Chapter 7 TIKR Vol. 1 Chapter 1 Part 6

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It was dusk. The curtain of night was just beginning to fall over the Imperial Capital.

In a dim back alley, three young women stood in confrontation.

Scattered around them on the ground were the very thugs they had just finished suppressing. The three organizations had rushed to the scene and made short work of them.

The capital’s peace had been preserved for another night.

But the tension in the alley remained thick. And for good reason.

The leaders of the Silver Wolf Knights, the Firebird Merchant Guild, and the White Whale Academy of Magic were glaring at each other. They were in a standoff over the captured criminals—that is, over who would claim the credit.

“We’re seeing a lot of each other today,” Prima said, baring her teeth in a snarl. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face here.”

She looked like a loyal dog growling at another who dared approach her owner. Her hostility was aimed squarely at Rosetta, who had brazenly kidnapped her Master right in front of her.

“Your barbaric act of abducting my Master is unforgivable!”

“Hmph. ‘Your’ Master?” Rosetta scoffed. “If you’re going to make things up, at least try to be original. He is my Boss.”

“Hah! Has making all that gunpowder finally boiled your brain? My Master is an avatar of strength with a body of steel, a magnificent man who looks best covered in blood! He is not the boss of some merchant guild!”

“My Boss’s gunplay is a work of art! Deflecting a bullet with another bullet? Do you really think there are two geniuses in the world who can pull off a trick like that? Your claims are just pathetic!”

The two continued to snarl at each other like animals fighting over territory. Realizing they were at a stalemate, Rosetta shot a sharp look at Kirsi.

“Saint of <Noah>. Your Master returned today, too, I assume? I have reports that my Boss headed in the direction of your Academy. Explain.”

“Mm.” Kirsi frowned, clearly offended. “Master is a mage. The greatest in this country. No, the greatest on the continent. Your accusations… are rude.”

‘A mage…?’

Prima and Rosetta exchanged a look, their faces equally skeptical.

A physical brawling ‘avatar of strength,’ a gunslinging ‘genius,’ and the ‘greatest mage on the continent.’

The three descriptions didn’t match. At all.

They all knew. The level of skill their own Master possessed was the pinnacle of a single discipline. It was a power one could only achieve by dedicating an entire lifetime to it. Martial arts, gunplay, and magic. They were not skills one could just… dabble in.

If, by some miracle, a person did exist who could master all three…

…No. That was impossible.

All three of them dismissed the possibility. Their own Master had returned. That much was certain. Therefore, they must be three different people. It was all just a misunderstanding.

And if that was the case, it wasn’t surprising that their suspicion turned to the one person who had set this all in motion.

“I… see,” Prima said, her voice dripping with realization. “It was the Princess.”

“Exactly,” Rosetta seethed. “She leaked the info to all three of us, making it seem like we were all waiting for the same person. Was she hoping we’d destroy each other? That little…!”

“The Princess… is devious,” Kirsi stated flatly. “She will pay for this.”

A massive wave of blame was crashing down on Princess Eilfina, who was not present to defend herself.

“Well, no matter,” Prima said, drawing her blade and taking a ready stance. “We’ll pay the Princess back for this later. Now that my Master has returned, no one can defeat me!”

“Hmph! The Guild has its Boss, and we have no weaknesses,” Rosetta shot back. “The first thing he did was talk to me. And guess what he said? He said I was… ‘charming.’ Ahh… just that one word is enough to keep me fighting for a hundred years!”

“Grk…!” Prima groaned, her face twisting. Come to think of it, Master hadn’t praised her yet…

“The Academy with Master is the strongest,” Kirsi added. “I… was praised, too. He said, ‘You saved her.’ As long as I’m with Master, I can’t lose.”

“Urk…!” Kirsi’s casual one-two punch nearly sent Prima to her knees. But she would not be defeated. The joy of her Master’s return was giving her strength. After five long years, he was back. And he had allowed her to serve him.

If that was the case, it was only natural to want… more.

