The Men of the Kingdom Part II

by Kugane Maruyama

  Then the man became extremely tense.

  “I learned two major things inside. One is that there are cells, and a woman is being held there. The other is that there are people who match the descriptions of the Six Arms.”

  Setting aside the woman, the Six Arms members being present was not unexpected. So what’s the problem? But Climb’s question was answered immediately when Brain asked, “How many were there? Sounds like more than one.”

  “Five. When you take into account that the Illusion Maniac has been captured, they’re all here.”

  In short, no amount of strategy would help them overcome this. They’d gotten the worst pick of the lot; however…

  “That’s…horrible, but it’s also kind of great. If every member of the Six Arms is here, the other locations should fall pretty easily.”

  That was the clearest silver lining.

  “So what should we do?”

  “There’s nothing we can do. It’s impossible for us to take this place down. We’ll withdraw.”

  “Is that okay with you, Climb?”

  “It’s not good, but we have no choice. If the Six Arms are all here, it means either that this is their base or that there’s something important to them here. It would be a shame to withdraw without figuring that out, but I don’t think we should attempt anything beyond our abilities.”

  “You’re right…”

  “Then should I go back in to see if I can at least find some documentation or something to take back with us?”

  “No, it’s too dangerous. It’s smarter to withdraw now, while they still haven’t realized we’re here. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, I agree. Then what should we do now? Help capture the other locations?”

  “That would be the most useful thing to do. Could you first report to the men we left behind? We’ll stand by here to make sure no one comes after you.”

  “We should be fine, but it never hurts to be cautious. I’m off, then—thanks, guys.”

  The thief, whose invisibility still hadn’t worn off, marched past Climb and Brain with intentionally audible footsteps before heading toward the rest of the squad.

  “…Seems quiet, Climb.”

  “Yeah. Then should we withdraw to join the others and move to a new location?”

  “I guess s— Huh? Climb! Look over there!”

  When Climb turned in the direction Brain pointed, he saw the man they’d met yesterday approaching the building they were staking out.

  “Is that Sir Sebas? What’s he doing here?”

  “I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence… I wonder if something happened. He can’t be with them, right?”

  “I want to say that’s impossible. You don’t really think that, either, do you?”

  “No, it can’t be. Maybe if he were insanely good at acting, but I didn’t get that sense from him.”

  “Why don’t we try talking—?”

  Right as he was saying that, Sebas’s gaze turned right toward them. Climb and Brain were keeping watch on the building, so they were lurking in the dark a short distance away. It should have been difficult to detect them. There was the possibility that Sebas only happened to look their way, but Climb could declare with certainty that was not the case.

  Sebas jogged over.

  His speed was unnatural. He seemed to be accelerating as he closed the distance, as if he were teleporting forward with each blink of their eyes. He was just running normally, but his agility was so extraordinary that their brains failed to register it.

  Then he dove into the alley. To state it more accurately, he entered the alley by leaping over the two of them, who were lying down in the opening.

  “If it isn’t you two. What a coincidence to meet you in such a place. What’s going on?”

  “Th-that’s our line… We were hiding out here to raid that Eight Fingers building.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  “No, there are more in the rear.”

  Sebas gave a slight nod. “I see.”

  Climb asked, “What are you doing here, Sir Sebas? Is there something you need to do in this building?”

  “Yes. Actually, the woman I was telling you about yesterday, the one I saved, has been kidnapped. The perpetrators summoned me, so here I am.”

  “Really?! We heard from our squad mate who scouted the place that there is a woman being held inside.”

  “…And where is he?”

  “Mm, he should be back any minute now… Oh, good timing!”

  The former adventurer’s invisibility had worn off, and Brain could see him nearing. He suspiciously eyed the old man, who had suddenly appeared and carried himself with an incongruous elegance.

  “This is Sir Sebas, the man who helped us capture the Illusion Maniac. The woman in one of the cells you mentioned is his companion. We just ran into each other here. He’s definitely trustworthy, so please rest assured.”

  The thief indicated his understanding and proceeded to detail his observations, especially concerning the prisoner.

  After hearing what he had to say, Sebas answered with deep gratitude. “Aha! Understood. Thank you. Now it will be easier to save her.”

  “Don’t mention it, sir. Incidentally, we’re all ready to withdraw…” The thief looked at Sebas awkwardly, feeling guilty that they were retreating even though the man’s acquaintance was being held captive.

  “Sir Sebas. Five of the Six Arms, the strongest members of the Eight Fingers, are inside. Can you defeat them?”

  The thief frowned at Climb’s question. Climb understood why quite well. The Six Arms were powerful—on par with adamantite-rank adventurers. He was probably thinking there was no way Sebas could take five of them. But Sebas gave a quick nod.

  “It shouldn’t be a problem if the five are like that Succuronte fellow.”

  Blinking in shock, the thief pulled Climb and Brain a short distance away and eyed Sebas with pity as he asked, “Climb, is that man insane, by any chance?”

  Anyone who heard what Sebas had just said would have reached the same conclusion—and that was only natural. After realizing how strong adamantite-rank adventurers were, it was no wonder. But Climb, who knew a thing or two about how strong Sebas was, was aware that it wasn’t just talk.

