Chapter 12

Climb held a thick black thing in his hand. It wiggled ever so slightly. The black mass was solid, but took on the shape of an extremely soft object that was being pulled by gravity.

He smashed the strange-looking bead against himself. It burst against his armor with a liquid-like noise and splashed black spots all over the shiny metal. Some would have suspected that there was black ink inside the bead, but the effect of the did not end there. The black spots started wiggling and then started to spread throughout his armor, covering the whole surface with a black substance. In mere seconds Climb's shining white armor turned pitch black. The bead Climb used was a magical item called Magic Dye. High-class magic items would often confer additional heat or cold resistance, but what Climb used could only change color. The reason he used this item was obviously because of his flashy white armor.

Lakyus called the leaders of every group, interrupting Climb's stare at his new look. He rushed to the a female warrior equipped with all sorts of magic items.

First in sight was the famous magic sword Kilineiram, but it was sheathed, so he could not take a look at the famed blade supposedly reminding the observer of the night's pitch darkness. Even just the grip was beautiful: inside the black sapphire that was embedded into the pommel was a brightly burning flame. The armor she was wearing radiated so much that it could not have been made with anything less than platinum or gold. It was an armor with unicorns carved all over it and it was said that only virgins could wear it and that it would never tarnish. The fabled Virgin Snow.

Compared to her ornate and flashy armor, her cloak seemed to be made from simple materials. This item was called the Cloak of Rat Speed and increased movement speed, agility and evasion. It was an unimaginably powerful magical item, considering its appearance. She didn't seem to have activated her famous magic item Floating Sword yet. The reason why Lakyus still had her flashy gear on was because she could disguise them at any time with her own magic.

Those who stood beside her were all faces he already knew. The members of Blue Rose, and Gazef Stronoff. Standing side-by-side with them, Climb could only think that he did not fit in here.

Lakyus explained the plan for attacking the Eight Fingers' eight buildings. However, since there were only seven groups, the plan was revised so that as soon as a group finished subduing a place, the leader of that group and Marquis Raeven's personal guards (all former adventurers who had been ranked above mithril) would rush to the last target and the rest would mop up the place they were originally assigned to. The goal was to neutralize and capture everyone if possible, but killing them if they resisted was authorized as well.

Lakyus continued and warned everyone. "Your opponent is the force controlling the underworld. There might be traps or unexpectedly strong opponents. Never let your guard down."

Climb's body shuddered. It was not because of fear, but due to the crucial role he had been assigned. Compared to the other groups' leaders, Climb's skills and abilities were extremely lacking. The only reason he had been assigned as one was because of the Princess' insistence. However, he was far better than the average soldier and he had personal helper who had showed up at the last minute to support him. Additionally, Marquis Raeven's team of former orichalcum-ranked adventurers had been assigned to him. Under these circumstances it had been impossible for him to refuse.

Plus, the moment he realized why he had been chosen as a group leader, he could not simply sit around. Blue Rose, Marquis Raeven, Gazef Stronoff and, in case of something went wrong, Prince Zanack, too. There was nobody who officially represented Renner. Thus, by making Climb one of the group leaders, she wanted to show she'd had a large part in the plan as well. And the mission to spread the knowledge that Princess Renner was working hard for the people of the Kingdom gave him strength.

The little pep talk finished and everyone dispersed. When he went back to his group, the man who stood at the front of the group spoke with a relaxed voice. "Are you ready?"

That man was Brain Unglaus, deputy leader of Climb's group and his personal helper who had appeared before the castle's gates just a little before. Whatever his motives were, nobody asked: all it mattered was that they now had a powerful ally. Besides, Climb granted for him and thought he knew the reason why Brain joined them. You're looking for a worthy cause to follow, Brain… to save this country is a good one. Then Climb turned to him with a resolute face.

"Good, 'cause everyone's ready. On the Commander's words, we'll move out immediately. We're going to be taking this route."

There was a red line navigating through the streets on the map of the capital Brain handed over. "Our friend over there helped to choose…" And I've helped to choose we handle the place where the girls should be… Oshikuru-sama personally made it clear to me. I mustn't let them die. "… Yo, Lockmeier!"

