Ch.101101. This guy’s got guts sticking out of his belly.

“Get down on your knees properly!!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I’ll correct myself!”

I sat on a pile of assassins’ corpses and let out a deep sigh.

“There’s Lord Ebra whom I respect. He once said something truly memorable. Now, when I say ‘one,’ you repeat ‘I am,’ and when I say ‘two,’ you say ‘an idiot!’ Begin!”

“Begin!”

-Begin!!

“One!!!”

-I am!!

-I am!!

“Twoooo!!”

-An idiot!!!

-An idiot!!!

No matter how many times I made them repeat after me, my anger wouldn’t subside.

After shouting ‘Stand up,’ I turned my gaze toward Rio.

“Rio Sergan.”

“I await your command.”

“When I said I was going to deal with the mage in the tree, what did I tell you?”

“Y-you said to leave one alive, sir.”

“If you heard that, then why! Why did you kill them all?!”

“….I apologize. Even with ten mouths, I would have no excuse.”

I poked one of the assassin’s corpses with the tip of my sword and looked back and forth between Rio and Lightner.

“This one seems to have died last. Which of you two killed him?”

After hesitating, Rio and Lightner simultaneously pointed at each other.

“It was Sir Lightner.”

“Rio was the one who dealt with him.”

Sigh….

Was I wrong to trust these guys to handle the mage while I was away?

I had faith in Rio Sergan, but why is he so careless….

By the way.

The fact that all the knights who were escorting me, except for Lightner, turned out to be assassins means this was definitely an inside job.

Who on earth planned this?

For now, excluding Miria Alphonse who’s favorable toward me, and Leonard who’s preoccupied with his wedding, that leaves only the first and second sons….

It wouldn’t be strange if either of them was behind this.

Moreover.

The men who were escorting me are knights who normally serve Baron Byron.

This means someone secretly recruited my father’s knights.

I don’t know who did this, but they likely hold significant power within the family, whether openly or secretly.

“Lightner.”

“I await your command.”

“Do you recognize any of those bodies lying there?”

“They’re all knights who served Baron Byron, so I knew them all by face.”

“Among them, were there any who were close to the knights of my first and second brothers?”

“First and second… you mean your brothers, young master?”

“Yes.”

At my question, Lightner pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“I apologize. I have no idea.”

Well, whoever planned something of this scale must have prepared meticulously.

They would have planned everything thoroughly, leaving no room for even the smallest oversight.

“For now, I need time to think, so search all the bodies thoroughly. If you find nothing, burn them immediately. Begin!”

“Begin!”

“B-begin!!”

After ordering Rio and Lightner to burn the bodies, I sat down on a large rock nearby.

“Someone’s got quite the nerve.”

No, my first and second brothers probably still think I’m a good-for-nothing, so they figured they could dispose of me as easily as swatting a fly.

That’s why they didn’t even bother with masks, and they had both strength and numbers on their side.

Of course, the problem was that their opponent was me.

Hmm, I’d rather just kill the first and second brothers than waste an hourglass trying to find out who’s behind this.

While I was organizing my thoughts, Rio approached me, scratching his head.

“….Young master.”

“Found nothing?”

“Huh? Oh….yes, I’m ashamed.”

“I figured as much. The mastermind probably ordered them not to carry anything that could leave traces, just in case.”

Rio tilted his head at my response.

“Then why did you tell us to search them?”

“You never know. There might have been someone who disobeyed orders, like you and Lightner.”

“….I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Getting excited during combat after a long time is understandable.”

Lightner also finished the cremation and trudged over to speak.

“The cremation is complete.”

“Hmm, by the way, do you know where we are?”

Lightner pointed to a distant cliff and continued.

“Judging by that Sacred Fall cliff over there, we seem to be in Silverwood territory. I estimate it would take about five hours to reach the Alphonse estate.”

“Silverwood territory…. That sounds familiar.”

“It’s quite famous within the Eastern Continent.”

“Hmm, five hours on foot?”

“….By carriage.”

“No wonder we arrived earlier than expected….”

