Rei had been thoroughly enjoying the meal Georgima prepared, so when Liberte first spoke, he didn't quite catch what had been said.
After sharing the dinner table with them several times, Rei no longer paid any particular mind to eating alongside Duke Kerebel and his wife.
Well, it wasn't that he had been overly concerned to begin with, but it was more accurate to say that he had grown quite relaxed and could now fully savor the food.
It was while enjoying such a dinner that the words abruptly left Liberte's mouth.
Rei swallowed the tenderly simmered white fish dish he was chewing and repeated back what Liberte had just said.
"Excuse me—a mock battle?"
"Yes. I've received a joint request from the nobles already in Anesis ahead of the New Year's party. They wish to see Rei in a mock battle."
"...Why, all of a sudden?"
"True. I find it strange as well. Of course, anyone with even a passing interest in gathering information would know that Rei is here in Anesis, but... still, would they normally make such a request?"
A voice of doubt escaped Arcadia's lips as well.
Thinking about it normally, proposing something like "Would you care for a mock battle?" to Rei—a guest of the person leading their faction—was an act of discourtesy. And that was despite the fact that some among them were King's Faction nobles.
That said, Rei was simultaneously a guest of Duke Kerebel's House and the man widely regarded as Daskar's right hand, Daskar being the one who led the Neutral Faction.
Given that, it was not particularly strange that nobles from the Noble's Faction or the King's Faction would want to see Rei's strength for themselves.
"Apparently, the topic of Rei came up at a gathering of nobles, and that's what led to this mock battle. Well... it's not the most flattering thing to say, but Rei doesn't exactly look the part of someone formidable."
Liberte spoke somewhat awkwardly as he studied Rei's face.
Rei was wearing the Dragon Robe, but naturally, in a setting like this, he had the hood down.
Because of that, Liberte could see Rei's face clearly.
A face that could fittingly be described as feminine.
And compared to Filma and the other members of the knight order, Rei's frame was noticeably slender.
If someone who knew nothing judged solely by Rei's appearance, they would never conclude that he was a skilled adventurer bearing an alias.
...Though that would have been a different matter entirely if the person making that judgment had possessed the ability to see through an opponent's true strength.
"Father, if these are merely the foolish words of those unable to perceive Rei's strength, is there really any need to entertain them? Rei has been sparring with Filma and the others recently—you could simply direct them to watch those sessions instead."
From Elena's perspective, she knew better than anyone just how powerful Rei was.
Given that, she felt there was no need to humor whoever had brought this talk of a mock battle to her father.
Liberte understood his daughter's reasoning as well.
However, more people than expected were harboring doubts about Rei's abilities, and for Liberte—who was tacitly approving of Rei and Elena's relationship—letting the matter go unaddressed was not an option.
His greatest concern was that if left alone, suspicion toward Rei would spread among the nobles and eventually lead to trouble.
And if such trouble did arise, there would inevitably be those who would claim Rei was indeed lacking in ability, raising the very real possibility of some kind of disturbance.
...If the subject had been anyone other than Rei, Liberte would not have been nearly so concerned.
But Rei, by nature, showed absolutely no mercy—even toward nobles.
Depending on how things unfolded, there was a chance of a mass slaughter of nobles right here in Anesis. Considering that possibility, Liberte could not simply brush aside the nobles' request.
Even if Rei intended to decline the mock battle, he needed to be informed beforehand that voices of suspicion were circulating among the nobles.
"If we were to unconditionally reject this on our end, how do you think the nobles would react...? You understand that, don't you, Elena?"
"That is..."
Even Elena, who did not associate with nobles all that deeply, could grasp what her father was getting at.
If Liberte rejected the nobles' request without saying a word to Rei, they likely would not complain to him directly.
But that only meant they would not voice their complaints to his face. In reality, the dissatisfaction would remain.
And that steadily accumulating discontent would eventually overflow.
Given that such a scenario was possible, there was no avoiding it—he needed to let Rei know that such talk was going around.
Judging that Elena had accepted his reasoning, Liberte turned his gaze to Rei.
"So, what will you do? I cannot make this decision for you. It ultimately comes down to what Rei himself chooses."
"If you put it that way... I suppose I can't very well refuse, can I?"
There were several reasons Rei said this.
First, there was the simple fact that until the New Year's party began, he had nothing in particular he needed to do and was at loose ends.
And second—who had spread such talk in the first place?
The number of nobles Rei had encountered since arriving in Anesis was not large.
Among them, the first person who came to mind as someone likely to spread such a rumor was Gaiska.
Given the sheer hostility that man had directed at him, it would not be at all strange for him to go around talking about Rei's inadequacy.
That said, there was no point in bringing that up here.
I have to admit, I'm a little surprised Gaiska was capable of laying groundwork like this.
From what Rei had observed of Gaiska's character—his attitude toward Ara being a prime example—he should have looked down on anyone below his own... no, below his own family's rank.
Naturally, Rei had assumed there would not be many people willing to cooperate with a man like that.
Or maybe Gaiska isn't working alone. Maybe he has other collaborators.
As Rei was thinking along those lines, Liberte opened his mouth as if to confirm.
"Then you are truly willing to take this on? I should warn you, there is nothing to be gained from it on your end, Rei."
"I don't mind. I knew before coming to Anesis that there would be people unhappy about my relationship with Elena."
"U-umm."
Liberte looked as though he wanted to say something in response, but since the majority of those driving this matter were of the Noble's Faction, he held his tongue.
