The town had gotten somewhat noisy. Right after the announcement of the lord’s death and the appointment of an acting lord, the number of knights and soldiers had dropped sharply. Even if the knights were corrupt and hated by the townsfolk, their presence had still acted as a deterrent, keeping angry citizens in check, cracking down on thug-like mercenaries, and holding back the underground organizations nesting in the slums and alleyways.
I hadn’t thought about any of that until Gailland pointed it out, but I suppose some of the unrest and crime had been held back by the mere presence of those knights. And once that deterrent was gone? Crime surged, and the town became pretty dangerous. It was already bad thanks to the heaven dragon incident, and this was just another nail in the coffin.
Even on the main streets, shady-looking people had started loitering around, people like drug dealers and vendors pushing illegal goods—the grunts of underground organizations.
“Ares,” said Gailland, “don’t stare at them too much. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”
“Oh, sorry, Gailland.”
Apparently, I’d been staring at some thugs. I could probably take a few of them in a fight, but if their entire organization came after me, I’d be done for. Poison slipped into my food, assassins striking me in my sleep—there was no way I could block it all.
“I wonder what happened to the knights.”
I’d heard that a bunch of knights and soldiers had been rushed to the healing clinic, and that a priest had been summoned to the lord’s mansion. There were so many casualties that the knight order had been all but wiped out.
“Beats me,” said Gailland. “Rumor is they went into the dungeon in droves... Beyond that, I don’t know. They banned mercs from entering while that was going on.”
“Maybe they tried to conquer the dungeon and failed?”
“That’d be my guess.”
Even as he said that, Gailland didn’t look convinced.
“Something bothering you?” I asked.
He paused for a moment before answering. “The name of the acting lord...”
“Geos, wasn’t it? He fought with us against the dragon. I don’t understand how a guy so strong can be so unmotivated.”
“Geos Swordias. The name’s famous with guys like me—he was the Sword Saint.”
“Sword Saint? Wait, that guy?”
“He was strong, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t have taken down the dragon without him.”
Even in front of one of the highest-ranked creatures in this world, the knight clad in light armor had seemed uninterested as he quietly swung his sword. He’d looked so apathetic, he’d reminded me of a high schooler forced into an extra class before summer vacation.
And yet, his attacks were so sharp they sent chills down my spine. Even though I’d been turned into a sword master, I wouldn’t stand a chance against Geos in pure swordsmanship. That’s how refined and overwhelming his technique was.
He had to be a Sword Saint. No one could fight like that without being one. When I’d heard he was a former Sword Saint, I’d actually felt relieved. Even in a world of swords and magic, he was a special case. Knowing that monsters like him were few and far between made me feel a little better.
“Is he a problematic sort of individual?”
If he was a former Sword Saint, that meant he’d given up the title. Maybe he’d failed in battle, but I couldn’t imagine Geos being defeated. It made more sense that he’d been forced out due to some kind of scandal.
“I don’t know the details,” said Gailland, lowering his voice and cutting right to the chase. “Apparently, he was framed and exiled.”
It definitely wasn’t the kind of story you could talk about openly.
Geos had earned fame as a knight, but jealous nobles had set him up and pinned the blame for a lost battle on him. The kingdom had announced that his blunder had cost them the war, though mercenaries and honorable knights didn’t believe it at all.
“It’s clearly the kingdom that messed up. Think about it. How could Geos make a mistake in a battle he wasn’t even in?” said Gailland, practically spitting out the words in disgust. “Apparently, that whole ordeal left him bitter. For a while, people called him the ‘fallen Sword Saint,’ and rumors—true or not—spread like wildfire. I heard he lost all his drive and quit being a knight... Seems like he still hasn’t recovered.”
Gailland’s profile looked somber as he muttered that. Maybe he was a fan of Geos. When you’ve got a hero of that caliber in your generation—one you wouldn’t even dream of being compared to—admiration tends to outweigh rivalry. It’s like how kids on Earth looked up to athletes or martial artists. I had people I admired too.
