Chapter 7 | Attack Preparations

 

1

3 Late Fire Moon (September) 6:27 PM

Climb had called guards who relieved Brain, and he headed home, finally reaching Gazef’s house in the evening. Once free from the stresses of combat, Brain realized his stomach was aching with hunger.

I’m gonna feel bad if Stronoff was also hungry and waited for me all this time…

He pushed open the door to the house. His attitude was completely uninhibited, as if he owned the place, but of course, he had permission from Gazef.

Someone must have heard him come in—as he walked down the hall to the room he’d been given, footsteps were approaching.

His guess that it was Gazef proved correct when the source of the sound came down the stairs.

“You were out a while, Unglaus. Where’d you go?” There was no censure in Gazef’s questioning voice. On the contrary, he regarded Brain with bright curiosity in his eyes as the latter tried to think how he could ever answer that question in a concise way.

“If you’re up for it, want to tell me over dinner?”

That was just what Brain wanted to hear. He rubbed his stomach and laughed. “That’s a great idea. Where do we eat?”

Gazef looked just a little surprised and guided him with a this way gesture to the dining room.

“You’re going to have a servant cook for us? Don’t tell me you’re going to make it?”

Gazef grinned in response to the casual question. “Definitely not. I’m a horrible cook.” Then he frowned and added, “But—maybe because she’s getting on in years?—my maid seasons things so mildly. When your job takes such a toll on your body, you want to eat something with a more robust flavor… I can’t get her to understand that.”

Brain chuckled and teased, “So the captain of the kingdom’s Royal Select has to eat bland health foods?”

Not the least bit offended, Gazef replied, “That’s right,” with his usual frown. “Maybe I should have treated you to my household’s vegetarian cuisine, but I bought us something.”

“I see. Then I’ll have to thank you for being so thoughtful.” Brain grinned, which cracked Gazef up a bit.

“Well, can you cook, Unglaus?” he countered.

But the blade only sliced through air.

“I can’t make anything fancy, but simple things, yeah. When I was traveling around and training, I would’ve been in trouble out on the road if I couldn’t cook for myself.”

Gazef gave a curt “aha!” as they entered the dining room. He picked up a basket that had been left in the corner.

It was nearly big enough to fit a baby inside, and the scent rising from it faintly tickled the nose and stomach.

The two men sat down facing each other.

After taking the various foodstuffs out of the basket and making a spread, they filled their glasses to the brim with red wine and clinked them. They didn’t make a toast to anything in particular, and instead took a silent gulp.

The refreshing flavor of the young wine blossomed in their mouths.

After a couple of swallows, they set down their glasses with satisfied sighs and chatted quietly.

“…I haven’t had a drink in a long time,” Brain commented.

“Me neither. And actually, I haven’t even been home for a meal recently.”

“…Must be hard to work at the royal palace.”

“Well, I do have a lot of duties as captain of the Royal Select.”

“Do you guard the royal family?”

“Yeah, that’s my main job.”

Hearing about Gazef’s life, Brain could tell what an upstanding guy he was. It would have been okay for him to bend or break now and then, but he hewed to the straight and narrow.

The nobles must hate this kind of peasant.

It seemed to Brain that his hunch was right—nobles featured surprisingly little in Gazef’s stories. Despite his fairly high position as captain of the Royal Select, most of his stories were about life as a soldier or serving the royal family. There was absolutely no mention of the luxurious world of ballroom dances and so on.

In the neighboring empire, it was becoming less and less the case, but in the kingdom, the wall dividing nobles and commoners was still high and thick.

Brain suddenly found his situation hilarious.

He’d been honing his fencing skills in order to beat Gazef under the assumption that they’d fight to the death the next time they met. Instead they were drinking like old friends.

Perhaps Gazef realized what Brain had been thinking, because he smiled.

At the same time, Brain took up his glass and tapped it against Gazef’s. Perhaps he was drunk? He bumped a bit too hard, and the wine sloshed onto the table.

“Hey, hey, don’t get it on the food.”

“If we pour wine on it, it’ll be wine flavored. Could be good!”

“I don’t have a terribly sensitive palate, so I don’t mind, but…are you the same way, Unglaus?”

“Brain, call me Brain.”

“Oh, then I’m Gazef.”

“Got it, Gazef.”

They laughed and clinked glasses again.

Gazef’s stories covered a wide variety of topics, all from a world Brain knew nothing about, and their conversation was rolling along when the captain nonchalantly asked, “So, Brain. How did a man of your caliber end up like that?” He was cautious, like he would be when touching a blister. His studying gaze wasn’t to sniff out the truth but to express his concern, most likely.

“Ahh, thanks.” The sudden gratitude made Gazef blink in confusion, and his reaction was so funny that Brain’s cheeks relaxed into a smile. Then he straightened up and replied, “I encountered a monster…”

“A monster? You mean like an ogre or something?”

“I think it might have been a vampire… Her name was Shalltear Bloodfallen. The move I devised—to defeat you—she repelled it with her little finger.” Brain noticed Gazef’s eyes widen slightly.

“I see…,” Gazef replied, and a manly grin spread across his face. Brain understood what was behind that expression very well—the emotions of a warrior who wanted to shatter a powerful enemy.

They were the things Brain had felt about Gazef. He had probably wanted to fight Brain, too—to relive that hair-raising battle once more…

But the brutishness of a die-hard fighter immediately vanished from his expression. What remained was the smile of the captain of the Royal Select.

When Brain described the vampire’s appearance, Gazef said, “Hrm, never heard of her,” and took a draught of wine. Brain also took a sip to wet his lips and told him about the fight—well, the massacre.

But he didn’t mention that he’d been employed by a mercenary band. He had the feeling Gazef would be understanding and say, Well, that’s one way to live, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell this upstanding man the cruel things he had once done in the name of improving his fencing.

Gazef listened in silence without a trace of doubt in his eyes.

“Do you believe me?”

“…Well, the world’s a big place. I wouldn’t be surprised if such a monster exists somewhere out there. Historically, there were evil spirits and dragonlords, after all. But a monster like that…I doubt I’d be able to beat her, either.”

“Yeah. I don’t know how strong you are now, so I won’t make any half-ass comments, but I’ll still go ahead and say that you wouldn’t be able to win. That fiend lives in a world we can’t even set foot in. Even if we went at her together, the fight would probably last only about a second or two.”

Gazef jokingly grumbled, “Naw, c’mon,” but Brain made an earnest appeal.

“Gazef, as the captain of the Royal Select, you need to protect the royal family. Even if you see that thing, don’t you dare think about fighting it! Your life is too valuable to be squandered.”

“I’m grateful for the warning, but if that Shalltear monster aims for the king, I’ll buy time for him if it’s the last thing I do.”

Buying time isn’t possible, even for Gazef. Not if that monster isn’t playing around. But for some reason, Brain still had the feeling that Gazef would do it, that he really would delay the vampire, even if only a tiny bit.

“Shalltear. Shalltear Bloodfallen.” He described her once more in detail, and Gazef nodded gravely.

“Okay, I got it. But just in case, tell me again once we’re sober. I’ll try to gather some intelligence.”

“You can round up info all you like, but I don’t think it’ll make a difference.”

“If a storm is coming, you need to prepare, right? I can’t just do nothing. And if we get advice from many different people, we might come up with a way to take her down.”

“That would be great, but…”

“They’re kind of distant acquaintances, but I know some adamantite-rank adventurers. They might have some wisdom to share… So what are you planning on doing now, Brain?”

Brain frowned at the question. What should I do now? His eyes moved unconsciously to his trusty sword leaning against a chair.

A lingering regret.

It’s nothing more than that. No matter how hard I work, I won’t be able to surpass that monster. His greatest dream was already lost. It was clear that his life was pointless.

From now on, he would have to live with his feet firmly on the ground.

