The Seremuse Plain was currently locked in a bizarre stalemate.
Though the lead unit of the Bestia Imperial Army had suffered devastating losses from the firestorm Rei unleashed, they had managed to retreat and merge with their main body before being completely annihilated. Simultaneously, the lead units of the Kingdom of Mireana Army—comprised of the Neutral Faction and the Noble's Faction—had reorganized their forces, ready to resume the offensive at a moment's notice.
Normally, the period immediately following a merger between a routed lead unit and the main body would be the perfect time to strike, as the enemy would be in the midst of organizational chaos. It was only natural to want to press the advantage while the opposition was scrambled. However, they remained idle. Or rather, they were forced to remain idle, for an order had arrived from the King's Faction—the army's main body—commanding them to hold their position.
"What is Count Alius thinking?! Does he truly mean to let the enemy escape when they are at their most vulnerable?!"
Inside a tent serving as a makeshift command post, Daskar brought his fist down hard on the armrest of his chair.
"Most likely, the Supreme Commander wishes to bury the disgrace of being ambushed," Filma, the man in overall command of the Noble's Faction, said calmly. "He wants to replace that failure with the singular achievement of utterly crushing the enemy's main body."
Hearing his words, the surrounding nobles nodded in somber agreement.
"Good grief, to resort to such petty measures just to mask his own blunder. The arrogance of the King's Faction has truly reached its zenith."
"In the first place, defeating the enemy's lead unit was a feat accomplished by us, the Noble's Faction. And yet they intend to sweep that aside and usurp the glory for themselves..."
"Hold on a moment. The greatest contribution to the lead unit's defeat was undeniably that flame tornado," a noble from the other side interjected. "Therefore, the credit belongs to the Neutral Faction, since we are the ones who hired the adventurer who created it."
"What are you talking about? I'll grant you that the flame tornado caught them off guard, but it is obvious to everyone here that it was the Noble's Faction, with our superior numbers, who actually cut down the bulk of the enemy afterward. I understand the desire to inflate your own achievements, but trying to hijack the credit of others is a bit much, don't you think?"
"How dare you! I'll give those words right back to you! Do you have any idea how much damage that firestorm dealt to their lead unit?! To try and minimize that merit is an insult I cannot overlook!"
As the argument devolved into a petty squabble over who deserved more recognition, Daskar let out a long, weary sigh. Hearing a similar sound, he looked across the room to see Filma sighing in unison with him.
The two men shared a silent look of mutual exhaustion.
Both Daskar and Filma understood that this friction was inevitable. They had dealt massive damage to the Bestia Imperial Army's vanguard while suffering almost no casualties of their own. Their soldiers' blood was up, and they were primed to charge the enemy's main body—only to be told to stand down by Count Alius. With no enemy to vent their heightened morale on, it was only natural that the men's energy would turn inward toward factional bickering.
The enemy's numbers were overwhelming, which was the only reason the Neutral and Noble factions had put aside their differences to cooperate. Now that the immediate pressure had vanished, the cracks in their alliance were resurfacing.
Daskar and Filma exchanged a glance, each hoping the other would be the one to quiet the room. Eventually, as the central figure of the Neutral Faction, Daskar accepted the burden and spoke up.
"That is enough, all of you. Even if our initial strike dealt heavy damage, the overall balance of power has only just reached parity. Don't you realize that bickering among ourselves right now only serves the interests of the Bestia Empire? Military merit will be properly evaluated after the war is won. For now, focus on the battle ahead."
"Lord Daskar is right," Filma added. "As members of the Noble's Faction, I expect you to refrain from such unsightly behavior and act with the pride befitting your rank. Besides... it seems the situation is already changing."
Just as Filma spoke, a stir of excitement rose from the soldiers outside the tent.
The nobles, who had been engrossed in their argument, finally noticed the commotion. Their gazes turned toward the entrance.
"Princess General Elena and Lord Rei the adventurer have arrived," a guard announced. "They are carrying a letter of instruction from Count Alius."
The nobles muttered among themselves, understanding the reason for the stir.
However, many of them also showed a flash of genuine fear on their faces, if only for an instant.
Though they had been eager to attack the enemy vanguard based on Rei's report, it was only after the fighting concluded that they saw the true aftermath of the firestorm with their own eyes.
They had heard the reports and anticipated the carnage, and most of these nobles were veterans who had walked many a battlefield. Yet even for them, the sight of the dead produced by that firestorm was haunting. There were corpses charred so thoroughly they had turned to charcoal, only to be shattered into fragments by the shockwaves. Others had been flayed by wind and the blade shards Rei had added to the vortex, their bodies riddled with fingertip-sized holes. The corpses were nothing short of grotesque.
"Lord Daskar, Filma. We managed to repel the ambush somehow... Hm? Is something wrong?"
Elena stepped into the tent and paused, sensing the strange, heavy atmosphere.
Her arrival snapped the nobles out of their daze, and they quickly averted their eyes from the young man standing behind her.
(I see...)
Rei alone understood the meaning behind those looks.
Actually, given the sheer scale of the slaughter he had committed, he found it an unexpectedly good outcome that they were only this afraid of him.
"No, it's nothing," Daskar replied. "Lady Elena, I hear you've brought orders from Count Alius?"
"...Yes. Here it is."
Though she looked suspicious of the atmosphere for a moment, Elena prioritized her duty and handed over the sealed envelope.
