Overlord (LN)

Overlord Volume 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Congregated Men

Part 1

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) 3rd Day 04:01

Brain’s accumulated fatigue hit him all at once, and so he slept for almost a full day upon entering Gazef’s home. He woke up to eat a little, and then went right back to bed.

He did not wish to admit it, but he could rest easy in Gazef’s home because he felt safe there. He knew that even his rival Gazef could not endure a single blow from that Shalltear, yet the home of his former nemesis was now the safest place in the world for him. It relieved his tension and allowed him to sleep soundly.

Light fell across Brain’s face through the slats of the louvred window.

The light woke Brain from his dreamless sleep.

He opened his eyes, but the piercing rays made him squint them again. He reached his hand out to block the sunlight.

Brain propped himself up on one arm and then swung his legs over so he was sitting on the side of the bed. He looked around the room like a frightened mouse. The plain room only had the bare minimum of furniture in it, and Brain’s wargear was piled up in a corner of the room.

“Is this the room which the Kingdom’s Warrior-Captain uses to receive guests?”

As Brain looked around the empty room, he let a few biting words fall from his lips as the lack of people put him at ease. Then, he stretched himself, and his joints made cracking noises as his stiff body relaxed and the blood circulated through his body once more.

A huge yawn escaped him.

“...He must have let his people stay the night here in the past, no? They must have felt so disappointed.”

The reason why royalty and nobility led such luxurious lives was not simply because they enjoyed it. It was also for vanity’s sake; to protect their image.

Similarly, when the men saw their leader’s opulent lifestyle, it would spur their desire to make a name for themselves and give them motivation.

“...No, it’s not my place to say such things,” Brain mumbled. Then he snorted; but it was directed at himself and not Gazef.

It must have been because he had been pulled back from the brink of madness, the place where he had nearly been driven by those twin mental shocks. To think he would actually be thinking about such trivial matters.

As Brain thought about that powerful monster, he found that he could not stop the tremors in his hand.

“As I thought...”

The terror which clung to his heart had not been removed yet.

Shalltear Bloodfallen.

A figure of absolute power, one whom even Brain — who had abandoned everything else in pursuit of sword skills — could not possibly match. She was a monster among monsters; yet one whose looks were the sum total of all the beauty in the world. She was a person who wielded true power.

A thrill of fear shot through his heart at the mere memory of her.

He had lived in constant terror of that monster’s pursuit, and once he had reached the road to the Royal Capital he had not slept or even rested, only fleeing for his life. The spectre of Shalltear appeared before him when he did sleep, and the night seemed to take her shape as he ran along the roads. Crushed under this disquiet, he had not been able to get a good night’s rest. All he could do was run like there was nothing else in the world for him.

He had chosen to flee to the Royal Capital because he believed that he could lose himself among the masses of people there and throw her off his trail. However, he had not expected the heavy toll which his gruelling flight had taken on him, or the lack of self-preservation which had developed as a result.

Meeting Gazef was an unexpected development. Perhaps Brain imagined that Gazef could eliminate Shalltear, and so his legs had unconsciously brought him in search of his rival. Yet, he had not found his answer.

“What should I do now...”

He had nothing.

He opened his hands, and they were empty.

He looked at his wargear in the corner of the room.

He had obtained a 「Katana」in order to triumph over Gazef. Yet, what would he do after beating Gazef? He now knew that there was a being several orders of magnitude more powerful than himself. If he could not defeat said being, what was the point of triumphing over those who were beneath it?

“I should probably go take up the plow instead... it would probably be more meaningful.”

Then, Brain sensed someone outside just as he was about to mock himself.

“Unglaus, are you awake? ...You should be, right?”

That voice belonged to the owner of this home.

“Ah, Stronoff. I’m up.”