Overlord Premise Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! While Nazarick plans for the punishment and takeover of the Eight Fingers organization, Sebas has returned to the capital and will take a walk to determine the nature of the surveillance watching the mansion. But while on his walk, perhaps he’ll meet a person or two that will play more of a role in the upcoming ‘production’ that Nazarick shall put on within the capital. Elsewhere in the world, others are moving as well.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 21 – Butler, Swordsman, and Guard Attendant

The morning in the capital was as normal as ever for most of the citizens. The sun was shining, the temperature was pleasant, and there were only a few clouds in the sky.

For Sebas, who strode through the streets with the proper posture and poise of a high-class butler, it had been a very different morning since the visit from Succulent and Havish. With Tuare safely secured at Nazarick under Pestonya’s care, he could take this walk and begin the first part of the plan as it had been relayed to him by Lord Momonga.

‘Five of them, huh?’ Sebas thought without changing his expression in the slightest. ‘They’ve been tailing me ever since I left the house.’ It was exactly what he’d expected to happen. ‘And I have permission from Lord Momonga to handle this first part of the operation however I see fit, so long as it doesn’t compromise the rest of the plan that has been decided upon.’

“He’s going to die!” A man’s raised voice got Sebas’s attention suddenly.

“Maybe we should call a soldier?” A woman near the man suggested.

The crowd blocking the street was large, but Sebas’s good nature couldn’t be denied. He tried to look over the heads of the crowd, but couldn’t see the incident happening at the front. Without touching a single person, and despite his significant height and shoulder width, Sebas began to weave through the crowd, unnoticed by the citizens…except one.

Brain Unglaus sighed as he lightly tossed the small money pouch that Gazef had given him early this morning, and then caught it in the same hand. “What to do…?” He wondered aloud, before looking down at his sheathed katana that he held in his off hand. “There’s no point in even carrying this anymore…” Brain would’ve never thought he’d ever say such a thing not that long ago. But after what he’d seen and experienced… ‘Am I scared? Anxious?’ The image of Shalltear appeared in his mind, the slitted crimson eyes and mocking, amused smile making his body shiver. Brain shook his head once and let out a heavy breath. “A fight?” He blinked at the large crowd that was blocking the street. ‘Guess I’ll go somewhere else…’

But his eyes were caught by a fast movement within the crowd.

“H-Huh?” Brains’ eyes widened as he saw an old man, dressed like a butler, weaving through the crowd like a blur. “What the…? H-How does he move like that?” He couldn’t stop himself as he took a step forward. ‘He’s gliding right through the crowd without touching anyone… That old man, just who the hell is he?’

Climb was walking down the street, back towards the castle, but his mind was elsewhere. ‘Flow… Connecting defense into offense… A chain of three moves…’ He was mulling over the advice he’d been given by both Gazef and Gagaran. “I need to try some new tactics the next chance I get in order to use what I learned today.” He said quietly to himself as he clenched his right hand into a fist in front of him, still recalling the heavy blows of his sparring with Gazef.

Climb blinked as he saw two armored and armed guards standing at the corner of the building ahead of him, both men were clearly peeking around the corner to look at something and seemed hesitant to move. He couldn’t hear what they were whispering to each other, but there was clearly a disturbance of some kind given the crowd he could already hear. He walked straight up to both men, getting their attention.

“Wh-Who are you?” One of the guards questioned Climb.

“I’m off duty.” Climb said simply, but with the authority that Princess Renner’s personal Guard Attendant was afforded. “What’s going on?”

The other guard glanced back at the crowd just visible around the corner. “There seems to be some sort of disturbance.”

‘I got that much…’ Climb thought, resisting the urge to sigh at the clear cowardice of the two guards. ‘I can’t stand by while people suffer.’ That went against what Climb believed in as a person and as one that was supposed to help keep order within the capital. “You two wait here.” He swiftly walked over to the crowd and started making his way through the people. “Sorry. Please let me through.”

Sebas stared at the five men standing over the beaten form of a boy that couldn’t have been older than eleven or so. The five men were armed, but the swords they had were clearly worn and not in good condition. They were also dirty, their clothing stained and marked by dirt in various places.

“What’re you looking at, old timer?!” The largest of the five men demanded of Sebas.

“You seem awfully drunk.” Sebas said to the man, but clearly included his ruffian cohorts as well. “I don’t know what started all of this, but how about you leave it at that?”

The large thug lightly kicked the downed boy with his boot. “This little punk bumped into me and got my shirt dirty! There’s no way I’m letting him off!”

Sebas privately thought that it would be impossible to tell when any new dirt appeared on the already dirty clothing. “This city isn’t as safe as it seems.”

“Huh?!” The large, drunk man took a step forward, attempting to be threatening.

“I’ll say it again. Leave.” Sebas’s tone brooked no argument from the thugs as he stared them down.

The drunk man cocked back his fist and lunged at Sebas. “Why you!”

‘This is bad!’ Climb had just gotten to the front of the crowd and was too far away to intervene.

Whap

The large man’s face was struck in a blur, his nose nearly erupting in blood a fraction of a second later. His feet left the ground entirely as he flew backward a full meter from where he’d stood, and then he crashed onto the street, completely unconscious.

Climb’s eyes widened in shock, having barely been able to see the blur of the old butler’s fist.

Brain wasn’t much better, though his eyes had been…mostly…able to follow the swift punch that laid the drunk thug out. Though that was entirely because of his many years of combat experience. ‘What the hell…?’

“H-He’s down…”

“What happened?”

The citizens clearly hadn’t even seen the punch, and it looked as if the drunken man had suddenly shot backwards without being touched.

