When that voice suddenly rang out, Rei and Ashie could not understand what was said at first.
That was only natural. Leaving Rei aside, Ashie was visibly a maid and was currently at Baron Cisne’s residence. In other words, unless something extraordinary was going on, anyone could tell just by looking at her that she was someone who served Baron Cisne’s family. Yet the voice that had just echoed was undoubtedly telling Ashie, not Rei, to keep him company tonight.
(No, wait. Don’t tell me he thinks I’m a woman?)
Rei thought that it might be a possibility. Rei’s build was smaller than average, and since he was currently wearing the Dragon Robe, his physique could be taken as either male or female. ……Then again, since Rei’s body did not have a visible amount of muscle to begin with, it was not impossible for someone to mistake him for a woman even if he took off the robe.
And above all, Rei’s features beneath the hood were so well-proportioned that his face could even be described as feminine. Considering those factors, there was a possibility that the man mistook Rei for a female adventurer, though Rei himself did not want to admit that it was possible.
However……the gaze of the man who had spoken was undoubtedly directed at Ashie, not Rei. At least, as far as his gaze was concerned, it was certain that those words were directed at Ashie and not Rei.
「My apologies, my lord. Are those words meant for me?」
When Ashie asked the noble riding in a carriage, the noble nodded arrogantly through the open window, as if it were obvious.
「Of course. From what I can see, you are a maid of this house, are you not? Then you shall obey my words.」
Rei could not understand the words of the man who spoke so grandly. Why would a maid of Baron Cisne’s family have to obey the words of another noble? Wondering if Ashie understood the meaning, Rei turned his gaze toward her, but Ashie tilted her head as well, looking completely confused.
(He doesn’t seem to be a relative of Baron Cisne’s family either…… So why is he so full of confidence?)
Rei could not understand where this conversation was going. Ashie was similarly at a loss as to how to respond……or more accurately, how to decline. A knight, who appeared to be a guard for the carriage, spoke as he watched Ashie.
「Are you saying that a mere maid of a baron family cannot obey the orders of Lord Keep, the next head of the Earl Eliel family! Enough talk, just get over here right now!」
Since he was wearing metal armour while the snow was falling, the cold must have been considerable. Showing his irritation openly, the knight approached Ashie. ……Yes. In other words, toward Rei, who stood right beside Ashie.
Inventing a reason that could hardly even be called a reason, the knight reached his hand out toward Ashie……and as a matter of course, that hand was stopped by Rei.
「Hey, are you out of your mind?」
「You, are you an adventurer by the looks of it? Do you think you’ll get away with opposing Lord Keep? Take your filthy hand off me this instant. If you do, I’ll let it slide just this once.」
At the words of the knight who had approached Ashie, another knight near the carriage nodded as they spoke.
「Do you think a mere baron family can oppose an earl family? If you don’t obediently follow Lord Keep’s orders, it will cause trouble for the head of this……what was it, Baron Cisne’s family? No matter how much a mere baron family makes a fuss, it’s meaningless. Ultimately, you will have to obey the orders of the Earl Eliel family of the Royalist Faction.」
「That is……however, um. My deepest apologies, but a woman like myself is far from suitable to keep someone like Lord Keep company. Could you please show some leniency?」
Ashie spoke in an attempt to smooth over the matter, but her words only resulted in infuriating the man named Keep inside the carriage.
「Don’t mock me! Are you telling me a mere maid of a baron family intends to refuse my orders!?」
Rei did not understand what part of Ashie’s words had offended him so much, but Keep kicked the carriage door open and stepped down onto the ground. It was only at this moment that Rei could finally get a proper look at what kind of appearance Keep possessed. That was only natural, since all that could be seen through the carriage window was his face.
He was a man in his mid-twenties, whose physique would be best described as average height and build. He had the kind of build that made him look fat, even though he was by no means obese. The likely reason he left such an impression, was probably because he showed absolutely no signs of having trained his body, and his footwork could hardly be called refined.
His face was already visible when looking through the carriage window, it could be considered attractive. However, his aura of looking down on others completely ruined his well-proportioned features.