It was just a childish fantasy…

“Hmm, what should I do? Maybe I’ll be a farmer…”

He was from an agricultural village originally. Though fairly fuzzy, the knowledge of how to work the fields still survived in a corner of his brain. The only thing he could do besides that was swing a sword. To put it nicely, Brain had been very focused in life.

“Or…well, I don’t think that’s a terrible idea, but you could also work with me and serve the kingdom,” Gazef suggested.

That didn’t sound bad to Brain. Maybe he couldn’t defeat Shalltear, but against humans, he was confident that he would fall into the stronger category. Still—

“I’m not sure I can handle working in a team, and I’m not really one for all the bowing and brownnosing…”

“We don’t really brownnose so much…”

“Ahh, sorry. I don’t mean any offense. That’s just the common stereotype of people serving in the palace… Your offer’s not a bad one. To fight for someone else’s sake… Oh, that reminds me! Gazef, I met a boy called Climb.”

“Climb? Not the boy with the hoarse voice?” When Brain nodded, Gazef made a sound of acknowledgment and then said, “Where’d you meet him? He’s assigned to the princess, so I was under the impression he was never very far from her…”

“I saw him training in the street.”

“Training in the street…? ’Cause he has no talent, I suppose. I don’t think he can get any stronger than he already is. About the only thing he can do is develop his muscles to cultivate what ability he does have. Was he doing a drill to that end? If not, I should probably give him a bit of guidance.”

“Hmm, certainly when it comes to swordsmanship he…has no gift for it. But in another way, he surpasses me.”

Gazef made a you gotta be kidding me face.

The gap between Brain’s and Climb’s strength certainly was vast, and their level of potential wasn’t even comparable, but it all felt the same to Brain, who knew that none of it mattered in a confrontation with the truly strong.

More importantly, Brain believed the mental strength to withstand the murderous aura of a man as powerful as Sebas was truly praiseworthy.

I broke and fled. But if the one Climb protects is standing behind him, he’ll stand his ground and fight. A man like that…would probably be able to slice off the tip of that monster’s pinkie nail.

Brain didn’t reply to Gazef’s puzzled look. Instead he recounted the gist of what had happened that day when they raided the brothel managed by the Eight Fingers.

“I see. With Climb…huh?”

“If it’ll cause trouble for you, you can hang me out to dry. If I step back and think about it, I’m sure having someone who starts fights in the underworld as a guest in your home is problematic.”

“No, not at all. On the contrary, you’re more than welcome to… Those guys are a blight on the kingdom. I wish I could have led the charge.”

“Do they really cause that much trouble for the country?”

“Enough to make me sick. They control most of the realm’s underworld, and they use the dirty profits they earn there to strike deals with the nobles and throw their weight around in society. Even if we want to crush them, the nobles interfere, so there’s nothing we can do. The only way to deal a blow to their operations is to break into their cleverly hidden facilities, forcibly expose their crimes, and make a ruckus, like you did. Still, they have more influence than most lesser nobles, so a botched operation would entail quite a counterattack.”

“So you’re stuck, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s why it would be great if we could take this opportunity to chip away at their power a bit, but it seems tricky.”

“You can’t invoke the king’s authority?”

“The opposing aristocrats would get in the way, so it’s impossible. Those guys are in collusion with nobles in both factions, which makes it especially complicated.”

On that gloomy note, the men silently drank their wine and began their meal.

2

4 Late Fire Moon (September) 7:14 AM

The Blue Roses arrived at the castle first thing in the morning, each carrying a large bundle that landed on the floor with a clank. The bags contained their gear. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to appear at the castle fully equipped.

Free from their heavy burdens, they all stretched their shoulders. Renner was observing them with a kind expression when their leader, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, asked her, “Don’t you have princess work to do?”

Renner had almost no authority, but her position did come with its own set of duties. “It’s all right. There’s nothing that will cause problems if I leave it for later.”

Lakyus responded with an expression of mock chagrin.

Renner answered with a silly face of her own but almost immediately assumed her serious expression from earlier. “Lakyus, I’d actually like you to handle the issue we spoke of as soon as you’re able.”

“How come? Yesterday we said we were going to attack each location one by one under the utmost secrecy, right?” asked Evileye, the caster wearing a mask.

She kept her guise on even inside the castle. Her suspicious attire was allowed only because she was an adamantite-ranked adventurer, one of the strongest humans, and because her superior was Lakyus, a noble.

“Something unexpected happened last night, so I think we need to make a change to the plan. So…” She told them about the recent attack on the brothel.

The Blue Roses’ impressed gazes gathered on Climb as he stood at attention behind them, feeling awkward.

He believed it was entirely thanks to the other two men, not himself, that they had been able to raid the brothel and save the tortured people being held there. In his opinion, he honestly hadn’t done a single praiseworthy thing.

On the contrary, he’d escaped without an upbraiding for acting on his own; now he was disappointed in himself for the flood of relief after he learned his actions had caused only a change in the plan instead of ruining it.

“Nice work, virgin!”

“Yeah, just what Gagaran said. Capturing one of the Six Arms earns you a gold star.”

“…Undead King, Davernoch; Spatial Slash, Peshurian; Dancing Scimitars, Edström; Thousand Kills, Marmvist; Illusion Maniac, Succuronte; Fighting Ogre, Zero…” Tia reeled off their names.

“Davernoch is an undead. Supposedly, Peshurian can slash enemies even from a distance. Edström has some kind of special enchanted weapon. Marmvist is a poison user who specializes in stabbing. Succuronte I’ll skip because he’s been captured. And Zero is a fighter who excels at unarmed combat. They’re all thought to be adamantite-rank equivalent.”

“Yeah, it’s a great advantage for us that you captured one of them.”

“It’s amazing, Climb! And how unbelievably lucky that you ran into Brain Unglaus and got to work with him!”

Climb agreed with the last sentiment.

“If Unglaus took out Succuronte in one hit, then he’s just as strong as you’d expect after he went head-to-head with Gazef Stronoff. If that’s the case, then I’m super-interested in that old man even he couldn’t beat,” Evileye commented.

“I didn’t find out where Master Sebas’s house is located,” Climb answered.

“…Hmm, so Climb. Did he not tell you because he was on guard? Or did you just not think to ask?”

“Both, Miss Evileye. He might have told me if I had requested it. But I didn’t want to ask for something that might have caused trouble for him, considering he volunteered to help after simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“…Mmm, you take things too seriously.”

“Beyond a doubt.”

The two near-identical sisters appraised him.

“I just don’t understand how I haven’t even heard a rumor about someone on that level…”

With Evileye’s remark, Climb sensed the increasing suspicion of Sebas, but right as he took a breath to defend him, Lakyus clapped her hands to change the mood. “Well, let’s save that for later. If it weren’t for his assistance, we wouldn’t have figured out the precise location of the brothel, and it wouldn’t have been possible to capture the head of the slave-trafficking division, Coccodor. We’re all indebted to him.”

“You’re right, Lakyus. But Princess, does changing part of the plan mean that we’re attacking different locations now?”

“Evileye, I think we need to attack all the locations today and take them out simultaneously. The more time passes, the more of an advantage our opponents have.”

Silence fell over the room.

The only ones involved in this operation were the Blue Roses. The idea had been that since they lacked the manpower, they’d attack the target facilities one by one.

“B-but Princess, didn’t we say that we didn’t have enough people? Did another group step forward overnight to help us? You can’t hire adventurers, can you?”

The founding philosophy of the adventurers’ guild was protecting humans from alien threats. For that reason, there was an unwritten law that they would refrain as much as possible from poking their noses into disputes between humans. If they didn’t, it would be impossible for guilds to cooperate across national borders.

For example, even in situations where guild involvement could save people, the assumption was that if they allowed one exception, there would never be an end to it. So the guild pressured members to comply with the unspoken rule. Punishments ranged from a warning to suspension of work and even expulsion from the guild. In this way, some adventurers became “workers” who took on illegal jobs, but for the worst violators, it was rumored that the guild would dispatch a team of assassins.

