"I see. So Videre once caused a stir like that."
"Yes. Honestly, while she is quite capable, she occasionally does things so eccentric that even as her superior, I can never let my guard down."
The voices of Rei and Angela Luxinowa echoed inside the shack provided by Frizion.
Despite having only met for the first time today, both of them found it mysterious how well their perspectives aligned. Rei was in his mid-teens, while Angela was in her mid-twenties. At most, there was nearly a ten-year age gap between them. Normally, such a significant difference would foster a sense of reserve, but neither of them felt any such constraint.
Rei had never been much for social etiquette, but for Angela, who had been raised as a noblewoman of a count's house, the sensation was peculiar.
She brought a sandwich to her mouth, though she found herself mentally tilting her head in wonder. Rei had suggested that eating the food she had brought for him alone would be dull, and as she ate, a ridiculous thought her master, Frizion, had once joked about crossed her mind. She dismissed it immediately.
(To think that I could feel such affection for someone this much younger... No, I do feel fond of him, but it is a platonic sort of friendship, not romantic. There is no problem with that.)
She felt slightly perplexed internally. In truth, until now, she had felt a sense of—loathing would be an overstatement—but a certain distance from men that made them difficult to approach. That was precisely why she had joined the White Rose Knight Order, which was composed entirely of women. Yet, for some reason, she didn't feel the need to be on guard around Rei.
(It’s not like there’s anything particularly unusual about him... No, perhaps it’s a matter of his appearance?)
As she exchanged words with Rei, Angela's gaze drifted toward his face. Since he had lowered the hood of his robe, she could see his features clearly.
A girlish face. His features were so well-defined for a man that the description felt natural; even while wearing a robe, some people might mistake him for a young girl. Indeed, he wouldn't look out of place even if he were to dress in drag.
(Ah, but I suppose that wouldn't work. His appearance is certainly feminine, but his mannerisms are undeniably those of a man.)
Since he had been born with such a face, he must have felt the need to make his behavior purposefully masculine—this was the childhood story Angela had concocted for Rei, as she knew nothing of his actual past.
Rei must have noticed Angela's peculiar state. While eating a sandwich filled with boiled pork topped with a sweet-and-sour fruit sauce and crisp leafy vegetables, he spoke up.
"What's wrong all of a sudden? Thinking about something?"
"Yes, well. I have a lot on my mind. Especially concerning the proposal from His Highness Mercurio."
"That sounds rough."
At Rei's response, given in a tone that suggested it was none of his business, Angela understood why she was able to be her natural self when talking to him.
(I see. Lord Rei doesn't think anything special of nobles.)
Despite being Angela's father's daughter, a noblewoman of Count Luxinowa’s house, Angela had won the position of Commander of the White Rose Knight Order through sheer ability. And while she wasn't a beauty who captivated everyone's gaze like Vihera did, her features were certainly above average. She had already passed the typical marriageable age for a noble, but that conversely gave her a refined femininity in the eyes of observers.
As for her house, a count was not particularly high-ranking, but her family held considerable influence within the First Princess Faction. When looking at all these factors, Angela was a quite attractive prospect for noble men. Because of that, many had courted her; just the other day, the next head of a certain baron's house had even confessed his feelings, asking to court her with the intention of marriage.
But...
(Every single man who confesses to me has some kind of ulterior motive in his eyes.)
Whether that hidden agenda was to establish a connection with the House of Count Luxinowa, something related to her status as the Commander of the White Rose Knight Order, or a more direct desire to possess her for themselves. Of course, Angela did not expect pure romantic feelings to be the priority in marriages between nobles.
(Even so... I don't think it's wrong to wish they would at least hide their motives well enough so I couldn't see through them.)
If the House of Count Luxinowa had been financially destitute, she wouldn't have refused a political marriage if it meant saving her family. However, the current head of the house and the next head—her brother—were more than competent. Count Luxinowa was not in any trouble at all. There were probably minor issues here and there, but nothing serious enough to force Angela into considering a political marriage.
Compared to those men full of ulterior motives, the Rei who was currently eating his sandwich with such relish before her eyes seemed like a completely different existence, even though she knew he was also a man. He felt nothing toward nobles. Saying it was easy, but how many people could truly put that into practice? Considering that, the person in front of Angela was undoubtedly a rare existence.
(Though, just as Her Highness Frizion said, Lady Vihera is already in the picture, so it’s a bit of a shame.)
While acknowledging the faint affection she had felt for a moment during their conversation—something far from love, but a feeling that might have changed had it grown over time—she decided to forget it immediately.
"By the way, don't you think it was reckless to head straight to the Imperial Capital without even a disguise?" she asked, reaching for the water Rei had produced from his Dagger of Flowing Water.
When she first drank it, she had been surprised by its flavor, which was so delicious she could hardly believe it was just water. Now, she finally had the composure to savor it slowly.
"This robe has a concealment effect, after all. Unless it's an exceptionally sharp mage, they probably won't be able to find me."
"Well, since you actually made it this far without being caught, I suppose I can trust it."
As he nodded at Angela's words, the face of Cabajid, whom he had met just before entering the castle, crossed Rei's mind. Perhaps his true identity had been discovered. He considered this, but it was also true that nothing had happened so far.
