167 166

When Dr. Romani entered the service of Chaldea, still under the direction of Olga-Marie's father, Lord Marisbury Animusphere himself, he was not entirely sure what exactly he should expect from his future work.

I mean, originally Romani was hired as nothing more than an intern in the medical wing, then a doctor after a short training. He then spent the next few years defending his title as a scientist and researcher, rising to head of the medical department and professional researcher in the meanwhile. So, with his position, it was impossible to call him a completely clueless and ignorant fool. Still, Dr. Roman's rise from mere intern to one of the most important people of the Chaldea was incredibly rapid, almost suspiciously so.

The time it took Dr. Roman to become one of the deputy chiefs in the Chaldea, for other people, is equal to the time they spent as interns to become the rank-and-file doctors in Chaldea.

Certainly, Roman had shown that he possessed a vast amount of knowledge, considerable amounts of it in fact, but it was clear to anyone that his incredibly rapid rise was a sign of Lord Marisbury's tremendous favoritism toward the newcomer. Someone who had come from nowhere had somehow gained a great amount of favoritism.

At the time, when Roman himself was just starting out in Chaldea, a great number of different - and generally far from positive, rumors continued to circulate regarding his personal relationship with Lord Animusphere.

It didn't help matters that Roman's position as the Lord's right-hand man, coincided with his somewhat strained relationship with Lev, who was a famous scientist and magus who had earned his position. It was easy to guess that Roman's authority and his relationships with his colleagues were not great.

And it wasn't entirely undeserved, even ten years was too short of a time for someone to rise to head of the medical wing.

For such an esteemed position, in addition to skills and knowledge, which Roman had barely any time to demonstrate, experience was also necessary. And, unfortunately, Dr. Roman was very lacking in that department.

Of course, Roman did not purposefully choose to remain the same inexperienced young man that he was originally, and quickly enough began to master his new position. But, having his career taken off so quickly, and on the eve of the whole Singularity crisis, he did not have time to get used to his new position until the end.

The same day Chaldea's first operation began, Dr. Roman had suddenly soared even higher than he had been before, from head of the medical wing to manager of the entire Chaldea.

Thankfully, before he could worry himself to an early graying of his hairs, his 'promotion' only lasted a little more than twenty-four hours. As Ainz returned from Singularity and brought back Olga-Marie Animusphere, who took the reins of Chaldea for herself.

And it was definitely for the best.

Roman did not have much experience in managing any significant groups of people, and was more used to acting on someone else's orders. So the fact that he did not end up in the role of managing the whole of Chaldea suited him just fine.

In his short time as commander of the Chaldea, Roman had clearly acquired at least a few gray strands of hair, he dreaded to think what would have happened to him if he had remained commander of Chaldea permanently.

After all, there was no ambitious bone in Roman's body, no desire to seize or hold power. Putting aside the fact that his power was practically useless in the current situation anyway, he didn't even want to be the head of the medical unit.

Working as an ordinary doctor and researcher suited him better, but Lord Marisbury had practically forced him into his head position, in which Roman, frankly, felt uncomfortable.

Yes, in the current situation he did not need to worry at all about allocating budgets, nor to reporting to the chief, and there were only two doctors left under his leadership. But Roman remained one of the two high ranking people in Chaldea, a position that he was uncomfortable holding. Excluding Ainz, who clearly showed no desire to interfere in the problems of current Chaldea management, he was stuck in that position.

And Roman could feel his head slowly starting to bald with stress with each passing day and each question asked of him.

And if he was so stressed just by doing minimal management and looking through Ainz's records periodically, he was afraid to even imagine the stress Olga-Marie was under! She had to manage people, consider all the Servants in Chaldea and still managed to train every day!

Roman was afraid to even imagine such a horror. And therefore, using his privilege of being small enough in the overall picture, he did not even plan to imagine it.

So instead of spending time dreading being put in the same position, he stretched out his legs and looked around cautiously for unexpected visitors to the kitchen. Seeing nobody around, he reached for the can of beer he had secreted from the fridge, flicked the tin opener, opened it, and took a well-deserved sip.

