In the dimly lit room before dawn, Gil sat on the bed without turning on the light.
What he remembered was yesterday's events, the incident at the guild. While Lizel was talking to Studd, a man interrupted them. He started harassing them. It was the usual thing.
Lizel didn't even acknowledge the man, and the man's insults continued. Insults. The conversation and insults mixed together, audible just behind him.
"However,"
The atmosphere changed. From that moment on, Lizel transformed from the person Gil knew into a being from a different dimension.
He had always thought of him as a man befitting a nobleman, but he realized that he had never truly acted as a nobleman until then.
"To compare someone of your caliber to something of mine is deeply unpleasant."
For the first time since appearing in this world, Lizel revealed his true self as a nobleman.
Faced with the enraged man, Gil was driven by a quiet, almost instinctive passion to "protect Lizel." Initially, he had planned to simply disarm the man and lightly knock him unconscious if he attacked, but he couldn't.
He sliced through a thick greatsword at its base, kicked him with enough force to crush his internal organs instead of merely knocking him unconscious, and destroyed a door he hadn't intended to break.
He, who had always refused to serve anyone and walked alone, was instantly brought under his command. Suppressing his laughter, he was certain that being hired by Lizel was the right decision.
This time, he was overwhelmed by the atmosphere, but next time he would be able to act according to his own reason. But even so, he would act the same way again.
This time, by his own judgment.
"A knight, huh?"
He muttered to himself, and then laughed again. The fact that the word had come out of his own mouth was incredibly funny.
"I feel like our plans were thwarted right from the start, but the weather's nice, so it's a perfect day for an adventure!"
"Eighty percent of the reason our plans were thwarted is because of you, though."
The two walked briskly across the open grassland. At this distance, still within sight of the city walls, monsters were practically nonexistent, and the pleasant weather made Lizel even more relaxed than usual.
Even though the possibility of encountering monsters wasn't zero, even this close to the city, he didn't seem to care.
"The military police in this country are quite serious, aren't they? But I found it amusing, so it's fine."
They were talking about what had happened that morning. They didn't usually eat breakfast together, but if they had plans to go out together like today, there was no reason to avoid it.
They were leisurely enjoying a meal prepared by the innkeeper's husband when it happened.
"Excuse me! We have received information that a man impersonating a nobleman is staying here!"
At the sound of the voice, which echoed through the inn at a time when people were just starting their day, Gil frowned and looked at Lizel.
When Lizel first arrived at the inn, there had been a commotion because people thought a nobleman had arrived, but he had clearly denied it, and now everyone around them knew the truth. The neighborhood children would excitedly call him "Lord Lizel" whenever they saw him, but it seemed that this had spread in a strange way.
"There are no noblemen from this country currently hiding in the city. We ask that you surrender yourselves!"
"Hey, what kind of strange accusations are you making against our guest?! You can't just do whatever you want!"
It almost escalated into a physical confrontation between the innkeeper and the military police. Gil glanced at Lizel, who only showed an amused expression. Even when he was the center of attention, Lizel would quietly observe the situation if he could. Of course, that period of observation came to an end the moment a man who looked like the commander of the military police, having pushed the innkeeper aside, stormed into the dining room.
"Huh..."
"Hey, you're frozen."
"More importantly, your treatment of women is unacceptable."
The military policeman froze in front of Lizel, who was elegantly sipping his after-dinner coffee. Although not as close to the nobility as knights, a military police commander would still have some dealings with them.
Even this man, who actually had opportunities to meet nobles, bowed his head with certainty in front of Lizel, who was simply going about his business as usual.
"I apologize profusely! When I checked with my superiors, I was told that there were no nobles currently staying here...!"
Hearing those words, Lizel laughed amusedly, Gil averted his gaze as if it didn't concern him, and the innkeeper slapped the back of his head, telling him not to enter without permission.
Afterward, the flustered military policeman, still looking unconvinced, heard that Lizel was not a noble, nodded solemnly at the explanation that everyone had simply misunderstood, and then slumped in exhaustion upon learning that the term "Milord" used by the neighborhood children was just a nickname they had come up with on their own.
Lizel hadn't been acting like a noble or anything of the sort. The dangerous misunderstanding was resolved peacefully, and the military policeman left, still somewhat unconvinced.
"Speaking of which, the gatekeeper did a double-take too, didn't he? I thought I was starting to blend in lately."
"...If a double-take is all it takes, then I guess that's fine."
