As Sebas walked away from the alley, leaving a stunned Subaru still bowing, he had only one thought in his mind.
That boy has to be the one…
At first he hadn't noticed it, but after peering closer at Subaru's ki, he sensed something very familiar.
The woman who sent me here, her energy looms over the boy like a plague…
Such a thing could not be a coincidence, as it also explained how someone with a weak ki like Subaru could remain conscious after being exposed to a killing intent on the level of Sebas'.
Natsuki Subaru… What about you is so important?
Besides his unique outfit, the boy was especially plain, about as weak as the average human in Re-Estize.
I suppose such questions are irrelevant when it comes to getting back to Lord Ainz and Nazarick… That woman wants me to protect him, no, she went as far as saying to 'save him'...
Almost as if she already knew that Subaru would be put in grave danger…
The incident with the thugs was hardly perilous, but Sebas knew that someone with luck as bad as that would be put in harm's way again by the hands of fate.
I doubt someone of my level is necessary for a job like this, but I have to remember Lord Ainz' words…
"When dealing with an unknown enemy, one must always act as if they're at a disadvantage. Overconfidence only leads to avoidable losses."
If I'm going with my current theory, then the world itself is a total unknown… While the average citizens here seem to resemble those of Re-Estize in level, it's not impossible that the heroes and monsters of this place are much more powerful than the likes of people such as Gazef Stronoff…
If that's the case, then my first order of business is gathering information…
Sebas turned to look back at the alleyway, but continued walking away from it.
I can track his movements throughout the city now that I know his ki signature, and as long as he learned from his last mistake, I should be fine leaving him on his own for a while…
After making sure Subaru left the alley, Sebas doubled back, and walked over to one of the still unconscious thugs.
He kneeled down and placed his hand on the man's forehead, pouring some of his own ki into him.
Normally I'd find having to use [Palm of the Puppeteer] distasteful, but this man is hardly in my good graces…
As he pulled his hand away, the previously unconscious thug sat up, his eyes clouded by the effect of Sebas' skill.
"You have no problem answering a few of my questions, correct?"
The previously unagreeable thug had a blank stare of compliance as he slowly nodded his head.
"Good. For starters, where are we currently? What city and country?"
"Isn't that obvious? We're in the Kingdom of Lugnica, the capital..."
Even though Sebas' skill, [Palm of the Puppeteer], gives him complete control over its victims, it didn't stop its targets from being confused by questions that should be common sense.
"Of course, how could I forget?"
Just as I thought, this place isn't known by any of the records that Nazarick has recovered…
"How about any surrounding countries? Do you know their names?"
The man thought for a moment before replying this time.
"There's the Vollachia empire to the south, the Kingdom of Gusteko to the north, and Kararagi to the far west. Those are the only other countries, Lugnica is on the eastern side of the world,"
"So this is the only known continent?"
The man gave a puzzled look at this question.
"I'm not sure what you mean by 'continent', but nothing lies beyond the known countries besides the Great Waterfall,"
So that confirms it, then. I'm on an entirely different world… One bound by a very known limit…
Sebas had already all but confirmed this theory the moment he had arrived in this world, but he had hoped that getting home would be a bit easier.
Perhaps this 'Great Waterfall' holds the answers to that predicament, but there's more pressing matters currently…
"Do you know anything about magic? Are magic users prevalent around here?"
This time, the man gave a slight shrug before answering.
"I dunno much about magic, but I know that spirit users can use it. I guess other people can too, but usually it's spirit users…"
Spirit users… Spirits… Perhaps it's a type of summoned monster unique to this world…
"These spirits, are they similar to summoned monsters?"
"Like I said, I dunno much about this stuff. But they definitely aren't a 'summoned monster', whatever that means…"
I guess I couldn't expect much detailed information from a common thug, but this information should help keep me from sticking out too much…
At this point, the thug was swaying back and forth slightly, a sign that his skill was wearing off.
His body is going to give out from the fatigue, I guess I should make these last questions count…
"If I could bother you with one more question, do you know anyone by the name of Satella?"
As Sebas uttered the name in question, the thug froze in place.
Despite being under his control, the utterance of that name was enough to send a shiver down the thug's spine.
"You shouldn't say that name so casually… everyone knows who the Witch of Envy is…"
Witch of Envy? Surely Subaru wouldn't associate with someone so evil sounding…
Before he could ask anymore questions though, the thug's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he was once again unconscious.
"What a bother, maybe I could try with one of the others,"
Sebas said this under his breath, but before he could approach another one of the thugs, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"Excuse me sir, are you the one who beat down these men?"
