Chapter 23

What a pain in the ass.

That was Natal’s honest feeling. Some self-proclaimed top brass from the military suddenly barging in, trying to force them into prostitution. Oof, the sheer cringe made her embarrassed for him.

Every single thing about him screamed "trouble."

“I told you! Over and over again! We’re not prostitutes!”

“But you introduced yourselves as adventurers.”

“We take jobs, yes, but not that kind of job!”

Of course, Natal hadn’t become an adventurer out of any desire to do so. She’d joined Rex’s party only to search for her missing brother. His inheritance still had plenty left. She wasn’t hurting for money—and selling her body? Hell no.

Yet the man in front of them firmly believed they were whores. Cheap bastards, the lot of them, Natal thought, seething inwardly.

"...Fine. I didn’t want to resort to this, but… do you know Clarise Macro, the court mage? She’s my sister."

"Huh? …You mean that airheaded little runt of a court mage?"

"Wha—that’s how you see her…? Uh, yes. The airheaded little runt."

It was Natal’s turn to be surprised at Mei’s words. How was a royal court mage’s sister working as an adventurer?

The court mage was the highest rank a magician could achieve. They received massive research grants from the kingdom. Their income dwarfed that of any adventurer.

But Natal reconsidered for a moment.

After all, both she and Mei were part of the most powerful party in the land, led by Rex. Maybe you needed that kind of background just to keep up. If that were the case, then the other two members must be incredibly powerful as well.

"How the hell do you put up with being that woman’s sister without killing yourself?"

"I thought about it sometimes! I did spend every day with my stomach in knots because of her!!"

…Still, isn’t she laying it on a bit thick, badmouthing her own sister like that?

“So what? Oh yeah, I think I heard something. That nutcase mage has a failure of a sister, right? So you got disowned and sunk to being an adventurer, huh?”

“…I won’t deny being a failure. But sadly, my sister hasn’t disowned me yet. And if you lay a hand on me, she won’t stay quiet about it.”

“Pfft. Ahahahaha! Are you seriously expecting protection from a damn court mage? And not just any court mage, but that circus act of one?”

“…So you’re not aware of her power?”

“Oh, I know. She’s got a few tricks, doesn’t she? …But in the end, she’s just a mage. If I take it to close combat, it’s over. She’s not even fit to lick my boots—a worthless gnat.”

“You’re serious? You know Clarise and you’re still talking like that?”

For some reason, Mei’s eyes seemed to darken a little. What was that about?

From what she could see, this general had a sword at his waist. He was a swordsman—of course he’d have the advantage in close quarters against a mage.

…Ah, that’s right. If he’s a swordsman, maybe her brother’s name could be of use.

“…General, you’re a swordsman?”

“Hah? You asking me? Isn’t it obvious?”

“My big brother was…‘The Gale Cleaver.’ That name must ring out even in the capital.”

He was dead now, but her brother had been a famous adventurer known far and wide. That legacy wouldn’t fade just because he died.

"‘The Gale Cleaver’? Oh yeah, I think I’ve heard of him."

“My brother was the strongest swordsman in the world.”

“The strongest in the world, huh? He sure talked big. Never challenged me and yet had the balls to claim that title. Don’t make me laugh.”

Then, still wearing that smug grin, the young man—

“Disgusting. That kind of arrogance.”

—grabbed the maid-dressed girl by the collar and lifted her off the ground.

"Don’t go calling yourself the strongest. That’s my title. Some backwater adventurer playing king of the hill doesn’t get to claim that."

“Guh… I can’t… breathe…”

“I’m the strongest. I, Mello of the White Radiance, am the most powerful being alive. Got that?”

It was a complete shift in demeanor.

The instant he heard the word "strongest," Mello reacted with what could only be called obsession. Then he dropped Natal to the ground.

“I’ve decided. You’re not leaving today. I’m going to carve the meaning of ‘strongest’ into that body of yours.”

“S-Stop it! I’ve been saying this from the start—we don’t do that kind of thing!”

