That night, a soldier standing sentry at the Third Prince Faction's camp caught the sound of wings—a heavy, rhythmic flapping.
It sounded like a massive bird, but it was the middle of the night. He knew that, aside from nocturnal species like owls, most birds shouldn't be active at this hour. Was it a monster attack? Haunted by that question, he turned his gaze toward the moonlit sky.
This outpost was located on the peripheral edge of Count Obrisin's Territory, not far from the highway to the Imperial Capital.
Because of its location, the area was subject to regular monster culling. A particularly large-scale sweep had been conducted recently to secure the route for travelers heading to the capital for the fighting tournament.
However, many flying monsters were clever; they would simply flee when soldiers, knights, or adventurers approached for a cull, only to return once the threat had passed. Harpies, in particular, possessed a degree of intelligence that they often used for such low cunning.
If a monster was indeed attacking, he needed to call for reinforcements immediately.
The possibility of a night raid by the Imperial Army's Dragon Knights even crossed his mind. He gripped the magic item Magic Whistle he had been issued for his watch in one hand and leveled his spear with the other. But the next moment, as he saw the figure descending from the sky, he froze.
The creature possessed an intensity that made it incomparable to a Harpy.
In terms of sheer dimensions, it was likely smaller than the Wyverns ridden by Dragon Knights. However, the pressure radiating from its body was so overwhelming that it made a Wyvern look like a common lizard by comparison.
Before the soldier's eyes, a person riding on the creature's back leapt off, landing with a feather-light grace that seemed to ignore the laws of weight, and began walking toward him.
"Who goes there!" the soldier wanted to shout while blowing his Magic Whistle, but the silhouette spoke first.
"Is this the Third Prince Faction's position?"
At those words, the soldier forced himself to swallow his warning shout.
The Third Prince Faction. Despite the stranger mentioning the name of their rebellion, the soldier felt no hostility from him.
He was well aware that they were considered rebels against the Empire. Naturally, he had assumed that someone from the Imperial side—more accurately, one of First Prince Cabajid's agents—had come to launch a night raid. Yet, looking at the figure now, that didn't seem to be the case. On the contrary, the stranger’s calm demeanor made him feel almost like an ally.
The soldier lowered the hand holding the Magic Whistle and found his voice.
For a brief second, he wondered if this was a trick—a ruse to kill him while his guard was down. But looking at the monster with the massive presence standing behind the man, he judged that such tricks were unnecessary. If they wanted him dead, it wouldn't be difficult.
"...Who are you?" he asked. It was his duty as a sentry, after all.
"I'm Rei, a B-Rank adventurer. Or would it be easier for someone from the Bestia Empire to recognize this? I'm Crimson Rei."
The sentry’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Crimson Rei. There wasn't a single person in the military who didn't know that name—no, even among the commoners, there was likely no one who hadn't heard of him.
Because the man was wearing a hood, his full face was obscured. However, in the moonlight, what the soldier could see looked like a youthful, delicate face—a girlish face, even. At the very least, he didn't look like someone who possessed the power to change the course of a war.
The fact that he wasn't carrying a great scythe, one of the famous trademarks of Crimson, also influenced the soldier's skepticism.
But... the evidence was standing right there, far more definitive than any weapon. A Gryphon. The fact that Crimson traveled with a Gryphon as his tamed monster was a widely known truth.
Even for an A-Rank adventurer, taming an A-Rank monster like a Gryphon was an extraordinary feat.
Faced with such proof, the sentry had no choice but to conclude that the person before him was indeed the legendary Crimson.
"I must say, I'm surprised. I heard you were based in Count Obrisin's Territory, so I expected you to be in a town or village. I didn't think you'd set up camp in the middle of nowhere."
Rei's casual remark seemed to ease the sentry's tension slightly. A faint smile touched the soldier's lips.
"The Count thought that if our base was in a populated area, civilians would get caught in the crossfire. He may not look it, but Count Obrisin has a side that truly cares for the people. ...Anyway, back to the point. What brings Crimson here? You don't look like you've come to fight."
"Guruuu?"
Seto let out a low cry and fixed its gaze on the sentry, seemingly reacting to the word "fight."
While the soldier might have managed to stay calm with Rei, he couldn't help but stiffen when an A-Rank monster looked at him like that. Such was the sheer weight of its presence.
"Easy, Seto. He isn't an enemy. He's just curious," Rei said, soothing the beast.
"Gururuuu?"
Seto tilted its head as if asking, What's wrong? but the sentry remained paralyzed.
This isn't working, Rei thought. Giving up on getting the man comfortable with Seto, he got straight to the point.
"At any rate, it's true that the Third Prince Faction is gathered here, right? Then Vihera and Theoreme should be around. Tell them I've arrived. They'll understand immediately."
"A-Ah, right. Y-Yes. Please wait a moment."
Whatever brief composure the soldier had regained vanished as he hurried away into the camp.
As Rei watched his retreating back, a thought occurred to him.
Having only one sentry is a problem, but is it really okay to leave me standing here while he goes to report? If I were a spy, I could have slipped inside and started sabotaging the place... Ah, no. It's probably not that simple.
Rei turned his gaze toward the inner reaches of the camp and sensed other presences further back. They weren't ordinary soldiers; they felt like individuals with a significant amount of skill.