Daskar accepted it, shared a brief look with Filma, and tore it open. He read the contents in silence for a full minute, his expression growing increasingly bitter before he finally handed the parchment to Filma.
"The lead unit is to remain on standby," Daskar announced. "Once the main body under Count Alius launches its assault on the enemy, we are to provide support from the rear."
The tent erupted into a fresh wave of protests.
The order was a blatant attempt to keep the glory for the King's Faction, and the indignant nobles soon forgot their fear of Rei in favor of their outrage. Daskar watched the scene, feeling a secret sense of relief that their focus had shifted.
"Lord Daskar! Are you truly going to let the King's Faction have their way?! It's true that Count Alius is the Supreme Commander, but it is undoubtedly the lead unit that has brought us this far! And yet—!"
"Calm yourself. Regardless of our feelings, we cannot openly defy an order from the Supreme Commander. Lady Elena, what was the mood like among the King's Faction?"
Elena remained silent, simply shaking her head.
That was all Daskar needed to see. Alius and the rest of the King's Faction were determined to claim the Imperial main body for themselves.
Daskar understood the motivation. Count Alius had likely spent a fortune in bribes and political favors to secure the title of Supreme Commander; he would be desperate to secure a victory significant enough to justify the cost.
Furthermore, Alius likely believed that since the Bestia Imperial Army was already weakened and demoralized from the earlier skirmishes, the King's Faction could handle them alone. With the Neutral and Noble factions providing long-range support, he probably viewed victory as a foregone conclusion.
In truth, while Count Alius had a difficult personality, he was a capable commander when it came to the mechanics of war. Daskar assumed Alius must have some tactical justification for his confidence.
(But...)
Daskar frowned inwardly.
(Would the Bestia Imperial Army, which has harassed my territory for years, truly just sit back and take this? No, it's impossible. They've already shown they can launch a surprise attack from the rear... Wait. They appeared, struck, and then retreated without a moment's hesitation the second the attempt failed. That speed of judgment... Could it be? I see. That explains why the orders specifically mentioned these two.)
The face of a legendary enemy general flickered in Daskar's mind, and he turned his gaze toward Rei and Elena.
"Lady Elena, Rei. Do you know who was leading the unit that ambushed the King's Faction?"
Rei, unfamiliar with the enemy's high command, remained silent. Elena, however, gave a small nod.
"It was the Flash, General Theoreme Energy."
The moment the name was spoken, a hush fell over the room, followed by a frantic murmuring.
This time, the stir wasn't born of a desire for glory. It was pure, unadulterated dread, much like the fear they had briefly shown toward Rei.
"The Flash? Theoreme himself is on the field?!"
"I see. That explains why the enemy hasn't broken yet."
"But surely... even for the Flash, isn't it too late to turn the tide given how the battle has gone?"
"Don't be a fool! A setback like this is nothing to the Flash. If anything, our current numerical advantage isn't enough to guarantee a win against him. Any unit he leads moves with a swiftness that justifies his nickname."
Amidst the panicked murmurs, one noble spoke up with a confused expression.
"But... then how does Count Alius intend to handle him? If he's making the King's Faction the primary assault force, surely he has a countermeasure?"
The room fell silent again as they awaited the answer.
The King's Faction wasn't devoid of talent, but they lacked anyone who could match the reputation of the "Flash." While there were S-Rank adventurers and other legendary figures in the Royal Capital, they hadn't been deployed for this campaign. There was only one logical solution.
"It says here," Filma said, looking up from the orders, "that Lady Elena and Rei are to be temporarily placed under the King's Faction's direct command to participate in the assault."
"That's outrageous! Lady Elena is not one of them!"
"Perhaps," Daskar interjected, silencing the protest. "But the decision to dispatch Elena and Rei wasn't mine or Filma's. It was a formal request from the other side—a direct command from Count Alius himself. And as much as we might dislike it, he is the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom of Mireana Army. He has the authority to command his subordinates. Normally, a man would respect factional boundaries to avoid friction, but Alius must be desperate. That is why he's resorted to such heavy-handed tactics."
The nobles went quiet. Since the order came from the top of the chain of command, there was no legal ground to refuse.
"And so," Daskar said, turning to Rei. "Rei, I'm sorry to ask this of you. I know you've already been pushed to the limit in this war, but my position leaves me no choice but to send you."
Despite his apologetic expression, Daskar's tone was that of a commander. Rei nodded, showing no signs of resentment.
"I am under your employ for the duration of this war, Lord Daskar, so it isn't a problem. Fortunately, I have plenty of magic power left, and Set is still full of energy. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"I was promised a treasured magic item from the House Larkus collection if I achieved the top contribution in this war. If I think of this as another chance to secure that reward, it's not a bad deal at all."
Rei's matter-of-fact tone dispelled the heavy atmosphere in the tent. Daskar let out a sharp smirk.
"Is that so? I suppose I did make that promise. Honestly, I believe your contributions are already unparalleled, but if you're that determined, then so be it. Go and achieve a feat so great that no one can dare question your merit."
Daskar's voice, now carrying a hint of amusement, rang through the tent. Elena, having finished her own discussion with Filma, prepared to head toward the King's Faction alongside Rei.
Doubtless, her primary goal was to minimize further casualties for the Kingdom's army. But it would be a lie to say that the prospect of acting alongside Rei hadn't played at least some small part in her decision.