A/N: Well, I'm sorry if I was overly defensive in my last two author's notes guys. I'll keep some of the criticism in mind while writing this story from here on.
The suggestion about a cold assault necromancer is pretty cool- that's really what I'm going for here. Suzuki's build is going to be far more competitive in this novel, though his range of spells and items won't be as good.
I reread the fight with the Martial Lord- and it seems that indeed, I was wrong. Suzuki was not close to losing.
Now, let me try to reason out my horse logic one last time.
It is possible to destroy parts of someone- like how Ainz destroyed Shalltear's arm during their fight. Let's say that Suzuki's head is worth about 5-10% of his HP. When Ainz cut Keano's hair in the side story it also technically did a very small bit of 'damage' so it works out like this, I'm guessing the larger the organ the more it counts towards your HP, which would make sense.
Let's say the Sleipnir is around level 10-20. It is also far stronger than a normal human or horse. Could it not, with a single blow, deal about 5% damage to Suzuki Satoru?
That would translate to it destroying a large part of Suzuki's head. If your head is caved in and your brain is destroyed, as a human, you die. Yes, the New World does run a LOT on video game logic, but there are still things like aging which weren't in the game and are there in the New World, because they are all humans after all. Humans are not undead and die when their heads are caved in, which is why I keep repeating the humans part.
We haven't seen something like this in the anime- Aura and Mare are level 100 and must have several defensive skills/items so don't compare Suzuki to them.
However, I realize that there are a few flaws here as well. Suzuki does have access to better items now, and it isn't clear whether the critical hit blocking effects of something like armor apply to your whole body even if it isn't covered by the armor. Suzuki should have such items, especially now after he raided some of the Minotaur Sage's inventory.
Not to mention I do realize the whole situation is quite contrived. Which is why I backed out on it.
Also, although it's never show explicitly that Players can be revived, there is no logical reason for resurruction magic to not work on them, unless if when you die you go back to the real world which is not what I think happens. In the Web Novel it's explicitly mentioned that the Eight Kings could be revived, though that's a bit unreliable as a source, but I do think PDL says that they tried resurructing the leader of the 13 heroes but he rejected it, so, yeah, I think it should be possible.
Regarding Suzuki having undead creating abilities, the thing is that Aura has skills such as her breath and Sky Eye ability, which she's gained not from her racial levels but job classes. Suzuki in this fanfic has trained into Necromancy type job classes, and I think it's only natural that that would grant you skills to create undead (given that is what Necromancers do).
Albedo, though trying to look poised as always, was slightly off- though he doubted that anyone who was unfamiliar with her could tell.
As far as he had seen, Albedo was Suzuki's shadow and followed him everywhere he went. No doubt the fact that she was separated from him was causing her quite some anxiety.
Suzuki had been awarded the Spolia Opima, an emblem awarded to generals who killed an enemy general in combat. It was one of the highest awards one could receive, with only one other person in this kingdom's history haven been awarded this honor. True, Suzuki was not a general, but he had technically been given a leading role when asked to defeat Theseus, and so he was being given the award in a private ceremony right now.
It was so private that Fluder and Albedo were not allowed in- only the Queen, Suzuki, and a priest were inside. Albedo had strongly protested this, but Suzuki had assured her that he would be alright.
Fluder himself had his concerns- while it was true that Suzuki should be powerful enough to at least escape any danger he could not overcome, there were various tricks such as assassin's poisons and the like in this world which Suzuki might not have a defense against. Fluder knew that he had little hope of aiding Suzuki against something that Suzuki couldn't win against, but Albedo probably could.
Much as she had shielded him from that Sleipnir's hoof. Fluder had his suspicions on that incident. While he thought it might've been planned there was no concrete way to prove it. The manner in which it had been orchestrated was reminiscent of how Jircniv would handle such a thing- and the animal was from the Emperor's own herd.
He was sure both his teacher and Albedo had already thought of these possibilities however.
