Rei was in excellent spirits as he stepped out of the store, having discovered a far better magic item shop than he had expected. However, he came to a halt before he had even taken half a dozen steps.
It wasn't because he had forgotten anything. Rather, he had sensed several presences surrounding him, each one prickling with murderous intent.
"Tch."
He instinctively clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He had finally found a magic item shop with a selection that actually impressed him. Though he hadn't purchased anything since there were no magic items suited for his current needs, he had genuinely hit it off with the eccentric old shopkeeper.
Of course, hitting it off with a man famously known for being cranky suggested that Rei himself might be equally eccentric, but that didn't bother him in the least. He was, after all, simply being himself.
Regardless, someone was now intruding on his good mood. It was only natural for him to be irritated.
(Skill-wise... they aren't that impressive. They’re a significant step down from the ones from the Moonlight Bow. At the very least, they’re rank amateurs when it comes to concealing their presence.)
Were they relying on quantity over quality? As that thought crossed his mind, Rei’s irritation shifted into a bored, weary sigh.
If his would-be assassins had possessed even a modicum of talent, he might have been able to use the encounter as "live-combat practice" to sharpen his own skills. But these presences felt hopelessly unrefined. In every sense of the word, they were throwing cold water on his pleasant afternoon.
(That said, I can't exactly ignore them and head back to the inn.)
Their lack of skill meant that any confrontation could easily spiral into a messy, public disturbance. Returning to the Eternal Sky Inn—a place currently housing numerous high-profile guests—while being stalked by clumsy assassins would be a recipe for disaster. If a fight broke out inside the inn, Rei’s reputation and standing would take a serious hit.
(I should probably deal with this before I go back. ...Though I don't know the streets around here very well.)
Rei’s knowledge of the Imperial Capital was limited. The most convenient place to handle this kind of trouble would have been the spot where he fought the Moonlight Bow assassins, but he suspected the guards were already watching that area like hawks.
"Well, nothing for it. I'll just wander into the back alleys."
As long as he found somewhere out of sight, it wouldn't be a problem. With that decided, Rei left the main street and began weaving through the narrow side paths.
Fortunately, after about ten minutes of walking, the crowds began to thin. Simultaneously, the murderous intent radiating from his pursuers sharpened.
"...All right, isn't it about time you showed yourselves? Stalking me isn't going to get you anywhere."
Rei's voice rang out clearly as he reached a dead-end alleyway.
Since it was a dead-end passage, he technically had no way to escape forward. On the flip side, it meant he didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking up from behind.
(Now then, let's see what we've got...)
Deep down, a tiny—truly tiny—part of him felt a flicker of anticipation. He wondered if their amateurish presence-concealment was actually a sign of supreme confidence in their combat ability. But when the figures finally emerged, Rei stared at them in disbelief. They were boys and girls who looked to be barely 10 years old.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Because he had allowed himself that small spark of expectation, the sense of disappointment was profound. He fixed a cold, sharp gaze on the three children who had appeared in front of him.
At the same moment, he sensed a movement from above. He reached into his Misty Ring, drew the Death Scythe, and swung it in a violent arc.
With a sharp metallic clang, a shortsword was sliced clean through the middle, its broken blade clattering onto the cobblestones.
A child of about ten had leaped down from the alley wall, clutching the now-useless weapon. Rei let out an exasperated sigh.
"Did someone really think children could take me on? I’m being seriously underestimated. Luring my attention forward while attacking from above wasn't a bad plan, but if you’re going to try it, you should at least use someone who knows how to hide their presence."
"..."
The children didn't respond. Their expressions remained eerily blank as they gripped their weapons.
Four more children leaped down from the walls of the dead-end passage behind him. One stood by with a broken dagger. Then, five more emerged to block Rei's retreat, joining the initial three.
They were armed with daggers, bows, and even a few rapiers.
Thirteen children in total. Every single one of them looked to be barely ten years old.
(Is this the Moonlight Bow’s doing? Or perhaps the Requiem Bell? It could be another organization entirely... but either way, using children is a disgusting tactic. Did they think I wouldn't be able to fight back against kids?)
Rei gave the Death Scythe a practice swing and spoke up, offering them one final warning.
"Just so you know, I won't go easy on you just because you're children. If you’re still intent on doing this, then come. Fortunately, even in this dead-end, I have more than enough room to move."
As long as he had the space to swing the Death Scythe, there was zero chance of him losing. The only real question was how to handle these thirteen children.
While he was prepared to kill them if necessary, he still felt a lingering reluctance to slaughter children.
(I suppose I'll knock them all out and hand them over to the guards. They’ll be interrogated, which won't be pleasant, but it's better than being killed by me.)
He knew the interrogations could be brutal, but he judged it the lesser of two evils. He shifted his grip and swung.
With a clink, a thrown dagger was batted out of the air. Using that as a signal, the children charged as one.
They utilized their small stature and speed with surprising coordination. If Rei had been an ordinary man, he would have been overwhelmed and killed before he could even blink. However, these children had simply picked the wrong opponent.
"Yah!"
