Rei was the one to break the silence that had permeated the reception room for several seconds.
"I see. I don't mind reviewing Basrero’s progress, but wasn't this technically supposed to be a nomination request?"
"Ah, yes, of course. Since it's only a request for today and not a multi-day engagement like last year, I can't offer a very high reward, but..."
Muet trailed off, looking slightly awkward.
Rei understood that this household lacked financial leeway. Considering it was a request for today only, the monetary compensation would likely be even more meager.
However, Rei simply shook his head at Muet's concern.
"I don't need money as a reward. Instead, could I have some more of this dried fruit? This is the first time I've ever eaten dried fruit that goes so well with herb tea."
Rei's request must have been quite unexpected. Not only Muet, but even Ashie the Maid, who stood waiting behind him, wore a look of pure astonishment.
"Um, are you sure? I hate to say it, but that dried fruit isn't something we bought from a shop; it’s Ashie’s handmade batch..."
As Muet turned to Ashie to confirm, Rei spoke up with a small smile.
"Yeah. Honestly, I was surprised when I tried it. Usually, dried fruit inevitably ends up looking a bit unappealing, but these colors are still so vivid. It wouldn't turn out like this if it were just made normally, would it?"
"You have a keen eye. That dried fruit is made using a recipe passed down in Ashie's family. One could even call it our family's specialty."
"Oh, Master. I haven't really done anything so special..."
As Muet praised her without reservation, Ashie's cheeks flushed red and she muttered bashfully.
"To be honest, I think you could sell this dried fruit if you wanted to. I’m sure Seto would be more than happy to eat it too."
If word spread that it was a Seto Purveyor, the product would undoubtedly fly off the shelves.
However, Ashie shook her head regretfully at Rei's suggestion.
"We can't actually produce very much of this dried fruit. I mean, we certainly don't make enough to sell; we only have enough for the household to enjoy and a portion to give to you, Rei-san."
Nodding with satisfaction at her response, Rei turned his gaze back to Muet.
"How about it?"
"Well, it would certainly help my pockets, but... are you really sure?"
Looking at the man asking for confirmation, Rei couldn't help but worry about the future of the household given Muet’s excessive good nature.
Then again, it was likely because of that very personality that he had moved to Gilm, a place where conflict between nobles was almost non-existent.
"Yeah, leave it to me. ...Well then, Basrero, shall we get started?"
"Yes! I'll show you the fruits of my labor over this past year, Rei-san! For the location... please, could we use the courtyard? I always do my combat training there."
Basrero shouted happily at Rei's invitation, and seeing his son so energized, Muet narrowed his eyes with a pleased look.
He had noticed that his usually polite son held a profound sense of admiration for Rei. Seeing the boy act like a typical child his age was a joyful sight for a father whose son was otherwise almost too well-behaved.
"Then Rei-san, I shall guide you to the courtyard. Young Master, please go and prepare."
"I'll be ready right away!"
Basrero hurried out of the room, and Ashie guided Rei toward the garden.
"Now then, I wonder how long Basrero can last against Rei-kun? Honestly, I'm not a fan of the cold myself."
Looking out the window of the reception room, Muet saw that light snow was still falling.
True to his words, Muet didn't care for the cold, but he left the warmth of the room and headed for the courtyard nonetheless, determined to see with his own eyes just how much his son had grown.
"Guruuu?"
Welcoming Rei, Ashie, and Muet as they stepped outside was Seto, who tilted its head and let out a throat-rumbling cry as if asking, What's the occasion?
The snow falling now wasn't particularly heavy, but since it had been coming down since yesterday, it had accumulated to a depth of about ten centimeters.
On top of the white blanket, Seto had been amusing itself by rolling around, enjoying the sensation of the snow compacting under its weight, and occasionally thrusting its face into the drifts.
Since the group had suddenly appeared while it was playing, it was only natural for Seto to find the situation strange.
