At first, Relduct could not comprehend what had happened to him.
His right arm spinning through the air — he almost thought it was some kind of joke.
He had never imagined that someone would so brazenly harm him, a noble.
He had known that Rei was a dangerous opponent who would attack without hesitation, even against a noble. Even so, he had convinced himself that he alone would be an exception — that Rei, who belonged to the Neutral Faction, would never attack him, a member of the Noble's Faction, with which the Neutral Faction was said to be cultivating a cooperative relationship.
But Relduct was only thinking about what was convenient for himself, and several crucial pieces of information had slipped from his mind.
That was perhaps understandable.
In practical terms, the notion that Rei would come directly to his territory — let alone launch a direct assault on the Lord's Manor — was completely unexpected for Relduct.
It was not that he had underestimated Rei.
He simply could not believe that an individual would do something like this.
Of course, there were individuals who possessed that level of ability.
But being capable of something and actually doing it were vastly different things.
Why.
That was what Relduct thought as he watched his right arm flying through the air.
But such questions would not last forever.
In the next moment, blood gushed from his right shoulder, and an intense pain assailed him — a searing agony such as he had never experienced in his entire life.
"A... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A pain like red-hot iron pressed against his body.
Of course, Relduct had never experienced such a thing before, but what he was feeling now was not precisely pain — it was closer to something that should be called heat.
Without even realizing it, he was rolling across the floor, clutching his right shoulder where blood was spurting out.
"Gah!"
In the next moment, a violent impact lifted Relduct into the air.
He did not know that Rei had struck him with the handle of the Death Scythe, but through his tear-distorted vision, he could see that Rei was saying something — and in the next instant, the scorching pain returned, and another scream tore from his throat.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Relduct rolled across the floor, dripping with tears, snot, and drool, but he could not register that the blood flowing from his right shoulder — severed by Rei moments ago — had already stopped.
The overwhelming heat and agony had stripped Relduct's consciousness of any capacity to think about anything else.
Glancing at Relduct writhing and wailing on the floor, Rei sighed in exasperation.
"Even though there are plenty of people who were killed on your orders, this is what you're reduced to after losing just one arm? I'd expect a more resolute attitude befitting a noble. I even went to the trouble of cauterizing the wound so you wouldn't bleed to death."
Though Rei's words carried exasperation, Relduct showed no sign of reacting.
Rei watched Relduct's condition for several minutes, then clicked his tongue softly, took out a potion from his Misty Ring, and splashed it over him.
The potion was by no means high-quality — it was among the cheapest sold in shops.
Even so, it must have alleviated the pain to some degree.
His face was still covered in tears, snot, and drool, but with the pain somewhat subsiding, he was at least able to direct his gaze toward Rei.
"Don't think that making amends for what you've done will end at this level. Plenty of people have died because of you."
"...E-Even if they died, they were mere commoners! To do something like this to me, a noble..."
"Unfortunately, to me... and to the residents of Gilm, the merchants are more important than a noble of your caliber. ...Well, rest assured. I've been told not to take your life."
At those words, Relduct unmistakably breathed a sigh of relief.
Understanding that at least his life would be spared — in the next moment, the Death Scythe swung, and everything from Relduct's left shoulder onward was severed.
"Eh? ...Ah, ah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Having already had his right arm cut off, he likely grasped immediately that his left arm had been severed as well. Without the same delay as the first time, Relduct understood what had been done to him and screamed in agony.
Then, to stop the massive flow of blood, the wound was once again cauterized by Rei's magic — but the pain did not become any more bearable, and his face was rendered a pitiful mess of tears, snot, and drool.
Even if someone claimed he was of noble bloodline, no one would have been able to believe it.
Furthermore, having suddenly lost both arms, he could not even maintain his balance.
As a result, the only thing Relduct could do was writhe miserably on the floor like a caterpillar.
"What... you said you wouldn't kill me, didn't you!"
"That's right. The one who gave me this request did say not to kill you under any circumstances. ...That's why I haven't killed you, have I?"
It was only then that Relduct finally understood.
The person standing before him held no respect or awe whatsoever for the status of a noble.
That if someone stood in his way, he would cleave them apart with that scythe as casually as plucking weeds.
Relduct had known as a piece of information that Rei placed not a shred of value on nobles — or more precisely, on nobles who stood as his enemies.
But knowing something as information and experiencing it firsthand were entirely different things.
Someone who found no value not just in him personally, but in the very existence of nobles — for Relduct, who had lived his entire life in noble society, such a being was completely incomprehensible... nothing short of a monster in the literal sense.
He had finally, truly understood the danger that Rei represented.
Looking down at Relduct, Rei spoke.
"Even if you lose an arm or two... you're not dead. Right? Don't worry, you still have two legs, don't you?"
"Hii, hiii! Hiiiiiiiiiii!"
Understanding that this was no joke — that Rei was entirely serious — there was nothing left for Relduct but overwhelming terror.
Only now did he understand why the men assigned as his guards had fled without barely putting up a fight.
