Tiana meekly raised her hand. “Er, Lady Eluria, may I say something?”
“Mm. Permission granted.”
“Firstly, we all know that Lord Freeden is much younger now.”
“Mm-hmm. He’s the same on the inside, but physically he’s much younger.”
“The times have also changed. From food culture to entertainment—Alma has told me how much more there is now compared to the past.”
“That’s true. There are a lot more things to do and enjoy now.”
“So, with regards to Lord Freeden’s food preferences and hobbies... The members of the brigade, Ryatt included, accompanied the Hero during his later years. In which case, the information they possess would also have been gathered when he was older.”
Eluria squinted. “Which is to say...?”
“Is it not possible that his preferences have changed since then?”
Eluria slumped in defeat. “So all I’ve achieved is learning some new recipes...”
“I-It’s just a possibility! It could have not changed too!” Tiana hurriedly added, flailing her arms around in a panic.
Regardless, she wasn’t wrong to point that out. Physical changes could affect one’s personal preferences, and not to mention, Raid’s lifestyle had changed greatly since he was reincarnated. Eluria could ask Raid’s current family about his new lifestyle, but as for his preferences during his youth, she would have to ask someone who knew him during that time in his life.
“Ryatt, did any of the brigade members know Raid well during his youth?”
“I am afraid not... His Excellency organized the Special Combined Forces right before he entered his thirties. Anyone who knew him before then—or even during its formation period—would have already retired by...” Ryatt trailed off before quietly gasping. “Pardon me. I believe there is one member who meets the criteria. He has been under His Excellency’s command since before the formation of the Special Combined Forces and likely spent much time with him during his youth.”
“Mm... Are you talking about Blofeld?”
“Yes. He was a criminal—the leader of a large bandit group that attempted an invasion of Altane—who was subjugated by His Excellency. As his reward, His Excellency requested the previous emperor for their custody and placed them under his command. From my knowledge, this was the beginning of the Special Combined Forces.”
“I see... Ms. Alma, can you summon Blofeld?”
“Aye aye,” Alma drawled, turning her gaze to her magic gear. “Blofeld, you got a sec?”
“Yeaaah!” came a spirited yell from within the flag. “There’s gotta be a fight this time, right? Right?!”
“Ugh, do you always have to speak so loud? I feel like my ears are gonna bleed.”
“Bah ha ha ha! A big guy’s gonna have a big voice! What can I do about it?!”
“‘Big guy,’ my foot. You literally have no physical form right now...”
As Blofeld’s boisterous voice resounded through the meeting room, Eluria leaned forward and said, “Long time no talk, Blofeld.”
“Oh? I know that voice! It’s the silver kiddo!”
“That nickname takes me back,” Eluria mused.
“Bah ha ha ha! ’Cause you’re so used to being called the Sage now, eh? And to think you used to roll around in the mud with us just decades ago!”
“That was when I was just a grunt. Then I beat you up a ton with magic, and I eventually managed to rise in the ranks. So, thanks for that.”
“Am I supposed to say ‘you’re welcome’?! Ah well, I guess it’s all good! Your fifty-year-long fight was what little entertainment I had in our shitty world, after all! Bah ha ha!”
A smile formed on Eluria’s lips as her mind wandered to the past. No ordinary person could contend against Blofeld, given his extraordinary size. Before the Magic Regiment was formed, Eluria had often stepped up to face off against him—at a time when she had been known not as the Sage or even for her magic, but as no more than “an elf with powerful magecraft.” Thinking back now, she and Blofeld truly went way back.
“Anyway,” she continued. “Blofeld, I want to ask you something.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“I want to know more about what Raid was like around the time we first met. What he liked, how he spent his time—stuff like that.”
Eluria’s question was met with a bout of silence—one so sudden and jarring, it was hard to imagine Blofeld had been talking nonstop just moments ago. When he finally spoke again, his voice came out in a startlingly deep and curt tone: “I refuse.”
Ryatt furrowed his brow. “Blofeld,” he said, a stern undertone to his voice. “Our brigade serves the Hero and the Sage. Refusing to answer Lady Eluria’s question is a strict violation of—”
“So what?” Blofeld cut in. “Neither you nor the silver kiddo are the boss of me. My only superior is Raid Freeden. If you’re not asking me to fight, then I’ve got no reason to comply.”
Alas, it seemed even Raid’s most trusted adjutant was met with a clear-cut rejection. Looking back, when Alma had summoned the captains of the Special Combined Forces on the day Raid and their companions had left, Blofeld had not been very active in sharing information. The most he had said was that he didn’t know much.
“Anyway, you ain’t gettin’ any answers from me. I only listen to those I’ve acknowledged. If you really wanna get me to listen, then you’ll have to make me. How ’bout it, Silver Witch?”
Even through the magic gear, a heavy weight carried across on Blofeld’s voice. With those words alone, Eluria immediately understood what she needed to do. She nodded firmly. “All right. It’s been a while since we last did this.”
“Bah ha ha! You sure are quick on the uptake! Guess you really are much older than you look!”
Eluria pouted. “I’m a human now. I’m exactly as old as I look.” Then, she smoothed her expression and affixed her gaze upon Alma’s flag. “Blofeld—I challenge you to a duel.”