「You lot, I don’t care what you do, just bring her to me!」
「W-Wait a moment, Lord Keep! Even if their rank is lower, they are still a proper noble. Forcibly taking their maid like this will undoubtedly cause problems later on!」
A man scrambled out from inside the carriage in a panic. He was quite a fat man. Due to his weight, he appeared to be considerably older than Keep, but looking closely, he seemed to be around the same age as Keep in Rei’s eyes.
「Silence, Furtos! Are you saying you will not obey my orders!」
「That is not what I am saying! I am telling you that even if you want to take that maid, we need to properly discuss it with the other side first!」
Furtos shouted while wiping away his sweat, despite the falling snow. Considering Keep’s behavior, he desperately pleaded, knowing he absolutely had to hold him back here. It was unlikely that Keep was moved by Furtos’s words, but he snorted unpleasantly as he spoke toward Ashie.
「Bring out the person in charge of this house. I shall personally declare that you belong to me.」
Although she was treated as an object rather than a person, Ashie did not seem to mind it herself. Instead, judging by Keep’s current words, she worried that if she brought Mouet out here, the commotion would only grow larger. She needed to somehow get Keep to leave quietly, but she could not think of a way to do so.
And then……at the absolute worst possible timing, Mouet showed his face outside.
「Ashie, where is Rei-kun……」
Stopping mid-sentence, he noticed the carriage parked in front of the residence and the group of people, starting with the individual who appeared to be a noble. Furthermore, what he could not overlook was that the men who seemed to be knights had stepped onto the grounds of Baron Cisne’s residence.
「Excuse me, but who might you be? At the very least, I do not know you. I don’t think it is very commendable for you to step onto the grounds of this residence without permission, you know?」
There was no sign of his usual timidness in Mouet’s dignified posture as he spoke. Mouet’s attitude must have gotten on Keep’s nerves. He shouted angrily.
「Silence! I am the next head of the Earl Eliel family! Do you think a mere wretch like you can order me around!」
「Ah, so you are from the Earl Eliel family. I am Mouet, the head of the Baron Cisne family.」
Despite being clearly insulted, Mouet maintained his smile. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel humiliated by the insult, but Earl Eliel was a noble of the Royalist Faction and was clearly of a far higher status than himself. Even if the person before him was the next head rather than the current head himself, it was certain that causing trouble here would lead to complications later on.
「Hmph, so you are the poor baron of this mansion. Your maid has committed various insolent acts against me. Well, I don’t want to go through any tedious trouble with a poor baron like you either. Hand over that maid to me. If you do, I shall pretend this never happened.」
The influence of his own family versus the middle-aged man before him who looked timid. Considering that balance of power, the poor baron before him should absolutely have to obey his orders. Even if the other party was the head of a baron family and he was merely the next head. Because of that, Keep took it for granted that Mouet would hand over the maid while wearing a resentful expression.
(She has quite a fine body. She’ll do well enough to keep me company tonight. Once I’m done with her, I can just give her to my subordinates.)
Harbouring such thoughts, he directed his gaze toward Ashie……
「I refuse.」
Mouet spoke with unexpectedly firm words.
「Very well, then you lot, take that woman……what?」
The words Keep was about to speak stopped mid-sentence. For a few seconds, he processed what had just been said to him, and once reality finally caught up, his face turned bright red with irritation as he glared at Mouet and shouted.
「You, what is the meaning of this! Do you intend to oppose the Earl Eliel family!?」
「Oppose you? You are the one attempting to forcibly take our maid without any justification whatsoever, are you not? In that case, I cannot afford to back down here either.」
「……Are you certain about this? If my father finds out about this, it will undoubtedly become an issue, you know?」
Keep spoke threateningly, but Mouet, shielding Ashie behind his back, stated resolutely.
「She is someone who serves my household. It would be a different story if she wished to go to you of her own accord, but I cannot hand her over to someone who resorts to taking her by force.」
Perhaps having never imagined that someone would oppose a person of a higher noble rank, even if he was just the next family head, Keep’s face grew increasingly red with rage. Seeing this, Keep’s attendant, Furtos, judged that things would become dangerous if they continued like this.
