"Guhah!"
A single swing of the Death Scythe Rei wielded—striking with the shaft rather than the blade—sent several soldiers flying all at once.
Those soldiers served a noble house, so they likely possessed a commensurate level of skill. Even so, from Rei's perspective, they weren't all that different from the opponents he had faced so far.
(In that sense, the knights from the second round were the strongest yet.)
Indeed, it had taken several minutes to settle the bout with those knights, making them the toughest opponents he had faced so far. Rei had initially assumed the mock battles would proceed in order from weakest to strongest, but reality proved otherwise. No one stronger than those knights had appeared.
(Though there are individuals who could beat a knight one-on-one.)
Among the adventurers likely hired for this event, a few were genuinely skilled, and their abilities were undoubtedly above those of the knights serving the Count Lremeera Family. But ultimately, even to Rei, they posed no real challenge—falling far short of the threshold where quality overwhelms quantity.
Moreover, unlike the knights, they didn't appear to usually adventure with their current companions, so their coordination left much to be desired. If those adventurers fought the knights, they might win one-on-one, but in a group battle, the knights would crush them. That was the level they were at.
"This is incredible! A literal one-strike rout! But where in Rei's small frame does he find the brute strength to send five men flying in a single blow!?"
The audience erupted in cheers at the host's inflammatory words. That said, laments from those who had lost their bets were mixed into the roar, so not every voice was necessarily rooting for Rei.
At first, Rei had assumed that since these were mock battles, he ought to give his opponents moments to shine. But after fighting similar opponents over and over, that notion had faded considerably.
Before Rei, who held the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear at the ready, the next opponent appeared. At the host's call, Rei stepped forward to meet the men charging toward him.
As Rei defeated his opponents one after another—trampling them, more accurately—the nobles watching displayed a range of reactions. Some nodded in acceptance, realizing the rumors they'd heard were true. Others bristled at seeing their own soldiers and knights cut down. Some purely applauded Rei's strength, while others questioned how someone so small-framed could wield such power.
Among them all, the ones watching Rei's overwhelming display with satisfaction were Liberte—Duke Kerebel himself—and his daughter, Elena.
Arcadia, Liberte's wife and Elena's mother, was not present. With the year drawing to a close, noble wives and daughters were arriving one after another for the New Year's party, and she was occupied hosting tea parties for them. Of course, a few had abandoned those gatherings the moment they learned they could witness the strength of Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker.
"No way... what was that? No, not just that—everything leading up to it, too. Are adventurers really this strong?"
"Oh my, not all adventurers are strong. He's proving that right now, isn't he? Plenty of the opponents defeated so far have been adventurers. Their abilities run the gamut."
"Damn it, pathetic. I'll need to put them through harsher training starting tomorrow."
"We feel the same. What do you say—shall we hold joint training sessions next time? That ought to motivate the soldiers and knights."
"Crimson Rei, huh... It's fine that Duke Kerebel maintains friendly ties with someone of such power, but between this and the Princess General affair, isn't too much strength gathering in one place? At this rate, the King's Faction will be on high alert."
"I understand the concern. But the King's Faction counts plenty of alias holders among its ranks, including S-Rank adventurers, does it not? If so, I don't think it's anything to worry over."
"Speaking of which, did you hear? Count Moltren of the King's Faction has supposedly succeeded in bringing an alias-holding adventurer into his service."
"What? Is that true?"
"Yes, it surfaced through our intelligence network. With the Noble's Faction strengthening ties with the Neutral Faction, the King's Faction must be feeling the pressure."
While each conversed with those nearby, Gaiska alone glared at Rei with venomous hatred.
The mock battle had been organized partly so Gaiska could confirm Rei's strength with his own eyes, so the current outcome was entirely acceptable. No—if anything, it was the best possible result for him. Even so, the distaste gnawing at him came down to one simple fact: he despised Rei's very existence.
He knew this perfectly well. But watching the man he hated receive praise from other nobles was more than his pride could stomach.
(Damn it. Black Wolf—that's who it was. That bastard had better actually show up and gauge Rei's true abilities!)
Gaiska had already paid a sum that was far from small. If his family learned of it, there would unquestionably be consequences. He hadn't paid the full amount yet, but even so, it exceeded his current means—a figure scraped together through extraordinary effort. The residence that Marquis Seisole's House maintained in Anesis, the very mansion Gaiska currently lived in, had been put up as collateral through the intermediary to secure a loan. He had also pawned or sold various other assets to assemble the payment.
If the assassination succeeded, the remaining balance would naturally come due. But on that front, Gaiska was half-optimistic. He had already calculated that selling Rei's magic items would easily recoup whatever he paid Black Wolf.
(Looking at it that way, Rei parading his magic items like this is all working toward my profit. Hmph. Then I suppose I should let him perform splendidly on my behalf.)
Gaiska's irritation subsided a fraction. Yet even as he watched with that thought in mind, seeing opponents fall one after another, he couldn't help but find them pathetic.
