「We’re changing bars from today onward. It’s a bar called the Rockbird’s Beak」
It was night, a time when Seekers were being boisterous in the bars. I had summoned Alma and Kouga, and informed them that we would be changing our meeting place from the Orc’s Club to a new bar.
「Rockbird’s Beak? ……Wa, wait a minute, Noel. Isn’t that the bar where all the top B Rank Seekers gather?」
「Oh, so you know it. That’s right」
When I nodded, Kouga shrank back with bulging eyes.
「A, are you serious? I’m just a rookie Seeker, but even I know that there are entry restrictions based on achievements and Job Rank. For us, even if we went into the Rockbird’s Beak, won’t we just get chased out in the end?」
「Normally, yes. But there’s a loophole for everything. Isn’t that right, Alma?」
Alma, who had demonstrated how it was done in the past, laughed and shrugged.
「It’ll be fine as long as the regulars recognize our strength, right? Like when I beat that monkey up. But I think that it would be difficult with our current strength if the opponent is one of the top B Rank Seekers. Noel has ranked up, but Kouga and I are still C Rank」
The difference between C Rank and B Rank was not absolute, and if the conditions were in place, it was possible for a C Rank to beat a B Rank. However, due to the benefits received from the rank up, the one with the higher basic specifications would be the B Rank after all. Even if the C Rank used tactics for the fight, he would probably be easily defeated if he was brought into a simple contest of strength.
「Then, even if you want to change our bar, won’t it be better if we choose a bar that matches our stature?」
I smiled and shook my head at Kouga, who was frowning with worry.
「Rockbird’s Beak is a bar that matches our stature. There’s no need to compromise」
「N, no, but……」
「Well, just wait and see. Everyone will welcome us」
I sped up my steps and the two of them followed behind me. Before long, our destination came into view. I opened the door of the bar without hesitation.
At a glance, I could tell that the people inside the bar were fierce, experienced fighters. The sense of intimidation that they gave off was incomparably stronger compared to those in the Orc’s Club.
The gazes that were directed at us, who were newcomers to the bar, were mostly full of piercing hostility. Either that, or they were expectant gazes, looking forward to the trouble that we would cause.
「Hey girlie, you’re an unfamiliar face. Where are you from?」
Approaching me with a vulgar smile was a large, hook-nosed man wearing black armor. His face, which was covered in scars, was proof that he had survived through numerous battles.
「I'm not a girl. I’m a man」
「A man? Huh? You’re calling yourself a man despite having a pretty face like that? Even if you have testicles, you’re still a girlie」
The big man stroked the scars on his face as if to show them off and looked down at me arrogantly. It felt like Kouga and Alma were going to pull out their weapons at any moment so I forestalled them with my hand.
「So, you’ll be a man if you have scars on your face, is that it? Then, you must have really wanted to become a man. Have the testicles grown out properly, girlie?」
「What did you say, you dipshit……」
I laughed coldly at the big man, who had turned red with anger, and raised my voice so that everyone in the bar could hear me.
「I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Noel Stollen, a Talker and the leader of Blue Beyond. From now on, I'll be frequenting this bar. Thank you for putting up with me」
At my declaration, the surroundings were instantly in an uproar, and angry jeers started flying immediately.
「Don’t mess around, newcomer! Just who on earth will recognize you as a customer here!?」
「Blue Beyond is a party that’s connected to the Yakuza, isn’t it!? Do you think that there is a place for such jinxes here!?」
「With a shitty, small fry Job like Talker, don’t jump to conclusions!」
「They’re an eyesore, throw them out immediately!」
With the crowd heaping abuse on us, the big man smirked triumphantly.
「This is the consensus of everyone here. If you don't want to get hurt, get lost」
「That’s barbaric. But I don’t hate simple things like that」
「Aren’t you acting really cool for the likes of a Talker? Okay, let’s go outside. I’ll take care of you all at once」
When the big man indicated to the exit with his jaw, I stepped forward.
