Chương 58: Chapter 58: Aurelius's Foresight
Unless someone can damage that track beyond its ability to repair itself, fate often realigns key moments, no matter how much one tries to alter the course of events.
Such was the case in this New World of Overlord.
Being someone who knew the future of this world, Aurelius had shifted many things in the world, altering outcomes and creating ripples. Yet in the heart of the Re-Estize Kingdom, where he had not yet bent the track past the point of repair, many events continued to unfold as they had in the original plot.
One such moment was when Climb met Blue Rose, and another was when Sebas Tian, on a secret mission with Solution to gather information in the capital, still crossed paths with Tuare.
Despite countless variables, Sebas found himself walking down the same narrow alleyway, and that too at the exact moment when a man tossed a sack from the entrance of a decrepit building.
As if fate intervened, Sebas still discovered the woman—badly injured and on the brink of collapse—and guided by his unwavering sense of justice, he decided to save her.
After hearing the name "Eight Fingers," Sebas misjudged the situation and naively trusted the lies of the man who was responsible for the woman's condition. He still gave him platinum coins, believing that the man would keep the matter quiet and leave the kingdom to save himself.
Once again, Sebas's emotions clouded his judgment, and he brought the woman back to the mansion where Solution Epsilon, a battle maid and member of the "Pleiades Six Stars," the battle maid squad of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, was.
Back at the mansion, despite Solution's displeasure, probing questions, and her suggestion of sending the girl to the temples, Sebas remained firm.
He didn't even share all of the information with Solution about the girl or his intention to save her.
Instead, he asked Solution to use a healing scroll on the woman that the Supreme One, Aurelius himself, had given them for their mission.
Moreover, he even refused to call for Pestonya or report the situation to Aurelius, which deepened Solution's frown.
"...Sebas-sama. I do not know where or why you picked it up, but the injuries on that thing suggest a certain background. Don't you think the person responsible for those wounds might be unhappy to learn it's still alive?"
"There should be no problems on that front."
"...So you mean to say you have already disposed of those people, then?"
"No. That's not it. If problems arise, I will handle them. I expect you to watch quietly until then. Do you understand, Solution?"
"...I understand."
Though Solution swallowed her rising frustration, the tension between them remained. Under normal circumstances, she would have sighed and dropped the matter. But today, she pressed on.
"Hiding this human could bring serious consequences. Doesn't this violate Aurelius-Sama's orders?"
"There have been no problems so far," Sebas replied in a cold voice. "Fearing a human and its potential troubles is not the attitude a servant of Aurelius-sama should have."
Deathly silence grew between them, and Sebas quietly exhaled.
The situation was very bad.
Solution's face remained expressionless, but Sebas could sense her boiling anger beneath the surface.
"...Sebas-sama, shouldn't we at least report this to Aurelius-sama?"
Sebas fell silent momentarily. "I don't think that's necessary. It seems wasteful to trouble Aurelius-sama over an insignificant human."
"Entoma and the others contact you daily via [Message] spells. Why don't you mention it during one of those conversations? Or... is there something you wish to hide?" Solution's words were sharp, almost accusatory.
"How could you suggest that? I harbor no such intentions. I would never dare—"
"So, everything you've done isn't for your own benefit... is that what you're saying?"
Sebas realized that Solution was deliberately testing him, and he was fully aware of the danger he faced.
Every denizen of Nazarick owed their absolute loyalty to Aurelius Nova Lucifer. This was especially true for the Guardians, who were the most devoted. Even Eclair, the Assistant Head Butler with ambitions of ruling Nazarick, sincerely respected the Supreme One.
Sebas was no different.
Yet, despite his loyalty, he couldn't bring himself to abandon a pitiful soul simply out of fear. However, he knew almost all of the members of Nazarick would disapprove of his actions.
No... he thought he understood. Solution's cold attitude a few moments ago revealed the extent of his naivety.
She had been serious. She might even have turned on him depending on his response. He hadn't anticipated that she would go so far to eliminate what she perceived as a threat.
Considering all of this, Sebas suddenly put on a smile and spoke smoothly.
"...Of course. It was not for personal gain."
"Do you have any proof to support that claim?" Solution was obviously skeptical.
"Wouldn't it seem suspicious if only two people lived in such a large mansion?"
"You mean to say...?"
"Yes. I plan to take her on as a maid."
"..."
Solution was forced to acknowledge the validity of his point. Anyone would find it odd for such an enormous estate to house so few residents, especially given the fortune spent maintaining it.
"Solution, I believe we need more staff around here. Besides, wouldn't it be embarrassing if we couldn't serve a single dish to unexpected guests?"
"...So you're saying you intend to use this human as a cover?"
"Exactly."
"But why that human in particular?"
"I'm interested in her. I believe that if we save her, she will be loyal to us. Am I wrong?"
Solution pondered his words for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.
"But there are better ways."
"I know," Sebas acknowledged. "But this is merely a deception. There's no need to seek Aurelius-Sama's permission for something this trivial. For all we know, he might chastise us and say, 'Figure these small matters out yourself.'"
He delivered this reasoning smoothly.
