The report arrived a few days after Rei had joined the rebel army.
Rei was currently putting a unit through their paces using Overlord's Armor. He wanted to give the rebel soldiers a taste of what it was like to face a truly powerful enemy while simultaneously struggling to gain better control over the skill himself. It was during this training session that a messenger soldier arrived.
"Hieee!"
The soldier likely hadn't seen Overlord's Armor before. The moment his eyes fell upon Rei, he let out an involuntary shriek. However, the fact that he was able to scream at all—rather than simply freezing up—was a testament to his competence.
Seeing the messenger’s reaction, Rei deactivated the skill. At the same moment, the soldiers who had been stoically enduring the pressure nearby collapsed to the ground, exhaling collective sighs of relief. Even though they had faced Rei’s Overlord's Armor several times by now, it wasn't the kind of thing one ever truly got used to. It was the primal reaction of prey facing an absolute predator.
Rei glanced at the soldiers, looked over at Seto lounging nearby, and then turned his attention to the newcomer. "So, what’s going on? I assume you’re here for a reason."
The soldier, who had been staring blankly in a daze, snapped back to reality. He remembered his purpose. "Lord Theoreme requests your immediate presence at the main camp."
"...Oh?"
To be summoned in the middle of training—especially when that training was focused on surviving encounters with powerful foes—spoke to the urgency of the situation. Rei easily deduced that some kind of emergency had arisen.
"I understand. I'll go right away."
Hearing those words, the soldiers' expressions brightened with relief. They had only faced the pressure of Overlord's Armor for a dozen or so seconds—not even a full minute—but they were already drained, both physically and mentally.
Granted, the intimidation Rei projected now was slightly less intense than when he’d first trained Karaza's unit. It was a marginal difference, but the past few days of practice had undeniably refined his magic power manipulation. To the soldiers, however, facing him remained an agonizing ordeal. They were grateful for even a temporary reprieve.
Rei nodded to the messenger, then turned to Seto. "Seto, sorry to bother you, but can you take over for me?"
"Guruuu?"
Me? Seto tilted its head and gave a soft trill. The soldiers’ cheeks twitched. Rei’s presence was indeed terrifying, but at least he was human. That commonality made his pressure somewhat bearable. Now, however, they were being asked to train against an A-rank monster—a Gryphon. The thought of a literal monster looming over them made their knees weak.
"Um, Lord Rei. If possible, we’d rather..."
A soldier in his mid-twenties spoke up tentatively, but Rei cut him off.
"Listen, you never know what the enemy will throw at you. It’s only natural to be as prepared as possible, right?"
While the soldiers collectively doubted they’d actually run into an A-rank monster on the battlefield, Rei ignored their silent pleas and spoke to Seto.
"Anyway, Seto, I’m counting on you. Just make sure you don't cause any physical injuries."
What about the mental trauma?! the soldiers wanted to scream, but none of them found the courage. Seto moved to stand between the soldiers and the departing Rei, cutting off any hope of escape.
"Gurulululululululuuuu!"
Seto let out a thunderous cry, activating King's Intimidation. The soldiers were either frozen in place or collapsed into heaps on the ground. A few even lost control of their bladders from the sheer shock... but that was a story for another time.
"L-Lord Rei. I think I just heard something terrifying behind us."
Hearing the roar, the messenger glanced at Rei with concern. Rei simply shrugged, looking entirely unconcerned.
"Oh, don't worry about it. Seto’s been bored lately, so it must just be full of motivation."
"Full of... motivation?"
The soldier fervently wished Seto wouldn't be quite so motivated when dealing with allies. He prayed the Gryphon would save that energy for the enemy.
Seto’s roar caused a brief stir within the camp, but since nothing else happened, the panic subsided quickly. Word had already spread that Rei—the Crimson adventurer who had tamed a Gryphon—was on their side, and many had either witnessed or participated in his training sessions.
