LIGHTNOVELONLINE Lord Cassian Aurelius
[Fortress City - E-Rantel]
In the inn closest to the adventures guild, it was as rowdy as ever, at any point in the day, countless adventures could be seen eating and drinking in the building’s main hall, here in E-Rantel.
They also liked discussing the events that happened in the city, particularly events that concerned their general livelihood.
Like for example, a new lord arriving in their city.
“Hey, have you heard about the new rich guy that purchased a mansion near the guild from the mayor?”
A random adventurer suddenly said, he spoke to no one in particular as he idly drank the beer from the jug in his hand.
But the question was far from unheard, and as if they had been waiting for someone to speak about the matter, countless others immediately started voicing their opinions one after the other.
“Yes, I saw him this morning. He's definitely a lord from somewhere, he seems as stuck up as our nobility”
“He looks quite young too, probably some lord's son or a prince from somewhere”
The mysterious man in question had arrived only a few hours ago, his refined attitude coupled with handsomeness and stoic exterior made him quite the talk among the relatively close knitted city of E-Rantel.
But that wasn't what truly attracted most of the people here about him, what truly did was how deep his pockets were.
And to be able to purchase a mansion a mere few minutes after just arriving in the city, that was why the adventures were so drawn to him.
“But if he's a noble like what y'all are saying, then what's so special about him? Everyone knows that nobles are all arrogant pieces of shit”
All adventures collectively turned to the owner of the voice, a younger adventure with a silver plate hung from his neck.
“Tch, that's why I hate newbies. Don't be stupid kid!”
An adventurer with a bald head and a scar that went down from his eye brow to his nose clicked his tongue as he shook his head from side to side.
So did the other adventures across the room, or at least those who seem to noticeably have more experience and held higher leveled plates.
“Listen up Kid, noble or not, the new guy is undoubtedly filthy rich, and him picking a mansion near the guild means that he doesn't mind our presence”
The scarred man spoke with surprising calmness as he shot the younger adventurer a blank look with his clear eye.
The younger adventurer understood that the scarred man was explaining the thing he seems to be missing, so he listened to his senior's words attentively.
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand how having a spoiled rich noble son who's now living near their guild could possibly be a good thing.
Confusion was apparent on the younger adventurer’s face, and when the scarred adventurer picked it up, he clicked his tongue again.
“Tch, who do you think commissions the guild, kid?”
“The citizens, the merchants and….oh”
“That's right you idiot, regular people commission us in exchange for what little they can offer, merchants pay more, but they're often crafty and don't want to spend more than they should”
The younger adventurer seemed to have understood the point by now, but as the scarred man explained it more and more, the young adventurer wondered how could he miss such a crucial detail.
“But the nobles are the real jackpot, they pay a shitload for their commissions, the only drawback is that they are usually a bitch to deal with, but this one seems to be unlike that”
The other adventures who have been silently listening nodded their heads in tandem.
Their mouths drooled as they considered the amount of money they could get if they received a commission from someone rich enough to buy a mansion directly from the mayor.
But as each one of them was lost in their fantasy, the creaking sound of the building's wooden gate opening woke them up from their daydream.
The muttering gradually came to a halt as everyone in the hall focused on the increasing sound of armor clancking that came from the door.
And when the door finally opened up fully, the adventurers could finally see the face, or rather the helmet of the man who could be heard from a mile away.
A good couple of seconds passed by in silence as the adventurers inspected the newcomer thoroughly.
Shining jet black armor laced golden streaks that didn't have as much as a dent on it, two greatswords the size of an average adult male strapped to the man's back and a red cape that hung from his back and went down to the armor knee caps.
His impossibly tall figure, coupled with the obvious sturdiness of his equipment and the swords he carried automatically means that he is a warrior, which in this case fits impossibly well.
The large man also had a companion, a gorgeous snow white skinned woman with jet black hair tied in a ponytail and a dark red cape that surrounded almost her entire body.
She didn't wear any armor, she also appeared to not be holding any weapons either, which in the new world typically equates to being a mage, or more commonly referred to as a magic caster.
The two new arrivals stared back at the adventurers in silence, the man's dark steel helmet and the woman's flat stare offered no insight towards the current thought process of the two of them at all.
