sama, please don’t forget your words just now.”

“Of course, Solution.”

“…However.”

The emotion in Solution’s mutter was strong enough to stop Sebas in his tracks.

“…However, Sebas-sama. Is it alright to not report to Ainz-sama? About that thing.”

Sebas fell silent for a few seconds, and then replied.

“There will not be any problems. It would be discourteous to rob Ainz-sama of his time for one human.”

“…Entoma and the others should be communicating with you via 『Message』daily at the appointed time. Could you not simply say a few words on the matter then? …Are you intentionally hiding it?”

“Of course not. I would not do something like that to Ainz-sa—.”

“Then… you are not acting out of your own self-interest?”

The air became tense.

Sebas realized that Solution had slightly readied herself into a stance. He understood just how dangerous of a position he was in.

Every member of Nazarick pledged absolute loyalty to ‘Ainz Ooal Gown’ —and by extension, the Supreme Beings. With the Guardians at the helm, it would not be an exaggeration to say that every single member was in agreement of that creed. Even the assistant butler, Éclair, who wants to conquer Nazarick for his own, was loyal to the 41 Supreme Beings and regarded them with respect.

Needless to say, Sebas was one of them.

However, he still believed that it was wrong to cast out a pitiable existence because of mere possibilities. Although with that said, he also knew very well that the majority of Nazarick would not agree with him.

No, he thought he knew. Solution’s reaction revealed just how shallow his understanding had been.

Solution was serious. She was prepared to meet Sebas the butler– in other words, her superior in regards to the daily workings of Nazarick and one of the strongest in close combat, with force depending on his answer. He had no idea that Solution was prepared to go that far to erase the problem.

—Sebas showed a smile.

From his smile, Solution’s eyes looked at him strangely.

“…Of course not. The reason I am not reporting this to Ainz-sama is not because of my own selfishness.”

“Then can you show the basis for your actions?”

“I hold her cooking skill in high regard.”

“Cooking... you say?”

It looked as if question marks were hovering over Solution’s head.

“Indeed. And would it not appear strange to others if there were only two people living in this large mansion?”

“…That is possible.”

Solution had no choice but to concede on that point. Not having servants while living a life of luxury in a large residence would definitely appear odd.

“I feel that at the very least, we should have one at least one servant with us. If we were to invite guests to the house, would it not be suspicious if we cannot even serve them a meal?

“… In other words, you are using that human as a part of our disguise?”

“That’s right.”

“But there is no need for it to be that human specifically.”

“Tsuare feels indebted to me. That means she would never leak information even if she feels endangered. Am I wrong?”

Very briefly, Solution thought it over, nodding soon after.

“You are right.”

“That’s how it is. There should be no need to ask for Ainz-sama’s permission if the matter is only regarding our cover. Not only that, he may even become angry and tell us to handle such matters on our own.”

Sebas quietly asked Solution, who was remaining silent.

“Do you understand now?”

“…Yes.”

“Then this should be enough for no—.”

Sebas cut his words short. He had heard a sound, like two hard objects colliding with one another.

It was so subtle that anyone but Sebas might have missed it.

The erratic repetition of the noise confirmed that someone was doing it on purpose.

Sebas opened the door to the room and focused his senses toward the end of the hallway.

They both froze, realizing that the sound came from the knocker at the front door. Since they first arrived in the Kingdom, no one had ever knocked on that door. Any dealings they had were always done outside and invited no one to their residence. It was a desperate measure to prevent others from finding out that only two people were living in this large mansion.

But today, they had visitors. It would be more than enough to cause a troublesome incident.

Sebas left Solution in the room and walked up to the entrance. He opened the cover of the prop-up window attached to the front door.

What he saw through the hole was a man with wide shoulders surrounded on both sides by the Kingdom’s soldiers.