Turning around to meet the possible threat, Sebas let out an audible gulp.
The man didn't look like much on a surface level. He had a slender build topped with bright red hair, and based on his outfit and the sword at his hip, Sebas identified him as one of the guards Subaru had yelled for earlier.
However…
His ki, it's unreal!
From Sebas' point of view, he could see a torrentius swarm of ki surrounding the unbecoming man.
This could be bad, I'm not sure I could even beat him in my current from… Hell, this guy could give Albedo or Cocytus a run for their money in a fight…
With that information in mind, avoiding conflict with the man before him was now his top priority.
"I won't lie to you sir, I am the one responsible for their current state,"
Before the monster of a man could respond though, Sebas continued.
"However, it was not out of malice, but to protect a young man who was being accosted by them,"
The man had his hand on the pommel of his sword, but took it away after hearing Sebas' words.
"I wouldn't have expected a butler to be responsible for wanton violence in the first place, but if you're telling the truth, where's the man you saved?"
Indeed, Sebas' story was slightly suspicious given his current position, but he was confident he could continue talking his way out.
"He ran off earlier, I was just making sure I didn't wound these men too badly before leaving,"
Seeming to have accepted his words, the man nodded and began walking towards him.
"In that case I must commend you, for doing what should have been my duty as a knight,"
He reached out his hand, to which Sebas grasped it in a firm handshake.
"If you could oblige my asking, what is your name, Sir butler?"
"Sebas Tian, but please call me Sebas,"
There was a brief silence, to which Sebas responded with his own question.
"Pardon my ignorance, but may I ask your name as well?"
The man responded with a slightly shocked face, but it quickly shifted back into a smile.
"It's rare that I get to properly introduce myself besides formalities, my name is Reinhard Van Astrea, the current Sword Saint and member of the royal guard,"
Sword Saint, huh? That title would explain his massive level of power… Perhaps he could be of use in gathering more information, but I've already made myself suspicious by asking such a question in the first place…
"I've recently arrived in Lugnica from Kararagi, you'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge on the Kingdom's affairs,"
Reinhard nodded in response, seeming to be satisfied with his answer.
"Well, if you're new to the city, I would be glad to assist you in some way when I'm off duty. It's the least I can do for you stepping in for me,"
Sebas waved his hand in response.
"I just did what any other able person would do in such a scenario, but perhaps I'll take you up on that favor in the future,"
Reinhard was slightly taken aback by his response, but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Well if that's all, Sir Reinhard, I'd best be on my way,"
"Please, Reinhard is fine. I hope to see you again in the future, Sebas,"
Walking past Reinhard towards the alley's exit, Sebas suddenly turned back, remembering something that was worth asking.
"It may sound like nonsense, but do you know of any half-elves with long white hair?"
Reinhard gave a slight chuckle in reply, meaning that Sebas managed to avoid what he expected to be a conversational taboo.
"I'll assume you're not talking about the obvious one, so perhaps you're referring to Emilia?"
"Emilia?"
"Yes, she's one of the current royal selection candidates. Why do you ask?"
Sebas was confused by this new information.
Is Emilia the girl Subaru was referring to? If that was the case, why did he give the name of the Witch of Envy, who apparently has similar features to this Emilia…
The only option that made sense was that Subaru didn't know her real name, but it begged the question of why he would so casually use a name that's considered taboo.
That boy was clearly not from Lugnica either, but could he be from another world as well? It isn't out of the question, considering he was covered in the energy of the Witch who brought me here…
For every bit of information Sebas was able to gleam, it raised dozens of new questions.
I'll have to talk to him myself if I want the full truth…
"The young man that I defended earlier, Natsuki Subaru. He asked me a favor, to tell a white haired half-elf named Satella to 'stay away from the storehouse',"
Reinhard flinched slightly upon hearing the witch's name, but he understood Sebas was merely quoting someone else.
"I'd say it's rather rude of him to refer to her by such a name, but I imagine he had some reason for doing so,"
Sebas nodded in reply, deciding that he should leave the presence of this 'Sword Saint' while he was still in his good graces.
"Well, if you see the girl, please pass the message along. It was nice meeting you, Reinhard,"
The sword saint responded in kind, giving a small wave as Sebas exited the alley.
"You as well, Sebas,"
After waiting a few moments to ensure the butler had left, Reinhard clutched his head in worry.
Sebas Tian… I have no idea who he is, yet the Dragon Sword deemed him worthy…
Just who is this butler?
…
This story is probably gonna have shorter yet more frequent chapters compared to my main story, so enjoy the quicker updates!
