Reunion

――The next day.

At last, the day had come to reunite with the 'Sky-Cleaving Sword.'

It was mid-afternoon.

MP had already confirmed that the carriage carrying them had arrived in town a little while ago.

I didn't want to run into them somewhere inconvenient, so I decided to confront them as soon as possible.

They'd surely visit the Adventurers' Guild first to find out where I was.

So I decided to wait for them inside the guild.

I didn't want to get Rinka involved, so I had her wait a little way off.

'Master, just as expected, they're heading straight this way.'

'It's finally happening...'

MP could access debtor information, so their movements were an open book to me.

I waited for them while pretending to look over the request board.

And then――.

'They've come in.'

I couldn't see them with my back to the entrance, but MP let me know they were approaching.

'They've noticed you.'

'Yeah.'

Three sets of rough footsteps drew closer――.

"Hey! Rento!"

Guy's filthy voice rang out behind me.

It'd been a long time since I'd heard it, but it was just as unpleasant as I remembered.

After a beat, I slowly turned around as though I'd only just noticed them.

"What do you want?"

"Wha—?!"

My feigned nonchalance made Guy openly angry.

He still had a ridiculously short fuse.

"You ran all the way here, you coward!"

"W-what's with that attitude?!"

"You're awfully cheeky for a coward."

Misa and El joined Guy in shouting at me.

The two faces I'd once thought beautiful now looked as hideous as cursed masks, twisted by anger.

Why had I ever trusted people like them?

Such ugly people...

"What do you want?"

I ignored their words and repeated the same line.

I acted calm, but I was just as furious inside.

I thought I was over it, but seeing their faces brought back the humiliation of being kicked out.

A rage unlike anything I'd ever felt welled up, but I forcibly suppressed it.

For now, acting as if nothing bothered me would be more effective than letting my anger explode.

And, just as I'd expected, my nonchalant attitude made all three fly into a rage.

"You know damn well you're the one stealing our magic, don't you?!"

"You thief!"

"You filthy thief."

"Huh?"

Instead of reflecting on what they'd done, these idiots were turning around and blaming me?

What scum.

"Steal? Thief? Robber?"

I showed them no mercy.

They weren't comrades I'd once been in a party with.

They were nothing more than despicable debtors trying to get out of repaying what they'd borrowed.

The three of them faltered at the sudden change in my attitude.

This was probably the first time they'd seen me like this.

Because I'd thought of them as comrades, I'd always held back from making a scene, even when I had my misgivings.

But you were the ones who changed me into this.

You were the ones who taught me to direct my anger at others without holding back.

"You're the ones doing that. I didn't 【Transfer】 my magic to you. I 【Loaned】 it to you."

"…………"

"I only forcibly collected it because you never made any effort to pay it back."

"Tch..." "Wha..." "Ugh..."

It seemed all three were aware of that.

If only they'd put that awareness to use and reflected on their actions, it wouldn't have come to this...

But it was too late now. Time was up.

"Shut up! I challenge you to a duel! If you lose, stop this right now!"

"That's right! A duel!"

"Don't run away."

A duel.

So he'd finally decided to double down.

Guy's words didn't surprise me――

because they were exactly what I'd expected—no, hoped—to hear.

Having gotten the words I wanted out of him, I restrained the corners of my mouth from curling upward.

As the guild hall buzzed at the word 'duel'――.

"Oh, a duel?"

A third party called out to us as we faced each other.