Chương 18: Wings of the Dragonlord (2)

Casval wasn't human. Simon already knew that since the night he saw him rise into the air with wings and a tail, but now that he spent his days befriending the traitor, he had begun to pick on startling details about him. First of all, Casval only ate meat. Vegetables, milk, cereal… he always left them on his plate in the academy feasting hall while devouring rabbit and chicken without issue.

Most wouldn't care all that much, yet his diet's implications disturbed Simon to his core; doubly so when he noticed the predatory glances Casval often sent to people who injured themselves during melee practice. He reminded Simon of a tiger considering whether or not to strike at its wounded prey. Casval always managed to regain his self-control and quickly hid his true feelings; but fact remained that the first thought that crossed his mind when seeing a human bleed was to eat them.

Sometimes, Casval would outright forget to blink. He would keep his eyes open for hours on end, only to abruptly close them when talking to someone, as if remembering that was something humans did now and then. He never used the privy either, likely because his body processed waste differently. Casval was something shaped like a man, a parrot repeating words to trick prey, a mimic trying to blend into the treasury.

He succeeded enough to pass a cursory investigation, but it only made the brief peeks behind the mask all the more unsettling. No one would have noticed his true nature unless they already knew to pay attention. What did Mr. Adrissant say about scalefolk? That they were akin to talking alligators? Simon thought as he and Casval browsed books on Telluria in the academy's library. That must have been why he killed Anna.

Simon had wondered why Casval had slain Anna in her bedroom, considering it would almost certainly blow his cover, but he had begun to work out a theory. Casval was a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, a man-eating predator who had to make a conscious effort not to take a bite out of people. Being alone in a room with an unarmed Anna with no witnesses must have been too great a temptation to resist.

"This library is lacking in knowledge," Casval complained after closing a book with no new piece of insight to show for it.

"You said a demon was entombed there?"

"That's what my kish servant told me when I asked her about the 'divine relic,'" Simon replied. While Casval was clearly interested in whatever lurked beneath the kish capital, he didn't seem to know more than Simon himself.

"Do you think they could be related?"

"Possibly. One man's demon is another's god." Casval smiled, his teeth so white and pristine.

"May the Church of the Light forgive me for saying so."

"I am no priest, so you will receive no absolution for your confession." Simon closed his own book. Imperial scholars couldn't care less about beastmen beyond how to subjugate them.

"Assuming this treasure exists and isn't all hogwash, what do you want to do with it, Casval?"

"I figured we could present it to Prince Dassein or the emperor himself for a promotion." That was most likely a lie meant to obfuscate his group's intentions, but Simon wondered if that wasn't Casval's actual plan: use a foreign treasure to buy his way into House Magnos' good graces so he could infiltrate them.

"I would rather that we sell it," Simon said, before throwing a hook and lure at the Casval fish.

"My siblings would misuse it."

"Oh?" Casval looked at him with interest.

"Are they so terrible?"

"You've seen Thalas, and Louis is crazier still." Simon scoffed.

"You don't know them like I do." Casval's head tilted to the side in a way that reminded Simon of an owl on the prowl.

"Do you hate them?" Instead of answering, Simon scowled and feigned uneasiness. He subtly glanced at the students near their tables as if to check that no one eavesdropped.

"Doesn't matter," Simon finally said.

"It won't change anything." Simon knew he had won the moment he caught that small glint of satisfaction in Casval's eyes. Saying that he hated his siblings would have been too good to be true, but feigning evasiveness and giving a non-committed answer? Now he looked like someone full of resentment who had given in to resignation out of fear and powerlessness; a perfect prospect for radicalization if given the tools to act.

"I see…" Casval replied evasively.

"Why are you asking me this?" Simon inquired while faking suspicion.

"If you think you can rat me out to Thalas for a favor–""Is it Thalas, or Thal- Ass?" Casval replied with a chuckle.

"Worry not. He would not give a non-noble like me the time of day." Which implied he had considered such an approach before deeming it impractical, the bastard.

"Oh, look, Tiella," a certain voice called out to Simon.

"It's Simon and his boyfriend." Simon smiled as Anna and her handmaiden joined them, though his happiness vanished the moment he saw the fiendish smirk she sent Casval's way. He had to avoid a repeat of that disaster.

"You would be the first person informed if I were dating someone, Anna," Simon teased her.

"I wouldn't keep any secret from my favorite honorary cousin."

"Your only honorary cousin, thank you very much," Anna replied before putting a newspaper in front of Simon.

"Then how do you explain this?" Simon already knew the title even before he checked.

"Why would I know anything about the Lord Treasurer's death?"

"I don't know, because Father and Louis' fiancée were recalled to the capital around the same time you left it, and he hasn't sent me a letter since." Anna leaned closer to him.

"As you said, you wouldn't keep secrets from your beloved honorary cousin, right?"