「Are you going to deal with us by yourself? What great confidence, Edgar, raid captain of Metalhound Army. You’ve been assigned an executive role in your clan, but you’ve done well to fulfill your duties so far despite having such sloppy observational skills」
The big man--Edgar showed a daunted look, but quickly regained momentum.
「Hmpt, are you trying to say that you have perfect countermeasures just because you know who I am? That’s soft, you amateur. I’ll show you the difference in adaptability between you and I--」
I cut short Edgar's smug words and whispered in a soft voice.
「Bruno if it's a boy. Katya if it's a girl. Aren't those nice names? I can feel the love inside them」
「…………Eh?」
Edgar instantly froze in place and the color drained from his face. I took another step forward.
「You haven't told your allies yet, right? That you're having a baby with the woman you're going out with. Congratulations, Edgar. Let me be the first to give you my blessings」
「H, how, did you find out about that……」
「Trade secret. Rather than that, you were picking a fight with me, right?」
I looked up at Edgar, beaming from ear to ear.
「If that’s what you want, I'll be your opponent. However, just remember this. If you want to pick a fight with me, you’ll have to put everything on the line」
「You, you fu……」
At my implicit threat to harm to his family, Edgar had a complicated expression that was a mix of anger and fear. Of course, I had no intention of doing such insignificant things.
However, to a fool like Edgar, who had the misconception that he was the only one who could unilaterally trample others underfoot, I knew from the start that this kind of threatening words would have an instant effect.
There’s a famous saying: the end justifies the means.
「Hey Edgar! What’s wrong!?」
Edgar's companions had noticed that there was something wrong and were starting to get up from their seats. It would be troublesome if his allies came over. Without a moment’s hesitation, I whispered to Edgar.
「If your allies come over, I’ll regard it as the signal to start the fight. I wonder if you’ve steeled your resolve?」
「D, don't come here! It’s okay, I can deal with it by myself!」
Edgar had obeyed obediently. Now that he had done that, he was no longer an enemy.
「It seems like you want to avoid fighting with me. That’s a wise decision」
「……You, you Demon」
「Demon, huh. It has a nice ring to it. It doesn't feel bad. By the way, if you have no further business with me, then you're in my way. Can you please move out of the way?」
「Grrr……」
Edgar only ground his teeth and growled, but didn't move. I shrugged my shoulders, snorted in laughter, and then --I fixed him with a murderous glare.
「Out of my way. I'll kill you」
「Hii!!!」
A shriek escaped from Edgar’s lips as he jumped out of the way. I boldly walked down the path that had opened up in front of me and sat down in an empty seat. With shocked expressions, Alma and Kouga also came in behind me.
The other Seekers had no choice but to acknowledge me for being able to silence Edgar. In their hearts, they probably detested us, but they understood that it was dangerous to recklessly tangle with me.
Edgar was one of the prominent heavy-hitters in the Rockbird’s Beak. Normally, it would not be easy to make him back off. For me, who had done just that, there was probably no one who wanted to carelessly get involved with me and suffer a loss.
「Noel, with what happened today, I finally understand. You're the scariest person I’ve ever known」
「It’s vexing but I feel the same. Noel, you’re completely a villain」
I smiled wryly at the two of them, who were expressing their earnest thoughts.
「That's unexpected. There's no one who's kinder than me, you know?」
†
†
As expected, eating and drinking at a new bar was novel and appetizing. For the sake of ingratiating ourselves with the boss of the bar, whom we would be imposing on from now on, we ordered only expensive food and drinks, so Alma and Kouga were in a good mood.
We had succeeded in entering the bar. But my most important objective had not yet been met. I kept an eye on the door of the bar as I sipped my wine.
Eventually, the door opened and new customers came in.
「They've arrived, it's Sky Winged Knights」
It was the first time I had laid eyes on them, but they looked just like their descriptions in Loki’s information. With the leader, Leon, leading the way, he and his three allies entered the bar.
Now, how should I make contact with them?
As I was thinking about the various possible patterns, a completely unexpected development occurred.
「Oh, it's Alma. Eh, weren't you a rookie? What are you doing here?」
One of the party members, Ophelia, the elf, had reacted after seeing Alma.
