Overlord Volume 5 - The Men in the Kingdom Part I

The woman’s cries echoed in Stefan’s mind.
Should he have fucked her while she still had the strength left to scream?
Stefan continued squeezing her breasts, a vague sense of regret in his heart.
Most of the women who had been sent to this brothel were no longer in a right
state of mind. They had chosen to run away from reality. When one took that
into consideration, the woman chosen to serve Stefan today had been better off
than most.
“Was that woman like this too?”
Stefan imagined Tsuare. He had no interest in what happened to the brothel
employee who had let her go.
However, when he thought of the butler he had encountered during his visit,
Stefan could not suppress the mocking laughter in his heart.
That thing had coupled with countless men, and even with female or
nonhuman partners. There was no point in protecting her at all. And yet that old
butler had said he was willing to pay hundreds of gold coins for her. It was a
miracle he had not laughed out loud on the spot.
“Ah, the woman who ran away screamed very well too.”
He searched through his memories and recalled her wails. She had been fairly
normal by the standards of the girl sent to this brothel.
Stefan smiled lewdly, and began to slake his bestial lust. He seized one of the
pinned woman’s bare legs and spread it wide. Her emaciated, slender leg was
thin enough that Stefan could encircle it with one hand.
Stefan pressed himself between the woman’s legs.
As he grasped his tool, now turgid from the burning desire that consumed his
body—
—The door behind him clicked, and slowly opened.
“Ah!”
Stefan hurriedly turned back, and a vaguely familiar old man appeared within
his field of view. Then, he remembered who that old man was.
It was the butler he had met at that mansion.
The soles of the old man’s — Sebas’ — shoes clicked neatly as he walked into
the room. Stefan was speechless in the face of his casual, natural movements.
What was that house’s butler doing here? Why had he come to this room?
Stefan’s mind went blank in the face of this inexplicable situation.
Sebas walked up to Stefan. Then, he saw the woman crushed beneath Stefan’s
bulk.

After that, Sebas directed an incomparably frigid glare at Stefan.
“You like to beat people, do you?”
“Ah!”
The strange mood in the air drove Stefan to rise as he went for his clothes.
However, Sebas moved faster than him.
A thwap resounded in Stefan’s ears, and then his vision shook wildly.
A beat later, Stefan’s right cheek caught fire as burning, stinging heat radiated
out from it.
He had been struck — no, in this case it would be more appropriate to say he
had been slapped. It took a while for Stefan to realize that.
“Damn you, how dare—”
A ringing thwap resounded off Stefan’s face. It was soon followed by many
more.
Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right—
“Stahp—!”
Stefan had always been the one who hit others. Nobody had ever hit him.
These few blows left him in tears.
He raised his hand to protect his face as he stumbled back in retreat.
His cheeks throbbed with pain, as though they had been scalded.
“Dah, dahh hyu! Howh dahhe hyu do hiss hoo meeeh!”
His swollen, reddened cheeks hurt whenever he spoke.
“Is there a problem?”
“Orhhh courrhh herr ihh! Ihiot! Hoo oo hyuu hink hai ahhm?!”
“Just another moron.”
Sebas closed in on the retreating Stefan and with a thwap! he dealt out yet
another resounding slap.
“Hop ihh! Pleeehe hop ihh!”
Stefan covered his face like a child being struck by his parents.
He liked using violence, but he had always used it on those weaker than him.
Even if Sebas appeared to be just another old man, Stefan would not dare raise
his hand to him. He would only make his move when he was absolutely certain
that his victim could not fight back.
Perhaps he had sensed Stefan’s craven nature, but Sebas lost interest in him
and looked back to the girl.
“How tragic…”
Stefan ran past Sebas as he stood over the girl.

“Youh ihiot!” Stefan fumed.
What a foolish old man.
He was going to gather everyone in this place to teach this old man a painful
lesson. How dare he strike someone like himself! He would not go easy on the
old man. Stefan would make sure he had his fill of pain and fear.
The image of the butler’s mistress, the angelic-seeming girl, appeared in
Stefan’s mind.
The mistress would have to take responsibility for her servant’s mistakes. He
would have her bear the burden of the pain that the old man had caused him.
Stefan would teach that old man exactly who he had hit.
As those dark thoughts went through his mind, Stefan charged out the door
as his beer belly jiggled violently.
“Homeone! Homeone help meehh!” he shouted.
Surely an employee would come to check on him if he called for help.
However, his hopes were dashed the moment he stepped into the hallway.
The passage was silent.
It was as though nobody was around.
Stefan looked around nervously, still naked.
The bizarre silence of the hallway filled him with fear.
At a glance, there were several doors on both sides of him. It was only natural
that nobody would answer him. This place catered to clients with exotic tastes
— dangerous ones, in fact. Thus the rooms were all soundproofed.
However, there was no way the employees would not have heard.
He had seen several of them when he had been brought to his room just now.
Each of them was a burly man with bulging muscles. How could an old man like
Sebas compare?
“Why’h hobodyh homingh?!”
“—They are all either dead or unconscious,” said the calm voice which
answered Stefan’s cry.
Turning back, Stefan saw Sebas standing serenely behind him.
“There were apparently quite a few of them… though most of them are asleep
now.”
“Thah… thah impohhible! Howh mahy peoperh do hyu hink arhe herhe
ahywahy?!”
“…There were three who looked like employees on top and ten more down
below. There were seven others like you.”

What nonsense are you babbling?! Stefan looked incredulously at Sebas.
“In any case, nobody here, upstairs or downstairs, can save you. Even if the
staff did wake up, I have already broken their arms and legs. All they can do is
crawl like caterpillars.”
Stefan’s expression was one of utter shock. Impossible, he thought but the air
within the brothel proved the truth of Sebas’ words.
“Alright, I do not think there is a need to spare your life. That being the case,
please die here.”
Sebas did not draw a sword or ready any sort of weapon. He simply walked up
to Stefan in silence, like it was the most natural thing in the world. That
nonchalance only served to frighten Stefan, because he knew Sebas truly wanted
him dead.
“Wahe! Wahe!! Aih khen gihe hyu… uh… Aih khen gihe hyuu ha hot ohhh
muhnehh!”
“…I do not quite understand what you are saying. I believe you are attempting
to offer me an inducement, am I correct? I see… not interested.”
“Whah harr hyuu dhoing thihh?!”
What have I done to deserve this? Why do I have to die? Stefan finally got his
message across to Sebas for the first time.
“…Do you not know, even after searching your heart?”
Stefan considered everything he had done until now. What had he done
wrong?
Sebas sighed.
“…Really now?”
As he said that, Sebas savagely kicked Stefan in the gut and sent him flying.
“So that is what they mean when they say that something is not worth keeping
alive.”
Stefan was wracked with incredible pain as several of his internal organs
ruptured within him. The agony was such that a man might writhe and suffer
until he died, but Stefan remained conscious, though his mind was a blur.
It hurts!
It hurts!
It hurts!
He wanted to scream and roll around on the ground, but he was immobile
from the intense pain.
“Rest in peace. Or not, as it were,” a cold voice said to Stefan’s soon-to-be

corpse.
Stefan wanted to cry out for help, but his throat would not respond.
A drop of sweat trickled into his eye and his vision became blurry. Still, he

could make out Sebas’ receding back.
Save me!
Please save me!
I’ll pay you anything you want, so please save me!
Nobody could answer his silent plea for help.
In the end, Stefan Havish suffered unimaginable pain in his abdomen as he

slowly died.

2

Lower Fire Month, 3rd Day – 12:12
“Climb-kun, we should kill everyone up here. I don’t have anything to bind
them with, and if they raise the alarm we’ll be in trouble. Even if we knock them
out, they might wake up. Under the circumstances, it’s just too risky to try and
subdue a location we don’t know anything about… is something wrong?
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
Climb shook his head to chase away his uneasiness. His hearted pounded
within his chest, but he tried his best to ignore it.
“Forgive me. I’m alright over here. Ready to go at any time.”
“Really? …Hm, looks like you’re a different person. You’ve been acting strange
ever since we got here, but you’ve got a warrior’s face on you now. I do
understand how you feel, because there’s a powerful enemy here that you can’t
beat at the moment. Still, don’t worry. I’m here and so is Sebas-sama. Focus on
staying alive to keep your spirits up.”
Brain patted Climb on the back, then knocked on the door four times with the
hand that was not holding his sword.
Climb clutched his weapon tightly as well.
The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind the door. Then they heard
the sound of locks disengaging — three, to be precise.
In the instant which the door opened, Climb pulled it wide open, in
accordance with the plan.
Brain had already slashed his way in before the people inside could even cry
out in surprise. There was the sound of a body being cut apart, followed by that

of a heavy object hitting the ground.
Climb was a step behind Brain as he charged inside.
He entered just in time to see Brain cut down his second man. There was one

more person within the room, a man in leather armor and carrying a short
sword. Climb rushed him and closed the distance in an instant.

