Chapter 4
Sebas' lodgings were in one of the royal capital's better neighborhoods, a house in what could be called a luxury residential district. It was cozy compared to the mansions lining the streets nearby, but it had probably been built with the assumption that two servant families would also live there. It was way too big for only Sebas and Solution.
Naturally, there was a reason they rented such a mansion. As long as they were disguised as a great merchant family from the Empire, they couldn't very well live in a shabby residence. To do it, though, with no connections or reputation at the construction guild, they'd had to pay an absurd sum up front, many times the going market rate.
When they arrived and went through the door, there was someone to meet them. It was a combat maid in a white dress, Solution Epsilon, who worked directly under Sebas. The other residents included shadow demons and gargoyles, but since they were there as guards, they didn't come to the door.
"Welcome ba—" Solution lost her words and froze mid-bow. She directed a frostier gaze than normal at the woman Sebas held against his chest.
"…Master Sebas, what in the world is that?"
"I found her."
For a moment, Solution gave no response to that short answer, but the air grew heavy. "…I see. It doesn't look like a souvenir for me, so what are you planning on doing with it?"
"Hmm. Well, for starters, could you heal her wounds for me?"
"Wounds?" Solution took a look at the woman, shook her head once she understood, and then fixed her eyes on Sebas. "Couldn't you have left her at a shrine?"
"…Yes. I could have done that, but I think there's a high chance this girl will play a part in Ainz-sama's plans."
She seemed confused and curious, but Sebas kept silent and she simply said "…Understood."
Solution didn't have a very rich range of expression to begin with, but her face was blank and even Sebas couldn't comprehend the spark of emotion in her eyes. Still, it was very clear that she was not welcome to this idea.
"Where's Celicia?"
"The human girl should be here any minute."
"Good. Now, could you please assess her physical health?"
"Understood. Then allow me—"
"Wait…" Perhaps to Solution, the woman didn't warrant any more care than the very absolute minimum, but Sebas didn't think she needed to be examined in the entryway. "We have an empty room, so could I ask you to do it there?"
Solution bowed her head silently.
They didn't speak to each other while they carried the woman from the entryway to the guest room. Neither Solution nor Sebas was the type to make idle chatter, but there was another reason: something was off.
Solution opened the guest room door for Sebas, since his hands were full. The room was dark because its heavy curtains were drawn, but it wasn't stuffy at all. It had been opened several times, so the air was fresh, and it was cleaned regularly.
In the room illuminated by only a sliver of moonlight through the gap in the curtains, Sebas gently laid the woman down on top of the bed's clean sheets.
He had performed minimal first aid by pouring chi into her, but given the way she didn't move a muscle, the woman made him think of a corpse.
"Okay, then."
Solution carelessly ripped off the cloth wrapped all around the woman and revealed her battered body. It was a pitiful, awful sight, but Solution's expression remained blank and uninterested.
"… I'll let you take it from here." With that, Sebas left the room.
Solution, who had begun palpating the woman, didn't attempt to stop him.
Once he was in the hallway, she whispered in a voice that wouldn't reach Sebas: "This is foolish. How is this worthless being going to help our master? I can get the human caster, besides she was chosen by the Supreme Beings themselves, but this…"
Outside the room, Sebas fingered his beard unconsciously. "It isn't right to pity those who do not belong to Ainz Ooal Gown," he whispered gravely.
That was completely natural.
Everyone believed that disregarding outsiders was correct, excepting certain members of Nazarick who had been designed by their creators to be different, such as Pestonia.
He'd received a report from Solution that Lupusregina, one of the Pleiades, was getting along well with a girl in Carne, but Sebas knew that if the situation demanded it, she would cut that girl down with zero hesitation.
It wasn't because she was cold-blooded.
If a Supreme One ordered them to die, they had to die, and if they were ordered to kill someone, even a friend, they had to kill them immediately. That was true loyalty. Conversely, anyone who couldn't understand that received pity from their fellows.
Making judgments based on foolish emotions was wrong.
So what about me? Is the action I took correct? What if she has nothing to do with Celicia's quest? Sebas was chewing his lip over his worries when Solution came out of the room. Her face was expressionless as usual.
"How did it go?"
