This was long. UGGGGHHHH. Also I have a Japanese exam next week so I want to focus on that for a bit so I will not translate until the 3rd of Dec. Cheers and thanks for reading.
The Capital City of the Kingdom Part 11
Translators: Frostfire10
Climb was holding a black lump. It was wriggling in his hands and was extremely soft, so it was flattening in his hands due to its weight.
Climb hit that strange ball full of liquid and splattered it on his armour.
The ball spread out with a splash, and made a black mark on Climb's white armour. What Climb held was a ball with black dyes. This explained this scene.
However, that was not the end. He did not simply destroy that ball.
The black dye on his armour moved, and spread out across the armour's surface. After a few seconds, there was not a place left unstained, and the sparkling white turned into a deep black.
The ball Climb destroyed was an item known as a
The reason he was using this was of course, because Climb's pure white armour was too eye-catching. However, changing colour like this had the merit of not being associated with Climb since his normal image was strong.
"Climb."
Confirming that he had finished changing colour, Lakyus had believed that he had finished preparations and came over. She began to give the final briefing.
This job this time was to attack the four brothels, save the people inside, and retrieve any secret documents. They would prioritise the removal of the staff, and if they were customers, they would knock them unconscious. The reason why they were saving the guests was as they could be used as weapons for Marquis Raeven.
The attack on the four brothels was split into four. Two would be handled by Blue Rose. One would be handled by another adventurer party. Climb would observe the last brothel.
After that, a party that finished their attack would attack the last brothel with Climb.
The secrecy of this job was extremely high, and the Noble Faction could not know of this. Thus, they would prevent it from escalating into a large commotion. They would also prevent information from being leaked.
Climb listened to Lakyus' explanation and nodded.
"Understood."
"Then, take care."
"Oh, is the conversation over?"
"Gagaran-sama."
Just a bit away from them were the members of Blue Rose—Evileye, Tia and Tina. Gagaran separated from them and came over.
Her outfit was different from when they were in the inn, and she were covered in first-class magic items.
Her blackish red full plate mails chestpiece had spikes and a rune that looked like an eye. This was the famous armour [Gaze Pain].
Her gauntlet was changed slightly, and a pair of entwinign snakes was engraved in. Those who touched the gauntlets would be healed, and it was known as [The Gauntlets of Caducus].
The large warpick that one could only use with both hands was [Fell Iron (Feruaian)]. The large crimson cape that a member of nobility would wear was the [Crimson Guardian]. Hidden under her armour was the [Vest of Resistance], the [Amulet of Dragontooth] the [Belt of Greater Power], the [Wing Boots] and the [Circlet of Twister]. Her rings also had large amounts of power imbued in it.
This was the full loadout of one of the members of The Kingdom's Strongest Adventurer Party, the strongest warrior, Gagaran.
"What are you here for?"
Lakyus spoke back in cold words, and her body was also covered in items no inferior to Gagaran's.
First was the magic sword whose name knowed no bounds, the Demon Sword Kirineiram. It was a bastard sword, and since it was in its sheath he could not see its blade, which was said to look like a pitch black night sky. However, he could tell that the grip alone was of amazing make. Especially the giant black sapphire embedded in its hilt, and shines as if it were a magical fire.
Her full plate armour had a shine that could only be explained by it being a mix of platinum and gold, and multiple unicorns were engraved itit. Since it could only be worn by women and could not be dirtied, it was known as the [Virgin Snow].
Opposing such a shiny armour, the cloak on her back was a mouse-coloured cotton cloth. This was the [Cloak of Rat Speed] that could grant higher movement speed, sensitivity and evasion, that one could not tell based on its appearance.
It was not only that. She had magic items that rivalled Gagaran's.
Even one would cause one's eyes to pop from the price, having this many was precisely because they were adventurers.
"Oi oi, Leader is strict. She is thinking about teaching Climb about fighting."
"What! ….Haaa. Well it's fine, that's to that girl this is quite a rushed job. We don't have enough time to relax you know? End this quickly."
"Yes yes. But, Lakyus. Can we use that?"
"That is….Kirineiram? It's fine though…."
