The day after the duel had been finalized, Rei wasn’t alone in his room at the Dusk Wheat Inn; Rent had come to visit as well.
He had brought along the cheese that served as the reward for the Gamelion hunting, but the expression on his stubble-covered face wasn't one of relief that the hunt had ended safely, nor was it a sense of loss from seeing his family’s treasured cheese leave his hands. Instead, he looked utterly baffled.
"Wait, what? A duel with you? Against who?"
"Count Eriel’s House. Well, it’s not against the head of the house—or rather, that noble named Keep who’s the highest-ranking member of their faction currently in Gilm. It’s against a proxy they’re hiring. I’m standing in as the proxy for Baron Cisne’s House."
"…How in the world did that happen?"
"It seems Keep took a liking to a maid at Baron Cisne’s place and tried to drag her away by force. When the Baron stepped in to stop him, a dispute broke out, and they decided to settle it with a duel."
"What kind of nonsense is that? What is that Keep guy even thinking?" Rent muttered, looking like he truly couldn't wrap his head around the situation.
It was a natural reaction. To anyone listening, it was clear that Keep had simply picked a fight and was attempting to use his authority to kidnap a maid on a whim.
"Who knows? But he seems absolutely convinced he’s going to win. He even drew up the legal documents in front of Lord Daskar. If he loses, half of Count Eriel’s family fortune goes to Baron Cisne."
"…Is the man insane? He’s going up against you, Rei. He’s guaranteed to lose half his fortune." Rent tilted his head, genuinely confused.
In Gilm today, it was hard to imagine anyone sane wanting to pick a fight with Rei. Granted, Gilm was a hub for countless adventurers, and there might be a few reckless souls who wanted to test their mettle against him, but none of them stood a chance of actually winning.
"Well, I don't know what his plan is, but I’m just going to show up and fight. I’m ready whenever… but having nothing to do until the day of the duel is boring as can be."
"When is it scheduled for?"
"Hmm? Four days from now, in the early afternoon."
"…That noble is finished. There’s no one in Gilm stronger than you right now, so—" Rent stopped mid-sentence, looking thoughtful. "Wait… it’s winter. Usually, the A-Rank adventurers who are out in the field return to the city for the season. Some of them are Alias Holders. If they hire someone of that caliber…"
He considered the possibility of a hired gun fighting Rei to a standstill, but he immediately shook his head. While an A-Rank adventurer might have the skill to put up a fight, the context mattered. Siding with Keep meant siding with a corrupt noble who had tried to kidnap a maid. Rent couldn't imagine anyone being willing to antagonize Rei—or more accurately, the owner of Seto—and incur the collective wrath of Gilm’s residents just to help a man like Keep.
"Well, no matter who they dig up, I’ll just handle it. Obviously, I have no intention of losing." Rei spoke with a smile that radiated absolute confidence.
Watching him, Rent whispered to himself, Well, obviously.
"Anyway, even if the circumstances are weird… you really are a magnet for trouble. Honestly, it feels less like you’re 'liked' by trouble and more like you’re cursed."
"You think so?"
Rei reflected on the series of incidents that had unfolded since his arrival in Gilm. It had started with the Orc settlement, followed by the dungeon trek with Elena, the Azoth Firm incident, and the Magic Fever crisis. He had been caught up in—or had actively sought out—more trouble than he could count. He had to admit that Rent had a point; he was either adored or cursed by chaos.
"Still, I’m satisfied. Thanks to all that trouble, I managed to get my hands on top-quality cheese like this." Rei touched the cheese sitting on the table and stored it inside the Misty Ring.
Rent looked up at the ceiling with a complicated expression. He was likely wondering if his own request to Rei would be counted as just another one of those "troubles."
"That reminds me, why don't you invite Johanna to watch the duel? Based on Keep’s behavior, he’s probably planning to make a massive spectacle of my defeat to ensure no one can complain when he takes Ashie. He’ll likely invite a huge crowd. And judging by yesterday’s meeting, Lord Daskar seems to be encouraging that spectacle as well."
"Lord Daskar too? Hmmm, I see. That does sound like it could be interesting. I’ll ask Johanna… but hey, Rei. Do you think she’d even be interested? She used to be your subordinate, so she knows exactly how strong you are. To her, the outcome will be a foregone conclusion."
Rent argued that a fight with a predetermined winner was the height of boredom. Rei turned his gaze toward the snow falling outside the window and spoke.
"Knowing Johanna, she probably won't be coming for the fight. She’ll be coming to see Seto."
"Ah, that makes sense!" Rent exclaimed.
However, a second later, a look of despair washed over his face. "Wait a minute. If Seto is there and a crowd gathers… doesn't that mean Mirene will show up too?"
Johanna and Mirene. Rent had been there when they first met and knew all too well that the two Seto-obsessed women got along like oil and water.
"Yeah, she’ll probably be there. But if you want to get close to Johanna, you can't avoid Seto. And if you can't avoid Seto, you naturally have to deal with Mirene doting on him."
