Silence fell. The tavern was enveloped in stillness.
The patrons watched the unfolding scene intently, captivated by Ilse's words.
Rei, present among them, observed the course of the conversation without interjecting, just like the other patrons.
"Why... why won't you understand? Revenge is meaningless. It's not like you don't know that, right?"
"You're right, it might be meaningless. But who decides that? At the very least, it isn't you, Melan. The one who decides that is me."
"That's exactly it! Why would you say such a thing! A human life is not something that should be taken so lightly!"
"...How strange. As long as you've been working as an adventurer, I would think you've killed people before, haven't you? Gilm aside, there are plenty of bandits in other places, after all."
"That's different. Bandits are the kind of people who cause trouble for others. I think it can't be helped if they're killed."
"My enemy is the same in that he causes trouble for others, wouldn't you say? After all, my family was actually killed."
Ilse could not understand the mindset of the person in front of her.
He said that killing one's enemy was wrong, yet he claimed it was fine to kill bandits because they were beings that harmed others.
Melan's words seemed nothing short of contradictory to her.
However, Melan likely did not comprehend Ilse's doubts.
With a displeased expression, he stared at Ilse... and then, as if suddenly noticing something, Melan's gaze shifted to Rei.
"You... did you put Ilse up to this? Otherwise, there's no way she'd suddenly start talking like this."
"No."
Before Rei could deny Melan's words, it was Ilse who declared it as a matter of course.
"Rei-san is cooperating with me. But that's only because I asked him. At the very least, I'm not being deceived by Rei-san or anything like that."
"That's... it might just be that you're convincing yourself of that, right? They say Rei uses powerful magic. Maybe he used some on you without you realizing it."
"Please stop insulting Rei-san. I went to him and asked for his help."
"But! If Rei hadn't been here, Ilse wouldn't have decided to commit such a meaningless act as revenge..."
Melan was about to finish his sentence, but he could not utter those final words.
As if to cut him off, Ilse slammed the table.
The force and intensity were greater than when Melan had struck it earlier, producing a sound that seemed to echo throughout the entire tavern.
It was hard to believe it had come from Ilse, whose physical abilities were several tiers below Melan's.
"Shut up!"
That was a shout entirely different from Ilse's usual tone. No—it was a roar.
Melan, struck by the impression that Ilse's green hair had flared out in an instant, gasped and stopped speaking.
"To you, revenge might be a foolish act. But do you understand the agony of having innocent family members stolen from you by someone else's malice? Shall I slaughter your family, friends, and lover right here and now? If you can still say that revenge is meaningless and will only leave you empty after that, then I will accept your words."
Ilse's expression as she said this was unmistakably serious.
If Melan were to deny her revenge—her actions—any further, Ilse would use any means necessary to kill every single person close to Melan.
Even if Ilse lacked the strength, there were countless ways for one person to kill another.
She didn't necessarily have to challenge them head-on.
"...Wha! What are you talking about, Ilse! Why would it come to that!?"
Melan's thoughts had ground to a halt from the extremity and abnormality of Ilse's words, but once he came back to his senses, he raised his voice at her.
Naturally. She had just said she would kill the people close to him.
"Why are you so surprised? Revenge is meaningless, isn't it? Then I think it's fine for you to learn that through your own experience."
There was no longer any trace of friendliness or warmth in the tone Ilse directed at Melan.
It was cold—a gaze as if she were looking at a stone by the roadside.
However, Melan failed to notice Ilse's gaze at all as he opened his mouth.
"That's completely unreasonable!"
"But even if that unreasonable thing happened to you, you wouldn't seek revenge, would you? So what does it matter?"
"Don't mess with me! For one thing, the underlying situations are completely different. Don't lump those who are already dead with those who are still living!"
"Oh, so you intend to deny my actions based solely on your shallow sense of justice without ever putting yourself in the same position?"
"Shallow!?"
Perhaps not expecting to be criticized so boldly, Melan was at a loss for words.
Against such a Melan, Ilse unleashed a further arrow of pursuit—an arrow of words.
"That's exactly how it seems to me. Your words are shallow and hold no persuasiveness whatsoever. Also, saying you're following your heart sounds nice, but please don't force what you believe to be right onto others. Your shallow words don't reach me."
"Ilse... are you seriously saying that? Are you saying what I'm saying is wrong?"
"No? In your mind, your justice is probably justice. It's just that, unfortunately, it doesn't reach me. Besides, you force only your own convenience on others without any consideration for theirs... I understand why you're a solo adventurer without a party."
At Ilse's words, stated without hesitation as she looked at Melan, Rei... and nearly everyone else listening around them agreed internally.
There were a few who found themselves able to agree with Melan's opinion, but they were decidedly in the minority.
"Why... why don't you get it! I'm telling you, committing an act like revenge is completely meaningless!"
"...Unfortunately, I no longer know what to say to you. Let's end the conversation here. Besides, we have many things we need to do, and we're not so free that we can afford to humor you."
Having said that, she decided that continuing to talk to Melan any further would only be a waste of time. She stood up and turned her gaze to Rei.
