"Hyaaaaaaaah!"
The morning sun glittered off the longsword swung with a roar, its light momentarily obscuring Rei’s vision.
Whether the blinding flash was intentional or a stroke of luck, Rei didn't know. Regardless, he intercepted the longsword as it sliced through the air, catching the blade with the Death Scythe's shaft.
Had the Death Scythe not been a magic item, the blow might have cleaved straight through the handle.
Even if the strike had been delivered with a blunted mock battle sword, it would have been formidable; however, the longsword currently being wielded against Rei was properly sharpened. It possessed enough power and edge to bisect a creature like a Goblin in a single blow.
But...
"Too slow," Rei said.
The moment the longsword made contact with the Death Scythe's shaft, Rei flicked his wrist. The movement ensnared the blade, and by redirecting the momentum of the downward swing, he flung the sword high into the air.
The same morning sun that had hindered Rei’s vision earlier now sparkled off the longsword as it spun through the sky.
Rei intercepted the falling weapon with the butt end of the Death Scythe, killing its rotation before letting it drop harmlessly to the ground.
It was a decisive victory.
There was no other way to interpret the scene.
"Gugh... I lost again..."
Rhodos must have been incredibly confident in that last strike. However, seeing it so effortlessly shut down by Rei, he had no choice but to admit complete defeat.
It was early morning, and they had only managed a few hours of sleep after the inn had been attacked.
Since Rhodos had been granted permission to participate in the Fighting Tournament, he had requested a training session with Rei to polish his skills... and this was the result.
"Your sword handling is starting to look the part, but your sharpness and power aren't anything to write home about. If you want to make an impact in the Fighting Tournament, you'll need to improve your overall technique."
Rei muttered the advice, though this was his own first time participating in a tournament as well. His estimation of the strength required to survive the qualifying rounds was nothing more than a rough guess.
(There's a chance the level is actually higher or lower than my prediction... well, there's no point worrying about that now.)
As he turned the thought over, Seto, who had been silently watching the exchange, approached while purring.
"Guruuuu."
Seto's presence wasn't for any complicated reason. It was simply because the only place with enough space for combat training that was also away from prying eyes happened to be near the stables.
There was no way Seto wouldn't notice Rei approaching, so it had already emerged from its stall before the mock battle began.
Normally, the animals and tamed monsters inside the stables weren't allowed to come and go as they pleased. However, because they were part of Daskar's entourage—and more importantly, because it was Seto—the staff looked the other way.
"Sorry, Seto. Was I a bit too loud?"
"Guruuu."
Seto purred in response, as if to say it was fine.
Flashing a small smile, Rei reached out and stroked Seto’s head.
The griffon surrendered to the pleasant sensation, purring contentedly, but the mood shifted the moment Rhodos approached.
Seto, who had been making sounds like a happy kitten just seconds ago, turned a gaze toward Rhodos that was less like a pet and more like a large feline carnivore.
Naturally, being subjected to such a look caused Rhodos to stop in his tracks, and the two fell into a familiar stalemate.
Watching the one man and one beast, who remained on such poor terms, Rei let out an involuntary sigh.
(Their first meeting was the worst in so many ways...)
He shook his head slightly, recalling the first time he and the members of the Axe of the Thunder God had met during the Orc settlement incident, and their subsequent gathering outside of Gilm.
Even without dwelling on it, their first impressions of each other had clearly been terrible.
From Seto's perspective, Rhodos had been aggressive toward his partner, Rei. Conversely, Rhodos hadn't wanted his mother, Min, getting anywhere near Seto—a dangerous A-Rank monster—especially since it belonged to someone like Rei.
Even with a bad start, their relationship might have improved if they had made an effort to bridge the gap. In the end, however, no such reconciliation had happened, leading them to this point.
"..."
A heavy silence followed as they continued to keep each other in check.
Just as Rei was about to intervene...
"Hey! It's almost breakfast time! We're leaving as soon as we finish eating, so don't let the food get cold!"
One of the knights guarding Daskar called out as he approached.
Seeing this as a timely escape, Rei spoke up.
"Right. We're a bit late. Sorry, we'll head over now. Come on, Seto, it's time for your meal, too. You too, Rhodos. Both of you, stop being so childish."
Despite Rei's chiding, Rhodos only returned a look of utter exasperation.
The only saving grace was that Seto obediently followed Rei's instructions and returned to the stables. Of course, the griffon likely just prioritized a delicious meal over staring down Rhodos.
"Childish... you're the last person I want to hear that from, Rei."
"Oh? And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Search your soul; you'll figure it out soon enough."
"...I see. If you're going to be that cheeky, then I suppose the next training session can be a bit more rigorous."
At Rei's casual threat, Rhodos shouted in protest.
"Hey, wait a minute! Where in that exchange was there any reason to make the training harder?"
"Now, I wonder. Besides, stricter training just means you'll get that much stronger. Isn't that exactly what you want, Rhodos?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
As Rhodos faltered, Rei pressed the point.