"That's… true, but…" There was no arguing with Rei’s logic.
Johanna, Seto, and Mirene—it was clear the three of them were destined to be linked for a long time. Whether that link was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
"Besides, since it’s a duel, there will probably be betting and food stalls. It’ll feel like a winter festival. Why not try enjoying the festivities with Johanna?"
"A festival, huh? When you put it that way, it sounds like a great idea."
"Right? We can call it a Snow Festival."
"A Snow Festival? It’s a bit unusual to turn the nuisance of snow into the theme of a festival, but I guess it works."
"Maybe we could even have people compete to see who can carve the best snow statues," Rei added, drawing on his memories from Japan.
While not always a national event, the regions with heavy snowfall back home held snow festivals every year. He remembered the excitement of participating in them.
"Well, it certainly is snowing enough for it. It’s coming down so hard I’ve forgotten there was barely any snow just a few days ago. In that sense, I get what you’re saying. But instead of telling me, shouldn't you tell Lord Daskar? You’re the one on good terms with him."
"…True. In that case, I’ll head over there now. What about you?" Rei offered Rent a chance to come along and potentially be remembered by the Lord of Gilm, but Rent shook his head.
"No, I have some… business to take care of."
Rei saw the way he faltered and grinned, guessing the real reason. "I see. Well, good luck. It’s going to be a long road to get Johanna to look your way."
"What is the meaning of this?! Why is there no one willing to act as my proxy!"
With a scream of pure rage, Keep swept his hand across his desk. A cup was sent flying, hitting the wall and splashing hot wine all over the carpet.
In stark contrast to the peaceful atmosphere back at the Dusk Wheat Inn, this room was thick with boiling irritation. Fultos, who had delivered the report, had turned pale. He wasn't just afraid of Keep’s tantrum; he was terrified of the fact that they couldn't find a proxy for a duel only four days away. More precisely, he was terrified of being held responsible when they inevitably lost and half of the family fortune vanished.
Fultos had initially assumed finding a proxy would be easy. Keep was the heir to Count Eriel’s House, a prominent member of the King's Faction. While his influence in Gilm—the Neutral Faction's headquarters—was limited, ordinary adventurers should have been jumping at the chance to do a favor for such a powerful family. At least, that’s what Fultos, Keep, and the knights had all believed.
"That poor noble is putting forward his scrawny guard, isn't he?" Keep said, glaring at his knights. "If no one else steps up, I’ll have to leave it to you lot. I assume that won't be a problem?"
The knights were Keep’s personal retainers. He didn't want them getting injured in a trivial duel if he could help it, but if no one else showed up, he had no choice.
"Please, leave it to us! Any fool who dares oppose you will be dealt with by my hand!"
"Indeed. I shall be your sword, Lord Keep, and cut down anyone who stands in our way."
"My spear will pierce any who bear you ill will."
The knights responded with confident smiles, clearly believing defeat was impossible. Fultos was the only one in the room who felt a nagging sense of dread.
As they say, that guard was short and didn't look particularly muscular, Fultos thought. In a straight fight, we should win easily. But… why am I so uneasy? I hope the scouts I sent out bring back some useful information.
As he watched Keep and the knights continue to disparage Rei, a man burst into the room without knocking. He looked frantic.
"Hii—! What do you think you’re doing, you idiot! Barging in without knocking while I’m here—what were you thinking!" Keep shrieked, but he quickly turned red with shame at his own outburst. He redirected that shame into rage, shouting at the man.
The man was a servant brought along for menial labor, and one of the scouts Fultos had sent out to investigate Rei.
"Lord Keep, I apologize. I sent this man into the city to find out more about the brat you’re fighting. You! Have you no manners? What could be so—wait, what happened?"
Fultos’s own anger died down when he saw the sheer terror on the scout’s face. It was far beyond the level of someone who had just been scolded.
The man took a deep, shaky breath to steady himself. "I investigated the man Master Fultos asked about… I managed to find out his name."
"What? You only found his name? You're even more incompetent than I thought," Keep snapped.
But Fultos knew this man’s worth. A capable servant wouldn't come back looking like he’d seen a ghost if it were just a name. Unless that name carried a weight of its own…
"Who is it?" Fultos asked.
"…His name is Rei."
The moment he heard the name, the blood drained from Fultos’s face. As a high-ranking retainer in the Kingdom of Mireana, the name was all too familiar. Part of his job was gathering intelligence on influential figures throughout the country.
That included individuals who had achieved legendary status—like the person who had single-handedly decided the outcome of the Spring War, and who commanded a Gryphon, a legendary A-Rank monster.
"Fultos? What's wrong? Why does finding out a brat's name have you acting like this?" Keep, who only cared about his own interests, didn't recognize the name at all. He looked suspiciously at the frozen Fultos.
The knights seemed equally ignorant of the name, looking at their advisor with concern. Fultos ignored them, his cheeks trembling as he forced the words out.
"Crimson."