Chapter 81: The Fuss Over Love

「「Uwaa……」」

They had seen something shocking. Alma and Leisha, who had been lurking in the shadows and peeking at what was going on with Noel and Tania, shuddered at the same time with pale faces.

「I shouldn’t have come out of mere curiosity……」

「Me too……」

When the half-stunned Leisha muttered, Alma also nodded.

It was true that they had been worried about Noel. It would be natural for Tania, who was sold into slavery, to hold a grudge against Noel. Even if the cause was Tania herself.

They didn’t think that Noel, who was excellent at martial arts, would lose his life easily, but they didn’t know what would happen if he was caught off guard. In case anything happened, they had intended to go to Noel’s aid together.

But Alma and Leisha’s main purpose was to know what kind of conversation Noel and Tania would have. In short, it was nothing but curiosity.

Men liked watching fights. Similarly, women liked to peek at the relationship difficulties between men and women. The history between Noel and Tania made them very curious.

What kind of attitude would Noel take towards Tania, who he had reunited with? What kind of words and feelings would Tania throw at the person she loved who had sold her into slavery?

Their curiosity aroused, the two of them had wanted to watch it from beginning to end.

However, the only thing that had been left inside the two of them, who had witnessed the series of exchanges between Noel and Tania, was a feeling of guilt so strong that it was beyond description. They shouldn’t have watched with a frivolous heart. They shouldn’t have listened. They regretted it from the bottom of their hearts. If they could turn back time, they would.

「I knew that Tania loved Noel, but to think that she was serious about it to that level…… I had only thought that she was merely very possessive……」

Tania’s heartrending cries were still ringing in Leisha’s ears.

It was a heart-breaking curse. And they were intense words of love. When she thought about whether people were beings that could love someone as deeply as that, she could only shudder.

「I don't like Tania. She had also said terrible things to me in the past. But I feel sorry for her. For it to be unrequited even though she loved him so much……」

“Don't desire me” When Tania had implored him, Noel had mercilessly brushed her off.

「I know that Noel has his own circumstances, but are guys able to be so cold towards a girl that loves them?」

It was not that she was angry at him. She was merely unable to understand. To Noel, Tania wasn’t a complete stranger. Although he was betrayed by her, they were allies that had gone through thick and thin together for a year. She was shocked that he had not shown her the slightest bit of compassion despite that.

「It’s not because he’s a guy, it’s because he’s Noel」

Alma smiled bitterly and shrugged her shoulders.

「Ordinary men would probably not cast away a beauty like that girl」

「Is that how it is?」

「I think so. Noel isn’t normal. He is also bound by a curse, so…… In that sense, he may be similar to Tania」

Because of the curse of “becoming the strongest”, Noel had cast away everything unnecessary for his goal. It was a way of life that definitely couldn’t be called healthy.

「Unlike Tania, Noel's curse is about making himself stronger」

「Either way, it's not a way of life that will lead to happiness……」

「I won’t deny that」

Every person had their own definition of happiness, but no matter what anyone thought, sacrificing everything purely for the sake of one goal was wrong.

Alma’s father, who she had buried with her own hand, had also lost his way because he had been trapped in his extreme tunnel vision. Noel had a much stronger heart than her father, but was fraught with the same danger deep inside.

Recently, Alma had been worried about whether or not she was of help to Noel. In terms of strength, she was no match for Leon and Hugo, and the one who had dealt the finishing blow to Noble Blood had also been Kouga. She didn’t think that she was inferior to them in terms of talent, but it was a fact that she hadn’t produced results.

She was worried――and also impatient. But it didn’t mean that she would get results suddenly just because she was impatient. She thought that if anything, precisely because she was working under the over-impatient Noel, it was important to have leeway emotionally in order to support him.

That answer was proved by the conversation between Noel and Tania. Supporting Noel would be impossible when one became like Tania. What Alma desired, was her own strength.

「Don’t worry. Because Noel has me」

When Alma puffed out her chest and smiled, Leisha smiled too.

「That’s right. I’m here for him too」

「No, Leisha isn’t particularly needed」

「Eeeh!?」

At the surprised Leisha, Alma sighed.

「To begin with, Leisha is girl from somewhere else. Don’t act as if you’re an ally, it’s creepy……」

「Isn’t that a terrible thing to say!? I’m certainly from a different clan though!」

「For the sake of argument, even if Leisha is an ally, you’ll disappear before long anyway」

「……Wh, what do you mean?」

When Leisha braced herself at those disquieting words, Alma arced her eyebrows sadly.

「To Tania, someone like a horny elf who is hanging around Noel will be the nuisance that she wants to kill first and foremost. ......You’ll surely be killed」

「I, I, I won’t be killed!」

Leisha denied it, but she had been given the warning "stay away from him from now on" previously. Leisha broke out in a cold sweat uncontrollably as the memory of that time came rushing back and turned to fear.

