Night. The moon had already passed its zenith and was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. Inside his tent, Rei suddenly opened his eyes.
Perhaps the excitement and tension of his recent meeting with Elena—a tryst, for all intents and purposes—had made his sleep light. However, that wasn't the only reason he had woken up.
"Forgive me, Rei-san. Are you awake?"
He had sensed someone approaching his tent.
Naturally, Seto, who was always by Rei’s side, had noticed the visitor as well. It had heard the person calling out in a hushed tone so as not to disturb the rest of the camp. Since the intruder didn't seem to harbor any immediate ill intent toward Rei, the gryphon simply lay beside the tent with its eyes slightly open, watching the situation without taking further action.
"Rei-san, Rei-san... This is troubling. Is he already fast asleep?"
The man muttered to himself, but just as he was about to call out again...
"What business do you have at this hour?" Rei asked, stepping out from the tent. He was already fully dressed in his Dragon Robe and Sleipnir's Shoes.
The man looked startled for a moment, surprised that Rei had appeared so suddenly without giving off any presence. He quickly regained his composure and spoke.
"My apologies. Actually, I was asked by a certain person to come and fetch you, Rei-san."
"...Fetch me?" Rei repeated, his gaze fixed on the man.
The visitor wore leather armor and had a longsword sheathed at his waist. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties—a man dressed like a typical adventurer.
"And who is this 'certain person'?"
"Forgive me, but I can't easily speak their name here. If you wouldn't mind, could you come with me?"
Rei furrowed his brows slightly.
Refusing will probably just lead to him hanging around stubbornly. Better to deal with this quickly so I can get back to sleep. Fortunately, the army withdraws tomorrow and we’ll be traveling by carriage, so a little exhaustion won't be an issue.
Rei summarized his thoughts in an instant and let out a weary sigh before turning to Seto, who was still lying by the tent.
"Seto, let’s go."
"Guruuu."
As Seto sluggishly began to rise, the adventurer shook his head in a panic.
"M-My apologies, but please... the request was for Rei-san alone."
"...Seto isn't allowed?"
"Yes, well... the person who called for you isn't comfortable around monsters. They specifically asked that you come by yourself."
Rei looked suspicious for a moment, but he sighed again and turned back to Seto.
"Sounds like that’s the deal. I’ll go with this man for now. You stay here and sleep, Seto."
"Guruuu?" Are you sure? Seto tilted its head. Rei reached out and stroked the gryphon’s head.
"It’s fine. The war is over, after all. There shouldn't be anything too dangerous left to worry about."
As he spoke, a thin smirk played across Rei’s lips.
Seeing that, Seto must have judged there was no real threat. It lowered its head and closed its eyes once more.
"All right, let’s go. Lead the way."
"Yes, this way. I'm sorry for taking up your time."
The adventurer let out a sigh of relief. It seemed it was his first time seeing a gryphon up close, and he was clearly relieved that Seto had obeyed Rei so easily. He began leading Rei through the darkness.
After the battle, many of the nobles had been holding victory banquets—the alcohol for the Larkus Territorial Army had been stored within Rei's Misty Ring—but a significant number of the aristocracy had already departed from the Seremuse Plain. At this hour, no one was still celebrating. Between those who had already left and those resting before tomorrow’s withdrawal, the Kingdom of Mireana Army's Position was largely silent, enveloped in the stillness of the night.
Guards were still on duty, of course, given the lingering threat of the undead, but it was undeniable that their discipline had slipped now that the war was officially over.
Rei and the adventurer moved through the camp. Curiously, they didn't head toward the aristocratic quarter, but rather toward a deserted area on the outskirts.
"...Is the person calling for me not a noble?" Rei asked the man's back.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I was only commissioned for the delivery," came the somewhat apologetic reply.
Rei’s brow twitched.
This is a trap nine times out of ten. But I don't get the feeling this guy is hiding anything. Is he just a pawn who was also deceived? If so, I should probably keep him alive as a witness. ...Then again, he’s an adventurer on a battlefield; he must have some skill. I might be worrying over nothing.
Only adventurers of D-Rank or higher were permitted to participate in this war. The fact that the man was uninjured suggested he was either exceptionally lucky or quite capable.
"We're here," the man said, stopping at the edge of the camp where the patrol soldiers rarely ventured—a place where the undead could emerge at any moment. He turned back to Rei. "My apologies, but since you're about to meet a noble, could you hand over your weapons?"
"...In this situation? We're outside the camp. We could be jumped by the undead at any second."
Even as he spoke, Rei sensed about twenty presences waiting ahead. He sighed inwardly at the predictable development. Reaching into his Dragon Robe, he pulled out the dagger he used for dismantling, swapped it for his Mithril Knife via the Misty Ring, and handed it over.
"Sorry about this, but those were my orders. We’ve secured the area's safety. Besides, for someone as famous as 'Crimson,' being unarmed shouldn't be an issue, right?"
Rei’s eyes narrowed.
The man knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. Knowing that and still leading him into such an obvious trap meant the man was almost certainly an enemy. However, before the adventurer's true role could be revealed, they reached the clearing.