"Really? Well, don't push yourself. If it gets bad tell us anytime."
"Eh? I don't really get it, but fine."
Lakyus returned to the other members of Blue Rose and Gagaran watched her go. Gagaran then took something took out from her breast pocket. She then thrust it out to Climb.
"Bring this along."
Gagaran passed him handbells. Three of them. In appearance, they were very similar, but the design on them was different. Climb had heard of what they were and when to use them.
"This is…."
"I don't think you'll use it, but this is just in case."
"But…."
The reason why Climb was hesitating was as it was not an item that an attacker like him would use. Gagaran then laughed away Climb's worries.
"Ha. We will leave this to Tia and Tina. There is no chance for any detection items to be used. So, it is better for you to use this." Gagaran lowered her voice. "However, because of that, don't try to use it. Properly evaluate the situation and you it."
Climb was about to ask, but at that moment, Evileye spoke up with an annoyed voice.
"Are you not ready yet, Gagaran!"
"Ouu. I'm coming!"
Looking back at him, Gagaran gave Climb some advice.
"If we get there first there will be no problem. But if the other party get here, the chance that they will find you a bother will be high. Well, if a weird person joined your party, it might not function well. So try not to be a bother."
"Yes. I understand."
"Then fine. Well, don't hesitate."
After those words, Gagaran walked towards her comrades. Seeing that large retreating figure, Climb then turned his gaze to the bells he was given.
It was normal for one to sleep when the sun set in this world. This was as lights cost money. For poor families, they wanted to save on lamp oil. Thus, the lives of villagers were healthy ones.
However, cities were not like that. Firstly magic items that could provide
However, Climb was heading to a place where the words narrow alley could not even describe.
Climb remained silent on the quiet road, and walked without light. The reason why he could walk in a pitch dark lane was due to his helm, the
15 metres ahead of him was the limit, but the scene he could see from the narrow slit was as bright as day.
Since an armour made of mithril was not as noisy as a normal full plate armour, it did not destroy the quiet atmosphere. The sound of the crossbow at his waist hitting his armour was not loud either.
Without a person with exceptional observational skills or a great rogue, Climb's footsteps could not be heard from within the building.
He had already passed the area where Sebas had picked up Tsuare, and he went a few blocks further and placed his hand on a nearby door.
He used some force, and slowly, as if to not make sound, pushed the door open. As if knowing that it should open, the door opened as if it had no hesitation.
As the door opened, the stench of stale air leaked out.
It was completely black, but Climb could see without any problems, and entered silently.
Closing the door with the back of his hand, Climb first checked with his ears. Confirming that he could not hear anything, Climb took the next step.
He began slowly walking.
While the floor underneath Climb creaked due to his weight, Climb moved one with caution. There was the possibility that the wooden floor was rotten. If there was a basement, this would be a natural pitfall trap.
In the completely black room, every step Climb took kicked up dust and the smell of mold. The fortunate thing was that there were no smells other than that.
There were monsters within cities. For example, the one metre long Giant Ant or Giant Cockroach. Such monsters have particular smells. If there was no smell, there was no monster.
Confirming his safety, Climb returned to the door, and made a slight gap. He then peeked out. Unfortunately due to the angle, Climb could not see his goal of the brothel.
Climb was observing a different building.
Why was he observing a different building?
The reason was simple.
The building that Climb was observing was a part of the brothel.
The brothel was a two storey building, but the first nor second floor were used. It was the underground that was truly used. Yes, the store spread out under the ground.
The building that Climb was observing was another entrance to the shop—This was an extremely hidden exit that they learnt of because the thieve's guild had investigated it.
Originally it might have been better to observe the normal door. However, Tia who was excellent as a thief, had scouted the area and found that this house was the safest.
If it was a person with Tia's amazing theif skills, they could observe the building with the entrance as well. However, a novice like Climb could not. Thus he was peeking out from this house.
The building Climb was observing had the same appearance as the surrounding houses, and had a dilapidated look. However, there was no light leaking from it. If it was an emergency exit, there would be people there.
Climb stared at the location without moving. Then—
"Kushun."
—He made a cute sneeze.
