The sun dominated the sky, assertively making its presence known.
While it had been snowing until only yesterday, the weather today seemed to insist that those flurries had been nothing more than an illusion. However, the temperature was by no means warm; despite the downpour of sunlight, the snow showed almost no signs of melting. On the contrary, the light reflected off the white blanket, dazzling the eyes of anyone walking along the ground. Under normal circumstances, it was the sort of weather where only children would be eager to venture outdoors.
Despite the chill, a massive crowd had gathered near the Lord's Mansion in Gilm. Stalls lined the streets, selling an array of hot dishes to help ward off the cold. Civilians rarely approached the Lord's Mansion, but today was an exception.
Today was a day for a festival.
It was a celebration that seemed designed to sweep away the lonely, desolate atmosphere inherent to winter. Of course, since the festivities were taking place in the immediate vicinity of the Lord's Mansion, security was ironclad. Knights and guards patrolled the area, maintaining a strict watch for anyone attempting to sneak into the mansion, anyone trying to incite trouble, or anyone who had become rowdy or belligerent after drinking themselves into a stupor. Those with a guilty conscience kept their heads down, while those with nothing to hide enjoyed the festival to its fullest.
"Gamelion skewers right here! Special bargain today! Buy five and get one free!"
"Udon! How about some hot udon stew with Gamelion meat?"
"Gamelion stew! This Gamelion meat is top quality, and it’s been prepared with extra care just for today! You’ll regret it if you don't eat some now!"
"Soup made with plenty of Gamelion meat! It’s guaranteed to warm your body to the core in this cold!"
"Gamelion meat sandwiches! Get your sandwiches here! Freshly baked bread stuffed with Gamelion meat—a sandwich you can only get this time of year!"
The cries of vendors selling Gamelion dishes were everywhere. Because the appearance of Gamelion meat on the market had been delayed this year due to the dungeon, many vendors were likely eager to make a quick profit now that a crowd had finally gathered. While Gamelion dishes were the highlight, stalls selling other types of food were also numerous. In contrast, very few shops sold anything other than food, largely because the festival had been decided upon suddenly only a few days prior. Furthermore, vendors knew that sales for general goods—unlike hot food—didn't perform well in the middle of a snowy day.
Still, a few people who had obtained early word of the festival could be seen huddled over campfires, spreading mats on the snow to sell accessories, clothing, and small trinkets.
Further down the street of stalls and shops lay a plaza where the Knight Order of Margrave Larkus's Territory conducted their training. It was there that the festival’s main attraction would take place.
"The reason for this duel dates back to when Lord Keep, the next head of Count Eriel's House, set his sights on a maid from Baron Cisne's House. Count Eriel's House belongs to the King's Faction and possesses immense power; most thought Baron Cisne's House would have no choice but to quietly submit to the demands of their superior. However... however! Lord Muet, the head of Baron Cisne's House, resolutely refused!"
At the entrance to the training grounds that would serve as the stage for the duel, a man narrated the background of the conflict. Many festival-goers were unaware of how the duel had come to be, and they listened with rapt attention.
"Naturally, Lord Keep was insulted that a lower-ranking noble like Lord Muet had defied him. Thus, he challenged him to a duel. Of course, in a duel of this nature, the nobles don't fight themselves; instead, representatives participate in their stead. At that point, Lord Keep must have been certain of his victory. And why wouldn't he be? Count Eriel's House is incredibly wealthy. He could simply use his gold to hire high-rank adventurers or mercenaries."
The people listening to the man's words wore disgruntled expressions, muttering their dissatisfaction with Keep to those nearby.
"But! ...But, however! At that time, Lord Keep never would have imagined that the individual standing near Lord Muet and the maid was a skilled adventurer! That man had previously accepted a request to train the heir of Baron Cisne's House and had recently returned to check on his progress. There was no way such an adventurer would stay silent while those he was connected to were in crisis. That man is the B-Rank adventurer, Rei. The man who holds Crimson's Alias!"
The moment Rei's name was mentioned, the excitement of the crowd reached its peak. Seeing this, the storytelling man flashed a triumphant smile.
"Now then, having turned such a legend into his enemy, was Lord Keep able to find anyone capable of fighting Rei?! Come now, place your bets! The long shot is Rei's defeat and the victory of Lord Keep's Representative. The odds are five hundred to one!"
The odds that came from the man's mouth were so lopsided they made betting seem pointless. And yet, several people among the listeners placed their bets anyway, believing in the slim possibility of a massive payout. Others placed bets based on how long the person fighting Rei would be able to hold out. Despite the fact that the identity of the representative for Count Eriel's House had yet to be revealed, the fact that bets were being made at all spoke volumes of Rei's fame in Gilm.
"Hey, Johanna. Aren't you going to place a bet?"
"Hmm... even if you call it a bet, Rei-san winning is already a foregone conclusion, isn't it? After that, it all just depends on his mood. Like, whether he'll end it in seconds or try to draw out the opponent's strength for a bit."
Lento, who had successfully invited Johanna while she was on her guard duty break, spoke to her while holding a Gamelion skewer. Johanna's response was somewhat half-hearted. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the festival; rather, she was disappointed she hadn't been able to see Seto. As one of the former Mobile Unit members, Johanna had been participating in the guard duty for Baron Cisne's House, but she had taken this specific break hoping to see Seto.
However, when she went to the Dusk Wheat Inn, Seto had already left for the duel with Rei. She had been intercepted by Lento on her way back and ended up at the festival instead.
