Several days had passed since Vihera and Theoreme arrived in Goto. As for what they had been doing all that time...
"Now then, Epika. Giving up already? I've still got plenty left, you know!"
"Hah... hah... hah... Big sis, you're way too fast!"
"Hehehe. If you want to be an adventurer, you'll need at least this much stamina. Come on, you're a boy, so try a little harder. Rei and Seto are watching, too."
Following Vihera's prompt, Epika stole a glance toward the meadow. He saw Seto lying in the grass and Rei leaning against him, watching the pair run.
"I can... still go!"
Drawing strength from that gaze, Epika caught his breath and dashed across the meadow again, chasing after Vihera.
Vihera, while holding back considerably to match the boy's pace, maintained a speed that made it just barely possible for him to catch her, a playful smile on her face as she ran.
"He's certainly energetic."
"Guruuu."
Seto purred in agreement with Rei’s murmured observation.
To an outsider, what Vihera and the others had been doing since arriving in Goto looked like nothing more than simple play. In truth, that was exactly what it was.
From Theoreme's perspective, his honest desire was to return to the Bestia Empire as quickly as possible. However, once the matter with Elk had been broached, they couldn't exactly head back ahead of the others. If they ignored Elk’s group and returned to the empire now, the two would almost certainly end up fighting within the Bestia borders.
Should that happen, news of the battle would spread. Despite their desire to avoid drawing attention, they would be noticed regardless, which would pointlessly increase the difficulty of rescuing the person he had chosen as his master, Prince Mercureo.
Considering the risks, Theoreme had made the bitter decision that it would be better to settle things with Elk here, where the eyes of the Bestia Empire could not reach them.
To Rei, it seemed like a clear case of reaping what he had sown.
"Right, Seto?"
"Guruuu?"
Addressed so abruptly, Seto tilted its head as if to say it didn't understand what he meant.
"I suppose so," Rei murmured with a smile. Telling the griffon it was nothing, he stroked Seto's body, savoring the feel of fur that was smooth as silk.
He shifted his gaze to a spot far removed from where Vihera and Epika were playing tag. There, he saw Theoreme wielding his longsword as if a powerful enemy stood before him. In reality, he was likely fighting against a Virtual Elk in his mind.
Even watching from a distance, Rei could imagine what kind of opponent Theoreme was visualizing for his Image Training.
"Reaping what you sow... indeed," he muttered, stifling a yawn as he watched the general.
As he had felt before outside the village, the area surrounding Goto was a broad meadow that allowed for excellent airflow. The late summer heat was hardly felt here, making it very comfortable.
Rei rested his head against Seto and closed his eyes. Wrapped in the refreshing breeze and the rich scent of grass wafting from the meadow, he began to surrender to a pleasant drowsiness. He would have fallen into a deep sleep right then—if he hadn't noticed a presence suddenly approaching.
Light footsteps were followed by the sound of someone springing off the ground. The moment he heard it, Rei opened his eyes and caught the small figure that had lunged at him.
"Whoops."
Fortunately, his attacker was small, and the impact was minimal. Still leaning against Seto, he looked down at the boy who had pounced on him.
"Ehehehe! Big brother, don't sleep! Play with us!"
Epika, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, demanded that Rei join the fun. A smile tugged at Rei’s lips... then, in the next instant, he sensed another presence lunging toward him. Hurriedly moving Epika to the grass—
"Whoa!"
The next thing that descended upon him was an existence with much more substantial mass than a five-year-old. As he caught the body that was taller than his own, the sweet, heady scent of a woman wafted into his nose. At the same time, he felt a warm, soft sensation against his chest.
He knew exactly who had fallen on him.
"...Vihera, act your age a little, will you?"
"What? I think it's quite rude to talk about a woman's age, don't you? Besides, wanting to touch the person I like is only natural for a woman... no, for a maiden in love, right?"
"...I wonder."
Rei was momentarily at a loss for words at Vihera's suggestive behavior, but he managed to force a reply.
It wasn't particularly rare for Vihera to act this way toward him. Since the day after they joined up in Goto, she had been actively seeking physical skinship. Since she had a powerful romantic rival in Elena and was already trailing behind by a considerable margin, the assertive Vihera saw no reason to hesitate in closing the distance with Rei.
Though, Rei suspected her behavior also included some advice from Theoreme, who wanted to draw him toward the Third Prince Faction. Rei vaguely sensed this, but he already knew Vihera's true feelings from the attitude she had shown back in Exil.
Wondering how to handle her, he eventually let out a small sigh and gently moved Vihera down beside him before speaking.
"So, what is it? Weren't you two playing tag?"
"Yeah! But Big sis said it was pitiful that you looked so bored, Big brother, so we should let you join in!"
"...I see."
Rei stole a glance to his side and saw Vihera wearing a smile like a child caught in a prank.
"What? It’s fine, isn't it? Playing with us is far more meaningful than taking a nap."
"Even if you say that... the nights are... no, it's nothing."
Rei trailed off.
