"...Things have certainly become noisy out there."
"Well, naturally. I don't think anyone expected the Azoth Firm—the largest organization in the city—to be pushed to the brink of dismantling the moment they woke up."
Phron gave a wry smile as she replied to Rei's comment, soaking a piece of hard-baked bread into a stew brimming with meat and vegetables.
"Those who witnessed the commotion at the inn yesterday might have expected some kind of stir, but plenty of guests come here just for the food. They're likely in for a shock," Brasso murmured, happily draining a cup of alcohol despite the early hour.
"Drinking so early in the day... Well, I suppose it's fine, since we’re planning to spend the day resting anyway," Phron sighed, glancing at the sunlight spilling through the dining hall windows. It was already late morning; calling it a sunrise would have been a lie.
"It's nearly noon. Don't be so prickly," Brasso countered. "Besides, this ale is so light it’s practically water. It barely counts as a drink."
"...It's definitely alcohol," Phron muttered, letting out another sigh. Deciding it was useless to argue, she turned back to Rei. "Anyway, first things first. Take this."
Rei accepted the small cloth bag she held out. Peeking inside, he found six platinum coins.
"...What is this for?"
"You made a promise to Galahat, didn't you? That you wouldn't kill the adventurers employed by the Azoth Firm. This is the payment for that."
"I recall the price for that being two platinum coins. Why are there six?"
"Ah... well, Brasso and I received a share of the difference too. That extra bit came from the Knight Order executives and the Knight Commander."
"In other words, hush money."
"Most likely. After all, we just explained our side of the story last night and went home, right? Someone from the Knight Order came to the inn early this morning and left the money. Since it was already late yesterday, we stayed the night here as well. I happened to be awake at the time, so I took charge of the lot."
Even for Daskar, it must have been an unpleasant surprise to find that the Azoth Firm—the most powerful company in the city he ruled—had been infested by the Bestia Empire. Even when Rei strained his ears to listen to the rumors floating through the dining hall, the chatter was limited to the change in the firm's chairmanship. Terms like "Bestia Empire" or "Alchemist" were nowhere to be found.
"Well, there's the matter of noble pride, but in Margrave Larcus's case, it's likely something else. He's probably using this as a pretext to sweep out every Bestia Empire spy lurking in the city in one go."
"I see. This is the frontier, after all, not the Royal Capital," Rei noted, bringing a spoonful of stew to his lips.
If this were the Royal Capital, the Bestia Empire would undoubtedly send in more spies to replace any that were caught. However, Gilm was a frontier city; Rei judged that the Empire likely didn't view it as a high-priority target. While they would surely send more agents eventually, this purge would buy the city a period of grace. They could use that time to bolster their counter-intelligence measures.
"So, did you hear what's going to happen to the Azoth Firm?" Rei asked as he stored the bag of six platinum coins into his Misty Ring.
Phron knit her brows slightly but nodded. "Yeah. Nothing's official yet, but I heard the gist of it."
"...Is it being dissolved?" Rei asked. Considering the chairman had been in league with a Bestia Empire alchemist—even if he claimed ignorance of the man's true identity—the crime was severe.
Surprisingly, Phron shook her head. "It seems the Azoth Firm itself will survive for now. However, a subordinate of Margrave Larcus is being dispatched there under the title of Advisor."
"A watcher, in other words," Brasso added, pouring more ale into his cup. "Or an overseer, if you want to be polite about it."
Rei's eyes widened in surprise. "That’s unexpected. After a blunder of that magnitude, I thought the firm would be seized or put under the Lord's direct control. To think they’d let it continue existing..."
"You’re actually involved in that decision too, Rei," Phron said.
"Me?"
"Yeah. Officially, the person who captured the Bestia Empire alchemist and those strange 'secret weapons' was you, Rei, acting as an adventurer employed by the Azoth Firm. In other words, the matter was technically resolved internally. Galahat used that to petition the Lord, arguing that the Azoth Firm's self-purifying action was still functional."
"There is also the matter of pragmatism," Brasso noted. "The Lord likely wants to avoid internal chaos that would disrupt the weapon trade here in Gilm. If the firm became a government-run organization, everything would change. That might be fine for a city in the interior, but this is the frontier. Any disruption to the weapon shop trade would hurt the adventurers, which means the city's defenses against monsters would suffer."
"I see. That makes sense. And Galahat is officially the representative now?"
"Yeah, so it seems. Oh, and I have a message from the knight who came by. The Lord wants you to show your face at the Lord's Mansion."
"Got it. I had something I wanted to discuss with him anyway, so the timing is perfect."
"Something you want to discuss?" Phron asked curiously.
"Don't worry about it. It's the kind of thing you're better off not knowing," Rei replied, finishing his last bite of stew and washing it down with fruit water and bread. "Well then, I’m heading out to the mansion. What are you two going to do?"
"I think I shall stay here and drink for a while longer," Brasso said.
"And I'm going back to my room to enjoy a long nap," Phron added.
"Fair enough. Is tomorrow morning fine for the Harpy dismantling?"
"Umu. We'll swing by to pick you up then," Brasso confirmed.
With the plan settled, Rei set off for the Lord's Mansion.
"I am Rei, a D-Rank adventurer. I was summoned by the Lord."
Thirty minutes after leaving the inn, Rei stood before the gates of the Lord's Mansion. In a rare turn of events, he was alone; Set was nowhere to be seen. Rei had gone to the stables to get the griffon, but he had found it sound asleep. When he asked if it wanted to come along, Set had simply shaken its head and gone back to sleep, so Rei had left it behind.