The Blue Roses were breaking those commandments by mounting resistance against the Eight Fingers, a human organization. But they were adamantite-rank adventurers, practically the guild’s poster girls. There was no way their team would be disavowed, so they got what amounted to tacit consent. Still, the only reason for this privilege was their rank.

“Involving the guards because you want to expand the strike force is the height of folly. The enemy already have their people in the guards. It’s a bad idea to use them unless it’s as a last resort.”

“That goes for soldiers the nobles brought from their domains, too. Until we know which nobles are with the Eight Fingers, asking any of them for aid is a bad idea.”

“Hmm. I guess the only people we can trust are Gazef Stronoff and the soldiers—the Royal Select—directly under him… Then again, I wonder how far we can trust his men…”

“You’re absolutely right. In the end, it’s really hard to take measures against these guys when we don’t know how far their influence extends. But if we just go around investigating, the whole kingdom will become corrupt. It’ll be like playing Whac-a-Mole with no idea who the moles are.”

Renner nodded at Lakyus’s complaints.

On top of the empire’s offensive maneuvers, they had to deal with internal conflict and the worsening corruption. And the princess was still trying to fight under those conditions—Climb thought he could see rays of glittering sunshine highlighting his master and smiled. He was surer than ever that only she could govern the kingdom and bring happiness to the people, and his devotion to her grew.

He clenched his fists in fury at everyone, mainly the nobles, who treated her as a decorative figurehead in spite of her virtues and decided that all she needed to do was look pretty. But his anger eased at the sound of her beautiful voice in his ears, and he focused on the conversation once more.

“It’s exactly as you say. So I’m thinking of asking a trustworthy noble for help.”

“You know of someone, Princess?”

“Yes, Evileye. I don’t know many, but there is one we can trust.”

“Really, Renner? Who’s that?” Lakyus asked. “Not that I think you would overlook this, but even if we can trust the person, it won’t do us much good unless they’re also pretty powerful. And we have no guarantee they’ve brought enough soldiers from their domain.”

“I’m pretty sure this one is acceptable in those respects. And I’ll summon the captain of the Royal Select as well.”

“That I understand.”

“Yeah, we can have faith in the captain of the Royal Select. Or rather, if he is with the Eight Fingers, we don’t stand a chance.”

“Okay, Climb. Please summon Marquis Raeven. He attended a recent meeting, so he should still be in the city.”

“The marquis? I did see him with one of the princes, but…”

Marquis Raeven did fit the bill—except for the standing question of whether they could trust him or not.

He was one of the six great nobles, and when it came to capital, he had more than most. The only problem was the lack of proof he wasn’t under the influence of the Eight Fingers. There was a distinct possibility his affluence was due to taking money from the syndicate.

But Climb immediately rejected such ideas. Renner, his most wise master whom he respected, had vouched for the man. In that case, he had to be trustworthy.

But unlike Climb’s, the faces of the Blue Roses fell.

“Whoa, whoa, Princess! Can you really trust the marquis?”

“I hear he can’t choose a side.”

“He’s like a bat that constantly flits back and forth between the king’s faction and the nobles’ faction. If he’s only loyal to profits, he’d take money from the Eight Fingers.”

“I don’t want to think what would happen if intelligence leaked that way, Princess.”

The negative opinions kept coming when a clap suddenly sounded. It was Lakyus. “Everyone, hold on! Hey, Renner. I haven’t heard many good things about the marquis. Can we really trust him?”

“I can’t say for sure. And I think he is receiving something from the Eight Fingers.”

Huh? Everyone was surprised, their faces clearly indicating confusion. But one person had an idea.

“You’re going to leak false intelligence to manipulate him?”

“Like there will be an assassination. Tell him an elderly hit man is after someone, and then their security will focus on the threat.”

Renner shook her head at the former assassins. “No, Tina, Tia, that’s not it. There must be some people who get money from them who have no intention of cooperating with them, right? Of course, if his maneuvers are more intricate than I thought, we’ll fail, but…Climb, summon Marquis Raeven. If you tell him you took out the Eight Fingers’ brothel and captured the head of the slave-trafficking division, he should meet with us.”

Climb’s eyes shifted to the window to see how light it was outside. The morning sun was blinding, so it was a bit too early to summon him. Still, he didn’t expect they’d be able to see a great noble immediately, so perhaps it was a good time to make an appointment.

“Should we really mention the head of the slave-trafficking division?” he asked. “I think it would be better to keep it a secret…”

Renner wanted to play that card to leverage a meeting, but even if Raeven was a great noble, he wouldn’t turn down a summons from the princess, so Climb figured it would be better to save that information for later.

Renner shook her head and vetoed his idea. “If we want him on our side, we have to show our hand. That’s the most effective way to indicate that we trust him.”

“I see.” Climb nodded and respectfully bowed his head. “Understood. Then I’ll be on my way to call on the marquis.”

“Thanks, Climb. Okay, I’m sure that will take a while, so how about some tea in the meantime?”

4 Late Fire Moon (September) 9:37 AM

The Blue Roses expected it would take quite a while for Marquis Raeven to arrive, assuming the earliest they could meet him would be about midday.

As a great noble, he would have various plans for his morning such as meetings with other nobles. If it were the king summoning him, it would be different, but this was Renner, who essentially held no authority of her own. She would be low priority for him.

That was why when Climb returned so quickly, they thought that perhaps he had been flatly dismissed. Instead, no one could hide their surprise when two men entered the room behind him.

One of them was, of course, Marquis Raeven.

There was no word to describe his appearance besides impeccable. He wore a doublet made from some exotic beast fur—probably a monster’s—sewn with golden thread. The jacket’s front buttons and lapel ornamentation were quite elaborate, and from the way they glittered, the buttons must have been set with tiny jewels. A thin standing collar concealed his neck. These clothes were fit for an audience with the king, and given how well he wore them, he certainly looked the part of one of the six great nobles.

The following visitor was rather plump.

Renner looked at him and exclaimed, “Brother!”

“Hello, my young half sister. You seem to be in good spirits…and I see the daughter of House Alvein is here, so these must be the Blue Roses, if I’m not mistaken. Amazing. I never thought I would meet adamantite adventurers in a place like this.”

The man who had entered without knocking and started chattering away was the second prince, Zanac Valléon Igana Ryle Vaiself.

When Lakyus bowed to show proper respect for the royal, he responded with a benevolent wave of his hand. “It seemed like an interesting conversation, so I decided to come along.”

“You summoned me, Your Royal Highness?”

“Yes, thank you for coming, Marquis Raeven. Please lift your head,” Renner answered. She was standing now that the prince—further up the succession chain than her—had entered the room.

When the marquis looked up, a faint smile was painted onto his face.

It was a sly expression, eerie to anyone who saw it. At the same time, they all somehow agreed that this was the only sort of smile that suited him, so no one ever found it off-putting.

“Can we have everyone except for us go into the next room?”

“Very well, brother. Lakyus, Climb, sorry—but please go next door.”

“Got it.” Lakyus replied concisely and had her companions take their bags. They were probably planning to begin preparations in the next room so as not to waste time.

After watching the six of them—five Blue Roses plus Climb—bow and disappear into the next room, Renner invited the two men to the table.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

“Got it, little sister.”

One plopped into his chair, and the other gracefully sat without a sound. Renner poured a cup of tea and set it in front of the marquis.

“Sorry to trouble you, Princess.”

“My apologies that it’s gotten tepid.”

“Hey, hey, hey! None for me?” Zanac scowled at the other two and their cups full of tea.

“Oh? I thought you hated tea, brother.”

“Yeah, it’s just hot water with some color to it—of course I despise it, but I’ll feel left out if I’m the only one with no drink.”