"Well, the outcome of the match is obvious... the real problem is tonight, after the duel is over. Since they were foolish enough to wager half their fortune, their final resort will be making sure the person they owe it to is no longer around to collect."
"Whoa, don't say such scary things."
"But thugs have been sent to Baron Cisne's House for days on end, you know? They should have at least sent someone stronger. Did they really think people like that could do anything against us?"
Johanna muttered her dissatisfaction. Keep and Fultos had their own reasons; if they sent anyone directly connected to them, their actions might be traced back. Of course, since the attacks began immediately after the duel was finalized for the previously peaceful Baron Cisne's House, it was obvious who was pulling the strings. However, without proof, they could not be formally denounced.
Taking advantage of that, Keep and Fultos used several intermediaries to repeatedly send thugs who wouldn't lead back to them even if caught. They didn't truly believe they could kill Muet and the others; they simply recognized it as a lucky break if they did. The real goal was intimidation—to wear the family down mentally through continuous attacks and force them to withdraw. Since they had no prospect of winning against Rei, this was the most effective measure Keep and Fultos could take.
...However, Muet, Ashie, and Basrero of Baron Cisne's House knew of Rei's strength. They believed in it from the bottom of their hearts. Furthermore, since the wait for the duel hadn't been long, they had been able to endure the harassment.
"They really were foolish. If they had at least fought fairly, Rei-san would have likely shown some degree of mercy."
"Well, when half your fortune is about to vanish, I guess you can't afford to be picky about your methods."
As someone who had heard the details from Rei, Lento could only agree. In reality, if he were in Keep's position, since laying a hand on Rei was virtually impossible, he would have no choice but to target Muet. Of course, the best option would have been to apologize and have the duel called off. But given Keep's pride and his position as the heir of Count Eriel's House—and above all, the fact that the duel was being publicized as a festival—it was impossible to back down now.
"What a pathetic clown..."
Looking up at the sky where the sun was assertively declaring its presence, Lento muttered in pity for Keep. However, Lento—who failed to notice the members of the Scorching Wind... or more precisely, Mirene, approaching him and Johanna—was also something of a clown himself.
While Lento was trembling in fear at the blizzard Johanna and Mirene were stirring up under the sun, Rei was eating lunch in the room provided as a waiting room. As a participant in the duel, he couldn't exactly wander around the festival, so he had requested one of the knights assigned as his guards to go and buy every kind of stall food available.
The knight had briefly wondered why he was being used as an errand boy despite being sent as a guard, but if asked whether Rei actually needed a guard, he—having seen the boy in action during the Spring War—could only answer "no." Furthermore, the knight himself was curious about the festival food, so he repeatedly bought various dishes and brought them to the waiting room where Rei, Seto, Muet, Basrero, and Ashie were waiting, before heading back to buy more.
"Um, Rei-san. Is it okay to eat your fill right before a duel?"
Basrero asked anxiously as he watched Rei happily eating soup filled with Gamelion meat and vegetables while tearing into a skewer. For Basrero, this was a critical moment where Ashie, whom he loved like an elder sister, might be taken away. Though he believed in Rei's strength, he couldn't help but worry about the worst-case scenario.
"Guruuu."
Seto let out a low rumble as if to tell Basrero not to worry. ...Though, the sauce from the Gamelion stew it had been eating just a moment ago was smeared across its beak.
"I'm about to fight, so I need to fuel up, right? It would be a problem if I ate so much I couldn't move, but this much is fine."
Chewing on the Gamelion meat and enjoying the flavor filling his mouth, Rei handed a skewer he hadn't touched yet to Basrero.
"Here. You need training to get stronger, but you also need to eat properly. we still don't know who the opponent is, but there's no need to worry about losing. The fight itself will likely end so quickly it'll be anticlimactic."
"Is that true? I mean, I know you're strong, Rei-san, but we don't know what kind of person they prepared."
"Well, if a truly powerful opponent shows up, I might need to use my trump card... though I doubt it'll come to that."
The trump card was, of course, the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor. Basrero, who didn't know the specifics, had his eyes sparkled at the mention of a hidden technique.
"D-Does that mean it's a finishing move?!"
"A finishing move... I wonder. I don't think it's quite like that."
To Rei, a finishing move was an attack that should slay the opponent in a single blow. The term one-hit kill carried a literal weight in his mind. Of course, if he attacked while the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor was active, he could defeat an ordinary opponent in a single hit. However, fundamentally, that armor was a support-type skill that clad his body in magic power compressed enough to be visualized.
Regardless of how others perceived it, in Rei's mind, the Firestorm was more of a finishing move than the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor. Particularly if he added metal fragments into the Firestorm, its power would skyrocket.
(Though, because its attack power is so high, it's difficult to use in a place like this.)
The Firestorm had an effective range capable of annihilating an entire army or a single fortification. If he used it here, Gilm itself might be erased if he wasn't careful.
"I see..."
Basrero looked down in disappointment. No matter how mature he acted, he was still a child, and his eyes naturally lit up at the thought of a special move. Rei placed his hand gently on Basrero's head.
"I might not be able to show you a finishing move, but watching my fight is also part of your training."
"Yes!"
It was an interaction where the master wasn't quite used to his role, but Muet and Ashie, who were watching, wore warmed expressions. Their demeanor showed they trusted Rei completely, not even considering for a moment that he might lose.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. When Muet answered, the guard knight entered the room.
"Rei, it's time."
Rei nodded, finished the last of the Gamelion skewers in one go, and led everyone out of the room.
...To head toward the site of the duel.