Viscount Fanchini was indeed swearing relentlessly in his mind.

Shite... Shite, shite, shite! What the hell is this situation?! I asked Gongorad to
collect the magic stone and lift the border blockade. I also told him the only time he
should make direct contact with Captain Roster was if the stone didn’t fall into his
hands as planned. The measure was an absolute last resort... Then the plan was to
use the viceroy’s blunder against him and wrest power away to secure the magic
stone and reopen the borders... So what in bloody hell happened?! Because the
damn stone was already back in the vault and Roster in custody... Even I can’t
acquire the stone in such conditions. If I try, the grand duke will suspect me! Which
is why I tried to at least gain authority over the garrison to reopen the country’s
borders...only to find out it was already scheduled for nine o’clock. Stymied again!
It’s nine now! God damn it all to hell! This...this makes me look the fool, doesn’t it?!
Viscount Fanchini squeezed his left hand with his right so hard the bones ached.
When they saw the motion, his subordinates ducked their heads and avoided him
even more cautiously... The wrath unfurling inside him was crystal clear to them.
Gongorad said he would pay five hundred million florins, but what’s the point
now? Shite, it might be best if I leave this city as soon as possible. Though he may
grumble, I’m sure I can appease him with profitable information again in the future.
If I remain here too long and issues arise that threaten the safety of the city, the
blame will be placed on me. Absurd. I won’t stand for it. For now, I’ll see for myself
how things are during the day. Should the viceroy pose no problem, I’ll command
him to make every effort to regain the people’s trust and return all authority back
to him. No doubt he’ll be exceedingly grateful then... Yes. Yes, this is the way. I’ll
leave tomorrow.
He finally loosened the strength of his grip. Seeing that, his direct reports
rubbed their chests in relief...
Unfortunately, the calm didn’t last long.
“Lord Inspector, we have trouble!”
“What is this infernal racket?! Speak up!”
“My sincerest apologies. However...”
“Spit it out already.”
“The Elmeevna trading company came under attack not long ago.”
“What?”

◆◆◆
“Mistress, this is the last of the goods.”
“Thank you, Jigiban. Please distribute them to the cityfolk as usual. This time, I
want you to make a spectacle of it.”
Jigiban nodded in response and jogged toward his subordinates who had
already headed out first. The chivalrous thieves who called themselves the Dawn’s
Border—including Flora, their leader—all wore red cloaks with black embroidery and
matching red masks.
Right now, they were at the trading firm of the merchant Elmeevna, the one
who could be considered the heart of the corruption rampant in the city of Zimarino.
The Dawn’s Border had attacked it at daybreak no less. Indeed, illuminated by the
dawn, just like their name.
 There were no fatalities. There were a few rules they mustn’t break as
individuals who called themselves chivalrous thieves. One of them was not killing
others.
Most of the people the group attacked had done terrible things and sent many
to their deaths. Regardless of their opponents’ inhumanity, the Dawn’s Border
refused to kill. Another factor they used when choosing their targets was their vast
wealth, which they used to bribe others with outrageous sums.
This was how the organization operated, by attacking those who were
responsible for spreading corruption. They stole the wealth the villains had amassed
and distributed it to the masses. Furthermore, the Dawn’s Border revealed their
misdeeds to everyone at large. In many cases, their actions led to the evildoers’
downfalls.
All of those villains’ so-called allies only joined forces with them because they’d
been attracted to their fortunes and not because they actually liked the villains. So
once they lost everything, it went without saying they lost others’ support too. In
fact, almost all of them wound up being arrested to be made examples of. Not only
were their assets seized, but their rights as citizens were also taken away.
Moreover, the Dawn’s Border’s flashy antics also worked to curb the activities
of other villains... Because they knew things would end badly for them if they
caught the group’s interest.
In other words, they had achieved tremendous results by identifying the key
players and putting them out of commission. And this time was no different.

“Wow, the Dawn’s Border sure is amazing. What a magnificent theft they pulled
off,” Ryo said frankly.
“That’s...” Abel began, sounding reserved, “definitely one way to describe
them.”
“Abel, why can’t you just acknowledge that chivalrous thieves are good...”
“Right, well, I won’t deny their lofty aspirations, but...” Abel paused.
“Something deep inside is holding me back from giving them my full approval.”
Topics like these were always difficult. Fighting for the weak and oppressed... If
you view groups like the Dawn’s Border from just that perspective, anyone will
admit their actions are splendid. However, when individuals employ such methods
by evading the net of justice, it amounts to nothing more than vigilantism. So the
question of whether they’re right or wrong depends entirely on where and what you
focus on... Which is why everyone has their own opinion on such subjects.
This was the conclusion Ryo came to in his mind, and it explained why he
wasn’t particularly unhappy with Abel for having a different opinion. Everyone had
their own viewpoint.
“You know, Abel, I used to think you had been a chivalrous thief yourself before
you became an adventurer.”
“Me? What the heck gave you that idea?”
“Because you seem to thoroughly enjoy mercilessly hurting people who do bad
things.”
“Maaan, I always wonder why your perception of me is so freaking warped,
Ryo.”
 “Oh, stop, you’re making me blush.” Ryo sounded bashful for some reason.
“It wasn’t a compliment!” Abel retorted, exasperated.
“Hm?” Ryo said suddenly, noticing something.
“What is it?”
“Well... Eight people are heading toward this plaza.”
The Elmeevna Trading Company, which the Dawn’s Border had attacked, was
located in a prime commercial area facing Zimarino’s central square. The group of
chivalrous thieves and the firm’s employees, unconscious after they’d been lured
out, occupied one part of the square. Since it was still early in the morning, the
residents living in the area must have realized something violent had happened, as
there was no one else in the square.
Yet a group of people were headed straight toward them. Head tilted curiously,
Ryo continued.
“And one of them is definitely...”

“They’re running toward us!” Kala, the swordswoman, shouted in warning when
she noticed the group of people heading in their direction.
Six members of the Dawn’s Border remained in the plaza: Flora; Kala, the
bodyguard and sword master; Nala, also a bodyguard and magician; and the B-rank
adventurers Viviana, Tatiana, and Octavio. Jigiban and his crew had already left to
distribute the stolen money and goods to the city’s residents while Dolotheo, the
butler, was elsewhere securing their escape route.
Kala and Nala stood between Flora and the eight people running toward the
square. Though there were only two of them, they were strong enough to weather
through any situation under normal circumstances. They could take down more than
ten of the city’s guards without sustaining any injuries themselves.
Except the group running toward them weren’t just members of the garrison.
With the light from the rising sun illuminating them from behind, the Dawn’s Border
couldn’t see their faces very well. And it was too late by the time they realized...
“Wind, by your will, be the blade that cuts through... Ngh!”
“You... Gah!”
The man leading the pack sped up lightning quick. He landed a hard punch to
Nala’s stomach as she tried to chant the spell for Air Slash then slammed the hilt of
his sword into Kala’s stomach. He quite literally defeated them in an instant.
Without sparing them a single glance, he accelerated again. Flora was his next
target.
“I’ll be taking you home now, Lady Flora.”
“I don’t think so, Flamm.”
“Fine. Then force it is.”
Klang. Metal rang against metal.
“You insolent cur...!” Flamm shouted.
The Flame Emperor, Flamm Deeproad, had tried to render her unconscious by
hitting her in the stomach with his sword hilt. But someone blocked his attack.
“Well, hello there, Flame Emperor. What a coincidence, meeting again so soon.
Dontcha agree?”
It was Abel.
 Abel had leaped in between the Flame Emperor and Flora and parried the hilt of
the man’s sword with his own magic sword.
“You two! The bodyguards! Take her and fall back!”
At Abel’s shout, Kala and Nala managed to stand up and staggered toward
Flora.
“You cur...”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m a cur. Is that all you can say? Oh, yeah, I don’t think I
introduced myself. I’m Abel. Nice to meetcha, Flame Emperor, Flamm Deeproad,”
Abel taunted. It was his way of gaining the mental upper hand. Somehow or other,
he’d already lost once against the man. If he let the memory of the loss drag him
down during a rematch, he’d be at a disadvantage from the start and he wanted to
avoid that.
“Stay out of my way!”
“I respectfully decline. I’m definitely getting in your way.”
“Why, you...!”
Fury spread across the Flame Emperor’s face.
While keeping watch on the man, Abel saw a strange sight unfolding from the
corner of his eye. Ryo had gone to where the Dawn’s Border were and took
something from them.
A mask and a cloak?
Ryo bowed his head over and over as he accepted the items.
As for Abel, he jumped back away from the Flame Emperor after repelling the
man’s sword hilt. Instead of trying to land another attack, his opponent also sprung
backward, creating distance between them.
It was an opportunity for both of them to regroup.

Ryo stood next to Abel, who held his magic sword ready. He wore the Dawn’s
cloak over his own robe as well as the mask they’d given him.
“Sooo, did you borrow those or what?” Abel asked.
“I had to. Otherwise, I risked exposing my true identity. But now that they don’t
know it’s me, I can do whatever I want to the Flame Emperor’s companions.”
“Dang...and here I am with my face all exposed for the world to see...”
“Just so you know, masks really narrow your field of vision. I think it would be
suicidal to fight at close quarters wearing one...”
“I-I guess you’re right...”
Abel didn’t know what else to say to Ryo’s explanation, which sounded kind of
off.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone interfere in your fight with him, Abel. I won’t
stop it even if you die, all right? I’ll make sure to deliver your bones to Rihya, so you
can rest easy on that front!”
“No. No, I can’t...”
That was when Ryo’s tone changed and became a smidge more serious.
“I don’t think you’re the type of person to die in a situation like this, Abel.”
“Heh. Well, sure would chap my ass if I bit the dust here of all places against
the Flame Emperor of all people... Then that means I just gotta kick his ass first.”
 Ryo’s left fist bumped against Abel’s right.
So the metaphorical bell rang on Abel vs the Flame Emperor, Round 2.

“You cur... Because of you, Lady Flora...”

