Thick clouds drifted across the night sky, shrouding the moon and cutting off the light that usually bathed the earth.
In the rebel army camp, sentries kept watch through the dark hours, vigilant against an Imperial Army that might appear at any moment. Perhaps due to the arrival of Rei and Seto the previous night, the guards were performing their duties with a palpable sense of tension—a sharp contrast to their previous laxity.
Tilleul, observing the change, felt somewhat conflicted about the reason, yet he seemed genuinely grateful for the presence of the newcomers.
Regardless of the atmosphere in the rest of the camp, Seto remained sprawled on the ground near a tent in the corner of the base, eyes closed. Even in that state, the gryphon was not truly asleep. It had closed its eyes specifically to sharpen its other senses, monitoring magic power, sound, and scent with razor focus. If anyone approached with the intent of harming Rei, they would likely pay for their ignorance with their life.
The tent near Seto was not the ordinary sort, nor was it like the spare ones Rei had used the day before. Although they were at the edge of the camp, they were far removed from the area where the surplus equipment was stored. In that isolated spot stood Rei’s magic tent.
Since the spare tents were necessary for emergencies, Rei had moved his personal quarters to this empty periphery. Part of the reason for the move was his notoriety within the Bestia Empire—and the sheer presence of a creature like Seto. Furthermore, the incident regarding the Overlord's Armor earlier that day had spread through the camp like wildfire; while few would now dare to cross Rei, there were concerns about those joining the faction later or the possibility of soldiers acting out of pure terror. To avoid any unnecessary fallout for the rebel army, Rei and Seto had happily accepted Theoreme’s proposal to make the edge of the camp their home.
Rei welcomed the lack of noise, but his peace was currently compromised.
"How did it come to this?" he muttered, letting out a weary sigh before taking a sip of juice cut with water.
His gaze was fixed on the figure beside him.
"Oh, come now. A beauty sneaks into your quarters in the middle of the night, and that's your reaction? You could show a little more joy."
Vihera sat next to him inside the magic tent, her thin raiment—reminiscent of a dancer or a prostitute—fluttering provocatively. Given the hour and the setting, her behavior was nothing short of a blatant seduction. Indeed, had anyone other than Rei been in his place, they would have likely succumbed to her allure and reached out to her.
Rei was no saint, and when tempted by an attractive woman like Vihera, his heart could certainly waver. However...
"Vihera, I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to seduce Rei."
...That wavering was held in check by the Paired Orbs sitting on the table right in front of the sofa.
"Oh? Romance is a matter of personal freedom, isn't it? Besides, what's wrong with a girl seducing the man she likes?" Vihera spoke provocatively to Elena, who was watching from the other side of the orb.
Elena's eyebrows twitched visibly. "It is true that romance is free, but that only applies when the parties involved are single."
"Is that so? For a noble, I don't think it would be strange to have a mistress or two. Isn't that right, Mistress Concubine?"
As Vihera gave her a sidelong, teasing look, Elena finally reached her limit and shouted.
"Who are you calling a concubine! If anyone is to be a mistress, it would be you! I am clearly the legal wife!"
The shout was almost reflexive. Because of that, Elena failed to realize that her outburst carried a hidden admission—that she was willing to recognize Vihera’s place so long as it was as a subordinate consort.
Rei, looking troubled by the exchange, kept his mouth shut and failed to notice the nuance as well. The only one who caught it was Vihera herself. However, she chose not to comment on it, simply letting out a smile and releasing Rei’s arm, which she had been hugging. Rei felt a momentary pang of masculine disappointment as the contact ended, given how much skin her outfit exposed.
Moving away from Rei, Vihera’s expression shifted. The face of a romantic rival vanished, replaced by the cool, analytical mask of an executive within the Third Prince Faction.
"Well, let's put our little squabble over Rei aside for now. The civil strife has finally begun on our end. How are things looking over there? Are you following through on our previous agreement?"
"You certainly change gears quickly..." Elena sighed, but her expression likewise shifted from a jealous lover's to that of the Princess General—the symbol of the Noble's Faction and a leader within the Kingdom of Mireana. She gave a firm nod. "Yes. There are no issues on that front. My father negotiated with His Majesty and settled the matter. Formalities have been arranged so that if your faction loses, you will be granted official asylum in the Kingdom of Mireana."
Vihera’s eyes widened slightly at the report. They had discussed this plan back in Exil, but very little time had passed since then. Despite that, Duke Kerebel had already traveled to the Royal Capital and secured a safety net for them. It was easy to say, but for a leader of the Noble's Faction to convince a King from the rival King's Faction would have required a monumental effort. Vihera realized she had incurred a massive debt to Elena—and more specifically, to Duke Kerebel's House.
"I'll report this to the boy later. We've put you through a great deal of trouble."