「But even if I’m attacked by Tania, I won’t lose either!」

Leisha had accumulated experience from battle and had been able to rank up. Now that she had become a Hawkeye, the Archer series B Rank Job, someone like Tania, who had been away from the Seeker profession, would be no match for her.

「But Tania looks rich. If she hires a good assassin, I think that even Leisha will lose. Poor Leisha……」

「If, if you put it like that, isn’t it the same for you too, Alma!?」

「I'm okay」

When Alma declared that, Leisha tilted her head.

「Why?」

「Because I'm the big sister」

「What kind of reasoning is that!?」

When Leisha yelled in bewilderment, Alma clicked her tongue and wagged her finger.

「The big sister is invincible position-wise. I'm not his lover, so I won’t be targeted as a love rival and I also won’t get rejected like Tania. I can legitimately flirt with Noel all I want. In other words, it’s the age of the big sister」

「What kind of reasoning is that……」

Not understanding a word of what she was saying, Leisha held her head in her hands.

But so long as they didn’t desire a romantic relationship, it might certainly be true that they wouldn’t get rejected. If they had to choose between being cowards or being fools who set fire to a bomb by themselves, they would overwhelmingly choose the former.

Noel neither flirted with nor gave his heart to anyone.

It was precisely because he was such a man that Leisha had come to like him. Leisha smiled wryly as she thought to herself that she had fallen for a difficult man.

「……By the way, is there still a spot open for another big sister?」

「Nope. Noel's big sister is only me」

「I see……」

Leisha, who was given a curt answer, vowed inside her heart.

That if she was targeted by Tania, she would definitely drag Alma into it as well.

†

†

The next day, a newspaper article became the talk of the imperial capital.

『Clan master of Wild Tempest, Noel Stollen’s passionate love uncovered!? The other party is his former ally, Tania Clarke!』

The love exposé of a clan master who was at the height of his career spread throughout the imperial capital quickly, and became an unceasing topic of conversation. The latest projection technology――a photo had also been published in the article, and it showed Noel and Tania kissing each other.

If that was all, it would end as a simple love exposé, but the article didn’t end there.

『Former ally Tania, who he is in a passionate relationship with, was sold into slavery by Noel!? Furthermore, it was discovered that the billionaire who bought Tania had died of a heart attack! Tania had inherited a part of the huge estate! A relationship and an incident that are far too unnatural! What is the truth behind the dark suspicions that can be glimpsed between the two of them!?』

The article not only publicized the fact that Noel had sold his former ally into slavery, but its contents were also written to make people think as if he had murdered Tania’s master for money.

Since it was an article of a small newspaper company, there were few people who took it seriously as anything other than a love exposé. There were few idiots who accepted articles with little credibility without questioning.

However, those who didn’t have a good impression of Wild Tempest from the start took advantage of this, piled on, and began to spread unfavorable criticisms. Many people were influenced and there was no doubt that the brand of Wild Tempest had been damaged.

People wondered if their image would continue to be tarnished like this because of the wild rumors, but contrary to expectations, that didn’t happen. After that first article, no new information on Noel――Wild Tempest was reported at all. Let alone the other newspaper companies, even the newspaper company that had published the article at the center of everything had remained silent.

As a result, the fuss died down in less than a week. It was said that rumors of people lasted seventy-five days, but in the big city that was the imperial capital, unless new information was given to feed the flames, the expiration date of rumors wasn’t even three days. They would be swept away by other information in no time. Those who talked about Noel's bad reputation also ended up disappearing quickly.

And there was one man who lamented that turn of events more than anyone.

「The reporters in the imperial capital are all cowards!!!」

A man was drunk in a deserted bar on the outskirts of the city. He had a beard and his clothes were also worn-out, but he was still young, in his late twenties. The name of this man, who was holding a whiskey glass in one hand and raging against no one in particular, was Joseph. He was the person who had written the exposé on Noel.

Joseph was a freelance newspaper reporter and was based in another city before coming to the imperial capital. He had many enemies because of his forceful way of collecting data, and he ended up not being able to stay in that city, but there were also many fans of his articles, which didn’t try to please anyone and pursued only the truth.

He had no regrets about his former base. In any case, he had intended to relocate to the imperial capital. The imperial capital was the center of the Empire, and it was a place where there was no lack of events to report about. He even felt excited about being able to show his skills as a reporter in this new land.

Shortly after arriving in the imperial capital, Noel and the Wild Tempest that he led caught Joseph’s eye.

Surprisingly, it had been less than half a year since Wild Tempest, whose star was on a meteoric rise, had been created. Moreover, the clan master was a 16 year old kid. No matter how excellent the assembled talent were, he couldn’t help but feel that something was fishy. More than anything else, Joseph's intuition as a reporter told him that he should look into Noel.

His intuition was right. The more he investigated, the more sinister stories emerged. Joseph was delighted and pitched to the major newspaper companies in the imperial capital that he wished to work together on a feature article. But none of the companies gave him the nod.

