The two exchanged a glance, already deciding to completely cast aside their scruples and investigate thoroughly, but... before they could even make a move, both of them suddenly felt their vision go dark at the same time. Ash's figure seemed to warp through space, appearing in front of them in an instant.
His hands suddenly clamped around their necks, lifting them up like fragile chicks, their feet leaving the ground as he slammed them against the wall with a "bang!"
"Ghk! Ghk?"
The sudden reversal in that split second caught them completely off guard. Their faces twisted with shock and pain as they struggled with all their strength to break free from those hands that felt like they could crush their bones.
But an indescribable gravity surged in like a tidal wave, binding every inch of their muscles. They couldn't squeeze out a single word, much less raise a hand to resist. Even the slightest twitch of a fingertip became an impossible luxury.
In this state, those iron-like hands still gripped their throats without moving, the pressure making it feel as though their bodies might be torn apart right there.
Suffocation, unbearable pain, and the restraint that left them unable to move all flooded their minds at once, nearly swallowing their sanity whole. They couldn't focus at all, couldn't cast any magic.
"I really didn't expect this. You two mages... just barging into a room like that. By the way, using only mages as guards, did you not expect warriors to show up? Or is it just that using the Magic Special Forces makes you look good?"
Ash looked at their expressions, like they were about to drown, and shook his head with a smile. Just as their consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by darkness, he tossed them aside like useless objects.
"Whoa~ so cool!", Watching the rapid turn of events, Ubel clapped lightly from the side, her face full of admiration. Whether it was real or fake, who knew.
Ash just shot her a glare, and she immediately smiled and made a zipper gesture across her mouth.
At this moment, Neu had already lost consciousness, while Kanone felt the pain of hitting the ground, coughing nonstop and gasping desperately for air.
"Ha... Cough! Ugh... Cough! Cough!"
"Let's have a proper talk. Of course, don't think about resisting or shouting. At this distance... you don't have any chance," Ash crouched beside her with a friendly smile, even reaching out to pat her back.
But that gentle gesture only sent a chill down Kanone's spine. She didn't doubt for a second that this man's hand could suddenly plunge into her body and rip her heart out.
After all, his speed earlier had already proven his strength, at least on par with or above her level as a warrior.
At five meters earlier, she had no chance to use magic. At this distance... she probably wouldn't even have time to raise her voice.
"W-who exactly are you?", Kanone clutched her aching throat, turning her head with a glare full of resentment.
"This is the imperial capital... do you really think you can attack us and still get out alive?"
"Of course. That's why I dared to attack you directly, isn't it?"
"What's your objective?"
"Let's set our objective aside for now. I just want to tell you... this era is changing. The empire is facing serious corruption and decline. I heard your conversation outside just now, and I can tell you're dissatisfied with the nobles. I can give capable people like you the treatment you deserve, and let you continue working in a country no worse than the empire."
"A country no worse than the empire... you're from the Kingdom of Oisast, aren't you?", Just from hearing that, Kanone had already guessed his affiliation.
"You figured it out? In that case, if you don't compromise, I'll have no choice but to kill you."
"Even if I hadn't guessed, you would've silenced us anyway," Kanone sneered, exposing him directly, "Why pretend to be a good person? You... and that woman, you're the same as us. You can kill without hesitation, can't you?"
"Correct. As a reward, become my dog."
"Not interested! One last question, what exactly do you want to do?"
"That's not something you need to ask," Ash grabbed her ponytail and lifted her straight up, his smile gone, expression blank, "I'll ask one last time. What's your answer?"
"I... agree!", Kanone frowned in pain.
"Oh~ that was easy."
"After all... my life is in your hands right now, isn't it?"
"Then come along."
Ash didn't care about her loyalty or anything else. He casually kicked the young man nearby, who had actually already woken up but was pretending to be unconscious.
Then he gave Ubel a look and led the two of them out.
After she retrieved the documents and stepped out of the room, she casually placed her hands on their shoulders and, with a smile, led them calmly out of the banquet.
