“…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 extr
emely 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 Men of the Kingdom Part II Page 7