Volume 6 Chapter 51 Behind The Duel Commotion
For now, it seems like the tension between the siblings is finally over. I figured out that Getsuya's hostility towards me was just because he cares. And since I won the duel against Rouza, things are back to normal for Mikage. We can leave Getsuya's wild behavior for now.
But just because it seems settled doesn't mean it really is.
"Hey, I'm getting tired of being quiet. Can we talk now?"
Reed suddenly spoke up. She had come into Karan's office with us but had been silent until now, reading the room. It looks like she couldn't hold it in anymore.
"You──was it 'Trampling'? I heard you're as tough as Black Blade."
"Oh, to hear that from a prince, I must be getting famous."
Reed crossed her arms and let out a proud huff.
"I heard 'Reed the Trampling' joined Yukina-kun's team, but I didn't see you during the duel the other day. I heard you were in the royal capital not long before that."
"About that... I had a little job to do for my darling."
Karan looked at Reed, who then turned to me.
I nodded and then spoke up.
"I asked Reed to keep an eye on things from a distance during the duel, just in case something went wrong. ...Well, it turns out she got mixed up with the mercenaries who were betting on the fight."
Also, it seems Reed joined in on the gambling that Rouza was secretly running. She bet a lot on my victory and made a good profit.
"Looks like Yukina-kun's worries were for nothing."
Karan sighed in relief. He knew there were people after Rouza, but no one showed up during the duel or Getsuya's interruption.
That's true, but...
"However, things aren't that simple."
"What do you mean?"
──Let's go back to the moment when Mikage cut down Getsuya.
A man who witnessed the two duels let out a bored sigh.
"What's up? You look pretty disappointed. Did you miss your chance?"
Next to him was Reed, dressed casually without her usual armor, blending in with the crowd. If someone was sharp enough, they would recognize her as the 2nd rank mercenary known as 'Trampling,' but no one made a fuss about it.
The man glanced sideways at the woman next to him and shrugged.
"Yeah, that's about it. I was hoping one of them would go down, but it looks like that's not happening."
"Haha! I made a big win, thanks to my darling. Mikage really did well, taking down someone stronger."
"I should have bet on him too."
Reed laughed heartily, while the man remained gloomy.
After a good laugh, Reed turned back to the man.
"So, what's your plan? The main fighters are out of commission. You could take out a few now, right?"
"...I've thought about it, but with someone as 'skilled' as you nearby, it's tricky. We could take out the small fries, but if we can't reach the main target, it won't matter. It's a hassle to have someone like you watching us."
"I'm honored to be praised by you. I'm not sure if I should be 'happy' about it, though."
It felt like a casual chat between people who just happened to sit together at a tavern. But there was a sharpness in their words, like a duel with swords. They were careful not to show any of it to those around them.
"...How did you figure it out? This disguise should be hard to detect unless a skilled magician gets really close."
"It's a little trick I learned from a similar situation before. I can't share the details."
"Ah, the Eubarest incident. Bael and Weiss really messed that up."
The guy was actually a demon (mazoku) disguised as a human. The magic he used for the disguise was really advanced, so it was hard for most people to figure out who he really was.
But unfortunately for him, Reed's snake belly sword (Slay) was no ordinary weapon. It had an amazing ability to sense living creatures, and it remembered the 'weird feeling' it got from the disguised demon in Eubarest.
Even though they weren't sure about it, the 'weird feeling' made them think the guy was someone to watch out for, so Reed followed Slay's lead and went right up to him. In reality, both Slay and Reed were just guessing about the guy's true identity, throwing out a 'bluff' to get some answers. Still, there was no reason for them to explain everything in detail.
(I didn't plan for this, but... my darling is impressive.)
Yukina had told Reed to watch the duel from a distance, and she was a bit annoyed about it, but it turned out to be a smart move. She had heard about Yukina's 'what if' thinking, and it really impressed Reed.
Because she was moving around among the crowd, Slay was able to sense the danger. If she had been standing with Aina and the others, watching Yukina, she probably wouldn't have noticed anything until it was too late. If the demon had jumped out at them unexpectedly, they would have been caught off guard, and there was a high chance someone could have gotten hurt.
'Hahaha. He seems to be a pretty cautious guy, huh? Sounds like he's just the right kind of brake for you, Reed.'
(Shut up. I don't need to hear that from you, Slay. But yeah, I guess that's why he's so decisive when it really matters.)
Reed felt annoyed inside as Slay teased him through their telepathy channel.
When Yukina got stabbed in the stomach during the duel with Rouza, even Reed was shocked. But looking at Aina and the others, she felt completely calm and trusted Yukina completely. And Yukina responded perfectly, turning the situation around dramatically. This really showed how long they had been together.
After thinking about that, Reed spoke up again.
"Oh, you went through all that trouble to disguise yourself, and now you're just going to leave without doing anything?"
"Well, the weaklings the client hired rushed in and messed things up for me. I'm not going to waste my time cleaning up their mess. But coming up with excuses for the client is such a hassle."
Complaining to himself, the man blended into the crowd and disappeared.
'Should we go after him?'
"No way. If we poke around too much, we might run into snakes or dragons, and that would be a problem. If he's just going to leave quietly, I'll let him go."
Holding back the aggressive Slay, Reed kept her eyes on the direction the man had gone for a while.
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