Chapter 5
Sebas opened the door to the house. Today he'd gone again to the Adventurers Guild first thing in the morning and recorded notes on the postings before the adventurers started taking the jobs.
He wrote down and sent to Nazarick all the information he gathered in the capital, even tidbits no bigger than local rumors. Analyzing the data was extremely difficult so he left that up to the clever ones at the Tomb.
He went through the door and entered the building. A few days ago, Solution would have met him there. But—
"Welcome back, Sebas-sama!"
—now that role belonged to two women, one clad in a caster's outfit, the other dressed in a maid uniform with a floor-length skirt.
The day after he'd found Tsuare, they'd discussed things and decided she would work inside the mansion. He would have been fine letting her stay as a guest, but Tsuare wouldn't accept that.
Even when the Supreme Beings showed up and offered both sisters a free stay in Nazarick as guests, they politely refused, especially Tsuare. She didn't want to be treated like a guest on top of having been saved. She didn't imagine it would be a proper thank you, but she at least wanted to do some work.
Sebas figured that anxiety probably lay behind that desire. In other words, aware of her unstable position as a seed of trouble for Nazarick, she decided to make what efforts she could to keep from being abandoned.
Of course, the Supreme Beings had been telling her they wouldn't forsake her. If they were going to toss out a person they'd promised to rescue, Ainz and Oshikuru wouldn't have deserved their titles. But their kindness and honesty only increased the sisters' desire to work hard for them and repay such generosity. So they both took an oath to forever serve Ainz Ooal Gown and were now tasked to support Sebas' mission in Re-Estize.
"I'm home, Tsuare, Celi. Is everything proceeding smoothly?"
Tsuareninya bobbed her head. Unlike when he'd met her, her hair was now tidily trimmed and a white headpiece placed on top dipped with the movement.
"There… are no… problems."
"No? That's good."
Her mood was still decidedly dark and her expression almost never changed, but by living a human life, it seemed like her voice had gotten louder, perhaps because the things tormenting her had lessened a little. Her remaining uneasiness is because of… what? She's with her sister and she wanted to stay here so badly! Hmm…
Sebas started walking and Tsuare accompanied him at his side, while Celi remained by the door. She wasn't exactly the best guard, but now they had one. She smiled at Tsuare who seemed happier at that sight and then rushed to walk next to her saviour.
Usually, for a maid, walking alongside the butler, her superior, would be improper. But Tsuare had never trained as a maid, so she didn't know the etiquette and Sebas had no mind to drum all the rules into her head.
"What's for dinner today?"
"Stew… with potatoes."
"I see. That's something to look forward to; your cooking is delicious."
Receiving a smile along with the compliment, Tsuare blushed, looked down and squeezed her maid's apron with both hands.
"Th-that's not true."
"No, no, it is. I can't cook at all, so it really helps me out. Do you have all the ingredients you need? If you're running low on anything or there's anything you want me to go buy, please tell me."
"Okay, but… we have everything… I already sent Celi… outside… to get the groceries… You mustn't worry… about that stuff… Lord Sebas."
Inside the mansion, with her sister and in front of Sebas, Tsuare could function normally, but she still rejected the outside world. Since they couldn't have her do anything out there, buying all the ingredients was either Celicia's or Sebas' job, but the sisters tried not to make him do that since he'd saved Tsuare.
Her culinary creations were nothing extravagant. They were humble home cooking. Because of that, none of the ingredients were expensive and everything she needed could be found at the market. Sebas had done that only once and actually loved it. Familiarizing himself with various foods at the market, he was able to gather information about this world's diet, so he considered it killing two birds with one stone.
Suddenly he had an idea.
"… Shall we go shopping together later?"
A shocked expression appeared on Tsuare's face. Frightened, she shook her head, instantly paled and broke out in a nervous sweat.
"No, thank you."
Sebas didn't let his thoughts show. So she still can't…
Since she had started working, she'd never made an attempt to do anything that involved leaving the house. She could keep her fear under control because she saw this building's (not so thick) walls as absolute protection. In other words, she could function because she'd drawn a line between the outside world—the world that hurt her—and this dissimilar place.
But she would never be able to go outside like that. And Sebas couldn't shelter her forever.
