The Men of the Kingdom Part II

by Kugane Maruyama

  “Shalltear. Shalltear Bloodfallen.” He described her once more in detail, and Gazef nodded gravely.

  “Okay, I got it. But just in case, tell me again once we’re sober. I’ll try to gather some intelligence.”

  “You can round up info all you like, but I don’t think it’ll make a difference.”

  “If a storm is coming, you need to prepare, right? I can’t just do nothing. And if we get advice from many different people, we might come up with a way to take her down.”

  “That would be great, but…”

  “They’re kind of distant acquaintances, but I know some adamantite-rank adventurers. They might have some wisdom to share… So what are you planning on doing now, Brain?”

  Brain frowned at the question. What should I do now? His eyes moved unconsciously to his trusty sword leaning against a chair.

  A lingering regret.

  It’s nothing more than that. No matter how hard I work, I won’t be able to surpass that monster. His greatest dream was already lost. It was clear that his life was pointless.

  From now on, he would have to live with his feet firmly on the ground.

  It was just a childish fantasy…

  “Hmm, what should I do? Maybe I’ll be a farmer…”

  He was from an agricultural village originally. Though fairly fuzzy, the knowledge of how to work the fields still survived in a corner of his brain. The only thing he could do besides that was swing a sword. To put it nicely, Brain had been very focused in life.

  “Or…well, I don’t think that’s a terrible idea, but you could also work with me and serve the kingdom,” Gazef suggested.

  That didn’t sound bad to Brain. Maybe he couldn’t defeat Shalltear, but against humans, he was confident that he would fall into the stronger category. Still—

  “I’m not sure I can handle working in a team, and I’m not really one for all the bowing and brownnosing…”

  “We don’t really brownnose so much…”

  “Ahh, sorry. I don’t mean any offense. That’s just the common stereotype of people serving in the palace… Your offer’s not a bad one. To fight for someone else’s sake… Oh, that reminds me! Gazef, I met a boy called Climb.”

  “Climb? Not the boy with the hoarse voice?” When Brain nodded, Gazef made a sound of acknowledgment and then said, “Where’d you meet him? He’s assigned to the princess, so I was under the impression he was never very far from her…”

  “I saw him training in the street.”

  “Training in the street…? ’Cause he has no talent, I suppose. I don’t think he can get any stronger than he already is. About the only thing he can do is develop his muscles to cultivate what ability he does have. Was he doing a drill to that end? If not, I should probably give him a bit of guidance.”

  “Hmm, certainly when it comes to swordsmanship he…has no gift for it. But in another way, he surpasses me.”

  Gazef made a you gotta be kidding me face.

  The gap between Brain’s and Climb’s strength certainly was vast, and their level of potential wasn’t even comparable, but it all felt the same to Brain, who knew that none of it mattered in a confrontation with the truly strong.

  More importantly, Brain believed the mental strength to withstand the murderous aura of a man as powerful as Sebas was truly praiseworthy.

  I broke and fled. But if the one Climb protects is standing behind him, he’ll stand his ground and fight. A man like that…would probably be able to slice off the tip of that monster’s pinkie nail.

  Brain didn’t reply to Gazef’s puzzled look. Instead he recounted the gist of what had happened that day when they raided the brothel managed by the Eight Fingers.

  “I see. With Climb…huh?”

  “If it’ll cause trouble for you, you can hang me out to dry. If I step back and think about it, I’m sure having someone who starts fights in the underworld as a guest in your home is problematic.”

  “No, not at all. On the contrary, you’re more than welcome to… Those guys are a blight on the kingdom. I wish I could have led the charge.”

  “Do they really cause that much trouble for the country?”

  “Enough to make me sick. They control most of the realm’s underworld, and they use the dirty profits they earn there to strike deals with the nobles and throw their weight around in society. Even if we want to crush them, the nobles interfere, so there’s nothing we can do. The only way to deal a blow to their operations is to break into their cleverly hidden facilities, forcibly expose their crimes, and make a ruckus, like you did. Still, they have more influence than most lesser nobles, so a botched operation would entail quite a counterattack.”

  “So you’re stuck, huh?”

  “Yeah, that’s why it would be great if we could take this opportunity to chip away at their power a bit, but it seems tricky.”

  “You can’t invoke the king’s authority?”

  “The opposing aristocrats would get in the way, so it’s impossible. Those guys are in collusion with nobles in both factions, which makes it especially complicated.”

  On that gloomy note, the men silently drank their wine and began their meal.

  2

  4 Late Fire Moon (September) 7:14 AM

  The Blue Roses arrived at the castle first thing in the morning, each carrying a large bundle that landed on the floor with a clank. The bags contained their gear. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to appear at the castle fully equipped.

  Free from their heavy burdens, they all stretched their shoulders. Renner was observing them with a kind expression when their leader, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, asked her, “Don’t you have princess work to do?”

  Renner had almost no authority, but her position did come with its own set of duties. “It’s all right. There’s nothing that will cause problems if I leave it for later.”

  Lakyus responded with an expression of mock chagrin.

  Renner answered with a silly face of her own but almost immediately assumed her serious expression from earlier. “Lakyus, I’d actually like you to handle the issue we spoke of as soon as you’re able.”