The sentry was likely a decoy. Those hidden presences would probably hunt down anyone who took the bait. This aggressive defensive layout... is it Vihera's doing? Or Theoreme's? Both seem capable of it, yet also like they'd prefer different methods.
While he mused, the soldier must have passed the message up. Rei heard a sudden commotion in the direction of the main tents.
"Gururuuu."
Seto rubbed its face against Rei and purred.
Recognizing the hunger in its eyes, Rei withdrew some dried meat from his Misty Ring and offered it to his partner.
"Guruuu... Gururururuuu."
It was dried meat from the Eternal Sky Inn. Made from top-quality ingredients and requiring a labor-intensive process, it was naturally delicious.
As Rei petted Seto, who was purring happily while munching on the gourmet snack, several figures finally emerged from the depths of the camp.
The autumn moon was large and bright in the clear sky, so for Rei, with his night vision, identifying the group was easy.
However, he couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
Theoreme was there, along with his lieutenant, Siance. That much was expected, but Vihera was missing.
In her place was a sturdily built elderly man.
He was radiating a fierce fighting spirit, and judging by the battle axes gripped in each of his hands, he hadn't come for a friendly chat.
Why is someone like this coming out to meet me?
Sensing that things were about to get tedious, Rei sighed inwardly.
For a moment, he wondered if it was a knight who had mistaken him for an Imperial assassin. But the respectful way the others deferred to the man suggested he held high status.
Finally, the group reached Rei.
"Ho, so you're Crimson Rei. Lady Vihera told me you were strong, but you don't look like much to me."
Great, another one who judges by appearances.
Just as Rei muttered that thought with a mental sigh, the man laughed, as if reading his mind.
"Well, that's what any ordinary person would say."
"Heh. ...Theoreme, who is this?" Rei asked, his interest piqued slightly as he turned to the general standing nearby.
Theoreme allowed a thin smile to touch his lips at Rei's arrival before speaking.
"This is Count Obrisin. He was a subordinate of Lady Vihera back when she was in the Empire. He plays a vital role in our military strength for this campaign."
"One of Vihera's men, I see."
Rei's casual mutter caused a stir among the surrounding soldiers.
It was only natural. Vihera was arguably the strongest fighter in the Third Prince Faction, and since Third Prince Mercurio looked up to her, she was effectively the most powerful authority among them.
Rei, unbothered by the reaction, continued his questioning.
"So, where is Vihera?"
"She's resting. It's the middle of the night, after all. The only ones awake are the sentries who reported your arrival."
Theoreme chose to ignore the fact that he and the others were also wide awake.
Count Obrisin, who had been observing the exchange, suddenly gave a powerful swing with one of his battle axes.
It wasn't aimed at Rei, but the weapon cut through the air with a whistle so sharp it seemed to shatter the silence of the night.
"Hey now, don't ignore me. Ever since Lady Vihera told me about you, I've been dying for a match."
"I don't know what she told you, but we're supposed to be on the same side. There's no need for us to fight, is there?"
Realizing the man was a battle junkie just like Vihera, Rei made the suggestion anyway, even though he knew it was likely pointless.
Count Obrisin shook his head silently, then tightened his grip on his axes.
"You might be a famous alias holder, but I won't be satisfied until I've seen your skill for myself. So... don't go dying on me! Here I come!"
With a roar, the Count closed the distance to Rei in an instant.
Despite wearing a metal breastplate, he moved with a speed that suggested the armor had no weight at all.
He swung his axes at Rei—a vertical strike from the right and a horizontal one from the left.
The attack was a perfect cross, but it met only empty air as Rei lightly leaped backward.
Landing silently, Rei summoned Death Scythe from his Misty Ring.
He had avoided the strike easily, but the grin on the Count's face made it clear the man had been testing him.
"Guruuu?"
"No, stay back. I'll handle this."
Rei gave a short command to Seto, who had tilted its head to ask if it should join in.
Understanding that this wasn't a fight to the death, Seto let out a low purr, stepped back, and lay down on a patch of grass to watch.
"Hmph."
Count Obrisin watched the exchange between master and beast, snorted with satisfaction, and fixed his eyes on the massive scythe.
So that's Death Scythe. I can certainly feel a sinister power coming from it. Seeing this weapon alone makes the encounter worthwhile.
He grinned with bellicose delight, wanting to cross blades a few more times.
Rei felt a similar spark. He recognized that this man wasn't just a noble in title; he possessed genuine, formidable strength.
"Alright. My turn."
With that, Rei kicked off the ground and closed the gap with the Count in a heartbeat.
He was careful not to kill the man, aiming instead with the butt end of Death Scythe.
Of course, Rei was perfectly capable of punching through metal armor even with the pommel if he so desired.
"Haaah!"
The Count swung his axe down to parry the strike aimed at his solar plexus.
With a heavy metallic clank, the axe was knocked aside.
Count Obrisin gasped, stunned that his strike had been deflected so easily. Rei, meanwhile, felt a specific vibration through the shaft of his scythe and realized the axes were magic items. Both men were taken aback by the other's quality.
They jumped back to create distance, but before they could engage again...
"That's enough!"
At Theoreme's commanding voice, they both lowered their weapons.