The man with the wide shoulders was dressed decently well. On his chest, he wore a heavy crest that shone with the glint of copper metal. The healthy complexion of his face was padded with blubber and he was remarkably fat, perhaps due to his eating habits.

And lastly– there was a man who seemed different from the rest.

His skin was pale, like it had never been exposed to sunlight. With sharp eyes and gaunt cheeks, he looked like a bird of prey– like the scavengers that ravaged rotten carcasses. His black clothes hung loosely on him, making it obvious that he was hiding weapons.

What irritated Sebas’ sixth sense was the air of blood and grudges that hovered around him.

They were truly a mismatched group lacking cohesion. Sebas could not determine their identity or their objective.

“…Who is it?”

“I am patrol officer Stafan Hevish.”

The plump man at the very front spoke in a high pitched voice and revealed his name.

He was a patrol officer, a civil servant tasked with keeping public order. A position similar to the boss of the normal patrols that made their rounds around the city, their duties included a wide range of categories. Because of this, Sebas could not predict why this man named Stafan had decided to pay a visit and became troubled.

Ignoring Sebas, Stafan continued to speak.

“The Kingdom has a law that bans the buying and selling of slaves. It was spearheaded by Princess Renner who drew up the plans which allowed it to pass. We received a report that the people of this residence may be holding this law in contempt and came to investigate.”

He then finished by asking if he could step inside.

Although Sebas thought of various words of rejection, denying them entry could escalate into a bigger problem. There was also no guarantee that Stafan was a real civil servant. Despite the fact that the Kingdom’s civil servants did indeed wear the same crest as the one on Stafan’s chest. However, that still was not an absolute guarantee. There was still a chance —although it was a great crime– that it was a forgery.

With that said, allowing a few humans into the residence would not pose too big of a problem. If it came to blows then Sebas could easily take care of it. In fact, it would better if they were imposters.

Gleaning something from the silence that formed while Sebas was thinking, Stafan opened his mouth a second time.

“May I speak to the master of this residence? Of course, if the master is not present then it can’t be helped. But I don’t think investigators going back empty-handed will be a favorable outcome.”

Stafan smiled with a face that did not carry even a hint of apology. Hidden behind that expression was a threat backed by the power of the law.

“Before that, I have something I’d like to ask you. Who is the man standing behind you?”

“Hmm? His name is Succulent. He’s a representative of the store that filed the report.”

“My name is Succulent. Pleasure making your acquaintance.”

Seeing the faint smile on Succulent’s face, Sebas understood that he had lost.

His smile was that of a cruel hunter mocking his prey for falling into his trap. It was safe to assume that he had come after perfect preparations. In that sense, there was a good chance that Stafan was indeed a real civil servant. He most likely also had a plan prepared should Sebas refuse them. Then at the very least, Sebas had to try and figure out the opponent’s intentions.

“…I understand. I will deliver the news to the lady. Please wait there for a while.”

“Of course, we’ll wait.”

“But please make it quick. We don’t have the leisure of dallying.”

Succulent smiled and Stafan shrugged his shoulders.

“Understood. Then if you will excuse me.”

Sebas closed the cover and turned in the direction of Solution’s room. But before that, he would have to tell Tsuare to go hide deeper inside—.

With the soldiers left out by the door, the two people who were guided inside– Stafan and Succulent each wore an astonished face from seeing Solution.

They had not expected to meet such a beauty. Stafan’s expression slowly loosened and his eyes traveled back and forth between her face and chest. He swallowed his saliva, eyes filling with lust. On the other hand, Succulent’s face gradually grew hard.

To Sebas, it became obvious who he needed to be vigilant of. He offered the two the sofa opposite from Solution.

Solution who was already sitting and Stafan, who was just seated, Succulent introduced them.

“So, just what exactly is going on?”

At Solution’s question, Stafan faked a cough as he spoke.

“According to a report from a certain store, apparently, a certain individual dragged away their employee. As he did so, the individual unduly handed over money to a different employee. Buying slaves is outlawed in our country… don’t you think that what this person did was illegal?”