He looked at his surroundings, he confirmed that there was no one there to hear him. He then pulled a thin cloth and a handkerchief from the pouch at his waist.
He then removed his helm. The effect of night vision was granted by the helm, thus was cut when he removed it, and was shrouded in darkness. He was unable to see his surroundings for an instant.
However this was predicted. Climb continued his actions without panicking.
Climb covered his nose with a handkerchief. The dust in this house would stick to his mucus. After repeatedly blowing his nose, and confirming that he removed any itchiness, Climb folded his handkerchief. He then tied a cloth around his mouth and nose. After covering the bottom half of his face, he put on his helm.
Breathing was painful to a certain extent, but it was better than inhaling dust.
If Climb's inner state was turned into words, it would be something along those lines.
He then silenced himself and stared at the scene.
In the midst of things, he reminiscenced about a certain old man.
He was extremely strong, and had the same goals. However, it would cause problems to his master, and thus he could not be involved. And more importantly he could not pull in an unknown third party.
Climb believed that Sebas could be trusted, but this problem could extend to Renner, and so he could not borrow his power.
Looking at the situation silently, how did he pass this boring time? Suddenly, Climb heard a strange sound.
It was the sound of something large and heavy being moved.
The sound was metallic. It was like a full plate wearing warrior was being thrown aside, and Climb peeked out in a panic. However he could not see anything from his position.
Should he open the door to peek? Climb hesitated.
This might have been Lady Luck shining down upon him.
The door Climb was observing. It was open. While bathed in the light from inside, a man poked his head out. He was a man that did not have a good appearance. In one of his hands was a metallic shine. It was a drawn shortsword.
"Oi! The door is broken!"
The man looking checking the outside was probably speaking to someone on the inside.
What broken door? One did not even need to think about it, it was probably the entrance. It seems that the steel door was broken by a third unknown party.
Did one of the groups from the other shops come? If that was the case, why did they not inform Climb? Did they not tell him because he would be a bother. Or was it—
"Did the people of the Noble Faction move?"
There was a chance that a person made his move without knowing that Climb was here. Those that would do that were probably of the Noble Faction.
This was bad.
Climb panicked.
If it were a person from the Noble Faction, the plan to keep this all under wraps would go up in smoke.
Despite being troubled, Climb had to make his choice.
It was what it do. If information leaked to the Noble Faction, the Earl would take action. Then the Royal Faction would have their power chipped away. Personally, Climb did not think anything about the rotten nobles who were affiliated to the brothels. However, he did not wish for the weakening of the Royal Faction.
The weakening of the Royal Faction would be detrimental to Renner. He could not allow that.
Climb decided so.
His heart quieted down. His heart could not waver to erase Renner's enemies. The debt that was born when he was a child. And the gratitude that was raised in him thereafter. And his love. If it was for Renner, he would throw his life away.
Climb drew his sword, and moved from the door. His aim was the man.
While is was a metal armour of mithril, there was no way that it would make no sound. Hearing a metallic sound from behind him, the man turned back in a panic.
However everything was too late.
What he saw was the flash of a blade, and the shadowy figure appearing from the darkness.
As Climb swung down his sword, the man had his neck cut, and his head rolled to the floor. His short sword dropped to the floor in a clatter.
Climb entered the building without looking at the fate of the man. Even though he just entered a room full of light, Climb had his vision magically improved and thus there would have no problems.
The man there was already alone.
His shortsword and leather armour caused him to have the same figure as the man earlier. Confirming that he was not one of the people that Lakyus had showed him, Climb closed the gap in an instant.
"What! Who are you!"
The man thrust his shortsword out to Climb in a panic, but Climb in black armour easily repelled it.
He swung down his sword.
He tried to stop it with his short sword, but it was not enough not stop a blow with Climb's full body weight in it. Blowing away his short sword, Climb's sword embedded itself into the man's shoulder and into his chest.
"GyaAa!"
The man's screams reverberated, and he fell to the ground, twitching.
Climb believed that it was a fatal wound, and immediately ventured further into the room. After confirming that there was no one, he climbed to the second floor.
One minute later.