Romani was not a fan of alcohol and, even more, was unaccustomed to alcohol, getting drunk easily from just a couple of cans. But still, he was forced to heed the wisdom of mankind. After all, mankind itself had developed the craft of agriculture originally to make alcohol, they only learned to grow bread after that.

Alcohol is the source and solution to all problems.

Taking a sip and wrinkling involuntarily from the unfamiliar bitter taste, Roman sighed, feeling the alcohol loosening his stressed body. As he took another sip, he then looked at the Servant, who was opposite him, and smiled, pointing to the small fridge next to him. "Do you want some?"

At these words the frightening-looking figure, a hunched, thin man wrapped in rags and wearing a bone mask imitating a skull, despite his intimidating appearance, just politely shook his head from side to side. He then answered in an equally polite tone. "I'm sorry, but I can't partake in such activities… for religious reasons."

For a second the very thought of him offering alcohol to Hassan, someone whose the word fanatic might be an understatement, made Roman blush with shame before he looked at the alcohol in his hands. Actually, he shouldn't have been drinking either… for a multitude of reasons.

"No need to fret." Hassan, however, noticing Roman's hesitance and facial expressions, only shook his head. "That's just my personal conviction, which I in no way want to impose on other people."

At Hassan's reassurance, Roman froze for a moment before he exhaled. After all, he was just another little man in this whole storm, he could afford at least a little alcohol to relax!

And he had his reasons!

"By the way, Doctor," Hassan spoke, as if to continue a thought he had had. "This is the first time I've seen you with your gloves on, especially outside the infirmary. Did something happen to your hands?"

"No, nothing like that." Roman glanced involuntarily at his hands, or rather, at a particular place on his hand. "It just… it just sort of happened, and I kinda just forgot to take it off."

A conversation he had with Da Vinci automatically popped into his head.

By the way, Dr. Roman… Of course, I was engrossed in my research, but even in that state I couldn't have missed such information, especially after using my Noble Phantasm against Solomon…

Shaking his head, as if to dispel these memories, Roman took another sip of alcohol, then set the can aside and looked at Hassan.

The meetings between Roman and Hassan could, in a sense, be called a regular event. Not something that happened every day, but periodically the Servant and the doctor would meet each other for conversation.

The first couple of times it happened casually, when Hassan was scouting Chaldea for possible weaknesses and vulnerabilities, he would go to Roman with a question about Chaldea's evacuation plans and contingencies. But after just a few meetings, their conversations slowly began to shift from purely business to something more akin to friendly conversations.

Roman complained about the stress he was feeling from his current job, to which Hassan unexpectedly encouraged him by recounting his similarly frustrating experience with Cainabel, who had tried to draw him into the camp of her associates. Then the meeting repeated once then another, then Roman suggested that Hassan, clearly bored and trying to think of something to do, help him in the infirmary.

And so, after a few weeks of acquaintance, the strange pair could even be considered friends.

At least friendly enough that the current situation did not make either of them uncomfortable.

And so, taking another sip to calm his nerves, Roman sighed and looked at Hassan. "I can understand by the curiosity on your face, that you have a question for me…"

The very construction of the phrase, 'to tell by your face' was in some ways funny, and in some ways insulting when addressing this particular Servant. Hassan of the Cursed Arm had no face, in the truest sense of the word. Once upon a time, long ago, when he was still a part of the Hashashin, he had cut off his own face with his own knife. After which he used the mask as a kind of substitute for his lost face, partly as a demonstration of his loyalty to the Assassin's code, partly as an act of intimidation. Few people want to see among their enemies the man who cut off his own face…

In any case, it was really difficult to judge Hassan's mood 'by his face'. In fact, he had no face as such, and therefore Roman's words that he recognized Hassan's feelings could be taken solely as an indicator of another thread of friendly relations linking the two.

Hassan, clearly showing that Roman was not mistaken in his judgment, nodded easily. "I'm sorry if I were to be prying into your business, but… Shouldn't you be monitoring Ainz's state in Singularity?"

