Chapter 8: Magnum Opus
"You are finally awake." A voice said. The girl tried to focus on its origin, seeing the form of a man before her.
Handsome would be the word she'd use to describe him. Smooth, silk-like skin, deep crimson eyes, long eyelashes, and dark eyebrows framed his face, with long black hair cascading down his shoulders.
At first, she thought she might be dreaming, yet she could feel everything around her, even the warmth radiating from the soup the man held in his hand.
"It will grow cold. You should eat." He said, offering a spoonful to her.
She expected to feel pain, but somehow it had vanished, as if it had never existed. Her ribs seemed healed, her broken nose was as before. Somehow, she was the same girl before she was sold to that noble.
Slowly, she raised her upper body, and the man fed her the soup, one spoonful after another.
While eating, she looked around and noticed the room's opulent decor, reminiscent of the homes of nobility. This thought made her shiver, recollecting the times when the nobleman she'd been sold to had mercilessly abused her.
"Are you alright?" The man asked, pausing for a moment.
She was unsure whether to respond, but the man clearly awaited her reply. It felt as though ages had passed since she'd last spoken, her voice emerging as little more than a whisper.
"I…I…am fine. Who…are you…" Hushed words left her lips, still exhausted by the physical and mental ordeal she'd endured.
Ulbert, realizing he hadn't introduced himself, did so promptly.
"My name is Ulbert. No worries. I mean you no harm." Ulbert said, flashing a small, somewhat unnatural smile. His handsome features compensated for any lack of genuine warmth he portrayed with the smile since it wasn't something he had done often.
"...Ulbert…"She repeated, the name rolling off her tongue. She would never forget it.
"What is your name?" Ulbert asked, though the girl seemed hesitant.
"Tuare, Tuareninya." She replied.
"A lovely name. Now, it would be best if you finished your soup." Ulbert said, offering sip after sip and patiently waiting for her to consume it all.
"Good-" Suddenly, Ulbert heard an aggressive knocking at the entrance door.
'It's not Blue Rose. If it is, it's Gagaran. But she never comes to knock. It is either one of the twins because the others are too lazy to come here. And with their abilities, it's rather easy to move around fast. I'll better go see who it is.' Ulbert deduced. He wanted to stand up but remembered to inform Tuare first so as not to make her panic.
"I will go see who it is. I will be right back." Ulbert said, though Tuare did not appear eased. In truth, she was more tense than ever.
"T-They…They found me." She stuttered, causing Ulbert to raise an eyebrow.
"They?" He asked.
"...Yes…They…" She repeated, her eyes no longer shining with the hope she had just moments before. It had been so nice not being treated like a dog for once.
For a moment, Ulbert did not move. His thoughts were filled with disgust and anger, and somehow, these emotions intensified, his self-control dwindling by the second.
"I see." That was the last thing he said to her before he left the bedroom, walking through the living room until he reached the door.
The visitors knocked again, but Ulbert swung the door open, causing the man on the other side to stumble back.
Two men stood before him, one bulky and self-important, the other silent but exuding an intimidating aura.
'Trying to scare me. How foolish.' Ulbert thought, though he showed no outward signs of aggression.
"Greetings. My name is Staffan Heivish, patrol officer of the Re-Estize kingdom. May we come in?" The corpulent man asked, while the other simply stared at Ulbert, sizing him up.
"You may not. What is your business here?" Ulbert responded, provoking anger from the noble but a restraining hand from the other man calmed him down.
"Very well. It has come to our ears that an employee has been taken away from an establishment, his establishment. Witnesses say the man wore a strange golden mask and rather lavish clothes. Also, it seems one of the employees working there has also been fatally injured, leading to his death by a dagger between his eyes. First, because of Her Royal Highness Princess Renner, slavery has been abolished and made illegal. Murder, however, was always a crime. But, for only a small sum, we might overlook this." The man said as he grinned.
"How much?" Ulbert asked, simply out of curiosity.
"1000 gold. 500 each for the murder and the girl." He said, hoping to strike a deal.
"And when and where will I have to provide the money?" Ulbert inquired.
"Tomorrow night, here is a paper with the address on it. Simply walk in there and deposit the money." The "patrol officer" said, offering Ulbert the note.
Ulbert reached for it, but with a firm grip, he held the man's hand in place, applying mild pressure.
"You know, I have a question before you go." Ulbert said, the man trying to free his hand but lacking the strength. "How do you wish to die?"
"What?!" The man screamed, while the other man looked equally surprised. He raised his sword, but Ulbert simply raised a hand toward him.
