「Guaah!」
A man let out a shriek as they tumbled to the ground.
Looking down at him, a woman muttered with some exasperation.
「Hah, to think they’d actually launch a night attack, just as Rei worried. Well, maybe because it took them a while to gather their numbers, the attack happened today instead of yesterday. I can understand not wanting to fight Rei, but they’re being too predictable. And for a night attack, their skill level is pretty low.」
「No, no, they aren’t as bad as you make them out to be. Their skills are decent enough, you know? Well, even so, it would be tough for them to go against you or me, so they’re probably around D rank.」
A dwarf spoke as he wielded a massive hammer. Several figures lay collapsed at the dwarf’s feet as well.
「Hah, D rank or whatever, once you get smacked by Brazos’s Earthshaking Hammer, there’s nothing you can do about it. More importantly, things are fine on our end, but……」
Freon stopped mid-sentence and turned her gaze in a different direction. As if matching her timing, the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard.
It was already dark outside, and while it was a bit too early to call it late night, the only light present came from the magic items providing light within the residence and the moon in the sky. For bodyguards, the lack of snow and calmer winds provided the best environment.
Emerging as they pierced through the dark night was a familiar face. It was another adventurer that Rei was acquainted with.
「Freon-san, we had three intruders on our side. We successfully captured all of them.」
「Not bad. I expected at least that much skill since you’re an acquaintance of Rei.」
Freon’s words were undoubtedly a compliment. However, the man who received the compliment wore a slightly displeased look on his face.
「Um, it’s true we were entrusted with this bodyguard request through Rei-san’s recommendation, but it’s a bit troubling if you expect absurd power like Rei-san’s from us, you know?」
The man simply couldn’t bear being lumped together with an existence like Rei. As he voiced his thoughts, his gaze shifted towards Freon and Brazos. Rei had asked them to handle this bodyguard request, but he had approached these two first. In other words, he trusted these two more than them. While he had no desire to be lumped together with Rei, he felt a bit envious that Rei trusted these two more than them.
Freon seemed to notice the man’s gaze, as she tilted her head and spoke.
「What’s wrong?」
「Ah, no, it’s nothing. More importantly……I didn’t think they’d actually launch a raid.」
「True. Well, the other side can’t back down anymore either. You heard from Rei, right? What they wagered on the duel.」
Brazos snorted unpleasantly at Freon’s words and spoke.
「Hmm, the opponent is a textbook example of a foolish noble. He probably couldn’t see Rei’s true strength even after looking right at him. Now that he’s finally realised what kind of guy Rei is, he’s resorting to these haphazard methods. He’s nothing short of incompetent.」
Perhaps because his drinking lifestyle had been interrupted, Brazos’s words clearly carried a sharp edge. However, those words were undeniably the truth.
「If they’ve realised what kind of person Rei-san is, I think they should have just called off the duel itself. Even if it’s been legally processed, they could manage somehow if they both agreed, right?」
「True. However, in that case, that noble……was it the Earl Eliel family? That noble would lose face completely. He would be surrendering to an opponent with a lower noble rank, after all.」
「It’s the Earl Eliel family. ……Face, huh. It’s true that face is important for a noble, but compared to going up against Rei-san, losing face would surely cause far less damage.」
Freon and Brazos nodded at his words, but it was because they couldn’t bear that result that they had launched this night attack.
「More importantly, what should we do with these unconscious guys?」
「Right, tie them up for now. I don’t know if these guys are working for the Earl Eliel family, but if they are, we can use them for negotiations after the duel concludes. Even if they aren’t working for the Earl Eliel family, we might be able to trace them back through whoever hired them.」
Stating that, Freon directed a cold look at the assassins lying unconscious on the ground.
「You’ve got to be joking!」
Along with a shout filled with rage, a fist swung out and struck a cup sitting on the desk. It was a glass cup that cost an amount a commoner could never afford, but a split second later, it crashed onto the floor as it shattered to pieces.
Even as he watched it, the person who had shouted……Keep, glared at Furtos standing right before his eyes with bloodshot eyes filled with rage.
「I tried to assassinate that poor baron following your proposal……and the result is a total defeat!? Moreover, what is the meaning of almost all of them being captured alive! Among them, there are guys who have connections to me, even if only very slight!」
Furtos quickly bowed his head.
「Please rest assured regarding that matter. I don’t believe any trouble will reach you, Keep-sama. ……However, I didn’t think they would gather bodyguards so quickly. ……My deepest apologies.」
「I’m not telling you to apologise! I’m telling you to do something about the current situation!」
The look on Keep’s face as he bellowed at the bowing Furtos was filled with pure panic. Because he had learned exactly how powerful Rei truly was, he understood the exact situation they were in. Desperately trying to do something about their current scenario, which was only a single step away from total ruin, they had launched an attack on the Baron Cisne residence disguised as a robbery. Since they couldn’t defeat Rei, they had attempted to do something about the root cause instead. However, the outcome was exactly as Keep had stated.
「What am I supposed to do! Moreover, a festival!? What is that margrave thinking!」
Another reason Keep was infuriated was the decree Daska, the lord of the territory, had issued this morning. Specifically, the festival being held in three days. The main pretext for holding the festival was, of course, the duel itself. In front of so many eyes, if the next head of the Earl Eliel family lost to a lower-ranked opponent, it would drag his family’s name through the mud. Furthermore, half of the Earl Eliel family’s property would vanish. No matter how one looked at it, it was an absolute certainty that his father, the current head, would cast him aside without a second thought. Or worse, he might even be literally cut down. For Keep, who held absolute confidence in his lineage, such a thing was completely unacceptable.
「What should I do……what is the best way? In the first place, there must be some mistake about that guy Rei being so strong.」
Keep questioned Furtos, holding onto a sliver of hope, but Furtos shook his head in denial.