With his magic sword unsheathed and ready to strike, the Flame Emperor,
Flamm Deeproad, spat the words. Hatred burned in his voice.
“Yeah, she went away, right? Too bad for you, Flame Emperor.”
Despite his deliberately flippant tone, Abel was on high alert. It went without
saying his opponent wasn’t someone he could let his guard down around.
“I’m guessing even the vaunted Flame Emperor is gonna feel someone’s wrath
because he failed to collect the girl, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“Well, she’s Grand Duke Volturino’s daughter, right?”
For a moment, the man shook violently, as if struck by lightning... But more
than anything, the change in him was enough to send fear racing down the spines
of anyone who saw him then. It would have given them goose bumps.
Klang.
Abel parried his downward swing. Perhaps this was how their fights were always
destined to start.
I’m concentrating so damn hard and I can barely keep up with his movements,
much less his sword... This guy really is a monster.
Though he looked relaxed on the outside, Abel was on edge on the inside, cold
sweat trickling down his back. Because each strike required the man to exert his full
strength—every single time—such blows couldn’t be delivered in succession. That
was why even Abel failed to track the movement of his body.
However, he still managed to parry the attack. After having fought the man
once, Abel was familiar with his swordsmanship. And that was how it became
possible for him to intercept his strikes.
Nevertheless, he absolutely could not afford to get careless for even a second.
That part hadn’t changed. After shoving the sword away, Abel retaliated with a
downward diagonal slash of his own.
The Flame Emperor deflected without parrying and thrust at him. But Abel was
no longer there. He’d used his momentum to shift his entire body. While evading the
man’s thrust, he countered with an upward diagonal slash.
For example, his style was completely different from Ryo’s. By attacking while
moving, even if you’re counterattacked, you’ll no longer be where you were... This
was the Hume style of swordsmanship, which Abel had mastered.
At the beginner level, you used your footwork to remain mobile because the
primary goal was avoiding sustaining a fatal blow, thereby surviving. Only by
surviving could you carry onward... This was true of all battles.
Things changed completely once you graduated past beginner level. Even
stopping to strike came into play. One essence of the Hume style was eliminating
inefficiencies, which was different for each person. At this intermediate level, you
cut out any wasted amount from your sword and body. During a fight, however,
when you went for the finishing blow or dodged your opponent’s attack, you used
your feet at that moment to turn the tide in your favor. Abel especially loved this
technique.
And at the advanced level, offense and defense become one. By using your feet
to dodge the enemy’s attack, the evasive movement itself became an attack.
Meanwhile, the footwork in your own attacks became a sort of defense... It was easy
to discuss as a theory, but surprisingly difficult to put into practice. Why? Because
the moves can’t be achieved unless you have a perfect grasp of not only your
opponent’s swordsmanship, but also the stages of the battle itself.
Why did an evasive moment lead to an attack? Well, if you couldn’t predict
what your opponent was going to do after you dodged, you couldn’t attack.
Why did an attack become a defense? Well, if your opponent planned a
counterstrike after your attack, you’d be taken down in one hit.
It was all easier said than done.
But Abel was putting it all into practice. If he didn’t, he had no chance of
winning against this particular opponent. However, unlike their last match, he now
had some experience with the Flame Emperor’s swordsmanship.
To become the best of the best in any field, you must be a devoted student.
The higher you climbed, the stronger your opponents became, and simultaneously,
the more you yourself became the subject of others’ studies. Tactics that had
worked up until then would be countered, and weaknesses you weren’t aware of
would be exposed. In order to break this deadlock, you had to keep growing, refine
your skills, and find new ways to progress.
Not so easy, huh?

The duel continued. They clashed fiercely countless times. The two were evenly
matched in both power and speed.
But if you couldn’t surpass your opponent physically, you could always surpass
them mentally.
“Flora is the daughter of Grand Duke Volturino, right?” Abel asked.
“There is no need for you to know!” the Flame Emperor, Flamm Deeproad,
answered with a furious expression. Which told Abel he was probably right.
“Let me tell ya, I was positively stunned by how strong her light magic was.
Then there’s the fact that the Flame Emperor himself came to take back a girl
named Flora... The first Flora that comes to mind here in this grand duchy is
Volturino’s eldest daughter and hierarch of the capital’s temple, Flora Leggiero Vigi.
So that’s her, huh?”
“Silence!”
Abel’s explanation sent the Flame Emperor into a rage.
A break of the mind became a break of the sword. With his anger in control, the
man swung his sword down. Abel dodged using his entire body and slashed, his
blade glinting.
It should have been the perfect strike...
“Are you serious...”
The Flame Emperor crouched down in front of him, his speed so unbelievably
fast it was hard to imagine humans being capable of that kind of movement. Then
he spun forward using his momentum to dodge the attack. Once he finished
spinning, he struck without checking his surroundings.
 If Abel had followed up with a second attack, his legs might have been cut out
from right under him. His opponent had executed the sharp strike even with a knee
on the ground and only the power of his arms. Abel wouldn’t have believed it
possible if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.
Apparently, the claim that he’d killed a thousand people during the Great War
might have been an exaggeration but it wasn’t a lie.
The Flame Emperor stood up slowly. As he did, Abel waited for an opening to
exploit and attack. But...none came. There wasn’t even a second of opportunity.
He could only envision his attack being promptly blocked and then
counterattacked by the man. He knew this precisely because he knew Deeproad’s
swordsmanship. They were essentially at an impasse, a situation where he couldn’t
attack when he should be. At the same time, however, it also allowed him to avoid a
tragic fate at the end of his opponent’s successful counterattack...
Battle was such a difficult thing.
Standing upright again, the Flame Emperor held his sword at the ready.
Unable to attack, Abel gripped his own weapon in the same manner.
Their fight had come to a stalemate.

Meanwhile, Ryo was...busy playing the part of a demon lord.

“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! Foolish humans, muster all your strength and attack me
if you dare!”
Spells flew in the air. Sparks of light flashed wildly.
“Wh-What the hell is this guy doing?!”
“He’s countering all of our attacks!”
 “Maybe he is a demon lord...”
The plaza was divided in two by an Ice Wall. On one side, Abel and the Flame
Emperor fought completely surrounded by an Ice Wall Package so that no one could
interfere. The space was even large enough for both of them to run around to their
heart’s content!
On the other side, Ryo fought the Flame Emperor’s subordinates in the style of
a demon lord.
“Is this it? Is this really all you can do? You have disappointed me!”
He was having the time of his life.
The Flame Emperor’s seven companions included not just magicians but
swordsmen and lancers too, and right now, they were struggling against his
continuous barrage of blunted Icicle Lances.
“Shit! It doesn’t matter how many we cut down, those damn ice spears still
keep flying at us.”
“Does he have a bottomless well of mana?!”
They couldn’t even get close to Ryo since they had their hands full defending
themselves. Amid all this, one of the magicians made a decision.
“I’m going to unleash a powerful attack! Protect me with a shield.”
“You got it!”
The shield-bearer moved in front of the woman when she shouted and braced
himself in a defensive stance against Ryo’s magic.
“Oh ho! Seems you intend to entertain me, eh? I await with bated breath,” Ryo
taunted like a demon lord would.
“Don’t underestimate us!” a swordsman and lancer shouted back at him in
unison as they charged together. It was clearly a suicide attack that indicated they
were prepared to weather a few hits.
Dropping your guard against opponents like these and making light of them
inevitably leads to having the rug pulled out from under you. Ryo knew this. Which
was why...
“Ice Bahn.”
“Gah!”
“Nuuuooo!”
Without warning, ice covered the ground and the swordsman and lancer slipped
and fell—almost as if they’d had a rug pulled out from under them. Even as this
went down, the woman magician continued chanting her long incantation. In
addition to the shield user protecting her, three magicians kept up a steady attack
on Ryo. Clearly, they were buying the woman as much time as possible so she could
complete her spell.
Mana wasn’t unlimited. Once it ran out, the front line would collapse. But as
long as the woman finished her incantation, then they had a chance... They all
believed in that and staked everything they had on it.
Ryo absolutely loved passionate plot developments like this. He was also very
interested in what sort of magic the female magician would unleash.

How many minutes had passed since the lady magician began chanting?
Because based on what Ryo saw, the other magicians supporting her through their
attacks were obviously reaching their limits.
During his time in the Forest of Rondo, he had used his magic to the limit and
exhausted his mana supply countless times. However, Ryo had never actually seen
someone else fully expend their own magical energy. Even so, he understood the
ones in front of him would soon run out of theirs. Just like he realized the swordsman
and lancer were running out of stamina as they slipped and fell over and over again
on the Ice Bahn under their feet.
And then, at long last...
“I’m ready! Fall back!” the woman finally shouted. The shield-bearer moved to
the side, opening a line of fire straight toward Ryo for her. She said the trigger
words.
“Bullet Rain.”
“Ah ha! So you went with that tactic!”
Ryo couldn’t contain his excitement. He too knew about the most advanced air-
attributed spell. Lyn of the Crimson Sword has used it against the goblin king during
the Great Tidal Bore. The magic had riddled the monster with holes galore, allowing
them to defeat it. The required incantation was so long it made the spell impractical
to use in real life. This meant only the strongest air magicians could even use it and
its offensive power was unmatched.
“Laminated 10-layer Ice Wall.”
Walls of ice generated one after another in front of Ryo. He increased their
thickness just before the invisible air bullets crashed into them. Particles of light
erupted dazzlingly in the air from the impact of air and ice, creating an almost
fantastical sight. It was inevitable then that the seven were captivated by the
elemental explosion.
The woman and her comrades had accomplished what they set out to do, the
latter buying the former enough time to successfully execute Bullet Rain, a spell
that was considered practically impossible to deploy in battle, against an opponent
who was so powerful it actually made them wonder if he really was a demon lord...
And they had finally defeated him. So it was only proper that they enjoy the
spectacle of wondrous light as their reward. Right? Yes, they should bask in the
view.
If only they had truly defeated him...
“You’re joking...”
“Impossible...”
“Demon lord...”
Once the dancing lights faded and the cloud of dust kicked up by the collision
settled, they saw the man wearing the red mask standing there...
The magicians collapsed to the ground in despair. As for the swordsman and
lancer, though they just barely managed to stand upright with the support of their
weapons, they were mentally and emotionally drained.
The masked man stood arrogantly.
The seven slumped defeatedly.
The very scene of a triumphant demon lord and those who had challenged him
and failed.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! I applaud your attempt. To think Bullet Rain would be
such a tremendous rain of bullets. Truly the stuff of legends. It exceeded my
expectations.”
Unsurprisingly, Ryo enthusiastically continued role-playing as a demon lord. It
went without saying there was no dishonesty in his words. Bullet Rain, air magic’s
most advanced spell, was definitely powerful when one considered how much of his
Laminated 10-layer Ice Wall it had chipped away. However, compared to his
inhuman opponents’ attacks—including Leonore the akuma and the Inferno
Magician—Bullet Rain wasn’t even in the same league...
“As you have fought bravely, I shall spare your lives. Instead, I bid you gaze
upon what happens next from your seats encased in ice. Ice Casket 7.”
He froze the Flame Emperor’s seven subordinates. Satisfied, he focused his
attention toward the plaza entrance. Passive Sonar told him about a hundred people
were running in this direction from the government building. Probably the city
guards. They must have found out about the attack on the Elmeevna Trading
Company.
“Heh heh heh. The fun is not yet over, eh?”
The frozen seven heard those words too. And the woman magician who had
unleashed Bullet Rain thought to herself, That man in the red mask is...the Red
Demon Lord.