Maybe though, Fluder thought, he could use this opportunity. It was rare for him and Albedo to be left together like this, and as it was, Fluder knew little of the woman even after all this time traveling together.
Fluder thought that he had a somewhat rough but decent picture of who Suzuki Satoru was- but Albedo was a complete mystery. She had a warm smile, but it reminded him of how Jircniv had once smiled while talking to a noble and had been able to weasel out evidence that the man was betraying him. The noble in question had been beheaded swiftly along with his bloodline the very next day.
Additionally, Albedo rarely if ever talked to Fluder unless necessary. Sometimes Fluder felt that she could easily blend into the furniture if she so wanted. While she was quite beautiful a good portion of the time she was wearing her helmet, and even if she wasn't people's attention usually rapidly shifted to Fluder and Suzuki, who they would consider to be more important.
Fluder was sure that if there was even the slightest chance that Suzuki might be in danger, Albedo would tear through the ornate doors like they were paper to get Suzuki out of there.
In Fluder's experience, the smarter someone like Albedo was, the more agitated they would get at not being in control in a situation like this.
Perhaps he could also get her to calm down somewhat if he talked to her?
"Albedo-dono," Fluder said and Albedo turned her head. Her features didn't change in the slightest- but was that just an act? Fluder couldn't tell. "Forgive me for my ignorance, but why did Suzuki-sama decline the Earldom offered to him?"
Fluder could get why Suzuki had declined the offer- but from what he understood of Albedo's character she should've been pushing him to accept the position. She seemed like a woman used to possessing rank and authority, after all.
"It was an empty offer," Albedo said flatly. "Although Suzuki-sama would be granted large swathes of land, most of them have been depopulated and the income and prestige he could gain from them would be limited. Not to mention it would mean that he would be tied to this land and called on to defend it in case they were invaded ever again. The offer was only useful to this kingdom, and not to Suzuki-sama's goals." She then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not to mention Suzuki-sama isn't one who should serve under the heel of another country, but one who should lead a great nation."
Fluder had to agree with what she said. "Then does Suzuki-sama intend to start his own country?"
The reason Fluder had helped the emperors form and govern the Baharuth Empire was because he knew that a lone figure would carry little weight no matter how strong. One needed the backing of a nation to accomplish many goals- and Fluder simply didn't have the time or energy needed to govern a territory. That was why he had instead assisted someone else in doing so.
"As of now, no, he believes there are other treasures much like those we recently found somewhere in this world," Albedo said. "For the time being, we will continue exploring."
"Tell me, Albedo-dono, if it is not too intrusive but... between you and Suzuki-sama, who is stronger?" Fluder asked.
He had realized of course that Albedo was quite strong- stronger than any warrior he had ever seen before. He had not been able to gauge her ability exactly however, and assumed initially that she must have been weaker than Suzuki. Even if she wasn't as demonstrated by how she had fought off those golems and was stronger than him at one point, surely once he had achieved the tenth tier he would be stronger? Fluder could not imagine something beyond the tenth tier, even if Suzuki had told him of magic stronger than that.
"At the moment, I am stronger than he is," Albedo said.
Fluder's eyes widened- but he did not doubt her words. There was no reason for her to lie to him, and after their recent encounter with the golems he had begun to suspect as such. That only left another question in his mind. "If you will allow this one another question- what is it about him then that makes you follow him? Ah, what makes you revere him so?" Albedo's devotion to Suzuki was evident in the way that she acted, but it was not because she was weaker than him as Fluder had initially assumed.
"Even if Suzuki-sama was as weak as a normal human, I would still revere him as much as I do now," Albedo said flatly. "I do not respect him for his strength- but rather for his ability to lead." She had a distant look in her eyes. "There are only two men who I consider worthy of respect- one of them is no longer with us and I wonder whether he is lost or dead. The other is Suzuki-sama."
Fluder wanted to press her further but didn't. He had never been the best at reading other people but had gotten quite good at it after over two hundred years. He was sure there was more to Albedo and Suzuki's relationship than either of them let on. He noticed a weird sort of friction or tension between the two. It was as if there was an unresolved matter between the two of them which the two of them had chosen to brush aside but came up again and again.