"You're the one who asked me to train you in the first place, right? You decided to enter the Fighting Tournament and asked me for help. I assumed you'd be happy to have the training toughened up, rather than complaining about it."
Indeed, Rhodos was the one who had requested combat training from Rei.
Of course, the first person who came to mind when Rhodos thought of a strong opponent was his father, Elk. However, Elk had been hired as Lord Daskar’s escort—and unlike Rei, whose position was largely ceremonial, Elk was a primary guard.
Since entering the Bestia Empire, they had frequently felt gazes full of malice, and the inn had actually been attacked the previous night.
Considering that, he couldn't pull Elk away from his duties. His mother, Min, was a mage and therefore not the right choice for training with weapons.
There were other knights, but they were also occupied with security, and none of them were clearly superior to Rhodos in skill.
That left only Rei, who was equal to Elk in combat power and had more free time than the others, given that his role as a guard was mostly a formality.
(It's because you counter every argument like that that I call you childish!)
Rhodos kept the thought to himself, knowing that saying it out loud would only result in a more brutal training regimen.
Still, Rhodos hadn't chosen Rei as a training partner solely through a process of elimination.
If he won his way through the qualifying rounds to the final tournament, he might eventually have to face Rei. He hoped to use these sessions to grasp even a sliver of Rei's combat habits.
And above all, there was the most important reason...
The image of Vihera flashed through Rhodos’s mind.
To say he had lost his heart at first sight might be an exaggeration, but she was the kind of woman who made him feel exactly that way.
(I heard she values battle... and strength. If that's the case, then if I can beat Rei... maybe...)
It was a one-in-a-billion chance.
Hiding the hope that Vihera might choose him over Rei, Rhodos followed the mage back to the inn’s dining hall.
"They've been busy..." Rei muttered as they walked inside.
A massive number of chairs and tables had been destroyed in the battle last night, yet there was no sign of the carnage.
The furniture had been replaced with new sets, and the bloodstains, weapon shards, and armor fragments had been scrubbed away. The hall looked so pristine that the brawl seemed like it had been nothing more than a bad dream.
"Yo, Rhodos. Rei, too. Get over here and eat!"
Elk’s voice boomed across the room. He was sitting at a table, heartily devouring piles of bread, soup, salad, grilled skewers, and bacon steaks.
Neither Daskar nor Min were at the table.
"Dad, is it okay to leave Lord Daskar alone?"
"Hmm? Oh, the local governor is here now. They're having an investigative hearing about yesterday's mess. My being there wouldn't help anyone, so I left it to Min and came here to fill my belly. ...Hey, miss! Get these two the same thing I'm having."
Seeing Rei and Rhodos sit down, Elk ordered from the waitress without a moment's hesitation.
"Wait, hold on, Dad! There's no way I can eat that much!"
Rhodos stared in horror at the mountain of food.
Elk let out a small sigh and looked at Rei, who was calmly ordering an additional serving of offal and bean stew.
"Rei doesn't seem to have a problem."
"That's—why! I'm telling you not to lump me in with existences outside common sense like you and Rei!"
As Rhodos shouted, Elk performed the impressive feat of sighing while maintaining a grin.
"Listen, boy. Part of why you can't beat Rei is because your appetite is too small."
"What? That has nothing to do with—"
"It does. It's not the whole story, but being able to eat a lot means you have that much more stamina."
"What is that? That only applies to monsters like you and Rei!"
"...And you want to beat those monsters, don't you?"
"Ugh!"
Rhodos was momentarily silenced.
He looked at Rei, who was already ignoring them and helping himself to one of Elk's grilled skewers.
Finally, Rhodos sighed, reached into the basket, and started eating his bread in grim silence.
As the most high-class inn in the city, the food was superb. The bread was freshly baked and fragrant, and every dish showed the expertise of a master cook.
Having worked up an appetite during training, Rhodos soon stopped complaining and focused entirely on his meal.
Seeing this, Elk went back to his own plate with a satisfied nod.
After a few minutes of quiet eating, Rei finished the last of his offal and bean stew and looked up.
"So, what's the word on last night's raid? You said they're discussing it now."
"Hmm? Oh. Daskar is planning to settle for a formal protest. If we make too big a stink about it, we'll just be stuck here wasting time. Besides, we were warned that a raid was possible, and the city's guard force and knights actually did their jobs fairly well outside."
Since a riot had been deemed likely, the local governor had done more than just issue a warning. He had stationed knights and guards near the inn, positioned far enough back so as not to irritate Daskar but close enough to intervene.
Many of the rioters had been captured or killed by the city's forces before they could even reach the building.
"Word is that even the guards had to deal with those freaks who didn't feel pain. Apparently, the city's forces took a lot more casualties than they would have against a normal mob. ...Still, since they failed to stop the attack on the inn entirely, the local governor is definitely going to be punished by the Lord of this territory."
Elk shrugged at the official’s misfortune.
Once breakfast was finished and the investigative hearing concluded, the group made their final preparations. Despite the slight delay, Daskar's entourage was able to depart the city before noon.