In the middle of the party held to show appreciation for the servants, news of Black Wolf's infiltration naturally came as a surprise to Liberte.
That said, since it would be a shame to cut short the party that the servants were enjoying as an end-of-year tradition, it was ultimately decided that the off-duty knights and guards would search for Black Wolf.
Normally, a large-scale search would have been standard procedure. The reason it wasn't carried out was partly because Rei had informed them that Black Wolf had likely already left the mansion, and partly because of the prediction that Black Wolf's target was strictly Rei, meaning no other casualties were expected.
Of course, that latter assumption couldn't be stated with absolute certainty, given that someone had lost their senses to drugs and attacked Rei after the mock battle.
However, Rei's personal impression was that those Black Wolf used as pawns were strictly people other than innocent civilians.
In fact, those who had attacked Rei after the mock battle were individuals who had regularly suffered from drug addiction.
In any case, Black Wolf's infiltration caused a minor commotion, but it was ultimately just misfortune for the knights and guards assigned to tonight's security detail. For the other party attendees, it was no problem at all, and they were able to enjoy the rest of the festivities.
And so, the party—fun on the surface, yet frantic behind the scenes for those stuck on duty—came to an end. Rei headed toward the stable where Set was, carrying an assortment of leftover dishes from the party.
Normally, the leftover food would be eaten by Georgima and the other cooks or become the servants' meals the next day. However, this time Liberte had granted Rei permission to take the remaining food to Set.
Set's meal today had also been more lavish than usual in celebration of the party, but it still fell somewhat short of the dishes actually served at the event.
For that reason, being able to let Set eat the same food from the party made Rei happy, as it showed him that Liberte was thinking of Set.
(Though I vaguely remember hearing that you shouldn't give dogs human food as-is because the salt content is too high... well, never mind that now.)
Set had always eaten the same dishes as Rei without issue, and more importantly, Set was not an animal but a monster—a mutant one created through Beast Magic, at that.
Given that, he figured there would probably be no problem giving it the same food he himself ate.
"Huh!?"
Hearing a loud crash, Rei snapped a sharp gaze toward the direction it came from—where Set's stable was located.
Without a moment's thought, he broke into a sprint.
The sound had clearly come from the direction of Set's stable. Given that, it naturally meant Set was the one who had caused it.
But Set would never do such a thing without reason. There must have been some circumstance that required it.
And today, Black Wolf had sneaked into this mansion.
Based on his direct encounter, Rei's intuition told him that Black Wolf would not lay a hand on anyone other than himself.
However, if the target was Set, he couldn't say that for certain.
Set was recognized as Rei's Tamed Monster, meaning it wouldn't be strange for it to be perceived as Rei's other half—two bodies sharing one mind.
Even so, Rei's instincts told him Black Wolf wouldn't make a move on Set. But with the crash still ringing in his ears, there was perhaps a one-in-a-million chance.
Under the moonlight, Rei ran across the ground.
Fortunately, there was no snow, and the ground beneath his feet wasn't muddy or difficult to run on.
Treading firmly on that ground as he ran, Set's stable eventually came into view.
"...Huh?"
The stable was there, but a short distance away from it, several people were lying on the ground—and no matter how he looked at them, they were not Black Wolf.
Rei felt relieved that the ones who had attacked Set weren't Black Wolf, yet at the same time, he approached the fallen figures with the thought: then who?
Running footsteps could be heard from afar as well, likely because the sound of the stable wall breaking had echoed through the grounds.
Already on a night when security had been tightened due to Black Wolf's infiltration, hearing that crash naturally meant guards and knights would come rushing over.
"Now then, first off... who exactly are you guys?"
Muttering, Rei brought the face of one of those knocked unconscious by Set's strike into the moonlight.
Set must have held back properly to avoid killing them. The men appeared to have fractures and similar injuries, but none of them were dead.
"All three are men, huh... but I don't recognize their faces."
At least from what he could see here, Rei had absolutely no recollection of any of the men's faces.
Naturally, they weren't Black Wolf either.
"Set, come out here for a bit."
"Grrrrrl."
Following Rei's voice, Set emerged from the stable.
Whether out of consideration or not, it came through the door properly rather than through the wall it had destroyed.
Still, the slightly apologetic look on Set's face was probably because it had broken the stable after all.
Rei stroked Set, showing through his attitude that it was nothing to worry about, and asked.
"So? These guys attacked you... is that right?"
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set rumbled its throat as if to say, That's right!
Of course, since Rei knew full well that Set would never do such a thing without reason, he had no intention of making an issue of the incident.
That said, that was strictly Rei's own feelings on the matter. How the Duke Kerebel's House would judge it was another question entirely.
"Hey, what was that sound just now!?"
The voice belonged to the guards and knights who had finally arrived at the scene.
"You're late. Looks like these guys sneaked into Set's stable and launched an attack. Set fought back... and this is the result."
Because the ones who arrived were familiar guards and knights, Rei spoke casually while directing his gaze toward the three men unconscious on the ground.
The guards and knights also had some degree of acquaintance with Rei and Set, so they didn't think Set would do such a thing for no reason, and they showed a certain understanding of Rei's words.
That said, being acquaintances didn't mean they took Rei's words at complete face value.
They carefully checked the faces of the fallen men.