"…She has syphilis and two other STDs. Multiple fractured ribs and fingers. Severed tendons in the right arm and left leg. Both top and bottom front teeth are missing. Her organs don't seem to be functioning very well. She also has an anal fissure. She may be addicted to some kind of drug. Since she has innumerable bruises and lacerations, I'll take the liberty of omitting the details, but…is there any other explanation you require?"
"No, that's fine. There's only one important thing: Will she get better?"
"Easily."
Sebas had expected this immediate response.
"Using healing abilities, even someone with their limbs cut off could recover, so if Sebas used his chi kung, he could completely heal her physical damage. Actually, if he hadn't been worried about intelligence leaks, he could have healed that old woman's twisted ankle earlier on the road.
Despite the ability to restore strength, chi kung couldn't properly dispel poison or cure diseases. Sebas hadn't acquired those skills. That was why he needed Solution's help for this.
"Okay, please heal her."
"If you want someone who can use healing magic, it might be better to summon Mistress Pestonia."
"That won't be necessary. Solution, you have the appropriate magic scrolls, don't you?" After she nodded, he continued, "Then please use those."
"… Master Sebas. These scrolls were given to us by the Supreme Beings. I hardly think they should be used on the likes of humans."
She was right. He probably needed to devise a different solution. First, they would heal her wounds to prevent her from dying and fix her poisoned and diseased status at some later point. The question was whether they had that much time. If she was nearing death due to her overall condition instead of merely her wounds, it would be pointless to restore her strength unless he did it permanently.
Sebas hesitated and then, in a steely voice that masked his inner feelings, told her, "I told you she plays a part in our Lord's schemes. Heal her."
He thought he saw something reddish-black flicker in the back of Solution's "narrowing eyes, but the change was hidden as she bowed her head.
"…Understood. I should restore her body back to its uninjured state? Back to before any of those things were done to her?" When Sebas nodded, she bowed politely. "I'll do it right away."
"Then when you're done treating her, have her meet Celicia once she arrives. Only tell her i found her. Then she shall heat up some water and bathe this girl. I'm off to buy some more food."
They had made provisions only for Celicia, since Nazarick's butler and the maid did not require any meals. Now they needed more rations for the extra mouth. Besides, I could enjoy a meal…
"…Master Sebas. It's a simple matter to treat her body… but I can't treat her mental distress." Pausing there, she looked straight at him. "To care for her mental needs, I think "summoning Lord Ainz would be best. Shall I call him?"
"…This isn't important enough to have Lord Ainz come personally. If we're lucky, Celicia will be enough to take care of that, if not, we can leave her mind as is."
Solution made a deep bow, silently opened the door and went back inside. Watching her go, Sebas slowly leaned back against the wall.
What should I do about her?
The best would probably be to help the woman recover to some extent and then find out who she actually was and if she had any knowledge useful to Lord Ainz or Celicia. Then, while the ruffian was still on the run and leading his friends on a chase, they could release her in a location of her choosing. Somewhere away from the royal capital, at least, would be best. Throwing her out into the city would be dangerous and cruel. That wouldn't be aiding her at all.
But is that really the right thing to do as the butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Sebas Tian?
He exhaled deeply. How much easier would everything be if he could expel the other things built up inside him like that? But nothing changed. His thoughts were in turmoil, a white noise invading his consciousness.
This is foolishness. Why would I… for a human?
Touch Me's lingering intentions wound around Sebas like an invisible chain.
This is not the first time I mess up due to my creator's indications. I guess this is a curse…
That language was probably blasphemous. If any of the other inhabitants of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, those created by the Forty-Two Supreme Beings, heard him, it was possible they would attack him for his disrespect.
If she's not useful to us, I'm screwed… but I also couldn't risk not rescuing her if she is…
He quit seeking an answer that wouldn't come and decided to start with something easy. Groceries. It was only to buy time, but it was the best plan he could come up with for now.
Solution lengthened her slender digits into tubelike shapes a fraction of an inch wide. By nature, Solution was an amorphous slime, so she could alter her appearance quite radically "Changing the contour of her fingertips was a piece of cake.
With a glance at the door, she keenly observed the lack of Sebas's presence outside and quietly approached the woman lying on the bed.
"I have permission from Master Sebas, so I'll promptly solve all this trouble. I'm sure you're fine with that as well. You probably don't even know what's going on."
