I like crossing the most

Chapter 490 I can only say that I need to practice more
As darkness began to dominate the capital, Climb and Lin finally returned to the castle.

Although the injury has been completely healed, I am exhausted.

Not only the battle, but also the coordination afterwards took a lot of time. In the end, the matter was successfully resolved, probably not because of Lana's support, but because the guards were afraid of Lin, the second son of the Marquis.

The biggest impact is the issue of responsibility. The person in charge is likely to be targeted by the Eight Fingers and made an example of.

This is by no means an excess of consciousness, but something that has already happened. The Eight Fingers has a great influence in the kingdom, far more rampant than imagined.

Due to the awkward position of the Axis Church, they had no right to deal with this mess, so Climb wrote down a simple account of what happened and had the light guard deliver it to Lana. After obtaining permission, she signed her name as the person in charge.

The princess probably knew this would happen, so she allowed Climb to get involved and act as her agent.

There are disadvantages to doing this.

But there are at least two benefits.

The first is that Lana's reputation has been significantly enhanced.

She reported the organization that polluted the kingdom, a group of criminals involved in the dirty business of slave trading. Not only that, it was her attendants and guards who took the lead in fighting against the criminal organization. This achievement would definitely improve the evaluation of Lana, who stayed in the palace without leaving.

The second reason is that this will protect Sebastian and the woman who was abused in the brothel that he rescued and cared for. Becoming the person in charge can protect them who don't want to attract attention, and it will also make it less likely for them to become the number one target of Eight Fingers.

As for Lin, he took away Shaqiutron and the sissy named Kekedao before the kingdom guards cleaned up the mess.

One of them is a member of Six Arms, and the other is a manager in charge of the slave trading in the brothel. The information in their minds is very important to the next response of the Akusis Cult.

The most important thing is that they cannot be thrown to the Kingdom Prosecutor, otherwise there is a high possibility that the next day we will receive news that the two have committed suicide by being stabbed in the back with seventeen swords.

Back in the palace, Her Royal Highness the Princess's room was still brightly lit.

Clem knocked on the door.

Lin, who didn't gain anything from this event, wanted to push the door open without any courtesy, but the owner of the room was Her Royal Highness the Princess after all, and it would be awkward for both of them if they saw each other wearing thin silk, so he maintained the minimum etiquette.

After getting permission, he pushed the door open and walked in.

What Lin didn't expect was that not only was the princess in the room, but Lagis was also there.

The balcony window was closed, and the two sat at a round table with candles lit, with slightly worried looks on their faces, and then visibly relaxed when they saw Lin and Clem. Anxious and flustered, like a newlywed wife worried about her husband's safety.

As soon as he entered the room, Climb lowered his head suddenly.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"You made me so worried!"

There was clear anger in Lana's tone.

It was surprising, Clem's master rarely got angry, and even when insulted, she never showed anger in front of Clem. Because of this, he realized that Lana was really worried about him.

I tacitly allow you to take risks, and then when you come back I blame you for taking the lead. No matter what, you are being controlled completely.

…Looking at Clem, who was so moved and had warm tears in his eyes, Lin could only sigh that poor Tom was being played around by others.

"I was really worried about you! You actually followed him secretly without permission. I wondered if Eight Fingers would do something, so I... So, what exactly happened? I have received a brief report, but can you please tell me in detail?"

Although he was talking to Climb, Lin noticed that Lana was looking at him.

That's right. After all, he was the person in charge of destroying the brothel and should know the whole process of what happened.

"before this……"

Lin walked over to Lagis and sat down, his upper body slumped on the round table, and said weakly: "Please give me a cup of hot milk tea and add three sugars, thank you."

"Really..."

Lana looked helpless when she saw Lin pouting like that, but she still poured a cup of black tea for Lin and Clem from a thermos, with wisps of hot tea rising from it.

Laqisi carefully added three sugar cubes and stirred them until they were completely melted before handing them to Lin.

"Mmmmm - delicious!"

Lin exclaimed in enjoyment.

Seeing him like this, Lana smiled and semi-forced an invitation to the other boy.

“Climb, please sit with us.”

