Rei woke suddenly in the deep hours of the night.
There was no obvious reason for it; he simply felt a nagging sense of dread. Moonlight drifted through the window, casting the only glow in the silent room. Still feeling a trace of lingering drowsiness, he reached out toward his bedside and activated a light magic item.
A common inn wouldn't have such a convenience in every room, but this establishment catered to nobles and great merchants—as evidenced by the fact that Lord Daskar was staying here. The activation of the magic item replaced the dim moonlight with a brilliant glow.
Squinting against the sudden brightness, Rei donned his Dragon Robe and slipped on his Sleipnir's Shoes. To clear the last of the sleep from his head, he wiped his face with a damp cloth. Once he felt fully alert, he moved to the window to survey the street below. Since this inn followed a standard layout with the dining hall on the 1F and guest rooms on the 2F, he had a clear view of the surrounding area.
"...Nothing out of the ordinary yet," he muttered.
At least for the moment. He kept the rest of the thought to himself. Given the warning from Dwalub of the city's Knight Order regarding unrest elements—and the murderous intent he had felt on the way to the inn—this outcome was inevitable.
Whatever had pulled him from his sleep was surely a harbinger of the coming storm. Fueled by a conviction that bordered on certainty, Rei left his room.
"Whoa—oh, it’s just you, Rei. Don’t jump out like that. What are you doing up at this hour?"
A knight passing by the door asked with a startled expression. He was on patrol, part of a rotation meant to detect any early signs of trouble or catch intruders before they could reach the guest quarters. Since Lord Daskar had chartered the entire building, the knights were free to move through the halls as they pleased.
The knight lowered the hand he had reflexively moved toward his sword hilt and let out a sigh of relief. However, Rei’s next words far exceeded his expectations.
"There's an attack coming soon. You should make sure everyone is ready to respond at a moment's notice."
The knight stiffened. An instant later, his surprised look vanished, replaced by a sharp, professional gaze. "Did you see someone outside?"
"No. I couldn't see anything from the window. It’s just... well, let’s call it my Adventurer's Intuition ringing alarm bells."
Under normal circumstances, such a claim would be laughed off. After all, the person standing before the knight had been an adventurer for less than two years. But the situation changed when the person was Rei. Despite his short career, he was a man who had climbed to the rank of B-Rank Adventurer with record speed and tamed an A-Rank Monster like a Gryphon.
As a member of Margrave Larkus's Knight Order, the man knew Rei's reputation well. He wasted no more time on questions.
"I'll have the men prepare for combat immediately. I’ll wake those who are resting as well. Rei, head to Lord Daskar's side."
"Got it."
Rei watched the knight hurry off for a brief moment before turning to leave. He headed for the most exclusive room at the far end of the 2F. Two knights stood guard before the door. One of them tensed as he saw someone approaching quickly, his hand moving to his sword, but he relaxed the moment he recognized Rei. The second guard also let out a breath of relief.
"What’s wrong, Rei?"
"I have a bad feeling. Something is about to happen. I need you to announce me to Lord Daskar."
"...I see. So that's why."
"Hmm?"
Rei tilted his head at the knight's cryptic response. The guard suppressed a smile at the sight—Rei looked nothing like a high-rank adventurer in that moment—and explained.
"We heard movement inside. He was supposed to be sleeping until just a minute ago."
"I see," Rei murmured, impressed.
The first knight knocked on the door. "Lord Daskar, Rei is here. He reports that an incident may be imminent."
"I am aware. Let him in."
"Yes, sir!"
The knight opened the door, and Rei stepped inside. Seeing Elk, Min, and Rhodos already present, he understood why Daskar was awake.
That makes sense. There's no way Elk would have missed that sensation, Rei thought.
While Lord Daskar was a capable warrior, his duties as a ruler meant he was naturally more removed from the front lines than an active adventurer. Though his physique proved he hadn't neglected his training, there was a vast difference between practice and actual combat. Daskar was likely fully prepared only because Elk had been staying in the adjoining guard room.
"Rei, you too?"
"Yes," Rei replied simply.
"If you felt it as well, then my hunch was clearly correct," Elk said with a nod. Min murmured her agreement.
"Now then, the question is when it will start," Lord Daskar said. "Even if we say 'soon,' ten minutes is very different from an hour."
"True. I understand your concern, Lord Daskar, but most likely—"
Rei was interrupted by a violent pounding on the door.
"Lord Daskar! There's a sound of something being smashed on the 1F!"
This suite was built with thick soundproofing for the comfort of nobles and merchants, which was likely why they hadn't heard the commotion downstairs until the guard arrived to report it.
"Talk about perfect timing," Rei noted. "Lord Daskar, what are your orders?"
"Let's see..."
Lord Daskar paused, considering his options for a few seconds. His gaze fell upon Rei and Elk, his two strongest combatants. He looked at Rei and spoke.