  “How come? Yesterday we said we were going to attack each location one by one under the utmost secrecy, right?” asked Evileye, the caster wearing a mask.

  She kept her guise on even inside the castle. Her suspicious attire was allowed only because she was an adamantite-ranked adventurer, one of the strongest humans, and because her superior was Lakyus, a noble.

  “Something unexpected happened last night, so I think we need to make a change to the plan. So…” She told them about the recent attack on the brothel.

  The Blue Roses’ impressed gazes gathered on Climb as he stood at attention behind them, feeling awkward.

  He believed it was entirely thanks to the other two men, not himself, that they had been able to raid the brothel and save the tortured people being held there. In his opinion, he honestly hadn’t done a single praiseworthy thing.

  On the contrary, he’d escaped without an upbraiding for acting on his own; now he was disappointed in himself for the flood of relief after he learned his actions had caused only a change in the plan instead of ruining it.

  “Nice work, virgin!”

  “Yeah, just what Gagaran said. Capturing one of the Six Arms earns you a gold star.”

  “…Undead King, Davernoch; Spatial Slash, Peshurian; Dancing Scimitars, Edström; Thousand Kills, Marmvist; Illusion Maniac, Succuronte; Fighting Ogre, Zero…” Tia reeled off their names.

  “Davernoch is an undead. Supposedly, Peshurian can slash enemies even from a distance. Edström has some kind of special enchanted weapon. Marmvist is a poison user who specializes in stabbing. Succuronte I’ll skip because he’s been captured. And Zero is a fighter who excels at unarmed combat. They’re all thought to be adamantite-rank equivalent.”

  “Yeah, it’s a great advantage for us that you captured one of them.”

  “It’s amazing, Climb! And how unbelievably lucky t
hat you ran into Brain Unglaus and got to work with him!”

  Climb agreed with the last sentiment.

  “If Unglaus took out Succuronte in one hit, then he’s just as strong as you’d expect after he went head-to-head with Gazef Stronoff. If that’s the case, then I’m super-interested in that old man even he couldn’t beat,” Evileye commented.

  “I didn’t find out where Master Sebas’s house is located,” Climb answered.

  “…Hmm, so Climb. Did he not tell you because he was on guard? Or did you just not think to ask?”

  “Both, Miss Evileye. He might have told me if I had requested it. But I didn’t want to ask for something that might have caused trouble for him, considering he volunteered to help after simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “…Mmm, you take things too seriously.”

  “Beyond a doubt.”

  The two near-identical sisters appraised him.

  “I just don’t understand how I haven’t even heard a rumor about someone on that level…”

  With Evileye’s remark, Climb sensed the increasing suspicion of Sebas, but right as he took a breath to defend him, Lakyus clapped her hands to change the mood. “Well, let’s save that for later. If it weren’t for his assistance, we wouldn’t have figured out the precise location of the brothel, and it wouldn’t have been possible to capture the head of the slave-trafficking division, Coccodor. We’re all indebted to him.”

  “You’re right, Lakyus. But Princess, does changing part of the plan mean that we’re attacking different locations now?”

  “Evileye, I think we need to attack all the locations today and take them out simultaneously. The more time passes, the more of an advantage our opponents have.”

  Silence fell over the room.

  The only ones involved in this operation were the Blue Roses. The idea had been that since they lacked the manpower, they’d attack the target facilities one by one.

  “B-but Princess, didn’t we say that we didn’t have enough people? Did another group step forward overnight to help us? You can’t hire adventurers, can you?”

  The founding philosophy of the adventurers’ guild was protecting humans from alien threats. For that reason, there was an unwritten law that they would refrain as much as possible from poking their noses into disputes between humans. If they didn’t, it would be impossible for guilds to cooperate across national borders.

  For example, even in situations where guild involvement could save people, the assumption was that if they allowed one exception, there would never be an end to it. So the guild pressured members to comply with the unspoken rule. Punishments ranged from a warning to suspension of work and even expulsion from the guild. In this way, some adventurers became “workers” who took on illegal jobs, but for the worst violators, it was rumored that the guild would dispatch a team of assassins.

  The Blue Roses were breaking those commandments by mounting resistance against the Eight Fingers, a human organization. But they were adamantite-rank adventurers, practically the guild’s poster girls. There was no way their team would be disavowed, so they got what amounted to tacit consent. Still, the only reason for this privilege was their rank.

  “Involving the guards because you want to expand the strike force is the height of folly. The enemy already have their people in the guards. It’s a bad idea to use them unless it’s as a last resort.”

  “That goes for soldiers the nobles brought from their domains, too. Until we know which nobles are with the Eight Fingers, asking any of them for aid is a bad idea.”

  “Hmm. I guess the only people we can trust are Gazef Stronoff and the soldiers—the Royal Select—directly under him… Then again, I wonder how far we can trust his men…”

  “You’re absolutely right. In the end, it’s really hard to take measures against these guys when we don’t know how far their influence extends. But if we just go around investigating, the whole kingdom will become corrupt. It’ll be like playing Whac-a-Mole with no idea who the moles are.”