———
With their shoulders held down by someone who seemed like a top-tier warrior, even top-tier mages didn't dare act rashly.
The two cooperated and walked out of the banquet with him, only to be led by Ash into a small alley. Then... they were instantly knocked unconscious and had their uniforms stripped off.
In the blink of an eye, Ash and Ubel changed into the Magic Special Forces uniforms, while the two mages were tied up by a kingdom spy, ready to have their memories examined and to be turned into allies if possible.
"What if they refuse to cooperate?", The kingdom spy, who looked like an ordinary coachman, couldn't help but ask after finishing tying them up.
"Frame them for something, take photos as evidence, leave proof... if that doesn't work, just get rid of them," Ash adjusted the Special Forces hat, then silently left the alley with Ubel, who had already thrown the cloak over herself and put on the hat as well.
"Next is finding that vagrant, right?", Ubel fiddled with her cloak, smiling brightly, then couldn't help adding, "Even though this identity is really useful, that dwarf gives me the most dangerous feeling out of everyone. If I get too close, I might get killed instantly by accident... no, even if I'm careful, I'd still get killed, right?"
"That troublesome, huh? What about keeping some distance?"
"Distance won't help. Unless you're flying high enough and in an open area... otherwise, no chance~"
"Sounds like quite the opponent."
He nodded quietly, roughly understanding the other party's strength, and followed her toward the busy district.
Before long, Ubel pointed into the distance at a dwarf sitting at a street corner, looking utterly destitute, and whispered into his ear, "That's the one."
"I see. I was wondering why that dwarf was so strong. So it's Rasen."
"Rasen? You know him? An acquaintance?", Ubel looked surprised, but he shook his head.
"Not really. I've just seen him a few times before."
"Oh~ and you still want to make a move?"
"No personal attachment. It doesn't matter."
"By the way, who exactly is he?"
"In the past, he could be considered one of the strongest warriors among humans, even stronger than Eisen, the dwarf warrior from the hero's party."
"That's outrageous."
"It really is."
Ash didn't hide anything. As they walked, he explained the dwarf's past.
Unlike the hero's party that acted in groups, Rasen had become a lone hero in the empire's north.
His main achievement was over eighty years ago, when nearly all the countries around the empire, except the Kingdom of Oisast and the empire itself, had fallen. He reclaimed one-third of the empire's territory from the demons, making him a true great hero.
In terms of achievements, he was undoubtedly the strongest warrior of the empire at the time. But in order to protect the empire, Rasen never went to challenge the Demon King.
Judging purely by merit, it would have been perfectly reasonable to grant Rasen a high noble title... but in this world, accomplishments achieved through personal strength alone don't directly translate into rank or nobility.
At most, he probably received some money, or commemorative statues built in various cities.
But that couldn't be helped. Strength and achievements could serve as a stepping stone, but without political skill, or divine favor like the Goddess Church, which boosted promotions, like Heiter becoming a bishop despite not being a noble, it was still very difficult to become nobility through military merit alone. For non-humans, it was even more impossible.
As for those border military nobles, they were originally nobles, which gave them the opportunity to rise, not the other way around.
In the past, with Rasen's strength, even against great demons or Frieren, it would have been hard to say who would win.
But now, he seemed much weaker than before.
Still, his former strength was there. Even aged and weakened, he was still a powerhouse standing at the peak of what humans could normally reach.
"That's insane. No wonder he feels so dangerous up close. He's basically a monster," Ubel quietly moved behind Ash and poked his waist, "If a fight breaks out later, I'm counting on you to protect me."
"Got it. Don't worry."
"So reliable~ with you saying that, I feel much more at ease~"
As she spoke, Ubel hugged him from behind. When Ash turned back in annoyance, she grinned, making him sigh.
"How much did you drink? You smell like alcohol," He pulled her hands away and ignored her.
———
The dwarf sitting on the street begging was filthy, the very image of a vagrant, his eyes dull as he stared ahead.
