Deep in the forest stood a grove of rocks, each roughly five meters tall. As the moonlight filtered down from the night sky, casting an ethereal glow over the clearing, Rei and Seto stood perfectly still, waiting.
Death Scythe, retrieved from the Misty Ring, rested in Rei’s hand. Clad in his Dragon Robe, he cut a figure that looked very much like a Grim Reaper. At the side of that reaper, Seto lay on the ground, appearing completely at ease.
In truth, the gryphon was far from resting. Though he appeared to be lounging, his eyes were closed so he could better focus his hearing, his sense of smell, his ability to sense magic power, and the preternatural sixth sense unique to monsters to monitor their surroundings. If the need arose, he could kick off the ground and pounce upon an enemy in an instant.
Many of the Prairie Wolves surrounding them had seen Rei’s prowess firsthand; those who hadn't had heard the stories from Egg. They had been warned that this was a person they must never provoke. Consequently, time ticked by without the one man and one beast needing to exercise their combat power. About twenty minutes after their arrival, several figures finally emerged from the dense foliage.
"Did I keep you waiting? We had a bit of an internal disagreement over our sudden guests."
The speaker was a man well over two meters tall with a face marked by numerous scars. He was Egg, the boss of the Prairie Wolves and the man Rei had come to see. Though his weapon of choice was a giant battle axe, it remained strapped to his back, and his hands were empty—a clear sign that he had no intention of being hostile.
"No, not particularly. There’s no need to worry about it," Rei replied, storing Death Scythe back into the Misty Ring.
It was a reciprocal gesture of peace. It was also a calculated judgment based on his confidence that he could handle the situation even if the surrounding bandits decided to swarm them.
This display of casual power did not sit well with everyone. A sharp-eyed man standing beside Egg clicked his tongue audibly.
"Hey, knock it off. Don't make us look pathetic. This is my guest," Egg warned.
"But Boss Egg, there’s no reason to be so humble to some guy who barged in without an invitation..."
(Given his position, he's probably the number two or three in the Prairie Wolves... the type who overestimates his own strength. He certainly has some skill, but not enough to even gauge mine. Then again, being able to take that attitude while facing Seto is impressive in its own way...)
"Kirtos, do you have a problem with my guest?" Egg asked, his gaze narrowing.
From Egg’s perspective, even a group as formidable as the Prairie Wolves—famed as the strongest bandits in the region—wouldn't walk away in one piece if they fought Rei. To make matters worse, an A-Rank Monster like a gryphon was sitting right there. He had decided they must avoid conflict at all costs, even if it meant cutting ties with a subordinate like Kirtos.
Furthermore, Rei hadn't come here on a subjugation quest; he had come to collect a debt. Egg felt a sense of honor-bound obligation that prevented him from attacking.
"...It’s nothing."
Kirtos clearly hated seeing the man he respected acting so subservient to Rei. He didn't argue further, but he let out a sharp snort to signal his lingering disapproval.
"I see. Good. Sorry about that, Rei. My young ones can be rude."
"Don't worry about it. There are hotheads everywhere. Can we get to the main point?"
Kirtos’s expression soured further at Rei’s dismissive tone, but Rei ignored him and continued.
"Right. You mentioned wanting to settle a debt?" Egg asked.
"The debt for sparing your lives back then."
"I haven't forgotten. So, what do you want from us? I know we owe you a lot, but keep in mind that there are things we can and cannot do."
Egg was signaling that he wouldn't pay an unreasonable price. Rei nodded simply and spoke.
"It’s nothing too difficult. Are you aware that a war is brewing between the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire?"
"Yeah. We might be thieves, but we hear things. We have our own unique information network. Besides, war between Mireana and Bestia is practically an annual fixture."
"Then this will be easy. My request is that the Prairie Wolves join the Larkus Territorial Army for this war."
The words fell from Rei’s lips as if they were a trifle, but the shock they sent through the bandits was profound.
"Are you insane!? You want us thieves to become dogs of the state!?"
"You just want to use us as meat shields!"
"Boss, you're not actually considering this, are you?"
Denials erupted from all sides. Egg, however, remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He simply stared at Rei. Rei met his gaze calmly and waited for the shouting to die down before continuing.
"I’m not asking you to be the primary combat force for the Larkus Territorial Army. Well, you'd be counted as part of the strength in a broad sense, but I’m not telling you to stand on the front lines. What I expect from you is scouting, using the stealth you've honed as thieves. You would detect enemy movements, report back, or infiltrate their ranks for sabotage."
The mood shifted to one of confusion. As the strongest bandit gang near the frontier, being told they weren't expected to fight felt like an insult to their prowess. At the same time, they still recoiled at the idea of being pawns for the authorities.
Sensing the atmosphere, Rei pressed on.
"I should mention that the role I’m entrusting to you is arguably the most vital. I won't go so far as to say information is everything in war, but it certainly dictates the path to victory."
"And you're trusting us with something that important?"
"Your strength is far below mine, but you’re still significantly stronger than ordinary soldiers. Combined with your talent for stealth, I don't think there's a better choice for scouting."
Bluntly stating that they were weaker than him was perhaps a sign of Rei's social immaturity. While it was an objective fact, having a youth who looked barely fifteen tell them they were weak to their faces was a bitter pill for men who prided themselves on being the region's top outlaws.