“Ah! Who the hell are you?!”
The man stabbed at Climb with his blade, but Climb easily deflected it with
his sword.
After that, Climb raised his sword high, and brought it down on the man from
above.
The man tried to block it with his dagger, but a mere short sword could not
withstand a strike with Climb’s full weight behind it. Climb’s sword deflected
the short sword away and his blade sank into the man’s shoulder, carving
through his larynx.
The man cried out in pain as he collapsed to the ground, and Climb could not
believe the human body could contain that much blood. His opponent twitched
and spasmed on the ground as he lay dying.
After verifying the wound he had dealt was mortal, Climb rushed deeper into
the room, riding the flow of the battle while remaining alert. No enemies came
out from hiding to meet him. He could hear Brain running up the stairs to the
second floor behind him.
The furniture here was plain and ordinary. Climb made sure there were no
enemies here before moving on to the next room.
A minute passed.
Having checked their assigned floors and satisfied themselves that there were
no other enemies, Climb and Brain met at the entrance.
“I went over the first floor, but I didn’t see any enemies.”
“Same with the second floor. They didn’t even have beds there, so that means
they don’t live in this place… I’m sure of it, there has to be a secret passage
leading to the place where they’re staying.”
“Did you find it? I’m pretty sure it’s not on the third floor.”
“Nope, nothing like that. But if what you said is right, it ought to be on the
first floor, Climb-kun.”
Climb and Brain exchanged looks, and then looked inside the building.
Climb had not learned any thief skills, so he could not detect secret doors just
by looking. If there had been some flour here, and they had the time, they might

be able to thoroughly scatter it around to find the hidden passage.
The flour particles would fall into the seams of the secret doors and make

them easy to spot. However, they lacked both the flour and the time to scatter
it. Therefore, Climb produced the magic items from his waist pouch.

These were the handbells given to him by Gagaran of Blue Rose. She had said,
“It’s dangerous to adventure without a thief buddy, but you have to do it
sometimes. In those situations, having an item like this can make a huge
difference.”

Climb looked at the designs on each of the bells, and picked the one he needed
from them.

The magic item he selected was called the Bell of Detecting Secret Doors.
Climb sensed Brain looking interestedly at the bell, and he shook it. The bell
produced a pure note which only its holder could hear.
In response to the bell, a corner of the ground glowed with a pulsing pale
white light, telling him that there was a secret door there.
“Oh, that’s a handy magic item. Mine all enhance myself; they’re only useful
in battle.”
“But any warrior would obviously choose such items, right?”
“A warrior, huh…”
Climb left Brain, who was smiling sadly to himself. He memorized the
position of the hidden door and then he walked a circuit around the first floor.
The effects of that magic item would only last for a short while, and he had to
make the most of that time to search the area. However, after he had finished
walking, no other place had reacted to the magic besides the place where he had
started.
After this, all they would have to do was open the secret door and pass
through. However, Climb narrowed his eyes and looked at the door. Then he
sighed, and reached for the three bells again.
This bell had different patterns on it from the previous one. He shook it like
the one before.
A similar, but different chime filled the air.
This was the Bell of Removing Traps.
It paid to be cautious. As a warrior, Climb could neither find nor disarm traps,
and there was nothing he could do against their effects. Perhaps if he had a magic
caster with him, he might be able to recover from poison or paralysis, but he and
Brain were only two warriors. There were apparently some martial arts which

could delay the effects of poison and the like for a while, but Climb had not
learned them and neither did he have any antidote potions on him. He had to
consider being poisoned to be a fatal condition.

This magic item had a limited number of uses per day, but it would be better
to use them without hesitation than risk falling for a trap.

A heavy clank came from the secret door.
Climb wedged the tip of his sword into the gap between the secret door and
the floor and pried it up.
The wooden flooring went up and fell back in the other direction. There was
a crossbow fitted inside the door, a bolt fitted to the nocked string. Under the
light of the lamp, its head gleamed with a strange sheen that was not metallic in
nature.
Climb shifted position and examined the crossbow.
There was a very sticky liquid on the quarrel’s tip, most likely poison of some
sort.
If he had opened the secret door thoughtlessly, the poisoned projectile would
have been loosed at him.
Climb breathed a quiet sigh of relief and then checked to see if he could take
down the crossbow. However, it was securely fitted and could not be removed
without tools.
Climb decided to abandon that notion and looked beyond the secret door.
A staircase extended downwards, but he could not see down its length thanks
to the angle of his observation. Said staircase was buttressed with stone blocks
and looked very solid.
“Then, what should we do? Should we wait here?”
“I’m not too good with fighting indoors. I’d rather find a wide, open space to
wait for the enemy to show up.”
“When it comes to one-on-one combat, you’d have a better chance waiting for
the enemy at the top of the stairs. However, if you ended up fighting here, I
might not be able to hear you once I went further in. Besides, enemy
reinforcements might show up, so we shouldn’t try to hold this place. In that
case, let’s go in together.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll take point. Hang back a bit before following me.”
“Understood. By the way, the trap-disarming item I used just now can be
activated three times a day, but it can’t be used consecutively; I have to wait half

an hour between uses. So we can’t count on it for the time being.”
“Understood. I’ll be careful as I go. Let me know if you find anything.”
With that, Brain descended the stairs, and Climb followed with him.
For safety’s sake, Brain poked the stairs with his sword as he went down,

advancing step by careful step.
After they had gotten off the stairs, they found that the passage before them

was dressed with tightly-fitted stone, and the walls had also been reinforced with
masonry. A door stood several meters ahead of them, and the surroundings were
reinforced with steel plates.

Brain did not think that an escape tunnel would be fitted with a trap more
lethal than a crossbow, but he had heard of pitfall traps, which could take even
heavily armored warriors out of the fight. Avoiding traps like those were an
absolute top priority.

While it was only a short distance, Brain still took his time and advanced
cautiously. Eventually, they reached the door. Climb was waiting at the stairs,
so as to avoid being caught up if something happened.

Brain stabbed the door with his sword. After a few stabs, he made up his mind,
grabbed the handle — and turned.

Then, he froze.
As Climb began worrying something had happened to him, Brain turned back
with a bitter expression on his face. He said:
“…It’s locked.”
Obviously it was. Anyone would have expected that.
“Anything you can do about it? Otherwise I’ll have to try and hack it down.”
“Ah, yes. One moment, please.”
Climb took out the last of the three bells and shook it at the door.
A faint click came from the door as the Bell of Opening Locks took effect.
Brain tried the handle, and cracked the door open just a little to observe the
conditions within the room.
“It’s empty. I’m going in.”
Climb followed behind Brain as the latter made his entry.
It was a hall of some sort.
The walls were lined with cages and crates that could take human beings
within them. Perhaps this was a storeroom. Still, it seemed too large to be one.
The doors opposite them were not locked. Climb leaned in to listen and he
could hear the sounds of a commotion in the distance.

