The Spearmaster and the Black Cat

“It sure looks like they’ve got to work out the fine details of the agreement.
I’m going to have a meeting with Lezalaysa after the auction is over, too.”

“The Dignified Heaven’s Shrine, was it? I’ve heard that name before.”

“Mirai mentioned that it’s the exclusive inn of the Eight Lights.”

“I’ve heard about that inn.
The owner should be a S-Rank adventurer.” Rebecca comments.

“Hee, if the landlord is an S-Rank adventurer, it should be very reassuring for the inn’s customers.”

“I happened to see that inn from afar.
It stands out as there aren’t that many long buildings in Pelneet’s east.”

Eva’s restaurant is in the east as well.

“Okay, let’s go home.
Azure Hundred Demon, you come as well.”

“――Kakaka.
Yo, Remains of the Moon.” A characteristic voice addresses us

It’s the leader of Noctal’s Oath, Hogbar Shafeed.

“Do you have some business with us?”

Hogbar and his underlings approach us, acting overly familiar.
He’s also dragging the woman with the collar along.

“Ya the spearmaster, Shuuya Kagari, the leader of 【Remains of the Moon】, right? The perpetrator who created the four-guild alliance Blood Stars Sea Moon consisting of Bloody Long Ears, 【Assembly of the Stars】, 【Sea King Hornet】, and 【Remains of the Moon】.”

Four-guilds alliance? Blood Stars Sea Moon? Did they give it such a name?

“It simply turned out like that.
So, what’s your business with us?”

I wonder why he’s put a collar on that woman.

“Hmm? Ya interested in this woman?”

“――Kyaa, gueehh.”

Pulling on the chain again, he makes the woman fall over, and kicks her belly.
Treating a precious woman…he’s getting on my nerves.

“…Shuuya, angry…”

“…His eyes…let’s pull back a bit.”

“Yep, master is scary…”

Feeling my rage, my bloodkin’s faces become ghastly pale.
They retreat from Rollodeen.
It’s only natural, but…it looks like my anger has shown on my face.
Treating this guy politely is a waste.

“Can you not bother me with your hobbies?” I glare at Hogbar.

“What, ya quite the funny guy.
Ain’t that completely different from how ya acted during the meeting?”

I don’t know what’s so funny about it, but Hogbar laughs as he looks at my face.
However, as he’s apparently alert, he gathers mana in his left shoulder.
Protuberances appear from the mantis-like, white compound eyes located on the spikes protruding out of his shoulder.
Moreover, his upper left hand clasps a staff with a bladed stake while he holds a clock-like magic tool in his lower left hand.

I guess both are magic items.
Has he been hiding them under his sleeves? Or he might have retrieved them from a bracelet-shaped item box.

“…Take a guess.
I told you that I don’t want to watch your hobbies, didn’t I? Are you deaf or something?”

“Kakaka, you pack quite some force.
No wonder that you rose to being an Eight Lights.”

“…You’re an eyesore.
Get lost.” I jerk my chin, pointing my eyes to the side.

“Nah, I don’t want to.”

I should give him another warning, huh?

“Let me warn you, if you bug me any further, you gotta be prepared to pay the appropriate price.”

“…Your reaction towards this woman is quite extreme.
Is Remains of the Moon possibly connected to Leften?” Hogbar asks, seemingly misunderstanding something.

“…”

He looks at my face while pulling up the woman with his chain.
Just as before, she’s only wearing underwear.
However, I wonder, why can I feel dignity from her? She gives me a strong impression of being trim and proper.

Is she related to Leften? Her name was Nereis’Kary, wasn’t it? Ah! Isn’t that the name of the kidnapped princess? Noctal’s Oath is a major dark guild which uses Leften Kingdom’s capital Fa’Dyke as its stronghold.
Going by the circumstances, it must be the princess in question.

Hyatos mentioned that he passed her into the hands of the prime minister, but that’d mean she fell into the hands of a dark guild.
Or maybe Noctal’s Oath are underlings of the prime minister?

I’ve judged her to be a princess, but I won’t mention it.

“…Leften? I’ve never seen that woman before.”

“Then ya don’t need to mind her, do ya? Nereis’Kary, do ya know that black-haired man?”

“…”

Nereis’Kary doesn’t answer.
Her blue eyes are fixed on me.
I feel like her clear eyes are appealing to me in some way.

“――Hey, I’m talking to ya.”

“――Kyaa.”

Apparently unable to stomach that Nereis’Kary is ignoring him and looking into my eyes, Hogbar pulls on her chain again, causing her to fall down.
This guy…doesn’t he ever get tired from rebuking his slave over each and every little thing?

“…I do not know this gentleman.”

“Hah? Speak up, bitch.”

