"What is the meaning of this!?"
With a furious roar, a wine glass was hurled across the room. It flew past the man who had brought the report, shattered against the wall, and fell to the floor. Red wine soaked into the expensive carpet, and the heavy scent of alcohol began to permeate the air.
However, the subordinate showed no sign of flinching, even after being screamed at by his own master. He simply spoke once more.
"As I said, the warehouse where House Silwa was investigating the Anomaly Species Corpse was raided. Furthermore, it appears they set the entire facility on fire."
"I know that! I am asking who ordered such a thing! That youngster Bosk has been a nuisance lately, yes, but he had not yet explicitly declared himself my enemy! Why would we antagonize him so blatantly now? What was the plan!?"
There was a reason for Shaffner's explosive irritation.
Of the families currently ruling Exil, House Silwa was led by Bosk, its youngest head. Many adventurers looked up to Bosk as an older brother. While House Rebisole was still one of the three ruling houses, its military strength was only "considerable" at best.
Even Shaffner knew that a direct, head-on conflict with House Silwa was not something they were likely to survive.
What to do? What to do? If it came to a real fight, his side would undoubtedly lose. He needed to find a way to avoid combat at all costs...
As Shaffner desperately searched for a solution, his subordinate continued the report.
"Please rest assured, my lord. Those who attacked the warehouse were not House_Rebisole_members."
Shaffner, whose face had been flushed red with panic, froze mid-step. He looked at the man fearfully.
"...What? Is that the truth?"
"Yes. At the very least, House Rebisole's forces did not move at all last night. Therefore, the raid must have been carried out by an entirely different group."
"Hmm... I see. I see! I see! Well, then there is no problem at all. Honestly, you should not startle a man so. However... if it wasn't us, does that mean House Marstchel was behind the attack?"
Exil was currently governed by three major families: House Silwa, House Marstchel, and House Rebisole. If House Silwa had been attacked and House Rebisole was innocent, that naturally left only House Marstchel.
Reaching this conclusion, Shaffner let out a cry of triumph.
"I see, I see! So even that jewel-obsessed man can be useful to me once in a while. To think he would give that youngster a painful lesson in my stead. Hahaha! This is delightful. That brat will finally learn his place."
Now certain that his own forces weren't involved, Shaffner decided he was perfectly safe. He poured wine into a fresh glass, raised it high in a mock toast, and grinned.
"So the arrogant youngster finally got what he deserved. My, coincidence is a terrifying thing indeed. I have no idea what madness possessed that jewel-obsessed man to strike House Silwa, but this is nothing but good luck for me."
As Shaffner happily sipped his wine, the messenger stood by in silence.
Perhaps noticing the man’s continued presence, Shaffner’s eyes widened as another thought struck him.
"Wait. Since we have this chance, perhaps we should kick House Silwa while they are down? ...You, contact House Marstchel immediately. Tell them I will permit them to form an alliance with me."
The man who had been observing Shaffner spoke again.
"Understood. However, if a massive conflict breaks out here, it will naturally affect all of Exil. Are you certain you want this?"
"Hmm? I have no idea what you are so worried about."
"I am concerned that the citizens of Exil might get caught in the crossfire."
Shaffner looked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. His wrinkled face twisted in genuine confusion as he tilted his head.
"Those people? They will just increase again soon enough. Even if a few die and the numbers drop, it is of no consequence."
Shaffner spoke with absolute sincerity in his eyes.
The subordinate caught his breath at the callousness, but he simply gave a shallow nod and moved on.
"By the way, what shall we do regarding the Holy Light Religion? If we bring them to our side, they could serve as a decent military force."
"...Ah, right, those fools. But they are the same idiots who let an Anomaly Species slip through their fingers. I doubt they have much value as a fighting force."
"Then?"
"Well, no... even the rabble can serve as a shield if there are enough of them. They have been less than useless until now, but I suppose I can put them to work this once. Hey, tell them to..."
Make contact. Just as Shaffner was about to finish his order, another man burst into the room.
"R-R-R-Report! This is a disaster!"
"Good grief! What is it at a celebratory time like this!?"
Shaffner was incensed. He felt as though things were finally going perfectly, and he could not forgive anyone for interrupting his triumph.
The newcomer, however, didn't even notice Shaffner’s rage. He gasped for air, his words tumbling out in a panic.
"House Silwa... House Silwa is..."
"What about House Silwa? Have they finally been wiped out by House Marstchel? If that is the case, we should prepare to join the fray and take our share of the—"
Shaffner was likely still a bit tipsy from the wine. He was already weaving a fantasy of his perfect future...
"House Silwa's forces are marching on this estate!"
"..."
A heavy, absolute silence fell.
At first, Shaffner couldn't even process the words.
He wondered for a moment if the wine had affected his hearing, but he knew better.
Eventually, as the meaning of the report slowly settled in his mind, he looked at the man in bewilderment.
"What? I’m sorry, say that again. I am an old man, and I fear my hearing has failed me."
"I said House_Silwa_members are approaching this mansion! That was the report!"
"...Impossible! If they are going anywhere, it should be to House Marstchel! They were the ones who raided the warehouse! Why come to my home? It must be some kind of mistake!"
