That day, Daska, who was processing documents in his office as usual, directed a suspicious towards his butler as they entered the room to report on some news.

「Is that true?」

「Yes. Both Keep-sama and Mouet-sama have arrived.」

「……That damn noble. Causing trouble again. How many times does this make?」

「In addition, Rei-sama is with them as well……」

「Hah? Rei? Why on earth is Rei here? ……Tch, did that damn noble get Rei dragged into this? He really does nothing but cause trouble. Let me ask just in case, is Keep injured?」

「Not at all. He is the very picture of good health.」

「I don’t know whether to be happy about that or not. It would have been better if he had lost a limb or two, as that would have kept him quiet.」

Daska spat out irritably.

Not much time had passed since Keep arrived in Gilm. However, within that short span of time, Keep had repeatedly caused commotions. Every single time, the guards, the knights, and even Daska himself were inconvenienced.

If he were a mere noble with no backing, there would be no need to pay him much mind. However, he was a noble sent by the Royalist Faction as a check against them. If Daska made any mistakes, they would undoubtedly exploit the opportunity provided.

And above all, the worst part about this latest news was that Rei was likely involved. Although Rei was quite friendly with with Daska, that was partly because Daska was exceptionally unconventional for a noble, and partly because he gave Rei preferential treatment. Fundamentally, however, Rei’s personality could be described as fierce. Even during the Spring War, Rei had wielded his power without the slightest hesitation against nobles of the Aristocratic Faction. What would happen if Rei crossed paths with Keep, a textbook example of a corrupt noble? In that sense, it could be considered a stroke of good fortune that Keep had not sustained a single injury yet.

「Seriously, what are they thinking, sending such a fool even if it is meant to keep us in check? It wouldn’t be surprising for someone like Duke Quent to send a more appropriate person. Which means he was probably sent by some radical splinter group within the Royalist Faction.」

Even though they were collectively called the Royalist Faction, they were the largest faction within the Mireana Kingdom. Because of that, the Royalist Faction was further divided into several smaller sub-factions. Daska anticipated that Keep had likely been sent due to the conflicting interests among those groups, but since overthinking it wouldn’t change the current situation, it was nothing more than temporary escapism for now.

「To think he would target Baron Cisne. Well, fine. Now that things have come to this, I can’t exactly avoid meeting them. Especially since that guy looks down on me as an inferior.」

Under normal circumstances, a margrave held a higher status than an earl. Furthermore, Keep was merely the next head of the Earl Eliel family, while Daska was the current head of the Rowlocks Margrave house. Considering those facts, there was no reason for Keep to take a strong attitude with Daska, yet the man paid no mind to such things at all, acting as if he were of a higher rank than Daska.

(In another words, the Royalist Faction……or rather, the idiots who sent that fool want to provoke me into making a move. They really cause nothing but troublesome complications.)

While letting out a sigh internally, he couldn’t just sit here forever. Standing up, he was guided to the reception room by his secretary.

Arriving at the reception room, he let out a small sigh upon seeing the figures inside. It was the worst possible combination, Rei and Keep. Even though his butler had informed him that there were no apparent injuries, he couldn’t truly rest easy until he saw it with his own eyes.

In this regard, it could be said that Daska understood Rei’s character very well. Looking around the reception room once more, there was a fat man and three knights on Keep’s side, while on Mouet’s side stood Rei and a single maid.

Perhaps out of consideration by the butler who had prepared the room, the sofas in the reception room were positioned far apart from each other. Upon seeing Daska enter the room, Keep stood up with an arrogant smile and spoke.

「Ah, Margrave Rowlocks. You’ve finally arrived. I don’t appreciate being kept waiting, but I’ll let it slide for now. More importantly, you must hear what I have to say.」

「Hold on a moment, Keep-sama. Please calm down a little. ……Please prepare some tea.」

Sidestepping Keep’s attempt to force his demands the exact moment they made eye contact, Daska ordered his butler to bring some tea. Watching the butler leave the room, Daska turned back toward the gathered individuals and spoke.

