Inside the headmaster's office, Rei turned his gaze once more to the elf man before him and opened his mouth to speak.
"A lot of things got messy, but should I just say thank you for helping me earlier? Or should I be angry at you for meddling and interrupting my fight?"
"Hahahaha, you're full of energy, aren't you. ...Well, more importantly. Let's start with introductions before getting into all that. I think we both have a general understanding of each other, but we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet, have we?"
Sardat smiled as if he had already forgotten mistaking Rei for a woman and trying to court him, and called out to him.
At that breezy reaction, Rei opened his mouth, inwardly exasperated by how different this was from his interactions with Noise.
"Yeah, I'll go with... let's say you saved me. I am grateful, though. If I had started a large-scale battle there, that entire area might have been wiped out. ...I'm Rei. A B-Rank Adventurer affiliated with Gilm. I go by the moniker Crimson, for what it's worth."
At Rei's words, Sardat also smiled and, running a hand through his hair, spoke.
"I'm Sardat. I may not look it, but I'm an S-Rank Adventurer. I hold the moniker Heavenly Bow. Nice to meet you."
The fact that he prefaced it with "I may not look it" showed he was well aware of how light-hearted he came across to others.
"Still, I'm glad I was able to save you back there. ...Well, to be precise, it's more the people around you I'm talking about. If you had started fighting seriously there, the people around you would have undoubtedly been caught in the crossfire. Some might have even died."
"...You're saying the opponents were that strong?"
Rei asked to confirm, but Sardat just offered him a small smile and spoke.
"You don't need to ask me that. Wouldn't you know that best yourself? Fighting three Stigma at once is unreasonable to begin with. Even I would avoid it if I could."
"Oh? Does even Sardat the Heavenly Bow lose against these Stigma?"
Erinde asked, raising an already-cold cup of tea to their lips as they listened to Rei and Sardat's conversation.
"Hardly. If I wanted to fight, I could. It's just a hassle, that's all. If the Stigma were women, I'd at least be more motivated."
Casually.
The way he said, without any hesitation and as naturally as breathing, that he could fight those three from earlier—it made Rei sense his intense confidence in his own power.
(Not just a light-hearted man, then. He's an S-Rank Adventurer, so that much should be expected.)
Once again understanding that the person before him was an S-Rank Adventurer, Rei still did not freeze up.
This was likely because he had experience facing someone like Noise.
Noise—a man whose presence alone was enough to make you tense.
Rei had fought Noise to a rough standstill.
That experience had crystallized into firm confidence within Rei, which was why even facing Sardat didn't make him tense up.
(Impressive, as expected...)
Sardat was also inwardly impressed by Rei's demeanor.
He knew his personality came across as light-hearted, and he was self-aware of it. But because he liked that about himself, he had never tried to change it. Consequently, he had been told many times that he lacked the gravitas expected of an S-Rank Adventurer.
Even so, he understood that those with a certain level of power would show some kind of reaction when facing him.
But the girl—no, the boy—now standing before Sardat was completely natural, despite being well aware of that fact.
So much so that he seemed ready to react instantly if a fight broke out right here and now.
"Are those Stigma the trio from back then?"
Rei asked while both sides evaluated each other without showing it.
The word Stigma that had just come from Sardat's mouth was not something that could be easily forgotten.
People who could close the distance without him noticing, and possessed the power to land a blow... and two others who likely possessed power equal to—or perhaps even greater than—the twenty-something man who had attacked him.
Given that this was information about such individuals, it was not something he could just let pass.
Sardat, without seeming particularly bothered by Rei's intense gaze pressing for an answer, gave a nod.
"That's right. It's not quite a unit name, but the name that denotes their existence is Stigma. The highest combat force possessed by the Holy Light Religion."
"The Holy Light Religion!?"
At the unexpected words from Sardat's mouth, Rei was surprised.
When he had heard the word "divine punishment" slip from one of the men—one of the Stigma who had attacked him—it would be a lie to say the thought hadn't crossed his mind.
Given that Rei had opposed them so thoroughly in Exil, thwarted their schemes, and even caused people to view the Holy Light Religion itself with suspicion, it would not have been strange for him to be targeted by their agents.
"...Wait."
He murmured, and Rei's gaze turned toward Erinde, who had been watching him with interest.
Erinde seemed to immediately understand what his gaze meant. Giving a small nod, they opened their mouth.
"That's right. If we consider that the Tears of Heaven incident was also the work of their agents, it makes sense. For the Holy Light Religion, the Exil incident may not have been a fatal blow, but they did suffer significant damage. If so, it's only natural that they would harbor mounting hatred toward Lord Rei."
"You knew?"
What he asked about was not the Tears of Heaven incident, but the events in Exil.
He hadn't expected the events in the Labyrinth City of Exil to have reached Erinde's ears.
But he quickly gave a small shake of his head.
The incident that revealed the Holy Light Religion as a dangerous organization was naturally met with great surprise within the Kingdom of Mireana.
Especially for those in whose territory the Holy Light Religion was active, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Given that, it was only natural to investigate what exactly had happened in Exil, and investigating the incident would inevitably bring up Rei's name.
"Was the Holy Light Religion originally active in the City of Gracial?"
"Not active enough to call it that, but there are a fair number of them... would be how I'd put it."
At Erinde's words, Rei furrowed his brow slightly.