Stafan’s shoulders grew increasingly tense, as if he was slowly becoming angry. Solution replied in a bored voice.

“Is that so?”

The attitude behind her response left the two men blinking. Although they were applying pressure, her behavior was completely unexpected.

“I leave all complicated matters to Sebas. Sebas, take care of the rest.”

“A-are you fine with that? Depending on how it turns out, you may be branded as a criminal.”

“My, how scary. Sebas, if it seems likely that I will become a criminal then do tell me. Then everyone, I bid you well.”

Solution said her goodbyes and left them with a bright smile. No one could say anything to her as she left the room. The power of a beauty’s smile was confirmed in that moment.

Before the sound of the door closing could ring out, they heard the astonished voices of the soldiers from seeing Solution.

“—then I will listen to what you have to say in her place.”

Sebas smiled and took a seat in front of the two men. Stafan’s behavior was awkward, still entranced by her smile. However, as if to cover for him, Succulent broke in.

“Alright, then mind if I ask you some questions? Like you’ve heard from Hevish–sama at the entrance, our… well, our employee has gone missing, you see. I interrogated a certain

someone and he says that he handed her over after receiving money. Though I don’t even want to imagine one of our employees doing something like that, I had no choice but to call the authorities.”

“That’s right. A dirty crime like slave trading will not be tolerated!”

He slammed down on the table.

“That’s why Succulent-kun here who called it in without fearing the store’s bad reputation spreading is quite the exemplary citizen!”

“Thank you, Hevish-sama.”

Succulent lowered his head to Stafan, who was speaking with such enthusiasm that he was spitting at the mouth.

What is with these theatrics?

Thinking so in his head, Sebas began to ponder. The two men in front of him were definitely working together. Then without a doubt, they made thorough preparations before commencing their attack. As such, his defeat was certain. The question then was how to minimize his losses.

And on the flip side, what was Sebas’ condition to emerge victorious in this situation?

The victory condition for Nazarick’s butler, Sebas, was to solve this problem without drawing further attention. It was not to protect Tsuare.

However—

“I suspect that the man who claims to have received money could be lying. Where is he now?”

“He’s been arrested for dealing in slavery and is currently locked up in a cell. And the result from his testimony and our careful investigation is—“

“—that the one who purchased our employee is you, Sebas-san.”

It meant that the man was caught and had confessed to everything. There was a good chance that he was pressured to change his testimony so that it would benefit them.

Sebas was torn between whether to feign ignorance, lie, or deny it outright.

What if he said that she wasn’t in the residence? What if he said that he killed her?

Countless ideas ran through his mind but the possibility of them working was low. They would not retreat so easily. Though before that, he had to know one thing.

“But how did you come to the conclusion that it was me? Where is your proof?”

That was the part Sebas could not figure out. As long as he did not leave behind anything that would reveal his name or identity, there should not have been any evidence. Then how did they figure out this location? He was always careful of being followed whenever he was outside. He had trouble believing that someone who could tail him without him noticing existed in this city.

“The scroll.”

A flash ran through Sebas’ mind.

—The scroll that he bought from the Magician’s guild.

That scroll was definitely different from others in its impressive craftwork. Someone who knew what they looked like would recognize that his scroll was bought from the Magician’s guild. Then they could trace his steps and glean something out of it. A person dressed as a butler while carrying a scroll would be that much more conspicuous.

But even so, that still was not enough evidence to place Tsuare in this residence. He could argue that it was just someone who looked similar. The problem would be that things would get more complicated if they were to search the mansion. That’s right. They would be forced to admit that including Tsuare, only three people were living in this large mansion.

Sebas resigned himself.

“…It’s true that I brought the girl here with me. However, at that time the girl was severely injured and on the verge of death. I had no choice but to take her.”

“In other words you admit that you used money to trade for the girl?”

