“Should we tell Azus just in case?” asked Gagaran.
“Having to borrow the strength of a rival is somewhat unfavorable, but…she’s his niece, so yes, we should probably tell him.”
“Okay, I guess we should do that right away? We have to figure out where he is first.”
“Yes. We should be ready to support Lakyus at any moment.”
“Plus, the only ones who can stop an adamantite rank are other adamantite ranks.”
“Hmm? Oh! Speaking of which, Gagaran. There’s supposedly a third adamantite-rank adventurer team now in E-Rantel.”
“What? Really? First I’ve heard of it… Did you hear about them this morning at the Adventurers Guild?”
“No…uh, oh—sorry, I forgot to tell you: Apparently, they’re black.”
“Black? There’s red and blue, so I thought for sure the next would be brown or green!”
“Black is one of the colors used in the Six Gods faith, so it’s not really surprising. Perhaps next will be white.”
“I’m not really a fan of the Slane Theocracy. There was that one time we wound up really getting into it with those secret unit guys, you know?”
Climb felt like he was hearing something terribly dangerous, but they ignored him and kept going.
“You don’t like them, Gagaran? …They’re trying to kill me, but I agree with their policies. Or rather, the task they’ve set for themselves, the vow they made to protect humanity, isn’t wrong from the human race’s point of view.”
“Huh? So it’s okay to kill subhumans and elves who didn’t even do anything wrong, then?” Vivid disgust appeared on Gagaran’s face, and flames of intense anger burned in her eyes.
Evileye shrugged off the heat directed her way. “In this area, you have several human countries: the kingdom, the sacred kingdom, and the empire. But Gagaran, did you know that the farther you get from here, the fewer human-majority countries you find? Subhumans and other races superior to humans are building nations. There are even some places where humans are slaves! One of the biggest reasons there aren’t countries like that around here is because the Slane Theocracy has for years beat back any subhumans on the rise.”
Gagaran quieted down and began to sulk. “Well, yeah, subhumans are physically superior to humans. If they were to gather in one place and develop their civilization, there wouldn’t be much humans could do at that point…”
“If you’re a human, you should appreciate what the theocracy is doing. Certainly, some of what they do is heartless, but there is no one serving humans more than them. Of course…whether I’d be able to say the same thing from the perspective of the unwanted minorities is another question. Also, there’s a very good chance the Slane Theocracy were the ones who created the model for adventurers’ guilds.”
“Seriously?”
“Who can say? The truth is unclear, but there’s a good chance. The guild system appeared after the fight with the evil spirits when humans were weak. The theocracy authorities were saving their strength, so they probably created the adventurer framework as assistance that they could offer without creating international conflict.”
The silence particular to a lull in conversation descended on the table. Unable to bear it, Climb spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt, Lady Evileye. About the new adamantite-rank team, what are the members’ names?”
“Hmm? Ah yes. I believe one was named Momon. He’s the leader and known as the Dark Hero. Apparently, they don’t have a team name. But I guess people call them Jet-Black.”
“Whoa. Huh. And the other members?” asked Gagaran.
“It’s a two-person team. He works with an arcane caster named Nabe, known as the Beautiful Princess.”
“Huh? Just two people? What’s up with that? Are they just ultra-confident idiots…? Well, no, they’re adamantite rank. So they have some tricks up their sleeves, then. And? What’d they do?”
Climb listened in, too. This was a team that reached adamantite rank. They must have done things no ordinary person could imagine. He knew even before hearing them that the stories would be thrilling, and his heart buzzed in anticipation.
“I heard they did it all in the span of two months, but…first they handled an incident in E-Rantel with several thousand undead. Then they wiped out a coalition of goblin tribes coming up from the south, gathered ultrarare herbs in the Tove Woodlands, subdued a gigantic basilisk, and destroyed a division of undead that streamed in from the Katze Plain. I also heard they took out an immensely powerful vampire.”
“A gigantic basilisk…?” Climb gasped.
Basilisks were huge monsters similar to lizards or snakes, over thirty feet long, with a petrifying gaze and bodily fluids so poisonous they caused instant death. Their skin was so thick it was comparable to mythril—in short, they were the worst enemy. If this party could defeat a monster capable of devastating an entire city, it was no wonder they had reached adamantite rank.
There was just one problem. That was…
“That’s…pretty amazing! But did they really do it with just two people? A gigantic basilisk has to be impossible to manage with just a warrior and a caster. That can’t be true.”
Yes, that was the catch. It would be virtually impossible to do it with two people. Especially with only a warrior and a caster—how did they heal? They couldn’t possibly have a way to defend against a basilisk’s every special attack—the petrifying gaze, poisonous fluids, and so on.
“Oh, sorry! I guess I can’t say they are just two. They also tamed the Wise King of the Forest so it serves them.”
“…The Wise King of the Forest? What kind of monster is that?” asked Gagaran.
Climb remembered hearing the name in some folktales, similar to the sagas of adventurers. But he felt it would be rather impertinent to chime in at this juncture.