Brain looked back and asked Climb:
“How’s this place? It seems big enough to me… Although it means you’ll have
to face a bunch of people at once.”
“If they gang up on me, I’ll open the exit and fight near the stairs.
“Got it. I’ll be checking around the surroundings and I’ll return soon. Don’t
die on me, Climb.”
“Thank you very much. Please be careful, Brain-sama.”
“Mind lending me those items from just now?”
“Of course. Forgive me for not thinking of that earlier.”
Climb handed the three bells to Brain, who put them into his waist pouch.
Then, a stern warrior’s countenance came over him. With a curt, “I’m off,” he
passed through the unlocked door and headed into the depths of the brothel.
This left Climb by himself. He looked around the silent room.
He began by searching his surroundings, making sure nobody was hidden and
that there were no secret tunnels behind the crates. He was only a warrior, but
he felt that there were no hidden doors or the like. Then, he inspected the crates
proper.
He was hoping to find some information on other Eight Fingers installations.
If he managed to find contraband or smuggled goods, so much the better. Of
course, an in-depth investigation would have to wait for after they had taken
control of this place, but before that, he ought to search as best as he could.
There were crates of all sizes, and he approached the largest one. It looked to
be about two meters tall.
He checked the large crate for traps. Naturally, Climb had not spontaneously
developed any detection abilities since just now, so all he could do was clumsily
imitate what proper thieves did for a living.
He placed his ear to the crate and listened.
He did not think the crate would contain anything, but this was a secret
society’s domain, so he might be able to find something. It might also contain
an illegally smuggled lifeform or something.
But as he had expected, there was no sound. Climb reached out and tried to
open the top of the crate.
—It did not open.
He could not even budge it.
He looked around for a crowbar or a poker, but his quick scan of the area
revealed no tools of the sort.

“…There’s nothing I can do.”
After that, he tried to open a crate that was roughly a cubic meter in size.
That one opened easily enough. He looked inside and saw clothes of many
colors and varieties. There was everything from ponchos to dresses fit for
noblewomen.
“What are these? Is there something hidden under these clothes… doesn’t
look like it… Spare clothes, maybe? Or are they something like work clothes?
Maid uniforms, maybe? What on earth could they be used for?”
Climb had no idea of those clothes’ purpose. He picked a piece up and looked
closely at it, but it looked to be just another ordinary garment. If he wanted to
link it to a crime, then at best it might have been stolen, but it did not constitute
enough evidence to shut down this brothel.
He could not figure it out, so he decided not to bother. After that, Climb
moved on to another crate of similar size. Just then, a loud thud echoed through
the room.
That was impossible. He had searched the entire room and made sure that
nobody was there.
Just then, an idea flashed through his mind.
Could it be that someone had been hiding in the room all along, using the
[Invisibility] spell to conceal themselves?
Shocked by his own conclusion, Climb hurriedly looked to the source of the
sound. It had come from the two-meter crate from earlier, the one that he could
not open. One side of it was pressed up against the wall, and the boards opposite
it had opened up.
This exposed the interior. It did not contain anything except two men. There
was a hole in the back of the crate, opening up to a tunnel where there should
have been a solid wall. It would seem the secret passage was linked to the crate.
A man emerged from the crate just as Climb was stunned with shock.
Cold sweat poured down Climb’s back.
One of them looked just like the man Sebas had described. That man was
called Succulent. He was the biggest obstacle to this takeover operation, and the
biggest prize of them all.
He was a member of Six Arms, whose prowess was comparable to those of
adamantite-ranked adventurers. In other words, he was an unbeatable foe for
Climb.
Succulent eased a blade out of its sheath as he looked at Climb, then narrowed

his eyes and said:
“We knew there were intruders from the [Alarm] spell, and even took the

secret passage to avoid meeting them… I guess we ought to make another one,
huh?”

“What point is there in saying that now?” the man behind him replied in a
shrill voice.

“Huh? Haven’t I seen that boy somewhere before?”
“Don’t blame me for getting mad if you tell me you bedded him before, at a
time like this.”
“You’re so mean, Succulent. As if I would. Ah, I remember. He’s the minion of
that damn slut, the one I hate more than anyone else in the whole world.”
“Oh, so he’s the servant of that princess, then.”
Succulent looked Climb over from head to toe.
The man behind him had a revolting look of lust in his eyes, but Succulent
seemed to be appraising Climb’s strength as a warrior, much like how a serpent
was sizing up its next meal to be swallowed whole.
The man behind him licked his lips and asked:
“I’d like to take that boy with me. Can you do it?”
The hairs on Climb’s back stood on end, and his anus itched.
So he’s that kind of guy!
“That will cost extra.”
Succulent turned to face Climb, ignoring the latter’s internal screaming. His
stance exposed no weaknesses, and he seemed like an even more formidable
obstacle to Climb now.
Succulent suddenly stepped forward.
The oncoming wave of pressure forced Climb to take one step back.
When there was a massive disparity of strength between two opponents, their
battle would not take long. However, Climb had to take on that arduous task.
If I remain on the defensive and focus on blocking attacks, I ought to be able to buy
time until they return.
But before that, he had to do one thing.
Climb took a deep breath.
“SOMEONE HELP ME—!”
He shouted with all his might, as though he were trying to dump out all the
air in his lungs.
There was no way he could win if he fought alone. Capturing these people and

preventing their escape would count as a victory for him. Allowing someone as
strong as this man — in other words, someone who might know a lot of
important information — to escape would be a complete loss.

That being the case, why should he hesitate in crying for aid?
Indeed, Succulent’s expression turned vicious at that moment.
Now that Climb had done this, Succulent was in a race against the clock. In
other words, he might end up pulling out all his trump cards early on.
Climb continued to observe him, not daring to relax.
“Cocco Doll-san. Capturing him might be a bit difficult. I have to finish him
off before his friends arrive.”
“How could that be?! Aren’t you a member of Six Arms? Can’t you beat a
measly little brat like this? Doesn’t that disgrace the name ‘Phantom Devil’?”
“Now you’ve put me in a spot. Alright, I’ll do my best. But please remember
that our win condition is that you escape, no?”
Climb remained on his guard and eyed Succulent, trying to find the reason
why he was called the Phantom Devil. If he had chosen that name himself, it
would probably not be too dissimilar from his actual abilities. That being the
case, he could probably discern said abilities by finding the reason for the name.
Unfortunately, he could not tell anything from his foe’s appearance and his
equipment.
Climb knew the odds were stacked against him, but gave a valorous shout to
steel himself.
“I will hold this door! You will not pass so long as I still draw breath!”
“We’ll see about that. Seeing you beaten to the ground in a disgraceful heap
ought to be proof enough.”
Succulent slowly raised his sword and took a stance.
Huh?
Climb questioned what his eyes had just told him.
That blade seemed to flicker. He was not seeing things. The flickering
vanished quickly enough, but Climb was certain of what he had just witnessed.
Is that a martial art of some kind—?
That was probably the source of the moniker “Phantom Devil.” His foe had
most likely used some kind of ability. He ought to be wary and remain alert.
Succulent stepped into range and swung his sword.
That movement did not look like an attack from an adamantite-ranked
warrior. In fact, it looked sloppier than one of Climb’s own strikes. He raised his

blade in preparation to intercept the strike — then a chill not born of the air ran
through him, and he hurriedly leaped aside.

Pain suddenly blossomed on the other side of his body, and he was very nearly
tossed away.

“Gwaargh!”
Climb stumbled back several steps and collided against the wall. He had no
time to think about what had happened — Succulent was already in front of him.
The blade swung like it had last time. Climb raised his sword to protect his
head and threw himself to the left to flee the blow.
His right upper arm was wracked with agony.
Climb recovered into a standing position after rolling away and thrust behind
himself without thinking.
His blade struck nothing but air.
Now that he knew his foe was not going to pursue him, he looked back,
clutching his right arm. He saw Succulent going for the door which led to the
staircase, still mindful of Climb’s movements.
Climb ignored Succulent as he tried the door and looked at Cocco Doll. He
guessed that Succulent would be hampered by the simple fact that he was here
to protect Cocco Doll.
His guess was right.
Succulent stopped trying the door and put himself between Climb and Cocco
Doll, clicking his tongue as he did. After that, he looked between Climb and the
door, then looked back at Cocco Doll, his face twisted.
“Damn, I fell for it. Sorry, but I have to kill this little punk here.”
“What are you talking about? If we keep this kid alive, we can use him to
blackmail that little bitch, can’t we?”
“He tricked me. It’s all because he was guarding the door… so declaring he
would hold the line was part of his plan. To think this punk would try to screw
with my mind.”
…Excellent! He took the bait. Looks like he doesn’t know what’s going on outside.
Now they won’t try to flee.
Given that Cocco Doll had only one bodyguard, trying to flee while Climb
could still fight was a foolish course of action. This was because they might end
up being flanked if Climb had colleagues on top of the stairs. That was also why
Succulent could not let Cocco Doll flee by himself until he had dealt with Climb.
What rattled Succulent was the fact that Climb had loudly declared that he

would defend the door, but he had then left it swiftly with the intention of
attacking Cocco Doll. Now, Succulent was sure that there were ambushers
waiting outside the door, prepared to launch a pincer attack to capture Cocco
Doll. That certainty limited the tactical options he could consider.