Instead, he turned to the details of the mock battle itself.
"Those pressing to see Rei's abilities say they intend to hire their own subordinates and adventurers for the bout. Does that arrangement work for you?"
"I can only say it should probably be fine. But given that Anesis is a city of this size, it wouldn't be surprising if there were Alias Holders or High-Rank Adventurers here, would it?"
Though not as large as Gilm on the frontier or the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Mireana, Anesis was the kingdom's second-largest city.
Naturally, it would not be unusual for skilled adventurers to be drawn there.
"Alias Holders and High-Rank Adventurers, hmm. They certainly exist, but I doubt such individuals will come forward for this affair."
"...Why is that?"
If the goal was to confirm his strength, it only made sense to send skilled fighters rather than weaklings.
Meeting Rei's gaze, which carried that unspoken question, Liberte took a sip of soup before answering.
"As an adventurer yourself, Rei, you likely already know this. Most adventurers rest during the winter. Making requests of such people naturally requires more compensation than usual."
However—Liberte swallowed the rest of that thought.
Under normal circumstances, that would be sufficient. But this time, it was a mock battle against Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker.
There might be those who found the prospect entertaining enough to participate with complete disregard for profit—or so Liberte implicitly suggested.
A flicker of interest crossed Rei's face.
Until that moment, he had had absolutely no motivation whatsoever.
If the opponents were only on the level of Duke Kerebel's Knight Order, then a mock battle would at least have been worth the effort.
It wasn't that he had no complaints about his fights being turned into spectacle, but it wasn't something he cared enough about to truly mind.
However, based on what Liberte was saying, it seemed most of the nobles behind this were hiring people who could accurately be described as fodder.
That had been the source of his apathy. But if the opponents turned out to be Alias Holders or High-Rank Adventurers, that was another matter entirely.
Fortunately—though he hesitated to put it that way—Rei currently had nothing in particular he needed to do at the Duke Kerebel Mansion.
Well, he was spending time chatting and having tea with Elena, Ara, and the others, but that was not an everyday occurrence.
Elena had her duties as a duke's daughter and as the Princess General, and Ara had her responsibilities as commander of the Escort Knight Order.
In Ara's case, while combat and training were one thing, her administrative role was largely ceremonial.
Even so, as the knight order's commander, there were documents she needed to review and approve.
Since she had to process the paperwork that had piled up during her absence from Anesis, Ara could not simply run off and spend her time alongside Rei.
"Father. Have you forgotten that Rei is also an adventurer? If you're asking him to participate in a mock battle, the very least you could do is promise him some form of reward."
Seeing Rei's demeanor and judging that he had become receptive to the idea, Elena directed those words at Liberte.
Elena was well aware of just how popular she was among men.
That was precisely why she could easily imagine that this mock battle was the handiwork of those who harbored feelings about the man she had brought with her.
In reality, others beyond that particular group were involved as well, but the point stood.
In any case, since Rei was being dragged into a fight for the sake of nobles' petty pride and made to perform in a mock battle, she felt he should at the very least receive some kind of compensation.
Liberte nodded at Elena's words, thinking that if they were making Rei fight a mock battle for their own convenience, she had a point.
"Umu, indeed. Through the Guild... no. This matter is strictly personal. In that case, rather than routing it through the Guild, it would be best framed as a direct request to Rei. ...Would that be acceptable to you?"
Normally, requests that bypassed the Guild carried a certain air of suspicion, and since any problems that arose would have to be resolved independently, most adventurers avoided them.
That said, it was a different story entirely for those who possessed the ability to handle any situation on their own, or those who sought to increase their reward even slightly by cutting out the middleman.
"Umm, I was planning to do it even without a reward, so I don't really mind?"
"That won't do. Even if you have no such intention, Rei, the question is how others would perceive it. That is where the problem lies."
"...I see."
From Rei's perspective, it was a simple judgment that there was no particular issue. But for Liberte, who had welcomed Rei as a guest, it was only natural that he would not want to invite suspicion or contempt from other nobles.
Liberte led the Noble's Faction as Duke Kerebel, but his position was far from unshakable.
Naturally, not everyone within the faction was united, and there were even those who believed they themselves should be the ones in charge.
Particularly since he had adopted a cooperative stance toward the Neutral Faction, the number of those holding such sentiments had only been growing.
For that reason, Liberte absolutely could not afford to show any sign of weakness.
He could not explain all of those circumstances, but he made it clear to Rei that offering compensation was absolutely necessary if they were to draw him into a mock battle.
Rei, sensing that Liberte had not told him everything, did not press for further details.
"So, what would you like as a reward? Money, perhaps? Or... I've heard you've been collecting Magic Items. Would you prefer something in that direction? Naturally, I can't hand over heirlooms passed down through my family for generations, but..."
At the mention of Magic Items, Rei's expression brightened slightly.
But before he could say anything, Elena spoke up.
"How about Wind Magic Stone? You mentioned receiving Flame Ore before, didn't you?"
If Flame Ore was a stone containing sealed fire magic power, then Wind Magic Stone was its equivalent imbued with wind magic.
Rei privately thought that if that were the case, Flame Ore should simply be called Fire Magic Stone or Flame Magic Stone instead... but that likely came down to wordplay or the sensibilities of whoever had first discovered it.
"Wind Magic Stone? You have some?"
"Umu. I can't tell you where they're located, but there is a mine."
And so, the reward Rei would receive was decided.