"These sweets are delicious."
Elk voiced his admiration as he bit into a cookie that had been provided as a tea treat.
As expected of the castle where the Emperor of the Bestia Empire resided, the tea and cookies served were of a completely different caliber than anything found on the city streets.
"Thank you very much. In that case, how would you like these?"
The one who spoke was the maid assigned to look after Daskar's Entourage while they waited in the room.
Though she hadn't made them herself, seeing her hospitality appreciated brought joy to the maid. She felt relieved that the people before her were nothing like the rumors she had heard.
Initially, the competition among the maids to avoid being assigned to Daskar's Entourage had been fierce.
Of course, they weren't competing for the position; they had been desperately trying to force the role onto someone else.
The battle at the Seremuse Plain had simply become too famous.
To make matters worse, the fame was tainted by exaggeration. As the rumors spread, the details grew increasingly gruesome. The final versions claimed a giant of a man wielded a massive scythe larger than himself with one hand, slaughtering nearly ten soldiers with every swing, devouring their severed limbs, and finally conjuring a Flame Tornado to wipe out nearly the entire Imperial Army... Such were the tales being whispered.
Amidst that atmosphere, the maids had kept pushing the role onto one another until they eventually drew lots. The maid currently in this room was the one who had lost.
However, that same maid was now breathing a silent sigh of relief.
(What was I so worried about? They’re perfectly ordinary. And that boy they call Crimson—looking at him like this, he just looks like a small, cute kid.)
The maid murmured inwardly as she watched Rei, who was quietly eating cookies alongside Elk.
Now that her initial fear had vanished, she even felt a certain sense of affinity toward the guests.
"Even so, this room is incredibly fancy," Elk muttered between bites.
Min and Rhodos nodded in agreement as if it were only natural.
"Father and Rei are here, and more importantly, Lord Daskar is here. They couldn't exactly put us in a shabby room."
Rhodos’s answer, given as if to gloss over the situation, was half-right and half-wrong.
It was true that they had prepared a luxurious room to ensure no inconvenience for an important figure from a neighboring country—or rather, a hostile nation—like Margrave Larkus.
However, the arrangement also carried the hidden intent of preventing them from coming into contact with those who still held grudges from the Spring War.
In a sense, they were being isolated. That was an accurate description of the current situation for Daskar's Entourage.
Naturally, Daskar himself was aware of this, as were Min, Rhodos, and the escort knights.
The only ones who hadn't noticed were Elk and Rei, who were nonchalantly munching on cookies.
In their case, their individual abilities were so high that they likely didn't bother worrying about such things, confident they could survive no matter what happened.
Amidst this somewhat peaceful atmosphere, Elk suddenly addressed the maid.
"Hey, miss. When exactly does the Fighting Tournament start?"
"The Fighting Tournament? It begins in about ten days."
"I see. Rhodos, how are the preparations?"
"Perfect, of course. I’m going to make it to the Final Tournament and beat Rei no matter what."
"...Beat me?"
Rei, who had been savoring a cookie filled with walnut-like nuts, was surprised to hear his name brought up so suddenly.
Rhodos nodded as if it were a given, crunching down on his cookie as if it were Rei himself.
"That’s right. I don't think I can beat you as I am right now. But nothing is absolute, and I expect to grow as the tournament progresses."
"...Just so you know, I’ll be growing through the matches just like you, right?"
"That’s... I—I should have more room for growth!"
Rhodos shouted as if convincing himself, but Rei simply nodded without arguing.
In truth, regardless of whether he had more potential than Rei, Rhodos was still very much a work in progress. If he participated in the Fighting Tournament and fought his way through, there was indeed a high probability that his skills would improve significantly.
"In that case, anyone who bets on Lord Rhodos might just win."
The maid, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in.
It was a casual remark, but when Rei turned his gaze toward her, her heart skipped a beat as if caught off guard.
"Bets?"
The maid nodded, trying to hide her racing pulse.
"Yes. Every year, gambling takes place during the Fighting Tournament. People bet on who will survive the Qualifying Rounds' Battle Royal, and then choose winners for each match in the Final Tournament. It’s one of the main reasons the tournament turns into such a festive uproar."
"...Heh."
Rei broke into a grin, looking like he had just heard something very interesting.
It wasn't that he was hurting for money, but since the city was already in a festive uproar, he felt like getting in on the fun.
He had more reasons to resent the Bestia Empire than not. Considering that, he figured it wouldn't be bad to fleece them of some gold by betting on himself.
"Well, I won’t tell you not to bet, but keep it in moderation."
Having looked at Rei's face and understood exactly what he was thinking, Daskar gave him a warning.
"Oh? But just a moment ago... I thought everyone here came to spectate?"
The maid asked involuntarily after hearing the words of Rhodos, Rei, and Daskar, but she was met only with wry smiles.
"No, that was indeed the plan at first. But after hearing about the Fighting Tournament, Rei said he absolutely wanted to enter. So, I plan to get a recommendation for him during my meeting with the Chancellor. ...You should probably bet on Rei too, young lady. It’s a safe bet he’ll make it quite far into the Final Tournament at the very least."
The maid couldn't help but smile at Daskar's jest.
(Still, if this boy... if Crimson actually enters, I wonder if the payout will be quite low?)
Though she thought this, the maid's position prevented her from saying it aloud, so she simply smoothed it over with a smile.
"Lord Daskar, I don’t plan on losing that easily either."
Feeling as though he were being ignored, Rhodos spoke up, directing a sharp gaze not at Daskar... but at Rei.
The reason Rhodos was entering the Fighting Tournament was clear. Even if he couldn't do it now, he spoke with the firm resolve to surpass Rei during the tournament.
"...Well, do your best."
Elk, who had sensed almost instinctively why his son was so fired up, muttered with a distant look in his eyes.
Realistically, he simply couldn't imagine Rhodos winning against Rei, the one who had defeated Elk himself.
However, since this was Rhodos's first love, Elk honestly felt it would be best for him to give it his all.
Min likely felt the same.
A first love for her beloved son that had come far later than expected.
Though she had various thoughts on the matter, she inwardly hoped he would do his absolute best.
As they spent their time drinking tea and eating refreshments in an atmosphere that was—if one were being generous—peaceful, a knock suddenly echoed through the room.
"Enter."
At Daskar's command, the person who entered the room was exactly who everyone present expected: Ombrel.
"Pardon the intrusion. Lord Daskar, the Chancellor is ready. I shall guide you to the meeting hall."
"Understood."
Finally.
With that thought, Daskar stood up. He led Rei, Elk, and the others toward the exit... but he paused for a moment to look back at the maid.
"Young lady, the tea and treats were delicious."
"Not at all. I am merely glad they were to your liking."
As the maid bowed deeply, the others offered brief words of thanks before leaving the room.
"Now then, I shall lead the way. I’m afraid we cannot offer an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, but..."
"Yes. I have no intention of acting impolitely. ...Rei, you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah."
The fact that Daskar singled out Rei for caution among everyone present spoke volumes about his inner thoughts.
Personally, Daskar found Rei's frank attitude likable.
The fact that Rei wasn't accustomed to speaking with high-ranking individuals was the same, but in this case, since Rei was here in a capacity close to representing the Kingdom of Mireana, he couldn't afford any blunders.
If Rei's words or actions triggered another war, it would undoubtedly lead to a troublesome situation in many ways.
(Though the Empire is likely focusing on recovering the military strength they lost in the Spring War, so I don't think they'd make that choice. If anything, the time to worry is after their strength is recovered... Next spring should be fine, but summer might be dicey. Autumn is harvest season, so even if they take military action, they can't pull people from the villages, meaning it would have to be small-scale. Winter is out of the question. That leaves the following spring as the most likely. Well, if this visit goes well, hopefully we won't have to worry about that.)
Daskar quickly organized his thoughts as he followed Ombrel through the castle corridors.
As expected for a meeting with the Chancellor, the location was under heavy security. And the most heavily guarded areas of the castle were naturally concentrated in the center.
In other words...
"Hey, look... is that the group from the Kingdom of Mireana?"
"Yeah. The Axe of the Thunder God is there, so there’s no mistake."
"Come to think of it, I heard a representative of the Neutral Faction from the Kingdom of Mireana was coming for this year’s tournament..."
"Representative? Wasn't it a central figure? Well, I guess it means the same thing."
"Hey, wait a second! If the Neutral Faction is here, then Crimson must be with them, right?"
"That’s for sure. ...But looking at them, he’s not there. The one in the lead should be Margrave Larkus, right? And I heard the Axe of the Thunder God is a party made of family members, so is it that woman with the staff and that warrior? Or is it the little one in the robe?"
"The ones walking behind them are definitely knights based on their equipment. Hm? Then where’s Crimson?"
"Hmm, I heard he was a pretty massive man. Maybe he isn’t in that group?"
"Huh? I heard he was a small man."
"Pffft, hey, hold on. He slaughtered a huge number of soldiers, you know? There’s no way someone with a small body could do that. What are you saying? You mean to tell me that kid in the robe is Crimson?"
It was only natural that Daskar's Entourage would cross paths with those inside the castle as they walked through the corridors.
They walked amidst the heavy attention, but as the bystanders’ comments suggested, almost no one could correctly identify Rei as Crimson.
...However, "almost no one" meant there were at least a few who could.
"No... T-That... it can't be... right?"
"Ah..."
In what could only be called terrible timing, two women happened to pass by Rei and the others.
The two wore robes and carried staves, looking like mages in every respect.
Contrary to their appearance, they were actually quite skilled mages.
They weren't Imperial soldiers; they had come to the castle to report on a request they had completed for a noble.
When those two mages—who both possessed the ability to see others' magic power—laid eyes on Rei, the reaction was instantaneous.
The older mage, whose blue hair was cut short at her shoulders, unconsciously took one, then two steps back.
The younger mage, who had her green hair in braids, lost the strength in her legs and collapsed onto the floor.
The people around them looked on in confusion at the mages who had suddenly frozen... but the two women didn't have a shred of mental leeway to care about the gazes of others.
If one had looked closely, they would have noticed the two mages were trembling uncontrollably.
However, the bystanders were too busy staring at the rumored Daskar's Entourage to notice the mages' suspicious behavior.
And so, as Daskar's Entourage passed by them, the two hid themselves as best they could—like herbivores being watched by a predator—praying they wouldn't be noticed.
When they realized Daskar's Entourage had passed without taking any particular interest in them, both mages exhaled in profound relief.
They didn't dare turn their gaze toward the backs of Daskar and his group. They feared that even looking might draw the boy’s attention.
"Lu—Lurikket-san..."
The Braided Mage managed to squeeze out the name.
Hearing her, the older mage with the short haircut seemed to understand exactly what she meant. She nodded, her face still deathly pale.
Both of them looked so sickly that it seemed they might collapse right then and there.
However, knowing they couldn't afford to faint here, they forced strength into their trembling legs.
"What is a monster like that... doing in a place like this?"
"I don't know. To be able to move perfectly fine while possessing that much magic power... I can’t believe it."
Checking on each other, the two female mages hurried out of the castle.
They headed straight back to their inn and immediately prepared to leave the Imperial Capital.
Originally, they had planned to compete in the Fighting Tournament, but they chose to leave the capital as quickly as possible... and then proceeded to flee the Bestia Empire entirely, heading for another nearby country.
The two had reacted excessively to Rei's magic power, but considering what was about to happen in the Bestia Empire, it was likely the most correct choice they could have made.