"...Whew."
Rei, having been sent flying into the stables by Elk's attack, let out a long sigh. He brushed the dust and straw from his Dragon Robe and approached Seto, who was watching him with a tilted head and a curious gaze.
"Seto, I have a favor to ask."
"Guru?"
To the inquisitive Seto, Rei quickly explained the circumstances.
He told the griffon that Elk’s wife and son, Min and Rhodos, were being held hostage, and that Elk was being coerced into taking Rei's life. He mentioned that the enemy force appeared small, with only a single watcher having entered the City of Gilm to ensure Elk didn't betray them. Most likely, that person was lurking somewhere nearby to observe the duel.
"Magic Items like Distant Vision Crystals are generally extremely expensive, and there are ways to interfere with them if we know we're being watched. Given that, I suspect the watcher is observing us directly with their own eyes. Seto, I want you to find that watcher and capture them. If possible, bring them back alive, but you have my permission to kill them if they're about to escape. Can you do that?"
"Gururu."
Seto gave a firm nod as if to say, "Leave it to me."
Rei gave the griffon’s head a quick, affectionate stroke before swinging the Death Scythe toward the rear wall of the stables.
The blade sliced through the wood soundlessly, carving a hole just large enough for Seto to pass through.
"Alright, I'm heading back out now to resume the fight with Elk. That should draw the watcher's attention to us, so use that opening to slip out through the hole."
"Guru."
Seeing Seto nod in understanding, Rei took a shallow, deep breath and then... he sprinted toward the opening Elk had blasted in the front of the stables.
The other horses and Tamed Monsters inside had been startled by the commotion, but because they were unusually accustomed to Seto’s presence, they remained relatively calm. None of them showed signs of panicking.
"Uoooooh!"
Rei let out a deliberate shout to catch the watcher's attention as he leapt back out into the open.
Elk matched his energy, shouting as he braced the Axe of the Thunder God to receive the charge.
"Come then! Let's settle this!"
Responding to the call, Rei swung the Death Scythe with a momentum-heavy strike.
Even under normal circumstances, Elk lagged behind in terms of raw physical power and weapon weight. There was no way he could easily withstand a blow that had gained further power from a running start. He was sent flying like a projectile, but he managed to avoid rolling disgracefully across the dirt. He regained his footing mid-slide, fixing Rei with a sharp, piercing gaze.
It was fortunate that there were no buildings, trees, or rocks in the direction he had been blown. Had he struck a hard object, even a man of his caliber would have sustained significant, if not fatal, injuries.
"Tch, you and your monstrous strength. Learn a little restraint, would you?" Elk grumbled under his breath, his face twisting as he parried another pursuit strike from the Death Scythe.
"Hmph, what are you talking about? If the watcher realizes I'm blatantly holding back, you're the one who'll be in trouble, not me," Rei countered.
As they locked weapons in a test of strength, Rei used the point of contact as a pivot to flip his weapon around. He snapped the butt end of the shaft upward toward Elk’s jaw.
"Whoa!"
Elk reflexively sensed the butt end leaping toward his chin and managed to catch it with the shaft of the Axe of the Thunder God, but...
"Gah!"
Unable to compete with Rei's sheer power, Elk was hoisted nearly three meters into the air along with the very weapon he used to defend himself.
He desperately tried to regain his posture in mid-air, but Rei wasn't about to grant him that luxury. With a horizontal slash of the Death Scythe, Elk was sent flying sideways once again. Even so, the fact that he managed to block the impact with his axe spoke volumes of his skill as an A-Rank adventurer.
While soaring through the air, Elk planted his feet and used his free hand to scrape against the earth, killing his momentum and finding his balance. He successfully regained his stance without tumbling.
Then, feeling a sudden chill of murderous intent, he thrust the Axe of the Thunder God out to his side. With a high-pitched metallic clang, he caught another strike from the Death Scythe.
"Hey, aren't you overdoing it a bit? Those last two hits would have cut anyone else in half!"
"It's because it's you. Besides, even though you're a local legend, I've never had the chance to spar with you properly. I think I'll take this opportunity to experience the combat prowess of one of Gilm's top-tier fighters."
"Hey, hey, hey! Now is really not the time for that!"
While locked in another struggle, they transitioned into zero-distance close combat—thrusting knees, sweeping at ankles, and throwing unarmed strikes as they maneuvered for dominance.
Despite the intensity of their exchange, their tone was far from desperate. They spoke to each other as if they were simply venting frustrations.
"Since the watcher is looking, we have to make it look like a serious fight anyway. We might as well treat this as a highly productive combat training session... Hyup!"
Rei scraped the butt end of the Death Scythe across the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt wet with night dew and frozen snow fragments, hurling it directly at Elk’s face.
"Gugh, y-you brat...!"
Elk reflexively turned his head to protect his eyes, but that split second created the opening Rei needed.
"Haaaaah!"
"Tch, not a chance!"
Hearing the whistle of the Death Scythe through the air, Elk relied on pure instinct to thrust his axe out to the side of his head. However... the impact he felt in the next instant was unexpectedly light. The sound of the collision was a faint, metallic tink.
