Boruntar sat in the reception room of his residence, facing another individual across the table.
The chairman maintained his usual arrogant smirk, though he couldn't help but twitch every time a crash or a shout echoed from deeper within the mansion. At his side lay a single, magnificent longsword—a precaution, no doubt.
Despite his advanced years, Boruntar never neglected his physical training. Swinging a heavy blade was a simple task for him. In fact, compared to a greenhorn Rank G adventurer, he was undoubtedly more proficient with a weapon. Behind him stood a single thief-like man, poised in absolute silence, his focus sharp and ready to draw his daggers at a moment's notice.
Across from Boruntar sat a thin man in his forties. Behind this man stood two figures completely enveloped in heavy cloaks, their faces invisible. They stood as still as statues, never uttering a word.
"Oh? Is something the matter? It seems awfully rowdy today," the man sitting across from Boruntar asked.
He looked sickly. Thin to the point of being gaunt, his face was framed by greasy, shimmering hair and a few days' worth of unshaven stubble. His tone was insolently polite, bordering on mockery as he addressed a man twenty years his senior.
"It is nothing," Boruntar replied curtly, making no attempt to correct the man's attitude. "The matter will be settled today."
Normally, Boruntar—a man hyper-aware of his own authority—would never have tolerated such insolence. The fact that he remained silent spoke volumes.
"I see. Then I wonder why you called for me? It's because you thought you might need this... isn't it?"
With a slimy grin, the man produced a small bottle no larger than a fingertip from his coat and placed it on the table.
"I called you here as a precaution. Nothing more than insurance for an emergency."
Despite his dismissive words, Boruntar’s eyes remained fixed on the small bottle.
"My, how nostalgic. Has it been twenty years since I first brewed that medicine for you? This current formula has been improved so many times it's practically a different substance altogether."
"Hmph. 'Medicine.' You certainly have the gall to call it that."
"Medicine is medicine, isn't it? After all, even a poisonous medicine is still a medicine, as the name implies. It's just a little... yes, perhaps a tiny bit too potent."
"I see your idle chatter hasn't changed. Well? What are the effects of this... medicine?"
"In our experiments, a sturdy Rank D adventurer suffered a mere scratch from a knife coated in this. He spent ten days agonizing in total misery... until finally, he begged for death before ascending to heaven."
The man spoke of this cruelty with terrifying nonchalance. Boruntar, for his part, listened without a change in expression.
"Hmph. That cursed fool of a brother. It's hard to believe we share even half our blood."
"My, my. And yet you still used my work to try and turn that very person into your pawn, didn't you?"
"In the end, it’s the fault of that hussy's blood. That’s the only explanation."
"Is that so? Still, I believe he was quite useful in elevating the reputation of the Azoth Firm as a Rank B adventurer."
"He was only useful to that extent. He served his purpose in bringing credit to my subordinates... but because his mind is rotted with naive justice, I could never entrust him with the work in the shadows. Tenda is skilled, but the man is half a battle-maniac."
"Hehe, hehehe. Despite your complaints, I'd say you've made excellent use of them all."
As the man spoke, one of the cloaked figures behind him leaned down and whispered into his ear before retreating to its original position.
"I see... how unfortunate."
The man’s tone shifted abruptly. The condescending politeness vanished, replaced by a voice laden with genuine disappointment.
"What is so unfortunate?"
"Well, look for yourself. Can't you feel it? It seems your prized adventurers have already been wiped out."
"What?! Ridiculous! I gathered almost every adventurer under the Azoth Firm's employ! I heard that brat Rei was coming, but the difference in numbers should be overwhelming! Since Galahat—the highest-ranked among them—is crippled by injuries, there is no way my men could lose!"
"That is exactly why it's such a problem. This 'Rei'... I’ve heard the rumors, but he seems to be an exceptionally capable adventurer. Honestly, it’s a bother when quantity cannot overcome quality. It seems I’ll have to find a way to raise the individual quality of the pawns... no, since I can achieve that to some extent with my medicine, the real issue is gathering a larger number of subjects with at least a minimum level of talent."
The man began muttering to himself, lost in his own thoughts as he analyzed the situation. Boruntar watched him with unconcealed annoyance.
"Be silent. Tell me, were the adventurers in the mansion truly defeated?"
"Do you doubt my words?"
"Naturally. You are the one claiming they were wiped out, and I have not confirmed it myself. Until I do, I can only assume you are speaking nonsense."
A muscle in the man’s cheek twitched.
"Well, I was merely offering a warning. If you won't listen, it's no concern of mine. Minas, Koldo, we’re leaving. If we stay, we’ll only be dragged into this mess. Unless there’s a profit in it for us, I have no desire to be caught up in internal strife."
He signaled to the two cloaked figures, Minas and Koldo, and stood up from his chair. At that exact moment, the door to the reception room was thrown open.
It wasn't opened by the man inside.
"——!?"
Minas and Koldo moved instantly, stepping forward to shield the man in silence. They stared at the figures in the doorway. Standing at the front was a man in his thirties whom Minas identified as Galahat based on their prior intelligence.