Roman sighed at that. "Monitor? Does such a thing even matter?"

Ainz had already demonstrated his overwhelming intelligence, abilities, and strength clearly, more than once in fact. Even so, there always existed the possibility that the cause of the Singularities would be a foe beyond even Ainz's grasp, so perhaps there was something that Chaldea can do to help… but at that point, what can they do?

If the cause of the Singularity was something that could defeat Ainz, what difference does it make to 'monitor' it?

With the identity of their adversary now known, observing the Singularity and what happens in them had become not even a formality, but a fiction.

In a fight between such giants, what possible help can they give?

What was the point? Emergency reinforcements? Even considering how there was no one that could rayshift from Chaldea and the fact that it was nearly impossible to do without Ainz himself among the Servants, was there any point? Only the greatest Servants of mankind could oppose Solomon, and even such Servants would hardly be an easy obstacle for him.

Maybe Baal or Cainabel could stand a chance, but without Ainz, their only Master candidate, going into the Singularity was virtually impossible. Chaldea's core, without the support of their one Master, simply could not muster enough power to transport them to Singularity. To transfer them, Chaldea would have to shift all power to Rayshift, shutting off not only the water, heating or lighting, but the shields currently holding back the blazing inferno outside Chaldea. And that, in any case, meant that Chaldea would be destroyed, dooming Humanity in the process… Though someone like Cainabel's would probably not care.

Actually, now that he thinks about it, the Servants that could actually help against Solomon; Baal, Cainabel and Angrboda, would probably not care either way about Humanity's doom.

Other than that, basically suicide for a chance of victory, what else? Tips? Roman could, with certainty, conclude the fact that of all the humans and Servants in Chaldea, Ainz was the least in need of any kind of advice. Someone that Solomon had treated as his equal, who continued to control the situation not only in Singularity, but seemingly in Chaldea itself. Capable of extending his shadowy hands from Singularity itself and keeping control of even the situation that developed outside of his reach, doesn't need his advice.

The last thing that observing the Singularity might give was the research materials one could gain from doing so. But seeing that the only person capable of understanding anything from watching Ainz was Da Vinci, who's clearly completely absorbed in her current research, observing the Singularity was useless in that regard.

Maybe Medea or Tesla could have understood something, but they were both in Singularity and therefore outside the scope of the discussion.

And so, the last thing Ainz's records might have provided, was as a source of entertainment.

After all, the battles of Ainz and the Servants made for quite the entertainment for their colorfulness and drive, but again, there was none of that in this Singularity. No Demon Kings, no enemy Servants, and no battles, so far at least. And seeing that the last thing Roman saw was Ainz, apparently having already solved the Singularity, breaking the news to Medea and Tesla as he went about his business.

Watching such a thing was… simply boring. It's like reading a book after all the twists and climax had been spoiled by other people.

And Dr. Roman was, after all, just a normal man who didn't like work, didn't like boredom, and very much disliked it when these two concepts intersected.

"Hmm," Hassan just nodded at these reflections and finally sighed, commiseratingly. "I understand you."

Boredom. The scourge of all Chaldea.

Even Hassan, who always adhered to the necessity of work, could only think of a certain number of activities to alleviate boredom in a Chaldea that was locked up and cut off from the rest of the world. Especially one which had lost most of its functionality.

Even one such as him was not immune to being bored.

He had already explored all the passages and tunnels of Chaldea, carefully and meticulously evaluated all the passages and exits, evaluated all possible infiltration and sabotage tactics. Then compiled all his research into reports, analyzed those and compiled them into an easy-to-read general report, which he had handed to Olga-Marie.

Then seeing that there was literally no way for an outside threat to exist, seeing as outside is pretty much an ocean of flames, Hassan began to be consumed by boredom.

At first, he tried spending his time training, but Hassan could not get stronger in this way, and he was not one that enjoyed fighting. An Assassin who has to fight in the front is already a failure as an Assassin. And seeing as he doesn't consider fruitless training an interesting activity for him, he quickly stopped doing so.

