Chapter 14: In His Highness\’ Service (3)

Dassein, second son of Overlord Balzam Magnos, was a lion of a man.

It had been over a year since Simon last saw his half-brother, but he hadn’t changed a bit; he was still the same six and a half foot tall titan of pure muscles that towered over most men. His mane of red hair fell upon the sides of his square face and scarred jaw, being tied in a braid on his back. His eyes, the family’s pale shade of grey, carried a young father’s warmth and a general’s hardness in equal measure. He had welcomed Simon in his castle’s courtyard while clad in the golden armor of his Noble Rider Class, the only one in the world.

Simon and Agnes Firewand watched him swing his enormous claymore, Gurgurant, which five normal men would be incapable of lifting, with a single hand. The blow threw three soldiers back with such violence that their knightly Class outfits dispelled in an instant.

This caused Dassein to scowl and call upon men in the audience. “Healers!”

“We are fine, Your Highness…” one of the men lied, even as he failed to stand back up on his own two feet. “We can still… still fight…”

“You have nothing to prove, soldier,” Dassein chastised him. “You fought well, all of you, and I will not have you suffer lasting wounds during a training bout. There is no shame in accepting treatment.”

Simon turned to Agnes. “Would you kindly heal them?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied, being careful to only call him His Majesty in private as ordered. Agnes waved a hand at the soldiers—not even bothering to change into her Class outfit—and bathed them in green light. The glow quickly erased their bruises and eased their exhaustion.

“You have my thanks, the both of you,” Dassein said with a nod of approval. “It had been a while, Simon. How is Lauriane doing?”

“Busy, and missing you… as is Anna.” Simon chuckled. “She asked me to chastise you for refusing all her dinner invitations.”

“Which I sincerely regret,” Dassein replied with a heavy, auroch-like sigh. “I didn’t even have the time to do the academy introduction speech. I’ve had my hands full with the beastmen and… other matters.” He gave Simon a long, hard look as if to confirm they understood each other, then moved on. “Tell her I’ll try to visit her next month.”

“I will, although I admit I’m not here for Anna.”

“So I’ve heard. What’s all this talk about you joining my troops in the field?”

Simon presented his half-brother with his Gladiator Crestone. “Agnes has kindly lent it to me, and I would like to level-up quickly. I figured joining your soldiers out on missions would let me gain experience quickly.”

Dassein frowned. “To help protect Anna, or to protect yourself from Thalas?”

“Both,” Simon replied with undisguised annoyance. He had hoped the hunt for Casval would have caused Euphemia to send her awful son away from the academy, but he had unfortunately shown up the day before anyway. “I’m sick of him.”

“I know he is a handful to deal with, and I still have no idea why he loathes you so much, but you shouldn’t escalate things with him,” Dassein advised. Although he was closer to the War Party than the Church one, he wasn’t a fanatical supporter either. “I fear all this bickering and politicking in the family will spiral out of control. We would be better off uniting against our enemies abroad. A closed fist will always beat an open palm whose fingers stretch in all directions.”

“Well, tell that to Thalas. I seek no quarrel with him.” For this reign at least. “I just want to be able to defend myself if it comes to it.”

“I see…” Dassein crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I will have to decline your demand.”

Simon scowled in disappointment. “Why?”

“Our current strategy to deal with the beastmen tribes is to divide and conquer,” Dassein explained. “We extract tributes from those willing to bend the knee, raid those that do not, encourage strife with preferential trade agreements so they do not ally against us, and step in as arbiters once they’ve all exhausted themselves fighting each other. I hope to pacify all of Telluria within a few years with this strategy at a minimum cost to our forces, but it is a very complicated diplomatic dance.”

“And you cannot trust a newcomer in the ballroom because you don’t want them stepping on anyone else’s toes.”

“Yes. I would have gladly agreed had you received more extensive military training under my command, but I cannot dispatch a new recruit anywhere sensitive without extensive drilling.” Dassein smiled thinly. “However, I can think of another way for you to level-up quickly in your current situation.”

Simon’s heart skipped a beat in his chest. “Which is?”

“Boys,” Dassein told his men. “Bring him the bounties.”

Simon understood the moment a soldier brought him a pile of wanted posters.

Bounties in the empire usually fell into two categories: criminals on the run, and monsters preying on merchant routes or communities. Most were wanted dead or alive, with very few exceptions, and claiming the reward usually involved bringing back a body part that imperial diviners would then use to confirm the target’s death.