Sebas looked at the other four thugs, his face like stone. “So you still want to fight?”

“N-No!”

“We-We’re sorry! We were wrong!”

The thugs proved their cowardice in the face of a stronger person immediately. They grabbed their leader and started dragging him away as fast as they could.

‘There’s just one thing left to do.’ Sebas walked over to the injured boy and knelt down. A quick visual examination let Sebas know that the child was injured even more than he looked. Without hesitation, Sebas gently placed his hand on the boy’s side and channeled his chi. ‘Qigong.’ A skill of the Monk Class that allowed for healing physical injuries through chi, and one that Sebas was grateful his creator, Touch Me, had seen fit to bestow on him. “Take this child to a shrine. His breastbone may be broken, so put him on a board and try not to bump him around too much.” He said to the gathered crowd, having healed the most severe injuries and left only some small hairline fractures behind to hide his own healing skill.

It said a lot that a few men from the crowd immediately started doing as Sebas said.

As the butler started to walk away, Climb managed to snap himself out of his staring and jogged forward, kneeling next to the boy as he pulled out one of his blue healing potions. “Can you drink this?” He asked the barely conscious child, as he uncorked the small bottle and brought it to the boy’s lips. As the kid slowly sipped the potion, Climb’s thoughts were elsewhere. ‘I failed to keep the people safe. This is the least I can do.’

“Oh… What an expensive item.” One of the women in the crowd said after seeing Climb give a healing potion to the child.

Many others agreed with her, never having seen one of the guards use a potion to heal someone that had been hurt in the streets.

The armored guards walked into the crowd, and had the shame to look down when people made comments like: ‘Oh, now they show up.’ and ‘About time.’

“What in the world?” One of the guards asked as he saw Climb giving the beaten child a potion.

“This child was beaten up. I gave him a potion, but take him to a shrine, just to be safe.” Climb reported concisely.

The guards nodded quickly. “Right. Understood!”

Climb stood up and looked back at the guards as he started jogging in the direction the butler had gone. “Get the details of what happened here. I’m leaving the rest up to you.”

“Where’s he rushing off to?” One of the guards asked, confused by Climb’s quick departure.

But Climb wasn’t the only one that had disappeared from the crowd and followed after Sebas.

Down the street and around the far corner that lead to a side street, Sebas easily noticed his ‘tail’ had increased. ‘The number of people following has increased by two?’ He continued to walk, as if he noticed nothing, and led the ones following him further away from the crowds and into a more secluded area. ‘Based on the sound of the footsteps, the new one that’s the closest is a man without any training in stealthy movement.’ Sebas was more than capable of gleaning at least basic information about people from any of his five senses, especially when they were trying to follow him. “Well, thinking about it won’t give me an answer. First, I’ll catch him.” He turned another corner and didn’t sense a single person anywhere nearby…other than his pursuers, of course.

At the other end of the short street, Climb followed behind. ‘This amounts to tailing him at this point. I need to be brave.’ He sped up enough to reach the same street that the butler was walking down and spoke up. “Excuse me.”

“Did you need something?” Sebas turned to look at Climb with intensity that made the young man physically shiver.

“Uh…I…” Climb’s voice had nearly abandoned him from that powerful look.

Sebas stopped his brief intimidation, now certain that this young man wasn’t one of the Eight Fingers’s watchers that had been following him the whole time. “Who are you?”

Climb shook himself and bowed at the waist. “My name is Climb…I’m a soldier here. Thank you for doing what should have been my job.”

“It was no trouble.” Sebas said with a nod. “I’ll be going now.”

“Please wait.” Climb stood up to his full height quickly. “If you don’t mind…” He placed his hand over his chest. “…I’d like you to mentor me…teach me about that skill you used.”

Sebas’s expression gave nothing away. “What do you mean by that?”

Climb made his request quickly, lest he lose his nerve under Sebas’s gaze. “Well…I’m working hard to get stronger, so when I saw your wonderful movements earlier I thought it would be great if I could get you to teach me.”

“Hmm.” Sebas hummed. “Let me see your hands.” Climb held out his hands without hesitation. When Sebas looked them over, he could easily see the natural callouses that developed when someone wielded a sword daily. “They’re thick and sturdy, good warrior hands.”

“N-No… I’m barely a soldier.” Climb said humbly, knowing his only authority (what little he had) came from Princess Renner and not his own merits.

Sebas held out his hand. “No need for modesty. Next, may I see your sword? Once Climb handed it to him, Sebas only needed to partially unsheathe the blade to see the quality of the sword. “I see… Is this a spare weapon?”

Climb straightened up in surprise. “How did you know?!”

“There’s a small nick here.” Sebas pointed to part of the blade, where a very tiny notch could be seen in the edge of the sword.

“I can’t believe you just saw that…” Climb felt the heat rush to his face at showing anyone a weapon that wasn’t properly cared for. “How embarrassing!” Any weapon a warrior carried was a show of their diligence, and to show someone a damaged sword (no matter how slightly) was just proof of his ineptitude.

Sebas handed the sword back to Climb before he spoke again. “I have a rough understanding of your personality now. Hands and weapons are like a mirror to a warrior’s character. You’ve made a very favorable impression on me.” Climb took back his sword with a slight nod of his head and a muffled thanks. “Okay. I’ll train you just a bit. However, there is something I want to ask.” This young man could prove helpful in obtaining ‘legitimacy’ for what he was about to do, and that could help further the plans of Nazarick. “You see, the other day, I saved this woman…”

Climb listened as the butler told him about the poor woman that had been forced into working at a brothel, and how horrid her condition had been when Sebas found her. He could feel his stomach turning the more he listened, and was wondering if this wasn’t the last underground brothel in the capital that Lady Aindra had mentioned while talking with Renner. “That’s horrible…” His fists clenched at his sides as he came to a sudden and stark realization. ‘I can’t believe someone would violate the emancipation of the slaves that Princess Renner proclaimed. Nothing has changed in this country.’

