“The barricaded group consists of a former king and his subordinates. They lost a battle to a political rival when they lived above ground.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
“They seem to be upset by the fact that they’re under our control now.”
“Hmm? Right…”
“That’s why they’ve locked themselves in that fortress and are declaring their intent to rule over this land.”
“I see.”
“There are twenty-one of them in total, ranging from levels 1 to 46.”
“Can you list them specifically?”
“It consists of one king, one marquess, one earl, two viscounts, four barons, and twelve knights.”
“I see. Aside from the knights, they must all be around level 1, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Nobles would never go out of their way to level up. But what’s this about a political rival? A king’s rival could only be his own son or maybe a duke. Well, it could also be his daughter too.
Hang on a minute. I need to start thinking from my RP perspective for this mission. Honestly, was there really a point in giving me all that information?
Perhaps they’re trying to get a read on me, and my real goal is to win the approval of the undead in the Abyss. This quest will probably affect my affinity stats, and I’d like to clear it properly if possible. For now, I’ll need to confirm some things in advance or risk making trouble for myself later on.
In the first place, shouldn’t these people be nothing more than small fry to beings like the undead of the Abyss? Were they allowed to take over the fortress in order to judge how I’d respond? If that’s the case, I feel like they were trying to trick me by sharing background information that could make me sympathize with the king and his men.
Well, as a role-player who loves to read, I was never going to do that in the first place. In the world of royals and nobles, the fate of the weak is to be killed off, and by my count, this former king must have been a real idiot when he was ruling. He would have to be if he’s still making a fuss in the Abyss. He was also overthrown by a legitimate heir to the throne, even. Then, when the new king was to take the throne, the previous king’s noble backers ended up being a nuisance requiring removal. It was easy enough to get a general understanding of the big picture considering who all ended up here in the Abyss. How am I supposed to sympathize with these people?
There’s something I need to confirm with the prime minister. “I see. Thank you for sharing. Prime Minister, is this level the deepest one within the Abyss?”
“No, there are levels even lower,” he replies.
I wonder how many levels exist here? But I have all the information I need now, and since the prime minister told me I could command these people, I’ll give my orders to their leader.
“I see. All right, please go in and clean them up. I’ll watch over you, since I’m an arbitrator.”
“Are you sure about that?”
The leader’s eyes opened quite wide. He seems to be making a show of it, but I’ll ignore that. Worrying too much about him seems like it would be a nuisance.
“Why are you so surprised? Have you kept other information from me?” I ask.
“No, I’ve shared all I know.”
“I figured as much. Prime Minister, I’d like to verify my assumptions with you.”
“Very well.”
“The group’s leader is a foolish king, and this political opponent was his own child. The other nobles were blind, supporting this king over the good of their country. Did you tell them to take over this fortress so that you could judge my reaction to it, as well as show off my skills to the Abyss and earn their approval?”
“Very good. But what will you do now?”
The prime minister is really enjoying himself. Well, I suppose it’s hard to read him exactly, since he’s nothing but bones.
For now, I’ll give the leader my commands.
“The goddess of love may show mercy, but I do not. Take them out.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, ma’am. C’mon, boys,” the leader orders.
“Let’s do it!” they cheer.
The leader of the Abyss has been smirking ever since I started verifying my assumptions with the prime minister. He takes his men—all of them smirking too—and heads for the fortress, although roughly half stays behind.
They don’t look like knights, judging by the ill-mannered way they carry their weapons. I’m sure they’re not evil if they’re part of the Abyss’s leadership. I’ll just think of them as characters like Mr. Mohawk.
“We’re all undead, but I suppose former humans never change. The Nether and the Abyss are quite different, aren’t they?” I ask.
“They’ve merely been assigned the location that suits them best,” the prime minister explains.
“Was that man who leads them once a noble himself?”
“He was the third son of a nobleman, but he sought the life of an adventurer, as high society wasn’t to his tastes. His group of adventurers now runs this vigilante corps in the Abyss.”
“I see, so they were once adventurers. But now, as a ruler, it’s time to place my trust in my subordinates and wait for them to finish.”
“Correct. Though, it shouldn’t be long now. Madame, you made your decision quite nonchalantly. I expected at least a bit of hesitation.”
“It’s simple. I’m an outsider in this world, so I make sure to play the part of the ruler who meets expectations. I’m more concerned with that than with what happens to the king and his men. Frankly, they can rot. Unlike them, I haven’t done anything wrong, which grants me the freedom to do as I please.”