Reading books? It might keep him busy for a while, but for all the virtues of Chaldea's library, it was in the end limited, and the books it contained were not of particular interest to a Servant of the Assassin class.

Socializing, then, was the only entertainment Hassan could imagine indulging in, an activity that he was currently partaking in. While initially, his social circle was minuscule, consisting solely of the only other Assassin, Serenity. With the addition of Roman to that short list, the number of people Hassan could spend time with has doubled!

On the other hand, Hassan wasn't sure they could be called close friends after all. At the very least…

Hassan glanced down at Dr. Roman's gloved hands, causing Roman himself to look at them and sigh. "It's very eye-catching, huh?"

Hassan shook his head, not wanting to upset the doctor, but not wanting to lie to him either, making Roman sigh and remove his gloves.

Hassan watched in silence as Roman's hands emerged from under the medical gloves, noticing the ring on his ring finger.

For a second, Hassan thought about asking a question, but caught himself before he could say it out loud. Fortunately or unfortunately, Roman managed to see both Hassan's gaze and his reluctance to intrude on his personal life and smiled. "No, I was not married… Officially that is."

Hassan thought for a moment, and then exhaled, reasoning that a further question would not be an invasion of privacy. "Is it a gift, then?"

After these words, Roman involuntarily reached for the ring on his ring finger and shook his head. "No… It's… just a reminder from the past…"

Roman's gaze and his voice, which already sounded soft before, softened even more, making him look like a man wistfully remembering something from the past. "From her, ha… Actually, I don't think I have anything left of her except memories."

Hassan only nodded slowly at these words, not wanting to disturb the pleasant memories Roman was seemingly immersed in.

Roman himself took a few moments immersing in his memories as he took another sip of beer and looked at Hassan. "And you? Were you ever married?

Hassan blinked at the surprising question, before nodding slowly. "Yes… before I became what I am now."

At these words, Hassan kept silent, not sure if he should talk about his past.

He had had a wife once, a long time ago. So long ago that it didn't matter now.

And in the end, their marriage didn't last long enough to remain in his lore. On the contrary, Hassan had given up his wife to become Hassan of the Cursed Arm, so perhaps he was not qualified to say that he had a wife.

No, it wasn't something dramatic. Though they loved each other, in the end they simply and peacefully parted as adults who realized that their views on the future were too different. She wanted a family, children… and Hassan wanted to become an assassin, to leave his mark on history and become a legend.

As his current state as a Servant, a legendary hero of humanity, suggested, he had achieved his goal…

Had she?

Hassan thought for a moment before shaking his head and trying to switch from his current topic to a new one,- "That ring… is it a reminder of something important?"

The ring on Roman's finger was gold, and such things Hassan could tell at a glance, and it was quite old and worn, with a thin inscription on the outside of the ring.

"Yes, it's a reminder about my… " Roman thought about what he could say for a moment, then raised the ring to his eye level and sighed. "About my past occupation, you could say…"

Hassan only nodded in response.

Though he himself wasn't the type of person to keep any trinkets and reminders of his past close to him, of course he understood that some people liked to keep such trinkets with them.

Besides… Hm, that's strange.

Hassan frowned for a moment, "Past occupation?"

"Yes," Roman sighed, "I suppose, you could call it that…"

Partly out of boredom, and partly just to be sure, Hassan had once read the dossiers Chaldea had collected on all their employees. It was a wide variety of files of varying degrees of usefulness, and they were occasionally missing some very important pieces of information.

For example, these files definitely lacked information about Lev Lainur's being a demon king, or about Olga-Marie's monstrous abilities, which any self-respecting Assassin could have learned about without even particularly trying to eavesdrop with how loud Focalor was complaining. But they did contain quite a bit of critical, confidential information.

After all, though Chaldea was a scientific institute by its original design, it was still a project of a powerful Magi, a Lord of the Clock Tower. With it being an international research institute where internal and external security was given considerable priority, all the people who entered the service are repeatedly screened for their past history and background.

And, of course, as the most basic logic dictated, a man who was soon to become not just an employee, but one of the rather high ranking administrators of the Chaldea as Romani, had to be vetted more comprehensively.