“I don’t know the details, but folklore has it that the Wise King of the Forest is a magical beast who has reigned in the Tove Woodlands since eons ago. Its might is supposedly unrivaled. Someone I know went to the Tove Woodlands a long time ago…mm-hmm, some two hundred years ago, and didn’t see it, but…” She said two hundred years with a shrug of her shoulders.
If she were an elf or something, that age would be entirely possible, but from her attitude Climb concluded she must have been joking.
“Whoa. So how much of all that is true? It has to be mostly exaggeration, right?”
That’s how it usually played out. When people told stories, they exaggerated unconsciously. Corpses found in pieces made it difficult to accurately count, and on occasion, adventurers themselves made outlandish claims, so stories simply became wilder and more grandiose.
In response, however, Evileye wagged a finger disapprovingly and said, “Tsk-tsk-tsk. No, apparently all this is true. The first rumors circulating after the E-Rantel incident claimed that he defeated an undead giant by throwing a sword and then broke through an undead mob thousands strong. That info is from surviving guards who witnessed it, and they all said the same things, so it doesn’t seem to be exaggerated. The fact that they beat the two ringleaders behind the mob was confirmed with corpses. And that was after they defeated two skeletal dragons.”
Climb asked the speechless Gagaran, “Would that be hard even for you?”
“If the several thousand undead were zombies and skeletons, then it wouldn’t be a problem. I could break through. I could probably also manage two skeletal dragons somehow, but the two ringleaders who caused that big of an incident? I dunno. I can’t say for sure if I don’t know their abilities.”
“The unofficial consensus is that they were from Zurrernorn.”
“Are you serious, Evileye? Ahh, if we’re talking about their disciples, that’d be the end for me. It would be rough after all that other stuff. And if I made the slightest wrong move—got poisoned or paralyzed—I’d be done. How do they heal? Do they rely on potions? Or maybe the warrior Momon can use faith magic like our leader. Or maybe the Beautiful Princess can?”
&nb
sp; “Can’t deny the possibility.” Evileye nodded.
“But a giant basilisk would be…impossible. For a warrior, someone who mainly fights at close quarters, that’s a serious challenge. I have Gaze Bane, but I’d still be in trouble without support.”
“There’s your answer, Climb. Apparently, it’d be impossible for Gagaran on her own. So it would depend on what the woman, Nabe, can do. If we fought together, we could do it…probably?”
“Yeah, if she were on your level, they’d be more than strong enough. If you made it a mostly ranged battle, you could probably beat a gigantic basilisk on your own without even going all out, no?”
“Mm, no, that would be impossible. I would need to apply my full power.”
“If you were with me, the only opponents it would make sense for me to handle out of those two incidents would be the skeletal dragons…so I’d basically be relying on your strength. With an orichalcum-rank caster…there’d just be no way.”
Climb felt puzzled. Is Evileye really that powerful of a caster? Usually teams were composed of members around the same strength. Plus, Evileye and Gagaran had been adventuring together all this time. Would such a significant gap really open up under those circumstances?
“That’s not true. I know how strong you are, Gagaran. You can definitely match these newcomers,” Climb assured her.
“Hoo-whee! Thanks for the praise. All right, wanna sleep together?”
“No, I respectfully decline.”
“And that’s why you’re a virgin! It’s like not eating when a meal’s put in front of you. You don’t get a prize for keeping your virginity forever, you know. What are you going to do when it’s time to sleep with your real woman? Do you want her to complain about how bad you are? Is that what you’re into? Are you a masochist?” Having made all those assertions without waiting for Climb’s response, Gagaran heaved a conspicuous sigh. “Well, I won’t force you. I’m good for it anytime, so if you want to, just say the word… But hey, how embarrassing is ‘Beautiful Princess’ as a nickname? She can’t possibly live up to it, right?”
“Apparently, Nabe is quite beautiful. At least, according to what I heard”—Climb sensed Evileye’s gaze for just a moment and understood right afterward that she had indeed glanced his way—“she’s as beautiful as the Golden Princess.”
Gagaran turned mischievous eyes on Climb. Anticipating what she was going to say, Climb made the first move. “Appearances are a matter of personal taste, and for me, there’s no one more beautiful than Princess Renner.”
“I see.” The tone was distinctly disappointed.
“Hmm. We’ve been chitchatting too much. Sorry to make you go along with this nonsense. We’ll follow Lakyus’s orders and begin preparations now.”
Gagaran and Evileye stood up. Climb followed their lead.
“Sorry, Climb! There’s a lot of things I’d like to do with you, but it seems we don’t have time for that anymore.”
“Please do not worry about it, Gagaran. And Lady Evileye, thank you for the informative discussion.”
Gagaran looked at Climb and gave a tired laugh. “Well, that’s fine. Okay. So you’re probably going back now, right? Take care of our leader. Counting on you, virgin! …Oh, and make sure you equip your items. That sword on your hip isn’t your usual weapon, right?”
“No, this is a backup.”
“You never know what will happen. Whatever you do with your armor, you should always carry your sword! That’s the proper attitude for an adventurer, especially as a warrior. And do you have the items I gave you?”
“The bells? Yes, I have those right here.” He patted a pochette on his belt.
