It was the sixth day of Baslero’s combat training. On this day, Rei and Baslero—accompanied by Set—were in the city, a rare departure from their usual sessions at the house of Baron Cisne.
The weather remained as glorious as the day before, and the two humans and the beast made their way toward their destination under a bright, pouring sun.
Naturally, Rei and Set were incapable of walking through the city without being noticed.
"Hey, if it isn't Rei! Been a while. You want the usual?"
"Oh, Rei! Today’s sandwiches are mainly Garm bird. Would you like some?"
A boisterous man in his fifties hawking grilled skewers called out to them, followed by a woman in her twenties at the adjacent stall who recommended her Garm bird sandwiches.
Garm birds were essentially chickens that had undergone monsterification. They suffered from the fatal flaw of being unable to fly, and their only means of attack were their beaks and talons. They were easily defeated even by G-Rank adventurers, and because their meat was quite delicious, they were "tasty" monsters in every sense of the word for low-rank adventurers.
Acknowledging the vendors, Rei bought a haul of skewers and sandwiches as they continued their walk.
"Here, Baslero. You eat some too."
As he spoke, Rei handed a freshly grilled Fang Boar skewer to the boy.
Beside them, Set was already devouring a Garm bird sandwich, let out a pleased "Guruuu" from its throat.
Watching the griffon, Baslero briefly wondered if that counted as cannibalism, but he lacked the courage to voice the question. He simply walked obediently beside Rei through the streets.
(Ah... this is delicious.)
He thought, happily munching on the freshly grilled Fang Boar skewer, which was still dripping with savory fat.
They continued straight down Central Street and eventually arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.
"...Teacher? I haven't actually decided to become an adventurer yet."
As Rei moved toward the entrance after parting with Set as usual, Baslero spoke up in a panic. Rei placed a reassuring hand on the boy’s head.
"I didn't come here to register you. Besides, logically speaking, they wouldn't let a child your age register anyway."
"Oh, that’s true... Phew."
Baslero let out a sigh of relief. Rei smiled at the sight and reached for the guild doors.
"Our business today is with... the guild training ground."
Rei led Baslero inside the bustling guild hall.
"The training ground?" Baslero tilted his head and followed.
If they just needed a place to practice, the backyard of the baronial manor sufficed. While not quite large enough for extensive maneuvering, it provided adequate space. Baslero couldn't fathom why they had come all the way to the guild.
Nevertheless, he followed without complaint. Through their days of training, he had developed a deep sense of respect for Rei. He had no way of knowing that the evasion and defense drills Rei had put him through over the last few days were actually inspired by scenes from manga.
"Whoa... so this is the... guild?"
The moment they stepped inside, Baslero almost gasped at the sheer volume of the noise. However, his expression quickly shifted to curiosity. The commotion was coming exclusively from the attached tavern; the actual reception area was relatively quiet. Only a few people stood near the counters. Rei had already moved ahead to speak with a receptionist, making only about four people in that section of the hall.
"Um... huh?"
As Baslero looked around in confusion, he spotted a man who looked like an adventurer approaching him. The man was so drunk he could barely keep his feet. Baslero stayed where he was, waiting for the man to reach him.
He assumed the man had business with him since he was heading straight his way. In a sense, he was right—but in another, he was very wrong.
"Well, well, what’s a brat doing in a place like this? Go on, hurry up and run home to suck on your mommy’s teat."
"?! What did you just say?"
A hot flush crept into Baslero’s cheeks at the sudden insult.
The mention of his mother was a particularly cruel blow. Baslero’s mother had passed away before he was old enough to remember her; she was a figure of distant, sacred yearning. He could not remain silent while she was mocked.
"Hah? You didn't hear me, widdle baby? I said 'go home,' wittle boy!"
The drunk spoke with exaggerated mockery. His companions, still seated at their table, laughed as they watched Baslero turn red with rage, treating the boy’s anger as a fine accompaniment to their ale.
"Ngh...!"
Just as Baslero’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist...
"I look away for one second and this happens."
A hand reached out from the side and pressed down on Baslero's sheath, accompanied by a heavy sigh.
"Seriously. It's fine to drink and be rowdy, but don't be so pathetic."
"Whazzat?! Who the hell do you think you are, talking down to—"
Drunkenness had blinded the man to the identity of the person standing before him. He failed to realize he was addressing Rei—the one person in the City of Gilm that no adventurer should ever carelessly provoke. The drunk rolled up his sleeves and glared, clearly intending to use his strength to crush the cheeky brat who had spoiled his fun.
However, the man's companions—who had been laughing joyfully seconds ago—suddenly shifted to forced, nervous smiles as they sobered up instantly. Unlike the man harassing Baslero, they weren't completely wasted. They weren't about to overlook Rei's presence.
"..."
Rei cast a brief, exasperated glance toward the group. Understanding the silent command—do something about this man—the friends scrambled from their chairs and rushed over.
"Hey, Prege! That’s enough drinking for you."
"Yeah, knock it off. Do you even know who you're picking a fight with?"
"Come on, just get back to the table. You know what happens if you cause a scene while you're drunk, don't you?"
Prege, his face flushed beet-red, looked at his companions with a dazed, suspicious gaze.
"Hah? You think I'm gonna have trouble with some brats?"