The house where Rei, Theoreme, and Vihera were staying belonged to Luchard. Although he had lived there with his family until a few years ago and now lived alone, it was ultimately just a farmhouse. Aside from the living room, there were three rooms. One was Luchard's bedroom, and another was for Vihera. That left only one room, meaning Rei and Theoreme naturally had to share.
At this point, Rei didn't harbor any special animosity toward Theoreme, but the fact remained that they had been enemies during the Spring War. Given their history, he couldn't completely trust the man.
To Theoreme as well, Rei was an outlier in many senses. After learning of his existence, Theoreme had once moved to eliminate him, but none of it had mattered... and his worst premonitions had come true during the Spring War. Precisely because they had engaged in covert struggles so many times, he knew just how formidable Rei was. Consequently, he felt some resistance to sleeping in a narrow room with him.
Neither of them necessarily viewed the other as an enemy anymore, but they couldn't fully trust each other either. As an adventurer for Rei and a soldier for Theoreme, it was an uneasy truce where emotions and reason were separate matters.
Perhaps things might have been different if Seto was in the room. Seto's Danger Detection Ability was extremely high, so Rei trusted the griffon to handle anything, allowing him to sleep soundly even when camping. But if he mentioned that to Vihera, she would likely suggest switching rooms with him. Rei wanted to avoid that for various reasons, so he kept his mouth shut.
"Well, with this clear weather, the cool breeze, and a partner like Seto, anyone would get sleepy," he said, trying to dodge the subject.
"Hmm. Well, fine. More importantly, now that you're up, won't you play with us, Rei?"
"...Seriously? I just said I wanted to enjoy my nap."
"How cold. You're going to refuse an invitation from such a beautiful woman?"
Usually, a woman who described herself as beautiful was just being self-centered. However, when Vihera—who boasted a beauty and physique that never failed to attract the eyes of men—said it, it was simply an objective fact.
Perhaps because of her appearance and the clothes she wore, the image Rei associated with Vihera was the evening. Normally one would think of the night, but he knew Marina, who possessed a level of sex appeal and feminine allure that surpassed Vihera's. Therefore, the image of the night belonged to Marina, while Elena was the day, leaving Vihera as the evening.
But even that image faltered when he saw her reddish-purple hair glittering under the sunlight. He thought that not many people looking at her now would associate her with shadows or the dusk.
"...Rei? What's wrong?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing."
Unable to admit he had been captivated by her beauty, Rei gave a small shake of his head.
"Big brother, Big brother, play with us too!"
Epika tugged at the hem of the Dragon Robe, trying to pull him up.
Rei watched the boy for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh and climbing to his feet.
"Alright, fine. What are we doing? Ideally, something that isn't too tiring."
"Um, um... tag!"
"...That again?"
They had been doing that for hours; was the boy's stamina bottomless? Despite his internal complaints, he couldn't take back his word, so he began walking into the meadow. Seto stood up as well, following closely behind. And so, although Rei himself wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it, they spent the next few hours running together.
"Ah, it's Dad and Mom!"
Epika's joyful voice rang out as the sun sank low in the west, illuminating the grass with a golden hue. In the distance were a man and a woman who had finished harvesting today's portion of wheat—Epika's parents.
The boy let out a happy cry and ran toward them. The parents bowed deeply toward Rei, Vihera, and Seto. Naturally, they must have been worried about leaving a five-year-old child alone, but they had come to trust the babysitters. They saw Seto as a protector who could strike down a Giant Boar in a single blow yet caused no harm to people.
Of course, if Epika's parents were to hear the actual body count of Bandits, Bestia Imperial Army soldiers, and hostile adventurers Seto had killed, they would likely find it impossible to entrust their son to the creature.
"Big brother, Big sis, let's play again tomorrow!"
Rei and Vihera waved back at Epika as he disappeared toward the village with his parents.
The two watched them leave, but Rei suddenly turned his gaze in a different direction. There, Theoreme was still engaged in his battle against an imaginary Elk, longsword in hand.
(Even for Image Training, he has incredible stamina to keep going this long. ...No, I suppose it just shows how desperate he is.)
Having continued his training for several hours, the general was drenched. Even from a distance, Rei could see the sweat clinging to Theoreme's face. With every intense movement, droplets flew from his brow, glittering in the sunset.
He must have been subjected to a Horizontal Slash. Theoreme quickly crouched and unleashed a strike toward his opponent's feet... but in the next moment, he stopped moving and stood up, shaking his head slightly.
(I guess he lost.)
Rei didn't know exactly how the Virtual Elk had won, but he could read the outcome from the general's slumped shoulders.
"It looks like he lost," Vihera murmured softly beside him. Her tone was tinged with something close to envy.
No matter how much she recognized her romantic feelings for Rei, it didn't mean her Battle Lust had disappeared. It was an urge as fundamental as instinct. That was why she felt envious of Theoreme, who was preparing for a serious fight—a life-or-death struggle—against Elk of the Axe of the Thunder God.
(Once the fight with Theoreme is over... maybe I should ask Elk for a turn, too.)
While harborng such thoughts, she followed after Rei as he walked toward the exhausted general.