“Would you, perhaps, know someone who isn’t corrupt that could help?” Sebas asked, planning to make use of any connections this soldier may have to cause trouble for the Eight Fingers.

‘Princess Renner… No, I can’t.’ Climb knew Renner had authority as a princess, but there were reasons that she couldn’t just use it to solve so many of the problems within the Kingdom. ‘These people must have connections to powerful nobles… If the princess invoked royal authority from the King’s Faction and the Noble Faction sustained losses…it could lead to an all-out war. I can’t let Princess Renner be responsible for the downfall of the Kingdom.’

Sebas took Climb’s silence as the lack of ability to use whatever connection he had. “I see. From what the girl I saved told me, there are others still held captive in the building, women and men alike.”

Climb was now certain this must be the brothel that Lady Aindra had brought up, a horrible one that allowed the customers to do anything to those forced to work there. “I would have to ask my master, but maybe she could allow them to flee to her domain…”

“Would that be possible?” Sebas questioned, not opposed to saving others, both from his nature passed on from his creator, as well as the desire to ensure the plans of Nazarick went forward smoothly.

“My apologies…but I can’t promise anything without asking my master.” Climb told Sebas. “That said, my master is a very compassionate person. I think it’ll be alright!”

Sebas closed his eyes and nodded once. “Hm! If you have that much faith in your master, she must be a wonderful person.” Climb nodded, his blue eyes firm in the belief that Princess Renner was the most wonderful person he knew. “On a different matter pertaining to this subject, but if we could prove that slave trafficking is taking place at the brothel, what would happen? Would even that be covered up?”

Climb had to admit the truth, even if he didn’t like it. “It might, but if we turn in the evidence to the proper authorities… At least, I want to believe the Kingdom isn’t that corrupt.”

“Understood.” Sebas nodded once, making a note of that opinion from one that was entrusted, at least to some degree, with upholding the peace in the capital. “Now then, allow me to ask you a different question. Why do you want to get stronger?” Seeing Climb’s slight confusion, he elaborated. “You just said that you wanted me to train you. I’ve judged that I can trust you, but I want to know why you pursue power.”

Looking down a little, Climb thought about why he so desperately sought strength. That day, so long ago, he should’ve died in the rain, covered in mud, and never even knowing his parent’s faces. ‘But instead…I met a beautiful sun.’ he saw Princess Renner in his mind’s eye. ‘I want to become stronger. I want to be worthy of her.’ Climb looked at Sebas, but what he said was different from his thoughts. “I’m a man, so…”

Sebas knew immediately that Climb’s desire for strength went far deeper than that. It was born from a powerful desire to do everything that he could for the one he saw as the most important in the entire world. A look that every member of Nazarick had in their eyes when looking at Lord Momonga.

“Based on that reply, I’ve decided your training.” Sebas said, and saw the way Climb straightened up slightly. “But you don’t seem to have any innate aptitude. We don’t have much time. I’d like to train you in a way that’s quick and effective, but…” He looked directly into Climb’s eyes. “I’ll be blunt. You could die.”

‘I don’t mind dying for Princess Renner’s sake. I don’t want to die for my own selfish reasons.’ Climb thought as he stood before Sebas, not backing down despite the danger.

Sebas looked at Climb’s resolve for just a moment before continuing. “Whether you die or not depends on your spirit. If you have something precious to you…if you have some reason to cling to life even if you’re brought to your knees…you should be alright.”

Climb felt a drop of sweat trailed down the side of his face, but he ignored it. “I’m ready. Please train me.”

“You mean you’re confident that you won’t die?” Sebas asked, only for Climb to shake his head.

‘I want to cling to life, even if I’m brought to my knees.’ Climb thought strongly, his desire reflected in his blue eyes.

Sebas saw his resolve and decided to move things along. “Understood. Then let’s begin the training.”

Climb looked around the vacant side street. “Here?”

“Yes. It will only take a few minutes.” Sebas assured Climb with a small wave of his hand. “Adopt a fighting stance.” Without hesitation, Climb drew his sword and spread his legs slightly, lowering himself to a steady stance that would allow him to lunge forward or backstep to make distance. “Alright, here I go. Do your best to stay conscious.”

In the next instant, Climb would swear a pressure physically struck him. It was like a blizzard hit him at full force, given how badly his body was shaking. There was a sensation like ice spreading all around him and across his body, a cold and uncaring force that wanted to snuff out his life.

Peeking around the corner, Brain was hit with a portion of Sebas’s killing intent and felt every muscle in his body lock up in absolute terror. His mind flashed back to the fear he’d felt in the face of Shalltear Bloodfallen, a being that all of his years of training and experience had meant nothing against.

‘What is this killing intent?!’ Climb nearly screamed in his mind, every instinct within him was telling him to run away, but all of his muscles were completely locked up in primal terror.

“Is this how much of a ‘man’ you are?” Sebas questioned flatly, his tone and expression completely unbothered. “I’m just getting warmed up.”

Climb struggled to move, but his body wasn’t listening to his mind. “Guk…” He almost choked on his own breath while he shook like a leaf in the wind.

Sebas’s eyes watched the lack of response for only a short moment. “Well, then please die.” He cocked back his fist and threw a punch that would easily kill someone of Climb’s strength.

