“Gaaaaaah!”
Lancelot let out a sharp scream as the arrow hit him.
Fortunately for him, it was missing an arrowhead, making it little more than a blunt stick of wood. That was the only reason he got off with just a scream.
“Talk about overreacting,” I muttered.
“What in blazes do you think you’re doing?!” Lancelot must have heard me, because he whipped his head around and snapped at me.
“Eyes forward. Who gets distracted in the middle of a fight?”
“For crying out loud!”
Lancelot swung his spear even as he cursed and dropped into a low stance.
Looked like he was planning to deflect an attack with his spear from that position.
“Lowering your center is good, but from there, you should be thrusting, not swinging.”
I fired another arrow.
This one struck Lancelot’s elbow, turning his wild swing into a proper thrust.
“Aaagh!”
“Guh!”
The knight on the receiving end of the thrust coughed up blood and collapsed on the spot.
“Damn it! Kill that bastard, now!” As soon as one of the knights fell, the man with the handlebar mustache yelled urgently.
The rest of the knights charged in.
“What?!” Lancelot’s expression crumpled in panic, and his stance fell apart.
He tried to pull back, as if to catch his breath and steady himself.
But that simply wouldn’t do. By retreating in that moment, he’d lose the advantage he’d just managed to grab.
“Keep your center low at all times. Even with a spear, everything starts with your legs and a stable core.”
Thwack.
I resumed shooting.
This time, I loosed dozens of arrows in quick succession.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The arrows pounded into Lancelot’s body, forcing him into a proper stance whether he liked it or not.
His legs wobbled.
But as his head dipped, his torso straightened to keep his balance.
His elbow was pushed forward, and his feet drove hard against the ground.
“Yes, just like that.”
Ssssssssssssssh!
The spear shot forward, unleashing tremendous pressure.
That force merged with Lancelot’s Aura, and the knight in front of him was torn apart—so thoroughly that not even a shadow was left behind.
“Keep repeating that.”
Thwack!
Once again, I loosed a volley of arrows.
They hammered into Lancelot’s elbow repeatedly, forcing him to thrust his spear over and over.
The group of Aura Experts were torn apart by Lancelot’s spear, their last breaths snuffed out midair.
Watching it all unfold, I murmured quietly, “Now that is the basic form of a thrust.”
Corpses dropped to the ground in a succession of thuds, and Lancelot turned to stare at me, dazed.
He looked at me as if he were seeing a monster.
* * *
Roxen fixed Louis with a heavy, pondering gaze.
…Is this really possible?
What his liege had just done was, quite literally, bizarre. Shooting arrows at your own ally? And just to correct his stance?
If anyone else heard about it, they’d probably blow their top and call it utter nonsense.
Had he not witnessed it for himself, he likely wouldn’t have believed it either.
…Is this what genius is?
Roxen gazed down at his palm. It was covered in blisters—a testament to all his effort. Yet, even after all that, he hadn’t become a knight.
He’d only managed to remain a squire.
…Is it talent?
A dry, bitter laugh escaped him.
He had no talent. That was why he had to work so hard.
Still, wasn’t it a relief?
There was someone before him who could create talent where there was none.
And that someone was his liege.
…I’ll become stronger, even if I have to give my life for my liege.
For revenge—solely for his daughter.
Roxen closed his eyes, burying the murderous resolve within.
He prayed that his liege would guide him as well.
* * *
Hmm… Looks like he’s deep in thought.
I glanced at Roxen, who stood beside me with his eyes closed.
Kai, as usual, stared straight ahead, looking about as thoughtful as a rock. Roxen, on the other hand, was clearly chewing over something in his mind.
And Lancelot…
“No, seriously! What just happened?! My spear suddenly went wild! That was bloody incredible!”
…Why does it seem like that idiot has never once been serious in his entire life?
Usually, when you coach someone like that, shouldn’t they either get angry or develop a sense of awe?
I’m pretty sure I felt a proper dose of awe toward my master…
“…Am I the strange one, or is it him?” I wondered aloud.
“It’s him,” Kai muttered beside me.
“Is that so?”
I reached over and patted Kai’s head, letting out a quiet chuckle.
Just then, the handlebar-mustached man—covered in blood now—pointed a shaking finger at me.
“Y-you think you can just walk away from this?! This guild is directly managed by the Lord of Miphra! We’re under the Lord’s personal jurisdiction!”
Yes, I’m well aware.
I snorted and looked him over.
Up ahead, Lancelot was busy making a spectacle of himself, marveling, “Did I always have this kind of talent?” But I casually ignored that.
“The Lord’s jurisdiction, is it? How enviable,” I exclaimed.
“Grrr! This is an affront to the Lord himself!”
“Oh, is that so? Then I suppose I’ll just have to discuss it with the Lord directly.”
I dragged over one of the chairs from inside the guild and sat down.
A quick rummage through my coat produced a cigarette, soaked in blood.
“…Tch.” I clicked my tongue and tossed the bloody cigarette case onto the floor.
Apparently, I’d caught some splatter during the fight at the casino.
“Any smokes on you?” I called out to the handlebar man.
“You’re looking for a smoke at a time like this?!”
“If you don’t have one, just say so. Keep yelling and you’ll go bald.”
“Graaghh…!” The man glared at me, his face turning red as he ground his teeth.
A short while later, a commotion started outside the guild.
Just as the man had said, the Lord’s knights had arrived.
“What’s all this commotion?!” A knight stormed into the merchant guild, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Judging by his expression, he’d probably been well-acquainted with the guild’s bribes.
The Lord’s knight fixed me with a glare full of hostility and asked, “Are you the one behind all this, brat?”