And after a few heavy seconds of silence, the two slowly made their way across the hall, allowing the surrounding adventurers to get a good look at them as they passed by.
Naturally, neither the man nor the woman paid them any mind, and after quietly continued walking until they eventually made their way to the counter, specifically to the middle aged man that's obviously the innkeeper here.
“A room? It's 5 bronze pieces a night for two”
The man said in a gruff monotone voice, his eyes never looking up from whatever he was doing down from the counter.
“The meals ar-”
“I would like a room for two, no meals necessary”
The inn keep was about to continue his words, but was rudely interrupted by the man in armor, which naturally annoyed him a bit, getting him to finally look up to the two figures in front of him.
And the first thing he saw wasn't the shiny armor or the intimidating aura, but the plates of the two new people.
“You’re a copper plate, right? This place is to-”
“We just registered ourselves to the guild a few moments ago”
The innkeeper's voice could be heard by all the adventurers around, and the second they found out about the man's ranking, they burst out laughing.
This was the exact reason why the innkeeper tried to warn the man in armor about, and when he interrupted him again, the innkeeper grew more annoyed.
So deciding to teach the newcomer a lesson in manners, he slammed his fist on the counter and glared upwards at the steel helmet.
“7 bronze pieces a night, you gotta pay upfront”
The man in armor just stared at the innkeeper in silence, and when it looked like it was about to escalate into a fight, the sound of coins clinking against wood could clearly be heard.
“That should be fine”
Exactly seven bronze pieces were laid besides the innkeeper's fist on the counter, followed by the armored man's calm and collected voice.
The innkeeper took one look at the money, a second look at the man's unchanging helmet, and scoffed quietly to himself, his mood returning to its previous neutral state.
Deciding that it was none of his business whether the man decided to take his advice or not, the innkeeper pointed at the stairs beside the counter and calmly spoke.
“The room is on the second floor in the back”
After finally getting what he wanted, the armored man started walking towards the direction the innkeeper pointed at, inwardly rejoicing to finally find a place to relax after a stressful past couple of hours.
But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Because just after he and his companion started walking, one of the adventurers sitting by blocked his path by extending his leg in front of him.
He was a bald adventurer with a tattoo on his head, he was one of three adventurers who were famous for making the lives of new adventurers more difficult than it already was.
Evident by the quite cackling sounds from the two other men sitting beside the tattooed man on the table.
The masked man naturally saw through their little plan, and after contemplating for a few seconds on how to proceed, he decided to just get rid of the annoyance as fast as possible.
He walked right into the man's leg, which the tattooed man was naturally waiting for, evident by him not wasting any time and immediately standing up to block the masked man's path.
“Hey now, that hurts. What do you think you'r-!!!”
“Get out of my sight, punk”
But sadly for the tattooed man, the masked man wasn't in the mood for the play that was being performed.
Which resulted in a somewhat comical scene, with the tattooed adventurer being slapped across the face so hard, he ended up being flung to the other side of the room, crashing into a couple of tables that naturally resulted in them breaking in half.
The scene naturally baffled all adventurers present, evident by the countless exclamations throughout the hall.
Nobody expected a bronze ranked adventurer, a newly registered one no less, to overpower an iron ranked adventurer with nothing but a slap to the face.
And looking at the slaped man in question, who was currently twitching face down on the ground, it didn't look like a simple light slap in any way.
“So? Is there anything else you gentlemen want to add?”
The masked man looked back at the two other men who accompanied the tattooed man, he appeared unbothered by the tense atmosphere that suddenly reigned in the entire hall.
The two men in question tensed under the man's supposedly flat stare, the started packing away slightly, both similarly afraid of meeting a fate like that of their companion.
“If you would want I-”
But a shrill scream suddenly interrupted him, the sound of a woman screaming in despair on the top of her lungs could be heard from the direction the tattooed man was just launched into.
The armored man slowly turned to the source of the scream, and after seeing the woman in question, along with a blue puddle by the shattered wooden table, his mind traced together what had happened.
The woman that was on the verge of tears was around 20 years old, she had untidy red hair trimmed short, sharp eyes, didn't wear any makeup and her skin was wheat-colored after long.
