The battle, fought beneath a moonlight made intermittent by passing clouds, ended in a truly anti-climactic fashion.
From the very beginning, the combat strength of Rei’s group had been overwhelmingly superior to the men Keep had assembled. Given the disparity, it was only natural that Keep’s forces—possessing nothing but numbers—would suffer a total defeat.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Keep wailed in agony, the sound echoing through the night as he clutched at the space where his arms used to be. Blood flowed incessantly from both shoulders; at this rate, he would likely die of blood loss in the very near future. Even if he wanted to stem the flow, his arms were gone from the shoulder down. The only thing Keep was capable of now was screaming in excruciating pain.
Phron had already sent one of her fellow adventurers running to fetch the guards, but no one present believed Keep would last until they arrived.
(I acted too hastily. I should have just broken his bones instead of severing both arms... Tsk. As for those knights over there, there wouldn't have been any need to force a treatment on them, though.)
Regretting that his own reckless actions had resulted in extra work, Rei retrieved a potion from the Misty Ring. However, the potion was by no means high-quality. In his current state, immediately after the dismemberment, a high-quality potion might have been able to reattach the limbs. But such potions were naturally extremely rare, and Rei saw no point in wasting such a precious item on the wailing Keep.
Still, even the potion in Rei’s hand was a somewhat expensive commodity, even if it wasn't particularly rare. He uncorked the bottle and roughly splashed the liquid over Keep’s shoulders. The hemorrhaging slowed to a visible degree. While the potion couldn't stop the bleeding completely, this basic treatment would ensure he survived long enough for the guards to take him into custody.
"That was surprisingly merciful of you, Rei-san," Dietz muttered.
Dietz had been keeping watch over the unconscious men to ensure they didn't wake up, and he looked at Rei with a hint of surprise. Rei was known to be soft on his inner circle, but he was equally known for showing absolutely no mercy once someone became an enemy.
However, Sergio, who was assisting Dietz in monitoring the captives, shook his head.
"This man, Keep, is the ringleader of the raid. Whether he is delivered to the guards alive or dead makes a significant difference. Besides, if he were killed here, Rei-san might be blamed for using excessive force."
"Ah—well, he is a noble, after all," Dietz conceded, his tone tinged with bitterness. "Even if they were the ones who tried to launch a raid, if he died while resisting capture, the higher-ups would have a lot to say about it."
It seemed Dietz had his own history of unpleasant experiences with the nobility.
"Well, even so, seeing a man who’s lost both his arms might make them say a few things... but when that happens, I'll just dump the whole mess on Lord Daskar," Rei muttered.
Perhaps finding relief in the fact that the pain had dulled and the bleeding had slowed, Keep had fainted at some point. Elsewhere, the men who hadn't lost consciousness but had been thoroughly beaten down by Sergio and the others lay groaning on the ground. No one present looked upon them with sympathy. On the contrary, most looked at them coldly, viewing their suffering as a deserved consequence of their own actions.
"Seto-chan, you worked hard today. Um... here. Since we're out here, I don't have any warm food, but I have this. Good job."
In the midst of the aftermath, Johanna acted as though she had no interest in the fallen men. She retrieved some dried meat from the pouch at her waist and offered it to Seto.
"Guruuuu."
Seto let out a happy trill and took the dried meat in its beak. Johanna narrowed her eyes with a happy smile as she doted on Seto, stroking its head, neck, and back.
Ten minutes passed as they remained on high alert, ensuring the conscious men didn't flee and the unconscious ones didn't wake. Eventually, Rei noticed the sound of numerous footsteps approaching.
"Heh, they got here fast. Well, it's not that late yet, and a disturbance in the Noble District is bound to get a quick response."
"Nobles certainly have it good," Dietz remarked.
"Dietz, I understand you have your opinions, but I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble here," Rei rebuked him gently.
Dietz bowed his head slightly and remained silent. Shortly after, the guards appeared.
"Alright, take everyone who's unconscious! Oh, Rei. I figured it was you. I heard the talk from Lord Daskar, but I didn't think it would turn into a disturbance this big."
The man who arrived and began issuing orders was a face Rei recognized—a man who held a decent rank among the guards. Rei returned the greeting with a raised hand but tilted his head curiously.
"I fully expected Ranga to show up, but I guess I was wrong."
"Ah... normally that would be the case, but Captain Ranga was summoned by Lord Daskar for a specific matter."
"Is it some kind of trouble again?" Rei asked, looking annoyed.
The officer continued with a smile. "Rest easy, it's not like anything went wrong. If anything, it's probably good news for you guys. Because of the duel you fought today, Baron Cisne's House is supposed to receive half of that young master's family's property, right? Lord Daskar summoned him to carry that out promptly."
"...I wouldn't think that's a job for the Captain of the Guard Force."
"It seems Baron Cisne's House has no intention of leaving Gilm. As for the property, they aren't interested in land or mines; they want gold, magic items, art, and other easily transportable goods. They intend to take their share in liquid assets."
Hearing that, Rei could imagine why Ranga had been summoned. He directed a skeptical gaze at the man.
"Normally, wouldn't adventurers or mercenaries take on the job of escorting something like that? Why use the guards?"
"Count Eriel's House is apparently a very arrogant family, as you can tell by looking at that Keep fellow over there. And because they're that kind of house, they've naturally hoarded a massive amount of wealth... so it was decided that guards led by Captain Ranga would be dispatched as an escort. It seems there was also a request from the Baron Cisne's House side."
"...Well, if both sides are in agreement, I have no complaints."
