"...Were these guys actually serious?"
Rei muttered the question as he stared down at the slumped members of Ogre Heart. His expression was fixed with genuine bewilderment rather than mere exasperation.
The members of Ogre Heart had challenged him with absolute bravado, yet he had flattened them all with simple bare-handed strikes before they could even force him to use the Death Scythe. They lay unconscious on the floor, defeated in an instant.
What truly shocked Rei was their sheer weakness. Based on their arrogant tone and posture, he hadn't expected them to be top-tier, but they were significantly weaker than his lowest estimate. For a moment, he had even suspected they were feigning incompetence as part of some elaborate trap. Ultimately, it seemed that being easily crushed was simply the limit of their true ability.
"Don't look at it like that," Rhodos said. "If you spend all your time in the City of Gilm, that might seem like the standard, but the adventurers there are among the most skilled in the Kingdom of Mireana."
Rei frowned at Rhodos’s explanation. "Even so, they're weak. Pathetically weak. Goblin Drool put up a better fight than this."
"Goblin Drool... and you kept calling these guys 'Goblin's Gallstone' earlier. Do you just have some kind of weird grudge against goblins?" Rhodos asked, looking at Rei with a dazed expression.
"No, not really. It just... felt right."
"You two, stop standing around talking. We need to decide what to do next," Min interrupted. "Actually, wait—there is something that must be done first."
Min stepped forward and bowed her head deeply toward Rei.
"Wait, Mom!?"
"Rhodos, you bow your head to Rei, too. Regardless of their reasons, we allowed ourselves to be captured and used in a scheme against him. We even put Elk in danger. Thank you, Rei. I will find a way to repay this debt, no matter what it takes."
"Don't worry about it... Well, I won't say it was nothing, but let's just say I have a favor to ask later. If you help with that, we're even."
"Thank you," Min replied, keeping her head lowered. Watching her, Rhodos felt compelled to follow suit, bowing beside her.
"Thanks for the help. I'll pay you back eventually," Rhodos muttered in his usual tough-guy tone.
In his heart, Rhodos understood that Rei far surpassed him in skill. However, losing to someone around his own age—possibly even younger—was a bitter pill to swallow, making it difficult for him to be completely straightforward.
In reality, while Rei outclassed Rhodos in terms of raw combat power, Rhodos was objectively the more balanced adventurer. Rei was a specialist who excelled in battle but struggled with social nuances and had almost zero experience with requests like investigations or escort missions. However, since combat strength was the primary trait people expected from an adventurer, Rhodos remained fixated on that specific gap.
"We can figure out the thanks later. For now... what should we do with these guys?" Rei turned his gaze back toward the members of Ogre Heart, the group he’d dubbed Goblin's Gallstone.
Fortunately, the Ogre Heart incident was settled without much delay.
"Rei! Are you... okay? Actually, I didn't even need to ask," Bilt said, charging into the room with his sword drawn. The other members of the Blade of the Azure Sky appeared right behind him.
"I'm fine. But things went a bit sideways. These guys picked a fight, so I had to neutralize them."
"Yikes... even with numbers on their side, an E-Rank party never stood a chance against a C-Rank solo like Rei. I wish they understood their own limits a bit better," Bilke said. Her voice was unexpectedly cold; Ogre Heart had frequently harassed her party in the past, citing their youth and smaller numbers as an excuse for bullying.
"Exactly," Carla added. "They’ve been a nuisance for a long time. I thought they’d stopped once we raised our rank, but I can't believe they tried to jump Rei after seeing what he’s capable of. They must have a death wish. If they were going to throw their lives away, they should have signed their assets over to me first."
"Hey, they're not dead. They're just unconscious," Begrif interjected, a cold sweat on his brow as he looked at Carla.
"Still, they ignored a direct request from the Guild Master to be here," Bilt noted. "I don't think a simple fine will cut it this time. They won't get expelled, but they'll likely be demoted or forced into penal labor."
Bilt nodded in agreement with his own assessment.
(I guess even an armor of muscle can’t block the blade of a sharp tongue,) Rei thought to himself as he watched the exchange.
"Guruuu?"
Just then, Seto peeked through the window Rei had smashed open earlier.
"Ah, don't worry, Seto. It's all settled thanks to you." Rei smiled and reached out to stroke the gryphon's head.
"Seto, thank you for everything. We owe you as well," Min said, offering the gryphon a warm smile. Since they had gotten along well from their very first meeting, Seto chirped happily in response to her.
"Um, Seto. Thanks for sav—"
"Guruuu!"
When Rhodos tried to follow his mother's lead, Seto cut him off with a sharp cry and a piercing glare. Unlike with Min, Seto still maintained a hostile attitude toward Rhodos due to their poor first impression.