『Alma, is she an acquaintance?』
Talk Skill: Link
After I sent that telepathic communication, Alma sent back a response.
『She’s Leisha’s friend. I only met her once』
『Hmm. Leisha's friend, huh』
『Noel, be careful. That elf has a misunderstanding about Noel due to bad rumors. There’s a possibility that it’ll end up in a fight. Well, I don’t particularly mind getting into a fight. I don’t like her anyways because she slandered Noel』
『Understood』
Misunderstanding, huh? That's convenient for me. It's ideal for sparking an incident.
『Also, one more thing』
『There's more?』
『The word on the street is that Noel is a girl』
『…………Is, is that so?』
That's inconvenient. Well, whatever. No, that's not good, is it?
「Good evening, Ophelia」
When Alma replied, Ophelia approached our table.
「Are these two people Alma's allies?」
「Yup」
「Hmm…… They’re both unfamiliar faces. I’m surprised that all of you didn’t get chased out」
「Everyone was so kind. They welcomed us with a smile and even gave us sweets」
Ophelia furrowed her brow. It was clear that what Alma had said was a lie. It was faint, but I felt wariness mixed with hostility from her.
「……Speaking of which, I didn't ask you for your party's name, did I?」
「That's right. My party is Blue Beyond」
「What did you say!?」
Alma giggled at the surprised Ophelia.
「Sorry, Ophelia. For keeping quiet about it」
「Th, then, that woman over there is your leader?」
As she had pointed at me, I nodded diligently.
「Yes, I'm the leader, Noel Stollen. In addition, let me make a correction. I'm a man, not a woman. Never forget it since this is your last warning」
「Noel Stollen……So, you’re that……」
She must have heard very atrocious rumors about me. Ophelia’s face was clearly showing hostility. She was hostile and disgusted to the extent that it felt like she would shoot me with her bow at any moment.
「Oh dear, what a scary face. Is there something that you want to say to me?」
「......Nothing in particular. If you're so concerned, why don't you put your hand over your heart and listen?」
I put my hand over my heart as instructed, and then tilted my head.
「I can only hear the sound of my heart though?」
「A man who sold his allies into slavery, you’ve got some nerve saying something like that……」
「Ohh, is that what you’re talking about? They were good nourishment for me because they were sold at a high price to the Yakuza. As expected, allies are the most valuable assets, am I right?」
「YOU!!!」
The moment the enraged Ophelia reached out to grab me, Kouga kicked aside his chair and stood up. His hand rested on the handle of his blade.
「Elf lady, violence is bad. Even if he's like this, he's my important boss. If you want to do that, you had better have an appropriate amount of resolve」
「What a loyal dog. You're wasted on a leader who sold his allies into slavery」
「You can say whatever you want about me. But, you better choose your next words wisely. --Don't make me draw my blade」
「What……」
At Kouga’s intimidation, Ophelia flinched. To be able to overwhelm an opponent of a higher Rank, as I thought, this man was outstanding.
By the way, Alma had stood up at the same time, but she had smashed her nose into the back of Kouga's armor and was bleeding from her nose. She currently had her head back and was looking at the ceiling with tears in her eyes in order to stop her nosebleed.
「Ophelia, is something wrong?」
The leader, Leon, had come over with a worried expression to see what was going on.
「Your ally suddenly reached out to grab me」
When I answered first, Ophelia’s face turned crimson, but she closed her mouth as she couldn't refute what I said.
「Is that true, Ophelia?」
「…… S, sorry. The blood kind of rushed to my head……」
「I see……」
Leon turned to me and bowed gracefully.
「Our member did something inexcusable. I'm really sorry」
「I don't particularly care. But, you better discipline her properly so that it doesn’t happen again. Even dogs stop attacking people once they’re trained. Are your allies lower than dogs?」
「……Lower than dogs, you said?」
Terrifying anger was boiling up. Leon, who had raised his head, had a presence like a fierce god.
