Legend

It was the day after the spar with Milein. Rei was reading a book on dungeons in his room in the inn, as he had been doing for the past few days, when there was a knock at the door.

「Who is it?」
「I’ve come from the guild. Because more information regarding the nominated request has arrived, I’m sorry, but could you come with me?」
「I understand. Please give me a moment to get ready.」

(It’s finally come it seems.)

Rei understood that it was the detailed explanation of the request that Gran had mentioned after announcing the results of the rank up test. Storing the book he had been reading into the Misty Ring, he wore the Dragon Robe and put on the Shoes of Sleipnir before opening the door.

There was a middle aged man who appeared to be in his 40’s.

Looking at Rei, he gave a small nod.

「Then I will take you there immediately.」
「Ah. ……By the way, am I going by myself?」
「Yes?　There hasn’t been any information that Rei-san has joined a party……is it incorrect?」
「No, I was just talking about the Griffon I tamed.」

He had though that the information he had received might have been wrong. He gave a small nod as he gave a sigh of relief.

「Yes. Only Rei-san is needed today. If we were going to the guild, then it wouldn’t matter if you bring your tamed monster, but……」
「Hm? Didn’t you say you came from the guild earlier?」
「Though I certainly am a guild staff member, this time I’m guiding Rei-san to the place of the person who nominated you for this request. ……Do you understand if I put it that way?」

He asked Rei. Rei had known who it was after hearing Gran’s story. In other words.

「The lord of this city, Margrave Rowlocks……is it.」
「That’s right. Though normally it would be explained at the guild, because of the situation in this case, it will be explained in the lord’s residence.」
「……Well, in that case, I certainly can’t take my Griffon.」

If he took Set and something went wrong, it was easy to imagine that he wouldn’t be able to stay in the city of Gimuru.

「I understand. However, may I stop at the stables for a moment before we leave?　The Griffon I tamed is quite smart. I will tell him that I’ll be going out for a while. Otherwise, there’s a possibility he will chase after me, thinking I was kidnapped.」
「……Are Griffons really that smart?」
「Well, my Griffon might be a special one.」

He replied in the negative to the guild staff member as they went towards the stables. On the way, Rei saw a splendid carriage in front of the Dusk Wheat, as expected of a request from a lord. He entered the stable as he admired the odd scene.

「Gururu~」

As Rei entered the stables, Set greeted him with a cry.

However, Rei spoke out while patting Set’s head.

「Sorry Set. I have to go out now, I can’t take you along because it’s the lord’s residence this time.」
「Guru~」

While giving a lonely cry, Set rubbed his head against Rei.

「What, unlike the rank up test, I’ll be back at once. I won’t be gone for a few days.」
「Guru~」

Still, Set gave a lonely cry as Rei left after patting him one last time.

Set quietly watched them until they could no longer be seen.

「I’ve kept you waiting.」

Though Rei said that to the guild messenger who was at the front of the carriage, the guild messenger shook his head while opening the carriage door.

「No, as I’ve worked with various adventurers in the guild, I understand. Here, please. The lord is waiting.」
「Thank you, I feel better now that you said that.」

He urged Rei into the carriage while smiling.

Under such circ.u.mstances, Rei got into the carriage while thinking to himself when he had become such an important person.

While thinking about that, the messenger closed the carriage door and moved to the coachman’s seat.

「……The weather’s not too nice today.」

Rei muttered while looking out from inside the carriage.

In fact, the sky was currently covered in clouds, it wouldn’t be strange if rain started falling.

While thinking about that, because there wasn’t anything in particular to do inside the carriage, he took out the book about dungeons that he had been reading in his room and continued reading it.

Though he had been reading it whenever possible in the last few days, he was still only 70% through it. At the very least, Rei wanted to finish it before the request actually started.

And after he had been absorbed in the book for a while, the carriage, which had been moving swiftly until then, stopped. The door opened.

「Rei-san, we’ve arrived at the lord’s residence.」
「Ahh, I understand.」

Rei got off the carriage. While feeling raindrops drizzling against his cheeks, following the guild messenger’s guidance, he pa.s.sed through the gates to the lord’s residence.

(Rather than the lord’s residence……it looks more like some sort of fort.)

That was impression Rei had after seeing the lord’s residence.

It was too large to be a mansion, but it was not quite right to call it a castle. Because of that, looking at the building, it looked like a small fort. Actually, it was clear that the lord’s residence was an actual fort. Rei thought that it was probably to evacuate the residents of the city of Gimuru in case of emergencies.

「Here it is.」

Following the guild messenger, they went inside the lord’s residence. Maybe to keep up the appearance of a lord, jars and paintings were displayed in the pa.s.sages. Furthermore, it was quite impressive that light generating magic items that used magic stones were embedded in the wall at regular distances.

However, with things such as halberds and spears decorating the pa.s.sage, the impression of a fort was much stronger than that of a lord’s residence.

He walked after the messenger while curiously looking at the items that decorated the pa.s.sageway. After 10 minutes, a door with exquisite carvings came into view. The door would have costed at least several gold coins……at most, it would have costed a platinum coin, Rei looked at it like a work of art.