Although Ryo was a water magician, he was nicknamed the Red Demon Lord
because of his red mask and red cloak, earning him some infamy in the western
part of the Federation and the eastern part of the Kingdom...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the plaza, the deadlock was about to come to
an end.
The Flame Emperor, Flamm Deeproad, fired the first verbal shot.
“You said your name is Abel, didn’t you? Though your very presence vexes me,
I’ll acknowledge your strength.”
“Oh, yeah? Thanks for that. Then I guess I can be generous too when I tell you I
think you’re strong too, Flame Emperor, Flamm Deeproad,” Abel shot back. His
response was deliberately provocative. After all, the man in front of him was the
hidden hero of the Great War, so there was no real question of his power.
“Which is why you shall now die. Morarta, Flame Emperor Unleashed.”
The Flame Emperor’s magic blade glowed brilliantly as it turned crimson.
“Figured as much.”
This time around, Abel wasn’t surprised because he expected his opponent’s
reaction. No, he wasn’t surprised. However, he did feel pure despair. Because in its
current state, the magic sword Morarta somehow always slipped through his own
sword. Yet when he attacked, it parried his weapon very solidly. This meant that he
couldn’t use his sword to parry or deflect the Flame Emperor’s attacks. In other
words...
“I have to dodge that sword at all costs.”
No average joe could wield that sword. Abel knew he had to evade a weapon of
the same power, speed, and technique as his. Realistically speaking, that was
impossible.
“I don’t have a choice though.”
 The moment Abel muttered those words, the Flame Emperor rushed toward him
and swung his blade down. Abel took a half step forward diagonally with his left foot
and dodged. The Flame Emperor reversed course, swinging his blade up in a
diagonal arc. Abel dove forward, throwing his body to the ground, spun around, and
cleaved with his sword while still on one knee.
Klang.
The Flame Emperor had lowered his sword and blocked. Abel had imitated the
same attack back at him... Perhaps because it was his own combo, the Flame
Emperor predicted Abel’s final slash with his sword.
“That’s my technique,” he growled.
When he had executed the same move, he had slowly risen from his kneeling
position. At the time, this had only been possible because they had been far apart.
However, now they were so close that their swords were touching.
Neither of them could afford to make any careless movements.
Then Abel’s left hand flashed. With a twist of his head, the Flame Emperor
dodged the flying coin. Simultaneously, still on one knee, Abel spun to the left and
struck from the man’s left side, swinging his sword downward diagonally.
But his opponent easily fended off his blade. Abel was just fine with that. He
definitely couldn’t fight down on one knee, so his primary goal right now was
standing up. However, they were too close for him to stand up safely, which was
why he’d suddenly flicked the coin at Deeproad.
“Hmph. You’re quite cheeky for someone who uses the orthodox Hume style,
Abel.”
“Well, a man learns lots of things when he’s been an adventurer for a long time,
Flame Emperor.”
Even as they chatted casually, neither dropped his guard. A conversation
wasn’t enough for either to give his opponent an advantage.
The Flame Emperor acted first.
Thrust, thrust, slash.
Dodge, dodge, backstep, dodge...
Using his momentum, Abel returned the strike.
Klang.
Morarta, the magic blade, solidified and parried his sword. Abel kept up the
offensive, but each of his blows was deflected.
The Flame Emperor countered occasionally. Each time he did, his sword passed
right through Abel’s...
By this point, a tentative theory began forming in Abel’s mind.
I don’t know how it works, but Morarta itself decides when to become
incorporeal...
It was almost as if the magic blade had a mind of its own instead of being
under the Flame Emperor’s control... It would explain its impossibly quick and
precise speed and adaptability.
What a serious pain in my ass.
A human’s reaction speed wasn’t that fast in the natural world. There were
many living creatures—and even more nonliving beings—that reacted faster than
humans.
 I have no choice then, if I want to win.
Abel steeled himself. Though it didn’t show in his face, the Flame Emperor,
Flamm Deeproad, must have detected the subtle change in him. Of course, he
didn’t know what Abel was planning. He only sensed he had something up his
sleeve. His hips were positioned lower than earlier. Despite his low center of gravity,
he could react easily.
I should have realized the man who killed a thousand people wouldn’t be so
dense.
Abel was impressed. However, he had no intention of changing his plan. He
charged forward in a single bound and attacked, unleashing a series of downward
diagonal slashes from both the left and right. Naturally, each was parried. He had
expected as much.
Then he switched to a horizontal slash...and slowed his speed just the tiniest
bit. The Flame Emperor dodged without parrying then countered. Abel raised his left
arm automatically to defend himself, but the magic sword Morarta phased through
his limb to strike his body instead.
At that moment...
The Flame Emperor’s severed right arm flew away with a spray of blood. His left
arm dropped to the ground too as Abel’s sword completed its swing.

“Ugggh...” The Flame Emperor’s voice sounded muffled.

“Haaa... Haaa... Haaa...” Abel panted heavily.
Clap, clap, clap. Applause echoed.
“Well done, Abel.”
Ryo had dispelled the Ice Wall dividing the square and walked toward his friend
while clapping. He still wore the red mask and black-embroidered red cloak.
“Thanks.”
It was the only word Abel could manage as his breathing finally calmed.
“Honestly, that was incredible. You feinted a block with your left arm and just
let his sword pass through... Anticipating this, he countered with a reverse upward
slash with his right hand... Learning from the previous horizontal slash, you put your
weight on your left foot and shifted the weight to your right, allowing you to
compensate for the strength that wouldn’t have been possible with just your right
arm. And you even cut off the Flame Emperor’s left arm with the same swing...
Wow! What an impressive show you put on.”
Ryo happily recounted what he’d caught of the last part of their fight.
Abel frowned as he listened. “You saw...everything?”
“Basically. You used the Flame Emperor’s magic blade’s special trait to your
advantage, right? Brilliant strategy.”
Vigorous nods accompanied Ryo’s frank praise.
Just then, they both saw an enraged man glaring at Abel.
“Finish me!” the Flame Emperor roared.
Abel only shook his head in response.
“You’re sure you don’t want to deal the finishing blow?” Ryo asked.
Abel shook his head again in response.
“Nah, no need.”
 “Well, you are aware that if you don’t defeat someone like him here and now,
he’ll just come back even stronger?” Ryo sounded worried.
The Flame Emperor heard him too.
Abel glanced at Ryo before turning to look at the man. “I’ll take him on
anytime.”

Abel suddenly focused his attention on the other half of the square.
The place was, to put it mildly, hell. No, actually, it was the mere shadow of
what hell used to be... Seven pillars of ice erupted from the ground, surrounded by
hundreds of defeated soldiers. A few were on their hands and knees, but most had
given up, either lying or sitting down. Each and everyone looked exhausted and
hopeless...
“Are those...?”
“Yes, the Flame Emperor’s subordinates.”
At those words, the man in question looked at the frozen columns. He was
probably making sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. His already furious expression
grew even darker...
“Don’t worry, they’re alive. The ice will disappear and free them once we
leave,” Ryo explained.
Yet his words did nothing to calm the rage in the Flame Emperor’s eyes.
“I bet he looks like that because you beat him black and blue, Abel.”
“Black and blue, huh?”
“Anyway, the people slipping and sliding on my Ice Bahn are the city guards.
Lucky them that they don’t have to do their jobs, hm?”
“Well, yeah, that’s your fault, Ryo.”
You should never judge a book by its cover. Understanding how a situation
came about is key to avoiding misunderstandings... It seems the world is actually
quite complex.
“Right then. The country’s borders are open again and we’ve finally solved all
the mysteries now that we know the woman of the Dawn’s Border who loves milk
and cubed steak more than anything is the grand duke’s daughter.”
“Jeez, you heard that too?”
“Of course. It’s vital to catch every single word and phrase during the climax!”
“I-Is it...?”
“In any case, don’t you think it’s time we leave the city?”
“Yeah, but...can we even leave?”
Though Abel agreed with Ryo’s suggestion, they faced a real problem—with all
the commotion they’d caused, there was no way they could escape easily. In fact,
the entire plaza was isolated behind an Ice Wall. More members of the garrison were
standing outside, having arrived after the initial wave. The rest of their comrades
had been stationed at the newly reopened city gates.
The two of them could escape by taking out a few guardsmen, but...there would
undoubtedly be too many injuries if they managed to avoid outright killing some of
them. It wasn’t exactly an ideal solution.
Luckily, Ryo thought of another idea.
“Abel, leave it to me!”
 He sounded extremely confident, which made Abel worry just a smidge. Except
he didn’t have a better idea, so...he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Ryo took stock of the situation. Through Active Sonar, he already knew there
were no soldiers on top of the ramparts.
The real issue was the angle of the cut. Still, it wasn’t that difficult.
With the guardsmen removed from the ramparts because of the city’s
reopening, the timing actually couldn’t be more perfect for him. Practically a
godsend.
“Here I go! Abrasive Jet.”
A moment after he cast the spell...
Bam.
Boom.
Ruuummmbbble...
A series of thunderous sounds began. The soldiers looked surprised. Of course,
they did. Because the sounds came from all around the square.
After a while, the noise stopped. And then the city’s residents exclaimed:
“The rampart’s crumbling!”
The soldiers in the plaza sprinted to the city’s outer perimeter. As soon as they
arrived, they saw it:
An entire city wall—in ruins...

“Ryo,” Abel said with a sigh. “That was overkill.”

“But we made it out thanks to me, didn’t we?!”
The two had used the ensuing chaos to escape successfully from the city of
Zimarino. They were finally on the way back to Redpost.

Border Crossing

The morning after the country’s border blockade was lifted, Gekko’s merchant
caravan ate breakfast in the inn.
“I must say,” Gekko said to Ryo, who was sitting across the table, “I was
shocked to learn that the Dawn’s Border was in Zimarino. They were the topic on
everyone’s lips at the harbor, you know.”
Ryo and Abel had updated the merchant on everything they had encountered in
the city.
“Are they really that famous?” Ryo couldn’t help but ask. He had heard nothing
of the group until now. In fact, considering his penchant to hole himself up in the
city of Lune, he barely knew anything about the Kingdom itself. And of course, he
knew nothing whatsoever about the Kingdom’s eastern region or the Federation.
“Indeed, they are. For the last few months, they’ve been particularly active in
the western area of the Federation, with a majority of their operations focused in
the Grand Duchy of Volturino. But now that I know who’s leading them, it makes
sense why they’re there.”
 Ryo nodded. “I agree.”
Smiling a little, the merchant commented on the absence of a certain B-rank
swordsman: “Abel’s going to face his own challenges moving forward.”
“Huh? Ohhh, so you think that Flamm-something person is going to bug him
too, huh...” Ryo replied with a small shake of his head.
He really should have finished the man off...
Though the idle thought flashed through his mind, he refrained from voicing it.
“Yes, now his fate is inevitably intertwined with the Flame Emperor’s, hm...”
Gekko said with a rueful smile.