"...Who are you?" Galahat asked.
To Galahat, these were total strangers, their identities hidden behind heavy robes. He asked the question instinctively, but the truth dawned on him a second later. "I see. So you're Big Brother's guests."
"Yes, indeed. I've had various dealings with Boruntar-san for some time. I came today for business, but I never expected to walk into the middle of internal strife. So, we'll be taking our leave now... that’s all right, isn't it? Galahat-san, I presume. Surely you have no intention of dragging an unrelated third party into your family feud?"
Galahat frowned at the man's mocking tone, but he nodded. "Of course. If you were adventurers working for my brother, it would be different, but I have no quarrel with a mere merchant."
Galahat stepped aside to clear the way. The man offered a flippant smile and a shallow bow.
"Much appreciated. If you ever become the chairman of the Azoth Firm, Galahat-san, I'll be sure to come by and pay my respects."
"Wait! You intend to leave me here?!" Boruntar roared.
He realized that if the man left now, his only protection was the single thief-guard in the room. Boruntar knew he was skilled, but he was no match for the group of adventurers standing in the doorway.
If he was left behind now, his life was over. Incensed, Boruntar screamed at the man.
"Have you forgotten the favors I've done for you?!"
"Even if you say that, this is just internal strife. We have no—"
The man was cut off by a low, vibrating growl from behind Galahat.
"Guruuuuuuuuuu."
It wasn't Set's usual happy cry. It was a sound filled with raw, predatory anger. Even Boruntar, who couldn't see the gryphon through the doorway, froze where he stood.
(He's not growling at Boruntar?)
Rei muttered inwardly while stroking Set to calm him. Set’s eyes weren't fixed on the chairman behind the desk. They were locked onto the two cloaked figures standing beside the unshaven middle-aged man. Set looked ready to pounce. Rei narrowed his eyes and observed the trio carefully.
Nearby, Mult was nearly losing his legs, leaning on his halberd like a cane as he felt the sheer killing intent radiating from the A-Rank Monster. Brasso and Phron were equally tense, their faces hardened.
The room was a powder keg. In the middle of the suffocating tension, the man gave an amused chuckle.
"Heh, a gryphon. My first time seeing a real one. You must be the rumored Rei-kun. If you’re interested, why don't you let me have this gryphon—"
"Guruuuuu!"
"...I take it that's a no, then."
Set growled with a surge of murderous intent the moment the man spoke. The man shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, looking more disappointed than afraid.
(What is this? Why is Set so wary of them? Did we meet somewhere before? No, that's impossible. If we'd met anyone Set considered this dangerous, I wouldn't have forgotten. Which means...)
Set could understand Rei, but Rei could only grasp Set's general feelings—hunger, sleepiness, or the desire to play. But right now, Set's caution was absolute. Rei let go of Set's head and shifted his grip on the Death Scythe.
"Hey. Who the hell are you people? It's not normal for Set to be this guarded."
"Hmm? Who are we? Just like I told Galahat-san, we're nothing more than Boruntar-san's trading partners."
"...You seem awfully eager to abandon your 'important trading partner,' though."
"That can't be helped. Our business is with the Azoth Firm, not Boruntar-san as an individual."
(He said "our." So there's definitely someone behind him. Or he's including those cloaked freaks. One moment he says he's Boruntar's partner, the next he's loyal only to the firm. He's a slippery one.)
"Don't... don't screw with me! You forget who looked after you! You wouldn't even have work in the City of Gilm if it weren't for my—"
"Do you really want to say another word?" the man whispered.
Boruntar choked on his words, his face turning pale.
"Heh, how interesting," Phron interjected, her eyes sharp. "I'd love to hear more about that."
She had clearly realized Boruntar was about to spill a secret he shouldn't.
"I’m afraid we have a confidentiality obligation. I can't just hand out information to a third party. Now, if you'll excuse us? We’re busy men."
"Don't be like that," Rei said, stepping forward. "You seem to know an awful lot about Boruntar’s secrets. Especially about that small bottle sitting so meaningfully on the table."
Boruntar realized his mistake and lunged for the small bottle. His panic only made him look guiltier. He clutched the bottle and glared at Rei with venomous hatred.
"See? There's definitely something going on here. And besides..."
Rei glanced at Galahat, receiving a small nod. He turned back to the man and thrust the shaft of the Death Scythe forward.
The move wasn't particularly fast. Any halfway decent adventurer could have dodged it easily. But the man wasn't an adventurer. He couldn't move in time. The end of the shaft was inches from his chest when—
"——!?"
Something lashed out from beneath the cloak of the figure called Minas. It intercepted the strike before the shaft could touch the man.
A purple tentacle had emerged from the robe.
In that instant, Rei finally understood why Set had been so hostile. He knew that tentacle. He knew it all too well.
Rei yanked the Death Scythe back from the purple tentacle and narrowed his eyes.
"So... you're agents of the Bestia Empire."