“Okay, good. Remember this: All we warriors can do is swing our weapons, but sometimes that’s not enough. What fills in that gap for us is magic items. Acquire lots of them, and don’t let them go. And make sure you always have at least three healing potions. That’s saved me before.”
He had three potions but was currently carrying only two. Climb indicated his acknowledgment.
“You’re surprisingly caring…”
“Don’t make fun of me, Evileye… Sorry to have held you up. What I mean to say is, don’t slack on preparation and precaution.”
“Understood.” Climb bowed deeply to Gagaran.
3
3 Late Fire Moon (September) 6:00 AM
There were nine men and women seated at the round table.
Despite the fact that the chiefs from all eight divisions of the Eight Fingers had gathered, they hardly spared a glance for one another. Instead, they examined the papers in their hands or exchanged words with their subordinates behind them.
The atmosphere made it seem like eight completely separate groups were holding a meeting. It wasn’t quite a powder keg situation, but everyone was obviously cautious, as though they were surrounded by threats. Still, this was the natural state of affairs for them. Although they shared loosely symbiotic relationships within the same organization, they often fought over conflicting interests, and true cooperation rarely materialized.
For instance, the drug-dealing division oversaw every aspect of their business, from production to distribution. They would never work with the smuggling division in the drug trade. Even if the divisions were never openly hostile, it was utterly ordinary for them to obstruct and frustrate one another behind the scenes.
Detrimental behavior like that was the result of once separate underworld syndicates coming together.
These people weren’t on good terms with one another, but they participated in the regularly held Eight Fingers division chief meeting in the capital for a good reason. Those not in attendance were often purged on suspicion of potential treachery. That made it so even those who rarely visited the capital came all the way over for the meeting.
Even those who normally stayed holed up in safe places came, in a sense, out in public. It was no wonder many feared assassination and brought along escorts—a pair of elites, the maximum number of attendants allowed from each division.
Only one came alone…
“Okay, everyone’s assembled. Let the regular meeting begin.” At the sound of a voice, chairs creaked as people settled in.
The speaker was the man who would run the meeting, the leader of the Eight Fingers. His age appeared to be around fifty, and he wore a water god sigil. With his gentle face, he didn’t seem at all like the type to be deeply involved in the criminal sphere.
“We have a number of issues, but the first we need to deal with is—Hilma.”
“Aye.” The one who answered was a pearly-white woman. Her skin was so pale she seemed ill, and she was dressed completely in white. A snake tattoo climbed to her shoulder from her hand, which held a pipe emitting noxious purple smoke. Her lipstick was the same shade of purple as her eye shadow. Clad but lightly, her figure exuded the decadence of a high-class prostitute. She yawned conspicuously. “Could we have done this any earlier?”
“…We’re discussing the raids on your narcotics cultivation facilities.”
“Yeah, someone attacked some villages with production equipment. It cost a fortune. It may result in reduced supply for distribution.”
“Do you have any information about the raiders?”
“Nope. They did a perfect job of it…although that’s why I have an idea who it might have been.”
“Which color?”
Everyone there knew exactly what he meant.
“I don’t know! We just found out about it. How could I figure that out so fast?”
“I see. Well, everyone, that’s the situation. If you have any information, raise your hand.”
There was no response. They either had no information or they did and didn’t want to share it.
“Then next—”
“—Hey!” There came a low sound, a tremendously powerful man’s voice.
All eyes gathered on him. It was a bald man whose face was half-obscured behind a beast tattoo. Everything about him was big. The bulges of hi
s muscular physique were clearly visible even through his clothes. The cold gleam in his eyes gave off the impression of a warrior.
Every other chief had brought escorts, but there was no one behind this man. Of course there wasn’t. What good was it to bring someone along who wouldn’t be any help?
He glared at Hilma, chief of the drug-dealing division. No, he probably didn’t mean to glare at her, but it was hard to see a look from his razor-thin eyes as anything else.
The escorts behind the woman caught their breath for just a moment—a natural response because they understood the gap between their abilities and his.
That man was a monster capable of massacring everyone in the room.
“Why not hire us? Your small fries don’t have what it takes to guard the facilities, right?”
Zero was in charge of the security division, which provided everything from doormen to armed escorts for nobles. He was even more famous for having the highest combat ability in all the Eight Fingers. But his proposal—
“No need.”
—was flatly rejected.
“We don’t need you. And we can’t have outsiders knowing where our critical bases are.”
That was the end of that. Zero’s eyes closed, as if he’d lost interest. It was like he’d turned into a rock.
“In that case, I’ll take you up on the offer.” The one who had spoken was a slender man. His lithe build was the exact opposite of Zero’s. “Zero, I’d like to hire a man.”
“What, Coccodor? Can you pay?”
If Hilma’s drug dealing was fairly lucrative, Coccodor’s slave trafficking was on the decline. Since the Golden Princess had made slavery illegal, he’d had to shelter his business further underground.
“I’m good for it, Zero. And I’d like one of the best of the best, preferably Six Arms–class.”
The Men of the Kingdom Part I Page 9