She looked noticeably experienced despite her young age, evident by how her arms contained noticeable muscles and the iron plate that hung from her neck.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!, What the hell do you think you're doing!”
She angerly stormed her way towards the armoured man and stood inches away from him with tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
She pointed at the blue puddle by the table as she looked up to the man with a glare.
“My potion shattered because of you! You better pay for it!”
She looked downwards and started to literally shake in anger as she spoke with a rage filled voice.
“With the money I saved from skipping meals and quitting alcohol! The money I saved little by little for today. Today!”
Her outburst kept on going, her gaze snapped back upward as she glared at the helmet of the man in front of her.
“You broke the potion I just bought today!”
She looked noticeably shaken, and for a good reason of course, anybody in her place would naturally be as furious, if not even more so than she currently is.
But her outburst did nothing to sway the armored man, he even found her slightly annoying.
He stared at her in silence for a few seconds, and after remembering the real reason behind this situation to begin with, he turned to the tattooed man's two companies.
“Why not have these guys compensate you for it?”
“The potion is 1 gold and 10 silver coins, there's no way these two drunkards could have that amount of money on them!”
She said dismissively as she shot the two men an annoyed look, then turned back at the man she's standing in front of, specifically towards the armor he's wearing.
“You’re wearing pretty nice armor there, you probably have a healing potion or two on you, right?”
She looked up to the man and said with a relatively calmer tone than the one she previously spoke with.
“I'm okay with getting the actual item back”
“I do have some, but…”
The armored man contemplated whether to give her one of the potions he has or not.
But, when his eyes caught sight of his companion's hand grasping what looked like a sword from inside her cape, he started to panic.
He knew his companion had grown tired of the female adventurer and would soon kill her if he didn't stop her.
“Wait! Wa-!!”
He hurriedly rummaged inside his cloak for a potion for the female adventurer, lest his companion chops her in half here and there.
But before he was able to do so, the loud sound of the inn's wooden door creaking interrupted him.
Everyone present in the inn also glanced at the door, curious to see who would enter despite the ruckus that naturally signifies an ongoing fight.
The adventurers expected it to be a high ranked adventurer drawn to the ruckus, the armored man expected it to be an officer of some sort, he caused quite a scene after all.
But neither guess ended up being right, and everyone was left thoroughly surprised when they saw who was or rather, who were the people standing at the door.
There were two men there, one of them was quite well known, a middle aged man with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and wore extremely luxurious clothes that symbolized his status as the mayor of E-Rantel.
Dubbed as the hungry pig by the common folk of E-Rantel, his overweight stature, which coupled with the scornful look he always gave those who he deemed lower than him, were very familiar sights to all the men and women here in the inn.
The second man however, was the one who drew the attention of the crowd, he was the same man who in a matter of hours, became the talk of the entire city.
He was considerably taller than all present here, his height only matched by the armored man who stood well and above the average adult man to begin with.
His snow-white skin looked so pale it could reflect the light of the sun, which, in contrast to his hair, seemed as dark as a moonless night.
He wore a luxurious black suit paired with a white tie, a contrast to the pitch black darkness that were his eyes.
“I implore you Lord Cassian, this…unrefined and rundown establishment couldn't possibly hope to match someone of your exalted status”
The mayor addressed the man named Cassian with excessive flattery, completely unlike the unrestrained disdain he carried when he spoke of the inn they were in, which made his qualifications to be mayor questionable at best.
The adventurers looked at the mayor with unhidden annoyance, the man obviously didn't like them, and they didn't enjoy the company of the pig-faced noble either, but none of them voiced out a complaint, not like it would do them any good at the end of the day.
So they just casted a collective annoyed gaze at the mayor and decided to ignore him for the rest of his stay, alternatively however, their combined gazes ended up being drawn to the man by his side.
Lord Cassian Aurelius as they came to call him, was an emotionless man with the aura of a prince and pockets to actually back such a claim up.
He was undoubtedly human, he wouldn't have entered the city unless he was of course, which made his pair of ominous black eyes incredibly eye-catching.
He ignored the mayor as they stood side by side at the entrance.
He scanned the entire room in silence, his
gaze swiping over each adventurer and drawing out an involuntary twitch from those who have met his calm gaze head on.