"Rei-san, I apologize for making you waste time on something pointless. Let's go."
"Are you done already?"
"Yes. I realized clearly that there's no point in saying anything to him... that he appears to be listening to my words, but isn't actually hearing them."
At first glance, it seemed like he was listening to her, and in truth, Melan probably was hearing Ilse's words.
However, Melan was speaking from a conclusion he had reached from the very start, so no matter what Ilse said, he would never take it to heart.
Understanding this, Ilse judged that dealing with Melan any further was futile and cut the conversation short.
However...
"Wait, Ilse! I'm not finished talking! I'll make sure to talk this through until you properly give up on such an act as revenge!"
As for Melan, he was completely unsatisfied with Ilse's words.
"Unfortunately, my words don't reach you. As long as that's the case, there's no need to talk anymore."
Against the insistent Melan, Ilse told him only that.
To an onlooker, the scene might have looked like a lover trying to hold back a partner who had just initiated a breakup, but Rei stood up without showing any concern for it.
"Wait!"
Melan shouted at Rei.
Melan unfortunately understood that he could not stop Ilse with his own words.
But precisely because of that, Melan could not let Rei—the existence that had driven Ilse to commit the foolish act of revenge—slip by.
At Melan's words, Rei stopped moving for just an instant... and in the next moment, he swiftly drew Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and thrust its blade toward Melan.
The time it took to draw Death Scythe from the Misty Ring while turning around and press its blade against the back of Melan's neck was less than a second.
And yet, despite swinging a long weapon like Death Scythe in a tavern filled with tables and chairs, no one—and nothing—was harmed.
If it had been as crowded as it was in the evening, someone might have gotten hurt... but it was still daytime, and the number of patrons in the tavern was small.
That was likely why he was able to pull it off.
"Guh!"
Suddenly having a blade thrust at him, Melan could only groan.
If he tried to say something or take action now, he understood full well that the Death Scythe blade pressed against him would demonstrate its sharpness.
If Rei applied even a little force to Death Scythe, Melan's head would effortlessly take flight through the air.
"Stop chirping. Didn't Ilse tell you too? Your words are shallow. No matter how desperately you try to convey something, it doesn't reach the heart. Let alone words from someone who forces their self-righteous justice onto others."
There was no friendly color in the gaze of Rei, who wore the hood of his Dragon Robe.
When they had fought before over Vihera—or more accurately, when Melan had challenged him after falling in love with Vihera at first sight—there had still been some warmth in the way he looked at Melan... but now, it had vanished completely.
No matter what Rei said to him, the current Melan could not retort.
He understood that if he carelessly talked back, it would literally cost him his life.
After glancing at Melan's state, Rei stored Death Scythe back into the Misty Ring.
Melan noticed that the blade pressed against the back of his neck had disappeared, but he still could not bring himself to say anything more.
He had been overwhelmed by the aura emanating from the person in front of him, who was smaller than himself.
He didn't have Death Scythe, the weapon that could be called Rei's symbol, but even so, he couldn't possibly think he could win against Rei in a fight.
"Hmph. So that's all you amount to in the end."
Even with Death Scythe gone, Melan didn't open his mouth, unable to produce any new words unlike the strong tone he had been using up until now.
Seeing Melan like that, Rei muttered with a mix of exasperation and disappointment, and left the scene.
Ilse had been watching the series of events from the tavern entrance, but had nothing in particular to say.
In Ilse's mind, Melan, who had disparaged her family's revenge as meaningless, had probably lost all value as someone worth dealing with.
"When you're in danger, you stop talking. Well, that's normal enough, but in your case, if your family, friends, or lover were killed, you're probably the type to forcibly conjure up some rationalization and seek revenge. Forgetting the very words you yourself just said about revenge being meaningless, conveniently enough."
At Rei's words, Melan instinctively tried to say something.
But something inside Melan refused to allow him to deny Rei's words.
Opening his mouth to speak, Melan ultimately fell silent without uttering another word.
Perhaps he himself had found some reason in Rei's words, or perhaps it was for some other reason... regardless, Melan was left unable to say anything.
Rei gave Melan one final glance and headed toward Ilse.
"Looks like we ended up wasting time."
"...You're right. No, considering we learned what kind of personality he has, I'd say it wasn't entirely a waste."
Whatever Melan said from here on, Ilse had no intention of listening.
She stated that just knowing that was enough to make talking to Melan worthwhile this time.
It seemed like she was partly saying it to convince herself, and the words felt somewhat forced, but Rei thought there was no point in saying so, and said nothing more about Melan.
"But are you sure you'll be alright? You're staying at the same inn as Melan, aren't you?"
"Yes, there's no problem. Even if it's the same inn, I just have to avoid talking to him."
Exchanging words as they went, the two left the tavern.
However, the people left behind in the tavern, having heard the exchange and witnessed the scene of Rei wielding Death Scythe, were left in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
"Am I wrong? No, that can't be. I should be walking the right path. But then, why couldn't I say anything to Rei? Like that... like that..."
In the midst of the tavern, Melan could only mutter softly to himself.