Right now, Succulent was probably thinking that he had to finish Climb off in
order to escape safely. Of course, he was operating without knowledge of the
conditions outside the door. Otherwise, he would have opened it and fled long
ago.

Climb had won this gamble, but he raised his sword in response to a sudden
surge of killing intent.

“!!”
Climb grit his teeth against the pain which came from his side and his right
upper arm. He might have broken several ribs, but fortunately he could still
move. No, he would have been hacked to pieces by now if that pervert had not
declared his desire for Climb’s body. Even a chain shirt did not provide complete
immunity to slashing attacks.
Still, what was that weird move? Did he add another high-speed slash after his initial
attack? Doesn’t seem like it…
Gazef’s face flashed through Climb’s mind.
Gazef Stronoff possessed a unique martial art, the [Sixfold Slash of Light],
which allowed him to continuously attack a foe six times. Perhaps Succulent was
using a weaker version of that, a [Twofold Slash of Light]?
If that were the case, then Succulent was probably using some sinister martial
art, where his first strike was made at normal speed and then followed up by a
lightning-fast second strike.
Something’s off here. If I can figure out that technique’s secret, I should be able to
deal with it… In any case I’m at a disadvantage if I’m constantly on the defensive. Time
to attack.
Climb swallowed and began to run. His eyes shifted from Succulent to Cocco
Doll.
Succulent’s face twisted miserably.
Given that he’s a bodyguard, he probably doesn’t want anyone to make a move on
his charge, even if it’s just a feint. I’d feel the same as him, so I understand him pretty
well.
Climb closed in as he tried to apply his own experience to his foe.
A Phantom Devil… If that’s true… then maybe that move’s a trap in itself… however,

it’s worth making sure.
He closed in and cleaved downwards. As expected, the strike was easily

deflected. He fought against the rebounded impact and swung down again. The
blow was weak because he had not brought the sword up, but that was enough.

Succulent deflected the strike again. Climb nodded in satisfaction and pulled
away.

“It’s an illusion, not a martial art!”
He had felt something strange when his sword had been deflected. It was as
though his strike had bounced away before it had even made contact with the
sword he could see.
“Your right arm’s an illusion! The real arm and sword are invisible!”
In other words, what he thought he had blocked was an illusion. It was the
invisible sword which had struck him.
Succulent’s face went blank, and he calmly replied:
“…Correct. This is just a combination of an invisibility and an illusion spell.
I’ve trained as an illusionist and a fencer. Once you figure it out, it’s not much
of a trick, is it? Laugh it up if you want.”
How could he laugh at that? It seemed simple in principle, and he did wonder
why he had not figured it out earlier. However, an invisible blade was a true
terror in a life-or-death battle, where every hit might be the last. The illusion
that he could see only added to the deception.
“I suppose I’m below you in raw fighting ability because I pursued two paths
at once. However…”
Succulent’s sword hand turned a full circle. But was that his real hand? For all
he knew, he was watching an invisible arm while the real hand had already taken
out a dagger in preparation for a throw.
Climb broke out in a cold sweat as he realized the fearsome power of illusions.
“Among the arcane magic caster vocations, illusionists can only use spells
from the illusion school. Granted, some higher-tier spells can inflict damage so
realistic that it can trick the brain into thinking it’s dead… but I’m not that
skilled.”
“Sounds like a lie. There’s no way to prove you’re telling the truth.”
“That’s right,” Succulent smiled. “Eh, still, you don’t have to believe me
either. Alright, I’ve said my piece… In any case, I can’t enhance myself with
spells, nor can I weaken you with magic. However… can you tell what is real and
what is merely illusion?”

Saying so, Succulent’s body split apart into multiple images of himself,
stacked one on top of the other.

“[Multiple Vision].”
The one in the center looked like the original, but Climb had no way to be
sure.
Dammit, I gave him time to prepare!
Climb’s aim was to stall for time, but it was too risky to allow a magic caster
to enhance himself with spells.
Climb shouted loudly, using a martial art to enhance his senses, and charged
in at Succulent.
“[Scintillating Scotoma].”
“Uuurgh!”
Part of Climb’s field of vision suddenly banished. However, the spell’s effect
promptly ended. He must have resisted the magic.
Climb stepped in and swung his sword in a grand, sweeping strike. Of course,
only one of the Succulents was within his reach. Moving close enough to get all
the Succulents in range of his swing would necessitate entering extremely close
quarters, where he would not be able to bring his sword to bear.
His sword hit one of the Succulents, which split laterally in two. However, his
foe did not spew blood, nor did the sword encounter any resistance as it passed
straight through Succulent’s body.
“—You guessed wrong.”
A chill rose from his guts and his throat suddenly grew hot. Climb reflexively
raised his left hand to grab the heated portion.
Pain shot through the hand holding his throat and fresh blood spewed forth,
bringing with it a disgusting sensation of wet clothing. Had he not sensed
Succulent’s murderous intent, or if he had not promptly sacrificed a hand to save
himself, his throat would have been cut open. Though glad to still be alive, he
grit his teeth and bit back the pain as he swept his sword once more.
The blade met no resistance again, and the only thing it cut was the air.
It would be bad if things continued like this.
Climb realized this and decided to change martial arts. He decided to fall back
while using [Evade]. He could see the remaining two Succulents raise their
swords over their heads. Climb knew that the swords were illusions, and focused
his attention on his hearing.
The chain shirt he wore and even the beating of his own heart were

meaningless noise. All he had to listen for was the sound made by the man before
him.

— Not it — that’s not it — this one!
The sound did not come from the upraised swords coming down on him. The
sound of something slicing through the air came from the empty space right in
front of him, at his face.
Climb hurriedly turned his head aside — and as he did, a line of heat blazed
across his cheek, followed by the sensation of pain as his flesh split apart. A
scalding hot liquid flowed down his cheek and over his neck.
“Half-right!”
Climb spat the blood pooling in his mouth as he bet everything on his next
attack.
He had used his left hand as a shield, so now he could not feel anything except
pain below his wrist. He did not know if his fingers could move. For all he knew,
the nerves might have been severed. However, Climb wrapped his left hand
around the hilt of his sword, in the hope of squeezing out just a bit more strength
for his next blow.
Pain exploded through Climb’s body, and he grit his teeth. His left hand could
still move, and it could still grasp his blade. It felt like it was swollen and
throbbing, but he was probably imagining things because of the pain.
With both hands on his sword’s hilt, with all his might, he raised his sword to
a high stance, and swung it down savagely.
Blood spurted. There was the sensation of hitting something hard. Fresh
blood spewed like a fountain. It would seem he had struck Succulent’s real body.
It would seem Climb’s blow had been mortal, because he collapsed heavily to
the ground, Climb could not believe that he had brought down a man on par with
an adamantite-ranked adventurer, but it was an undeniable truth that Succulent
was on the ground. Climb fought back the surging elation in his heart and turned
his gaze on Cocco Doll.
He did not look like he was going to flee.
Perhaps he had relaxed mentally, but the pain from his cheek, his left arm, and
the rest of his body made him nauseous.
“Can’t really call this a victory…”
If he could have captured Succulent as well, he would have no complaints.
However, that was too much to ask of Climb. Even so, capturing a man who was
guarded by one of the Six Arms would probably yield a treasure trove of

intelligence.
Climb stepped forward, making to apprehend him. However, something about

Cocco Doll’s face made him suspicious.
The man seemed too relaxed.
Why was he so relaxed?
Just then, a burning sensation pierced his belly.
He lost all strength in his body, like his strings had been cut. His vision

blacked out for a moment, and by the time he came to he was on the ground. He
had no idea what was going on. The pain in his belly was like a red-hot bar of
iron shoved into his flesh, and the pain was starting to spread. He panted heavily,
and a pair of feet loomed into view of his eyes, which could only see the ground.