His gaze didn't linger on particularly anyone, but when it came on the duo of armored man and his companion, he stared at them for a few moments.
The armored man also stared back at the so-called lord Cassian, their gazes locked in silence, the atmosphere grew even more tense than it already was, nobody moved as they watched on with held breath
The silence didn't last forever however, it was cut off by the sound of shoes clacking on the wooden floor, as the supposed lord made his way to the middle of the room, specifically towards the armored man.
He walked with dignity and poise, he didn't carry any weapons and was fully surrounded by adventurers, who were well known to be rough and generally quite abrasive.
But he didn't care, he walked head first into the crowd of adventurers making his way towards his goal.
And what's even more unusual was that the adventurers actually made way for him to pass.
Not out of respect mind you, adventurers rarely held respect for anyone, even among themselves.
Instead it was something else that drove them to do so, something more primal, a result of the keen instinct that they had honed over the countless years they fought monsters.
It didn't mean that they were afraid he would actually pull out a sword and kill them or anything, it was something else, a feeling inside them that screamed to not get in the way of this man, the natural aura of dominance he exuded was really overbearing.
But that didn't seem to work on all people however, because as soon as he was a few inches away from the armored man, his female companion stood in front of him defensively.
She looked up to the lord with a disdain filled gaze, her hand holding the hilt of the sword hidden in her cape as of daring him to get any closer.
He also looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers as they stared at each other in a tense silence, and they remained so until they were suddenly interrupted.
“Nabe, step aside”
“A-”
“It's fine Nabe”
The commanding voice of her lord brought her back to reality, she looked back and attempted to plead he reconsiders, but his insistence left her no choice but to concede.
She immediately let go of her sword and stepped aside like he had ordered, her eyes never leaving the handsome lord who stood in front of her with no considerable change to his emotions.
Her mind twisted and churned, she felt no mana from the human they called Cassian, but the danger her instincts warned her of wasn’t something she had ever felt from a human before.
He was a threat to her lord, and like the obedient servant she is, she immediately took action to defend him.
Her lord should've felt it too but stopped her anyway, something that she wasn't able to fully understand.
But who was she to question the actions of her lord anyway. Because at the end of the day, all she had to do was protect him.
So she watched as the man came face to face with her master, the human's black eyes stared at the cold steel of her lord's helmet as they both stood facing each other in silence.
No one of them spoke a word, silence stretched for a good few seconds as they both stared at each other, making the atmosphere so tense it could be physically felt by everyone present.
But it seems that concern was unnecessary, because the two men soon shook hands like two long time friends.
“Momon, a pleasure to meet you once more”
“Likewise Cassian, I had heard of your arrival in this city actually, forgive me for not coming to meet up with you sooner”
“No matter, I'm sure you were having…more urgent business to attend to”
Cassian looked around the hall, his gaze specifically lingered on the bald adventurer that was still stuck face first into the ground, surrounded by the remains of a blue colored potion.
The armored man, now known as Momon, naturally noticed what Cassian was alluding to, he let out a small sigh as he held back the reflexive urge to scratch the back of his head.
“I had an…unfortunate first meeting with some of the adventurers here, which led to even more problems”
He spoke with slight annoyance as he glanced at the red haired adventurer who had fallen into silence the moment Cassian entered the hall.
She had been screaming about how expensive her potion was and how much she had painstakingly saved up for it by skipping meals day after day as she demanded Momon compensate her for it.
He honestly felt a little annoyed by her attitude, but what truly prevailed over his annoyance was his curiosity.
'Why isn't she speaking? Is something wrong with her?’
His thoughts were fortunately heard by only himself, but even if the female adventurers were to hear them, she wouldn't be able to satisfy his curiosity.
It felt like magic, from the moment she first caught sight of Cassian, the words felt stuck in her throat.
He looked like the man of her dreams; like a knight in shining armor, he walked with confidence, his dreamy black eyes appeared so beautiful in her own. His presence was calm and reassuring, as if nothing in the world could shake his resolve.
It was love at first sight, she hadn't believed it had existed before, claiming it to be for those whose emotions were easy to sway to begin with.
But now she felt it, the moment her eyes were laid upon the man as he entered the hall, she felt herself instantly falling in love.