「Those words you’ve just said, can you take them back?」
「Are you going to take a defiant attitude now? You have such great sense of morality, don’t you?」
「I apologize for being rude. I’ll lower my head as many times as you want. But, nevertheless, that shouldn't be a good reason for you to insult Ophelia」
「In short, you want make it so that both parties are in the wrong. What a schemer you are. As expected from the great leader of Sky Winged Knights, the strongest party among B Ranks」
When I made cynical remarks with a sarcastic tone, Leon frowned in displeasure.
「You are……」
「Leon, there’s no point in talking seriously with him. Because this guy is that infamous Noel Stollen. As expected, it looks like those rumors were all true……」
At Ophelia’s words, Leon nodded, in surprise and also in agreement with her.
「I see, so you're that……」
「To think that you like to gossip, you’re just like a girl. Do the members of Sky Winged Knights play house as a side job? Or maybe you play with dolls?」
「You're the worst. Those who cannot value their allies aren't qualified as Seekers」
I inadvertently burst out in laughter at Leon's entertaining speech.
「If you're talking about my qualifications, it has been issued to me ages ago. Or is it useless unless I get your approval? Dear me, I hadn’t noticed. Apparently, Sky Winged Knights aren't just at the top of all Seekers, but it seems like they’re even in a position where they have power over the Seeker Guild」
「You can continue living your life by insulting others like that. But, one day, you'll receive your just deserts」
「Oh my, have you become God this time? You're a little bit too haughty. It's better for you to know your place. Otherwise, one day, you'll receive your just deserts」
When I parroted back his words, Leon’s shoulders trembled in rage, but he said nothing more. He turned on his heel quietly and left the bar.
「Leon, wait a minute!」
Ophelia chased after him. Their other allies, who had finally noticed that something was going on, followed behind Ophelia and left the bar too.
「Shall I give both of you the answer from that time?」
When I said that without preamble, Alma and Kouga tilted their heads.
「What are you talking about?」「What happened?」
「I'm talking about the method to earn huge achievements quickly. ......Surely the two of you haven't forgotten about it, have you?」
The two of them were shaking their head vigorously, but I couldn’t help feeling doubtful. They had forgotten, hadn't they?
「In the first place, achievements are relative. They only have meaning when they’re compared to someone else’s. In other words, if we can prove that we're better than other outstanding Seekers, it will be considered an achievement」
「Oh, I think I got it」
Alma muttered, then showed a troubled smile.
「Noel is an evil person after all」
「Eh, what do you mean? I don't understand」
Kouga was slow on the uptake, so I continued the explanation for his sake.
「Beasts can’t be cajoled by my verbal skills. But it’s different for people. No matter how strong a person is, the moment he’s ruined, the fall is instantaneous. Then, you’re free to do whatever you wish to him」
「Oh, I think I understand too……」
Kouga, who had finally understood, made an expression like he had swallowed something bitter.
「Noel is an evil person after all. In short, what you're saying is that in order to earn achievements, it's easier to target people rather than Beasts, right?」
「Exactly!」
I raised my finger and smiled cheerfully.
「I'll have Sky Winged Knights become our stepping stone」
The title of this chapter is 99.99% a reference to Nietzsche’s book, Jenseits von Gut und Böse(Beyond Good and Evil), published in 1886, which critisizes the philosophers of his time for using the traditional dogmatic premises when considering morality and how they framed things as good person vs evil person. His book talks about denying a universal morality for all human beings and going “beyond good and evil” and considering perspectives from the person. In other words, what is “good” and “evil” cannot be universally applied based on norms imposed by others and they depend on the situation and perspective of the person.
To portray what he is saying in simple terms, let's say there were 2 men who both killed someone. One of them did it in cold blood for selfish reasons but the other did it accidentally while trying to protect others. You cannot slap the same label of "evil" for taking another human's life on both men and give them the same punishment, but must consider their situation and perspective. Kinda the basis of the justice system, huh?
And of course, it's really the theme of this novel, isn't it? What Noel does is “evil” to others but we all know that he's mostly bluffing and putting up a front and not actually evil at heart. Right? RIGHT!!??
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