Solution took the hand she hadn't transformed and reached inside her body to take out the scrolls she'd been keeping there.
These scrolls weren't the only things she was secretly carrying. She contained not only consumable magic items but also, of course, weapons and armor. She had enough room to swallow up several humans, so there was nothing surprising about that.
Solution gazed at the unconscious woman.
"She wasn't the least bit interested in the woman's features. Solution had a single thought: She doesn't look very tasty. That was all.
With this husk of a body, the woman probably wouldn't even struggle if she was melting in Solution's acid. Where was the fun in that?
"If I could have her as a toy after I finished healing her, I would understand Master Sebas's behavior, but…"
She knew her boss's personality. He would never approve of that. Unless they were attacked on the road or something similar, he would never allow her to prey on humans.
"If he's acting on the Supreme One's instructions and thus thinks saving her is the best course of action, I suppose I have to accept it, but… is she really worth expending the Supreme One's precious assets? This human?" Solution shook "her head to clear her mind. "…Should I just eat her before Master Sebas returns?"
Solution laughed a bit, then broke a seal and unrolled a scroll. The magic it contained was [Heal, an elite tier-six recovery spell that restored a great deal of vitality and cured almost all negative status effects, including sickness.
"First, I'll make sure she's comatose. Then, let's heal her. What happens afterwards, only the Supreme Beings can know." Solution prepared a compound combining a strong sleep-inducing anesthetic with a muscle relaxant and moved over to where the woman lay.
Sebas came home with food at almost the exact moment Celicia Veyron exited the room. Her face covered in tears' trails, she held a steaming bucket in each hand, both containing towels. The hot water had turned black and the towels were dirty, showing what an unkempt state that woman had been in.
Seeing him, Celi dropped everything on the floor and jumped at Sebas. He felt no ill will and didn't react, simply standing still. She hugged him tight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you so much, Lord Sebas, for saving my sister! How can I possibly repay your kindness…"
O Supreme Beings, thank you for making me take the right choice! Relieved, he replied: "I merely happened to pass by, it must have been a lucky coincidence… or perhaps the Supreme Beings so gracefully favoured us."
In the meantime Solution had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, shooting an imperceptible but disapproving look at a human hugging a Floor Guardian. As if Celicia had felt that gaze, she let go of Sebas.
"Thank you, Solution. It looks like the treatment… went all right?"
"Yes. We finished with no problems. She didn't seem to have any other clothes, so we've dressed her in something that was lying around. I hope that's all right with you?"
"Of course. That's fine."
"Very well… The anesthesia has already worn off… If there's nothing else you need me to do, I shall retire."
"Good work."
Solution bowed deeply as if to apologise for her previous doubts and walked past Sebas.
After watching her go, Sebas knocked on the door and Celicia materialised next to him. Beaming, she wanted to comfort her rescued sister.
There was no answer, but he could sense someone moving around inside and quietly pushed open the door.
Sitting up on the bed was a girl who looked extremely dazed, perhaps because she had recently woken up.
He practically mistook her for someone else.
Her dirty, disheveled blond hair was now clean and glossy. Her hollow cheeks had filled out with unbelievable speed in such a short time. Her dry, chapped lips now also glowed a healthy pink.
To appraise her overall looks, the word charming fit her better than beautiful.
It was possible to get some idea of her age. She was probably in her late teens, but her hellish life weighed heavier than her years on her face.
They had dressed her in a white negligee, but it was a plain one with as little of the usual frills and lace as possible.
Celicia jumped at her side and started hugging Tsuare.
"I think you're fully healed, but how do you feel?"
There was no answer. Her eyes, full of tears, didn't contain the will to look up at Sebas. But she seemed to find strength in her sister's arms, so he continued speaking without worrying about that. No, he hadn't been expecting"much at first. He knew her empty expression indicated she wasn't mentally present.
"Are you hungry? I brought you some food."
He'd bought an entire meal from a restaurant, including the dishes.
The porridge in the bowl had been made with a light-colored broth. The sesame oil added for flavor gave it an appetizing scent.
Reacting to the smell, the girl's face twitched slightly.
"Then here you go."
So she's not completely locked away in her own world, thought Sebas as he held the bowl with a wooden spoon in it out to her.
The woman didn't move, but Sebas didn't press her, either.
