Chapter 65: Silent Blade Rey’s Lament

A chilly morning wind blew across the outskirts of Ressal.

“……”

“……”

Everything had ended. The great evil had fallen.

The bodies of the lesser thugs from the Villain Tribe decayed in less than half a day.

“Thank you… thank you…”

“Thank you… for setting us free…”

They expressed their gratitude in raspy voices before departing in different directions.

Some prayed to the gods in their final moments. Others went off in search of a scenic place to die. Each found their own ending.

“Rey, you…”

“…Yeah.”

Indeed. Human corpses decay quickly if left alone.

And once they die, their souls are guided to the goddess.

Up until now, the only thing preserving those bodies was the grace of necromancy.

“…I’m just… a little tired.”

“I see.”

…Surrounded by silent corpses, the swordsman muttered to himself.

Souls of the dead are saved by the goddess. That is the fate of those who lived as humans.

“…Still, I suppose this is what you’d call punishment.”

“……”

Necromancy allows the dead to move and speak as though they were alive.

Which means—even if they were already dead, the person themselves might not even notice.

And just like the others, Silent Blade Rey, who had fallen to the Villain Tribe and obeyed their boss—

---

“...Heave-ho, heave-ho.”

“At the very least, could you please put some clothes on?”

“…I feel the same, honestly. I’d appreciate it if you filed an official complaint.”

Wearing nothing but a red loincloth labeled "Neighborhood Watch", he dug hole after hole in the outskirts of Ressal.

“Heave-ho, heave-ho…”

“Just out of curiosity… what exactly are you doing?”

“Making a graveyard. For the pitiful corpses that were used by that man. I want to let them rest.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

Silent Blade Rey.

Once a man whose mind had been controlled by villains and committed atrocities, he was now a servant to a single girl.

“Um, if Sakura-san or I use earth magic, we could finish this in a flash… want us to?”

“I’d love that, personally. But the leader…”

“No.”

Sweating calmly in the sun, he continued digging alone.

Right beside him stood a girl directing the entire operation.

“These graves are for people who may have fallen to villainy because of nobles. Using magic to build them would be disgraceful.”

“…Haaah.”

“I’m not trying to badmouth Irine-san, but… truth is, we’re just not fond of magic users. So at least for their graves, we want to do it by hand.”

The girl had short black hair tied up with a towel.

Under the blazing sun, she commanded the neighborhood watch, overseeing Ressal’s reconstruction.

“And by the way, that outfit is purely personal grudge.”

“…Weren’t you the one who didn’t let herself be consumed by personal grudges?”

“I don’t kill people out of personal grudges. Now quit whining and get back to work, Silent Blade.”

Now that he thought about it… how had he not realized that Ryoga—Sayori—was a girl?

Flat-chested or not, her voice and face were clearly those of a boyish girl.

And now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t not see her as a girl.

“Well then, is there anything I can help with?”

“Hmm. I wouldn’t usually ask a guest, but if you’re willing, we could use help repairing the outer wall.”

“Understood.”

The neighborhood watch had fed him, given him a place to sleep, and taken care of him. He’d lend a hand.

Besides, he’d been unconscious through the entire battle. If he didn’t help now, he might get labeled a freeloader.

“…Big bro.”

And nearby, another ‘not-so-useful-in-the-last-battle’ party member—Lev-chan—watched Rey from a distance.

She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring herself to.

“…Looks like my little sister hates me now. Well, can’t say I blame her, considering what I’ve done.”

“No, I think it’s more like… she can’t talk to you because ‘her actual brother is digging holes in nothing but a red loincloth.’”

Lev-chan was a shy girl in the middle of her adolescent years.

For someone that age, having a half-naked brother in a red fundoshi would be a lot.

Alright. Time for me—our party’s charming diplomat—to lighten the mood with some casual talk and help Lev-chan approach him more easily.

“…Still, Rey, you’ve got a good body on you.”

“…Huh? Where did that come from?”

“I can tell you’ve trained thoroughly. If possible, I’d love for you to give me some martial arts instruction later.”

When you want to praise a man, compliment his muscles—that’s my motto. No one gets upset from having their muscles praised.

And honestly, from the perspective of a muscle connoisseur like myself, Rey’s body was exceptional. He’d only trained the muscles necessary for swordsmanship—his physique was pure artistry.

Karl had trained his body too, but Rey’s muscle tone was on another level. It was raw, honest muscle beauty.

