Chapter 22

When Allen parted ways with Rea and Rose and headed to Rocky's Store alone—

Three people, who had been watching Allen intently from a great distance using binoculars, began to move.

"Yay! The target is alone now! The princess we mustn't hurt isn't around anymore!"

"Haa... Finally, already... I'm so tired, already..."

"Let's quickly kill and quickly leave. We have the next job waiting."

The three women were female swordsmen hired by a certain source to assassinate Allen.

These women, who made assassination their profession, were residents of the dark world that never saw the light of day.

Their skills were rumored to be on par with the "representatives of the Five Academies," first-rate swordsmen.

"Got it!"

"You don't have to say it every time, already... Of course, we're going to kill him, already..."

"Then, let's go."

The three women were hiding in a dense forest.

The moment they decided to "swiftly eliminate Allen" and descended from a tall tree—

"Hmm... As expected of Lady Reia. Though her head is quite unfortunate, her 'instinct' is top-notch."

A man suddenly appeared, wearing a silk hat and holding a flashy black and white cane.

Prisoner No. 0018—Number Eighteen, who had been ordered by Reia to guard Allen.

"Wha, what? Who are you, mister? And, can you stop staring at us like that? It's creepy, you know?"

"Ugh... This is so troublesome, already... He's kind of creepy, let's just kill him, already..."

"There's no one around here, and we don't have time... We have no choice, let's kill him."

They had no sense of chivalry that would prevent them from involving civilians in their work.

Anything that obstructed their job would be eliminated without hesitation.

Faced with the overwhelming killing intent of the female swordsmen, Number Eighteen sighed deeply after looking at their faces, builds, and clothing.

"Haa... You understand nothing at all..."

All three women, though of different types, had very beautiful features.

Clear-cut, well-defined features.

Innocent, childlike features.

Proud, dignified features reminiscent of a famous sword.

Their figures were impeccable, and their attire was provocative, with a lot of skin exposed.

An ordinary man would think, "What a great day!" upon seeing such beautiful women.

But—Number Eighteen was deeply disappointed.

His face showed a bitter expression, as if he had just witnessed a long-built domino chain collapse due to a silly mistake.

"Get on your knees—*King of Oppression*!"

"Devour—*Glutton*!"

"Sleep in the extreme cold—*Permafrost*!"

An overwhelming pressure assaulted Number Eighteen.

Faced with a scene that would make an average swordsman faint, he rubbed his proud Kaiser beard.

"I see... Three Soul Arm users, huh?"

Number Eighteen's eyes widened for a moment,

"But for the young Lord Allen, who still can't handle such immense power... This might be a bit too much, eh?"

His face showed a calm demeanor.

"Look, look! How will you scream!?"

"Die cleanly, already... If you spill any blood, I'll kill you, already..."

"At least, I'll kill you painlessly and quickly."

The three female swordsmen wielded their Soul Arms, and a bloody battle to the death began.

Just one minute later.

"Wh-What...?"

"Why... already...?"

"I-Impossible...!?"

There they were, the three female swordsmen lying on the ground, their Soul Arms shattered, their consciousness fading.

In contrast, Number Eighteen was unscathed, not even a scratch or a drop of sweat.

He had clearly demonstrated the vast gap in power.

"You possess excellent material, yet you understand nothing."

His stern gaze turned to their clothing.

"Those outfits—designed with the premise of being seen, such a foolish design... Ah, how lamentable... This is the epitome of regret."

He began to speak slowly.

"Being aware of being seen—I don't intend to criticize that. Paying attention to one's appearance is a gentleman's and lady's refinement, and it's perfectly fine. —But! If being seen becomes the norm and you lose your sense of shame... It's over."

Number Eighteen's face showed a clear expression of sadness as he shook his head.

"Intoxicated by being seen, and even choosing to 'show'—you are, in a sense, 'farmed goods.'"

He concluded his argument forcefully.

"The beauty of a 'natural' woman, who doesn't realize she's being watched, showing a relaxed face, a small habit, and the ultimate embarrassment when discovered—these all blend together in perfect harmony to create a single beauty!"

Number Eighteen looked at their clothing one last time.

The emphasized chest, skirts that revealed too much, and exposed stomachs.

All of these went against his 'aesthetics.'

"Having chosen to show and lost your sense of shame, you are not even worth watching."

Having delivered his 'aesthetics' loudly, he contacted his master Reia and reported the incident in detail.

■

After successfully delivering the wheat to Rocky's Store, I headed to the clock tower, our meeting place.

There, I found Rose standing alone, looking dazed.

She seemed to have noticed me and raised her right hand slightly.

"Allen, over here."

"Rose! How is Shandee?"

"She's fine. It's a slipped disc, so she just needs to rest for a while."

"That's good to hear..."