‘I’m going to die…’ That realization was as certain as the sunrise in the morning to Climb. ‘If I wasn’t going to die for Princess Renner, then why didn’t I just give up back then? That rainy day was destined to be my last. Will her smile dim if I die here? She picked my life up off the street…so, my life…’ His blue eyes sharpened again, even as small tears of fear fell from them. ‘There has to be a way to escape!’ With every scrap of resolve and willpower he could bring forth, Climb jerked his head to the right, letting Sebas’s lethal punch barely miss him.

“Congratulations.” Sebas said, the smallest little smile on his lips.

Climb’s shaking body gave in as the tension suddenly vanished. He hit his knees, his sword nearly falling out of his hands as he kneeled and realized that he’d stopped breathing at some point when ragged breaths finally started to fill his lungs again. He looked upwards at Sebas in a mix of terror and awe.

Sebas looked at Climb, his expression just as calm as it was when they’d begun speaking. “How was it? How did it feel to face death? And how does it feel to have overcome it?” Climb placed one hand on the ground to steady himself as his body was still shaking. “You’re lucky you didn’t die of shock. It happens sometimes. People become convinced that they’ll die and give up on life.” Sebas told Climb as the young man tried to stop shaking. “If we repeat this a few times, you should be able to overcome ordinary fear. But fear stimulates your survival instincts. If they grow completely numb, you won’t be able to recognize even a clear danger. Situational awareness is important.”

“F-Forgive me, but who…or what…are you?” Climb asked Sebas as he managed to finally stop shivering in fear. “Th-That killing intent wasn’t the sort that a normal person could project. So what in the world…?”

“Let’s just say that I’m an old man who has confidence in his strength.” Sebas closed his eyes and gave Climb a small smile.

Climb could barely make his legs work, even as his mind was filled with utter surety that Sebas was the strongest person he’d ever met. ‘This man…his strength surpasses even Lord Stronoff’s…the strongest warrior known to any of the nearby nations.’

Sebas watched Climb get back to his feet before he spoke again. “Then shall we go again?” His eyes glanced over to the side as one of the six remaining presences in hiding stepped forward.

“W-Wait!” Brain stepped out from behind the corner, his eyes wide and a little sweat still on his face. “There’s something I want to ask you!” He gave a short bow to both Sebas and Climb. “First… I sincerely apologize for interrupting you. I just couldn’t wait.”

Climb looked at Sebas curiously. “Do you know him, Lord Sebas?”

Sebas shook his head once, never taking his eyes off Brain. “No, I do not. So you don’t either?”

Brain bowed at the waist this time, a full bow of respect and apology. “My name is Brain Unglaus. Please allow me to apologize again for interrupting. My deepest apologies.”

“And what is it you want?” Sebas questioned the swordsman, his expression unchanging.

“How…” Brain looked up, but didn’t stand up to his full height again. “How…were you able to stand in the face of that killing intent?!” His question was directed solely at Climb, making the slightly younger man almost flinch at the desperation in Brain’s eyes. “That was beyond the realm of what a normal person can take. Damn it…it was beyond what even I could take! But you’re different. You took it. You were standing. How did you do it?! Against something so powerful?!” He looked at the ground again; his mind filled with the same question that had been gnawing at him since that horrid night. ‘Am I the only one…that’s this weak?’

Climb looked at his hands for a second, still seeing tiny tremors in them. “I don’t know.” He answered honestly. “I have no idea how I was able to stand my ground in such a murderous storm… But… It might have been because I was thinking about my master.”

Brain looked almost dumbfounded. “Your master…?”

“Yes. I was thinking about the person I serve…and managed to hang on.” Climb said with growing certainty.

‘There’s no way that’s all you…’ Brain’s thought was cut off by Sebas.

“So your loyalty was so great that it overcame fear.” Sebas put to words what Climb had experienced. He placed his hand lightly on his chest and then looked directly at Brain. “Sir Unglaus. People can display unbelievable power if it’s for someone they hold dear. Saving and protecting what is precious to you, those things, I believe, are human strengths. This boy was able to tap into that power.” His eyes sharpened and Brain instinctively straightened up. “And he’s not the only one who can do that. If you have something that you could never give up, you can probably display power beyond what you think you have as well.”

Brain’s eyes widened just slightly and he felt a bit of hollowness form in the pit of his stomach. ‘Something I could never give up? I…’

Sebas broke Brain from his thoughts before the swordsman could think he didn’t have such a thing. “When you cultivate something on your won, it’s weak. Because if you bend, that’s the end. If instead, you build something with another person…or for someone…you may bend, but you won’t break.” That was how Nazarick had been built by the Supreme Beings, and why it would never fall.

‘Any relationship that didn’t help me get stronger; I threw away because I decided it wasn’t useful. But those were actually the most important?’ Brain’s thoughts were filled with more than a few faces and names that he’d left behind in the past. ‘My whole life has been mistake after mistake.’ A small, self-deprecating smile graced Brain’s face. “I threw them all away. Do you think…there’s anything I can do about it now?”

“You’ll be alright.” Climb said with certainty, looking at Brain with an open and honest expression. “I don’t have any innate ability, but I was able to do it. I’m sure you can do it too, Sir Unglaus! It’s never too late.”

Brain let out a small sigh. “You’re kind and strong… I’m sorry.” Climb was clearly confused by his words, but Brain couldn’t help his own thoughts. ‘I’m just such a fool…’

Climb took this chance to ask a question he’d had since Brian introduce himself. “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to be the Brain Unglaus that once fought an even match with Lord Stronoff, would you?”

“You know your stuff, huh?” Brain didn’t think someone he’d just met would know about that match. “Were you there watching the fight?”