But then it dawned on her, she suddenly felt an intense amount of insecurity flood her mind, she had the incredible urge to flee out of sight instantly, hoping he wouldn't see her in such a…plain state.
Her hair was a mess, her eyes had tears in them from the earlier tantrum she had put on, her clothes weren't those of a refined lady, but of an adventurer who fought monsters every day.
She looked quite rough at best, a most unsuitable appearance for meeting the man you wish to spend the rest of your life with, so she naturally wanted to hide, to not let him see her in such embarrassing attire.
…But at the same time, she didn't want to escape, how else could she gaze upon such beauty, such elegance, and after just meeting the man of her dreams, how could she just give him up?
So she ended up staying, backing away a little from the center of the room, and hoping to the six great gods that he wouldn't notice her presence.
But unfortunately for her, fate had other plans for her at the moment.
“Oh? And what may those problems be Momo-”
“T-T-There’s no problem! N-No problem at all!”
In a panic to not appear in any negative light, she abandoned the notion of getting back her potion entirely, interrupting Cassian and stammering out the words as she avoided his eyes like the plague.
He looked at her with some mild curiosity barely visible in his eyes, but as she did nothing but fidget in place while staring straight at the ground, he looked back at Momon with a silent inquiry.
And in response, Momon stared at the woman with a blank look, she has bothered him so much about the potion and she is acting like some sort of school girl.
‘But It's interesting that she doesn't act like he's a god like that girl called Enri, I should ask him about it later'
“I had accidentally broken a potion she had bought, so she demanded I compensate her for it”
Momon said in a calm and collected voice, his words perfectly encapsulating the situation in the minimum amount of words necessary to do so.
But to the female adventurer, those weren't things she wanted to hear right now, far from it actually.
“I-I swear i-i wasn-!!”
“I see, quite an unfortunate situation this was. Tell me, beautiful lady. What's your name?”
Cassian said in his now usual monotone voice as he turned to look at the flailing woman behind him.
Which naturally stun locked the poor girl, the most handsome man she had ever met was literally inches away from her and was staring straight into her eyes.
But she refused to embarrass herself any more, she wasn't some village girl who stayed sheltered her entire life, but an adventurer with many years of experience under her belt.
So after taking a deep breath, she looked back into his eyes with some amount of confidence this time, albeit a little shaken still.
“My…my name is Brita, a pleasure to meet you Lord Cassian”
She bowed a little in courtesy, her movements a little stiff and rough along the edges, but still a necessary for adventurers when it comes to dealing with nobles, this case being no different.
But in reality it was different, because this one particular ‘noble’ didn't just blindly demand respect.
And thus, he had no need for pointless showings.
“You don't need to be overly respectful Lady Brita, and for the sake of not wasting time, I'll get straight to my point”
She straightened back up when she heard his words, her ear hanging on every word he had uttered.
Her mind feared the worst that could happen, from what she had seen, he and the adventurer called Momon seemed to share some kind of friendship, and by lashing out at Momon earlier, she may have possibly angered him.
So she braced herself for the worst, silently hoping that the man she had a crush on doesn't find her repulsive on their literal first meeting.
But it seems that her worries were unnecessary.
“I heard that E-Rantel is famous for potion brewing, and as you're in need of a potion yourself, I would like you to finish a personal commission for me”
The words stunned Brita for a few seconds, she thought her ears had lied to her for a few seconds there.
But when she saw the look in Cassian’s eyes, she knew he was waiting for her to answer.
Which she of course wasted no time in giving.
“O-Of course, Anything!”
She practically jumped in happiness as her eyes shined in delight, her mood instantly soaring at the prospect of getting closer to the man she wanted nothing other than getting to know him more.
“Lovely, then I would like you to get me the most skillful potion brewer you know and meet me at my new mansion by tomorrow, the reward would be discussed when you actually arrive there, but it atleast won't be just one potion, do we have a deal?”
“Y-Yes! I'll immediately get to it! I swear I'll get him there even if I have to drag him myself!”
“I see, I'll leave it to you then”
In contrast to Brita's overly excited attitude, Cassian’s was practically the polar opposite, maintaining his emotionless demeanor and dry voice throughout the entire conversation.