"...Yes, Your Highness Lana."

He thanked him and took a sip of the lukewarm milk tea.

Clem discovered that since Lin said last time that he liked to drink milk tea, Lana's thermos seemed to be able to pour out milk tea continuously. Does his master like milk tea so much?
Lin and Clem then told Lana the whole story because some people needed her help.

"So, Clem, how did you feel when you saw those people?"

After hearing the whole story, Lana asked a question, which puzzled Climb. But since his master asked, he had to answer.

"I feel sorry for them. If I had more power, I could save those people from suffering."

“Clem thinks they are pitiful?”

"Yes."

“I see. Climb is really gentle.”

The master and servant sang in unison, and although they didn't express their lofty ideals loudly, to be honest, they did seem to be showing off, which made Lagis feel a little jealous.

It's not that she was jealous of Lana, but she was a little unhappy that she couldn't be intimate with Lin.

"I say, you two, I have no problem kissing me, but what about after we leave? Do you have anything else to say now?"

“Eh? Wait… Lagis, you misunderstood! Climb and I are not in the relationship you think!”

"Ah, yes, yes."

Her Royal Highness's slightly anxious denial was not believed by her friends. Lin felt that Lana seemed to be looking at her, but when she turned around, she found that she was not.

It's a bit strange.

Climb also looked a little strange. He sighed slightly and looked very lost.

The speaker has no intention, the listener has intention.

It is no wonder that this young guard who has a crush on Her Royal Highness the Princess must be so distraught because of the difference in status caused by Her Royal Highness the Princess's unintentional words just now.

He patted his back hard.

"Stand up straight, Clem."

"...Master Lin is still lying on the table?"

"I used up a lot of mana using healing magic during the battle. What do you think caused this?"

"Feel sorry."

Climb lowered his head again.

If it weren't for Lin's intervention, he would have been buried in the secret passage of the brothel, and Eight Fingers would have escaped. The reason why he almost made a big mistake was that he was too careless and felt complacent that he could defeat someone who could rival the adamantine-level adventurer.

“It’s okay, Climb. You’ve captured Dunetron, one of the six arms, and Kekedal, the head of the slave trade department. You’ve done well enough.”

"Your Highness Lana..."

Lana noticed Clem's loss and quickly took his hand, with a sincere affirmation in her eyes, which moved Clem deeply.

"But the one who finally finished it was Lord Lin."

“Yes, Climb was right. I was the one who finished it off. And I wouldn’t say anything to comfort him like he held on until I arrived. In fact, I went through the secret passage with those two people.”

"Hasn't that been there since the beginning?!"

“Are you asking me why I didn’t fight? Climb seemed so eager to fight right from the start, and it would be a shame to interrupt him. It would be bad to say you can’t win and dampen your confidence.”

Climb had no words to refute.

It was indeed as Lin said, he was a little over-stressed when he saw Dunetron, especially after hearing that the other party was one of the Six Arms. He got excited and thought of using the other party to test his own weight, which led to his embarrassing situation.

In the final analysis, it's all your own fault!

The boy had a gloomy expression.

Lin took a big sip of milk tea and commented contentedly: "So, he ignored the assigned mission and rushed into a dangerous place. When he encountered a strong enemy, he did not think of escaping but fought back. However, he knew to shout for help loudly, which was a point, and he was also great to be able to observe the nature of the enemy during the battle... Overall, his performance was so-so, so I'll give him a passing score of 60 points."

"Eh...but at that time, Master Lin said that I performed very well and praised me..."

"If he were an ordinary guard, I would say he performed very well, but you are the guard of Her Royal Highness the Princess, so I can only say that you still need to work harder."

"Yes, that's right."

Climb clearly didn’t seem convinced by Lin’s judgment, but at least he fought back and forth with the adamantium-ranked adventurer—even though the result was a bit embarrassing and he almost lost his life.

But Lin was right about one thing, he was the guard of Her Royal Highness the Princess. After this incident, the kingdom would become more dangerous, and he would have to work harder to protect her!

"I'll do my best!"

"Well, come on, I'm rooting for you."