And when the two people arrived at the door, the messenger knocked on the wall beside the door with a door knocker.

(Is there no door knocker to knock on the door?　No, if anything, it’s a work of art……but why is only this door so luxurious?　Just looking at this residence that looks like a fort, I didn’t think he had the character to like aristocratic luxuries.)

While Rei was thinking this in his mind, he heard a voice from behind the door.

「Come in.」
「Yes. Please excuse me.」

Hearing those words, the messenger reached out for the door. He grabbed the handle but touched as little of the carvings as possible as he opened the door.

「Lord-sama, I have brought Rei, the D rank adventurer, for the matter about the nominated request.」
「Mm, it’s been hard work for you. I’ve been waiting. Well, come in.」

Hearing this from inside, Rei entered the room as prompted by the messenger.

And the moment he stepped foot into the room. He heard a sharp sound and felt blood l.u.s.t to his side. He immediately kicked against the ground, jumped forward and rolled.

After rolling once on the floor, he reflexively took out the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring and readied it.

And in front of Rei’s eyes was someone wearing a suit of armour, the person’s head was also covered in a metal helmet. Rei’s eyes were attracted to the sword in the person’s hand.

(This is the same feeling as Arogan’s magic sword. In other words, this is a magic sword!)

The moment he readied the Death Scythe, he kicked against the floor again. However, this time it wasn’t to avoid the enemy’s attack but to eliminate the enemy who had attacked him.

「Haah!」

The room he had been guided to had enough room to wield the Death Scythe, that was fortunate for Rei.

Taking advantage of his good fortune, the blade of the Death Scythe swept towards the body of the a.s.sailant while cutting through the backrest of a sofa in the lord’s room.

「d.a.m.n!」

The Death Scythe was a peculiar weapon made from the Magic Beast Art, despite weighing more that 100kg, Rei could wield it at a speed as if it was a knife or fork without feeling it’s weight. Maybe instinctively guessing the power behind it, the a.s.sailant quickly jumped back to evade it.

Zing~, the blade pa.s.sed in front of him a few cm away. It made a sharp sound as if tearing s.p.a.ce apart as it cut through the air. The a.s.sailant broke out in cold sweat inside his helmet.

(Impossible. Even if he was recommended by Margrave Rowlocks, how could he be such a threat to me as a D rank adventurer?　No, that was just luck before. I won’t admit such a thing!)

When meeting with a person that exceeded one’s imagination, most people would either choose to fight them or receive them nicely. In other words, their mind would either move to eliminate the existence or build an amiable relations.h.i.+p to obtain protection. And this man immediately selected the former.

(If I knew this would happen, I would have brought my usual magic spear rather than a magic sword!)

Though the man regretted his imprudence in his mind, he still readied his magic sword against Rei.

Rei also set up his Death Scythe against the person opposite him.

Reaching this stage, Rei was able to roughly understand the circ.u.mstances. After all, this was the lord’s residence, why would he be attacked by a thug in what could be considered the lord’s own room.

(If it’s for such a reason.)

He threw away the doubt in this mind immediately. He had been invited to the lord’s residence regarding the escort of the General Princess. If he thought about it, the answer was simple.

(Testing my skill as an escort……is it. Then maybe this guy is an attendant of the General Princess or something.)

Though he understood that, he understood the fight wouldn’t end easily just like that. In other words, there was no point if he didn’t show his skills to the man in front of him.

「……Here I come.」

Shortly after saying that, Rei kicked against the ground and closed the distance to the man.

As for the man, he readied his magic sword, waiting for Rei discard the advantage of his reach and enter his range.

「Take this!」

With a sharp cry, the man thrust forward with the sword in his hand. As he usually used a spear, the speed and power were different. However, the sword thrust still carried a decent amount of power.

However, Rei avoided the thrust at his face by moving his neck slightly.

「Not yet!」

The blade that had shot forth returned to the man in an instant In a flash, one, two and three stabs were sent out.

Rei narrowed the distance while avoiding the attacks with the minimum amount of movement.

(Impossible, even though I’m using a magic sword rather than my usual magic spear, to continuously avoid my thrusts?　Is he really rank D!?)

Though the man felt a strange fear of Rei in his heart, he made his last attack of 5 consecutive thrusts.

His final attack, his fastest attack. Rei repelled the thrusts with the handle of the Death Scythe and finished by hitting the man’s body with the handle at short range.

「Gah~!」

Dong~, the sound of metal striking the armour echoed through the room. At the same time as the sound, the man tried to grab the handle and pull Rei towards him……Rei noticed it in an instant and brought the Death Scythe back to himself.

(d.a.m.n, what’s with this guy’s brute strength. It will be dangerous if it stays this way. In that case, it’s not too disappointing……）

The moment the Death Scythe swung towards him, he tried to raised his sword to try to block at least some of the impact.

And as Rei swung the Death Scythe and the blade approached the man……

「That’s enough!」

A loud voice echoed inside the room just before the blade the Death Scythe came into contact with the man’s magic sword.