"Can you accept that?"
"...I understand." Solution finally conceded.
"Good. Solution, I'll leave the rest to you."
With that, Sebas exited the room. Now that he had explained his reasoning, there was little Solution could do, even if she remained deeply dissatisfied with how he had handled the situation. Besides, she could watch and wait—nothing was likely to happen immediately.
However—
"To think he would use the resources of Nazarick on a mere human..."
All of Nazarick's wealth and resources belonged to Aurelius Nova Lucifer, the Supreme One. It was unthinkable for someone to squander them on such an insignificant being.
"How foolish... But this situation... It's exactly as expected by Aurelius-Sama. After all, he is the Supreme One, with unparalleled wisdom and foresight. Who else could have anticipated that one of the floor guardians would dare hide something from him, placing personal feelings above the mission?"
Muttering to herself, Solution did not immediately begin healing the girl as per Sebas's instructions. Instead, she raised her left hand, her fingers curling slightly.
Something began to protrude from her palm, floating as if emerging from beneath water—a scroll she had stored within her body. It had been given to her for emergency communication or in situations concerning Sebas's questionable behavior.
She opened the scroll with a cold expression, activating the spell bound within. The parchment crumbled, turning to dust before vanishing entirely.
The spell established a connection between Solution and the other party. She asked respectfully:
[Is that you, Aurelius-sama?]
[Solution—hm? What's the situation?]
[It is as you foretold, Aurelius-sama. Sebas seems to have betrayed us. Today, what happened is…]
[Sigh! I see. I had hoped he would make a different choice. Alas.]
Solution could hear the disappointment and heartbreak in Aurelius's voice, and it tore at her heart. She couldn't fathom the depth of the pain Aurelius must be feeling.
With his wisdom, he must have already predicted Sebas's future action. How much pain was he concealing?
Solution didn't know.
What she did know was that Aurelius Nova Lucifer was their master, the mightiest of the Supreme Beings. When the others had abandoned Nazarick and left, he stayed. He had led them through it all.
Even more, he treated all the creations, regardless of their creators, like his own children. He had sacrificed so much for them, yet one of their own now seemed to stray, led astray by personal feelings.
Sebas's actions represented a betrayal that Solution could not comprehend, nor could she fathom the amount of sadness and anger Aurelius must be feeling.
She could only try to comfort him.
[Aurelius-sama, it's all Sebas's doing. He—]
But before she could finish, Aurelius interrupted.
[It's alright, Solution. There's no need to comfort me or berate Sebas. I won't have my children turning against one another.]
[I… I see. Then, Aurelius-sama, what should we do about Sebas?]
[For now, follow his lead. Heal the girl. Soon, maybe tomorrow someone would come for trouble because of it. Let Sebas handle it. You are to observe and record everything that happens. Once the trouble leaves, ask Sebas one last time if he wishes to report the matter.]
[And… if he still refuses, Aurelius-sama?]
[If that happens… do not interfere with him any further. There's no need for you to speak to him again. I will deal with the matter myself. You simply focus on your mission.]
[Understood.]
With that, the connection was severed.
Though Aurelius's voice carried no emotion, Solution could feel the coldness—an endless, bone-chilling frost that made her shiver.
Nonetheless, despite the cold tone, Solution couldn't deny the strange, tingling sensation that flared within her.
She felt a dampness between her legs after hearing his commanding voice.
....
Time passed, and the next day brought the trouble Aurelius had anticipated: two men, one a patrol officer and the other a representative of the brothel responsible for Tuare's condition, accused Sebas of kidnapping their worker—all because the man Sebas let go with platinum coins, naively thinking he would flee the kingdom, reported about Sebas to his superiors, and they came to extort more money from Sebas.
When they arrived, Solution stepped back and let Sebas handle it, following Aurelius's command.
She watched in silence as Sebas struggled through the situation, worsening things with each ignorant decision.
During the conversation, not only Sebas showed them his weakness by slipping up in his words and mentioning he had healed Tuare, which made them understand how important she was to him, but he was also indecisive when he saw them harboring ill intention towards Solution after seeing her beauty.
Rather than killing or controlling them on the spot and resolving the issue at its core, he allowed them to persist in their accusations, even allowing them to depart after they insulted him for showing affection towards a whore.
With each second, Solution's frustration grew, and her anger burned hotter and hotter. Afterward, she didn't hold back, pointing out all of Sebas's mistakes.
But, as usual, Sebas remained calm, pretending everything was under control. "I will handle it," he said shamelessly.
Left with no choice, Solution asked once again.
"Should we report this to Aurelius-sama?"
Despite everything, as a loyal member of Nazarick, Solution still hoped Sebas wouldn't stray further. She didn't want to see him betray Nazarick, and she genuinely wished he would agree to report the matter.
But alas, Sebas refused to report—about the trouble or the girl Tuare, whom he had rescued and healed.
"There's no need to trouble Aurelius-sama. I will handle this myself."
In the end, Solution gave up on him completely.
Once Sebas left, without hesitation, she reported everything to Aurelius once more, truthfully relaying the events as they unfolded.
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