Roa City was the largest city in the Fittoa Region. Its walls rose seven to eight meters high, encircling the entire city in a protective ring.
Carriages bustled to and fro near the gates, a lively display of the Asura Kingdom's proud, flourishing trade economy.
Not even the early spring nights could quiet the activity.
The city lights shone bright after sundown, lending Roa a vibrant, animated charm.
But in the very heart of the city, there was one place where the light dimmed. Amid the noise of the lively evening, that corner of the city stood curiously still.
Was it that the closer one drew to the center, the less prosperous it became?
No.
It was because that was the residence of the lord of Fittoa.
And the lord's second son—the mayor of Roa, and the administrator of the city—Philip Boreas Greyrat, was not fond of noise.
And so the city center remained quiet at night.
At that moment, inside the manor—
Moonlight from above the Fittoa domain filtered through the window, casting its glow upon the desk. A narrow-eyed man sat behind it, studying a letter that had recently arrived from a remote northern village.
There was a flicker of something unspoken in his eyes.
"Oh? This intel came in this morning?"
"Yes."
The answer came from a deep, gravelly voice behind him. The speaker was a burly man with cleanly cut short hair—the steward of the manor and Philip's acting secretary: Thomas.
Acting, because Philip's appointed secretary was… a bit of a scatterbrain. Someone had to step in and help out.
At the moment, that official secretary stood in front of Philip's desk, long sword at her hip, face blank.
But the wariness in her eyes never wavered.
To anyone observant, the 190cm-tall beastkin woman looked far more like a bodyguard than a secretary. As for fulfilling her secretarial duties, well… she might be best suited to answering questions of martial relevance.
Like, for example, whether any new talents had surfaced lately in the Fittoa region—adventurers showing promise, perhaps even suitable to be summoned to Roa and brought under Philip's employ.
"Last winter's monster outbreak did deal some damage to the surrounding villages, but Buena Village came out unscathed. I hear that dear cousin of mine took in an adventurer with remarkable talent in swordsmanship. Supposedly, he cut through the very heart of the monster wave all by himself. You've heard of this, Ghislaine?"
Ghislaine's expression remained stiff as she glanced at Thomas. Finding him confused and unaware, she lowered her head and answered with practiced ease.
"Yes, Young Master. According to reports, the individual is a Water God Style swordsman. Likely advanced-tier in strength, though still young. His future in the sword may go far beyond that."
Philip's gaze lifted slightly.
"Water God Style, hmm? Think he's worth recruiting?"
Ghislaine paused, then replied:
"I wouldn't recommend it. It's unclear whether his potential will bloom."
As Thomas poured a dark red drink into a silver goblet, the thin stream of liquid shimmered under the candlelight.
"You said he has potential, didn't you? As it happens, Eris still lacks a Water God Style instructor. A girl practicing only Sword God Style isn't exactly… proper."
The stream faltered momentarily, then resumed.
Philip turned from his drink, smiling at Ghislaine.
"I also heard that Paul's son is quite gifted in magic. And Eris happens to be short a magic tutor. What do you think of bringing them both here—have them serve as Eris's home instructors, while we keep an eye on their growth. If they prove useful, we consider absorbing them into the household. Thoughts?"
"One Sword King isn't enough to deter the rabble after all..."
The stream ended. Thomas gently set the goblet down.
Ghislaine's eyes followed his hands.
"You plan to personally cultivate loyal household retainers?"
"Exactly. Framing it as a search for tutors for Eris is the perfect pretext. Everyone knows her temper; it won't raise suspicion. It all feels… natural, don't you think?"
Ghislaine lowered her head again, replying with genuine deference.
"I believe it's viable. But we don't yet know if the young lady will take a liking to them. If she doesn't, they likely won't stay long. Given her temper…"
She trailed off.
Philip rubbed his chin.
"That's simple enough. In a few days, I'll send Paul a letter and take Eris to visit. We'll see her reaction in person."
Ghislaine fell silent for a moment, then said—hesitantly, even a bit stiffly:
"Will you be going alone? Isn't that risky? Should I accompany you?"
"No need. You know Paul. He's not the sort to try anything underhanded. He's advanced in all three styles—safety in Buena shouldn't be an issue. And it's just about finding a tutor for Eris. Nothing shady about that."
Ghislaine seemed to relax slightly, her taut stance softening.
"All right. Understood."
Her voice lost its mechanical stiffness, taking on a trace of warmth.
A faint, unreadable smile flickered in Philip's eyes. He waved a hand at Thomas and Ghislaine.
"That'll be all. Go about your business. I'll play a few rounds of chess, then head to bed."
Ghislaine nodded and exited. Thomas brought over a chessboard that bore a strong resemblance to Western chess, setting it down before Philip.
Then bowed and took his leave—
A little quicker than usual.
The door closed.
Philip stood, opened the window behind him, and returned to his seat to arrange the pieces.
As he finished setting the board, a figure vaulted in through the window.
Ghislaine.
She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her coat and handed it over.
Philip didn't even glance at it. He tossed the rough draft he'd painstakingly written in Beast God tongue onto the candle flame.
It was the same message, just in different phrasing for human speech.
His appointed secretary didn't even know how to read human language.
"Not bad. Would've been better with some emotion in your delivery, though."
Ghislaine kept a straight face.
"Your writing is excellent, Young Master—just a bit… refined. It doesn't flow naturally when translated into human tongue."
Philip's finger twitched. With a faint sigh, he brushed the ashes of the letter aside.
"You visited that spot outside Rigatte City, didn't you? See any signs?"
"I did. Just bones left, but the work was clean. Not a single unnecessary wound."
"Different from my own sword theory. He preserved only the most efficient attack angles and aura output."
Philip grinned. He looked genuinely pleased.
"High praise, that."
"His talent matches the rumors. From the traces, he uses both Sword God Style and Water God Style. The former is at least advanced. The latter... Saint-level, without a doubt. That said—"
She paused.
"It seems his assassination was noticed by Reida, the Water God. That thieves' guild was wiped out not long ago, and the main dojo responded almost immediately."
Philip was quiet for a while, then said:
"No matter. I hear Reida thinks highly of him. No other action's been taken since, so it seems she's not interested in some dramatic 'master-turns-on-disciple' arc. And someone like James wouldn't be able to manipulate a person like that anyway."
"True."
Silence fell again. The only sound was the faint movement of chess pieces. After a long pause, Ghislaine finally spoke.
"Young Master, are you sure this is safe? What about the young lady?"
Philip squinted, face unchanged.
"With misinformation in play, what danger could there be? You're shadowing him yourself, aren't you? We're only observing his strength. And the leaked intel doesn't even match Allen's capabilities."
He reached out, sweeping aside the 'guard' piece next to his 'king' with a fortress-like piece.
The chess piece clattered to the ground, bounced once, then lay still.
"Now, we wait for Thomas to take the bait. Darius has feared my father for years, yet he still stretches his hand this far."
"Should chop it off."
"Exactly."