"What? Gh-uogh!?"
The strike to the side of his head had been a deliberate feint. As Elk’s brow furrowed at the lack of weight behind the contact with the Death Scythe's shaft, a heavy shock slammed into his flank—right beneath where he had raised his guard. He was sent tumbling sideways once more.
The sight of a man—one built entirely of dense muscle—being sent flying like that seemed like a dream to the observers. Of course, it was a vision that could only be described as a nightmare.
"Guh... cough, hack... whew, whew..."
Elk skidded across the ground, but he proved why he was an A-Rank adventurer. He slammed his axe into the earth, using the friction to forcibly kill his speed and come to a halt.
"Ho. You still have that much energy left? I suppose I should be impressed."
"...Hearing that from you is nothing but an insult. My ribs were nearly pulverized just now."
"Hmph. For someone who jumped with the hit to kill the momentum, you're quite—hmm?"
Rei had been addressing Elk, who was clutching his left side, but he suddenly turned his gaze toward the darkness of the night.
Drawn by this, Elk followed his lead, and the spectators at the inn who had been watching the duel did the same.
"It seems he finished in time."
"Guru."
The answer came not from a human, but from Seto. Flapping its wings almost soundlessly through the dark sky, the griffon landed in the backyard of the inn. However, unlike usual, it was clutching a black-clad figure in the claws of its front legs.
"That guy is..." Elk muttered as he looked at the prisoner.
"This is the watcher you mentioned, isn't it?"
"..."
Elk silently inspected the face of the man Seto had dropped on the ground before giving a small, grim nod.
"Yeah, no doubt about it. He’s the one who followed me into the city to make sure I didn't pull anything. The Guard Force should have records of his entry."
"I see."
Rei nodded at Elk’s confirmation and began searching the man’s clothes.
"Hey, what are you doing? You don't have some weird hobby, do you?"
"Don't be stupid. If he's carrying a communication Magic Item, it’ll be dangerous even if we have him captured, right?"
Elk gasped, apparently having overlooked that possibility. He glared down at the man’s face, his grip tightening on the Axe of the Thunder God.
"Don't do it."
Rei’s hand clamped down on Elk’s arm, stopping him.
"Why! This piece of... these people! They took Rhodos and Min hostage and ordered me to kill you! Why would you protect someone like him!"
"I'm not protecting him."
In contrast to the enraged Elk, Rei’s gaze was cold. In fact, it would be more accurate to call it cruel.
Elk met Rei’s eyes and felt the weight of that gaze, causing him to take a reflexive step back.
It was clear that Rei felt absolutely nothing for the black-clad man. To him, the prisoner was no different than a stone on the side of the road.
"Wait here for a second."
Leaving Elk breathless from the intensity of his stare, Rei turned toward the inn and called out to the people who had been watching from his room.
"Hey! Someone call the Guard Force!"
"We already have! But is Elk-san alright!?"
The man who answered was the same one Rei had kicked away earlier when he tried to intervene. He was clearly sturdy, as he seemed unharmed despite the blow.
His voice was filled with genuine concern for Elk, but he offered no apology for having tried to pin Rei down.
Rei felt a flicker of annoyance at the man’s blatant favoritism, but he suppressed it. "He was being threatened. I appreciate you calling the guards."
Leaving the man with his unanswered questions, Rei returned to Elk.
He moved back to where Elk was glaring at the spy and where Seto was standing ready to intervene if Elk lost control. Rei stroked Seto's head as he spoke.
"The Guard Force is on its way."
"...That's fine, but I'm not okay with just handing him over and calling it a day."
"Think about it... which do you think is worse? Being killed by you while he's unconscious, or being handed over to the Knight Order by the guards to have every scrap of information extracted from him by any means necessary?"
Elk flinched at Rei's words.
He stared at Rei, eyes wide, as if he hadn't expected such a ruthless suggestion.
Unbothered by the stare, Rei offered a thin smile. "Besides, it's not hard to guess who sent him."
"...What?"
Elk’s gaze sharpened, the shock replaced by the piercing focus of a predator. "Who are they?"
"What will you do if I tell you?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'll make them regret... ever laying a hand on Min and Rhodos."
"I’m afraid that’s a tall order. Even for you, if your enemy is an entire nation, you’ll just end up captured or killed if you try to charge in alone."
"A nation? You don't mean..."
Elk’s brow furrowed. He had lived in Gilm for a long time, and he was well aware of the various incidents that had plagued the city over the past year. While the Knight Order and the Guard Force hadn't made an official announcement, rumors of a foreign power pulling the strings were rampant. As the leader of an A-Rank Party, Elk didn't neglect his information gathering—though Min usually handled that while he simply listened. Even so, he had heard the name of the power that had repeatedly targeted Gilm.
The name of that power was...
"The Bestia Empire."
In the night-shrouded backyard of the Dusk Wheat Inn, Elk’s loathing-filled whisper echoed, heard only by the man and the beast.