“Better than some whore who sells it every night. Don’t worry, I’ll pay. Tomorrow, you’ll walk home with a mountain of gold and a big happy smile. So shut up and come quietly.”

“I don’t want your money!”

It seemed Mello had already decided he was taking Natal with him.

In truth, Mello was notorious in the capital for his sadistic tendencies. If a woman angered him, he’d take whatever he wanted by any means. In his mind, that was simply normal.

“…Are you really okay with this? Word of Mello, one of the empire’s three great generals, abducting a woman without her consent could spread across the capital!”

“Who cares? I’ll get consent later.”

“Screw that! I said no! Get lost already!”

And unfortunately, he had the power to do it. Among the military officers of the Pedia Empire, his combat strength and accomplishments outshone the rest.

He might’ve been called one of the three great generals, but in terms of raw power, he stood head and shoulders above the other two. He was unquestionably stronger than Penny. In effect, Mello was the strongest soldier in the entire imperial army.

“…Forgive me, Lord Rex. I’ll borrow your name for this. We are members of the adventurer guild affiliated with Rex’s party. If you persist in this outrageous behavior, we will be forced to take appropriate measures!”

“Hah? You’re with them?! So it’s your damn party that went off on some expedition and left this place unattended, leaving me to deal with cleaning up bandits?!”

“That expedition was a national military assignment! You’ve got no right to complain!”

“A military assignment, huh? So it was one of those two’s requests. Either way, Rex’s party caused me trouble—this is perfect. I was going to settle the score with you eventually anyway.”

“…Which means, you’re barking up the wrong tree. We recently accepted a mission alongside General Penny. If necessary, we can report your reckless behavior to the king through him.”

Realizing there was no getting away from Mello through normal means, Mei threw everything she had into leveraging connections. Her party’s affiliation with Rex. Her ties to Penny. Her sister. It was pure name-dropping, a fox borrowing the lion’s power—but it was the only way to protect herself. Rex and the others wouldn’t be mad about it.

That’s what she told herself.

“…Tch. I still think you’re bluffing… but if it’s true, yeah, that’s a real pain in the ass.”

“Unfortunately for you, every word of it is true.”

"Then it's verbal abuse. That maid over there just hurled insults at me. For the sake of public order, I’ll have to take her in."

"...I-I didn’t say anything abusive!"

"Arrests for public order should only be permitted in cases of physical violence, no? Verbal abuse alone isn’t grounds for detention. Don’t mock me for ignorance—I may be a former noble, but I still know my rights."

"...Hmph, you’re well-informed. Maybe you really are Clarise’s little sister. They say that failure of a sister studied hard in everything except magic."

Mei and the general locked eyes for several seconds.

Indeed, no matter how much authority he held, breaking the law or committing assault wasn’t something he could just get away with. At most, he was suppressing information before it could reach the king.

If these two truly had connections to General Penny, they might even secure an audience with the king under the right circumstances. Mello and Penny were on bad terms, and Penny would likely assist them if it meant undermining Mello—especially since Penny’s strategist, the young girl Emma, adored these kinds of impression maneuvers.

Even if he could do as he pleased with these two, if they later sought direct retribution from the king out of resentment, it would be a hassle.

His self-preserving mind reached that conclusion. Though his character was twisted, his mind was sharp.

"The people of this town will bear witness. If you forcibly take us now, that would be a clear violation of the law."

"..."

"We refuse your request. Therefore, release us at once."

Mei thought they had won.

Though they’d had to leverage various connections, at this point, the general wouldn’t dare lay a hand on them.

Originally, he should’ve been fine with just anyone to vent his urges. He’d simply fixated on them by chance, and when rejected, General Mello had flown into a rage. Surely, he’d let them go with a bitter grimace.

────However.

"...Ah. It’s been nagging at me, but I just remembered something."

Mello’s expression never darkened.

With a creepy, sneering grin, the man stepped closer to Natal.

"‘The Gale Cleaver,’ wasn’t it? Pretty sure he’s already dead."

He laughed as he said it.

"...My brother isn’t dead. I’m sure he’s alive somewhere."

