The award ceremony had concluded, and the figures of Noise and Rei had vanished from the stage. As the spectators in the general seating and the nobles and guests in the VIP boxes began to filter out—the initial explosion having been followed by an uneventful silence—a voice murmured in one of the private rooms.
"Hey, what was that explosion earlier, anyway? I could’ve sworn I heard it coming from the palace."
"Who knows? Regardless, it’s not something for you to worry about, Rhodos. Your goal is Rei, isn’t it? As you saw, he was right here in the arena when the sound went off. That makes it pretty obvious that your target wasn't the one who caused it."
Blatta gave a small shrug as he spoke. Rhodos looked back at him, his expression clouded with suspicion.
Indeed, since Rei had appeared on the stage almost immediately after the blast, it was certain that he wasn't directly involved, just as Blatta said. However, Rhodos still had cause for concern.
The original plan was for Rei to draw the attention of the Bestia Empire's upper management—the nobles gathered here at the arena—while Vihera and the others used the distraction to rescue the Third Prince.
He replayed the plan in his mind, recalling the details he had heard from Vihera and Theoreme before entering the Empire, as well as the discussions between Elk, Min, and Daskar during their journey to the Imperial Capital. Given the timing, the explosion had been far too blatant to be a coincidence.
But if they were supposed to be operating with stealth, would they really do something so flashy? If the blast could be heard all the way here, doesn't that defeat the purpose of a diversion?
Rhodos tilted his head in thought. He was so preoccupied that he failed to notice several other subordinates of the First Prince watching him with scrutinizing gazes. Normally, he might have caught on, but his mind was consumed with worry for Vihera.
It was true that Rhodos had infiltrated the First Prince Faction primarily out of a sense of rivalry toward Rei. That fact remained unchanged, but it didn't mean his romantic feelings for Vihera had simply vanished.
"Regardless, your priority is to gain the strength to stand against Rei, right? As you are now, you're still far from ready. Even if His Highness Cabajid grants you a magic item, you’ll still need to train until you’ve mastered it."
"Which is why you’ll be training with me," Pelfeel declared.
The other people in the VIP room wore strained expressions at her words, though they were careful not to say a word. They knew all too well that if they spoke up, they might be dragged into Pelfeel's grueling regimen themselves.
It was a well-known fact that while Pelfeel was highly reliable, the training she imposed on herself was merciless, and she was just as strict with others. In that sense, the members of the First Prince Faction were actually grateful that Rhodos was the one being subjected to her whims. More than a few of them felt a silent sense of gratitude toward him for serving as her lightning rod.
"...I know. Pelfeel's training is the best way to build up the power I need to fight Rei."
Despite his reluctant expression, Rhodos didn't refuse her. Pelfeel seemed pleased by this, and a slight smile touched her lips.
"Good. As long as you understand. Training is the one thing that never betrays a person. I wish Blatta and his lot understood that, but they seem to have a hard time grasping the concept."
"If I actually kept up with your training, my body would break before I ever got stronger," Blatta muttered under his breath.
Pelfeel shot him a look of sheer disbelief. "And you expect to serve as His Highness Cabajid's sword with that attitude? You need more discipline. Besides, don't try to tell me you felt nothing after watching those finals."
"Hmph."
Though they were members of the same faction, their personalities clearly clashed, leading to their usual thorny exchange. However, the others in the VIP boxes didn't bother to intervene. They had seen this play out so many times that they recognized it as the pair's standard mode of communication.
"More importantly, when exactly am I getting that magic item I was promised?"
Rhodos asked, clearly finished with their bickering. Brasso let out a teasing sigh.
"Listen, kid. It’s true there’s a plan to give you a magic item, but do you really think it’s going to be that simple?"
Rhodos’s face stiffened. His gaze sharpened as he spoke. "That’s a far cry from what you told me earlier."
"Well, ultimately, it depends on His Highness Cabajid's whims. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a specific date. Though I’d imagine it’ll be sometime soon."
"...I see."
Rhodos let out a breath of relief. For a moment, he had feared the promise was being discarded, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Still... after seeing today's match, I realize that even with a high-performance magic item, I’m not sure I can actually touch Rei.
He thought of Noise, who moved at speeds the eye couldn't follow, and Rei, who had managed to react to him. If asked whether he currently possessed the skill to stand against that, the answer was a resounding no. But he had no intention of giving up. That was why he was subjecting himself to Pelfeel's training in the first place.
Rei and Noise had returned to the waiting room immediately following the award ceremony. The room was every bit as opulent as the Eternal Sky Inn, and Rei settled himself onto a sofa. Noise took the seat opposite him.
"...So, why are you in the same room as me? I thought you had your own private waiting room."