Given her mental state, Sebas knew that it would be cruel to order her out after only a few days. It would be safer to take some time and acclimate her slowly, but that was assuming they had time.
Sebas had no intention of settling down or spending the rest of his life here. He was a foreigner who had snuck in on an intelligence-gathering mission. If the order to pull out came from his master…
To prepare for that time, he felt he should give her as many opportunities as possible. Sebas stopped walking and faced Tsuare head-on. Blushing, she looked down, but he took her cheeks between his hands and brought her head up.
"Tsuare, I understand your fear. But please trust me. I'll protect you. I'll thwart whatever danger approaches and keep you perfectly safe."
"…"
"Tsuare. Try to take this step. If you're scared, you can close your eyes."
"…"
He squeezed her hand as she hesitated. Then he said something he felt was unfair. "You don't believe me, Tsuare?"
A veil of silence fell over the hallway, and time passed slowly. With slightly damp eyes, Tsuare parted her lips, to which the color had returned. Her pearly front teeth peeked out.
"Not fair… Master Sebas. If you say that… then I can't refuse…"
"Don't worry. I may not look it, but I'm strong enough… Hm, yes. As far as I'm concerned, there are only two people in this world who are so much stronger than me..."
"Is… that… true?" Tsuare smiled, figuring that he'd said such things as a joke to put her at ease.
Sebas simply smiled and didn't offer any response.
He set off walking again. He knew Tsuare, next to him, was glancing at his profile now and then, but he didn't say anything. He knew that she had some complicated feelings for him that were not quite a faint crush. He supposed that was something like a conditioned response after being rescued from hell, a dependency on a reliable figure. Also, Sebas was old, so it was even possible that she was confounding familial affection for the love between a man and a woman.
Even if she really was in love with him, Sebas had no intention of returning her feelings. But it'd be nice to make her feel better, he suddenly thought. After all, Lord Oshikuru himself did that with a lot human girls… but let's do that step by step.
"Okay, I have a few things to talk to the young lady about, and then I'll come and fetch you."
"… Lady Solution?" Her face grew a little dark.
Sebas knew why, but he didn't say anything.
Solution never willingly interacted with Tsuare and when they did happen to meet, she would just cast a glance at her and withdraw without a word. That level of disregard would make anyone uneasy and, given Tsuare's position, she must have been quite frightened.
"It's all right. She's like that with everybody. She's not singling you out… Between you and me, she has a pretty difficult personality "…" His joking tone and smile lightened Tsuare's mood a little. "Whenever she sees a cute girl, she sulks."
"But I'm not… She's so…" Flustered, she waved off his compliment.
Tsuare certainly had a nice face, but she couldn't compete with Solution. Still, beauty was always at least somewhat in the eye of the beholder.
"I prefer you to Solution."
"Wh… How?"
He watched her, his heart warm, as she blushed and looked down, but then furrowed his brow at a sudden change in her expression.
"But I'm dirty…"
Her face darkened dramatically, and Sebas sighed in his mind. Then he spoke, facing straight ahead.
"Jewels are like that. Clean ones with no scratches are worth more and called beautiful."
Hearing that, Tsuare's face grew even gloomier.
"But people aren't jewels."
He sensed her head raise suddenly.
"You said you're dirty, but what makes people clean? For jewels, there are standards of appraisal. But what are the standards to decide a person's purity or beauty? The average? The ordinary? Then does that mean the opinions of the nonconforming minority don't matter?" Sebas took a breath and continued. "Just like aesthetics vary from person to person, if we say human beauty lies beyond appearance, then I believe it resides not in someone's past but within them. It's not as if I know your entire history, but judging from what I've seen of you these past few days together, you're not the least bit dirty in my opinion."
Sebas closed his mouth, and suddenly the only sound in the world was their footsteps echoing in the hall. Then Tsuare spoke, as if she'd made up her mind.
"If you think so…then please hold me—"
Sebas embraced her before she could finish. "You're clean and beautiful," he said tenderly, and she didn't make a sound as tears of happiness spilled from her eyes. He delicately caressed her left cheek and kissed the right one. She became as red as a beetroot and started mumbling something unintelligible. He patted her back a few times and then slowly withdrew his hands.
