The award ceremony at the arena was over, and Rei was making his way toward the Eternal Sky Inn.
Under normal circumstances, he could have returned with the likes of Daskar, Elk, and Min. However, with the Fighting Tournament officially concluded, they were occupied with the nobles of the Bestia Empire and various foreign dignitaries. Had he waited for them, he felt as though he would have collapsed right there from the sheer exhaustion of his matches. He had opted to head back alone, but...
(Maybe I should have waited for Lord Daskar and taken the carriage after all?)
Rei’s head felt hazy as he watched the crowds gathered around the arena’s perimeter.
Gathering wasn't a problem in itself. It was likely just spectators discussing their impressions of the matches. But as he drew closer, the nature of their conversations became clear.
"Found Crimson yet?"
"No. We haven't received word that he's even left the arena."
"Then he's still inside. I’ll ask just in case—you’re watching every exit, right?"
"Of course. If we let him slip away now, things are going to get messy."
Listening to them, Rei could easily predict the "messy" situation the man mentioned.
He had just fought Noise, a man of a completely different caliber than himself. To keep up, Rei had been forced to use a skill he’d never attempted before—Overlord's Armor—by crudely fueling it with pure magic power. A profound fatigue was rooted in the core of his being. All he wanted was to reach the Eternal Sky Inn and sink into his bed.
As one of the finest establishments in the Bestia Empire, the beds at the Eternal Sky Inn were high-quality pieces that cradled the body with exquisite softness. Even the bedding was crafted from precious materials for the comfort of the nobility, including feathers from the B-Rank Monster Harpy Queen.
Most people would find such luxury too daunting to sleep in, but Rei was fortunately the type who could sleep anywhere without a second thought. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to crawl under those covers and let the exhaustion wash away.
To Rei, who sought his bedding with the same desperation one might feel for a beloved lover—specifically Elena—the people lingering around the arena were nothing but a nuisance. Had they been assassins, he might have used force to clear a path. However, the groups currently within his line of sight were "targeting" him in a very different way.
"This is the Viscount's order, but do you really think Crimson would enter our service?"
"Doubtful. But orders are orders. We have to try."
Just as they said, they were looking for him for recruitment, not combat.
(Elena... Ah, that reminds me. I should probably let her know how the Fighting Tournament ended through the Paired Orbs.)
He had spoken with her several times at night using the Paired Orbs, but he wasn't particularly looking forward to this specific report. He didn't want to tell her about his loss to Noise in the finals. It was true that he hadn't been able to win, but Rei was a man; he naturally wanted to avoid admitting such an unsightly failure to the woman he loved. In the end, it was too important to hide, and he knew he’d have to tell her eventually.
"Still no sign?"
"Yeah. Word is he hasn't stepped foot outside the arena yet."
"Dammit. You think he left through a different route?"
"Honestly, I hope he did."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. Look, it’s not like we don’t know where Crimson is staying. If we miss him here, we just go to the Eternal Sky Inn. Though, man, I'm jealous. I’d love to stay there just once."
"Idiot. Why do you think we’re waiting out here in the first place? If we try to request an audience at the inn, we’ll be rejected without a second thought. Worse, there’s a chance Margrave Larkus might step in. That’s why we have to catch him now and bring him before the Viscount, whether he likes it or not."
Listening to their chatter, Rei pulled up the hood of his Dragon Robe to avoid detection and slipped away. He had likely never found the robe's concealment effect as reliable as he did at this moment.
Feeling his head grow heavy with sleep, Rei distanced himself from the Viscount's agents. There were still plenty of spectators milling about; his best bet was to blend into the crowd and disappear.
(Just a few hours... Please, just let me sleep.)
With his mind already thirty percent lost to slumber, he navigated the bustling city streets.
"Did you hear about that explosion during the award ceremony? Something went down at the palace."
"I heard. Thieves tried to break into the castle, but the knights and mages drove them back. Amazing, right? And apparently, His Highness Cabajid was the one who stationed those knights there."
"Huh? What’s that mean? You’re saying Prince Cabajid knew thieves were coming?"
Rei’s feet came to a sudden halt. Despite the fog of sleep, that conversation caught his interest. He leaned against a nearby building, pretending to wait for someone while focusing his attention on the group a short distance away.
Though it was already autumn, the day was as hot as midsummer. Because of the heat and the excitement surrounding the tournament finals, the local taverns were doing a brisk trade. Tables had been set out on the street, and many people were already drinking, even though it wasn't even evening. From a corner of this impromptu beer garden, the voices continued.