Without the massive presence of Set by his side, Rei didn't stand out much to the public. Had he been carrying his Death Scythe, it might have been different, but the great scythe was safely tucked away in his Misty Ring.
"Umu, wait a moment," the gatekeeper said. Having seen Rei many times before, he recognized him instantly and sent a runner toward the residence. Within minutes, a guide arrived to escort Rei to the Lord's office.
"Good work yesterday. Here, have a seat," Daskar said, gesturing to a sofa as he sat down himself.
"Excuse me," Rei replied, bowing slightly before taking a seat.
"Right then... actually, hold on. You there, bring some drinks and light snacks. This might be a long conversation."
"As you wish," the butler replied, nodding before leaving the room.
Daskar watched him go, then turned back to Rei while looking through the documents in his hand. "We'll talk in detail once the refreshments arrive. Relax until then. I need to finish reviewing these files."
Rei followed Daskar's gaze to the desk, where a stack of paperwork nearly ten centimeters high sat waiting. "That's an incredible amount of documents," he couldn't help but mutter.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Usually it's not even half this much, but yesterday's incident changed things. Honestly, I’m more suited to physical activity than paperwork." Daskar let out a heavy sigh. Between his honed physique, weathered features, and piercing gaze, he was clearly a man of the sword rather than a civil official. Yet, the fact that he successfully ruled Gilm and was the central figure of the Neutral Faction proved he was far more than just a brute.
"Good grief, it was easier back when I was a knight in the Center. Inheriting the position of Margrave Larcus after my father retired was fine, but noble society is a suffocating thing. Especially when you're the head of the house. So, what do you think? Care to try your hand at being a noble?" Daskar asked, his tone joking but his eyes serious.
If he wanted to secure a powerful asset like Rei, the simplest method was to make him a noble and place him under his umbrella. With Daskar's influence, knighting someone as a Baron or Viscount was a simple matter of political maneuvering in the Royal Capital.
"Of course, I couldn't give you land right away, so you'd essentially be my direct subordinate."
"No, I have no intention of becoming a noble," Rei replied firmly. "Besides, I don't think someone as impolite as me would survive long in noble society."
"Etiquette? Don't worry about that. Look at me. I was born into a Margrave's house and I still ended up like this. They bad-mouth me in the Royal Capital all the time for being a 'boor.'"
"I appreciate the offer, truly. But I wish to master my path as an adventurer—and as a Magic Warrior."
Daskar let out a small sigh at Rei's polite but resolute refusal. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. I can't force someone to take a title they don't want."
Secretly, however, Daskar was satisfied.
At the very least, if he doesn't want to be a noble, there's little risk of another faction scouting him. And as long as he remains an adventurer, Gilm will be his base of operations. It's a huge advantage to have him as a potential military force in an emergency. I should be satisfied with maintaining our current relationship.
"Excuse me. I have brought tea and light snacks."
As Daskar mused, the butler returned, pushing a cart. He placed cups of black tea and a plate of food on the table. "Lord Daskar, do you require anything else?"
"No, that's all. You're dismissed."
"Yes, my lord." The butler bowed and exited.
Once they were alone, Daskar tossed his documents onto the desk and leaned forward on the sofa to face Rei. He took a sip of tea, his expression turning grave.
"Now then. First, I must thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you, Rei, we succeeded in capturing that Bestia Empire alchemist and his 'secret weapons.' Regarding those weapons... I received a report that you might know something about them?"
"Yes. It's actually the reason I wanted to speak with you. As you know, I entered a dungeon recently. I believe Lady Elena already informed you that we reached the Altar of Inheritance."
Daskar nodded, prompting him to continue. "She did mention it. What about it?"
"We learned that the Bestia Empire has developed what could be called a simplified version of the Ritual of Inheritance."
"Wait. You mean..." Daskar's voice trailed off. He thought back to the prisoners brought to the residence last night: Koldo, with his non-human, shell-covered silhouette, and Minas, whose body was covered in scales.
"Yes. They call themselves Beast Soldiers."
"Beast Soldiers... Their appearances were certainly far from human. But compared to Lady Elena, whose appearance didn't change at all, they seem quite flawed, even for a simplified version."
"That is likely the limitation of the process," Rei explained. "Furthermore, the physical differences between Minas and Koldo suggest the ritual is still experimental or unstable."
"The Royal Capital will be the ones to figure that out," Daskar said. "Along with that alchemist, Postgera."
"...The interrogation won't be done here?"
"This incident is too large for my territory alone. Monopolizing information is tempting, but if the country falls because we prioritized power struggles over national security, it would be a disaster. The interrogation and the analysis of the Beast Soldiers will be a joint effort involving the King's Faction and the Noble's Faction. However, our Neutral Faction's influence is guaranteed to grow because we were the ones to break the case. That is entirely thanks to you. You have my gratitude."
Daskar gave a sharp, triumphant grin and boisterously took a bite of a sandwich. Rei followed suit, reaching for a sandwich of his own.
"It’s no trouble. I live in Gilm too, after all. It would be a problem for me if the Kingdom of Mireana were occupied by the Bestia Empire. By the way, I heard the Azoth Firm is being allowed to remain."
"Yeah. I have my reservations, but seizing or dissolving it would throw the city into chaos. We compromised by sending in my own people to oversee things."
"Given what Boruntar was up to, I suppose that’s a fair outcome."
For the next hour, Rei and Daskar continued their meeting, with Rei providing detailed intelligence on the abilities of the Beast Soldiers and the teleportation magic item recovered from Postgera.