I was relieved that it wasn't serious.

"By the way, where's Rea?"

"Still at the hospital. She said she can't leave Shandee alone while she's weak."

"I see, that's just like Rea."

Her ability to show such consideration is one of her great virtues.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah, lead the way."

"Okay, this way."

And so, we headed to the hospital where Rea and Shandee were waiting.

The hospital was just a three-minute walk from the clock tower.

After completing the simple procedures at the reception, we headed to Shandee's room.

Her room was a four-bed ward.

"We're back. How are you feeling, Shandee?"

"Oh, Allen... I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused... Thanks to you, I'm fine, thank you."

"No, don't worry about it. And—here, this is the money from delivering the wheat."

"Oh my... I'm really sorry for all the trouble..."

"No, it's part of the job, really."

With that, I handed her a small leather bag.

Finally, with everything settled, I spoke to Rea in a low voice.

"Good work, Rea."

"Yeah, this was nothing."

She smiled gently.

Just as we were about to leave the hospital, Shandee spoke up.

"By the way... What are you all planning to do next? Since you're in Dressia this season, why don't you enjoy the annual Grand Trade Festival?"

"Yes, we were planning to do that."

"Oh, that's great! If so, you should rent yukatas! It's a special festival, after all, and school uniforms... you know?"

Then,

"Yukata...?"

"It's a traditional garment of this country."

Rea tilted her head, and Rose immediately provided an explanation.

As a princess from the neighboring country of Vestaria, Rea didn't seem to know about yukatas.

"Yukata, huh..."

I had never thought about it before.

I looked at Rea and Rose, unsure what to do.

"Maybe I'll try it on..."

"Yeah, uniforms are too noticeable."

...Indeed, Rose had a point.

While this mission was technically a 'request' pushed through, it was quite challenging in reality.

It would be better if our presence at the festival was as inconspicuous as possible.

Ordinary yukatas would likely attract less attention than the well-known uniforms of the Thousand Blades Academy.

"Right... Since it's a special festival, let's try renting yukatas."

"There's a good shop right in front of the hospital! It's called 'Yukata Rental Shop,' an old store that's been around since I was young. The people there are all very nice."

"Is that so? Then, let's go there."

This information was helpful.

It's more reassuring to go to a shop recommended by someone than a completely new one.

"Then, Shandee, we'll see you again sometime."

"Hope your back gets better soon!"

"See you later."

"Yeah, thanks. Take care, everyone."

With that, we said goodbye to Shandee and left the hospital.

The shop Shandee mentioned, Yukata Rental Shop, was immediately visible in front of the hospital.

"Shall we go in?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Yukata, it's been a while."

And so, without much thought, we entered the shop.

"Welcome. Are you here for yukata rentals?"

As soon as we entered, a soft-spoken old lady in a yukata greeted us.

"Yes, we'd like to rent three sets."

"Of course, please leave it to us!"

She then called out loudly to the back of the shop.

"Hey, male customers are here! Someone come out!"

Immediately, a male shop assistant in a yukata appeared with hurried footsteps.

"Sure, welcome! You're the customers, right? The men's yukatas are this way, please follow me."

I followed the male assistant to the end of the shop.

"Please choose one from these men's yukatas."

There were many men's yukatas, not as many as the women's, but enough to make a choice.

After a quick look, I said,

"Right... I'll take this one, please."

To avoid standing out, I chose a slightly dull, black-themed yukata.

"Got it. —Here we go. Please come this way for the fitting."

"Thank you."

I was then led to the men's changing room.

The men's fitting was quick. I put on the black yukata and tied a white obi around it—just a minute or so.

"Wow, that suits you well!"

Looking in the mirror, I saw myself dressed in a yukata, and I felt a bit embarrassed.

"Thank you..."

After leaving the changing room, I waited for Rea and Rose to finish.

Ten minutes later.

The door to the women's changing room slowly opened,

"How... does it look...?"

"Does it suit me?"

Seeing their appearance, I was speechless.

Their usual uniform had been replaced by beautiful yukatas.

Rea's light-skinned yukata had a crimson dragonfly pattern, and her obi was the same wine red as the ribbons in her twin tails.

Rose's dark blue yukata had a white cherry blossom pattern, and her obi had a yellow accent.

Without any flattery, they both looked incredibly beautiful and suited the yukatas perfectly.

"Y-Yeah, you both look great."

"R-Really? Thanks..."

Rea blushed and whispered,

"Hehe, I'm glad."

Rose smiled happily.

"By the way... I think Allen looks great too."

"Yeah, it's chic and well-fitted."

"Ahaha, thank you."

After exchanging compliments, we paid the rental fee and headed to the Grand Trade Festival.

■

In the center of Dressia, there's a large street called 'God's Avenue.'

The Grand Trade Festival is an annual event held on this street.