No, strictly speaking, Relduct had been unconscious when the guards fled, but even so, looking at Rei now, it was abundantly clear that they would never have chosen to fight him.
The Relduct who had been there before Rei's assault, carrying himself with every ounce of noble dignity — that man was no longer present.
All that remained was a single man desperately trying to weather the overwhelming monster before him.
Glancing at Relduct's state, Rei spoke again.
"Now then, I have something I'd like to ask. Given that you hold the title of Count, you naturally have Magic Items and the like, correct?"
A twitch.
Relduct froze at Rei's words.
What was in his eyes was the look of someone facing something unbelievable.
He understood what Rei was demanding.
If one gathered information on Rei, it would quickly become apparent that one of his hobbies was collecting Magic Items.
And since Relduct had attempted to meddle with Gilm, there was no way he would be unaware of information regarding Rei, who was regarded as Daskar's most trusted operative.
But even knowing that, Relduct did not immediately nod.
Magic Items were things of extremely high value.
Magic Items used in everyday life were a different matter, but the Magic Items collected by nobles were, naturally, of high rarity and value.
Was it really acceptable to hand them over to Rei?
That thought made him hesitate to answer.
"Hey, you understand what it means to not answer my question in this situation... right?"
When Rei pointed the blade of the Death Scythe at him, Relduct immediately nodded and opened his mouth.
"I-I understand! The warehouse where I store my Magic Items is deep within the mansion. B-But it's registered to my magical power, so it cannot be opened unless I go there in person!"
If things continued like this, he would be killed.
Thinking that, Relduct somehow managed to shout.
"I see. Then I'll have you guide me there. If you think of it as an offering of apology for sticking your nose into Gilm's business, it's not such a bad deal, is it? Though whether your life or your property matters more to you would change the conversation."
"I-I understand. But there's no guarantee that the Magic Items my house has collected include anything you want!"
Relduct, who had lost both arms, was nevertheless able to manage that reply — perhaps because the potion had somewhat alleviated his pain.
"I'll be the judge of that. ...Guide me."
"Wait, you're telling me to guide you?"
"Obviously. If the place where the Magic Items are stored can't be accessed without your magical power, then that only makes sense, doesn't it?"
"But look at my condition right now! I'm in no state to move..."
"Flying Slash."
A slash of energy released from the Death Scythe flew right past Relduct, who had been about to say he could not move.
If Relduct still had arms, they would likely have been severed.
That was how close the slash had flown past him.
"..."
Relduct's face, still not fully dry of tears, drool, and snot, now gained a fresh layer of cold sweat.
"If you say you can't guide me, then your legs are unnecessary. ...What'll it be? I'm fine either way. Oh, and rest assured. I won't take your life. That's a request from my client, and I'll definitely honor it."
Rei said this with a smile, but Relduct understood just how much terror that smile instilled in him.
"I'll go! I will go!"
Relduct, who had possessed high pride as a noble, found himself naturally switching to polite speech the moment he saw Rei's smile.
Belatedly — truly belatedly — he must have realized the absolute difference in standing between them, something that could be called a fundamental gap in their very existence.
"Is that so? Then let's go. ...Come on, hurry up and guide me."
Rei forcefully hauled Relduct to his feet, as the man was struggling to stand due to the loss of both arms.
"Guaah!"
The impact sent pain shooting through both cauterized shoulders, and a cry escaped Relduct's mouth.
The majority of the pain was suppressed by the potion, but it was not completely gone.
Moreover, having been raised as a noble, Relduct had never grown accustomed to pain.
Even so, Rei had no intention whatsoever of showing him any mercy.
Because of the trouble Relduct had caused for Gilm, multiple merchants had lost their lives.
Beyond what Rei was personally aware of, it was an undeniable fact that several merchant convoys had been attacked and annihilated to a man.
Furthermore, in this territory of Count Relduct, the heavy taxation left the people barely able to survive.
It was precisely because of those heavy taxes that a Rebel Army had even come into existence.
Considering the number of people Relduct had killed, directly or indirectly, Rei could not bring himself to treat the man gently.
(Well, whether direct or indirect, if we're talking purely about the sheer number of lives taken, I'm probably higher.)
The war with the Bestia Empire, the civil war in the Bestia Empire, the countless bandit raids he had fought.
If one counted purely by the number of lives taken, Rei's count would overwhelmingly exceed Relduct's.
But there was a decisive difference between them.
The lives Rei had taken were almost entirely from battlefield combat or from fighting bandits — not from ordinary people.
"Th-This way."
Having lost both arms, balancing must have been difficult.
Relduct moved forward with an unsteady gait — not quite a drunkard's stagger, but something close to it.
Rei stored away the Death Scythe and followed behind Relduct, keeping the Eye of Nebula ready for use at any moment, as it was extremely well-suited for confined spaces.
But fortunately for both Rei and Relduct, no one came rushing to attack Rei in an attempt to rescue the count.
They did encounter several servants, but upon seeing Relduct's condition and then Rei's figure, they immediately fled the scene.
...That, too, was proof of just how little Relduct was beloved by those beneath him.