「Now then, normally I would prefer to listen to your story while enjoying some tea, but it seems we don’t have that much luxury. Let’s hear what this is about.」

「Hmm. To put it simply, this poor baron and I have agreed to a duel with that maid as the wager. I want you to handle the legal processing for the duel, Margrave Rowlocks.」

「……What?」

At Keep’s words, Daska turned his gaze toward Mouet. The Mouet Daska knew was a timid man, but he was currently displaying a resolute posture. The maid stood waiting by Mouet’s side, looking somewhat anxious, and……

(And Rei, huh.)

Finally, Daska’s gaze shifted toward Rei, who stood behind Mouet as if to declare he was acting as his bodyguard. Daska could roughly understand the reason why the knights standing behind Keep occasionally directed hostile glares toward Rei, considering Rei’s personality.

「The legal processing. I want to ensure everything is properly formalised so this poor baron can’t make any ugly excuses when he loses.」

「……I see.」

While nodding, if Daska were to express his honest thoughts, it would be “Is this man out of his mind?”. The fact that Rei was on Mouet’s side was undoubtedly an expression of his intention to support Mouet.

If one were to fight with Rei as an enemy, a B rank adventurer of the same rank would not be enough. It would be necessary to bring an A rank adventurer……someone on the level of Elk, who held the title Axe of the Thunder God. But if asked whether such a person would side with Keep, a textbook example of a corrupt noble in the worst way possible, Daska couldn’t help but tilt his head in doubt.

(Does he have some sort of plan to win? Surely there’s no way he could be in Gilm and not know of Rei.)

Looking at the completely confident Keep, Daska found it strange. Then again, identifying Rei as the adventurer with the title Crimson upon a first meeting was difficult without the presence of the Death Scythe or Set. And when Keep had encountered Rei, Set was nowhere near him. Furthermore, when Rei went with them to Daska’s residence, he had instructed Set to wait at Mouet’s estate before heading out, so Keep and his group were completely unaware of who Rei truly was. On top of that, there was no need to use the Death Scythe against the knights serving Keep, meaning there was no opportunity for the large scythe to make an appearance either.

「What’s wrong? The legal processing, l-e-g-a-l p-r-o-c-e-s-s-i-n-g!」

Although Daska felt a wave of irritation internally as Keep emphasised every single syllable, he managed to suppress the urge to shout as he spoke.

「So, Mouet, have you agreed to this duel?」

「Yes. Honestly, I have no confidence in my own combat abilities, but he has offered a fight via proxy.」

「……I see. And you agree to the duel as well, Keep-sama?」

「Haven’t I already told you it’s a matter of course? More importantly, hurry up with the processing.」

「Very well, next, please state what each side demands from the other.」

As Daska spoke while suppressing his annoyance, Keep opened his mouth as if he had been eagerly waiting for this exact moment.

「If I win, I shall take that maid. If I lose, I don’t mind surrendering half of the property owned by the Earl Eliel family. Correct?」

「Yes.」

「……Hah?」

Mouet nodded at Keep’s words. Up to that point, there was no issue, but it was Daska who let out a dumbfounded voice at those words. Holding onto a sliver of hope that he might have simply misheard, Daska spoke.

「It sounded to me as though you said you would surrender half of the Earl Eliel family’s property if you lost, Keep-sama, but did I mishear?」

「No, you heard correctly. That is exactly right. To draw a lowly, poor baron into a duel, a wager of that size is necessary, is it not? Besides, I’m going to win anyway, so there’s no need to pay it. There is absolutely no problem.」

At the words that came from Keep’s mouth, the first one unable to bear it any longer was not Mouet……but rather Ashie, who stood waiting behind him.

「Don’t you think you have been being rather rude for a while now, no matter how much lower our rank may be? You may certainly be someone tied to the blood of an earl family. However, in the end, you are not the head of the house yet. Could you please refrain from making mocking remarks toward my master, who is a proper baron?」

「……Oh? A mere maid dares to speak so loftily to me, the next head of the Earl Eliel family. But precisely because you are that kind of woman, you will be well worth disciplining once I make you mine. You should be grateful to my generosity.」

Keep stared at Ashie with a gaze that perfectly embodied the phrase “vulgar look,” but he eventually seemed satisfied by her expression as she knit her brows in displeasure. Turning his gaze back toward Daska, he spoke.