◆◆◆
Once they finished eating breakfast, Gekko’s merchant caravan departed from
the border city of Redpost. It was situated in the eastern part of the Kingdom of
Knightley with the Principality of Inverey to its southeast border. The group crossed
the border, heading toward their destination, Inverey’s capital of Aberdeen.
A slight change was apparent in the caravan after leaving Redpost. Gekko led
the caravan from the cabman’s seat of the lead wagon while Max followed on foot.
Ryo and Sherfi now flanked the vehicle. Basically, the latter’s position had been
reassigned in order for the merchant to extract information from him. This was to
fulfill the promise they’d made in exchange for saving Sherfi’s life. And as the man’s
watchdog, Ryo ended up reassigned too.
“Uh,” Sherfi began, “I’m not sure how I feel about you...about you being my
chaperone, Ryo...”
“I see you have a complaint, Sherfi,” Ryo said, unbothered, as he continued to
walk.
“Well, there’s still a membrane of ice around my heart, right? Which
means...you can crush it whenever the fancy strikes you, doesn’t it?” Sherfi
continued uneasily.
“Who knows? I’ve never tried it, so I have no idea. Would you like me to make
an attempt?”
“No, thank you.”
The negotiations didn’t go well.
“Sherfi, did you know that the human body is over sixty percent water? And
this water permeates into every nook and cranny. Ergo, for a water magician,
there’s no need to specifically crush the heart when I can easily stop your
movements by freezing your tendons.”
“Urk... I can’t move my fingers...”
The second Ryo said it, Sherfi became unable to move his fingers.
“This means that even if you decide to return to your assassin ways, I can keep
you in check before you have the chance to hurt anyone.”
Satisfied, Ryo nodded over and over again.
In the meantime, Sherfi stared at him like he wasn’t human.
That was when Gekko, who’d been listening from his seat, came to the rescue.
“Sherfi, as long as you don’t do anything bad, Ryo won’t do anything at all. Isn’t
that right, Ryo?”
“Of course.” Ryo nodded emphatically.
 “There you have it, Sherfi. Wonderful news for you, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, Sherfi. You should be grateful to Master Gekko.”
Gekko smiled and so did Ryo.
To Sherfi, both smiles looked ominous.

The whole time they were on the move, Sher was being interrogated—er,
rather, encouraged to supply information. It went without saying that he was more
than happy to oblige as repayment for the tattoo removal that had saved his life. In
that regard, he wasn’t a bad man, even if he was a former assassin.
From the start, his primary objective assigned by the Sect’s headquarters had
been the destruction of Llandewi, the Kingdom’s second-largest city in the east. This
was why his first attack on Gekko’s merchant caravan had been during their
ambush on the city. It was also why he didn’t know about the prior attack on the
caravan by a different unit.
“While I do think the attack on Llandewi and the collapse of the Lowe Bridge
are connected, I’m having trouble understanding their ultimate goal. What do you
think it is?” Gekko asked.
“I’m frankly not sure either...” Sherfi replied. “Wait, Ryo, I really have no idea. I
swear it’s the truth. So, please, stop flexing your hand like that. It is literally not
good for my heart... However, including those two incidents, my superiors did
mention increasing subversive activities in the Kingdom’s eastern area.”
“Meaning your organization was contracted to perform these activities?”
“Correct. Based on the request itself, it was clear the client is a major player.
My superiors also mentioned the enormous sum we’d be paid upon completion as
well. In that light, few organizations are large and powerful enough to make such
contracts, don’t you think?”
“Then, it’s either the Federation or the Empire, eh...”
“My money is on the Debuhi Empire!”
Gekko came up with those two possible candidates after hearing Sherfi’s
explanation.
And as for Ryo, well, his reaction was over the top in a sense.

“The Sect has a base in Inverey too, doesn’t it?”

Sherfi grimaced in response to Gekko’s question. “Unfortunately...yes...”
He wasn’t quite selling out his comrades, since the merchant already
suspected. Even so, it made him uncomfortable. Anyone would feel the same if they
put the people who’d been their allies up until a few days ago in peril.
“Was that difficult to answer?”
“No! Not at all! No problem at all!”
Sherfi’s reaction seemed strangely dismissive in spite of Gekko’s gentle tone.
Perhaps it was because he had accepted the fact that he was now a traitor in the
eyes of his former comrades.
“The Sect has covert sites in every major city in the Principality. Each base
usually consists of three people. However, due to the capital’s relatively large size,
two platoons are stationed there, for a total of twenty individuals. I’ll reveal the
exact location once we arrive in Aberdeen.”
 Gekko nodded gravely. The biggest reason he’d made an ally of Sherfi was to
discover the locations of the Sect’s secret hideouts in the Principality.
“By the by, where is the Sect’s headquarters?”
“In the Kingdom of Knightley,” Sherfi answered Gekko’s question matter-of-
factly.
But as a resident of the Kingdom, Ryo couldn’t overlook this new piece of
information.
“Where in the Kingdom?!” he asked.
“I’ll tell you! I’ll answer whatever questions you have, Ryo, so please, for the
love of everything, stop squeezing your fist...”
Tears welled up in Sherfi’s eyes at the combination of Ryo’s aggressive question
and accompanying action.
“It’s in a small village in the east, about a day’s walk north of Wingston, the
largest city in the region. The name of the village is Aban and it’s situated atop a
mountain. Everyone who lives there belongs to the Sect.”
“The eastern part of the Kingdom... I never would have thought it’d be so
close...”
Sherfi’s answer astounded Ryo. Because up until today, they had been passing
through that very part of the country. He had battled the Sect of Assassins in
Whitnash with the members of Room 10, Nils, Eto, and Amon. The organization had
attacked their caravan multiple times. Given his current employment as an escort,
shouldn’t he crush them before they attacked again?
“If I weren’t in the middle of a job, I’d go destroy their headquarters right now!
Lucky for the Sect of Assassins, huh!” Ryo sounded frustrated.
“It scares me how easily I can imagine you doing just that,” Sherfi muttered in
response. Then he continued, as if suddenly remembering something. “Ryo, I fully
acknowledge the insane nature of your water magic but the Sect’s leader is
extraordinary as well. Be careful if you ever find yourself in a direct confrontation.”
“Sherfi, there’s something I want to confirm. You said that the tattoo inscribed
into your chest was done through alchemy, right?”
“I did say that, yes.”
“By the Sect’s leader then?”
“Yes. The leader excels in alchemy and earth magic.”
“Both skills I’d love to have!”
Of course, Ryo couldn’t very well acquire either of those skills after defeating
the head of the Sect. That wasn’t how things worked here on Phi. However, perhaps
the individual kept documents and such on the subject of alchemy... At the very
least, whatever technique used to create the tattoo wasn’t in any of the literature
Ryo had read in the library. Nothing similar existed within the little bit of elvish
alchemy Sera had taught him.
Speaking of the tattoo, Ryo kept it stored in an Ice Casket inside his usual
shoulder bag. Gekko had kindly given it to him when Ryo had asked if he could have
it as research material. The merchant told him to consider it special compensation
for the “surgery.”
The ideas spinning through Ryo’s mind made a maniac grin unconsciously cross
his face.
 Sherfi looked at him sidelong. “Look, Ryo...you are aware you can’t just acquire
magic and such just by defeating someone, right? Right, Ryo? You’re not special.
You must know that, right? Right?”
A lone former assassin jumping at shadows...

Gekko’s merchant caravan finished the entry procedures for the Principality of
Inverey without any issues. Mostly because Gekko himself was the most renowned
merchant in the nation, one who just so happened to be the unofficial trade advisor
to the prince himself. So, as members of his caravan, everyone basically had a free
pass into the country.
“I can’t believe a former assassin can just waltz right through the border...” The
words Ryo mumbled to himself were too loud to be considered a whisper.
“Emphasis on ‘former.’ Don’t forget that,” Sherfi protested fiercely.
Gekko smiled in amusement from his coachman’s seat while Max, the captain
of the merchant’s guard on foot, shook his head with a frown.
“Oh, I just remembered something I want to ask you, Sherfi... Master Gekko, is
it all right if I do so now?”
“Go on. I’ve already asked him all I want to know for the moment.”
Gekko’s questions always came first. Ryo understood that much. After all, it
was vital to prioritize your employer’s wishes.
“I feel naught but terror at the thought of your question, Ryo...”
When he heard Sherfi’s remark, Ryo deliberately twisted his expression into
exaggerated amazement.
“How could you say that when I’ve done so much for you until now, Sherfi... I’m
so hurt. Perhaps I should crush your heart at least once...”
“See! That right there! That’s what I’m afraid of! Since we’re on the subject,
why is there still an ice membrane around my heart even though the tattoo has
been carved out?”
“So we can act immediately in the event you betray us.”
“Ah, yes, of course... I knew you didn’t trust me, but...now I’m painfully aware
of exactly how much you don’t, Ryo.”
Sherfi hung his head despondently.
“Yes, well, may I ask my question now?”
“Right, right, feel free to blithely ignore my despair and ask away, good sir!”
Sherfi sounded half anguished at this point.
“Why did the Sect of Assassins stage that ambush in Whitnash?”
“Huh?” Sherfi looked genuinely dumbstruck by Ryo’s question. He wasn’t acting
at all. Even Max and Gekko were surprised by the change in him.
“R-Ryo... How do you know the Sect was responsible for that incident?”
“Wait, is my question really that odd?”
“Aside from the members who actually carried out the assignment, only leaders
like me should even know about it. So why do you know, Ryo?”
Sherfi’s expression had changed to a mixture of awe and anger. The former
because Ryo knew something he ought not to. The latter because someone divulged
information...so the anger must have been directed toward whoever it was.
 “Well, because I was there. Your target was the imperial princess, right? No
thanks to you and your comrades, my roommates ended up caught up in the
debacle... Though you’ll be pleased to know we did take the assassins down,” Ryo
answered nonchalantly.
“So you even know we were targeting the princess? Unfortunately, I’m sorry to
say that I don’t know the details. The leader’s close aide, Black, was the one who
spearheaded the entire operation. The scale of it was actually fairly large, but our
superiors didn’t see fit to tell us whether, or to what extent, it succeeded...”
Sherfi looked and sounded apologetic. As far as Ryo could tell, he didn’t seem
to be lying...
The attack in Whitnash targeted each nation’s VIPs, including the Empire’s
princess. On top of that, there’s the subversive activities in the Kingdom’s east...
It’s all just so insane. That’s the only thing I can think at this point...

After ten days, the group arrived in Aberdeen, the capital of Inverey. Strangely
enough, they hadn’t been attacked once since entering the principality. Almost as if
the enemy had other priorities. Be that as it may, the twenty-two-day-long escort
mission would soon end for Ryo and Rah and his party.

They stood in front of the main building of Gekko’s trading company in

Aberdeen.
“We arrived safely. Ryo and to all of you in Switchback, thank you so very
much.” Gekko bowed his head politely.
Ryo, Rah, and the others were a bit discomfited by seeing their employer like
this.
“My staff and I will head directly to the castle to deliver the goods. For this
reason, I’m afraid I can’t extend to you the hospitality I would like to. However, if
you enter the building, you’ll find a small token of my gratitude waiting for you.
Please accept it.”
With that, Gekko led the group consisting of Max and his other subordinates,
which now included Sherfi, to the prince’s castle.
Incidentally, it should be noted that the ice membrane surrounding Sherfi’s
heart had been completely eliminated. It went without saying that the man’s joy
knew no bounds when Ryo erased it.