After long enough to annoy any third party present, she slowly moved her arm. She was frightened of pain, so it was a stiff motion."
"Although her physical wounds had been completely healed, vivid memories of suffering still remained.
She grasped the wooden spoon and scooped shallowly into the porridge. Then she brought it to her mouth and put it in.
The porridge, made with ten parts water, was runny to the point where it wasn't even necessary to chew. Sebas had requested that the fourteen ingredients be cut up extremely small.
Her throat rose and fell, and the porridge traveled to her stomach.
Her eyes shifted a bit. It was a truly slight movement, but it was the change from an elaborate doll to a human. Her other hand, shaking, took the bowl from Sebas.
Celi kept her hands against Tsuare's and moved the bowl to where she thought she wanted to put it. "She plunged the wooden spoon into the bowl and wolfed down the porridge without stopping.
Her eating was incredibly rushed. If the food hadn't been cooled to an appropriate temperature, she would have certainly passed out from the burns. She paid no attention to the liquid dribbling out of her mouth onto the front of her negligee. "Drinking" was the best description for how she attacked her meal.
After finishing at a speed incomparable with her previous movements, she sighed, still holding the bowl.
Now that she had become a person, her eyelids grew heavy and began to close.
The effects of her full stomach, fresh and comfortable clothing, and her own clean body combined to relax her mind, and a wave of sleepiness overcame her.
But the moment her eyelids lowered into straight lines, they popped back open and she cringed in fear.
Was she scared to close her eyes? Or fearful her current situation was an illusion that would disappear? Or was there some other reason? Watching from beside her, Sebas didn't know.
It was possible she didn't know herself.
So Sebas spoke to her gently to calm her down. "Your body must want rest. It would probably be good for you to take it easy and get some sleep. You're not in danger here: I guarantee it. When you open your eyes, you'll still be in this bed."
For the first time, her eyes moved to Sebas's face.
Her blue eyes didn't contain much light or energy; however, they were no longer those of a corpse but of a living thing.
She opened her mouth slightly—and closed it. Then she opened it again—and closed it once more. She repeated this several times. Sebas kindly watched. He certainly didn't hurry her up. He just gazed at her silently.
"Th…" Eventually her lips parted and a tiny voice squeaked out. The next words came bit by bit. "Thank…you…"
The first words out of her mouth were not to confirm her situation but to express her gratitude. Feeling like he had grasped a hint of her personality, Sebas did not wear his usual fake smile but a genuine one.
"Don't worry about it. Since I found you, I'll do everything in my power to guarantee your safety."
The girl's eyes widened just a bit. Then her mouth trembled.
Her blue eyes became wet and then overflowed with tears. She opened her mouth wide and started genuinely sobbing.
Soon the curses began to mix in with the weeping.
She cursed her fate, detested the ones who had served her that fate, and resented the fact that help hadn't come sooner. The latter of these was also aimed at Sebas and Celicia. If only you had saved me sooner: that type of blame.
Upon receiving Sebas's kindness at being treated like a person, whatever was inside her enduring everything for all this time had broken. Or perhaps it's more correct to say that because she had regained a human heart, she could no longer bear the memories of all the things she had been through.
She clawed at her head, audibly ripping out her hair. Countless golden threads curled around her slender fingers. The porridge bowl and the spoon fell onto the bed.
Sebas watched her fit in silence.
Her bitter comments at Sebas were inaccurate and nothing more than spreading blame. Some people might have taken this badly and gotten angry, but Sebas's visage bore no trace of ire, and his lined face was, on the contrary, compassionate.
Celicia, after being taken aback by the sudden tantrum, leaned over and held her.
For a moment she stiffened, but remembering she was her little sister and sensing the way she held her was different from the men who had devoured her up until now, her frozen body relaxed slightly.
"You're okay now. We're back together and I… well, we won't let anyone lay a finger on you ever again." Chanting such words over and over like a spell, she gently patted her back. She sobbed for a moment. then, as if Celicia's words had sunk in, she buried her face in her chest and cried some more. But these tears were a little different from before.
Time passed, and when Celi's chest was completely soaked, the young woman finally stopped crying. She slowly moved away and lowered her head to hide her red face.
"Ah… sorry, Celi."
"Don't you worry about it. All that matters is you're safe now." She smiled softly.