It's safe to say it's the largest festival in the country.

Upon arriving at God's Avenue,

"Wow, there are so many people..."

"There are more people than in Orest..."

"The usual crowd..."

We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.

No matter where we looked, there were crowds of people.

Stalls lined both sides of the street.

Lively calls to attract customers.

Delicious smells that made our mouths water.

The atmosphere was thick with the essence of a festival.

"Since it's a special festival, let's enjoy it to the fullest!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Right, let's go!"

We made our way through the crowd.

After walking a bit,

"Hey, Allen! Look, chocolate bananas!"

"Look, there's candy apples too!"

Rea and Rose pointed out things they were interested in almost simultaneously.

"Sure, let's get one of each."

We visited various stalls and ate a lot of food.

We started with chocolate bananas, then candy apples.

Squid balls, yakisoba, fried chicken, cotton candy, frankfurters—honestly, my stomach was already full.

The reason we ended up visiting so many food stalls was undoubtedly Rea.

She really eats a lot.

I couldn't help but wonder where all that food went in her body.

(...I can't say 'You eat a lot' to a girl, though.)

I knew that much.

But how to stop her from going overboard... I had no idea.

"Wow! Look, Allen! It's a skewer of premium beef loin!"

She pointed at another stall, her eyes shining.

There was a thick piece of beef loin loaded with rich fat.

(...Ugh...)

I was already so full... This would be too much.

Just looking at it made my chest feel tight.

(...I had a vague suspicion since the Lamzack incident... Rea's eating is way beyond 'big eater' level...)

As long as she can maintain her healthy figure, I won't say anything about how much she eats.

But asking me to eat the same amount... I can't do that.

I looked at Rose, and she nodded in agreement.

She had also reached her limit long ago.

"R-Rea... Are you still eating...?"

"I'm getting a bit full."

"Wh-What?!"

To my surprise, Rea said this with a straight face.

She looked genuinely surprised.

(...She still has room...?)

I'll need to think about how to handle meals with Rea in the future.

In any case, this is not good.

I need to divert her attention from food.

"There are many other stalls besides food. Why don't we check those out?"

"Good idea, Allen! I'm in favor!"

Rose immediately agreed with my suggestion.

Then Rea said,

"Okay, if you two say so, let's do that!"

She agreed without much resistance.

Finally, Rose and I were relieved to be free from the endless food tour.

We then visited various game stalls like ring toss, goldfish scooping, and darts.

Rea's darts were perfect—she hit every target. She won a lot of prizes like stuffed animals, figures, and pin badges.

On the other hand, Rose, with her incredible dexterity, scooped up all the super balls.

"Yay! What a haul!"

"Hehe, total victory!"

"Ahaha... The shop owner was teary-eyed..."

After visiting various stalls and enjoying the Grand Trade Festival,

(...Hmm? What's that?)

There was a large building with strict security right in front of us.

(...About seven stories tall, maybe?)

The imposing building was surrounded by a large number of swordsmen, who were clearly not Holy Knights, as they were not in uniform.

(...What is this place?)

As I stared at the building and the swordsmen,

"That's the Grand Trade Hall. The Five Great Merchants are probably having various discussions inside right now."

Rose, who had noticed my curiosity, explained casually.

The Five Great Merchants—five powerful merchants, on par with the chancellors of the Five Academies, are the country's power brokers.

(...I see...)

So, those swordsmen are probably private guards protecting the Five Great Merchants inside.

"Rose is really knowledgeable."

"Not really. I was brought here by my grandfather when I was young, so I just know a little."

"Rose's grandfather... Is he the one from the Sakura Hua Itto-ryu—"

Just as I opened my mouth to ask, the Grand Trade Hall exploded.

"Wh-What!?"

Black-clad figures from the surrounding buildings rushed into the Grand Trade Hall one after another.

Their movements, their calm demeanor as if they knew about the explosion, and their masked attire—these were undoubtedly the perpetrators of the incident.

(...The target is the Five Great Merchants.)

By the time I had pieced together my thoughts,

"The Grand Trade Hall is on fire!?"

"Damn, call the Holy Knights!"

"Hurry! The Five Great Merchants are inside!"

The area was in complete panic.

The private guards' reactions were varied.

Some called for help from the Holy Knights.

Some quietly rushed into the Grand Trade Hall without a word.

Some were paralyzed by panic.

(...The fire from the explosion isn't that intense.)

And the building, which appeared to be covered in concrete, would burn slowly.

The Holy Knights would arrive soon and extinguish the fire quickly.

So, there was only one thing I needed to do here.

"I'm going in. Rea and Rose, wait here!"

As a swordsman, I needed to help those in trouble.

"I'm coming too!"

"Of course, me too..."

And so, the three of us rushed into the burning Grand Trade Hall.