Rewinding slightly to the time when Rei was heading toward the King's Faction of the Kingdom of Mireana to report the success of the surprise attack, the retreating Bestia Imperial Army was on the move under the command of Theoreme. Naturally, the Kingdom of Mireana Army attempted to pursue, but because the rearguard had been entrusted to the Beast Soldiers, the pursuers suffered continuous casualties. Ultimately, the noble in charge of the pursuit decided to abandon the chase rather than risk even greater losses.
As for where the Bestia Imperial Army led by Theoreme headed, they did not strike a path straight for their homeland. Having already learned of the main camp's fall and the death of General Kastom, Theoreme led his forces on a wide detour to avoid the area where the main camp had stood. It was no mere deviation; he made a massive arc along the very edge of the vast Seremuse Plain.
Even with the logistics unit carrying supplies, they did not have much food to spare. Considering the rations for tens of thousands of soldiers and fodder for the warhorses, it was obvious they had to be extremely frugal, and many voiced their complaints. However, they were forced into silence by Theoreme’s next words.
"According to my information, General Kastom was slain by the enemy surprise attack unit. Among that unit is the one they call Crimson, the one who created that flame tornado. Furthermore, since he is accompanied by a flight-capable Gryphon, there is a high probability that he will be the one reporting the General's death. If he were to unleash that flame tornado upon our ranks again while we are retreating in a dense mass, what do you think would happen?"
The majority of the retreating troops belonged to the main force, and they had witnessed the Firestorm that devastated the lead unit from a distance. They had seen it lift people like fallen leaves, tossing them into the sky and trampling them. Fortunately, the distance had spared them from the gruesome sight of the incinerated remains, but they had seen more than enough to understand the horror of the Firestorm.
It went without saying what the survivors of the lead unit, now absorbed into the main force, were thinking. The mere thought of that Firestorm appearing while they were in retreat caused many to lose control of their faculties. Their teeth chattered uncontrollably, and men collapsed to the ground, trembling as they hugged themselves to suppress the terror.
Even those who kept their feet turned pale. To the Bestia Imperial Army—no, to everyone who participated in this war—the alias Crimson had become synonymous with the Grim Reaper. While Elena's alias of Princess General inspired a mix of fear and admiration due to her beauty, Rei, who had demonstrated such overwhelming power, inspired nothing but pure terror and awe in nearly everyone who saw him.
Faced with this vivid reality, the Imperial commanders agreed with Theoreme's plan to make a wide detour around General Kastom's final location and return to the Bestia Empire.
"Even so... fighting the Kingdom of Mireana is going to be difficult from now on. Between that Gryphon and the man's own monster-like strength, he is a formidable obstacle."
As they advanced across the Seremuse Plain, Siance spoke to Theoreme in a low voice, ensuring those around them could not overhear.
Both were on warhorses, but since the infantry formed the core of the army, they were moving at a matching pace. Consequently, the horses were walking slowly, and Siance was grateful that they didn't have to worry about exhaustion as they would during a full gallop.
"Indeed. According to our reports, he defeated almost every one of our Dragon Knights. If even our most elite units cannot even buy time against him en masse, I honestly cannot think of a viable countermeasure right now. The most certain strategy would be to avoid him entirely, but even if we found a way to draw him away from the battlefield, distance is hardly an issue for a Gryphon."
While Set was the first actual Gryphon that Theoreme and Siance had seen, the history of the Bestia Empire contained several records of encounters with the species. Knowing the information preserved in those texts, the two could easily imagine the creature's flight speed.
If it were just Rei or just Set, they might have managed. However, the fact that the one man and one beast always acted in tandem was the primary source of their headache.
"For the Bestia Empire... no, for us in the Third Prince Faction, the most beneficial option would be to get him to defect, but..."
"And how would we accomplish that? Normally, one would think of status, wealth, or perhaps women."
Theoreme thought for a moment at Siance's words, then immediately shook his head.
"Based on our intel, he has accomplished numerous high-level tasks as an adventurer and is not wanting for money. More than that, the man himself doesn't seem particularly obsessed with gold. As for status... I wonder. With that much power, it wouldn't be difficult for him to be appointed by Margrave Larkus if he wished. Or if he put out a request to be hired by the King's Faction or the Noble's Faction, they wouldn't refuse; they would compete to hire him. That leaves women, but..."
He recalled the information on Rei and shook his head again.
"No good. There are no reports of him being a womanizer. In fact, there aren't even reports of him having a lover, so it would be difficult to lure him with beauty. If I had to guess, he seems to be on good terms with a Receptionist at the Gilm Guild, but it's only to the extent of being 'on good terms.' If we knew his preferences, we might be able to entice him."
At this moment, it was fortunate that Vel had not known about the depth of the relationship between Elena and Rei. Vel had known that Elena held affection for Rei, but he had judged it to be a bond between friends rather than lovers. Furthermore, because of his grudge against Rei, Vel had not leaked this information to the Bestia Empire, thinking he might find a way to exploit it himself eventually.
"A woman of his preference, then? However, after performing so brilliantly in this war, Rei is going to stand out whether he likes it or not. They say heroes have a fondness for the fair sex; once his tastes become clear, recruitment might be possible. Besides, he's only fifteen. At that age, it wouldn't be strange for him to have a strong interest in a woman's body."
