Chapter 13: "I want... I want to marry the princess…"
"The brothel is just behind this door. According to the assassin, there ought to be an entrance in the building over there too."
We stood at the entrance to the brothel, in front of the door where Sebas has found Tuare. Then, Sebas pointed at a building several houses away.
"Alright, let's split up," I said. "Sebas will wreak havoc through the front door while everyone else sneak in from the back," I explained.
Brain nodded in agreement. "Alright, the entrances can also serve as escape routes, and that person said they'd be manned by at least two people, hopefully Climb and I would be enough to deal with them," he said.
"I am not opposed to that. How about you, Climb-kun?"
"I have no objections either. Still, what will we do after we break in, Unglaus-sama, Lily sama? Shall we search together?" Climb asked.
"I told you to call me Lily chan," I said, pouting in annoyance. "And yeah, we should start searching the interior for secret tunnels and stuff. If we ever need to split up then Brain will have to move alone. No offense Climb, but you are severely lacking on level requirement for this quest."
"I understand," Climb said.
With that, the three of us went straight towards the other entrance. I smirked a little at the flimsy door and knocked it four times with my staff.
The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind the door. Then they heard the sound of locks disengaging — three, to be precise.
In the instant which the door opened, Climb pulled it wide open, in accordance to the plan.
Brain had already slashed his way in before the people inside could even cry out in surprise. There was the sound of a body being cut apart, followed by that of a heavy object hitting the ground.
I rushed in, staff blazing and Climb followed closely behind me. "[Widen Boost Magic - Sleep]!" I exclaimed and the two men inside the building started stumbling around. "[Widen Boost Magic - Floating Board]!" I made an invisible wall in front of me and used it to push the two men to the nearest wall.
Brain has already went upstairs to deal with the men upstairs. Climb on the other hand is currently looking around for any hidden entrance.
"Climb, come here a bit will you?" the boy quickly walked towards me. Then I pointed at the two men trapped on the wall. "I won't be able to keep this up for long, so I need you to disable them."
"How?"
"Kill them, cut their tendons, brainwash them, I don't care," I told him.
Climb looked at the two men who can barely keep their eyes open. "Alright, let them go," he said.
Thank goodness, I thought he's a wide eyed idealist or something…
I let go of the barrier and Climb charged in towards one of them. His blade stabbed through their right shoulder before he disables the other one. Once I'm sure they can't do much else, we went deeper into the building for any more bad guys.
Having checked their assigned floors and satisfied that there were no other enemies, we met with Brain at the entrance.
"Alright, I'm no thief, does anyone have some way to find a secret entrance?" I asked.
"I can," Climb took out a bunch of bells from his pouch. "This is the Bell of Detecting Secret Doors," he said before ringing one of it.
I resisted the urge to face palm at the pathetic name. I mean, yeah, it does exactly that. But come on! Can you be any more subtle with the name?
A patch of floor near us glows a little. "Oh, that's a handy magic item. Mine all enhance myself; they're only useful in battle," Brain commented.
"But any warrior would obviously choose such items, right?"
"A warrior, huh…"
Climb was about to open the trap door when he took out another bell. "Let me guess, The Bell of Detecting Traps?" I commented.
"No, it's the Bell of Removing Traps," he replied before ringing the bell. A heavy clanking sound appeared from the trap door and Climb slowly opened the trap door with the tip of his sword.
The door opened and fell to one side. There was a bow fitted below the door. It glows in a non-metallic sheen. "Poison," I muttered. "Good one Climb."
"Thanks Lily," he said.
Behind the trap door is a set staircase that led to the basement. "[Extend Magic - Dark Vision]," I said towards both Brain and Climb. "Brain, you go in first, then me, then Climb. Take care not to step into any traps," I told him.
Brain nodded and he went down the stairs. Climb and I followed me shortly after that. "Anything there Brain?" I asked.
"All clear," he said.
We made our way through the tight escape tunnel and found ourselves standing in front of a locked door. "Okay Climb, do you have the Bell of Opening Locks with you?" I asked the boy.
Climb nodded and took out a single bell. "Yes, it's this last one," he said. A faint click came from the door as the Bell of Opening Locks took effect.
Brain tried the handle, and cracked the door open just a little to observe the conditions within the room.
"It's empty. I'm going in."
I followed behind Brain as the latter made his entry.
It was a hall of some sort.
The walls were lined with cages and crates that could take human beings within them. Perhaps this was a storeroom. Still, it seemed too large to be one.
The doors opposite them were not locked. Climb leaned in to listen and he could hear the sounds of a commotion in the distance.
Brain looked back and asked Climb, "How's this place? It seems big enough to me… Although it means you'll have to face a bunch of people at once."
"You go ahead Brain, I'll take care of Cherry Boy," I told him.