"...I'm still in training. But if you're okay with that."

"Of course. Please train me well enough that I won’t lose my head in a single blow, no matter how strong the enemy."

"...Yeah. I’ll do my best. If that can serve as my atonement to you."

It seems Rey still feels bad about the time he almost killed me.

He doesn’t need to. That was my fault for letting my guard down.

"...But you, the one named Irine, was it?"

"Yes."

"...You're quite well-trained yourself. When I tried to take your head, I meant to slice it clean off. But you were thicker than I expected, so your neck stayed on."

"That's not the kind of compliment I can laugh at... Well, as a noble lady, I do train enough to maintain my figure."

Hmm. He really was going for the kill, huh.

Thank god I worked out. Muscle training saved my life.

Truly, there is no better health plan than a daily dose of exercise.

"Only enough to maintain your figure, huh? ...From the looks of it, you’ve got the body of a top-tier female warrior."

"...Please, stop. Flattery won't get you anything."

"It's hard to tell under your clothes, but you're quite toned. Your muscles aren’t lopsided, and your overall body balance is excellent."

"Oh my, stop that, ohoho~"

Wait, what’s going on? He’s laying on the praise thick.

Am I being... hit on? Is this it? Is this the springtime of my muscle life?

"My, even if you say such things, it puts me in a spot, ohohoho~ But you understand, don’t you? Even nobles must better themselves. I do put in a fair amount of effort, you know, ohohoho."

"...Yes. All that’s left is to learn how to use your body properly, and you could become an excellent soldier. It's hard to tell at a glance, but your body is nearly complete."

He's just showering me in compliments now. Is this flirting? Even if it’s not, I’m pretty damn happy.

I mean, I have been working hard. Got my ass kicked by demons and almost decapitated, lost my confidence in close combat...

But with this body I've built up, I should be strong.

"Then please do teach me well, ohohohoho. By the way, Rey, is there anything you’d like me to do? Shall I make some tea later?"

"...? No, I’m not particularly thirsty."

"Oh my, really now, ohohoho~"

If a swordsman of Rey’s level says my body is “complete,” that’s enough to boost anyone’s confidence.

All my muscles are rejoicing right now. Should I do a celebratory flexing dance?

Fufufu... Looks like it’s going to be a great day. I’ll hurry up and finish repairing the wall so Rey can train me.

"Then, I’ll come find you later, Rey. I’m looking forward to it."

"Yeah. I'll be waiting."

Humming a happy tune, I walked off, leaving Rey behind.

...I feel like I forgot something, but whatever.

Alright. Time to rebuild Ressal’s outer wall stronger than ever.

I’ll throw in some bonus magic, too. Might drain my mana dry, but who cares?

Magic’s just flair anyway. The higher-ups never understand that.

---

"...Karl. Just now, big bro was blatantly hitting on Irine."

"Say what!? Oi, you bastard, get over here a sec, Rey."

"Eh?"

...Something's going on behind me, but I'm just gonna ignore it.

---

"...We will now begin training."

It was evening. With the grave-making and outer wall repairs finally winding down, I was called over by Rey as promised, and the training was about to begin.

Being taught by a close-quarters combat specialist—this was the perfect chance to get a solid workout in.

"I look forward to your guidance!"

"Countin’ on ya, Silent Blade."

"..."

I was already well aware of how incredible Rey's swordsmanship was. Once I told the others that I’d be training with Silent Blade Rey, both Karl and Lev-chan said they wanted in too.

Fine by me. The more, the merrier—we’ll all get stronger together.

"...Hey, big bro? Why are you still wearing that red fun—"

"Karl. You've already developed your own sword style, haven’t you?"

"Yeah, it’s self-taught though."

"Then it's all about live practice from here. We'll do some sparring and refine your technique along the way."

Karl, being already pretty skilled, was apparently going to focus on real combat drills.

Man, I wish I could get to that level soon too.

"Irine. Your body movement is still rough. You’ll be continuing with forms for now."

"...Understood."

"I’ll teach you four unarmed kata from my school. These are secret techniques passed down in my clan, so try not to pass them on."

"Ooh… Something that rare, really?"

Sounded like Rey was going to teach me some secret martial arts from his clan.

Wait, seriously? Am I even allowed?

"...Big bro. What’s that? You never taught me—"

"These forms require a body that’s already been built up to some extent. But you should be able to handle it."

"Got it! I’ll do my best!"

Whoa. I really am getting taught something amazing here.

