"So, the guy at the skewer stall really was an assassin."
"Yeah. I couldn't tell if he was a vendor moonlighting as an assassin or an assassin posing as a vendor, but either way, he was more than a match for most."
Rei sat in the dining hall of the Eternal Sky Inn, eating dinner with the three members of Wind Dragon Fang while recounting the ambush he had faced earlier that day.
Normally, Rhodos would have been with them, but with his battle against Rei looming the next day, he likely hadn't felt like dining together. Rei had extended an invitation, but Rhodos had flatly refused.
Rei didn't hold it against him; he understood the younger man’s feelings well enough, so he hadn't pushed the issue.
"That skewer guy, huh? His food was actually quite good. If he’d just stuck to running his stall instead of playing at being an assassin, he could have lived out his days without ever being in danger," Veikyul remarked.
"I see your point, Veikyul, but couldn't the same be said for you?" Most interjected. "If you’d taken that offer to be a noble's guard, your income and lifestyle wouldn't be as irregular as an adventurer's."
Veikyul shook her head as if the very idea were offensive.
"I have no desire for a life with so little daily excitement. I’d much rather be a hand-to-mouth adventurer with you guys. It’s far more fun."
"Then isn't it the same for those two assassins?" Most asked as he reached for some dried meat, causing Veikyul to knit her brows.
She clearly didn't appreciate having the professions of adventuring and assassination lumped together.
"Well, calm down. There's nothing to be gained from us bickering over the enemy," Rusi said, trying to settle them. "More importantly... I actually have something to consult with Rei about. You see, my next opponent is..."
Rusi spoke with some difficulty, and Rei immediately understood the nature of the request. However, even knowing what was coming, Rei shook his head.
"If you're asking for advice on how to fight him, I'm sorry, but I'm at a loss myself. Honestly, if I were to fight Noise head-on right now, even I would likely struggle quite a bit."
He said he would "struggle" rather than "lose," likely because of Rei’s competitive nature.
Rusi, perhaps having only asked on the off chance there was a trick to it, nodded without looking particularly disappointed.
"I see. If it's even difficult for you, Rei, then I suppose all I can do is give it everything I’ve got."
"How remarkably positive of you," Veikyul said, her expression somewhat exasperated.
Even Veikyul didn't believe Rusi could defeat a figure like Noise. The reason she didn't seem worried, however, was that Noise's battles thus far had looked more like he was coaching his opponents. Furthermore, the fact that even severe injuries were healed immediately upon leaving the stage was a major factor.
Given the circumstances, she calculated that Rusi fighting Noise would undoubtedly lead to a technical improvement for Wind Dragon Fang as a whole. Of course, if she said that out loud, Rusi would likely take offense at her assuming his defeat.
"Whether you win or lose, as long as you demonstrate your true ability, shouldn't that be enough?" Rei asked.
"Yeah... let's go with that," Rusi replied. "Anyway, Rei, you have your match with Rhodos tomorrow. Shouldn't you be heading to bed soon? You've had a busy day and must be tired... though you don't look it. Still, it's best to be in perfect condition."
Noticing that the crowd in the dining hall was beginning to thin out, Rei followed the advice with a nod and stood up from his seat.
Perhaps because the skies had cleared earlier that afternoon, the stars twinkling in the night sky appeared more brilliant than usual. Rhodos gazed out from the window of the room provided to the Axe of the Thunder God.
He turned his gaze toward the moon, which looked particularly large in the autumn air, and his thoughts drifted to the coming match.
Rhodos’s—or more accurately, the Axe of the Thunder God’s—association with Rei was quite long.
Their first meeting had been during the meeting for the attack on the Orc settlement, and Rhodos’s first impression of Rei had been the absolute worst.
But after witnessing Rei slaughtering countless Orcs during the raid, and hearing how he had single-handedly defeated the Orc King—a B-Rank monster—Rhodos had been forced to acknowledge Rei’s abilities, regardless of his personality.
Their paths had crossed many times since then, and eventually, Rei had risen to become an existence known by the alias of 'Crimson.'
(He likely holds the record for the shortest time between registering with the guild and gaining an alias. And tomorrow, I have to fight him.)
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Rhodos’s hands began to tremble.
He tried to convince himself it was a shiver of excitement for the battle, but the trembling was clearly born of the fear he felt toward the man known as Rei. Because it was his own body, he knew. He couldn't lie to himself.
"Dammit!" he muttered softly, clenching his fists to hide the shaking.
Even so, the trembling wouldn't subside.
It had been over a year since he met Rei. They hadn't been together constantly during that time, but perhaps because of that, Rei’s combat style was burned into Rhodos's mind.
The immense magic power that had struck fear even into his own mother—a first-class mage—the moment she sensed it; the peerless magic items like the Death Scythe; and the physical ability that allowed him to overcome even Elk.
When listing Rei’s traits, one began to wonder what kind of transcendent being he was. When combined with the combat sense to master all those gifts, Rhodos couldn't even imagine a future where he could win, no matter how hard he struggled.
"Dammit...!"
The word he spoke again lacked the momentum of the first. Despite having told himself countless times that he had to overcome Rei, on the eve of the match, he felt only dread—no, awe.
