“I see. So this opponent, Videre, admitted defeat without further protest?”
A voice echoed through the magic tent.
The owner of that beautiful voice—one so melodious a listener could picture her perfectly just by hearing it—watched Rei from the other side of the paired orbs, a joyful smile playing on her lips.
In response to those words from Elena, Rei nodded as he raised a cup filled with cold water produced by the Dagger of Flowing Water to his lips.
“Yeah. As expected of someone serving as a unit commander for a group like the White Rose Knight Order, her strength was quite respectable. Have you heard of them?”
“I am not familiar with the individual named Videre, but I know of the White Rose Knight Order. They are famous as the knight order under the direct command of Her Highness Frizion. However...”
Elena, as reflected in the paired orb, tilted her head slightly.
Sensing she had a question, Rei prompted her to continue with a glance as he drank his water.
“Indeed. The White Rose Knight Order is certainly famous. But I had always thought of them as a primarily ceremonial knight order, if anything.”
“Ceremonial?”
This time, it was Rei who tilted his head.
Perhaps finding the sight of them both tilting their heads at each other amusing, Elena spoke with a soft, elegant smile.
“As the First Princess of the Bestia Empire, she naturally has to attend various ceremonies. Imagine the sight of beautiful women clad in shining white armor following Her Highness Frizion. It would be quite a spectacle, wouldn’t it?”
Hearing Elena’s words, Rei brought to mind the appearance of Videre and her subordinates.
Certainly, all of them had well-defined features; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as beauties.
If dozens of such individuals gathered and moved in perfect unison, it would undoubtedly be a sight to behold.
Men would be enamored by the beauty of the knights of the White Rose Knight Order, while women would admire their dignity.
Of course...
“In terms of beauty, I think the Princess General is quite something herself.”
“Wh-what? Why say that so suddenly? Honestly, you really are so blunt.”
Elena’s refined, beautiful face was instantly dyed red with embarrassment.
The reason Rei had hardly been captivated by the members of the White Rose Knight Order, including Videre, was likely because he knew Elena—a woman whom it would not be strange to call the Incarnation of Beauty or a War Maiden herself.
“Oh my, if you’re giving out compliments, I’d like to hear some sweet talk as well.”
A seductive, alluring voice drifted in from the entrance of the magic tent.
It was obvious whose voice it was without a second thought.
In the first place, since Seto, who was keeping watch outside, had let her through without making a fuss, it was clear she was not a dangerous person.
Furthermore, following the recent incident of the destruction of the subjugation army, security around the magic tent Rei used as his dwelling had become extremely tight.
Mercurio and Theoreme had judged that someone who could use Seto’s mobility to create a firestorm anywhere they pleased might be seen as a very dangerous opponent by Cabajid and Schuls... no, by the Bestia Empire as a whole.
It was almost futile for anyone to try to deal with a dangerous opponent like Rei through a direct fight.
But on the one-in-a-million, one-in-a-hundred-million chance, there was still the threat of assassination.
Even the Requiem Bell—an organization among the best in the Bestia Empire—could not manage to kill Rei after taking a contract, but it wasn’t strange for the leadership to judge that an assassin still had more of a chance than anyone challenging him head-on.
In fact, Rei himself fully understood that he might be killed without even realizing it if he were attacked while sleeping.
Seto was there to deal with such people, but the rebel army leadership could not simply leave Rei—who had become a presence that could be called a hero, let alone the rebel army’s trump card—unattended. Thus, they had assigned him specialized guard soldiers.
However, since there was too much of a difference between ordinary soldiers and the Gryphon Seto in terms of their five senses, intuition, and even the ability to sense magic power, the guards were little more than a formality.
Furthermore, as Vihera was now a regular visitor to the magic tent, the relationship between her and Rei had become something of an open secret.
“Vihera... You again. You were once a princess of a country, were you not? Why not show a bit more modesty?”
“What a strange thing to say. As Elena said, I was a princess, right? That’s in the past tense. Now I’m just an ordinary person.”
“What part of you is ordinary? An ordinary person doesn’t dress to seduce a man like you do, and they certainly don’t gleefully defeat anyone who approaches them lured by their charms.”
“Oh, really? This is just maiden’s etiquette, you know?”
In response to the words Elena uttered with a sigh, Vihera replied with a smile.
Maiden’s etiquette. At those words, not only Elena on the other side of the paired orb, but even Rei instinctively let out a sigh.
The sight of the two of them must have been displeasing to her, for Vihera put on a dissatisfied expression.
“What is it? Do you have some complaint about me being a maiden?”
“As I just said, it is impossible for you to claim to be a maiden while wearing such an outfit.”
“But men are happy with this kind of clothing, right? Even Rei would prefer an outfit he can enjoy looking at over someone strait-laced in armor, wouldn’t he?”
With a melting smile, Vihera leaned against Rei conspicuously in front of Elena.
“Wh-!? Vi-Vihera, what on earth are you doing! I told you to have some modesty!”
Though she understood it was a blatant provocation, Elena could not forgive Vihera’s actions. She narrowed her eyes in anger on the other side of the paired orb.
“Oh? Are you jealous? If Elena were here, I might give up this spot, but... what a shame.”
“Vihera... You...”
“Scary, scary. Well, let's leave the joking at that for now...”
“Don't think you can settle everything with a joke. Next time we meet, I will have to teach you a proper lesson about such matters.”
A beautiful woman is terrifying when angry. This was a common saying, but Rei was currently realizing the meaning of those words more than ever before.