Rei looked at Noise, who sat there as if his presence were the most natural thing in the world. Noise didn't answer immediately; he simply closed his eyes, seemingly unbothered.
Looking at him, Rei was struck by a familiar realization. He felt no fear while facing Noise. It had been the same during their match, and it remained true now that he had regained consciousness and finished with the tedious ceremony.
After a long silence, Noise finally spoke.
"Rei. What's your next move?"
The question was brief, but it made Rei's heart skip a beat. For a moment, he wondered if Noise knew about his cooperation with Vihera and the imminent civil strife.
"My next move?"
Rei felt a surge of tension. Until a moment ago, he had been relaxed, but he was still facing an S-Rank Adventurer. He suppressed his inner turmoil and waited for Noise to continue.
Contrary to Rei's suspicion, however, Noise showed no sign of having sensed anything.
"The Fighting Tournament is over. As an adventurer of the Kingdom of Mireana, there’s no longer any reason for you to remain in the Imperial Capital, is there? Will you be returning to the Kingdom of Mireana with Margrave Larkus?"
"...Yeah. That’s the plan."
"Is there something specific you want to do once you're back home?"
"Something I want to do, huh? One of my hobbies is collecting magic stones, so I'll probably stick to that. That’s why I chose a frontier town like Gilm to begin with."
Rei offered the explanation while wondering how Noise would react if he knew how much of it was a lie.
"I see. Monster magic stones. In that case... Rei, about your next move. If you're interested, why don't you come with me to the Mountain of Magic?"
"...What?"
The invitation was so unexpected that Rei could only blink in surprise. The Mountain of Magic was the prize Noise had requested for his victory—a place restricted to everyone, even S-Rank adventurers, without express permission. Noise was clearly going there in search of a new challenge, and he was inviting Rei to join him. Rei understood that this was a sign of Noise's respect, and in truth, the offer tempted him.
But he couldn't accept.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not really in the mood for that right now."
Rei couldn't possibly say yes.
If I didn't have other business to take care of, I’d jump at the chance. There are monsters there I’ve never seen, and I could get my hands on some rare magic stones.
Noise let out a small sigh at the refusal. "I see. That’s a shame. If you’d come along, I could have taught you a thing or two about the Overlord's Armor."
Rei flinched at that. He had managed to activate the Overlord's Armor Skill during their fight, but he was far from mastering it. Calling his clumsy activation "using" the skill was an overstatement; he was barely keeping it functional.
Even so, Rei shook his head.
"It’s true that if I followed you, I’d probably learn to use the Overlord's Armor just like you do. But then I’d just be an inferior version of Noise. Even if the skill is the same, I want to find my own path with it. And... when I’m confident I can beat you my own way, I’ll come back for a rematch."
Noise stared at him, looking momentarily stunned. If any of the Bestia Empire's citizens had seen that look on the face of Noise the Immovable, they would have been shocked. If Noise's friend Trajist had been there, he likely would have burst out laughing.
A moment later, a smile broke across Noise's face.
"Heh... Hahaha! I see. You're using the same Overlord's Armor, but your destination is different?"
"I don't know if that's how it'll turn out. But even if the final result is the same, if the path we take to get there is different, then the skill itself will be different in the end."
"True. You might be right about that. ...Heh, I suppose I was getting ahead of myself. I just thought it would be interesting to tackle the Mountain of Magic with you."
Noise laughed, though he looked genuinely disappointed. Rei offered a wry smile in return. To be honest, he really did want to go. He thought of the rare magic stones, materials, and meat from unknown monsters. High-rank monsters possessed immense magic power, which meant their meat was exceptionally delicious. A normal adventurer would have to worry about the meat rotting, but Rei had his Misty Ring, and Noise had an Item Box of his own.
It was a missed opportunity on many levels, but one Rei simply couldn't take. Noise watched him for a long moment, then his brow twitched as if he had realized something. He stood up with a sigh.
"I guess the timing just wasn't right for us. ...Though, from the looks of it, you've got something on your mind."
"!? ...Well, I won't deny that I've got plenty of things to do."
Noise’s gaze seemed to bore into the depths of Rei's soul. Rei caught his breath but refused to look away. Noise seemed certain that something was happening, even if he didn't know the specifics.
The silence stretched on for several minutes as they stared one another down. Finally, Noise turned toward the door.
"Very well. Rei, I don't know when we'll meet again, but make sure you don't do anything to disappoint me before then."
It was a condescending remark, but since Rei had lost without even forcing Noise to use his full strength, he had to take it.
"Yeah. Next time we meet, I'll draw out your full power and win."
"I see."
Noise gave a curt nod, but despite his brusque attitude, a faint smile played on his lips as he walked out of the room.