“No,” Climb shook his head once. “I just heard the story from someone who was.” He clearly got a bit excited as he continued to speak, now knowing just who Brain was. “They said you were a fantastic swordsman, certainly one of the best in the Kingdom! The way you carry yourself, your balanced movements, make me think it’s the truth!”

Brain blinked once, then twice at the praise for his skills. “Uhhh…thank you? I don’t know…but hearing praise like that…sort of makes me happy?” He briefly ran his hand through his semi-long blue hair, having not experienced such words since he’d disappeared from the limelight to focus on his training in live combat and develop his own unique Martial Arts.

Sebas glanced down the street as soon as he sensed the other hidden watchers moving. “Sir Unglaus…”

“I’m not worthy of such a respectful address from someone so strong.” Brain denied, knowing that he couldn’t compare to Sebas in the slightest. “Just Unglaus is fine.”

“Very well. My name is Sebas Tian, please call me Sebas.” Sebas introduced himself properly. “So, Mr. Unglaus. Would you mind instructing young Climb here in swordsmanship?”

Brain looked at Sebas in confusion. “Huh? But…weren’t you about to continue?”

Sebas placed his hands behind his back, one holding the other, as was proper for a butler. “Yes. I had intended to.” He looked down the street at the three cloaked men that were stepping out of the shadows of the buildings. “But it seems we have company, so I think I’ll deal with them first.”

“That can’t be!” Brain looked at the three men slowly approaching as if they were insane. “They felt that killing intent and still had the nerve to come over here?!”

“I only directed that at you two.” Sebas said simply, stunning Brain a little.

“Huh?” Brain looked at Sebas, because that meant Sebas had known he was there as well. He may not be a thief by trade, but he was fairly confident in his ability to tail someone without them noticing.

Sebas didn’t take his eyes off the three men from the Eight Fingers. “I knew these men were enemies from the start. So, I didn’t direct any of my killing intent at them. I couldn’t have them getting scared and running away.”

Brain looked between Sebas and then the three cloaked men. “I-I see. So, you know who they are then?”

“I have a guess, but no evidence.” Sebas admitted as he saw the three men come to a stop, enough distance between them for the assailants to either attack or retreat as needed. “I intend to capture one or two, and get some intelligence out of them.” He glanced at Climb and then at Brain for a brief second. “However, I do not wish to involve you two in these matters. Could I ask you to please distance yourselves from this place immediately?”

 “Are they criminals?” Climb asked, having looked over the three cloaked men.

“They sure seem like it.” Brain had seen more than his fair share of criminals, mercenaries, and the like.

Climb looked at Sebas, his arms at his sides as if talking to a superior at the castle. “Lord Sebas. I don’t mean to intrude, but I would also like to fight. As a keeper of the peace in the capital, it’s only natural for me to protect the people.”

Brain glanced at Climb from the corner of his eye. ‘It’s not like we’re sure that Lord Sebas is upholding justice. This kid is still green…’ A small smile tugged at his lips. “Not that I think you need reinforcements, but I’ll be damned if…” He coughed once and cleaned up his language. “…I mean, I’ll help out as well.”

The three assailants were clearly tired of waiting as they opened their cloaks to reveal that they were all wielding a dagger in each hand. Brain’s sharp eyes noticed the faint liquid spread over the blades and narrowed.

“Poison? And those movements… Are these guys assassins?” Brain questioned while placing his right hand on the handle of his sword. “Climb, be careful. Consider even a single hit as bad news.”

“The reason they’re facing us head-on but not moving is because they’re waiting for the other two to flank us, correct?” Sebas questioned the three assassins directly. “Since we have the chance, why don’t we break straight through?”

The three assassins shifted their posture at being found out, while grimacing behind their masks.

Brain, now knowing that they were about to be flanked, made a suggestion. “It’s probably safest to crush the three in front and then take on the ones behind.”

“Oh. But they’d run away if we did that.” Sebas looked over at Brain for a short moment. “I will deal with the three in the front. Can I ask you to take care of the two coming from behind?”

“Got it.” Brain agreed and turned around to face the two coming from the other end of the street while unsheathing his sword.

Sebas focused all of his attention on the three assassins in front of him. “Now then. Unfortunately for you gentlemen, I’ll be your opponent.”

All three assassins threw one of their poisoned daggers at Brain’s back, attempting to kill one of their enemies with a sneak attack.

Faster than anyone could follow, Sebas snatched all three out of the air.

“I’d rather you not let your eyes wander.” Sebas said, a dagger between each of his fingers. The assassins took a half-step back at what they’d just seen…or not seen, as it were. Sebas let the three daggers fall to the ground without a care as he started walking towards the assassins.

“Have you finally gotten a sense of how strong Lord Sebas is?” Brain asked Climb as they faced down the two assassins in front of them.

“Amazing.” Climb couldn’t describe what he’d just seen as anything else.

Brain readied his sword, his eyes locking onto the assassins, determining which of them was stronger. “If someone told me that Lord Sebas was the strongest in the Kingdom, I’d agree.”

Climb shot a quick glance at Brain, seeing the older swordsman completely serious. “Even stronger than Lord Stronoff?”

“Yeah. I’ll be frank. Even if Stronoff and I faced him in a two-on-one, we wouldn’t stand a chance.” Brain admitted without a hint of shame. “Here they come.” He refocused Climb on the fight ahead. “I’ll take the one on the right. You take the left.”

“Yes.” Climb brought his sword to bear against the assassin he’d be fighting.