If he had acted like a full-fledged noble like he did the other day, he would undoubtedly have been stopped at the gate, the castle would have been notified, and Gil would have been apprehended and treated as a kidnapper. The fact that it only resulted in a double-take and a stunned expression when he introduced himself as an adventurer was well within acceptable limits. Since the recent incident, Gil's expectations of Lisel as an ordinary person had significantly lowered. He now thought, "This guy is really trying his best."
"I've at least gotten all the adventurer's equipment," Lisel said.
"I'm so happy," Gil replied.
The clothes Lisel had completely changed at Gil's suggestion were also likely having a significant effect. He had originally acquired these clothes the day after meeting Gil, but the adventurer's outfit was completely different.
It lacked any armor or breastplate, making it seem unprotected for an adventurer, but the outfit recommended by Gil was specially made and didn't require any worries about defense.
"It feels a little strange to have top-of-the-line equipment as a beginner," Lisel said.
"Taking the best possible precautions is fundamental. It's stupid to get injured by being careless," Gil replied.
"That's true."
The clothes were made from the fur of high-level magical beasts and threads spun from that fur. This alone provided protection against various attacks and even absorbed impact, making it a protective suit superior to iron armor. Furthermore, it was woven with threads of mithril, boasting an impenetrable defense that even absorbed and reflected magical attacks.
Gil used similar materials, so both of them looked lightly armored. "It's good because it's easy to move in," Gil had said.
Incidentally, mithril is rarely available, but Gil had some on hand, so they used that. It cost both money and time for the custom order, but Lizel didn't have to worry about the money, and the time wasn't an issue either, as they had a long reading week in between.
Incidentally, both Gil and Lizel left the design entirely to the craftsman, which greatly troubled the craftsman and resulted in a design heavily influenced by the craftsman's and his surroundings' image.
"But my image is that of a mage, isn't it?" Lizel asked.
"I'm in all black," Gil replied.
As he said this, Gil glanced at Lizel. From his previous statement, it seemed that magic wasn't his main focus. However, there was still no sign of any weapons on his body, and he didn't look like he was capable of close-quarters combat.
"It's about time we got some answers," Gil said, stopping in his tracks. Lizel, who had walked a few steps ahead, turned around and looked at Gil, who had suddenly stopped.
"Hey, that's a prairie rat."
"Hmm... ah, you spotted it well."
"You're looking in the wrong place, it's all about experience."
About a hundred meters away, there was a rat about fifty centimeters long. The quest was to eliminate ten of these prairie rats.
Prairie rat quests are always posted on the lower-level quest board. The holes they dig are proportional to their size, and if they dig burrows in the path of carriages, horses can get caught and fall.
They supposedly grow up to two meters in size, but because they are hunted regularly, there are rarely any that grow that large in the area around the country.
"Studd said there wouldn't be any danger, too."
"They run away quickly. But they're quite nimble when they flee."
Even so, their troublesome habits can't be ignored, which is why the quests exist. Thinking this, Lizel nodded once.
Incidentally, when they accepted the quest, the person at the counter was, for some reason, Studd. While thinking that the new receptionist seemed to have a lot of free time, they had used his counter anyway.
"For now, you go alone."
*Thump...*
"Did you do it? Ah, it looks like you did."
Lizel shielded his eyes with his hand, checking the target that had been moving around just moments before, as if looking into the distance. A vein throbbed on Gil's forehead, but he quickly sighed in resignation.
"Why can't you live without surprising people...?"
"Huh? I'm sorry."
The face that asked, "Did I surprise you?" showed no remorse whatsoever. Along with Lizel, "it," which had been hovering right beside Lizel, turned towards them.
Gil had seen it before. This is a weapon called a "gun," which rarely appears from treasure chests in the labyrinth. The long barrel is heavy, and you can only use the bullets that were already loaded into the gun at the time.
Even if you try to use bullets from other treasure chests, they somehow don't fit, and once a bullet is removed, it cannot be reloaded. The highest number of bullets found in a single gun so far is six, but some guns don't have any bullets at all.
In short, it's useless. Everyone who has tried using it says that while it's great for a single shot in a critical situation, it's ultimately useless when you actually need it.
Even if you carefully carry it around, you don't know how many bullets are inside until you take them out, so you don't know if it will be usable when you need it. And when you do use it, the recoil is so strong it feels like your shoulder will break, so it's not really a weapon at all.
Now, it's just a novelty item collected by enthusiasts.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who wouldn't be surprised at all that it was floating around next to you and killed a prairie mouse?"