Confirming that there were no enemies, he returned to the door. Seeing that the collapsed man was not moving, he fled outside. Steadying his breath, he pulled the corpse outside back in. Closing the door, he took out a bag of liquid and poured its contents on the bloodstains.
The special smell of the liquid in his bag mixed with the thick stench of blood, and caused the smell of blood to lessen. If one came closer it would not fool them, but if they were a distance away, they would not notice.
And thus the clamorous cleanup ended, and Climb faced the entrance of the building with determination.
A thick metal door had fallen onto the road. The door was wooden with metal plates nailed into it, and its center had a different metal hammered into it.
The door was forced open with great strength. And the knob was twisted into a weird shape.
There was no way that a human could do this with physical strength. A tool was possible. No, even with a tool, no human could do this in a short period of time.
Then the next thing would be magic.
There was magic that could destroy items. Using that, one could destroy hinges or the lock of the door, even a heavy one.
Climb peeked inside. The path continued on straight from the open entrance, and led to a closed door.
He could not feel the presence of anyone. Even if he strained his ears, he could not hear anything. However it was certain that there was an intruder.
Confirming this, Climb frantically returned to the building that was attacked.
The door was opened in a rough manner, as if kicked in and had fallen inwards. The room was filled with the smell of blood. He had looked around in the building before, but he did not find any door or path leading underground. Basically it was hidden.
Since Climb did not have any thief-type skills, he could not find it by looking around the room. If there was a fine powder like flour in the room, he could blow it around and see where it led.
It was a method that worked by having the powder entering the cracks of the hidden door. However, he neither had the flour nor the time. While Climb was like this, the mystery invader was making his way in as well.
Thus Climb took out a magic item from his pocket. It was the group of handbells that Gagaran gave him. Comparing it to the drawings he was given, he picked one of the three.
The name of the magic item he selected was the
He waved it once. A refreshing sound that could only be heard by its owner spread into the air.
Reacting to the sound, a light shone from a corner of the room. It began to flicker, and showed Climb that there was a hidden door.
Climb memorised that location, and turned back to the first floor. After confirming that there were no other reactions in other locations, he returned to his original location.
After this would be to open it and infiltrate, but Climb narrowed his eyes and stared at the hidden door. He then sighed, and picked another handbell.
The one he picked was different from the earlier one. He then swung it.
It was similar to the earlier one, but the sound of this bell was different.
It might be a waste to use it since he was not sure if there was one or not, but a warrior like Climb could not detect traps. There was also the possibility that he could not handle it alone. And while there was the limit of using it once per day, it could not be helped that he waste it here.
There were other problems such as this magic item could not deactivate large or magic-based traps. However, he guess that there were no traps of this magnitude here.
And, it seems that this time, Climb was right.
A heavy sound rang from behind the hidden door.
Climb inserted his sword into the gap of the hidden door, and forced it open.
A portion of the wooden floor rose up, and fell to the other side. Along with it was the crossbow that was set into the other side of the hidden door. The arrowhead of the bolt reflected light in a strange way, different from metal.
Climb changed his location, and stared at the crossbow.
Slathered onto the tip was a viscous fluid. In 9 out of 10 cases, this would be poison.
If he just opened the door, a poisoned bolt would be released.
Heaving a slight sigh of relief, Climb did not remove the crossbow, but investigated it. Unfortunately it was bolted to the ground and he could not remove it without tools.
Without a choice, he removed the arrow.
One of the mistakes that novices make was that despite getting it, they would injure themselves with it first. To avoid that, Climb set it in his crossbow first.
Many humans would avoid using poison. Most adventurers did. This was as poison was associated with villany.
However, Climb was not one to be afraid of such things. Especially since he was a human who recognised his weakness, he was willing to use anything. The reason why he did not usually use poison was as it was not suitable for a soldier of Renner.
However not using it in such a dangerous situation was a fool's act.
Finishing his preparations, Climb peered into the hidden room.
It suddenly dropped into a staircase, and he could not see beyond due to his angle. The stairs and its surroundings were made of hard stone.
Climb placed one foot on the steps. Out of care, he prodded each step with his sword before moving.
This was an extremely dangerous act.
A lone warrior trying to infiltrate a location was a crazy act.
However, he had no choice.
There was the option of entering from the main entrance, but the results would depend on whether the person who entered first was an ally or an enemy. Either way, he was at loggerheads with them, and people would escape from this door.
There was also the method of surrounding the door and capture those escaping, but important information might be stolen by the other party. While passive, the smartest choice was to keep silent and watch, and inform the others about any occurrences.
However doing that would be detrimental to Renner.
Thus he took the most dangerous option.
The merits of having the man from the entrance face the enemies while he sneaked in to steal information and capture noble-like people were huge. The problem was how much a warrior like Climb could act like a thief.
A few metres from the bottom of the stairs was a door.
Climb pressed forward with great caution. He did not think that there would be a larger trap than a crossbow in an emergency exit, but it was common for a warrior in armour to be made powerless due to a pitfall. He had to avoid that.
He proceeded at a speed that caused him to take a long time to cover short distances, but he reached the door. Climb readied his shield in front of him, and pierced the door with his sword, multiple times.
Confirming that the trap did not activate on touch, he placed his ear to the wooden door, and tried to listen in.
But as expected Climb could not hear anything.
He hesitated over using the magic item again, but he found his courage and grabbed the knob—and turned.
However….It did not move.
"A lock…."
As Climb whispered disappointingly, he shook the last handbell among the three.
The lock opened with the power of magic, and with the sound of a click, the knob turned.
Climb opened the door slightly, and peeked inside.
It was an open hall.
In the corners of the room were cages that could fit people and wooden boxes. It was probably a storage room. But he felt that it was too big for that.
Opposite was an opening without a door. Climb cleared his ears, and could hear a slight clamour.
Confirming that there was no one, Climb entered the room and tried to lower his presence. When he reached the centre—
"Hmm. I thought that was the diversion, and this would be the main force."
A sudden voice. A bald man showed himself from the shadow of the boxes. He did not teleport, nor become invisible, he simply was not picked up by Climb's senses.
The man's upper half was bare, and his muscular body was covered in countless tattoos, to the point where you could not see his bare skin.
Seeing that figure, Climb felt electricity shoot down his spine.
A certain piece of information he got from Lakyus flashed in his head. It was about the people in the Eight Fingers.
Climb immediately readied his crossbow, and fired without question.
The poison tipped bolt flew towards the man.
His aim was the man's large torso. Would he dodge, or hide behind a wooden box? Even though there were only those two choices, the man picked the third one.
"—Hmm."
The man easily grasped the bolt. He then laughed and casually threw it aside.
The bolt clattered to the floor.
"It's fine."
Reacting to that voice, another man hiding in the shadows from across the room showed himself.
He held a rapier in one hand, and had an androgynous beauty. He had a kind smile on his face as if welcoming a friend.
In addition, the hard leather armour he was wearing did not have the chest portion for ladies, but had the one for men.
Climb felt his throat dry.
There were three people in the Eight Fingers that Climb could not defeat. Two of them were here.
He lowered his head at his misfortune.
There were four shops, so why were two of them here? Or was this the most important shop? If that was the case then he had to do something before the other intruder takes away the information….
Climb worked his brain. But, there was no other option.
"Why, here?"
While the two closed in on Climb, he moved to keep the two in his sights, and asked. There was no way they were always here. Or did they foresee that he had come here due to the other intruder?
"
The rapier-holding-man, at least in appearance, laughed. While clicking his tongue, Climb readied his sword and shield.
"He's motivated isn't he, Zero."
"….Hmm. He came all this way. Of course he would. Right, intruder?"
Climb did not reply. He then ran his hand across his scabbard, and spoke a word. Reacting to it was his sword. As if the power of magic dwelt in it, the blade began to shine a pale light.
"Heh.
"Hmm. That means that we can get stronger after we kill him."
"Zero is quite carefree. Do you not think that he is strong since he has such an amazing magic item? Hey, you. Where did you get that item? If you hand it over, we might spare your life you know?"
Climb did not reply. He could easily tell that they were lying.
"I see. Well, it's fine. What should we do? All of us at once? Or should one of us go in at a time?"