「So, Margrave Rowlocks. How much longer must I stand around like this? Hurry up and draft the documents.」

「It is true that since you are registered as the next head of the Earl Eliel family, you possess a certain degree of freedom to use their assets. Even so, isn’t it rather problematic to wager half of the family’s property in a duel without obtaining permission from the current head?」

「Hah, what are you talking about? As I said moments ago, there is no way I could lose to such a shabby, poor noble. Rest assured, that wager is merely meant to ensure that man doesn’t run away.」

Keep did not doubt his victory in the slightest, but Furtos, who stood waiting beside him, opened his mouth with some hesitation.

「Keep-sama, no matter how you look at it, a wager of half the property requires obtaining consent from your father…… Moreover, the opponent is a mere maid after all. There is simply no way she holds enough value to wager half the family assets……」

「What is it, Furtos? Do you honestly think I will lose to a man like him?」

「No, of course I don’t think that. However……」

「Enough! If I say I am doing it, then I am doing it! Now, Margrave Rowlocks! The documents!」

Daska looked towards Keep, who nodded back.

After confirming that, Daska began drafting up the necessary documents. Under normal circumstances, Daska perhaps would have informed Keep of Rei’s true identity. Of course, since doing so was an act of courtesy rather than an obligation, Daska could not be blamed for choosing not to speak. After all, even with Rei standing right before his eyes, Keep remained entirely convinced of his own victory.

Furthermore, as far as Daska’s personal feelings were concerned, he had no intention of genuinely stopping this fight. Now that the processing for the duel had been carried out in strict accordance with formal procedures, if they were to lose, the Earl Eliel family would undoubtedly lose face completely. Moreover, since it would be clearly recorded in writing that half of the property was to be transferred, they would have no excuses when they lost.

「Now, each of you must provide your blood stamp. With that, the legal processing for this duel will be complete.」

Writing down what each side was wagering onto the documents, Mouet and Keep each used the provided knives to make a small cut on their thumbs and pressed their blood stamps onto the paper. The exact moment the two pressed their blood stamps, the documents emitted a faint green light.

(Now that they have pressed their blood stamps onto the documents and the formal procedure has been thoroughly completed, there is no way to abandon the duel anymore. If anyone attempted such a thing, it would be treated as a default, and they would have to unconditionally surrender their wager to the other party.)

Even while staring at the gathered individuals with a solemn expression, Daska was inwardly cheering at his success. This was because a plan was now in place to legally expel Keep, who had done nothing but cause problematic behavior and repeatedly inconvenienced him, from Gilm. If Keep were to win the duel, it would be a different story, but with Rei present, that was practically impossible. In other words, once this duel concluded, Keep would have to return to his own territory to arrange half of the Earl Eliel family’s property. If it were something simpler, such as gold coins or jewels, he could have managed somehow by merely writing a letter to inform his father, the current Earl Eliel, of the situation. However, when it came to half of their entire assets, the person who had agreed to the duel would have no choice but to return home.

(Well, even if this guy disappears, I’m sure the next one will be sent soon enough……)

Feeling the excitement from a few seconds ago fade away, Daska opened his mouth without letting it show on his face.

「Now then, the conditions are set. You will likely need a period to prepare your respective proxies. As for the date and time of the duel……let’s see, would five days from now at the knights’ training ground be acceptable?」

Keep nodded at Daska’s words with a smile born of complete confidence in his victory. Mouet nodded as well, maintaining a serious expression. Seeing the two nod, Daska made his declaration.

「Very well, the duel will be held five days from today, at 1:00 pm at the knights’ training ground located within this estate. Only a single proxy is allowed for each side. The match will be decided when the opponent either surrenders, becomes incapacitated, or loses their life. The victor will gain the right to claim the other party’s wager as their own. Any objections?」

Confirming that no one had any objections to Daska’s words……

「Then the conditions for the duel are officially set. Make sure you each act in a way that leaves no room for regret.」

Those were Daska’s words to them.

[Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Next Chapter]