"Rei, take Rhodos and check the situation below. If they're causing trouble, suppress them."
"With Rhodos?" Rei asked, surprised. He had fully expected to be sent alone.
Rhodos looked a bit annoyed by the reaction but remained silent. He understood the gap in their abilities all too well. Their eyes met for a moment before Rei nodded, accepting the command.
"Understood. We'll handle the 1F."
"Good. The knights should be there as well, so you won't be short-handed."
"Yes. ...Elk."
"I know," Elk said, waving a hand. "I’ll handle anything that tries to get through here. Get moving. ...And look after Rhodos."
"Well, Rhodos is a C-Rank Adventurer. He’s not so weak that he'd go down to a little trouble like this, right?"
At Rei's teasing tone, Rhodos snapped back indignantly.
"Obviously! I don't know who these unrest elements are, but I’ll prove they're not worth bothering my mother and father over!"
Rei noted that Rhodos mentioned his mother first, but he decided that pointing it out would only cause a pointless argument. He turned on his heel and headed out, with Rhodos following close behind.
"I doubt there's much to worry about, but be careful regardless," Elk called out.
"Rei, Rhodos," Lord Daskar added. "If possible, try to capture a few of them alive. I want to know who is pulling the strings."
With those final instructions, Rei and Rhodos left the room.
"I heard the plan. Good luck out there," one of the hallway guards said.
"We'll hold the line here. Lord Daskar has nothing to worry about... though with Elk inside, we’re probably redundant anyway," the other added with a wry grin.
Rei gave them a light wave and a small smile. Without looking back at Rhodos, he broke into a run. "Let's go. I want to keep the damage to the inn at a minimum."
"Right!"
Rei dashed down the corridor. He held back his full power to avoid splintering the floorboards, maintaining a pace that Rhodos could manage. Even so, it was a speed that would have left any ordinary person in the dust.
In less than 10 seconds, they reached the stairs.
A significant number of people had already forced their way inside. In front of the counter, the knights from Daskar’s escort were locked in combat with a mob of intruders. The battle was utterly one-sided. The rioters shouted and swung swords, spears, clubs, and even farm tools, but every strike was parried or blocked by the knights. Each counterattack from the soldiers sent another attacker collapsing to the floor.
Against a frontier Knight Order used to battling lethal monsters, these rioters stood no chance. The only reason they hadn't been routed was sheer numbers. Every time an attacker was knocked out, their companions dragged them back and another stepped forward to take their place.
Observing the clash, Rei understood why the knights were staying on the defensive. They were positioned at the base of the stairs, forming a wall to prevent anyone from reaching the 2F. They couldn't break rank to pursue.
Where are the others... Oh, I see.
Rei scanned the area from the top of the stairs and realized the noise wasn't just coming from the lobby. The sounds of battle were echoing from the Dining Hall as well.
I hope the knight I met earlier managed to alert the men resting in the Dining Hall. Well, no time to worry about that now.
Rei watched as a knight struck a rioter in the chest with his sheathed sword, then he reached for the 2F railing.
"Rhodos, support the knights at the stairs!"
"Hey, Rei—?!"
Rhodos yelled in shock as Rei vaulted over the railing without a second thought. The drop to the 1F was well over 5m. For a seasoned adventurer, it was a manageable jump, but jumping into the middle of a chaotic melee seemed reckless.
However, as Rei plummeted, he activated his Sleipnir's Shoes. He used the air itself as a series of footholds, slowing his descent before landing silently on the 1F floor.
"What?! You bastard!"
A rioter standing nearby gasped in surprise. He reflexively raised his club to strike...
"Gufh!"
By raising the club, the man left his torso wide open. Rei silently withdrew a sheathed dagger from his Misty Ring and thrust it forward. He was lucky it was just his cheap dismantling dagger and that he had kept it in the scabbard; the blunt impact buried itself into the rioter man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and claiming his consciousness instantly.
Most of the rioters were too focused on the knights at the stairs to notice Rei's arrival. The few who did see him initially dismissed him as an easy target because of his small stature, but after seeing him drop a comrade in a heartbeat, they hesitated, overcome by a sudden sense of danger. None of them dared to move against him.
Had they known they were facing Crimson, their reactions might have been different, but in the heat of the riot, no one could connect the boy before them to the rumors of the terrifying adventurer they had heard about in the city.
Rei left the fallen rioter where he lay and looked around. No one else was rushing him, so he glanced back up toward the stairs. Rhodos was looking down at him with an exasperated expression. Seeing Rei’s gaze, the young warrior jerked his chin toward the Dining Hall, signaling him to get moving.
Rei gave a small nod and crouched low, using his small frame to slip through the crowd toward the Dining Hall. It was one of those rare moments where he felt a complicated mix of gratitude and lingering annoyance that his height was so genuinely useful.