"No, we get it, just come on. Boy, we're sorry about this. He’s just drunk. He didn't know you were with Rei. Please, forgive him. Here, take this as a nuisance fee."
One of the men pulled a silver coin from Prege’s pocket and handed it to Baslero.
"Hey! Why are you in my wallet—"
Prege tried to protest, but his companions promptly covered his mouth and dragged him back to the table.
"..."
The remaining man gave a wry smile and bowed his head to Baslero, who was still glaring in silence.
"Look, we're sorry. We aren't stupid enough to pick a fight with one of Rei's acquaintances. Please, just take this and call it even, okay?"
The man knew the story of the Falcon's Claws, who had been stripped of their entire fortune after crossing Rei. Forcing Prege to pay a single silver coin—which wasn't even his own money—to settle the debt was a stroke of incredible luck.
"Take it," Rei said.
"Teacher, but..."
Baslero looked dissatisfied, but he wilted under Rei's gaze and reluctantly accepted the coin.
"Heh, thanks. I'll make sure to give him a proper talking-to once he sobers up," the man said before scurrying back to the tavern.
Rei let out a small sigh and headed for the guild's back entrance. He led the way out to the training ground, with Baslero following behind, still looking somewhat unconvinced.
"Rei-san!"
As they reached the grounds, they were greeted by a familiar voice. Set, having tagged along out of boredom, let out a soft trill.
The voice belonged to a man with blonde hair who appeared slightly older than Rei. Hanging from his waist was a slender sheath that looked far too thin to house a standard longsword.
(An estoc? He uses a very specialized weapon... is he the teacher's friend? I suppose he must be an adventurer.) Baslero mused silently.
Rei raised a hand in greeting, seemingly unconcerned by Baslero's curiosity. "Hasta, sorry to call you out on such short notice."
"No, no, don't worry about it. I have to be careful about taking requests during the winter anyway, but I still need to keep my edge if I'm going to hunt monsters in this weather. Moving my body like this is actually a help to me."
"...Isn't it a bit much to take on monster subjugation as a solo in the winter?"
Having grown up in the mountains of Tohoku, Rei knew the lethal severity of winter and had decided against taking subjugation requests himself. Seeing Hasta—who lacked both Rei’s combat power and a partner like Set—planning to do so made him ask out of genuine concern.
Hasta shook his head with a wry smile. "Of course not. I'm not that reckless. I'll be forming a temporary party with some other people who are short on cash. Anyway, let's leave it at that... is this the boy?"
Hasta turned his gaze toward Baslero.
"Yeah. It's a guild request. I'm giving him combat training for about a week. Baslero, this is Hasta. He's a solo D-Rank adventurer. I negotiated with him yesterday to help with today's session."
"How do you do! My name is Baslero Cisne. I am currently receiving combat training from Rei-san!"
Baslero bowed vigorously, causing Hasta's eyes to widen.
"A surname holder? That means..."
"Yeah. He's the heir of a baronial house."
"Well, that’s... unexpected. Why would a noble go as far as to train with someone like you, Rei-san?"
Hasta, knowing Rei's primary weapon was the giant scythe Death Scythe, glanced at the sword hanging from Baslero's waist. It was a bit short, but it was unmistakably a sword—nothing like a great scythe.
Rei offered a wry smile. "Well, that’s exactly why I wanted your help today. I don't use a sword, so my teaching is inevitably skewed. It’s all a self-taught style to begin with."
"If you're going to put it like that, my style is just something I picked up from a senior adventurer. Supposedly, his senior’s senior actually mastered a proper school of sword techniques, but by the time it got to me..."
"I look forward to working with you!" Baslero interrupted, bowing deeply.
Baslero understood that Rei's training in defense and evasion was invaluable, but the fact remained that Rei was a scythe user. To a boy learning the sword, something had felt missing.
...Of course, he would never dare say that to Rei. He had a feeling that if he did, Rei would train him so hard the words would never leave his mouth again.
"I understand. Then I'll be your opponent. A mock battle, I assume?"
"Yes, that’s how the teacher has been instructing me."
"I see... Then come at me."
Hasta spoke as he smoothly drew his estoc and took his stance.
Baslero caught his breath. He couldn't see a single opening in that guard. Even so, he looked at Rei, saw him nod, and drew his own sword.
(So this is a D-Rank adventurer besides the teacher. What incredible pressure.)
He let out a silent breath of admiration. Though intimidated by the man holding a stance ready to thrust at any second, Baslero let out a loud shout to steel his nerves.
"...Here I come!"
With that cry, he kicked off the ground to close the distance and delivered a horizontal slash. He judged that an estoc, being specialized for thrusting, would be unable to block such a heavy swing. He was right—it was difficult to catch a sword with the thin blade of an estoc. But blocking wasn't necessary.
Hasta didn't look surprised. He took a single step back to evade the strike. The moment Baslero’s blade passed harmlessly before him, Hasta stepped forward and thrust. An instant later, the tip of the estoc was held mere millimeters from Baslero’s throat.
"Your strike was sharp, but you're focusing too much on the attack. You need to keep your defense in mind as well."
And so the sixth day of training passed—with Baslero being toyed with by Hasta's relentlessly precise thrusts, Rei watching from the sidelines and offering occasional critiques, and Set lying on the ground nearby, half-asleep.