“Before that, may I speak with the man you arrested?”

“Unfortunately that will not be possible. We can’t have you two matching your stories.”

“Then—“

—I do not mind if you listen to our conversation.

As he was about to say so, Sebas closed his mouth.

In the end, this was a race that had been planned beforehand. There was little chance that the situation would improve even if he were to go to where the man was. Going on the offensive from this angle would only be a waste of time.

“…Then are you admitting to the fact that the girl was indeed a victim of those horrible injuries? From the government’s perspective, I feel that this would be considered worse—.”

“The work in our shop is pretty difficult. It can’t be helped if she were to get injured. You see that often with the mines and such, it’s the same.”

“…I do not think that the injuries you are talking about and hers are the same.”

“Hahaha, it’s the entertainment business but we get a lot of different customers. We try to be careful though. Well, I understand Sebas-san’s point. We will be a little– yes, a little more careful.”

“…a little?”

“Well, yes. Anymore and it costs money, here and there.”

At Sebas’ question, Succulent wore a mocking smile, the kind where only the corners of the lips curl upwards.

Sebas too, responded with a smile.

“—Enough.”

Stafan sighed deeply, like he was dealing with an idiot.

“My duty is to check whether or not there was a transaction involving slaves. Checking on how workers are treated is for someone else. It seems that this incident was not connected to slavery.”

“…Then could you tell me the name of the civil servant who is in charge of the working conditions?”

“…Hmm, I’d like to tell you but it’s complicated. Unfortunately, someone who interferes with another’s work isn’t very popular.”

“…Then please wait until then.”

Stafan grinned, as if he was waiting for those words.

“…I wish I could do that, I really do. But since the report has already been made, I have to arrest you people and investigate as soon as possible, by force if necessary.”

In other words, he had no time.

“Even now, looking at the circumstantial evidence, it’s obvious that you’re guilty. But the store wants to resolve the matter cleanly. Of course, there will have to be compensation depending on the agreement. And it’ll also be a little costly to destroy the false written report about the slave trading.”

“What is the breakdown, exactly?”

“Well, you see, we’re going to need you to return our employee to us along with compensation for the profit loss during the time she was away.”

“I see, and how much would that be?”

“In gold coins… let’s see here. Well, I’ll give you a discount, a 100 gold pieces and an additional 300 for compensation, making it 400 in total. How’s that?”

“…Quite a fortune, how is that broken up? What type of work does she do on a given day? How much of it?”

At that moment, Stafan interrupted him.

“Ah, wait a moment. That shouldn’t be all of it, Succulent-kun.”

“Quite so, I almost forgot. You mentioned that since a report has been filed, destroying the entry will require a fee even if we reach a settlement.”

“Of course, Succulent-kun. You can’t forget that part.”

Stafan grinned.

“…But.”

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Sebas swallowed his words and smiled.

Succulent bowed his head to Stafan and continued his talk.

“Hmm, I apologize for that, Hevish-sama. Anyways, the fee will be a third of the compensation so a 100 pieces. In total, that will come out to 500 pieces.”

“I paid money back when I brought her here, is that part included as well?”

“What are you saying? Listen here, from the moment you agreed, you never bought a slave. In other words, the money involved in that transaction never existed. You probably dropped it somewhere.”

Did he expect Sebas to simply pretend that he dropped a hundred gold pieces? Well, they most likely already each took half.

“… However, the girl’s body still has not healed completely. If you try to take her with you now, she may suffer a relapse. There is also a chance that she may lose her life in the treatments to follow. I believe that it will be safer for her stay with us for the time being.”

Succulent’s eyes glinted oddly. Noticing his change, Sebas knew that he had made a mistake. He had revealed that Tsuare was important to him.

“Of course, of course, you’re right. If she died then you would obviously have to recompense us, then how about you lend us the lady of this house until her treatment is finished?”