“Then shall I have the maid bring something? Would fruit water be all right?”

“Tea is fine. No need to go out of our way to leak intelligence, is there?”

“If we act today, the maids won’t have time to relay information back to their respective houses.”

“We should still be careful, though, right? Girls tend to blab. Especially when it comes to the palace servants—those women can send reports home at an alarming speed.”

Renner smiled as she poured a cup of tea and offered it to Zanac.

“…Hmph. So you’ve already tested the maid info network?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Eh, never mind.” With that the prince took a gulp of tea and stuck his tongue out. “Ugh, it’s bitter.”

“But Your Highness, what could you have possibly wanted to discuss so early in the morning? Of course, I would make haste when you summon me no matter the hour, but…”

“Thank you. The situation is urgent, so I’ll be frank. I’d like you to lend me your wisdom.”

After a light cough to clear her throat, she got right to the point.

Marquis Raeven’s almond-shaped eyes widened, containing a shade of surprise, but he immediately regained his composure, and the trace of emotion vanished.

“My wisdom? If it’s a question Your Highness cannot answer…I’m not sure I will be able to.”

“I believe you have what it takes. No one at court is as skilled as you in these matters.”

The marquis exchanged glances with the prince.

Renner was barely involved in any power struggles at all. So what “matters” could she possibly be referring to?

The marquis smiled in a relaxed way. It was evident that if he forced himself to guess now, his thoughts would lead him in a strange direction. He judged there was no harm in waiting until he had more information.

“What sort of advice do you need?”

“I’d like to ask you, since you’re the dominant power in the shadows of the king’s faction—or rather, the one leading the king’s faction from the shadows—if it would be possible for you to mobilize your side’s soldiers.”

“…Huh?!”

The marquis looked like a spell had detonated directly in front of him. Anyone there would have been surprised—Raeven’s expression rarely changed so drastically.

But such a reaction was only to be expected. If any other noble had heard what Renner said, they would have laughed. It was actually true, but the marquis had been keeping it secret.

Raeven only appeared to be flitting between the two factions, when in reality, he was actually the one contributing the most to the king’s faction, leading it behind the scenes and keeping a lid on the internal conflict that threatened to split the kingdom in two. Without Raeven’s efforts, their nation surely would have already fallen.

Zanac gasped softly. He had always had a hunch that Renner was a monster in human clothing, possessed of an unnatural intellect, but how had she arrived at the truth with virtually no one serving as her eyes, hands, or feet? She was practically locked up in the palace. Not a soul in the kingdom besides Zanac knew the truth.

The two of them simultaneously realized she could be bluffing but quickly dismissed that idea. Renner was acting like she was only stating the obvious. They had met enough schemers that she would have to be quite an actress to fool them, but if she wasn’t acting, then what was the foundation for her assertions?

Renner realized she needed to explain further and, ignoring Raeven’s surprise, continued talking in an easygoing way. “…Well, really I should have asked one of the other two great nobles in the king’s faction, but Blumrush is leaking intelligence to the empire, right? So then…”

“H-how…?”

“Wait one moment!” The marquis’s eyes popped open, and he spoke louder than Zanac’s hoarse murmur.

“Marquis Blumrush…?”

“You know about him, right? Isn’t that why there’s a limit on the amount of important information he’s allowed to handle?”

Both of them stared at Renner, speechless.

Her earlier serene expression hadn’t changed a bit, and she wondered under her breath, “Or maybe I’m wrong?”

“Y…you…” Raeven was so shocked he forgot to address her properly.

Everything she said was true.

It was known only to Raeven and Zanac that one of the six great nobles, one on the king’s faction side, Marquis Blumrush, was betraying the kingdom. The reason they tolerated a traitor in their ranks was their greater interest in not disrupting the balance between the two factions.

Raeven had frantically concealed the situation from the nobles’ faction and skillfully maneuvered so no sensitive intelligence would leak to the empire. Yes, up until now, he had believed he was pulling it off flawlessly.

Raeven had told Zanac. So how did the caged little bird get all the way to Renner? Thinking about it gave Zanac goose bumps. “How did you figure all that out…?”

“If you just listen a little bit, it’s obvious. And the maids talk sometimes.”

How reliable was maid gossip, though?

Raeven didn’t believe it was possible.

But a memory he had of her convinced him what she was saying—that she’d inferred everything from maid talk—was true. She’d once made a jewel necklace out of a pile of trash by selecting only the prettiest pieces. So—

“Are you a monster?”

—a fitting assessment of such a woman escaped his lips.

Although it had surely been loud enough for her to hear, Renner only smiled and didn’t reprimand him for his rudeness. Raeven cast away the presumptions he had held up until this point.

The woman before him was someone he should treat as an equal. And he was sure his memories were not mistaken.

“Understood. We can speak frankly. You don’t mind, right, Prince?”

Seeing Zanac nod, Raeven straightened up and looked straight at Renner. His attitude resembled Gazef’s in a fighting stance.

“But before we begin…I’d like to talk to the ‘real’ Princess Renner.”

“What do you mean ‘real’?” Renner asked innocently, puzzled.

“I saw a girl a long time ago. Her sophisticated insight was far greater than mine, and the things she said were immeasurably valuable. Of course, it took quite a while for me to realize their value and significance.” The room had fallen silent, and the marquis’s monologue hung in the air. “She was a girl who murmured strange things—or so some people thought—but when I saw her, I felt for a moment like I had seen something dangerous.”

“Something dangerous?” Renner asked quietly.

“Yes. I only caught a glimpse, so I assumed it was perhaps a figment of my imagination. But her hollow eyes suggested she didn’t care about the world one bit, that she despised everything.” Raeven shrugged as if to ward off the sudden chill in the room. “But after a while, I saw her again, and she acted like the child she was, so I thought I must have seen wrong… Your Royal Highness…I wanted to ask if I have indeed been cleverly deceived all this time.”

Their gazes met—the sly battle of two entwined snakes.

Suddenly, the spark left Renner’s eyes.

Raeven smiled faintly, feeling as though he had finally spied something he’d once seen long ago. “Ah, I never thought that it was so…”

Witnessing his innocently smiling little sister turn into a horrifying monster, Zanac broke out in a cold sweat. No, he always had a vague idea—that beneath her beauty she concealed this ugliness. It seemed his only mistake was his guess that she desired authority for herself or that she wanted to destroy the entire kingdom for sticking her in this cage.

She wasn’t like him; she was something else.

“Just as I thought, Your Royal Highness, Princess Renner. Those eyes are exactly the ones I saw back then. So you’ve been acting all this time?”

“No, that’s not it, Marquis Raeven. I wasn’t acting. I was satisfied.”

“…By your soldier…Climb?”

“Yes, it’s thanks to my Climb.”

“Wow. To think that boy was capable of changing Your Highness… I thought he was nothing more than a child. But what is he to you?”

“Climb?” She stared into the air. How much is he worth to me? She tried to find the words that could express the answer.

Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.

To describe her in a word: golden. People attributed it to her dazzling beauty. But not many knew that she possessed abilities that far outshined her looks.

Her powers were thought, insight, analysis, innovation, comprehension—every aspect of her mental capacity had developed to an abnormal degree. In short, she was a genius.

Clearly the gods themselves had lavished her with these gifts—it seemed to be the only possible explanation. Her ideas, apparently composed of flashes of inspiration, were the result of considering countless fragments of information with her shocking perception.

There probably wasn’t a single other person who could match Renner on the entire continent.

Or if there was someone who was her equal, they wouldn’t be human. Still, even among races that surpassed humans, beings able to rival her were extremely rare.

In Nazarick, the only ones near her level were Albedo, the captain of the guardians, capable of overseeing all the minions on every level, and Demiurge, who possessed a wealth of demonic wisdom with a particular gift for strategy, domestic and foreign—essentially any facet of nation building.

