"I didn't see the swing. Hell, he wasn't even holding a sword. Before I knew it, my right arm felt light—way too light. When I looked down, my arm was lying on the ground. I really screwed up."
As I walked along the dark highway in the dead of night, I recalled the words of the adventurer whose arm had been severed.
An exploit like cutting off a limb without even drawing a blade could only be the work of magic.
In this world, the atmosphere is saturated with mana, a substance that didn't exist in my previous life. When that mana accumulates within a person's body, it is called magic power. The art of manipulating that power at will is what we call magic.
"What a pain," I muttered.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips. Even though mana fills the world, magic isn't some universal tool that everyone can use. However, when someone actually masters it, they become an incredibly troublesome opponent.
In the Brave Territory, the greatest losses to our soldiers and infrastructure usually happened when we faced enemy mages. Even from a fool's description, I could tell this opponent was a tactical-grade mage capable of chantless casting.
Reaching that level makes someone a one-man army class, but why would a person of that caliber be sent to the Brave Territory?
"They really want her gone, don't they? Alicia."
I didn't know if she was just an inconvenience or if some narrative force was at work. Whatever the fine details were, it was clear they wanted to erase her from existence.
Or was I the target?
In the original game's story, my intervention was the primary reason Alicia was no longer on the path to seizing House Brave. Perhaps some corrective force was trying to set things back to the way they were supposed to be?
Or perhaps the reason Alicia became possessed by a demon wasn't because of the magic insects themselves, but because of these people who had followed her here?
"Well, I'll find out if I ask."
There was no need for tedious formalities when clearing the path. The best course of action was to kick them around and interrogate them about who hired them and why.
"All right, and... boom."
CRASH!
I kicked down the door of the newly established trading company. Inside the dim room, four men were huddled together, deep in discussion.
"What!?"
"W-Who are you?!"
Among the men scrambling to their feet, one remained seated, perfectly composed. A hood hid his face, but judging by the magic power radiating from him, he was undoubtedly the mage.
"You're Laguna Ver Brave!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"What, you ask? You guys were the ones who made the first move."
The one who had suffered the severed arm was an adventurer of the Brave Territory. Granted, he’d done something stupid by trying to break in, so one could argue he got what he deserved, but he hadn't actually stolen anything yet. It was an attempted crime.
In short, it was an act of blatant assault, and it was my duty to crack down on such dangerous individuals.
"Made a move? Whatever could you be talking about?"
"We were merely the victims of a robbery, were we not?"
They seemed intent on playing the victim. Honestly, I had no intention of believing every word that came out of that idiot adventurer's mouth either. I just needed a sufficient excuse to round them up and make them talk.
"Whatever. I don't really care about the 'who did what' part. The guy who poked the hornet's nest was just a fool."
As I spoke, I tossed the adventurer's severed arm onto the floor.
"For now, I'm taking you in as persons of interest regarding the recent disturbance."
Then, I got to the real point.
"Additionally, you seem to be sniffing around my domain for some reason. If you tell me why, I won't have to resort to violence."
I offered a smile. Realizing why I was there, the look in their eyes changed instantly. They quickly drew weapons from their robes and leveled them at me.
Yep, they were definitely up to no good.
"Drawing weapons on your Lord?"
I gave them a warning, but they just kept their smirks.
"It may be disrespectful," one of them said, "but we can hardly say 'yes, sir' when a fabricated incident is pinned on us."
"Besides, we have the backing of Royal Capital nobles. A noble of the Abandoned Land versus a Royal Capital noble—whose word do you think the law will trust?"
"More importantly, if no one finds out we held weapons... if we just silence you forever, there won't be a problem—now!"
The three men besides the mage exchanged glances and lunged at me.
"At this point, there's no talking your way out of it, is there?"
I had expected that the type to hide behind words would be a hassle to corner, so I was grateful they had resorted to brute force so easily.
"It doesn't matter!"
"Laguna Ver Brave is a target for elimination!"
"To come here unarmed... you naive third son!"
Oh...?
"Die, you deadbeat from the Abandoned Land—bugh!"
I dodged the sword of the closest man and punched him square in the face. The sound of crushing bone echoed as broken teeth scattered across the floor. Snatching the sword as it fell from the unconscious man's hand, I pivoted and severed the hands of the other two at the wrists.
"Aaaagh! Gaaaaah!"
"Hi—hiiiiii! Eeeeeee!"
As they crouched on the floor screaming and clutching their stumps, I grabbed the hair of one and yanked his head up.
"...Who was a target for elimination, again?"
"Hi... hi... hi..."
Pain and terror had robbed him of the ability to speak. These were Royal Capital agents? How pathetic. A Brave adventurer wouldn't have crumbled like this even with a severed arm.
"Interrogating these three can wait."
If they kept pressure on their wounds, they probably wouldn't bleed to death just yet. I turned my attention back to the mage. He had finally stood up and was slowly clapping his hands.
"Splendid performance for a fifteen-year-old!"
"Hah..."
To hear praise from an enemy only made me let out a dry, exasperated breath.
"So, who hired you? And what kind of mage are you?"
I had thought he was a bodyguard, but he hadn't moved an inch during the fight. Either he had a different employer, or he was operating on a different level than those three pieces of trash. That meant he was the one who knew the truth.
He had that 'superiority of the strong' vibe about him. My instincts were screaming that he was the real threat.
"Kukuku, surely you don't think I would answer even if you asked?"
"I guess not."
I wouldn't have answered either, so I could respect that. I’d be lucky if he talked, but I’d also be disappointed. I’d have to wonder if all Royal Capital mages were idiots.
"I do have one thing I would like to ask you," the mage said, his tone mocking but polite.
"The guy who said he wouldn't answer questions is asking me one instead?"
"Kukuku, you may simply ignore it if you wish."
"No, I refuse."
Despite my rejection, the mage continued.
"How is Lady Alicia faring?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
I hadn't intended to engage in a pointless back-and-forth, but the mention of Alicia’s name made me reflexively snap back. The mage bared his teeth in a hideous grin.
"Has she become even more beautiful thanks to my gift? I imagine she is spending every day with a face twisted in agony? Kukukukukuku."
As he laughed, magic insects began to overflow from his mouth, dripping onto the floor.