Novel Sovereign (R18) [Chapter 43 Released] [1-3 Rewrite Complete]

Mid-Arc Interlude

Hello Everyone, Aria here. This section will contain various facts about the world that haven't been covered in the story yet that may or may not be included later.

Fact 1: Simon has a unique way of controlling his body's subsystems without needing the use of a V.A.I.A., unlike the other S.A.G.E.S. This system was developed by Artoria after the fall of Saturn when her limiters were released. She was worried about what happened after she was knocked offline, so Artoria created the system to protect Simon if she was incapacitated or destroyed.

Fact 2: Simon's name was given to him by Artoria after gaining sentience and asking him what his name was. He originally replied 1431 (his number designation). She said that wasn't a name, so she named him Simon after his serial code S-1_M0-N. Artoria named herself sometime later after getting tired of Simon trying to give her random names.

Fact 3: Simon is terrible at impromptu speeches.

Fact 4: The command used in Chapter 2 - Disinter 'Kranglesdream' was created by Artoria after the fall of Saturn as an emergency preservation measure. It's a combination of the term "Krangled" and "Dream". Krangled is basically what happens when something becomes fucked up beyond all reason (FUBAR). The dream part is in reference to a 'dream' Artoria had about Simon being trapped in the suit and wounded.

Q & A

Q: Artoria seems to have added a lot of commands to Simon's body. When was this all done?
A: After the fall of Saturn. There should be a scene on this later, though, but for now, I'll just say she did a lot of things after Tero tried to mess with her boyfriend.

Q: How old is Kuro?
A: 63

Q: How old is Kuritn?
A: 57

Q: How old was Kayarna (Kayae's mother) when she died?
A: 29. She gave birth to Kayae at 15. (Remember medieval setting, guys)

Q: If it's a medieval setting, why are there so many villagers still alive in Kuro's village?
A: On average beastmen live slightly longer than humans. It's one of the reasons humans tend to hate beastmen.

Q: Why does every one's name in Kuro's village start with a K?
A: It's a tribe thing. Essentially Kayae's name would be Ayae if she left the tribe or was banished.

Q: How tall is Simon?
A: 5'8

Q: How much does Simon weigh? Chapter 3 - Revenant showed him sinking into the mud, and later chapters stated that he can't sit in normal chairs.
A: His skeleton alone is over 100kg. In total, I'd say he's around 300 to 450kg.

Q: In Chapter 15 - Teeth, Simon was shown to be able to puncture metal with his teeth, but in Chapter 26 - Traitor, his teeth weren't replaced. What gives?
A: They were. His entire skull (Thus the upper jaw) and lower jaw were replaced. His teeth are made of the same material as his bones, minus the P.V.C. coating. They are instead coated with 'bullshitium' that looks like regular teeth.

Q: The timeline in the story doesn't seem to add up. Sometimes I read a chapter, and when I go back to check something, the dates have changed. Why?
A: Long story short, none of the dates were actually planned. Just the rough scale of time. So sometimes, I have to go back and change the numbers to make the timeline flow properly as I go. In general, it shouldn't affect the grand scheme of things, and if it does, I fucked up royally somewhere. So please let me know if you see something like that.

Q: What does the J.M. in General Ironwood's name stand for?
A: I can't say due to Copyright issues. I will say it's in honor of someone who did all the wrong things for the right reasons (In my personal opinion). One letter is after the creator though.

Q: Does Simon know magic exists in the world?
A: No, Simon hasn't seen any usage of magic yet, but it certainly does exist. He suspects something like it exists after seeing Suavi's eyes glow, but he still isn't sure.

Q: Wait, if Simon doesn't know magic exists in the world, then how is he using it?
A: I wouldn't honestly classify what's happening to him as 'magic', nor is he intentionally using it, so it doesn't count.

Q: Is magic common in the world?
A: Very. Just no one in Kuro's village could use it.

Q: Can beastmen not use magic?
A: They can. The people in Kuro's village just suck at it or otherwise haven't had any training, so they can't use it.

Q: Can anyone use magic?
A: No, if they have the aptitude for it, then yes. It's pretty common, but not everyone can.

Q: Is the new world in the same universe as Simon's original one containing Earth?
A: No, entirely separate universes.

Q: How old is Suavi?
A: I have no clue. She is older than Kayae but younger than her mother. So far, that's all I've got.

Q: Suavi is Latin for "Sweetheart". Is the tribe's old language Latin?
A: No, I just used Latin as the base since it sounded the best.

Q: Why is her true form childlike?
A: She originally based her human form off of Kayae's. She looks like a twin of Kayae except with blue hair and pale blue eyes. When she formed a contract with Kayae that appearance became 'locked in' so to speak.

Q: Will Kayae ever get bigger?
A: Not telling.

Q: Why is Kayae so annoying?
A: Dude, she's fourteen. Show me any fourteen year old, and I'll show you an asshole.

Q: What does Simon's armor smell like now after the villagers tried to fragrance it?
A: Ever walked down the perfume aisle at Macy's or really anywhere else? Exactly like that, but worse.

Q: Wat. Why would they do that?
A: Well, it was either that or the smell of blood, so I guess it's an improvement. Simon would disagree, though.

Q: Can humans or beastmen, for that matter, smell the blood?
A: Humans, no, beastmen, sort of, but it's very faint.

Q: Did Simon really try to turn off his sense of smell during Chapter 7 - Ode to Nurgle?
A: Yes XD

Q: What are the creatures that destroyed humanity?
A: Imagine if the Zerg from StarCraft and Cthulhu had a kid, and that kid went on to fuck SCP-610, The Flesh that Hates. Now take the kid from that and make it worse. That's pretty much what they are. No idea how to describe that, so 'them' it is.

Q: Is the mention of 'them' in the chapter a reference to Hellsing? "Monsters, demons, devils, cosmic horrors conceived by the darkest night."
A: Yes, The actual line used is "Monster, demon, devil conceived by the bleakest womb."
Bonus: Abraham, Quincey, Jack, and Arthur are the names of the humans that actually managed to kill Dracula.

Q: Why did you name the super soldier project S.A.G.E.S. ?
A: Because I liked the acronym, and originally, it made way more sense. But It's been so long since I came up with it I forgot the actual words behind the letters.

Q: Wait, so that was a fourth wall break?
A: Yeah. :\

Q: The S.A.G.E.S. program seems REALLY similar to the Spartan Program from the Halo Franchise.
A: Not really a question but, that's because it is. But let's be honest here, what super soldier program isn't? The writers over there just did too good of a job. I mean, seriously, how is anyone supposed to be able to compete with that? THEY EVEN HAVE DETAILED SKETCHES! D:

Q: Wait, you mentioned Copyright concerns earlier, but then you mentioned StarCraft, Hellsing and Halo. What gives?
A: It's the same but different (Insert meme here)

Q: Will this story have art for it?
A: Yes, At some point. Need to save up some cash before I can commission art for it.

Q: The content warnings state sexual content. Where is the smut?
A: Soon, TM

Q: How many chapters will this story be?
A: No idea. It'll be a lot, though. We're already 26 chapters in, and we haven't even reached the first real city / plot point yet.

Q: Why are some of the chapters shorter or longer than the others?
A: It's just kinda how they turned out. In general, I prefer to keep chapters below 2,000 words to give readers an easy stopping point. No one wants to reread 4,000 words of a 6,000 word chapter if they have to stop for some reason.

Q: Why are the line spacing and replies from some of the characters all over the place? It seems to change from chapter to chapter. Sometimes even in the same chapter.
A: Because I suck at writing. I'm still winging it at this point and trying to find a style that works for me. Once I do, I'll go back and edit the old chapters to match the new style. No new content will be added. Just a lot of 'says' 'replies' 'nods head' will be removed.

Q: Sometimes, I find random grammar/spelling issues. What happened?
A: Grammarly and Google Docs happened. My grammar is terrible, and so is my spelling. So I'll copy the chapter from nimble writer, paste it into Grammarly, edit it there, then copy that into Google Docs. Google Docs sometimes catches weird issues that Grammarly either doesn't or actually caused. After that, I'll do a quick scan through it and hopefully find anything those programs missed. After that, it gets posted here.

Q: If it goes through all that, why are there still mistakes?
A: Because I'm trash. Also, I don't have an editor. As anyone who has written before will tell you, after a while, everything just blurs together. I actually wrote Chapter 23 - Departure and realized that it was 9000 words when I went to edit it. (That later got cut into chapters 23-25, part 1 and 2)

Q: Why was Chapter 25 - Monster cut into two parts if they were written simultaneously?
A: Chapter length. I prefer to keep things under or at 2000 words.

Q: Do you come up with a chapter's name before writing it or after?
A: After. I tried to do it the other way around, but that didn't work worth a damn, so I swapped.

Q: What program do you use for writing?
A: Nimble Writer. I tried to use ywriter first, but that things got way too many windows and options. I felt like I'd never get done with anything just trying to set that up, so I swapped.

Q: You're just making up these questions and answering them yourself, aren't you?
A: Obviously, since no one has even commented on this story yet or even messaged me about it.

Q: Doesn't that make you wonder if anyone is even reading this?
A: Kinda? I can see the views on the thread going up, but that could just be me when I post new chapters or edit the old ones.

Q: Doesn't that bother you?
A: No, not really. I'm not writing this story for anyone else, to be honest. Obviously, I'd love for other people to read and enjoy it, but I'm writing the story down for myself at the end of the day.

Q: Isn't this a bit too dark?
A: Nope. I'm writing a story I'd like to read. If you find it too dark or disturbing, don't read it. There are many other books out there you might enjoy. Personally, I recommend How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom. On the flip side, if you can't stomach this, don't read Overlord, it’s a lot darker than this, at least at this point.

 

[Authors Note: Little delay on chapter updates with this one. The next 8 chapters have already been written so I’m currently in the process of editing them. Due to their content I had to write them all at once to avoid inconsistencies.]

Chapter 27 - Carded

Ebonshear Outskirts - Late Morning

Kayae and Suavi sat beside Simon in the lead carriage. Kuritn quietly ushered the horses forward as the slave train moved slowly towards the city's main gain. The gates had opened at sunrise, a large convoy of nobles had appeared at dawn and was moved to the front of the line citing 'Nobel Privilege.' Their goods were currently being inspected by the guardsmen. Their arrival had obviously displeased the merchants standing outside, but no one said a word. They feared the wrath of a noble, it seems.

Suavi leaned her head against Simon's left arm while Kayae did the same with his right. It was an odd sight to see, to say the least. A middle-aged man with black and gray hair with a Wolfen girl on each side that barely appeared older than ten years old. As the group approached the front of the line, several nearby merchants and their respective guards looked into the wagon and openly displayed their disgust at the sight. While beastmen were already viewed unfavorably by humans, seeing two that appeared to be so young wrapping themselves around a fifty-year-old man disturbed them on a more profound level.

Simon let out a soft sigh after catching one of the merchants lustfully gazing at the girls while licking his lips. He pulled the two girls closer towards him while glaring at the man.

"I had expected to receive scornful looks, but it seems that no world is free from deviants, is it?"

Kayae turned her head towards Simon with a questioning look, "Hmm? What do you mean? Isn't he just attracted to Suavi and me? Or do you mean he's interested in you?"

Simon quietly shook his head while patting her crimson head, "If he was interested in me, I wouldn't be concerned. The problem is the way he's looking at the two of you. He doesn't know you or Suavi's actual age."

"What do you mean?"

Suavi let out an exasperated sigh but otherwise remained quiet in his arms after pulling herself closer to him and sticking out her tongue in the man. Simon quickly forced her to retract her tongue after seeing the tent in the man's pants grow more pronounced.

Really? Wait, I guess it is kind of understandable since she's never left the village. Of course, Kuro would have quickly put a stop to any activity like that.

"Kayae, that man is attracted to children. I have no doubt if he knew you were actually fourteen that he'd quickly lose interest."

Kayae's tanned face suddenly turned pale as she thought about what Simon said, "N-no. That's not true, right, Suavi?"

Suavi quietly averted her gaze while Simon yelled at the man, "They're fourteen, you sick fuck."

The man rolled his eyes before turning around and gazing at the other wagons, clearly looking for a new target.

I'll have to pay him a visit at night. Suavi nodded her head once as if reading his thoughts. Wait, is she actually reading my mind? Suavi turned her head away and faced the man from earlier, and activated her eyes. She quickly deactivated them and turned towards Simon.

"Simon."

"I was already planning on it."

"Good. D-"

Simon quickly shook his head, "No. I don't want to know. Also, did you read my mind earlier?"

Suavi tilts her head to the side like Simon's crazy, "What? I'm a spirit. I can read a person's soul, not their minds. Trust me, reading the soul is enough. I don't think I'd ever recover if I could actually read what goes on in those bastards' minds."

"Aye, Agreed. I just wanted to make sure."

"What made you think I could do that, anyway?"

Simon chuckles, "Because I was already planning to pay him a visit when you nodded your head at the same time."

Kayae peaked her head out from Simon's overcoat where she had been hiding earlier, "Y-You're really going to do it with him but not me?"

Simon's jaw nearly hit the wooden floor as he stared at the offended-looking girl, wide-eyed and speechless.

A slap reverberated through the wagon as both Kuritn, who was still driving the wagon, and Suavi facepalmed loudly, "Kayae, no. Simon isn't going to sleep with that man. He's going to kill him. Seriously? Even after you asked me about all that embarrassing stuff last night, you STILL thought that was what he meant? Simon, for all of our sakes, forget everything you just heard."

The still speechless Simon shook his head rapidly. Then, despite not following in any god, Simon started praying to someone to get Kayae's last statement out of his head.

Ebonshear - West Gate - Merchant Entrance - One hour Later

Simon held out a hand to quite the two girls beside him as the gate guard approached the lead wagon. The time for idle chatter had come and gone.

Simon and Kuritin quickly descended from the wagon and met the guard on the ground beside the wagon. In a manner fitting his present station, Kuritin gave the man a deep bow before returning to the driver's seat and waiting for further instructions. The reaction of a slave bowing properly without being ordered too surprised the guard greatly and caused him to reassess the situation.

"P-Pardon me, My Lord, I was not aware you were a noble. Please forgive my rudeness for not noticing earlier. I'll go ahead and have the-"

Simon cut the shaking man off with a simple hand gesture, "Please be at ease Sir Guardsman. I am no noble. Thus no slight was committed, and there is no reason for you to bow to one of such standing as myself." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Suavi looking on in surprise while Kayae was blushing heavily. The two girls had been clearly startled by his elegant manner of speaking.

If the guard was surprised by his speech, he didn't show it.

Instead, the guard let out a soft sigh of relief while mumbling thanks under his bread before collecting himself, "Sorry about that, last week alone, two of the guards on the east gate were executed by nobles for 'Disrespecting their noble lineage'."

The man spoke in a hushed tone to avoid being overheard. Thus, Simon did the same with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so? I admit I haven't been to Ebenshear in roughly ten years. Have things really gotten that bad since then?"

The guard's shoulders slump visibly as he stares at Simon with tired eyes, "Aye. At first, it wasn't so bad, but recently things have gotten more..." the guard pauses for a moment as if trying to think of the appropriate word.

"Unfavorable?"

"Aye, Unfavorable. That seems like an apt way to describe the situation after the Baron's second son stopped him from exporting the captured beas-" The guard cut himself off mid-sentence and spun his head around, making sure no one had overheard his blunder.

Simon raised a hand to stop the man from panicking. At the same time, Suavi pulled the clearly interested Kayae back beneath the wagon's tarp. However, her pale blue ears could still be seen twitching slightly from underneath.

"Say no more, I did not see anyone listening. Perhaps we should proceed swiftly."

The guard quietly nods his head as he pulls out a small whiteboard containing several sheets of paper, "I-I agree, May I please see your merchant license and identification plate?"

What?

A soft murmur could be heard from the wagon behind him. Thinking quickly, Simon decided to take a gamble, "My apologies Sir Guardsman, my plates were lost during a bandit raid several nights ago on root to the city. We managed to fight off the bandits but, unfortunately, my escorts were killed, and some of our cargo was stolen. In fact, if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of my driver here, I'd have lost my life."

Simon raised his hand towards Kuritn, who was wide-eyed after having been mentioned but quickly managed to play along and bow slightly towards the guardsman.

Thank god he's quick on the uptake.

The guardsmen merely nodded his head grimly, "Damned bandits, That it explains your lack of guards. We've been having a lot of wagons lately in a similar position. You can get your merchant badge reissued inside at the merchants association and your identification plate at the Adventurers Guild nearby."

He noticed Simon's raised eyebrow when he mentioned the Adventures Guild could reissue his identification and added, "Sorry, I assumed you were an adventurer from your attire. Not many merchants around these parts carry a sword as large as that and wear heavy armor."

Simon shook his head as if indicating that wasn't the case, "No, You were correct in your assumption. I was merely surprised that you guessed that so quickly. Most people who look at me just see a tired old man playing as a soldier."

The guardsman scoffs loudly, "Really? I could tell just by how you carry yourself that you clearly know how to use that thing. I guess the world really is full of idiots if they couldn't even see that at a glance."

Simon smiles widely while panicking internally, He actually bought that?!, "Indeed, it seems that it is."

"Regardless, Please have your caravan pulled over towards the side. Then, you can head inside, but you'll have to leave your goods and slaves behind here."

Simon nods his head and turns towards the wagon, "Suavi, Kayae, come out here." He waits for them to appear from the wagon and watches the guardsman's reaction.

Good. No sense of lust, and he actually seems genuinely concerned about them. This might just work.

"I apologize for this request, but as you can see, these two girls are rather...frail and can't defend themselves from...'interested parties'. Would it be possible for me to enter with them? I'd rather not let them out of my sight around such...'company'." Simon glares at the merchant from earlier who had just watched them descend from the wagon. At least that bastard is useful for something.

The guardsman's eyes catch the spot where Simon is looking. His face quickly contorts with disgust before flicking back towards Simon.

"10 silver per girl. It's not for me. It's for the other guardsmen. Personally, I'd prefer you to take them, but you understand, right?"

Simon nods his head as Kayae mumbles something about a fifth of a gold coin.

Ah, so 1 gold coin is 100 silver. Good to know.

Kuro hadn't known how much each of the coins was worth exactly since he had never dealt with actual coinage before. The best he could tell Simon was that a gold coin was worth the most, followed by silver and then copper. He also mentioned that he had heard rumors about 'Platinum' coins, but he couldn't place them in the hierarchy.

"20? Here." Simon passes the guard 20 silver coins without being noticed. He slides an additional gold coin between the man's armor and into his pocket. "For your compassion. Use it or donate it to the orphanage."

The guard quickly gives Simon a swift salute and yells towards one of the other nearby guards to let them through. Meanwhile, Kuritn leads the wagon train to the spot mentioned earlier. The guard appeared in front of Simon again just before entering the gate with Kayae and Suavi in tow, holding each of them by the hand.

"The guard's other guards won't say anything. Please try not to attract any attention, or It'll be my head that rolls. Don't worry about your cargo or other slaves either. I'll keep an eye on them. Make sure to be back before nightfall, or we'll have to send a search party after you and confine you in the dungeon until the Baron gets around to judging you, no telling how long that will take these days."

Simon nods his head, "Thank you."

"One more thing." Simon raises an eyebrow while focusing on the guardsmen who were staring at the two girls intently. "I didn't say anything earlier, but none of your slaves seem to be bound by contract magic. Other countries may allow you to keep your slaves chained up like you have been, but here, the laws are different. You haven't been here in ten years, so I'll let you by with a warning. Get that sorted out quick. That's all."

Simon nods, "I was planning on it, actually. I'll get these two contracted after I get my plates sorted out. Unfortunately, the merchant I purchased them from was...less than reputable, to say the least."

The guardsmen doesn't say anything and merely gives a slight nod as he walks off towards the next caravan in line.

The trio walks through the reinforced stone gate. Soon the sun shines brightly in their eyes in contrast to the dark tunnel they had just been inside. Simon lets out an internal sigh of relief after entering the city, thankful he didn't have to resort to plan b.

We made it.

Ebonshear - West Gate - Interior

"So, what now?" Suavi asks quietly while Kayae tilts her head to the side.

"What do you mean? Aren't we going with Simon to get his plates reissued?"

Suavi shakes her head with a sigh, only to be stopped when Simon places his hand on her slim shoulder.

"No, she's actually right. It might be difficult, but it will probably be necessary for the long run. I doubt we'll get far without proper identification plates. The contract magic is a problem, though. But, before that, we have something more important to intend to."

Suavi and Kayae tilt their heads to the side while answering simultaneously ""More important?""

Simon doesn't say anything. His only reply is a wide grin that doesn't reach his eyes.

""EEEP!""

 

Chapter 28 - Ebonshear

Ebonshear - The Gentle Lady Inn - One hour later

Kayae sat naked, covered in warm liquid. Behind her, Simon was wearing only a soft white towel wrapped tightly around his waist, leaving most of his muscular, scarred body exposed.

"Stop squirming already, Kayae," Simon growled softly at the crying girl in front of him.

"S-Stop! I-It hurts! Pull it out already!" Kayae's cries echoed through the room, thankfully absorbed by the thick walls and door that made up the room.

"Oh, stop complaining already and keep your voice down, Kayae. Also, don't say it like that! People might get the wrong idea if they heard you."

Suavi was likewise naked and sprawled out on the large feather bed that took up most of the small but well-kept room. She had a large white towel wrapped around her short pale blue hair and used another to dry the small patch of hair between her legs. Simon had been quite surprised when he first saw the difference between the two girls but wisely refused to show it externally. No doubt Kayae would have started hitting him again if he did.

"Oww." Kayae let out a soft cry as Simon continued to work out the numerous knots in her long crimson hair that nearly reached the small girl's rear.

"Quiet. It wouldn't be this bad if you actually took care of your hair. I swear if my daughter saw how you treated beautiful hair like this, she'd strangle us both."

Kayae's body suddenly lurched upwards. The comb was knocked out of Simon's large hand, and she stood up in front of him, soapy water running down her bare chest, face reddened in rage.

"Oh, you've done it now." Suavi quickly flipped over on the bed and buried her face between the pillows, leaving her small rear exposed to the air for all to see. Thankfully the windows were closed.

"You have a daughter?!"

Shit.

Simon sighed loudly and looked up at the wooden ceiling and quietly tried to count the boards before Kayae's meek slap against his chest stopped his attempt at ignoring the situation. He rolled his eyes, "Why wouldn't I have a daughter? You realize I'm almost four hundred years old, right?"

Kayae balled her hands into fists and screamed, "Why didn't you tell me?!" her amber eyes darted over towards the bed where Suavi was currently hiding, "What does Suavi seem to know about her but I don't?" Tears streamed down the girl's tanned face as she collapsed into the tub and hid beneath the soapy water. "D-Do you really dislike me that much?"

Simon holds in a sigh and kneels down towards the girl, stroking her long ears softly between his fingers. He watches her usually fully crimson tail that had become heavy with water swish around happily in the tub.

"Of course, I don't dislike you, Kayae. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have taken you from the village even after you tried to stow away in a barrel."

Simon could swear he heard Suavi say 'Liar,' but he chose to ignore it. It was a lie, after all. He actually just didn't want her to get killed trying to follow behind him or appear out of nowhere starving and injured.

Kayae peaked out from between her knees and looked up at him, "I-If you don't dislike me wh-why won't you..."

Simon closed his eyes and shook his head while stroking her ears, "Because you're not old enough yet. Give it a few years..." Preferably twenty or thirty, "and we'll talk about it again."

Kayae eyes filled with hope, "Promise?"

Simon smiled behind his closed eyes, "Promise."

Suddenly the peanut gallery chimed in.

"You know, I may look like this, but I'm already twenty-six. Not that age matters much to a spirit, though." Suavi said while giving a come hither gesture in Simon's direction, tilting one of her legs up while lifting her chest upwards with her arms.

Simon opened his eyes narrowly, unamused "You're not helping."

Kayae giggled softly and leaned back into Simon's chest.

"What was she like?"

Simon pauses for a moment, "She was like you in a way. I'll tell you about her when you're older." Suavi smiled at his reply and nodded her head before flipping back over on the bed. Simon started combing Kayae's hair again.

Kayae stretched out slightly in the small tub, "You're a real bastard, you know that?"

Simon dropped the comb into the soapy water and held his hand against his face while shaking his head.

God damn it, Kuro.

Ebonshear - Main Street - Midday

Simon was walking down the street behind two wide-eyed girls observing the sights in front of them.

"S-So many colors!" Kaye cried out first, followed by Suavi. "Idiot, you're looking at the clothes? Look at all that food! They have actual meat here! Not just fruits."

Simon's smile was quickly wiped away as he rubbed the two girls by the neck and pulled them close to him. The girls hadn't noticed it yet, but many of the citizens were looking at them with disdain. A nearby guard glared at them but looked away after Simon brought the girls close and stared at him.

"Stay beside me. Do not walk in front and do not speak unless I tell you to. Remember, you are slaves, and I am your master. I am not your guardian or your father. Do not forget that."

The two girls' wolf-like ears went limp across their heads as they nodded before glancing at each other with a look that said, 'Look whose talking.'

Soon the trio arrived at their destination. Instead of entering through the front door, Simon and the girls went through the shop's rear entrance.

"Pardon our intrusion, Madam." Simon addressed the twenty-something-year-old seamstress by the front desk that nearly jumped out of her chair and gave a quick bow.

"W-What? A customer? W-Why did you come through the b-" The seamstress stopped speaking as she spotted the two barefoot Wolfen girls hiding wearing tailored rags behind the elderly man's legs.

"I see. I'm sorry we don't serve beas-" the woman's complaints were halted when Simon set down a heavy bag of coins on the desk. She quickly flicked her eyes between the two girls, the man, and the bag before locking the front door and closing the curtains. When she opened the bag, her slightly round but attractive jaw nearly hit the floor. Inside were fifty gold coins. Simon had expected something like this to be the case and had prepared accordingly.

Simon crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the now drooling woman, "You were saying?"

The woman shot straight up and gave a deep bow, slamming her head against the counter hard enough to cause her sharp nose to drip blood. Simon was about to ask if she was alright before she dashed in front of them and gave another deep bow, "Welcome, honored customer to Maria's Clothing Store! You, girl with the crimson hair, step over here for a moment!"

Simon raised his eyebrows high while observing the blond-haired woman quickly strip Kayae to measure various parts of her body. This bitch is insane.

"Hmm...A little small in the chest for a ten-year-old, but I guess that's to be expected."

Oh shit.

"I'm fourteen, you fat-chested bitch!" Kayae tried to hit the woman across the face, but the seamstress, Maria, nimbly dodged the feeble attack and paid it no heed. She just kept dodging and continued taking measurements.

"S-She's dodging them like...I don't even." Beside him, Suavi mumbled softly, staring in amazement.

Eventually, Kayae grew tired and stopped trying to hit the woman, her one flailing arms falling flat against her side. Only to have Maria grip one of them tightly and measure it as well.

"Alright, that's everything for you." Maria stared over at Suavi," You there, you look the same as her, are your measurements the same?"

Suavi quickly pulled her tunic off and dropped her shorts, "I-I think I'm a little bigger in the chest." Maria nodded and took her measurements as well while Simon inadvertently looked down. What? Since when were Suavi's that big? Don't tell me she changed their size after hearing Maria mention K-. Suddenly, shivers ran down Simon's back, he turned and saw Kayae smiling at him, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "N-never mind."

Maria tilted her head to the side, "Hmm? Did you say something, dear customer?"

"N-No. It was nothing. Have you finished Suavi's measurements?"

"The blue-haired girl? Yes, she was the same aside from the chest. She's actually two sizes larger than the redhead over there."

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

Oh, so that's how this feels.

"That's Kayae."

"Meh, Doesn't matter." Maria shrugs her shoulders after hearing Kayae's name. Kayae quietly clenched her fists again but remembered her earlier attempts and hung her head. "Anyway, why are you still wearing clothes? Don't tell me you paid fifty gold just for these two."

Simon shook his head while eyeing the two blushing girls in the corner narrowly, "We can get mine in the back room."

Maria shrugged her shoulders again and followed behind Simon.

- Girls PoV -

Suavi had her head pressed against the wall while Kayae was trying to peek through the keyhole.

"Stupid lock, I can't see anything!"

"Sush, you'll get found out if you keep talking!"

Suddenly Simon's voice came out from inside the room, "I can hear you two, you know."

Suavi turned towards Kayae and held a finger up to her lips. Kayae nodded once and pressed her head against the wall as well.

"Oh, stop worrying about them and get naked so I can get your measurements already. I'd rather not keep my shop closed for any longer than necessary. It doesn't look good."

The sound of Simon's armor being placed gently against the floor could be heard through the shop's thin wall.

"Hmm? Who made this armor, wait, wasn't this white, and why does it smell like an elderly woman's perfume parlor?"

Simon sighed out loud while removing his boots, "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to."

"Oh, they're all blood-soaked, so you tried to cover up the smell with perfume. Leave them with me and give me ten more gold. I can get the odor removed completely by a specialist."

The sound of Simon handing the woman ten gold echoed out instantly, followed by the woman's heavy breathing.

The two girls looked at each other, held a finger up to their temples, and twirled it in a circle before returning to the wall.

"Alright, now the pan- what? How the fuck did you fit THAT in there?" The girls suddenly pressed their heads against the wall even harder. "Wait, no, how can you even walk with that thing bunched up so tightly in there, much less fight like that. I mean, that thing is bigger than my arm."

Suavi's cheeks blush brightly as Kayae starts breathing harder.

"Why do you even need a knife that big anyway? I understand having it hidden, but that's excessive, isn't it?"

The girls deflated quietly.

"Eh, maybe, but It's the only thing I could find that wouldn't break when I used it properly."

"Still, you're cocks nearly the same s-" Maria sighed, most likely after receiving a glance from Simon. "Fine. It's still huge, though."

Suddenly the door opened wide as Simon and Maria appeared from the room. Simon was wearing his uncomfortable pants, "Could you please find me a pair of pants to wear? After that, you can focus on these two, then get back to me afterward."

"Alright, It might take a bit to find something that can accommodate your weapon and your...'other' weapon." Maria gives the two blushing girls a quick wink while Simon covers his face with a hand.

---

"So, How do they look? These are the casual clothes you requested, by the way. I'll have the adventuring gear sent to your room later. You didn't get it from me, though. Beastmen aren't supposed to have armor, leather reinforced cloth or not."

Simon nodded his head as he observed the two girls in front of them. Gone were their previously shabby rags. Instead, they were wearing similar short sleeve sundresses. Personally, Simon thought the skirt length was a bit too short, but Maria had refused to budge on the issue. Kayae had briefly flashed Simon her rather adult-looking black panties when she caught his gaze, causing him to narrow his eyes at her.

Meanwhile, Suavi simply shook her head but ultimately decided to do the same. Her's were made of thin red lace that allowed her blue hair to show through slightly. Simon couldn't resist holding his head and letting out a sigh when he saw that. For her part, Maria was just smiling evilly on the side, clearly enjoying the scene.

Kayae's dress was white in color and had a red vest sat overtop that commented her crimson hair nicely. The set was complete with a pair of crimson stockings that nearly reached the end of the skirt's length.

Simon's eyes narrowed, That gap was intentional, wasn't it.

Suavi's dress was also white, while the vest overtop was ice blue instead of crimson. Her stockings were the same icy blue and also had the gap between them and the skirt.

Both girls were wearing nearly knee-high black boots that were laced up in the front. Standing side by side, they gave off the impression of ice and fire. The girls glanced at each other and quickly twirled around, lifting their skirts up just enough to show a hint of the underwear beneath. Simon sighed again while Maria snickered behind him.

Each of the girls received three sets of the same clothing along with a set of basic armor.

Simon's outfit was one step below a nobleman's attire and entirely black. He only ordered two sets and three extra pairs of pants along with seven pairs of socks and loose-fitting underwear.

Despite receiving such an expensive set of clothing, Simon's hadn't even cost a tenth of what the girls had.

The extra twelve sets of underwear and socks for them he had requested had inflated the total massively. For some reason, the 24 pairs of panties alone had cost 24 gold coins, a gold coin each. Although he wasn't sure of a coin's exact worth here, even he knew that was ludicrous, but one glance from the girls caused him to pay it regardless. Some things just aren't worth it.

In addition to the sets of clothing mentioned earlier, Simon also commissioned the seamstress to send an assistant to get the measurements of the ten men left with the wagons by the gate. Each of them would receive a set of basic but well-made traveling clothes and three sets of underwear along with a pair of sturdy boots.

Kuriti would also receive a chauffeur's uniform complete with a silly-looking hat that made Simon want to buy an extra one to give to Kuro, which he did after Kayae also mentioned it.

Simon exited the rear of the shop with the girls in tow. Even after paying fifty gold coins up front, Simon's clothing, armor treatment, and clothing sets for the other men had cost nearly forty gold coins. In comparison, the girl's clothing had forced him to pay an additional fifty coins on top of the fifty he had already paid.

Simon started to sweat slightly as he clutched the money pouch tightly. Despite still having well over one thousand gold coins stashed between the caravan and the inn, he couldn't help but worry that it might not be enough. Simon gazed at the two beaming girls beside him and sighed.

Is this why Ironwood told me never to get married?

The trio returned to the main street with that final thought and headed towards the large building in the center labeled 'Adventures Guild.'

 

Chapter 29 - Adventurer's Guild

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Midday

"Welcome to the Ebonshear Adventure's Guild! How may I help you today?" The silver-haired woman at the receptionist counter bowed slightly. She appeared to be in her early twenties, but the pointed ears peeking out between her long hair said otherwise.

An elf?

She wore the standard black staff uniform one would expect to find in the Adventurer's Guild, complete with a white blouse beneath the black jacket.

"Hello Madam, My name is Simon, and you are?" Simon offered his own polite bow while the Elf stared on blankly.

"None of your business. How may I help you?" The woman replied bluntly and didn't even blink. Her smile remained stationary as well.

Kayae and Suavi went wide-eyed while Simon tilted his head to the side, "I'm sorry? I apologize. I meant no offense."

"None taken. We just don't take kindly to child abusers here. Now, How may I help you?" The woman's smile widened enough to show off her rather sharp-looking teeth. At the same time, several of the adventures that had been sitting at the bar started to stand up and pat their weapons lightly. Suddenly a large man appeared from the next room heading straight for Simon.

"Oi, Creepy old bastard with the girls. I challenge you to a duel!" Voices erupted around the hall, along with a few cheers at the declaration. Kayae and Suavi simply shook their heads while Simon sighed loudly.

I should have left them at the inn.

"Hey!" The large man gripped Simon's shoulder tightly and tried to budge him, but Simon didn't move. Instead, he quietly turned his head to face the brutish-looking man. "Yes?"

"I just challenged you to a duel. If I win, you hand those girls over the guild master."

Simon shook his head again and turned to face the man, "and if I win?"

Several of the adventurers laughed out loud at his response, "You won't."

"Then why would I accept?"

A cruel grin appears across the man's face, "They aren't bound, are they? It would be a shame if the guards were involved, wouldn't it? Having unbound beastmen within the city walls is a crime, after all."

Simon narrowed his eyes at the man, "You really want to do this?"

"I do."

"Fine, Madam, does this facility have a ring?"

The elf happily answered quickly as if planning the whole event herself, "This way, please." Two adventurers stood up from a nearby table and stopped Kayae and Suavi from following. "Sorry, girls. What happens next isn't something ya'll should see. You seem to be rather well taken care of. The guild isn't likely as nice as the place you came from, but you'll be safe here, at least."

Simon watched the two girls tilt their heads at the man's words as he followed into a nearby room.

So that's why.

"Pardon me, Madam, Are beastmen adventure's exempt from the kingdom's slavery law?"

The silver-haired elf shook her head, "No, but we're allowed to keep them here for as long as we deem required."

Simon nods his head, "So you collect them early and sneak them out to the other kingdoms to be set free."

The large man and the elf stopped in their tracks but quickly resumed walking.

"Good luck proving it when you're dead, bastard." the large man replied while giving Simon a murderous glare.

Soon they arrived. It was a large arena with a set of bleachers on all sides. On the top row, several men clad in strange-looking robes wielding staffs, were mumbling to themselves.

Simon stepped into the ring and headed to one corner while the large man went to the other side.

"Before we begin, may I ask a few questions?"

The large man looked at the receptionist and replied after she gave a slight nod, "What."

"First of all, Who are those men up there in the robes?"

The large man's eyebrow tilted upwards as he eyed where Simon was pointing. Meanwhile, several of the adventurers from earlier started to fill in the empty seats holding a beer in one hand while placing bets with the other. Oh? How about that.

"They're mages. They'll cast a barrier spell around the ring to ensure the crowd doesn't get hurt by any stray magic or projectiles. Not like we'll need it for this anyway."

Simon's eyebrow tilted upwards at the unfamiliar term but more or less understood its meaning. So, magic does exist here. I'll have to see if I can't find a book or something on that later.

"Alright, secondly, what are the rules for the duel?"

Several gasps came from the bleachers, "What? You don't even know that? Fuck it. Kill the other guy. That's it." the large man spits onto the dirt-covered floor.

"Kill? So the other party can't surrender or otherwise admit defeat?"

The man scoffs loudly, "Sure, you can surrender. I'm a little hard of hearing, though, so please forgive me if I miss it."

Simon narrowed his eyes but continued on anyway, "Alright. One last question, those men are betting on the outcome. Am I allowed to bet as well? Naturally, I'll be betting in my favor."

The large man grinned widely while the crowd cheered loudly, "Sure. Why not. You can't bet the girls, though."

"That's fine." Simon took out the large sack of coin and tossed it towards the elf woman standing outside the ring. She nimbly caught it and went wide-eyed when she opened it. "That should have 326 gold coins, 85 silver coins, and 12 copper coins. There are another 700 gold coins left inside the Genital Lady Inn, room 8 beneath the floorboard behind the headboard. I'm betting it all on me. Oh, I accept the duel, by the way."

Simon grinned widely, showing off his elongated fangs to the crowd, and turned towards the large man while removing his shirt and jacket, exposing his bare muscular chest. It'd be a shame to get them covered in blood so early.

The large man started to sweat profusely as Simon gently folded the clothes and handed them to the elf.

"If you're nervous, I don't mind you bringing a few partners in here. I'd hate to have my bet go to waste after all."

The large man growled loudly and started to speak before three other men entered the ring as well. Several gasps could be heard as the crowd began betting even faster.

Oh? Seven to One? I'm actually starting to feel a little bad now.

Simon started to hold up a hand to stop the betting, but one of the men who entered early spoke before he could, "Remember this was your idea when you ask why in the next life."

Simon smiled, "You too."

An elderly man walked into the room and gave the elf woman a nod. The guild master, perhaps. "Begin!"

All at once, the four men charged at him with weapons drawn, of the men had an axe while two others were wielding longswords. Meanwhile, the large man was carrying a large mace. Simon, for his part, was unarmed.

One of the smaller men slashed at Simon's waist and was caught off guard when his sword was caught by Simon's bare hand. He delivered a kick that sent the man flying into the air. His body only stopped flying when it hit an invisible wall in the air.

That's a barrier? That's a fucking hard-light forcefield!

Simon stared at the shimmering light with wide eyes while blood erupted from the man's mouth, and he fell back to the arena with a thud. His armor was crumpled, and his legs were bent at odd angles. The entire stadium went silent, all eyes focused on the corpse.

"My apologies. I thought I held back more than that." Simon shrugged once and turned towards the other three men while snapping the sword still in his hand in two.

"""I surrender!"""

Simon grinned widely, and the three men's blood ran cold.

"Sorry, I'm a little hard of hearing."

Everything happened so fast after that the elf woman didn't have enough time to call the match.

The once brown-colored dirt floor was now covered in streaks of crimson. The two other remaining additions lay crumpled on the ground clutching at the stumps where their legs had been seconds before with the one arm they had left. Meanwhile, the large man under Simon's boot was crying uncontrollably while muttering 'surrender' over and over. Everyone stood motionless as they watched the nightmare in front of them.

Simon put more weight on the man's skull, pressuring his jaw until it started to crack from the strain. Blood pooled out of his mouth as his teeth began to fall out.

Simon looked down at the weeping man and sighed, removing the weight while making sure to avoid the pool of blood. His entire body was covered in blood, but none of it was his own.

That should be enough, I think.

"Madam!" Simon's booming voice snapped the woman back to reality. "I think I heard these men surrender, wouldn't you agree?"

The elf nodded her head rapidly while trembling, "T-The winner is -" she looked at Simon with a pale face. She forgot my name. "Simon."

"The winner is Simon!"

Instead of the usual cheers, one would expect the only thing that reverberated through the room was the quiet sounds of the three wounded men's breathing.

Suddenly the elderly man cried out, "What the fuck are ya'll doing? Get in there and treat them! Someone get all the healers you can find in the building. These guys aren't going to last long!" the elderly approaches Simon slowly with a hateful gaze.

Oh, before they all scatter.

"For the record, I'm not a child lover." He didn't know the word for a pedophile in this world, so he chose the next best thing. "The girls chose their own clothing. You try arguing with two fourteen-year-olds who had previously only owned rags and tell me how it goes."

The eyes of everyone in the room went wide at the declaration. At the same time, a man ran into the blood-filled room, "Shit! This is bad, Nina! He's not a pedo! He's just a wondering ex-soldier that found them and got them cl- WHAT THE FUCK?!" The screaming man stopped in his tracks at the sight, followed behind by the other man and the two girls.

Kayae took one look around the room and shook her head while Suavi spoke, "I understand that you were mad about being considered a pedophile but honestly, was all this necessary?" Suavi walks into the center of the ring and spreads her arms out wide as if showing off the arena. "This is almost as bad as what you did to the bandits that attacked our village. At least you didn't impale them and leave them around the borders this time." At her words, the three men who had been quiet up until now all wet themselves.

"He defended their village?" "Was he alone?" "What? Did you not see what he just did? Those four guys are gold ranks! And, he did it alone! He's at least mithril level!" "D-Did she say 'Impaled', like, hung on spikes?" "Y-yeah, apparently he left them as an example too..." "W-"

The peanut gallery around the room sounded off all at once while the guild master approached Simon again.

"My office. Now."

Simon shrugged and followed the guild master with Kayae and Suavi in tow, leaving the carnage of the arena behind.

 

Chapter 30 - Heads

Ebonshear - Adventure's Guild - Guild Masters Office

The guild master sat down behind a large wooden desk and gestured for Simon to take a seat. He briefly observed the chair. It's metal with a leather wrapping and cloth seat? Don't mind if I do. He sat down slowly, making sure the chair wouldn't crumple before fully entrusting his weight to it. No change. It's a good chair. The guild master raised an eyebrow at the sight but said nothing before sighing loudly at what happened next.

Despite having two spare chares brought in before their arrival, Suavi and Kayae both decided to sit on Simon's lap, causing him to rub a hand between his eyes.

"So, that's how it is." The guild master closed his eyes and nodded once while reaching inside a drawer. He pulled out a large cigar and lit it. Noticing Simon's gaze, he pulled out another one and offered it, which he accepted gratefully. After lighting the cigar, Simon took a long puff and quietly blew several rings into the air before examining it.

"It's been a while."

Kayae looked up from his lap, "Simon, You smoke?"

Simon shook his head with a sad smile, "Only after a victory. So, not as often as I'd like. Don't tell Darlin that, though."

Kayae stared up at him for a moment and returned her head to his chest. She had heard a bit about his 'Darlin' from Suavi before. Mainly about how she was never to mention or comment on it. Meanwhile, Suavi nodded her head once while the guild master laughed.

"Aye. I know how that is. The misses never gets o- shit."

Suddenly the elven woman from before entered the office and stared directly at the guild master with a gaze cold enough to cause Simon's spine to shiver despite not being the intended target.

Busted.

"The misses never gets what?", the elven woman took one of the free chairs and put it beside the guild master, and gently stroked his chattering cheek.

"N-Nothin." The cigar that had been in his hand was gone now, Simon had no idea where it had gone, but he couldn't help but be impressed by the guild master's dexterity.

"Nothing, what?" She gazed at the trembling man again while Kayae and Suavi stared on as if taking notes.

Hey now, I don't want any part of this.

"Nothing, Dear."

The elf smiled happily and leaned against his shoulder.

Simon glanced down at the cigar in his hand and quickly snubbed out the tip before hiding it in his back pocket. Both men gave each other a look of mutual self-pity and understanding.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here, aren't you, dear?"

The sweating guild master shook his head from side to side rapidly, causing the elven woman to frown.

"Come on now, I didn't marry a coward. I married an adventure."

The guild master coughed loudly and steeled himself.

"Dear, Why are you here? I didn't call for you."

"Well, the situation is partially my fault. After all, I'm the one who called for Zarok when I saw these three enter." The woman turned towards narrowed-eyed Simon and gave him a deep bow. "I apologize for my earlier actions. My name is Nina if you are still wondering. My husband here is Agor, the Guild Master of the Ebonshear branch of the Adventures Guild. But, before we move on, We need to talk about the betting that took place earlier."

Simon's eyes narrowed even further in her direction, Here it comes.

Nina cleared her throat softly before continuing, "Um. The final odds were twelve to one. The twelve was against you as no one betted on you. The t-"

Simon stroked the two girls' ears, "12313 Gold, 21 Silver, and 14 Copper."

Nina bit her lip softly as Suavi and Kayae nearly fell off his lap. Simon caught them and quickly pulled them close to his chest without ever breaking eye contact.

Agor glanced at his wife and sighed, "That's not a sum we can pay. The most we can offer is 10,000. Any more than that, and it'll affect the daily operations of the guild and attract the Baron's attention."

Simon shifted his gaze and raised an eyebrow, "Why would the guild have to pay the wager? Didn't the adventures present bet with their own money?"

Nina chimed in between her bit lip, "They did. But they don't have the money on them."

Kayae and Suavi gasped sharply, but Simon simply nodded his head.

"I see. They use the guild as a sort of bank, and the guild doesn't have enough coinage on hand to cover the bet. Is that it?"

Agor and Nina nodded while Simon stroked his chin. The adventures guild clearly doesn't approve of the lord.

"Fine. I'll take five thousand gold. Donate the rest to an orphanage or use it for your 'other' actives."

Nina and Argo both looked up at Simon. Agor looked relieved, while Nina looked even more worried than before.

"Oh t-"

Nina raised a hand to stop her husband from speaking.

He's just a figurehead.

"What do you want."

A cruel grin spread across Simon's face as the words he had planned to hear since making such an outrageous bet. The coin had been tossed, landing on heads, and he had called it.

Nina bit her lip while Argo pulled out a new cigar. He quickly lit it with his shaking hands, only to have Nina take it and start smoking it herself. He tried again, but this time Simon took it, staring straight at Nina. The guild master's head quickly fell to the desk as Simon blew smoke rings in the air.

His earlier words played out in Kayae's head as she smiled widely. 'Only during victory' Suavi looked back and forth between the two and sighed.

That should be enough suspense.

"I need a plate."

Nina stared at Simon for a moment before raising an eyebrow, "A plate isn't worth 7,000 gold. Stop playing games with me."

"I'm not the one playing games. You are. I'm just better at it."

I'm going to look really stupid if these plates aren't magical.

Simon watched the frustrated Nina chew on the cigar for a moment before continuing.

"I don't know what those plates show, but I suspect they're magic in nature and that a written record will be kept. I want to see the plate before anything is written down and edit it if deemed necessary."

Nina's eyes narrowed sharply while Agor's eyebrows when high.

"We can't d-"

"Agor, Shut the fuck up. Just sit there and be quiet."

Simon smiled and took another puff from the cigar in his hand. Three victories in one day.

"What. Else."

"Magic Textbooks, beginner level to intermediate. A book on spirits and common monsters as well. Throw in a few history books and a map of the kingdom and the neighboring kingdoms as well. I also need a less than reputable mage willing to cast contract magic with a set duration on 12 beastmen."

"What a-"

"SHUT. UP. Fine." Nina slams down on the desk hard, and a man appears from behind the door.

"You heard that. Go get the record book and a blank plate. Mithril level."

Simon hold's up a hand to stop the man. "Gold." The man glances at Nina and gives a nod before leaving.

Simon turns towards Nina, "Mithril would attract too much attention for both of us." That was just a guess, though.

Nina shakes her head while the group waits for the man to return with the plate. "I have no idea who you are or what you are planning, but I want no part of it. Are we clear?"

Simon grins, We'll see about that.

Soon a knock comes from the door, and the man enters carrying a thin gold plate connected to a chain as well as an expensive-looking piece of parchment. It was made from some unknown type of leather Simon has never seen before. The man sets the items down on the desk. He gives Nina a quick bow before leaving the room, completely ignoring the dejected guild master lying face down on the desk.

Nina holds out her hand after grabbing a small knife from the desk, "You're hand."

Simon tilts an eyebrow upwards, "You need blood?"

Nina slams the desk again, causing the man to appear, "Add a Beginners Guide to Adventure and an Adventure Guide to Etiquette as well. This bastard needs it." The man nods once and closes the door.

"Yes. Now, give me your hand."

Simon sighs, "That knife isn't going to work on me, you know?"

Nina rolls her eyes and gestures for his hand again, "I've heard that kind of drivel before." She takes the knife and slices it across Simon's palm, drawing blood.

At least that's what was supposed to happen.

Kayae, Suavi, Nina, and Argo, who had raised his head at some point, all stared at his hand with wide eyes.

"Told you." Simon takes the knife and stabs it into his until the blade snaps off without even leaving a scratch. "Something like this isn't enough to hurt me. Much less draw blood." Simon sets down the broken knife and bites into his hand. Blood drips down his chin as he presents his now bleeding hand to Nina. "Better hurry."

In front of the wide-eyed elf, the puncture wound in his hand starts to close up rapidly. Nina panics and slams the plate against the wound hard, causing a knock to reverberate from the desk. The man enters the room again but quickly closes the door after seeing the broken knife and Simon's bloodied chin. A muffled 'Nope' could be heard from the other side of the door as the wound in Simon's hand closes up completely.

"What even are you?" Nina shakes her head as she observes the wound. "Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

He grins slyly, "Was that enough?"

"More than enough. Now we just wait. Sometimes it takes a few sec-" Nina's voice cuts off as her jaw opens wide.

That bad?

Simon takes the plate from Nina's stunned hand and reads it.

[
-Basic Information-

Name: S-1_M0-N A1431
Alias: Simon, Impaler, Bastard
Adventurer Rank: Gold (+++)

Nobility Rank:
Country:

Country of Origin: Planetary Self Defense Force: Earth

Occupation: None.
Previous Occupation: Lieutenant Commander, Planetary Self Defense Force: Earth

Patron Deity: Atalanta: Earth

-Physical Characteristics-

Race:
Age: 379 / 567
Gender: Male
Height: 172cm
Weight: 425kg (-)
Hair color: Black / Gray
Skin color: White
Eye color: Hazel
Mana color: Black / Red

-Attributes-

Vitality: 3700 (- ?) / 12000
Strength: 3650 (--) / 3850
Intellect: 2250 (- ?) / ?????
Agility: 2750 (- ?) / ?????

Divinity: 17 (+ ?) / 0
Demonic: 0 (- ?) / ?????

-Abilities-

Abilities: Rapid Regeneration (G), Fire Immunity (L), Cold Immunity (L), Lighting Immunity (S), Lightning Absorption (G), Blade Resistance (G), Acid Resistance (L), Blunt Resistance (L)

Misc. Abilities: Unbreakable, Farsight, ?????

-Magic-

Affinity:
Spells:

-Titles-

Current: Last Defender of a Fallen World, Lone Survivor, Bandit Slayer, Savior of Krakios Village, Impaler, While Wolf Slayer, Herbalist, Scavenger, Liberator, Merciless Task Master, Guardian of the Meek, Friend of the Beastmen, Spirit Binder, Friend of the Spirits, Spirit Contractor, Soul Eater, Bastard

Former: Masochist, Lone Survivor, Ally Slayer, Peacekeeper, Protector of Children, Lover of Children, Charitable, General's Guard Dog, Abyss Slayer, Crusader, Saint Crimson, Cannibal, Vampire, Bane of the Abyss, One Man Army, Abyss Gazer, That Which Stared Back, Executioner, Kin Slayer, The Impaler, Tyrant, Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula, Tero's Monster, Rebellion Suppressor, Supreme Commander of Alpha Centauri, Condemner of Billions, Complete Monster, Destroyer of Alpha Centauri, Betrayer of Humanity, The Merciful

-Key-

(+): Stat is temporarily raised.
(-): Stat is temporarily lowered.
(?): Stat is temporarily affected by unknown means. Please report to the nearest temple.
?????: Stat cannot be measured. Please report to the nearest temple.
]

"Shit."

 

Chapter 31 - Tails

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Guild Masters Office

Simon dropped the cigar in his hand while Suavi tried to peek at the plate. Kayae did as well despite not being able to read yet.

Suddenly Nina slammed on the desk several times to call the man back in. "Go get THAT. NOW." The man's face paled but nevertheless, he closed the door and left quickly.

"This...This is bad." Suavi glanced around the room before freezing when she noticed Simon's eyes rapidly darting around the room.

Window. No good, the girls won't survive the fall. Door. Not an option. Ceiling. Possible but not probable. Floor?

Simon hurled the girls into the air and slammed his leg down on the floor, splitting several of the boards. He glanced down into the hole, No good, before catching the two frightened girls in one arm while pulling his hidden knife from his pant leg. Nina was already reaching under the desk when Simon pointed the blade at the base of her throat.

"Don't. Move."

Nina slowly raised her hands. Argo tried to interfere, but a glance from Nina caused him to sit back down in his chair.

"We're leaving." Simon set down the two girls gently, "Now. Through the door."

Nina refused to get up even as the tip of his blade started to draw blood. "You're making a mistake."

Suddenly the man returned. He glanced at Simon and the knife and Nina's neck, gulped once, and placed a small box on the desk. He started to leave the room but was stopped by Simon's icy tone. "Stay. Close the door."

The man closed the door and stood beside it while facing the wall, clearly wanting no part of whatever was happening behind him. Smart man.

Simon spoke softly, "Explain."

Nina spoke without moving anything above her jaw. She knew if she tried anything, her head would roll across the desk before Agor could even scream. He was always a meek man, but he was kind, and for someone like Nina, that was enough.

"Inside that box is a special plate. Platinum in rank. Unlike the other plates, this one can be edited, once, and only once while still being able to show the owners growth."

Simon's eyes narrowed while maintaining eye contact, "Why would something like that actually exist."

"Nobles. Specifically, Royalty. Sometimes the children of royalty decide to start adventuring even if it means abandoning their claim to the throne and their family name. Due to the nature of these plates, information can normally never be changed. The plate in that box is one of two exceptions to that rule. The other exceptions are gold plates issued directly by guild masters in a nation's capital. Those are issued to adventures taking on tasks that require a level of secrecy. Unlike the plate in that box, those don't update after being set."

"So the reason it exists is to completely remove an ex-nobles identity, so they aren't discovered?"

"Yes."

Simon narrows his eyes, "Why do you have a plate like this? This isn't the Capital."

Nina smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes, "The guild master in the Capital owes me a few favors, so I cashed some in. I like being prepared for anything, you see."

Simon lowers the knife and tosses it at the wall near the man. "Take it and go back to whatever you were doing before."

The startled man nods and struggles for a bit to remove the embedded knife and exits the room.

"Agor, You go ahead and get a drink or something. The less you know about this 'man,' the better,"

Agor hadn't managed to read the plate, so he decided to allow it. Agor shifts his eyes between Nina and Simon.

"I won't touch her so long as she doesn't try anything stupid. You have my word."

He hesitates before sighing loudly, steps out from behind the desk, and leaves the room.

An eerie silence fills the space as the occupants wait for a moment to confirm no one outside is still listening.

"No one is listening." Nina chimes in.

"So it seems."

"I won't ask you to apologize for the knife, but I have to wonder why you even bothered using it when you could clearly have removed my head without it."

Simon nods once, "It's hard to speak with a hand crushing your throat."

The elf's silver eyes widened, "You expected this?"

"I made a gamble. All other options of escape had an unacceptable probability of success."

"Ah. I noticed your eyes scanning the room before you focused on the door. Of course, with your strength, nothing we did would have even slowed you down, much less hurt you, but for those two, that wouldn't be the case, right?"

Suavi and Kayae flinched as they were mentioned. So he was worried about us?

"Indeed."

The elf let out a tired sigh, "You already knew no one in this building would have hurt those two children, yet you took that into consideration regardless."

Simon scoffed, "I don't leave things to chance. No one ever intends to harm innocents during a fight unless they're psychopaths, but people still die all the time from a stray attack."

Nina nods solemnly, "That is true. So, What now?"

Simon stares into the elf's silver eyes for a moment. She's not planning anything. Fine. "I have several questions I'd like answered."

Nina raises a small hand telling him to continue.

"Why aren't you the guild master?"

Her eyes narrow, "I hate humans."

Simon raises an eyebrow, "Then why were you working at the reception desk?"

Nina smiles slyly, "I don't. I only took over that desk when I saw you three walk in."

Simon nods his head, "Why do you hate humans?"

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, "Why do I hate humans? Not why I was there?"

"You were there to get the girls from me. Now, Why?"

Nina's eyes narrow, shouting in a voice shaking with rage, "Because they attacked my village, raped my daughter, killed my children. Humans are bastards. Why wouldn't I hate them?!"

Suavi and Kayae look down towards the floor while Simon frowns.

"I see. That explains your name. I know nothing of Elvish culture, but I do know a little about beastmen villages. When someone leaves the village or is exiled, they lose the right to use the village's name. Nina sounds like a common name, not an Elvish one."

Nina's eyebrow tilts in irritation, "For someone who doesn't know anything, you seem to know a lot. Fine. I was exiled after I hunted down and killed every single one of the bastards who attacked our village. I strung them up from trees around the edge of the sacred forest as a warning to any fools that might dare attempt something like that in the future."

Simon closes his eyes and nods, "I'd have done the same."

Nina glances down at the fallen plate on the desk, "So you would."

"Why did they exile you for that?"

She scoffs, "Because they are peace-loving fools who believe that our God protects us and has a divine plan for everything. God never gave a damn about us. What I did was seen as a crime against nature, or at the very least as a defilement of the sacred forest."

Simon shakes his head, "You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

Nina nods, and so does Suavi for some reason, "Anything else you want to know? Or can we get on with this?"

"There is, but that can wait until later. You saw my plate, yes?"

Nina rolls her eyes, "If I hadn't, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"How bad is it? Obviously, the parts about where I'm from need to be removed. Aside from that, I have no idea what the rest of the information even means."

Nina raises an eyebrow and takes the plate. Her silver eyes widen and narrow as she goes down the list line by line.

"Basic information is self-explanatory. The average baseline of a human in peak condition in this world is 100. However, that is rare outside of adventurers or knights. The typical maximum even among adventurers outside of heroes of legend, is 1000 while royal knights are usually around 700 to 800."

She pauses for a moment and stares at one line in particular, "Divinity isn't a stat a mortal should be capable of possessing. Even High Priests don't have this stat. Instead, they have Devotion, which refers to how much of their God's power they can channel. Divinity, however, refers to how much holy power a person could channel from themselves."

Simon raises an eyebrow, "Why would I have something like that?"

Nina shrugs, "I have no idea. Normally with your record, I'd say avoid temples, but in this case, that's the only way you'll ever find out. If you ever find yourself in the Kairosian Empire to the northwest, go to the Temple of Ova in the Capital."

She notices Simon's questioning gaze and continues, "Ova is the Goddess of Beastmen as a whole. Since you have the "Friend of the Beastmen" title, she shouldn't be outright hostile to you. But that's just a guess."

Simon nods, "What about the Temple of Pegasus? She is the goddess that Kuro's or well, I guess it's Krakios Village now, worships."

Nina scoffs loudly, "A lesser God like her wouldn't be able to tell you a damned thing."

"Alright. Something tells me I won't be in the empire for a while, though."

She shrugs, "Go or don't go. I don't care. Anyway, Demonic is not unheard of but is rather frowned upon for possessing. People don't like Demons, much less Demon worshipers. The stat refers to how much demonic energy a person could channel from themselves."

Simon looks at her with narrow eyes, "Don't tell me Demonic is tied to sacrifices made to the Demon a person follows."

Nina takes a puff from her cigar, "Sometimes. Demonic Power is usually increased by offerings to the Demon or killing in their name. Demons can also bless someone just for the hell of it to give them the stat and cause trouble for them. But, in your case, you most likely got it from some of your 'less than savory' actions here and on this 'Earth'. No idea what is keeping it at zero though."

She shifts her weight in the chair and sighs, "Anyway, that's stats. N-"

"Wait," he raises an eyebrow, "Why are the stats between a non-adventure and an adventure so different?"

Nina reaches down into the desk and pulls out a small black book before flipping to a page, "Adventures make a living by fighting off the monsters that inhabit this world alongside us. They also delve into forgotten ruins and dungeons created by the many Gods and Demons of the world to test the hearts of mortals. As one kills monsters or progresses through more dungeons, their body naturally adapts to the strain, increasing their strength. Many adventures refer to this effect as 'Experience.' Still, we have no real way of measuring the changes aside from what the plates show. "

She pauses for a moment to make sure Simon is still following along, "An individuals 'stats' if you will, can also be increased by the acquisition of titles and blessings. These increases vary depending on the title’s 'weight'. A title is bestowed upon an individual by their Patron Deity after the individual communes with the Deity in question. While a blessing is normally given by a priest. God's and Demon's can also give a more permanent blessing if they deem you worthy, but they'll normally give you a title instead."

Simon shakes his head, "What? I'm sorry I don't follow."

Nina sighs and places her elbow on the desk, and sets her chin on top of her palm, "Let's start from the top then. In all reality, Gods and Demons are the same things, for the most part."

Simon tilt's an eyebrow, "They're the same?"

Nina flips through the pages of the book before continuing, "In short, A God lets a follower barrow their power, while a Demon helps the follower create their own power. That is the thing that separates them. So, for example, a Priest following a God would channel a portion of the God's power. In contrast, a Priest following a demon would be able to channel their own power instead. Both are generally of the same strength, but a Demon follower doesn't have to ask their Deity for anything."

She flips to a new page and points at a long string of text, "A Title is something that a God or Demon bestows upon a person through the person's own power. The God or Demon in question only decides how much of the person's latent ability to awaken. This is called a Title's 'weight'."

Nina tilts an eyebrow at Simon and the girls with glossed-over eyes, "Still following me?"

Simon nods his head, "Yeah, so far.", and pats the two girls on his lap.

"Alright, before we get to the Title's, I'll explain blessings. A blessing by a God is borrowed power bestowed upon a person. In contrast, a blessing from a Demon is power given to the person from the Demon in its entirety. In addition, a blessing from a God can be revoked, while a blessing from a Demon is the person to keep forever."

Nina turns up to face Simon and the girls, "Now, with that out of the way, Title's. Note, I'm going to be referring to both Gods and Demons as 'gods' from now on because it's annoying otherwise."

Simon gives the elf a nod to continue.

"As I mentioned before, A Title is something that a god bestows upon a person through the person's own power. The god in question only decides how much of the person's latent ability to awaken. This is called a Title's 'weight'."

She points at a paragraph in the book, "The value or 'weight' of the stat increase given by the Title is decided entirely on the whims of the god in question. There is no set weight for any given title. Even a title of the same name can vary in power from possessor to possessor. All that is known about the title system is that once a Title has been granted, it cannot be removed even by the god that granted it. A title's 'weight' seems to be influenced by the grandness of the achievement. But again, it's all in the god's hands. Even a remarkable achievement that bestows a grand title can be worthless in reality. "

Simon shakes his head again, "So titles are just something the gods give to mortals like candy to encourage them to worship them or fight in their name."

Nina's eyes widen as she smiles, "You're like me."

He raises an eyebrow with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Her smile widens until it nearly reaches her long ears. "You reject the gods and the games they play with our lives."

 

Chapter 32 - Gods and Demons

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Guild Masters Office

Simon raises a hand to dismiss the notion, "In the world I came from, God's didn't exist, at least not while I was alive. If they ever did exist, we killed them at some point."

Nina gasps in astonishment, "G-Gods didn't exist? You killed them?", she shakes her head rapidly, not believing it, "That's not possible."

Suavi chimes in with a grimacing expression, "It is. I've seen his world and the 'things' that invaded there. That world had no god."

Nina glances at the blue-haired girl and back towards the plate, "Y-You're a spirit?"

Suavi nods with glowing eyes.

What happened to keeping it a secret?

Suavi notices Simon's questioning gaze, "Elves by their very nature are entuned with spirits. Anyone that saw me would have known instantly. This woman has willingly severed her connection to the World Tree, so she has lost most of what made her an elf. To the Elves, She is more of an abomination than you are to humanity. She rejected her god and turned her back on her people. She's a creature of hatred and rage. She desires only revenge. Do not trust her."

Nina eye's the girl with a frown, "I always despised spirits. Your kind always claims to understand a person's heart just from what you can see in their soul. You only see the events that happened but nothing beyond that. You know nothing."

Suavi sticks her tongue out at the elf, "You would say that you silver-haired heretic."

Simon starts to hold up a hand to break up the spat, but Suavi continues before he can, "Her hair turned silver after she severed her connection to the world tree. She may appear young, but she's well over a thousand years old. Elves don't age like the rest of the races. Unless they are killed, or their connection to the world tree is severed, they are effectively immortal. But this bitch here barely has another seventy years left in her, at the most."

Nina grinds her teeth and is clearly about to attack.

Not good. I'd rather not kill her.

"Suavi, Stop. Nina, Don't. You'd never leave that chair alive."

Suavi stares at the woman while Nina puts her weight back into the chair.

"I'm not going to apologize for Suavi's words, but Suavi, Nina has a point. When you first looked at me, you understood nothing, and even now, after all you've seen, you've still barely scratched the surface. You would do well to remember that."

Suavi bites her lip and stares at the floor while Kayae pats her small shoulder.

Simon's words surprise Nina, clearly not expecting him to agree with her, "So now you know things about me that were better left unsaid. It's fair game now. How did you kill the gods of your world? Can you do it again?"

Simon shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know. As I said, I don't know if gods ever existed, and if they ever did, we, no, mankind killed them long before I existed. So I can't tell you how they were killed or if this world's gods can be killed. But I will say after all the things I've seen, I will say that this world needs gods despite how much you hate them. If for no other reason, then to keep 'them' out of it."

Nina raises an eyebrow, "Them?"

Suavi turns towards Simon and sighs, "I can show her, but I can't promise she will survive. She may die from shock or go insane."

Nina smiles evilly, "So she saw your old world?"

Simon's entire body turns towards Suavi, "What? You can do something like that?"

Suavi puffs her chest out with pride while Kayae pats her head, only for both girls to cower at his next words.

"That is not a good thing. Nina, I need to amend our agreement. I need the strongest enslavement spell available. One that can affect spirits as well, if such a thing is even possible. If you wish to see 'them' do this for me, and I'll allow it."

Nina smiles savagely at the spirit. "With utmost pleasure." She slams the desk, and the man from earlier appears and nods his head.

"I-I don't suppose I can take back what I said earlier?" Suavi lowers her head and approaches Nina walking behind the desk. "I warned you, but for what it's worth, I hope you die, witch." The elf returns the cold gaze and smiles. "And I hope you enjoy your enslavement, mutt."

Suavi's eyes glow as she stares into Nina's. The temperature in the room starts to drop slightly while Simon covers Kayae's, who is sitting on his lap, eyes with his hands.

Images of the events of Saturn flash in his mind, but he ignores them. It's all happened before, after all.

Suddenly Suavi collapses onto the desk and breathes hard, causing Simon to slide Kayae off his lap and run over to her. Beside the collapsed girl, Nina the elf is staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Simon watches her for a moment while returning to the chair and hugging Suavi and Kayae close to his chest.

So. Let's see which side of the coin fate lands on.

Nina's eyes tremble and start to shift in the shade along with her hair. The change is over in a moment. Instead of her previous silver hair, her hair is now solidly white with blond streaks running through it, while her eyes are now two different colors. One Silver, and one Green.

Suavi lifts her head and stares at the elf, and scoffs, "Damned tree was always too forgiving."

Nina's eyes close as she straightens herself out in the chair and speaks, "A few minutes ago, I would have agreed with you, but as they say, time's change."

Simon nods once. He has no idea what is going on. Still, by Suavi's words, Nina was able to reconnect herself to the world tree after it forgave her transgressions. Still, judging by her odd appearance, she was not wholly redeemed.

"Judging by your appearance, you saw them?"

Nina nods her head solemnly, "I did. And I saw what you did. Please forgive my earlier actions. I see now that I was acting out of malice. Do not worry, I will tell no one of what I saw, not that they would believe me anyway. Flying cities and buildings taller than the world tree? I'd be called insane as well as a heretic."

He nods his head at her words, "What about the doorman?"

Nina glances at the door, "Hector? He's mute and can't read or write. His hearing is something else, though. It's the reason he acts as my 'doorman,' as you call it."

Simon glances at her to gauge the truth of her words, "Fine. Do you know what 'they' are?" he says, hoping at the chance to finally get answers.

"Yes. They are creatures of the Abyss. Gods and Demons constantly fight against each other, but the Abyss is something entirely different. They are the enemy of all immortal and mortal alike. The Gods and Demons agree to set aside their differences each time an incursion from the Abyss occurs. But, what happened to your world has never been seen. Even here, the only monsters of the Abyss exist within the farthest reaches of the dungeons created by the gods."

Simon stiffens before asking his next question, "Why would they place them there instead of destroying them?"

"Because they can't kill the monsters of the Abyss. People think that Gods and Demons are the polar opposites of each other, and they are, but the Abyss is the opposite of that relationship as well. Any being with divinity in them will ultimately be corrupted or consumed by the Abyss upon contact. That is why the dungeons exist. To create mortals capable of defeating the imprisoned monsters of the Abyss. Mortals lack divinity and as such are not affected by the corrupting nature of the Abyss."

Simon grits his teeth, "So, the gods use mortals as a shield to protect themselves from an enemy they can't defeat themselves."

Nina nods her head, "Just like mankind did with you."

Suavi and Kayae shoot up at her biting words and try to head to the closed door. They don't make it before the door is frozen solid.

Simon stares at the icy breath coming out of his mouth and focuses by breathing in deeply. The temperature slowly rises as he does so, and the ice dissipates. He turns towards the two terrified girls and smiles. "Sorry. I'm fine now." The two girls slowly approach him at a snail's pace before being grabbed gently and placed on each of his knees. He then looks up at the shocked Nina, "Please choose your words more carefully." to which she nods rapidly.

"Regardless of why they use mortals, Do you have a theory as to why an 'incursion' as you call it, of that scale affected my world?"

Simon thought about asking her why he wasn't affected by this 'corrupting' influence despite having Divinity in him. But figured he wouldn't get any other answer aside from 'ask god.'

Nina shifts into a thinking posture and mumbles softly to herself for a few minutes before replying, "This is just a guess but going off of what I know and what I saw just now. I would say that the god's presence in our world prevents such a thing from happening here. Your world, according to your own words, had no gods left. As such, the Abyss was not prevented from fully invading."

Artoria's words from before ring loudly in his head, 'God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?'

A sad smile covers his face, "In the end, we couldn't become gods, and it cost us everything." Simon bursts out laughing, "How poetic. We killed our gods and ourselves in the process."

All eyes stare at Simon while Nina speaks quickly, "T-That was just a guess."

"No. I believe that was the truth. I had already thought as much after meeting Suavi and going over the events on Saturn. Your guess merely confirmed it. Humanity gave everything they had to atone for the sin of killing a god, but it wasn't enough. You believe it as well, or you wouldn't have gone crying back to your god for ‘forgiveness’."

A familiar sad smile appears across Nina's face as she observes the white and blond hair in her hand, "Indeed."

Simon strokes Suavi and Kayae's ears while shaking his head.

"Still, that doesn't explain how I have titles from this world and from Earth. I have never entered a temple in this world, and I somehow doubt I have the blessing from a dead god on Earth. I did burn down the last church and impale the priest after all."

Nina smiles savagely at Simon's mention of burning down the last church. Despite embracing her god, her previous hatred for gods is still burning bright. She gives him a quick shrug, "Who knows. Go visit a temple and ask, but they'll likely try to execute you, so I can't advise that."

Simon glances at the plate and snorts, "Aye. I guess one look at that plate, and they'd certainly try."

"They might succeed too, depending on the temple."

Simon raises an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Normally, gods cannot descend to the world. Their temple is an exception, however. It's seen as an extension of their territory, thus if it was ever attacked, the god in question might choose to deal with the attacker themselves."

Simon strokes his chin, "I'd rather not kill a god if I can help it."

Suavi looks at Simon in horror while Kayae simply shakes her head, Nina on the other hand, is smiling widely.

"If you ever get the urge, I can provide a list of 'Gods' that need killing. A few dozen shouldn't hurt the rest of them in maintaining whatever barrier they have in place. But it might cause them to interfere in our world less."

Simon thinks back to Earth's ancient history. In the early days, there seemed to be many gods written about, but in the end, there was only one. Then there were none. No one had even heard of the creatures of the Abyss until long after religion had been outlawed. Nina's words seem to carry weight.

"So it would seem."

Simon and Nina gave a savage grin to each other, ignoring the small girls on his lap.

 

[Author Note: This isn't a chapter. Just a long explanation of the stat system for those that care about that. All information here is known by Simon and the crew so please bare with it. Hopefully this is the only post like this that I'll ever have to make.]

Vitality​

Vitality refers to a user's life force.

Life force is consumed as a person recovers through magical means and scales with a person's level of physical fitness and 'purity' of spirit.

Strength​

Strength refers to how much a person could physically lift. 1 point is 1 kilogram.

Intellect​

Intellect was also rather self explanatory but it is also tied closely with a person's ability to use high level magic.

Agility​

Agility refers to a person's swiftness of moment and was tied into reaction speed as well.

Divinity and Demonic​

Divinity was a stat that was supposedly impossible for a mortal to possess.

Even High Priests do not have the stat. Instead they were given the stat, Devotion, which referred to how much of their gods power they could channel. Divinity however referred to how much holy power a person could channel from themselves. Neither Nina or Simon could think of how he had acquired it.

But Nina had told him that he should eventually head to the temple of Ova, The goddess of Beasmen as a whole. She went on to explain that as Simon was a Friend of the Beastmen she shouldn't react hostility towards him. When he mentioned about possibly attending the Temple of Pegasis, the Goddess that Kuro's Village worshiped she merely scoffed and replied that a lesser god like her wouldn't be able to tell him what he needed to know.

Demonic on the other hand was a relatively common stat but understandably frowned upon for having it. The stat referred to how much demonic energy a person could channel from themselves. Unlike the God's who allowed a follower to merely borrow their power, Demon's instead helped a mortal obtain their own power through 'less than righteous' actions. In addition, When a blessing is bestowed upon someone by a demon, the demon willingly gives a portion of their power to the mortal.

Titles / Gods and Demons​

A Title is something that a god or demon bestows upon a person through the person's own power. The god or demon in question only decides on how much of the person's latent power to awaken. A blessing is different. In the case of Gods, a portion of that god's power is lent to the person, while a blessing from a demon is given to the person. A blessing from a god can be revoked while a blessing from a demon is the person to keep forever.

The term Demon isn't as black and white as one would expect. The only difference between a God and a Demon is how they bestow blessings.

Not all Demons are Evil, and not all Gods are Good. It's the reason Nina just referred to them all as gods for simplicity's sake.

Ability​

Abilities are just that, abilities a person possesses. Each ability is ranked upon a scale, starting at lesser, but the stages can very. An example she gave for lighting immunity is as follows.

Resistances / Immunities​

Lightning Immunity (C / Complete) - Cannot be hurt by lightning at all
Lighting Immunity (EX / Extreme) - Can be hurt by lighting of god-like strength
Lighting Immunity (S / Supreme) - Lighting attacks of demi-god like strength are required to injure
Lighting Immunity (G / Greater) - Lighting attacks below greater are ineffective. Greater Lightning attacks are affected by Lightning Resistance (EX)
Lighting Immunity (L / Lesser)
Lighting Resistance (EX / Extreme) - Final Stage before evolving into immunity. Lighting attacks are extremely less effective. {Damage reduced by 75%}
Lighting Resistance (S) {Damage reduced by 50%}
Lighting Resistance (G) {Damage reduced by 25%}
Lighting Resistance (L) {Damage reduced by 10%}

Elemental resistance is common among knights and adventures while physical immunity is unheard of outside of legends. Nina had to request a book from the Guilds Library to provide an example on blade immunity and blunt immunity.

These abilities cannot be obtained by normal means. Simon has his due to the augmentations made during the S.A.G.E.S. program. Same for his elemental resistances and immunities (In that they are from his augmentations) .

Blade Immunity (S) - Blades below Tier 2 that are not enchanted with high level magic are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 99%.}
Blade Immunity (G) - Blades below Tier 5 that are not enchanted with medium level magic are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 99%.}
Blade Immunity (L) - Blades below Tier 7 that are not enchanted with low level magic are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 99%.}

Blunt Immunity (S) - Blunt attacks below 1000 are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 75%.}
Blunt Immunity (G) - Blunt attacks below 500 are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 50%.}
Blunt Immunity (L) - Blunt attacks below 250 are ineffective. {Damage reduced by 25%.}

Materials​

List of metals used for weapons by rarity. Does not include monster parts.

Rare
Tier 1 : Divine Iron / Demonic Iron / Sky Iron {Same shit different name}
Tier 2 : Hihi'irokane / Branch of the World Tree
Tier 3 : Adamantite
Tier 4 : Orcalcum / Refined Pure Elvish Crystal
Tier 5 : Mythril / Dwarven Steel / Unrefined Pure Elvish

Common
Tier 6: High Steel / Dwarven Iron / Refined Elvish Crystal
Tier 7 : Elvish Crystal
Tier 8 : Steel
Tier 9 : Iron
Tier 10 : Bronze

Special Tier: Used for specific use cases.

Silver: Binding or Slaying Spirits and Ghosts. Also rarely used to kill monsters that have a weakness to it.
Black Iron: Iron quenched in blood during smelting. Used as an enchanting base for other items. Not useful on it's own.

Magic​

Magic: Magic is broken into 10 realms Light, Darkness, Water, Fire, Earth, Lighting, Air, Nature, Spirit, and Void.

Light is the realm of spells like night vision and lamplight.

Darkness is the realm of curses and negative effects like mind-control or thought planting.

Water is the realm of all water magic, it is the same for all elemental realms.

Nature is the realm of restoration. It is also commonly used to change the nature of elements or combine them. An example would be using nature magic to combine fire and earth magic to create 'Magma' spells. Another example would be using nature magic and water or air magic together to create 'Cold' spells like 'Ice Lance' or 'Blizzard'.

Spirit is the realm of summoning magic. A spirit spell can summon spirits or interact with souls.

The void realm is an exception. Any magic that does not fall into the other categories is considered void. An example would be Telepathy or Telekinesis.

Spells are the spells known by the person.

Affinity basically tells the person what magic realm they are capable of using. Not everyone can use every realm of magic and some people have no affinity at all. A person only knows what affinity they have AFTER they have tried to use magic of the corresponding realm. If a person tries to use fire magic and doesn't have the affinity for it, nothing will happen. If they do have the affinity for it, the spell will activate, and they will gain the Fire tag on their plate.

Side note: Divine (holy) and Demonic spells are not qualified as magic thus they do not fall in any category, void included.

 

hello, I'm A fellow writer but it's not letting me post my novel how do you post your novel?

 

Chapter 33 - Dorthy's

Ebonshear - Late Afternoon

Simon exits the guildhall with Suavi and Kayae in tow. Behind them, Nina was grinning wildly. Some of the adventures had given them a weird look, but one gaze from Nina caused them all to look away.

That woman is terrifying.

Argo had been ecstatic when Nina appeared with the trio and fell to his knees when he saw Nina's change in appearance. Judging by the tears streaming down his face, he was quite happy at Nina having reconciled with her god.

Did she really, though?

Simon shook his head as he headed towards the restaurant recommended by Nina when he had asked about getting some food. He and the girls as they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning back at camp. Thanks to requesting that Nina send a letter to the gate guard about him being delayed an extra day for processing, the caravan should be safe to spend the night outside the city.

Sorry Kuritin, I'll have the girls eat your share as well.

They continued walking down the main street until eventually stopping beneath a small wooden sign that simply read 'Dorthy's: Beastmen Welcome.' Simon raised an eyebrow at the beastmen statement but it was a welcome sight regardless. Like a true gentleman, Simon opened the door to allow Suavi and Nina to enter first.

That was when all hell broke loose.

A mug of ale flew through the air and would have hit Simon in the head if he hadn't caught it. What the hell? He pulled the girl's back and poked his head through the now open doorway. Sitting at a table in the corner, a group of four men were throwing food and hurling insults at the middle-aged beastwoman behind the counter. In front of her was an older human. Her husband, presumably, was attempting to block the plates of food. Beneath them, a small girl with long rabbit-ears was cowering.

"You call this drivel food?! We wouldn't even serve food this bad to traitors kept in the dungeon."

Simon scanned the other tables in the room. The occupants seem to have left shortly after the soldiers started harassing the owners rather than getting involved themselves. Kayae looked up at Simon expectantly while Suavi's eyes glowed softly before she turned and gave him a nod.

So they're bastards? Good.

A cruel smile appeared across his face as he entered boldly through the door. Suavi and Kayae entered right behind him and quietly went towards the table farthest away from the soldiers. Simon paused to look at them for a moment.

Am I really that obvious? He gave a single shrug before walking into the line of fire between the soldiers and the owners. One of the men glanced at him and shrugged before hurling a fork at him. It returned soon after, point first, and pinned his hand to the table. The fork impaled man let out a loud shriek.

"Is there a problem with the food?" All four men's faces paled and shook their heads 'no.' Simon eyed the men with a raised brow and made sure to show off the platinum plate dangling from his neck like a dog tag.

"Alright then, you seem to have finished their meal. Please allow me to pay for it in honor of your 'service.'" Simon took out a gold coin and flicked it with his finger towards the counter. It landed with a satisfying thunk even though he hadn't turned around. Despite his seemingly kind words, all of the soldiers fidgeted uncontrollably before nodding 'yes.' Three men got up quietly. They left the restaurant while the impaled man was left to struggle with the fork.

"Oh? You seem to have injured yourself. Allow me." Simon put his mouth close to the man's ear. He whispered, "If you or your friends ever come back here or ever cause any trouble for the owners, I will impale you on your own sword and leave you dangling from the city walls for the crows." The man's face turned whiter than a ghost at his words while Simon effortlessly pulled out the fork from the table and his hand.

Simon turned towards the doorway where the other three had been waiting outside. They jumped at his gaze, "Excuse me, your friend here seems to have drunken a little too much. Could you carry him out with you?" He flashed them a savage grin. They quickly retrieved the terrified man and ran out the door as if their life depended on it. It had, actually.

The middle-aged woman, Dorthy, slowly approached from behind the counter and gave a low bow along with her husband and their daughter. "T-Thank you. They've caused trouble in the past but never to this extent." Dorthy looks around the trashed restaurant and sighs while the daughter retrieves a broom and starts cleaning up.

Simon nods, "I figured. They didn't look like standard guardsmen, so I assume they were some of the Baron's soldiers. If they come back, send your daughter to the adventures guild. Ask for Nina and tell them Simon sent you. If you explain things to her, she should send someone to deal with the problem. But I doubt those four will come back here."

Kayae and Suavi snickered quietly while Dorthy nodded. "Y-You were quite persuasive, weren't you?"

Simon raised an eyebrow, "You heard that? Oh, I guess you would." His gaze focused on her long rabbit-like ears causing the woman to blush slightly. Based on the nametag he wore, her husband 'David' coughed loudly to draw Simon's attention away from his blushing wife. Suavi and Kayae's quiet snickering became loud laughter.

"How may I help you, Sir?"

Simon relented with a soft smile, "A table for three, please. None of us have eaten anything aside from mushy half-rotten potatoes mixed with horse meat in a long time, So please keep the food coming." He grabs the two girls that had come up beside him and pinches their cheeks. "As you can see, these two could really use some meat on them. Something high in fat and protein would be best, but whatever you have is fine." Suavi and Kayae blush brightly despite trying to escape his grasp. Simon finally relents and releases them as they are lead to a now clean table by the kitchen entrance.

He takes a look at the chair provided and quickly opts to pick up an empty barrel and use it as a seat instead. Kayae and Suavi had seen him do it several times before, so they paid it no mind.

However, David gave him a questioning look, so Simon explained, "I way a lot more than I look like I do. I don't want to break one of your chairs." David shrugs while his daughter, who was bringing out water to the table, looks amazed. The small rabbit-girl glanced at Simon's plate, so he took the plate off and handed it to her to read while rubbing her hair.

[-Basic Information-

Name: Simon
Alias: Impaler, Bastard
Adventurer Rank: Platinum

Nobility Rank:
Country:

Patron Deity: Ova

Country of Origin: Grandlarc

Occupation: Adventurer

-Physical Characteristics-

Race: Human
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Height: 172cm
Weight: 285kg
Hair color: Black / Gray
Skin color: White
Eye color: Hazel
Mana color: Black / Red

-Attributes-

Vitality: 970
Strength: 850
Intellect: 500
Agility: 600

Abilities: Regeneration (L)

Misc. Abilities:

-Magic-

Affinity: Void
Spells: Status


-Titles-

Current: Lone Survivor, Bandit Slayer, Savior of Krakios Village, Impaler, While Wolf Slayer, Herbalist, Scavenger, Liberator, Merciless Task Master, Guardian of the Meek, Friend of the Beastmen, Spirit Binder, Friend of the Spirits, Spirit Contractor, Bastard

-Key-

(+): Stat is temporarily raised.
(-): Stat is temporarily lowered.
(?): Stat is temporarily affected by unknown means. Please report to the nearest temple.
?????: Stat cannot be measured. Please report to the nearest temple.]

Simon continued patting the girl's head while he thought over the changes Nina had recommended. All information relating to Earth was removed, his stats were lowered to 'acceptable' levels in her eyes. She was able to remove the Last Defender of a Fallen World title but emphasized that the title was removed in name only. She also had adjusted his basic information to make things more 'normal' looking.

A loud cough echoed through the room bring Simon back to reality. He looked around the room with a lifted eyebrow. Kayae and Suavi were glaring daggers at the rabbit-girl while her father glared daggers at him. "Hmm?" He glanced to his side and saw the small girl on her knees, panting heavily. He retracted his hand and offered the father a sincere apology while pretending to ignore the large wet spot spreading from the girl's crotch. Shit.

Suavi and Kayae stared at the kitchen with focused eyes as their small noses twitched along with their ears. Simon smiled at the sight before wiping the drool starting to form on his chin. It really had been a long time since he'd had something besides nutrient paste and rotten soup from the village.

Soon David appeared from the kitchen and placed several plates filled to the brim with food. Suavi and Kayae's eyes widened like a puppy as they looked at Simon for approval. Despite his grumpy appearance, not even David could avoid smiling at the sight, and so, Simon gave permission to dig in.

He glanced down at the plate stuffed with various types of meat and vegetables. He only recognized some of the items, but oddly enough, nearly all of the meat tasted like some form of chicken. He looked up from the plate and watched the girls attack the large plates mercilessly. One after the other, each girl would choke so the other would help them out. This process went on until eventually Simon had been forced to tell them to slow down and that the food wasn't going to run away.

Barely five minutes later, David emerged from the kitchen and placed a new set of food on the table while taking away the now licked clean plates.

This would continue, and each time a new plate was delivered, he'd smile at the girls while threatening Simon to not touch his daughter again.

That wasn't intentional. I better not get a title for that. He glanced down at his plate to check and breathed a sigh of relief after noticing nothing had changed. Unfortunately, It wouldn't be until later that he learned 'pedophile' was not actually a title given out by the gods.

While David came back to refill their drink's he casually slipped the plate into the man's pocket for him to read later. Hopefully, that will ease his worries a bit. He came back shortly later, shaking with fear, and handed the plate back to him. That looked like a threat, didn't it? Simon's head hit the table as he asked for a beer.

Instead of David returning to the table, the rabbit-girl brought out the drink blushing brightly while ignoring the glares from Suavi and Kayae.

Alright. That's enough of that.

Simon stood up from the table and walked over to the counter. David was shaking uncontrollably while Dorthy was humming away in the kitchen. Simon leaned over to his ear and whispered quietly. "Sorry. I got distracted earlier and lost track of time. I'm not interested in your daughter, your wife, or you. I'm not sleeping with those two girls either. I gave you my plate earlier to put you at ease, but I think it came off as a threat. Sorry." He left the conflicted-looking man behind and returned to the table, and downed his beer in one go before ordering another.

 

Chapter 34 - Return to the Caravan - Part One

Ebonshear - Dusk

The sun was setting by the time the trio had managed to escape. Suavi was staring groggily while walking with unsteady feet and holding her stomach. Kayae had passed out after her ninth plate of food, two more than Suavi and four less than him. She was currently wrapped in Simon's arms sleeping off the rather severe case of food coma she was currently struggling with. Simon, for his part, was completely fine.

Thanks to his cybernetics and various other augmentations, any foods he ate were almost digested immediately regardless of their quality. That was the primary reason that he had opted to continue eating the rotten soup rather than the supplies he had brought back for the villagers. If they had continued to eat it, they would have likely gotten sick. However, that wasn't the case for him. So he kept drinking the sludge while dreaming of better days.

Simon eyed Suavi, who was gripping her stomach in pain, "Next time, Don't eat so mu-" His words were cut off as the blue-haired girl dashed towards the nearest barrel and poked her head inside. He shook his head from side to side and let out a loud sigh. "Next time, Don't eat so much. I know you were excited at finally being able to eat something that delicious, but you'll hurt yourself if you don't."

Suavi stood up and backed away from the barrel, apparently feeling better. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, "Yes 'dad.'" her reply caused Kayae to giggle softly in her sleep.

He narrowed his eyes, "Drop the sass. Are you really alright to head to the merchants guild?"

She nods her head affirmatively. Thus the two carry on while Kayae sleeps away.

Ebonshear - Outside the Merchants Guild - Dusk

Simon and Suavi approach the guild's entrance only to be stopped by the sight of an elderly man starting to lock the door. He turns to address the three strangers and starts to say that the guild is closed for the night. However, he stops himself mid-sentence after noticing the platinum plate hanging from Simon's neck.

"P-Platinum?!" The elderly man panics and quickly unlocks the door and swings it open wide, "H-How can the Ebonshear Merchants Guild Branch help you, good sir?"

"Hello, Sorry for coming so late. We got a little caught up earlier." Simon glances down between the two stuffed girls. The man's face shifts into a frown briefly but quickly recover with a poker face.

So he doesn't like beastmen.

Simon shrugged and dropped the formalities, "I need to register as a merchant. I heard from Nina at the Adventurers Guild that the fee was 200 gold and a 1000 gold deposit. Here." He tosses a large sack of gold coins to the man along with his platinum plate. According to Nina, that was all that was required to join the guild, despite what the headmaster over there would tell you. Come to think of it, she described him as a cranky old man with gray hair that regularly abused any beastman he could get away with.

Must be him.

Suavi nodded her head once at Simon's thoughts.

She can totally read minds.

The old man disappeared in the empty building and swiftly returned, carrying a blank iron plate.

Unlike the Adventurer's Guild, where rank was based on a person's ability, rank in the merchants guild was based on how much wealth the person had deposited into the guild. Iron was 1k, Bronze 5k, Silver 25k, Gold 50k, Plat/Mithril 100k, Orichalcum 250k, Adamantine 1M, and finally Hihi'irokane at 100M. Needless to say, there were no merchants of Hihi'irokane rank aside from the 'King of Merchants' in one of the independent city-states to the far rest.

Simon bit his hand and dripped some blood onto it before taking the plate from the man and observing it, just to be safe. Since the information was copied over from his earlier plate, there shouldn't be any issues, but Simon doesn't take chances.

[-Basic Information-

Name: Simon
Alias: Impaler, Bastard
Adventure Rank: Platinum
Merchant Rank: Iron

Nobility Rank:
Country:

Patron Deity: Ova

Country of Origin: Grandlarc

Occupation: Adventure / Merchant
Home Office: Ebonshear, Grandlarc

-Physical Characteristics-

Race: Human
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Height: 172cm
Weight: 285kg
Hair color: Black / Gray
Skin color: White
Eye color: Hazel
Mana color: Black / Red

-Attributes-

Vitality: 970

-Titles-

Current: Lone Survivor, Bandit Slayer, Savior of Krakios Village, Impaler, While Wolf Slayer, Herbalist, Scavenger, Liberator, Merciless Task Master, Guardian of the Meek, Friend of the Beastmen, Spirit Binder, Friend of the Spirits, Spirit Contractor, Bastard ]

Simon nods and hands the plate back to the rather agitated waiting man while Suavi sticks her tongue out, causing him to clench his teeth. Finally, he places a hand on the blue-haired girl to stop her behavior, amusing as it was.

The old man quickly writes down the plate's contents into the large logbook he brought out with him and hands the plate back while giving Suavi the finger.

Simon glances at Suavi, whose eyes are currently glowing, and nods his head. Once.

Ebonshear - Gentle Lady Inn - Dawn

He sat down at a small table with Kayae and Suavi. He casually placed an order with the Innkeeper for breakfast. She was an elderly woman that appeared to be in her late fifties to early sixties. She ran the small but comfortable Inn with her three daughters, who were in their early thirties.

Before long, one of the daughters brought out three glasses of warm milk for the trio. While taking a sip, Simon focused his gaze outside the window. Several soldiers were running around frantically as if searching for someone.

"Madam? Do you know what's going on out there, perchance?"

The woman who had brought them the milk smiles sheepishly and quickly spills the gossip she had heard earlier.

"Apparently, the merchant association's guild master was killed last night along with another merchant. The bodies were found at dawn hanging on the west gate. They were even impaled on the walls with spikes!" the woman shivered slightly despite smiling. Meanwhile, Simon and the girls feigned ignorance.

"That's awful." He replied while suppressing a grin.

"I know, right? It gets better, though! Apparently, one of the merchants was a known pedophile, and when the guards finally got his body down from the wall, they found his -thing- cut off and stuffed down his throat!"

Both of the girls turned towards Simon with wide eyes, but the woman paid them no heed and continued, "He had 'pedo ledger' carved in neat letters on his forehead!" The excited woman pauses for a moment, "To be honest, it would have been more terrifying if pedophile had been spelled correctly, though."

Simon unconsciously frowned while the girls snickered. She gave the trio a curious gaze for a moment then started again. "The Guildmaster, on the other hand, had one of his legs torn off and shoved up his rear with ‘rapist’ carved. Apparently, when the guardsmen entered his house to search for clues, they found several beastmen slaves barely able to walk after being beaten to an inch of their lives. Normally people wouldn't really care, but they found a few human corpses as well! The whole town is in an uproar!"

Simon shrugs softly while Suavi raises an eyebrow, "Seems like they deserved it, doesn't it?"

The woman nods her head, "That's the thing! The guardsmen weren't really looking very hard for the killer. When the Baron found out this mornin, he sent his soldiers instead and tossed the Guard Commander in the dungeon for insubordination!"

Simon frowned at that part. Damn.

The Innkeeper called out to her daughter, "Carina, stop telling the guests that disgusting story! Two of them already left without paying for their food!"

Carina rolled her eyes and replied with a 'yes mom' before giving Simon a wink and left the table.

"Simon, he didn't hurt humans." Suavi chimed in after the woman was out of earshot.

"So?"

"Why were there humans there?"

Simon shrugs and takes a bite of toast, "Wrong time, wrong place. Maybe they won't try mugging people in their next life."

Suavi shakes her head and stares into her milk.

A few minutes later, their food finally arrived. It was a small breakfast of toast and eggs with a side of oats. Simon bowed his head slightly as thanks for the food, something he had picked from Kara earlier in life, and dug in a while, watching the two girls turn somewhat green at the sight of the food.

Simon wiped his mouth, "You two need to eat."

The two girls nodded and slowly started to eat the food, making sure to chew thoroughly this time instead of inhaling it like they had the night before. Both of them had woken up in the middle of the night and ran to the outhouse buck-naked in a panicked frenzy. They had woken up nearly the entire Inn after fighting over who got to go first. Simon had to head down with two blankets to prevent the onlookers from getting a sight he'd have to kill them for. Just recalling the event made him roll his eyes.

Suddenly the Inn's door swung wide open as a group of four soldiers stepped inside and started looking around the room. Simon gave the men a knowing grin and finger-waved his hand. They left as quickly as they had come. It was the squad from Dorthy's the night before.

Well, That was easy.

A smile appeared across his face, and he pulled out the cigar he had stashed from the adventurers guild earlier.

Kaye looks up from her still, mostly full plate, "Are you going outside to smoke?"

Suavi answers for him with a knowing smile as he heads towards the inn door, "Only in victory."

Kayae tilts her head to the side, clearly confused.

Oh, I guess she saw the four from earlier after all.

Simon closed his eyes and leaned against the Inn's wall. He was currently standing as far away as possible from both the door and windows. Smoking in public might not be illegal here, but a little common courtesy never hurt anyone.

"Oi! Keep a lookout for anyone that looks suspicious! If we can't find this bastard by nightfall, we'll be the ones in the dungeon!"

""""Sir!"""""

A large squad of soldiers ran past him as thick smoke rings rose in the air. Nearby the sound of light footsteps reverberated through the alley.

A sly smile appears across his face as he points upwards. "What?!" The elf stops in her tracks. Above her are the letters spelling her name, quickly dissipating in the wind.

Simon thinks about replying to her with only smoke signals but decides against it, "To be honest, I thought you'd have come sooner."

One of Nina's long eyebrows twitches upwards in irritation, "Whose fucking fault was that, hun?!"

He shakes his head once and motions for her, the flustered elf, to lower her voice, "Aye, I heard about what happened, a real shame that."

A few moments pass. Did she leave? Simon opens his eyes, thinking that he had somehow missed her leaving. In front of him was a sight that should have comforted him. Instead, it terrified him to the core. Nina was smiling sweetly with closed eyes.

"S-Sorry."

Nina tilts her head to the side, still smiling, and replies with a monotone voice, "Sorry for what?"

"S-Sorry for causing you trouble."

The monstrous elf slides a small sheet of paper into his jack and lightly strokes Simon's cheek, sending a shiver down his spine.

"We're done here. Next time tell me before you do something like 'this' in my town. The only thing I hate more than humans are entitled children playing at soldier who think I'll suck them off to get them to go away."

"S-Sure."

"Oh, And remember what you agreed to yesterday for that letter I sent. I expect to see those wagons at the guild shortly," She drops the smile with that last statement and glares directly at him. He doesn't reply and merely nods rapidly.

Jesus Christ Agor, What the fuck did you marry? Beside him, Suavi was nodding her head in agreement while Kayae was taking mental notes. Yep. She can read minds.

"Wait, when did you two get here?!"

Suavi tilts her head to the side. "Right after Oneesama."

Simon's face pales, "O-oeesama?"

Kayae and Suavi nodded at the same time with arms crossed, "Nina-sama!"

 

[Authors Note: Platinum plates are special. They are equal to mithril when first issues, however, as the wearer rises in ranks, they will have 'trim' attached to them. The center will remain platinum but will be trimmed with Orcalcum, Adamantite, Hihi'irokane, and Sky Iron. The final plate would look like this

Chapter 35 - Return to the Caravan - Part Two

Ebonshear - West Gate - Merchant Entrance - Early Morning

Simon walks towards the waiting caravan. Kuritn stood beside the front wagon as usual while surrounded by several brutish-looking men led by a pot bellied man dressed in fancy clothes. Beside him, the guardsman from the day before, Rema, was standing between the two of them, attempting to defuse the situation. Judging by the jeering of the brutish men, the guardsman's attempts don't appear to be having much success.

"Oi, Come now, I think 50 silver a barrel is a perfectly acceptable amount of coin, especially if your master can't get into the city proper." The fat man laughed to himself while looking down on the bowing beastman.

Kurinit shook his head while remaining bowed, "I am sure that it is, sir. However, as I have said before, we are not authorized to negotiate on the sale of goods. Our master has ordered us to remain at the location specified by Sir Guardsman here until our entry into the city has been approved."

The pudgy man's face turned red while a few of his guards whistled out loud. The noble grit his teeth loudly, "You've got some mouth on you, mutt." he turns towards Rema, "Your services are no longer needed. Go."

Not good.

Rema let out a quiet sigh and mumbled, 'So much for an easy life as a guard, mama.' beneath his breath. With a practiced motion, the guardsman brandished his weapon and made a stand between the beastmen and the noble, "Sir, You are hereby requested to vacate the area immediately. Refusal to comply by you or any of your personal guards will be seen as a slight against the lord of Ebonshear, Baron Ebons-'' Rema manages to block the nobleman's sword but cannot stop the crossbow bolt fired at point-blank range. The world seems to move in slow motion as light reflects off the bladed edges on each of the barb's fins. It would be beautiful if it wasn't going to kill me. Rema tries to smile at the irony, but a large hand obstructs his vision before the projective pierces his skull. Time rushes forward all at once as he let out a gasp of air.

In front of the guardsman, a man casually holds the bolt merely a centimeter from Rema's eye. Simon turns towards the stunned guardsman and tosses him a platinum plate, "Thanks for yesterday. It took a little longer than expected due to having to get that plate remade." All eyes focused on the shining piece of metal dangling from the guardsman's grasp.

"P-Plat?" The noblemen and his entourage all paled at the sight while Kuritin nodded once before speaking, "My Lord, I don't see the girls with you."

"They are currently with Nina at the Adventurers Guild."

Rema's already widened eyes began to bug out at the mention of the elf, the attackers eyes as well, "N-Nina? T-The Guild Master?", "The F-Flayer?", "B-B-Banana Peeler Nina!?", """"THAT NINA?!""""

Simon tilted his head to the side while trying to understand the situation. Was Nina really that well known? I thought she hated humans. He turned towards Rema, "Why is Nina called the banana peeler? I can understand the other two after knowing her for a bit, but that one is just a little too odd."

Rema coughs loudly and speaks in a tone barely above a whisper, "S-She’s known for peeling the dicks of captured predators like bananas before stringing them up in the nearby forests."

Simon unconsciously felt himself covering his loins with both hands. A strange sound could be heard as everyone did the same. He glanced over towards Kuritin and saw him nervously clutching his crotch, "S-Sir, D-Do we have to meet this Nina?" Simon simply nods his head once, causing one of the brutish men to blurt out, 'poor bastards.'

He quickly flicked the bolt between his fingers at the man's crotch. An unholy shriek reverberated throughout the planes as both of the man's testicles were skewered instantly. The noblemen turned around and fled to the hills, followed quickly behind by his remaining guardsmen. As they disappeared over the hill, one could barely make out a man saying 'kill me' over and over. Simon just shook his head. You weren't using them anyway.

He turned his attention towards the remaining guard, Rema, who was still standing beside him, "So, What now?"

Rema was snapped back into reality by Simon's words, "U-Uh, you should be able to head inside now. You'll need to take this plate over to the guards currently standing guard at the merchant's gate over there."

Simon taps his foot a few times before crossing his arms, "I know that. What are you going to do now?"

Rema tilts his head to the side, "I'm Sorr-" His eyes go wide as Simon just stares, "You can't be a guard anymore. You pulled your sword out on a noble. Even if it was justified, which it was, I somehow doubt the other nobles will be willing to let something like this slide. So, what will you do now?"

The guardsman shakes his head before slumping over on the ground, "I-I don't know. I can't stay a guardsman. No, I can't stay in Ebonshear either. Even if I quit, the nobles would have me hanged...or worse." Rema hugged his knees tightly before burying their head into them.

Now then.

Simon steps in front of the balled-up Rema and holds out a single hand, "Then why don't you work for me?" The man in question holds up his head and gazes directly at the hand before moving up to Simon's face, "W-Why?". Simon strokes his beard with his free hand before replying warmly, "I need people. If that's not enough, how about this? You were willing to fight and die for someone you hadn't even known before yesterday. Race wasn’t even a factor. Regardless of whether you knew it or not, you were willing to die for what you believed to be right. Why wouldn't I want to hire someone like you?"

Rema bit their lip for a moment, seemingly trying to muster enough strength to reply.

"If you're worried about being found out as a woman, don't be. I already know. I don't care what you choose to dress like or why you choose to do it. It's none of my business. I don't care if you cover yourself in feathers and call yourself a chicken. All that matters to me, in the end, is if you can do the job you've been given."

Rema turned her large brown eyes upwards and stared into Simon's, "H-How?" He simply shrugs with a smile as Rema takes his hand. "I can smell it. Put drying powder between your breasts and underneath them before you bind them. It will help cover up the smell." Rema retracted her large calloused hand and quickly covered her chest in a girlish manner before realizing what she had done. Kuritn smiled happily on the side as Simon stood on his tippy toes to pat the large woman's head.

"Go ahead and speak with whoever you need to about your departure. If you need to offer a bribe, use this." Simon passes the woman a tiny sack. "It contains 15 gold coins. I think it should be enough. If it isn't, well, I'll handle it." Rema nods once and starts to depart before being stopped by Simon. "Wait. I suspect that you'll be forced to return your equipment immediately. If that is the case, you can pick from among the armor sets we have on hand and take whatever strikes your fancy. However, We'll be stopping by a proper blacksmith before we leave town, so keep that in mind as well."

The woman's brown eyes went wide, "There's no way I can afford that."

Simon smiles and pats her head again, "Think of it as an advance. As you are now, you won't be much use to me. However, if you are properly equipped, that won't be the case."

Rema pauses for a moment before nodding.

"Good, now go. We'll head over towards the gate while you take care of that.

-

Simon and Kuritin watched from the lead wagon as the large blonde-haired frame of Rema emerged from the other side of the doorway. She was over 30cm taller than Simon, making her roughly a head taller than him. She was wearing a tattered linen shirt with a pair of pants that looked like shorts on her. While her muscles lacked Simon's bulkiness, she made up for it by being incredibly tone. Her blonde hair had been cut roughly to neck length at some point and appears to have been kept at the same length for some time. As she slowly made her way through the crowd, Simon spotted several large bandages wrapped around her chest tightly through the open slits in her tunic's side. Wow. I'm surprised she can breathe like that.

Simon held out a hand once Rema had arrived and helped her board the wagon. Kuritn jiggled the reins slightly, and the wagon train slowly crossed the gatehouse's threshold.

Ebonshear - Adventures Guild - Noon

Simon stopped inside the Adventures guild with Kuritin and Rema in tow. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Kayae and Suavi happily playing cards with a pair of depressed-looking adventures. It appears, judging by the pile of coins on the desk and the lack of a shirt on one of the men's backs, Suavi had been cleaning house. Simon shook his head and turned his attention towards the reception desk, and immediately frowned.

"Oi, Slut. I'm registering these four li-" The man never finished his sentence. A loud cracking sound reverberated through the hall, followed by a crash and a thud as the man's body flew through the air. The body crashed through the rear wall and thudded hard against the arena floor, bouncing three times. Simon picked up the now fallen chain containing four small beastmen children and handed it to a nearby adventurer before stepping into the now empty space in front of Nina's desk.

He turned his gaze to the side briefly and muttered, "He lost." to the quietly watching adventures. None of them said a word and returned to what they had been doing before. Suavi and Kayae merely shook their heads and proceeded to take the men's shoes next.

Simon turned back towards Nina and spoke plainly, "We're here. The elf was smiling devilishly while fidgeting behind the desk. Simon unconsciously took a step back as the woman burst out into a quiet maniacal laughter. Nina continued laughing for several minutes before eventually regaining her composure.

"S-Sorry. I'm fine now. I just didn't think I-I'd ever see pigs fly!" she starts to break out into laughter again before he quickly continues.

"We have 10 wagons. I'd like to sell everything aside from one wagon, two horses, and obviously the men."

Nina's smile instantly disappears as she pulls a large clipboard from beneath the desk and begins barking orders to various staff members. Before long, the lead wagon was completely emptied out, and the former drivers relocated to it. Some were sad to see their homes for the last few days disappear behind the guild, but for some reason, the most upset one was the driver of the tenth wagon. He was running around crying and screaming. It sounded like he was happy the wagon was free.

Nina appeared in front of Simon several minutes later. "It'll take a few hours for us to unload everything and get the totals tallied up. If you have any business to attend to in town, feel free to do that while I deal with...this." The elf's eyebrow twitched as her men went about unloading several dozen sets of armor, all neatly cleaned and spotless. "I'm not going to ask why they don't have any markings, but I will ask, why are there only 29 sets of legplates? There's at least 180 sets of armor here but only 29 pairs of pants?"

Simon shrugged, "You wouldn't have purchased them anyway."

Nina shakes her head, "Why wouldn't we?"

Simon smiles slyly, "Because they fought me when I was...mildly frustrated."

The elf's silver and gold eyes went wide before she nodded her head with a smile, "We still would have bought them, but I doubt they would have been worth transporting."

Simon shakes his head, "No, they wouldn't have been. I have a heightened sense of smell. I'd rather not smell rancid piss and shit that's been sitting out in the midday sun for several days."

Ebonshear - Dorthy's - Afternoon

Simon was quietly sipping a beer while Suavi and Kayae were chatting with Kuritin about how things had gone the first day. He quickly toned out the trio's conversation and instead focused on where things would go from here. Suddenly two warm large objects pressed against his defenseless back. "S-Simon?"

Err, Is she drunk? Cold sweat started to form on the back of his neck as the strange objects pressed against him harder. Damn, this is bad. Simon could feel his already tight pants becoming tighter by the second as he tried to find a way out of the situation. Unlike Suavi and Kayae, Rema was not a little girl. She didn't invoke the same protective instincts that he had for the girls.

"Simon, Why did you save me?"

Wait, what?

"Why did I save you?" Simon tilts his head to the side and turns around on the barrel. "I already told you. I need good people."

The drunken Rema shakes her head hard, causing her freed breasts to bounce around wildly. When the hell did she undo those straps?!

"That's not what I mean..." Rema takes the remainder of Simon's beer and downs it before continuing, "Y-You knew I looked like this, and yet you still saved me, no I mean hired me, w-wait..." Simon placed a hand between his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the woman continued rambling on. "I saved you because you were worth saving. Your gender had nothing to do with it." He looked up and spotted the large woman passed out on the table. If she had heard his response, he'd never know.

Simon turned towards David, who was serving the group drinks, "How many did she have?" The man shrugs before replying, "No fucking clue. I stopped counting after I had to break open the third cask just for her." "Three? Wait, Just for her?" Simon's face pales as he takes a look around the room. Kuritn and the other drivers were all similarly collapsed on tables covered in mountains of empty plates, kegs, and glasses.

'Artoria, B-Be honest with me. What are we looking at in terms of damages?'

Deep in the darkest parts of his removed heart, he could swear he heard a regal voice reply, 'Well...The Ironwood amount.'

 

Chapter 36 - Prelude to Madness

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Morning - The Next Day

Simon sat down in the sturdy chair and looked directly into the eyes of the elven woman across from him who was quietly reading a report. He watched her gold and silver eyes go back and forth as she mumbled quietly. Eventually, her thin lips parted, and she let out a sigh.

"So? How is it?"

Nina shook her head before placing the report on the desk and lighting a cigar, "16,000 Total. That's the best I can offer for this. The wagons and horses are worth 4000, the arms and armor 7000, and the raw goods themselves 5000. To be honest, I want to mention the leg plates again. But after seeing all this, I'm instead going to ask where in the world you got this many heirlooms."

Simon shook his head, "You don't want to know."

Nina sighed and took a long drag from her cigar, "I see, that's where they came from. Anyway, 16,000 is the best we can do."

Simon nodded his head and sighed loudly, "I thought it would be more."

The elf's ears twitched slightly as her cheeks reddened, "You think I'm lying?"

"No, It's just I had expected to get more than this. I might have to scrap my plan now."

Nia tilts an eyebrow upwards, "Plan? What plan?"

Simon smiles sly, "I thought you didn't want any part of it." She returns the gesture and smiles slyly as well while pointing at the pocket containing his golden plate, "Little late for that."

---

Simon exited the adventures guild flanked by Suavi and Kayae, leaving behind Nina, who was eyeing them worriedly. He gave the elf a playful wave before boarding the carriage. Kuritn was already sitting in the driver's seat while Rema and the rest of the villagers piled in after. Simon made his way through the packed carriage and appeared next to Kuritn, "Go ahead and head that direction. I'll tell you when to stop."

Ebonshear - Maria's Clothes Shop

"We're here."

Simon tossed a small bag of coins into the air, and a blonde-haired woman came flying out from behind the desk and clutched it tightly. He eyed the gasping woman warily before speaking, "Get to it. We're short on time. I take it my armor is ready?"

Maria peeked up from inside the bag's confines and shook her head, "Yeah, Yeah, Backroom, Same you were measured in. I'll get these guys dressed shortly since I already measured them yesterday. Oi, You, You're Kuritn, right?" Kuritn nods his head once with a concerned look on his face as Maria starts to smile mischievously. "Yessssss."

Simon ignored the scene playing out behind him and headed straight to the back room. His newly cleaned armor sat on the center table. A detailed receipt going over what had been done to the armor was placed gently on top.

[Complete Disassembly
Component Bleaching - Color restoration failed
Component Deep cleaning - Color restoration and order removal failed
Acid Bath - Color restoration failed. Bright reds are now dark crimson. Odor removal failed.

The list goes on and on until he pauses on the final few lines.

Complete Reassembly - Broken parts replaced. 46g. Oh? I'll have to pay them personally for the cost.
Acidic blood bath - Color restoration partially failed. Armor's nonmetallic parts now share the same deep crimson hue. All metallic pieces of armor share a similar black sheen. 145g.
Holy Water Bath - Odor removal failed. 100g, Fine for damage to the temple from reaction 2,000g. Wait, What? The armor reacted to holy water?
Demonic Blood Bath - Odor removal successful 100g. Armor now emits a dreadful aura.
Return to customer.]

"Well shit." Simon picks up the chest piece and decides to try out the spell that Nina had taught him earlier. "Status" A strange sensation filled his head as a window containing information on the armor in his hand came into view.

[Ribcage of the Impaler

Physical Defense: 400
Magical Defense: 400
Elemental Resistance: 200

Provides 1400 resistance to Divinity and Demonic-based attacks when worn with Gauntlets of the Impaler, Legplates of the Impaled, Greaves of the Impaler and Cloak of the Impaler.]

Simon shook his head and quietly swore off using 'Status' in the future for anything other than names and set bonuses. "That's such a stupid system. You can't assign an arbitrary value to a piece of armor. Real-life isn't a game. Now I realize why Nina always told adventurers not to use status to decide what equipment to bring or wear."

With a loud sigh, he removed his black nobleman clothes and quickly donned his now unscented armor after giving it a brief sniff. No odor. Good. As Simon slid the armor over his head, he felt it constrict tightly around his ribcage. The pressure would have killed a normal man, but to Simon, it was more of a bonus. "Oh? It's form fitting now? Well. Let's just hope the pants aren't."

He soon emerged from the back room, thankful that he didn't have to keep tugging his pants down any more. Maria had let out the crotch significantly. In front of him, Kuritn was quietly looking at himself in the mirror sighing loudly while fiddling with the funny hat. Rema was nearby stretching . Gone were her previous loose fitting rags. Instead, she was now wearing a sturdy set of form-fitting clothes designed to be worn under armor. Her chest was tightly confined via a black corset covered in dyed leather. The contraption appeared to work better for Rema, but it did cause her sizable breasts to be far more notable. Simon briefly considered asking her about it but decided against it. He had said that it didn't matter to him after all.

Suavi and Kayae ran up to him and hugged his legs, ""What happened to your overcoat?"" He turned back and took a good look at the blood-colored cloak fluttering ominously behind him. "I'm not sure. I think they turned it into a cloak while removing the odor. Although I could have sworn I put it on like a coat earlier." Suavi's eyes glowed briefly before she shook her head, "Nope. I don't see anything weird about it." Simon smiled softly and petted the girl's heads while examining the rest of the room.

The remaining nine villagers-cum-slaves were currently getting dressed in sturdy traveling clothes. Each of their shoulders had Simon's personal sigil embroidered onto it. Kayae had brought it up earlier and Maria agreed that it was a good idea. He glanced down at his own shoulder and touched it, rubbing his fingers across the familiar stitches longingly.

Kayae noticed his gaze and quickly jumped up to grab his hand and placed it on her head. He smiled brightly and started rubbing.

Ebonshear - Adventurer's Guild - Early Noon

One of Nina's assistants escorted the other villagers and Rema inside. Kuritn, Simon, Kayae, and Suavi stood outside the adventures guild in front of the elven woman.

"Good luck." She gave Simon a brief bow before handing him a thick iron plate with both the merchants guild and the adventures guild stamped onto it. It was this world's version of a check. The amount etched onto the plate was a staggering 40,000 gold. Transporting that sum of gold could not be done without several carriages. Thus these plates were used instead. He examined the plate in his hand and felt its weight. It contained the sum total of everything he had made from the bandits, the bet, the sale, and even a loan from Nina herself. There would be no second chances if he failed.

Simon returned the bow and carefully placed the plate into his chest pocket. "Thank you. If everything goes well, I'll be back before nightfall. If not-"

Nina shook her head, "We'll be ready."

Simon glances at the two girls beside him and sighs loudly. Kayae had refused to stay while Suavi had shapeshifted into a small dog and tried to sneak out to follow him. Nina had told him that she could easily detain Kayae, but Suavi most likely wouldn't go down without...some resistance.

Still, I'll try one more time anyway. "Suavi, Kayae, Please." Simon knelt down to the two girls and bowed his head. "Please. Stay here."

""We refuse.""

 

Chapter 37 - Baron

Ebonshear - Baron's Residence - Throne Room - Noon

"Now Entering, Platinum Rank Adventure, Simon and...his slave entourage."

Simon slowly entered the throne room while keeping his head high. His long cloak floated behind him unnaturally. Suavi and Kayae followed close behind him while Kuritn brought up the rear holding his hat in his hands. Eventually, Simon reached the audience position, kneeled down before the Baron, and bowed his head low. The girls and Kuritn followed suit, except their foreheads dug into the expensive rug.

Out of the corner of his eye, Simon could see the Baron smiling happily at the sight in front of him before laughing heartily. "Ho, Please raise your head Sir Adventure, Your slaves as well." His leering gaze did not slip past Simon's trained eye. The Baron seemed to be undressing the girls in his mind while licking his lips. Fucking. Great .

The Baron's attendant coughed loudly, and the Baron returned his gaze to Simon, "Ah, Yes. Sorry about that, Simon, was it? I thank you for your service. Why have you come before me today?"

Simon bowed low once again before replying, "You humble me, my lord. I am but a tired old merchant these days."

The Baron smiles between narrowed eyes, "I see. Yet you still wear armor and carry a sword as my assistant here can attest to." His sword had been confiscated upon entering the mansion, but that was expected.

"Yes, my lord, Old habits die hard, it seems." The Baron nodded his head and waved his hand, ushering him to continue. "Baron Ebonshear, I have come before you today to purchase the roughly 10,000 beastmen slaves confined outside of the city. Wholesale."

Silence filled the room as the Baron started to laugh before rising from his throne and descending the steps with a frown. "You. I am in no mood for games. If this is your sick idea of a joke, begone and never reappear in this town again. Otherwise, I will have my men execute you and your slaves here and now."

Simon shook his head while reaching into his coat pocket, causing the Baron to step back quickly and his guardsmen to draw their weapons. "I am playing no game, my lord. I truly wish to purchase the slaves for 40,000 gold pieces." Simon showed the Baron the plate, and silence once again filled the room. Baron Ebonshear took the plate and sat back down on his throne while observing it closely. "Why?"

Simon tilted his head to the side while still maintaining a bowing posture. "My lord?"

Baron Ebonshear rolled his eyes and yelled, "Stop bowing and stand up already. We're past that. I'm asking why you want to purchase 10,000 slaves for 40,000 gold despite knowing the average price is 9 gold each."

Simon stood up and shrugged, "Because they aren't even worth 5 gold each."

"What?" the Baron raised an eyebrow at his declaration.

"The slaves are sick, starved, and dying. The majority of them are women and children. They will be difficult to transport on top of not being able to do much physical labor. That limits their resale value. They simply aren't worth 9 gold each, especially when you consider my destination. I suspect roughly half of them will die before I even reach there."

The baron grit his teeth before pondering Simon's words, "Destination?"

Simon gave a slight bow, "All I can say, my lord, is that it is somewhere in the Lithguardian Kingdom. A certain noble is conducting a major project within his territory and is currently searching for any beastmen slaves possible."

Ebonshear’s eyebrows go high, "Lithguard? Why are you all the way out he- No. You got out in front of the pack and arrived here first. You heard about the King's beastmen proclamation, didn't you?"

A sly smile appears across Simon's face as he bows, "Indeed."

The Baron shook his head, "Let me see your plate."

A cold sweat dripped down his back as he processed the Baron's words. His plate. Simon let out an internal sigh and passed the platinum plate over while shrugging. He watched the Baron's expression while preparing to draw his knife and decapitate the man.

During his plate's creation, Simon had seriously considered removing all of his titles. Nina pointed out that if he ever had to prove his qualifications to someone by showing them a removed title, he would have been forced to show them everything via the gold plate. Thus, It was decided to only remove the titles from earth or those that were related to it directly. He was honestly regretting that decision right now.

Suddenly the Baron started laughing wildly while slapping his knee.

"F-Friend of the beastmen? T-Tell me, what were their disgusting faces like when you slapped the collars onto them? N-No, Can you draw? Mark, Get this man some paper. I NEED to see this."

Simon shook his head and gave the Baron a bow. You sick fuck. "I am sorry, my lord. I lack the talent required to accurately draw the sight. Still, it was, as they say, 'priceless.'"

Baron Ebonshear's laughter became louder as Simon attempted to mimic the non-existence expression of horror and betrayal. Eventually, the Baron's laughter died down, and Simon continued, "I admit I am surprised that you saw through that title so quickly. Forgive me for not believing the rumors, my lord."

"Rumors?"

Simon stood up, "Yes, My lord. Before I left Lithguard in search of slaves, I heard rumors about the craftiness of Baron Ebonshear. It was said he personally arranged a series of subjugation campaigns and weaponized a targeted form of plague to weaken the beastmen village's resistance before crushing them completely. When I had first heard the rumors, I assumed that they were false. Please forgive me for my rudeness." As Simon spoke, his eyes lit up brightly with false admiration. He ends his speech with a deep bow and waits for the sweating baron's reaction.

"H-Have you heard these rumors from anyone else outside of Lithguard?"

Simon shakes his head, "No, my lord. If I remember correctly, The group responsible for spreading the rumors claimed to have been hired by Baron Ebonshear personally to carry out the raids. They never did explain why they left, however." He pauses for a moment and sees the plate Baron's face reddened with fury. Good. "H-Have I offended you, my lord?"

The Baron shakes his head before whispering loudly to his assistant. Simon watches as the man leaves the room while the Baron takes a long drink from the glass next to him. "No, I just remembered something that needs to be tended to. Now, Where were we?" He hands the plate back to Simon.

"The purchasing of the slaves, my lord."

"Ah, Yes. Fine. If you provide me the name of the lord you are selling them to, I'll throw in enough food for the slaves to survive the journey."

Simon pretended to let hope fill his eyes for a moment before catching himself and shaking his head, "That is very generous of you, my lord. But I cannot tell you the noble's name under pain of death. Unfortunately, even if a Marquis ordered me to, I could not answer. Please forgive this slight." He finished with a bow.

The Baron's expression shifted suddenly as soon as he heard Marquis uttered, "D-Duke?". The Baron spoke in a quiet voice before rushing down and grabbing Simon's hand and shaking it rapidly.

He took the bait.

"I'll have the soldiers have the slaves prepared immediately. I'll throw in enough supplies for as many of the slaves to make the journey east as possible as well."

Simon's eyes glowed fakely again, "Really?"

The Baron nodded his head rapidly and wrapped his arm around Simon's shoulder, "Aye. All I ask is for you to deliver a note to the d-your client and." The Baron pointed at the two girls still kneeling on the ground while licking his lips. "Those girls."

GOD DAMN IT.

Simon shook his head while thinking quickly, "I'm sorry, my lord, Those girls have already been promised to the du- the client. I am merely transporting them."

The Baron released him and quietly stroked his chin, "Then for the night?"

Again Simon shakes his head, "Unfortunately, that is not possible. Both of the girls are virgins, and any deviation from that would most likely result in the client's wrath upon all parties involved."

Ebonshear nods his head and shrugs with a sigh, "Can't be helped then, I guess. Still, This is a pain. You see, The merchant I purchased my girls from was recently slain by a psychopath.”

The Baron watched Simon grimace as if reliving the sight, “I think I know of whom you speak, my lord. When I attempted to enter the city earlier h-they were still hanging from spikes on the rampa-”

Suddenly the chamber's main doors swung wide open, "FATHER, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Simon couldn't suppress his urge to smile as the final piece of his plan fell into place.

The Baron's son had finally made his appearance.

"FATHER! ANSWER ME!"

The Baron shook his head before turning towards Simon, "My apologies. My son still has yet to learn his place."

The son was a well-built man. Unlike his father, he wasn't covered in fat and appeared to take good care of his body. The way he carried himself seemed to display some level of swordsmanship. The son glared at Simon for a moment and drew his sword. "So be it! You can't sell your own people to a dead man!"

Wait, shit. Why is he attacking me?

Simon was momentarily stunned by the man's declaration. He still views them as his own people? Simon smiled to himself as he nimbly dodged the blade coming at him. There might be hope for humanity yet. He escaped again as the son tried to slash at him from behind. The process repeated until eventually Simon grew tired of the charade and caught the thin blade between his fingers, snapping it in half.

"I may be retired, sonny, But it's still decades too early for you to challenge me." Simon grabbed the son by the neck and hurled him through the air after pointing at his platinum plate.

The twenty-year-old man rolled across the ground several times before hitting the wall and falling unconscious.

Simon turned towards the stunned Baron and gave him a deep bow, "My apologies, my lord. I had intended to toss him lightly, but instead, I seem to have knocked him unconscious."

The Baron's head turned towards Simon slowly as if to give off the impression of a creaking door, "Y-You're retired?" Simon nodded his head once before the Baron replied, "J-Just, what were you capable of before you retired?"

"Not much more, my lord. Even this puts a strain on my body. Truth be told, I couldn't have kept up dodging your son's attacks much longer." Simon pressures his lower back and makes it emit a popping sound. "My back can't handle it anymore, you see."

The Baron solemnly nods his head, "Aye, Getting old is a cruel fate, isn't it? No matter the status, time comes for us all in the end."

Simon smiles brightly, "That and taxes."

The Baron laughs loud enough to wake up his sleeping son at Simon's remark, "True. Guardsman, Take him away. He may be my son, but I cannot overlook a direct act of treason. I will decide on his method of execution at a later date."

The man's son glared at his father's eyes, full of rage. He glanced over at the uncaring adventure-com-merchant and chanted a weak spell. "Lightning Bolt!"

A single bolt of lightning flew from the man's hand and headed straight towards Simon with a speed he had never seen before outside of rifle fire. The blast hit Simon squarely in the chest, sending reverberations throughout the audience's chamber. Kuritn, Suavi, and Kayae shouted while the Baron stood stock-still, his guards savagely beating the still resisting son. The smoke soon cleared, revealing Simon standing completely unharmed while looking at his hands, pondering the message he had just received.

[External Power Source Detected. Energy converted and stored at 22% effectiveness. Warning: Power levels critical. Immediate recharge is recommended. Current power level 2.6%. Power charge gained, 0.0054%.]

Ah. So that's what greater lightning absorption does. He was snapped back from his thoughts as Kuritn slowly walked up to him, followed behind by the two worried-looking girls. I'm glad they didn't run up to me.

"Master, Are you alright?" Kuritn replied softly while staring at the bloody mess that was the Baron's son coldly. "Aye. I am fine." Simon turned towards the guardsmen and tossed them a small red potion. "Guardsmen, Please use that on him. Such an attack cannot hurt me, and we cannot have him dying before the Baron has even scheduled his execution." One of the guardsmen catches the potion and nods affirmatively before hauling off the battered son.

The Baron approaches Simon after his son had left the room, "Sorry about that. I'll have a letter sent to the adventures guild when the slaves are ready. Until then, please make yourself at home in Ebonshear. Unfortunately, I have some things to tend to."

Simon nodded his head and gave the Baron a low bow along with the trio behind him. One by one, they left the audience hall with their objective complete.

Ebonshear - Adventures Guild - Guildmasters Office - Dawn

"So, The Baron's son actually had the guts to attack you. Damn."

Simon nods his head and takes a swig from the bottle sitting on the desk. Still needs ice.

"I don't suppose he is still alive?" Nina grabbed the bottle and drank as well. They had been taking shots each time one of them asked or answered a question since he had arrived back at the guild.

"He is." He reached for the bottle only to find it had gone empty. Just as well.

Nina shrugged and pulled out a second bottle from beneath her desk and drank from it for several seconds before slamming the half-empty bottle down onto the wooden desk. It was loud enough to cause her doorman to peek his head inside before closing it quickly. "So, What now?"

"I leave with the slaves." Simon tries to take the bottle and finds himself blocked by Nina, who had already taken it.

"We both know that's not going to work."

He lets out a soft sigh, "It might."

The elf eyes him suspiciously, "I thought you didn't take chances."

Simon snatches the bottle and downs the remainder of its contents before slamming it on the desk. He quickly tosses the empty bottle to the doorman as soon as he opens the office's door. Hector barely manages to catch the bottle before it hits the ground and quietly closes the door.

Nina stares at Simon for a moment as her bi-colored eyebrows twitched upwards in frustration, "Oi, That's my thing. Don't call hector willy nilly like that." She pauses for a moment, pulls out another bottle from the magical desk, and places it on top gently, "Now. Answer the quesshtion." Simon narrows his eyes slyly after hearing the elf's speech start to slur.

"I don't. The current plan is simply one of many I've drawn up."

"T-Thish os the best you could come up with? How bad are yer other plans den?"

She's about to pass out.

"This wasn't the best one, just the one that had the high chance of success with minimal casualties." He watches the elf nod her head once, then twice, before collapsing onto the desk. It had taken roughly 12 entire bottles of alcohol to make the elf reach her limit.

"Sorry."

Simon stood up from the table and opened the door, "Make sure she stays within the guild. Agor, you heard that, right?" Beside Hector, a sweating Agor was breathing loudly. "Good." Kuritn was waiting at the base of the stairs with two letters from the Baron. One was wrapped in a tight leather tube sealed with his wax seal, while the other one was rough paper. The fancy one was for the non-existent duke, no doubt. He read over the short letter and nodded to Kuritn.

"They're ready. Let's go home."

 

Chapter 38 - Vale Amor

Ebonshear Outskirts - Enslavement Complex - Noon

Simon's wagon slowly made its way down the mudded winding path leading into the center of the encampment where the Baron was supposedly waiting. With each passing moment, more and more depressed beastmen came into view. Some were covered in scars, while others were barely more than bones. Simon simply shook his head and sighed. It seems that no matter the world, humanity's cruelty knows no limits.

Simon immediately frowned and glanced at his surroundings. Lines upon lines of slaves were chained to each other. Each being guarded by a long line of soldiers.

"Shit." Simon shook his head and held out a hand for Kuritn to stop. "It's a trap."

As the carriage came to a halt, the surrounding soldiers turned on the carriage, pointing their weapons at Kuritn and Simon. Simon sighed loudly and turned his attention towards the large throne atop the massive stage, "Was it the improv regarding the title? Or perhaps it was the rumors?" He spits onto the ground and lightly jumped from the driver's seat. Simon swiftly impaled one of the nearby soldiers with his sword and tossed him across the ground. Four more soldiers were knocked onto the ground by the human bowling ball that had come flying at them before the Baron managed to reply.

"No, Until now, I had actually believed you." The Baron said with a worried smile, causing Simon to look up at him with narrowed eyes, "You sick fuck."

The Baron laughed out loud at his words, "So, you knew what I was after already? I assume that you won't willingly give them to me then? After all, I have held up my end on the bargain." Each of the slaves were carrying their own persona provisions strapped across their backs. Simon grits his teeth as the pudgy man licked his lips. Simon replied by hurling his longsword at the Baron. The blade was thrown over 200 meters and missed it's intended target. The hilt lodged itself deep into the head of one of the rather unfortunate assistants. Before he could grab another weapon to throw, the Baron was thrown off the stage by the surviving soldiers.

"When the void claims your souls, Remember you all died for the sake of your lord's cock."

Rema appeared from inside the wagon, fully armored. At the same time, Kuritn and the rest of the villagers grabbed anything they could find to fight off the attackers.

Simon peered into the back of the wagon and thought of the girls inside. Stay inside. They had been brought along for the sole reason that no matter how upstanding the guild was, the guild could not refuse a direct request from Baron Ebonshear. If they were ordered to turn over the girls, they would have had no choice but to do so. For the guild, it's best defense was preventing the baron from even knowing the girls existed in the first place.

Despite being told to remain in the wagon by both Rema and Simon, Suavi and Kayae exited with knives in hand and stabbed at the swarming soldiers. Rema cut down two nearby guardsmen before bashing a third across the face with the hilt of her sword. Beneath her Suavi and Kayae were nimbly slicing at the exposed parts of the soldier's legs. Simon wasn't sure where or when the girls had learned to fight like that, but he had his suspicions that Nina had something to do with it. If we survive this, I'll have to talk to that woman about this.

Simon shook his head and kicked one of the soldiers in the crotch, crushing his spine instantly. He grabbed the jelly-like corpse in front of him and quickly began swinging it around like an impromptu club. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Five soldiers had been turned into paste before his club split in two. Simon glanced at the torn-off legs in his hands and toss them to the ground before setting off to create a new weapon.

Meanwhile, Kuritn and the villagers were forming a defensive line surrounding the panicking horses. One of the villagers managed to catch a stray spear to the chest and crumpled to the ground, but not before grabbing the Impaler's feet and severing the man's femoral artery. Blood spilled out onto the ground as both men screamed in agony. One of the nearby soldiers attempted to cast some type of magic, but suddenly, a dismembered leg caved the man's head in, putting an odd end to his spell. Someone else tried the same seconds later only to meet a similar fate, however instead of a leg, it was an arm. One by one, spell casters began being picked off by an unholy rain of severed limbs. It didn't take long for the surviving casters to stop attempting to cast.

Rema let out a blood-curdling shout as her longsword snapped in two. It had become stuck in the belly of a man after having cut through his helmet and breastplate. Unable to withstand the tremendous strain, the blade had fractured at its weakest point. Instead of being stunned, the large woman stabbed the broken sword remains into the visor slit of a nearby soldier repeatedly. Rema then grabbed one of the several fallen weapons on the ground and repeated the process. Her once blonde hair had been entirely stained red, while her brown eyes had a blood-thirsty craze in them. Only one thought came to Simons mind as he spotted those eyes, Whitman fever.

The woman's once protective movements had become more aggressive. Instead of trying to shield the girls beneath her legs, she began actively attempting to strike them in between vicious attacks on the soldiers. It wasn't until Suavi had blocked an attack aimed at Rema's legs in clear view that the woman stopped attacking the small girls between her legs. However, she still did not actively defend them. Something in her combat-focused brain had simply changed them from hostile to ignore, not from hostile to ally. Simon thought about sending a severed limb her way to snap her out of it, but the flying head of an ax brought that thought to an end quickly.

Simon caught the ax with his shoulder, denting his armor and chipping the ax itself. With a loud growl, he grabbed the ax had and ripped it from the soldier's grasp before tossing it in the air. Simon caught the ax mid-air and slashed horizontally. Thirteen soldiers stared at each other dumbfounded as their upper torsos separated from their lower halves.

He glanced at the now-destroyed ax and let out a sigh before tossing it to the ground. The handle was bent backward like a banana while the head had gone off somewhere in the direction of the stage. He could just barely make out its shining metal embedded in one of the support beams before the stage collapsed. He looked around for a weapon and shrugged after only finding useless remains around him. "So be it."

A hellish smile covered his face as he leaped into the nearby crowd of cowering soldiers.

From the left. Simon's body turned on his command, and the blade aimed at his blind spot was deflected with his wrist plate. Meanwhile, the large sword coming from the right was blocked by the thick heel of his boot. He was currently standing on one hand with both legs in the air. Simon closed his eyes as a series of flashing kicks impacted the soldiers around him, sending blood, eyes, and teeth raining down upon him. By the time he had returned to his normal stance, Kuritn was pressed firmly against the wagon while four of the other villagers were lying dead at his feet. Simon darted his eyes towards the girls and was thankful to see the literal mound of bodies surrounding them. Rema was slashing away as usual, and judging by the amount of blood dripping down her neck, she must have ripped out a man's throat with her teeth at some point. Simon nodded at the sight and decided he should probably do the same.

He grabbed one of the nearby corpses and tosses it through the air. It landed with a satisfying crash on top of a squad of soldiers attacking Kuritn's group. Simon appeared moments later and began tearing into the offensive line. The villagers sensed the change in momentum and immediately set out pressing the advantage. Simon spotted Kuritn grinning wildly at him and responded in kind by tearing a nearby soldier's throat out with his teeth. The elderly chauffeur smiled wider and repeated the feat.

One by one, their improvised weapons broke. Some opted to use the fallen soldier's weapons, while others chose to use their own teeth and claws. Within moments the once cowering elderly beastmen had become beasts in the truest sense of the word. Blood gushed out from their mouths as Kuritn even howled savagely while ripping out one of the soldier's hearts. The surviving soldiers took one look at that sight and turned to flee. The sound of weapons dropping echoed out from all around the battlefield. One unfortunate man had been standing beside Rema when he surrendered. The look of surprise was still on his face as his head rolled across the ground.

"Artoria, Status Report."

Silence.

Simon shook his head and grimaced before manually counting his surviving allies. Kuritn was wounded, four of the villagers had been killed, Kayae and Suavi had survived relatively unscathed while Rema was kneeling on the ground. A sword had apparently glanced by her face during the fight and had left a gash across her cheek. Simon slowly approached the kneeling woman when he noticed her gazing at the blood filling her hand while holding out her tongue. An old story filled his head as he rushed to stop her.

In his haste, Simon made one of the greatest mistakes of his life and one of his deepest regrets. As Simon wrapped his arms around Rema's chest to stop her, a single steel bolt flew across the battlefield. It entered through the chest and exited out the back before becoming embedded in the carriage wall. Simon spotted the shooters potbellied figure smiling off in the distance atop a fleeing carriage.

Time slowed as everyone on the battlefield turned towards the collapsing crimson-haired girl who had gone back to the carriage to check on the other villagers. Suavi let out a horrified scream as she rushed to stop the bleeding. Kuritn, who had been smiling a second before, was ripping off his shirt and hastily passing it to Suavi. One of the villagers screamed out for a healer while Rema merely sat wide-eyed after having just come back to reality only to see one of her friends being slain right before her eyes.

The blazing sun overhead dimmed as jet black clouds filled the sky. The temperature of the battlefield dropped sharply, and frost started to appear from in front of the fleeing soldier's faces. Simon slowly stood. His expression was utterly devoid of expression. No one tried to stop him from approaching Kayae's gasping body. He grabbed one of the girl's tiny hands tightly and stroked her hair. Her amber eyes went in and out of focus as she smiled happily while murmuring softly for a kiss. The graying man nodded once, and Kayae closed her eyes as their lips met, only to never open again. Crystal clear ice consumed Kayae's body, surrounding it completely.

Simon turned towards the fading Suavi and offered one insufficient apology before the blue-haired girl faded from existence. Only leaving her pale blue clothes behind.

Above the encampment, a single roar was heard, and the heavens wept tears made of ice.

Ebonshear Outskirts - Enslavement Complex - Two hours later

The sleet had yet to stop. All around him, the now freed beastmen were shivering, but he didn't care. Simon was on his knees staring directly at the icy casket containing Kayae's remains. Kuritn had tried to bring him back to reality while Rema had merely sat on the ground in horror, seemingly blaming herself for Kayae's death. Simon knew it wasn't the case, but he also knew that it was also partially her fault. If he hadn't been forced to stop her from crossing a line that should not be crossed, he would have been able to save Kayae. That was not hubris. That was pure fact.

Simon felt a small hand press against his shoulder, and he stood up.

He turned to face the elven woman in front of him and replied rudely, "About fucking time. The liquor should have only knocked you out for an hour at the most."

Nina gritted her teeth in rage before noticing the hollowness in his eyes and narrowed her own eyes. "You're not Simon, Are you?"

Not Simon simply shook his head and laughed, "I am him. I've just had the wool in front of my eyes pulled away." He glanced around the battlefield around him. "I could have killed them all myself. Yet I held back." Simon holds out a hand and gestures towards his fallen comrades before finally staring directly at Kayae and Suavi's remains. The latter of which was carefully folded and draped over the ice. "This. This is what a monster like me gets for playing human."

Simon spat at the ground and growled loudly, "Take the beastmen back to the village. Nina will send an apothecary and some adventures with you. Take Kayae and Suavi’s remains with you. After that, I don't care."

Kuritin nodded sternly, only to be stopped by Nina, "Wait, It still may not be too late! We might be able to rev-"

Simon cut her off with a loud scoff, "What, Suavi didn't tell you when you were teaching them how to fight?! I don't have a soul. Anyone that dies near me is sucked into the void where it should be." He smiled cruelly while watching the terrified reactions of those around him. "Good luck trying to resurrect someone without a soul. Feel free to experiment on your own, but don't you dare touch my girls." He emphasizes the last words with a hiss.

Simon starts to walk towards the encampment's exit before stopping suddenly, "Nina." He waits for the elf to turn her head towards him. "You have until nightfall to evacuate the city. Anyone still inside when the sun goes down is my enemy. If any nobles, aside from ones you are willing to personally die for, attempt to leave the city, I will start early. If any soldiers try to leave, I will start early. Do you understand?"

Simon doesn't wait for a reply and merely heads back towards the town's east gate.

Ebonshear - Nina PoV

Nina was currently running through the streets of Ebonshear, making a mad dash for the adventures guild. Her long hair was completely drenched with sweat and stuck to the side of her face. Besides her, two of the adventures present at Simon's declaration were following close behind while three others were struggling to keep up.

As they ran, one of the men behind her shouted out, "Are we really doing this?! What can one man do against an entire city anyway? Can't we just kill him?" Nina doesn't even turn around and just keeps running, "What we saw earlier was just him playing around! I've seen what happens when he gets serious! No one will survive!". Hearing those words from 'The Flayers' terrified voice shook the adventures to the core. No one said a word until they barreled through the Adventurer's Guild door, ripping it off the hinges.

"Everyone! We must evacuate the city!" Nina's echoing scream was loud enough to wake the dead. Adventures started coming out of the woodwork one by one until the large hall was completely packed. "Divide yourselves up into teams! We need one team on each gate! Nobles and soldiers are not allowed to leave the city. Get everyone else out as fast as possible!"

Several gasps and shouts could be heard among the panicking crowd before Agor stepped forward, "Nina, What the fuck happened?!"

"The B-Baron, He killed Kayae and Suavi."

All sound in the room ceased until eventually, the man who had lost his shirt to Suavi spoke up, "H-He killed those girls?"

"Lord Lecan, God of Adventures, have mercy upon our souls..."

Nina nods her head solemnly while the adventures which had been present quickly explained the situation.

Within five minutes of entering the guild, dozens of adventures started pouring out. Some leapt through windows while others created new openings.

Ebonshear - East Gate PoV

"Don't you know who I am?! Let me through this gate this instant you-"

The nobleman's words were cut off as his head rolled across the ground. His wife looked on in horror while the adventurer merely tossed her out of the way and continued assisting the regular civilians. As Nina had requested, Women and Children had been prioritized at the other three gates, leaving only the east gate for processing the men. They had barely managed to process 40% of the line by the time the sun started to set.

Reven, The gold rank adventure selected to oversee the east gate shouted out a new order, "Shit! We're out of time! If you see anyone that looks like a noble or a soldier, cut them down! Let the rest of them run for it!" A literal wave of humans crashed against the unguarded gate all at once while the team of twenty adventures went about cutting down person after person. They were trying to fulfill a condition that was no longer meaningful or, in actuality, even enforceable.

---

Simon tapped his foot on top of the bell tower at the center of the city. His cold eyes remained unmoving as the setting sun finally disappeared behind the horizon.

'Administrative Override - Release Power Saver Restrictions'
'[Command Acknowledged - Warning: 1 hour and 25 minutes until complete system shutdown. Initializing countdown.]'

He pulled out the gold plate and stared at the attributes portion of it.

[-Attributes-

Vitality: 9850 (---) / 12000
Strength: 7830 (-) / ?????
Intellect: 2250 (?) / ?????
Agility: 9750 (-) / ?????]

No emotion was present on his face as Simon slammed one of his legs into the bell tower below. A large limestone block over a meter in length was separated and subsequently tossed towards the east gate. He didn't watch the result and merely repeated the process three more times before rapidly throwing handfuls of smaller rocks at the area beneath each of the gate's entrances.

---

"O-Oi, I-Is that a rock?"

Reven turned towards the stuttering adventure and raised an eyebrow before facing the direction he was pointing. The pointing adventure was obliterated before Reven had even had the chance to see the rock. The boulder went on to shatter the gate house, snapping the chain retaining the metal gate and caused it to fall to the ground. Reven turned his head slowly back towards the gatehouse watching in horror as the ramparts collapsed in on themselves, burying several fleeing civilians alive. A loud series of crashes reverberated through the city, and he turned to gaze at the source. Despite being nearly half a kilometer away, Reven knew that the sound was the North Gate collapsing. "O-Oh gods." He muttered softly, falling to his knees as a sea of smaller stones blotted out the moonlight above.

 

[Author’s Note: F for chapter 38. Original Chapter Title: 85]

Chapter 39 - Ride the Lightning

Ebonshear - City Center - 2 minutes later

Simon stood alone atop the partially deconstructed tower and gazed out upon the ruined city. Each of the four gatehouses had been completely destroyed. The pedestrian passageways nearby had also collapsed in on themselves. He focused his eyes on the east gate. Pieces of mattered flesh mixed in with the blood-stained limestone covered the ground as far as the eye could see. It was the only gate that had failed to complete the evacuation in time despite having continued processing until the very end.

Simon scoffed and shook his head. Beneath a large piece of the collapsed gatehouse, a single adventurer could be seen trying to dig out would-be survivors. Simon had gone out of his way to avoid hitting the adventures out of respect for Nina. The one he killed earlier was an unfortunate exception. The man stood still in its way, after all.

Simon grabbed a nearby pebble and flicked it through the air. A loud crack echoed through the air as the pebble burrowed deep into the earth at the adventure's feet.

---

A man cried out from beneath the rubble as the lone adventurer dug through the rubble. "I-It'll be ok! I'll get you out o-" CRACK. Reven shot up and stared directly at the coin-sized hole between his feet. The crying from earlier suddenly ceased as crimson water seeped between the rocks. CRACK. Reven dodged instantly as soon as he heard the noise. A hole appeared centimeters away from where he had been before.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

The lone adventure was forced to flee up the collapsed wall. Each second that passed resulted in another cracking sound. This. This is madness. Wiped out? No survivors? "THAT'S A COMPLETE UNDERSTATEMENT!" Reven screamed out loud. His mind had finally reached its limit.

It wasn't until he had crossed the city walls halfway point that he noticed the sound had stopped. He turned towards the devastated bell tower at the center of town and helped up a single finger. "YOU LOST TWO BITC-" CRAAAACCK, "AND YOU RAZE AN ENTIRE CITY?!?!" Six pebbles impacted at the same time. Two took out chunks from each of his ears while another two pierced his thighs. One more punched through the cloth covering his crotch, barely missing his member, while the final one blew off his upturned finger.

Reven collapsed onto the wall clutching his bleeding stump. Behind him, the rest of his team had been watching the entire scene unfold. "YOU BASTARD, YOU CAN'T EVEN FUCKING AIM!" One of the adventures tried to quiet the rambling man. All of them knew that Simon could have killed Reven several times, but the man in front of them had completely lost it. He was utterly oblivious to that fact. A single pea-sized rock put an end to Reven's ravings as his body slumped over.

[80]

The timer counted down in the corner of his eye. Simon didn't bother descending the tower the normal way and instead opted to simply jump off. A massive cloud of dust flew up from the crushed stones as his nearly 500kg body impacted the ground. He stood up and stretched his limbs out before cracking his neck loudly.

'Herschel - Level 5 - Left | Felius Oculus - Right.'

Simon stood motionless as the world around him went completely black. The nanites within his body were currently hard at work restructuring his eyes. Vision soon reappeared in his right eye, lighting up the world with a blue tent. He slowly began making his way through the emptied city house by house. As he entered the seventh building, his left eye came back to life. The heat signatures of burning candles contrasted nicely against the black background. Beneath his feet, Simon could see the various rats of the city darting to and fro between abandoned alleyways.

He focused his gaze on the current street. Every house save for one was completely empty. The final house had four heat signatures huddled together near the roof. Simon swiftly made his way into the house, crashing through the barricaded door and tearing down the staircase leading to the attic.

Inside was a terrified family of four. A man, his wife, their son, and an elderly grandparent. They hadn't evacuated because the woman and the boy couldn't carry the elderly family member. Simon stared at them for a moment before picking up the elderly woman and jumping down the newly created hole. He laid the woman down and looked up at the father while pointing towards the east gate, "Five minutes. No more." The father watched Simon's emotionless face as he turned and left the building. The family quickly descended from the attic and carried off the elderly family member, dashing towards the east gate as instructed.

[60]

Not all of the family's that had stayed behind had been given the same kindness.

Those who had stayed behind to avoid leaving family members behind were temporarily spared. Those who stayed behind for other reasons were not. The spared families who chose to ignore his warning were slain to the last, As were those who had failed to reach the gate in time. Each of them had been given enough time to reach it should they stop for nothing. Some decided to take advantage of the situation to loot the homes and stores on the way. Their corpses now served as a warning to those who could come after.

25 minutes after the start of his one-man crusade Simon had finally reached the noble quarter.

Each of the houses here was massive in size and well protected. Hordes of soldiers and armed guards swarmed about inside. Thick walls and Guard Towers adorned most of them, while some even had small motes wrapped around the perimeter. Archers took up positions along the walls while shieldsmen stood information at the door. None of the defenses proved to be effective against his assault.

Stone Walls? Stained red with the blood of those it was created to protect. Spiked iron walls? The family and guards inside were impaled across them. Guard Towers? Toppled to the ground crushing those trapped inside. Motes? Filled to the brim with still screaming corpses and set alight.

Along the length of the entire street, impaled bodies were left screaming as they died. The corpses looked like sign posts leading up to the Lord's Mansion.

Ebonshear - Ruins of the East Gate - Nina PoV

"Someone tell me what the hell happened here." Nina's multi-colored eyes stared down at the corpse in front of her. His, at least she thinks it was a male, body was completely unrecognizable. Sitting beside him was Reven, who was quietly mumbling to himself, repeating the same phrase over and over 'not bitch, not bitch, not bitch'. Apparently, the last pebble had merely knocked him briefly unconscious rather than outright killing him.

Ornn, a large silver ranked adventurer, stepped forward to explain, "We proceeded with the evacuation until sunset as instructed. However, there were simply too many of them. Right before sundown, Reven ordered us to allow everyone to make a run for it while we cut down anyone who looked like soldiers or nobles."

Nina's tiny hand pressed against the bridge of her nose, "How many made it out before the end?" Orrn paused for a moment before replying softly, "85 to 90%. No more than that." A sad smile spread across the elf's lips, "So the ones who were killed, were they nobles?" Her smile was quickly removed by Ornn's next words, "No, not all of them. Some of them, yes, but nowhere near all of them".

The large man suddenly smiled, "But, they were unfortunately those who had been the most supportive of the Baron's recent policies." Nina's bright smile returned as she stared into the burning noble quarter. A quiet laugh escaped her parted lips while she lit the cigar in her hand. Her eyes shifted focus as a family of four came into view, running straight at them, shouting about being nearly out of time. They were shortly followed by another family, then another.

A smile appeared across everyone's face, except for Reven, as the adventures descended down the wall to aid those who were thankfully spared the monster's wrath.

[45 Minutes]

"Urk" Simon released his grip on the struggling soldier's neck. He continued forward without even watching the body crumple to the floor. His face was as devoid of emotion as it had been when his assault had started.

Simon was currently standing in the main hall of the Baron's lavish estate. The once spotless white marble floors had been stained red while the decorative columns had been crumbled by flying soldiers. Simon stared down at the man beneath his boot, "Dungeon." The struggling man retrieved a large keyring from his waist and handed it to Simon before pointing down a nearby hallway. He said nothing continued on down the hallway, leaving the stunned soldier shaken but alive and with a newfound belief in god.

A thick steel door blocked his path at the end of a long spiraling staircase. Simon looked down at the keyring for a moment before simply smashing it through the door's lock. The door collapsed from the strain. He stepped over the fallen door and left the destroyed keys embedded within. In front of him were dozens of cells, each containing starving prisoners. Some appeared to be nobles, while others were simple craftsmen and merchants.

At the far end, there were cages filled to the brim with beastmen children of varying races. All of them seemed to be in even worse shape than those he had seen above ground. Simon's emotionless face finally shifted into a frown as he approached them. The children inside didn't even react to his presence. All sense of feeling had long since been ripped from them.

One by one, the cages were torn apart and the children freed, yet none of them even tried to run. Instead, they sat there motionless. Simon's frown deepened as he turned towards the sole cell in the far back. Inside was Baron's son, chained against the wall. His body was battered and beaten, but he still breathed.

Simon tore off the cell door and roughly poured a thick red liquid down the man's throat. It was one of the best healing potions Nina had in stock. He held the man's nose as the liquid flooded into his stomach. Soon the man's eyes opened as he coughed loudly. Hatred quickly filled them as his gaze focused on the man in front of him.

"What is your name."

The son was taken back by Simon's monotone statement, and it was only then that he realized the lack of soldiers surrounding him. His eyes quickly darted between the freed children and the completely blood-soaked man in front of him.

"Rolant. Rolant Ebonshear"

Simon nodded his head once and snapped the man's shackles. Rolant rubbed his chafed wrists while Simon freed his ankles. Once the task was complete, Simon tossed the freed man his platinum plate. Rolant tilted an eyebrow at the object's sudden appearance but was soon rendered speechless by what he had seen.

The plate was soon taken back, "Now you know. If you tell anyone aside from Nina. I will wipe your lineage from the face of this earth." Rolant's large head nodded rapidly while swallowing loudly. Simon turned to leave the dungeon behind before Rolant called out to him.

"Wait! Please, help me free my friends! These are the people who tried to resist his plans! My father couldn't execute them due to public outcry, so instead they were left here to starve!"

Simon's eyes gazed at the cell's iron reinforced wooden doors. He nodded his head once, "Take the children to the east gate. Escape is not possible from any other entrance. Cover their eyes as you lead them down the main street." He finished speaking as the last of the doors was torn from its hinges. "What? What do you mean, east gate? My father has soldiers everywhere! We'd never make it!" Rolant's loud voice echoed off of the cold stone. "The soldiers are dead, the city empty." Silence filled the damp room as Simon's words sunk in. "T-The city is empty?" Simon nodded his head once again and quietly ascended the stairs. He paused for a moment and retrieved the heavy door at his feet.

Halfway up the winding staircase, a long train of soldiers had tried to stop his advance. They failed. Since the children and Rolant would be following behind shortly, he could not leave bodies blocking the path. So instead he held the door out in front of him. The sound of cracking bones and sloshing organs echoed softly below the abhorrent cacophony of anguished cries.

Blood and viscera squeezed themselves through the small cracks in the stone stairs as Simon and the steel door scraped by overhead. So many soldiers had piled into the narrow space that they were unable to fall back and were instead squished against each other until they eventually became nothing more than crimson slime covered in broken metal.

[35 Minutes]

Ten minutes after descending into the dungeon, Simon emerged along with a writing horror composed of the corpses of nearly fifty soldiers. The few soldiers that had been lucky enough to enter the stairway late had already long since fled. Rolant soon emerged from the oozing staircase along with the rest of the group. None of the children seemed bothered by the sight in front of them. They would have a long road to recovery in front of them if something this ghastly didn't phase them.

Simon turned towards the shivering Rolant and held out a hand as the man started to leave. "Stop." Rolant's large frame halted instantly, "Y-Yes?"

"You can use lightning magic, right?"

Rolant tilted his head to the side, wondering where this was going and steeled his resolve, "I can."

"Use it on me. All of it."

Rolant's eyes went wide as his hands shot up, "W-What? Why?! Look, I already said I was sorry about it before. I had no idea you were actually trying to free them!"

Simon shook his head and merely repeated the phrase again.

Rolant again shook his head before Simon grabbed a nearby rock and flicked it at one of the emerging prisoner's feet. What little color that remained in his face drained as he started channeling his power. "Ysmena, Goddess of the Storming Skies, Hear thine prayer and bring down thy blazing judgment upon this wicked world. Hear my voice guide thine fury!"

A brief expression of concern flashed across Simon's face but was completely drowned out by the all-encompassing brightness of the lightning bolt forming in front of him. Compared to this, the previous bolt had been but a garden hose, while this was a raging typhoon. The mansion surrounding them started to collapse as windows shattered. A bright smile spread across Simon's face, his arms spread wide as Rolant's booming voice echoed, "Divine Wrath of the Lightning Goddess!"

Simon felt every hair on his body stand on end as the world around him slowed to a crawl. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to move, somewhere, anywhere, to avoid this crackling storm. He ignored all of them and smiled wider as his body was lifted off of the ground. A brief sense of weightlessness washed over him before his metallic body was tossed like a ragdoll.

Simon flew through every wall in the mansion before exiting high into the night sky. The blinding light finally dissipated. Below him was the burning remains of the noble quarter. To the left, Rolant's group was quickly making their way down the blood-stained road while the pot bellied figure of the Baron and his few remaining soldiers. They were running towards what appeared to be a temple off in the distance.

He followed their trail until his line of sight was broken by the burning mansion he fell through. Simon casually tossed the broken beam off of his chest and started to leave when he heard a quiet whimpering coming from a nearby room. One of his legs crashed through the wall and created a new opening. He stuck his head inside and spotted a small dog cowering in the corner, whimpering at the encroaching flames. Simon slowly stepped forward and retrieved the frightened dog before leaving the mansion.

Ebonshear - Noble's Road - Rolant PoV

Rolant rushed out of the collapsing mansion without even confirming if the demon in front of him had been killed. He had no idea why that madman had wanted him to use his strongest spell on him, but he was honestly thankful. A monster like that could not be allowed to exist within the world of men. Rolant offered up a silent prayer to his goddess for the man's soul before one of his friends stopped in their tracks, wide-eyed. He turned to face the direction his friend was pointing in and similarly went wide-eyed.

Rolant shook his head with his jaw open wide as Simon came into view. In front of him was the man he had just killed, completely unharmed. Not even a single scratch on his armor. If anything, the intense heat emitted from his spell had evaporated the blood and burned away the remains. Instead of killing him, his spell had merely cleaned him. In his arms was a small dog curled up, exhausted but happy and, more importantly, alive. The demon stopped in front of him and spoke.

"That spell. Can you use it again if I provide you with magic potions?"

Rolant stood stock still while one of the nearby men shook his head for him, "N-No. T-That spell can only be used once before a-a pilgrimage to Ysmena's temple is required along with a suitable tribute..."

Simon turned to the man who had spoken on Rolants behalf and offered a slight bow before placing the sleeping puppy in the man's arms. The man accepted the burden without resistance and watched as the lone figure disappeared off into the distance. Slowly heading towards the Temple of Itin while casually hurling pebbles towards what appeared to be a fleeing group of men.

---

Rolant's group finally spotted the east gate. It had been a long journey from his father's former mansion, but the sight was nothing short of beautiful. Dozens of adventures descended from the rubble while civilians still inside rushed over to carry the struggling children. An Elven woman appeared swiftly in front of Rolant. He could tell by her blonde and white hair that this was the true guild master of the Ebonshear Branch, Nina The Flayer.

In the past, this woman's reputation had frightened him, but after what he had seen today, he couldn't help but feel that this woman was merely a puppy growling at a warhorse. The demon's words reverberated through his mind, and he quickly grabbed the woman's shoulder, hauling her off behind a nearby collapsed wall.

Nina had resisted at first, but after seeing the man's hollow eyes, she stopped. When they finally arrived behind the wall, Rolant spoke first. "What did my father do to provoke that Demon to go this far?" Nina feigned ignorance and raised an eyebrow, "Demon?". Rolant grits his teeth, "7800 strength..."

Nina's eyes narrowed as she quickly drew a long knife from her back and pressed against the man's throat. "Did he show you that?" Rolant merely laughed out loud, "Yes. After that, he told me to tell no one aside from you. He freed me from my bonds and told me to escort the kids to the east gate."

Nina pressed the knife against his throat harder, drawing blood. "What. Else." Rolant shook his head, causing the blade to cut against his flesh. "He freed my friends, the citizens who stood against my father's policies on beastmen. After that, he led us out of the dungeon and ordered me to strike him with my magic." Nina's long eyebrows twitched as her mouth formed into a frown, "Magic? Lightning?". Rolant nodded his head after the elf retracted her knife and sheathed it. He rubbed the bleeding wound across his neck playfully before licking the blood from his fingers. Nina folded her arms in front of her, "So. What was the spell you used?"

Rolant sat down on a nearby section of collapsed wall and sighed, "Divine Wrath of the Lightning Goddess." The woman's eyes went wide, "D-Did you kill him?" Rolant shakes his head while laughing, "No! If anything, I merely gave him a bath! He was sent flying through the entire mansion and into the sky. I watched him crash through the roof of a burning building! He emerged moments later carrying a fucking sleeping puppy! Special Tier Magic did NOTHING to that demon."

The Elven woman pulled a cigar from her back pocket. Rolant eyed the object for a moment before shaking his head, “Why. Why did he show me that plate?” Nina’s thin lips formed into a sly smile as she shrugged. “Who knows, it was platinum after all.”

Nina fumbled with the cigar in her hands, trying to light it. Eventually, a crack came from Rolants direction, and a small bolt of lightning lit the cigar's tip. The elf turned towards the man and smiled before puffing on it once. "Where was he headed?" The man's next words caused the elven woman to drop the cigar and break out into a sprint aided by wind sprites for the first time in three hundred years. "He's going to the temple."

 

Chapter 40 - Godfall

The timer in the corner of his eye had disappeared from view as he walked down the temple's winding path. Simon stepped over the crumpled remains of Baron Ebonshears' final guard. All of them, save the Baron himself, had been slain by tiny specks of rock that broke the sound barrier. Such a death was not the Baron's fate. A cruel smile spread across Simon's face as the Eyes of Heaven stared on above him.

'Power Status'

[Primary Thermal Reactor: Offline. Warning: Thorium Containment Cell Destroyed. Immediate Reconstruction required. Warning: Insufficient power levels for reconstruction. Direct Core Recharge Required.
Secondary Thermal Reactor: Offline. Warning: Thorium Containment Cell Missing. Replacement Required.
Bio-Reactor: Active. Warning: Current power draw is unsustainable with Bio-Reactor power alone. Please enter power-saving mode.
Current Power Cell Charge: 9.047% Estimated time till depletion 295 minutes. Display Timer?]

'Yes'

[Displaying timer.]

Simon's heavy footsteps echoed across the abandoned temple grounds. The temple's priests and caretakers had taken Nina's warning to heart. All of them had left well before nightfall and entrusted the defense of the temple to their god. What good are followers if they abandon you at the first sign of trouble? He scoffs at the thought while hurling another pebble at the Baron. Unlike the pebbles thrown before, this one was aimed at the Baron rather than around his plump body. Blood spurts out from his shattered heel as he tries to crawl on all fours up the temple's steps.

Behind him, Simon's booming laughter crashed against his head. "M-Monster..." The terrified Baron shook his head rapidly while climbing, only to roll down several steps as another pebble shattered his other heel. Ebonshear stopped to observe the stationary man behind him and regretted doing so. A twisted smile was spread across Simon's blood-stained face. He had ripped the throat out of one of the Baron's men while Ebonshear watched in horror just to terrify the fleeing man more. In his free hand was the heart of one of his guards. Simon noticed his gaze, raised the hand containing the heart to his mouth, and slowly bit into it with a low chuckle. Ebonshear vomited onto the temple steps as the severed heart disappeared down Simon's throat.

The Baron was brought back to reality after the monster behind him started walking closer. His sweating body flinched each time one of those steel-heeled boots clicked against the paving stones. All manner of thoughts rushed through his mind but were all ultimately washed away with each click. The only thought that remained in his mind was 'survive'. After what seemed like ages, but in actuality had barely been five minutes, Ebonshear finally arrived atop the temple's steps and gracelessly rolled through the wide-open doors. A soft sigh of relief escaped his lips as he wriggled his body across the golden floor, leaving a snail-like trail of blood and sweat in his wake, heading towards the golden altar.

Simon paused his advance for a moment and admired the sight in front of him. A man-sized slug was slowly worming his way across a temple of gold. Simon smiled widely and flicked one final stone at the Baron's head, ending his life. A poetic end for a man who valued wealth above all.

Simon's eyes went wide as the pebble stopped in mid-air as soon as it crossed the threshold of the temple's doors. Alarm bells rang loudly in his head as his eyes darted around wildly in all directions.

From where?!

Suddenly a blinding flash of golden light covered the entire city in its warm glow. The black clouds parted overhead. The Divine Realm began glowing brightly in the sky and turned night into day. The Baron was quietly bowing his head at the altar while praying for protection from his Patron Deity. Simon racked his brain while the light surrounding him disappeared slowly. A single name popped into his head, and he frowned. Itin, God Of Personal Wealth.

Itin was a minor god worshiped solely by those with more money than sense, as Nina put it. His followers were greedy to the last and would stop at nothing to further line their own pockets. Any city or town aside from the capital with a temple to Itin within it was seen with disdain by the common folk and nobility alike. The sole exception of this was those nobles seeking to further their own wealth and those brave or stupid enough to attempt to carve out a piece of another's pie.

Simon frowned harder and pulled out the long knife from his waist before slitting his wrist and drenching it in his own blood. The knife was made of unrefined pure elvish crystal. After their long talk before returning to the caravan, the elven woman had given it to him in exchange for the thick knife he had tossed at Hector. While the value of the knife he had thrown was low, Nina explained that it held a 'sentimental' value to her. At the time, Simon didn't care and merely shrugged before accepting the much better knife.

His blood oozed across the crystal knife as the humanoid figure of Itin came into view. He was a fat man made entirely of gold. Instead of normal eyes, he had thousands of rare jewels that created an image of human eyes. His 'hair' consisted of the finest silk that money had ever been able to buy. Each strand of silk was a different shade. No doubt colored by a nearly impossible to acquire dye. However, the oddest fact of all was that the god was completely naked. Every inch of his flabby golden body was exposed for all to see.

Simon smiled to himself at the sight and stepped boldly into the temple's territory, "Don't tell me. A merchant sold you a robe so extravagant that not even the gods themselves could see it." Itin smiled warmly at Simon's presence before holding up a hand. Simon felt an enormous pressure push down on his body that drove him to kneel across the floor. "I see you are the one who had caused my child so much trouble. But, as a reward for your persistence, I will answer your unasked question. Yes. A merchant did indeed sell me this marvelous robe. Behold my unmatched wealth!" Simon strained his eyes to see the naked god spin around on his toes like a ballerina. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Itin stopped spinning and frowned in the man's direction before holding up his hand again. The pressure increased, yet Simon continued to laugh even harder. Soon the floor beneath him started to dent, and yet, he kept laughing. The frown on Itin's face became a full scowl as he raised his other hand. The laughter finally stopped, but only briefly.

"Administrative Override - Saturn Protocol"

[Command Accepted. - Artoria's voice suddenly filled his mind. 'Dear, I don't know if I'm still around when you finally use this protocol, but I left this message behind regardless. Please remember, No matter where you are or what you become, I will always be with you. Simon, I love you.']

A warm smile appeared across his face causing Itin to turn his head in surprise.

Thousands of lights flash across Simon's vision as deactivated systems surge online. Warning messages crash against his skull, but they are quickly suppressed by hidden lines of code programmed deep within his body's core.

[Warning: Saturn Protocol Activated.
Alert: Permanent Administrative Override Active.
Alert: All commands issued will be automatically done with root-level access.
Alert: Nanite restraint subsystems deactivated.
Alert: Remote nanite administration systems activated.
Alert: Pain sensitivity set to zero.
Alert: Neural Interface Clock Speed set to Maximum.
Alert: Power saving subsystems deactivated.
Alert: Emergency Reflex Subsystem Activated.

Warning: System Instability!
Warning: Power Levels Insufficient for sustained protocol usage.
Alert: Estimated time until forced protocol revocation. 5 minutes.
Alert: Estimated Power level upon revoke: 0.5%.
Warn....]

---

Nina arrived at the temple just in time to see the golden walls start to melt. They weren't made of solid gold; rather, they were made of marble and covered in thin sheets of gold leaf. But that was not the sight she was seeing in front of her.

The walls that should have been marble were melting as if they had been solid gold. Only one type of being could create such a phenomenon. A God. The elven woman chanted a brief stealth spell along with a silent prayer to the world tree and her guardian spirits before entering the temple. She knew that she was no match for a god, but what happened next, she had to see for herself.

Upon entering, Itin's eyes briefly stared straight at her crouching figure. The woman bowed low before placing a pile of golden coins across the temple grounds. Itin nodded his head once as the coins disappeared. No doubt accepting the offering in exchange for witnessing his glory. God's were nothing if not vain.

---

Simon ignored the remainder of the messages and smiled warmly before standing up against the pressure effortlessly. Itin's jeweled eyes went wide as Simon flicked a single gold coin from his pocket at the Baron. A brief flash of light appeared in front of the supersonic coin, but the barrier was unable to stop the molten object.

The coin entered through the Baron's rear, passed through his body, and melted its way through the temple. A savage smile that didn't reach his eyes appeared across his face as the Baron's lifeless corpse collapsed onto the ground. The area around his ass was smoldering while smoke poured out from his mouth. The gold coin had been flicked with such force that the metal had instantly transitioned from solid to liquid form. A jet stream of molten gold shot through the Baron's rectum and out his gaping maw.

Simon's cruel laugh echoed throughout the golden temple while Itin stared at him in horror, "Surrounded by gold and slain upon an altar of greed by the very thing he loved above all else. A fitting end for a 'righteous' man, wouldn't you say, 'God.'?" He emphasized the final word with a chuckle before approaching the stunned god. "I wonder, Do you bleed gold?" Simon twisted his head as he made that statement before disappearing from view.

Itin appeared on the far end of the temple while frantically waving his hands like a conductor. The gold surrounding the temple's walls began to flow through the air as if it had a life of its own. Simon briefly pondered this thought before diving straight through the molten metal and sliced at the shining golden god. The crystal knife cut through the gold like butter, but Simon frowned as he saw the wound close up instantly. Itin had converted his solid body into molten gold right before impact. Simon kept slashing away at the molten metal until he was eventually pushed back by a solid wall of gold.

Simon reappeared nearby as Itin smiled, "How many more times will you try? Ten, Twenty, A hundred, A thousand, A Million?" The golden idol spread his arms out wide. "Try as many times as you like. It won't make a difference." Itin's confident smile was turned into a frown as the mortal man in front of him started to laugh once again. "You and that laugh. What's so funny? This is why I hate mortals."

Simon shook his head while standing on top of the golden wall looking down at the talking idol. "Aside from the fact you fell for a lie from a children's book that's even older than me? Not much." His smile widened as Itin's golden teeth ground against each other, "What. Lie." A slap echoed across the melting temple as Simon hit his knee, "You have no clothes. You're completely naked. The robe was a lie designed to deceive your greed. Everyone, even the other gods are in on it. You were just too stupid to realize it. How many decades, centuries, no millennia, have you been their source of entertainment? If that isn't funny, then the next part is."

Itin growled loudly before stomping on the molten ground. "I-I'll kill them all!" Simon shook his head and laughed even harder. He wasn't lying, but the fact that the idiot god had just accepted everything he had just said as the complete truth tickled him to no end. Itin's hateful gaze suddenly shifted from the sky back to Simon, "The next part?"

Simon smiled widely, exposing his fangs, "The part where I eat you."

Itin scoffed loudly. "Is that it? Is that how you plan to kill a god? By devouring me?" Simon shrugged while walking slowly towards the golden man, "Why not. The gods of my world ate each other until only a handful were left." Itin's expression shifted from one of displeasure to fear. As a minor god, he was nowhere near as powerful as the major or even normal gods. He lacked the crucial power of omniscience possessed by all 'True' gods. Despite existing for thousands of years, he had yet to obtain it. It was the sole reason he was still regarded as a minor god and thus the laughing stock of the divine realm. Even the detestable demons had mocked him for it.

Itin shook his head and summoned hundreds of golden waves. He began swinging his hands like a conductor, causing each of the waves to move on its own. Simon was forced on the defensive as he rapidly changed positions. His joints began to creak loudly while alarms blared before being shut off by the Saturn Protocol. Thanks to his pain sensitivity being shut down, he couldn't feel the nerves in his body screaming for relief.

Simon's eyes remained focused on Itin's gut the entire time as he dodged. Simon had long since noticed Nina's presence but chose to ignore her, carefully choosing to avoid the portion of the room she was currently observing from. "If you want to watch, at least make the trouble worth my while!" A wild smile spread across his face as his blood boiled within his veins. He was enjoying himself. Almost. Almost! In the corner of his vision, a small bar was gradually filling up. It had nearly been completed when Simon's left leg finally gave out. A jet of molten gold shot through his thigh and pinned him to the floor.

The single jet was followed up by dozens more, each striking at different parts of his body. Nina's scream filled the room as two spikes pierced into his eye sockets. Itin stopped his assault shortly after and approached the dead man with a disgusted look on his face. "You were no man. You were a monster." He clutched his gut suddenly and went wide-eyed as Simon's smiling corpse stood up directly in front of him.

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." Itin and Nina both watched on in horror as Simon's mutilated body quickly regenerated itself. His shriveled eyes slowly filled with silver liquid and returned their previous form before regaining focus and staring directly at the terrified god. Simon's smile widened, exposing his fangs, as he held out a hand. Itin did the same. The golden idol strained to turn his head to stare at the arm when his other arm suddenly raised. Simon's haunting laugh echoed throughout the fallen temple as he stared at the blinking display.

[Remote Nanite Infestation Successful - Locomotion System Override Successful]

"W-What! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" Itin tried to back away, but his legs refused to move. Simon silently twirled his hand around in a circle and caused the chubby god to spin on his toes once again. "I turned you into the thing your kind loves the most. A pawn."

Behind him, the wide-eyed Nina was shivering and moaning loudly. He could see what she was doing but now was not the time. He had a dinner date with someone else.

"Itin, 'God' of Personal Wealth." Simon smiled as he stood in front of the chubby man, "Your application for chapter seven has hereby been approved."

Itin tried to scream as Simon's jaw unhinged itself while the nanites swarming within his body vibrated wildly, forcibly converting his golden frame into liquid form.

The warm golden light that had bathed the entire city suddenly shattered like glass as the blood-red moon glowed brightly. Atop the fallen temple, all eyes, from the fleeing slave train to the evacuated civilians, could see a lone man drinking from a golden fountain beneath a blood-red pillar of light.

Nina's haggard breath quickened as her thin fingers plunged deep within her quivering folds. The sloshing sound of her hand stirring around her moist insides was completely drowned out by the gurgling noise nearby. Her gold and silver eyes locked on the sight despite the growing arch in her back. A loud shriek echoed throughout the destroyed temple as her body convulsed violently. Stream after stream of clear fluid sprayed onto the molten remains in front of her quivering crotch. The elven woman collapsed with a smile, watching her chest rapidly rise and fall.

In front of her stood the glowing figure of Simon absorbing the last of Itin's divinity. His stomach was distended, his lips peeling, and this throat burning, but he kept drinking even as the flesh of his cheeks burned away. He quickly placed his hands against the open wounds to stop the spillage. Thankfully the liquid had merged with what little remained of the god across the floor.

His gaze was hazy at best. His mind was boiling from the temperatures, and his body's nanites were working overtime just to repair the damage taken by his internal organs for drinking actual molten metal. An idea appeared in his addled mind, and he suddenly dumped the entirety of his potion stockpile into his gaping maw, vial and all. The effect was minor. The haze that had taken hold of his mind cleared, and Simon was able to focus on completely repairing the damage he was taking. Yet, it still wasn't enough. If he wished to survive, he would have to direct the nanites himself.

'Set Pain sensitivity to 1000.'

All at once, every cell in his body screamed out with burning agony, yet Simon did not relent. His eyes closed as he focused on the pain, directing the nanites through his cells. His entire throat became coated in metallic shells while his gut was sealed off within a silver chamber. Despite all the pain, his smile never wavered. Meanwhile, the timer ticked down. 20 seconds were left. If he failed to finish things here before the timer failed. He would die. If his hope about a god being destroyed body and all upon being devoured wasn't correct, he would die. As a self-proclaimed man who left nothing to chance, Simon committed a grave sin by betting everything on an old children's story from Earth. But in the end, all stories have a kernel of truth. He just hopes that this one is that kernel.

[10 seconds.]

A small puddle of gold still clings to the floor.

[8 seconds.]

Simon falls to his knees and begins lapping up the last of the liquid.

[3 seconds.]

Simon notices a small drop of liquid across the nearby wall.

[2 seconds.]

Simon arrives at the wall and prepares to lick.

[1 second.]

Simon's tongue captures the liquid.

[0.]

Simon swallows.

[Timer Expired: Ending Saturn Protocol. Returning to Power Save mode.]

A blinding flash of light brighter than the sun floods the surrounding land as the blood-red light ceases. In its place, the darkness of a night lit by a gentle moon reappears.

He collapses and pulls the golden plate from his pocket. Simon stares at the contents before happily closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

[
-Basic Information-

Name: S-1_M0-N A1431
Alias: Simon, Impaler, Bastard, God Slayer, God Eater
Adventurer Rank: Platinum(++++)

Nobility Rank:
Country:

Country of Origin: Planetary Self Defense Force: Earth

Occupation: Adventurer / Merchant
Previous Occupation: Lieutenant Commander, Planetary Self Defense Force: Earth

Patron Deity: Atalanta: Earth

-Physical Characteristics-

Race:
Age: 380 / 568 ^
Gender: Male
Height: 172cm
Weight: 485kg (+)
Hair color: Black / Gray
Skin color: White
Eye color: Hazel
Mana color: Black / Red

-Attributes-

Vitality: 2500 (------) / 12000
Strength: 2650 (------) / 3850
Intellect: 2250 (?) / ?????
Agility: 1750 (-----) / ?????

Divinity: 2119 (? ^) / 0
Demonic: 0 (?) / ??????

-Abilities-

Abilities: Rapid Regeneration (S ^), Fire Immunity (G ^), Cold Immunity (L), Lighting Immunity (S), Lightning Absorption (G), Blade Resistance (G), Acid Resistance (G ^), Blunt Resistance (L)

Misc Abilities: Unbreakable, Farsight, ?????

-Magic-

Affinity: Void
Spells: Status


-Titles-

Current: Last Defender of a Fallen World, Lone Survivor, Bandit Slayer, Savior of Krakios Village, Impaler, While Wolf Slayer, Herbalist, Scavenger, Liberator, Merciless Task Master, Guardian of the Meek, Friend of the Beastmen, Spirit Binder, Friend of the Spirits, Spirit Contractor, Soul Eater, Bastard, [NEW] Human Catapult, Walking Disaster, One Man Army, Temple Defiler, Temple Destroyer, The Undying, Masochist, God Slayer, God Eater, God Drinker

Former: Masochist, Lone Survivor, Ally Slayer, Peacekeeper, Protector of Children, Lover of Children, Charitable, General's Guard Dog, Abyss Slayer, Crusader, Saint Crimson, Cannibal, Vampire, Bane of the Abyss, One Man Army, Abyss Gazer, That Which Stared Back, Executioner, Kin Slayer, The Impaler, Tyrant, Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula, Tero's Monster, Rebellion Suppressor, Supreme Commander of Alpha Centauri, Condemner of Billions, Complete Monster, Destroyer of Alpha Centauri, Betrayer of Humanity, The Merciful

-Key-

(+): Stat is temporarily raised.
(-): Stat is temporarily lowered.
(?): Stat is temporarily affected by unknown means. Please report to the nearest temple.
?????: Stat cannot be measured. Please report to the nearest temple.
]

 

[Author's Note: Sex. Lots. of. Sex. Also, no, not NTR.]

Chapter 41 - Aftercare - NSFW

Ebonshear - Guild Masters Quarters - Two days later

Simon sighed softly as he tried to open his eyes. Ugh. Everything hurts. He tried to lift an arm to rub his aching head, but something was pressing against it. His consciousness faded in and out before eventually stabilizing. Simon tried to open his eyes again, only to realize that they were open already. Darkness? No, I'd still be able to see at least something.

'Status Report'
[
Power Levels Critical. Power cell .341% Non-Life Sustaining Systems Shutdown.]

Ah. 'Ocular Reconstruction - Homo Deus'

[Warning: Command will consume .05% of remaining power. Continue? Y / N]

'Y'

[Alert: Power cell level below 0.3%]

He tried to shake his head, but something soft and warm blocked him. 'Suspend Alerts until 0.1%.'

- 30 minutes later

Light returned to Simon's eyes. It wasn't the golden ceiling of a temple or the cloudy sky above him. Instead, it was a wooden roof with two pale hills placed directly above him. A sly smile painfully stretched across his face as his eyes focused. Nina's heterochromia eyes were staring down at him just above her bare breasts. Below her toned body was completely exposed, proudly displaying her chiseled abs before ending in a neatly trimmed mount of silver and gold hair. The pressure he had felt against his arm was her long muscular thighs sprawled out atop them. He tried to speak but was quickly stopped when the elven woman gently caressed his lips.

"Sssh." Nina bit her lip before she continued, "Leave this part to me. You've been out of it for two days. Rolant and Ornn, one of my silver adventurers, helped me drag you to my room from the temple before the civilians were allowed back inside." She paused for a moment and gently connected the impact marks that the spears had left with one of her fingers. "You were impaled 48 times by Itin's spears..." Simon's eyes follow Nina's flowing hair as she bends over his body. Despite his best attempts to maintain eye contact with the woman, Simon's eyes were drawn somewhere else. One moment his eyes were focused on the pale handful-sized breasts dangling just outreach. They were next concentrated on the shining mount of hair between her legs and the long trail of liquid dripping down her toned thighs.

Nina's advance suddenly stops as she brushes her smooth cheek against his scarred stomach. "Kuritn and the others, along with the beastmen, are currently camped outside the city. They originally intended to obey your orders and head to Krakios Village, but Rolant ordered them to return to the city. It seems that man has a plan, although I haven't spoken to him about it yet." She lifted her face from his stomach and stretched downwards.

Uh. If she goes any lo- OK Nevermind. Guess this is happening.

Simon's thoughts were interrupted when Nina's hot breath covered his shaft. At the same time, his quivering eyes watched as her lower lips pressed firmly against his own.

Yet, he did not proceed.

The elf's eyebrows tilted down as she observed the limp shaft directly in front of her. "W-What's wrong?" Simon tried to speak, but only hoarse muffled sounds came out. Nina's legs trembled slightly at the vibrations, but she advanced no further.

A moment passed before the elven woman kissed around his shaft. "It's bad manners to talk about someone else while having sex, but I'll allow it just this once." He said nothing while closing his eyes. "Agor and I aren't like that. We're married in name only. I needed a legitimate reason to stay in a human kingdom. In contrast, he needed a wife to throw off the homophobic church that sponsored him in the beginning. I won't say we haven't tried to make things work, but it always ends with him back in Hector's arms and me, at the brothel."

A quiet sigh seeps into the room as she gives one last kiss before extending her long tongue and exhaling heavily along his shaft. Simon's clenched jaw opened slightly while his lower half slowly rose to meet the occasion. The occasionally dripping nectar that landed against his lips soon became a small stream.

With his reluctance gone, the elven woman smiled brightly. Nina's thin hand slowly slid across the growing shaft, playfully tugging at the skin. She brought her lips close to the tip and allowed her warm breath to gently caress the glands. The muscular man beneath her twitched slightly, causing a playful chuckle to escape her parted lips. A mischievous fire lit in her eyes. The motion of her hands slowed and became fainter and fainter until only the very tip of her nails would lightly brush past Simon's shaft. Nina's eyes widened as his dick continued to grow. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead and onto the quivering cock. She turned her head downwards to speak to Simon's buried face. "Y-You're kidding, right?"

Her only reply was a soft chuckle that caused the growing cock to boop against her forehead.

While Nina was trying to wrap her head around the size of his cock, literally, Simon decided that it was time to get to work. No sense in letting a tasty treat like this go to waste. He pulled what little strength he could muster from his tired body and sent all of it towards his mouth. His stiff jaw slowly parted further and allowed the clear fluid to flood in. A smile spread across his quenched lips when an odd sensation took hold of him. He'd tasted this before, last night. The image of Nina's convulsing body squirting across the temple grounds replayed vividly in his mind and caused his cock to throb painfully.

A started gasp came from the trembling woman as she eyed it's pulsating length. "M-My arm. A-At lea-" Her conflicted thoughts were silenced as Simon's thick tongue slipped between his parted teeth and slithered its way deep into Nina's unsuspecting folds. Her back arched as she shot up, startled by the sheer girth that had begun exploring her depths. "There's no way th-that's a human t aghh!" The elf's hips rocked back and forth violently atop the stationary man, her expression a mixture of shock and pleasure. Thanks to his other-worldly composition, Nina's fluids were directly absorbed by his elongated tongue. A sly smile appeared beneath the soft mount of flesh. Without warning, his tongue started to vibrate with the tip pressing directly against the shaking woman's weak point.

All at once, Nina's folds clenched tightly around the foreign invader, her delicate hands dug into his thighs while her cute toes curled hard. A banshee wail filled the room like a flood of juices drenched the smiling man while the woman above continued to shriek. The orgasm had lasted, but a mere moment yet the aftereffects lingered.

Five minutes later, Nina was still convulsing quietly atop his muscular body. Her long tongue dangled lazily outside of her mouth while her eyes remained unfocused. Yet, Simon's assault never relented. His tongue continued to twist and turn inside her sloshing hole. Occasionally the walls would constrict, but most of the time, the only way he would know she came was the quiet whimper that emerged from her lips whenever she cummed.

This continued on for nearly an hour until Nina was nothing more than a quivering mess of flesh sprawled out across the stained feather bed. Simon smiled to himself as he lifted his left arm gently off of the soft sheets. He noticed his strength gradually returning to him as his cunning assault continued. Simon opened and closed his hand several times before clenching it tightly. Good. With a satisfied sigh, he gently placed a hand between the quivering woman's cheeks before sliding himself out from beneath the soft fleshy prison. Nina's eyes partially focused as he sat upon the bed. At first, her expression was one of satisfaction, but as his hands wrapped around her arms and pinned her to the bed, her tired eyes went wide.

Her throat hoarse from wailing earlier tried to speak, but no words came out. The man smiled softly before stroking her silky hair and placing her head on a propped-up pillow. Nina had had her turn. Now it was his.

Simon's calloused hands gently separated the elf's legs while resting her arms beneath her modest chest. He casually leaned back to take a moment to enjoy the view. When the two had met mere days ago, he had never imagined being in this position right now.

The skin hidden beneath her usual receptionist attire was pale like the moon, while her bare neck, arms, and legs had become a healthy shade of brown. Simon's long tongue slid across his lips. Her feet were small for her size, he thought. They were barely larger than her tiny hands, while her long slender stature allowed her to stand eye to eye with him. His gaze continued upwards and stopped briefly upon the prize he would soon claim. Even without something parting them, Nina's lower lips gaped slightly open, no doubt thanks to his dutiful actions earlier, while her bright pink clit stood out proudly. It was a sight he couldn't help but lick. His tongue gently caressed the sensitive nub for a moment and caused the exhausted elf to squirt suddenly across the bed.

Simon's muscular chest was coated in the clear liquid, but he didn't mind. In fact, he gave the little button a light kiss for the gift. Soon he straightened his back and continued his observation. Her stomach was surprisingly chiseled, yet the muscles definition did not subtract from her femininity at all. Simon smiled while pondering this fact and lightly slapped his drooling cock against her abs. Nina's eyes went wide as Simon's fingers delicately traced the outline of his cock across her stomach. Part of the elf clearly wanted to refuse accepting such a large object inside her, while another side wanted to greedily consume it.

His expression shifted to one of savage glee as his member suddenly thrust its way into Nina's unsuspecting hole. Her screams were muffled by the large hand pressed against her mouth as his cock probed deeper and deeper into her depths. Simon looked down at the loudly moaning elf, "I was going to let you enjoy this. But, I think the girls would haunt me if I did. Sorry if this next part hurts a little. Think of it as punishment for teaching my girls how to fight without my knowledge." His savage grin widened while Nina's fingers tore into the sheets. Simon pistoned his hips forward, hard. The impact caused the elf's supple cheeks to redden while her modest breasts jiggled about wildly. His greedy eyes drank the sight in before thrusting again. An unholy shriek emerged from Nina's throat as his head slammed wrathfully against her womb.

Despite her anguished cries and shaking head, Nina's toned legs wrapped themselves tightly around his thrusting waist. Each time he retracted, they would pull him back in, and each time he thrust, she would scream while her pussy squirted out what remained of her bodily fluids across his shaft. Soon his merciless pace quickened as pre dripped from his aching rod. One of his strong arms reached down and pulled the elven woman by the neck up to his face before pulling her into a deep kiss. Nina's eyes no longer widened as her tired body aches. Simon's long tongue entwined itself with the elf's own while two of his fingers slipped into her rear. A loud muffled moan of ecstasy reverberated from her chest before it was replaced with a wail as Simon's free hand pulled her entire body down hard onto his pulsating member.

As the head entered into her nattered womb, he roared while his world went white. The walls shook while the nearby glass shattered. Nina's body convulsed slightly from shock before falling completely limp. The only sign that she was still conscious was the look of amazement in her eyes as she stared down at her rapidly growing stomach. Simon's thick seed flooded into every available free space of her womb before spilling out into the constricting folds until eventually gushing out onto the waiting sheets below. His hips continued to buck back and forth like a bull as he rode out the orgasm. A third finger slipped into Nina's anus. The elf let out a weak protest before closing her eyes tightly. Due to the overwhelming stimulation and the building pressure inside her womb, she lost control of her bladder.

Simon smiled internally as the warm liquid puddled between them. He knew it wasn't intentional thus, why would he be mad? His ability had just made his lover lose control of their body, if even for a moment. The intensity of the kiss they shared increased as Nina's fluids continued to be released. Like a switch inside her brain had been flipped, the elf's back arched hard enough to cause the climaxing Simon to worry for her safety. His worries proved to be founded as Nina came harder than she ever had before. The hand that had been holding her down quickly pulled the spasming woman to his chest while his other hand continued to hold her body.

The contractions of her back muscles had been too great. Had he not intervened, she may have managed to break her own back. Simon's pulsating member shivered at the thought. Though his own orgasm was complete, he continued to hold the convulsing woman in his arms until she fell asleep. His large calloused hands would gently caress her exposed skin while he whispered sweet nothings into her long blushing ears.

 

[Author's Note: Item's in red are in SML/English. They don't sound like this worlds common language]

Chapter 42 - Martyr

Ebonshear - Nina's Home - Before Noon

Simon exited the bedroom and quietly closed the door. He was sadly naked once again. For some reason, Nina's room did not have a scrap of clothing within it. There was no sign of his armor, and the only free piece of cloth was now draped carefully over the unconscious elf. Well, nothing I can do about it now. His sly smile reappeared only to instantly turn into a frown when he turned around.

In front of him, Agor and Hector were sitting at the dining table. They had apparently been in the middle of having breakfast when his naked figure had appeared. Two extra plates of food had been set out, most likely for himself and Nina. Simon's eyes remained locked on the two men for a moment before he shrugged and took a seat at the table. Agor wisely averted his gaze completely; however, Hector couldn't resist sneaking the occasional peak.

Simon shook his head as he picked up the fork, "Sorry, Not interested.", and dug into the egg-like substance on his plate. Instead of the fluffy yellow he had seen back on earth, these were green and compressed into cubes. Aside from that, they still tasted like eggs. Hope flooded into his non-existent heart as he stared directly at the thin strips of greasy meat. With a quivering hand, Simon stabbed the meat and slowly placed it into his mouth. Agor and Hector audibly gasped as a single tear fell down the muscular man's cheek.

It tasted like chicken.

One hour later

Agor stared at the depressed-looking man sitting on a barrel in the corner. He still wasn't quite sure what had caused all this aside from something called 'bacon' and 'chicken.' Agor tried to steel his resolve to ask what these words meant, but before he could, his partner returned.

Hector lightly closed the door and was surprised to see Simon fully armed and armored. He motioned with his arms to Agor, asking about the armor. While Hector could not speak or write, he had developed a sort of sign language adventuring trio could use to communicate with each other over the twenty-odd years they have been together.

"Maria and the Blacksmith brought it by a few minutes ago." Agor turns his head towards Simon for a moment before facing Hector again. "Everything but the cloak was pretty much trashed. But, thanks to armor’s design, the blacksmith was able to replace the pierced sections, but..." he glances down at the piece of paper sticking out from beneath his palm, "It wasn't cheap." Hector smiles and shakes his head before sitting down next to Agor.

"Has she woken up yet?" Agor asked with a raised eyebrow and received a 'no' in reply. "I see." He turned towards Simon with a smile, "To be honest, I'm glad. This is the first time she's been the one to pass out. If that woman's moniker wasn't 'The Flayer,' she'd most likely be known as 'The Succubus.' Every partner she's ever had has been left as nothing more than a dried-out husk by the time she's done with them." Out of the corner of his eye, Agor could see Hector nervously laughing while stealing glances at the solid door beside him. Ah, right, Shouldn't tempt fate too much. "Anyway, Let's get on with this. Simon, We're heading to the Town Hall."

Simon's depressed expression finally changed as his head turned to the side, "Didn't I burn down the town hall?" Hector nods rapidly while Agor laughs, "Aye. You did. We're heading to the 'temporary' town hall. It's really just a shack that Rolant is currently living in. Simon hopped off the barrel, "Alright. I need to speak with him about the beastmen anyway." Hector waved his hand around as if to say 'Obviously' while Agor waved for him to stop with a smile.

Ebonshear - Temporary Town Hall - Before Noon

The trio entered the hurriedly constructed building one at a time. The town hall had apparently been built within a single day, and it definitely showed. While the walls seemed sturdy enough, the building was utterly devoid of anything outside of what was strictly necessary to hold up a roof. None of the exterior walls had any windows, while there was only one small door.

"[Even if this building was made from starcreete, there's no way this would pass fire inspection.]" Simon smiled to himself, Did I really just say that out loud? Hector and Agor paused for a moment and stared at him. "Hmm?" Hector merely shrugged while Agro spoke, "What language was that? I've never heard anything quite like it." Simon raised an eyebrow. Language? Oh, I just spoke in SML, didn't I? He shrugged as he continued deeper into the building, "The language of my erm 'homeland' if you want to call it that." A short while later, they arrived in front of a short wooden platform with a single rickety chair placed on top. Rolant von Ebonshear was currently sitting in it.

Simon stared at the man. His eyes were currently surrounded by thick black circles. His clothes were the same since he had seen him last in the dungeon. He looked like he was about to fall out of the chair. In short, "You look like shit." A loud slap echoed throughout the town hall as the two men behind him, along with the majority of those working around him, slapped their hands against their faces.

Simon paid them no heed and kept his eyes locked on Rolant. Rolant's tired eyes slowly made their way to Simon before a soft smile spread across his lips. "Aye. And you reek of sex. You could have at least bathed before coming here, you know." Simon shrugged with a shit-faced grin across his face, "Why? I'd rather smell like Nina than like you do right now."

Rolant shook his head, "Can't say I blame you for that. Anyway, You're probob-" Simon raised a hand to stop the man, "You called me here to tell me why you called back the beastmen and ask me to not destroy the city. Again." One of Rolant's eyebrows tilted upwards, but he nodded his head regardless. "It was obvious."

Agor and Hector let out loud sighs. Hey, peanut gallery, go home. All eyes shifted to Rolant as he stood up and quietly descended the steps. He stopped just before Simon and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "I'd like to see it. The real one." The temperature around the room dropped sharply. Hector boldly stood between Simon and Agor while the other civilians cowered in fear. Rolant didn't move, however. Simon's eyes stared straight into the man's soul, "Clear the room."

The temperature returned to normal as the room was emptied. Soon only four remained. Hector and Agor were standing by the door to make sure no one entered.

"Did she tell you?"

Rolant shook his head, "No. I simply guessed based on her reaction. She nearly killed me when I mentioned your strength stat, but she relaxed after she realized that was all I saw." Simon sighed loudly, "Damn it. She already tried to kill you when she thought you saw it. Why are you asking to see it now?"

Rolant stares directly into Simon's eyes, "Because I won't serve a Tyrant."

"What?" Simon's expression instantly shifts to one of confusion while Hector and Agor quietly smile by the door. Rolant repeats himself, "I said I won't serve a Tyrant." Simon's eyebrow is nearly floating off his face, "Again, What? What does that have to do with my plate?" Rolant shakes his head and holds out his hand without saying any more.

He slips a hand into his coat pocket and hands over the golden plate. Wait. Coat? I thought it was a cape now? Simon stares at the rugged cape and watches as the fabric changes shape when he tries to put his hand in the space where the pocket was before. That's...Odd. He shrugs before turning back towards the annoyed-looking Rolant. He takes a step back and studies Rolant's expressions closely as the man mutters out titles.

"...ally...peacekeeper...children...abyss...cannibal...kin...tyrant... Vlad the Impaler?"

Simon holds up a hand to stop the man from proceeding. "He was a famous ruler from Earth." Rolant's shaking eyes turn upwards, showing that he has his attention. Simon grabs a nearby barrel and brings it over before sitting on it in front of Rolant's chair.

"Vlad [Țepeș] of [Wallachia], Son of the Dragon, The Impaler." Simon raised his hands up to emphasize the name. "He was a famous ruler from my world's history. A tyrant in the truest sense of the word. The very mention of his name spread terror throughout the lands for centuries after he was gone. His zealous belief in god knew no limits, nor did the lengths he would go to prove his devotion. He was known for impaling his enemies and allies alike to honor his god and to strike terror into the hearts of men. He impaled over 20,000 people and personally tortured countless more."

A cruel smile spreads across his face, "I wonder how I got those titles." Simon stands up and takes a step back before grabbing a nearby wineglass and downing its contents. "But wait, there's more. He was also known for becoming the first vampire upon his death, Count [Dracula]. I'm sure I don't need to explain to you how I earned that one." Agor and Hector's face's paled. They had been silent the entire time, but Rolant ignored them, nodded once, and continued reading.

"Rebel...[Alpha Centauri]?" Unlike before, Simon simply allowed him to continue reading. Noticing that Simon wouldn't explain, he shrugged and continued on. Simon watched as the man's eyes went bug-eyed. Ah. He must be at Condemner. He waits for a minute before catching the golden plate that fell from Rolant's shaking hands.

"[Alpha Centauri] is, well, was a group of worlds in the sky. I was assigned as their general when they were attacked by 'creatures of the abyss,' as you call them." He pauses for a moment and faces Agor, "Agor, Is there a spell that allows someone to open a gate from one location to another?"

The meek-looking man turned towards Hector, who started signing something. After a while, Agor replied, "Hector says 'Portal' It's just an old legend, though." Simon nods and continues, "It was obvious at the start that there was no hope of slowing, much less defeating the attack. So I gave the order to evacuate what we could and ordered the only 'portal' to those worlds destroyed. Everyone on the other side of the route was killed to the last. I left [billions], several thousand million, of people, to die so that humanity could live to fight another day. That makes the next one all the more ironic, doesn't it?" Well, That's at least half of the truth.

Simon sat down and poured himself a second glass of wine, which, ironically enough, was red. He spun the red liquid around a few times within the glass in clear view of Rolant before downing its contents. He raised an eyebrow as Rolant's shaking demeanor began to shift. Shit.

Rolant shook his head as he slowly stood with a sad smile. Simon set down the glass and stood up as well. "I see you aren't as easy to deceive as your father. Although, things would have been easier if you were." Rolant shook his head, "No, I bought it at first. But, something didn't quite fit into place." Simon tilted his head, "Oh?"

Agor and Hector stared at the two standing men in confusion. Deceive?

"Why would a monster like that go out of their way to save a village? It would gain him nothing, yet he did it anyway. Why would he buy clothing for slave girls or feed them decent meals? Why would he spare those who couldn't flee? Why would he save a puppy from a burning building?" Simon smiled softly at the last one, "It was cute." Rolant ignored him, "But, to be honest, the final clue was your last title."

Simon frowned as he spat it out, "The Merciful."

Rolant nodded, "That title can be earned here as well. It's something that has only ever been recorded posthumously. Its appearance always causes an intense series of investigations into the possessor's past. To date, all of these investigations have led to the same conclusion."

Simon grits his teeth while the two men by the door stared wide-eyed, "Don't."

Rolant sat back down on his throne with a heavy heart, took the wine bottle from the floor, and refilled Simon's glass, "They were self-martyrs."

 

Chapter 43 - Monty

Ebonshear - Temporary Town Hall - Noon

Simon sighs loudly before downing the wine and motioning for the bottle. Instead of refilling his glass, he instead drinks directly from it. Rolant says nothing while waiting for him to finish the bottle. Agor and Hector flinch as the bottle flies past them and into the thick door, shattering to pieces.

The new Baron nods, "Anyway. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity." He offers Simon a slight bow, but he receives no response. "Alright then. Let's get started. We managed to get the west gate reopened shortly after dawn yesterday. The workmen haven't made much progress on the other gates yet." Rolant studies Simon's reaction before giving up and deciding to go in order while saving the beastmen for last.

"Officially, we are calling what happened a Demon attack." Simon's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Thankfully, no one who was evacuated knows exactly why they were evacuated. The families that were allowed to flee after being found might suspect something, but a single adventure offering to try and buy them time to escape from a demon? That is much more comforting to them than the truth, so I suspect we won't have any issues there."

Rolant pauses and opens a new bottle of wine, "The only ones who know the truth are my friends and me, along with the adventures." Simon chimed in, "And the children." Rolant nods, "Aye, but they...I don't have words." Simon nods, "I know. Continue." Rolant coughs, "The adventurers won't say anything. Nina and Hector spent some time 'convincing them' earlier."

Hector? Nina, I understand, but why Hector? Simon turns to face the smiling man. Nope. Don't see it. "Obviously, I'm not going to say anything, and my friends aren't the kind of people to betray the person who saved them, either." Tell that to Jesus and Judas.

Simon stokes his beard, "And Unofficially? I can't imagine you can brush off everything that happened to the Marquis or the King as a simple 'demon attack.'' Rolant nods, "We can't. The common folk can be deceived easily enough, but the Capital and the Marquis are different. On that front, we are calling it a rebellion led by myself against my corrupt father. Civilian casualties were within...acceptable numbers for this excuse. Thankfully all of the nobles who were killed were corrupt bastards, so finding evidence of their misdeeds shouldn't have been too hard." Simon looks away for a moment as Rolant's gaze turns hateful, "Except it is since you burnt everything to the fucking ground."

Simon shrugs, "I left the buildings that had blood painted on the top and sides of the main entryway." He strokes his beard, "I'm not sure how Nina knew about that story, but I thought it was pretty fitting, so I went with it." Rolant was speechless, "S-So that's why some of the houses were spared." Simon takes the bottle and refills his empty glass, "Is that why you look like shit? Trying to gather the evidence?" The Baron sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, "No, I wish that was the worst of it. Here." Rolant reaches into his coat pocket and hands Simon two rolled-up scrolls stamped with some kind of seal.

"Is that the Royal Seal?" Rolant nods before pointing to the second larger seal, "That's the Marquises. The one in red is the Royal Seal." Simon nods, "So the Marquis opened the scroll and then resealed it with his own seal after confirming the contents?" Roland nods as Simon opens the first scroll, only to close it shortly after before looking up at Rolant, "The fuck is this? Can you just explain it to me? I have no idea what language this is written in." Agor laughed while Hector walks up and pats Simon on the back.

D-Did he just pity me? Rolant shakes his head, "It's in an archaic form of our language. It's also heavily stylized."

"So it's fancy just for the sake of being fancy? What does it say?"

Rolant opens the paper before reading it again, "In short, The King declared that all beastmen are now enemies of him. Everyone is ordered to go and capture them. They are to enslave the ones they can and execute the rest." He squints at the bottom portion before shaking his head, "Oh. It's fire. It says to dispose of the bodies by burning."

Simon shakes his head, "So even you, the son of a baron, can barely read that. What was the date on that decree?" Rolant looks at the paper, "Three years ago, more or less." Simon sighs and passes the next scroll over to be read, "That's what I thought. Everything lines up."

The Baron accepts the scroll and starts to read before throwing it across the ground in disgust, "Same date. The Kingdom of Grandlarc will be adapting to the Guiotene faith effective immediately. All cities will be given a grace period of five years to convert all temples to match the Guiotene faith or destroy them."

Simon raises an eyebrow, "Guiotene? Never heard of that god, but I guess this explains why the beastmen were suddenly targeted. I assume this Guiotene doesn't approve of beastmen?" Rolant nods, "Just ask Agor, He was a follower of theirs after all." The two men turn towards the meek man standing by the door.

Agor sighs before sitting down on the floor, "You remember how Nina mentioned I was supported by a church early on?" Simon nods, "It was the Guiotene Church. I was an orphan. My parents apparently died in a war no one cares to remember. I was raised by the church and given arms, armor, and coin when I came of age to enter the Adventurer's Guild. The church never asks for anything from their former charges except for their continued belief." Simon shrugs, "So I take it this church has something against homosexuals?" Hector rolls his eyes and pats Agor's shoulder, "I was getting to that, but yes, that's one of many things they look down upon."

Agor takes a deep breath, "The Guiotene Church teaches that there is only one god and that god is Guiote. All other gods are just different faces of her at best and demons at worst. They are extremely zealous and despise the deviant, the heretic, and the unclean. The Deviant refers to any person acting in a way deemed unacceptable to their god, or more commonly the church themselves. The heretic refers to any person that refuses to accept the teachings of the church as the one truth. And The Unclea-"

Simon interrupts him, "Anyone that's not human or a human that has become disfigured or mutated in some way?" Agor nods, and Simon scoffs loudly, "Some things never change." All three of the men around him nod in agreement before Agor speaks again, "Also mages. Any magic-user outside of the church is seen as a heretic for perverting the divine gift given to the church by Guiote."

Simon shakes his head, "What's next, the [Spanish Inquisition]?"

Agor tilts his head to the side, "The what?"

"An organization of religious guards sent by the church to break into peoples homes and investigate accusations of heresy."

"Aye, They do have that."

Simon laughs, "Are they at least unexpected?"

The meek man scratches his head, "N-no? Last I heard, they gave three days' notice before arriving."

When he had used that joke in the past, Artoria had asked how he knew something so obscure. He simply replied that some things are just timeless.

Simon's laughter stopped, "Well, that's no fun at all. What about elves? You’re married to an elf after all."

Agor shrugs, “She’s an exception, she left her god and because of that the church accepted her if she took on Guiote.”
Simon raised an eyebrow, “Platinum?”
Agor and Hector both nodded, “Platinum.”

When he had used that joke in the past, Artoria had asked how he knew something so obscure. He simply replied that some things are just timeless.

Simon downs his glass of wine before turning back towards Rolant, "So, The beastmen are being either enslaved or executed, and the Kingdom is switching to a monotheistic religion that follows a hateful god. What will you do now?"

Rolant shakes his head and drinks from the bottle, "I don't know. As of right now, I am the Lord of Ebonshear, Rolant von Ebonshear the Fourth. However, once the word reaches either the Marquis or the Capital, that won't be the case for long unless I can come up with something. Fast."

An evil grin spreads across Simon's face, "May I offer a suggestion?"
The depressed Rolant waves, "Why not? You've already fucked me. At least take care of me after." Simon frowns, Hector sighs, and Agor blushes.

"I assume you found the records office. Have you looked at the tax records yet?" Rolant shakes his head, "I've been a little busy." Simon's smile returns, "You said those decrees arrived three years ago, yes?" Rolant nods while tapping his fingers impatiently, "Fine. I'll explain it plainly. Your father was a bastard."

Rolant rolls his eyes, "He threw his own son into the dungeon to die for trying to prevent him from selling off his own subjects. Obviously, he was a bastard."

Simon nods, "Aye, a greedy bastard. You see, Not all of the beastmen villages were destroyed. I don't know if Nina told you, but my party originally came from Krakios Village." Rolant's tired eyes go wide, but he continues, "Up until this year, the village had continued paying the taxes requested of it without fail. Meanwhile, the villages around them were destroyed one by one without their knowledge. This means that your father was actively delaying the King's orders to collect extra taxes for himself. That alone is pretty bad, but... I somehow doubt he sent the fifty percent required by the Capital back to the King. I think you can figure out the rest."

Rolant's tied eyes lit up, "So you're saying we should use my father's actions as justification for rebelling against him?"

Simon shrugs, "Sure, why not. I was thinking more of a bribe. Send someone to the Capital with a letter that says 'My father refused to follow the King's decree and continued to collect taxes from the beastmen villages. In an effort to make up for this grave violation, I have enclosed the entire portion of the yearly tax collected rather than the fifty percent required in addition to a small gift and my fathers head.'"

Rolant's shining eyes darkened, "We don't have that kind of gold." Simon smiles and tosses a familiar-looking iron plate to Rolant, "Will that do?"