(No—rather, even if Black Wolf watches this, will he truly grasp Rei's real strength?)
Gaiska could tell from watching that Rei was clearly not fighting at full capacity. He was blatantly holding back. That was what Gaiska believed. And if that were the case, might Black Wolf underestimate Rei's abilities as being only this level, leading to a botched assassination? The worry crept in unbidden.
"Gaiska, what's wrong? You don't seem focused."
A man seated a short distance away had noticed his distraction and asked. The speaker held a baron's rank—a low title—but Gaiska concealed his contempt and replied smoothly.
"Yeah, just something on my mind. The Crimson I know should've been far stronger. The fights haven't been all that flashy, so I was just questioning it."
"Ah... that's because his opponents are too weak. To see Rei's true ability, he'd need an opponent of comparable—oh, look. Speak of the devil. Ice Blade has arrived."
At those words, Gaiska turned his gaze back to the stage.
A single man stood there. Late twenties to early thirties, wearing leather armor fashioned from monster hide for mobility, and carrying a longsword with a pale blue blade—an unusual weapon.
Gaiska knew that longsword was a magic sword. One that, true to its wielder's alias, commanded the power of ice. The name Ice Blade, naturally, derived from the weapon in his hands.
"Things are about to get interesting," Gaiska remarked. But he wasn't looking forward to the fight itself. His words stemmed from the judgment that Rei, who had been so obviously holding back, wouldn't have that luxury against a fellow alias holder.
(Black Wolf wouldn't be fool enough to miss this one, would he? ...They say he's top-tier. Surely not.)
Watching Ice Blade and Rei exchange words on the distant stage, Gaiska concentrated every fiber of his attention so as not to miss what he assumed would finally be Rei fighting in earnest.
"Never thought I'd get to fight the Crimson in a place like this. Well, it's a mock battle, but... if we went all out, the damage wouldn't stop at this stage—it'd reach all of Anesis. In that sense, I'm glad it's a mock battle."
"True enough. I never expected to end up fighting Exoris of the Ice Blade, either."
Rei naturally knew about the man addressing him. When he'd heard that many adventurers were being hired for this event, he'd concluded it would be no surprise if alias holders were among them. Since Rei himself bore an alias, choosing another alias holder as his opponent was only logical if the goal was a competitive match.
Of course, hiring an alias holder who had just entered a long winter break would require substantial compensation. At the very least, a sum that dwarfed what had been paid to the adventurers Rei had fought so far.
(In that sense, whoever managed to hire the Ice Blade... pulled off something clever.)
According to Rei's gathered intelligence, the man known as Ice Blade had a distinctly eccentric personality. He would accept requests that piqued his interest regardless of how low the pay was, and conversely, would refuse requests he found disagreeable no matter how lucrative. Facing such a man, Rei took up the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear just as before.
"Up-and-coming... well, it's been quite a while since you earned your alias, so I suppose that doesn't quite fit. But either way, I'm thrilled to cross blades with a new alias holder."
"Fighting an alias holder isn't a bad feeling for me, either."
"Oh? Well then, I'll do my best not to disappoint."
With that, Exoris gave his magic sword a light swing. Along the blade's trajectory, spears of ice—or perhaps icicles would be more accurate, given their shorter length—pierced into the stage.
(So that's the magic sword's ability. ...Wouldn't be strange if it had others, though. Still, if he pushed it to its full potential, this wouldn't stay a mock battle for long. ...Well, whatever.)
Normally, casually admitting that a fight might cost you your life would be odd. But Rei didn't consider losing to Exoris a possibility, and that was precisely why he saw no issue letting him use the magic sword freely.
Sensing that the two had finished their exchange, the host raised his voice to stoke the crowd's anticipation.
"Now then, this next mock battle pits two alias holders against each other! This will be a very different contest from what's come before. Don't miss it, everyone. ...Mock battle—begin!"
At the host's signal, Rei and Exoris both surged forward simultaneously.
The instant the distance closed, Rei struck first. Unlike Exoris with his magic sword, Rei's weapons were a great scythe and a spear—both long-shafted. Given that, seizing the initiative was only natural.
The opening blow came from the Death Scythe. Exoris dodged the strike—a swing that seemed poised to reap his very life—by dropping his stance and attempting to close the distance. But the next moment, he darted sideways. The Twilight Spear in Rei's left hand pierced clean through the space where Exoris's body had been a heartbeat prior.
It was a strike swift enough to leave an afterimage, yet Exoris had handled it with room to spare.
Still, having created some distance, Exoris furrowed his brow as he gripped his magic sword.
"Troublesome. You've already got weapons with ridiculous reach, and you're wielding both at the same time?"
"I'll take that as a compliment. I've hardly ever seen anyone besides myself use the Twin Spear Style, so it's essentially self-taught."
A smug grin spread across Rei's face.