"I didn't think you were the kind of person who would be surprised by anything, basically."
"I'm not that enlightened."
Lizel's lighthearted banter completely calmed Gil's irritation. It was just something he was used to.
"So?"
"Hmm?"
"Explanation."
Gil glanced around as he spoke. There were no more monsters nearby. It would be fine to talk a little more leisurely.
Lizel, with a flick of his fingers, made the floating gun circle around the two of them.
"It's pretty much the same in my case; I've arbitrarily called it a 'magic rifle'."
"A rifle, huh? If you're calling it that arbitrarily, then it's not a common weapon."
"Yes, including myself... three people have used it, I think?"
The reason is the same as here: it rarely appears from the labyrinth. However, while the reason for the small number of users is mostly the same, there's one crucial difference.
Because there's a fundamental difference in the gun itself, the number of people who can use it is limited. "This gun fires iron bullets, right?"
"I've seen it once before. It was a lump of iron with some kind of magic incorporated into it."
Gil gestured, drawing a shape in the air. The teardrop shape suggested that the magic incorporated into it limited the types of guns that could use it.
Incidentally, research into that magic had already been abandoned. The magic established within the labyrinth could never be used by humans, and its principles were incomprehensible. It was an unchangeable fact.
"This gun fires a ball of magic, like this..."
"Huh?"
When Lizel unhesitatingly pointed the gun at his own head, Gil instinctively thrust his palm between them. What hit his palm was not the projectile that had blown off the prairie mouse's head earlier, but a ball of air.
A gust of wind ruffled Lizel's hair, and a mischievous smile appeared from beneath the disheveled strands.
"I see, I missed it earlier, but it seems you can be surprised too."
"Idiot."
Gil smacked Lizel's head with the palm he had used to shield him. Lizel straightened his messy hair with his fingers and looked at Gil, still smiling.
Lizel hadn't expected to be protected in that moment, as if by reflex. Gil himself couldn't quite understand that action.
The way he was acting clearly showed Lizel the effects of yesterday's events.
"(It was worth interrupting their conversation, after all.)"
He thought it was a good influence. Lizel didn't really need to intervene to get rid of the annoying man.
But doing so was the quickest way to ensure Gil stayed by his side. Keeping Gil from getting bored with him was currently the most effective way to keep him close.
Gil probably suspected his intentions, but that didn't matter. The current relationship, where their interests aligned, was ideal.
He had no intention of letting go of such a capable person. Lizel, too, possessed the natural instincts of someone in a position of power.
"You've got a wicked look on your face, my lord."
"Oh, please, pretend you didn't see that."
Lizel returned Gil's smile, which held a hint of ferocity. He didn't deny it.
He wasn't even trying to hide it, though few people would notice.
"Now, let's continue."
Lizel took a deep breath and traced a line in the air with his finger.
"I said I would fire magic, but to do that, I need to infuse it with magic."
The gun was pointed backward. As far as Gil could tell, its construction was the same as other guns he knew, and there was likely a place to load the bullets.
There were six holes. Normally, iron bullets would go in here and be fired. All the holes in Lizel's magic gun were filled with bullets, but these bullets were transparent, like glass.
"When I infuse these bullets with magic, look."
Lizel pointed to one of the bullets. As if magic had been added, its color instantly changed from transparent to a faint green.
He pointed to the next bullet. It turned red. The next bullet. It turned blue. "What about the element's color, or its effect?"
"The one I used earlier was wind; it increases the speed and range of the gunfire and pierces the target. This element is the easiest for me to use."
He pointed to the grassland mouse. He hadn't moved from his previous position because getting too close would attract other monsters and cause trouble, but he could clearly see the hole in the mouse's head.
"Fire causes the hit area to explode. Water freezes. Earth does something to the ground."
"Huh?"
"This one is random, and I don't understand it either. It either creates holes or causes the ground to bulge..."
Thinking hard, Lizel smiled wryly. After all, even in Lizel's world, it's a byproduct of the labyrinth, and you can't get everything you want, so he rarely uses the earth element.
Even so, Gil thought. Surely this can't be used without any risk. The impact is probably being mitigated by some kind of levitation, but if it were that simple, the gun's reputation would be much higher.
"So, if only three people can use it... the conditions must be strict."
"That's correct. Actually, normally, just like the gun Gil mentioned, you can only use the amount that was pre-loaded."
"Is it magic power? Then replenishing the magic power is the bottleneck."
