Chapter 109: Haki
Haki.
To put it more precisely, it was a surge of magical force—a tidal wave of mana given will and direction.
A refined and advanced technique in which one releases their own magic power and crashes it into a chosen target.
Those struck by Haki experience overwhelming mental or physical pressure, and in some cases are even driven into warped illusions, their senses betraying them beneath the crushing weight.
Among seasoned masters, there are those capable of narrowing its effect to a single target, ensuring that no harm befalls the surrounding area.
On the first floor of the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters, near the main entrance—
A certain B-rank party had set their sights upon an inexperienced young noble. Wearing base, leering expressions, they sauntered forward with predatory intent. Judging by the way their eyes lingered and their lips curled, their thoughts were no doubt already consumed by the women accompanying him.
The surrounding adventurers stirred uneasily. A tense murmur rippled through the hall.
“Hey… you’ve gotta be kidding.”
“Even if they’re B-rank, isn’t it dangerous to mess with someone who looks like a noble?”
“They’re a party that just came up from the countryside, right? Maybe they don’t understand how terrifying the privileged class can be.”
“Those poor girls… to be targeted by people like that…”
“Then why don’t you step in and stop them?”
“No thanks. If they come after me later for revenge, that’d be a nightmare.”
Ryu and the others quickly realized they were the target.
Mimi’s fur bristled instinctively, every hair standing on end. Her hand flew to the hilt of her kukri blade.
“P-Please, both of you, step back! I’ll handle this…!”
(They’re probably a high-rank party. I need to stall for time until the guild staff arrives…!)
—However.
“…………”
“Fwaaah… I’m starting to get sleepy,” Esther yawned languidly, covering her mouth.
“Gyau.”
(Riding in a carriage always makes you drowsy afterward, doesn’t it? I totally get it.)
Neither of them showed even the faintest trace of urgency.
(Why are these people acting like nothing’s wrong?! Don’t they have any sense of danger at all?!)
Ryu gently placed a hand on Mimi’s shoulder.
“Calm down, Mimi.”
“Calm down?! At this rate, we’re going to— W-Wait, Ryu-sama!”
Ignoring her protests, he stepped forward with measured strides, stopping directly before the approaching adventurers.
“Do you need something from us?”
The man who appeared to be their leader sneered, eyes roaming insolently.
“You’re just a brat, yet you’ve got yourself some fine women. Bit too early for you to be playing with beauties like that. Hand ’em over to us. Don’t worry—we’ll treat ’em real nice. Heh… heh heh…”
The other men burst into crude, grating laughter, their voices echoing unpleasantly through the hall.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then we’ll just have to make you learn the hard way, won’t we?!”
“…I see.”
“If you get it, then hurry up and hand the girls—”
The leader reached out toward Mimi and the others behind Ryu.
In that instant—
““““????””””
All four men felt as though the sky itself had begun to fall.
(What the hell… is this…?!)
An unbearable weight descended upon their bodies.
They were slammed violently into the ground.
“GUHAAAH!!!”
(Damn it! What the hell is happening—?!)
The air was forced from their lungs. Their bones groaned under invisible strain.
Cracks splintered across the stone floor, spiderwebbing outward as their bodies slowly sank into it, as though the earth itself were swallowing them whole.
…Only now did they understand.
They had laid hands upon something monstrous beyond comprehension.
Fear curdled into despair, their minds dissolving into a chaotic storm of terror, regret, and disbelief.
The onlookers were stunned.
One moment, a B-rank party had been standing arrogantly. The next, they were plastered against the floor, sinking deeper by the second under some unseen force.
The culprit appeared to be that young man.
And yet—he had not cast a single spell.
He merely stood there, gazing down coldly at the men before him. His expression was devoid of mercy, as if he were observing insects writhing beneath his heel.
“What… what’s happening…?”
“Is it gravity magic…?”
“I don’t know. But for some reason, I feel like interfering with that boy right now would be a terrible mistake.”
“Yeah… It feels like being stared down by the King of Monsters…!”
Mimi struggled to comprehend the situation.
“R-Ryu-sama…?”
From her position, she couldn’t see his expression. Yet she understood that he must have done something.
“Mimi. Leave it to Ryu. Do not interfere,” Esther said calmly.
“Y-Yes…”
Ryu spoke a single, quiet sentence.