"Who are these?" one of the knights muttered with a suspicious expression.
It wasn't said in jest; it was a genuine question from the bottom of his heart.
At the knight's reaction, a guard also grew suspicious and turned his gaze in the same direction.
But ultimately, the guard was left with the same question.
"Don't recognize these faces... I thought it was just someone working here who made some kind of mistake and wandered into Set's stable..."
Even for the guard, the faces were unfamiliar.
If only one of them hadn't recognized the faces, it wouldn't have been particularly strange. The Duke Kerebel Mansion was a building large enough to be described as a castle.
Naturally, the number of people working there was large, and it wouldn't be unusual for a considerable number of people who weren't attending today's party to be on the grounds.
Even so, having both a knight and a guard present, with neither having ever seen the face of the man—no, any of the three men at all—was clearly nothing short of abnormal. Which meant...
"So these guys aren't servants of the Duke Kerebel's House. And considering they were attacked by Set in the stable... isn't that way too suspicious?"
At Rei's murmured words, the knight and guard nodded, then turned stern expressions toward the three men unconscious on the ground.
"In other words, these are the intruders we were told about?"
"No. They're a separate group from that one. The fact that they came to Set's stable means they were either after materials like Set's feathers... or they were after Set itself... or perhaps, they were after Set's life."
Rei denied the guard's words while voicing his predictions, but what lay on his face was a smile that could aptly be described as cold and ruthless.
This time, Set had repelled them, so there was no problem. But whether that meant he could forgive them was another matter entirely.
Having someone lay hands on his partner—on an existence worthy of being called his other half—was enough to make it unsurprising if Rei swung the Grim Reaper's Great Scythe.
In that sense, the men unconscious from Set's attack were probably fortunate.
Sensing from Rei's demeanor that things would go badly if left as they were—particularly judging that it would be problematic in many ways if the unconscious men woke up here—the knight and guard hurriedly spoke up.
"For now, there's no doubt these men are the cause of this commotion. If we leave them unconscious here, there's no telling what they'll do when they wake up, so let's throw them in a cell. Fortunately, more people have arrived."
In the direction of the knight's gaze, the figures of guards and knights heading toward Rei's location could be clearly seen by the moonlight and the building's illumination—though being able to clearly make out their faces was likely only possible for Rei and Set, who possessed Night Vision.
"Right."
Somewhat reluctantly, Rei must have judged that forcing the issue here would serve no purpose. He indicated his agreement with the proposal to take the three unconscious men to a cell.
However, he naturally didn't just quietly hand the men over.
"Once you figure out what these guys were thinking when they broke into Set's stable, you'll share that information with me too, right?"
"Ah... right. I'll need to check with my superiors first, but I think it'll probably be fine."
"I see. Well, even if they say no, I get the feeling Duke Kerebel would tell me if I asked him directly."
"That's..."
At Rei's words, the knight was at a loss.
In reality, Rei's Tamed Monster—treated as a guest of the Duke Kerebel's House—had been attacked by unknown assailants.
If Rei said he wanted that information, Liberte, in his position as the head of the Duke Kerebel's House, would have no choice but to share it.
Ultimately, if the information was going to reach Rei anyway, it was undoubtedly the better move to relay it from their own mouths rather than troubling Liberte to do so.
In the worst case, they could face reprimands from above for withholding information and forcing Liberte to intervene.
If Rei had demanded information about a commotion that had nothing to do with him, the knights and guards would have refused.
But this time, Set—Rei's Tamed Monster—had been attacked, so there was no problem with sharing that information.
The only real drawback was that they didn't yet know who the men knocked out by Set were. No—given the very high probability that they were not members of the Duke Kerebel's House, the biggest issue was that it was unknown whose hands they belonged to.
"Understood. Once we find out who these guys are, we'll let Rei know. But... promise me one thing. Even if we find out who they are, don't go storming their hideout or wherever by yourself."
"...Are you telling me to just take it and do nothing?"
There was a clear color of dissatisfaction in Rei's gaze as he said that.
That said, leaving things as they were—just taking the attacks without retaliating—would effectively draw a line for those targeting Rei and Set.
The likelihood was high that attacks would increase if they judged that Rei wouldn't counterattack as long as they only targeted Set.
Of course, the reason Rei openly expressed dissatisfaction was also partly because being a punching bag wasn't enjoyable, but that consideration was the larger factor.
Whether the knight and guards understood Rei's reasoning as well, they spoke in a calming manner.
"These men infiltrated the Duke Kerebel Mansion without authorization. Given that, this won't be swept under the rug. The same naturally goes for whoever is pulling the strings behind them."
At those words, Rei hesitated for just a moment over what to do... and eventually nodded.
That said, his agreement came from the judgment that leaving the matter to Liberte rather than acting himself would result in the worst possible outcome for those who had orchestrated this incident.
"Fine. I'll leave it to you for now. But if I think Duke Kerebel's judgment is too lenient, I'll take action on my own."
He added that as a precaution.
The knight and guards nodded in agreement, apparently finding no particular issue with Rei's words.
In fact, considering what kind of retaliation Liberte would unleash against those who had laid hands on the Tamed Monster of his guest Rei... thinking about that, the knight and guards could state with absolute certainty that Rei would not need to do anything at all.