  “No. That’s just how strong he is.”

  The thief stared at Climb—as if the young warrior was crazy.

  “Brain thinks the same thing.”

  “What?! Brain Unglaus?!”

  Brain smiled thinly and nodded. “Yeah, he’s so strong that even if Gazef and I both attacked him at the same time, we wouldn’t win.”

  “Th-that’s… Well, if it’s true, that’s amazing…” The thief looked at Sebas with a complicated expression—unwilling to believe, but having heard all that, he had no choice.

  “If Sir Sebas worked with us, then maybe… Do you mind telling him about the Six Arms?”

  The thief agreed, and Sebas listened quietly with his gentlemanly air, appearing perturbed only once, at the mention of one of the Six Arms’ nicknames.

  “Undead King, Davernoch…? That’s a ridiculous name for such a fool.”

  The exchange of information ended with little event besides that one murmured remark.

  Then Climb asked, “Sir Sebas, do you think you could help us?”

  “Of course. I’m here to save Tsuare either way. I’ll fight the Six Arms.”

  “Then while you attack from the front and draw their attention, we’ll sneak in from the back and rescue Tsuare—though we could never stand in for you.”

  “Hmm. Yes, it would be great if you could bring her out while the enemy is distracted, as it would avoid the dangers of a hostage situation or her being taken away via an alternate escape route.”

  “Understood. We’ll be sure to get Tsuare out safely. So who should go? I realize it’d be foolish to take everyone as we originally planned, but…”

  “Mmm, since we’re going to be sneaking about the place, ideally it should be
the people who make as little noise as possible when moving. They also need to be able to fight, since we have to beat a straight path out of there once we rescue the hostage. That means…” The thief looked at Climb and Brain. “If we had unlimited access to Invisibility, I might have a different idea, but as it is…the three of us will probably be best.”

  “Me, too?”

  “The armor of the other warriors with us is too loud; they can’t skulk around.”

  “Got it. Then the three of us will infiltrate.”

  “If our casters could use spells silently, then maybe there’d be another way, but…I think we can probably get three people’s worth of Invisibility.”

  “Invisibility?” Climb spoke up in an anxious voice. “My helmet has a power I can activate once a day that can detect the invisible, just like a spell, so I’ll be fine, but what about you guys? It would be a huge problem if we lost one another.”

  “I’m fine. I have a magic item imbued with a detection spell. I can only use it once, but that should be good enough,” said Brain.

  “I can’t do anything like that, but it’d be hard for me to miss your footsteps.”

  “Then I think we’ve come to an understanding regarding the infiltration party. So, Sir Sebas, we’ll go in first. Please leave a little time before attacking.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  Climb and Brain got flustered as gray-haired Sebas bowed. There was no reason such a powerful man should bow to them. Just as they had during the raid on the brothel, they felt like they were practically taking advantage of him.

  “No, please don’t mention it. We came here to raid this place, but somehow, you’re the one who’s going to be taking on the Six Arms. We’re the ones who should be grateful to you!”

  “Then the feeling is mutual.”

  They couldn’t detect any rancor in Sebas’s bright smile. Relieved, Climb stood up. “Then let’s pull back for a minute to get that spell cast on us.”

  2

  4 Late Fire Moon (September) 10:15 PM

  After waiting a little while, although he had still left a few minutes earlier than the designated time, Sebas stood before the gate.

  He could see through the bars, but there were trees that kept him from getting a good view.

  “Hey, right on time, eh?” a gravelly voice commented, and a man appeared from between the trees.

  Of course, Sebas had known all along that the man was there. He’d activated an ability that could detect all signs of life in the area. Because it wouldn’t always pick up someone using a concealment skill, it was dangerous to rely on it completely, but it was useful to an extent.

  “This way. Follow me.”

  The man opened the gate, and Sebas followed him down a garden path.

  The Eight Fingers’ garden wasn’t as overgrown as one might expect of an underworld organization. On the contrary, the trees were neatly pruned; they must have been employing a rather skilled gardener.

  As they walked down the path, a large area that appeared to be a training ground appeared before them.

  Several fires blazed in beacon baskets, and the bright-red flames illuminated the surrounding area.

  A group of thirty people, men and a few women, had been waiting for him. They smirked—vulgar smiles that showed they were drunk on violence and that the idea of losing had not once crossed their minds.

  Sebas took in the open space. There was not a single person he could count as a proper adversary, but he did spot the Six Arms who Climb had spoken of.

  One wore a robe with a hood. It was dyed black, but the hems were embroidered with crimson thread to suggest flames. The figure’s face was obscured beneath the hood, but its presence was not overflowing with life—it was the exact opposite. The “Undead” moniker was clearly not a figure of speech. His alias came from his status as a literal undead.

  The sole female member of the Six Arms looked nimble dressed in her light silk. She wore gold bangles on her wrists and ankles, so they jangled whenever she moved. From the belt around her waist hung six scimitars.

