Chapter 32

While Lamber and the others were exploring the underground labyrinth of Ainzas, Germain, the guild master of "Twilight of the Spirits," was heading alone to the office of the head of a merchant guild, one of his regular clients.

Germain was seriously considering the relocation and dissolution of "Twilight of the Spirits," and wanted to inform his business partners before doing so.

He had been investigating the city of Ainzas and its lord, Duke Obock, using his position as guild master. However, the more he investigated, the more dark rumors he uncovered, leading him to conclude that it was too dangerous to continue. Although he had no intention of backing down from his investigation, after hearing the words and actions of Cradle, an adventurer from "Dragon of Mithril," he realized that continuing would involve innocent people.

When Germain reached a back alley in the city of Ainzas, he turned around. He had noticed the presence of a stalker and intended to catch and confront them in a deserted area.

"How long are you going to hide? Why don't you come out already?"

As if in response to Germain's words, a man appeared from around the corner. He had dark blue hair and a scruffy beard. Although he was dressed neatly, his clothes were slightly disheveled, giving him a sloppy appearance. His face was handsome, but he lacked a commanding presence. He had two swords on his back and one at his waist.

"Who are you? Are you related to Duke Obock?"

In response to Germain's question, the man shrugged and sighed, looking bored.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a name to give to a weakling like you."

"...To send an assassin after me so quickly, the Duke seems quite cowardly."

Germain drew his longsword, swung it diagonally, and took a stance.

"I see I've been marked. I'll defeat you and go into hiding for a while."

"Too late. I heard you sent your subordinates to the underground labyrinth."

"...How do you know that?"

After voicing his question, Germain realized how much he had underestimated Duke Obock. He had thought his actions were merely suspicious, but he hadn't expected the Duke to have already investigated the guild's activities.

In reality, it was even worse. The merchant guilds that "Twilight of the Spirits" traded with were also under the Duke's control. The entire city of Ainzas was like a spider's web, and entering it to learn about the spider was a grave mistake.

"They're not alive. They've probably all been killed. I don't care."

"Why! They had nothing to do with this!"

"They're not completely unrelated. I don't know how far you used your subordinates, but it's not unreasonable to eliminate the key members along with the leader. If you didn't want to involve them, you were too naive."

Germain wasn't naive about this. If there was any naivety, it was in underestimating Duke Obock's thorough caution, cunning, and cruelty.

"Let me tell you, Duke Obock has already investigated your background. I forgot the family name, but you're the second son of a minor noble family that was eliminated by Duke Obock. You should have just forgotten about it after leaving your family, but you stuck your nose into unnecessary matters."

Germain's background was as the man described: he was the second son of a baron's family that had been eliminated by Duke Obock on fabricated charges. He had left home to become an adventurer over ten years ago and never returned. This is why he wasn't caught up in the execution of his family. He had sworn to avenge his family and clear their name, and had set up an adventurer guild in Ainzas to gather information.

"..."

Germain drew his sword and pointed it at the man.

"Give it up. You're pretty good, but you're just above average. Don't do anything unnecessary. If you get used to fighting like a weakling, your sword skills will suffer."

The man spoke matter-of-factly, without any hint of mockery, as if he were simply stating a fact. His words were backed by absolute confidence.

But Germain had no intention of giving up easily. He glared at the man, his sword still at the ready.

"Fine... sigh"

The man moved, drawing his sword with minimal movement as he advanced, and swung at Germain. Their swords clashed, and the sound of metal rang out.

(Heavy... and fast. I barely reacted in time, but this guy... isn't even trying.)

While their swords were locked, the man's face remained devoid of energy. Despite the lack of visible effort, Germain couldn't push him back.

"Your slim build... how can you..."

"Here comes the next one."

The man raised his hand in the shortest possible motion and swung at Germain from the opposite side.

"Ugh!"

Germain raised his arm and defended with his sword, barely avoiding the attack. Before he could recover, a third strike aimed at his head was launched. Germain managed to dodge it at the last second. He considered counterattacking but noticed the man was already preparing a fourth strike, so he deflected it with his sword.

(There's some truth to his boasting. He's incredibly strong. But if I can land a decisive blow before he gets serious...)

Germain sharpened his focus, concentrating on dodging and looking for an opening to land a sure hit.

To read the trajectory of the sword, Germain observed the man's face. There, he noticed something terrifying.

The man's bored expression remained unchanged, and his gaze barely moved. He seemed thoroughly uninterested, looking past Germain to something far behind him.

(There's no way he can execute such precise and sharp sword techniques without observing my reactions. There must be some trick...)

Their swords clashed again, and the sound of metal rang out. Germain turned his sword to block the man's next strike and finally realized the source of the man's unsettling sword skills.

"Y-You can't be serious... this sword..."

"Good job. This is the ultimate technique, 'Forty-Nine Sword Rain,' created by the sword saint Bergane and passed down only to the eldest sons of the Alric family. You're already in the midst of my rain of swords."

In sword battles, the most important thing is how well you can respond to your opponent's movements. In theory, if you have the best response to every technique and situation in your head, you can control any sword. However, in reality, this is impossible.

However, 'Forty-Nine Sword Rain' involves constantly attacking to limit and guide the opponent's actions. By pre-memorizing the best responses to the guided movements, it creates a continuous series of situations where the opponent is always on the back foot, similar to checkmating an opponent in a board game with the best moves.

In other words, no matter how much the man holds back, he can execute a series of forty-nine attacks without any openings for a counterattack. There was no way to land a hit against such a calculated technique.

"I can't end here! I must expose Duke Obock's crimes and restore my family's honor..."

In a panic, Germain launched a forced attack on the thirteenth move. The man calmly switched his sword and struck Germain's head with the hilt. Germain was knocked down and fell to his knees, blood streaming from his head.

"Could you... be from the Alric family?"

"Nope. I just learned it during a past conflict and adapted it to my style."

The man casually and nonchalantly admitted to something incredible. Germain was left speechless.

"I thought it would be interesting to learn, but it's just a boring technique like a kid's practice. It was a struggle to learn, but using it is incredibly dull."

The man cracked his neck and sheathed his sword.

"I learned all forty-nine moves, but I never get to use the ones after the twentieth, no matter how much I hold back. It gets more complicated and troublesome from there."

Clearly, he was in a different league. Germain realized this and had already lost his fighting spirit.

He had a deep hatred for Duke Obock, who had defiled, degraded, and executed his family. He was frustrated that his hard-earned sword skills were dismissed. He felt responsible for his subordinates and wanted to check on their safety.

But in just a moment, he had given up on everything. He knew he couldn't win. It was impossible.

"...I've heard rumors that the Duke has a very strong subordinate who rarely shows up... is that you?"

"The Duke wants the three main members and the armored man killed, but he wants you captured. But don't get too comfortable. The Duke is a real scumbag. You'll wish you were dead."

The man ignored Germain's question and said this with a lack of interest. At that moment, Germain's consciousness faded.