But humans often think of things only from their own point of view. In that sense, maybe it was all regular people could do to label her as an eccentric or an oddball.

But Renner had one flaw. She didn’t understand why other people couldn’t comprehend what she could. If she had had a peer, maybe she would have been able to realize she was gifted. Then things might have turned out differently.

But that was not what happened.

Instead, a little girl expressed thoughts no one else could comprehend, and they found her frightening. Since she was incredibly cute, she was not terribly disliked and still received love to a degree. But the fact that no one could understand her had a massive impact on her psychological development, and slowly, over time, she began to warp.

Perhaps calling it the isolation of genius would sound nicer.

The stress of an environment where no one could keep up with her was intense, and for a long time, she couldn’t keep her food down.

She grew thinner and thinner, and people who knew her back then believed she wouldn’t last long.

Without her puppy, that probably would have been true. And even if she had overcome her trials, a monstrous being might have come into existence, one who saw the world only in numbers and who enacted horrific sufferings upon the few for the sake of the many.

It had been a whim. One rainy day she decided to take an escort and go outside for a change of scenery, and she came upon a half-dead puppy.

The animal gazed at its soon-to-be owner.

What serious eyes. That was what she thought at the time.

His eyes naively revered her.

She was used to the stares of those who found her odd. She was used to the looks of people who found her cute. But she couldn’t fathom what this puppy’s eyes held. To her, these spirit-filled eyes embodied hate, amazement, joy, emotion—and humanity.

Yes, in those eyes she found a fellow human.

The puppy the girl picked up grew into a boy and then a man.

As a pup, as a boy, and as a man, his eyes pierced her with a blindingly innocent gaze.

But this no longer pained her.

Because of those eyes, she became able to converse with others somewhat normally as a person, gaining the ability to pass her time with severely inferior creatures.

And now, thanks to Climb’s simple existence, Renner’s world was complete.

“Climb…hmm. Yes, if I could be with him…mm-hmm. And if I could keep him chained up so he couldn’t go anywhere, that would be even better.”

The atmosphere in the room froze over. Perhaps it made sense for Zanac to be shocked, since they were at least partially of the same blood, but even Raeven was astonished.

He had thought they would listen to the sweet, childish words of the woman said to be the most beautiful in the kingdom. But considering that the real Renner had planned to reveal herself, the talk most likely wouldn’t have been so syrupy, but this was still beyond anything he could have imagined.

How much simpler things would have been if she were only suffering from love that crossed class boundaries. What she had just said was beyond insane.

“I—I see. So this is your true nature? When we were kids, you didn’t seem any stranger than a shirt buttoned one spot off, but now I understand how abnormal you really are.”

“Really, brother? I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly strange,” Renner replied.

“Why don’t you just keep him, Your Highness?” the marquis asked. “If you… Well, maybe it’s difficult without someone supporting you.”

“Yes, and it would be difficult to manage while keeping up appearances as a princess… And it’s no good if I force him to look at me. I want to keep him like a dog, wrapped in chains, with those eyes just like they are now.”

One would be hard-pressed to find people who enjoyed hearing talk about the fetishes of others. Raeven had encountered Renner’s thoughts as a woman, and he wanted to regain some distance.

“Keep him like a dog…? So you’re not in love with him, then?”

Renner eyed him as if to say, What in the world are you talking about? “I adore him! I just really adore those eyes. And I love the way he follows me around like a loyal hound.”

“Sorry. I don’t get that at all. That’s not love, little sister.”

“I believe one can argue there is more than one type of love.”

“…My apologies, but I can’t quite comprehend…”

“And I’m not asking you to. As long as you know that I love him, how much I adore him, that’s enough.”

She’s crazy.

Raeven thought her personality was warped, but he hadn’t realized she was distorted in quite this way.

Faced with this woman and her abnormal psychological makeup, the two men exchanged glances—what do we do now?

They had already learned that the princess was in love with a soldier, which had the potential to rock the kingdom, but they felt like they had stumbled upon an even wilder discovery.

“Well, fetishes are—”

“It’s not a fetish. It’s the purest love.”

She interrupted the marquis with a rebuke, and he suppressed the urge to argue. “Well, love…yes. But at present, the idea of you and…Sir…Climb being together seems—”

“Impossible. And what’s more, if word of it got out, you’d be married off to a noble right away. Barbro is under the influence of the nobles’ faction, so I’m sure he’d choose one of them.”

“Hmm. It’d probably be one of the first jobs on his list even if he were to inherit the throne right now. I would bet good coin it’s already been decided. There is a man who looks at me like I’m already his.”

“The one hoping for your hand in return for joining the nobles’ faction.”

“But Climb would be impossible, anyway… Even if he obtained peerage, he’d be a baron at most. Even if the court made an exception and granted him something higher, I still don’t think he’d be allowed to marry the princess.”

“I’m well aware of that. With the current state of the kingdom, it would probably be impossible no matter what method we tried.”

Zanac grinned. This was exactly where he wanted her. “Soooo, how about we make a deal? If I become king, I’ll get you and Climb together.”

“It’s a deal.”

“That was fast. Are you sure?”

“I have no reason to refuse. Of all the gambles I could make, this one has the best odds. I’ve been meaning to move the conversation in this direction ever since you entered my room with Marquis Raeven.”

“…So you’d planned for this all along?” he responded with a rueful smile, but his expression was far removed from the emotions he felt. He’d always considered his little sister cleverer than him, but he hadn’t expected to find himself dancing in the palm of her hand.

When he thought about it, there was no reason for her to reveal so much, but when he considered the possibility that her intent had been to elicit that response from him, it made sense. In his head he cursed, You monster!

“And so, brother, or rather, Marquis Raeven, I have a favor to ask.”

“What might that be?”

“You have a child, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Yes, he’s still just five years old. What about him?” The face of his precious son came to mind, and he had to make an effort to keep his cheeks from relaxing into a smile. Since he knew the reason for Zanac’s sour expression next to him, he forced himself to hold back the boasting.

“Please give him to me as my fiancé.”

“No! I’ll never hand him over to a woman like you!” he barked instantly. Then, looking between Zanac’s half-closed eyes and Renner’s unchanging smile, he realized his mistake and blushed. “I beg your pardon, Your Royal Highnesses! I was a bit startled…” He cleared his throat once and readdressed Renner. “Your Royal Highness, do excuse me, but may I inquire as to the reason?”

“You must know why.”

“C’mon, Renner, you’re the one who started this, so—”

“You marry my son and have a child with Climb,” the marquis interrupted. “My son has a child with the woman he loves—a child who would be my actual grandchild—and it could be my successor. You would pretend to be its mother. Is that it? It’s not a bad idea. You’d get to have a child by the man you love, and my family would marry into royal blood, albeit duplicitously.”

“I’m not interested in rank or inheritance, so if my real child could be set up financially to some extent, I wouldn’t make your house raise it.”

“I’ll go ahead and trust you there.”

“…So if someone with Marquis Raeven’s authority proposes a marriage, Dad won’t be able to ignore it,” the prince mused. “The marquis gets some royal blood for his family, and you get to be with the man you love. Plus, I’ll have gained your support. No losers. If any one of us betrays the others, we all take the fall… A perfect plan. I still kind of can’t believe you’re suggesting this in front of me.”

“Oh, but brother, I want to guarantee that you’re an ally. And wouldn’t you hate to find out about it after the fact?”

He didn’t have a response—because she was right. And a plan in which the parties had a strong grip on one another’s weaknesses couldn’t be refused. Renner may have had some screws loose, but the kingdom needed someone with her superior intellect.

“Okay, that’s enough about us. What’s this about a run-in with the Eight Fingers? I heard you captured the head of the slave-trafficking division?”