After accepting Gekko’s token of gratitude, which turned out to be a small

bonus, Ryo and the members of Switchback were grinning from ear to ear.
“Lucky for us, huh, Rah? Despite being our leader, you really tried to leave Lune
for foreign lands without taking anything out of our guild account. Gosh, do you
know how dire our straits would have been if you’d gotten your way? We’d have
been forced to rely on this bonus just to get home to the Kingdom again and that
would have been impossible.”
“Look, I’m sorry, all right? I always forget we can only take money out of our
guild accounts inside the Kingdom and not outside it. Jeez, that really would have
been a close call. Nothing to our name but the clothes on our back.”
 Ryo’s ears picked up Sue and Rah’s conversation. When the content finally
registered in his brain, he slowly turned his head to stare at them like a rusty
contraption creaking to life again... His eyes were wide with horror.
“Ryo... No way... Don’t tell us you forgot to withdraw before we left?”
“O-Of course I did not. No. No, I did not.”
Ryo was expressionless...
“Ryo, how much money do you have on you?” Rah asked.
“One gold coin and two large copper coins...” Ryo answered.
“So 10,020 florins... You’re not going to be able to cross the border, are you?”
Sue summed things up.
Rah remembered something then. “Wait. Ryo, didn’t you say Master Gekko
gave you a special payment because you did well on the other job for him?”
Rah was referring to Ryo’s earlier capture of the assassin using his Ice Casket,
after which Max had carved the person’s tattoo out.
“Yes... It was one large gold coin...” Ryo replied.
“Oooh! That’s a hundred thousand florins right there! So...what happened to
it...?” Sue asked, impressed.
“I...deposited it into my account straightaway when we stayed in the next city
right after that incident...” Ryo’s head drooped dispiritedly.
“Ahhh...” All the members of Switchback commiserated sadly in unison.
Carrying a hundred thousand florins during an escort mission was too scary!
Any adventurer would agree with Ryo on that front... So none of them could criticize
him.
“H-How about I lend you some...?”
“No!” Ryo said firmly. “Absolutely not! The lending and borrowing of money is a
poison that destroys good relationships!”
“H-Heard...” Rah replied.
The scary expression on Ryo’s face was enough for him to back off.
“Then the most realistic way to return without borrowing funds is to accept a
job that takes you back to the Kingdom,” Sue suggested.
“I see!”
This was exactly what Ryo wanted to hear.
“The Principality is on good terms with the Kingdom and commerce between
the two is flourishing, so I think there should be plenty of escort jobs. Though the
final destination may be an issue...”
“Ugh. Please don’t say it’s the Debuhi Empire.”
“Of course not. Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind? I’ve
suspected it for a while now, but you really despite the Empire, don’t you, Ryo?
Anyway, I think the most likely destination is Wingston, the Kingdom’s largest city in
the east. It’s a little bit north of the East Highway we traveled down, which makes
getting to Lune in the south a bit tricky...”
“As the saying goes, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. As
long as I can cross the border, I can handle anything!”
Although Sue looked a bit apologetic, Ryo wasn’t bothered at all by a little issue
of geography. Because money wouldn’t be a problem so long as he was in the
Kingdom!
 “But there is a huge issue.”
“What is it?”
“Only D-ranks can accept jobs that cross international borders.”
Sue’s words stunned Ryo speechless.
“Those of us from Lune know how powerful you are, Ryo. Well...technically
speaking, we don’t know exactly how powerful you are, but we know you’re at least
higher than C-rank, so we can put in a good word for you just like we did for this job.
But that doesn’t apply in foreign countries, including here in Inverey,” Sue said with
a frown. She’d been reluctant to tell him this. Unfortunately, the truth is the truth.
“Thank you, Sue. I’ll start off by going to the guild to look for any jobs D-ranks
and above can accept that will take me across the border.”
With that, Ryo started walking aimlessly away.
“Riiight...you don’t know where the guild is, huh? We don’t either,” Sue said
sympathetically.
Indeed, no one here knew the location of Aberdeen’s adventurers’ guild.
A few moments later, after asking the staff at Gekko’s company where the guild
was, Ryo and the members of Switch headed there...

◆◆◆
The Crimson Sword, led by Abel, started walking west after their party and
Gekko’s merchant caravan went their separate ways in Redpost, the Kingdom’s
border city in the east. Their destination was Crystal Palace, the royal capital of the
Kingdom of Knightley.
“Darn it, you guys really don’t think it’s weird that the letter reached us in
Redpost and not Lune? Now we’re stuck going straight to the capital because of it,”
Lyn, the air magician, complained for the umpteenth time since their departure from
Redpost. It was a generally accepted fact that she had the least stamina out of the
four of them, which was a generally accepted fact.
“I’m not sure. But you can ask Master Hilarion yourself once we reach the
capital,” Rihya, the priestess, answered blithely. Her stamina wasn’t much better
than Lyn’s.
“Oh, come on! There’s a chance someone leaked internal information! I’m
positive someone among us is a traitor...”
“Lyn, you’re resembling Ryo more and more lately.”
“How?! And rude!”
Abel played the straight man to Lyn’s funny woman.

Just as the Crimson Sword had been about to depart Redpost, they’d received a
letter via the adventurers’ guild there. The missive had forced them to change their
destination from Lune to the royal capital. As usual, the letter’s author was Hilarion.
Using his guild connections, the man had found out the four of them were in
Redpost... However, they didn’t know this because he had deliberately left them in
the dark on that point.
“There’s nothing new about Master Hilarion and his penchant for letters, but
the contents of the latest one are unusual, to say the least,” Rihya noted as she
walked next to Abel.
 “Yeah. He told me to go see Brother, huh...”
Abel’s expression was clouded. It wasn’t because of his relationship with his
brother, but rather his suspicions about the letter’s contents. Since reading it, he’d
shaken his head countless times, trying to force himself to forget.
Intuiting Abel’s emotions, Rihya changed the subject. “Ryo and the others must
have already arrived in Aberdeen by now, hm?”
“I wonder.”
“Well, I hope they made it there safely.”
“Ryo did. I can at least say that for sure, knowing him. Although I gotta admit,
I’m curious about whether he’ll annihilate the Sect of Assassins at some point soon,
considering what a pain in the ass they’ve been...”
“Oh, yes, he froze the assassins charging toward us in the inn’s conference
room,” Rihya said, thinking back to the villains who had attacked them during
Sherfi’s operation.
“He did, before any of us could even blink,” Abel replied.
“Ah! That reminds me! I heard something a while back at the Institute for
Magical Research,” Lyn interjected. “You can’t ice a living person using water magic.
But Ryo actually did it. I suppose the question is how...”
“What? Are you sure about that? That’s really the norm for water magic?” Abel
asked.
“Of course, I am. I know what I heard. Because if it were possible, people would
specialize in that specific technique, which would make them practically invincible
in combat,” Lyn answered without hesitation.
“Apparently, a property unique to humans means other people’s magic can’t
penetrate past ten centimeters of the body’s surface. Magical Barrier seems to be
an extension of that property,” Lyn explained.
“You know, we did learn that in the Temple too,” Rihya added. “That’s why they
say that healing through light magic is most effective while touching the target’s
body.”
“Does that ten-centimeter limit apply to people like me too who can’t use
magic?” Abel couldn’t help but wonder as a swordsman unable to use magic.
“Yup, it does.” Lyn nodded vigorously.
“But Ryo is able to freeze them...while keeping them alive. That’s crazy,” Abel
muttered, almost to himself.
“It is terrifying when you actually think about it...” Lyn said with a shake of her
head.
“You know he tried to freeze the imperial princess before?” Abel murmured.
“I’m not surprised.” Lyn inclined her head gravely. “If a war ever breaks out
between the Kingdom and the Empire, there is zero doubt in my mind that Ryo will
be the reason.”
“Ugh, please no. I don’t even wanna imagine that...”

◆◆◆
About a thousand kilometers south of Markdorf, the capital of the Debuhi
Empire, a party of seven was heading south on the highway.
“Roman, are we really going to the Kingdom of Knightley?”
 “Yes. I find myself very curious about this water magician Oscar mentioned.”
“Sheesh, Gordon, how many days have you asked him the same thing... We’re
literally almost at the border to the Kingdom, you know?”
Gordon, the fire magician of the Hero’s party, was itching to return home to the
Western Provinces. However, Roman the Hero wanted to become even stronger, so
here they were on another journey. Meanwhile, Morris, the scout, was fed up with
Gordon’s grumbling.
“Well, I for one ain’t a fan of the cold, so I couldn’t agree more about heading
south.”
“You’re right. I myself would much rather be warm than cold.”
Both Berlocke, the dwarven earth magician, and Alicia, the air magician, hated
cold climates, so they were in agreement with Roman about going to the Kingdom
of Knightley, which lay south of the Empire.
Then there were the enchanter Ashkhan—who had remained silent this whole
time—and their negotiator Graham who was also the oldest of the group. The latter
had been sighing internally for myriad reasons. The Hero’s party had stayed at the
imperial magical training center for quite some time—to grow stronger through
training, of course... Never mind the fact that it had been mostly Roman’s decision.
The original purpose of the Hero’s party was to “defeat the demon king.” For
this reason, they received funds and other assistance primarily from the Western
Provinces’ official channels to carry out their activities. Many reports of a demon
king’s appearance had come from the eastern region of the Western Provinces.
That was why they’d constructed an artificial altar and laid a trap before. The
results? Not a demon king but an akuma named Leonore. Things went terribly awry
from that point onward, leading to the Hero’s party’s current presence in the Central
Provinces’ Debuhi Empire.
“I guess I have to admit we got stronger thanks to all the training we did at that
division...” Gordon admitted reluctantly.
“We certainly did!” Roman exclaimed. “It’s only natural to improve when you
train with strong people!”
The sole principle driving him at the moment was his single-minded
determination to become stronger.
“But we don’t even know the name of this mysterious water magician,” Morris
remarked.
“Yes...” Roman lowered his head. “In the end, Oscar refused to tell us...”
“I fervently hope we can acquire vital information in the royal capital...”
Graham murmured. Frankly, the oldest member of their group was loath to waste
any more time on this venture. But he did appreciate Roman’s spirited motivation,
so it made guiding the party difficult at times. At the very least, he didn’t want to
waste more time than necessary gathering information...

An Escort Mission

At the adventurers’ guild in Aberdeen, Ryo approached an open counter.