"Nah, I heard he died. Wandered into a nest of demons and got slaughtered like a fool."

"Probably ambushed, caught off guard."

"He was famous, wasn’t he? ‘The Gale Cleaver.’ That lanky, scrawny guy whose only talent was exploiting openings. Couldn’t win a fair fight against anyone, so he kept resorting to dirty tricks—a petty little villain."

"...Wrong. My brother’s swordsmanship was called the essence of defense────"

"And what about that guy Rex you mentioned? The shit-tier swordsman who kept challenging him, losing over and over?"

It was pure scorn.

With the casual ease of making small talk, Mello patted Natal’s shoulder and sneered.

"...Hold back, Natal."

"In the end, he was just a man with a name, wasn’t he? Couldn’t even beat stray demons, lost every time against a real swordsman. Used underhanded tricks to prey on novice adventurers, strutting around like he was the real deal—just a delusional fool. That’s what ‘The Gale Cleaver’ was, right?"

"...Stop it."

"Always thought it was weird—a so-called famous adventurer with that scrawny build. Guess ‘The Gale Cleaver’ was just good at deceiving people, huh? Spreading rumors to feed his own vanity, pretending he was strong."

"Wrong."

"And in the end! Some random stray demon killed him effortlessly, exposing how weak he really was to the whole kingdom! Pathetic, isn’t it? All that desperate effort to maintain his fake reputation, only for the veneer to peel off so easily!"

"Hold back, Natal!!"

Click, click—the maid’s lips trembled.

Mei, sensing her turmoil, clung to Natal as if shielding her, her voice on the verge of tears as she pleaded.

"He’s baiting you! That man wants you to lash out so he can drag you away by force! Don’t listen to him!"

"My brother...!!"

"Huh? What about your brother? A hollow man full of vanity, no real skill, losing every time to his rival Rex. Couldn’t even scrape together a decent victory before demons killed him—a pitiful man whose only joy was his fake fame!!"

With palpable relish, Mello kept provoking her. His goal, of course, was to get her to strike first.

Even a single punch would give him all the justification he needed to haul Natal away with impunity. So he held nothing back, taunting her with everything he had.

"That’s right... your brother was, in the end, just a yapping loser. A lifetime of nothing but defeats, shackled by delusions of grandeur—a pathetic failure!"

"!!"

In that instant, Natal’s fists clenched tight. Tears welled in her eyes as she glared fiercely at General Mello.

Had Mei not been holding her back, she would’ve lunged at him immediately. The pain of hearing her beloved brother slandered so viciously was unbearable.

"...Ugh...!"

But she endured. Natal reined in those devilishly cruel words through Mei’s pleas and her own resolve. She swallowed the storm of fury, gritted her teeth, and held on.

"Tch. Not gonna rise to it? Guess the coward’s sister is a coward after all."

"That’s enough. You’ve said what you wanted to say. Now let us go!!"

Tears dripped silently as the maid hunched over. Seeing this seemed to satisfy Mello somewhat, as he turned away with a bored expression.

He must’ve decided to look for another target.

────But.

Natal wasn’t the only one seething at his words.

...Haa, haa...

The sound came from someone who had been listening to the exchange between the two girls and General Mello from the shadows of the street.

This person was overprotective. Worried that her little sister or Mei might get harassed in town, she had spent the entire day secretly tailing them like a stalker—a certain swordswoman with a siscon streak.

Just as she feared, the two girls had gotten tangled up with troublesome people. She had been waiting for the right moment to intervene if things turned violent, ready to leap to their defense at any second.

And then—she heard Mello’s words.

"...Haa, haa... A failure...?"

Even though Natal was holding back, she couldn’t just stand by and let this slide. She had been desperately trying to rein in her fury, but that final taunt snapped the last thread of her patience.

"Take it back. ...Those words—RIGHT NOW!!"

Is this what happens when you push someone past their limit?

Flache, her shoulders trembling with rage, stepped out in front of Mello. Her face burned crimson like a demon’s mask as she screamed—then, in a fit of fury, she stormed toward him.