The good thing about people who have faith and something they want to protect is that even if they suffer a setback, they will quickly get back on their feet. For such people, encouragement is more important than praise.

"Okay, enough small talk."

After drinking the milk tea, Lin regained his spirit, and his gradually serious expression also made the atmosphere pause.

"Your Highness, you called me and Lagis here so late. Is there something important?"

"……Yes."

Lana nodded and signaled Lagis with her eyes. After receiving the signal, the noble daughter took out the parchment with the eight finger strongholds marked on it. This time, there were many more places marked than last time. It seemed that they had gained a lot today.

Lagis said, "Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow, we will launch an attack on the eight-finger facility recorded on the parchment. Because we can imagine that after the brothel is destroyed this time, the longer time is delayed, the more strict the enemy's vigilance will be."

"...I see. Since you have shaken the opponent's foundation, you want to seize the opportunity and pursue the victory as soon as possible?" Lin said slowly after thinking.

"That's right." Lana waved her cute fist that had neither speed nor strength, and said excitedly, "I want to strike the enemy again before they get the information out of the capital!"

This is a good plan, Lin Ju agreed with both hands.

The kingdom is in deep trouble right now, and with the Theocracy and the Empire - a dangerous situation with wolves in front and tigers behind, there is no time to let them boil frogs in warm water. If they want to make the kingdom better, they can only take drastic measures.

The only drawback is that it may cause considerable turmoil in the royal capital.

Whether it is royal family, nobles or common people.

However, the turmoil in the royal family was resolved by Her Royal Highness the Princess, the anger of the nobles was calmed by his brother, Marquis Rebuen, and the panic of the civilians was appeased by the Cult of Axis. Eight Fingers' plan to stir up chaos in the capital before leaving was aborted before it even began.

All of this was predicted by the seemingly harmless princess in front of him. Lin could only admire her extraordinary wisdom once again.

While Lin and others were discussing how to deal with Eight Fingers, Sebastian returned to the mansion.

Just as he was about to open the door, his hand suddenly stopped.

There is someone behind the door.

It felt like Soruka, but Sebastian didn't understand why she was standing behind the door.

Is there some emergency?
Sebastian had a bad feeling in his heart, but he still opened the door. Then he saw a scene that was so beyond his imagination that he froze in place.

"You are back, Master Sebastian."

Seeing Soruka in a maid outfit, Sebastian shivered down his spine.

Suo Liuxiang, who plays the role of a rich girl, actually wears a maid outfit when Qiare, who knows nothing about the facts, stays in the mansion. There are only two reasons why she can do this: she doesn't need to act anymore, or there is a reason why she must wear a maid outfit.

The former said that something bad happened to Qiare.

The latter——

"Master Sebastian, Master Ainz is waiting for you inside."

Sebastian's heart skipped a beat when he heard Soruka's calm voice. Sebastian, who could remain calm even when facing powerful enemies or guardian-level beings, was actually very nervous when he heard that his master was visiting.

He stammered, "W-why…"

"Master Sebastian, Master Ainz is waiting for you."

Suo Liuxiang just repeated this sentence.

There is nothing else to say.

Seeing Suo Liuxiang's attitude, Sebastian had no choice but to follow her into the house, his steps as heavy as a death row prisoner walking towards the guillotine.

The door of the reception room slowly opened.

The door, which I always remember to oil, should open smoothly, but now it feels inexplicably heavy and moves slowly, as if there is a difference in air pressure inside and outside.

It was as if he sensed Sebastian's state of mind and moved so slowly.

If he could really sense his own state of mind, Sebastian would have wished that the door would not open, but it actually did, and the reception room reflected Sebastian's vision.

In the room that was no different from usual, there were four aliens waiting that were not usually there.

A warrior, a demon, an angel that looks like a fetus, and—

"I'm so sorry for coming so late!"

Sebastian suppressed his trembling voice with his willpower and bowed respectfully to the only person sitting in the reception room, similar to a worship.

There could be no one else that he, who served as both the head butler and the steward, and held almost the highest position in Nazarick, would bow to out of awe and fear.

——One of the forty-one supreme beings, Ainz Ooal Gown!
(End of this chapter)