“Sorry about that, but I can’t let you win.”
He struggled to look up, but all he saw was an unscathed Succulent.
“That was [Fox Sleep], by the way. It’s an illusion used after taking a wound.
It hurt like hell, mind you. You must have thought you’d finished me off, didn’t
you?”
He moved his finger, tracing a line down his chest. That must have been the
path Climb’s sword traveled when it had hit him.
“Huhhh. Huhhhh. Huhhh. Huhhhhh…”
Climb panted and gasped. He could feel the blood pouring out of his abdomen,
drenching his clothes and his chain shirt.
—I’m going to die.
Climb scrabbled for the pieces of his consciousness which had been rent
asunder by the pain.
—If I pass out, I’ll die.
However, his death was certain, even if he did remain conscious. His opponent
would probably finish him off soon.
He had fought a man on par with an adamantite-ranked adventurer. It had
been a heroic battle. Things being as they were, he had no choice but to give up.
The difference in their abilities was far too great. That was simply how things
were.
However— he could not give up.
He would not give up!
Climb clenched his teeth like he was trying to shatter them in his mouth.
He would not permit himself to die. He would not allow himself to lose his
life without an order from Renner.

“Guh, geh! Gyuhh, gegehh…”
His growl was somewhere between a moan and a gnashing of his teeth, in
order to spur on his flagging spirit, which was on the verge of surrendering to
the pain.
He could not die. Not yet.
Climb struggled to remember Renner. He still had to return to her side
today—
“We’re running short on time, so I’ll put you out of your misery with this.
Farewell.”
Succulent pointed his sword at the groaning youth.
He had been fatally wounded. His death was only a matter of time. Still,
Succulent had the feeling that it would be best to finish him off right now.
“…Say, can we take him with us?”
“Give me a break, Cocco Doll-san. He might have friends behind that door,
you know? Besides, even if we take him, he won’t last until we reach safety. Just
forget about him.”
“Then, at least bring his head back. I want to put it in a bouquet and mail it to
that fucking bitch.”
“Fine, fine, fine. If it’s just the head I can still… ah, uwahhh!”
Succulent leapt back.
The young man swung his sword.
For someone on the verge of death, the strike had been steady and true.
Succulent had originally looked down on his dying prey with arrogant eyes.
Those eyes now opened wide.
The boy had used his sword to prop himself up and gotten back on his feet.
Impossible.
Succulent had taken over a hundred lives thus far, and he was certain that he
had dealt the kid a mortal blow. There was no way he could still be standing after
that.
However, the sight before him flew in the face of Succulent’s accumulated
experience.
“Why, why can you get up?!”
It was a bone-chilling sight. It was as though Climb were one of the undead.
A long, thin trail of drool oozed from the corner of the boy’s mouth, and his
ashen white face seemed devoid of all humanity.
“I… die… Renner-sama’s… kindness…”

His sudden intake of air froze in Succulent’s lungs as Climb’s burning gaze
turned on him. He was afraid. He was frightened of how this young man had
made the impossible possible.

The young man staggered, and Succulent came to his senses. Shame suddenly
welled up within him.

How could he — as a member of Six Arms — be afraid of someone weaker
than him? How could he possibly accept that?

“Don’t you know how to die?! Go to hell!”
Succulent advanced toward his opponent. He was certain that a single stab
would finish the job.

●

However, he had greatly underestimated his adversary.
It was true that in terms of overall combat ability, Succulent was
overwhelmingly superior to Climb. However, Succulent had chosen to walk the
path of the illusionist and the fencer at the same time, while Climb had been a
warrior all his life. Thus, in terms of martial ability, not only was there no
disparity in strength, but one could even say that Climb was Succulent’s
superior. The only reason why Climb could not match Succulent was due to
magic. Without the aid of spells to enhance him, Succulent was the inferior
combatant.

●

There was a thrumming sound as the blade cleaved down from above, and
then there was a high-pitched clash of metal.

The only reason Succulent could block the boy’s strike was because his
movements were slowed from being on the verge of death.

A rill of cold sweat ran down Succulent’s face.
His foe was dying. Succulent had been distracted by that fact, and his
darkened eyes went wide.
Succulent was a fencer, and he had trained for countless hours to evade his
enemy’s blows. The fact that he had to actually use his blade to block Climb’s hit
was quite extraordinary.

—That was not the attack of a dying man.
Those words raced through Succulent’s increasingly frantic mind.
No, it was not just that. The speed of Climb’s blade had been even faster than
when he was unhurt.
“How the hell did you do that, you bastard!”
This was someone who became stronger through battle. It was not impossible,
but Succulent had never witnessed anyone like that before.
He even began to feel that the young man had thrown off some kind of
limitation.
“What the hell did you do? Was it a magic item? A martial art?!”
From his tone, one would be unable to tell who had come out victorious in
their battle just now.

●

What exactly had happened to Climb? The answer was simple.
Sebas’ training had scrambled the part of his brain that protected his body.
His sheer will to live overlapped with the vision of death which Sebas’ training
had shown him. Thus, he had managed to remove the limits placed on his
physical body by his brain, unlocking the power of the adrenaline surge.
While that training had only allowed Climb to make a single attack, without
that training, he would have died without the chance to do anything at all.

●

After blocking that mighty blow, Succulent was thrown far back.
The impact of his rough landing pierced through his back and churned his
guts. While his orichalcum chain shirt absorbed some of the impact, it knocked
the air from his lungs and left him unable to breathe for a moment.
What had happened? Succulent — who had taken the blow — could not
explain it, but Cocco Doll had been watching from the side and had seen
everything.
Succulent had been kicked.
The boy had promptly kicked Succulent right after his downward chop had
been blocked.

Succulent had no idea what was going on, but he hurriedly rose to his feet. For
fencers — to whom mobility was their greatest asset — being prone on the
ground was a death sentence.

“Dammit! What kind of a soldier are you?! You even kicked me! Soldiers
should stick to what they know and not try new tricks!”

Succulent cursed angrily as he rolled back into an upright position.
Unlike the regimented combat curriculum of ordinary soldiers, Climb’s down
and dirty fighting style made Succulent feel like he was facing an adventurer.
Thus, he could not be underestimated.
Succulent started to worry.
At first, he had thought that the fight was his to lose. Killing a punk like this
should have been a piece of cake. However, he now felt that composure slipping
away from him.
However, as Succulent stood up, he saw the young man who had become a
threat slump to the ground, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The youth’s face looked terrible, as though the series of blows had snuffed out
the flame of his life. No — that was exactly what had happened. This must have
been a last burst of fire, like how candles would flare up before going out. Yes,
that must have been the power he had used.
Right now, that boy would die from the merest tap.
As he saw Climb’s condition, Succulent began to feel relieved, but that was
soon replaced by confusion and anger.
He was furious at the fact that someone like him, a member of Six Arms, had
been so hard-pressed by a miserable little mook like Climb. He was angry at the
fact that he had started to panic. Still, the victor was clear. All he had to do was
kill the kid and run.
However—
“—Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

●

It would seem he had made it in time, somehow.
Climb was face down on the ground, his face covered in sweat, his skin so pale
that it was practically white. Still, he was breathing. That said, the wound on his
belly was fatal, and he would die within a few minutes if it was not immediately

treated.
Brain felt that he could not relax yet as he entered the room.
There were two men inside. One of them did not look like a fighter.
“Don’t pay any attention to that suspicious-looking guy, just kill him!”
“If I do that, he’ll charge up and kill me. This guy isn’t like the punk from just

now. I need to focus and concentrate to beat him. If I’m distracted or get
careless, it’ll be the end of me.”

The person who answered was Succulent. Brain knew exactly who the man
was. He looked just like the description that had been supplied to him. Plus, the
man was holding a bloodstained blade and he had a body double out. Brain had
suspected him from the beginning, and his suspicions had just been confirmed.

Without another word, Brain ran up, drew and slashed. There was no
hesitation in his movements. Succulent had leapt away even before the blow had
landed, and the Katana only struck empty air. However, Brain had only done so
to get his opponent away from Climb. He stood over the fallen Climb, planting
his feet in a location where he could cover the lad.

“Climb, are you alright? Do you have any healing items on you?”
His words were quick and tense. If Climb did not have anything like that, he
would have to find some other way to save him.
“Hahhhh. Hahhh. Hahh. Hah. Ye… yes… I do…”
He glanced over and saw that Climb’s hands had released his sword and begun
to move.
“Really now.”
A great weight lifted off Brain’s shoulders. After answering Climb, he glared
fiercely at Succulent.
“I’ll take you on next. Allow me to avenge that kid.”
“…You’re pretty cocky. But that’s only to be expected. To think you’d be
carrying such a valuable weapon from the South… I don’t think I’ve heard of
anyone like you before… mind telling me your name?”
He did not intend to answer.
Climb was a comrade — a brother-in-arms. How could anyone reply calmly
when one’s brother was on the brink of death?
Just then, a doubt blossomed in Brain’s heart.
Was I like that in the past?
His old self had lived for nothing other than honing his swordplay. When had
he cared about anything else?