The empire had a very strict system in place to avoid incidents or mishaps. The state had to validate a bounty—usually from a judge or guilds who had been wronged by the target—with a baseline reward, after which any private citizen or organization could contribute to the common pot. Anyone wishing to claim a reward needed an official license, which usually involved registering with the military and a long vetting process. Few people even passed it without a Crestone.

“You would grant me an official license?” Simon asked, dumbfounded. “Just like that?”

“I wouldn’t have considered it if you didn’t have Firewand by your side, but she’s more than over-qualified to deal with these small fry and keep you alive,” Dassein replied. “I will also grant you a special authorization to skip certain courses at the academy so you can focus on your hunts.”

That’s an even better deal than joining the army, Simon thought while he checked over the posters. I’ll be able to fight without supervision, and thus level-up in the Overlord Class undetected.

Casval had his own poster, much to Simon’s immense amusement. He was only wanted alive and carried a large six-figure bounty sure to bring every professional bounty hunter in the empire after him.

“Everyone is after that man, my own troops included, so these local troublemakers have been left mostly unchecked.” Dassein drew three posters from the pile. “They’ll be worth their weight in gold and experience alike.”

Redhand, Marilith Bandit Queen

Threat Estimation: Rank B

Reward: 2,000 gold coins (plus one gold coin per allied Redhand scalefolk scalp).

A rare, six-armed lamia matriarch of the Scalefolk Tribe has gathered a large bandit group raiding imperial patrols. Locals have taken to calling the bandits ‘Redhands,’ from the shape of their markings. The lamia herself is suspected to possess a fighting-oriented Vassal Class of some kind and is extremely dangerous. Engage with caution.

The Horse-Eater Ogre

Threat Estimation: Rank C

Reward: 1,500 gold coins.

An abnormally large ogre, roughly fifteen to sixteen feet tall, has developed an appetite for horse flesh. It raids both merchant caravans and members of the Centaur Federation allied with the Empire of Endymion, who have petitioned the army for assistance; you may receive local assistance in your hunt by contacting Lyncia of the Centaur Federation.

Hellhound of Marsile

Threat Estimation: Rank D

Reward: 1,000 gold coins (plus one silver for every wolf pelt).

The imperial army wishes to open a new trade route between the settlements of Marsile and Bramimonde, but a hellhound has turned the area into its territory. The creature leads an abnormally large pack of at least a hundred wolves and feral dogs that prey on beasts and men alike. The animals are expected to scatter once the beast is dead.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“What does the threat estimation scale represent?” Simon asked Dassein. “Their level?”

“Sort of. Rank D would be the equivalent of a criminal with a Class level between 1 and 20; a rank C threat, between 21 and 40; rank B would be between 41 and 60, and so on, with E being weak enough to be handled by people without Classes.”

Since Agnes out-leveled all these creatures, Simon could confront them with a safety net and gain some experience. It was simply perfect.

“I will give you copies of the reports we received on all these bounties, to make your hunt easier,” Dassein added. “I can also grant you access to military-grade gear and weapons to complement your Class.”

“That’s… that’s more help than I’d hoped,” Simon replied, overwhelmed with gratitude. He had almost forgotten how good it felt to interact with a truly pleasant brother. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I will be the one thanking you once you clean up all these messes for me. You’ll make the region safer for everyone, too.” Dassein smiled warmly. “To be honest, I’m very happy with your initiative, Simon. I feared you wouldn’t amount to much, considering you spent all your days with your nose stuck in books, so I’m glad you’ve taken steps to improve and better yourself. You’ll find yourself a wife in no time at this rate.”

“Quicker than you, Your Highness!” one soldier joked, which caused all the others to burst out laughing; none louder than Dassein himself.

“See how they rub it in, Simon?” Dassein patted his half-brother on the shoulder. “Take care, and bring glory to House Magnos.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I must protest, Your Highness,” Leonard said when Simon and Agnes returned to the academy to announce their intentions to depart immediately for a bounty hunt. “At least allow one of us to accompany you.”

“Firewand will be more than enough to protect me should the need arise,” Simon replied. “Until then, I need someone here to keep an eye on Eole, Lorimor, and Anna.”

While he hadn’t yet found a use for Eole, since she refused to share anything about her people and culture, he had given Lorimor a handful of documents from Duchar’s archive to study. The man would be more useful working at the academy than dispatched out into the field. Most importantly, Simon intended to use the bounty hunt to practice with his Overlord Class, so the fewer eyewitnesses, the better.