Maybe now I can finally call myself a real warrior, huh?

"And lastly, Lev."

"...Hmph."

"Why the pout...?"

At the end, Silent Blade turned to face Lev-chan.

"With you, we’ll keep going as usual. Forms, basic drills, then sparring. Since Father’s not here, I’ll do the summary training with you."

"...Boo."

"Why are you so grumpy?"

...Could it be because he’s been totally ignoring her all this time?

Probably just dodging it since it was inconvenient to deal with.

"...Big bro. I don’t know the forms Irine’s learning."

"You’re not ready yet."

"Father and you always say that. But I—"

"If you learn powerful forms before your body is ready, you’ll just end up relying on them and pushing too hard. Lev, your build still can’t handle them."

...When told that, Lev-chan couldn’t argue back. She just puffed up her cheeks in frustration and went quiet.

Hmm. So this is the kind of relationship they have. Not exactly master and disciple, but there is a clear hierarchy.

"Then, one last thing. Why are you still in that red fun—"

"Alright. Let’s begin the training."

Lev-chan’s question was once again brushed aside, and she puffed her cheeks even more.

But Lev-chan. The reason he’s in a red fundoshi? It’s probably because of Commander Sayori, who’s been watching us from a distance with a smile. Try to read between the lines, yeah?

---

Eventually, the sun set.

"Karl-sama, Irine-sama, Lev-sama. Thank you for your hard work in training. I've prepared some towels for you."

"Oh, thanks, Ryoga—wait, no, it's Sayori-chan now."

Former captain of the vigilante corps, Ryoga—now known as Sayori.

For some reason, she’d been sticking close and watching our training with Rey the whole time, seemingly entertained by it.

"Sayori-san, weren’t you going to join in the training?"

"I don’t have much reason to pick up a new fighting style at this point. Besides, a commander’s job is to give orders from the rear, after all."

She chuckled shyly.

"Though up until now, I’d been charging to the front lines in my brother’s stead."

“I was never as strong as my brother. Now that the ‘Ryoga’ disguise has been shed, I doubt I can really call myself a warrior anymore.”

"…But you had a different kind of strength from your brother. In terms of individual prowess, yes, he was superior. But in terms of leading a unit—you surpassed him. That’s what the vigilantes told me."

"No way. I’m sure my brother excelled at both far beyond me. Any strength I showed just came from his blood flowing through me."

...The girl standing there now, with a soft, peaceful smile, looked nothing like the Ryoga we’d known.

This must be Sayori’s true self.

"Thank you, all of you. Because of you, Ressal was protected."

"…I can’t accept that thanks. If anything, I was the one who was saved by you."

"No, Irine-sama. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat that villain. And—"

Sayori turned to face Karl with a full, beaming smile.

"…You saved me too, Karl-sama. So let’s call it even."

Blushing, she handed Karl a towel.

...There was something intense in her eyes.

Ah. So that’s how it is.

"…"

Lev-chan must’ve noticed Sayori’s heated gaze too—her eyes had gotten a little sharper.

Now that I think about it, Karl did charge into the enemy camp alone to rescue Sayori. Of course something might spark from that.

...Though, once she gets a taste of his usual pervy dumbass behavior, that spark might fizzle out fast.

"The baths are open now. Please feel free to use them."

"Oh, thanks."

And, as expected, Karl didn’t notice Sayori’s smoldering stare at all.

Classic. Only someone who once got rejected because he misinterpreted his childhood friend’s feelings could be this oblivious.

"You all go ahead first. Rey and I will take the last bath."

"…No need for that. I can draw fresh water later. You should go in first, Karl-san."

"...Hm? You sure?"

"Fresh water is always better, right? In times like this, it’s perfectly fine for us mages to take our turn later."

...Yeah, this works.

I made up that excuse on the spot, but the real reason is if Karl and Sayori were left alone, Lev-chan’s glare would turn lethal.

"Alright then, let’s go, Silent Blade."

"Just call me Rey."

With that, the two guys headed off toward the bathhouse.

...Two guys, closed space, alone together. Sounds great—probably full of dumb jokes and banter.

I haven’t had that kind of stupid guy energy in forever. Not since working part-time at Sakura’s shop.

I’d love to get into that kind of rowdy groove again.

"I didn’t want to see big bro in a red fundoshi…"

"Let’s pretend we didn’t. Besides, boys tend to enjoy that kind of nonsense, you know?"