Of course, Fluder knew that meddling in the affairs of two lovers was the fastest way to get footprints on your face. He also knew that in Suzuki's eyes, he was not worth as much as Albedo was. Given that, he would not ask any more intrusive questions. He would also like to know about the other man whom Albedo was talking about but after noticing the way she talked about him he was sure that was also a sensitive topic.
Most likely, she was referring to her father, Fluder thought. That, or maybe a father-like figure.
"I see, thank you for answering this foolish one's questions," Fluder said and inclined his head, satisfied as he the doors began to open.
While he didn't feel like he understood Albedo that much better than before, he did feel he had gained some insight into who she was. And who knows? Perhaps the two of them would grow closer to each other in the future, and that would mark his moment of becoming a true member of their group.
Fluder's main interest was actually Suzuki, the magic caster of course, and given that he couldn't see Albedo's magical aura he assumed she was just a warrior, but even with just that he would definitely want to learn more about her as she was the strongest warrior he had ever seen.
Several weeks earlier...Sweat dripped onto the floor as Climb finished another set of swings.
With his usual hundred vertical and horizontal thrusts completed, he moved onto practicing different forms..
He was fighting an opponent visible only to him. His opponent raised his sword, which Climb parried and followed with a stab which his enemy dodged.
While trying out some other moves he had picked up, a voice called out to him.
"The wonderful thing about fighting an imaginary opponent, Climb, is that he is always greatly skilled, yet easily defeated."
Climb turned his head and smiled. "Stronoff-dono!"
"Indeed, Climb," the man said. "If you're perhaps done with fighting imaginary opponents, maybe you'd like to spar with a real one?"
Climb understood immediately. "Are you sure that's alright, Stronoff-dono?"
Gazef stroked his chin. "Honestly I would prefer you change your sword to a different weapon... but I doubt that would help your fighting style."
"Huh... did you perhaps fight someone strong who didn't use a sword, Stronoff-dono?" Climb asked.
"Indeed," Gazef said. "A warrior unlike any I have ever seen. Someone who knocked me onto my rear without any real effort."
Climb had difficulty imagining such a person could exist.
"Her name was Albedo," Gazef said. "And perhaps you've heard of her partner, Suzuki Satoru?"
Climb did recall the name. "Isn't that a new team of Adamantite adventurers?"
"The same," Gazef said. "Now, are you ready for our duel?"
"Y-Yessir!" Climb said. He was not at all confident at being able to defeat the man, but he felt he could learn something from their spar nonetheless.
That said, their 'duel' was over in a matter of minutes. "Are you badly hurt?" Gazef asked.
"No, I still have a healing potion," Climb said. "I'll be fine." Gazef sighed.
"Something on your mind, sir?" Climb asked.
"Hmm... I had a recent brush with death, Climb. Were it not for Suzuki and Albedo, I would most likely be dead right now," Gazef said. "The nobles want me gone- but the Kingdom will be in great peril if I'm lost- I apologize for my lack of humility. It's made me think of finding myself a successor. There was one person as powerful as I am, but he is dead."
"Is it the famed Brain Unglaus, sir?" Climb asked. There was great talk that the man had recently died.
"Indeed. Killed by Suzuki Satoru on a mission," Gazef said and sighed. "I would have liked it if he had lived. He had joined a group of bandits, so I guess I can't fault Suzuki for having been forced to kill him. But with him gone I wonder who could fill my shoes."
"Why not this Albedo you talk about?" Climb asked.
Gazef chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I have a feeling she won't be shackled so easily. Good luck Climb, surely you should be on your way right now?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm running late!" Climb realized and hurriedly packed up his things.
After his duties were over, in his off time, Climb wandered the streets of the capital.
There was little for him to do now that he wasn't training, and he was just pondering over what Evileye had told him.