As they walked through the camp, Rei chatted with the guiding soldier until they arrived at the magic tent he had visited before. Just as before, there were knights guarding the entrance, but this time they simply stepped aside the moment they saw Rei.
(Were they told in advance? Or is the situation just that bad?)
With those doubts in mind, Rei entered the tent. Inside were the usual suspects, along with several new faces. These were nobles and commanders who had joined the rebellion in the last few days. None of them looked at Rei with disdain; they had likely seen his training or heard reports from their subordinates. More importantly, they knew they were the underdogs in this war and had no desire to alienate a combat asset as powerful as Rei. There was also the fact that he was the beloved of Vihera, the woman even Prince Mercurio couldn't handle.
"Excuse me, I've brought Lord Rei," the messenger announced.
Theoreme nodded. "Good work. You may go."
Rei watched the messenger depart, realizing the conversation was intended to be private.
"It sounds like things are getting serious," Rei said, looking at Theoreme.
Theoreme met his gaze. "Information has come in from my contacts in the Imperial Capital. The report was corroborated by Rhodos, who is infiltrating the First Prince Faction, along with several other information sources. Since they saw it with their own eyes, the facts are beyond doubt."
Rei smiled thinly. "The enemy is coming?"
"Yes. The size of the subjugation army is approximately 3,000 people, excluding supply units. They outnumber us by about 1,000 people."
"Only a thousand?" Rei tilted his head. The Empire could easily field tens of thousands. Sending a force only marginally larger than the rebels suggested they weren't taking this seriously.
"Gathering troops takes time, however..."
"The truth is, this subjugation army is meant for scouting," Mercurio cut in, overriding Theoreme. "The commanders and troops assigned to it are those considered incompetent even among the Second Prince Faction. They are truly disposable pawns."
Disposable pawns. Rei nodded. It made sense. They could test the rebels' strength and get rid of useless nobles at the same time. One stone, two birds.
"I see. But why the Second Prince Faction? I thought we were up against the First Prince Faction."
"It's not as if I'm on good terms with my other brothers," Mercurio replied. "Big Brother Cabajid, Big Brother Schuls, and Big Sister Frizion all conspired to put me under house arrest. I didn't think Big Brother Schuls would be the first to move, but given his martial-minded nature, it’s not entirely surprising."
Despite the fact that a subjugation army was approaching, Mercurio remained calm, even smiling. Seeing his composure, the surrounding nobles began to settle down. Rei was impressed; whether intentional or not, Mercurio had the charisma to lead.
"I called you here, Rei, because I wanted your opinion on how to proceed."
"Mine?"
"Yes. Even including my sister, you are the strongest individual in this rebel army. With your Gryphon, you function as a one-man unit. Essentially, you are the commander of your own independent force."
The other nobles didn't object. They had seen his mock battle or witnessed his training.
"If you want, I can just head out and crush them head-on by myself," Rei offered casually.
The nobles stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Only Vihera, Theoreme, Tilleul, and Gurgast—those who truly understood Rei’s level—stayed calm. Even Mercurio looked surprised. Gurgast was desperately trying to catch Rei’s eye, silently begging to be included in the carnage, but Rei ignored him.
Rei figured he didn't need an army to deal with "incompetents." It would be good practice for Overlord's Armor.
Mercurio eventually spoke, looking slightly apologetic. "Rei, I appreciate the offer, but I'd like you to leave this subjugation army to the rest of us."
"Are you telling me to sit this one out?"
"I know how peerless your strength is. If you wiped them out, our morale would certainly skyrocket. However, this is a ragtag army. We need to experience real combat and learn to coordinate. If the enemy is weak, this is the perfect chance for our troops to gain experience."
Theoreme added, "Furthermore, Rei's presence hasn't been officially confirmed by the enemy yet. We shouldn't show our trump card to a bunch of disposable pawns."
Rei hesitated, but realized it was better to save his practice for a stronger foe. He nodded reluctantly.