After taking a look at the map, Climb looked at the one Brain was greeting. It was one of the men from the former orichalcum ranked team. As if recognizing Climb's gaze, he waved his hand in greeting. Climb slightly bowed his head toward the man who was much older than him. Normally it would be frowned upon if a group's leader bowed his head to another member of the group, but since Climb (who had no real strength) was the leader, he needed the help of others rather than personally standing at the forefront of the assault.

While they were talking, a humongous person approached Climb and spoke. "Oi, Cherry Boy!"

He had hoped she wouldn't call him that. While Climb was desperately thinking that in his head, he felt how the gazes toward him changed. He was glad none were of disdain. Some of them were like the gazes of adults watching a child, some of strong camaraderie. "What is it, Gagaran-sama?"

Compared to how it was at the inn, she was covered with first-class magical items. Her red full plate mail had spikes and eye-like decorations around the chest area. It was her famous armor, Gaze Bane. Her gauntlets were little different and had snake decorations wrapping around them. It was an ancient relic that accelerated regeneration, the Gauntlets of Kerykerio. Around the waist was a war pick called Fel Iron and the luxurious red cape befitting royalty was the Crimson Guard. Inside the armor, where people couldn't see, were the Vest of Resistance, Dragontooth Amulet, Belt of Greater Power, Wing Boost, Circlet Twister and even rings imbued with magic.

This was the gear of one of the Kingdom's greatest warriors, Gagaran. Every single one of them was expensive enough to make one's eyes pop. The only reason she could afford such equipment was because she was an adamantium-ranked adventurer. Evileye, Tina and Tia also wore items that could be easily recognized as among the highest tier with a single glance.

"… Nothing much, I just wanted to feel up the cherry boy's ass some more." She probably meant that she was worried for him, but he really wished she would stop calling him that. He could take off a nickname like that if he wanted to in one of those stores, but he did not want to. Deep inside, Climb shed a tear, but Gagaran watched Brain with hawk-like eyes.

"Brain Unglaus. The man who fought toe-to-toe with the Royal Warrior Captain... Those stories weren't a lie, nor an exaggeration."

"Blue Rose's Gagaran. You certainly are... strong. Truly fitting for a warrior of an adamantium-ranked party. So, do I pass?"

Climb looked toward Brain as if asking what he meant by passing. Brain shrugged and told Climb what Gagaran truly meant. "She came by to see if I am someone trustworthy enough to be entrusted with you."

"Hm. I can see that it's no coincidence you caught the Illusion Maniac. I can feel a strong battle spirit even without sparring with you. If it was you, it must have been easy."

"Gee, thanks. I can see the rumors about you were true as well. But it's best to be on your guard. In this world, there are monsters strong enough to kill us instantaneously."

"Oh-ho, you're one of the careful types. Men like you aren't bad either. You might not be a cherry boy, but how about it?"

"No, thanks. I think it'll explode from the pressure."

Climb didn't need to ask what would explode.

"That's a shame. Well then, be careful Climb."

Gagaran waved goodbye and strode away. Watching her walk away, Brain murmured, "She's a kind woman. Wouldn't have guessed, considering her appearance."

"Gagaran-san... No, all members of Blue Rose are like that. Evileye-san may also appear mean, but even she's a kind person."

"Good to know… Hmmm? It seems we're starting to move out."

"It seems so. If we want to coordinate the time with groups that are going farther away, it's about time."

The two men could see a group that was already quite far ahead. Climb looked around to see if he could find a certain woman, but of course he could not find her. She would be with Prince Zanack about now. He knew just how much work Renner had to do, yet wondered if his little sensation of sadness was due to his selfishness.

"Then shall we go, Climb?"

"...Yes! Right away."

Climb commanded his group to start moving. Group leader Climb, deputy leader Brain Unglaus, four former orichalcum-ranked adventurers, twenty soldiers from Marquis Raeven's household troops, as well as five high-class clerics that Marquis Raeven knew and three wizards that the Magician's Guild secretly lent out. In the dark of night, they departed silently to go take down the criminal organisation that had been damaging Re-Estize for far too long.

"For him to send this kind of force... I must thank Ainz-sama properly."