It was true that they had been dispatched to this region to stir up trouble, providing a pretext for the Royalist Faction to intervene here. However, if things proceeded like this, there was a possibility that the issue would grow far larger than anticipated. With blood rushing to Keep’s head, he might well order the knights to kill even someone holding the rank of a baron.
Furthermore, those knights fundamentally possessed a sense of privilege from serving an earl family. Even if the opponent was a baron, they would easily take his life if Keep commanded it. If that happened, Margrave Rowlocks, who ruled this territory, would undoubtedly step in immediately. Should that happen, the nobles of the Royalist Faction who had ordered their dispatch here would definitely cast him aside without a second thought.
(This is bad, bad, bad. I have to settle this matter somehow. And without spilling any blood…… What should I do? What is the best way?)
Watching Keep on the verge of issuing orders to the knights, Furtos’s mind raced at top speed.
(Is there something……isn’t there anything? At least, something that makes it acceptable to kill the opponent……hmm? Kill the opponent? Judging by the mansion, just as Lord Keep stated, he is clearly a poor baron. The head himself doesn’t seem to have trained his body at all. If that’s the case!)
Having devised a way to break the deadlock, Furtos whispered into Keep’s ear the exact moment Keep was about to speak in a fit of rage. While watching this unfold, Mouet felt a foreboding premonition, but he had no choice but to wait and see what the other side would do. Meanwhile, Rei, who intended to step forward if anything happened, simply watched the situation unfold in silence.
Once Furtos finished speaking, Keep gave a cheerful smile, making his bright red face from moments ago seem like a lie.
「Very well, let’s do this then. You and I shall have a duel. Of course, you are welcome to hire a proxy. Though that’s assuming a poor baron like you even has enough money for that. If I win, I shall take that woman.」
A bitter expression surfaced on Mouet’s face at those words. However, at that moment, he saw Rei nod from the corner of his eye.
Accept it. An absolute sense of relief surfaced in Mouet’s heart from the gaze that told him to leave the duel to Rei.
At this time, the greatest misfortune for Keep and Furtos was undoubtedly that they failed to realise the person standing right here was Rei. Then again, since he was wearing the Dragon Robe which had a concealment effect active, was not holding his signature Death Scythe, and above all, that Set was nowhere to be seen, it was only natural that they couldn’t tell.
「I would like to ask just in case, but what happens if I win?」
Keep let out a sneer at Mouet’s words.
「Hah? What was that? Do you think a poor noble like you can defeat me? Hahahaha. This is amusing. In that case, let’s see……if you win, I don’t mind giving you half of the property owned by the Earl Eliel family.」
「……Are you serious? Lord Keep, you are the next head, not the current head. I don’t believe you possess the authority to decide such a thing.」
「It’s not an issue, because there is absolutely no way I will lose. ……However, fine. If you are that worried, we shall inform the lord of this territory and have it legally processed before we hold the duel. You have no objections, correct?」
「L-Lord Keep!? That is going too far, no matter how you look at it……」
Furtos, who had been watching the conversation unfold from the side, shouted in a panic at the words that came from Keep. That was only natural. If a duel was legally processed by the lord, there would be no way to make excuses if by some absolute miracle he somehow lost.
However, Furtos’s panic only invited Keep’s anger.
「What is it, Furtos? Don’t tell me you think I will lose? Don’t worry, I am the next head of the Earl Eliel family, you know. There is no way I could lose to a poor baron like him. ……Actually, it would be troublesome if he tried to back out of it later. We might as well take the matter to the lord right now. You lot, come along. We are going to have this witness by the lord. ……Woman, things fell through for today, but once this duel is over, I shall dote on you thoroughly. Look forward to it.」
Due to his lineage, Keep spoke out of a firm conviction that he could never lose to someone of a lower noble rank. If someone who was deeply familiar with the situation in Gilm had been present, they would have undoubtedly told him to stop. However, since they could not recognise Rei for who he was, Keep, Furtos, and the knights were completely unable to understand that they had just committed a fatal mistake.