"Tsuare, I'm sorry, but I must go now."
"I—I understand…"
Sebas parted with Tsuare, who curtsied with a little smile and knocked on the door. He didn't hear an answer but opened it. As he slowly closed it, he smiled back at her as she watched him intently.
Partly because they were renting the house, but there was barely any furniture despite the many rooms. In this one, however, there was enough furniture not to embarrass them if a guest visited. But the more one examined them, the easier it was to tell that none of the pieces had a history. The room was a facade.
"I've returned, Lady Solution."
"…Thank you, Sebas."
The fake lady of the house, Solution, retaining her bored expression, was seated on a sofa in the middle of the room. In truth, the expression was just an act. Since Tsuare, an outsider, was in the building, she was still wearing the foolish-looking mask of a conceited rich girl. Solution's eyes moved away from Sebas to the door. "… She's gone now."
"It appears so."
They observed each other's expressions, and Solution spoke first.
"When are we pulling out of here?" In response to the question she'd started asking every time they met, Sebas gave his usual answer. "When the time comes."
Normally the conversation would end there. Solution would heave a conspicuous sigh, and it would be over. But today she didn't seem to want to end it there. "… May I ask that you clarify when this 'time' is that you're planning for? There's no guarantee that sheltering that human won't make trouble for us."
"There aren't any problems right now. I don't believe fearing and panicking over the type of problems a mere human could cause is a reaction befitting a servant of Lord Ainz. And since he himself allowed both humans to stay here with us, you should not have a problem with it."
Silence fell between them and Sebas exhaled lightly.
This is extremely awkward.
There was no emotion in Solution's expression, but he could tell she was irritated with him. This mansion was their temporary base, but Solution thought of it as a branch of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and the fact that they had a troublesome human there, even with their lord's consent, was intolerable to her.
"Still…" The intense emotion in her whispered voice was powerful enough to stop Sebas in his tracks. "… Still, Master Sebas, don't you think we should send her to Nazarick? Everything would be better. You know that."
"The Supreme Beings have decided that she could stay, Solution. Are you really challenging our masters' orders?"
"They didn't seem to be happy about it, they allowed her to live here only because you agreed to it saying everything'd be fine, but that's unlikely… you're not acting out of self-interest, right? Did you fall for her? I've seen you kissing her, you know."
A nervous thrill ran through the atmosphere.
Sebas sensed Solution bracing herself slightly and realized how dangerous both their positions were. Everyone in Nazarick was required to devote themselves entirely to Ainz Ooal Gown, to the Supreme Beings. From the guardians on down, it was probably everyone thought that way. Even the assistant butler constantly scheming to take over the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Éclair, had loyalty and respect for the Supreme Beings. Still, everyone had his own personality and behaved differently.
He smiled. When she saw that, some doubt appeared in her eyes.
"…Of course not. I have no self-interest. Simply, I trust Demiurge will deal with Eight Fingers before it can find us. Even if he won't, I'll deal with those who come here looking for her."
"So, Celicia is bait right now? Is that why you're keeping her?"
"Partly, yes. Also, I have a very high opinion of her cooking skills."
"Cooking?" It was like a question mark had appeared over her head.
"Yes. And don't you imagine people might think we're strange, living in this huge mansion, just the three of us?"
"… Maybe."
Solution could sincerely agree there. With such a large house and apparent wealth, the lack of servants would seem strange.
"I think it's only right that we maintain a minimum number of people. Wouldn't it be trouble if someone should visit and we couldn't serve even a single dish?"
"… So you're using the human also as part of our disguise?"
"That's right. Both sisters feel indebted to us, so even if they sense something is off, they wouldn't say anything to an outsider. Am I wrong?"
Solution thought for a little while and then said, "No, that makes sense."
"Are you convinced?"
"…Yes."
"Then for now, let's leave it at—"
He cut off abruptly at the sound of a hard object colliding with another. It was very quiet, someone without Sebas's ears probably would have missed it. Someone was undoubtedly causing the arrhythmic noise. Sebas opened the door and focused his attention down the hallway. When they realized it was coming from the knocker on the front door, they both froze.
