Returning to the capital was a unique experience. The army was met by cheerful crowds at every turn. What surprised me the most was the completely intact convoy of tanks that I hitched a ride on. I had expected them to break down somewhere along the line, but they had proven me wrong so far.
Some conscripts had already returned to their villages if they were on the route back. Hopefully, they would spread stories about the newly dubbed 'Two-Minute War'. I quite liked the name. While it wasn't as flashy as the 'Massacre at Katze Plains', it was inspiring, nonetheless.
As we continued down the cobblestone roads towards the castle, I noted the curious expressions on the public's faces. They didn't know what the tanks were, nor had they seen them in action. Self-propelled vehicles must seem very foreign to them.
The magic motor was still expensive to manufacture; It will probably remain in the domain of the wealthy for the foreseeable future. These people would never have the luxury of driving one.
The convoy was headed to the barracks further ahead. My destination was the castle. I hop off the vehicle, looking back at the operators.
"Thanks for the ride; take good care of it." I pat the machine. I receive a small round of affirmation before taking off towards my destination.
Arriving at the villa, I saw a blue carpet rolled out in front of me, knights holding banners lined up on either side. Ramposa III and Renner stood at the base of the stairs.
Did they prepare a hero's welcome... for me?
As soon as the thought entered my mind, a carriage emblazoned in gold, bearing the flag of Re-Estize pulls up behind me.
Oh.
Whatever. I shrug as I slink off to the side, making way for the Zanac.
After an overly dramatic reception, Ramposa walked off into the palace with the prince following close behind. It seemed like Zanac had a report to file.
Time to complete mine.
Watching Climb gawk at the prince's reception was too amusing. That self-loving boy must've thought it was for himself. I struggled to contain my laughter while he quietly scowled in the background.
Don't worry, Climb; you'll get the royal treatment eventually. For now, though, you are simply my advisor. After Father and brother disappeared into the palace, I waved Climb over.
"Welcome back, Climb." I smiled at him.
"A week there, and a week back… to fight a two-minute battle? You have to be kidding me." I wasn't sure if he was jesting or not. He seemed genuinely disheartened at the success of the tanks.
"Come, let us speak inside." It would do no good if we were to discuss our plans out in the open. Even if it was the Valencia palace, you could never be too sure who was listening.
While we made our way to my room, my eyes kept being drawn to Kilineiram sheathed by his side. Climb mentioned that it likely held mystical properties that could boost the power of its wielder. Had he managed to activate such a function yet?
I would like to perform some experiments with it too. I could tell that the sword was not made from ordinary materials from a glance. A strange new element or an obscure alloy? The legends stated that it was created by condensing endless dark energy. I found it hard to believe.
Climb said that energy and matter were one and the same. So, it wasn't out of the question. However, an unfathomable amount of energy is required to create mass. To make something as sturdy and substantial as Kilineiram? As the legends stated, a near-limitless amount of dark energy would need to be utilised. There was no such thing as endless energy.
Another mystery reared its head at me tauntingly.
We entered my room.
While the safest place to discuss our confidential matters, it was not nearly as secure as I'd like. We were toying with the fate of the continent here. I took a seat at the table by the window, and Climb sat opposite.
"From what I gather, our new weapons performed excellently on the battlefield. We achieved a victory that shall go down in the history books. As per your assignment, were there any issues?"
"None whatsoever. As per usual, Renner, you were correct. They operated flawlessly. Both in terms of mobility and the cannon system." Climb always had strange doubts about our projects. He constantly second-guessed himself and depreciated them.
"Climb. I never saw you as the pessimistic type. Were there really no imprecisions of note?"
"I wish there were," he folded his arms.
Climb was acting childish. I stared into his eyes. After spending so much time with him, I felt confident at deciphering his spirit. Pride, disappointment, guilt? What an eclectic mix of emotions.
Hmm…
"Are you disappointed that you couldn't try out your flashy new sword~?" He looked away. "Climb, that is ridiculous. To divert your attention away from our accomplishments in pursuit of your bloodthirsty pastime is irrational. I already provide you with ample opportunity to do so."
"I know," he whispered. "I know it's irrational. But I get restless whenever I'm not improving myself. It's an itch that needs to be scratched."
His obsession with strength was bordering on paranoia. He was plenty strong already, but I could tell that his knowledge was tormenting him. He had difficulty conveying the power of the beings that shall appear, and maybe even I was underestimating them at times.
Unfathomably strong. Frighteningly intelligent. Able to cast the magic of gods as naturally breathing.
How about something to cheer him up, then?
"I'd overheard Zanac mentioning holding a tournament to father. Shall I put your name forward as a contender?" Climb's eyes snapped back to mine, a glimmer of delight in them.
"The tournament? That would be great! Yggdrasil had a duelling system of sorts. If my battles are registered as PVPs, winning them should get me closer to the next level. I also need to gain some real combat experience, so this is a good moment to judge where I am on the pecking order."
I nodded.
"Agreed. Father's on the lookout for a bodyguard, so he intends to choose one from this tournament. There should be no shortage of strong opponents to fight."
Of course, if Climb managed to win, as my sworn subordinate, he would be barred from entering the service of the king. I have no worries in that respect.
"A bodyguard?" Climb murmured. He went quiet. "Hm. Gazef Stronoff might participate."
That man?
"The one with that 'wild magic' ring?" His name popped up in discussions occasionally. It was last spoken when we were deciding which noteworthy items we were going to target.
"That's him."
Gazef had been overlooked recently. He was well known for being a first-rate swordsman. Due to his commoner heritage, he was never promoted beyond a regular guard. He was troublesome to locate as he was constantly shuffled around the city on patrols.
We were going to pocket his ring once he was under the king's service. It seems an opening had presented itself early.
"Climb, have you brushed up on your thievery lately? You were quite adept when I found you."
He grinned at me.
"While I have some confidence, stealing a ring from a finger within the midst of battle would pose a challenge. I'd need to brush up on my skills." Indeed. It would be no small feat.
"By brush up… you mean?"
"Grinding." He affirmed. Ah, yet another one of Climb's eccentricities.
He insisted on using such strange terminology. Wasn't it just simple practice? The repetition of a specific action to increase proficiency. When I raised that notion, he made it very clear to me that what he was doing was completely different.
"What are we waiting around for? Renner, call a servant over!"
To order me around like that, my advisor was getting a little too familiar. I was still royalty; Several castes higher than him. For the time being.
I delicately coughed into my hand.
"A-Ah, please?" He revised his command.
Much better.
Climb was lost himself in his 'grinding'. I checked on his progress periodically and was not encouraged by what I saw. His idea of practice was not very constructive.
He had the servant stand facing away from him, a valuable placed on their person. He would then pilfer said item, before immediately returning it to them.
Repeat ad infinitum.
The servant was acutely aware of Climb's actions but was ordered not to interfere at all. It must be very awkward for him.
It's been a few days since he started. I think it's time to cease this fruitless endeavour. He would not learn anything like this. The tournament was happening soon. Perhaps he should've focused on training his fundamental fighting skills than… whatever that was.
Entering my room, I see Climb eyeing his target with intense concentration. I hadn't seen him like this before; he almost looked like a predator stalking its prey.
Before he had a chance to indulge himself in his fantasies any longer, I pointed to the servant, who was, strangely, sweating heavily.
"You, there. You can leave now."
"T-Thank you!" He hurriedly darted out of the room, seemingly terrified of something. Climb's attention was immediately turned to me, a face of startled panic on his face.
"W-wait! I can't stop it!"
Suddenly, Climb's form shifted slightly, and I felt a breeze sweep the top of my head.
Eh?
I brought my hands to the area in question and found it to be bare.
He didn't just-
I looked at Climb's sheepish face, his arms now tucked behind his back. I narrowed my eyes.
"Show me your hands." I heard a jingling sound as he brought them forward. Sure enough, in his clenched hands was a tiara. I retrieved it from his outstretched arms and inspected the jewels; they were real. It was my tiara.
How interesting.
"Well, Climb. It seems like I didn't give your 'grinding' enough credit. How does it work? What you just did was an act comparable to magic, a discipline you said you have little affinity for. You couldn't have possibly become so skilled in such a short period."
He scratched the back of his head as he chuckled to himself.
"Honestly, I am a bit surprised myself. I didn't think it would happen. Renner, you know of Martial Arts?"
"Yes. The magic of warriors."
Climb gazed down at his hands in rapt adoration.
"Just a theory, but I might have created my own branch of this 'warrior's magic'. That's the only explanation. After a few thousand repetitions, something just clicked. I could sense where the item was; I could envision the path my hand would follow."
"A martial arts technique for stealing?" I'd never heard of such a thing, and I suspected that it was nothing as glamourous as what he proclaimed.
Climb hummed to himself in rumination.
"Though, the skill's name is a bit… how should I say? Embarrasing…"
"How so?"
"Don't ask me! I didn't pick it!" He threw his arms in the air, exasperated. "I didn't choose it; the name just appeared in my head."
"…"
"I know, we'll call the new branch Rogue Arts!" Ah, changing the subject now, are we? Fine, I shall play along.
I must remember that Climb gets excited at any untried avenue of power. I need to temper his expectations.
"Climb, not to curtail your achievement here, but don't go naming your own branch just yet; let's not get ahead of ourselves. For all we know, it might not be an 'art'. Maybe concoct a few more skills, then maybe you can claim yourself the progenitor of 'Rogue Arts'. A singular, dubious technique with a humiliating name is hardly enough to do so." I received a stubborn pout.
"Alright, when I called it embarrassing, I didn't mean humiliating… Firstly, there's a difference between the two, and second, you haven't even heard its name yet!"
I snickered.
Well, with that sorted, I can consider the future of Gazef's ring assured.
"Anyway, seeing as you're here, you had something to tell me, right?"
"The tournament will begin in a few days' time," I reply. "Nervous?"
"Nope," he replied. "Just looking forward to it."
Character Sheet: Climb
Race: Human
Job: Princess Renner's Advisor, Renner's Accomplice
Residence: Ro-Lente Castle
Alignment: Neutral
Karma: -20
Job Classes:
[Prophet (Genius)] (lv. 2)
[Thief] (lv. 10)
[Bane of Insects] (lv. 7)
[Executioner] (lv. 5)
Total: lv. 24
Birthday: Unknown
Hobby: Doing things with Renner, killing.
AN: A 'calm before the storm'. Thanks for reading!
For those who want to know, Climb gained his [Prophet] class by:
Claiming he was a prophet or equivalentConstructing a prophecyHaving someone else fully believe itPossessing the [Planner] prerequisite