"Yes, actually, unlike magic tools, it can't be replenished from the outside."
Magic tools are activated by either manually infusing magic power or automatically absorbing surrounding magic power. However, the transparent bullets in the magic gun were found already filled, and like this one, a maximum of six shots had been confirmed so far.
Once used up, it cannot be replenished; it's completely disposable. The recoil is also strong, and it was known as a very inconvenient weapon, but then one of Lizel's former students discovered a technique that could be called a loophole. "We use teleportation magic to directly transfer magical power into the bullets."
"Even if pouring it in is impossible, it's possible to manifest it? That's quite an ingenious idea."
"Absolutely. What would happen if something went wrong?"
This is a tool discovered from a treasure chest in the labyrinth. Tampering with it could lead to the worst possible outcome.
Although everything turned out alright, Lizel was genuinely angry at the time. The probability of dying from tampering with labyrinth artifacts is not low at all.
"The reason only three people use it is because teleportation magic is a magic unique to the royal family."
"...Hey, you."
"No, I'm hardly involved. It's thanks to the fact that a member of the royal family married into our family several generations ago."
The royal family of Lizel's former country is chosen by bloodline. The bloodline capable of using teleportation magic, a tradition that has continued for thousands of years, is still upheld, and there isn't a single citizen who isn't proud of it.
That's why, to prevent the bloodline from dying out, they sometimes marry off royal daughters to trustworthy nobles. That was Lizel's family.
"The child at that time didn't have a particularly strong bloodline, and since there was already a child who would become king, they peacefully inherited the ducal family. From the next generation onwards, the bloodline only thins out, and my parents can't use it at all... well, maybe it's some kind of atavism?"
"So you're saying you won't get involved in anything?"
"That's right, I won't get involved. My teleportation magic is minimal, and besides, the current king is said to be the greatest user of teleportation magic in history."
Lizel proudly declared that the king was an absolute being.
This is probably because he was his former student. Lizel didn't even want the position; he was entrusted with the role of tutor by those around him, so there's no suspicion from those around him that he would try to replace the king. Lizel had also been meticulous in his behavior to avoid such suspicion. It's true that Lizel's teleportation magic is rudimentary. He can only manage to teleport magic energy for loading his gun; true teleportation magic can even transport objects with mass.
Lizel's teleportation magic is usually completely useless, and he doesn't know how to use it effectively, but he's satisfied that he can at least use it to power his magic gun.
"Well, the recoil is still too strong, so I'm using it like this, without holding it."
"Is this also teleportation magic?"
"No, you see it sometimes, right? People who can freely control fireballs from attack magic. It's the same principle."
Gil nodded in understanding. Fireballs usually travel in a straight line to attack enemies, but skilled mages can apply advanced techniques to give them homing capabilities.
It's difficult and requires considerable concentration, so Gil only knows a few people who can do it, but it seems Lizel is using that principle to control his magic gun.
Incidentally, Gil has never seen anyone do it while talking.
"The current king can use two guns at once without being bothered by the recoil."
"Is he a monster?"
"That's what the people who fought against him often said."
Lizel laughed cheerfully, lowering the hand he had been using to control the gun.
The magic gun, which had been floating in mid-air, disappeared. He added that the method was a trade secret.
This secret is related to his original world, so it wouldn't mean anything if it spread in this world, but Lizel believed that as long as he was here, there was a possibility that people from this world might go to his world. He thought it was unlikely, but if the possibility wasn't zero, Lizel would take it into account.
"I wonder, I hope there won't be any problems as an adventurer."
"I don't think there'll be any problems, but..."
Immediately afterward, Gil grabbed Lizel's collar and pulled him closer. Instinctively, Lizel tensed his legs to try and maintain his balance, but despite his efforts, he swayed and fell towards Gil.
Gil supported him with the hand that was already gripping his clothes, and Lizel, without hesitation, grabbed onto the arm supporting him and comfortably adjusted his posture. Lizel smiled without reprimanding Gil and straightened his wrinkled clothes.
"As you might have guessed, I'm not very good at close-quarters combat."
"I figured."
Gil had been certain of this when Lizel was spending his time engrossed in reading. If he could remain so still, he probably wasn't someone who regularly exercised, and his physical abilities were likely no different from other adult men.
In fact, Lizel himself had no expectations of his own physical abilities. It wasn't that he was particularly bad at exercise, but he had absolutely no confidence in his combat skills.
It's often misunderstood, but nobles are busy too. While they have plenty of time for desk work, they don't have time to train their bodies.