Despite the high-pitched, youthful voice, the child’s dagger was aimed precisely for Rei's thigh. They had clearly realized they couldn't land a killing blow with their strength alone. Instead, they aimed to pierce his leg to stop his movement, relying on the paralysis poison coated on the blade to finish the job.
But the moment the child lunged, they were sent flying, their consciousness fading instantly. Rei had slammed the Death Scythe's butt end into their torso.
Without pausing, he spun the Death Scythe's shaft part in a low, sweeping circle just above the ground.
Five of the children charging him were struck squarely across the shins. They collapsed instantly. They weren't dead or even unconscious, but they had been hit hard on the most vulnerable part of their legs. Despite their obvious training in emotional suppression, they couldn't help but writhe on the ground, unable to stand.
"That's six. Over halfway there."
Rei muttered to himself as he swung the scythe again.
Another child dropped from the roof, dagger poised to pierce Rei's skull. Rei caught them in the midsection with a blunt strike. The child slumped over, gasping and retching as their stomach revolted.
An arrow hissed through the air, aimed straight for Rei’s forehead. He sliced it out of the air with a casual flick of the blade.
"Bows are annoying. I'll deal with you first!"
Rei kicked off the ground, blurring toward the child holding the bow. A rapier-wielding boy tried to block his path, but Rei shattered the boy's blade with a single strike. In the same motion, he thrust the butt end of the scythe into the child's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and sending him into unconsciousness.
The young archer froze for a split second as Rei closed the distance. Regaining their composure, they realized the bow was useless at close range and threw it at Rei's face.
Rei was genuinely impressed by the quick thinking. It was a clever distraction, but the child lacked the strength to make it effective. A quick flick of the Death Scythe sliced the bow in two.
Realizing they were about to end up like the rapier-wielder, the archer tried to guard their solar plexus with both hands. Rei simply used the Death Scythe's butt end to sweep the child's legs out from under them. As they fell and their guard opened, he delivered a sharp jab that plunged them into darkness.
The next wave consisted of four more children—two with daggers and two with rapiers. They likely favored rapiers because the weapons were light enough for their underdeveloped strength to handle.
But it didn't matter.
"Weight itself is a weapon!"
Rei swung. All four blades—the rapiers and daggers alike—were snapped like twigs by the sheer mass and momentum of the scythe.
"Wha—?!"
The results were beyond their comprehension. The four children stood paralyzed in shock. It was only for a heartbeat, but against an opponent like Rei, that was an eternity.
Rei twisted his wrists mid-swing, leading with the butt end instead of the blade. The four children surrounding him were literally blown away by the impact.
Even with the blow held back, the force was far beyond what their small bodies could endure. They were hurled several meters, slamming into the alley wall and collapsing in a tangled heap.
"Guh... damn it... you monster..."
"Oh? You're still awake? You're tougher than you look."
One of the four hadn't quite lost consciousness yet and was staring at Rei with pure, unadulterated hatred. Rei murmured in genuine admiration. However, after that one strained gasp, the child finally slumped over.
With that, all thirteen children were neutralized.
"They were fairly strong for their age. Or perhaps they were only that strong because they were children?"
Rei looked at the pile of unconscious kids and sighed, wondering what to do with them. He couldn't just leave them here. But as he had considered earlier, while thirteen children weren't heavy, they were far too bulky for him to carry to the guardhouse alone.
(If I leave them here to go find the guards, their masters will probably come and snatch them up before I get back. Maybe I should just take a few as evidence?)
Then another thought struck him: he’d look exactly like a kidnapper if he walked through the capital carrying unconscious ten-year-olds.
He really wished Set were here. Set could have carried them all easily, or at least kept watch while he went for help.
"Man, I really should have brought Set along."
Regretting the absence of his partner, he began checking the children one by one to make sure they were all truly unconscious. He didn't want anyone faking it and waiting for an opening to strike.
Part of him even considered waking them up and just telling them to get lost. He really didn't want the hassle of the guards.
(No, I can't do that.)
If he let them go without consequence, they would just attack him again. In fact, knowing they could fail and still be spared might even embolden them.
(The simplest way would be to just kill them all right here, but...)
He wasn't in the mood for a massacre. He muttered to himself and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful, cloudless autumn day, so bright and clear it felt more like midsummer. He found himself smiling faintly. It felt as though the sun were mocking him for agonizing over such a trivial matter.
"Right. I'll head to the guardhouse. If they're still here when I get back, I'll turn them over. If not, then so be it."
He had just decided to return to his original plan when he sensed a presence approaching at high speed. It was a level of power that stood head and shoulders above any ordinary citizen, and it was heading straight for his dead-end alley.
"Is the chaperone finally here?"
Rei gripped the Death Scythe and narrowed his eyes, waiting. When the figures finally rounded the corner, his eyes widened in surprise. They were familiar faces. He thought for a second, then realized they were the owner and clerk from the grilled skewer stall he had visited recently.
"Wait, you're from the stall...?"
His voice, spoken more to himself than anyone else, echoed through the narrow alley where Mura, Shistoi, and Rei now stood face-to-face.