Theoreme suddenly turned his gaze toward Siance, peering intently at her face.
"...What is it?"
Finding it unpleasant to be stared at so rudely, Siance stared back at Theoreme.
"No, I was just thinking that if you were the one to seduce him, Rei might fall for it quite easily."
"Me?"
Siance looked back at him, her expression unchanging.
Since she perceived herself primarily as a knight, Theoreme's words were entirely unexpected.
However, while she was nearly expressionless, Siance's features were undeniably well-formed. She preferred plain attire because she had no interest in dressing up, but that was a matter of taste. Her body, tightened by training, was devoid of redundant fat, giving her a physique like a swift feline beast. It was a slender, athletic build, but Theoreme figured that, too, was a matter of preference.
Of course, he wasn't seriously suggesting Siance go and seduce Rei.
"It was a joke. I can't afford to lose a reliable lieutenant. Don't take it seriously."
"...Yes."
Siance nodded, though she looked somewhat dissatisfied, and quickened her warhorse's pace slightly.
"Oh, Rei. Since you're back, I guess the surprise attack unit really did succeed in slaying the enemy's Supreme Commander."
Rei had just stepped out of Daskar's tent and was explaining Elena's situation to Ara, who had appeared at some point, when he was suddenly addressed from behind.
Turning toward the familiar voice, he saw the members of the Axe of the Thunder God led by Elk.
"It looks like you guys made it back safely too."
"Heh, the enemies were just soldiers, human after all. It was much better than facing C-Rank or B-Rank monsters. More importantly, that lady there is surely..."
Following Elk's gaze, Ara placed Iero onto Set's back and bowed her head.
"It has been a long time, Lord Elk. I am Ara of Lady Elena's Escort Knight Order."
"Right, right, Ara, was it? Not since we met in front of the City of Gilm. ...Hm? Wasn't your weapon a sword? That Battle Axe is..."
Elk's eyes stopped on the Power Axe on Ara's back. As a man who used a magic item called the Axe of the Thunder God, he was naturally drawn to axe-type weapons, and he stared at her gear with great interest.
The misfortune here was that while Elk was intently observing the Power Axe, he appeared to be staring intently at Ara's body—specifically her torso where the Power Axe was strapped. To an onlooker, he appeared to be nothing more than a middle-aged man ogling a young female knight's chest. Naturally, the surrounding gazes grew cold, and Ara's cheeks flushed red with shame as she realized how he was looking at her.
"Now, now."
In contrast to the light voice, a staff slammed into the back of Elk’s head like a mace. The sound that echoed around them was not the kind of sound a human head usually made.
"Ow!? Hey, Min, what was that for?! I finally survived the war, are you trying to kill me by crushing my skull?! I'm not a Hydra; if I lose my head, it won't grow back!"
"Is that so? I wouldn't be surprised if your head grew back, Elk. ...No, more importantly, think about your behavior. How do you think an A-Rank Adventurer looks to those around him when he's ogling a young female knight's chest?"
At those words, Elk finally realized that Ara's chest, encased in half plate, was directly in his line of sight. He shook his head frantically, his face turning red.
"N-No! I wasn't looking at her chest! I was just interested in the Battle Axe Ara is carrying! Look, Min, you see it too? It's clearly a magic item!"
He shouted as he pointed at Ara in a panic, but since his finger was pointing toward Ara's chest rather than the weapon due to his confusion and haste, it lacked any persuasive power.
"...Kyu!"
Iero took flight from Set's back and aimed a kick at Elk's face with its small feet.
However, Elk caught the attack easily and tilted his head.
"What's this little thing? ...A dragon?"
"Ah, yes. Well, it's a familiar that Lady Elena created with magic, so calling it a dragon-like creature would be more accurate."
"Hmph, whatever. More importantly, I want to move this conversation along."
"No, you were the one who came over and immediately started ogling Ara's chest," Rei deadpanned.
"That's not it!"
Elk cut Rei off. Even as he shouted, cold sweat beaded on his forehead—he clearly didn't want strange rumors being spread in a place with so many witnesses.
"I'm talking about what we're going to do next. The war is over, but we can't just disband on the spot, right?"
"That's only natural," Min replied. "If we were to disband here, it would be fine for knights or the army, but among adventurers, there are those with... problematic conduct. If they were to band together and become thieves, it would be disastrous. Especially since everyone participating in this war is D-Rank or higher, meaning their strength is guaranteed to some extent. If people of that rank formed a bandit gang, the military force required to suppress them would be immense. To prevent that, we'll return to our respective cities before disbanding."
"Heh, so that's how it works."
Elk nodded at Min's words, but Rei couldn't help but tilt his head.
"You guys are high-rank, aren't you? Is this your first time participating in a war?"
"Ah, yeah. We never had the chance before. We've been in skirmishes, but never an all-out battle on this scale."
"Like Elk said, high-rank adventurers generally tend to avoid wars," Min added. "Though that's just a tendency, and it depends on the person's personality. This time, well, it was partly retaliation against the side that dared to lay hands on us."
Min wore a sharp smile, as if to say the empire had gotten exactly what they deserved.