「I also investigated various angles thinking there might be a chance……but it seems the fact that Rei is as strong as people say is the truth. We’ve even obtained testimonies from those who participated alongside him in the war that occurred in spring.」
「Hah, he’s a mere adventurer after all. Aren’t they just exaggerating the vague rumours to make themselves look a bit grander?」
Keep spoke as if he wanted his own wishful thinking to be the truth, but Furtos shook his head again.
「I pulled some strings with the knights serving Margrave Rowlocks to gather information. Those vague rumours are all the truth…… No, if anything, there is a possibility that we are actually underestimating him.」
「Then what do you expect me to do…… Wait. I understand that Rei is strong. But in the end, he’s still just an adventurer, right?」
A light of hope suddenly dawned in Keep’s eyes as he thought of something. Furtos felt a foreboding premonition at his master’s behavior, but he nodded slightly anyway.
「That’s true. It seems he is occasionally hired by Margrave Rowlocks, just like during the Spring War, but he is not a subordinate of Margrave Rowlocks.」
「……Hmph, I see. Then he’s a mere adventurer after all. If I bestow a little gold on him, he’ll obey my commands. Hmm, that’s right. If anything, I wouldn’t mind employing that guy Rei as my direct retainer. He’s the adventurer with the title Crimson, after all. He should be of some use. Besides, he keeps a Griffon as a tamed beast, right? That will make for a fine display as well.」
Keep wore a satisfied smile on his face, likely imagining himself with Rei and Set under his command. Watching him, Furtos thought to himself that it was actually quite an excellent idea for a plan coming from Keep, and he couldn’t help but feel impressed. Winning over an enemy was a long used method, but it was precisely because it was effective that it was frequently used, which was why it was tried and tested. If Keep’s idea went well, it would be a chance for a sudden turnaround.
However, their mistake lay in the fact that Keep and Furtos did not doubt for a single second that Rei would not accept noble employment. Rei fundamentally lacked a good impression of nobility. People like Elena and Daska, along with a few other nobles, were a different story, and he held a favorable impression of them. Because of that, it was likely impossible to learn what Rei truly thought of nobility through the various rumours. ……Then again, it was a fact that during the Spring War, nobles of the Aristocratic Faction had been brought to the brink of death by Rei’s hands.
「That’s true. That is certainly an excellent idea. If it goes well, we might even be able to make him lose the duel on purpose.」
「I see. In that case, I might as well step into the duel myself without hiring anyone. That way, I can effortlessly gain the honour of having defeated a titled adventurer.」
He was completely counting his chickens before they hatch, but Keep firmly believed his strategy would succeed. Serving the next head of the Earl Eliel family was a far too generous treatment for a mere adventurer, after all. Furtos also judged that the probability of success wasn’t small, though he wasn’t as confident as Keep.
「Keep-sama, I believe it would be best to refrain from stepping into the duel yourself. I shouldn’t really say this, but as you stated, the opponent is a mere adventurer after all. There is no guaranteeing he won’t attack seriously by some mistake.」
「Is that so? ……True. That’s true. The opponent is a mere adventurer after all. There is no telling if he understands reason or anything else.」
Keep muttered words that, if a Gilm resident heard them, would make them shout “Look who’s talking!”. He turned his gaze toward Furtos and nodded back.
「Very well. If the matter can be resolved with a bit of money, that will be best. I’ll get my hands on that woman Ashie, and I’ll gain a titled adventurer too. ……Let’s see, giving him a few gold coins should do.」
「Gold coins? Don’t you think that is a bit too little? The opponent is an adventurer who obtained a title in his mid-teens. Since you are gaining such an individual, perhaps platinum coins would be……」
「You expect me to make that much of a concession for a mere adventurer?」
Keep’s words carried an unpleasant tone, likely displeased by Furtos’s suggestion. Furtos quickly bowed his head upon seeing Keep. Since he understood from their long acquaintance that the man was prone to temper tantrums, he was well accustomed to handling them.
「I can understand why you find it unpleasant, Keep-sama, but by displaying great generosity here, wouldn’t Rei harbour a deep loyalty towards you, Keep-sama?」
「Hmm? Generosity……generosity, huh. Hmm, true. If I show that much consideration for a mere adventurer, he will undoubtedly understand my greatness. Very well, I see.」
Liking the phrase great generosity, Keep wore a satisfied smile on his face, making his unpleasantness from moments ago seem like a lie as he spoke.
「Very well, those conditions will do. Move on it immediately.」
「Yes, right away.」
Furtos bowed quickly, the flesh on his cheeks and chin trembling.
After finishing dinner, Rei was looking at two magic stones at the Dusk Wheat Pavilion. In his hands lay the Ogre magic stone he obtained when clearing the dungeon, and a standard Gamelion magic stone. Both were magic stones he had not absorbed yet.
However, the look in Rei’s eyes as he stared at them didn’t seem very happy.
「Putting the Gamelion magic stone aside, I have nothing but bad feelings about the Ogre magic stone.」
Rei muttered as he recalled the Ogre, which had been visibly smaller and weaker than a regular Ogre. Even if he absorbed the magic stone, if it came from a weak opponent, would it perhaps weaken his skills instead? That thought crossed his mind. He had absorbed magic stones from weak monsters like Goblins before, but in this case, the fact that it was the magic stone of a weak individual within the Ogre race weighed on his mind.
While lying down on his bed and staring at the magic stones in his hand, wondering what to do……he suddenly heard the sound of a knock on his room door.
「Excuse me. Rei-san, do you have a moment? There is something I would like to discuss with you.」
Hearing a voice from outside his door, Rei tilted his head but stored the magic stones back into the Misty Ring before getting up from his bed, putting on his Dragon Robe, and heading to the door.