Rei looked around as Daskar’s entourage made its way down the highway. Of everyone in the group, he stood out the most, perched atop the back of a Gryphon.
"Is something wrong?" one of the escorting knights asked.
Rei swept his gaze over the trees before finally shaking his head. "No... it was probably just my imagination. I thought I sensed someone."
"Is that so? Well, we’re already inside the Bestia Empire. You can’t be too careful out here, so don't hesitate to speak up if you notice anything."
"I will."
Satisfied with Rei's short reply, the knight returned to his position near the carriage.
"Guruuu?"
As Rei watched the knight go, Seto let out a low purr while they walked.
The truth was that both Rei and Seto had noticed. They had sensed a man fleeing the moment he caught sight of them—or more accurately, the moment he saw Rei and his partner. Rei hadn't seen the man’s face, but he had felt his presence clearly.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling, to be sure, but since the man hadn't actually attacked them, there was nothing they could do. Given that the stranger had bolted deep into the grove along the highway, Rei decided it wasn't worth pursuing.
"Don't worry about it," Rei murmured to Seto. "As we get deeper into the Bestia Empire, we’re going to run into that kind of thing constantly. There’s no point letting it get to us."
Rei had no regrets about his actions during the war. He told himself as much, and though a small part of him remained curious about the man who had fled, he and Seto continued their journey down the road.
A group of observers watched Daskar’s entourage from a distance. Once the travelers had completely disappeared from sight, a voice broke the silence.
"...They’ve gone."
"Yes," another replied, the voice thick with resentment. "Detestable. To think those from the Kingdom of Mireana would walk through the Bestia Empire as if they owned the place."
As the man spoke with palpable loathing, the second individual attempted to soothe him.
"There’s no use complaining now. Besides, invitations to the fighting tournament are sent to the Kingdom of Mireana every year."
"That may be true, but they’ve only ever sent proxies until now. Why did Margrave Larkus choose this year of all years to come in person?"
"That is likely the lingering effect of the Spring War."
"I know. I understand that! But... I cannot simply erase this hatred."
"Well, we managed to secure a disposable pawn, didn't we? Let’s be satisfied with that for now."
A woman’s voice rang out, interrupting the two men’s hushed conversation. They both stiffened for a moment before recognizing the speaker. They let out small sighs of relief.
"Don't startle us like that," one grumbled. "More importantly, what’s this about a 'pawn'?"
"A survivor of the Spring War," the woman answered. "He was only an ordinary soldier, so he’s really only good for use as a disposable tool."
"Hmm. How long until he’s ready for use?"
"Whether I use him as a combatant or just a distraction, I’ll need a few days. The fear of Crimson is burned into the very depths of his soul."
The two men frowned simultaneously at her words.
"Does that mean he’s useless even as a sacrifice?"
"In his current state, yes. But if I can take the terror in that man's heart and replace it with hatred, he will perform his role well enough."
Precisely because his fear was so profound, converting it into hatred would provide the ultimate driving force. It was because he possessed that specific potential that the woman had chosen him to be her puppet.
"In that case, why not let him attack them as a test? I know Crimson is with them, but it’s a nuisance not knowing the capabilities of the other guards."
The woman let out a small sigh. "I don't mind the idea, but as I said, it will take a few days before he’s usable. We don't have many pawns to spare at the moment."
"That’s fine. Use whatever forces you have, provided it doesn't put an undue burden on our plans. These are the men of Margrave Larkus, the man who governs Gilm on the frontier. I expect they’re competent, but I want to see exactly how strong they are for myself."
The woman sighed again. "If that’s all you want, you don't even need my pawns. You could just hire any of the failed adventurers or failed soldiers drifting around..."
"Even for a sacrifice meant to gauge an opponent, the tool must have a certain level of skill, or the test is meaningless," the man asserted, cutting her off.
The other man nodded in agreement. "Indeed. A battle with too vast a gap in strength isn't particularly interesting to watch. Besides, considering the instructions we received from above... well, you understand, don't you?"
You know the stakes without me having to spell them out. The man’s silent implication hung in the air until the woman finally gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine, I understand. It won't be possible in the next city... so perhaps the one after that, or the one after. How does that sound?"
The two men nodded. Having reached an agreement, the three of them scattered in different directions. The woman headed back toward the woods, the polite conspirator began retracing the route Daskar’s entourage had taken, and the third man followed after the Margrave’s party.
Unaware of the plot brewing behind them, Daskar’s entourage continued down the highway. By early afternoon, a city appeared on the horizon.
"It looks like we’ll be staying the night in that city."
"Guruu?" Seto purred, tilting his head.
"That’s right," Rei said with a nod, stroking the Gryphon’s neck.
As the central figure of the Neutral Faction—one of the three great factions of the Kingdom of Mireana—Margrave Larkus and his entourage received various forms of special treatment. Under normal circumstances, no citizen of the Bestia Empire would want to let a Gryphon into their city, especially not one like Seto, who had slaughtered so many of the Bestia Imperial Army during the Spring War. Even back in the Kingdom of Mireana, permission to enter a city was often denied simply because Seto was a Gryphon.
However, as long as he was serving as a guard for Margrave Larkus, the local city guards were powerless to stop him. Furthermore, Daskar had sent one of his knights ahead as a herald to the local lord, securing formal permission to pass through the territory on the grounds of being invited to the fighting tournament.
The local lord, much like the residents, had no desire to host Daskar, but they couldn't exactly refuse an invited guest of the Empire. They had reluctantly granted passage.
As a result...
"...I understand. Please, enter."
The guard muttered the words while visibly suppressing his emotions. His gaze, naturally, was fixed on Rei.
In more ways than one, this country really is enemy territory for me, Rei thought.
He understood the meaning behind those stares. It was highly likely that a friend or relative of that guard—or perhaps a local who had marched off to war—had died at his hands. Rei didn't let it bother him, however. If they hadn't wanted to die, they shouldn't have become soldiers. He felt that even more strongly if they were volunteers rather than conscripts.
Ignoring the tension, Daskar’s entourage made their way through the city. They proceeded to the inn suggested by the guards, and after the inevitable brief negotiation regarding Seto, they successfully secured their lodgings.
"Alright, Seto. You know the drill."
"Guruu!"
Seto purred in acknowledgment. Once Rei saw his partner settled, he left the stables and returned to the inn.
While the city's residents wouldn't dare lay a hand on Rei or Daskar directly, the same couldn't necessarily be said for the rest of the party's assets—the carriages, the horses, the knights' warhorses, and especially a tamed monster. Since animals couldn't speak, attackers often assumed they could get away with mischief or sabotage.
However, their ignorance of the fact that Seto was an A-rank monster with immense intelligence was often a fatal mistake. In the cities they had visited so far, several people had tried to mess with the horses or Seto in the stables. Seto had thwarted every single one. The lucky ones had managed to flee; those who had come with weapons and intent to kill had lost their lives.
Naturally, such incidents caused an uproar, but since Daskar’s group were formal guests of the Bestia Empire, the local lords and governors were forced to take a hard line. To let such an insult to a guest pass would reflect poorly on them, so they had made examples of the perpetrators, selling some into slavery and executing others.
Daskar took such occurrences in stride, considering it expected when traveling with a war hero like Rei. Rei himself had anticipated that people would harbor ill will toward them, so he didn't lose any sleep over it.
"Guruuu..."
Seto watched Rei walk away and then lay down in his allotted space. About an hour later, he noticed the sound of footsteps approaching the stables.
"Guruu?"
He gave a small cry of warning and closed his eyes, remaining alert as he monitored the presence. The footsteps eventually entered the stables, just as he expected.
Seto kept his senses honed, ready to retaliate the moment he felt an attack. However, the person entering the stables made no effort to muffle his footsteps.
"Gurururuu?"
Seto purred and opened his eyes. A man in his 40s was standing there, carrying a large amount of tamed monster meat.
"Oh? You're awake, are you? Here, it’s dinner time. Your owner paid me well, so you’re getting top-quality venison."
With a heavy thud, the man dropped a deer carcass. Just as he’d said, it was a prime specimen with plenty of meat. It had been properly skinned and gutted, presented as a whole animal.
"Guruu... Gurururuu!"
Seto sniffed the carcass to ensure it hadn't been laced with poisonous medicine or anything suspicious, then took a small peck to verify. Satisfied, he began to feast on the deer, which had grown fat and healthy over the summer.
The man narrowed his eyes, watching with a pleased expression for a few moments before moving on to feed the other horses. Fortunately, the stable hand responsible for the animals seemed to have no personal grudge against the Kingdom of Mireana; he had lost no friends or family in the war and simply saw it as his job to care for the beasts entrusted to him.
Seto realized this as he ate and allowed himself to relax and focus on his meal. Unaware that the Gryphon had been gauging his character, the man simply smiled and continued his chores.
"...This inn was a lucky find."
The man who muttered those words was Elk, who had somehow found his way into Rei's room. With the party safely inside the inn, he was taking a break while Min and Rhodos handled Daskar’s security. He was limiting his downtime to the inn's grounds, but he was off-duty nonetheless.
"Yeah," Rei agreed. "The food is good, and the employees are keeping their grievances to themselves, whatever they might be feeling. In that sense, it really was a hit."
Since it was hosting Margrave Larkus, the inn was naturally the finest in the city. While the town wasn't large enough to boast a place like the Golden Wind Inn in Exil, the staff here possessed a professional pride that prevented them from letting their personal feelings interfere with their service.
"I hope the other inns are this good," Elk said, taking a sip of the fruit water Rei had given him.
Rei thought it was a bit of a pathetic sight and wanted to tell Elk to just go to a tavern, but even with a bit of freedom, a guard was still a guard. Elk couldn't very well leave the inn to go drinking or even order ale in the dining hall while on duty.
Given his position as the Margrave’s personal guard, if he were caught being irresponsible...
Regardless of what anyone else thinks, there’s no telling what sort of judgment Min would hand down, Elk thought.
Recalling the countless times Min’s staff had come down on his head, Elk decided to spend his precious break time having idle conversation with Rei.