"The only secret we're working to uncover is that of the kish treasure, Your Highness," Casval said. It's happening again, Simon cursed when he noticed a spark of excitement in Anna's gaze. Damn it. He had hoped skipping Tribal Studies to check the library today would have prevented it, yet it seemed the river of time was set on flowing the same way.

The fact that Casval indeed used the exact same sentence he pulled on Anna in a previous reign meant he had probably rehearsed it in his head for a while, just to create an opportunity he could seize to close in on his prey. If Simon didn't do anything, then Anna would invite Casval to a private party that would lead to her death. He had to throw a stone into the water before the river continued on with its course.

"Treasure?" Anna asked.

"Simon, what have you been keeping from us?"

"I…" Simon cleared his throat.

"No, I shouldn't."

"Shouldn't what?" As he suspected, his reluctance only emboldened Anna.

"My, something is going on in the capital?" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone." Simon pretended to glance around, then leaned on to whisper into Anna's ear.

"It's family stuff."

"Oh, I see…" Anna scowled, but understood the not-so-secret message: that it wasn't something they could discuss in front of Casval and Tiella.

"How about you come to my room tonight? I was about to invite you to a private studying session anyway."

"Sure." Simon sighed and turned to Casval.

"Sorry."

"No offense taken," the traitor replied, his interest only growing further. If he wasn't considering recruiting Simon already, he would likely act on it soon.

"And is that Antonine I spy behind a bookshelf?" Anna laughed and then raised her voice.

"Antonine, come join us!" Simon heard a startled cry, followed by the noise of books falling and someone hastily retreating through the exit.

"I thought she was allergic to studying?" Tiella mused.

"I wonder which of us Thalas sent her to spy on," Anna said, smirking at Simon.

"You or I?"

"Maybe both." That bothered Simon. He could always count on Thalas to ruin his plans.

"So, tonight Anna?"

"Don't be late, or you'll be sorry." Since there was time until the evening, Simon took his retainers on a short hunt outside the city walls. Dassein had unfortunately refused to give him a bounty hunter licence this time around, likely because of Firewand's absence and his lack of Gladiator Class, so he was technically skipping school. A pity, but he needed to check something.

"We're being followed, Your Highness," Meredith noted halfway to their destination. I knew it.

"By whom?"

"Four riders. Academy students."

"Thalas' posse, I assume." That displeased Simon, who then looked up to the sky.

"Do you see any flyers, Eole?"

"The skies are clear," the kish replied above their heads. She was a little more open to following Simon's commands since they shared a common enemy in the scalefolk, but she still remained wary and distant.

"Why?" Because Casval or his sister would have been much harder to lose. Why was Thalas having him followed this time around? Because of what he told Anna at the library? Did he think Simon was making a move on her on Lauriane's behalf or something? Whatever his reason, that could play into his hands one day… but not now. The less Thalas knew about his activities, the better.

"Meredith, go intercept them," Simon said.

"If I'm right, they'll likely flee back to Beleth or disperse rather than confront you. If not… if not, give them a stern warning. We'll rejoin you before long."

"Yes, Your Highness." Meredith nodded and then turned around to fulfill her command, leaving Simon and Leonard to continue alone. True to his guess, Thalas' sycophants turned around the moment Meredith went to confront them, according to Eole. This allowed Simon's group to reach the hellhound's cave unmolested. Leonard drew his sword when he spotted the wolves guarding the threshold, only for Simon to stop him with a wave of his hand. The pack obediently knelt rather than growl or bare their fangs.

"Keep watch, Leonard," Simon ordered as he dismounted and entered the cave.

"It won't take long." Simon put on the Overlord Class outfit the moment he walked out of Leonard's sight, his morning star held in hand. He found the hellhound lazing around at the back of the cave alongside his she-wolves. This time, he greeted Simon with caution and deference rather than hostility.

"Nessian smells your power, but you are not the mistress," the hellhound said warily.

"Who are you?" Unquestioned Ruler caused weaker monsters like the hellhound to see Simon as an authority figure to respect, but that didn't mean they would immediately forget all their previous loyalties. Nonetheless, it allowed Simon to open up communications unlike last time.

"The master of these lands, to whom your mistress answers," Simon replied.

"I have come to check on you on her behalf." The hellhound all but bolted to his feet in excitement.

"Mistress Vouivre worries about Nessian?" Simon hadn't expected the hellhound to so readily reveal that piece of information. He didn't seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, even beyond Unquestioned Ruler's influence. Then again, a dog was a dog.

"Yes, she did," Simon lied easily.

"How long has it been since she last visited you, I wonder?"

"Too long," Nessian complained.

"Nessian sees her visiting the scalelings east now and then, but she has not scratched Nessian's back since she asked him to watch this place." So Vouivre was in regular contact with the Redhand tribe. Interesting. Maybe they served as intermediaries between her and Casval.

"But Nessian has been a good dog in her absence!" The hellhound nodded to himself.

