“…Beast Soldiers, huh.”
Rei had departed, leaving the office of the Lord’s Mansion in silence. Daskar muttered to himself as he brought a cup of already cold black tea to his lips, then called out toward the door leading to the adjacent room.
“So, what did you think?”
At his voice, the door opened soundlessly, and a man stepped inside. He was one of the Knight Order Executives in charge of the City of Gilm’s security. However, it would have been more accurate to describe him as an underground presence rather than a knight. It made sense; while he held the rank of an executive in the Knight Order on paper, he was effectively the shadow ruler of Gilm’s underworld.
“To be honest, it’s a difficult situation. As soon as Minas and Koldo woke up and realized they were captured, they went on a total rampage.”
“…I figured as much.”
Daskar was recalling a report he had received late last night—or rather, at an hour early enough to be called this morning.
The two Beast Soldiers, who had been transported to the Lord’s Residence Underground Cell while still unconscious after being defeated by Rei and Set, had tried to tear the dungeon apart to escape the moment they regained consciousness. As a result, while no one had died, several knights and soldiers had been injured and required recovery magic.
“I didn't think their voices would carry that far,” Daskar remarked with a dry chuckle, finishing the last of his sandwich.
A cry that could only be described as a roar had echoed throughout the mansion.
Normally, a Lord’s Mansion and a Knight Order’s headquarters were separate facilities. However, Gilm was a frontier city. Since the town itself was at constant risk of monster swarms, the mansion was designed as a fortress to shelter the citizenry during emergencies. Consequently, the building had been constructed to house the Knight Order’s primary base of operations within its walls.
“And what about the intelligence?”
Daskar had told Rei that the prisoners would be interrogated once they reached the Royal Capital, but he hadn’t meant he would wait until then. While it was true they would be questioned jointly by the King's Faction and the Noble's Faction later, Daskar intended to squeeze as much information out of them as possible beforehand. As the Central Figure of the Neutral Faction—the smallest of the three major powers—he had to take every advantage to maintain the initiative.
However, the man shook his head slightly at the question.
“It’s no use. Those Beast Soldiers are too dangerous to handle. If we absolutely must extract information, we’ll have to focus on the alchemist, but…”
“Nothing from them either?”
“No. At the end of the day, we are merely a frontier Knight Order. To put it bluntly, while our combat skills are sharp, we aren’t exactly suited for specialized interrogation.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. This is the frontier, after all. I never imagined the Bestia Empire’s reach would extend this far. …No, wait. Perhaps it’s precisely because this is the frontier?”
“Lord Daskar?”
“…”
Daskar trailed off, closing his eyes as he sank into thought.
The knight man watched him in silence, careful not to disturb his master’s concentration.
After about a minute, Daskar’s eyes snapped open.
“I see. Is that their game?”
“Did you realize something, sir?”
“It’s just a guess. But Gilm is a frontier city. Because of that, we are a hub for all sorts of monster materials—things you could rarely find even in the Royal Capital. On top of that, a dungeon recently appeared nearby.”
“That is true.”
“The materials the Azoth Firm exports from Gilm are vital to the Kingdom of Mireana. If not unique, they are at the very least precious and beneficial. What if those materials were being diverted entirely to the Bestia Empire?”
The knight gasped as the implication sank in.
“So the Empire is obtaining the raw materials for powerful weapons, armor, and magic items that should have bolstered Mireana’s strength… That would be a brilliant move. But surely the Azoth Firm vetted its trading partners? That alchemist couldn’t have manipulated every single transaction.”
“True enough. In that case, we should assume they were prioritizing high-value, rare materials. Fine—look into it. Find the trading partners who were buying up rare materials from the Azoth Firm in bulk. Merchant houses, individual traders, or even traitorous nobles connected to the Empire. They’re our prime suspects.”
“Understood!”
The knight gave a sharp salute and left the office. Daskar watched him go, a predatory smile crossing his face.
“Bestia Empire… you’ve got some nerve, playing shadow games in my city. I’ll be sure to pay you back in full during the war next spring.”
He wore the grin of a massive carnivore that had just locked onto its prey.
“Ah, Rei-san. Perfect timing. The party here for the interview is waiting for you.”
After finishing his report at the mansion, Rei had headed straight to the Guild, where Lenora greeted him with a smile.
Since it was just past noon, Lenora was the only one at the counter. There was no sign of Kenny, who usually made shameless passes at him.
(Well, even if it’s just because of my money or my rank, it doesn't feel bad to have such a beautiful woman interested in me,) Rei thought to himself, giving Lenora a small nod.
“Is the meeting room upstairs?”
“Yes. …I think you’re in for a surprise.”
Rei tilted his head at her cryptic comment, but at her urging, he headed for the meeting room on the Guild 2F.
When he stepped inside, he was greeted by a familiar sight.
“You’re late! Honestly, we’ve been waiting since before noon!”
A female thief shouted the moment she saw him.
“Rei’s been busy with a lot of things, so give him a break,” a male mage added, trying to soothe her.
“…Hmph.”
And finally, a male swordsman who looked away irritably the moment their eyes met.
(…I see.)
Rei understood now. He recognized all three of them.
The female thief was Culotte, the mage was Schola, and the swordsman was Arrogan. All three had taken the rank-up exam with Rei. They were his peers.
“I didn't expect you three to be the ones answering my request.”