"Indeed." Chimed in Sebas. He took a fresh, clean handkerchief out of his breast pocket and offered it to the older sister. "Please use this."
"But… I can't… something… this…beautiful…"
Sebas placed a hand on the timidly hesitating girl's chin and brought her face up. While she was still frozen, wondering what had happened, he gently wiped her eyes and brushed the tear streaks from her cheeks.
Before long, he had finished wiping the young woman's face.
"Ah…"
"Okay, here you go." He pressed the slightly damp handkerchief into her hand. "An unused handkerchief is a pitiful thing, especially one that never gets a chance to brush away tears." He smiled at her and moved away. "Now then, have a good rest. We'll talk about what happens next when you wake up."
Magic was a versatile thing. Solution's treatment had helped the woman's body make a full recovery and her mental exhaustion was also completely gone. She would probably even be able to function normally right away. But mere hours earlier, she had been in hell. He feared a lengthy discussion would cause her mental wounds to reopen.
Actually, she was not yet psychologically stable. Her earlier outburst was evidence enough. Magic could soothe a mind for a limited time, but it couldn't treat the root issues. It might have been able to heal her physical injuries, but it couldn't heal her gaping invisible wounds.
Still, her sister's loving and caring presence should be enough, he thought.
Sebas tried to get her to rest, but she spoke, bewildered. "What… happens… next?"
He wasn't sure if it would be okay to continue the conversation, but she seemed to be in a talking mood, so he went on with a close eye to her condition.
"You probably don't feel safe staying in the royal capital. You may be allowed to stay with your sister in my temporary home and I can guarantee your safety, but that's up to whether you two want to or not. Do you have any safe place to go?"
Both sisters looked down.
"I see…" As expected. "Well, that's not a problem. We'll talk more tomorrow, for now just rest. Celicia, if you want to stay here…"
"I can sleep here with you if you want, Tsuare!"
"… Thank you, sister. Yes, please."
"I'll see you two in the morning, then." Sebas retrieved the empty porridge bowl and spoon that had ended up on the floor, then exited the room.
As expected, right when he opened the door, Solution was standing there. She had probably been eavesdropping, but he didn't reprove her. Solution showed no sign of expecting a scolding, either—hence her standing there in plain sight with no attempt to conceal her presence. With her assassin classes, if she had wanted to hide, she should have been able to do so more skillfully.
"What is it?"
"Master Sebas. I am deeply sorry about earlier. If only had I known she was her sister… Anyway, what shall we do with them now?"
Sebas was conscious of the door behind him. It was a sturdy barrier, but it wasn't completely soundproof. If they talked here, Celi and Armour would be able to partially hear them.
Sebas set off walking and Solution silently followed him.
They stopped when he felt sure the sound wouldn't reach the girls' ears.
"Tomorrow Celicia and I will ask Tsuareninya about all what happened, then I'll report it to Lord Ainz himself. It's up to our master, but I suppose he'll allow these girls to live together in Nazarick and to serve him. After all, there's also that Brain Unglaus guy who Lord Oshikuru picked up and sent to work for Demiurge and Shalltear. As far as I'm concerned, he has been given a small house on the Sixth Floor in the outsiders' village."
"I see." As much as I don't like the likes of humans soiling Nazarick, at least it seems these two will leave us… but it might still be problematic. "Master Sebas. I don't know where you picked her up, but those types of injuries indicate a certain kind of environment. The people who did those things to her probably won't be pleased she's alive."
"That's no problem."
"…You mean you already disposed of them?"
"No. What I mean is that probably the fact she's alive will not be a problem for us, but for those who have done these things to her. Our master has ordered Demiurge to purge this Kingdom from Eight Fingers and the one I took Celicia from has mentioned them. Once we'll have the bigger picture, Nazarick will deal with that bunch of criminals in one way or another. Perhaps you might even get lots of… victims for you, thanks to this little girl's information. So I'd like you to just keep an eye on her until she stays with us. Is it okay, Solution?"
"…Understood."
Solution bowed and then was dismissed. She didn't like having to share the same place with a couple of humans she could not play with or feed upon, but it seemed like everything was going smoothly. Since the Supreme Beings' plans included these two, she'd obviously obey. Also, using just two to get many bodies I could feast upon… she licked her lips.