So if someone like that had ended up broken and listless, playing the role of a rebel knight, of course it was disappointing.
“But if he accepted the role of acting lord,” I said, “maybe he’s starting to get his motivation back?”
“You think so?”
“After the battle with the dragon, I ran into Geos again. From how he acted, he didn’t seem like someone who’d take on a role like acting lord.”
That lazy laugh of his had made him seem like nothing more than a slacker knight. But maybe something had happened after that. Maybe he’d changed a little. Maybe the lord’s death had something to do with it.
That being said, with our status, we couldn’t meet the acting lord in person to see things for ourselves, or even call out to him on the street. If we happened to spot him somewhere, we might have a chance at talking with him, but someone like that probably didn’t just wander around town.
“Hmm, if only there was a way—”
“Hey! You there!” a voice called out.
Just as I was trying to think of a way to meet Geos, someone shouted from behind. I turned around and saw a man and woman staring straight at me. Apparently, I was the one being yelled at.
“They have dark hair and eyes,” said Gailland.
“Yes, they do.”
Just like Gailland said, both of them had black hair and dark eyes. He had probably pointed that out because that was rare in this world, and they might’ve been an acquaintance or family of mine. Aside from that boy I’d met in the dungeon, I hadn’t seen anyone else with those features.
But I didn’t know them. Then again, my reincarnation was more like a spontaneous mutation, since my parents didn’t have black hair or dark eyes.
“Do you need something?” I asked.
“Why else would I talk to you?” the delinquent said, arrogant.
That’s right, the guy in front of me was a full-on delinquent, with what they called a “pompadour.” His aggressive glare looked like he’d walked straight out of a manga. I was so thrown off I didn’t even get angry at his attitude. Honestly, mercenaries with this kind of attitude were everywhere, so I’d gotten used to it.
“You’re a cheater, aren’t you?” said the delinquent.
“Huh? What?”
“I said, you’re a cheater too, aren’t you?!”
What is he even talking about? Cheater?
I knew the word, at least when it came to players in games who use illegal tools or mess with data to gain an edge. But that would be the last thing I’d expect to hear in this world.
“Cheater? What do you mean?”
“Huh? You messin’ with me?”
It seemed my confusion ticked him off. He raised his voice like he was trying to intimidate me, but it was such a stereotypical delinquent move that I almost laughed.
“Um... Why do you think I’m a ‘cheater’?”
“Black hair, dark eyes, and that skin tone! You gotta be a cheater who used to be Japanese!”
“Used to be Japanese”! The moment I heard those words, I had to use every fiber of my being to keep a straight face.
These two must be reincarnators. If so, I think I get what they mean by “cheater.” He’s probably talking about something like those protagonists in web novels who get incredible abilities when they get reincarnated. He said that I was a cheater “too.” So are they also cheaters? But why use that word? Are they using it as a code to avoid saying “reincarnator”? Are they even reincarnators at all? I have a million questions, but asking too much might make them suspicious. Should I ask them something or play dumb and pretend I don’t know the word?
While I was debating my options, the black-haired girl finally spoke. She had a classic sorcerer look with her pointed witch’s hat.
“U-Um, is it okay to stand around talking like this?”
“Crap!” the man said. “You’re right! Let’s go!”
“Y-Yeah!”
It seemed like someone was after them. The delinquent bolted off, despite being the one who called out to me. No apology, no explanation. The girl bowed her head repeatedly as she apologized, her hat wobbling comically each time.
That took the edge off. If she’d done that on purpose, she was quite the strategist, but most likely, she was just a klutz.
Once the black-haired duo had disappeared, a group of men came from the opposite direction. They were thugs, the kind that were all too common in Erunst nowadays.
“Don’t let ’em get away!”
“Y-Yessir!”
“Find ’em!”
The guy who looked like the leader of the group was furious. They were probably chasing those two. I quickly pulled up my hood to hide my face. If they saw my black hair and dark eyes, they’d definitely have something to say to me.
“I’ll make those damn brats pay!”
How do you even make somebody that mad?