The man looked at me for a moment before nodding a little. "Take care of him Lily," he said.
I smiled a little. "Of course."
With that, Brain walked through the unlocked door, leaving me alone with Climb inside a room. I stretched my arms a little and sat down on a crate nearby. "So, tell me more about yourself Climb," I asked him while motioning me to sit beside me. "You said something about protecting your loved one didn't you? Who is that?"
Climb sat down beside me. "I'm Princess Renner's personal bodyguard," he said. "And my loved one is," his face reddens a little. "It's my liege, Princess Renner," he muttered shyly.
Then I remembered my last objective of going into the kingdom.
"Hee, so you're Princess Renner's boyfriend aren't you?" I asked him.
Climb shook his head. "N-no, it's nothing like that. We're not in that sort of relationship," he said. Though I can feel his pain for having to answer it that way. "I'm just… I'm just a commoner and Renner sama is a princess, I can't do anything about this."
I pet his head a little. He's so cute, like puppy who fell in love with his mistress. "There, there," I told him much to his embarrassment. "Are you sure you're giving up?"
"Wh-what?"
"Giving up on your love. Are you going to accept the fact that you can never, ever marry your princess?" I asked him.
Climb tucked his legs up and hid his face. "I dunno… I really like her but she… She deserves someone better than me…" he muttered.
"Buddy, that attitude is going to make you die virgin," I told him.
"What?"
"Goddammit Climb, have some confidence will ya?" I bopped his head a little. "You stood against Sebas's Killing Intent. Not even Brain Unglaus can do that, and he praised you for it!"
Climb leaned back and lay down on the crate. "I know… But Renner sama…" he closed his eyes. "She's just too perfect…"
I rolled my eyes. "Well, just don't die a virgin Climb. Decide from this moment on, do you want to marry your liege or just protect her with your life? If you want to pursue your dream of marrying the princess then good for you. If you give up and thinks about being a guard dog your whole life then it's also okay. But don't try to walk down the middle road."
"I want…" Climb started. "I want to marry the princess…" he said with a stupid smile on his face. "I want to marry Princess Renner. I know this is a stupid dream but… If I have to spend my whole life reaching for this dream… I will."
I giggled a little after hearing that. "You just made me jealous for the princess," I told him.
Then, I felt an unfamiliar presence approaching. I put a finger over my mouth and Climb quickly sat back up. I sneaked towards the largest crate, about two meters tall, and hid at the side of it. I casted boosted camouflage on myself and vanished.
Climb sneaked to the other side of the crate.
'[Message]', "Yo, Lily to Climb, Lily to Climb, do you copy?"
"Wh-what?"
"Okay, great, there are two men in here. One of them is a fighter, around level twenty, you think you can deal with him?"
"What level am I again?"
"Barely fifteen, but you're skilled so there's that, don't worry I'll keep you alive. Think of this as a real life practice. The safe word is yelling for help like a scared little girl."
I can somehow see him smirking after hearing that one. "That will never happen," he said before revealing himself near the crate.
A man emerged from the crate and turned to face Climb. That man was called Succulent. He was the biggest obstacle to this takeover operation, and the biggest prize of them all.
He was a member of Six Arms, whose prowess was comparable to those of adamantite-ranked adventurers. In other words, he should be an unbeatable foe for Climb.
Though, if a level twenty is enough to earn Adamantite rank, I can't help but feel like everything in this world is seriously underpowered. Seriously, what is wrong with this world's balance? Does no one do grinding anymore? I mean sure people can't respawn so there's that but…
Come on…
Succulent eased a blade out of its sheath as he looked at Climb, then narrowed his eyes and said:
"We knew there were intruders from the [Alarm] spell, and even took the secret passage to avoid meeting them… I guess we ought to make another one, huh?"
"What point is there in saying that now?" the man behind him replied in a shrill voice. "Huh? Haven't I seen that boy somewhere before?"
"Don't blame me for getting mad if you tell me you bedded him before, at a time like this."
"You're so mean, Succulent. As if I would. Ah, I remember. He's the minion of that damn slut, the one I hate more than anyone else in the whole world."
Climb clenched his fist at the mention of his liege.
"Oh, so he's the servant of that princess, then."
The man behind him had a revolting look of lust in his eyes, but Succulent seemed to be appraising Climb's strength as a warrior, much like how a serpent was sizing up its next meal to be swallowed whole.
The man behind him licked his lips and asked:
"I'd like to take that boy with me. Can you do it?"
Oh wow, so scum like him does exist in this world.
"That will cost extra."
Succulent turned to face Climb. His stance exposed no weaknesses, and he seemed like an even more formidable obstacle to Climb now.
"[Boost Extend Magic - Quick March], [Boost Extend Magic - Magic Weapon]", I whispered.
"Thank you Lily," he said.
