She is OVERLORD
Fifteen
Sitting in the throne room of the Great Tomb, Kobayashi addressed Sebas with a smile, "Well done, Sebas."
"Empress, I am glad you approve of my actions," Sebas bowed slightly, "I was concerned I might have overreached."
"No, it was the right thing to do," Kobayashi said firmly. "And I feel certain your creator, Touch Me, would approve."
Sebas swelled with pride at that.
"Now, you rescued men and women from captivity?" Kobayashi clarified.
"Yes, ma'am," Sebas said. He then explained, "We were considering taking them to Carne, for their safety."
Kobayashi nodded. They were witnesses and victims, and the nobles involved would want them dead. There was no way to be sure of their safety in the capital.
"You have my permission," Kobayashi agreed, "and you may hire groups of adventurers to escort them here."
"Thank you," Sebas bowed.
"Now, what news of the Re-Estize...?" Kobayashi asked, listening thoughtfully as he explained the political games being played.
"Interesting," Demiurge murmured after hearing about the troubles the Noble faction were having.
"You see what I see?" Kobayashi asked him knowingly. She was bluffing, of course, but neither man needed to know that.
"Indeed," Demiurge nodded, "someone behind the scenes id orchestrating a organized campain against them. A clever, dangerous puppeteer."
In the castle at Re-Estize, Princess Renner sneezed suddenly.
"Do you have a cold, ma'am?" a serving girl asked.
"No, it just suddenly happened," Renner shook her head, the pretty blonde smiling as if she didn't have a thought in her head.
"They say you sneeze when someone is talking about you," the girl added.
Renner just laughed, "No one could be talking about me."
"Certainly not," the girl agreed.
Back in the throne room Demiurge continued, "We'll need to investigate."
"Or... let the situation play out, for now," Kobayashi noted.
"Let things resolve and reveal the mastermind? Brilliant!" Demiurge agreed.
Kobayashi ignored that and addressed Sebas, "However, you may act if needed to protect our interests."
"Understood," Sebas bowed. With that, the meeting ended and Shalltear teleported him back to the mansion in Re-Estize...
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Wait, the noble contracting this is your FATHER?"
Arche Eeb Rile Furt, magic caster and attractive young woman, nodded glumly.
The Worker party 'Foresight' were meeting in a tavern in the capital of the Baharuth Empire, to discuss if they should take a possibly shady job. Mind you, they were Workers, so 'shady job' was the usual, but this smelled more than most.
Hekkeran Termite, their party leader, frowned, "And he won't reveal details of the job, just that it's a raid and they need multiple groups?"
"Yes," Imina nodded, the half-elf archer adding eagerly, "and the money that's being offered it VERY good."
"Too good?" Roberdyck Goltron, their cleric asked thoughfully, the big man dressed in the group's heaviest armor.
"Hmm," Hekkeran looked questioningly at Arche.
"He's clearly working for someone else," Arche admitted, "there's no way he has the funds to pay for this. I should know."
(Arche had been paying her family's debts.. not necessarily out of love for her parents, who were irresponsible asses, but for her sisters' sake. She would NOT let anything bad happen to them!)
"So we don't know who's really behind it, or what the mission really is, or even if he's telling us the truth," Hekkeran mused.
Honesty demanded Arche to add, "I don't think he's actually lying. No Worker would ever touch him again if he did. But he's clearly not telling the whole truth."
"I think we should pass," Roberdyck said what they were all thinking.
"A big windfall isn't worth our lives," Imina agreed.
"Agreed," Hekkeran nodded.
Arche nodded, but also had a thoughtful look on her face.
:What?" Hekkeran asked her.
"My father is coming along on this raid, correct?" Aeche asked.
"He's said he will, yes," Imina said, having done the scouting on the job for them.
Arche nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then... I may need you three's help with something. I'll owe you."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
As the Swords of Darkness escorted a group of former slaves to Carne, the members of the Noble Faction were still coping with the fallout. The Royal Guard had lead invesitagors into several homes of powerful members of their group, and arrests were continuing.
"How could they be so STUPID?" Prince Bardo muttered.
The Prince was laying low, hanging out in his private residence in the city. While he, of course, had never visited the underground brothel, people he knew had. Worse, some had kept slaves in their homes for similar use. Now, their secrets were out...
"Bastards," Bardo muttered, unsure if he meant his fellow nobles or the ones jailing them.
One of the few upsides to all this was that some of the nobles he owed money or favors to had been arrested. So at least there was THAT.
"It's like someone is doing this to me deliberately," Bardo muttered. "But who hates me THAT much?" he asked aloud.
In the castle at Re-Estize, Princess Renner sneezed suddenly. Again.
"Are you alright, Princess?" Climb asked, concerned.
"It's fine," Renner smiled at him fondly. "I think it's dust or something."
"I'll scold the maids into cleaning better," Climb vowed.
'He's so CUTE!' Renner thought dreamily as he rushed off.
Back in his 'secret' apartment, Bardo swilled more cheap wine. "More food, my lord?" the servant he 'rented' from Lady Hilma asked.
The small redhead was pretty, resopectful, but still... there was something about her that made Bardo be cautious. What, he wasn't sure. "No, I'm full," he said, "has he come yet?"
"No . My Prince," she said respectfully, "should I send someone?"
"No, but refill my drink," Bardo sighed, then muttered, "When I am king, NO ONE will keep me waiting like this."
Nat, formerly Lady Natasha, kept a straight face as she poured him a drink. 'Does this fool not REALIZE I'm a spy for the Lady Hilma? He should KNOW anything he says will get back to her and the Eight Fingers?'
"Thank you," Bardo sighed and drank.
The door ringer went off, and Bardo's buttler answered it. The slightly shifty old man lead their guest in, then hurried off.
"Prince Bardo," the Mithril ranked Adventurer Igvarge bowed slightly.
"You're late," Bardo said flatly.
"I had only heard of your summons a few hours ago," Igvarge replied, the black haired man giving a oily smile.
Bardo grunted, fairly sure he was lying. He waved to the serving girk, "Pour the man a drink."
"Thank you," Igvarge nodded to her politely.
"Should I leave you...?" Nat asked politely.
"It's fine," Bardo waved. "Igvarge, I have a job for you and your team, Kralgra."
Igvarge CLEARLY did not look happy having a servant listening in, but didn't argue. "It would need to be run through the Guild," he cautioned.
"I'll pay you double," Bardo said bluntly.
"On the other hand, I CAN be flexable," Igvarge conceded willingly.
'Greedy bastard,' Nat thought, keeping the sweet vacant look on her face.
"As you know, several nobles are facing charges, but one has escaped the city," Bardo said, "I want him found."
"Who, m'lord?" Igvarge asked thoughtfully.
"Phillip Montserrat," Bardo said, thinking of the young noble whom he had drunkenly spilled certain secrets to, "find him, and bring him to me."
Igvarge nodded, "It will be done."
To be continued...
Notes: I always felt bad for Foresight, so... they get to live. Probably.
Nat is, of course, Natasha of the Romanovs. In other words, Black Widow.
Yes, THAT Phillip Montserrat from Overlord Season Four. I'm such a stinker.