"It is no mistake! Furthermore, the head of House Silwa, Bosk himself, is leading his men here!"
Silence filled the room once more.
Shaffner was the one to break it, slamming his wine glass onto the table.
"That... youngster! Does he intend to use this incident as an excuse to get rid of me!? Argh! What are you standing there for? Arrange the interception immediately! Order the Holy Light Order to send reinforcements! And House Marstchel as well! Tell them not to drag me into their mess, and order them to bring their forces here at once!"
His commands came in rapid-fire succession. Even in his old age, it was enough to prove that Shaffner was indeed the Head of House Rebisole.
Even if his logic was fundamentally flawed.
The two subordinates in the room hurried out to execute his orders.
Watching them go, Shaffner grabbed the 30cm tall wine cask from the table and hurled it to the floor in a fit of rage.
As the wine spread across the carpet and filled the room with a sharp alcoholic sting, Shaffner gnashed his teeth.
Fortunately, it was still day, and he wasn't that drunk yet. Had this attack happened in the middle of the night, he might have been slaughtered before his wine-addled brain could even react.
"I suppose it is not yet the worst-case scenario."
Muttering to himself, he began to mobilize his household to meet the approaching House Silwa's forces.
"Halt! Everyone, halt!"
On the road leading to the Rebisole estate, Bosk led the charge at the front. Behind him followed a crowd of those indebted to House Silwa or those who simply admired its head.
Most were adventurers, but there were also civilians skilled in brawling among them.
There were even a few scrawny, thin individuals who looked entirely unsuited for combat.
In total, there were about 300 people. The fact that he could gather such a force with a single call spoke to the power of House Silwa as one of the three ruling families of Exil.
A group emerged from the Rebisole mansion to meet them.
They were fewer in number than the Silwa side, but they still numbered exceeding 100 people.
One man among them shouted out to Bosk, his voice carrying over the crowd.
Though he was addressing a man with status equal to his own master, Lord Shafner, there was no respect in his tone.
He had spent too long listening to Shaffner belittle Bosk as a mere youngster. More than that, he felt no need to show respect to someone who was launching an open attack on the house he served.
"...And you expect to stop us with those numbers?" Bosk asked.
Being one of the three ruling houses, House Rebisole had a massive thoroughfare leading straight to its front gates. Ever since the vanity-driven Shaffner had become head, the road had been expanded and paved with fine bricks.
On this road, wide enough for about 10 carriages to pass side-by-side, the two armies faced one another.
Both sides radiated murderous intent, but the Rebisole forces were clearly unnerved by the numbers against them. Many looked as though they would bolt the moment the first blow was struck.
"Regardless of numbers, what is the meaning of this!? For a ruler of Exil to use brute force to attack the blameless House Rebisole... have you no shame!?"
"Silence!"
Blameless.
The moment that word left the man’s mouth, Bosk unsheathed the massive claymore from his back and swung it through the air.
The sheer force of the blow seemed to shatter the very wind, causing the man to reflexively choke back his words.
Bosk glared at him with cold, fixed eyes, then suddenly turned and gave a silent signal to his men.
Several followers brought a horse-drawn cart forward, pulling it up alongside Bosk.
"...Look at this. You should recognize this man."
Bosk pointed the tip of his claymore at the corpse lying on the cart.
Upon seeing the body, the Rebisole representative’s face twisted in shock.
The deceased was a young man, in his late teens to early 20s. His clothing was shredded by numerous blade wounds, and the dark, discolored bloodstains were clear to see.
The man wasn't shocked because it was a human corpse; as an adventurer, he had seen plenty of death.
He was shocked because, just as Bosk had implied, he recognized the face.
"This is..."
"No need to look so surprised. He was employed by House Rebisole until just a few days ago, wasn't he?"
Bosk spoke as if challenging him to find an excuse, his tone making it clear that he considered House Rebisole the sole cause of this conflict. But the man couldn't afford to admit it.
To admit fault now was to accept the blame for everything that was about to happen.
"It is true that this man was once employed by House Rebisole. However, he was dismissed for actions that went against Lord Shafner's wishes. I do not know what he has done since, but House Rebisole has absolutely no connection to his actions!"
"...Oh? Then tell me, where do you think we found his body?"
Bosk’s voice was low, as if he were barely suppressing a boiling rage. The man ignored the tone and shouted back.
"I don't know! I repeat, that man was fired! Whatever he did is none of this family's concern!"
At those words, the crowd surrounding Bosk began to surge with bloodlust.
As adventurers, they lived with the constant shadow of death. If a comrade had fallen to a monster or died in the dungeon due to their own lack of skill, they would have mourned, but they would not have felt this level of fury.
But this was different. This had happened in the heart of the city—a place that was supposed to be safe. This man had likely been killed by someone desperate to hide the truth about the Anomaly Species currently plaguing the dungeon.
Bosk raised his claymore high and leveled the point at the man serving House Rebisole.
"We found this man at the site of our raided warehouse—the very place where we were investigating the Anomaly Species. Why do you think he was there? We certainly didn't hire him. And yet, there he was, right after being 'conveniently' fired from House Rebisole just before the raid."
Bosk’s voice thundered, echoing between the two silent armies of House Silwa and House Rebisole.