He felt pathetic. He raised his clenched fist to slam it into the wall near the window, but a hand suddenly reached out and restrained him.
"Hey now, what's wrong? This isn't like you."
The person who stopped Rhodos was a man who looked like a mischievous boy grown into an adult.
"Father..."
Standing there was Rhodos’s father, the leader of the Axe of the Thunder God, and the A-Rank adventurer who held the alias of 'Axe of the Thunder God' himself—Elk.
His expression was somewhat teasing, but if Rhodos had been more observant, he would have seen the underlying worry in his father's eyes.
"Taking your frustration out on the building isn't a good look. Though I can guess why you're moping. It’s about tomorrow's match with Rei, isn't it?"
Rhodos remained silent. The words were the absolute truth, and he had no defense. Elk grinned and spoke again.
"Hey, Rhodos. Do you think you can beat me?"
Taken aback by the sudden question, Rhodos blinked before quickly shaking his head.
In terms of pure combat power, Rhodos understood better than anyone just how high a peak Elk stood upon. He couldn't bring himself to say 'yes' to such a man.
"Well, I thought as much. Even I can't afford to lose to you just yet. But think about it—Rei beat me. That means he's stronger than I am. Do you really think you can beat Rei, who's stronger than your own father?"
Rhodos offered no reply. He didn't want to admit it.
'Is it really no use?' Rhodos wondered, but Elk's voice broke his train of thought.
"But listen... just because he's stronger, are you going to give up? If so, you might as well quit being an adventurer. In this job, it's not rare to have to fight opponents stronger than yourself. I fought people stronger than me plenty of times to get where I am."
"...Father."
Elk looked at Rhodos’s stunned face and then broke into a grin that was the very picture of a naughty kid.
"Besides, she's your first love, isn't she?"
"Wha—!?" Rhodos shouted involuntarily. "H-h-h-h-how...?"
"Hmph. Did you really think I wouldn't notice? Anyone would notice with the way you look at Vihera."
Elk thought to himself that the only ones who probably hadn't realized were Vihera herself and Rei. He sighed inwardly, thinking that their obliviousness made the whole matter much more complicated.
"Well, they say first loves are meant to fail. But that doesn't mean you should just give up, does it?"
"That’s..."
"In my case, my first love came true. That's why you were born."
"Father."
"So don't mope around in here. Tomorrow, give it everything you’ve got and throw your strength at Rei. First love aside, fighting a powerful enemy like Rei will absolutely become nourishment for you as you grow as an adventurer."
Elk spoke with genuine feeling, knowing that Rhodos hadn't had many experiences fighting truly overwhelming enemies. It was a side effect of having someone as strong as Elk constantly nearby.
"Anyway, you're the son of Min and me. Show everyone that tomorrow. Make us proud. Let us brag to everyone that the one fighting Crimson is our proud son."
"Yeah... Yeah!"
Rhodos nodded back at Elk, who had spoken with a hint of embarrassment. The adventurer who had been trembling in fear was gone. In his place stood a man filled with the resolve to fight Rei with everything he had.
Judging that his son was finally alright, Elk smirked.
"All right then. I think I'll bet on you for tomorrow's match. Do your best to make me a winner."
"Leave it to me. By the way, you're betting all of father’s allowance on me, right?"
"...No, well, maybe not quite that much..."
Rhodos asked as if it were a given, causing Elk to quietly avert his gaze.
"Father...!"
"No, I mean... come on, you know how it is."
"I don't 'know'! If you're going to bet on me, bet your entire allowance!"
Rhodos shouted at his father's blatant lack of total financial confidence.
Seeing his son like this, Elk breathed a sigh of relief. The suffocating tension was gone.
A few minutes ago, Rhodos had been like a string stretched to its absolute limit, liable to snap at the slightest touch. If he had stayed in that state all night, he wouldn't have had the stamina to fight. Elk had put on a bit of a performance to break that tension.
Though it was true he would bet on Rhodos, it was also true he wouldn't risk his entire allowance.
"Well... time to sleep."
Rei stretched and looked out his window. The moonlight and sparkling stars were a clear sign that tomorrow would be another fine day.
"Rhodos, huh. We've known each other a long time... but we've never actually fought each other seriously. For some reason, he's been unusually determined about this tournament."
He recalled Rhodos’s expression earlier that day. It was the face of a man who had made a grave resolve.
Rei knew their participation in the Fighting Tournament was primarily to distract the Bestia Empire upper management, not to win. He assumed Rhodos understood that too, yet Rhodos had stubbornly insisted on entering.
Daskar and the others had permitted it because Rhodos's participation would help mask the activities of Theoreme and his allies.
Rei himself hadn't realized it, but to Daskar and Elk, it had been perfectly obvious what Rhodos's true motivation was.
"Rhodos is certainly more skilled than your average adventurer. But since he's someone I've already trained with so many times, there might not be much in the way of surprises... probably."
Lying on his bed, Rei’s consciousness began to drift toward sleep. He closed his eyes, hoping that the match with Rhodos would contribute at least a little to his own technical improvement.