There were Sebas' first words after looking around at those gathered in the mansion by the fading light of the sun going below the horizon. With Demiurge as a leader, the Floor Guardians Shalltear and Mare, as well as Pleiades's Solution and Entoma, were present together with some Evil Lords. It was a truly powerful force. One might even say it was overkill.

"As per Ainz-sama's orders, I, Demiurge, will take command... Is there an objection, Sebas?"

"Of course not."

"Then I shall get this out of the way so there is no misunderstanding between us. Ainz-sama did order us to rescue Tsuare and Celi, but the reason we have committed such strength is to punish these ignorant Eight Fingers who committed a grave sin against the Supreme Being."

"I know that very well. Rescuing the human girls is only a secondary objective."

"That is correct. I doubt they have resistance against revival magic, so the only reason I will try to rescue her alive is due to your suggestion."

It was not a pleasant tone.

"Even so, if she's already dead, there will a bit of a problem in finding her. If I was the enemy, I'd throw her chopped-off head at the idiots that come wandering in."

"I thought you were more likely to show them a scene of you torturing the hostage as an example, Demiurge."

"A very logical conclusion. To tie up the would-be rescuers and torture the hostage in front of their very eyes... Just imagining it makes my heart race."

"And what exactly is it that would make your heart race?" Sebas hid his anger underneath his thin smile. Though, since it was Demiurge, he would see through the fake expression.

"All of it, Sebas. All of it." Demiurge's slit-like pupils emitted a cold gaze. "Of course, if it was me, I would even scheme for the rescuer to escape with the hostage, and the moment they believed they have escaped, I would turn the tables around. The greater their hope, the greater their despair."

Shalltear sounded happy and clapped her tiny hands. "That sounds fun! If we get an opportunity, I would like to try that out as well."

"B-But if they really escape, w-wouldn't it be dangerous?" Demiurge and Shalltear laughed.

"Mare, that was a funny joke you made. Of course we would ensure they couldn't actually get away."

"Demiurge, did you already obtain the necessary information to destroy the Eight Fingers?"

"Of course, Sebas. I have all the necessary information now."

Sebas was honestly surprised. The time Demiurge had spent in the capital was extremely short, but for him to have gathered information this fast... Sebas did not want to imagine what kind of method Demiurge used. The only thing he was certain about was that if Demiurge was acting on the Master's orders, he would not mess around.

"Now about the locations, there are quite a few, but all that remains is to attack them. If possible, try to capture those who look like leaders or who have useful information. But do make sure to remind these Eight Fingers of their wrongdoing—" Demiurge suddenly stopped, glancing at Sebas before he continued. "—That they dared to sully the most graceful and magnificent name of Ainz Ooal Gown. If we want to pay them back proportionally to the insult they have done to us, we will need to extract more information as well. Any objections?"

"N-No!"

"They need to pay for their rudeness toward Ainz-sama with death."

"Of course, there's no objection."

The two Guardians and the butler replied. The Pleiades and the Evil Lords simply bowed without saying a word.

"Good, then Sebas. Lord Oshikuru sent our human ally to join the operation of local authorities to the location you've been called to. They should provide any assistance you need, so I shall leave that place to you."

"Thank you... and Oshikuru-sama. But there's a chance the human girls may be injured. I wish to bring someone who can use healing magic."

"To save them is the wish of the Supreme Beings as well, so... Solution, since you have detection abilities, I wanted to leave you as a reserve, but can you support Sebas?"

"As you command, Demiurge-sama."

"Now, Demiurge, about the humans inside that building—"

"—If you leave any of the scum that tried to trample on Ainz-sama's words alive, I'll kill you myself this time."

"No need to worry, Demiurge. I was going to exterminate them all anyway…"

Shalltear sighed. "I wanted to say this for a long time... can't you two be more friendly with each other?"

Sebas could see Demiurge making an ambiguous expression from the corner of his eyes. He imagined that he probably made a similar expression. The more he thought about why he didn't like Demiurge so much, the stranger it became. He was perfectly fine with Shalltear, who shared similar hobbies with Demiurge, but Demiurge annoyed him whenever they talked to each other. Even so, to quarrel with Demiurge right before the mission would be like spitting on the kindness of the Supreme Beings. Sebas deeply apologized to his master inside his heart and bowed toward Demiurge.

