The autumn evening was bathed in a brilliant crimson sunset, a lonely vista that invited a touch of nostalgia.
Despite the melancholy sky, the rebel camp was bubbling over with excitement. It was only natural. They had utterly crushed a Subjugation Army that outnumbered them by a thousand men while suffering almost no casualties of their own.
Of course, the Rebel Army was not completely unscathed. A fair number had died, and the wounded were several times—perhaps dozens of times—more numerous. Even so, everyone at the site, slightly removed from the actual battlefield, was erupting in the joy of victory.
It was not that they did not mourn their lost comrades. Rather, they felt that failing to celebrate would be a slight against the very battlefield where they had fought alongside those fallen friends.
Rei and Seto were situated a short distance away from the rowdy victory banquet.
"...It's quite a commotion."
"Guruuu?"
Rei muttered as he leaned against Seto, who was lying on the ground as usual. The griffon raised its head and looked at him.
"Well, they pulled off a comeback win against superior numbers. More than that, it was an overwhelming victory with limited forces. I can see why they’re so fired up. Especially since..."
Rei stroked Seto’s head while looking toward a long line of carriages. These were the spoils taken from the Subjugation Army, and they were packed with an immense amount of supplies.
Because this Subjugation Army had been comprised primarily of nobles, the carriages were loaded with luxury tents for camping, fine wines, ingredients too extravagant to be called mere rations, treasures like gold and jewels, and high-quality weapons and armor—longswords, spears, shields, and plate. Every necessity and luxury imaginable was stuffed inside.
Given the nature of such a force, the nobles had likely felt the need to flaunt their wealth before their peers. Some had even spent half their family assets to prepare for the campaign. However, once they were forced to flee for their lives, they couldn't exactly carry those heavy treasures with them. Consequently, the Rebel Army had captured and requisitioned the carriages along with all their cargo.
The fleeing nobles had surely believed that they could never lose with such a massive advantage in troop numbers. That arrogance had backfired spectacularly.
A significant number of nobles had been slain in the fighting, and even for those who survived, escape would have been impossible had they obsessed over their luggage. Among the nobles who participated, twenty percent had been killed and seventy percent taken prisoner. Only about ten percent managed to escape safely.
They had to flee with such desperate haste—literally running for their lives—that not a single one of them had spared a thought for their cargo. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that those who did care about their goods—the ones who tried to salvage the wealth they had spent so much on—had either been killed or captured by the Rebel Army.
As a result, the Rebel Army had secured a massive, unexpected windfall. The common soldiers were now being served dishes made from ingredients they had never tasted and fine wines they had never even seen before.
A near-perfect victory followed by a banquet of gourmet food and exquisite liquor. It was no wonder the soldiers were ecstatic.
While the food and drink were distributed generously among the ranks, Mercurio had officially declared in his own name that all other treasures—specifically jewels, gold, and silver—would be sequestered into the Rebel Army's central treasury.
Normally, such a decision would have caused an uproar among those who suspected the Upper Management of hoarding the wealth for themselves. However, this Rebel Army was unique.
The force was broadly divided into three factions.
The first was the core of the army: the Third Prince Faction. Almost all of them were devoted to their figurehead, Mercurio, or his trusted general, Theoreme. Given their loyalty, few grumbled about the distribution of treasure.
The second faction consisted of those who had joined at Vihera's request or out of admiration for her—people like Tilleul, Gurgast, and Karaza. Since they were equally devoted to Vihera, they also accepted the decision without complaint.
The third faction was everyone else—opportunists like the adventurers who had followed the scent of money, and others who had joined for various personal reasons. Rei, who sought a battlefield to master his Overlord's Armor, technically fell into this group, though he was also partly there for Vihera's sake.
While this third group was the most likely to feel dissatisfied with the command's decision, Rei’s presence served as a massive deterrent. No one dared to cause a scene with him watching.
This was largely due to Mercurio publicly consulting Rei and receiving a nod of agreement in front of the entire army. The alias of 'Crimson' was well-known, and everyone knew he had held his own against Noise the Immovable, an S-Rank adventurer, during the tournament.
Moreover, many had seen Rei's overwhelming strength firsthand during training. No matter how much they coveted the gold and jewels, no one was foolish enough to value treasure over their own lives when it meant crossing Rei.
Furthermore, since today's battle had relied on hiding the Rebel Army's true strength, the adventurers other than Rei had not even participated. They could hardly demand a share of the spoils for a battle they hadn't fought.
"Rei, what are you doing all the way out here by yourself?"
Rei turned toward the voice and saw Vihera. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, she radiated a divine aura. The orange glow shone through her thin raiment, making it look almost like a halo.
She wore a smile of such transparent beauty that even Rei, who was well-accustomed to her face, found himself momentarily captivated.
"Rei?"
Her puzzled inquiry brought him back to reality. He stroked Seto's head and spoke.
"I’m not exactly alone. I’ve got Seto with me."
