At the Eternal Sky Inn, the staff bowed in unison as Daskar walked toward the carriage waiting in front of the building.
The fighting tournament's award ceremony had ended several days prior. It had been a lackluster affair, however; since neither the champion, Noise, nor the runner-up, Rei, had bothered to show up, a pall of disappointment hung over the proceedings.
Since the champion, Noise, was an S-rank adventurer and a close friend of the Bestia Empire's Emperor, Trajist, the resentful stares of the attendees naturally drifted toward Daskar, who was technically considered Rei's former employer. Daskar himself, for his part, took the glares in stride, letting them roll off him like water off a duck's back.
Even for the dignitaries invited from neighboring nations, an award ceremony without its main stars was a hollow event. In the end, only the third and fourth-place winners were left to collect their prize money and rewards. Once the ceremony concluded, the foreign visitors began making their own moves.
Specifically, they were focused on the civil strife.
Since they were already in the Imperial Capital—the very heart of the conflict—it was only natural for them to seek out whatever intelligence they could gather. Even Emperor Trajist said nothing to stop them, acting as though he had nothing to hide.
Normally, a civil war breaking out while hosting guests from neighboring countries—especially nations defeated in past wars, vassal states, or special entities like the magic city—would be a catastrophic blow to a nation’s prestige. Yet Trajist seemed to almost welcome the scrutiny, a ferocious smile playing across his lips.
Peshe Gat had suggested that it might be better to have the foreign guests return home as quickly as possible given the internal unrest, but the moment he saw that smile, he realized that any further words would be in vain. He could do nothing but let out a sigh of resignation.
To Trajist, the current state of the Empire was close to what he had actually desired. If any foreign power decided the Empire was currently vulnerable and chose to take action, he would gladly rise to the challenge. Peshe had understood this as well, which was why he had reluctantly backed down.
Thus, while many guests remained in the Imperial Capital to gather information, Daskar decided to settle his bill at the Eternal Sky Inn and return to his own country. Truth be told, he also wanted to gather intelligence, but if word got out that Rei—who was officially no longer associated with him—was with the rebel army, it would undoubtedly lead to a political nightmare.
Furthermore, Rhodos, whom he had also brought along as a guard, was now with the First Prince Faction. If things went poorly, people might claim that the Kingdom of Mireana was pulling the strings behind the rebels.
Though, in a way, that accusation was half-correct. It would be more accurate to say they weren't pulling the strings so much as performing alongside the Third Prince, Mercurio. At any rate, staying in the Imperial Capital risked others digging deeper into Daskar's affairs, so he made his preparations to leave and return to the Kingdom of Mireana.
As for his security, Rei and Seto were gone, and Rhodos was missing as well. One might have expected Daskar's entourage to have shrunk as a result, but that was not the case.
"Margrave Larcus, are you really sure it's okay to hire people like us? I mean, even if we look like this, the Wind Dragon Fang are adventurers of the Bestia Empire. ...Ow! Adventurers of the Bestia Empire, I mean."
Because Ruzy's language was improper, Most's staff descended on the back of his head. Ruzy hurriedly corrected his speech due to the pain, and watching the exchange, Elk couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. It felt as though he were watching a reflection of himself and Min.
Thinking that, Elk cast a fleeting glance at his wife. As usual, Min wore a serious expression, but to Elk, who had been married to her for many years, her forced bravado was plain to see.
I suppose it can't be helped, given that we're leaving Rhodos behind in the Bestia Empire, Elk thought. It's what the boy wanted, so there's no sense in dwelling on it... but I suppose this is the difference between a father's heart and a mother's. He understood her worry, but he felt she was overthinking things.
While Elk ruminated, Daskar turned to Ruzy with a smile. "It's true that there are likely various grievances between the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire. However, the Adventurer's Guild is an organization separate from the state. I suppose it's only natural to feel loyalty toward the land of your birth, but look at Rei. Despite being an adventurer of the Kingdom of Mireana, he absconded from my service right here in the Bestia Empire."
"Ah... That's true," Ruzy said, forced to agree. He had rarely seen an adventurer who behaved as freely as Rei, though he suspected that very freedom was the secret to the youth's strength.
"Besides," Daskar continued, "as I told you beforehand, I'm only asking you to guard us until we leave the Bestia Empire. Though, if you wish, you're welcome to come all the way to Gilm."
As Daskar made the invitation, he reflected on the fact that he had already confirmed the Wind Dragon Fang's skill in the tournament. More importantly, he knew through Rei and Rhodos that their characters were sound. Since he knew there were no issues with their strength or personalities, he hoped to recruit them as adventurers for the frontier.