Seizing half of Count Eriel's House property was guaranteed to cause a massive conflict—no, it was a certainty. Count Eriel's House would be in utter chaos when someone came to collect those assets. After all, betting half of the family's wealth was something Keep had done impulsively without his father’s permission. Normally, even as an heir, one couldn't make such a wager, and there would be plenty of room for legal excuses.
However, as long as he was registered as the heir, Keep’s words carried weight. Furthermore, once the matter was processed legally, there was no way out. But if it were only adventurers who went to collect the property, Count Eriel's House would have found various ways to obstruct them. To prevent that, Muet had turned to Daskar.
Daskar, for his part, stood to gain significant benefits by accepting the request. Besides the commission, he could openly observe another noble's territory and expand his influence as a leader of the Neutral Faction. Thus, their mutual interests aligned, and Ranga was dispatched to Count Eriel's Territory.
"Enough about that. These guys tried to attack Baron Cisne's Residence, didn't they?"
The man asked for confirmation, even though the situation was obvious. Rei nodded.
"Yeah. If you want details, ask these guys."
"I see. If they tried to attack a noble's residence, putting aside the noble and knights, that group of thugs over there will likely be sentenced to slavery. What will you do? Will you take them, Rei?"
"No, I’ll pass. ...Let's see."
Rei turned his gaze toward Phron, but she was already expressing her intense disgust for the men. She gave Rei a sharp look that made it clear she wanted nothing more to do with them. Next, Rei looked at Brasso, who was resting the Earth-shaking Hammer on his shoulder. However, Rei had a feeling that if he entrusted the money from the slave sales to Brasso, it would all end up as liquor money, so he eventually called out to Sergio.
"Sergio, I'll leave the negotiations regarding the slaves to you. Make sure to divide the share properly among everyone who helped here tonight."
"Me? Well, if everyone is fine with it, I don't mind... but is it alright for a newcomer like me to take charge?" Sergio asked, glancing at the members who weren't part of the Former Mobile Unit.
Phron was the first to speak. "Well, isn't it fine? You're an acquaintance of Rei's, so you won't do anything strange."
Her words carried an implicit warning: if he did something suspicious, it would also damage Rei’s reputation.
"Yes, please rest assured on that front. I could never do anything that would disgrace Rei-san's name."
Sergio nodded with a smile so calm it showed no trace of the brawl that had just taken place.
While Keep, the knights, and the men they had brought along were being apprehended, a carriage was moving through the night in Gilm. It wasn't rushing; it was disguised as a vehicle moving late due to a simple delay in plans. Sitting on the coach box was a man who was visibly obese, even under the moonlight filtering through the clouds.
"Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze... Truly, I never thought I would end up acting as a carriage driver."
Handling a horse in an unfamiliar manner was a struggle for Fultos, who rarely moved his body. Despite it being a winter night with flurries of snow, sweat was seeping from his flabby face. The perspiration wasn't just from physical exertion; inside the carriage Fultos was driving were countless gold and silver treasures. Most of them were valuables he had looted from the residence Count Eriel's House maintained in Gilm.
Keep should have already attacked Baron Cisne's Residence by now; in fact, Fultos had heard a faint clamor as he slipped out of the Noble District. Fultos had obtained the routes of the Noble District Patrol through his unique information network, allowing him to leave the district without being spotted by adventurers. Now, the carriage proceeded through the city streets.
"After this, I just need to hide in the city for a while, and once the commotion settles down, I can slip out of Gilm..."
His life from here on would undoubtedly be rose-colored. Thinking this, Fultos gripped the reins, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Still, it's not moving as fast as I thought. Did I pack too much cargo?"
He had made numerous trips between the residence and the carriage to pack away the gold and silver. The slowness of the horse’s pace irritated him, but at the same time, the sheer volume of treasure brought him a surge of joy.
"I wish I could have taken a bit more. No, being too greedy is no good... Eh?"
In the middle of his sentence, he heard a faint whistle. A split second later, he felt a light impact. Simultaneously, he noticed something was suddenly protruding from his chest.
"This is... a shaft? Why is such a thing... Gurf."
As he tried to speak, something warm surged up his throat.
"Gack, hack."
He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood. The moment he understood what it was, Fultos was struck by excruciating pain.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
The agony in his chest felt as if it were carving away his very life.
"Gurf, gack!"
The blood he spat out continued to increase, overflowing without stop.
"W-Why..."
Without ever knowing the cause of his death, Fultos tumbled from the coach box. His misfortune continued as he fell between the coach box and the horse. The carriage, loaded with massive weight, rolled over Fultos's corpse. Unable to climb over the body, the wheels skidded on Fultos's blood, flesh, and massive amount of fat, causing the entire carriage to overturn.
"Neigh—!"
The horse let out a pained, panicked cry, but there was no one nearby to hear it.
"...Hey, what now? Is it alright to leave the carriage like that?"
A man watching from a distance lowered his bow and looked at his partner. His partner spoke with complete indifference.
"It doesn't matter. Our orders were only to take out that pig called Fultos. The higher-ups decided there was no need to keep a disgrace of the King's Faction alive."
"I see. ...There's treasure inside that carriage, isn't there? Is it alright to leave that as it is?"
"Yeah. If we mess with the carriage, it'll look like a common robbery. This needs to be seen as a purge of the King's Faction."
"Hmm. Being a noble is quite a hassle."
Even in the faint moonlight, the man who had aimed for the heart of a moving target and pierced it with a single arrow from nearly three hundred meters away spoke in a light tone, as if his feat were perfectly ordinary.
"More importantly, let's go. The guards will be here soon. It wouldn't be interesting to be found."
"Roger that."
With that, the two men vanished into the night shadows, leaving the wreckage behind.