 “Welcome. How may I help you today?”
“Hello, I’m an adventurer from the Kingdom of Knightley.”
He showed the receptionist his guild card.
“Ryo, a D-rank adventurer from Knightley. So how can I help you?”
“I’m wondering if you have any escort jobs headed toward the Kingdom.”
“I see. Yes, we do have a few, in fact... However, I regret to inform you they’re
all for ranks C and above.”
“I thought as much...”
Though apologetic, the woman was unable to fulfill his wish, which Ryo had
expected anyway. Well, technically speaking, Sue had expected as much.
Depression hit him then.
Is my only option to borrow money from Rah...? It’s my fault for being so
careless in the first place... I suppose I have no other choice...
Although asking a friend for money went against his beliefs, it was better than
causing more trouble for other people. It would be fine as long as he endured it...or
so he thought. Then someone called out from behind him.
“You must be pretty good if you’re a D-rank at such a young age, right? So how
about you tag along with me to Knightley on an escort job?”
When Ryo turned around in surprise, he saw a man in his mid-thirties who
looked like the archetypal adventurer.
The receptionist looked questioningly at the man. “Cohn?”
“Yeah, I’m talking about that job. His build fits the requirements almost exactly.
Honestly, I was on the verge of losing hope, so this must be God smiling down on
us.”
“Ummm...?” Ryo had absolutely no idea what was happening. Was the request
strange? Was his potential employer suspicious? His face must have betrayed his
thoughts because the receptionist soon spoke up to explain.
“Don’t worry, this commission is an official one through the adventurers’ guild.
The guild master has also told us receptionists to do our best to see it fulfilled. And
Cohn here is in charge of coordinating the adventurers for escort missions.”
Ryo stared at the man while listening to her. Cohn must have heard what she
was saying because he nodded in agreement several times.
“However, while it is an escort request,” Cohn said once she had finished,
“you’ll be the one being escorted.”
His words confused Ryo even more. “Come again?” he asked.
Cohn told him he would impart the details on the way, so he encouraged Ryo to
board the waiting coach. The members of Switchback saw them off...
Cohn thought Ryo was perfect, but whatever the plan was, it wouldn’t work
without the client’s approval. This was why he’d asked Ryo to go with him
immediately. Since they were due to depart tomorrow morning, they only had today
to determine whether he was the right fit for the job.
So Ryo sat in the coach with him as it sped along to their destination.
“In short, you want me to act as this aristocrat’s body double and travel with
you to the royal capital.”
“That’s right. Meals are included and you won’t have to walk since we’ll be
using the coach as transportation. Once we reach the royal capital, you’ll be
rewarded five hundred thousand florins. What do you think? Good terms, right?”
Ryo couldn’t deny that... But it seemed a little too good to be true, which meant
there had to be plenty of others who wanted the job as well...
“First, the body double has to be someone practically indistinguishable at a
distance. And that rules out a lot of adventurers simply because of their burly
builds...”
“Ah, yes, I am a slender adventurer, comparatively speaking.”
“Exactly. Oh, I’m not insulting you or anything. Based on what I can see, you’re
a magician, right? Many magicians look like you, but that doesn’t mean there’s a
correlation between looks and power.”
Cohn’s reassurances alone showed he wasn’t a bad person. During their
conversation, the coach arrived in front of a conspicuously massive gate.
“Where are we?”
“This is the official residence of the Prince of Inverey. The client lives here. See,
more proof of this request’s legitimacy.”
It definitely looked like a castle belonging to the sovereign of a principality,
which meant the client was either part of the royal family or a high-ranking noble.
No one looked inside their carriage as it passed through the gate and into the castle
grounds.

After passing through several more gates, they disembarked from the carriage
at a corner lined with official residences and guesthouses.
“Our destination is the second floor of that guesthouse.”
With that, Cohn led the way and Ryo followed.
Before he could even enter the building, however, he had a surprising
encounter with a familiar face.
“Ryo, is that you?”
“Ah, hello, Master Gekko.”
It was Gekko, to whom he’d said goodbye earlier after completing his job for
the merchant.
“Why are you here, Ryo?”
“I accepted a request heading to the Kingdom...”
“Oh, you’re returning already? You should enjoy what the Principality has to
offer a bit more first.”
“I would love to, but unfortunately, I have my own reasons for going home.”
The main one being the dire financial straits I’m in...
Ryo talked to Gekko while crying on the inside.

After Gekko said his goodbyes and left, Ryo and Cohn entered the guesthouse.
“So you and Master Gekko are acquainted, Ryo?”
Curiosity had gotten the better of Cohn.
“Yes, we are. He contracted me and a few other adventurers in Lune to escort
him and his caravan here to Aberdeen. We actually only arrived not long ago.”
Cohn nodded eagerly in understanding, as if pleased by his own good
judgment... At least that was how it felt to Ryo. When they reached the second floor,
they walked toward the room at the very end of the hallway.
 “It’s me, Cohn.” He knocked on the door.
“Come in,” a voice within called out.
The two of them stepped into a parlor with two adjoining rooms. In modern
Earth parlance, the whole space would be described as a suite in a luxury hotel.
A young man of around sixteen sat in one of the chairs while what could only
be described as an elderly manservant past sixty stood diagonally behind him. The
boy must be the aristocrat Cohn had mentioned. While he wasn’t reed thin, he did
in fact have a slender frame. His aura resembled Ryo’s too. He had soft, gentle
features, chestnut-brown hair, and deep gray eyes that were close to black in color.
If he’d been a young lady, he definitely would have aroused anyone’s
protective instincts.
“Your Highness, Mr. Rodrigo, I’ve found the perfect person for the job. This is
Master Ryo, a D-rank adventurer from the Kingdom of Knightley. He was in the guild
looking for a job heading to the Kingdom when I chanced upon him. Moreover, by
sheer coincidence, he also happens to be acquainted with Master Gekko, this
country’s foremost merchant, for whom he just completed an escort mission. He’s
trustworthy in that sense too. I already gave him a basic outline of your request.”
“I’m Ryo,” he said with a bow.
“Hm.”
That was the only thing the old man, Mr. Rodrigo presumably, said before he
looked Ryo up and down. Then he nodded firmly.
“The perfect person indeed. Truth be told, I’d all but given up since we’re due to
depart tomorrow. But you found him in the nick of time, eh? Right then. Allow me to
make the formal introductions. Master Ryo, this is Prince Willie of the Monarchy of
Joux. We’re traveling to Knightley’s capital because he’ll be studying abroad in the
Kingdom. As such, we would like to hire your services as his bodyguard on the
journey. Will you accept?”
“Yes, I...”
“Stop right there, old man,” His Highness Willie interjected before Ryo could
answer. “That explanation isn’t nearly enough. You need to be clear with him about
the dangerous parts of the job.”
“But, Your Highness...” Frowning, Rodrigo looked at Cohn, who was also
frowning. Apparently, there was some kind of problem.
“If you two won’t tell him, I will. Master Ryo, was it? Frankly, this job is an
extremely dangerous one. You will not be the first to be employed as my body
double. When I left my country, the guild there recommended an adventurer whose
stature matched mine. However, we were attacked by villains en route and he was
abducted... His corpse was discovered several days later...”
Frustration, deep and painful, oozed from every word Prince Willie said. He
clearly blamed himself for the adventurer’s death because of the role he’d played as
his double.
“His sacrifice allowed us to put some distance between me and my enemies so
we could reach Aberdeen. However...I cannot guarantee we won’t be ambushed
again. Ergo, this commission is an extremely dangerous one to undertake.”
Ryo nodded after hearing Willie’s explanation. “I see...”
 Neither Cohn nor Rodrigo had lied during their own explanations; they had
simply omitted the most difficult aspect of the job. They must have thought Ryo
would turn them down if he knew and they hadn’t wanted to risk it since they were
desperate. Although what they’d done was terrible, it also unfortunately wasn’t an
uncommon tactic. It just proved the lengths they’d go to in order to acquire a
believable doppelgänger for the prince in front of him.
“I do have a question, if you don’t mind...” Ryo said, deciding to be forthright.
Prince Willie nodded. “Ask away.”
“Your Highness, Mr. Rodrigo said you’re on your way to the royal capital to
study abroad, yes...? If the journey is such a perilous one, have you considered
canceling your foreign exchange?”
For a moment, a sardonic expression flashed across Willie’s face upon hearing
Ryo’s question. “That is not an option. Though academics are the official pretext for
my going to Kingdom, the fact is, I’m essentially being sent as a hostage to
Knightley. If I don’t go, my country will suffer terribly... So, I simply can’t call a halt
to the journey just because my life is in danger.”
A person being sent as a hostage who risked being kidnapped on the way.
Just like Tokugawa Ieyasu...
That was the first thing Ryo thought of after listening to Willie’s words.
Takechiyo (who would later be known as Tokugawa Ieyasu) was sent to the Imagawa
household as a hostage but captured en route, then sent to the Oda family in Owari.
So the story goes. Yet Takechiyo formed a deep bond there with the young Oda
Nobunaga and the two would later change the whole country. History was a strange
and wondrous thing.
At present, because Prince Willie didn’t know his enemies’ intentions toward
him, it was only natural he would expect them to attack again. However...
“Thank you very much for the thorough explanation, Your Highness. But I am
me and I must return to Knightley no matter what. As a D-rank adventurer, I don’t
really have any other jobs I can take which will allow me to cross the border. So the
fact that this one practically fell into my lap is a stroke of luck for me. I understand
the danger and even knowing it exists, I would like to accept this commission.”
“Whoa!” Rodrigo and Cohn exclaimed in unison.
“Is that right? Then I thank you in advance, Master Ryo.”
Prince Willie shook his hand with a smile.

After that, Ryo went back to the guild to let Rah and his party know he’d found
a job. However, he wouldn’t be able to return to Lune for a while yet because he
was bound for the royal capital first, which was why he asked them to do two things
for him: the first was to inform the staff at Lune’s adventurers’ guild of his delay;
the second was to deliver a letter he’d written to Sera, who lived on the margrave’s
estate.
In contrast to Rah’s surprise, Sue casually plucked the letter from Ryo’s hand
and promised him she’d hand it over to Sera herself. Her firm nod left a strong
impression on him. He didn’t know why she did any of that...but either way, he
might have misunderstood something big.
 Thus began his job to escort Prince Willie to Knightley’s capital.

◆◆◆
Ryo had spent the night in the room next to Prince Willie’s in the guest house.
“Please wear these clothes,” Rodrigo said the morning after. “They’re tailored in
a fashion similar to His Highness’s. Additionally, whenever you leave the carriage,
please make sure to wear a hooded robe or something like it to cover your face.”
“Then why don’t I wear my usual robe to do that?”
Ryo showed Rodrigo the robe he always wore, the one the Dullahan had gifted
to him.
“Perfect. Then please use that to hide your face. You should be inside the coach
when we’re on the move. On those occasions we’ll have to camp outside, I’ll set up
a tent for you and His Highness.”
“Understood.”
Their entire procession consisted of one box-shaped carriage, three cargo
wagons, four escorts from the Monarchy of Joux, six adventurers from the
Principality of Inverey, Prince Willie, Rodrigo, and Ryo.
I sort of feel like that’s not enough to move a prince... Well, not like I know how
these things work anyway.
“You think this isn’t enough, don’t you?”
Ryo flinched when he heard the voice behind him say exactly what was on his
mind.
“N-Not at all...”
“It’s fine. You happen to be correct, by the way. Our entourage is not nearly
large enough for a member of a royal family. However, my country is by no means
wealthy or powerful, not to mention I’m the eighth son,” Willie said with a bitter
smile.
“The eighth son...” Ryo meanwhile didn’t know what to say in response.
“You’re probably aware that it’s best for royals to have as many children as
possible to ensure the continuation of the bloodline. But...once the number of
princes reaches eight, there are few prospects for him after he reaches adulthood.
He’s left to either enter the knighthood or the magical corps, or find some other way
to earn a living. Sure, they may be granted property, but it’s usually nothing more
than a royal estate or some such to be cared for... With not many in the way of staff,
to boot. In that situation, I’d be responsible for earning my own keep, both in terms
of food and lodgings...” Prince Willie’s bitter smile remained firmly in place.
“What a harsh world we live in,” Ryo lamented. To be forced to earn his own
money despite being a prince... Clearly, the young man had his own troubles to deal
with.
“Oh, but Inverey has generously lent us the aid of two platoons of knights, for a
total of twenty bodyguards, as far as the border.”
The likelihood of an attack within the principality seemed extremely low.