Daskar's cleverness lay in the way he framed the offer—he asked Ruzy and the others to work in Gilm as adventurers rather than entering his personal service. As a lord of the frontier, Daskar had deep ties with adventurers and understood their independent nature and their loathing of restraint.
It was also fortunate that the principles of the Wind Dragon Fang aligned well with those of the adventurers active in Gilm. Regardless, Daskar had requested them as guards through a nomination request specifically to create opportunities to sway them before they reached the border.
"Hmm... even if you say that..."
"I'm not asking for an answer this second," Daskar said. "You can give me your decision by the time we leave the Bestia Empire. If you're unsure, you could even try spending a month or so in Gilm to see how you like it."
"I'm... happy that you think so highly of our skills. I'll discuss it with my comrades and decide. ...Ow!"
Most's educational guidance once again fell upon Ruzy's head. Daskar simply nodded, a smile on his face at the antics.
"Please do. I'm sure there are regions called frontiers in the Bestia Empire as well, but the frontier of the Kingdom of Mireana is a very harsh place. We can never have too many skilled adventurers. If you hone your skills in such a place, you might even become as strong as Rei."
At those words, Ruzy's gaze turned sharp for an instant. Having experienced Rei's strength firsthand during their training and seeing him trade blows with Noise—an outlier who had utterly overwhelmed Ruzy—the prospect was incredibly enticing. Ruzy knew that the Bestia Empire had its own frontier regions, but he wondered if the two were fundamentally different.
He knew that even if the name was the same, the monsters, plants, and minerals found in different frontiers varied wildly. In fact, even around Gilm, things changed significantly just a short distance away.
In that case, the possibility that there's something around Gilm that facilitates an adventurer's growth cannot be denied, Most thought to himself as he listened. Frontier signified an uncivilized land, after all; anything was possible.
"...I'll think about it," Ruzy said, his expression dead serious. Setting aside a monster like Noise, he thought he might at least be able to reach the heights where Rei stood. It was only natural for him to chase that hope.
"I see. Well, as I said, let me hear your answer when we leave the Empire." Daskar boarded his carriage, followed by Elk and Min.
Ruzy and Most were left alone for a moment. Seeing his leader lost in thought, Most let out a small sigh, brought his staff down on Ruzy's head one last time, and headed toward their assigned carriage. As the convoy pulled away, the staff of the Eternal Sky Inn remained bowed until they were out of sight.
"About the subjugation army and the rebel army... it seems the subjugation army was crushed quite easily," Veikyul reported a few minutes after they departed.
"Isn't that too fast?" Ruzy asked, his reaction delayed by Daskar's proposal. "Didn't they just leave a few days ago?"
Normally, when an army sets out, a grand ceremony is held, especially when nobles are involved. However, this subjugation army had departed in silence. Those who knew the vanity of nobles had been confused, but Schuls—who had planned the affair—intended for the battle to be a calculated loss from the start. He couldn't afford a flashy ceremony for a doomed venture.
"It's either that the opponent was exceptionally strong, or our side was exceptionally weak," Most murmured.
Veikyul nodded. "It seems it was both. The subjugation army was surprisingly weak, and the rebel army was surprisingly strong. Word is the battle lasted barely an hour. I heard Princess Vihera is cooperating with the rebels, so I suppose it makes sense."
"Princess Vihera is!?" The three members of the Wind Dragon Fang were Imperial born and raised; they had heard many stories of Vihera's strength and her free-spirited nature.
"If Princess Vihera is with the rebels... then this civil strife is likely to drag on for a long time," Most noted.
"But there's not much time left until winter," Ruzy countered. Once the snow began to fall, major military movements would become impossible. Unless the rebels intended for a short-term decisive battle or had calculated for the war to last until spring, the timing was strange.
Most turned his gaze out the window. The autumn sky was clear and blue, the sunlight perfect for traveling. "It's a nice day."
"Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess. ...So, Veikyul. What about the important part? What about Rei? Did he show up in the battle?" Ruzy asked. Given what they had heard at the inn, he was certain Rei was involved.
"Rei was nowhere to be seen," Veikyul replied. "Though, the reports came from soldiers who fled the battle, so they might have been too preoccupied with saving their own skins to notice... but still."
Veikyul was certain that Rei had not participated in the front-line combat. After all, a man carrying a great scythe larger than himself and accompanied by a Gryphon was impossible to miss. If he had been there, he would have been the center of every report.
"In that case... well, I wonder what Rei is actually doing," Ruzy murmured, his voice echoing in the carriage as it rolled toward the border.