The day after teaching the recipe for hamburg steak, Rei finished his morning preparations—a daily routine since arriving in the Imperial Capital— and headed down to the first-floor dining hall. He was met by an unexpected sight.
"Hey, is this information actually true?!"
"Prince Mercurio's rebellion against the Empire... So that thief rumored to have tried sneaking into the castle the other day was actually..."
"Most likely. But why on earth would Prince Mercurio do such a thing?"
"Whatever the reason, if this keeps up, it's going to turn into civil strife! He attacked the castle and fled, for heaven's sake."
"Civil strife, huh? It’s a business opportunity, that's for sure... but it makes my heart heavy."
"Even so, we can't afford to miss this chance. If we're not careful, we'll fall behind and be left in the dust by other merchants and firms. If that happens, what becomes of the livelihoods of everyone we employ? To prevent that..."
"Wait a minute! You mean you're going to do business by taking advantage of this civil strife?!"
"...Which side are you taking?"
"In terms of winning chances, it has to be the Imperial side. Prince Mercurio’s forces are clearly too small; I don't think they can do anything against the Imperial Army."
"But think about it the other way. Joining the camp where victory is already decided versus joining the camp that lacks military strength—which one do you think will pay more for our skills?"
"That won't matter if you end up dead."
"...But listen, if Prince Mercurio actually went through with a rebellion against the Empire, doesn't that mean he has some kind of countermeasure? Like a trump card or something."
"Aaaaagh, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why does civil strife have to break out at a time like this? My trading schedule is a complete mess because of this!"
The dining hall was a den of chaos. Rei, who had a vague idea of why things had turned out this way, sat down at a table without saying a word.
A waitress immediately came over to take his order.
He ordered bacon and eggs, salad, wieners, vegetable soup, and bread. Though the menu items were light, he ordered enough for three people. The waitress, already accustomed to Rei's appetite, took the order without looking surprised and spoke up.
"You don't seem very shocked, Rei-san."
"No, I’m plenty surprised. It’s just that seeing how much everyone else is panicking makes me feel strangely calm. ...Oh, and I’ll have some chilled fruit water, plus some fruit for after the meal."
"Right, right, quite the appetite as usual. ...But what do you think is going to happen? Civil strife right as the fighting tournament ends."
The waitress asked anxiously, glancing around at the room.
This was the Empire, a nation that had grown large by swallowing its neighbors. Naturally, rebellions were not exactly a rare occurrence. However, those were usually started by the nations that had been conquered and annexed.
With such opponents, the battlefield was typically near those peripheral countries, meaning those living in the Imperial Capital rarely felt the reality of war. Of course, it was a different story for those who had family or acquaintances among the soldiers of the Imperial Army.
However, the one who had raised a rebellion against the Empire this time was the Third Prince, Mercurio. In that case, the possibility that the Imperial Capital itself could become a battlefield could not be denied.
The fact that Mercurio and Vihera were stationed in Count Obrisin's territory—which was relatively close to the Imperial Capital—was not yet widely known. Nevertheless, people couldn't help but worry about their safety when it came to civil strife.
And...
"According to the rumors I hear from the people in the dining hall, there's talk that neighboring nations might respond to Prince Mercurio's actions. ...What do you think, Rei-san?"
In response to the waitress's anxious question, Rei merely gave a small shake of his head.
"In the first place, as you know, I’m not from the Bestia Empire. I’m not very familiar with the local politics, so it’s hard for me to give an answer."
"Ah, right. Now that you mention it, that's true. You've blended in so well since coming to this inn that I forgot..."
The waitress flashed a smile to laugh off her slip-up, then immediately headed toward the kitchen after receiving word that the food was ready.
Rei watched her go, but suddenly felt a gaze and turned his head.
Standing there were Ruzy, Veikyul, and Most—the three members of Wind Dragon Fang. They were approaching with visibly displeased expressions.
(So they were still in the Imperial Capital after all.)
Rei muttered to himself.
He had formed a reasonably close relationship with them. If possible, he had wanted them to leave the capital before they got caught up in this civil strife, but it seemed his hopes had not been fulfilled.
Ruzy sat down heavily next to Rei and directed a sharp gaze toward him. Veikyul and Most were also staring at Rei with an intensity that differed from their previous interactions.
"What's wrong? You have such scary looks on your faces."
"...Don't play dumb. Did you know? No, considering how you were talking before, you must have known."
"About what? Though I suppose saying that would be useless."
Judging from the severity of their gazes, Rei figured they had already confirmed most of the facts. He replied with a small shrug.
"Well, sit down. It’s not good to stand while we talk. Besides, I just came down to have breakfast myself."
As he spoke, the waitress arrived at the table with his dishes. Ruzy and the others likely realized they were drawing unwanted attention from the room. Reluctantly, they took their seats.
The waitress set the dishes down with a sigh of relief.
