Elena surely felt the weight of the gazes pressing in from all sides, but she didn't let it bother her. Her eyes remained fixed on the man who had presumably incited the commotion.
Lunojis Imahen. He was the heir to Marquis Imahen’s House—a man of genuine skill, but one cursed with a profound tendency to look down on others.
Recalling the man's temperament, Elena channeled magic power into her whip-sword, returning the blade to its rigid state before sliding it back into the sheath at her waist.
"I wondered what the commotion was... Lunojis, what exactly are you doing to my subordinate and my guest?"
He flinched.
The question was asked without a shred of emotion, yet Lunojis’s body reacted instinctively.
While he generally viewed others as mere tools to be utilized, he was not so foolish as to defy the daughter of Duke Kerebel’s House. She was a higher-ranking noble and a cornerstone of the Noble’s Faction. Furthermore, his pride led him to believe that Elena was his equal in combat, making a physical confrontation dangerous. Most importantly, he believed she was the woman destined to become his wife.
In truth, the idea that they were equals was a delusion born of his own arrogance; had he been capable of admitting the disparity in their strength, he wouldn't have possessed such a haughty personality in the first place.
Leaving his sword where it lay—severed halfway down the blade—he offered a thin smile and a small shake of his head.
"Lady Elena, such a harsh expression will only spoil your beautiful face. This was merely..."
His gaze shifted toward Ara.
He knew that claiming Ara had defied him would only irritate Elena. After all, the two had been close friends since childhood. To Lunojis, the girl was nothing more than a fox in a tiger’s skin—no, a lizard borrowing the dragon’s authority—but he had no desire to sour the mood of his intended bride. His eyes then drifted to Rei, who stood beside her.
(He seems to be wearing some kind of magic item, but it doesn't look like anything high-rank. The clothes beneath that robe are utterly pathetic. He isn't a noble... and since he's here on a battlefield, he must be a mere adventurer.)
He reached his conclusion after a single, dismissive glance.
The fact that he recognized Rei’s Dragon Robe as a magic item at all spoke to Lunojis’s competence. However, even if he could see it was magical, the robe’s concealment effects were too potent for him to grasp its true value.
"That mere adventurer over there failed to mind his social standing. I was simply providing him with a bit of discipline."
Elena’s brow twitched.
Seeing that reaction, Ara internally hurled every curse and insult she could imagine at Lunojis for stepping on the ultimate landmine.
Rei might not look like much compared to a nobleman, but he was the man her lord, Elena, harbored deep feelings for. Ever since she had sent Iero to the City of Gilm, Elena had begun to show the heart of a maiden; for Lunojis to insult Rei of all people, and to do it right in front of her...
(I have to settle this before it gets out of hand...)
Normally, Ara would have been the first to explode, but she understood the consequences of a duel between Elena and Lunojis in the middle of a military camp. In that regard, she had truly grown.
"That adventurer is an acquaintance of mine," Elena said. "Drawing a blade against my acquaintance is, naturally, the same as drawing one against me. Do you disagree?"
"...No. If he is an acquaintance of yours, Lady Elena, I shall let the matter rest."
Perhaps realizing the folly of opposing her head-on, Lunojis sheathed the stump of his broken sword and backed away. However, he did not forget to cast one final, razor-sharp glare at Rei before departing.
(Wait, I didn't even do anything, did I? Why am I the one getting glared at?)
As far as Rei was concerned, this entire incident had played out and been resolved without his involvement. Why was he being targeted instead of Ara? He felt that if he were going to be harassed by nobles, it should at least be for something he actually did... but he had enough sense to keep that thought to himself.
Provoking Lunojis further would only make things more tedious, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"My apologies, Lady Elena. I have caused you unnecessary trouble."
"Do not worry about it, Ara. That man's behavior has been an eyesore for some time. Putting him in his place now was actually quite convenient. ...More importantly, Rei. It has been a long time."
Elena gave Ara a generous nod before turning to Rei with a genuine smile.
In that moment, the soldiers and knights watching the exchange—both men and women alike—felt a shock that made them catch their breath.
It wasn't the smile of the Princess General. It was the smile of a woman named Elena Kerebel, and they instinctively recognized the difference.
Naturally, their curiosity turned toward the recipient of that smile. While most didn't know Rei's name, an adventurer accompanied by a Gryphon was impossible to ignore. He was already a topic of conversation among those in the know within the army of a hundred thousand. This was largely due to rumors spread by Daskar, who had realized Rei was too conspicuous to hide and instead labeled him as a "trump card" for Margrave Larkus and the Neutral Faction.
"Yeah. You look well, too. I'm glad. I was a bit uneasy sending Iero back, but I'm glad he made it safely."
"He did. And I was able to read the letter from Rei as well. ...Though, there were various other 'harvests' as well."
For a fleeting second, the images of Kenny and Lenora as seen through Iero’s eyes flashed through Elena's mind. She didn't let her composure slip, but Ara—who had known her since they were children—immediately sensed the change in her lady's aura.