"Ah... right. Okay. My bad," Rhodos muttered, backing off quietly.
Bilt eventually shook off his shock and spoke up. "Anyway, just leave Ogre Heart to us. Rei, you should head back to the guild and let the Guild Master know the situation is resolved. I’m sure the two of them want to rest as soon as possible."
"That would be a great help," Min agreed. The ordeal of being held hostage had clearly taken its toll.
They decided to leave the cleanup to the Blade of the Azure Sky. Rei and the rescued pair left the building and headed for the guild.
(Come to think of it, those Beast Soldiers never showed up. They're top-secret assets for the Bestia Empire, so I suppose it makes sense they wouldn't use them here...)
Rei dismissed the concern for the moment, assuming the Empire simply hadn't deployed them.
However, five kilometers away from the hideout, a man stood blended into the darkness of the night. Using superhuman vision, he had watched the entire commotion from start to finish.
This was no ordinary feat. Not even an elf with a bow, a beastman with superior sight, or a dwarf living in the lightless depths could have seen clearly from such a distance, especially in the middle of the night.
Yet, Seto had half-instinctively sensed this presence despite it being far beyond the normal range of perception. While Rei had been inside the building, Seto had been flying overhead, guarding the area as if determined to let no one interfere.
(I see. So that is Rei—the one who has disrupted our shadow activities in this region time and again. His combat power is high, but that seems to be the extent of him. The gryphon is the real concern. It seemed to realize I was here.)
The Mystery Man muttered to himself as he watched from afar.
(This plan was a mixed success. It would have been ideal if Elk and Rei had killed each other, but at least we have confirmed his strength. And that of his gryphon. When we meet on the battlefield, we should avoid a direct confrontation. Fighting a monster like him head-on would be a waste of resources.)
He stepped out from the shadows of the building and vanished into the night.
"I will not allow anyone to stop the Empire from claiming the Sea of Bounty," he whispered, leaving behind a lingering sense of cold obsession.
"Rei-san, and the two from the Axe of the Thunder God, I am glad you returned safely. I heard there were... complications at the site."
Verde, the Guild Master's Secretary, met them at the entrance of the City of Abuelo's Guild. Although she remained as expressionless as ever, Min was the only one who could detect a slight trace of warmth in her professional tone. Since Rei had only met her once before, he couldn't tell if her behavior had changed at all.
"Verde, sorry for all the trouble," Min said with a bow.
"Verde-san... I'm sorry," Rhodos added, his face flushing with embarrassment at his own failure.
"Please, do not apologize. The Axe of the Thunder God has saved our city many times. This was the least we could do to return the favor."
While her words were sincere, her face didn't twitch a single muscle, leaving Rei and Rhodos wondering if she actually meant it.
"Regardless, we have a prisoner," Rei said. "One of the three spies was silenced by his own people, and another committed suicide. This is the only one we got alive. Seto?"
"Guruuu."
Seto stepped forward, carrying a black-clad man on its back. The prisoner was gagged to prevent him from biting his tongue and bound so tightly with rope that he looked like a cocoon. Only his fingers, toes, and the top of his head could move—a bit of petty revenge from Min and Rhodos for their own time in bonds.
"I see..." Verde stared at the bound man for a few seconds, momentarily stunned by the sight.
"It's a precaution against suicide and to ensure he doesn't use a rope escape," Rei explained with a smile. Verde gave a small nod, her expression returning to its usual mask.
"We will take custody of this man. Please proceed to the Guild Master's Office."
"Right. We need to report everything. Oh, and about the 'complications'... Ogre Heart tried to hijack the mission and charge into the hideout. I judged it was too dangerous for the hostages, so I went in first and suppressed the spies. Then Ogre Heart tried to take the credit by force, so I had to defend myself. I might have broken a few of their bones, but they're all alive."
"I see. My apologies for the trouble they caused you," Verde said, bowing before they headed inside.
"Min! Rhodos!"
As they stepped into the office, a voice boomed from the Communication Crystal sitting on Tirage's Office Desk.
"Elk, sorry for worrying you," Min said.
"Dad... I'm sorry," Rhodos added, looking ashamed.
Tirage watched the reunion with a gentle smile. "I am truly relieved the two of you are safe."
"I'm sorry, Guild Master," Min said. "To think our personal troubles would cause such a stir in your city..."
"Do not worry about that, Min-san. They chose to use my city as their stage; I do not take kindly to being disrespected."
Rhodos flinched at the Guild Master’s words. Tirage was famous for his mild temperament, but he clearly possessed a hidden core of steel. Ogre Heart had made the fatal mistake of failing to realize that.
"Now then, let us hear the full report," Tirage said, his gentle smile remaining perfectly in place even as his aura turned cold. "Our guild intends to give Ogre Heart a 'thanks' befitting their monumental stupidity."