He reluctantly gave up on the major companies, and as a result of continuing to pitch his idea after narrowing his target to small and medium companies, he finally found a company that was willing to listen to him. And what was published, was the article in question.

The response was better than he had expected. On top of that, that was just a lead in. He still had much more material about Noel that he could write about.

But――

「Unfortunately, we can’t publish any more of your articles. ......Why? Be, because slandering a specific person is against business ethics after all, you see…… That's why, don't come to us anymore!」

Joseph was kicked out by the editor-in-chief and was unable to write the continuation of the article. Despite the fact that the one who had been the most delighted with the response to the article, had been that very editor-in-chief……

「It’s against business ethics? Haa, even though most of your articles are opinion pieces with nothing to back them up, don’t give me that nonsense……」

It was clear that he had yielded to someone's pressure. It was either Wild Tempest or a patron of Wild Tempest…… Either way, they had undoubtedly threatened him that he wouldn’t be forgiven if a similar article was published again. The other newspaper companies had likely rejected Joseph for the same reason.

「If reporters yield to threats, then who can pursue the truth!!??」

Joseph, who had recalled his anger and became agitated, slammed the glass on the table. Since there were no customers other than Joseph, only the barkeeper shot him a dirty look.

He felt empty. Even he himself knew that his emotions were going round in circles. But from the looks of things, all of the newspaper companies were yielding to Noel’s threats. Even if he continued to collect data, it would only be a waste of time if he couldn’t publish it as an article.

「It’s important to know when to quit, I suppose……」

It was when Joseph’s shoulders slumped and he heaved a great sigh.

「You’re looking depressed」

Suddenly, a voice came from beside him. When he turned to look in surprise, there was a tanned youth with black hair wearing a black coat. His mouth was hidden by the collar of his coat, but he had good looks.

It was Zero Lindrake, Lorelei's sub-master. Joseph was acquainted with him. That was because Zero had cooperated actively with him when he was gathering information on Noel. He was also the one who had given him the latest compact projector.

Of course, he didn’t cooperate out of goodwill. Wild Tempest and Lorelei had a hostile relationship. Zero was undoubtedly aiming to tarnish the image of Wild Tempest by using Joseph. He knew that he was being used, but for the sake of his goal, there was no reason to refuse.

「Of course I’d look depressed. All of the newspaper companies are under Wild Tempest’s thumb. I can't publish my articles anymore」

When Joseph spat those words out, Zero shrugged his shoulders.

「I see. That’s troubling, isn’t it?」

However, he continued with a laugh.

「It's not as if there’s nothing that can be done about it」

「……Really?」

When he looked up in desperation, Zero nodded.

「Yes, of course. Basically, all you have to do is publish your article, right? In that case, I’ll make the arrangements for that」

「Do you mean for me to publish the article privately without going through the newspaper companies?」

「That's right. I won't stint on providing financial support」

It wasn't a bad move. But there was a big problem. The problem was, even if he published the article privately without going through the newspaper companies, it was likely that no one would believe it.

What people believed in was not the information, but the person――and the organization that published the information. Who on earth would believe an article published privately by Joseph, who had no name recognition whatsoever? Something like an article that the readers didn’t believe was as good as non-existent.

「……Not just financial support, I want you to lend me your clan’s name. If I have the endorsement of Lorelei, one of the Regalia, the readers will likely believe my article too」

When Joseph asked, Zero shook his head impassively.

「That's not feasible. If we make our relationship public, surely no one will believe the article. The fact that Lorelei and Wild Tempest have a hostile relationship is something you know as well, right?」

「Certainly, that’s true……」

The readers weren’t stupid. If he borrowed Lorelei’s name, their goal of tarnishing the image of Wild Tempest would likely be seen through immediately. Far from gaining credibility, chances were good that the article would be seen as the lies of an unscrupulous person.

「Then what should I do?」

「That’s easy. Just ask Snake for an exclusive interview. You have something on Snake. Using that as a shield, you should conduct an interview and make that your article. If the person that you’re interviewing and your point of contact with him are clear, the readers will surely believe your article as well」

Upon hearing Zero's suggestion, Joseph put his hand to his mouth and mulled it over.

「……Do you think that it’s feasible?」

「It’ll likely be difficult. For that very reason, your skill as a reporter is being tested」

When he spoke as if it was someone else’s problem, Joseph’s brow naturally furrowed. But it was worth a try. He was very aware that the opponent was dangerous. With that said, if he was afraid of danger, he wouldn’t be able to bring the truth to light.

「Got it. I'll do it」

His mind made up, Joseph’s eyes shone brightly like a beast hunting its prey.

Is there finally someone other than Noel moving behind the scenes and plotting properly against him? Who would have thought that the affair with Tania would turn out to be an opening? Stay tuned to see how Zero’s maneuvering turns out!