No one had knocked on this house's door since they'd arrived in the capital. Whenever they did business, they always went out and never invited anyone to call on them at their residence. It was an extreme measure to not rouse any suspicion for living in such a big house alone.
But today, they had visitors. That alone was enough to signal trouble.
Sebas left Solution behind, went into the entryway and lifted the cover of the peephole. Through the hole, he saw a stout man flanked by kingdom soldiers. The visitor was clean and wore well-tailored clothes with a heavy-looking crest glinting copper on his chest. He had a ruddy, fleshy face with an oily sheen, perhaps due to his diet.
There was also a man who bore a very different appearance. His skin was so pale it was as if sunlight had never graced it. His sharp gaze combined with his sunken cheeks to suggest a bird of prey, the type that scavenged meat from corpses. His black clothes fit loosely. There was no doubt he was concealing a weapon. The malice and bloody stench rolling off him triggered Sebas's sixth sense.
It was such a disparate group that he couldn't figure out who they might be or what their purpose was. "…Who is it?"
"Patrol Chief Staffan Heivish." The fat man in front stated his name in an unexpectedly high-pitched voice.
The patrol chief was an official whose job was to keep the peace in the capital. The position could also be understood as the boss of the patrolling guards and his work covered a broad span of activities. That was why Sebas wasn't sure why he had come.
Staffan continued. "As you know, we have a law in the kingdom that prohibits slave trafficking… It was Princess Renner who spearheaded the initiative to plan and adopt it. In any case, we caught wind that someone in this mansion might be violating that law, so we're here to ascertain the truth of the matter." Then he asked if they might come inside.
A drop of uncomfortable sweat rolled down Sebas's back, and he hesitated.
He could think of plenty of excuses to refuse, but he was worried that turning Staffan away might lead to bigger problems later. He had no proof Staffan was really an official. He wore the crest of a kingdom official, but that wasn't enough to prove his authenticity. There was a very slight chance, although it'd be a major crime, that it was counterfeit.
Still, what was the issue with letting a few humans into the mansion? If they became violent, Sebas would be able to handle that, no problem. Actually, it would be better for Sebas if the man was faking.
How did Staffan interpret the silence of Sebas's contemplation? He spoke again.
"First, I'm sorry to trouble you, but could we meet with the master of the house? Of course, if he's out that can't be helped, but we came to investigate, so we won't be very happy if we go back empty-handed." Staffan's smile contained no trace of apology. Behind it lay a subtle intent to abuse his authority, almost like blackmail.
"Before that, may I ask who the man behind you is?"
"Hmm? His name is Succuronte. He's a representative of the establishment that brought this matter to our attention."
"I'm Succuronte. How do you do?"
Seeing Succuronte's faint smile, Sebas had a hunch he'd been defeated.
The expression was the sneer of a brutal hunter toward his trapped prey.
He must have laid all the groundwork before coming here. In that case, there was a good chance Staffan was an actual official. And they'd probably already decided how they would respond if he refused. In that case, maybe it was better to see what they were up to. Still… why didn't Demiurge deal with Eight Fingers?… or did he actually use us as bait without telling us? If only I knew… hm, enough, I must act.
"…Understood. I will go inform the lady. Please wait here for a moment."
"Yes, we'll wait, we'll wait."
"But I hope you'll make it quick. We haven't got all day."
Succuronte snorted derisively and Staffan shrugged.
"Understood. Then if you'll excuse me." Sebas closed the peephole cover and turned back to Solution's room. But before that, he told Celi to get Tsuare and hide in the back.
Staffan and Succuronte left the soldiers outside the door and entered the room they'd been led to. When they laid eyes on Solution, they were amazed.
They clearly hadn't expected to meet such a beautiful woman. Staffan's expression gradually slackened and his eyes flitted between her face and her chest. There was pure lust in his eyes as he swallowed a few times. Succuronte's expression, on the other hand, tensed.
Which one should I be wary of? The answer to that question was self-evident. Sebas offered them a seat on the sofa across from Solution. Solution, Staffan, and Succuronte introduced themselves.
"Now then, what seems to be the trouble?"
Staffan cleared his throat rather deliberately and replied to Solution's question. "We received a report from a certain establishment that someone had abducted one of their employees. We heard that person illegally supplied some money to a different employee of theirs in exchange. Slave trafficking is prohibited by law… That sounds like a violation, don't you think?"
Staffan's excitement gradually grew, and his tone became increasingly firm, but Solution gave a bored reply. "Oh?"
The visiting pair blinked in surprise. Apparently, they didn't think she'd respond with that attitude, since they were threatening her.
"I leave all bothersome things to Sebas. Sebas, take care of it."
"A-are you sure you're all right with that? You might end up a criminal."
"Oh my, how frightening. Then, Sebas, if it seems like I'm going to end up a criminal, please come tell me." She bid them good day and stood up, beaming. No one called after her as she left the room. That moment proved just how powerful a woman's beauty could be. Perhaps Solution's smile had shocked them as a couple of surprised yelps reached her ears before the sound of the closing door.
"Well then, I will listen to what you have to say on behalf of the young lady." Sebas smiled and sat down opposite the two men. The smile seemed to discourage Staffan. To shore him up, Succuronte spoke. "Hmm, yes, then we'll have you hear us out. As Mr. Heivish said at the door, our… well, yes, one of our employees has gone missing. And what do you know? After asking one of our men, he admitted to taking money and handing her over. I realized this would count as slave trafficking, which is illegal in the kingdom. I didn't want to believe anyone working at my establishment would do such a thing, but I was forced to charge him with the crime."
"As you should. We cannot permit such injustice!" Staffan pounded the table. "Succuronte here came forward with the slave-trafficking accusation regardless of the impact it might have on his establishment's reputation. He's earned the title of a model citizen!" Staffan sprayed a bit of spit as he pontificated, and Succuronte bowed.
"Thank you, Mr. Heivish."
What is this farce? Sebas thought as he got his brain working. He was sure the two before him were in collusion, which meant they had undoubtedly done a good amount of preparation before coming to attack. His defeat seemed imminent. So how can I get through this with the least harm caused?…
"The claims of the man who said he received money could have been perjurious. Where is he now?"
"He's been arrested on suspicion of slave trafficking and locked up. And after listening to what he said and doing a detailed investigation…"
"We found that you, Mr. Sebas, were the one who purchased my employee."
The man had been arrested and probably told them everything there was to tell. And there was a good chance he was coerced to talk in a way that worked to their advantage. Sebas wasn't sure whether he should pretend knowing nothing of what they were talking about, lie, or give a proper counterargument. How would it turn out if I said she wasn't here? How would it turn out if I said she died?
He imagined countless plans, but the probability of them being tricked was low and they didn't seem like they were going to give up so easily. He decided to ask something he needed to know first.
"And how did you exactly conclude it was me? What's the proof?" That was what Sebas didn't understand. As long as he hadn't left at the scene his name or anything that hinted at his identity, there shouldn't have been any proof. So how did they figure out they should come here? When he went out, he was on guard for anyone tailing him. He didn't think there was anyone in this city who could follow him without his realizing.
"The scroll."
A light went on in the back of Sebas's mind. The scroll I bought at the wizards' guild. Yes, it was different from normal scrolls, more durably made. Anyone familiar with their appearance would know he'd bought it at the guild. The rest was possible to find out with a little legwork. Someone dressed like a butler holding a scroll would stick out even more.
Still, that didn't prove Tsuare was there. He could insist that she was someone else who just happened to resemble her. But there would be trouble if the mansion was searched. Namely the issue of having only four people, including Tsuare, living in such a large house. That I'll just have to accept, Sebas resigned himself.
"…I did take the woman away. That is true. But at the time she was very badly wounded, and her life was in danger, so I had no choice."
"So you admit that you used money to gain custody of her?"
"… First, I'd like to speak with that man."
"Unfortunately, that won't be possible. We can't have you two coordinating your stories."
"You can—"
—stand there and listen to us talk, Sebas started to say but closed his mouth.
In the end, this was a setup. Even if he could get to the man, the chance he could turn things to his advantage was low. It was a waste of time to pursue that angle.
"…Isn't it unwise, as a country, to permit the type of work that would give her such horrible wounds all over her body in the first place?"
"The work we do is quite strenuous. Injuries are part of the job. Take a mining job for example—accidents happen. It's like that."