"I apologize for showing you rudeness even though you came to correct my mistakes."

"... Well, it doesn't matter. For now, is it going to be alright for you to evacuate Tsuare immediately to Nazarick after you rescue Tsuare and Celicia?"

"Of course. Are all the preparations made to receive them?"

"No problem. On that point, we prepared accordingly." Sebas nodded his head to Entoma who spoke sweetly.

"Any other questions? No? Then we'll divide the members into seven groups and decide where each group will attack. Of course, Sebas and Solution are already assigned, but first thing to beware of... Shalltear!"

Demiurge's tone suddenly became strong, surprising Shalltear.

"What-what is it, Demiurge?"

"Please wait in the back as a reserve, since you lose all control when you're drenched in blood. Last time… everything went fine in the end, but if you go out of control in the capital, it will be a problem."

"It-It's alright! If I use the Spuit Lance to suck it all in, the chances of that happening would be very small!"

"It's still a no. We need to be careful with this and need to avoid risks as much as possible."

Then he turned around. "Also, Sebas, I'll apologize beforehand. Rescuing Tsuare and punishing Eight Fingers is just Stage One of this plan. However, I cannot tell you anything about the entire plan or Stage Two, because the moment you return to Nazarick after accomplishing Stage One, you are no longer part of the plan. To avoid any information leaks, we need to keep it on a strict need-to-know basis."

"I understand. Then I will prepare immediately."

Once Sebas left the room, Demiurge continued.

"Alright, first, I will relay the important information. Concentrate and make sure you do not miss anything. Entoma, you can make illusions, correct? Then please use them as I instruct you."

"Roger."

After listening to all the details from Demiurge, Entoma created an illusion in an empty space. Demiurge was fully satisfied with the result.

"I forbid you to kill this person. In the worst case, you are permitted to injure him if necessary but think of it as fundamentally not allowed and unnecessary, because he's not that strong. Did you get that, Shalltear?"

"You don't need to keep addressing me!"

Shalltear puffed up her cheeks at being repeatedly admonished and Mare smiled bitterly. "Umm… I-Is it okay not to, uh, tell Sebas?"

"It should be alright. Considering his personality, he isn't someone who'd randomly hurt people... but just in case, will you take care of this in an emergency, Solution?"

"Yes, as you command."

Demiurge nodded in satisfaction. This plan's last part was linked to someone who would bring huge benefits to Nazarick. If there was a mistake, then there was a chance that the ultimate goal of world domination could be delayed. The moment Ainz had said 'I entrust everything to you', mistakes could no longer be tolerated.

Many Guardians had made mistakes one after the other, even if slight ones. If this continued, their very abilities would be questioned. Of course, the Supreme Beings did not show any displeasure at their failure and the mistakes by Cocytus seemed to have been part of the plan, but they could not keep relying on the goodwill of their masters. We must prove how useful the Floor Guardians are to Ainz-sama by succeeding with this plan. Is there any use for foolish subordinates that can't perform their duties in a satisfying way? What if the last Supreme Beings were to disappear due to disappointment?

The mere thought made Demiurge freeze in fear. Failure is not an option. We must show a result that will wipe away all the previous mistakes. With certainty in his heart, Demiurge looked around to everyone.

"And don't forget, Theocracy or worse may be waiting for an opportunity to strike. No one will desert their post without permission. If you're deemed suspicious by myself or other Guardians, raise your two arms… or their equivalent… as proof of your loyalty. Do not act in a suspicious manner. If you do, we may have to kill you immediately for the safety of the plan. Any questions?"

"Uh, I just asked a question, but can I ask another one?"

Demiurge gave Mare a gentle smile and motioned him to go ahead.

"Ah, yeah. S-some of us can't use [Message]. Will it be alright?"

"Excellent point, Mare. Those who cannot cast [Message], do not act independently. I will watch over the entire operation, so come to me instead. In case of an emergency or if for some reason you can't contact me, I have already told Mare everything about the plan and he will act as the Second-in-Command."