At a time like this, seeing Rei and the three from Wind Dragon Fang—who had been on good terms until recently—in such a tense mood was enough to make any staff member uneasy. The fact that she laid out the meal without letting her anxiety show on her face proved she was a professional worthy of the Eternal Sky Inn.
"And what would Ruzy-san and the others like to order?"
In response to the waitress, the three members of Wind Dragon Fang each ordered a light meal of bread and soup. It wasn't that they were genuinely hungry; it was likely just payment for the right to use the table.
After seeing off the waitress, Ruzy spoke up again.
"So, what exactly do you know?"
Rei reached for the freshly baked bread placed abundantly on the table, seemingly unbothered. It was white bread today, so soft that its fluffy texture was apparent at a mere touch.
Rei gave a practiced shrug while tearing off a piece and putting it in his mouth.
"Even if you ask me what... While I was on my way back to the inn after the award ceremony at the arena ended, I saw people talking in a way that blatantly favored the First Prince. Considering that, I was simply able to predict this situation."
What came out of Rei's mouth wasn't a total lie. He had indeed heard people—who likely worked for Cabajid—talking loudly in a tavern. In reality, however, the situation had simply proceeded according to the information he had possessed beforehand, which was why he had halfway expected this outcome.
"...It’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth either, is it?" Veikyul remarked.
Whether it was a thief's intuition or a woman's intuition—or perhaps she had gathered some other intelligence—Rei didn't know. He merely responded with another small shrug.
"I believe I told you before, but I've provided all the information I can. The rest is up to you."
"You... No, I suppose I’ll stop asking."
Judging that Rei would absolutely not leak any more information regardless of how much he pushed, Ruzy let out a small sigh. Most spoke up to his leader.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah. Even if we try to squeeze more out of him, he definitely won't say anything. If we were to absolutely get him to talk, we'd have no choice but to use force... and do you think we can do that?"
Most fell silent, unable to argue. He had seen Rei's skill firsthand. Rei had been holding his own against an opponent who had defeated Ruzy—the strongest among them—with almost effortless ease.
(And besides...)
What crossed Most's mind was Rei's tamed monster, the gryphon Seto. While it couldn't participate in the fighting tournament due to the rules, the strength of an A-Rank Monster like a gryphon was bound to be staggering. High enough that there was no way people of their level could handle it.
If asked if they could do anything about such a monster-class duo... Most didn't possess the strength, confidence, or even the arrogance to say yes.
"I suppose so. It seems useless to talk further. More importantly, our breakfast has arrived just in time," Most muttered.
The waitress brought their food, and the conversation fizzled out. They finished their breakfast in a somewhat awkward but not hostile atmosphere.
Rei finished his substantial three-person breakfast at almost the same time the others finished their single servings of bread, soup, and the complimentary salad. Veikyul looked on in surprise. For the record, it wasn't that Rei was eating fast; he was savoring his food properly—but even so, Veikyul found his pace hard to believe.
Regardless, the four of them continued some light small talk while drinking fruit water. Inside the dining hall, many people were still noisily discussing the civil strife or exchanging information, but Rei didn't particularly care. Ruzy and the others, however, seemed slightly more concerned.
Once the meal was over, Ruzy and his party stood up.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but if you do anything strange to the common people, we will stand in your way even if we're no match for you. Just remember that."
"Fair enough. If you guys ever stand in my way, I'll face you with everything I've got."
After exchanging those words, Rei watched Ruzy and the others depart.
(Now then, I wonder which side Ruzy and his group will end up joining. It would be a bit awkward if they joined the Third Prince Faction after making a declaration like that.)
Thinking such thoughts to himself, Rei left the dining hall. His destination was not the stables where Seto was, nor the room he was renting, but the quarters where Daskar was staying.
As usual, there were two knights guarding the door. They showed a flicker of caution as Rei approached, but once they recognized him, they relaxed and smiled.
"What brings the fighting tournament runner-up here?"
"I have a bit of business with Lord Daskar. Is it okay?"
"Understood, wait a moment."
One knight knocked on the door and went inside to get permission for the meeting. He returned almost immediately, signaling that Rei could enter.
Normally, it wouldn't be so easy to get an audience with a noble—especially one of a Margrave's status. One would usually need an appointment made well in advance. The fact that Rei could meet with Daskar so casually was a testament to how much the Margrave trusted him. The contributions Rei had made to Gilm were enough that it wouldn't have been strange for him to be granted a title of nobility, though Rei himself would never want such a thing.
Besides, Daskar himself disliked formalities. In any case, Rei entered the room. Daskar was sitting at a desk reading documents, while his guards, Elk and Min, sat on a sofa a short distance away.
"Excuse me."
"Ah, business with me, you said? What is it? Were you attacked by Requiem Bell again?"
Daskar's tone was light, precisely because he knew Rei's strength. He understood that even if Rei were attacked, he could handle it.
But the words that came out of Rei's mouth next were completely different from what Daskar had imagined.
"Actually, I intend to join the Third Prince Faction."
It was a formal declaration that Rei would be participating in the coming civil strife.