“Brat? My, my. A mere knight should watch his tongue.”
“…What did you say?” The knight arched an eyebrow.
I rose from my seat and strolled toward him. “A mere knight, and yet your tongue is spectacularly foul.”
The knight looked ready to fire back with something suitably indignant, but then he seemed to sense something was off and wisely shut his mouth.
After a brief pause, the knight asked cautiously, “So who might you be, sir?”
“Me? I’m the third son of House Berg, and son-in-law to House Praha. So, who are you, that you dared to address a noble so rudely?”
“I... I only spoke that way because I’m on official duty. I ask for your generous understanding.”
“Generous understanding, is it…” I let out a dry, incredulous chuckle. “And why should I be so generous?”
“…Then what would you have me do?”
“Bring me the Lord. I’d like to see his face while we talk.”
“…The Lord does not come running just because someone asks.”
“Say what I tell you, and he’ll come straight away. Don’t fret.” I leaned in and whispered something into the knight’s ear.
“…I have no idea what you mean.” The knight looked thoroughly perplexed, but after a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and set off toward the Lord’s Keep.
Not long after…
While I waited in the reception room, the Lord arrived.
Contrary to my expectation that he’d be radiating annoyance, his face was painted with anxiety.
But then again, of course he was anxious. He probably never imagined anyone would know his little secret.
“You are the noble Sir Puchin mentioned?” he began.
“I haven’t the faintest idea who Sir Puchin is, but yes, I’m the one who knows your secret.”
“…How in the world did you find out?”
“Oh, who can say? Maybe I glimpsed the future.” I let out a soft laugh.
The Lord of Miphra sighed, covering his face in a troubled manner.
Still, judging by the fact that he hadn’t ordered his knights to do anything drastic, it seemed mentioning House Berg had the desired effect.
No matter how much he wants me dead, my family’s reputation is enough to make him think twice.
Besides, I wasn’t just tied to House Berg, but also to House Praha now.
At this point, killing me would be out of the question—even if he had Artezia backing him.
“…What is it you want from me?” the Lord of Miphra asked.
“Nothing too dramatic. All I want is for you to cut ties with Artezia.”
“…Is that truly all you require?”
“Oh, and you’ll need to withdraw from the Miph Merchant Guild as well.”
“…I suppose that includes the casino, too.”
I nodded, as if he’d just pointed out that the sun rises in the east.
The Lord let out a long sigh, then finally agreed. “Very well. I’ll do as you ask.”
“Then, if that’s all, may I take my leave?”
“…May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“If you know about this, doesn’t that mean others do as well? Can they be trusted?”
The “others” were trustworthy, yes.
Because at this point, no one else knew a thing.
“Not a chance of this leaking out. You have my word.”
“…Very well.” The Lord nodded gloomily.
Then, gathering up the knights he’d brought, he began to make his way out of the guild hall.
“B-but! What’s going on?!” The handlebar-mustached Miph Guild executive—who had apparently wagered his entire future on the Lord—shouted in panic.
He scrambled after the Lord, clutching desperately at the hem of his trousers.
“M-my Lord! Where are you going?!”
“…Let go of me.”
“I’ve given you over a thousand gold coins! You can’t do this to me!”
“I told you to let go!”
The Lord, now astride his horse, kicked the man away.
The handlebar man tumbled across the ground, shrieking all the while.
“Yowch!”
Watching this pitiful spectacle, the Lord of Miphra spat out his next words, his voice brimming with righteous indignation.
“How dare you lay hands on a noble! Come to think of it, this is all your lot’s fault for bringing that fellow here in the first place! Making me suffer such humiliation… Captain of the Guard! Take that wretch away and have his limbs chopped off! And when you’re done, feed him to the dogs!”
“Yes, my Lord.”
At the Lord’s command, the Captain of the Guard nodded, and the handlebar man, now pale as a ghost, crawled desperately toward the Lord.
But the Lord met his approach with a cold, hard stare and urged his horse away from the guild.
“Ah… ah.” The man gazed after the Lord’s departing figure, his face pale as death itself.
The Captain of the Guard seized the man’s arm and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him out cold.
“Gaagh!”
“Drag him away.” The Captain of the Guard tossed the man to his subordinates.
Then, with a slight nod in my direction, he followed the Lord back toward the Keep.
It was unlikely the handlebar man would be granted the luxury of a peaceful end.
As he was dragged away, the other upper members of the guild, who had been watching, wore expressions as empty as their prospects.
With a bright little smile, I broke the heavy silence around them and asked, “So… does anyone else wish to object?”
The upper management shook their heads.
And thus, the Miph Merchant Guild fell neatly into my hands.
* * *
The defeated upper members were tied up with rope and locked in a room.
Naturally, I had no intention of letting them live. If they escaped and spilled everything to Artezia, it would be a disaster.
Leaving loose ends was for fools.
“Kai. Kill them all.”
“Yes, sir.” Kai nodded, as if this were the most ordinary request in the world, and stepped into the room.
Screams rang out from within, and before long, Kai emerged, his face and hair spattered with blood, looking utterly indifferent.
“It’s done.”
“Well done.” I patted Kai on the head and looked over the wreckage of the guild’s interior.
Honestly, I’d have liked to kill every last employee, but then I’d be left with nothing but the empty shell of a guild.
I’d scared them enough that they wouldn’t dare speak carelessly.
Besides, if the ordinary workers got fired from here, they probably wouldn’t survive. That makes them trustworthy enough.
I nodded and headed outside the guild.
Lancelot was crouched on the ground, waiting for me.
“Boss.”
“What is it?”
“So what did you say to make the Lord run off like that?”
Ah, that?
I curled my lips into a grin and answered, slowly.