Succulent suddenly stepped forward. The oncoming wave of pressure forced Climb to take one step back. But he stepped forward once again, reminding himself that he has faced something much - much worse.
Succulent stepped into range and swung his sword.
That movement did not look like an attack from an adamantite-ranked warrior. In fact, it looked sloppier than one of Climb's own strikes. He raised his blade in preparation to intercept the strike — then a chill not born of the air ran through him, and he hurriedly leaped aside.
"Gwaargh!"
Climb stumbled back several steps and collided against the wall. He had no time to think about what had happened — Succulent was already in front of him.
"Climb, his sword is an illusion, hold on!" I exclaimed, wincing a little when Succulent struck his undefended right arm. '[Extend Boost Magic - Lesser Magic Vision]' I whispered quietly. "Can you see it Climb?"
"Succulent has two arms now, thanks Lily, I'll manage somehow," he said before rolling away to dodge both the real blade and the illusion.
Now that Climb can see through the invisibility, he managed to block some of the strikes. Still, he still had to focus a lot to differentiate between illusion and reality. "Illusion magic," Climb said with a smirk.
Succulent narrowed his eyes. "You can see through it?" he asked before throwing a testing strike. Climb tried to block the closest one before blocking the real one. "No, you just see the invisible arm, not see through the illusion."
"Well, it was still a good trick," Climb commented.
"Among the arcane magic caster vocations, illusionists can only use spells from the illusion school. Granted, some higher-tier spells can inflict damage so realistic that it can trick the brain into thinking it's dead… but I'm not that skilled."
"Sounds like a lie. There's no way to prove you're telling the truth."
"That's right," Succulent smiled. "Eh, still, you don't have to believe me either. Alright, I've said my piece… In any case, I can't enhance myself with spells, nor can I weaken you with magic. However… can you tell what is real and what is merely illusion?"
Saying so, Succulent's body split apart into multiple images of himself.
"[Multiple Vision]."
The one in the center looked like the original, but Climb had no way to be sure.
"This is a skill I made against an opponent capable of seeing through my invisibility spell," Succulent said.
"It is quite effective, yes," Climb said, bracing himself.
There are seven Succulents in front of him. "Lily, any idea?" Climb asked.
"Grab a hostage," I told him.
Climb picked the one that's obviously an illusion and charge forward. His sword pass through it and he barely ducked under the following strike from the one beside it. He grinned and tackled Cocco Doll who stood in front of my hiding spot.
Succulent, all seven of him froze at the sight of Climb holding Cocco Doll at sword point. "Yield," Climb said with a victorious smile on his face.
"Get your hands off me you…"
Climb put some pressure on his blade and Cocco Doll stopped struggling.
"Lay your weapons," Climb said with a no nonsense tone on his voice.
Succulent gritted his teeth and shook his head. "You know what kid? Take his life, you earned it," he said. "But I will not accept this defeat!"
"WHAT!?" Cocco Doll exclaimed. "STOP!"
'SMACK'
Succulent was knocked back as if hitting an invisible wall. He held out his hand and sure enough, there's an invisible wall between him and Climb. "What is this!?"
I revealed myself and smirked at him. "A magic caster that's been secretly hidden this whole time," I taunted.
"You!" he exclaimed. "Of course, there's no way a warrior like him can see through invisibility spell…" he then noticed my mithril plate. "An adventurer?"
"Yep, I am the Great and Powerful Lily! The Greatest Adventurer in the World!" I held up my staff. "And I shall be your opponent if you keep struggling!"
Succulent clicked his tongue. "How much?"
"Huh?"
"How much did Renner pay you?"
"Yeah, that's a good point," I turned towards Climb. "How much does the princess going to pay me again?"
Climb looked at me like I'm crazy. "At a time like this? Seriously?"
I laughed a little and waved him off. "Just kidding," I looked back at Succulent. "I'm going to release my magic barrier and you will stop struggling or I will be your opponent, you do not want to be my opponent."
I let go of my magic barrier and Succulent charged straight towards me. 'Smack' only to hit another magic barrier in. "I warned you," I told him before jumping in the air, copying Climb's trademark move, to hit him right in the head.
Succulent dropped on the floor unconscious no sooner after that. Then I looked at Climb and found him lessening his grip on Cocco Doll. His arms are bleeding and I figured that it's gotta be painful. "You have any healing potion?"
Climb nodded a little. "Yes."
"Drink it then, I'll go look for Brain,"
Just when I was about to shout for him, the door opened and Brain walked in. He noticed Succulent lying motionlessly on the ground and Cocco Doll being held at Swordpoint. "Looks like I missed all the fun," he commented.
Climb let go of Cocco Doll and the man started to scramble away. He tried to enter the secret entrance through the crate, only for an invisible force to stop him. "Please, no! Spare me, I can give you anything you want!" he exclaimed.
