Wispy clouds that looked as if they had been swept by a broom dotted the sky, and the sunlight had grown considerably softer than it was in the height of summer. In the midst of such a pleasant, early autumn day...
"Guoooooh!"
With the supple grace of a cat, the woman evaded a swinging claymore and slipped into her opponent’s guard.
Her hand reached out to touch the armor of a knight standing over two meters tall, a man whose entire frame seemed forged from pure muscle.
She didn't brandish a weapon. Instead, she simply pressed her palm against the giant knight’s chest.
"Ha!"
With that short shout, she released a burst of magic power.
At first glance, the armor remained completely unchanged. It was the sort of strike that looked as if it hadn't dealt a single bit of damage to the knight man.
However, in the next instant, blood began to pour from the man’s mouth—no, it was worse than that. Blood began to stream from his ears, nose, and eyes.
"Gobo..."
The mass of blood welling up from his throat had likely made breathing impossible. Groaning in agony as his breath was forcibly cut off, the knight man collapsed onto the earth.
Blood pooled around the man’s head as he lay motionless.
The woman responsible for the scene flexed her hand several times as if checking its condition.
"Not bad."
A bewitching smile played on her lips. Any passerby unaware of her nature would have undoubtedly been captivated by her in an instant.
Possessing such intoxicating charm, the smiling woman heard footsteps approaching and turned her gaze toward the sound.
"Is everything finished on your end?"
"Yes. Without issue... However, Lady Vihera. Isn't this a bit too gruesome, even for you?"
Theoreme spoke with an exasperated sigh as he flicked the blood from the blade of his longsword before returning it to its sheath.
The longsword he had originally used had been destroyed during his duel with Elk. Afterward, he had used a crude longsword gifted to him by Rei, but the weapon he held now was not that crude product.
It was a masterpiece longsword he had commissioned after returning to the Bestia Empire.
At Theoreme's words, Vihera gave a small shrug and continued to smile.
As she did, her ample breasts swayed beneath her dancer-like outfit, which consisted of multiple layers of thin raiment.
Theoreme consciously averted his eyes from the sight and turned his attention back to the opponent lying on the ground.
Even without checking, he could tell the flame of life had already been extinguished.
"Really? Since they chose to attack me, it's only natural they should be prepared to lose their lives... So, whose hand do you think was behind these men pretending to be thieves?"
Vihera murmured in an exasperated tone, asking the question as she looked down at the man she had slain.
They had clearly tried to make it look like the work of thieves, but it seemed some among them had been unwilling to use unfamiliar equipment.
In addition to the one Vihera had defeated, there were others scattered about wearing gear that unmistakably identified them as knights.
They likely had immense confidence in their own skill and had judged that even if they were recognized as knights, it wouldn't matter as long as they slaughtered everyone they attacked.
They had launched their assault with a thought that could only be described as naive. When they had actually caught sight of Vihera, they had reflexively faltered. In that moment of hesitation, Vihera, Theoreme, and the others had unleashed a relentless offensive... resulting in a one-sided massacre.
It would have been one thing if the attackers had done the slaughtering, but it was a rare sight indeed for the party being ambushed to do the massacring instead.
Above all, the opponent who had faced Vihera had been turned into a test subject for her new technique—a demonstration of the fruits of her recent training.
"Even so, to refine a technique to this level in such a short time... truly impressive."
As Theoreme spoke with genuine admiration, Vihera responded with a faint smile.
"I've been thinking about it for a while now. My magic power is immense, but I’m not suited for using magic. I wondered if I could somehow put all that excess power to effective use. If I only channel it into my gauntlets, there’s hardly any consumption at all."
"And the result is this, then?"
Vihera and Theoreme both looked down at the man lying dead on the ground, blood spraying from his facial orifices.
What Vihera had done was use magic power to pass a shockwave directly through the opponent’s body, destroying their internal organs from the inside.
If Rei had seen it, his knowledge of manga and anime from his time in Japan would likely have led him to associate the move with terms like Shintoukei or Uraate.
In principle, it was similar to the shock wave technique used by Mirene, but unlike Mirene, who lacked sufficient magic power, Vihera had an abundance. That difference was what created the horrific scene before them.
"Yes. I certainly lost to Rei. That's why I’ve developed romantic feelings for him—I truly do love him. But even so, it's not fun for me to remain defeated. If we have a chance to fight again, I’ll need a new power if I’m going to win next time, right?"
The content of her speech was extremely violent, yet the smile on her face made her look like nothing more than a maiden in love. This contrast was the perfect embodiment of Vihera’s eccentricity.
(If he took a direct hit from that technique, I suspect even Rei might suffer a lethal wound...)
Theoreme considered this, but he sensed that if he said it aloud, he might be made into a test subject in Rei's place. He chose to keep his mouth shut.
(Given that a beauty of Her Highness Vihera's caliber is harboring such feelings for him, I suppose this much is within the realm of acceptable... though I would certainly decline the honor.)
Theoreme was skilled enough to trade blows with Elk, but even he had to admit that he would take lethal damage if hit by that internal destruction technique.
One look at the corpse before them was enough to confirm its terrifying power.
Leaving Theoreme to his thoughts, Vihera scanned the surrounding area.
Fortunately, there was no one else nearby. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that no one had witnessed this "battle"—if it could even be called that given how one-sided it was.
The fact that this was not a highway but a path used primarily by those with something to hide likely played a part in their privacy.
"Still, the fact that they froze for a moment when they saw me means they didn't know I was cooperating with you, right, Theoreme?"
"Likely so. Either they weren't given the information, or they weren't able to obtain it in the first place."
It had been about half a month since Vihera and Theoreme returned to the Bestia Empire. Since they had been moving quite actively, it wouldn't have been strange for those with spies and informants to already know that Vihera was working with Theoreme.
However, the people who had attacked them just now clearly didn't know.
"I'd bet they intentionally withheld the information."
The one who appeared as she spoke was Siance, Theoreme's lieutenant.
She held a spear in her hand, its tip also stained with fresh blood.
"If it were just myself and Lord Theoreme, it would be one thing, but with Lady Vihera present, very few would willingly choose to engage in combat. They likely hid Lady Vihera's presence specifically to avoid scaring them off."
"But it’s impossible to hide Lady Vihera's presence once they actually face her. In fact, these men were visibly shaken by the sight of Lady Vihera, and we exploited that opening to achieve this result."
"Yes. Therefore, whoever plotted this likely decided that even if that happened, it would be fine. Either they wanted to measure Lady Vihera's actual combat strength, or they were aiming for a war of attrition..."
A war of attrition. Hearing those words, Theoreme's eyebrows twitched.
He took pride in the fact that the Third Prince Faction, himself included, was composed of elites.
However, they were strictly a minority in terms of numbers, and the stamina of each individual was not infinite.
If they were forced into a war of attrition as Siance suggested, they would find themselves in an extremely difficult struggle.
"We're moving precisely to compensate for our lack of numbers, aren't we? Come on, there's no point in lingering here. Let's hurry to Viscount Boogle's place. He’s very likely to take our side, right?"
"Indeed. He likely already knows that Lady Vihera is with us, and he’s probably waiting with bated breath."
At Vihera's words, Theoreme murmured as if stifling a smile.
Viscount Boogle was still in his 20s, belonging to the same generation as Vihera and Theoreme.
Several years ago, his father had died of illness, and the young eldest son had succeeded him as the head of the house.
What mattered most to Theoreme, however, was that the young viscount was absolutely infatuated with Vihera.
If Vihera had not fled the Empire and had instead formed her own faction, Viscount Boogle would have undoubtedly been at its center.
He was a man that devoted to her.
(It’s not unusual for a man to be drawn to the beautiful Lady Vihera... but in his case, it’s more like he fell in love with her personality rather than seeing her as a member of the opposite sex.)
One could say it was similar to being enamored with her heroic spirit.
Of course, for that very reason, Theoreme felt a tinge of unease when considering the relationship between Vihera and Rei.
(Viscount Boogle feigns a lighthearted personality, but in truth, he has a very sharp eye for people. He doesn't show it, so it's hard for others to realize... Now then, I wonder how he will act once those sharp eyes realize the nature of the relationship between Lady Vihera and Rei... I only hope he doesn't move in a bad direction.)
"Theoreme, what's wrong?"
As he was lost in thought, Vihera called out to him, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Snapped back to reality, Theoreme shook his head lightly to indicate it was nothing.
"Lady Vihera, Lord Theoreme. I believe we have no more time to waste here."
At Siance's words, the two of them gave small, bitter smiles and hurried on with their subordinates, leaving the corpses where they lay.
"Her Highness Vihera!? Oh, is it truly Her Highness Vihera!? When I heard the report from the gatekeeper, I thought it was some kind of jest... To think I would behold you once again... This Tilleul Boogle is so overwhelmed with joy that I feel I might turn this emotion into a song!"
Several hours after the skirmish with the knights posing as thieves, Vihera, Theoreme, and Siance stood inside Viscount Boogle's Residence.
Fortunately, the gatekeeper had recognized Vihera's face—as was expected of one of Viscount Boogle's Subordinate—and Tilleul, the head of the house, had been informed immediately. Thus, they were granted this meeting.
"Viscount Boogle, you're as dramatic as ever. I'm relieved to see you haven't changed."
"Oh, no, Your Highness... Ah, well. You certainly have changed... how should I put it? No matter how beautiful you may be, Your Highness, an outfit that seems to flaunt it so much is... well. It’s nothing but poison for the eyes, myself included..."
Even as he said this, there was no trace of lust in Tilleul's gaze.
To Tilleul, Vihera was an object of profound respect, not one of sexual desire.
Tilleul's extraordinary talent lay in his ability to consciously maintain that distinction.
To Vihera, who understood that her appearance drew eyes everywhere she went, Tilleul was a very easy person to deal with because he didn't look at her that way. That was precisely why she had come to ask for his help.
"Ah, in order to preserve Her Highness Vihera's beauty for posterity, I must immortalize this scene in a painting... No, that's too slow, far too slow. I should call for a bard instead..."
As Tilleul seriously considered how to preserve Vihera's beauty for future generations, those present couldn't help but offer bitter smiles.
This was Tilleul; this was the man who hadn't changed a single bit since the day Vihera fled the Empire.
"Calm down. Now then, about the reason I've come here..."
"Yes, I understand. Given that Lord Theoreme is with you, you intend to rescue Lord Mercurio, who is currently under house arrest, do you not?"
"...Yes."
As Tilleul stated it so bluntly, Vihera nodded.
One was often fooled by his flighty personality, but there was no doubt the man before her was highly capable.
Furthermore, Tilleul had his own intelligence network—or at least, his own reliable routes for gathering information.
"I have fellow artists in the Imperial Capital, so I can obtain a fair amount of information through them."
Because he was deeply involved in artistic circles—bards, singers, painters, and sculptors—and because he provided patronage to talented but unknown artists, he received a steady flow of information even when he wasn't in the Imperial Capital himself.
Other nobles provided patronage as well, but few possessed Tilleul's own artistic talent, meaning their influence over budding artists was not nearly as high as his.
"Besides, Her Highness Vihera is a person who cares deeply for her family. I suspected that once you learned of the situation, you would surely take some kind of action."
"...I see. Then, am I right to assume you will cooperate with me?"
"Yes... However, I am only cooperating with Her Highness Vihera, not Lord Theoreme. I trust there will be no misunderstanding on that point."
Under a sharp gaze completely different from the one he directed toward Vihera, Theoreme nodded with a bitter smile.