"Seto, we're going to borrow this space for a bit. Our Basrero is going to have a mock battle with Rei-kun."
"Gurururuuu!"
I want to watch too! Seto cried out in response to Muet's explanation and lay down a short distance away.
Seto stretched out boldly on top of the snow, but being a Gryphon, it didn't seem to feel the cold at all.
Muet and Ashie watched the creature with slightly worried expressions at first, but seeing that Seto was perfectly comfortable, they finally relaxed. They continued their conversation while waiting for Basrero to arrive.
A few minutes passed... and finally, heralded by the sound of footsteps pounding down the hallway, Basrero appeared in the courtyard.
He was clad in leather armor made from monster hide—likely a choice made to accommodate the boy's limited physical strength.
Rei could tell at a glance that it was lightweight while still providing a decent level of protection.
"I’m ready! Please, teach me!"
Holding a longsword—one custom-made for Basrero's body—the boy bowed his head deeply.
In response, Rei reached into the Misty Ring and pulled out the Thorn Spear.
Rei’s primary weapon was usually the Death Scythe, but he had judged that the heavy weapon, which weighed over 100kg even without magic power, was far too dangerous for a mock battle with a child.
Of course, the handling of a spear was quite different from a great scythe.
Still, as it was a polearm, he was much more accustomed to it than he would be with a sword.
In the garden with light snow falling, Rei and Basrero faced off.
Muet, Ashie, and Seto watched the pair in silence.
"......"
As each waited for the other to move, a heavy silence filled the courtyard.
Rei was waiting for Basrero to initiate the attack.
Basrero was hesitating, unable to find a way to break through Rei's relaxed stance.
After several minutes of stillness, Rei finally spoke.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to come at me? Weren't you going to show me the strength you've gained this year?"
He spoke while leveling the spear, which was an all-deep-green from its tip to its shaft, and gave the Deep Green Spear Tip a light, provocative shake.
Inspired by Rei's words and seeing the swaying spear tip, Basrero kicked off the ground to close the distance.
However, even though Seto had been playing nearby and the snow was somewhat packed, snow was still snow. Compared to his usual speed on solid ground, his dash was inevitably sluggish.
"Yaaaaah!"
With a spirited shout, Basrero swung his longsword down in a diagonal slash.
The longsword was a live blade; if it connected, it would cause a serious injury.
However, Basrero didn't actually believe his attack would hit Rei, and he was right to think so.
...Though in reality, given the protection of the Dragon Robe Rei wore, even if the strike had connected, it wouldn't have left a scratch.
Reading the trajectory of the longsword as it descended, Rei gently thrust out the Thorn Spear.
The longsword's blade collided with the spear tip and was diverted with minimal effort. Without so much as grazing Rei, the sword was driven harmlessly into the snow-covered ground.
"Eh?"
"That was close."
As Basrero muttered in confusion, the Deep Green Spear Tip was already pointed directly at his throat.
After diverting the sword, Rei had used the momentum of Basrero's own strike to slide his spear forward, bringing the tip to rest right before the boy's eyes.
The movement was so incredibly smooth that even Muet and Ashie, watching from the sidelines, couldn't quite process what had just happened.
"...Tell me, Ashie. Did you see that?"
"No. It looked like Rei-san's spear barely moved, and suddenly the Young Master’s attack was wide of the mark."
"I thought so. I suppose this is the level of strength expected from an Alias Holder B-Rank Adventurer."
As Muet and Ashie whispered, Basrero recovered and unleashed another strike toward Rei.
He swung the longsword in a wide horizontal slash, aiming to cleave through Rei's midsection...
"Too soft."
A single strike from the Thorn Spear parried the longsword.
This time, Rei didn't just kill the momentum to divert the blade; he struck it with his own strength.
A high-pitched metallic ring echoed through the yard, a testament to the power behind Rei's swing.
Basrero’s grip wasn't enough to withstand the impact, and the longsword was sent flying into the air.
Spinning as it fell, the sword's blade pierced the snow and stood upright, its movement finally halted.
"I said you were too soft... but that last strike wasn't bad. However, you're swinging with just your arm strength. That’s something to work on. Especially for a horizontal strike, you need to use the rotation of your waist to supplement your arms. That’s how you truly increase the power of a blow."
"Yes, sir!"
"What now? Shall we call it a day? Your hands must be numb."
Rei asked the question as a test, watching the boy's reaction.
Basrero immediately shook his head.
"No, I can still go!"
"I see. Then I'll keep you company a little longer. Pick up your weapon."
"Yes!"
Pulling his longsword from the snow, Basrero squared off against Rei once more.
He gradually closed the gap, and the moment he felt he was in range, he lunged forward to kill the remaining distance.
Rei was wielding the Thorn Spear. Its reach was naturally superior to a longsword, making it easy for him to strike from well beyond Basrero's effective range.
Yet, Rei chose to wait for the boy's attack.
This wasn't a fight Rei intended to win; it was a review to see how much Basrero had matured over the year.
Basrero unleashed a flurry of reckless consecutive attacks.
From Rei's perspective, the strikes were crude and the transitions between them were awkward, leaving countless openings he could have exploited.
Still, considering the boy had only been training for a year, the fact that he could manage such a sustained assault was proof of significant combat talent. But...
While effortlessly evading the barrage, Rei suddenly let out a low strike that seemed to scoop upward with the spear's butt end.
His lead foot swept out from under him, and Basrero tumbled into the snow.
Looking down at the snow-covered Basrero, Rei shouldered his spear and shook his head.
"I told you this last year, didn't I? You have a habit of neglecting your footwork. It's good to hone your strengths, but you have to fix your weaknesses too."
Basrero scrambled back to his feet with renewed vigor.
"Yes! I'm sorry. Please, one more time!"
"Alright. Come."
With that, the mock battle resumed.
Basrero continued to swing his longsword at Rei relentlessly, but the blade never once touched his opponent.
Every single attack was either evaded or parried and diverted by the Thorn Spear.
About twenty minutes passed... until finally, Basrero's breathing became ragged and his movements slowed to a crawl. He had reached his physical limit.
"Alright, let's call it here."
"Haa... haa... haa... yes... thank you very much."
Rei nodded at the boy's breathless gratitude and gave his final assessment.
"There were several points that need work, but you showed plenty of improvement as well. There's no doubt you have talent, Basrero. However, talent alone isn't enough; if you neglect your training, others will overtake you in an instant. If you don't want that to happen, keep up your daily practice."
"Yes! I understand!"
Muet, judging that the session was over, finally spoke up.
"Now then, shall we head back inside? If you stay out in the snow too long, you'll catch a cold. Ashie, please prepare some warm tea. And could you wrap up the dried fruit for Rei-kun's reward?"
"Yes, right away."
"Gurururuuu."
"Hehe, that's right. We'll make sure Seto gets some dried fruit as well."
Hearing the words dried fruit, Seto seemed to realize a treat was coming. Muet smiled as he looked into Seto's wide, expectant eyes.
Seto let out a happy, rumbling purr.
With that, the group moved back into the mansion.
They spent about an hour inside catching up on recent events. Eventually, Muet had to return to his duties, and Basrero, exhausted from his intense exertion, fell fast asleep.
Seeing that it was time to leave, Rei headed for the entrance, seen off by Ashie.
"Rei-san, please take this. The promised dried fruit. I know it's just something I made myself, but I hope you enjoy it."
"No, it was delicious earlier, so I’m happy to have it."
Rei took the basket and stored it within his Misty Ring.
"Well then, I'll go call Seto and..."
Get going. Just as he was about to say the words, a voice rang out from behind him.
It came from a carriage stopped just outside the gate.
"Well now, woman. You’re quite a fine one. Rejoice, for I shall allow you to be my companion for the night."