  Renner nodded at Lakyus’s complaints.

  On top of the empire’s offensive maneuvers, they had to deal with internal conflict and the worsening corruption. And the princess was still trying to fight under those conditions—Climb thought he could see rays of glittering sunshine highlighting his master and smiled. He was surer than ever that only she could govern the kingdom and bring happiness to the people, and his devotion to her grew.

  He clenched his fists in fury at everyone, mainly the nobles, who treated her as a decorative figurehead in spite of her virtues and decided that all she needed to do was look pretty. But his anger eased at the sound of her beautiful voice in his ears, and he focused on the conversation once more.

  “It’s exactly as you say. So I’m thinking of asking a trustworthy noble for help.”

  “You know of someone, Princess?”

  “Yes, Evileye. I don’t know many, but there is one we can trust.”

  “Really, Renner? Who’s that?” Lakyus asked. “Not that I think you would overlook this, but even if we can trust the person, it won’t do us much good unless they’re also pretty powerful. And we have no guarantee they’ve brought enough soldiers from their domain.”

  “I’m pretty sure this one is acceptable in those respects. And I’ll summon the captain of the Royal Select as well.”

  “That I understand.”

  “Yeah, we can have faith in the captain of the Royal Select. Or rather, if he is with the Eight Fingers, we don’t stand a chance.”

  “Okay, Climb. Please summon Marquis Raeven. He attended a recent meeting, so he should still be in the city.”

  “The marquis? I did see him with one of the princes, but…”

  Marquis Raeven did fit the bill—except for the standing question of whether they could trust him or not.

  He was one of the six great nobles, and when it came to capital, he had more than most. The only problem was the lack of proof he wasn’t under the influence of the Eight Fingers. There was a distinct possibility his affluence was due to taking money from the syndicate.

  But Climb immediately rejected such ideas. Renner, his most wise master whom he respected, had vouched for the man. In that case, he had to be trustworthy.

  But unlike Climb’s, the faces of the Blue Roses fell.

  “Whoa, whoa, Princess! Can you really trust the marquis?”

  “I hear he can’t choose a side.”

  “He’s like a bat that constantly flits back and forth between the king’s faction and the nobles’ faction. If he’s only loyal to profits, he’d take money from the Eight Fingers.”

  “I don’t want to think what would happen if intelligence leaked that way, Princess.”

  The negative opinions kept coming when a clap suddenly sounded. It was Lakyus. “Everyone, hold on! Hey, Renner. I haven’t heard many good things about the marquis. Can we really trust him?”

  “I can’t say for sure. And I think he is receiving something from the Eight Fingers.”

  Huh? Everyone was surprised, their faces clearly indicating confusion. But one person had an idea.

  “You’re going to leak false intelligence to manipulate him?”

  “Like there will be an assassination. Tell him an elderly hit man is after someone, and then their security will focus on the threat.”

  Renner shook her head at the former assassins. “No, Tina, Tia, that’s not it. There must be some people who get money from them who have no intention of cooperating with them, right? Of course, if his maneuvers are more intricate than I thought, we’ll fail, but…Climb, summon Marquis Raeven. If you tell him you took out the Eight Fingers’ brothel and captured the head of the slave-trafficking division, he should meet with us.”

  Climb’s eyes shifted to the window to see how light it was outside. The morning sun was blinding, so it was a bit too early to summon him. Still, he didn’t expect they’d be able to see a great noble immediately, so perhaps it was a good time to make
an appointment.

  “Should we really mention the head of the slave-trafficking division?” he asked. “I think it would be better to keep it a secret…”

  Renner wanted to play that card to leverage a meeting, but even if Raeven was a great noble, he wouldn’t turn down a summons from the princess, so Climb figured it would be better to save that information for later.

  Renner shook her head and vetoed his idea. “If we want him on our side, we have to show our hand. That’s the most effective way to indicate that we trust him.”

  “I see.” Climb nodded and respectfully bowed his head. “Understood. Then I’ll be on my way to call on the marquis.”

  “Thanks, Climb. Okay, I’m sure that will take a while, so how about some tea in the meantime?”

  4 Late Fire Moon (September) 9:37 AM

  The Blue Roses expected it would take quite a while for Marquis Raeven to arrive, assuming the earliest they could meet him would be about midday.

  As a great noble, he would have various plans for his morning such as meetings with other nobles. If it were the king summoning him, it would be different, but this was Renner, who essentially held no authority of her own. She would be low priority for him.

  That was why when Climb returned so quickly, they thought that perhaps he had been flatly dismissed. Instead, no one could hide their surprise when two men entered the room behind him.

  One of them was, of course, Marquis Raeven.

  There was no word to describe his appearance besides impeccable. He wore a doublet made from some exotic beast fur—probably a monster’s—sewn with golden thread. The jacket’s front buttons and lapel ornamentation were quite elaborate, and from the way they glittered, the buttons must have been set with tiny jewels. A thin standing collar concealed his neck. These clothes were fit for an audience with the king, and given how well he wore them, he certainly looked the part of one of the six great nobles.

  The following visitor was rather plump.

  Renner looked at him and exclaimed, “Brother!”