When a silver coin was tossed, drawing a graceful arc through the air and landing in his tattered bowl with a "ding!", he finally looked up as if just noticing them, even showing a faint smile.
"Thank you. Kind people like you will definitely... live happily together for your whole lives."
"Nice~ he says we'll be happy together forever!", Ubel eagerly joined in teasing.
"You're thanking us a bit too early," Ash pressed a hand on Ubel's head and pushed her aside, then stood in front of Rasen and said in an unquestionable tone, "We need your cooperation in an investigation. Can you get up and come with us?"
"Sirs from the Magic Special Forces, looking for a vagrant like me?", The old dwarf, Rasen, with a big beard, waist-length hair, and a long cloak covering his body, looked filthy and stunned as he asked.
"Just come when I tell you to. Don't make excuses. Or do I need a reason to make you leave here?"
"...."
Rasen said nothing more. He quietly picked up his bowl and, under Ash's direction, was led away by the two of them, while the onlookers nearby watched with curiosity but also fear of getting involved.
They brought him to an empty alley.
Only then did Rasen turn to face them. His aura suddenly turned grim, his gaze sweeping over them like he was looking at corpses.
"You're not from the Magic Special Forces, are you?"
"You can tell?"
"I know every member of the Special Forces in the capital. You two aren't among them. And I think I recognize you..."
As he spoke, Rasen slowly pulled out a modular spear hidden behind his cloak, assembling it instantly and pointing the tip at Ash, narrowing his eyes.
"Are you Ash, or his descendant?"
"You can still recognize me even after disguise? Your memory's pretty good. But since we know each other, there's no need to start swinging weapons, right?", Ash spread his hands, showing he was unarmed and had no hostility.
Even so, Rasen didn't lower his guard for a second. He simply asked in a low voice, "What do you want?"
"I'm committed to making the world more peaceful. Simply put, world peace. By the way... do people these days all like asking that question?"
"Don't play word games with me! We're not that close!"
"True. But I am curious why a famous great hero like you ended up as a vagrant."
"Can being a hero fill your stomach?"
Without hesitation, Rasen spoke the cruelest truth of this world.
Of course, it wasn't entirely accurate. Normally, there would be some reward money, but relying on that reputation for long-term livelihood was difficult. You'd still have to find work, but...
"It can. I'll feed you. How about joining me? For someone like you, I can get the kingdom to grant you a barony. You'd be a direct vassal of the king."
"Looks like you've done quite well for yourself these years, being able to offer me a barony."
"So?"
"I... REFUSE!"
Before his words even fully fell, Rasen stomped down, shattering the ground beneath his feet, and surged forward at the limit of human vision. His spear pierced toward Ash's chest at supersonic speed.
BOOM!
In an instant, with a thunderous sound, a massive cloud of dust exploded outward.
At the alley entrance, Ubel instinctively stepped back several paces the moment the clash erupted, even feeling a bit worried for Ash, but...
When the dust cleared, she saw Rasen's spear stop just a hair's breadth from Ash's chest, while Ash held the shaft, forcibly blocking the strike.
To disperse the force, his legs had plowed back several meters, the stone beneath his feet shattering.
Likewise, Rasen's charge had left a trail of deep craters from his original position to where Ash had been pushed back.
"They're both monsters," she couldn't help but mutter.
Rasen frowned. That attack hadn't even been his full strength, yet his opponent hadn't even drawn a weapon. Judging by that, this was at least the level of his younger self.
"I remember you being a mage."
"Does that matter?", Ash casually flicked the spear aside, looking bored, "You've gotten old, Rasen."
"Time really is cruel... if I were ten years younger."
"No. Even if you were a hundred years younger, with your current combat experience, you still wouldn't be my match. And I don't like repeating myself. This is my final offer to surrender."
"Young man, don't be too arrogant!"
The moment his words fell, Rasen stepped back several paces, then exploded forward again, breaking the sound barrier. His spear transformed into a sweeping staff, striking sideways.
Ash, instead of advancing, stepped back, and threw a punch.
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