"Guruuu!"
That's right! Seto trilled in agreement. However, its beak was currently stained with walnut sauce from a grilled skewer Rei had given it earlier.
"Oh, you’re right. I forgot about Seto. My apologies. But more importantly, this is a victory celebration. Why don't you and Seto come enjoy it with the rest of us?"
While wiping the sauce from Seto's beak, Vihera held out a plate toward them. It was a dish of Orc meat. It had been steamed to remove excess fat and then seared over a high flame to give the surface a satisfying crunch.
It was a refined dish that required significant effort, served with a rich, brown sauce. Drawn by the fragrant aroma, Rei used the fork Vihera provided to dip a piece of meat into the sauce and took a bite.
First, the deep, savory flavor of the sauce spread across his tongue, followed by the crispy exterior and the tender, steamed interior of the meat. The flavors blended harmoniously, and Rei’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Is this... a sauce made from nuts?"
"Correct. You guessed it immediately."
Vihera looked slightly surprised by his insight, but she quickly smiled.
"I used to live in the mountains. Eating wild nuts was a regular thing for me."
Rei was tasting the distinct flavor of walnuts. In his past life in Japan, he had lived right next to the mountains, where foraging for walnuts and other nuts was common. That was why he recognized it so easily.
"I see. It’s a walnut sauce. The meat is quite fatty, so I thought it might be too heavy, but they complement each other perfectly. Mercurio seemed to enjoy it as well."
From Vihera's comment, Rei realized this was a high-end dish even among the captured supplies. Seto, however, didn't care about the rarity; it simply knew it was delicious and continued to pluck pieces of meat from the plate with its beak.
"Is it really all right for me to have this?"
"Of course. There’s enough of this dish for all the high-ranking officers of the Rebel Army."
"...I’m not exactly an officer."
Rei felt a slight sense of caution. If he continued to be treated as part of the leadership, he might eventually be permanently incorporated as one of Mercurio's subordinates. But Vihera gave him a somewhat exasperated look.
"What are you talking about? You and Seto are our primary mobile combat power. That makes you a unit commander in everything but name."
"Was I? Now that you mention it, I think someone did say that before."
Rei didn't care much for titles. His only goal was to find stronger enemies to help him master his Overlord's Armor.
"Yes. Don't worry, I'm not trying to trap you in the service of the Bestia Empire. Besides, once this civil strife is over, if that boy tries to force you to stay, I’ll just run away with you. ...Maybe we could go back to Exil? Our dungeon conquest was only half-finished, and I’d like to see Byune again."
For a moment, Rei thought that sounded pleasant, but he quickly shook his head. Conquering the dungeon was fine, but doing it alone with Vihera was a terrifying prospect—not because of the monsters, but because of Elena. If he went back to Exil, it would be best for his mental stability if Elena, Vihera, and Byune were all in the party together.
Vihera didn't seem to read his inner turmoil, but she sat down beside him with a small smile.
"Anyway, Rei. Regardless of the future, things are going to get very busy from now on."
"Probably. Today's battle was just a test by your brothers to see what we were capable of. Since we intentionally let their cavalry escape, they’ll definitely come at us with their full strength next time."
"I agree. The next battle will be the true test of the Rebel Army. I’ll be counting on you to deploy then."
"I don't mind. Though... I just had a thought."
"A thought?"
As they talked, Rei described a simple plan—hardly even a strategy—that had occurred to him. Vihera looked thoughtful but eventually voiced a doubt.
"Are you sure? It would certainly make things easier for the army, but then you won't get the kind of battle you're looking for."
"Oh, don't worry. If they lose this overwhelmingly in the first battle and then lose just as badly in the second, the Empire's pride will be utterly shattered. When that happens, they’ll attack in the third battle with a force so massive that they believe defeat is impossible. That’s when the real fight begins."
"...I wonder if it will go that smoothly."
The face of Cabajid, the First Prince, flashed through Vihera's mind.
(If Big Brother Schuls were the only one in charge, Rei’s plan might work... but Big Brother Cabajid is a different story. There’s no telling what he might do.)
It was natural for the First Prince to have anticipated the Third Prince Faction's raid on the castle, given the rumors surrounding Mercurio. He had even correctly guessed the timing of the tournament and had seemingly allowed the rescue of Mercurio to happen for his own purposes. With an unpredictable opponent like Cabajid, Vihera couldn't be certain that things would proceed as Rei imagined.
(Still, if we can win the next battle without taking any damage, it will give us a massive advantage moving forward.)
Given the overwhelming difference in strength between the rebel forces and the combined might of the First Prince Faction, Second Prince Faction, and First Princess Faction, Rei’s proposal made a lot of sense.
"Fine. I’ll talk to the boy about it. Theoreme will probably agree. ...Gurgast will likely complain that he wants to be included in the fun, though."
Vihera gave a small smile and Rei nodded. As the sun sank completely and the world turned to night, Rei reached for the food on the plate once more.