“Ohhh! That’s a splendid idea. It goes without saying he should plug up the hole that he’s responsible for!”

The smile covering Stafan’s face was clearly filled with lust. He was probably already undressing Solution in his mind.

Sebas’ smile disappeared and his face became expressionless.

Although Succulent was probably joking, he will no doubt push for that idea if Sebas were to show a weak spot. From the moment that the fact he valued Tsuare was revealed, the possibility that this troublesome incident will grow bigger in the future was right before his eyes.

“…Won’t excessive greed lead to trouble?”

“Ridiculous!”

Stafan’s face became dyed red as he shouted loudly.

Like a pig to the slaughter.

Thinking so in his head, Sebas wordlessly watched Stafan.

“What do you mean greedy?! This is all born from my heart that only wishes to safeguard the law as established by the esteemed Princess Renner! How dare you be so disrespectful!”

“Now, now, calm down, Hevish-sama.”

As soon as Succulent intervened, the screaming Stafan immediately controlled his temper. That sudden change suggested that his previous anger was not genuine, only a ploy to appear more threatening.

Even your acting is clumsy.

Sebas thought so in his head.

“But still, Succulent-kun…”

“Hevish-sama, since we already said everything that we came here to say, how about we come back in two days to hear his reply? Will that be fine, Sebas-san?”

“Yes, I understand.”

With that, the discussion was over. Sebas saw them out to the entrance.

As the last to leave, Succulent smiled and said a few words to Sebas.

“But I should really thank that prostitute. I never expected for a merchandise that was about to be scrapped to lay this big of a golden egg… or so a certain someone says.”

Leaving those words behind, the door closed shut with a loud bang.

Sebas continued to stare at the door, as if it was invisible. His face was calm, not showing any emotion in particular. However, something was clearly present deep within his pupils.

He was angry.

—No, such a vague word did not accurately describe what he was feeling.

Fury, wrath, they would be more fitting.

The reason Succulent showed his true intentions as he left was because he had blocked off all avenues of escape, because Sebas had no way to respond– his own victory was certain.

“Solution, show yourself.”

In response to his voice, Solution emerged like water oozing out of shadow. She had used a skill from her assassin class to melt into the shadows.

“I assume that you heard our discussion.”

Sebas’ words were merely a confirmation. Solution nodded her head, as if it didn’t even need to be said.

“So what are you planning to do, Sebas-sama?”

He couldn’t answer her question immediately. His lack of a reply drew an obviously cold gaze from Solution.

“…Will you hand over the human and be done with the matter?”

“I doubt that the problem will be solved that way.”

“………Is that so?”

“If we show a weakness then they will come for more. They belong to that sort. The problem will not be solved even if we were to hand Tsuare over to them. The bigger problem is how much information they gleaned from investigating us. Although we came to the capital disguised as merchants, if they dig deeper and find a blind spot– they will know that our identities are fake.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“I do not know. I will go outside for a walk and think it over.”

Sebas opened the front door and stepped outside.

Solution silently watched Sebas as his back grew smaller in the distance.

—Absurd.

If he had not brought that human with him, this series of incidents would never have occurred. With that said, that was all in the past. What was important was what to do from here on out.

As Sebas’ subordinate, she should not act arbitrarily while ignoring the words of her superior. However, it seemed that doing nothing and leaving the situation as is would be more dangerous.

If our youngest was here… if we moved as Pleiades then we wouldn’t have a problem…

She hesitated.

She hesitated to the point where even she herself thought it was excessive.

Finally, she found her determination and opened her left hand.

A scroll jumped out of her hand, as if it were rising to the surface. It was a scroll that she had been storing in her body until now. Currently, thanks to Demiurge’s efforts, the day when mass production of low rank scrolls would become possible was nearly at hand. However, that was not the case back when Solution had been deployed and as such, this ‘Message’ scroll was given to her to be used only for emergencies. Solution had decided that the current situation required it.