"I have finally figured it out. What have I figured out?"

A young man, around 25 years of age with black hair that was slicked back wearing a black suit with white frills at the edges made his way through a hallway filled on either side with butlers and maids, all elegantly standing with eyes closed and proper smiles on their faces. The hands of the butlers were behind their backs, while the hands of the maids were folded in front of them.

With the flip of his hair, the man pointed to one of the maids dramatically.

"You are the greatest.", she responded without so much as opening her eyes.

"I am the greatest!! And why is it, that I am the greatest?"

With the snap of his fingers, he pointed to one of the butlers who promptly replied.

"Your skill is unmatched."

"My SKILL is UNMATCHED! Exxxxxxactly so. How many people have I fought?"

Pointing to another maid, her mouth seemed to curl up as she replied softly.

"10,823, as of your most recent mission."

"That's right. Ten thousand, Eight hundred, and twoooooooenty tharee. That's the amount of people I have won against. And how many losses? How many people have I lost against?"

With a smile, one of the Butlers spoke up.

"Zero."

"Zero!!! Not once in my life have I lost. I've spent my life..... searching. Searching. Searching. Searching, and searching some more for someone, anyone, who would give me a challenge? But what did I find?"

"A bunch of weaklings.", one of the maids stated.

"A bunch of weaklings. But I realized something, after hitting that ten thousand mark. I realized something big. Maybe, just maybe, everyone else isn't weak. Which would mean?"

"It would mean that you're a genius.", one of the butlers stated.

"A genius!! A prodigy! One blessed with an abundance of talent! But, could that really be true? I always thought that defeating other people in combat was simply an easy way out. One that was only taken by those who wanted to take things from others without working for them. Never once have I ever seen killing as something which I am good at. I merely saw everyone else as bad at it."

"But you would be mistaken, because you have defeated many enemies which are considered to be formidable.", one maid said.

"OH! Is that so? But I've never met an enemy which has so much as given me a challenge! Are you telling me that even the formidable opponents of this world- that even those who are referred to as monsters- are no match for me?"

"Indeed.", a butler commented.

"I see! I see! Well in that case, there's nothing left but to accept it then. I spent my long years trying to find someone who was better than me. I fought person after person, only to be disappointed by EACH and EVERY one of them. Not this one. Not this one. Not this one. This one was weaker than me. This one too. Do you understand how difficult it was to believe that someone out there was stronger than me, but not ever be able to find them? It was excruciating!!! But I've been saved! I've been saved and my mind has been recovered, because I have finally arrived at the truth. And what is that truth which I have arrived at??? This simple fact, which I have rigorously proven over and over?"

"That you are the best."

"That you are the smartest."

"That you are the strongest."

"That you are the fastest."

"That you are the wisest."

"That you are the handsomest."

"That you are the GREATEST."

The butlers and maids rang out these praises one by one as if this was an act which had been performed hundreds of times.

Well, this was the 824th rehearsal, to be exact.

All together, the butlers and maids then all exclaimed this final line.

"In the world."

And as they finished their theatrics, the man then walked down the aisle bowing and smiling as he slicked back his hair. His thin smile was one of pure joy and arrogance, and the maids and butlers made a point of clapping calmly and respectfully.

"Now then. It looks like I, the strongest, smartest, most dexterous assassin in the world have been called by that man, Senator Brutus for yet another mission. This one being exactly my 824th, past the 10,000 mark. I thank you all, my great servants, for being by my side, but I must depart for now. Fear not though. I will return as soon as this mission is complete, without fail. For is there any possibility that I would find an opponent who can defeat myself, whether in a game of wits or in a game of strength?"

"Of course not, Sir Slith."

"That settles it then! I am off!"

And with that, the man walked out the door at the end of the hallway.

----

After having left the side of the Emperor to hear out what the messenger had to say, Brutus sent another man to contact Slith.

"Tell Slith to meet me in our usual meeting room. I'll be awaiting him with this man, to give him orders."

"I will do so immediately, Senator Brutus."

Only a few of Senator Brutus's personal guards had followed him, as he left the majority with the Emperor. After all, he was technically still in the presence of the men who had invaded the palace through force, even if they did not kill any of the actual guards.

To leave the Emperor unguarded would essentially be saying 'Hey, I hope somebody kills you while I'm gone! Bye!', and as of right now, Brutus could not afford to snap that final straw.