“Yes, it’s as Climb told you. And I want to attack them swiftly before they go to ground. We got ahold of some intelligence telling us where the Eight Fingers are operating inside the capital, so the plan is to conduct the raid sometime today. There’s just one problem: We don’t have enough soldiers. I summoned you because I want to borrow your strength, Marquis Raeven.”

Raeven and Zanac shared a look, and it was the prince who spoke. “So where will the raid take place?”

The pair of them took turns reading the parchment and translation Renner handed them.

“This is confirmed?” asked the marquis.

“Of course. I had Lakyus and her team check them out. The report just came in, and these locations are definitely owned by the Eight Fingers. The problem is that they’re all situated on land owned by different nobles.”

It wasn’t quite an issue of extraterritoriality, but marching in would mean picking fights with the nobles out in the open.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. If we find anything related to the Eight Fingers, we can use that to put pressure on the nobles.”

“And even if we don’t find anything, we’ll still ‘find something’—I see. Guess we know how to get rid of any papers that would cause trouble if they were found in our possession.”

The trio’s eyes met and they laughed—but their laughter was devoid of kindness.

“Oh, Renner, I have one problem—or rather, something we need to address.” Zanac looked around the room. This was the first time he had checked to make sure no one else was there. In other words, the topic was that important and that secret. “Actually, our brother is also receiving money from one of the Eight Fingers’ divisions. I thought we could use that information to get him disinherited, so we’ve been searching for their headquarters in the kingdom. So far we’ve found out it’s in the capital. I’d like to add it into the raid list.”

“That’s fine. This is an opportunity to do a big sweep. If we miss this chance, who knows when another will come along. Which division is it?”

“The drug one.”

“Ah, that’s not good. A few days ago, I had Lakyus and her team attack three villages that are cultivating narcotics. If we don’t move fast, we might miss out.”

“Really…? I see. Marquis Raeven, how soon can you move?”

“It’ll be tough. For now, I have an idea of some nobles who the Eight Fingers haven’t corrupted yet. But as for houses we can trust for sure, there are probably only two. I’ll need some time to persuade them. Besides that, there is one other problem.”

“And what might that be, Marquis Raeven?”

“The soldiers we have may not be a match for our enemy.”

Some humans, such as powerful adventurers, could take on an army.

There were various theories about why so many adventurers outclassed ordinary humans.

The most likely possibility was that in extreme circumstances, the flesh—or according to another hypothesis, the brain—became abnormally stimulated, triggering a process akin to supercompensation and increasing their abilities. Others thought it was blessings from the gods or some kind of evolution due to magic exposure, but what all the theories had in common was the rapid improvement of physical, mental, magic, and/or other capacities.

The more powerful opponents one faced, the more often this improvement would occur, so it was especially frequent for adventurers, who faced immensely powerful monsters with a diverse array of abilities.

And if the Eight Fingers had such members, mere soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance.

“But surely your bodyguards would be all right?”

Raeven shook his head in response to Zanac’s question. “They are retired adventurers—mythril rank and above, at that—but some of our enemies possess unbelievable power. The Six Arms are the strongest the Eight Fingers have to offer, and each is said to be the equivalent to an adamantite-rank adventurer. If they show up, we’ll be in trouble. Of course, if we assume we’re sending multiple soldiers after only one of them, that’s different, but…”

“Adamantite rank…” It was only natural for Zanac to be stunned. Each adamantite-ranked adventurer was said to be a solo powerhouse who could face a thousand men.

“Then let’s ask Lakyus to split up the Blue Roses and have them each take command at a different location. As long as there isn’t more than one of the Six Arms at each location, that should work.”

“There are five Blue Roses if I remember correctly? The enemies’ strongest number six. When you take that into consideration, dividing our forces could be a mistake, but…well, there’s nothing that says they’ll all be in the capital. If the Blue Roses are okay with that plan, we could raid five locations at once.”

“So we can’t do all of them? If we could, that would be best.”

There were seven addresses listed on the piece of parchment Renner had received. The one Zanac and Raeven wanted to add made eight. They didn’t have enough manpower.

“Of course, it would be extremely frustrating to pass over three locations, but I don’t think we have a choice.”

“What about heading for the remaining three after the initial raid?”

“That’s probably the best we can do. Your Royal Highness, mobilizing soldiers within the capital itself will be an issue. What should we do about that?”

“I’ll take care of it by talking to Dad. So I have to give up on the idea of doing all of them at once? I guess it was kinda ambitious, but—”

A knock sounded at the door.

“Here we go.”

Normally a maid would answer, but since none was present in the room, Raeven started to get up. Renner gestured that he remain seated, walked over, and unhesitatingly opened the door.

When she saw who it was, she turned around, all smiles, to face the other two. “It’s someone who might help us with a sixth location.”

The one who entered Renner’s room on her invitation, though he was rather puzzled, was the captain of the Royal Select, Gazef Stronoff.

3

4 Late Fire Moon (September) 9:00 PM

Climb held a black lump in his hand. The jiggly mass would have been spherical, but it was malleable enough for gravity to compress it.

Climb took the strange ball, which seemed to contain liquid, and smashed it against his body—and armor.

The sphere splashed across Climb’s white armor, creating a black splotch. The item in his hand had been a ball of black dye, so that much was expected. But that wasn’t all that happened.

The dark spot staining Climb’s armor began to creep along its surface, eventually covering it entirely. In a matter of seconds, the armor was completely painted over. It had changed from sparkling pure white to matte black.

The sphere Climb had smashed was an item called Magic Dye. There were supposedly higher-tier versions that gave resistance to acid, fire, or chill, but the one Climb used affected only colors.

It went without saying that the reason he used it was because his pure-white armor would draw too much attention.

Lakyus called for all the squad leaders to gather, so Climb approached.

At the center of the leaders stood a gorgeously outfitted war maiden.

First, her enchanted sword, the name of which was known to virtually everyone—Demonic Sword Killineiram. It was the size of a bastard sword, but its blade, black like the night sky, was hidden in its sheath. Still, one could tell from the hilt that it was extremely well made. The giant black sapphire embedded in the pommel was especially opulent, containing a sparkle that flickered like a flame.

Then there was her full plate armor, gleaming like only gold and silver could; it was engraved with countless unicorns here and there. This was the armor that only fair maidens could equip, said to be impossible to tarnish: Virgin Snow.

In contrast to her lustrous gear, the cloak protecting her back seemed to be gray cotton. The enchanted item, called a Cloak of Rat Speed, was far more powerful than appearances suggested, boosting the user’s speed, agility, and evasion.

It seemed like her famous magic item, Floating Swords, wasn’t activated.

The reason Lakyus dressed to stand out, unlike Climb, was because she had the magic skills to handle herself.

The faces around her were all familiar to him—the Blue Roses and Gazef Stronoff.

To Climb, he was so out of place among them it was pathetic.

The operation Lakyus talked about entailed storming eight facilities owned by the Eight Fingers crime syndicate.

But there were only seven squads, so the leaders of each squad, plus Raeven’s personal guards—all former adventurers of mythril rank or higher—would head to the last location after the other seven were neutralized. The remaining squad members would hold the initial sites. Eight Fingers members were to be disabled and captured if possible. Otherwise, they would have to be killed.

That was the whole mission.

Lakyus continued with a warning that since their opponents were a large organization with immense power in the underworld, it was possible they would encounter strong enemies and traps; everyone needed to stay vigilant.

Climb shivered.

It wasn’t due to fear but the heavy pressure of the role he was to play in the operation.

The reasons Climb had been selected as a squad leader despite being far inferior to the others were because he was stronger than regular soldiers and because one of the key participants had recommended him.

Additionally, they’d set it up so the sole former orichalcum-rank adventurer team from Raeven’s men would be on his squad.

He couldn’t very well refuse when everyone had so thoroughly prepared a role for him.

And once he realized the hidden reason he’d been made a squad leader, there was no way he could give up the position.