Brain looked over Climb’s stance in an instant and compared it to the assassin that he’d deemed the weaker of the two. ‘Climb should be able to beat that guy. But considering the enemy is coming out swinging poison, it might be a pretty hard fight for him.’ He took a half-step forward to match the one his own opponent took. ‘Should I just kill this guy quickly and then support Climb? Would that be good for him? Or would it make him feel bad because he was so earnest to help? Will Sebas save him if things go wrong?’ Brain almost scoffed at his thoughts. ‘I never thought I’d have to think about things like this.’ He put those thoughts out of his mind and simply focused on his own fight. “Sorry, but I’m going to use you to shake off the rust.”

At the other end of the street, Sebas was a brief blur…and then all three assassins slammed into the cobblestone street unconscious. They’d never even seen the butler move. One second he was almost eight meters away, in the next instant, they’d all been hit.

Sebas lightly brushed off his black coat and looked back at Climb and Brain’s fights. ‘He mentioned that he was shaking off the rust, but is he holding back for Climb’s sake?’ To Sebas’s eyes, it was clear that Brian could’ve finished the fight in a single exchange, if he’d wanted to. ‘He seems like a fairly kind person.’ His eyes moved to Climb, the young man clearly struggling a bit against the assassin’s poisoned daggers. ‘If he hadn’t told me that he wanted to get stronger, I would have assisted him.’ But that didn’t mean he couldn’t coach the boy a bit. “Life-threatening combat is good training. I’ll step in, if it comes to that. So, focus everything onto your opponent.”

Climb swung his sword, knocking the dagger of the assassin high, forcing the man to leapt backwards as his guard was opened up. “Hah…hah…” Climb breathed in and out, sweat running down his face. But the assassin wasn’t any better off as the cloaked man was clearly breathing harder too. ‘I’m not the only one that’s getting tired.’

The assassin tossed the dagger in his right hand straight at climb, the poisoned blade coming straight at Climb’s chest. With a swing of his sword, Climb deflected the thrown dagger, only to realize that it had been the assassin’s plan when the man rushed in while his guard was opened.

‘Crap! I can’t recover in time! I can still use my arm as a shield!’ Climb thought as he raised his arm.

Whap

“Ack!” The assassin backstepped twice as something small and fast smacked him in the forehead.

“Fear is an important emotion. But you cannot let it constrain you.” Sebas said from behind Climb, another small pebble in his gloved hand. “If you were really going to sacrifice your arm, you would have died, without a doubt.” Climb’s eyes widened as he’d forgotten to consider the poison on the assassin’s blade in the heat of the moment. “If you’re losing on the physical side, then win with your spirit. Sometimes the mind surpasses the flesh.”

Climb steeled his resolve, his grip firm on his sword as he shifted his stance. “If I die, please tell Princess Renner that I fought bravely until the end.” The assassin lunged forward, poisoned blades aimed at two different spots. “Martial Art: [Slash]!” His blade glowed a faint blue as he leapt into the air. The assassin leapt backwards, not wanting to get hit by the Martial Art, only to realize at the last moment that he hadn’t made enough distance as Climb’s leapt wasn’t meant to gain the greatest height, but for closing the distance he’d just made. The glowing sword came down in a near perfect overhead swing that slammed into the assassin’s collarbone and cut through the cloak and the undershirt beneath, while breaking the bone from the force.

The assassin hit the street harshly, his body twitching in agony from the large cut and the broken collarbone. “Auh…” He gurgled out before losing consciousness and going still.

Sebas patted Climb’s shoulder as the young man was breathing heavily. “Magnificent.”

Climb couldn’t help the small smile that formed from the praise. He looked over at Brain and got a smile from the other swordsman.

“That was a good swing.” Brain complimented with a nod, the assassin he’d been fighting cleanly cut down with a single slash across his chest, that had perfectly slipped between the ribs to directly cut the heart. A move that only a true master of their own sword could hope to pull off.

Only a few moments later, Sebas had chosen the assassin that looked to be in-charge and placed his palm on the man’s forehead. “Now for the questions.” He looked over his shoulder at Climb and Brain. “If you have anything you’d like to ask, please don’t hesitate.”

The unconscious assassin twitched visibly and slowly opened their eyes, though they were both foggy and staring into the middle distance.

“What did you do to him?” Climb asked, never having seen a skill or spell like this before.

“It’s a skill called [Puppet Palm]. I’m mainly glad it worked; I don’t have much reason to ever use it.” Sebas answered easily, since it was all technically the truth. “Now, who are you?” He asked the assassin directly, pulling his palm away from the man’s forehead.

The assassin’s tone was dull, but his voice was clear. “We are assassins working for the security division of the Eight Fingers.”

Brain narrowed his eyes, having heard of Eight Fingers while doing mercenary work in the past. “The Eight Fingers is a large criminal organization, isn’t it? The type that has mercenary connections for things like this.”

“Yes, and the Six Arms are the strongest members of the group. I’ve heard they’re as strong as Adamantite Adventurers.” Climb said, sharing a small portion of the information he’d gained this morning from Lady Aindra and her teammate Tina.

“Why did you come after me?” Sebas questioned, though he was fairly certain that he already knew the answer.

The assassin’s expression didn’t change as he started speaking again. “One of the Six Arms, Phantom Devil, Lord Succulent ordered us to kill the butler: Sebas Tian. We were meant to kill him and abduct the Lady of the house.”

Sebas’s expression was cold and the air almost seemed to shift, making both Climb and Brain shift just slightly without even noticing. ‘So, I was correct about their intentions. While Tuare is already safe, that they would target any member of Nazarick is unacceptable.’ It was good fortune that he’d been give mostly free reign to handle this first part of the operation. He’d get to vent his frustration and punish those that dared to target Nazarick, even unknowingly.

“What are you going to do?” Brain asked as Sebas stood up and the assassin’s eyes rolled back in his head as he fell back into unconsciousness.