Namely, that he had no talent. But that was something that Climb knew already. He knew that he had no chance of ever rivalling those with true talent like Gazef Stronoff.
But even knowing that, he couldn't give up. For her sake.
It was probably because he was so lost in these thoughts that he didn't notice the carriage until it nearly ran him over.
That said, he was still a trained soldier and got away in the nick of time as the carriage rushed past him like a train. While still in motion, the door opened and something was tossed aside onto the street as it sped away.
Climb took a second to process what had happened. There was certainly something off about that carriage, and his gaze shifted to whatever it was that had been tossed to the side of the road.
It initially looked like a sack of potatoes to him, so he was a bit taken aback when it seemed to twitch.
He ran over to it, forgetting about the carriage momentarily, and did a double-take when he saw what lay within.
It was human- or something that had once been human. This person, male or female- he couldn't tell in its current state, had been beaten black and blue so much that their facial features were unrecognizable. Their teeth had all been pulled out, and as they opened their eyes weakly, Climb could see that their mouth began to move as if trying to say something.
Climb now turned his head, looking for the carriage of which there was no trace visible anymore. He sighed, he should have been paying more attention.
But what to do with this person? It was clear that they needed healing. He could hand over this person to the local guards, but they would not heal her. No, the only person who would do that would be a priest, and Climb did not have any talent for using healing magic or the money needed to hire a healer.
As such, if he wanted to save this person, there was only one pathway open to him. But he was hesitant to take it.
On the one hand, he was reluctant to abandon someone so close to death but had nothing much like him so long ago.
On the other hand, his only recourse to try and save her was to beg a favor from the Golden Princess.
His mistress, while not exactly destitute, did not have the access to funds one would expect from royalty. She had no land to her own name, and the money she received was to be spent on her upkeep. As such, if she spent money to heal this person, which was no trifling amount even for nobility, she would have less to spend on her clothes and jewelry. Such would cause others to look down upon her.
And yet, Climb was sure, that if he asked her she would help this person in a heartbeat. Such was the heart of his mistress.
He dithered for over a minute before retrieving a health potion from his belt and having her drink it. He only had one left now, but he could see that this person had little time left and he had to do something before it was too late.
As he tried to put it in this person's mouth it spilled out. It seemed she was too weak to even drink.
Not an issue- few people knew it, but potions did not need to be drunk in order to work. So Climb poured it over the woman.
He could not say that it had no effect- but it wasn't as useful as he had hoped. At last he could tell it was a woman now. Her features were far more well defined and most of her bruises were healed, but her teeth were still missing and she seemed to have trouble speaking.
Sighing, Climb saw only one real way out. He lifted her effortlessly and carried her towards the Royal Palace.
"Climb!" Princess Renner exclaimed.
She bounded to embrace him, and Climb felt two soft mounds push against his armor. "Milady, please," Climb said. The two of them were alone, but if anyone saw them like this...
Renner relented but pouted. Even while pouting, Climb felt that she looked exceedingly cute. Particularly the way her golden hair looked in the moonlight...
Climb did his best to push these thoughts aside. He had been with Renner for oh so very long that it was impossible for him to not occasionally fantasize about the two of them getting together.
But he knew that this was a pipe dream at best. There was no way he would ever be allowed to marry Renner, even if she was alright with it. As it was, Climb knew that the princess showered him with extra affection, but that may as well have simply been due to her kind and loving nature. Climb did not want to be the kind of person who misinterpreted kindness for love.
Even if she did reciprocate her feeling however, she would soon be married off to someone else. And that was why Climb knew that he had to keep his thoughts in check- it would only make it harder to see another man married to her if he was allowed to indulge himself with such fantasies.
"I can't help but be worried about you after knowing you were nearly run over," she said.
"It was nothing Milady, even if the carriage hit me at full force I would suffer no more than a few broken bones," he said.
Renner sighed. "But that isn't even the worst of it. The woman... oh, what happened to her is simply dreadful."
Climb had heard a report- of the things the woman claimed were happening to her in a house located somewhere in the capital. She could probably lead them to it if push came to shove.