"Lord Rei? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. So, what's the plan from here? Mercurio's requests were written in the personal letter Videre delivered, right?"
While talking like this was enjoyable, it wouldn't move things forward. Rei asked with that in mind, but Angela only responded with a vague smile.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't been given the authority to answer regarding that matter. However, I believe Her Highness Frizion will come to this shack sometime today, so could you ask her then?"
"I don't think there's any need to be so secretive. In the first place, you're the ones who said you wanted to join up with us, right? If that's the case, shouldn't you have expected conditions like those?"
Rei's words were based on his judgment that Angela was hesitating because of the condition of becoming Mercurio's subordinates, but she only offered that same vague smile. Rei decided that saying anything more would be useless, let out a small sigh, and brought the last piece of sandwich to his mouth.
From there, the conversation returned to ordinary small talk. They spoke of things within the range of what was acceptable to share. For example, Angela wanted to know about the ecology of gryphons. Participation by tamed monsters was prohibited in the Fighting Tournament, and Seto himself had rarely left the Eternal Sky Inn Stables while the tournament was held. Even so, the fact that Rei had a gryphon as a tamed monster had spread more than enough thanks to his alias of 'Crimson' and the Spring War.
"Seto is... well, he's like a friendly dog."
"He's a gryphon, right? If anything, wouldn't he be more like a cat?"
"His lower body is a lion, so he does have feline habits, but overall, his friendliness is closer to a dog's. Specifically, a puppy's."
For Angela, being told that a gryphon over two meters long was like a puppy was hard to believe. It was only natural; gryphons were known as the 'Grim Reaper of the Skies' even among A-Rank Monsters.
Rei saw the look of disbelief on Angela's face but chose not to say anything. He had been looked at that way many times before. He understood that no matter how much he explained it in words, he couldn't easily make someone believe it. Seeing was believing—and touching was even better.
Seto wasn't loved throughout Gilm for nothing, nor was he making passionate fans everywhere he went for no reason. Even within the Rebel Army, the soldiers in the Mobile Unit were quite fond of Seto, and within the army as a whole, the number of people who thought Seto was adorable was increasing.
He was particularly popular with the prostitutes; when he moved through the camp, he was often given food by those who weren't busy with work.
Of course, although Rei himself hadn't noticed at all, many of the prostitutes were actually trying to get closer to him through Seto. It was only natural. Although they couldn't see his whole face because he usually kept his hood down, there was no doubt that Rei's features were refined enough to be called a girlish face. Furthermore, he had earned an alias in his mid-teens and possessed the strength to be considered the Rebel Army's greatest military asset. If by some miracle they could get into Rei's good graces... and if he were to ransom them, it would be a total reversal of fortune.
But unfortunately, Rei didn't understand that he was being approached. He simply felt joy that Seto was being treated kindly—though he was often troubled by where to look when he saw the prostitutes wearing outfits designed to provoke a man's lust.
"Seto also likes taking naps. In the spring sun, in the summer shade, or under the soft autumn light. He often sleeps in places like that. I usually end up leaning against Seto's body and sleeping too."
Originally, Seto had a body that was fine without sleeping for a certain amount of time. However, the gryphon enjoyed naps, and taking a nap together with Rei was a blissful moment for him.
"Seto's body is soft, and his feathers and fur are as smooth as silk. He's perfect for sleeping on."
"Heh. I'm a bit interested in being able to sleep that comfortably."
As they talked about Seto, the topic eventually shifted, and Rei asked Angela what noble life was like. The nobles Rei was close to were Elena and Daskar, and perhaps Ara. Since every one of them was a noble who could hardly be called ordinary, Rei didn't really know much about what a normal noble was like.
(In Vihera's case, she's royalty... and the nobles in the Rebel Army's position aren't a good reference since it's an emergency.)
As Rei thought of the faces of the nobles he knew, starting with Vihera, Angela gave a small, bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, but in my case, I'm different from a general noble in many ways..."
When Angela pointed out that it was a stretch to call the Commander of the White Rose Knight Order a general noble, Rei had to agree.
"However... well, I think my brother is a general noble."
"Your brother?"
"Yes. He's the next head of Count Luxinowa’s House, so I think he's close to the kind of noble you're talking about."
Without noticing that she had started calling him Rei instead of Lord Rei, and as her tone became more frank, Angela's explanation continued.
"He wakes up at a set time, finishes the day as scheduled, and goes to bed at a set time. To put it simply, that's all it is, but if he deviates even slightly from the schedule, someone has to take responsibility. Some people call it stifling, but in exchange, you never have to worry about starving."
"Whoa."
Rei's honest feeling was exactly as his words suggested. He was someone who naturally disliked being tied down. When he thought about what it would be like if he were to become a noble, he didn't have the confidence that he could manage it at all.
However, this was only the case for Count Luxinowa. Among nobles, there were many families with more liberal traditions, and there were also those who behaved arrogantly and did whatever they pleased.
"Hehehe, I thought so. I didn't think a noble's life would suit you, Rei."
Seeing Rei's disgusted face, Angela murmured with a smile. In this way, they passed the time together until someone approached the shack.