Inside a store in the Imperial Capital. Rei was carefully watching a man with all his attention.

The store owner had no idea what was going on as he called out to the man who had just come into the store.

「Hey, what have you done to him? This was my chance to see a rare magic item, so don’t disturb me.」

The person the store owner called out to was the man in his 30s to 40s who had just entered the store. The man seemed to be acquainted with the store owner as he sighed with a disappointed expression.

「What do you mean disturb him? I just came into the store, right? Why are you making it seem like I’m a……」

The man was surprised at the store owner’s words, but when he turned to look at Rei, he was even more surprised as he seemed to realise something.

His gaze was filled with a complex mix of surprise, curiosity, and caution at meeting someone unexpected.

Being gazed at by the man, Rei’s whole body felt a sense of wariness. ……Yes, it was because he half instinctively sensed that the man before him was no ordinary person.

The man seemed to notice that as well. Eventually, he spoke up with arched lips.

「Would you like to talk for a moment?」

「……With you? If that’s a joke, it’s not funny.」

「Of course I’m not joking. You understand, right? You’re the same.」

Those words felt like a distraction, but Rei understood what the man was trying to say.

Rei could only nod back at the man……who asked him questioningly, or rather, for confirmation.

「I see……that’s true. It’s probably better this way.」

However, in front of the two people who were talking in a way he couldn’t understand, the store owner protested with a dissatisfied expression on his face.

Rei was wearing what could be considered top grade magic items. As the owner of a store that sold magic items, he definitely wanted to learn more about them for his future work.

「Sorry, Mine. But, I can’t give this up here. ……You’re the same?」

「Yeah.」

Rei replied without hesitation.

Seeing the two of them make up their minds, the store owner, Mine, turned to the man in annoyance.

「Seriously, you’ve ruined our precious time Cascada. It’s fine, I understand. I’ll take care of things here. Is that good enough? However, you’ll have to return this favour in full later.」

「Sorry.」

Giving a small apology to the store owner, who he knew, the man left the store without saying anything more.

Similarly, Rei followed after the man without a word.

Mine was left in the store with a disappointed expression on his face.

 

 

「Here will be fine.」

The man said that as they reached a small building located 10 minutes away from the main street, down a back alley.

The house wasn’t so old as to fall apart when the wind blew, but it was by no means new either.

Rei obediently followed the man inside.

Normally, Rei wasn’t the type to do something as risky as this, but right now, he was just curious about the person in front of him.

A man with so much strength that he would feel ready to fight just by making eye contact.

(Elena, Vihera……and Elk.)

Among the people he had fought so far, those three could be described as formidable enemies.

It was impossible for Rei to not show some interest in someone who possessed a comparable level of strength.

Of course, the other party’s lack of hostility in their words and actions was part of the reason Rei had willing followed after them.

If they had shown hostility from the beginning, he would have used the full power of his fire magic, even inside the Imperial Capital.

In Rei’s eyes, the person before him was a capable opponent.

「Come in. Needless to say, I have no intention of fighting you. At least for now……」

「I would greatly appreciate it if we didn’t have to fight.」

Rei gave a brief reply as he entered the building.

Rei was surprised to find the inside tidier than he expected as the man led him to a small room about 10 square meters in size and prompted him to sit on a chair.

Moving the chair a little further away from the table, Rei sat down.

He had done that in readiness to respond immediately if anything happened……but, when the man saw that, he gave a bitter smile as he grabbed a water container and cup from the bag hanging at his waist.

Seeing that, Rei paused for a moment. The man’s lips curved into a small smile as he handed Rei a glass of cold water.

「What’s the matter? Item boxes aren’t rare for you, right? Anyone with a certain level of information would know that Crimson has an item box.」

「……I knew it, that’s an item box as well.」

He had been completely seen through. That was Rei thought for a moment, he had stood out greatly in the fighting tournament after all. Even wearing his hood, he was probably still recognised as he walked around the city. Mine, the store keeper from earlier, was probably an exception as he hadn’t recognised Rei even after taking his hood down.

「Well, that’s right. It’s hard to believe that two people with item boxes, which are so rare, would meet like this. Don’t you think that’s interesting?」

「Yes, but it would have been better if that person wasn’t you.」

Seeing Rei still looking at him with wary eyes, the man gave a small sigh.

「Don’t be so wary. ……Well, I guess it’s only natural? Wait a moment.」

The man sighed as he put his hand behind his neck.

The man’s actions made Rei reach for the dagger within his Dragon Robe. But, what happened next was enough to make Rei’s eyes go wide.

The colour of his hair, which had previously been brown, changed to green. His stern face stayed the same, but the corners of his eyes became raised, giving him a sharper look. The shape of his mouth, ears, and cheek also changed to some extent. The clearest change was that his age changed from someone in his late 30s or early 40s to someone in his early 30s, making him look completely different from the person he had looked like before.

「What do you think? Do you get why I changed my appearance?」

The man asked with a smile, the corners of his lips curving upwards.

However, Rei had no idea what the man was trying to say as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Since the man had spoken in such a confident tone, he naturally had to be famous. However, as this was Rei’s first time meeting him, he had never seen his face before.

「……I see, my name isn’t as well known as I thought either.」

Just by looking at Rei’s face, the man could tell what he was thinking without needing any explanation. As he realised that, the man’s expression changed from a grin to a wry smile.