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
Rei sensed the sudden spike in hostility, but his question only served to further irritate them. Predictably, the first to snap were those who had never personally seen Rei in action.
"You bastard... are you mocking the Prairie Wolves?"
Kirtos, the man Egg had scolded earlier, took a step forward. He gripped a dagger in each hand, radiating a lethal intent that suggested he might lung at any second.
"Kirtos, stand down," Egg commanded.
"But Boss!"
"I told you he is my guest. Are you trying to shame me? And Rei, you too. These men are hot-blooded. Stop trying to provoke them."
"...Provoke them?"
Rei genuinely hadn't intended to be provocative, so he could only tilt his head in confusion.
"...Is he doing this on purpose? Fine, whatever. I hear what you're saying, but like my men said, following the orders of nobles and the crown isn't how we live."
"Heh. So you're going to renege on the debt for your lives? In that case, I'll have to collect on what I let go that day."
Rei’s eyes turned cold with murderous intent. He pulled Death Scythe back out of the Misty Ring, holding the massive weapon ready to harvest lives. The newcomers to the group looked at the oversized weapon with mocking smiles, doubting he could even swing it, but those who had met Rei before turned pale and gasped.
"Wait! No one said anything about reneging!" Egg shouted, sensing instinctively that his men were seconds away from being slaughtered.
Rei stopped the movement of his scythe. Egg realized his mistake—he had tried to haggle with Rei. An ordinary adventurer might have negotiated, but Rei, knowing he wasn't good with people, had never intended to bargain in the first place.
"I see. Then tell me. Will you repay the debt... or will you renege?"
"We'll pay. We're not oath-breakers. However, on our end—"
"Boss Egg! Why are we bowing down to this kid!? A debt for our lives? He probably just jumped you when you were exhausted or something. We’re at full strength now! Look at the numbers! We can take one brat easily. Right, boys!?"
"Yeah! The Prairie Wolves don't roll over for some kid!"
"Shut up! You idiots haven't fought him! He's a literal monster! And he has a gryphon! Do you honestly think you can win!?"
As the Prairie Wolves devolved into a shouting match, Rei looked on with an exasperated expression. Beside him, Seto watched the bickering men with a similar look of bored disbelief. Finally, Rei interrupted the tangent about bandit pride.
"Enough. It sounds like some of you can't accept the proposal—specifically the ones who weren't there that day. Fine. Then only the ones who were there can cooperate with me. That should solve it."
"Don't screw with us! You think you can just pick and choose which of us you own like dogs!?" Kirtos yelled.
"Kirtos is right! You’ve got the wrong idea if you think you can put a collar on us!"
(This is going to take forever if I let it continue.)
Rei looked directly at Egg, the man with the final say.
"Make the call. Do you pay your debt... or what?"
Rei glanced pointedly at the blade of Death Scythe in his hand.
"Sigh... I get it. Fine. We'll settle this the way we do things. Kirtos, you're the best fighter among the opposition faction, aren't you?"
"Huh? Uh... yeah, I guess so," Kirtos said, looking at his supporters, who nodded.
"Then you fight Rei. If you win, we won't cooperate, and I'll find some other way to settle the debt. Though I’ll probably be the one apologizing for it later."
"Me? But you're stronger than me, Boss."
"I don't have a problem with scouting. It's dangerous, but it's better than being fodder on a front line. And everyone who was actually there that day is willing to work with Rei, even if they hate the kingdom."
"What!?"
Kirtos looked around in shock. True to Egg's words, the veterans who had encountered Rei before were all silently avoiding his gaze.
(I have to do this to settle them down. Once he fights Rei, he'll understand. He'll realize that Rei's threat to 'collect' our lives wasn't a bluff,) Egg thought. He wasn't thrilled about working for the army either, but as wanted men, their reputation relied on their word. They couldn't renege on a life-debt. More importantly, he knew that fighting Rei would mean the end of the Prairie Wolves.
He decided to let the opposition faction experience Rei’s power firsthand.
"...Fine. If that’s how it is, I'll take this brat on," Kirtos said, stepping forward and brandishing his daggers.
Rei saw the pleading look in Egg’s eyes, let out a tired sigh, and stepped into the center of the clearing.
"The match ends when someone surrenders or is incapacitated. And for the love of god, don't kill him," Egg announced.
"Hey, Boss. Do I look like someone who can't control his own strength?" Kirtos smirked.
"...Right. I’m counting on you both."
Egg’s eyes, however, remained fixed on Rei. Kirtos noticed the lack of confidence and his irritation spiked.
"Begin!"
At Egg’s signal, Kirtos blurred forward, closing the distance to Rei with incredible speed. It was a pace far beyond that of a common thief, proving his boast wasn't entirely empty.
"Heh. You're actually pretty fast," Rei remarked.
He proceeded to dodge the rapid-fire flurry of dagger strikes by paper-thin margins, reading every movement before it landed.
"Guh!"
Facing him directly, Kirtos finally felt the sheer pressure of Rei’s presence. He clicked his tongue in frustration and pushed his speed to its absolute limit.
"Hmph... you have another gear? Unfortunately, even that won't reach me."
"Wha—!?"
Kirtos started to snap back, but in the next heartbeat, a crushing impact slammed into his solar plexus. The air left his lungs, and his consciousness flickered.
In the final moment before the world went black, Kirtos saw the butt end of the Great Scythe lunging toward him.