It was unknown whether the grinning female adventurer intentionally ignored his apparent lack of emotions or not, but one thing was for sure, she didn't seem to care about it much.
After watching Brita walk out of the inn with the sunniest smile on her face, Cassian turned back to Momon and decided to bid his old ‘friend’ farewell.
“Unfortunately, I can't stay much longer here Momon, I only came to sightsee you see. You're certainly welcome to my mansion though, instead staying in an inn that is”
“It’s fine, we'll leave you to your business then, Cassian. And for your offer, I'll have to politely refuse, I already paid for my stay here after all”
“I see, you'll still welcome in my mansion nonetheless, I you find yourself growing tired of living here, you can visit me there at anytime”
“I'll thank you in advance then”
"It is but a small matter. Until we meet again, farewell.”
After nodding at Momon in acknowledgment, Cassian turned around and walked away towards the door, where the mayor had been waiting for him patiently.
“Is it time to finally depart, Lord Cassian?”
“Indeed, mayor”
“Lovely! Then let us immediately head to the ball prepared in your honor!”
The excited rambling of the mayor gradually grew further and further away until silence regained its presence among the inn's welcoming hall.
But as usual, it didn't last much.
“Nabe, let's head to our room”
“Yes, Ai…Momon-san”
They headed up the stairs and finally entered their room, giving the poor man his well deserved time for relaxation.
He sat on one of the two beds and looked around the room in silence, which by itself wasn't a luxurious one, but was quite acceptable considering the average living conditions of this world as a whole.
He held his hand up to his head and the helmet magically vanished out of existence, revealing the familiar skeletal skull of the overlord.
His shoulder noticeably relaxed as he sighed a sigh that looked like it came from his soul, slumping his posture while looking at the ground and staying silent.
But noticing something about his companion, he looked back up again, his empty eye sockets meeting her eyes as she stood by the door like an attentive servant.
“Nabe, if you have something you would like to say. Then say it”
And in response to his words, her blank face showed signs of emotions for the first time, primarily signs of uncertainty.
But they disappeared shortly after, returning her face to its more neutral state.
“Ainz-sama. Who was that human?”
She spoke with noticeable weariness, her tone also carried disdain for the human who dared disrespect her master.
He was also an enigma even to her senses, and even posing the slight risk of being a danger to her lord was unacceptable
She would've decapitated him in an instant, she even tried to, but contrary to what she had expected, her lord immediately ordered her to stand down.
No matter how much she thought about it, no possible reason could excuse them sparing the life of such a mysterious human, a good threat was to be disposed of as quickly as possible after all.
So, she decided to ask him personally, and hoped that the Supreme Being with his infinite wisdom and grace, would grant her the knowledge that she lacks.
“You're wrong, Nabe. That man wasn't human”
The skeletal overlord looked back into the ground as he spoke in a voice loud enough for her to hear, his words rang calmly as if correcting the mistake of a child who was led astray.
But the calmness didn't extend to Narberal, her mind swirled with surprise and shock.
She trusted her battle instincts with all her being, simply because battle was half the reason she came into being to begin with.
So when her instincts told her that the man that was in front of her was human, there was no doubt they were human, a thought alluding otherwise would be considered blasphemy in the honor of the beings who created her, the Supreme Beings themselves.
But…the leader of the Supreme Beings stated otherwise, he claimed the man she deemed human to be not, and who was she to question his words? Which undoubtedly confirmed the man to be a heteromorphic.
So now she found herself questioning the identity of the mysterious man even more fiercely, firstly assuming him to be someone from Nazarick who was sent here by her lord.
But then she remembered that there existed only one being capable of such precise shapeshifting in the entirety of Nazarick, the creation of the supreme overlord himself and his only creation, Pandora's Actor.
‘But he hadn't been released from his duty in the vault since his creation, who could possibly be…’
Her thoughts came to an immediate halt as the image of a certain being came to mind.
Her body shook as recent memoires resurfaced back into her mind, the face of the man she just met and that the being she wanted to forget about the most overlapped inside her mind.
And as a final nail in the coffin, the voice of her lord further confirmed her thoughts, making her body tremble as she thought back to her rude behavior earlier.
“That was Lucius, he hadn't told me when we were discussing earlier, but it seems he had planned to head to the city as well”