“I have made my decision.” Sebas said as he turned to look at both Brain and Climb. “First, I will eliminate the place that is the root of all these issues. It sounds like Succulent is there too. It makes sense to brush away the sparks before there’s a fire.”

Climb couldn’t help but wonder again just who Sebas was. ‘Maybe a former Adamantite Adventurer?’

Sebas looked at Climb and Brain. “As it stands, it seems that there are others still held captive. It would be best to act as soon as possible. That being said, my plan is to march in there right now. I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t intend to change my mind.” He motioned to the defeated assassins. “If you two would please drag these assassins to a guardhouse…”

“Please wait, Lord Sebas!” Brain spoke up quickly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go along and teach these bastard… I mean, these guys a lesson.” He tried to remember not to talk like a mercenary in the presence of such a clearly distinguished man.

“Me too.” Climb stepped forward. “As one who attends Princess Renner, it’s a matter of course for me to keep the peace. If any of this country’s people are suffering, I’ll save them with this sword.”

Sebas looked at Climb for a moment. “Mr. Unglaus may be able to handle it, but it might be a bit dangerous for you.”

Climb wasn’t deterred in the slightest. “I know it’ll be dangerous.”

“Climb…he’s saying you’ll be in the way.” Brain was more direct in his warning.

“No, no, I’m merely worried.” Sebas corrected before looking at Climb once more. “I don’t want to mislead you into thinking that I’ll be able to protect you like before. There is surely a more suitable place for you to risk your life.”

“Averting my eyes just because it’s dangerous would make me a worthless man, unfit to serve my master.” Climb clenched his fist tightly at the thought of that. “Just as she helps the people around her, I would like to do all I can to reach out to those who are suffering.” The resolve in his blue eyes was clear and unshakable.

Sebas nodded after a short moment to judge Climb’s resolve. “Very well. Then I will say no more. Both of you…please lend me your strength.”

-Slane Theocracy ~ Silksuntecks-

“How can we still not know who…or what…attacked us?” The Pontifex Maximus asked the six Cardinals and the Grand Marshal of the military. While he was normally the moderate voice among the Supreme Executive Council of the Theocracy, his anger was easily heard within his voice today.

“I’m terribly sorry for our lack of results, Pontifex Maximus.” The Grand Marshal lowered his head at his lack of results. “We have as many of the intelligence division as we can spare looking into any such person…or monster…” He nearly spat, almost forgetting where he was in his hatred for non-humans. “…that could use such powerful magic.”

The Cardinal of Earth, Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the nominal head of the six Cardinals, spoke up. “And we’re certain the one responsible wasn’t Fluder Paradyne of the Baharuth Empire?”

The Grand Marshal nodded. “We are sure. Fluder’s location was reported to us from our spies within the Empire at the date and time that the attack happened. He was in the company of the Bloody Emperor at the time.”

“You believe the Empire has caught on to our previous plan to implicate them and stoke the animosity between them and the Kingdom?” The Cardinal of Fire, Berenice Nagua Santini, questioned Raymond curiously.

“If they did, and if the Bloody Emperor ordered it, Fluder Paradyne would move, and he is the only Caster that we know of capable of casting Sixth Tier Magic on his own.” Raymond said, laying out the reason to suspect the Empire to be behind the attack. “But our intelligence makes it clear that Fluder was not the one behind this attack on our capital.”

The Cardinal of Light, Yvon Jasna Delacroix, looked grim as he spoke. “After losing the Sunlight Scripture, Lady Karie, and one of the Six Miko Princesses, alongside her Crown of Wisdom…our best estimate is that it will take ten years to fully recover our military strength.”

“We can only hope to somehow recover the lost Crown of Wisdom.” The Cardinal of Wind, Dominic Ihre Partouche, said with a short, but heavy, sigh. The loss of the national treasure to the traitor, Clementine, was a blow to the entire Theocracy. It wasn’t something they could just make more of, after all.

“Are we sure it wasn’t that Elf King?” The Cardinal of Water, Zinedine Delan Guelfi, asked, his voice laced with a lifelong hatred. “The loss of the Sunlight Scripture is a blow to our war with the Elf Country.”

The Cardinal of Darkness, Maximilian Oreio Lagier, shook his head. “He does not possess fire magic of such a Tier as what we were attacked with. He also doesn’t fit the description of the winged being that attacked, though that could’ve easily been a disguise.”

The Pontifex Maximus let out a breath to settle himself, though his hatred was palpable at the mention of the Elf King. “So, we have lost an entire Scripture, a Miko Princess, a Crown of Wisdom, and were attacked directly in our capital, and we have no news of where the traitor is, nor of the location of the Crown of Wisdom, and we don’t even have a lead on the being that attacked us? Am I missing anything that I need to know?”

“With the loss of the Sunlight Scripture, we had to refuse to send aid to the Dragon Kingdom in their war with the Beastmen Country.” Yvon told the Pontifex Maximus. “As of now, we have no one to spare. The Black Scripture has been recalled from their recovery training to bolster the capital’s defenses.”

“Without our aid, there is a chance that the Dragon Kingdom will fall and the Beastmen Country will expand their territory, putting them closer to sharing a border with us.” Berenice explained the current situation across the massive lake along their eastern border.

The Pontifex Maximus looked grim, his wrinkled face a mix of hatred for the Beastmen Country and the unease that came with being unable to do anything about them. Without the Sunlight Scripture to keep the Beastmen Country in check, they could not receive the large sums of money that the Dragon Kingdom was willing to offer for their assistance. While they could technically send the Holocaust Scripture, after the attack on the capital, most of the Scriptures were being kept in Silksuntecks to protect it. “Who else could the Dragon Kingdom request for help?”

