Published: July 6, 2025
"At this timing, they show up..."
Hugh McGrath couldn't help but murmur this as he suppressed a laugh.
"Ku ku ku..."
It was a laugh, like that of a villain trying to stifle their amusement; it was impossible to hold it back.
"Sorry, Aubrey, but I've won."
Hugh confidently declared.
Lord Aubrey looked at him suspiciously and then glanced at the man beside him, who appeared to be a mage.
"Do you really think that just having that mage on your side can turn this situation around?"
"Yeah. If you surrender now, I promise to send you back home without a scratch. How about that?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
One of the imperial guards couldn't help but shout at Hugh's suggestion.
Lord Aubrey remained silent, his expression still skeptical.
He was contemplating whether or not Hugh's words were just a bluff.
"By the way, Ryo, didn't you mention something about a golem?"
"Yes. But if the person in front of us is Lord Aubrey, if we defeat him, will it be over?"
Ryo said this, then drew Murakumo from his waist, the blade appearing.
Hugh looked at him with a hint of surprise.
"Is that your weapon, Ryo? An ice sword, how unusual..."
"It's specifically for water attribute mages. I received it from my sword master."
Ryo replied while maintaining his stance with Murakumo, not letting his guard down.
"A mage who can also handle close combat, huh? I see, perhaps Hugh's confidence isn't just bravado after all."
Lord Aubrey murmured softly.
He could gauge Ryo's swordsmanship from how he held Murakumo.
Of course, Hugh didn't hear Aubrey's murmur as he continued.
"Golems can't be taken home even if you defeat them."
Ryo's eyes widened in despair at Hugh's sudden declaration.
"W-why...?"
"You were definitely planning to take it home, weren't you? But anything you defeat or obtain here essentially belongs to the duchy. That's the rule of a 'mercenary request.' So give it up."
Hugh said sternly.
"I-I was really interested in it... It has a very interesting mechanism, you see. It generates plasma from the hand... uh, small lightning bolts. That mechanism has a lot of potential applications."
Ryo skillfully tried to persuade Hugh, but the effort was fruitless.
Instead, it was Lord Aubrey who reacted to Ryo's words.
"Lightning..."
Lord Aubrey was reminded of a tale.
In the spire of the Capital City of Aberdeen, the golem creator Doctor Frank had explained something.
It was about a mechanism that had prevented the Vaidra impostor from being activated, explaining that it "generates lightning."
Even Lord Aubrey, who had seen the real thing, couldn't have imagined it was lightning, but the mage from the kingdom in front of him seemed to have noticed the mechanism and appeared to understand something.
"Hugh, that mage over there possesses some interesting knowledge."
Ryo was taken aback as he suddenly became the center of attention.
Hugh remained nonchalant.
While they exchanged light banter, both Hugh and Lord Aubrey were watching for an opening.
"Did I say something interesting?"
Ryo asked in a relatively quiet voice, checking with Hugh beside him.
"I have no idea, but it seems to have amused the famed general dictator a lot."
Hugh answered, raising his voice slightly.
"Ah, extremely interesting. How about it, mage? If you come over here, I shall give you one of those golems."
"Eh...?"
With a face that was hard to read whether it was a joke or serious, Lord Aubrey proposed to Ryo.
Ryo's heart wavered at that proposal.
"Hey, Ryo. Don't be swayed by such things."
"No, but it's fascinating. More than anything, Iām very curious about the energy source that generates such plasma... lightning. It can't just be a common magic stone..."
Ryo said, tilting his head slightly, still holding his guard.
Lord Aubrey and the six imperial guards in front of him were completely vigilant and showed no openings.
They all looked like swordsmen, and Ryo briefly considered using magic, but he had been feeling an unsettling sensation for a while now.
However, as if to ignore Ryo's hesitation, the curtain behind Lord Aubrey fell.
And what appeared was: