"Don't screw with me!"
A man's furious roar echoed through the room.
This was a chamber within the Boluntar Mansion—not the one Rei had trashed earlier that day, yet its current state was little better. Only hours ago, it had been a model of order and cleanliness, but now, at the hands of the mansion's master, the room lay in ruins. Boluntar had smashed the chairs, shredded the curtains, trampled the paintings, and shattered the porcelain vases. And yet, he was not finished.
"That I—that I should be looked down upon by some Rank D brat! Do you think I'll just stay silent after such an insult?!"
"Hiee! Please... forgive me... Master..."
The riding whip in Boluntar's hand lashed down alongside his screams of irritation. His target was a maid in her late teens who served the household.
Her clothes were shredded from the impact, her skin torn open to reveal the raw flesh beneath. The scent of metallic blood hung heavy in the air, pooling on the floor. Smelling it, Boluntar’s eyes took on a murky light born of sadistic pleasure, and he brought the whip down again.
The maid's greatest misfortune was perhaps Boluntar's physique. Though he was of an age that could be called elderly, his body remained robust and powerful. For a young girl to be struck by a whip backed by such strength was more than she could endure.
"Gi... gah...!"
She could no longer form words, her voice reduced to ragged gasps at every impact. Boluntar cast a bored look at her as she finally slipped into unconsciousness, then reached out to ring the one bell in the room that remained unbroken.
Seconds later, the door opened.
"Lord Boluntar, did you summon me?"
"Take this thing away. Ah, and see that she gets some decent treatment. It’ll be a nuisance if she dies. That Daskar fellow is a noble, yet he’s stricter about these matters than a commoner like me."
"Understood!"
"Now then—how much have you learned about him?"
Boluntar tossed the whip onto the floor and stepped into the adjacent room.
The butler followed, but not before quickly gesturing for his subordinates to tend to the maid. He chose his words carefully to avoid further provoking his master’s temper.
"It has only been a few months since he first appeared in the City of Gilm. Rumor has it he was a skilled mage's apprentice. He supposedly came here to gain experience as an adventurer after completing his training."
"Hmph, typical. If an adventurer with a gryphon had been in Gilm for any length of time, the rumors would have reached my ears long ago."
"Consistent with his master's instructions, he registered with the Guild and has primarily focused on subjugation requests."
Boluntar settled into a chair at the back of the room and signaled for the butler to continue.
Only a few hours had passed since Rei had left the mansion and Boluntar had regained his composure, yet the butler had already gathered a wealth of information. The Azott Company’s reach as the coordinator of Gilm's weapon shops was vast; tracking down details on a figure as prominent as Rei was a simple task.
"I see. That explains why he was part of the raid on the Orc Settlement," Boluntar muttered. He poured himself a glass of liquor and drained it in a single gulp.
"Pwah. And as for his own combat prowess... no, I suppose I don't even need to ask."
For a moment, the memory of the sheer terror he had felt earlier that day flickered through his mind. A man capable of instilling such a primal fear of death could not possibly be unrefined.
But as he spoke, a sudden realization struck him.
"Wait. You said he was a mage's apprentice?"
"Yes. We haven't verified the master's identity, but he was apparently a hermit who lived in isolation with only Rei and the gryphon for company."
"If that's the case, why didn't the boy use magic when he tried to kill me? He was holding a magic catalyst, but..."
Boluntar recalled the object in Rei's hands.
Normally, a magic catalyst took the form of a staff, a ring, or perhaps a rare earring. Regardless of the shape, they generally served no purpose other than focusing mana. However, the catalyst Boluntar had seen earlier appeared to function as a weapon—a terrifyingly powerful magic item in its own right.
While catalysts with secondary effects did exist, imbuing a single item with both catalyst properties and distinct special abilities required masterful technique. It was far more common to keep the functions separate. A weapon like that Great Scythe, which combined both, was a treasure of immense value—something even the top-tier alchemists of the Magic City Ozos would struggle to replicate.
That magic item alone is worth a fortune. And then there's the Item Box.
The boy was detestable, but he was far too valuable to simply dispose of. His items, his gryphon—everything about him was a prize.
"What do his connections look like?"
"His connections, sir?"
"Yes. Who would come sniffing around if I were to set a trap for him?"
The butler caught his master’s drift immediately. He paused for a few seconds before answering.
"His primary connection is undoubtedly Margrave Larkus. As I mentioned, Rei was the one who personally slew the Orc King during the settlement raid. It seems the Margrave moved to secure him immediately after. He was granted a special exemption to take the Rank Up Exam and reach Rank D, and since then, the Margrave has been issuing him nomination requests directly."
"...Connected to the Lord. That's a headache."
"Furthermore..." The butler hesitated. Boluntar fixed him with a murky gaze, prompting him to continue. "Regarding those nomination requests... you likely remember that Duke Kerebel's Daughter, the central figure of the Noble's Faction, visited Gilm recently."
"...Yes. The one they call the Princess General."
"Indeed. It appears Rei's nomination request was to serve as her personal guard."
"What? Are you telling me that brat is connected to Duke Kerebel as well?"