Once they began traveling, Willie and Ryo talked about all sorts of things inside
the coach. Rodrigo was the only one inside the vehicle besides them and the elderly
manservant hardly spoke unless it was necessary. As such, Prince Willie had spent
most of his travels until now bored out of his mind.
During their journey together, Willie dropped the “Master” and simply called
him “Ryo.” They spent a very long time inside the carriage, just the two of them. It
was no wonder then that they would open up to each other naturally.

His Highness was fifteen years old and would be attending the Kingdom of
Knightley’s Royal Institute of Higher Learning as a foreign exchange student. The
school was for royalty and nobility, meaning children of those houses from other
countries were also enrolled in addition to him.
The fact that my build resembles a teenage prince’s is...proof that Mongoloids
look young after all, hm? Ryo thought.
In reality, though he seemed slender, if you touched him, you’d realize he was
actually pretty muscular. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to wield a sword, so this
was really just stating the obvious.
As for Prince Willie, swordsmanship was apparently not one of his strong suits.
“I can use a bit of magic,” he explained, downcast, “but even so, one can’t
really say I have an aptitude for it. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising since Joux is
considered an undeveloped country when it comes to magic...”
“But the important thing is you can use magic. If you train every day, you’ll
increase your mana supply and improve your magical control too.”
Willie’s eyes sparkled excitedly at Ryo’s advice. “Truly?!”
“Yes. I was terrible at it in the beginning, but I practiced every day.”
A faraway look entered Ryo’s eyes as he reminisced on the time he’d spent in
the Forest of Rondo. Never mind that not even six months had passed since his
departure.
“Perhaps there’s hope for me yet then. You see, I’ve always been told I don’t
have a talent for it...”
“Your Highness...talent, or lack thereof, is irrelevant. What matters is effort.
Effort is everything. A long time ago there was a champion who espoused this value.
He persevered to the point that he won many title matches and found himself
ranked at the top by the end of his illustrious career.”
“That sounds so awe-inspiring...”
While Prince Willie didn’t quite seem to understand the concept of title
matches, he did understand that the individual in question achieved his goals
through effort.
Except I personally think just the fact he can use magic means he has some
talent... Right... Ryo thought.
“By the way, Your Highness, which element do you have an affinity for?”
“Water...” Willie replied, his gaze shifting to the floor. He’d been taught that his
abilities were useless in war and not good enough in general to contribute to his
country’s well-being. However, his words and attitude only roused the sympathy of
the other water magician inside the vehicle.
“Wow! I’m a water magician too! You can do amazing things with water magic
as long as you train yourself!”
Wille jerked his head up, a happy smile on his face now. “Truly?!”
That look made Rodrigo happy as well.
 “To tell you the truth, I was a bit shocked too when I first learned I was a water
magician. I worried it was inferior to the flashiness of fire magic, the advantage of
air magic, and the practicality of earth magic, especially since with the last you can
make houses and structures.”
Willie nodded emphatically as he listened to Ryo.
“Thankfully, I ended up being wrong. Water magic is in no way inferior to the
others. While it does require a significant degree of training, honestly, I now think
none of the other magics can even come close in usefulness. I can say that with
complete confidence. Water magicians are incredible!”
“Ooohhh!!!”
Ryo, the demagogue, was in charge: “When we make camp for the night, I’ll
show you all sorts of neat techniques.”
“I can’t wait!”

That night, in his tent situated in the center of the group’s camp, Prince Willie
began his training. At present, the only spell he could use was Water Creation.
“O water, source of life, come forth. Water Creation.”
Water burst forth from his right hand and fell into the pail placed on the floor.
The incantation feels...different...
“Your Highness, may I ask about the incantation...?”
“Evidently, it’s unique to my country.”
“I see...”
It was definitely different from the incarnation Gekko’s young staff had used.
Theirs was specific to the Principality.
“If you tell me what they chant in the Kingdom, I’ll do my very best to practice
it!”
Determination filled the young prince’s face. Unfortunately for him...
“Your Highness, incantations are mere decorations. You don’t need them.”
“Huh...” His expression, so full of resolve, froze then.
Water.
When Ryo chanted the word in his mind, water sprung forth from his right hand
and splashed into the pail.
“You said nothing, yet water still came out...”
“That’s right. Once upon a time, someone taught me the root of magic when I
asked him how it works. He said, ‘The crux of magic relies on the user’s ability to
produce an image in their mind. A clear image. After that, it’s just a matter of
gaining experience.’”
“An image...”
“Exactly, an image. How clearly can you visualize the image in your mind? If
you can do that, then you can make magic without ever saying a word,” Ryo replied,
deliberately infusing his words with gravitas. He just felt like it would be cooler that
way.
“I’ll try it!”
Prince Willie thrust his right hand out, closed his hands, and concentrated
intently on whatever he saw in his mind. But nothing happened.
 “Your Highness, please open your eyes and look at your hand. Imagine water
falling from your palm.”
Willie did as Ryo instructed. This time, he thrust his right hand forward with his
eyes open. A few moments later...water came out of his hand.
“I did it!”
“Yes, you did! Well done!”
It’s important to praise someone when they succeed. This is the tried-and-true
method of teaching.
After that, Willie produced water from his hand over and over again...then he
collapsed once his mana ran out.
 On the eighth night after leaving Aberdeen, their group stayed at an inn in
Rednall, one of the Principality’s border cities. As part of his job being Willie’s body
double, Ryo stayed in the same room as the young prince. Fortunately, His Highness
was busy practicing his magic tonight as well. Having said that, it had only been a
mere eight days since he first started engaging in Ryo-style Magic Training, which
meant there wasn’t dramatic progress in his abilities. Incidentally, that was the
provisional name Ryo had given to his methods.
Once Willie became proficient at generating water, Ryo taught him to create a
barrier made of ice, i.e., an Ice Wall. Despite being the eighth son, Willie was still a
prince, one who would be living in a foreign country indefinitely. Accordingly, Ryo
had decided the boy needed to be able to protect himself through his own power.
What made things worse was his relative lack of experience with
swordsmanship. To the contrary however, the prince could actually use a sword,
more or less. Of course, he was no match for seasoned knights, but Willie was good
enough with a sword to win against the likes of brigands and such. This was the
conclusion Ryo had come to when he’d asked the boy to demonstrate his skill with a
sword.
As his water magic disciple, Ryo was a strict teacher in all facets of Willie’s
education.
“Your Highness, I think it’s about time for a break...”
“Just a little longer! I feel like I almost have it.”
“You said the same thing last night before you exhausted your supply of
magical energy and collapsed...”
“Just a little... Ah...”
Willie’s legs gave out then.
“Your Highness, I hate to say this, but...I told you so.”
His water magic disciple was so full of motivation that his teacher had to force
him to stop... Meaning there was no need for said teacher to be so strict in the first
place...

Ryo laid Willie down in his bed, then went to the living room next door. Cohn
and Rodrigo were inside. The former had spread a map out on the table.
“Master Ryo, how fares His Highness?”
“He fell asleep after running out of mana.”
“I see,” Rodrigo replied with a smile before pouring tea for Ryo. The man never
got angry at his lord’s body double for pushing him to the point of exhaustion.
The first time Prince Willie had collapsed, Ryo apologized. In response, Rodrigo
had said, “I can’t even remember the last time His Highness dedicated himself to a
task so arduously... This old man couldn’t be happier.”
Being the eighth son of his family meant the boy had led a somewhat gloomy
life thus far back home. Moreover, his overly gentle personality and his anxiety of
causing trouble for others had made him even quieter and more docile.
In light of such a past, studying abroad was perhaps a good opportunity for
Prince Willie. It could even become a turning point in his life. Rodrigo had come to
believe this over their journey thus far and divulged all this to Ryo as well.
Cohn turned his attention away from the map to the water magician. “Ryo,
we’re crossing the border tomorrow afternoon. That’s as far as Inverey’s knights will
accompany us.”
“In short, the real show starts tomorrow, hm?” Ryo nodded in understanding.
 What Cohn left unsaid was that moving forward, they could no longer allow the
prince to expend his magic to the point of exhaustion. He needed to save his
magical energy in case of an attack. Misfortune often came at one’s weakest
moment in time.
“We’re staying in another city tomorrow night, right?”
“Not just tomorrow night, but every night until this journey ends.”
“Huh? Really?”
The news surprised Ryo, who’d assumed most of the trip would be spent
camping outside. In fact, he felt like that was par for the course thinking back to his
escort missions so far.
“Once we cross the border, the Kingdom’s Second Highway goes all the way to
the royal capital and that’s what we’re taking. It’s the most popular trade route in
the eastern part, surpassing even the East Highway. Naturally, cities and larger
villages are scattered along the way. I hate to say this, but it isn’t like the
Principality at all. The Kingdom’s road infrastructure is testament to its status as
one of the three major powers in the region.”
After that, Cohn rattled off the list of the cities they’d be staying in, but Ryo
didn’t know a single one of them. Of course he didn’t. Apart from the East Highway
he’d traveled along with Gekko’s merchant caravan, the only place he knew along
the Second Highway was the city of Redpost, a border settlement near both roads.
And they would be passing by completely early tomorrow morning.
After thanking Rodrigo for the tea, Ryo thought out loud: “Staying in proper
cities should reduce the possibility of an attack, right?”
“At the very least, it’ll be much lower than camping outside. Unfortunately,
there’s also the chance of being attacked in broad daylight. Despite the highway
being a major one, that doesn’t mean it’s always busy with travelers. In fact, it
would be a real nuisance if they attacked us as we passed them by,” Cohn
answered him while glaring at the map.
Just like how Sherfi and his men had attacked Gekko’s group by pretending to
be a passing caravan themselves, other villains could use the same tactic to their
advantage against Prince Willie and his entourage. Ryo had been able to detect the
bad guys from a distance back then because of the transmitter he’d implanted into
one of them, but that wasn’t going to work in normal circumstances. He didn’t even
know who they were up against, so he had to be on high alert at all times. Even
though it was his job, being an escort was hard work.