"…Big bro’s too serious for that."

Yeah, she’s probably not wrong.

"Your brother doesn’t seem like the loud, rowdy type, does he?"

"Right. Even if it’s just him and Karl in the bath, I bet they’ll just talk about practical stuff."

"…Is that so?"

Well, yeah, I guess. As fun as the idea is, it's hard to imagine Karl and Rey actually goofing around in the bath.

They might even just sit there in silence the whole time.

"Well, that’s part of youth too."

"…Youth?"

Maybe I’ll ask Karl later if they had any fun in there.

Rey acts all serious around girls, but maybe he actually has a laid-back side.

If he does, I might try inviting him out for drinks someday in my monkey mask.

"Lev-san. Shall we head to the room and prepare for our bath?"

"…Yeah."

Well, whatever the case—

It’s a good thing Karl finally has a guy his age he can call a friend.

---

────Meanwhile, in the bath.

“…Hey, what did you just say, Silent Blade?”

“You didn’t hear me, Karl?”

Two naked men were locked in a tense stare-down in the bathtub.

It was a hair-trigger situation—just like when they used to be enemies. The air around the bath was thick with tension.

“Then I’ll say it again.”

“What!?”

The man known as Silent Blade lowered his gaze.

With a look of firm resolve, he clearly declared it again.

“I’m going to peep, Karl!!”

“You idiot!!”

…Inside the bathhouse, a stupid conversation far beyond Irine’s wildest imagination was unfolding.

“Listen, Karl. Don’t shout before hearing the prelude to the story, or we won’t get anywhere.”

“There’s nothing to get to. If you start talking about peeping on one of my teammates, I swear I’ll strangle you.”

Rey, with a deadly serious face, began to speak of a truly disgraceful plan.

Even though his own little sister would be using the bath as well—what the hell was going on in this guy’s head? If Lev ever heard this, she’d probably cut ties with him.

“Of course, I don’t plan to peep on your team. Your sister’s in there too, and that would be messed up.”

“…Naturally.”

Hearing that Silent Blade Rey had no intention of targeting his comrades, Karl let go of his anger—for now.

Though judging by his expression, his exasperation was growing by the second.

“If not my team, then who the hell are you planning to peep on? Don’t tell me you’re into dudes now.”

“Obviously, Sayori.”

“…That’s still pretty messed up.”

Apparently, Rey intended to peep on Sayori.

Even though he should have a huge sense of guilt toward her—does he just not care?

“…I swore loyalty to that woman. If this can be part of my atonement…”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“But even so… what about the humiliation I suffered?”

“…Well. Yeah.”

Silent Blade quietly let tears fall in the bath.

Being forced to wear a red loincloth in front of his own sister—that was unbearable humiliation for Rey, who had once played the role of the cool older brother.

“…But the fact remains, I must serve her for the rest of my life.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So at the very least… let me peep on her bath.”

“That’s the part I don’t get.”

That was the moment Karl came to a realization.

Rey was a pretty serious idiot.

“Don’t rope me into your nonsense. Peeping on women’s bodies? That’s the lowest of the low.”

“That’s funny. I heard that every time a new female member joins, you make sure to see them naked.”

“…I do not.”

Indeed, (not on purpose).

“And I also heard you’ve already bathed with Sayori.”

“…”

“I’ve never once in my life engaged in peeping. That’s why I wanted you, the expert, to teach me your ways.”

“Don’t go assigning me the title of ‘peeping expert.’”

Apparently, tonight would be Rey’s peeping debut, and he was hoping to be mentored by a pro in the field.

…Karl felt a headache coming on.

“Besides, there’s something in it for you too.”

“…What?”

“This might actually cure that accidental-perv tendency of yours.”

“What!?”

But Rey’s next words caught Karl’s interest.

“To peek at a woman’s body on purpose—such a man would never again have ‘lucky’ accidents.”

“…But still.”

“And earlier today, Sayori herself said this to a member of the vigilante group, half-joking: ‘I don’t mind being peeped on, just don’t get caught.’”

“…!!”

“Exactly. That woman isn’t the type to care about being peeped on.”

And with that, a shocking new revelation.

Apparently, Sayori had declared herself peep-friendly to the whole vigilante group.

“What do you say, Karl? Shall we?”

“No, wait, but—”

“She herself said it’s fine. I’ve got some lingering resentment, and you might lift that weird curse of yours.”