“My oversight, sir.”

“Anyway, has either of you driven a carriage before?”

When I asked while tilting my chin, both Rio and Lightner hung their heads simultaneously.

With no choice, I dusted off my backside, stood up, and spoke.

“Let’s head down to Silverwood territory and find a coachman to drive the carriage.”

*

“Your food is served.”

“What about the alcohol?”

“I’ll bring it right away.”

While Rio and Lightner went to find a coachman, I arrived at the Flower Pleasure House.

The second floor was set up like a pleasure quarter for entertaining women, while the first floor had the atmosphere of an ordinary tavern where common folk could drink comfortably, so I took a seat at a table on the first floor.

I stabbed a chunk of meat with my fork and put it in my mouth.

“Mm, this is delicious?”

I expected it to be dry, but it was tender and chewy, instantly relieving the stress I had felt earlier.

Add a drink to that, and it was nothing short of paradise.

By the way.

Silverwood territory sounds so familiar, but why can’t I remember exactly?

Is it such a common name that I’m confused?

‘Silver tree….’

As I was trying to recall memories from the original novel, an unfamiliar woman suddenly sat down in the chair opposite me.

“….What is it?”

“Food, me too.”

“Pardon?”

“Give food, me too!”

“What…?”

“Me too, give food.”

Her slender hair reaching down to her waist, with a light blue color, was the first thing that caught my eye.

She had red pupils and distinct facial features—could she be a character from the original novel?

And that speech pattern….

This oddly familiar way of speaking created a strange sense of unease.

‘She seems about my age….’

She had a skinny build and looked pitiful, as if she hadn’t eaten or bathed for days.

With just a little more flesh on her bones and longer ears, she could easily pass for an elf.

Out of sympathy, I unconsciously pushed my plate toward her.

“Eat.”

“Like you.”

“Huh?”

She tore the meat with her fingers and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Delicious, meat.”

Was it when I was young?

People often told me I ate heartily.

Back then, I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but now I think I understand a little.

Yes.

Being reincarnated as a nobleman is a kind of blessing, and sometimes I should show kindness to beggars like her.

Just as I was feeling self-satisfied, she had already emptied the plate of meat and reached her hand toward me.

“Ate well, meat. Handshake!”

“Haha, I’ll pass on the handshake.”

“Why refuse, handshake?”

“You just tore apart meat with your hands, so they’re covered in grease now.”

At that, the woman looked around, hastily wiped her hands on her clothes, and extended her hand again.

“Clean now, my hand.”

“….Rather than a handshake, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Selden Alphonse.”

The woman tilted her head and then smiled brightly at me again.

“Yes! Rinadiel. My name.”

“Ah, Rina….Ri-Rinadiel?”

If she’s Rinadiel, then she’s a half-elf born between an elf and a human, known for her exceptional archery skills, who eventually becomes a companion to the protagonist.

No wonder her features seemed so distinctive….

Seeing her wandering around like a beggar, she must not have met the protagonist, Serion Rykus, yet.

Being a half-elf and human hybrid is essentially being born unlucky in the current world.

The relationship between elves and humans is downright hostile.

If people found out she was a half-blood, she wouldn’t escape a miserable death.

I wondered why Silverwood territory sounded so familiar—it was Rinadiel’s hometown.

No wonder the name of the territory seemed familiar….

By the way.

The period when Rinadiel lived as a vagrant on the streets after her mother’s death wasn’t long.

Soon she would coincidentally meet the protagonist, Serion Rykus, at a tavern and get meat from him….

Suddenly, I felt like I’d been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

I quickly rose from my chair and looked around.

‘There he is!!’

Serion Rykus was eating meat alone at a table three or four spots away from mine.

Originally, Rinadiel was supposed to sit at the protagonist’s table and get meat from him, just like she did with me.

That would have been the beginning of their friendship.

I pointed at the protagonist’s table and raised my voice to Rina.

“Ri-Rina!! There’s meat that you like at that table over there too!!”

When I called out urgently, Rina rubbed her stomach and smiled.

“Full now.”