The only problem was that Climb knew that the culprits would never be brought to justice. For now, this was all being kept under wraps. However, if they were to parade her around the city no doubt word would get out and the people running the brothel would relocate to another place.
Even if she was able to identify the place on a map, they did not have the forces needed to take the place. At least, no one with enough power to take the place would care. Perhaps Renner could seek the aid of Blue Roses, but she had already taken several favors from them.
As such, there seemed to be little way out.
That was until he saw Renner's face. "Climb, I've been meaning to tell you something. Based on the rough description she gave, I've figured out the building where the brothel is located."
Climb's eyes widened. He himself could think of over a dozen possible places based on what the woman had said. How had Renner narrowed it down to a single house?
Then again, he knew that Renner was no bimbo. She had probably pieced it together from clues and her own knowledge of the city.
"The only thing is, Climb," Renner said. "I have no real evidence on it. I would need to send someone there to explore it. As for Blue Roses, they are preoccupied with their own work. I don't know if I can trust lower ranked adventurers with this kind of job, or any of the nobles-"
Climb realized where this was going. "Milady, I would be honored to scout it out for you."
Climb had no skills in Thief type classes, but he was far stronger than an average soldier and had access to several magic items.
"Climb, thank you," Renner said. It seemed as if her eyes were almost glistening. "But please Climb, promise me you'll be careful, alright? No need for heroics, okay? Just survey the area and get out."
No doubt she was nearly crying at the thought of him dying.
Truly, Climb thought, there was no one with a bigger heart in all the Re-Estize would carry out his duty with utmost diligence.
Enri Emmott sighed as yet another person walked up to her.
As the number of undead loaned to her had increased, her entire day consisted of trying to coordinate their activities.
This left her with no time for her own work, though it could be said that the other villagers picked up her slack given her new 'position' it was still a tiring prospect for her.
"The zombies have worked well, Enri-san," an old man said to her and inclined his head. He was from a neighboring village that was but ash on the ground now. "My house is almost complete."
Carne had taken in several survivors to bolster their numbers, but housing for them still needed to be completed. No one wanted to move into a dead person's house of course, so the zombies were very helpful in completing these construction projects. Not only that but the undead hunted animals for the villagers to eat, along with tilling the fields.
If it weren't for all this help all of them would have definitely have starved. By now, her father and many other men had been called to E-Rantel in order to train and prepare for the upcoming fight.
Her father had pleaded that their transport be delayed a few days- as it was they lived rather close to the battlefield, however the officials had insisted that the men go to E-Rantel several weeks earlier than what Enri thought was necessary.
Really, her opinion of the king had plummeted given all of this. On the other hand, her opinion of Suzuki Satoru, who was the reason they could still eke out a living with the current lack of labor, had skyrocketed.
It was probably the same for the other villagers.
That was the only reason that Enri could figure that they held such a high opinion of her. The undead were necessary for the functioning of the village, and she was the one who controlled them, or was allowed to by Suzuki Satoru.
In a way, the meant that other people must have thought she was special in some way given that their savior had entrusted the care of his undead to her.
That was the only reason that Enri could think of at least. Given her father was gone, nearly everyone had tacitly accepted her as the leader of the village. The actual village chief had moved with the conscripts to smooth out some logistical issues, as such, leadership was thrust upon Enri.
Enri was rather frustrated with this given that she was in no way meant to run a village. She was but a simple peasant girl- when she complained about this to her mother she had simply given Enri a stern lecture about how Enri needed to grow up and take charge now that her father was gone.
Enri soon discovered why many people in leadership positions took them as an opportunity to take as much money and power possible for themselves- because no sane person would take a job like that otherwise.
Once the man had thanked her, she saw her sister running at her out of the corner of her eye.
"Nem-" the words dried up in her throat as she saw that Nemu seemed worried. "What happened?"
"Some men have come to visit us," Nemu said.
"Are they armed?"
"No, but they look like tax collectors," Nemu said.
Enri groaned. If the king had decided to raise taxes on them at this point (which was actually rather likely now that she thought about it given the war) she would-
This thought was interrupted as she realized something. "They didn't see the undead, did they?"
"No, Nee-san, but they want to talk to the chief," Nemu said.
"Well, we have to hide them for now," Enri said. She quickly ran over to Thomas, who was overseeing some zombies in a nearby field and told him to hide them all quickly. The undead seemed to have a hive mind of sorts, possibly because they had been made by the same person, and shuffled away into the shadowy forest at the fringe of the village.
Enri then ran as fast as she could to greet the three people standing near the village gate.
"Sorry for making you wait," Enri said.
The men were not tax collectors- Enri could tell that right away. They were not accompanied by the usual guards, and they did not wear the proper uniforms. Nemu had called them that because she probably had no other word for them.
There was no other way for Enri to describe them other than being rather slimy. There was something rather off-putting about them, as if they were thieves of some sort. The fact that they were scowling did not help with this initial impression that Enri had of them.
One of them broke into a smile when he saw Enri, which made her shiver internally. She actually would've preferred the man keep scowling.
"Hello young lady, is there anything you need?" the man asked. His voice was surprisingly normal- Enri was expecting a rougher tone.
"I heard you wanted to talk to the village chief," Enri said. "So here I am."
At this, the three of them began laughing and only slowly did they stop when they realized Enri wasn't joking.
"Eh? Are you serious kid?"
"The actual chief is away for now," Enri said. "I'm here as his replacement."
The men still seemed skeptical.
"Well, alright then. Tell me then, has your village been dealing with certain problems lately?"
"Problems?"
"Indeed, say, given the draft and the horrible incident that befell this village, money and food must be short no?"
There was feigned sympathy in the man's voice.
"A little," Enri said. In truth, the presence of the undead guaranteed that they would not starve, but she guessed it was important to put on the front of facing intense hardship.
"True, and to think that with all the men gone, your village is unable to defend itself," the man said as he let out a seedy grin.
Enri shuddered. "Is that... a threat?"
The man backed off. "Oh, no, no, not at all. You see we are simply ah, medicine men, so to speak. We hear that your village collects medicinal herbs, does it not?"
"Yes," Enri said.
"Well then, there is a certain plant which I think would bring in great profits for you," the man said. "We are looking for land to grow our crop, and as a part of the deal we make with you, we'll even provide some soldiers to keep your pretty little neck safe, hmm? How does that sound? I think you could easily make ten times what you are making now."
Enri immediately knew there was something suspicious about this whole thing, and so she decided to stall. "That um, sounds good- but the village chief is out and I think I'll need his approval for this."
"We understand of course," the man said. He then beckoned for one of his partners to take out a small chest that would maybe fit into Enri's hands with a bit of struggle. "Here- you can keep this as a gift."
"What is that?" Enri asked.
"Oh, it's a little concoction made of the herb we're growing," the man said. "Take a little bit for yourself, this has many miraculous properties. Increased vitality, age retardation, and the like. It's wonderful for both body and mind. Feel free to share it with the other villagers too." He then paused for a second, seemed to consider something, but appeared to think better of it as he added, "I think we'll be back in a week then to discuss things with your chief. Have a nice day."
The three men turned to walk away, leaving the chest behind, though one of them turned to wink at her as they walked away. Enri shuddered at the gesture.
The whole interaction had made her feel unclean- as if she needed to take a bath right away just to wash out the stink of those men. Not that they actually stank- but they seemed to ooze malice.
Enri took a closer look at the chest and opened it. Sachets of a black powder filled the chest, but she was not stupid enough to try it. Nfirea could probably identify what it was.
What exactly had she gotten herself into?
A/N: I meant to get this out like a week ago but life kept happening so yeah. Also, the following chapters will be more focused on stuff from the kingdom rather than Suzuki and Albedo. I know you guys want more Suzuki and Albedo, and I will do that, but the story needs to sidetrack for a while.