"Lubelina."
"Yeess, what?"
With a extremely lighthearted voice, the man—Lubelina replied to the man called Zero.
"Hurry up and clean this up, I'll handle the other side."
"So true. We are troubling our guest. Understooood."
"….I have been ordered to make a blockade, and to buy time."
A new voice cut in.
Climb looked at him in a panic, as if asking if there were more. He had felt it strange that Lubelina used the word "all", but now he understood. A man showed himself from behind the wooden boxes.
He of course existed in Climb's memory. He was a man who just able to defeat Climb, and his name should be Succulent.
If he were alone, there would be a chance of victory. However, under these circumstances, such a thing was impossible.
However, having a slightly weaker existence join the fight was not a bad thing for Climb. This was as he was a weakness.
However, Climb's naive hopes were immediately dashed.
"You will be on guard duty. We can't have anyone interfere after all."
"Understood, Lubelinsan."
Receiving Lubelina's orders, Succulent headed to the walls. He had no intention of joining.
"And so, you. You will only have the two of us as your opponents, but you won't be lonely right?"
"Hmm. What are you talking about." Seeing that Climb was not speaking, Zero spoke as if chiding Lubelina. "It's obvious he will not talk. Hurry up and clean up."
"Well well. Just wait a bit, Zero. I'm getting to that."
—A loud clicking sound echoed in the room.
Climb did not have the freedom to look behind him. However, he could guess what it was.
"….Surprised? It's an automatic lock. After a certain amount of time has passed, it will lock automatically. One of the works of dwarf craftsmen. It's amazing isn't it."
Lubelina's voice was very excited.
Basically she was talking to buy time.
Having his escape route sealed off, he had to defeat two strong people to escape. No, there was one more.
Climb searched for a chance to take out his handbell. If he put in hand in his pocket he would be discovered. Basically he had one chance. He could not let it go.
"By the way, you. You look like a warrior. How did you open the door?"
"….Who knows."
Lubelina's face warped.
"Hahhahaha." She burst into laughter. "—Reacting here, you, are an idiot. Despite the fact that saying nothing was the answer, you reacted and I hit the bullseye….Zero, he has some sort of item. It can open locks."
"Hmm. Then we will not let him have that chance."
Zero stepped forward. His gait was very forceful, as if he were a king welcoming a challenger.
On the other hand, Climb kept his sword and shield ready and slowly retreated. His aim was the wall. It could not be helped that the two were attacking, but he could at least narrow their range.
However, Climb's action was read by the two. They closed in from the side, so he was forced to keep his eyes on the entrance.
Running back to the entrance was a foolish move.
He would be attacked from behind. So Climb decided to attack Lubelina first, and moved.
"Heeehh, me first? Good choice."
His chances of victory between Lubelina and Zero were higher facing Lubelina. However, to Lubelina, Climb's decision was a dissatisfying one.
Lubelina closed in with a thud, and an annoying screeching sound could be heard from Climb's helm.
"Heh, nice armour."
Ignoring the vibrations, Climb swung his sword. However, he did not reach Lubelina. She had moved to a place his sword could not reach. Her speed was at another level. No, while Climb thought that, to Gazef or Gagaran, this was not much. However, it was Climb that was fighting.
It was like trying to catch a feather that was floating in the air.
Climb thought that and glared at Lubelina.
"What a pity. I was trying to pierce your cheek."
The attack to his cheek was not a miss nor a result of Climb trying to dodge, but was aimed for. It was based on the idea that an attack to the cheek would not be fatal, and was a good indicator of Lubelina's personality.
"Oi oi, if you pay too much attention here, you'll be in danger you know?"
"—Hmm!:
"Gok!"
Climb who was paying attention to Lubelina felt at impact on his shoulder, and stumbled sideways. He raised his shield and glared out from behind it. In his limited vision from the slit in his helm, he saw Zero.
Matching the timing when Zero stepped in, Climb swung his sword down.
Zero hit Climb's sword, causing it to change direction, and he plunged his fist into Climb's stomach.
There was a loud sound. It was the sound of metal hitting metal.
"Gahaa!"
"Yes yes, now here!"