(Oh, Lady Elena...)
Ara said nothing, her devotion to Elena keeping her silent.
"At any rate, there's no sense in standing around here. Why don't you come to my tent? I want to hear what you've been up to."
At the mention of Elena’s Tent, the crowd buzzed again. While the common soldiers didn't fully grasp the weight of the invitation, the nobles were struck by a wave of disbelief. Despite her beauty, Elena had never allowed a man near her. Even if she summoned a man to her quarters, it was strictly as the Princess General addressing a subordinate. But after seeing that smile just moments ago, no one believed this was a professional meeting.
"I'd like to, but..." Rei trailed off, glancing at the sky. It wasn't quite sunset, but the afternoon was rapidly fading into evening.
"Hm? Is something wrong? If you have other business, I won't force you."
"...No, it's fine. I just have to handle the dinner preparations and such, so I only have about thirty minutes. Is that all right?"
For a heartbeat, a shadow of loneliness crossed Elena's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. She returned to her usual poise and nodded.
"Of course. I can hardly make unreasonable demands of someone in Lord Daskar's employ."
With that, she turned and began leading the way.
"Come, Lord Rei. Let us follow. Lady Elena's Tent is just ahead."
"Right. Seto."
"Guruuu."
Seto gave a happy trill, wagging its tail as it followed with Iero perched on its back. The Gryphon strode through the Noble’s Faction campsite as if it were simply out for a casual stroll.
The gazes following them were a mix of everything: astonishment at the man who had tamed a High-Rank monster, envy at his easy conversation with a beauty like Elena, and fascination with the small dragon on the Gryphon's back. And, inevitably, there were the glares of nobles who were incensed that a mere adventurer would speak so familiarly to the Princess General, the symbol of their faction.
Rei felt their eyes on his back but ignored them.
(Nobles really are a mixed bag, aren't they?)
He thought back to Siminal Gypsos, whom he had met on the hill. Though there was a gap between a Count's house and a Marquis's house, Siminal had been infinitely more amicable than Lunojis. The stark contrast between the two nobles he had encountered back-to-back left a strong impression on him.
Ara remained silent as they walked, and soon, a large tent came into view.
"Whoa, now this is impressive."
The tent used by Rei's employer, Daskar, was a high-end magic item that had left Rei wide-eyed. But the one before him now was not just comparable—it was clearly a magic item of a superior grade.
"Displays of prestige like this are a necessity of my position," Elena explained. "It is the same as the carriage you've traveled in before."
Nearby stood a carriage and a team of horses. Normally, horses would be kept in a central stable, but Elena’s horses were magic-bred warhorses. They were intelligent enough to serve as sentries against intruders—be they insolent nobles or imperial assassins—so they were tethered right by the tent.
"Come in. We can talk over some black tea. Oh, and Seto is welcome inside as well."
Knowing Rei and Seto’s bond, Elena opened the entrance without hesitation. She had noticed her own warhorse looking warily at Seto; they had been together briefly during the dungeon expedition, but it seemed the horse still hadn't adjusted to the presence of a Gryphon. Warhorses, with their heightened instincts for danger, were often the hardest to acclimate. In Gilm, the animals at the Dusk Wheat Inn Stables eventually grew used to Seto—or rather, their sense of danger became so overloaded that they eventually stopped reacting—but they were never truly at peace.
"Gururuu."
Seto gave a soft, reassuring rumble, signaling it had no intention of causing trouble, and stepped inside.
"I thought it looked big from the outside, but it’s completely different from the tents I'm used to," Rei remarked, looking around in genuine admiration.
From the outside, the tent appeared to be roughly the size of a ten-mat room, but the interior was easily twice that. The furniture was of a quality one would never expect to see in a war zone. It was even more luxurious than the carriage Elena used.
"It was a gift from my father. Since I am called the Princess General, heading to the front lines is a common occurrence. ...Though this is the first time I've been allowed to use it."
"This tent was prepared as a reward for Lady Elena successfully completing the Ritual of Inheritance," Ara added as she began preparing the tea. "Lady Elena was already the symbol of the Noble’s Faction, but now she wields the Ancient Dragon’s Power. Her father wanted to ensure that when she manifests that power, she has a space that commands respect. This tent is one of the Duke Kerebel’s House’s heirlooms, something usually reserved for the head of the family."
"Indeed," Elena said. "Especially since this war is unlikely to end as a simple skirmish. My father likely felt the time had come to entrust this to me."
"Duke Kerebel simply wants Lady Elena to return home safely," Ara said softly. "That is why he sent Lady Filma, his own right hand and the Knight Commander of the Duke Kerebel’s House, to oversee the guard. Now, the tea is ready. Please, have a seat on the sofa."
At Ara’s prompting, Rei and Elena sat down together. Seto made itself comfortable on the floor beside Rei.
Watching them, Ara felt a faint smile touch her lips. The scene reminded her of their journey to the dungeon, and she felt a brief moment of peace as she placed the steaming cups of black tea on the table.