◆◆◆
“I once told my father I wanted to be an adventurer,” Prince Willie said to Ryo
after they’d safely crossed the border into the Kingdom of Knightley.
“Oh...wow.”
“They live on their own terms... In my mind, adventurers symbolized freedom
to me. That’s what I told my father, but he looked so sad and apologetic when he
replied. He said: ‘Those born to royalty must carry the responsibility thrust upon
them simply because of the misfortune of birth. They can never shirk it either.’ So
he couldn’t allow me to become an adventurer. Honestly, I didn’t really understand
what he meant when he told me. However, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything
more unreasonable in the face of his sadness...”
“Carrying a responsibility just because you were born into the role...”
In Ryo’s case in his old life, he had willingly taken on the responsibility. Still, he
felt that he could relate to Willie, even just a little.
“With each and every action you take...you have a responsibility to many
people, from those you command and their families, to all the people living in your
country. It extends even to the people in other countries related to them...” Ryo
murmured.
Prince Willie stared at him in surprise. “Th-That’s right! You’re an adventurer
yourself, right, Ryo? I’m sorry, I’m just a little startled. When I mentioned this to
another adventurer in the past, he said, ‘If you hate it that much, say to hell with it
and just abandon your position.’ All I could do was chuckle awkwardly... But you’re
different, Ryo.”
In his life in Japan, Ryo could not have simply thrown away his own
responsibilities. So a small part of him—a very, very small part of him—understood
what Willie was going through...

◆◆◆
Three days after entering the Kingdom of Knightley, Prince Willie’s entourage
left the city of Barsham and went back on the Second Highway leading to the royal
capital.
“Our dinner last night...what did you call it again? Hamburg steak? It was
absolutely exquisite. The juicy meat combined with that sublime sauce made for a
superb first experience... Let’s just say I was impressed by the culinary offering of a
great country.”
“I know, right?!”
Inside the box-shaped coach, His Highness waxed passionately about the
dinner they’d eaten last night in the inn’s dining hall. And Ryo nodded along
happily, as if he had been personally involved in the cooking.
“Thank you for recommending it, Ryo. If I hadn’t tried it myself, I know I would
have regretted it for a very long time.”
“I expected nothing less of you, Your Highness. You know what they say: food is
the privilege of royalty and deliciousness is justice. Please, enjoy all the delicious
things here in the Kingdom.”
Ryo’s head bobbled enthusiastically as he found himself caught up in Willie’s
deep delight.

But it wasn’t long before this peace was suddenly destroyed by the warning blip
of Ryo’s Passive Sonar. He opened the carriage window and immediately informed
Cohn, who was riding alongside them on a horse. This time, all the bodyguards and
adventurers were on horseback. Just in case they needed the speed to make a quick
escape.
As for their opponents on this occasion...
“Cohn, they’re going to attack us from all directions.”
The villains had tightened the net around them, cutting off their escape routes,
almost as if they knew they were all on horseback.
 “Shit,” Cohn swore. “Do you know how many?”
“Ten circling us in the vicinity. Five more advancing in our direction from farther
in the forest, who are either ambush or reserve troops... In any case, they aren’t
with the ten yet.”
“So fifteen in total... That’s a lot.”
Grimacing, Cohn fell into thought. Ryo was concerned about the five acting
separately from the main group of ten. It felt to him like they were directing the
others from their location... In situations like this one, it was common for
commanders to be present.
“Ryo, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but can you draw the enemy away a bit from
us? You don’t have to defeat them. If it looks like you can’t rendezvous with us
again, you are free to leave, as we’ve already crossed into the Kingdom.”
“I’ll be fine. If they attack me, I’ll wait for the right moment to break away by
pretending to be His Highness. When I do, I’ll lead them away from the group. As for
the five in the forest... Please signal me if they get too close. Once the number of
enemies decreases, please speed up and escape to Wingston.”
Cohn had been loath to suggest his own plan, but hearing Ryo’s revised version
startled him even more.
“No, I can’t ask you to do that...”
“I told you, I’ll be fine. Don’t stop until you reach Wingston.”
“Understood.”

A short time later, someone shouted, “Enemy attack!” from the left side of their
procession of vehicles and riders. Ryo wore his usual robe with the hood pulled up.
At a glance, you couldn’t tell who he was.
Prince Willie and Rodrigo had been silent for a while now because they knew
what would come next after listening to Ryo and Cohn’s conversation.
Ryo peeked outside through the window. The people charging toward them
looked familiar...
“The Sect of Assassins?”
They did indeed look like the black-clad members of the deadly organization.
However...not every potential attacker was part of a clandestine group of
assassins... After all, there must be other folks whose livelihoods depended on
raiding and such.
“Ryo...”
Tears pooled in Willie’s eyes as he called out to Ryo. Perhaps the prince was
seeing his previous body double in Ryo, the one whose death he blamed on himself.
“Your Highness, I promise I’ll be fine. Please, just make sure you get to
Wingston safely.”
Then they finally heard Cohn’s voice.
“Your Highness, flee.”
“Off I go! Good luck!”
With those words, Ryo opened the carriage door and jumped outside. Before he
completely cleared the vehicle, he closed the door behind him so no one could look
inside. Then he veered off the road and raced into the forest. He checked the
number of people chasing him via Passive Sonar.
 Seven, huh...
Of the ten that had initially assaulted them, he’d managed to draw away more
than half. Prince Willie had four bodyguards and six C-rank adventurers. Ten of them
against three assassins should put the odds of winning solidly in their favor. Besides,
their main goal was ensuring the prince’s escape.
The only remaining problem was what the five in the forest would do... So Ryo
made his decision...

By now, Ryo must have put roughly two kilometers between him and the coach.
Twelve people now chased him, including the five that had been waiting in the
forest. This might be because Ryo deliberately chose an escape route that took him
very close to where he’d detected them from the carriage. So the five chased him,
which confirmed his suspicion of them being a detached force...
We should be plenty far enough away now.
Ryo saw his opportunity to make his move and pretended to stumble in a small
clearing in the forest. He went down dramatically. His twelve pursuers came to a
halt there too.
A man among the forest five who seemed to be the commander stood in front
of Ryo. He must have been the most capable one because his aura was a little
different from the rest. They surrounded him loosely at a distance, then gradually
shifted into a tighter circle and began to move in until they had him completely
surrounded. If they were going to kidnap him, it was only natural they cut off any
means of escape.
Ice Armor.
He covered himself in an ultrathin armor made of ice while observing the
attackers closely.
Okay, I’m almost positive they’re part of the Sect of Assassins...
The attackers were dressed in all black in the same manner as members of
Sherfi’s former organization.
They took down the Lowe Bridge, destroyed a city, attacked Master Gekko, and
now they’re trying to abduct a prince... Gosh, the Sect sure has its dirty little fingers
in pies all over the world, huh?
Ryo’s relaxed thoughts were completely unsuited for the situation at hand. In
the meantime, the villains completed their encirclement.
Excellent timing. Ice Wall.
He chanted the spell in his mind. A transparent wall of ice formed around the
circle of attackers.
“Now none of you can run away.”
The twelve villains were trapped. All of his efforts in luring them here would
have gone to waste if he’d let them escape at this point.
Ryo unsheathed Murasame and generated the ice blade.
“Here I go.”
Ryo lunged at the commander standing in front of him. Realizing it was
dangerous to parry the ice blade with his knife, the man evaded using his whole
body. Ryo swung his sword down, then suddenly changed it into an upward,
diagonal slash with a flick of his left hand.
 “Gah!”
Unable to defend himself in time, the man found himself hit in his left side by
the back of Murasame’s blade. He promptly fainted in agony. A quickly reversed cut,
so to speak, albeit an unpolished one.
“I’m too slow... I can’t believe Sasaki Kojiro did that with a clothesline rod.
Amazing.”
At first, Ryo had been planning to kill them all, but he wanted to confirm
something, so he decided not to. Since they were assassins, he wouldn’t have had
many misgivings even if he did kill them.
“Jeez, I think I felt a lot more when I took down that one-eyed assassin hawk...”
While Ryo mumbled to himself, the remaining eleven attackers became unable
to move. They were completely intimidated by the unexpectedly terrifying sword.
A useless blade and magic that could only produce a stream of water—that was
the extent of the information they’d received about Prince Willie. Yet here he was
taking down their comrade without the man ever landing a single blow. It was more
than enough to intimidate them.
Ryo charged to the next attacker and thrust thrice, to the neck, chest, and neck
again. On the third one, he maneuvered the blade sideways, and slashed
horizontally in the direction the attacker dodged. Of course, since it was another hit
with the flat of the blade, the attacker didn’t die... Something must have gone
wrong with his breathing because he lay there facedown, coughing violently.
“This isn’t working at all... Did the Shinsengumi really manage these
techniques...”
It was a sword technique based on Ryo’s random knowledge. The Tennen
Rishin-ryu style known for its use by the Shinsengumi is famous for its three-step
thrust. But in reality, it consists of several successive techniques, such as the fourth
and fifth steps. However, there was no way Ryo could know that...
“My knowledge really is too superficial.”
After muttering to himself, he cast a spell.
“I’m taking all of you captive for now. Ice Casket 12.”
All twelve froze instantly.
“Now then...”
He exposed the left side of the nine men’s chests inside the ice.
“Yes...they all have a crest with a double-headed eagle with a sword thrusting
through it.”
Ryo had just wanted to confirm what he’d already suspected. There was no
deeper meaning for his action. From now on, if he could check their chests to
identify if a person was a member of the Sect of Assassin. He had managed to
obtain proof. Small details like these could prove useful at some point.
“All right, I think it’s time to head back. You’re all still alive...and you’ll thaw as
long as I don’t forget... I would say in two weeks or so.”
He and the rest of Prince Willie’s entourage would likely be in the capital by
then.

After defeating or freezing the attackers, Ryo decided to return to where the
carriage had been. Everyone had probably escaped successfully, so he doubted
anyone was still there, but he needed to check just in case. However, when he got
close enough, he noticed something strange.
Ryo’s Passive Sonar couldn’t detect things immobile entities. The reason was
because it sensed the change in objects in motion. According to the spell, there was
almost no movement... Emphasis on “almost.”
The attackers were the kind of people who even incinerated corpses to leave
nothing behind, so it was unlikely that any of them were the survivors. What about
Willie and his group?
No one would be there if they’d fled safely. There was a very slim chance they
could have let the prince’s carriage escape first, leaving the injured on the road... Of
course, an act like this didn’t fit with the boy’s character, but some things were
unavoidable in an emergency.
Besides, they had been traveling down the Second Highway, said to be the best
in the eastern part of the Kingdom. So it was natural for Ryo to assume other
merchant caravans would be passing by too... In reality though, no one wanted to
involve themselves in a dispute, so they might have turned a blind eye, especially if
they were merchants who put profits first...

When Ryo caught up to the group, he discovered bodyguards and adventurers

collapsed on the ground. He searched for a fallen elderly man and rushed to him
when he found him.
“Mr. Rodrigo!”
“Master Ryo... His Highness... His Highness...”
Rodrigo kept muttering the same thing incoherently again and again.
“Wait. Just wait, please.”