And yet…

Dr. Romani Archaman. Age - 27 years (according to Roman himself). Education, no information. Qualifications, no information. Past place of work, no information. Family - no information. Accepted by personal order of Lord Marisbury Animusphere.

Basically, a ghost. There was no information about his past, his background, his connection with the Animuspheres.

No one would accept an uneducated man off the street to work for Chaldea, and yet here Roman is, effectively the same thing judging by his credentials, or lack of one. Even given Lord Animusphere's personal indulgence, it is unlikely that the Lord of the Clock Tower simply unexpectedly met an unknown vagabond on the street and invited him into Chaldea, turning him almost instantly into his deputy and right-hand man. The Lord of the Animusphere family might have been a do-gooder and wept at every unfortunate fate of mankind, but he was certainly not an idiot, allowing and relying on some unknown man, ahead of his faithful deputy Lainur.

In other words, Hassan could state with absolute certainty that the information about Dr. Roman was false, or, more accurately, it simply wasn't inputted there to begin with.

Was Roman one of Marisbury's old buddies? Quite possible, given the level of trust that existed between them. But even so, Hassan did not know exactly who Roman was, but there are still things that he can deduce.

First, Roman was not a magus. As a Servant, Hassan could, with unerring accuracy, determine that Roman was not a magus and was not a Master. It could even be said that of all the people Hassan had met in Chaldea, Roman was perhaps the closest to an 'ordinary man' there could be and the furthest from anything magical. Of course, having worked in Chaldea and clearly familiar with magecraft, Roman was comfortable working around anything magical in Chaldea, clearly used to such things, but this did not shed any light on his past.

Even his magical research, a copy of which was kept in Chaldea for safekeeping, though of high quality, had been done while Roman was already working in Chaldea. In other words, before Roman started working in Chaldea, it was almost as if he didn't exist.

In fact, the ring on his finger was perhaps the only link to his past that Hassan had found, and by accident at that.

And yet, it wasn't a significant find that shed more light on Roman's identity, it wasn't some ancient family ring or anything like that, it was an ordinary ring, possessing no magic or special characteristics. The kind you could find in any jewelry store, except badly worn from time.

His words about having a wife were all that Hassan could work with in trying to determine Dr. Roman's past.

Not that Hassan himself wants to intrude into Dr. Roman's personal life and inconvenience him, he didn't plan after figuring out Dr. Roman's real identity and past, to use those for blackmail or anything like that. No, the only thing pushing Hassan to such endeavors was… Boredom.

Well, that, and getting to know his new 'friend' was a reward in itself.

And so the only thing Hassan could continue to say was, "What did you do in the past?"

Roman, who had finished the first can of beer after all, shook a little, clearly showing both his blushing cheeks and his low tolerance for alcohol, he paused for a second before he sighed. "Well, no reason to keep it a secret… Hah, I was a priest."

"You were part of the clergy?" Hassan, clearly not expecting such an answer, was surprised by this kind of information, "You?"

"I know, I don't look like it, do I?" Roman smiled a little, perhaps a bit mockingly. "Well, in the past, I was basically in the position to… Hah, yes, people came to me with problems and I interpreted how God would solve these issues… though their so-called 'problems' sometimes border on the ridiculous."

At the end of his recollection, Roman smiled as he got up from his seat with a slightly drunken gait, intending to get another can of beer. "You know, when I worked in the past… Right, there is this one time…"

Hassan, looking at Roman drunkenly recalling something from his past, listened to his story with a smile.

Perhaps, after all, he would not come any closer today to solving the mystery of the good doctor of Chaldea's real identity, but…

After all, he was just doing this out of boredom.

And if, in lieu of solving the mystery, Hassan spends his time talking to his friend instead.

Well, that's just fine as well.

Name: Hassan of the Cursed Arm

Race: Human

Title: Cursed Arm

Occupation: Servant of Ainz \ Head of Chaldea Defenses

Residence: Chaldea, Hassan's room in the living quarters.

Karma: -50 (Neutral ~ Neutral Evil)