  The next man was elegant and attractive. He wore a traje de luces, and his weapon was a rapier. The blade appeared to be jutting out of a rose—it smelled like roses, too.

  The last man had girded himself with rugged full plate armor and had a sword squarely in its sheath.

  In total, four. The enemy leader, Zero, was nowhere to be found. Is he waiting somewhere to make his entrance?

  Those four stepped forward while the others moved to surround Sebas.

  “We heard you’re pretty strong, old man. Heard you could send us flying with one punch!”

  “Our position in the Eight Fingers is based on our strength, so it’s a bit of an issue if we lose! That idiot should have known that. Coccodor’s division may be down on its luck, but it was still a big mistake to lose in front of him.”

  “So we have a question for you. Succuronte insists Brain Unglaus beat him, but is he really just refusing to acknowledge the fact that he lost to you?”

  “Hmm. Well, I didn’t fight him directly,” Sebas replied. “I met him at the mansion once, and the only other time I saw him he was on the floor.”

  “I see. Then I guess he was defeated, and there’s nothing we can do about it. With the Brain Unglaus as his opponent, I guess he had no chance.”

  “If he got stronger since that fight and is still on par with Gazef Stronoff? Yeah, defeat would be unavoidable.”

  “Still, that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven. We’ll take care of Unglaus and Princess Goldilocks later after killing you first, old man. You’re the one who started all this.”

  “We’re going to break and murder you. If we don’t, we’ll be in a tight spot.”

  “Look over there.”

  Sebas pointed to the third floor of the building to indicate he understood.

  “A bunch of different VIPs are gathered there. They came to watch us present you a painful death.”

  “Is Zero or whatever his name is up there, too?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah.”

  One of them smirked at him as if he was an imbecile. Sebas thrust a finger at the man. Then he lowered his hand, ignoring their suspicious looks that seemed to ask, What is he gonna do?

  “What was that about? Tryin’ to start a fight?”

  “Never mind. And where is the woman?”

  “‘The woman’? Who do you mean?” Another condescending smirk.

  Sebas answered calmly. “Tsuare, the woman you kidnapped from my house.”

  “What if I said she was dead?”

  “Are you people that kind?”

  “Ha-ha-ha! Good one. No, we’re not. She’s a present for Coccodor. We’re holding on to her for him.”

  “I see… I see.”

  Sebas noticed one of the four glance toward a part of the building. What bothered him was that it wasn’t where he’d heard Tsuare was being held. Then I will simply have to make sure…

  “Since you’re all assembled, please come at me at once. It will be a pain if Zero gets away, and it would be a waste of time to fight you one at a time.”

  “Well, he sure can talk.”

  “Feeling smug just because you took out some small fries without any problems? Have you ever met someone with real power?”

  “Well said. I’d like to say the same right back to you, but… May I ask a question? Why do you assume I’m weaker than Brain?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Once you get to our level, you can tell about how strong someone is the moment you meet them. And I can tell that you, old man, are far beneath us.”

  The others, minus Davernoch, nodded.

  “I see…”

  Sebas could judge how strong someone was by the size of their chi. Of course, if they concealed it with a spell or skill, it became harder to discern accurately, but that’s how it was with anything.

  “So! We’ll give you a chance. We only fight one at a time. So—”

  “—I’m strong.
” Sebas curled an inviting finger at them. “We’ve been over this. Don’t bore me with your claims to fight ‘one at a time.’ All of you, come at me! Will you last even ten seconds?”

  “Don’t underestimate us, human.” Davernoch’s shoulders trembled.

  “Underestimate you? You’re the ones underestimating me! My name is Sebas. The one who granted me that name is the strongest warrior. The master I serve is the greatest elite ruler… But there’s no point in explaining that to you simpletons. Now, I’m sick of dealing with you. It’s time to end this.”

  Sebas charged. His target was the one with the name that offended him more than anything.

  Undead King, Davernoch.

  He was a naturally occurring elder lich. Undead born from a mass of deaths generally detested life and had a tendency to do everything in their power to rob the living of it; however, some intelligent specimens suppressed their hatred to forge ties with the beings who still drew breath. Davernoch was one of those.

  His purpose in his false life was to further master the power called magic and acquire techniques beyond those he’d been able to use since birth.

  But as an enemy of the living, it wasn’t as if he could learn techniques from anyone. If he had an undead mentor, that would have been a different story. (In reality, there was a secret society made up of undead casters.) Unfortunately, he was not blessed with the chance to meet one.

  So he came up with a plan to accumulate a large sum of money and use that to convince someone to teach him magic.

  In the beginning, he killed travelers on the highway and stole their cash, but after being routed by an adventurer who’d come to subdue him, Davernoch became keenly aware of how foolish his method was and struggled to find a new way to earn money. In the end, he concealed his identity and joined a mercenary gang.

  But when they learned he could rapidly cast Fireball without rest, they discovered he was an undead, and he was compelled to flee again.

  Right when he was left with no avenues to take, Zero reached out to him.

  Zero offered to introduce Davernoch to someone who would teach him magic and provide proper conversation to said tutor if Davernoch would put his newfound abilities to use for Zero. The deal came at the perfect time.