Then, he chuckled to himself.
…Oh. I get it now.
His ambition, his dream, his goal, his life, his way of living — all of them had
been shattered beyond recovery by the monster called Shalltear Bloodfallen, and
the cracks in his heart which had appeared had then been filled by the person
called Climb. When faced with the vicious bloodlust from the mysterious Sebas,
Brain had been driven to his knees, but Climb — though weaker than him — had
endured through it. It was then, when Brain was filled with admiration, that
Climb had worked his way into Brain’s heart. That was because Brain had seen a
spark of manly radiance within Climb that he himself had lacked.
He stood before Climb, locking eyes with Succulent. Did Climb now see in
Brain’s back the same determination that Brain had seen in Climb’s?
His old self would have laughed at this. His old self would have laughed at how
weak he had become.
In the past, he had believed that these things were nothing more than
weaknesses to a warrior. He had believed that all a warrior needed was to be as
sharp as a sword.
However — he understood now.
“So that was how you viewed life… I see, Gazef… It seems that even now, I’m
still no match for you.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m asking you again, could you tell me your name?”
“Forgive me. While I feel there’s no point in telling you, well… I am Brain
Unglaus.”
Succulent’s eyes widened into saucers.
“What? You mean that…!”
“No way! The man himself? Are you kidding me?!”
“No, I don’t think it’s a mistake, Cocco Doll-san. Valuable weapons indicate a
warrior’s level. A Katana like that certainly suits someone like him.”
A wry grin crossed Brain’s face.
“More than half the people I’ve met recognized me… well, my old self would
have been proud. Right now, it’s a little more complicated.”
Brain had no idea why Succulent was smiling at him so companionably.
However, his doubts were soon answered.
“I say, Unglaus! There’s no point in us fighting, is there? Someone strong like
you is worthy of recruiting. Why not become one of us? You could easily become
a member of Six Arms with strength like yours. It’s plainly obvious how skilled

you are. You’re just like me, aren’t you? You want to become strong. I can tell by
looking in your eyes.”

“…You do have it at that.”
“Right? Then let me tell you. Eight Fingers is a pretty good place. It’s great for
those who are strong. They’ll give you all the magic items you want, as powerful
as you like. Look at this orichalcum chain shirt! This mythril sword! These rings!
These clothes! These boots! They’re all magic items! Come, Brain Unglaus. Join
us. Join the Six Arms.”
“…Worthless. Is that all there is to your organization?”
Brain’s unimaginably cold and contemptuous attitude froze the smile on
Succulent’s face.
“Say what?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said, if that’s all there is to you, you won’t amount to
anything even if you band together.”
“You! …Hmph. Well, if you say that, then your strength’s nothing special
either!”
“Indeed. Someone like me is nothing special. I learned that very well after
witnessing a true monster.”
Brain pitied Succulent and his haughty attitude. He truly was like a frog in a
well. Thus, Brain decided to give him a sincere warning.
“It’s the same with your strength. Perhaps we’re the same way. That’s why I
want to warn you — we’re nothing special.”
Brain turned back and glanced over his shoulder at Climb, who had drunk his
healing potion.
“Also, I’ve learned one more thing. Strength gained for someone is greater
than what a person can train up by themselves.
Brain smiled. It was a kind, carefree smile.
“Perhaps it’s only a little, but in the end, I do understand.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about… What a shame, Unglaus. What a
shame that I have to kill a genius swordsman who once stood on par with the
mighty Gazef Stronoff.”
“Can you do it, with that sword which you only swing for yourself?”
“Of course I can kill you. That’s easy enough. And after I kill you, I’ll kill that
brat on the ground. No more holding back, and no more games. I’m going all-
out.”
As Brain watched Succulent begin an incantation, he sensed someone moving

behind him and issued a warning.
“Climb-kun, don’t move. You’re not fully recovered yet, are you?”
Climb froze.
Brain smiled. He was as surprised by this as he was by what he had done just

now. Then, he added:
“Leave the rest to me.”
“—Thank you very much.”
Brain smiled by way of reply and sheathed his sword. Then, he lowered his

stance and turned the sword and sheath over at his waist.
“Please be careful. Succulent uses illusions. What you see may not be real.”
“I see… yes, quite a tricky opponent. Still, it’ll be fine.”
Brain stayed where he was, staring silently at Succulent. He had created five

illusory duplicates out of nowhere, and he gleamed with what seemed to be a
magical radiance. In addition, he seemed to have donned some kind of shadowy
cloak. Brain had no idea what kind of magic Succulent had used.

“Thank you for giving me time to prepare. Magic casters are more powerful
than warriors when they can prepare themselves. You lose, Unglaus!”

“Hm, no need to thank me. After talking to him… well, I’m pretty sure I can’t
lose.”

“…Big words for a hired blade! So you’re staying there to protect that punk.
How sweet of you.”

Brain heard the sound of Climb shifting from down where he lay at Brain’s
feet.

Climb must have been feeling guilty about giving the enemy time to prepare
himself. Therefore, Brain made a declaration, loud enough that Climb could
hear.

“—One strike.”
“What?”
“I said, I’m going to take you down in one strike, Succulent.”
“Try it if you can!”
Succulent charged him, wreathed by his afterimages.
As his opponent entered his attack range, Brain swiveled, completely ignoring
how he was exposing his defenseless back to the oncoming Succulent. And then
— with Climb in between — Brain drew with incredible speed and cut at the
empty air.

●

There was a mighty crash as the walls shook.
The still-prone Climb and Cocco Doll turned to look at the source of the
sound.
Succulent lay there. He had rolled to the ground and was motionless. His
sword had fallen to the ground.
Brain’s mighty draw-cut had sent Succulent flying, smashing him into the wall
with tremendous force, after which he had collapsed to the ground. If Brain had
not hit him with the back of his sword, Succulent would have been lying in two
pieces instead of one. Even the orichalcum chain shirt he wore made no
difference, so powerful was that blow.
“…My [Field] can pick up anything — even the invisible. The illusion in front
was meant to get my attention so he could attack from behind… A cunning move,
but unfortunately, he used it against me. Plus, attacking Climb-kun was a poor
choice for you. Let me guess, you wanted to kill him and then mock me for not
being able to protect him. However, you were so focused on attacking Climb-
kun who was lying on the ground that you didn’t keep an eye on me. Did you
forget who you were fighting?”
Brain sheathed his sword, and smiled to Climb.
“Told you, didn’t I? One strike.”
“Well done!” Climb said.
But someone else had said “well done” besides Climb, and both voices
blended together. That person was Sebas, and that was nothing special. Rather,
it was where the voice had come from which was surprising.
Both of them looked to where Cocco Doll had been standing.
In his place was Sebas, and beside him was the limp form of Cocco Doll.
“When did you arrive?”
Sebas responded calmly to Brain’s question:
“Just now. I believe you were both focused on Succulent and did not notice
me.”
“Is, is that so.”
No way, Brain though as he answered.
I had [Field] active, didn’t I? It might have a narrow radius, but I should have

sensed him if he had come running up to us. But I didn’t sense him at all… Until now,
only that monster Shalltear Bloodfallen could do that. Well, I had my suspicions when
he emitted his murderous intent back then, but now I’m sure of it — he’s the match of
that monster. Where does he come from?

“In any case, the people locked up here have been rescued. Also, Climb-kun.
I’m sorry, but some people put up fierce resistance, so I had to kill them. Please
forgive me… but before that, I ought to heal your wounds.”

Sebas came before Climb and laid his hands on Climb’s belly. It was a brief
contact — he removed his hand right after touching him. However, the results
were plainly obvious. Climb’s face had still been pale after drinking the potion,
but now he was back to a healthy state.