Rei was still wary of the man’s actions, but he also felt a little bad. He spoke up to offer some comfort.

「I’m sorry, I’m not too familiar with the affairs of the Bestir Empire. Since you have a place here, I can guess you’re probably from the Bestir Empire.」

「That’s right. Well, I guess it can’t be helped given the circumstances. Then, let me introduce myself again.」

Shaking his head slightly to regain his composure, the man turned to look at Rei again.

The moment he looked straight into Rei’s eyes, a sense of crisis welled up within his heart.

He felt that the man before him was dangerous……and at the same time, he realised the identity of the person who could give him such a sense of danger.

Yes, there weren’t many people he would feel threatened by. In other words……

「You’re a high ranking adventurer from the Bestir Empire?」

「Yes, you’re not wrong. ……Let me introduce myself again. I’m Noiz, an S rank adventurer from the Bestire Empire. Cascada is the name I use when I’m disguised.」

Rei was stunned for a moment when he heard the man, Noiz’s, words.

S rank adventurer. There were only three such adventurers in Elgin, they were the pinnacle of adventurers.

Rei had heard there was one in the Mireana Kingdom and one in the Bestir Empire. But actually seeing the person in front of him was a different story.

「……I see. S rank, huh.」

Muttering to himself, Rei turned his attention back to the man who called himself Noiz.

Rei didn’t have the ability to see magic power, but he could still sense something special from the man in front of him.

It wasn’t logical, but his instincts told him that the man was an extremely strong opponent.

However, seeing Rei’s reaction, Noiz just brought a cup of water to his mouth.

「There’s no need to be so wary. I just……well, I just wanted to talk with you.」

「Talk? I hope it’s not about a grudge.」

Rei spoke with slight confusion.

He didn’t quite get want the man was trying to say. However, it seemed obvious, even to an observer, that the man was serious about his words.

(No, I don’t think it’s possible for an S rank adventurer to express his feelings so easily.)

That was what Rei thought, and Noiz’s next words confirmed his thoughts.

「Why would I hold a grudge? If it’s about the Spring War, I had nothing to do with it, so there’s no reason for me to hold a grudge.」

「But, someone you know might have died, right?」

「That’s true, but that’s what happens when you take on requests as an adventurer. If a full fledged adventurer accepts a request on their own and dies, isn’t that their own fault? Why should I be angry about it?」

Hearing Noiz’s response to his curious question, Rei gained some understanding of the man.

He was someone who completely separated his work and private life.

Of course, it might be a different matter if a really close friend, lover, or family member had died, but at the very least, he didn’t seem to hold any grudge against Rei right now.

THat was what he thought……but then Rei thought of another possibility and held his breath.)

(Completely separating his work and private life. Does that mean he’s willing to fight people he’s close to if it’s for work? Is that what it means?)

In other words, even if they were friends, if there was a conflict due to his work, it wouldn’t interfere with his personal feelings.

That said, Noiz didn’t seem to have any intention of being hostile to him right now. Having understood this, Rei gave a sigh of relief……as he suddenly noticed the sweat in his palms.

(Was I unconsciously afraid? ……Was Grimm the last time I felt someone this strong?)

The image of the man who admired Zepairu so much that he became a Lich passed through his mind.

However, unlike Grimm, who held a friendly relationship with Zepairu, Noiz wasn’t guaranteed to not become an enemy in future.

For that reason, he had to be careful with his words.

「I see, it’s great that you don’t seem to hold a grudge against me. That said, this doesn’t seem like a place an S rank would live in.」

「Hm? Oh, this is just one of my hideouts. It’s a convenient place to use when I need to meet someone without being noticed. Also, there isn’t a lot here because most of my important items are in here. It’s the same for you, right?」

Rei nodded at Noiz’s words as he patted the bag at his waist.

Rei’s body was still a little sittf, but he didn’t show it on his face ……At least that was what he thought.

「That’s right. If you’re in this line of work, you never know what might happen.」

In fact, almost everything Rei needed was stored inside the Misty Ring.

Even if he stayed at a inn, most of the items he left outside where things he used in his daily life, so he didn’t care if he lost them.

As he replied to Noiz, Rei remembered several other inn guests being surprised by that when they found out.

「Isn’t that right? Especially as an adventurer, there are many emergency situations.」

「……So, that’s fine and all. But why did you bring me here? You can’t have brought me here just to talk, right?」

「Hmm, you’re right. I can’t say that’s the only reason. This year, someone with a new title suddenly appeared in the Mireana Kingdom. The biggest reason is that I wanted to see what kind of person they were with my own eyes.」

「So you wanted to find out.」

Rei hadn’t sensed any hostility or malice from Noiz and he finally showed an expression of relief as he replied.

「It’s natural to collect information if they are a somewhat famous adventurer, but it’s different if they have a title. Especially since I can meet with the real person this time.」

「No, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Even for me, there are very few opportunities to talk with an S rank adventurer」

Although they exchanged words lightly, Rei still felt some pressure from Noiz. It was as if he were looking at a giant tree that was thousands of years old.

There was sweat on his palms and he could feel a chill on his back.

Despite that, Rei continued to speak, saying that he wouldn’t let go of an opportunity to talk directly with an S rank adventurer.

By the time they finished talking and parted ways with Noiz, even Rei, who was confident in his physical stamina, was greatly exhausted.

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