"Wha... What about myself...?" She seemed disappointed.

"Sorry Shalltear, but like I said, you're in reserve. Haa... your uncontrollable bloodlust can be quite a concern."

"I got it, I got it, alright!"

"Hm. As soon as Stage One is finished, we will enter Stage Two immediately. I'll explain it to you now. This is the real deal, so pay atten—What is it?" A Shadow Demon wiggled out of Demiurge's shadow and whispered new information into his ears.

"… Is that so? It's certainly last minute, but that can't be helped." It was a truly annoying matter but something that could not be ignored.

"Mare, this is new information. We have a new Eight Fingers hideout to attack. I'm sorry, but I will need you to head there instead. You might not have enough manpower, but I will send Entoma as support."

"Y-Yes, um, please leave it to me!"

"Always ready to serve, Lord Demiurge!"

"Good answers. We'll talk about the details later, but for now let me explain Operation Gehenna while everybody is here. This is the most important plan we'll execute in the Kingdom, so pay attention."

In the Kingdom, it was normal to sleep when the sun went down, because keeping lamps lit would cost money. In the countryside, where most were poor, such practice was common practice. But, cities were the polar opposite of the countryside. Especially around downtown, all sorts of stores and people were active like nocturnal animals.

The place Climb was heading to was a little different. Instead of a brightly lit and bustling street, it was an alleyway swallowed in darkness. Climb walked along the silent street without any lamps. The reason he could navigate the dark street was thanks to his Helm of Dark Vision. Its maximum range was about 15 meters, but the view beyond the slit of the helm was that of midday. Furthermore, unlike plate mail made of iron, mithril-made plate mail didn't rattle as much. Unless someone with extremely good hearing or an extremely skilled rogue was paying attention, nobody could even guess that Climb was walking around fully armored.

The scouts at his orders were ready. They saw their target when they came out of the dark alley. Tall walls surrounded the perimeter as if to separate the inside from the outside. It resembled a fortress or a prison. What kind of illegal activities might be going in there? He thought of all that might be going on inside. The magical light placed on either side of the door failed to drive away the darkness that seemed be seeping out from the building. He could not see the building that was described in the plan from the outside. Still…

"That's it. There's no doubt," Climb murmured while crouching down to hide himself and a voice replied from beside him.

"It seems so, Leader. The atmosphere fits as well. I'll go scout it out." It was the voice of one of the former orichalcum-ranked adventurers who had rogue-class skills. Brain replied instead of Climb. "Be careful. There may be some that can detect invisibility."

"Of course, they are Eight Fingers after all. I plan on acting as if there's a rogue or magic caster of my level. Well, wish me luck, both of you."

With that, the presence beside him faded. Climb could not hear anything, but a rogue of similar caliber might have heard the footsteps heading towards the mansion.

The only ones left were Climb and Brain. The reason they left everybody else behind was because they weren't used to acting stealthily. Full plate armor was loud and would have tipped off their location. Since a battle could occur any minute, they couldn't take off the armor to approach either. So those two came instead. Both were warriors, so they couldn't imitate a rogue. However, for Climb, thanks to the magic imbued in his armor and for Brain who could use martial arts in the dark, it was possible to act in the dark. From here on, it was up to the professionals. There was a reason the two of them got this close despite the danger: if the rogue was detected, they had to decide quickly if their group would attack or retreat. Now it was time for them to wait and see. Still, they had no idea what was unfolding inside. As time passed, only negative thoughts plagued them.

"Will Lockmeier be alright?"

Brain replied to Climb's concern. "I don't know, but we can trust him. He is a former orichalcum-ranked adventurer after all."

"I suppose. He's quite experienced, I guess." They lost track of how long they were waiting. Then suddenly, Brain reached for his katana. Following Brain's example, Climb reached for his sword as well.

Then they heard the panicked voice of a man.

"Wait, wait! It's me, I'm back."

It was the rogue who went out as scout.

"Ah, it's you. You came close but didn't do anything... Were you testing whether I could really sense you with my martial arts or not?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. To test the renowned Brain Unglaus, it's my fault."

"It's okay. If our situations were reversed, I might have done the same. Either way, can you tell us what's inside?"