“Ahahaha. Well, certain circumstances left us a little short on funds.”
Schola scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin.
“Funds?”
“Yeah. We took a few jobs and fought some monsters, but our gear finally hit its limit. We’re having our weapons and armor reforged or replaced right now. Obviously, we can’t take on dangerous work while we’re unarmed, so we were looking for something in or near the city when we found…”
“My request.”
“Exactly. …So, what do you think?”
“Let me see.”
(I know their personalities from the exam. And since they know me, they aren’t likely to try pilfering materials.)
“Fine. I’ll leave the job to you. …By the way, you mentioned forming a party back then. What’s the name?”
Culotte was the one who answered Rei’s sudden question.
“Oh, right, we haven’t told you. We’re ‘Eternal Power.’ Nice to meet you.”
“Eternal Power, huh? That’s a pretty grand name.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!? You got a problem with it?”
“Don't get so worked up. You haven’t changed a bit since the exam.”
“Ugh…”
Rei’s remark seemed to remind Culotte of the warning the examiner, Gran, had given her after the test. She scowled slightly.
“Anyway, as Schola said, this job will be done just outside the city walls.”
“…Why go through the trouble of going outside? We could just do it here,” Arrogan muttered, still refusing to look Rei in the eye.
Rei let out a sigh. Arrogan had once picked a fight with Rei, only to be effortlessly crushed. After seeing Rei’s true strength during the exam, he had developed a certain level of fear, but his pride wouldn’t let him admit it. Rei understood the situation well enough to explain with an exasperated tone.
“Like it said on the request form, the number of monster carcasses in my Item Box is massive. If we started dismantling that many monsters in the middle of town, someone would call the Guard Force or the Knight Order. Even if they didn't, the smell of blood and guts would be unbearable. …Besides, the Knight Order is busy today.”
“Oh, that’s right. I heard the Azoth Firm caused some trouble and the knights had to step in,” Schola noted.
“I see. So that’s the story they’re going with.”
Rei muttered under his breath. Culotte, whose senses were sharper than the others, caught it instantly.
“Wait, were you involved in last night’s mess?”
“Involved, yes. But for various reasons, I can’t give you the details.”
“…I figured. Well, whatever. I never heard anything but bad things about the Azoth Firm anyway. At least things won’t get any worse than they already are.”
“That’s the spirit. Back to business—the request mentioned that some of these are high-rank monsters. Do you know how to handle them?”
“Hmm, I usually leave the academic stuff to Schola… well?”
Schola nodded at Culotte’s look.
“I know the dismantling methods for most species. What are we looking at specifically?”
“The highest is a Rank B Spriggan. Aside from that, I’ve got Rank C Emerald Wolves and an Ogre.”
“Where on earth did you find those? A Rank B monster isn’t something you just stumble across, and even Rank C encounters are rare around here. Did you go into the Forest of Magic?”
Culotte was visibly stunned by the ranks involved, but Rei answered as if it were trivial.
“I had to visit a dungeon recently. I took them down then.”
“A dungeon… you mean the one closest to Gilm?”
“Yeah. I had a job there. It was a lot of work, but the harvest was worth it.”
Rei’s mind momentarily flashed to Kyuste. They had practically despised each other, but if asked if Kyuste was the kind of man who deserved to be betrayed and killed by a companion, Rei would have firmly said no.
“Rei?”
Culotte noticed the brief shadow that crossed Rei’s face—a testament to her skills as a thief. She looked at him with a hint of suspicion.
Rei shook his head and got back on track.
“It’s nothing. So, can you handle the dismantling? I said you passed the interview, but if you can’t actually strip the materials…”
“Oh, it’s fine. I don't have hands-on experience with those specific ranks, but I have a reference book on high-rank monster dismantling procedures. We’ll manage.”
Schola cut in to reassure him.
“I’ll give the instructions on where to cut and what to strip. Culotte will handle the delicate parts, and Arrogan will do the heavy lifting. That’s our system. Does that work for you?”
“Yeah, do whatever works best. You’re a surprisingly well-balanced party.”
“That’s because we chose each other specifically for these roles.”
With the discussion settled, Rei stood up, followed by the members of Eternal Power.
“Alright, I’m officially hiring Eternal Power for this job. We’re heading out to the gates now. Any objections?”
“Wait, right now? I mean, we’re free, so it’s fine, but…”
“I’m good. Arrogan?”
“…Whatever.”
Having decided to start immediately, the group headed down to the Guild 1F.
“Ah, Rei-kun! Lenora mentioned the interview—how did it go?”
The moment they reached the ground floor, Kenny spotted them from behind the counter. Lenora was gone, likely having swapped out for a lunch break. Rei led Eternal Power over to the desk.
“I’ve hired these three for the material stripping job. Process the paperwork, please. We’re heading out to work right now.”
“Oh? I thought there were a few more people waiting for an interview… are you sure?”
“Yeah. These three were the first to arrive, and since we were in the rank-up exam together, I already know what they’re capable of.”
“…Ah.”
Kenny’s eyes drifted to Arrogan. She clearly remembered him picking a fight with Rei in the middle of the Guild and getting humiliated. Arrogan seemed to realize what she was thinking and looked even more disgruntled, though he kept his mouth shut.
Once the paperwork was done, Rei brushed off Kenny’s advances and led the members of Eternal Power out of the Guild.