“…………Atone with your lives. You pieces of filth.”
But the four men no longer possessed consciousness to hear him.
Their countdown to hell had already begun.
Just then, a black blur shot through the air from the direction of the reception desk.
(Who the hell is releasing such dangerous Haki inside the guild…?!)
It was the Guild Master of the headquarters himself.
A former S-rank adventurer, he was extraordinarily sensitive to fluctuations in magical power.
Moving at a speed imperceptible to the gathered adventurers, he arrived at the scene in an instant.
(That’s him—the source of the Haki! And those are the B-rank fools who recently registered here… If I don’t stop this now, they’ll die! No choice—!)
He drew the sword at his waist—
—and met the eyes of Dragon Ryu.
“!!!!!!”
“…………”
(Do not interfere with me… unless you wish to die.)
The Guild Master was smashed into the ground, pinned as if by an unseen titan’s hand. He could not move a muscle.
“Ghh…!”
(He perceived my movement at top speed… and suppressed even me—a former S-rank—with Haki alone…? What kind of monster is he?!)
“G-Guild Master?!”
“When did he even get here?!”
“Why’s he on the floor too?!”
“D-Don’t mind me… hurry… stop him…”
Blood trickled from the mouths of the pinned men. Another ten seconds under that pressure, and their lives would truly end.
Yet no one moved.
Even those not directly subjected to the force understood instinctively—
They must never interfere.
And yet—
Amid this suffocating terror, one voice addressed Ryu.
“Ryu, that is enough. If you continue, they truly will die.”
“…Tch. Be grateful to Esther, you vermin.”
In the next heartbeat, the crushing pressure vanished as though it had never existed.
The men gasped violently, dragging air back into their lungs.
“Mm. That will suffice,” Esther nodded.
The hall remained frozen in disbelief.
As if nothing had happened, Ryu turned and began walking once more.
“Let’s finish the registration. We’re wasting time.”
“Indeed.”
“Y-Yes…”
(What in the world just happened…?)
Esther and Mimi hurried after him.
They passed by the Guild Master, who had only just managed to rise to his feet.
“It’s your responsibility for leaving fools like that unchecked. Deal with it. Do not make me dirty my hands again.”
“…Understood.”
Though his words seemed harsh, in truth they benefited the guild greatly.
A high-ranking adventurer affiliated with the headquarters had laid hands on a noble. If Ryu wished, he could escalate the matter indefinitely, holding the guild fully accountable.
Instead, he had declared that if the guild treated the offenders and expelled them, he would let the matter rest.
Conversely, one could say that Ryu had just gained a powerful bargaining chip over the guild.
“Out of the way. Call the medical team and the staff immediately. …Today’s going to be a long one.”
Pushing aside the gawking adventurers, the Guild Master began overseeing the aftermath.
Afterward, they reported Axel’s evolution, registered Homura as a contracted familiar, and completed Mimi’s adventurer registration.
“That took longer than I expected. It’s already noon.”
“…Whose fault do you think that is?”
“It was pretty noisy near the entrance while we were waiting in line…”
“Gyau.”
(At last! My carefree familiar life begins now!!!)
Leaving the bustling Guild Master and staff behind, they stepped outside into the daylight.
“By the way,” Esther asked casually, “did you know the Guild Master?”
“No. Met him for the first time today.”
“…Then how did you know?”
“You can tell by someone’s movements and the quality of their mana. He’s a former S-rank adventurer, right?”
“Correct. He is the former S-rank—Gill the Godspeed.”
“Ohhh~”
They returned to their carriage, snacking from street stalls along the way as they headed back toward the noble district.
Several days later, a letter arrived beneath the Empress’s hand.
“Your Majesty. A letter has arrived from the Guild Master of the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters.”
“Oh? That is unusual.”
The Empress read through the document.
“Hm. So Ryu was accosted by foolish high-rank adventurers and repelled them… nothing more than that.”
“Fufu. As always, Viscount Arden remains at the center of commotion.”
At the very bottom of the meticulously detailed report were the words:
‘He is an unparalleled talent. Take utmost care that no other nation claims him.’
“Hmph… I understand that better than anyone.”
Murmuring softly, the Empress gazed out over the castle town beyond her window.
“Indeed… my path of conquest requires you, Ryu Arden.”
Within her sharp eyes, the future of the continent shimmered like a vision waiting to be seized.