Elena wasn't venting her anger in a visible way, and yet, even though she was only a reflection in the paired orb, Rei felt a sharp, prickling tension.
However, rather than being cowed by Elena’s anger, Vihera showed a glamorous smile, as if that was exactly what she wanted.
Rei would have had no problem in the middle of a battlefield where soldiers or knights were fighting, but being in this spot right now felt incredibly unsettling.
“Ah—... Anyway. Let’s get back to the topic. What were we...?”
“I believe we were talking about how lovely I am?”
“That’s right. I think it was about how you wanted to woo me too.”
For some reason, Elena and Vihera, who had been at each other’s throats just seconds ago, spoke in unison.
The interactions between women were truly incomprehensible. Rei spoke while letting out a bitter sigh.
“Give me a break. I know I said something that didn't suit me. More importantly... right, the White Rose Knight Order.”
“You had a mock battle with Videre, didn’t you? The news has reached my ears as well. Though I think it was a foregone conclusion, considering Rei’s strength.”
Vihera shrugged her shoulders, her ample chest swaying. Rei shifted his gaze slightly and nodded.
“Yeah. She used a lightning magic sword, so against an ordinary opponent, she’d probably have a significant advantage. It has the ability to paralyze the target for a few seconds even through equipment. It's quite a good effect. I'd love to have it.”
“...Wait. Videre is Big Sister’s subordinate, so don’t try anything funny, okay? If you want to try something funny in a different sense, I'll take you on as much as you like, though.”
“Vihera.”
At Elena’s rebuking voice, Vihera let out a small sigh.
“I know. Anyway, since we're joining forces with them, please refrain from doing anything that would inadvertently create hostility. This is a request from me as a rebel army executive.”
The fact that she phrased it as a request rather than an order likely reflected just how much influence Rei held within the rebel army.
Rei’s combat power—which was essentially equivalent to an entire army—had made a staggering impression on the rebel army soldiers.
(Though for the people who were making fun of Rei, I'm sure the aftermath will be quite terrifying.)
Especially for the three nobles whose plan to betray the rebel army had been exposed by Rei; they likely hadn't felt like they were truly living lately. Remembering the complexions of the three men, which grew worse by the day, Vihera felt a malicious smile forming inside.
To Vihera, Rei was an incredibly important person—to the point where she would be willing to abandon her country for his sake. Though, in truth, she had already left the country.
“I know. It's not like I want to obtain magic items even if it means causing a commotion.”
“Is that so? In Rei’s case, he occasionally does something quite unexpected. Considering that, I do not think we can say for sure that it won't happen.”
She was likely remembering the various incidents he had caused in the Kingdom of Mireana... and above all, by her own side. Elena spoke with a strange smile—a mixture of a wry grin and genuine amusement.
In reality, there were many commotions Rei had caused, and many of them involved harming nobles.
His actions stemmed from the fact that he felt neither the respect nor the fear toward nobles that the inhabitants of Elgin typically did.
Of course, both Elena and Vihera had been captivated by Rei precisely because he was that kind of person.
“I'm really asking you, Rei. Since you'll be moving with Videre when we rendezvous with Big Sister, if something were to happen then...”
Remembering something, Vihera gazed into the distance in a way that was uncharacteristic for her.
“Vihera?”
“What’s wrong?”
Elena and Rei noticed she was acting strange. They instinctively called her name, but Vihera continued to gaze into the distance as if a switch had been flipped.
“...Hey, Elena. As a Duke’s Daughter of the Kingdom of Mireana, have you ever met Frizion?”
“Unfortunately, no. I myself was never very interested in high society, and Her Highness Frizion is the First Princess of the Empire. There would be no opportunity for me—the woman called the Princess General in a foreign country that has been an enemy for many years—to meet her, would there?”
“Don't you think that because she's called the Princess General, she'd want to meet the famous Elena? Once I was known to be an alias holder, I had people from all over asking for meetings. Though Lord Daskar turned them all down for me.”
“That was wise. Considering Rei’s personality, trouble would have undoubtedly occurred if you had met them.”
“...I'm not that violent. If the other side approaches with courtesy, I'll respond accordingly.”
While Vihera still had a distant look in her eyes, Rei and Elena continued to exchange words.
A few minutes passed like that before Vihera’s focus finally returned.
“In any case, even though Big Sister might look like a quiet young lady of the inner chambers on the outside, she actually takes quite unexpected actions sometimes. You can see that from her current situation.”
“Indeed. It is surprising that she would betray a faction significantly larger than yours and join the rebel army. Though, in reality, with Rei there, the combat power is either equal or your side has the advantage. If someone had an eye for the situation, it wouldn't be a strange story, would it?”
“...Unfortunately, Big Sister isn't thinking about the situation or anything like that. Well, I'm sure she is thinking, but what takes priority over everything else for her is that she hates seeing her brothers fight. I have my doubts about that as a member of the imperial family, but she is very popular with the common people.”
In terms of popularity among the common people, Vihera was by no means losing.
However, the nature of their popularity was different.
Vihera’s popularity was more like that of an idol, while Frizion’s popularity was that of a leader, rooted in her kindness.
It wasn't that one was more popular than the other, but Vihera felt that Frizion was more suitable as someone to stand above the people than herself.
Of course, that was only in comparison to herself.
While kindness was a precious quality for a leader, strictness was also a quality that was just as necessary as kindness—if not more so.
“Anyway, Big Sister does some quite unexpected things sometimes. She might do something strange to Rei too... but please bear with her.”
As Vihera spoke with a small smile, Rei felt a subtle sense of foreboding.