'[Telekinesis]'
The man in the green cloak tried to swing his sword at Ulbert but, to his surprise, could not move at all, his body frozen by an unknown force.
"How-" With a simple swipe, Ulbert tossed the man into the wall behind him, pressing him through the bricks.
The "patrol officer" tried to punch Ulbert in the face, yet his hand simply bounced off and was shattered from the impact.
"Wha- How? How did you not fall?!" The man yelled, stunned that Ulbert did not even bleed or move as he hit him in the facade. He felt his hand swell as an immense pain-filled it.
"You," Ulbert seized a good hold on the man's hand. "Disgust me." With a swift motion, Ulbert tore the man's arm off, tossing it in the hallway as if it were nothing.
"Ahhhhh! My arm! My arm! You asshole! You took my arm!" The man wailed, and blood oozed out of the wound as he tried to push Ulbert away with his left hand. Yet as he looked upon Ulbert, he could only see a smile.
"Let me make it even." Ulbert claimed, motioning for the second arm.
"No! No! No! Stop! Please! I'll do anything!" He pleaded, but Ulbert did not listen. He ripped the left arm off with minuscule strength, hurling it to the other arm on the ground.
"Ahhhhh! Why?! Why?!" The "patrol officer" screamed. His eyes widened as he saw the blood on the floor.
"Why? I thought you would enjoy this. Perhaps I was mistaken. I seem to enjoy it very much." Ulbert stated, his tone nonchalant and completely out of place in such a situation. Tearing off limbs was not a regular thing one would do.
"How would I enjoy this?!" The man answered, his fear making him stutter slightly. He glimpsed to where Succulent was, seeing him still pinned on the wall.
"Just a guess." Ulbert answered, aiming his hand toward the man's legs.
"No! Please, I have enough! I'll pay you to let me live! You don't have to do this!" The man pleaded, seeing that at this much blood loss, there was not much that could save him.
Somehow, Ulbert halted, but not because of the man's pleas. He heard a high-pitched voice from behind, making a surprised sound.
Ulbert turned to see Tuare stand there, watching the scenery with a horrified stare as her legs shivered. The blood, the gore, the torture, it was like back then. Memories bonded, and she felt fear, dread, and the pain that was inflicted upon her.
'[Twin Magic: Hold Species]' The two men froze, but they weren't completely motionless, the blood still coming out of the man's two holes where once his arms were.
"Hey, Tuare. Don't worry. Don't look there. Look at me." Ulbert said, slowly approaching the girl, yet she took the same amount of steps back. Her eyes showed fear toward what Ulbert could do, what he could do to her.
"I saved you, remember. These are bad men, I gave them what they deserved. I won't harm you, I promise." Ulbert claimed, hoping to convince the girl.
She appeared to stop, tears pouring down her face as she looked at Ulbert.
"Everything will be alright. No one will harm you here." Ulbert assured her, gently wiping away her tears with his cloak. Her response was something Ulbert had rarely felt.
She hugged him, tightly, burying her face into his chest, feeling the warmth and safety of being so close to him.
"Thank you! I-I never thought someone would help me! Nobody did! Nobody! B-But you did!" She cried, holding her savior with all her being.
Ulbert chose to embrace her as well, returning the gesture with open arms. Even if it wasn't much.
'Nobody was there to help me either when my parents died. Fairness is only for those who hold power. Is it not? Now that I have true power, I can provide fairness and the opposite as I wish. Mmh.' Ulbert thought as he still held the girl in his arms.
Slowly, she relaxed, her breaths getting more controlled with time.
"Do you feel well now?" Ulbert asked.
"Y-Yes." She replied with a slight smile, stepping away from Ulbert with a blushed face.
"A smile soothes you, Tuare." Ulbert said, and the girl seemed surprised.
"T-Thank you." She responded, her face growing even redder.
'He's so kind to me. The only one who ever was…' She thought.
"Please, go back to the bedroom. I will clean this up and come back to you." Ulbert instructed, to which Tuare nodded and left.
'Now, back to that scum.' Ulbert's visage shifted, no longer displaying the kindness he had shown to Tuare but now filled with anger. The two men remained immobilized by Ulbert's spell.
"I did not forget you. Now, [Sleep]." Ulbert chanted, causing both men to fall into slumber. Retrieving a scroll from his inventory, Ulbert cast another spell on the man without arms.
"[Crusted Wound]" The man's bleeding stopped, and the wounds closed. For Ulbert, this was sufficient; he didn't want the man to die but also didn't wish to waste a healing potion.