Waiting for them was a familiar, unwelcome face.
"You took your time. For a lowborn cur like you to keep me waiting is an insolence beyond words. Then again, I suppose you're in this position precisely because you don't understand your place."
The man spoke with a sneer of utter contempt. It was Lunojis Imahen, a noble of the Noble's Faction who had a history of friction with Rei. Surrounding him were about fifteen men armed with swords, spears, and bows—the source of the presences Rei had detected earlier. Five more were lurking in the shadows.
Aside from the hidden scouts, the men surrounding Lunojis shared a common trait: they all wore identical armor. It was a clear sign they belonged to a specific organization. Rei didn't have to think hard to figure out which one.
The knight order he leads, huh.
Rei recalled what Elena had told him before the battle began. Lunojis was the heir to a Marquessate and had brought his personal knight order to the war.
"Your knights have remarkably clean armor," Rei noted provocatively. "It looks as though they haven't seen a single moment of combat. ...Ah, I see. I must have stolen all your glory. Didn't you even join the surprise attack on the lead unit?"
Lunojis, a man who lived to mock others but could not endure being mocked himself, turned beet-red with fury.
"You! Who do you think you're speaking to?! It was because of your insolence toward me that I was reassigned to a post where achieving military merit was impossible!"
Rei smirked, though he was genuinely confused.
Reassigned because of me? Did Elena have a hand in that?
In truth, it had been Filma Dezil who made the decision. As the commander of the Noble's Faction's forces, Filma had judged that Lunojis was too much of a liability to be given a free hand and moved him to a backline position. Naturally, Lunojis didn't know that—or wouldn't accept it—choosing instead to blame his humiliation in their previous duel.
"I will admit that I lost our duel," Lunojis snarled. "But that was only because of your magic item weapons. Now that I’ve taken them from you, and with these numbers on my side, you have no chance. Well? Hand over the weapon you took from him."
Lunojis looked at the adventurer who had guided Rei. The man looked back with a trace of pity before handing over the weapon Rei had surrendered... which was nothing more than an ordinary knife used for dismantling monsters.
"...What is this? I told you to strip him of his weapons! Why do you have this piece of trash?"
"Unfortunately, this was the only weapon the man had on him," the adventurer replied coolly. "Now then, I'll be taking my leave. Whatever happens next is none of my... what do you think you're doing?"
The adventurer stopped as one of Lunojis's knights leveled a spear at his chest.
Lunojis looked at the man as if he were a pebble on the side of the road. "A failure who cannot even complete a simple task is better off discarded. Die while cursing your own incompetence."
"...I delivered Rei-san and took his weapon exactly as I was told," the adventurer said, his voice dropping.
"Don't mock me! You failed to take that giant scythe that serves as his symbol! Do not act as though you've succeeded after bringing me a kitchen knife!"
Lunojis screamed in a fit of rage, slamming the knife into the dirt.
"Hey now," Rei cut in, his voice calm and relaxed. "That happens to be my favorite tool. Don't treat it so roughly."
Lunojis’s fury broke. "Do it! Kill him! Crimson or whatever they call him, he’s nothing without his magic items! His victory over me was only because of—"
The knight standing right next to Lunojis didn't get to hear the end of the sentence. A projectile blurred through the air, striking the knight’s unarmored face with such force that it shattered his skull and sent him tumbling ten meters back.
Neither Lunojis nor his knights understood what had happened. Then, strikes like streaks of falling stars followed in rapid succession. Every time one landed, a knight was sent flying as if by a titan's hand, their lives snuffed out instantly.
In the span of a few seconds, more than half of the knights were dead. Lunojis finally snapped out of his shock and shrieked.
"Kill him! Kill him now!"
Another projectile was thrown. Only then did Lunojis and his surviving men realize what was happening. Rei was standing there, holding several cheap rusted spears he had pulled from his ring.
The spear throw was Rei's preferred long-range attack. Fueled by his inhuman strength, even these discarded, rusted spears became lethal. They didn't just pierce; they caused bodies to explode on impact. Even those behind shields or heavy armor were found wanting, the force of the blow pulverizing the flesh beneath unless the gear was of the highest quality.
"Whoops!"
Beside Rei, the adventurer guide drew his sword with a fluid motion. He swung his blade five times in a single breath, knocking five incoming arrows out of the air. It was a feat that proved he was a master swordsman in his own right.
"You... damn you!" Lunojis screamed, his world collapsing.
"...What?"
The noble blinked, unable to process the sight before him. A heartbeat ago, Rei had been ten meters away. Now, Rei was standing directly in front of him, swinging a massive, terrifying scythe.
In the next instant, every knight remaining around Lunojis collapsed, blood spraying from their mangled bodies.
"Understand who you've picked a fight with... and learn that lesson through the pain," Rei said.
He brought the Death Scythe around in a blurring arc. With a precise downward strike, the blade sheared through armor and bone, severing Lunojis's right arm at the shoulder. Then, with a fluid upward slash, he did the same to the left. The noble's arms, still encased in their polished armor, were sent spinning into the night air.