The Blue Roses, Marquis Raeven, Gazef Stronoff, and Prince Zanac, who would be on hand to put out fires if a situation arose—their presence alone gave no indication that Princess Renner was participating at all. If Climb, Renner’s personal attendant soldier, was acting as a squad leader, the intent must have been at least partially to show that Renner was involved in the operation in a major way.

It appears to have been Marquis Raeven and Prince Zanac’s idea, but I wonder why they would do that… Their reasons were a puzzle to Climb. Still, he was filled with the courage to masterfully execute this important role in order to spread the word that Renner was working hard for the kingdom.

Lakyus’s explanation ended, and the group dispersed. When Climb returned to his squad, the man who’d been behind him for a while addressed him nonchalantly. “Are you ready?” It was Brain Unglaus, whom Gazef had brought along to help; he was the assistant leader of Climb’s squad. “Squad prep is complete. All that’s left is to move on the commander’s order. And here is the route we’ll be taking. He chose it.”

The map of the capital he’d been given had a red line drawn on it. Climb looked where Brain was pointing toward a person.

It was one of the members of the former orichalcum-rank adventurer team who’d been assigned to Climb’s squad. He noticed the young man’s gaze and gave a small wave in response. Climb gave a quick bow to the fairly experienced man. Ordinarily, it might not have been advisable for the squad leader to bow his head, but for Climb, who was leader only in name and had no power to back it up, this was perfectly natural.

In Climb’s case, rather than leading the charge, he would be needing some hand-holding.

As he mused, a large figure approached and called out to Climb, “Hey, virgin!”

I wish she wouldn’t call me that, Climb thought with all his heart as he sensed a change in the way his squad mates were looking at him.

He was probably lucky no one was laughing. Among the warm gazes and watchful eyes of adults, he also sensed some strong solidarity.

“What is it, Miss Gagaran?”

Unlike when he’d seen her at the inn, she was enveloped head to toe in top-class magic items.

There was a crest like an eye emblazoned on the chest piece of her spiked, dark-red full plate armor. It was the famous equipment Gaze Bane.

Her gauntlets were a bit unusual due to the carvings of a pair of entwined snakes. They were an ancient rarity that healed whomever they touched—Caduceus Gauntlets.

The huge war pick hanging from her hip was Iron Feller. The splendid red cape fit for royalty or nobility was Crimson Guardian. They weren’t visible beneath her armor, but she also carried a Vest of Resistance, a Dragon Tooth Amulet, and a Belt of Greater Power. Besides that, she had Wing Boots and a Twister Circlet equipped, and her rings also contained immense magical power.

This was Gagaran, the pinnacle of the kingdom’s warriors, in full gear.

The price of even one of her items would make anyone’s eyes pop. Only an adamantite-rank adventurer could possess so many. Evileye, Tia, and Tina were outfitted similarly, with items that could be indentified at a glance as ultra-rare.

“What? I just thought I’d give the virgin a little spanking, since he might be nervous.”

That actually meant she had reached out because she was worried about him, but he still wanted her to knock off the whole “virgin” thing. He could have done away with his virginity anytime. There were places for just that. It was simply that he hadn’t yet.

Still crying softly in his heart, Climb saw Gagaran look at Brain, next to him, with an unusually sharp gaze.

“Brain Unglaus. The man who fought neck and neck with the captain of the Royal Select. Ah-ha… So they weren’t lying or exaggerating, huh?”

“Warrior of the Blue Roses, Gagaran. I see… You’re strong. Certainly worthy of an adamantite-ranked team. So do I pass?” When Climb looked at Brain, wondering what the “passing” thing was about, he shrugged and told him why Gagaran had really come over. “She came to make sure I’m strong enough to take care of you.”

“Really?!”

“Naw, c’mon… It has nothing to do with you. Just seems sad for him to die with his virginity intact, so I thought if we had time, I’d steal it quick like. But anyhow, I see it was no fluke that you beat the Illusion Maniac. You’re an awe-inspiring warrior. I can tell even without crossing swords. With you around, we’ll have some breathing room.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. I’ve also learned the rumors about you were true. But we can’t let our guard down. There are plenty of monsters in this world who can kill even warriors like us in an instant.”

“Ohh, so you’re the cautious type? I can’t say I dislike men like that. You’re probably not a virgin, but how about it?”

“I’ll pass. I think the pressure would crush me.”

Where would she crush him? Climb wondered but didn’t ask.

“Ah, that’s too bad. Climb, take care.” Gagaran waved good-bye and walked away with heavy footsteps.

Watching her go, Brain murmured, “You would never guess from the way she looks, but she’s a rather kind person.”

“Yeah, Gagaran—well, all the Blue Roses are friendly. Miss Evileye looks mysterious, but she’s surprisingly nice, too.”

“The masked arcane caster…? Actually, Gazef was saying that that Ainz Ooal Gown fellow he met wore a mask, too… I wonder if they’re the hip thing among casters… Oh, seems like we’re on the move.”

“Yeah. The squads that are traveling farther have to leave now so the raids happen at the same time.”

They were both looking at the departing units up ahead.

Climb looked around, searching for a certain woman.

Of course, he couldn’t find her. She would be coordinating with Prince Zanac. He figured it was self-centered of him to feel melancholy just because he couldn’t see her before leaving, especially given how hard things were for her.

“Okay, Climb, should we go, too?”

“…Yes! Let’s head out.”

Climb gave his squad the sortie order.

Climb. Assistant leader Brain Unglaus. Four former orichalcum-rank adventurers. Twenty members of Marquis Raeven’s militia. Plus, high-level priests and wizards’ guild members with connections to Marquis Raeven were tagging along to support from the rear. A total of thirty-two people quietly set out.

4

4 Late Fire Moon (September) 8:31 PM

“I didn’t expect such a strong lineup…I must thank Lord Ainz.” Those were the first words Sebas uttered upon meeting the group at the mansion.

With Demiurge at the head of the line, the assembly also contained the guardians Shalltear and Mare, while the Pleiades had provided Solution and Entoma. Moreover, several of Demiurge’s high-level evil lord minions were present as well. It was an unbelievably powerful force, perhaps even overkill.

“Especially to have the two strongest guardians with us…”

“Hmm. Lord Ainz has granted me full authority,” Demiurge said. “Do you have any objections, Sebas?”

“Of course not.”

“Then I would ask that you not misunderstand. Lord Ainz did say to rescue that human Tsuare, but the more important reason we are gathered is to execute the foolish Eight Fingers who spat upon the incomparable visages of the Supreme Beings.”

“I understand. Saving Tsuare is a secondary objective, correct?”

“Exactly, although I do approve of your desire to retrieve her while she’s alive—I doubt she would be able to withstand resurrection magic.”

That was a nasty way to put it.

“Still, what to do in the event she’s already dead is certainly an issue. If I were them, I’d chuck the hostage’s head at us the moment we foolishly arrived.”

“But wouldn’t you rather abuse her to set an example, Demiurge?”

“Yes, as you say, without a doubt. Immobilize the rescuers and then put her abuse on display… What an extremely invigorating scenario.”

“What’s exciting about it?” Sebas asked, concealing his irritation beneath a smile. Of course, with Demiurge’s powers of observation, he probably saw through it, so it was just for show.

“Everything, Sebas. Everything.” Demiurge grinned, and his fissure-like eyes gleamed coldly. “Actually, I’d let the people who came to save the prisoner take her and escape, then turn the tables just when they were starting to feel relieved. The greater the hope, the greater the despair!”

“That seems entertaining as well. If we get the chance, let’s do something like that, shall we?”

“B-but if they really got away, I—I think…wouldn’t that be a p-problem?”

Demiurge and Shalltear laughed.

“Mare, you’re so funny. We’d make that impossible. Well, if they really did manage to escape, I’d send them off with applause.”

“You’re so confident because you’d never let them break through, right? I’d expect nothing less from you, Demiurge.”