"…I don't think they were those sort of injuries, though…"
"Ha-ha-ha. Well, we're in the hospitality business, and there are all sorts of customers. We're careful, but you know how it is. Anyhow, I understand what you've said. Next time we'll… yes, we'll keep a little closer eye on things."
"A little?"
"Well, you know. Otherwise, it'll start to cost us money. Et cetera." In response to Sebas's question, the corners of Succuronte's lips curled upward in a sneer. Sebas smiled back.
"—Okay, that's enough." Staffan heaved a sigh, the sigh of a human who was dealing with a fool. "My job is to ascertain whether slave trafficking occurred. Checking on the treatment of employees is someone else's. I can only say that it has no bearing on our current discussion."
"… Then could you direct me to the official who specializes in those matters?"
"… Hmm. I'd really like to, but it's not so simple as that. Sorry, but no one likes someone who sticks their nose in other people's work."
"… Then I'd like to wait until that person can investigate."
Staffan chuckled as if he'd been waiting for him to say exactly that. Succuronte sneered in a similar manner.
"…Yes, I'd really like to wait as well, but since we've already received the complaint in writing from the establishment, we need to take you in, with force if necessary, and investigate."
In other words, there was no time.
"As things stand, it's clear from the circumstantial evidence that you committed the crime, but the establishment is willing to take a broad-minded approach in settling this. Of course compensation will be required. And it'll cost a bit to destroy the document that accuses you of slave trafficking."
"What kind of compensation, specifically?"
"Yes, about that. For starters, we'd like you to return our employee. And we'd like you to pay us the money that would have been made if she hadn't been missing."
"I see. How much is that?"
"In gold pieces… hmm. Eh, I'll make it cheap. A hundred. And an additional three hundred as a solatium, for a total of four hundred."
"… That's quite a lot of money. What's the breakdown? How much per day and in what categories?"
"W-wait a moment." Staffan cut into the conversation. "That's not all, Succuronte!"
"Oh, that's right. Since we reported the damage, there is the fee to destroy that document even if we settle the matter privately."
"That's right, Succuronte. It won't do to forget that." Staffan grinned.
"…Seriously?"
"Hmm?"
"Ah, nothing," Sebas murmured with a smile.
"Um, my apologies, Mr. Heivish." Succuronte bowed to Staffan and continued. "One-third of the solatium is considered reasonable for destroying the record, so that comes out to a hundred gold pieces. So the total is five hundred."
"I paid some money when I took her. Will that be deducted?"
"Oh, that's rich. Listen, buddy, if you settle with them, that'll mean you never purchased a slave. In other words, that money never existed—you dropped it somewhere."
So you're telling me to pretend I dropped a hundred gold pieces? Well, you probably have half of it in your pocket as we speak…
"Another issue is that she's not fully healed yet. If you take her now, she might relapse. She could also die, depending on how the treatment goes. I think it's safer to have us take care of her."
A strange twinkle appeared in Succuronte's eye.
When he saw it, Sebas realized he'd made a mistake: now they knew he cared about Tsuare.
"I see, I see. You may be right. If she dies, you'll have to reimburse us with her worth, naturally, but until she's healed, how about lending us the lady of the house?"
"Ohh! That makes sense. If you create a vacancy, you should fill it."
The lust was plain on Staffan's grinning face. He was probably imagining Solution naked.
Sebas's smile disappeared, leaving him expressionless.
Succuronte probably wasn't being serious, but if he found an opening, he would force himself in. Sebas could see that because he'd slipped and revealed his attachment to Tsuare, there was a chance this would blow up even worse.
"… Won't it be problematic if you get too greedy?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Staffan got red in the face and shouted.
Like the squeal of a pig before being slaughtered, thought Sebas as he silently gazed at the patrol chief. I don't think Lord Ainz would be mad at me if I killed this fool for his words about Solution…
"What do you mean, 'greedy'?! I'm doing this to uphold the law created through the power of Princess Renner's esteemed will! You call that greed?! How rude can you possibly be?!"
"Now, now, please calm down, Mr. Heivish."
The moment Succuronte chimed in, Staffan immediately quelled his anger. His instantaneous serenity implied that it hadn't been a genuine outburst but just part of the intimidation plan.