"I cannot confirm it with certainty, but the possibility is high."
"Dammit!" Boluntar spat.
If it were only Daskar, the Lord of the City of Gilm, Boluntar might have been able to use his influence to undermine Rei. It would be risky, but the potential profit would outweigh the danger. However, a connection to Duke Kerebel changed everything. The Noble's Faction possessed far more influence than the Neutral Faction led by Margrave Larkus. A pillar of that faction could crush a frontier merchant with a mere thought.
"Entrapping him might be too dangerous for me personally. In that case... hmph. Listen."
"Yes, Master?"
"Send word to every weapon shop in the City of Gilm. From this moment on, they are to refuse Rei any weapon sales, maintenance, or buybacks. No matter how powerful that magic catalyst is, a weapon needs care to remain functional. He'll have to rely on a shop eventually. When every smithy in the city turns him away, he'll understand exactly what kind of message I'm sending."
"But... would that not be considered a direct provocation? He did tell Lord Galahat there would be no second warning."
Boluntar's face twisted in disgust at the mention of the name. Galahat was the child of his father's late-life mistress; the mere fact that they shared even half their blood filled Boluntar with loathing.
"That good-for-nothing. I only keep him as a guard because he carries my family's blood, yet he was swiped aside by a mere Rank D brat. He's a disgrace to the rank of B-Rank."
"Lord Boluntar, that adventurer defeated a B-Rank monster like the Orc King while he was still Rank G. While Guild ranks usually dictate strength, it is dangerous to judge a man like Rei by such metrics."
Boluntar scowled. He knew the butler was right; he had felt the boy's killing intent firsthand. He had only been spared because of that detestable Galahat, a fact that robbed him of any relief he might have felt.
"I don't care. If he tries anything else, I'll have him branded a criminal and judged under the law."
"Lord Boluntar... very well. I shall notify the weapon shops in the City of Gilm at once. Are you absolutely certain?"
"You're being repetitive. Just do as I told you!"
"As you wish."
The butler bowed deeply and withdrew.
As the door closed, Boluntar poured another glass, savoring the thought of the misery Rei would face starting tomorrow.
"Guh..."
While Boluntar drank with dark satisfaction, Galahat groaned as he regained consciousness in a room within the mansion.
"Lord Galahat!" Mult, sitting in a chair by the bed, cried out in relief.
"Where... am I?"
"The infirmary."
A man with Boluntar's wealth and enemies never knew when he might be targeted by assassins or when his private soldiers might be injured in training. Thus, Boluntar kept a resident doctor on the premises. This was where Galahat had been brought.
"The infirmary...? Wait! My brother! Guh!"
Galahat tried to sit up, but the movement sent a jolt of agony through his chest where Rei's blow had shattered his ribs. He collapsed back onto the bed, gasping.
"Lord Galahat! You have to stay still! The doctor said if you’d arrived twenty minutes later, even recovery magic wouldn't have saved you!" Mult said, his eyes brimming with tears.
Rei’s strike had driven bone fragments into Galahat’s internal organs. Only Boluntar’s insistence on keeping a doctor capable of skilled recovery magic had prevented the injury from being fatal. The sheer power of the blow, combined with the strain Galahat had put on himself to stand afterward, had brought him to death's door.
"Mult... what about my brother?"
"He's fine. Not a scratch on him. Once Rei made that promise with you, he left without another word."
"...I see. He's safe, then."
"Well, about Rei, yeah... but..."
Mult trailed off, his eyes shifting to the bed next to Galahat's.
Enduring the pain that flared with every breath, Galahat turned his head to follow Mult's gaze. A young girl lay there, face-down on the mattress.
"This is..."
Galahat was speechless. The girl's back was a ruin of lacerations—deep, ugly wounds that would likely leave permanent scars even with the best recovery magic. She wasn't merely sleeping; she was unconscious from the trauma.
"She's one of the maids. Boluntar took his anger out on her after Rei left..."
"What?!"
Galahat stared in horror. He knew his brother was a difficult man, but he hadn't imagined Boluntar would sink to this—maiming a woman for life simply to vent his frustration.
...No, that's not true. I knew exactly what kind of man he was.
"I'm sorry," Galahat whispered.
"Why are you apologizing, Lord Galahat?! This is all on Boluntar! It’s horrible what he did to her, but it’s not your fault!"
"That doesn't make it right. Venting his rage... wait. Venting?"
Galahat felt a sudden chill. He knew his brother's temperament well. Boluntar was a man who couldn't stand to be slighted and who would sacrifice anyone for profit. But he was also a coward—a man who had been paralyzed by Rei's killing intent. Would such a man truly risk another encounter with Rei just to vent his anger on a maid?
I assumed he was too terrified to touch Rei again. But what if I was wrong?
Galahat was a B-Rank adventurer, a man of significant power in Gilm, but his expertise lay in combat. When it came to greed and the scent of profit, he was no match for Boluntar. If Boluntar had seen something in Rei that he wanted...
"Lord Galahat?"
"...Mult. Listen to me very carefully."
Galahat was currently incapacitated, his body broken. His only option was to rely on the loyal comrade standing before him.