"Nessian's pack ate all the manlings that came this way and let the scalelings pass at night!" So Simon's suspicion was right, Vouivre did send this beast to harass imperial supply lines. That part about the 'scalelings' was new, though.

"The scalelings? You mean the Redhands?"

"The scalelings come and go, but all they do is watch the manling city from afar," Nessian said, his teeth closing down on a human femur laying at his feet.

"They do not even hunt them like Nessian does!" Vouivre sent scalefolk scouts near Beleth while disrupting its supply lines… was she planning a raid of some kind? Was Casval's goal of assassinating Anna only a part of his duties? The hellhound and the Redhands had started a mess long before Simon and Anna arrived in Telluria, so Vouivre had to be pursuing another objective. Dassein. Dassein is in the city too, and I can't see any assassin getting anywhere close to him, Simon thought.

Is Vouivre planning to flush him out with an attack on his city? Is Casval's job to sabotage the defenses from the inside? Whatever Vouivre was planning, Thalas' presence in the city was bound to accelerate things. The prospect of killing so many members of House Magnos in a single operation was too good an opportunity to pass up for Gargauth's heirs. This went way beyond what Simon was expecting, but it offered him an opportunity. No doubt Dassein would be highly interested in such intel.

"You have served well, Nessian, and I am sure your mistress will be pleased," Simon said, though he believed none of it. He opened his palm and called upon the Brand of Sloth.

"As proof of your service, I shall bestow upon you a gift. A mark of power."

"Oh yes!" Nessian wagged his tail in joy.

"Nessian will serve you well, Mistress-Master!"

"I'm sure you will." Simon placed the mark at the base of the neck, to ensure it would kill the beast should he remove it. He was surprised to sense the sudden thrill of a level-up in the depths of his soul. It seemed that while Simon couldn't gain experience for the same feat twice, he could gain experience from killing or subjugating the same fool, depending on circumstances.

Level 14 Overlord Perk: Land of Darkness I (Active): You can mark a natural or artificial landmark as your Dungeon, infusing it with a malevolent miasma crystal serving as its core. You are connected to the crystal and constantly aware of its status. All the benefits of your Lord of the Demon Castle Perk apply to the Dungeon as if it were Castle Frightwall, and corpses left inside are automatically reanimated as mindless undead bound to defend the crystal or obey you.

You can only have one Dungeon crystal active at once. A Dungeon? How interesting. Simon was aware of the concept of those kinds of malevolent living architecture—Castle Frightwall, counting among their numbers—but the idea that a human could create one surprised him. They usually arose as the result of powerful demonic influence or miasmic corruption. Lord of the Demon Castle only provided Simon a stat bonus inside Frightwall for now, but that Perk was bound to grow in strength in conjunction with Land of Darkness…

and the automatic undead creation would no doubt pique Duchar's interest. Wait, would a crystal endure beyond its Overlord's death? Simon wondered. Could Father have left a hidden Dungeon safehouse stashed somewhere? Questions for later.

"Now you can report to me, the same way your mistress does; through the power of the mind," Simon informed Nessian.

"I want you to keep an eye on the 'scalelings' whenever they enter your territory and tell me what they do. They've been slacking off lately, and we want to be sure they do their job."

"Yes, Mistress-Master!"

"Call me as well, should your mistress visit you. We will have much to talk about then." That or Simon would trigger the mark to ensure the hellhound never lived to give away a thing. Simon left the cave to rejoin Leonard afterwards after removing the Overlord armor. It annoyed him slightly that a dog could benefit from increased experience gain when he would have to toil for each and every level. Then again, there might be a workaround…

"Leonard, would you know any Class with an experience boosting Perk?" Simon asked his retainer upon climbing back on his horse. If his retainer had his suspicions about how he got past the wolves or what he was doing inside the cave, he didn't show it. He had to have guessed Simon possessed a Class of some kind at least. Leonard nodded, to his employer's joy.

"The Adventurer Noble Class famously has one, as do some of its Vassals like the Seeker." An experience-boosting Perk would serve me for the rest of my life if I could obtain it with Devour Crestone, Simon thought. The earlier I find the right Crestone, the better.

"Do you know how I could access one of those Classes?"

"The Adventurer belongs to the Kingdom of Lore, so they have a near monopoly on its Vassal Crestones," Leonard replied. He looked at the horizon, catching sight of Meredith riding to rejoin them.

"Our army might have seized some of them during our near-constant skirmishes. I admit only someone like Lord Dassein could tell Your Highness more." Of course it wouldn't be so easy. The Kingdom of Lore on the western continent had bedeviled Endymion for centuries, and produced its fair share of would-be Overlord-slayers and Paladins. Going there would take a while, and Simon doubted they would share their precious Classes with him. In a future reign, perhaps.

For now, he had two dragons to kill; and he would soon have the tools to do exactly that.