"...I'd heard about him from the young lady, but I never imagined he truly possessed such skill."
The man who had been locked in combat with Rei until moments ago muttered to himself, removing the full-face helmet that had concealed his features.
Underneath was the face of a man in his late thirties. He began stripping off his shattered and cracked full plate mail, eventually revealing a frame wrapped in muscles so well-conditioned they strained against his chainmail.
"And then there's that gryphon and that absurdly massive magic power. To think such a talent was lying dormant in a place like this. Or is it precisely because it's the frontier?"
Having shed his heavy plate mail to regain his agility, the man gripped his halberd—his companion of many years—and vanished into the night, masking his presence as he distanced himself from Boruntar's Residence.
"The young lady's eye for talent was not mistaken. If he's this good, the Duke will need to make a move. However... it's hard to believe a man of Margrave Larkus's caliber would leave an expert of that level alone. It won't sit well with the Duke to see such a force join the Neutral Faction, but as long as the shadows of the Bestia Empire are lurking about, we can't afford to waste our time on power struggles."
The man continued to murmur as he moved.
Had Daskar, Margrave Larkus and the lord of the city, been present, he would have recognized the man's identity immediately. In fact, any noble stationed in the city—be they from the Neutral Faction, the King's Faction, or the Noble's Faction—would have likely stared in shock.
For this man was Filma Desir, the knight at the absolute pinnacle of the knight order serving Duke Kerebel, the leader of the Noble's Faction.
Under normal circumstances, Filma should not have been here. He had come because Duke Kerebel had heard stories of Rei from his daughter, Elena. She had described an adventurer of unfathomable skill, one who commanded an A-Rank monster like a gryphon and harbored a terrifying amount of magic power within his body. She claimed he possessed the potential to reach S-Rank in the future. Upon hearing these accounts, Duke Kerebel decided he wanted to recruit such a talent if he truly existed. Thus, he had issued orders to Filma after the knight finished his pursuit of Viscount Sails's House. He was to travel to the City of Gilm and personally verify Rei's capabilities.
Normally, this wasn't the kind of task a Knight Commander would undertake personally. However, several factors had converged to bring Filma here.
First was the official justification: a punishment for failing to completely eradicate the Viscount Sails's House during their pursuit.
Duke Kerebel knew perfectly well that it was impossible to slaughter every last member of the clan in a single pursuit, given they were fleeing toward the Bestia Empire. By using that as a pretext, however, he was able to assign the Knight Commander—a man who couldn't be moved easily—to this mission.
The second reason was simpler: Filma was the only person Duke Kerebel trusted more than his own daughter, Elena, the Princess General. While there were others who could discern a person's ability and aptitude, most were entangled in various political obligations. Whatever their talents, they couldn't be trusted in other matters.
Consequently, Filma—sent to the City of Gilm partly as a reprieve from his usual duties—entered the city under a hidden identity. Using a collaborator's connections, he learned that his target was in conflict with the Azoth Firm and decided to test with his own hands whether the boy possessed the combat prowess described in the reports.
"Even so, I didn't think he'd be more than a match for me. Considering he was clearly holding back, it's almost certain he's stronger than I am. I suppose I should praise the young lady's eye for discerning the caliber of such a man. Though I imagine the Duke will be quite restless about that part."
Despite his stern appearance, Filma gave a wry smile as he recalled the true face of his master—a man who, beneath his formal exterior, harbored a deep, doting affection for his daughter. The expression Elena had worn while explaining Rei's personality and abilities was not that of a woman known as the Princess General. She had looked, quite simply, like a maiden in love.
A faint smile touched his lips as he thought of Elena, who had known nothing but the path of martial arts until now, finally experiencing her first love.
However, he soon gave a small shake of his head, recalling the battle and turning his gaze to the halberd that had been his partner for years.
"And it isn't just his skill. That great scythe must be an exceptionally high-level magic item. After all, it held its own against—no, it actually overcame—Dragon Fang, one of Estha Nor's works."
Indeed, Filma’s halberd was a magic item created by Estha Nor, the greatest alchemist of the Magical Era and a member of the Zephyle Clan. Its effect was simple: it consumed the user's magic power to increase the destructive force of a strike. Its reliability was unmatched. Yet, Rei had not only matched those magic-enhanced blows but had unleashed an even more intense offensive without ever breaking his rhythm or losing his breath.
With two reports for his master—one being the good news that Elena's judgment was genuine, and the other being the difficult news that recruiting Rei would be a struggle since Margrave Larkus already had his eyes on him—Filma vanished into the nighttime streets.
"Gwah!"
The man with the spear, the last active member of the C-Rank party Snowfield Wolves, let out a cry of agony as he was sent flying. He lost consciousness the moment he slammed into the floor.
"That took more effort than I expected," Rei muttered, looking down at the three unconscious adventurers.
