"...Noise, you say?"
When he heard that name, Theorem turned to the man who had brought the report, his gaze filled with disbelief.
But his subordinate, who had carried the news from the Imperial Capital, simply nodded back without any intention of correcting himself.
His reaction confirmed it beyond all doubt: the S-Rank Adventurer known by the alias of 'Immovable,' Noise, had indeed entered the Fighting Tournament Main Tournament.
"To think he would step forward now... He’s never participated in a tournament before. Why this time of all times?"
It was completely unexpected. But as Theorem muttered those words, he suddenly felt a presence—murderous intent, or perhaps more accurately, fighting spirit—erupting nearby and turned his eyes toward its source.
There stood Vihera, a ferocious smile playing across her lips.
As someone who lived for combat, the prospect of a battle against an S-Rank Adventurer must have been irresistibly attractive.
"Lady Vihera... just to be safe, I must tell you that heading to the Imperial Capital now would be—"
"...I know."
The few seconds of silence before she replied revealed exactly what she was thinking.
In truth, a look of envy toward Rei, who was currently competing in the tournament, was written all over her strong-willed, beautiful face.
(If I'd known this would happen, I should have entered the tournament myself.)
It was rare for an adventurer of Noise's caliber to show himself in public.
She knew he had some connection to her father, the Emperor, but as an S-Rank Adventurer, he almost never responded to requests from the state unless it was for a dire emergency like a Monster Outbreak.
And yet, a man like that had appeared at the fighting tournament. The meaning behind it was obvious.
"Rei, huh."
"Likely... no, it's certain. Whether it was His Majesty the Emperor's idea, or if Noise himself grew interested in Rei... or perhaps there is another reason entirely."
"It certainly sounds like things are about to get complicated."
"Isn't that exactly what you want?"
The one who cut into the conversation between Vihera and Theorem was Tiull.
However, his expression wasn't one of concern; instead, he wore a smile, delighted by the appearance of a powerful foe who would allow the Lady Vihera he worshipped to enjoy herself even more.
Vihera looked as though she was about to nod at Tiull's words, but then she immediately shook her head.
Fighting Noise would have surely been a delight for her. But if she had to guess his purpose for appearing in the tournament, there were very few possibilities, and they were easy to imagine.
It was the name she had just spoken: Rei.
"Maybe I really should have entered the fighting tournament after all."
Theorem gave a wry smile at her remark.
If Vihera had participated, she undoubtedly would have attracted as much attention as Rei—or perhaps even more.
But as things stood, Noise had become the ultimate focus of the crowd.
Even if Vihera had entered, it was doubtful that she alone could have drawn Noise out. Theorem and even the infatuated Tiull would have had to agree on that point.
After all, Noise had surely known of Vihera's existence for a long time. The reason they had never fought was likely due to her father's position as Emperor.
(As far as I'm concerned, I'd happily trade my imperial registry for a chance to fight an S-Rank.)
Vihera had left the Bestia Empire primarily because she wanted to enjoy combat more. While there were other reasons, that was undoubtedly the greatest of them.
Given the situation with Noise, Rei's participation in the tournament had likely been the best choice after all.
(And...)
Smiling to herself as she arrived at a certain possibility, Vihera's expression became surprisingly bewitching, despite clearly thirsting for blood.
It was a melting, ecstatic smile born from the premonition of battle.
(If we raid the castle to rescue the child being held there, Noise might end up on the opposite side. I've heard he's close with my father, so the thought isn't necessarily wrong. If that happens... the chance of me fighting Noise as he stands in our way isn't zero.)
Vihera, smiling with the desire for battle, was undeniably beautiful. To say nothing of Tiull, even Theorem found his gaze drawn to her for a few seconds.
Ignoring their stares entirely, Vihera continued her train of thought.
(Since both Rei and Noise are in it, I don't know where they'll clash, but it's a given they'll eventually fight. That will practically be the Final Match. ...Now then, I wonder if Rei can win against Noise... against an S-Rank Adventurer.)
Complex emotions stirred within her.
She didn't want Rei, the man she loved, to lose, but by the same token, she didn't want him to defeat Noise before she had the chance to do it herself.
She agonized over these conflicted feelings for a moment, but eventually decided that worrying about it wouldn't change anything.
Then, she realized an even bigger problem.
...Yes. If Rei and Noise fought, she would have an opportunity to see it.
However, she couldn't exactly go to the arena to watch. If her true identity were exposed, everything they had worked for up to this point might go to waste.
"...Why am I even here?"
"Lady Vihera!?"
Theorem blurted out in shock at her sudden, almost philosophical question.
But to Vihera, it was a truly difficult dilemma.
"I want to go to the arena, but I can't... A disguise? No, that wouldn't work. Besides, if Rei and Noise fight, it'll be in the finals, and by then our operation will be in its final stages. ...Wait, depending on when we storm the castle, won't the match between Rei and Noise be cut short?"
How wasteful. Vihera almost spoke the words aloud, but her brother's position—and even his life—was at stake. She couldn't afford to be selfish.
"I guess I just can't have it both ways. It's frustrating."
"Lady Vihera?"
Tiull's voice snapped her back to reality. She shook her head and told him it was nothing.
If she had spoken her honest thoughts, she knew Tiull would have immediately told her it was fine for her to go to the arena.
But no matter how much she loved to fight, she couldn't be that irresponsible.
Moreover, she knew that if she did go to the arena, she wouldn't be able to resist jumping in to fight Rei or Noise herself.
She decided that, for now, she would have to endure.
"Anyway, let's focus on the preparations. Our allies should be joining us soon, right?"
"Yes. Everything is on schedule. Fortunately, with the fighting tournament underway, the population in every village, town, and city has dwindled. The chances of our collaborators being spotted while moving to meet us are very low."
"I wish the number of guards was lower too, but I suppose we can't expect that even with the tournament."
Tiull interjected after Theorem's report.
At this time of year, many residents of the surrounding areas headed toward the Imperial Capital for the event.
The further one was from the capital, the more dangerous the journey became, so the percentage of people traveling decreased with distance.
Naturally, these travelers were prime targets for thieves.
With so many more people on the road than usual, the thieves were out in force.
Consequently, the number of guards, knight orders, and adventurers who stayed behind to hunt thieves for a living also increased.
In other words, now that the tournament had entered its Main Tournament phase, the risk of nobles leading soldiers to join Vihera being spotted by ordinary travelers was quite low.
However, the flip side was that they were more likely to be spotted by those looking to hunt thieves.
Then again, these soldiers were being led by men of high standing, genuine nobles. Even if they were seen by guards, they weren't in danger of being arrested like criminals.
"Since multiple groups are joining us, we'll need to coordinate between them and manage supplies. I'll handle all of that, but..."
"If anyone starts making trouble, feel free to send them my way."
"My condolences to them, then," Tiull muttered under his breath.
Among those gathering as reinforcements, there were bound to be some with ulterior motives. Their goals would be varied, but if Vihera caught wind of them, their ambitions would likely be cut short in any number of ways.
Whether that meant the end of their lives, their careers as nobles... or their lives as men.
(I get the feeling we'll see a lot of the last group.)
Vihera was beauty personified. At least, that's what Tiull believed, and even those who didn't go that far would find her exquisite looks indisputable.
Unless someone had a very specific, unusual preference, they were bound to be captivated by her.
To Tiull, who practically worshipped Vihera, that was a self-evident truth.
Even if they knew she was royalty—or if they assumed she had discarded her imperial registry—there was no guarantee they wouldn't try to make a move on her.
And for such men, the final destination was death as a man.
He shook his head, a cold shiver running down his spine.
"...You're kidding, right!?"
In a room on the third floor of a tavern within the Imperial Capital, Mura spoke to the man before her, her breathing heavy.
Shistoi stood behind her, silent but fixing the man with a half-glaring stare.
However...
"It is the truth."
The man before them, an elder who appeared to be in his sixties, spoke without moving a muscle in his face.
At his blunt words, both Mura and Shistoi gritted their teeth.
They understood. This was a decision handed down by the organization, and it couldn't be overturned. At least, it was absolutely impossible for the two of them.
But if they let their anger take control and tried to attack the old man, they would undoubtedly be killed.
It seemed as though there were only the three of them in the room, but that was just an illusion.
There was no way a high-ranking executive of the Requiem Bell would be without guards. In fact, if they searched for presences, there were several familiar ones within the room.
And those were only the ones they could perceive. There might have been someone even more skilled hidden beyond their detection.
After all, this tavern—specifically, the third floor—was one of the Requiem Bell hideouts.
And it wasn't just any hideout. From the outside, the tavern appeared to be a two-story building.
The blueprints had been cleverly faked during construction to hide the third floor from public view.
The tavern had been built as a Requiem Bell hideout from the very beginning, and it was naturally filled with various traps and gimmicks.
Despite knowing all that, Mura couldn't stay silent.
"But those children are still in training! They're not even half-baked yet. Why would you send them against Crimson? If you just want to test his strength, we've done enough of that. And if you really need to measure his skill more, my dolls would be perfectly fine!"
For Mura and Shistoi, who had grown up in the slums, using children from the Slum District as pawns to use against Crimson was something they couldn't tolerate.
Of course, Mura's willingness to use dolls—those she had brainwashed—showed that she was still very much a member of the Requiem Bell.
"...Mura."
Shistoi placed a hand on his partner's shoulder, sensing she was on the verge of pouncing on the man.
He knew that if they started a fight here, they wouldn't leave the room alive.
Mura seemed to snap back to reality at Shistoi's touch. She clicked her tongue in resentment, turning her gaze back toward the old man, who hadn't changed his expression once.
"Rest easy. Rumor has it that Crimson is fundamentally kind to children. He likely won't kill them. Fortunately, those children are still in training and know nothing of our inner workings, so there is no risk of our information leaking."
"Tsk... Fine. I get it. I won't say another word. Shistoi, we're leaving!"
Mura cast a sharp look at the man, then turned and left the room, pulling Shistoi along with her.
"They're young," the man's voice drifted faintly from behind them as they left. "They have plenty of skill, but..."
Mura chose to ignore him.