“I will be the one to clean this ‘garden’ and present all the glory to my Master! And when I do…” If I can make his name ring out… If I can make him the greatest… then surely… “—I will confess my love to him, and we will be bound together!”

“Wha—”

“Mph—”

Rosetta and Kirsi were stunned. Normally, they would have scoffed. But today, with their own masters back, they were also high on happiness. Their minds were… susceptible.

Prima’s words lit a spark, and they, too, began to imagine… that kind of future.

“F-fuhe… fuhehe… Master… no… Husband…” The maid giggled, lost in a dream of living at the mansion. And when they were alone… perhaps in bed… she wouldn’t call him ‘Master.’ She would call him ‘Husband’…

“M-Me and the Boss… as lovers? Is… is a future like that even allowed!?” The tough-girl facade melted. When she came home from work, he’d be there to greet her (her kept man, of course). They’d relax… and then… share the same bed…

“Master… and… me…? …!” The innocent mage’s face turned bright red, her mind short-circuiting. But… just imagining hugging him, patting his head, whispering… If that made her feel so warm, what if they…

Fwehehe… Ufufu… Ehehe…

The sight of the three most powerful women in the capital giggling to themselves with slack-jawed, blissful expressions was, frankly, terrifying.

Prima was the first to snap out of it. “—Ah! I… I was lost in the moment.”

She wiped a bit of drool from her chin and raised her sword. “And so, you will stand aside. We’re settling this now. …And my Master is way cooler than yours.”

“Did you just add that at the end!?” Rosetta roared. “My Boss is obviously the best!”

“Master is the strongest,” Kirsi stated. “I will not accept any other arguments.”

The irreconcilable leaders glared, sparks flying. The silence broke. The fuse was lit.

The maid lunged, the merchant opened fire, and the mage began her chant.

If you’d only heard the conversation, it might have sounded like a petty squabble. But the soundtrack was the shriek of steel, the crack of gunfire, and the roar of magic. Their subordinates were now pouring into the alley, and the scene was descending into an all-out brawl.

In that apocalyptic alleyway, Arl—who had followed Kirsi out of genuine concern—was hiding behind a pile of crates. He slid down the wall, all the strength gone from his legs. His face was beet-red.

“…This is… really awkward…”

Can I please pretend I didn’t hear any of that? He shook his head. He had a mission. “I can’t believe… they haven’t realized we’re all the same person.”

If that was the case, he still had a play! If he just stepped out right now and revealed the truth, their reason for fighting would vanish—

“…No.”

And just as he thought it, the day’s single most terrifying alarm bell went off in his head.

“Ranged-attack team, move up! The sword is mightier than the gun and magic, you hear me!”

“Leave the vanguard to me, Leader! For our Master!”

“Dammit, why can’t I hit them!? Need more firepower! Get me more ammo!”

“Aye, aye! We’re bringing home a souvenir for the Boss!”

“Open, Crimson Score: Third Movement, First Verse—♪!”

“Follow the Saint! We will make the glory of our Master known to the world!”

The walls of the buildings were crumbling. Craters pocketed the ground. The brawl was so intense it was threatening to wipe the alley itself off the map.

They were all fighting this hard because they were so overjoyed. To bring him glory. To make him happy. To… prove their love. If he stepped out… would that love ‘unite’?

No. No, it wouldn’t.

They would try to monopolize him. ‘He’s mine!’ The fighting wouldn’t stop. It would get worse. This wasn’t a skirmish. This was exactly what Eilfina had feared. This would be the end of the capital.

Revealing the truth would destroy the country. But hiding it would also destroy the country.

You have to take responsibility…

The Princess’s words came crashing down on him.

“Fina… this is… this is a checkmate, isn’t it?”

His knees buckled. He stumbled, hitting his head against the wall. His brain swam. Unaware of their Master’s plight, the girls let out a unified, passionate war cry, their voices as one:

“OUR MASTER IS THE BEST—!”

‘But… you’re all… talking about the same guy…’

Arl’s desperate, whispered retort reached no one as he slumped into unconsciousness.