The Grand Marshal was the one that answered. “They would most likely reach out the Baharuth Empire for aid. The Kingdom is too weak from their infighting to offer support, and the Roble Holy Kingdom have their own war going on against the monsters and demi-humans of the Abelion Hills, so they cannot send any forces either.”

“What about the Council State or the Karsanas City-State Alliance?” Dominic questioned the Grand Marshal.

Neither of those two countries were friendly with the Slane Theocracy, as the Argland Council State was a non-human nation, and the City-State Alliance was a mix of humans and demi-humans that were often arguing amongst themselves over various prejudices based on race. They were also known to be at odds with a being known as the Equestrian King that occasionally attacked the weakest cities of the City-State Alliance, forcing them to focus on their own defense.

“They’d have to go through Re-Estize to contact the Argland Council State.” The Grand Marshal’s clear disgust at considering the Council State a real country was clear. “It’s doubtful that those monsters would attack the Beastmen Country anyway. The City-State Alliance won’t risk weakening themselves to assist another nation while an active threat exists either.”

Not a single member of the Supreme Executive Council even considered the possibility that the Dragon Kingdom would make entreaties to the Fox Lord’s Territory. Another old enemy of theirs that they looked down on after over a century of ‘non-aggression’ from the monsters that lived there. Especially the Fox Lord himself, who hadn’t been seen by the Slane Theocracy since they’d lost that territory almost one-hundred-fifty years ago.

-Fox Lord’s Territory ~ Kyoto-

“Mail, my love?” Yasaka asked as she entered Seimei’s office to see him reading a letter.

“A letter straight from the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom herself.” Seimei smiled warmly at his wife. “It seems we will be hosting a royal for the first time, my dear.”

Yasaka took the letter as it was handed to her and read it over. “It will be a boon to our nation’s wealth if we can get a proper price for our assistance.” She set the letter down and then sat next to Seimei, their multiple fox tails gently moving against each other’s. “But do you really wish to use your power to become a war deterrent?”

Seimei sighed and hugged Yasaka closer. “To be truthful, I’d rather just ignore the rest of the world, if possible. But that’s not feasible.” He glanced as the letter on his desk before looking up at the ceiling. “However, a demonstration of power may be a good thing, if turbulent times are to come.”

“You think your friend will cause that much of an uproar?” Yasaka gently trailed her hand over Seimei’s kosode, slipping her fingers inside to gently stroke his bare skin.

“That is just how powerful the Guild known as Ainz Ooal Gown was, my dear. It is inevitable that they will eventually carve out their own place in this world.” Seimei chuckled softly at that. “For those that may seek to try and use the rising of a new country to stir up trouble…it could be prudent to remind them of who I am.”

Yasaka kissed his cheek with a soft, loving smile. “You know I’ll help you, my love. You needn’t bear the burden alone.” Her fluffy fox ears flicked atop her head, making her look cute in Seimei’s eyes.

Seimei wrapped his arms around Yasaka and kissed her lips softly. “You are far too good to me, love.”

“I can be even better~” Yasaka nearly purred as she shifted position and undid her obi, letting her golden kimono fall open, revealing her gorgeous body to her husband. “We don’t have a son yet. So, let’s work on that together…”

“Frisky tonight?” Seimei teased playfully, his hands trailing up Yasaka’s legs, then her thick thighs, over her childbearing hips, up her trim waist, and then he cupped her huge tits with both hands, enjoying their size and softness. “What about Kunou, Shiro, and Senko?”

Yasaka hummed in pleasure as Seimei began to massage her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs. “They’re all taking their naps right now. We have time~”

“Wonderful.” Seimei kissed Yasaka deeply, the two kitsune eagerly moving their tongues together while Yasaka pushed her husband onto his back and swiftly pulled his clothes off so that she could straddle him.

As rulers of the territory, and parents to three daughters, it could be difficult to get enough ‘alone time’ for the couple. But when they did have that time, they proved that they were still the same frisky foxes that had met and fallen in love years ago. The two eagerly going at it as if they were newlyweds, even so many years into their marriage.

Everyone that worked in the castle knew that when the bamboo screens were down and blocked off the corridor leading to Seimei’s office, no one was to disturb him or Lady Yasaka until they emerged on their own. The only ones that could get away with that were Senko, Kunou, and Shiro, as the three little girls had their father wrapped around their small fingers.

-End Chapter-

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Well…the Eight Fingers brothel is about to have a VERY bad time!

Sebas meets Climb and Brain, and things go similar to canon.

However, this time around, Sebas has almost free reign to do as he likes in the opening part of Nazarick’s plan to punish the Eight Fingers and then subsume them organization to gain control of the Kingdom’s criminal underworld. Me thinks the continued actions of the Eight Fingers, and especially the ‘Six Arms’, will only expedite all of their deaths.

Meanwhile, the Slane Theocracy still doesn’t know who or what attacked their capital. But they’ve brought all their Scriptures, or the majority of each Scripture at the very least, to protect Silksuntecks. That means they have to put their war with the Elf Kingdom on a short pause, and they can’t send aid to the Dragon Kingdom.

Too bad they’re such human supremacists, or they might realize that the Dragon Kingdom would VERY MUCH like the Fox Lord’s help with stalling the advance of the Beastmen Country.

While the Eight Fingers get closer to elimination and the plans of Nazarick begin to move, who will get caught up in the coming events? The upcoming events make be a good chance to test the abilities of their new ‘cat’ too! In the upcoming events within the shadows, will two powers clash that shouldn’t? Will the coming rise of a new country completely destabilize everything?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!