As the last to leave, Succulent smiled and said a few words to Sebas.
“But I should really thank that prostitute. I never expected for a merchandise that was about to be scrapped to lay this big of a golden egg… or so a certain someone says.”
Leaving those words behind, the door closed shut with a loud bang.
Sebas continued to stare at the door, as if it was invisible. His face was calm, not showing any emotion in particular. However, something was clearly present deep within his pupils.
He was angry.
— No, such a vague word did not accurately describe what he was feeling.
Fury, wrath, they would be more fitting.
The reason Succulent showed his true intentions as he left was because he had blocked off all avenues of escape, because Sebas had no way to respond— his own victory was certain.
“Solution, show yourself.”
In response to his voice, Solution emerged like water oozing out of shadow. She had used a skill from her assassin class to melt into the shadows.
“I assume that you heard our discussion.”
Sebas’ words were merely a confirmation. Solution nodded her head, as if it didn’t even need to be said.
“So what are you planning to do, Sebas-sama?”
He couldn’t answer her question immediately. His lack of a reply drew an obviously cold gaze from Solution.
“…Will you hand over the human and be done with the matter?”
“I doubt that the problem will be solved that way.”
“………Is that so?”
“If we show a weakness then they will come for more. They belong to that sort. The problem will not be solved even if we were to hand Tsuare over to them. The bigger problem is how much information they gleaned from investigating us. Although we came to the capital disguised as merchants, if they dig deeper and find a blind spot— they will know that our identities are fake.”
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“I do not know. I will go outside for a walk and think it over.”
Sebas opened the front door and stepped outside.
Solution silently watched Sebas as his back grew smaller in the distance.
— Absurd.
If he had not brought that human with him, this series of incidents would never have occurred. With that said, that was all in the past. What was important was what to do from here on out.
As Sebas’ subordinate, she should not act arbitrarily while ignoring the words of her superior. However, it seemed that doing nothing and leaving the situation as is would be more dangerous.
If our youngest was here… if we moved as Pleiades then we wouldn’t have a problem…
She hesitated.
She hesitated to the point where even she herself thought it was excessive.
Finally, she found her determination and opened her left hand.
A scroll jumped out of her hand, as if it were rising to the surface. It was a scroll that she had been storing in her body until now. Currently, thanks to Demiurge’s efforts, the day when mass production of low rank scrolls would become possible was nearly at hand. However, that was not the case back when Solution had been deployed and as such, this ‘Message’ scroll was given to her to be used only for emergencies. Solution had decided that the current situation required it.
She opened the scroll and activated the magic contained within. Now used up, the scroll crumbled to ash and completely vanished by the time it touched the ground.
In sync with the activation of the magic, Solution felt something like a string connecting her with her target and brought out her voice.
“Ainz-sama?”
『Is this— Solution? What is it? Seeing how you were the one to contact me, is it an emergency? 』
“Yes.”
For an instant, Solution fell silent. That time was born from her thinking of her loyalty to Sebas, considering the possibility that it was all her misunderstanding. However, her loyalty to Ainz was stronger than everything.
And although they were to always act in the interests of Nazarick, of the 41 Supreme Beings, it could be said that Sebas’ current situation ignored this creed.
For this reason, she opened her mouth to hear the judgment of her master.
“There is a chance that Sebas-sama has betrayed us.”
『Huh? …Ehhhh?! …Wait, no way… Hrrmph… enough with your jokes, Solution. To utter such words without proof is inexcusable… …. You have proof? 』
“Yes. Although it is not enough to be called proof…”
Chapter 4
Congregated Men
Part 1
As soon as he entered Gazef’s residence, the fatigue that had built up in his body hit him all at once and Brain spent almost the entire day asleep. When he awoke, he ate a light meal and again, fell back into sleep.
Although he didn’t want to admit it, the reason he could get this much rest in Gazef’s home was because of the sense of security. Even if he knew that Gazef would be no match for Shalltear, his old enemy’s home, which he considered to be the safest place in the world, gave Brain peace of mind and allowed him to rest.
The light shining through the shutters fell on Brain’s face. The sunlight seeped into his eyelids and woke him from his deep, dreamless slumber.
He opened his eyes and closed them again due to the blinding sunlight, blocking a sliver with his hand.
Brain sat up and scanned his surroundings like a mouse. The simple room contained only the bare necessities. His equipment was lying in a corner of the room.
“This is the guestroom of the Kingdom’s Warrior Captain?”
With a sigh of relief, Brain spoke with sarcasm as he stretched. With a cracking noise, his stiff body loosened as his blood circulation returned.
He let out a large yawn.
“…That guy probably lets his soldiers sleep here from time to time. Won’t they be disappointed with a house like this?”
The reason the nobles lived extravagant lives wasn’t solely due to their love of luxury. It was to show off and keep up appearances.
Likewise, if their leader was surrounded in luxurious furnishings, it would stoke the ambitions of the soldiers and make them work harder.
“…No, that’s just pointless meddling.”
Brain muttered and snorted back a laugh, not at Gazef, but at himself.
For it was now the second time that his heart found comfort after a shock large enough to drive him to despair. It must be, since he had the peace of mind for such trivial thoughts.
Brain thought of the appearance of that powerful monster and could not stop his hands from trembling.
“As expected…”
He could not shed the terror in his heart.
Shalltear Bloodfallen.
Brain Unglaus, a man who gave his all to the sword, could not even reach her feet. She was an existence of absolute strength, a monster among monsters with an appearance as if all the beauty of this world was concentrated in one place. She was a being that possessed true power.
Just imagining it felt as if terror was piercing his entire body.
Ensnared by the fear of that monster chasing him, he fled all the way to the capital with almost no sleep or rest. The fear of Shalltear appearing before him while he slept, of her clawing through the darkness as he ran on the road… he was dominated by that uneasiness and moved without getting a decent night of sleep.
Although the reason he fled to the capital was because he hoped that a place with many people would allow him to hide amongst them, even he himself did not expect that the terrifying ordeal of his escape would exhaust his mind to the point where he would seek his own death.