"He probably didn't know for sure, but isn't it common knowledge that most of the castle's bigwigs head to the arena every year? Prince Cabajid was likely worried about the defenses being thin."
"But it’s the Imperial Palace, right? The castle of the Bestia Empire. You really think ordinary thieves could do anything to a place like that?"
"Well, they tried, didn't they? Word is they were after the treasures inside."
Rei tilted his head. There was someone in that group who was very clearly talking up Cabajid. The man's narrative style was persuasive; not only the people at his table, but those drinking nearby were being drawn into the tale.
"Wait, the story I heard was that Her Highness Vihera was seen fleeing the castle? People said they saw her heading toward the palace, or leaving on horseback."
A man at an adjacent table chimed in. Several others nodded in agreement, having heard similar rumors. However, the eloquent man who had been speaking loudly shook his head vigorously.
"No way. Think about it. Princess Vihera went into exile, didn't she? There's no way she'd be in the Imperial Capital right now."
"I mean, I've heard that, but..."
"But this is Princess Vihera we're talking about. With the Fighting Tournament going on, isn't it possible she came back for it?"
Vihera's love for battle was legendary throughout the Empire. It was a plausible theory. But the man dismissed it with another shake of his head.
"Impossible. We all know Her Highness loves a good fight. If she were really in the capital, she wouldn't be watching the tournament—she’d be in it."
"That’s true... But since she’s an exile, maybe she wanted to avoid showing her face to His Majesty the Emperor?"
"You really think Princess Vihera would skip the Fighting Tournament just to avoid the Emperor? She would have known that Noise the Immovable, an S-Rank Adventurer, was participating. If that had really been Her Highness at the castle, do you think for a second she’d miss a chance to fight a guy like that?"
The argument was strangely persuasive. To anyone who knew of Vihera’s personality, the idea of her missing a chance to fight an S-Rank Adventurer was inconceivable. If they had known that her brother, the Third Prince Mercurio, had been under house arrest, the story might have changed, but such vital information was never released to the public.
"In other words, the one at the castle was just a thief pretending to be Princess Vihera. They tried to use the tournament as a distraction to rob the place, but Prince Cabajid was one step ahead and sent his knights to drive them off."
It was a tidy conclusion, and the crowd seemed to buy it.
(They're really pushing this Cabajid guy... and they seem desperate to label Vihera as a fake. I suppose they want to cover up the fact that she attacked the castle to rescue the Third Prince... but the information seems oddly one-sided.)
Normally, Rei might have looked deeper into this. Had he walked further, he might have found several other "rumormongers" telling the exact same story to different crowds, and the phrase "information manipulation" would have surely crossed his mind.
But the tension he’d held throughout the tournament had snapped the moment he lost to Noise. His mind was already thirty... no, closer to forty percent asleep. He felt the eyes of the crowd on him and decided he couldn't gather any more information. More accurately, he surrendered to the overwhelming urge to find a bed.
Moving like a drunkard, he navigated the crowded streets of the Imperial Capital.
(If I pass out in the street and someone with a grudge finds me... if they find me... if they find me...)
His thoughts were looping, a clear sign his body was demanding rest. He moved on autopilot, his consciousness strangely detached, until the Eternal Sky Inn finally came into view.
As he reached the entrance, he felt a final surge of annoyance. A massive crowd was gathered around the inn—larger even than the one at the arena. Among them were noble messengers and merchants hoping to recruit him, but many were simply commoners hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Crimson.
"What a pain..."
He knew that if he showed his face now, he’d be swarmed. Fortunately, this was the finest inn in the Empire. Hired security stood at the doors, ensuring no one forced their way inside. It was a luxury provided for their high-ranking guests, and Rei was more than happy to take advantage of it.
The guards were enough to keep the commoners at bay. While they couldn't stop nobles, any aristocrat wanting to see Rei was required to go through Daskar first, meaning direct confrontations were unlikely.
Rei wove through the crowd with staggering steps and slipped inside. Once through the doors, he felt the weight lift from his shoulders. He went through the motions at the counter and headed for the stairs.
A few acquaintances he’d met during the victory celebrations in the dining hall called out to him, but Rei simply gave a tired wave and continued to his room. He went inside, turned the lock, and shed his gear, beginning with the Dragon Robe. He collapsed onto the bed, and in that heartbeat, his consciousness sank into the lightless depths of sleep.