“My wounds are healed… Are you a priest?”
“No, I did not use the power of the gods. Instead, I infused my Ki into you for
healing.”
“A monk, then! No wonder,” Brain exclaimed. Now he understood why Sebas
was neither armed nor armored. Sebas merely smiled as an affirmative.
“Then, what do you two plan to do next?”
“Well, I intend to hurry to the nearest guard post, explain the situation, and
come back with some men. I hope you two gentlemen can hold the fort here
until then. For all we know, Eight Fingers might send reinforcements.
“…Well, I’m already on this boat, might as well enjoy the ride.”
“It is fine with me as well. However, could I trouble you not to mention me? I
came to this country to do business, and to be honest, I do not wish to continue
interfering in the underworld of a foreign nation.”
“I’m fine. If anyone asks, just say Stronoff will vouch for me.”
“I understand. I will do as the two of you say. Then, please allow me to make
use of you two gentlemen for now.”

3

Lower Fire Month, 3rd Day – 19:05
Climb finally returned to the Royal Palace as darkness began to spread over
the Royal Capital.
His wounds were completely healed, but he was dog-tired. The fighting had
taken quite some time, and so had coordinating matters after the fact. In the
end, things had worked out not because Climb had Renner’s backing, but
because the soldiers were afraid of Eight Fingers and did not dare handle things
too eagerly. The biggest problem had been the question of taking responsibility.
The person in charge might as well become a target of Eight Fingers — to be
made into an example. This was not a distant probability, but a distinct
possibility. Therefore, Climb had simply written the events down and asked the
soldiers to send it to Renner. After receiving her approval, he had signed his
name and that of his mistress Renner as the people responsible.
Of course, there were drawbacks to doing so but there were at least two merits
to that approach.
The first was that Renner’s reputation would be boosted.
She had acted against an organization eating away at the heart of the
Kingdom, and they were a filthy band of slave trading scoundrels to boot. In
addition, her subordinate had led the charge against that crime syndicate. That
would surely boost the public opinion of Renner, who otherwise remained
within the Palace.
The second was that they could protect Sebas, and the woman he had rescued
from abuse in that brothel.

Now that Climb and Renner had taken credit for that, it would keep Sebas and
that woman from drawing attention, and it would also avoid them becoming
priority targets for Eight Fingers.

I didn’t do anything during the raid… it’s the least I can do…
As for Brain, he said he would speak to Gazef on his own account, and he
encouraged Climb not to worry.
Climb thought about those things as he knocked on Renner’s door.
Renner had told him there was no need to knock and that he should enter
directly. However, the hour was late, and it was still impolite to charge into her
room without giving notice. Ever since he had accidentally seen Renner in a
sheer silk nightie, he made sure to knock every time he visited.
His mistress had agreed on that.
While Climb waited for an answer, he sniffed himself.
He had bathed and scrubbed himself, but he was not certain that the stink of
blood was gone because his nose was used to it. Frankly speaking, he should not
have entered Renner’s bedchambers in this attire, but it was imperative that he
reported the day’s events to Renner in his own words.
The most important thing was the people who had been locked up in that
place. They were currently in the custody of the guard post, but they would need
to be taken somewhere safe within a few days. Some of them were hurt, so he
had to arrange for priests and other healers to go and help them.
Renner-sama is kind. She will surely lend a hand to the people if they are in need.
Climb felt his heart grow heavy as he thought about all the things he would be
troubling his mistress with. He could not help but think about how much better
it would be if he were stronger. It was all thanks to her that he could lead a life
like this and serve such a great mistress, yet he could not do more for her.
…Strange. There didn’t seem to be an answer… There wasn’t one, right?
He had not heard her granting him permission to enter.
Nobody was standing watch in front of the door, so Renner ought not to be
asleep yet. Could she have accidentally fallen asleep without informing the night
watchman?
Climb knocked again.
This time, Climb heard a quiet voice granting him entry from inside the room.
That put his heart at ease and he entered. He had already decided on the first
thing he would do.
“Forgive my late return.”

He bowed his head low, in apology.
“I was so worried!”
Climb could hear distinct anger in Renner’s voice, which surprised him.
Climb’s mistress very rarely got angry. Even when insulted, she had never
displayed her anger in front of Climb. That was why he was acutely aware that
Renner had been truly worried about him.
He struggled against the warm tears that threatened to leak from the corner
of his eyes, and lowered his head in sincere apology.
“I was really worried about you! When I thought about how Eight Fingers
might have struck first and done something to you, I… then, what exactly
happened? I received a brief report, but can you explain in detail?”
Climb was going to deliver his report from a standing position, but Renner
insisted that he sit down.
Thus, Climb took a seat. There was a teacup in front of him, and Renner
poured him a piping hot cup of tea from her Warm Bottle.
After thanking her, he sipped at the tea.
Climb then narrated the entire situation to Renner, because some people
needed her help.
“What did you think of those people when you saw them?”
Climb was briefly baffled by the first question Renner had asked after hearing
the proceedings. However, she had asked, so he had to answer.
“I felt sorry for them. If I were stronger, I could have saved these people from
their suffering.”
“Really now… You must have felt sorry for them, Climb.”
“I did.”
“Is that so. You’re really nice, Climb.”
“Renner-sama, if you need me to protect them, I can go at any time. I have
already resolved myself.”
“…I’ll call on you when the time comes. Let’s leave that aside for now; I have
something to tell you. Tomorrow, or the day after at latest, we intend to launch
attacks on the Eight Fingers bases indicated on the parchment Lakyus gave us.
You can imagine how their defenses will become stronger as time goes on,
thanks to the attack on the brothel.”
“My sincerest apologies! It was my fault for acting on my own!”
“No, please pay it no heed. Think of it as us deciding on a course of action.
Besides, I do like how you performed this time round, Climb. You captured

Succulent, a member of Six Arms, and brought in Cocco Doll, the head of the
Slavery Division. That ought to shake our opponents to the core. Therefore, I
want to capitalize on this victory.”

Renner lightly punched the air in a cute way.
“We’ll hit them again before they can get the word out of the Royal Capital!”
“Understood! I will go rest now, and gather my strength for tomorrow’s
operations!”
“Please do. I think tomorrow will be quite an exciting day. Please keep that in
mind.”

●

Climb left the room. He felt the scent of blood had faded away somewhat.
“Thank you very much, Climb. Next…”
After finishing the now-cool tea, Renner stood up. She walked over to a
handbell. If she shook it, the bell in the adjacent room would shake as well. As
she thought of the face of the maid waiting in the next room, she smiled coldly.
How fortunate that she was on duty today.
“My my, what kind of expression should I put on now?”
Renner went up before the mirror and cupped her face with both hands. Then
she rubbed up and down. She was only human, and doing so would not change
the shape of her face. It was merely a form of self-affirmation.
Renner let go, and smiled.
“No, this is the smile a princess wears for meeting others…”
Renner smiled again. She went through a variety of them before settling on a
pure, innocent smile.
“This is best.”
After her preparations were complete, Renner shook the bell. Soon, a maid
knocked on the door and entered.
“Could you do something for me? Could you help me boil some hot water?”
“At once, Renner-sama.”
The maid bowed, and Renner smiled to her.
“What’s the matter? You seem quite happy today. Did something good
happen?”
Now that her prey had taken the bait, Renner’s smile grew ever more joyful.

“Hey, did you know? Climb-kun did really good today! It was amazing!”
She spoke like a child. It was the attitude which fit a foolish princess leaking
important information all over the place.
“Well, isn’t that lovely.”
The maid hated Climb, and she tried her best to hide her displeasure.
However, she could not keep her emotions out of her words.
—Die.
—You should die.
—Everyone who dares look down on my Climb should die.
Renner pretended she had not heard the maid’s response, because Renner was
an innocent little princess. She did not sense others’ ill intentions and took their
rudeness in stride. She was a naive, innocent — and foolish princess.
“Yup! He was soooo amazing! Climb beat up a whole bunch of bad guys! And
then he rescued a lot of people the bad guys locked up! He sent them to… Yeah,
I think he sent them to a guard post. Now we can punish the nobles who helped
the bad guys do bad things!”
“Really now? Marvelous, that’s Renner-sama’s Climb-san for you. Then, could
I trouble you to tell me of his heroic deeds?”
The maid believed the princess was clueless and would not suspect anything.
Thus, Renner began ensnaring that stupid woman in her scheme.
Everything sat within the palm of her hand. All this was in order to gain what
she wanted.