In other words, it wasn't that his arrival in a place where the Holy Light Religion already existed had caused a disturbance, but rather that the Holy Light Religion had caused a disturbance precisely because he was there.
"I'm the cause?"
"That's likely the case, but I don't think you need to worry about it that much. If anything, I'd like to say thank you for provoking a disturbance while in the City of Gracial."
"...Why? Why would you be happy about a disturbance being stirred up?"
Rei directed a look of incomprehension at Erinde, who was even smiling.
The one who answered Rei's question was not Erinde... but Sardat.
"A disturbance breaking out isn't exactly fun. But think about what the King's Faction is doing right now. Among those they're purging, there are bound to be some who—while lacking hard evidence—are suspected of ties to the Holy Light Religion. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to deal with them?"
"Are there? People who would willingly associate with the Holy Light Religion at this point?"
Rei's mutter was not particularly unreasonable.
Scrutiny of the Holy Light Religion had certainly intensified after the Exil incident, but it wasn't as if the Holy Light Religion had been explicitly banned.
Officially, the Exil incident was treated as the overreach of a few individuals.
Even so, considering they had caused a disturbance and that less than a year had passed since it occurred, it was hard to believe any nobles would approach the Holy Light Religion now.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Sardat flashed a grin, his teeth gleaming as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Religion isn't something you can simply walk away from. Especially when it's something like the Holy Light Religion, which has something lurking behind it. And there are many nobles who receive various benefits from the Holy Light Religion. And then..."
You get it, right? Sardat said, and Rei could only nod.
"Still, Stigma, huh. That's quite a grandiose name. Are they strong?"
"Indeed. You can assume they at least have enough ability to fight me to some extent. In terms you'd find easy to understand... powerhouses around A-Rank level."
"...I see. So they're around that level after all."
Having taken just one hit, he had a general grasp of their strength.
Weaker than Elk, probably, but still not an opponent to be taken lightly.
That was Rei's impression.
"Three opponents like that... that's more than just troublesome."
"Right? So... how about I serve as your bodyguard? Though I was already guarding you to begin with."
At Sardat's words, Rei's gaze turned toward Erinde.
But Erinde, receiving that gaze, gave a small nod without any sign of guilt and spoke.
"Of course. You may be an instructor, but more accurately, you're a guest. Given that, we couldn't possibly know you're being targeted and do nothing about it. And of course, this isn't my unilateral decision—it's an order from Duke Quento, so rest assured."
"No, what exactly am I supposed to be reassured about? ...You conveniently intervened when I was being targeted by those three. I expected as much. ...Still, assigning an S-Rank Adventurer as my bodyguard is quite a lavish welcome."
"As I just said, you're Duke Quento's guest. I think it's only natural."
"Yep, yep. I was happy too, thinking I'd get to watch over the daily life of a lovely, beautiful girl. To think that Rei was a man... honestly, it was far too unexpected a development."
Sardat said this as if agreeing with Erinde, but the expression on his face didn't suggest he found it as boring as his words implied.
If anything, he looked as though something outside his expectations had happened, and he found it entertaining—a most welcome development.
While recognizing Sardat's demeanor, Rei deliberately ignored it and addressed Erinde.
"I never expected the Holy Light Religion to show up. Oh, I was trying to extract information about the people targeting me, so I asked Grink to hand over the captured assassins to the city guards... what's going to happen with that?"
"Assassins?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, there were."
Erinde, who couldn't follow the flow of the conversation, and the two who had a general understanding of the situation because they had been watching over Rei.
Rei decided it would be best to explain from his own mouth to those two, and told them about rescuing a Second-year S-Class student named Ealand who was being attacked by assassins.
...Naturally, he didn't mention that the trigger was having his soup spilled on the ground.
"I see, so he's returned. There had been word that his return was delayed due to troubles at his family home, but..."
It seemed they already had a general understanding of Ealand's situation.
(S-Class is supposed to gather the outstanding students of each year, so since he's promising, it wouldn't be strange for them to remember his face and name.)
Various problems had arisen one after another, and Erinde was troubled over how to resolve them.
"Well, good luck with that. I was only asked to guard him, so you can rest assured about that side of things."
At Sardat's smiling figure, Erinde let out a small sigh.
They wanted to complain, but having an S-Rank Adventurer as Rei's bodyguard was already a significant benefit.
If Rei were to be injured... or worse, killed, within Duke Quento's territory, it would go far beyond merely damaging Duke Quento's pride.
"Personally, I'd rather not be followed around, though..."
Rei murmured, the implication being that he'd prefer to decline the bodyguard if possible. At those words, Sardat smiled and spoke.
"Is that so? Then how about I continue guarding you from a slight distance, like I have been?"
"No, it's not that I want you to guard from a distance... never mind. I get the feeling it's pointless to say any more."
He had probably grasped, in this short time, that Sardat had a thoroughly go-at-his-own-pace personality.
No matter what he said, Sardat would ultimately spin it his own way.
Rei felt an involuntary urge to sigh, but... suddenly he sensed someone approaching the headmaster's office.
For a moment he thought—Stigma!?—but quickly realized it was a familiar presence.
"Rei! I heard you were attacked, but you are unharmed, are you not!"
The one who burst into the headmaster's office saying that was none other than Maruka Quento herself.