The Rumor That Shook the Campfire
“Then why… did you only pick up a bunch of wet branches?”
“Doesn’t matter. I can just call Undine and blow the moisture right off.”
“Ah.”
“Hehe. This is the minimum level of talent waste I’ll allow myself.”
That’s how you show off properly. I shrugged and waved the damp branch around. Ash burst into quiet laughter, clearly amused by something.
“I see. Water spirits really are useful in all sorts of ways.”
“You’re only realizing that now? Water spirits are the best among all spirits! They can’t make trees, but drying things? They can do that all day.”
“What else can they do?”
“Let’s see… they can attack, defend… and even fly through the sky! Though the thing I use them for most is probably showers or baths. If I say I don’t need a towel, does that give you an idea?”
That was when Ash’s ‘face explosion’ condition, which I thought had improved, flared up again. His face turned as red as if someone had splashed it with crimson paint.
It would’ve been fine if only his skin changed color, but even his pupils lost focus and trembled.
“You okay? What about you?”
“Y-yeah… um… uh…! I think we’ve gathered enough firewood!”
“What? Why are you yelling?”
“Let’s head back to the shelter now!”
Ash snatched the bundle of wood from my arms, spun around, and hurried toward the shelter. Then he practically fled, walking so fast he was almost running.
He did glance back once to check if I was following, but he quickly put so much distance between us that it looked like he wanted to disappear from my sight entirely.
What a cute little idiot.
“How long do you think he’s going to keep acting like that, Rai?”
[…….]
“Rai?”
[If only Adore were here instead!]
Oh right! I had turned Rai into a horseshoe.
No wonder it had been so quiet. I picked up a random branch lying at my feet and trotted lightly after Ash.
It was an incredibly peaceful night.
Back when we cooked, Chad would often lament Gail’s absence. And just as rumored, Gail turned out to be an excellent hunter.
They said he was as good with a bow as he was with a spear, and sure enough, in this pitch-black darkness he had brought back two plump birds. All within just thirty minutes.
Impressive, wasn’t it?
Of course, the fact that hunting was possible at night made me wonder just how good these men’s eyesight was. It also made me question exactly how far Ash had seen that day.
“Eat up, Jeanie.”
“This… you’re really giving it to me?”
What Ash casually held out were the precious drumsticks—only two per bird.
Oh my, I’m actually getting a little touched.
“Yes. Lox doesn’t like legs anyway, and I prefer you eating them.”
“So Lox does have at least one good point.”
“I can hear you, you know!”
“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”
I said that knowing full well he could hear me.
“Pardon us.”
There were other travelers at the shelter besides us.
They said they arrived while Ash and I were out gathering firewood. Judging by their clothes and the heavily loaded cart, they appeared to be merchants.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may we share your fire?”
The one who approached us once our cooking was nearly done was a middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader.
Ash gladly made room for them beside us.
“Of course.”
“Thank you!”
Shelters like this had designated campfire spots. Large stones were arranged in a circle with sand piled around them—a precaution because forest fires were so common in the area.
Lighting a fire somewhere else when a proper spot was already prepared would be a hassle, and starting a new one from scratch would take at least several dozen minutes. So it was perfectly natural that the merchants wanted to share our fire.
It was a completely ordinary occurrence.
“We’ll just boil some soup.”
“Feel free to use it however you like.”
“You young folks are quite generous.”
I was in an exceptionally good mood because Ash had given me the drumsticks, so I didn’t pay the slightest attention to the stranger sitting near me. I simply tore into the meat.
Ash sat right to my right, and the merchant took the spot beside him.
“Six of you, I see.”
“Yes.”
The merchant glanced over our group. Was it my imagination, or was he staring at me particularly hard?
What are you looking at! Everyone knows you don’t bother a dog while it’s eating its leg!
“Where are you headed? This direction… you must be going to Pamington.”
“That’s right. We’re planning to catch a ship to Heidricke.”
“What? You’re going there? Have you already bought your tickets?”
Everyone was busy eating, so instead of answering they all turned their eyes to Lox.
After all, he was the one in charge of our logistics. He talked a lot, but he was meticulous.
“We bought them in advance in Daniz. We purchased five, then had to scramble to get one more in a hurry.”
“Well done. Very well done!”
“We heard it sells out quickly around this time. Why? Is something happening in Heidricke?”
“We just came from there. It’s absolute chaos.”
It felt like watching how rumors spread in real time.
The merchant we met at the shelter told us a completely unexpected story.
“The harbor is so packed you can’t even buy a ticket. Everywhere is sold out now. It’s been like that since the day before yesterday.”
“We know there’s a festival, but…”
“It’s not just that! There’s something much bigger. You’ll be shocked when you hear it… Want to know?”
Gail, who was sitting next to the merchant, quietly placed a roasted bird wing in the man’s hand.
Even rumors aren’t free, huh.
“Ahem. You all know Robenin Pedri, right? All the young people do…”
“Jeanie?”
“What? Why is she like that?”
“Calm down! Jeanie! Why are you suddenly radiating killing intent?!”
I’ll kill him! Robenin!
I reflexively growled. Ash tried to calm me by touching my shoulder, then looked at my face and panicked, but nothing worked.
The merchant turned deathly pale at my violent reaction.
Then you should’ve given a warning before bringing up Robenin!
“Whoa, that scared me. I thought a monster had appeared.”