“Ugh… ughhhh…”

“If you won’t seize this moment, what kind of man are you? Steel your resolve, warrior Karl.”

With Silent Blade’s fierce persuasion, Karl’s heart began to waver.

Karl was still a guy, after all. Of course he was curious about the female body.

“She plans to take the last bath tonight.”

“…”

“Tonight, after sundown—the operation begins.”

With those words, Rey offered his hand.

“If you’ve said this much… guess I’ve got no choice.”

“Ha, I’m glad you understand.”

Karl hesitantly took his hand in return.

---

Night.

Darkness had fallen over Ressal. No one was out and about; silence enveloped the place.

A fire had been lit beneath the bath, and a lone woman stepped in.

“She’s gone in, Karl.”

“Yeah, I see her.”

Two idiots peeked from the men’s quarters to check on Sayori.

…There was no doubt about it. She had begun bathing at this late hour.

“Well then, Master. We leave the rest to you.”

“Young blood, huh, boss.”

The two had already coordinated their story with the Master.

With this, the two men had secured their alibi.

“…Operation start.”

Soon after, Rey and Karl—both swordsmen—slipped into the night.

“Sayori’s chest… is nonexistent. When I saw her in the bath before, I was completely convinced she was a man.”

“Yeah. Even with clothes on, she looks like that.”

“That’s why… I stupidly didn’t check down below!”

“Wh-what an idiot you are!”

As they continued their vile conversation, the two silently approached the bathhouse with unnecessarily refined movements.

Both Karl and Rey were first-rate swordsmen. Their level of training was far beyond that of any common peeping tom.

They were trained perverts.

“We’ll reach the target location soon.”

“Don’t drop your guard. Silence your footsteps. Approach carefully.”

Eventually, they reached the front of the bathhouse.

The target was right there. Karl was about to move toward the drain near the bath when—

“Tonight~ is such a~ lovely night with the moon so bright~”

“…!”

A woman’s bizarrely upbeat voice made them both instinctively hit the ground.

“Meow meow meow meow, oh moonlight meow~ Even a cat gets the stick if it walks around~”

It was a voice Karl recognized.

Yes—that was the nun who’d pulled out from the battlefield mid-party…

“Karl! Who is that woman!?”

“Ilyu! Damn it, the most unpredictable one just had to show up.”

Whispering fiercely, Karl and Rey exchanged words. There she was—the crazed nun with a far-off look in her eyes.

Why was that woman singing alone in the middle of the night?

Why was there a cat on the moon?

What the hell did “moonlight meow” even mean?

—None of it made any sense to a sane person!!

“So this is where she ran off to when I couldn’t find her—off doing god knows what!”

“That kind of over-the-top personality—she’s totally one of your crew! Damn it, what do we do now!?”

“She is not! My crew’s personalities aren’t like that! She’s just on a whole other level!”

“Whatever! That’s not the point! Karl, what’s the plan now!?”

“Guh…”

“What is that woman’s goal? Why is she wandering around at this hour?”

“I don’t know. With Ilyu, I never know anything.”

While the nun cheerfully sang behind them, Karl and Rey argued.

Their carefully laid plan had been wrecked by a bizarre act no one could’ve predicted. Of course they were pissed.

“Calm down. Stay cool, Karl. We hide here and wait for her to leave…”

“If we do that, the target will finish her bath! The naked body is right there, in front of us!”

“As frustrating as it is, we’ll just have to endure it. This is our moment of patience.”

But the nun showed no signs of stopping.

Ilyu, full of joy, danced under the moonlight. It might’ve been some kind of ritual.

---

"...We're at our limit. We can't go on like this..."

"Yeah. Even Sayori should be getting out of the bath soon."

"Damn that Ilyu... Why does the bath have to be so damn far away—"

Time passed—several dozen minutes. And Ilyu was still happily singing away.

The two men realized the nun had no intention of leaving the bath anytime soon.

"...This is humiliating, Rey..."

"Let's go. If we head back now, we can always try again."

If they were caught here, their reputation with the women would be ruined.

Swallowing their frustration, the two warriors turned and left, vowing to return.

Looking back on it, this would be Karl's first ever "defeat in the pursuit of lechery."

---

"...Achoo. I wonder if Lord Karl is here yet...?"

And so—

The cunning tactician Sayori, who had ordered her subordinate Rey to lure Karl into peeking on her,

"...Achoo."

Waited and waited for the peeping offender who never came…
and ended up catching a light cold.