Climb could feel the rush of air and felt someone sitting down beside him. He looked to his side and saw nobody, but could feel the strange sensation of a faint presence being there.

"It seems like that place was set up as some sort of training ground. The courtyard was set up just like one. I had a brief look through the building and there were a lot of rooms. I think we can safely say that this is a building owned by the security division of the Eight Fingers. There were a couple of areas with security so heavy that I couldn't risk approaching… Also, there's some bad news, Leader."

The tone of his words changed the mood to a tense atmosphere."These are the most important points. There are prison cells in the building and two women are imprisoned in there. Also, there are people who match the description of the Six Arms in the compound as well."

Even if the women were unforeseen, they already calculated for the presence of the Six Arms. So what was the problem?

Brain's question cleared Climb's curiosity. "How many? Considering you said 'people', there must be more than one."

"Five of them. Since we already have the Illusion Maniac, it means all ar gathered there."

In other words, this was an impregnable fortress. The worst possible location. But—

"This may be bad for us, but better for the others. If they're all in here, that means the other locations will be much easier." It was the silver lining in this worst situation.

"Then what will we do Leader?"

"There is nothing to do. This place will be impossible to take down. We will retreat—"

Brain seemed upset and interrupted him"—Will that be alright, Climb?"

"No, not really, but do we have a choice? If all of the Six Arms are gathered here, then this must be one of the two important places and we can't even check if it is. But considering the difference in strength, it's inevitable."

"… That is true." But Sebas-sama should be here any moment now…

Lockmeier asked, "then should I go in again to see if I can grab any important documents before we withdraw?"

"No, it's too dangerous. It would be best to retreat while they still don't know we're here. What do you think?"

"Yeah, I agree. Then what will we do now? Go to the other locations and help them out?"

"That would be the best choice. Can you inform the others who're waiting then? We'll wait here for a moment and see if anybody comes after us."

"I guess there is no harm in being careful. I'll leave it to you then."

The still invisible rogue intentionally made walking sounds to reassure Climb that he was headed to where rest of the group was waiting.

"...Nobody seems to be chasing him, Brain. Then shall we join up with the rest and move on to the next location?"

"Yeah, but—huh? Look over there, Climb." Finally, you're here.

When he turned around, he could see the person he met yesterday approaching the building they were surveying.

"That's Sebas-sama? Why is he... it's hard to think this is a coincidence... What is going on? Is he one of them?"

"I don't think that's the case. I doubt you really think that either." Brain's face seemed to say The hell were you thinking?!

"That is true. Maybe if he was someone who's really good at acting, but I doubt he's someone like that."

"We should call him—"

As soon as he said that, Sebas looked directly at the two of them. Climb and Brain were hidden in the shadows quite some distance away to survey the building. They wouldn't be easy to spot. It could have been a coincidence that he looked in their direction, but Climb didn't think that was the case.

Sebas came walking at brisk pace. It was at an incredible speed. Whenever they blinked, he had closed an incredible distance as if he was teleporting. Even though he was just walking normally, he moved at a speed that the brain refused to register. Then he came into the alley. To be more precise, he nearly flew over the heads of the two men hiding by the alleyway entrance.

"My, my. To see both of you here, what a coincidence. So what is your business here?"

"No, that's something we should be asking you. We were planning on launching an assault on that building, which is owned by Eight Fingers."

"... Are there only two of you?"

"No, there are more behind us."

Climb asked Sebas who was murmuring.

"What are you doing here, Sebas-sama? Do you have business in that building...?"

"Yes, to be honest, the woman I told you about yesterday was kidnapped together with her sister and now they are being held in that building. Eight Fingers called me out, so here I am."

"Is that so?! Speaking of which, our comrade who scouted ahead said that there are two female prisoners in there."

"...Where is he?"

"He should be coming back soon... Ah, just in time."

The former adventurer returned with his invisibility turned off. He was wary of the old man with a gentlemanly aura which did not fit the situation.

"This is Sebas-sama. He helped us capture the Illusions Maniac yesterday. He seems to be acquainted with the women you spoke of earlier. He's someone we can trust, don't worry."