Both Brain and Climb just scoffed after hearing that.
I however, have another idea. "Anything? Really? If I were to defeat these guys and set you free, would you really give me 'anything'?"
"Oi, Lily,"
"Yes, Anything!"
I smirked a little. This is just too easy. "You're just villain, how much money do you have anyway?" I asked him.
"We have a lot of money! The underground market is swimming with gold!"
Climb was about to say something when Brain held up his hand to stop him.
"Hee? Really now? But wouldn't I get in trouble if I were to join you?"
"You need not to worry, aside from that despicable bitch, we have Nobles supporting us. Even if you get caught, you'll get a quick pardon!"
"Wow, you guys are really committed huh?" I rubbed my chin in deep thought. "So even if we take you to authorities right now, chances are you will be a free man in a few weeks at most, right?"
Cocco Doll nodded mutely.
I looked at Climb and Brain. "Well guys, there you go," I told him. "Should we kill him?"
They looked at each other for a moment. "Well, I don't mind killing him," Brain said.
"Wrong," I told him.
I walked towards Cocco Doll and plucked a single hair out of his head. Then I put it into my pocket. "You're free to go," I told him.
"What?" Climb exclaimed. "You can't just let him get away."
"I can, watch," I told him as the scum started crawling away from us.
Climb was about to lose it when a voice spoke behind him.
"Climb kun, have you never heard of the locate spell?" Brain and Climb turned around and saw Sebas standing behind them. "That piece of hair Lily took is more than enough to lead us to their headquarters."
"Oh…" Climb muttered. "Sorry Lily," he said.
"That's okay, and I'm sorry too," I said.
"What? Why?"
"By letting Cocco Doll escape, I've compromised this mission thus maybe lowering your princess's reputation somewhat. Well, her reputation will still increase, but since Cocco Doll managed to escape, people would still think of her as competent but not THAT competent, you know what I mean?"
Climb sighed and nodded a little. "It's alright, I understand. I will take the blame for his escape."
After that, I turned towards Brain. "You are, Brain Unglaus aren't you?" I asked him.
Brain nodded a little.
"Not long ago you were part of a criminal organization, the Death Spreading Brigade," I pointed out. "You weren't all that different from Succulent here."
Brain cringed a little after hearing that. "So you know…" he muttered. "Are you going to report me? I won't blame you if you do…"
Climb however couldn't seem to believe what he heard. "Wh-what? Brain san, you…" he glared at him. "Tell me you're not a part of them anymore."
This time, Brain just chuckled mirthlessly. "The Death Spreading Brigade was wiped out in one night," he said. "It was nothing short of miracle for me to survive," he said. "I'd like to think that it's the gods way for giving out their divine retribution…"
"Wiped out? In one night?" Climb asked.
Brain shook his head. "Shalltear Bloodfallen…" he said his name like it's some sort of deity. "Her strength is comparable to that of Sebas sama," he looked at Sebas for a moment. "Have you heard of her before, Sebas sama?"
Instead of answering, Sebas looked at me.
"You survived Shalltear's attack," I pointed out.
"You know her?" Brain asked. "Y-you know that monster?!"
"Of course, she's my sister," I told him.
Brain's eyes widened the moment he heard that. His eyes widely scanning my form, noticing the uncanny resemblance. "Wh-what?"
I sighed a little. "Decades ago, there was a powerful Vampire. Her name was Honyopenyoko." I silently scoffed at the ridiculous name. "One day, she attacked a little girl and turned her into True Vampire just like herself," I looked at Brain for a moment.
"That girl's name was Sally, Momon's biological sister," I told him. "She doesn't age one bit since that day, she probably looked a lot like me, don't you think?"
Brain gulped a little after hearing that. "Th-then, what happened?"
"Sally was a strong girl, her humanity survived the transformation," I told him. "However, she became ridiculously powerful, second only to Momon and their great mentor Ainz Ooal Gown," I looked at Sebas for a moment. "Sebas san, do you think you can win against Shalltear in a one and one fight?"
"The odds are against me, Lily sama."
Brain looked down for a moment. "I was the bad guy, wasn't I?" he asked.
"Yes, Momon decided to unleash her on the Death Spreading Brigade because, you know, you weren't all that better than the Eight Fingers. You kill, rape, and plunder villages near E-Rantel. Why should we give you anything less than living nightmare?"
"I'm sorry."
"Do you want to meet her?" I asked him.
Brain looked at me like I'm crazy. "What?"
"Sally, do you want to meet Sally?"
Brain looked at Climb looking for answer. "Well, I mean, she's apparently a good person so…" Climb said, not knowing what to say.
"Let me think about it first… It's a lot to take in…"
"Sure, let me know if you change your mind," then I turned towards Sebas. "Sebas san, shall we return now? Momon must be waiting for you," I told him.
"Then we will depart at once."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone