Vihera's entourage—or perhaps it was now more accurate to call them Mercurio's entourage—continued their advance through the castle. Naturally, knights and soldiers appeared one after another, refusing to allow their escape.
However, many among the opposition recognized Lady Vihera's face. Even so, they could not bring themselves to disobey orders from their superiors. Many threw themselves into the fray with reckless desperation, only to be effortlessly brushed aside.
"It seems my Big Brother intends to let us escape," Lord Mercurio murmured as he followed in Vihera's wake.
"Indeed. At this stage, it is clearly intentional," Lord Theoreme replied. "Even the knights and soldiers standing in Lady Vihera's way are hardly what one would call elite in terms of ability."
"...A just cause to strike me down, then? It is a tactic ill-suited to my Big Brother. If this escalates into a civil war, it will only hemorrhage the Bestia Empire's strength. As for our military might, since fellow countrymen would be fighting one another, it would only serve to delight the Kingdom of Mireana and our other rivals."
As Lord Mercurio murmured with a heavy sigh, Theoreme nodded in agreement.
They were, in effect, seizing a member of the imperial family—a prince—who had been under house arrest in the castle. Theoreme had anticipated from the very beginning that this could spark actual civil strife. That was precisely why he had relied on Vihera to gather the necessary combat power.
But if that was the enemy's true aim...
"Lord Theoreme, I believe we should concentrate on escaping the castle for now, rather than dwelling on unnecessary concerns."
Perhaps unable to watch Theoreme's distraction any longer, Siance spoke up, his expression as motionless as ever. Beside him, Kyuken nodded in agreement while keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.
Urged on by his two subordinates—and the others guarding their rear—Theoreme allowed a small smile to play across his lips.
"You're right. ...Though, having said that."
He murmured, turning his gaze toward Vihera at the front of the group. Even now, a knight touched by Vihera's palm had a shock passed directly into his body; he instantly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
"As long as Lady Vihera is here, I don't believe we have anything to worry about."
The moment Vihera's name was mentioned, Lord Mercurio's eyes sharpened slightly. The gentle smile he usually wore faltered, if only for a moment.
"That is the issue. My Big Sister, regarding Crimson..."
Lord Mercurio faltered, but Theoreme likely guessed the rest of his thought. The general nodded slightly and spoke.
"Yes. There is no doubt she harbors what one might call romantic feelings for him."
"...But I thought Big Sister always said she had no interest in men weaker than herself. In that case, does that mean Crimson defeated her?"
To Lord Mercurio, his older sister was an existence close to being the strongest. Of course, he knew that there were always greater heights to reach in the world, but Vihera was special to him. Why would such a sister fall for a single man? That was the question behind his inquiry.
Ordinarily, he might have recalled his own words—that she had no interest in the weak. Whether he failed to recall them because he truly forgot or because he simply didn't want to remember was unclear. Regardless of Mercurio's feelings, the truth spilled from Theoreme's mouth in the next moment.
"From what I heard from Lady Vihera herself, they fought one-on-one, and she lost."
"...What? Big Sister lost?"
He sounded as though he could not believe it—or rather, did not want to believe it. But the fact remained that it was the truth.
"According to Lady Vihera, it was quite a flashy battle. However, her strength was ultimately insufficient. As a result—though perhaps not solely because of the defeat—she seems to have developed sentiments of affection for Rei."
As Theoreme spoke, his gaze moved to Vihera. She reached out and touched the torso of a knight's full plate mail, passing her destructive power into his interior with a sharp shout. She had not punched or kicked him. Despite only lightly touching his armor with her hand, the knight lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor.
"That skill she has been using—she created that after her battle with Rei. It was for the sake of their rematch. She has been practicing it for a while now, and the fact that she has already mastered it is just like her."
"Indeed. That abundant talent is undoubtedly one of Lady Vihera's charms."
Tiull Bugle cut into the conversation. However, unlike Theoreme, Viscount Boogle's speech lacked any particular respect toward Lord Mercurio. This was a clear declaration that he would not give the prince special treatment even as Vihera's brother—or perhaps, precisely because he was her brother. Understanding this, Lord Mercurio said nothing. He had been acquainted with Tiull for a long time, and the man's attitude had been consistently blunt since they first met.
"Viscount Boogle. Is it alright if you aren't at Big Sister's side?"
"Yes. Lady Vihera's strength is so isolated from the norm that there is no need for me to intervene. ...That is exactly why I've become so curious about Crimson Rei, the man who defeated her. It seemed you were just discussing him, so I thought I would join in."
Lord Mercurio found himself nodding in understanding. Indeed, if it were Tiull, who was so devoted to his sister, there was no way he would ignore the topic of the man she was enamored with.
"Based on those words, has Viscount Boogle also never met Crimson?"
"I haven't. It seems they were still acting together when Siance joined Lady Vihera's entourage, but I joined her later. ...Siance, what kind of person did Crimson Rei seem like to you?"
Tiull asked Siance since the topic had come up. The response was a rare expression from the usually stoic man; Siance was actually knitting his brows.
"Let's see. I believe... there are no particular problems as long as one interacts with him normally. Though the time I spent speaking with him wasn't that long, his behavioral principle seems to be 'friendly to those who are friendly, and hostile to those who are hostile.'"
Hearing those words, Lord Mercurio turned his gaze toward Theoreme for confirmation and received a nod in return.
"Indeed. The reports from the informants I had lurking in Gilm were much the same. Hostility... or rather, he ended up driving a trade company to a state of near-destruction. It was one of the largest firms in Gilm, and the incident occurred because they tried to demand his magic items and tamed monster. In the end, it seems the firm chairman's younger brother took over and they managed to survive somehow."
Hearing Theoreme's words, Kyuken breathed a quiet sigh of relief in her heart.
(Thank goodness... I spoke with Rei several times, and I'm really glad I treated him in a friendly manner...)
When she had been dispatched to Daskar as a messenger, Kyuken had spoken with Rei on several occasions. At the time, nothing in particular had happened and they simply had normal conversations. But if she had spoken of the grudges from the Spring War, or claimed it was Rei's fault that Lord Mercurio was under house arrest, she might no longer be in this world.
Of course, Rei did not go around killing people indiscriminately. If he had heard what she was thinking, he likely would have been quite indignant about the accusation.
"Ho... In that case, he does not abandon that attitude even if the opponent is a noble?"
"From what I have heard. There is information that during the Spring War, a noble from the Kingdom of Mireana provoked Rei. As a result, Rei severed his four limbs."
"...That is quite unexpected. 'Ruthless' wouldn't even begin to describe it."
Visibly surprised by the mention of the severing of limbs, Lord Mercurio spoke after a few seconds of silence. Kyuken, who hadn't known that specific story, praised her past self even more for being friendly to Rei.
Severing of all four limbs. In other words, losing both hands and feet, leaving only the torso and head. Ordinarily, one would die from excessive blood loss or intense pain, but there was magic in this world. There were recovery spells, potions, and magic items. In particular, with the highest-quality potions, there were even legends of limbs growing back anew.
...Of course, even for a noble, such high-end potions were not easily obtained.
So what then? Living without limbs was a life of great hardship, and obtaining the necessary potions was difficult. The result was...
"It seems that noble—the Marquess's Heir—is currently living using a prosthetic arm and prosthetic leg made of magic items. However, since he was the one who provoked the situation, he was apparently kicked out of his family mansion."
Tiull, who had been listening to the story, spoke with an exasperated tone.
"I understand that you were wary of the man named Crimson to that extent, but I am amazed you were able to find out the fate of a single noble in the Kingdom of Mireana. Your information network is truly impressive."
Since Tiull himself possessed an information network connected by artists, he nodded with genuine admiration for Theoreme's skill.
But as for Lord Mercurio, he fell silent as if deep in thought—though he continued walking without stopping. After about thirty seconds, he turned a worried gaze toward his sister, who was currently busy knocking out knights and soldiers with great enthusiasm.
"Could it be that this person named Rei hates the nobility?"
"Now, I wonder. It is true that many among the nobility take an overbearing attitude, hiding behind their status as a privileged class. For Rei, such nobles would be... if not exactly targets of hatred, then certainly targets of disgust."
Theoreme said that much, then hesitated on whether he should reveal what he knew next. He possessed information that allowed him to be certain Rei didn't hate all nobles. However, if he spoke it, he knew his master would not harbor good feelings toward the mercenary.
(Lord Mercurio feels deep affection for Lady Vihera. If that turns into a strange rivalry toward Rei... but, I suppose it's better than him hearing it in a distorted way from others.)
His hesitation lasted only a moment. He spoke quickly.
"Furthermore, Rei's lover is Elena Kerebel, the Princess General of the Kingdom of Mireana. She is the daughter of Duke Kerebel, the central figure of the Noble's Faction."
"...Wait."
Low, cold words came from Lord Mercurio's mouth. His eyes held a chilling intensity. Beside him, Tiull wore a similar expression.
"This man named Rei... does he have the audacity to lay hands on my Big Sister while keeping another lover?"
So it did turn out like this, Theoreme thought while shaking his head.
"No, it seems the two had already met before Lady Vihera met Rei. If anything, it is more like Lady Vihera is engaging in interloping love toward him."
"...It seems I will need to hear the story from Big Sister myself. I also want to confirm this person named Rei with my own eyes. If he is someone who trifles with my sister..."
I will never forgive him.
He did not put the threat into words, but it was clear to everyone that he was thinking it.
"Heh, hehehe. While being favored by Lady Vihera, he is with another woman?"
Tiull was also weaving words with an eerie smile, even more so than Mercurio. Seeing this, Theoreme wondered if he had acted too soon. However, he remained certain that his judgment—that it was better than hearing it from Vihera or someone else later—had been correct.
"Lord Mercurio, and Tiull as well. I will say this just in case: it is Lady Vihera who is harboring feelings, and it is not as if Rei has done anything improper."
"I suppose so."
The one who nodded easily was Mercurio, who until a few seconds ago had been wearing a terrifying smile. Having already shifted his mood, he returned to his usual calm expression. Compared to him, Tiull seemed to still have many lingering thoughts, murmuring to himself with a dark gaze.
Siance looked at Theoreme as if to say, "What are we going to do with him?", while Kyuken turned her gaze away, not wanting to get involved as she kept watch.
"Mercurio, we're almost out of the castle. Are you ready? Pursuers will likely be sent, and it will be close to a state of civil strife. ...I wonder what our Big Brother is thinking."
"Heh, I made my resolve the moment I left that room. More importantly, Big Sister. I would like to hear all about your relationship with Crimson Rei."
While speaking, the group exited the castle. About ten more knights appeared near the gate, but all of them were overrun by Vihera's attacks. They successfully escaped the castle and vanished into the capital.