The rogue nodded as sign of understanding and talked extensively about the information he had gathered, starting with the women. Sebas spoke with a grateful voice after listening to everything.

"Is that so, I understand. Thank you, it will be easier to rescue them now."

"Don't worry about it, old man. By the way, everybody is ready to withdraw..."

The rogue glanced at Sebas as if feeling sorry for having to retreat and leaving him alone despite knowing that someone the old man knew was being held hostage.

"Sebas-sama. The strongest of the Eight Fingers, called the Six Arms are gathered here... Can you take care of them all?"

The rogue frowned at Climb's question. Climb also understood what the rogue might be thinking. The Six Arms were foes matching adamantium-ranked adventurers in strength. For an individual, it would be impossible to win against five of them. However, ignoring such doubts, Sebas replied lightly.

"If it's five people like that Succuronte fellow yesterday, there shouldn't be a problem."

The rogue blinked for a bit before taking Brain and Climb aside and asked them while looking at Sebas with pitiful eyes.

"... Leader, is that man crazy?!"

Anyone who listened to Sebas just now would agree. Especially if they knew about the abilities of an adamantium-ranked adventurer. But Climb, who had witnessed Sebas' abilities, knew there was no overconfidence in that statement.

"No, he is that strong."

The rogue looked at Climb as if he were looking at a flying pig.

"Brain thinks so as well."

"What?! Unglaus, you too?"

Brain smiled bitterly as he nodded at the rogue. "That's right. Even if Gazef and I fight against him at the same time, we wouldn't be able to win."

"I-Is that... No, if it's true, that's incredible..."

The rogue still looked at Sebas with disbelief, but could only trust what they were saying.

"If we are requesting help from Sir Sebas... It might be inconvenient, but can you tell him about the Six Arms?"

He did and the only time Sebas broke his gentle aura was when he heard one of the Six Arms' nickname. "Did you say Undead King? ... It's an unduly nickname for a foolish creature."

Besides that murmur, the information exchange finished without a hitch.

Climb asked then. "So, Sebas... Is it possible for you to help us out?"

"Of course. I came to rescue Tsuare anyways. I shall take care of the Six Arms."

"In that case, Sebas will rush in from the front and we will infiltrate secretly to go and rescue Tsuare-san and Celi-san. I'm sorry to leave all the fighting to you, Sebas..."

"It's fine. It would be favorable for me too, since you would be able to rescue them while they're distracted and they won't be able to drag them off through a secret escape route."

"I understand. I will rescue them no matter what. Then who would you like to be accompanied with? I don't think it'll be a good idea to go in with everyone like it was planned..."

"Hmm... If we need to infiltrate, it would be best to be as quiet as possible. Then after we rescue her, we might have to fight our way out. If that's the case..."

The rogue looked at Climb and Brain.

"If he could use invisibility magic infinitely, it might be a different story...but I think going with only the three of us would be the best."

"Is it alright for me to go with you?"

"Of course, Leader. My warrior comrades aren't really fit for infiltration because they're too stiff in their armor."

"I understand, then we will infiltrate with the people here."

"It'd be good if our magic caster could cast noise-canceling magic, too... Well, if it's for 3 people, I'll ask him to cast invisibility magic."

"Invisibility..."

Climb spoke in worried tone. "Even if everybody goes invisible, my helm can activate invisibility detection once per day...but what about everyone else? If everyone can't see each other and gets lost, it will be a problem."

"Don't worry Climb, I have a magic item that can detect invisibility. Even though it's a one-use only, I'll be fine."

"No need to worry about me. There's no way I can miss the Leader and Unglaus's footsteps."

"Then we will be able to communicate fine. We'll give Sebas-sama some time before infiltrating."

"I'll be in your care."

Climb and Brain were flustered at Sebas, who lowered his head. They didn't do anything to deserve a bow from someone like Sebas. They were basically using him like they did at the brothel yesterday.

"No, we are the ones who should be thanking you. Since we came to attack this place, we are very grateful that you are taking care of the Six Arms."

"In that case I suppose we are even."

They could not find any hint of displeasure in Sebas's bright smile. Climb stood up, relieved.

"We will retreat and come back after magic is cast on us. Then, we'll strike!"