●

Lower Fire Month, 3rd Day – 22:10
A strange-looking group blended into the darkness.
They were all outfitted differently, without any sense of regimentation or
unity. The closest thing to them would probably be adventurers.
At their head was a stout, muscular man. Behind him was an effete-looking
pretty boy and a woman in gauzy silks. Behind him was a robed person, and
someone in a suit of full plate armor brought up the rear.
The group were looking at an opened door. The room beyond was pitch-dark,
and they sensed that any previous occupants were long gone. A look around did
not turn up anyone else.

This was quite a strange situation. Indeed, the brothel should have been
stripped bare and taken to a guard post. That said, someone ought to have been
posted to stand watch, even if the place was empty. In fact, if one looked along
the otherwise empty streets, one would be able to see signal fires where the
night watch would have been stationed.

Yet, there was nobody here. That was because this group had used their
influence to temporarily get rid of the sentries.

The stone-faced man at their head — Zero — glared fiercely at the gutted
brothel and growled:

“This is too big to be a mere joke. I need to apologize to Cocco Doll. I lent him
Succulent of Six Arms, but to think this place was taken down so easily, and on
the day I sent him over… What a joke.”

Sneering laughter came from behind him. Zero turned and fixed the source of
that laughter with a razor-sharp gaze.

The woman in silks knew Zero’s personality, and she hurriedly said:
“Ah, well… So boss, what should we do now? Should we kill Succulent, since
he got captured? If we’re going with that, he ought to be at the guard post. We’re
all the direct-attack sort, and if it doesn’t work out we’ll have to borrow assassins
from the other departments… what about it?”
“There’s no need to go to such lengths. Even a man like him has his uses. I’ll
just ask the Count to release him… that’ll cost a pretty penny, though. Go make
a list of what the Count likes.”
“How about Cocco Doll?” the delicate pretty boy asked.
“He has his own connections. If he has any requests, we’ll handle them
through our connections. Count it as a form of apology. How about the guest
list? I heard the guards took it, no?”
“Information on that front has not come in yet. Or rather, I hear they have
not learned any concrete details”
The voice from under the robe was grim. It was as though someone were
speaking out of a grave. The sepulchral voice sent a chill down its listener’s
spines.
“I’d like to get my hands on it. We can use it for all sorts of blackmail.”
“Don’t be foolish. If we obtain it, the other divisions will be even more
suspicious of us. People are already suspecting that we were behind all of this. If
we find the guest list somewhere, give it to Cocco Doll several days later and
apologize. Besides, the list ought to be in an unbreakable code, so you won’t be

able to use it anyway.”
The pretty boy shrugged in response to Zero’s spiel.
“In any case, we’ll investigate this matter later on. My guess is if it exists, it’ll

be in the hidden vault… still, whoever broke this door down really did a number
on it. How did they make this hole? I doubt they used a weapon… was it magic?”

“It was a fist.”
All eyes went to Zero’s body. Zero repeated himself — that these traces were
made by a fist.
“Fists… Well, that’s quite something.”
“—Don’t be foolish. This much is nothing.”
Zero took a breath and interrupted the woman’s awed gasp, then he chopped
at the door with a knife hand. His hand sank into the door like he was tearing
through paper. Zero withdrew his hand, leaving a dent which matched the one
Sebas had left.
The pretty boy spoke up, somewhat lamely:
“Well, you’re not a good comparison, boss… still, our enemy can break down
a steel-reinforced door. While Succulent was the weakest of us, that still means
he took down a member of Six Arms. Should we take him as a potential enemy,
then?”
“That said, if Succulent lost, that does not indicate the foe is very strong, no?”
There was an undercurrent of mockery in the robed person’s voice.
“He is far weaker than us once you see through his illusions. He’s good against
people he outmatches, but he’ll go down against any decent opposition. Did you
not know that?”
He was answered by several chuckles. This was both a sign of approval, and a
sign of mockery for those weaker than themselves.
“We’ve said everything that needs to be said. I’ll ask again — what should we
do? Shall we pull back? I don’t think clashing with our opponent will be worth
the potential losses?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Zero’s words were laced with an anger which he could not completely
suppress.”
“Our reputation will be damaged if we don’t make an example of the person
who attacked this place. Screw the losses. Six Arms will move out together and
eliminate the attacker. ‘Undying King’ Davernoch.”
The robed man extended a hand. Said hand did not belong on a living creature,

and it clutched an orb that radiated a bizarre aura in response to its owner’s
emotions.

“‘Void Cutter’ Peshurian.”
The hitherto silent man in full plate armor pounded his chest with a
resounding clash of metal.
“‘Dancing Scimitars’ Edström.”
The silk-clad woman dipped her head elegantly, as the bangles on her wrists
clattered.
“‘Thousand Kills’ Malmvist.”
The pretty boy clicked his heels together with a resounding report.
“And then myself, ‘Battle Demon’ Zero!”
The people around him nodded to show their agreement and understanding.
“First, we’ll bail out Succulent and question him. After that… find a good
torturer. We’re going to show that attacker the true meaning of hell. We’ll make
him regret his foolishness!”

●

Lower Fire Month, 3rd Day – 17:42
It was sunset by the time everything was over and Sebas returned home.
Climb-kun’s protecting all the captured people. Succulent, the owner, and everyone
else was arrested. That ought to keep them quiet for a while. Hopefully that can buy
some time.
Then, what should he do about Tsuare? Sebas felt that the best option would
be to bring her somewhere safe, but Sebas knew there was only one truly safe
place in all the world.
As Sebas agonized over the matter, his feet brought him back home.
Just as he was about to open the door, his hand froze. Someone was behind
the door. He sensed that it was Solution, but Sebas had no idea why she was
standing behind it.
Was there an emergency of some sort?
Sebas had a bad feeling about this, but he still opened the door. What he saw
next defied his expectations and left him frozen in place.
“Welcome back, Sebas-sama.”
Solution was standing there in her maid’s uniform.

A chill ran down Sebas’ spine.
Solution — who played the role of a merchant heiress — was wearing her maid
uniform in the presence of Tsuare, a human who knew nothing about the truth.
Was it because she did not need to act any longer, or was there some reason
which required her to wear her uniform?
If it was the former, that would mean something had happened to Tsuare. If
it was the latter—
“—Sebas-sama. Ainz-sama is waiting for you inside the house.”
Solution’s calm, even voice made Sebas’ heart lurch in his chest.
Sebas, who could remain calm in the face of a mighty foe or a being on the
level of the Floor Guardians, was actually anxious and tense when he heard his
own master had come to visit.
“Why, why is he…” Sebas stammered. Solution merely watched him in silence.
“Sebas-sama. Ainz-sama is waiting for you.”
There was nothing else to be said. All Sebas could do was follow Solution into
the house.
His steps were heavy, like a condemned criminal walking to the chopping
block.

OVERLORD
Character Profiles













Afterword

This is the author, Kugane Maruyama. Overlord has reached its 5th volume in
the blink of an eye. Please allow me to thank everyone who has supported this
series. Thank you very much!

Speaking of which, since Volumes 5 and 6 are going to be linked, I was
wondering, “do I need an afterword?” I discussed it with Editor-san and in the
end Editor-san said that some readers would look forward to it, so I should
probably write one… But does anyone really look forward to the afterword? Are
afterwords really that interesting…? Hm, so does Editor-san mean that I should
force myself to write something interesting?

Something interesting… Well, in order to handle the myriad issues that have
cropped up for Volumes 5 and 6, I spent all my days off between August to the
end of November at home in order to rush out the book… that’s all I have.

Also, since Volume 6 includes a Drama CD like Volume 4, time is even tighter
than normal. It’s a really breakneck pace…

But that’s a part-time writer for you!
Hm. It’s… not interesting at all. I’m ruining everyone’s hopes and dreams, I
know.
Then, let’s change the topic.
The Web Novel version of Overlord is also updating, but Volume 6 is going to
be 90% new content.
Initially, I focused on adding new elements when rewriting the Web Novel
chapters for release. You will see this in the next volume.
The manuscript is already complete, so if nothing crops up, it ought to come
out for sale in January 2014. I hope we can meet again in that volume’s afterword.
Now then, the thanks.
So-bin-sama, who does illustrations for the books, Chord Design Studio,
which does the book design, Ōsako-sama, who does proofreading, F-da-sama,

the Editor, as well as everyone who helped to make Overlord — thank you,
everyone. Also, thank you for all your help, Honey.

Finally, thank you to all you readers for buying this book! You have my
sincerest gratitude!

Kugane Maruyama

December 2013