Climb staggered backwards and heard the sound of someone running near his legs. He swung his sword in that direction.
However there was no sensation of hitting anything.
There was no way he could hit anything by blindly waving his sword. The calm warrior in him screamed that, but there was the chance that if he did not swing, he would eat another attack. Uselessly waving his sword wasted energy, but he had to do it.
Climb's face warped underneath his helm, and just as he tried to locate his enemies, he saw something move in the corner of his eyes. He tried to raise his shield in a panic—
—The sound of metal rang at the same time as he received a strong impact on his chest.
While staggering backwards, he covered himself with his shield and strained his gaze. As predicted, the one standing there was Zero.
The impact on his chest affected his breathing. Blunt hits easily passed into his body, dealing damage. He could deal with it as his full plate armour was enchanted, but he had accumulated a lot of injuries.
"Hmm. Lubelina, you are playing too much. There are others we have to kill."
"Eh? Ah, yes. There are invaders. I forgot."
Lubelina's speech had some hostility in it. Basically she was getting serious.
Climb frantically readied his breathing. He could feel the sweat under his clothes. He had been in real fights multiple times, but a fight like this where he could easily die was a first.
Climb felt his spirit being doused with great force. And his unnecessary actions and the damage he received stole his strength.
"I tire of this. Even you can kill this guy safely when he's tired. Join in, Succulent."
"Yes, Zero-san."
The man who was watching until now left the wall, and moved to surround him. He drew his short sword, and its blade had a slimy glisten.
Climb's left hand hand down at his side. He strongly felt the weight of his shield. The heat from his shoulder told him that it was not broken, and he had pins and needles. He felt the same pain at his chest and stomach.
He was surrounded, and they were closing in. When they were close enough, the three would definitely steal his life.
Climb had a bitter taste in his mouth.
Was this the taste of death?
Climb felt his body shaking.
Was his heart crying because he could not return to Renner's side?
In front of death, humans would have the heart of martyrs. It was a similar feeling to surrender in a battle. Such people would lose their lives in the next attack. This was a fact. People stole the lives of people, and there was no way a person who surrendered can take the lives of others.
However—Climb did not loosen his grip on his sword.
He had received this sword from Renner. He could not let go of it.
The figure of the woman he loved appeared in his head.
Climb suddenly removed his helm, and dropped it to the floor. The helm clattered to the floor. He then whispered an apology to his master.
"—Hmm."
"—Ara, well."
"—Who are you?"
The three from the Eight Fingers carefully looked at Climb's actions, wondering what meaning they held. It seemed to be the actions of someone who gave up, but the fire in Climb's eyes was not of someone who accepted death.
Climb removed the cloth covering his nose and move, and spat out the taste of death that accumulated in his mouth.
"Why do I feel as if I have already lost?"
Climb mockingly laughed. It was directed at his fate that brought him to this impossible situation.
Climb put more energy into himself, and raised his shield to his shoulder. He could bear with something like pain.
Yes, Climb was always under pressure. He beared with pain, underwent strict training, ignored the mocking laughs, and stared at the future where he would lose the woman he loved.
He beared with it and moved forward one step at a time. While talented people could fly up the steps, Climb went up one by one, and this took time.
Then he should take this as a staircase for him to climb.
He should win as always, and continue to stand behind Renner.
Climb's immature face had a bold smile on it.
Zero and Lubelina felt a slight, just a slight amount of hesitation. Until now they had a sure case of victory. They felt that it would be an absolute victory.
"Spell Tattoo activate."
Zero chanted his keywords, and his tattoos began to leak light.
"Hmm. Activating the second spell tattoo….You are serious aren't you? Succulent fall back. He has become a little dangerous."
"….Nothing seems to have changed though."
"Hmm. That's why you are beneath us."
With a roar, Zero exploded with heat. His body turned red, and one could see he had gotten much more powerful.
"I'll go first, Zero."
Lubelina stepped in with vigour, her rapier heading towards Climb's exposed face. A serious Lubelina who was not playing could easily pierce armour. While Climb's armour was very hard, she was confident of piercing it.
However, there was uncertainty in Lubelina's head.