"There is no need to be so humble. My father only moved so quickly because he judged it would be to our benefit."
"Even so, even if it benefits your side, I'm still grateful."
If they succeeded, they would establish a Pro-Kingdom of Mireana Faction within the Bestia Empire. Even if they failed, the civil strife would inevitably drain the Empire’s strength, and the exiles they would gain were individuals of significant power. Mireana would lose nothing by absorbing them. Vihera understood the cold calculation involved, but she wasn't so cynical that she couldn't appreciate the work done on their behalf.
However, being Vihera, she couldn't simply leave it at a polite thank you.
"But you're right. Gratitude is better expressed through actions rather than just words."
"Actions?" Elena asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
Elena seemed to scent something ominous in Vihera’s tone and moved to interject, but she wasn't fast enough.
"Exactly. Consider this my thanks."
With those words, Vihera leaned in and softly pressed her lips to Rei’s cheek.
"Wh—! Vihera! Just what do you think you're doing!?"
"Eh? I told you, it’s my thanks."
"Then why is your thanks directed at Rei!? If anyone deserves gratitude, it is me!" Elena roared through the orb.
But even though they were connected via the magic item, the orb only allowed them to hear and see one another. Elena could do nothing but scream. Vihera, knowing this perfectly well, wore a bewitching smile.
"Oh, what a shame. If only you were here, Elena, we could have thanked Rei together."
"Is that so? Are you telling me to come to the Bestia Empire myself? Very well, I shall set out this instant—"
"Kyu?"
A small dragon appeared in the orb's field of vision, seemingly trying to calm Elena down. It was Iero, Elena’s familiar. The sub-dragon let out a series of chirps toward Rei’s image. Rei couldn't understand the sounds as clearly as he could Seto’s cries, but he could guess the creature’s intent. He remembered promising Iero during their last call that the next time they spoke, he would let it talk to its friend Seto.
"Kyu!"
"Ah, you're right," Rei said, raising a hand. "I shouldn't break a promise. Wait a second. Elena, Vihera, do you mind?"
"Hm? Oh, not at all. I don't mind," Vihera replied.
"Yes, I have no issue with that either," Elena added.
They didn't understand his meaning for a split second, but as two women sharing feelings for the same man, they quickly caught on and nodded. Rei gave them a quick wave of thanks, picked up the Paired Orbs, and headed for the tent’s exit.
Poking his head outside, he called out, "Seto, are you awake?"
"Guruuu!" Seto responded instantly.
Given the speed of the reaction, it clearly hadn't been asleep. It was protecting the night for its beloved partner; there was no way Seto would be caught napping. Seto stood up and approached Rei as he emerged. Rei stroked Seto's head while holding the orb out.
"Guruu?"
"Look, Seto. It's the Paired Orbs. You remember them, right? And look who's on the other side..."
"Kyuuu!" Iero chirped happily from the screen.
Seto understood the situation immediately. Purring with delight, the gryphon rubbed its face against the orb.
"Gurururuuu..."
"Kyuu, kyuu!"
On the other end, Iero was doing the same, nuzzling the orb with joy.
"Guru, gururuu, gururu, guruguru."
"Kyuu? Kyukyu, kyuukyuukyuu."
As the two creatures communicated through their various cries, Vihera watched them with a look of genuine curiosity.
"Say, those two are clearly different species—a gryphon and a dragon. How can they understand each other?"
She had wondered about this since their time in Exil, but never had the chance to ask. She took the opportunity to question the owners.
"Well, they're a familiar and a tamed monster, and they're both high-rank monsters, so I think that has something to do with it. Seto already understands human language, after all," Rei explained.
"It is the same for Iero," Elena’s voice came from behind the sub-dragon, who was currently taking up the entire screen. "It is still young, so it doesn't understand me perfectly, but it can grasp my general intentions."
"I see. A familiar and a tamed monster... I'd love to have a partner like that myself," Vihera mused. "But I can't use magic, so a familiar is out. That means taming a monster like Rei did is my only option."
She looked almost envious of the bond. Since Vihera usually acted solo, she likely wanted a companion she could talk to.
"I see," Elena said. "If you know taming is your only path, why not give it a try? Someone like you might end up taming something surprisingly fitting. Like a banshee."
"...Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I've heard they have a skill called Death Cry. I think it would suit you quite well."
"And why would I go out of my way to tame the undead? I'd rather take a slime."
Vihera shot a deadpan look at the orb, though since Iero was still hogging the screen, her gaze likely never reached Elena.
A banshee, huh. In my old world, they were sometimes fairies and sometimes undead... it seems they're definitely the latter in this one, Rei thought.
He listened to the two women continue their bickering while watching the two monsters carry on their long-distance conversation through "Guruguru" and "Kyuukyuu."