“She is the monster. Look at that killing intent. I’m getting indigestion.”
“Jeanie? Calm down. There, there. Want a wing?”
“Yeah, I’ll take it.”
I stopped grinding my teeth and accepted the wing.
The wing was delicious too. No matter how much I hated Robenin, I was still a rational human being.
I obediently withdrew my killing intent.
“Sorry about that. What were you saying? What about Duke Pedri’s son?”
“Ah… the rumor is that he’s in Heidricke right now. They say he’s challenging the Sword Master who defeated him before. Count Trenpe.”
“You mean that eccentric general? I heard he got absolutely crushed last time he tried.”
“A rematch, huh…”
“Is he trying to get revenge? Brave of him.”
“Seems that way.”
The merchant kept glancing at me nervously as he spoke.
Our group began bombarding him with questions, intrigued by the news.
“What does that have to do with the harbor being packed?”
“The Count set a condition before agreeing to fight again.”
“What condition?”
“Oho.”
Everyone except me stopped eating and focused entirely on the merchant’s story.
I pretended not to care, but in truth I was paying very close attention.
“They’ll fight on the day, at the place, and in the manner the Count desires. And that place happens to be one of the stages at Heidricke’s annual festival! According to Count Trenpe, he’ll arrange a spot during their national festival and accept the duel only if it’s a public fight.”
“Oh my god.”
“Ugh…”
“Where else would you find such a spectacle! Everyone’s dying to see it!”
I understood now. He planned to crush Robenin in front of everyone.
I could even sense a malicious intent to turn it into entertainment.
From Count Trenpe’s perspective—having already beaten Robenin once—there was nothing for him to lose.
Still, the condition was incredibly humiliating.
“They’ve cleared out an entire colosseum just for this duel! If you go to Heidricke now, you can still buy tickets! At the special price of 1.99 silver! Just under two silver.”
“But the eldest son of a ducal house has his pride. There’s no way he’d accept such a humiliating arrangement…”
“They say he did.”
“No way!”
“I’m telling you, tickets are on sale right now.”
The one who seemed most shocked was Enk.
Was he a fan of Robenin or something?
“…He’s still the same, that battle maniac. Tsk.”
I, who had stayed silent, spat out the cleanly stripped wing bone and ground my teeth.
Chad, sitting across from me, asked over the campfire.
“You know Robenin Pedri?”
“…Is there anyone who doesn’t?”
“You were talking like you knew him well.”
“I don’t. That crazy bastard.”
They say fans and anti-fans are separated by a single sheet of paper. I was firmly on the anti side.
Just you wait, my nemesis!
I swear on my name—I will never forgive you!
“That Count is famous for having a terrible personality, but this is particularly nasty.”
“Turning Robenin Pedri into a spectacle… the Empire won’t like that, will they?”
“Heidricke has always done whatever it wants. Being an island nation, they’ve never seemed interested in continental affairs. They’re indifferent even to the Empire’s pressure.”
“Even so… accepting those terms? What on earth is Robenin Pedri thinking?”
“Who knows. If he loses, it’ll shame his family—no, the entire Empire. Honestly, his chances of winning aren’t exactly… great, are they?”
That guy definitely isn’t thinking at all.
That lunatic is blinded by battle. He probably pestered Count Trenpe endlessly to fight again. Once he finds an opponent he wants to fight, he doesn’t care about anything else. I’ve experienced that firsthand.
“The general seems confident he’ll win this time too.”
“Yeah. And he wants to crush the Empire’s pride in front of everyone.”
“This is going to be the duel of the century. A Sword Master versus a Sword Master…”
“Of course! Just being able to witness a duel between two Sword Masters is already incredible!”
While the men chattered excitedly like Rai who had found a treasure vault, I quietly stole a piece of meat from Ash’s bowl.
It was lean meat. I am a woman with a conscience, after all.
“From what I hear, Lord Robenin has always been known for being uncontrollable.”
“Really?”
“Just look at what he’s doing lately. Wandering around like a vagabond! What son of a ducal house does that? It’s like he doesn’t care that he’s the eldest son. That’s probably why he accepted Count Trenpe’s condition.”
“At this rate, he’s not the Empire’s pride—he’s the Empire’s headache.”
“What about the family’s prestige? With that kind of reputation, he should be more careful…”
“He’s completely obsessed with his own interests. No matter how young he is, isn’t that a bit too reckless? You could call it free-spirited, but honestly, I wonder if he’s even sane.”
…Why does this suddenly feel like it’s about me? I really don’t get it.
“They say the Duke is getting quite the headache because of it. There’s even talk that the second son might become the heir.”
The second son, Lasshamu Pedri. I knew that guy too.
I remembered how he tried to escape with me when Magi attacked the founding anniversary party. That had been rather brave of him.
“Thanks to that, the Empire’s top marriage prospect has changed from Robenin Pedri to the family’s second son?”
“Why? Aren’t the princes candidates?”
“The princes are out of consideration. They’re in a whole different category. Beyond the wall!”
“I see. So any ducal heir would do. What’s the second son’s name again? I don’t think I’ve heard much about him… Is he strong?”
“I don’t know either.”
“You don’t know?”
Sorry, Lasshamu.
To be honest, if not for that incident, I probably wouldn’t even remember his name. Robenin’s halo is terrifying.
“Anyway… should we go watch? What do you all think?”
“Of course we have to go, right?”
There it is.
I knew that topic would come up eventually.