What a horrible actor, Sebas whispered in his head.
"But Succuronte…"
"Mr. Heivish, I think we've said everything we can say for now. I'd like to come back the day after tomorrow to hear Sebas's decision. That's fine with you, right, Mr. Sebas?"
"Yes."
With that, the conversation met its end, and Sebas escorted the men to the entryway. He saw them off, and Succuronte, the last one to go, smiled at Sebas with a parting shot.
"Someone said, I owe the bitch some thanks. I never imagined someone slated for disposal would lay a golden egg."
The door closed with a bang.
Sebas watched them go as if the door were see-through. There was no particular emotion on his face at all. He had his usual calm expression. But deep in his eyes was something vivid and intense. Anger—no, the emotion couldn't be described with such a simple word as anger. Fury, rage—those terms were more appropriate.
The reason Succuronte had spoken the truth as he left was to inform Sebas that all avenues of escape were blocked and that there was nothing to be done, he was convinced he'd won.
"Solution. Why don't you come out?"
At Sebas's suggestion, she slunk out of the shadows and showed herself. She'd been using an assassin-class skill to melt into the darkness.
"You were listening to our conversation, right?" His question was meant only as confirmation.
Solution nodded, of course. "So what will you do now, Master Sebas? From your previous words, I thought you had some plans…"
But Sebas didn't and couldn't answer immediately. In response to his silence, Solution directed a cold gaze his way. "I see… Shall we immediately send the two human sisters to — she bit her lip — to Nazarick and be done with it?"
"I don't think that will resolve the issue."
"… And why is that?"
"If we show weakness, they'll come to suck the marrow from our bones. That's the type of humans they are. I don't think sending Tsuare and Celi away will fix this. The problem is how they're investigating us and how much they've found out. We entered the capital as merchants, but if they investigate in-depth, that story won't hold water, they'll be able to see through our disguise."
"Then what will you do? ask Lord Ainz?"
"No, I'll deal with this, I just don't know how yet. I think I'd like to take a stroll outside and think about it."
Sebas pushed open the front door and began to walk.
Solution watched in silence as Sebas receded into the distance.
"This is so stupid. We're screwed, so we either leave or ask the Supreme Beings what to do. The power of Ainz-sama could obliterate this city in an instant… but I'm sure he'll use his matchless intellect to turn this around. But the real problem is another. Sebas is not thinking straight right now, he must have fallen for that girl so much he's forgotten his priorities… we all must serve the Supreme Leader."
As someone working under Sebas, ignoring his orders and acting on her own would be frowned upon, but it seemed worse for her to let things continue the way they were going. She didn't know what to do. She was having so much trouble figuring out what to do next that this was probably the most confounded she'd ever been. Eventually she made up her mind, raised her left hand, and opened it.
A scroll rose from her palm like it had bobbed to the surface of a lake. She'd been keeping the scroll inside her body. Originally, it had been given to her to use for communication in case of an impending crisis. At this point, due to Demiurge's research, their prospects for low-tier scroll creation were fine, but back when Solution was dispatched, they hadn't been, so this Message scroll was designated for emergency use only. She judged that this was a situation in which she should use it. She unrolled the scroll and unleashed the spell it contained. The item scattered to pieces that turned to ashes. Before they could fall to the ground, they completely disappeared.
As the spell took effect, Solution sensed herself connecting to the other person with something that felt like string and spoke. "Lord Ainz, are you there?"
"Solution…? What in the world is it? If you're contacting me, it must be some sort of emergency?"
"Yes." She paused for just a moment.
She hesitated due to her loyalty to Sebas and wondered if she hadn't simply misunderstood. But her faithfulness to Lord Ainz and the worries that Sebas no longer served him well won over. They should be acting in order to maximize the gains of the Supreme Beings, but Sebas' most recent actions could only be interpreted as contravening that, in her opinion. That was why she wanted to get their master's opinion.
"It's possible that Sebas is a traitor."
"What? … Agh! …Er… how could that be? Ahem. Quit joking around, Solution. I won't stand for such claims without proof… Or do you have any?""Well, I'm not sure it can be called proof, but…"