Under normal circumstances, Phron and Brasso would have had their hands full just trying to match them. Once Rei joined the fray, the outcome was inevitable, but the members of the Snowfield Wolves had refused to listen to Brasso's demands for their surrender. They had fought on until every last one of them was incapacitated, unable to tip the scales against the combined strength of Rei's group.
"I thought most of the adventurers employed by the Azoth Firm were bottom-of-the-barrel types, but these guys actually had some backbone," Phron remarked, catching her breath.
Brasso nodded in agreement. "Indeed they did, ja. However, not much time has passed since their party reached C-Rank. They likely feared the rumors that would follow if they surrendered so easily, ja."
"I see. I guess if a party surrenders right after they rank up, people will try to lowball them on future requests, and other adventurers will look down on them."
The swordsman had been knocked out by a blow to the torso from Brasso's Earth-shaking Hammer, while one spearman had been taken down by Phron’s strike to the neck. The final spear user had the worst of it, having been struck by the Death Scythe's shaft. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, he had used his spear as a shield, only for Rei's blow to snap the weapon like a twig. The remaining momentum had shattered his right arm before crushing his armor and ribs. Whether in terms of medical bills or the cost of replacing his gear, he was undoubtedly the most unfortunate of the bunch.
"...Hm? What's wrong?"
Phron noticed Mult glaring at her and Galahat wearing a wry smile.
Mult was bristling because he was technically one of those "adventurers employed by the Azoth Firm," while Galahat’s smile was a self-deprecating one, reflecting his guilt over his brother's deeds. Phron, however, didn't seem to realize she’d insulted them.
"It's nothing. It's a fact that most adventurers employed by the Azoth Firm are good-for-nothings—myself included," Galahat said.
Realizing the reason for Mult's anger, Phron scratched her cheek and looked away, wearing an evasive smile as she stared at the far wall.
What are they even doing? Rei thought, sighing to himself. He shouldered the Death Scythe and scanned the room. Tenda lay unconscious with broken ribs, and the three Snowfield Wolves were likewise out for the count. And then...
"Hic!"
"..."
Rei’s gaze shifted to the middle-aged female mage—the only hostile left with any awareness—and the archer man who was still pinned to the floor by Seto.
Terrified by his stare, the female mage began to crawl backward, her legs giving out as she used her hands to push herself away.
This one’s no good. She’s too panicked to talk.
Rei wasn't entirely surprised. Although he still hadn't fully mastered his power, his natural magic power was so vast and dense that it surpassed even the legendary Zephyle. Mages capable of sensing magic power, or those like Luno who could see it, were often overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. The woman desperately backpedaling was experiencing that same terror. Her misfortune was being his enemy; sensing the absolute disparity in their talent, she had lost all will to fight.
"...Since she's in that state, I'll have to ask you instead."
Rei looked at the archer man pinned under Seto's right forepaw. The man said nothing, merely staring back with a sharp, defiant glare.
"Sigh. You’ve seen your fellow trump cards get taken down. You have to know you’ve already lost. You might as well cooperate with Galahat."
"..."
"What forces are left? Is Boruntar planning anything else? How many of the Azoth Firm Executives are involved in this?"
"..."
Rei fired off questions, but the archer met every single one with silence.
"I don't really like doing this... Seto."
"Guruu."
At Rei's signal, Seto let out a low rumble and increased the pressure of its paw on the man's back.
"!?"
The archer man felt his spine creak under the weight, yet he didn't let a single word of information escape. He didn't even let out a groan of pain.
"It's no use, Rei," Phron said with a sigh. "That's the look of a man who takes pride in his work. He won't betray his employer for something like this."
Rei looked at Brasso and Galahat. Both shook their heads, silently agreeing that they wouldn't get anything out of him.
"I guess the higher the rank, the more decent guys you find," Rei muttered, glancing at the unconscious Tenda. Then again, you also get battle maniacs like that guy. 'Decent' probably isn't the right word. Maybe 'individualistic' is a better way to put it.
Rei turned his attention back to Galahat. "What should we do with him? If he's not going to cooperate, I'm not leaving him conscious to attack us from behind."
"Right... I'll ask one last time. Do you have any intention of cooperating with me?"
The archer man met Galahat’s gaze with silence.
Galahat stared at him for a long moment before sighing. "Rei, knock him out. Once I take over the Azoth Firm, he'll be a man I can trust. I don't want to cause him unnecessary injury."
"Understood."
Rei delivered a knife-hand strike to the archer’s neck, plunging him into unconsciousness.
"That should be the last of Big Brother’s adventurers. There might be a few left, but they’ll be insignificant."
At Galahat's word, the group left the Dance Hall and began their final march toward the office where Boruntar was waiting.
"...Big Brother, it's time to end this foolishness."
As Galahat followed the others, his whispered words echoed strangely through the silent hall.