Brutus was in a bad position right now.

The young Emperor had not only allowed those people to baselessly slander him, but he seemed to be siding with them.

If the Emperor allowed an audience with those men, and began investigations on the actions of Brutus, things would become very complicated.

Of course, Brutus had been extremely thorough in covering up any pure evidence which could be used to directly accuse him of anything. Even if someone underneath him were to confess something or let something slip, he could simply blame it on the guards underneath him and claim that he had no idea that they were doing such things.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

This was the beauty in the faction established by Brutus. Because this faction was actually a secret alliance of people as opposed to a declared faction, they could not be linked to one another. Even if someone were to get caught, he could simply claim that he had no ties to the person, and they would be taken care of swiftly.

However, the appearance of Troy, Wexus, and a number of people who seemed to collect to fight against him was troublesome indeed.

Most troublesome was the fact that this had all happened without his knowledge.

'Are these people.... are they linked with the bandits who have been a thorn in my side for years now?? I never heard of anyone succeeding in the mission I sent out.... should I really have sent Slith!? It would have cost a fortune though. Every time I deploy him for something I can feel my coffers becoming lighter, so I would have liked to avoid it if possible but..... perhaps I should have sent him before things came to this. Of course, the Senator of Porta is the one making this request so I'll have him take the bill.'

Brutus was led to the regular meeting room, where there were a set of red lavender couches and a coffee table in between them. Sitting down to relax on one of them, the messenger stood by, awaiting the arrival of Slith.

A few minutes passed, and soon enough the door burst open.

Entering it was a man who's eyes were subconsciously looking down on everyone around him.

Brutus had offered Slith far more riches than any other man in the Empire, which was why his services were exclusively under the control of Brutus. Essentially, if one wanted to hire him, they would have to first go through Brutus.

'Though I'm sure if this man really wanted to, he would betray me in a moment. But if that happened I suppose I would just send an entire Legion to defeat him, claiming that he did some sort of criminal action. Even if it's him, he couldn't win against 10,000 soldiers. He is human after all, though I'm not so sure about that. Either way, even monsters get tired eventually. Heh.'

Brutus watched as Slith entered with the smile of a snake, taking a seat quickly.

"Brutus. So, we have another job, do we? What is it this time? I'm excited to prove once more that there are none who can even hold a candle to me. So? Who is the poor soul this time? I do hope that they provide at least a little bit of a challenge. Perhaps someone of the 5th tier?"

Turning to the messenger, Brutus waved for the man to speak up.

"Sir Slith, the mission today is one which had been requested by the Senator of Porta. It's a small town to the East of here, according to the letter which the Senator has sent."

The man pulled out a letter and began reading it.

"Senator Brutus,

It is with great concern that I send this message to you, and I implore that you respond quickly. This is a matter of emergency, and if not addressed could mean the deaths of every single person living within the town of Porta.

Recently, through means unknown, a monster made its way into the town. While it is unknown how this monster managed to make it to the human realm, what is more concerning is what has happened just recently. The monster not only kidnapped 30 children before hiding in an abandoned mineshaft, but proceeded to kill 27 of the 30 people who were sent into the cave to save the children from their gruesome fates.

Most of these men were able warriors, and it cannot be said that the group was weak, even if many of them were untrained. After questioning the few who did survive, they claimed that they only did so because of the sacrifice of another, which bought them time only to run- meaning that they would not have stood a chance fighting.

It has deeply shaken me that so many of my people have been killed like this, and will mean great repercussions for the town of Porta, and in the future I would like to request aide for rebuilding purposes, however that is not the purpose of this letter.

Right now, that monster still lives within the cave, and I fear that the people of this town are not safe until it has been killed. I beg of you to allow Slith to find his way here. I understand that his price will be abnormally high, but this is a creature which we believe only he can slaughter, so we are willing to pay that price.

With all sincerity,

Senator ________ of Porta."

Brutus nodded and for a moment forgot about the issues he was facing just before, while considering the problems of the Senator of Porta.

'I suppose we all are having a rough patch right now.'

"Slith. What do you think of this request? Will you take it on?"

"Will I take it on?"

Slith's eyes seemed to darken at this statement as he looked down, and a smile creeped across his face.

"I am the worlds strongest. The most talented assassin to ever live. And with this mission, then I will be able to proudly proclaim this even further. I will be able to say that I overcame not only every person, but even so much as a MONSTER who invaded the human realm. I, Slith, the first and only person to ever reach the seventh tier, will have absolutely no doubt in my mind after this mission that even when faced with a monster....."

Slith smiled horrendously as his eyes seemed to curl up with joy.

"I still remain the strongest to ever live."

Brutus nodded, playing along with the theatrics of this man.

'He has an annoying personality but I can deal with that much.'

"Very well. Then, is there any information on this monster?", Brutus asked to the messenger.

The messenger seemed to flash with remembrance as he grabbed the envelope and took something out.

"Ah, yes! There is actually a rough sketch of the monster attached to this letter. Not many people ever make it into the monster realm, so our knowledge is very limited.... I personally have never met anyone who described anything like this, so it's hard to say just how strong it really is...."

Pulling out the picture, Slith grabbed it from the hands of the messenger and chuckled while looking at it.

"Heh heh heh...."

With a creepy smile, Slith began to slide his index finger along the drawing, looping it around Coran.

"So this is the subject who will prove my infallible strength.... it certainly does look like something straight from a nightmare, doesn't it? Slith defeated the being of terror which invaded the town and slaughtered all the people. I like the sound of that."

As Slith drew his finger around Coran, he then used his sharp nail to puncture where his heart would be.

"I'll return after slaying this thing. Brutus. When I return, I want to see preparations made for a news article that will cover this country, making my feat known and further proving to all that there is nobody who I could lose to."

"Of course, I will have the preparations made immediately.", Brutus replied while calling over a servant and whispering for him to deal with such matters.

"Then, I will be off."

Slith seemed to float off the seat and before Brutus even knew that time had passed, he had exited the room.

'Damn.... he sure is fast.... every time I see him it seems like I can't even catch him with my eyes.'

Rubbing his eyes, Brutus stood up and prepared to return to the Emperor's side.

'I suppose I now have my own problems to deal with.... I need to figure out how to get rid of that thorn in my side, but how? Perhaps I will have to hire Slith later to assassinate not only Troy, but even the young Emperor. I didn't want to have to resort to such matters but my hand might soon be forced.'

----

On re-entering the throne room, in which currently no throne was located aside from the throne of women on which the Emperor reclined, Brutus knelt before the young Emperor alongside Troy, biting his lips and grinding his teeth.

Of course, these were all mental actions. Right now, he could not allow to show his displeasure on his face. The young Emperor was already highly suspicious of him and he could not allow himself to become on his bad side even further, but there was something strange.

The young Emperor looked.... very different than before.

Brutus had years of experience as a politician, so he could tell.

This was no longer the face of the young boy who was afraid of being cut off by his father, despite wanting to do things his own way.

The young Emperor seemed both pleased and displeased at the same time, and Brutus frankly had never seen someone like this before. He couldn't read his emotions, but clearly there were some major events which had occurred in the short time which he had taken his leave.

Yet, as if completely ignoring the mood, one of the impudent messengers dared to speak up even in this scenario.

"My liege, there is one more thing I wish to report. May I speak?"

Turning to the man, the young Emperor sighed and waved his hand, allowing the man to say what he had to say.

"My liege, the Indeterminant arrived with the group of soldiers who survived the event. He is currently waiting in the palace to speak with you."

The young Emperor, who's eyes were previously filled with annoyance now smiled deviously.

"Is that so? Send him in."

And as the young Emperor made this statement, a man who was dressed in a strange yet exquisite outfit entered. His blonde hair seemed to wave with each step he took, whipping back and forth with style.

The steps echoed through the hall, and every person present seemed to hold their breath at the appearance of this man.

The Indeterminant.

The savior of humanity.

The most important man in the world- quite literally.

More important than any ruler, more important than any warrior, more important than any politician, more important than any merchant, and even more important than any hero was this man.

Yet, despite his importance, the man walked forward proudly before bowing his head and genuflecting to the Emperor, kneeling alongside Troy who was on his right and Brutus on his left.

"My liege, I take it that you are the son of the late Emperor?", the man asked in a voice which was so smooth that it seemed to cut into the hearts of every person in the room.

The young Emperor, turning to this man with a childish smirk, sat up on his throne of women and responded in kind.

"I am."