'Kind of a waste of a scroll. Well, whatever.'
"[Summon Demon 6th: Nightmare]"
Before Ulbert, a sinister black creature emerged, its skin as dark as night, with long claws on each of its three fingers. A black, ink-like substance dripped from its form. It stood as tall as Ulbert but was incredibly slender. Instead of a face, there was only a void, shrouded in darkness.
This was a mid-level demon known as a Nightmare, specializing in psychic damage, but it possessed another ability Ulbert intended to use.
"Remove every memory of what happened here from their minds. Then search for any information regarding their organization." Ulbert ordered the Nightmare, which complied with a hollow sound that could instill fear in even the bravest of men.
Immediately, the dream demon went to work, using its long claws to form a palm as it touched the men's faces. Tentacle-like appendages entered the two men, infiltrating their noses, ears, and eyes, seeking entry to their brains. Wherever there was a pathway to their minds, the demon exploited it.
'Its ability is different from [Control Amnesia], utilizing no mana at all. But in dealing damage, it's pretty much useless against high-level players. It's only good for fodder.' It had been quite some time since Ulbert had last used the Nightmare in action, as he had leveled up and gained access to other summons. Even then, he couldn't summon as many creatures as Ainz, who specialized in that area.
Snapping Ulbert out of his trance, the Nightmare looked at him as if it had completed the mindwipe.
"Good. Now give them orders to do as usual before they come to my place. Let them know that his two hands got lost when a horse ran him over and that the man who took the slave would come as promised. We want them to think they are in control. So, do your job." Ulbert ordered, and the demon once again entered the men's minds, rewiring their synapses to create new memories while erasing the old ones.
Glancing to the side, Ulbert noticed the blood still staining the ground from when he had removed the man's hands.
'I guess I need to remove that.' From his inventory, Ulbert produced a legacy-class staff. It had a simple design featuring a black rod with a blue gem at the top. It could have belonged to an Arch Wizard, but Ulbert possessed far superior weapons.
'[Utility Staff] has no attack spells but possesses most utility spells for regular things. It has [Polish], [Shine], and many more. But the one I need to use is [Clean].'
Ulbert pointed the staff at the bloodstains and cast the spell with the assistance of the wand.
"[Clean]"
Suddenly, the blood lost its texture, gradually fading into thin air as if it had never been there.
'Perfect. Now back to Tuare.'
A nightmare, it had been a nightmare. She didn't know it was going to be this brutal. Nothing could have prepared Evileye for such a sight.
'H-He tore the man's limbs off. Right of his body!' The picture still plagued her mind, even as an undead; it was gruesome to see, and she had seen a lot of things in her 200-plus years of life.
Before all of this unfolded, Evileye had keenly observed a group of suspicious men inquiring about the whereabouts of Ulbert's room at the reception. Intrigued, she decided to discreetly shadow them.
'They looked shady, like criminals. I thought Ulbert was their comrade or so.' She mused quietly. However, the reality proved to be far more sinister. What kind of comrade would resort to such grotesque brutality, tearing another's limbs asunder?
From her concealed vantage point in the hallway, Evileye overheard their conversation. It appeared that Ulbert was involved in an act involving an abduction and murder. One of the men identified himself as a patrol officer, apparently here to apprehend Ulbert. Yet, Evileye sensed that their motives ran deeper.
'I knew we couldn't trust him. He killed one of the employees of that guy but then also kidnapped another!?' She pondered, puzzled by the unfolding events. But what confused her even more was the following turn of events. The men displayed an unusual lack of concern for Ulbert's crimes, focusing instead on what he might do in the future.
'They wanted money, compensation for what Ulbert did to their employees. 1000 gold coins, I heard. Maybe they know Ulbert isn't the type to mess with and decided to give him a sort of 'ticket' instead of arresting him. But that doesn't explain why a patrol officer of Re-Estize doesn't enforce the law. It could be corruption, and how the kingdom seems to be going, it very well could be.' Evileye thought, yet the next scene was literally a horror to watch for her.
'But that doesn't justify why he tried to kill them!? He tore the man's arms off while he held the other to the wall with some spell I never saw before! How is he even that strong as a sorcerer!? Luckily, I decided just when Ulbert went back into the room. He could have seen me in mere moments.' Evileye thought she probably used [Teleportation] the quickest she ever used that spell.
'I have to inform the team about this! But are they gonna believe me? I have to show them the scene. Only then are they going to see Ulbert as what he really is. Yes, I'll have to tell them.'
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