Though they didn’t have time to spare, Demiurge chattered on about tormenting humans. That irritated Sebas, so he asked a pointed question for the purpose of ending the conversation. “Demiurge, about executing the Eight Fingers members—do you already have the information we need?”

“Yes, no worries there, Sebas. The intelligence has been acquired.”

“Oooh,” some cooed in admiration. Sebas himself even exclaimed in surprise.

Demiurge hadn’t been in the capital very long at all. Sebas couldn’t imagine what methods he’d used to gather so quickly the data they needed. Considering he was operating under their master’s orders, he couldn’t be relying on rumors—it had to be confirmed reports.

“All we have to do now is raid the locations—yes, plural. Of course, if possible, we should capture multiple people with intelligence at each location so we can punish them for the other foolish acts they—” He cut off there, glanced at Sebas, and continued, “In order to deal them suitable damage in exchange for sullying the promise sworn on Lord Ainz’s supreme, radiant name, we need to get some information out of them. Any objections?”

“N-no!”

“They’ll pay with their lives for offending Lord Ainz.”

“How could I object?”

The two guardians and the butler replied in turn.

The two combat maids and the demon lords said nothing but assumed a humble posture toward Demiurge.

“Very good. Then first, Sebas. Could you tell us the location to which you’ve been summoned? Let’s see if it’s among the ones I have here.”

When Sebas named the place written on the parchment back at his house, Demiurge smiled. “Should we call it good luck? Or should we lament that we have one fewer location to raid? It seems to overlap with the list I looked into. I’ll leave that one up to you.”

“That’s fine. But Tsuare may be injured. It would be helpful if someone who can use healing magic came along.”

“True, it’s Lord Ainz’s wish to save that human… Solution. I originally wanted to keep you and your superior searching skill on reserve, but will you accompany Sebas as support?”

“Yes, Master Demiurge.”

“And as for the people who kidnapped her, who will most likely be in the building…”

“If you spare any of the humans who besmirched Lord Ainz’s honor, I really will murder you,” Demiurge said.

“Don’t worry, Demiurge. I’ll be sure to kill them all,” Sebas replied.

“I’ve been watching you guys for a while now… Couldn’t you be a bit more friendly with each other?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Sebas saw Demiurge pull a face. At the same time, he was probably making the same face himself.

But when he asked himself why he disliked Demiurge, he couldn’t quite pin it down. He didn’t get irritated at Shalltear even though she was a sadist, too, but for some reason talking to Demiurge annoyed him.

Still, quarreling with him now would be as good as spitting on the kindness of the Supreme Being. Sebas thanked their master in his head and bowed to Demiurge.

“My humble apologies for taking a rude tone when you’ve come to help me fix my own mistake.”

“…That’s fine, Sebas. Anyway, would you evacuate Tsuare to the Great Tomb of Nazarick as soon as you recover her?”

“Of course. But is everyone ready to accept her?”

“That will be nooo problemmm. I have thaaat coverrrred,” Entoma said in her syrupy voice.

Sebas nodded, convinced.

“So, no other issues at the moment, correct? Excellent. Now we’ll split into seven teams and decide who attacks where. Of course, Sebas and Solution are already set. First, I’d like to make sure we’re being careful—Shalltear.”

Shalltear jumped at Demiurge’s suddenly harsh tone.

“Wh-what is it, Demiurge?”

“I’d like you to stand by as a reserve. You lose yourself when you get too much blood on you. It’ll be a pain if you encounter a mob of easy pickings and go berserk.”

“I—I’m fine! If I suck up all the blood with my Pipette Lance, the chance that happens goes way down!”

“No, that’s not good enough. We need to proceed with extreme caution here and do everything we can to avoid taking risks. And Sebas, I need to apologize in advance. This operation to save Tsuare and bring the iron hammer down on the Eight Fingers is only the first phase of a larger plan. But I cannot disclose the full details—or even what happens in phase two—because after phase one is complete, you’ll return to Nazarick and not be involved. In order to avoid intelligence leaks, it’s better to keep the number of people who know to a minimum.”

“I understand. I’ll begin getting my preparations under way.”

Once Sebas had left the room, Demiurge addressed the remainder. “Okay. First, I’ll give you an outline so we don’t miss anything. Entoma, you can create illusions, right? Can you do one to my specifications?”

“Yes, siiir.”

Entoma made a virtual image in empty space according to Demiurge’s detailed request. He was satisfied with the result.

“Killing this person is prohibited. Some wounds will likely be forgiven, but I want everyone to remember that on principle, harming the target is forbidden—especially Shalltear.”

“I understand. You don’t need to harp on it.” She didn’t enjoy the repeated rebuke and puffed her cheeks out in displeasure.

Mare smiled awkwardly. “U-umm, you didn’t need to tell S-Sebas?”

“It’s okay. Knowing Sebas, he won’t harm this person without good reason… Just in case, Solution, can you stop him in an emergency?”

“Understood.”

Demiurge nodded in satisfaction.

This operation was tied to a plan that would benefit Nazarick enormously. If they suffered a major defeat here, it was possible their— No, the Supreme One, Ainz Ooal Gown, would be delayed from reaching his unspoken ultimate goal: world conquest.

Their master had left the entire operation up to him, so failure wasn’t an option.

Albedo had been stern with him about it as well, but it was clear that because Shalltear, Cocytus, and Sebas had all failed one after the other, any further blunders could cause their master to doubt the guardians’ abilities.

True, Lord Ainz had yet to display displeasure at any of those failures, and Cocytus’s seemed to have been planned from the beginning, but that didn’t make it right to take advantage of his kindness.

With this mission, I must demonstrate to Lord Ainz that we guardians can be of use to him.

Was there any point in subordinates existing if they were foolish and failed to perform satisfactorily?

Wasn’t it possible the last remaining Supreme One would be disgusted with their worthless abilities and also leave them?

Even Demiurge was petrified by the thought.

Failure is not an option. Our victory must be utterly complete to outweigh all our past mistakes.

With this resolution in mind, Demiurge scanned the room. “And don’t forget that the ones who brainwashed Shalltear might be out there waiting for an opening. Everyone, take care not to stray from your posts without permission. If any of the guardians, myself included, question you, raise both hands or the corresponding body parts and don’t do anything suspicious. If you do, we’ll kill you to be safe. Any questions?”

“U-um, I asked one before, but d-do you mind another?”

Demiurge smiled kindly at Mare and gestured for him to go ahead.

“So, I don’t think Sebas has a World Item like the rest of us. Is that all right?”

“It seems like Lord Ainz wishes for him to act as bait. It would be great if the enemy would bite. Albedo is already standing by in the Throne Room to monitor the situation. Oh, and those who can’t use Message should take special care to refrain from acting independently. I’m overseeing the operation, so if any issues arise, come to me with them. And I’ve briefed Mare on the entire plan, so if I’m unreachable for some reason, he should be able to strategically fill in.”

“And whadda…and me?”

“Sorry, Shalltear. As I mentioned before, we’re placing you on standby since we can’t fully trust you. Yes, we’re worried about Blood Frenzy.”

“Fine! Understood! Un-der-stood!”

“Once phase one is complete, we’ll proceed to phase two. I’ll explain it now. This is important, so I want you all to listen carefully—what is it?”

A shadow demon drifted into view from the darkness behind Demiurge and whispered the intelligence it had acquired.

“Really? That’s awfully sudden, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it.” The new information bothered him, but he couldn’t ignore it.

“Sorry, Mare. According to the latest news, we have one more Eight Fingers base to raid. Apologies, but I’d like to change your target. I’m sure you can handle it on your own, but just in case, I’ll have Entoma go with you.”

“O-okay. L-leave it to me.”

“Excellent. We can go over the finer points later, but while I have everyone here, I will lay out the process of phase two, Gehenna. This will be our most important operation in the capital, so please give me your undivided attention.”