It was the thought that she could not pierce both the shield and his armour.
If her thrust was stopped, she would be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
That was why she aimed from Climb's defenseless head.
If he stopped it with his shield, then she would pierce it harder. If he hit it with his sword, she would slip past and pierce.
In front of the rapier known as [Heart Penetrate], Climb took action to evade.
Lubelina's face warped into a cold smile. She would aim upwards and pierce his head.
An instant later—She felt that her sword had pierced flesh. However, there was less blood than she expected.
"What!"
Lubelina raised a gasp of surprise.
Heart Penetrate had pierced Climb's cheek. At the same time, Climb moved his head, forcing the blade deeper. After the blade reached his other cheek, he moved his jaw, and bit down.
The feeling of the harsh grating of teeth reverberated through Heart Penetrate and reached Lubelina.
"I fon't yet yoo recofer."
With blood spitting out from his mouth, Climb went over to Lubelina's body, and swung his sword with full force.
"This is bad!"
When she tried to retrieve Heart Penetrate, the jaw strength of a man biting down and ignoring the pain was stronger. Giving up, Lubelina tried to let go of her rapier, but it was too late. Climb's sword headed to Lubelina, and—
—If she was his only opponent, he could have won—.
Climb's body was blown away with a loud sound.
The man wearing armour floated into the air, and was blown back several metres. That was testament to how powerful that blow was.
"You lost focus."
Still in the position where he punched Climb with his fist, Zero spoke to Lubelina.
"Ah, you saved me, Zero."
Lubelina picked up Heart Penetrate off the floor. If had fallen from Climb's cheek due to the impact of Zero's attack.
Blood, saliva, and some bite marks. Being able to leave marks on a magical sword, just what sort of jaw strength did he have?
Lubelina looked at the fallen Climb, and was faced with a surprising scene.
Climb was slowly standing up. While he received Zero's attack, he could still stand. Such humans were extremely rare.
"Zero! Aren't you the one fooling around!"
"No, I am surprised. Due to the armour or some other reason, he's not dead."
With a cough, Climb stood up and spat out blood. He was half dead, but half alive. Those were the best words to describe him. His eyes were empty, and his hands hung by his sides. His face was pierced, and he looked terrible.
However, he still had the will to fight.
"I'll kill you. You! Succulent, what are you looking at! Join in!"
"Y, yes!"
As Lubelina screamed with a voice that showed that the gap had narrowed, the three closed in.
He could hear a voice through his buzzing ears. As if reacting to that, Climb raised his sword as if welcoming them. He had almost no chance of victory, but he could not lose.
He had to win and return to Renner's side.
In his shaking vision, Climb frantically locked onto his enemies. His sword was wavering, but he could still fight.
Climb glared at them, and—
"—One vs many is not something I can commend you for."
It was a quiet voice.
Even though they were in a battle of life and death, everyone stopped moving. And though this would be impossible, their eyes left their opponents and looked towards that voice. Despite showing such a defenseless posture, they did not attack.
And everyone felt an overwhelming pressure from that voice, and confirming his presence took precedent over anything. Even if it meant looking away from their enemies.
At the point where their gazes met, was an old man.
There was not a single speck of dust on the tailcoat wearing butler. His figure made one think that he was in his master's mansion, and he felt extremely natural. However, he had the thick scent of blood, and one could almost see a red fog surrounding him.
While bathed in the gazes of everyone, the old man took a step. They heard the sound of leather hitting the floor. He did not do anything. He simply stepped into the room.
They could not feel killing intent nor hostility from him.
However, Zero, Lubelina and Succulent felt supressed by an invisible force, and unconsciously took a step back. Just by him stepping in, the room felt smaller.
Climb did not understand why that man would be here. So, he spoke.
"Se—-Mashtar."
About to say the old man, Sebas' name, Climb shouted to correct himself. Since Succulent was here, Sebas was already exposed. But since Climb did not know that, he tried to hide his identity.
At that thoughtful shout, Sebas made a wry smile.
"….Now. It seems you have helped my—disciple quite a bit." Sebas stretched out his arm and beckoned them. "I shall be your opponent.—Now, come."