"With that weapon, you can handle close-range combat... What's the range?"
"With wind magic, it's zero to two hundred meters. If accuracy isn't a concern, I can barely reach up to three hundred meters."
"It's difficult to defend against attacks from that far away. The basic range is mid-range. What about the time lag before firing?"
"There's almost none; I can fire continuously. However, it's dangerous when I run out of magic power. A little while ago, I ran out after three hundred shots."
Gil, needless to say, was a swordsman, and according to him, he had no aptitude for magic, so he couldn't use it. He was strictly a close-range fighter.
As Lizel had been impressed by his fighting style the other day, while he didn't look particularly muscular at first glance, his pure strength was undoubtedly exceptional. Lizel inwardly wondered why he couldn't use magic despite possessing it, but he didn't ask.
Close-range and mid-to-long range, it's a fairly balanced combination.
Gil had no intention of getting involved in this request, and Lizel, of course, knew that. I'll answer if asked, and I'll intervene if dangerous monsters appear that require my help, but there probably won't be any such danger.
However, there's absolutely no advantage for Lizel, who's not good at close combat, to complete requests alone. Considering that I, as the front-line fighter, will definitely be needed, there's only one thing I need to consider first.
"Hey, three of them."
"Huh? Oh."
He raised one hand as if greeting someone passing by, and without even looking at the magic gun that appeared, he pointed at a field mouse. With a "bang," the mouse stiffened and fell to the ground.
Two more shots followed, taking down two more mice that were further away, entangled in a territorial dispute.
"...With this, I won't get shot, right?"
"How rude."
It would be disastrous if I were shot from behind while facing a monster. Since he said anything beyond 200 meters was dangerous, he can probably hit targets reliably up to 200 meters.
With that reassurance, I started moving my feet again. Six more to go; I should be able to return to the guild by noon without any problems.
"Speaking of which..."
Lizel, who was leisurely looking around, spoke up. He wasn't looking around cautiously, but rather enjoying the scenery like a tourist.
"Why is Gil only a B-rank?"
"Huh?"
"You could go higher, couldn't you? Even that guy from the other day was a B-rank."
The man who accosted us yesterday—he was in a party of six and barely managed to reach B-rank. Lizel said "even that guy," but even forming a party doesn't easily guarantee reaching B-rank.
To say that about someone who had a decent level of skill, Lizel, completely unconsciously, delivered a harsh assessment. Of course, I know that only a few people at that place were able to fully understand the exchange between the man and Gil, but what Lizel prioritizes isn't how many people are stronger than someone, but rather those who have definitely surpassed a certain standard.
"Well, it's a solo mission, so this is about right."
"Really?"
He cut off Gil's words without hesitation. Gil frowned at Lizel, who was unusually persistent, and glared at the slightly amused smile on his face. Of course, it had no effect.
Even with that expression directed at him, Lizel was confident. Having been in a position where he was constantly guarded by others, he had been surrounded by and observed many skilled individuals.
Furthermore, his ability to assess others was exceptionally keen, even among nobles; he could discern a person's skill level to a certain extent even upon first meeting. With such confidence, Lizel judged Gil to be an overwhelmingly powerful individual.
"Really?"
He glanced away, wondering if his thoughts were already being seen through by those discerning eyes. Then Gil sighed, as if giving up.
"...Those above A-rank sometimes receive special requests."
"From the guild's valued clients, like nobles and wealthy merchants, right? That's why to reach A-rank, you need not only skill but also proper etiquette when dealing with important people."
Lizel said this while recalling the guild regulations. Incidentally, training in etiquette for rising to A-rank is provided by the guild.
"So?" Lizel prompted with a questioning look. Gil, who had stopped walking at some point, started moving again.
"All that etiquette and stuff is a hassle, and they're not the kind of people I want to get involved with," he said.
"Hmm."
Lizel thought he wasn't lying. But he wasn't telling the whole truth either.
He wouldn't say something childish like "I can't trust someone who's hiding something," but if he had the opportunity to know, he wanted to know. He felt that way even more because he had a hunch about it.
He could probably uncover the truth here and now, but Lizel wouldn't do that. He figured he would probably tell him eventually, and he decided to wait patiently for that time, following the back of the person in front of him.
"Hey, one on the right, and one just barely within range on the left."
"Yes."
That day, Lizel successfully defeated ten prairie mice, and after reporting the completion of the quest to Studd, who was inexplicably still at the quest counter, he headed home.