Nereis’Kary approaches Hogbar with a face full of shame.
While leaning in close to him, she says into his ear, “I don’t know him.”

“That means, the usual reaction of a woman lover, eh? Do ya want this woman?” Hogbar calls out to me while flashing his teeth with a broad smile.

Pretty obviously…he’s trying to provoke me.
I’m sorry for the beauty, but I’m going to turn down his offer here.

Just as I’m about to answer, “――Kind sir, please accept me.” Nereis’Kary runs up to me while stretching the chain tying her down, and pleads with a desperate look on her face.

“Hey, who told ya that ya should open your trap――”

Again, huh――?

Given that Hogbar is about to pull the chain once more, I draw Murasame’s hilt with my left hand while swiftly getting off Rollodeen.
As soon as I land on the ground, I quickly close in on Nereis’Kary in a forward-bent posture, using Magic Combat Step.
I grasp the chain tied to her collar with my right hand, and pull Hogbar towards me.

“――Kuuoohh.”

Hogbar loses his balance as his arm is pulled with a strength he apparently hasn’t expected.
At that moment, I pour mana into the hilt in my left hand, causing the light blade to appear with a buzzing.
My target is, of course, the chain extending from Nereis’Kary’s collar.
I move Murasame diagonally upwards, cutting through the chain from below.
The chain, which had been coiled around Hogbar’s arm, snaps off midways from the heat, and falls to the ground.
A faint stench of burned iron hangs in the air.

The instant the chain vanishes, Nereis’Kary uses her new freedom to run up to me, and hide behind my back.
After I stop sending mana into Murasame’s hilt, effectively erasing the light blade, I holster the hilt back at my hips.

“You alright?”

“Nn, leave the rest to Shuuya.”

“The root of the collar has melted as well.”

“Thanks.”

My bloodkin are looking after her.
The Blood Beast Corps takes up position to restrain Hogbar’s underlings.
Since Nereis’Kary can freely move around, she isn’t an official slave, just as I expected.

“…What the fuck are ya doin’?” Hogbar blurts at me alongside a vexed glare after having fixed his posture.

Well, it’s only natural for him to be pissed off, but…I warned him in advance.
Besides, she told me to accept her.
I’ve selfishly decided that to be a call for help.

“…You asked me whether I wanted that woman, didn’t you? Let me give you an answer.
Yes, I want her.
That’s why I’ll take this woman.”

“She’s mine.
Give her back.”

“I don’t want to.
Even Nereis’Kary said that she wants me to accept her.”

Hearing my words, Hogbar’s face distorts into a disgusting grimace, “Don’t fuck with me.
I’ve never heard anythin’ ’bout Eight Lights meddlin’ with the slaves of others.
Moreover, I’m an Eight lights ‘s well.”

“So what?”

I don’t need any Eight Light titles.
For all I care, Mel can immediately succeed it.

“…I really can’t stand ya.”

“Don’t worry.
I can’t stand you either.
I’ll gladly teach you that your actions can displease others, if you want.”

“Kuh, you haven’t forgotten that this is neutral ground during the auction, haven’t you?”

“It’s exactly because I haven’t forgotten that your head is still connected to your neck, you know? You’ve barely escaped death because the other party is a gentlemanly cat lover.” I repeatedly lightly chop my neck with my hand.

Hogbar stares at my hand and eyes with his three eyes.

“…That attitude and look, ya serious?”

At that point, the number of Hogbar’s underlings increases.
They’ve apparently been waiting on the street.

“Of course.
Besides, I warned you in advance.”

“I see, I see.
That’s the same as if turning all of Leften against you.
I’m looking forward to the time after the auction.”

Hogbar glares at us with a sharp glint in his eyes.
However, he orders his underlings to pull back with a wave of his hand, and puts away his own weapons, becoming unarmed.
That’s an Eight Lights for you.
He doesn’t come charging at me like a madman.

“Yeah, I can’t wait.”

Hogbar ignores my words, throws away the severed chain, kicks the ground, turns around, and leaves.

I guess this means Noctal’s Oath is going to attack me in a group after the auction ends, huh? No, if they were such simple morons, they’d have attacked me right here.
Besides, he knows about the four-guild alliance.
He should be taking into account that he’ll possibly turn all four guilds into his enemies if he meddles with Remains of the Moon.
That should serve as a deterrent against him.

I suppose he’ll first go back to Fa’Dyke and inform the prime minister, who probably pulls his strings, about the details of the dispute.
Still, I’m arbitrarily assuming that Hogbar is connected to the prime minister, but…maybe they’re unrelated, hostile with each other or some such.
Well, I’ll decide after hearing about the details of the political situation in Leften from Nereis’Kary later.