Clouds drifted across the night sky, obscuring the moonlight that should have bathed the earth.
During that long autumn night, Rei sat near the magic tent, sharing a meal with Seto.
"Guruu, gururururuu!"
A variety of bear meat dishes sat before Seto, who purred happily. There was stew, stir-fry, simmered meat, and even cuts that were seared over a high flame on the outside but left almost raw in the center.
Bears during this season needed to store ample nutrients before hibernation, making their meat fatty and exceptionally delicious. One could say they were at their peak.
Since Seto had caught the bear himself, Rei had enlisted the help of someone in the Frizion Army who enjoyed cooking as a hobby. The results were several luxurious bear meat dishes. The cook had gone back satisfied, having received a share of the seasonal meat as thanks.
While bear meat could be difficult to prepare due to its gamy odor, the cook was evidently quite talented. Every dish made for Rei and Seto was superb. Bears just before hibernation possessed a particularly strong scent, so the fact that the cook could create a meal that didn't hint at it at all was proof of their skill.
Of course, in Seto's case, it would eat gamy meat as a rugged, wild flavor regardless, so the efforts to mask the scent were mainly for Rei’s benefit.
"Yeah, this is good. It’s every bit as good as the bear hot pot I’ve had before."
Rei recalled the bear hot pot he had eaten back in Japan—meat given to him by a hunter friend that was prepared in a miso-based stew. He took a bite of bread along with the bear meat stew. The heavy black bread, which had a faint acidity, paired perfectly with the rich stew.
"Maybe we should have you catch a deer in the mountains next time, Seto."
"Guruu!"
Seto purred as if to say, Leave it to me! while devouring a bowl of stewed bear right hand, a part considered a delicacy. While a bear provided an overwhelming amount of meat, Rei recalled his hunter neighbor in Japan mentioning that venison was actually superior in terms of flavor.
"...Come to think of it, Seto, didn't you eat a magic stone?"
"Gurururuu?"
Seto tilted its head at Rei's question. Rei reached for a bear meat skewer and continued.
"You remember when we were separated during my rank-up exam? You ate a magic stone and learned a skill then, didn't you?"
Recognizing the memory of their time apart, Seto suddenly leaned in and rubbed its body against Rei. Even though Seto was a formidable A-rank monster, the gryphon was less than two years old. It was still at an age where it craved affection, and Rei was naturally the focus of its devotion.
"Guruu, gururururu, guruu."
As Seto purred and rubbed its face against him, Rei broke into a smile. He let go of the skewer and stroked the gryphon's head.
"Hey, calm down. Look, I didn't mean you absolutely had to get a skill. I was just wondering what happened."
"Guruu..."
Seto let out a dejected sound, appearing to apologize. Rei hurriedly stroked Seto's head again, reassuring it that it wasn't a problem.
The forest where Seto had been hiding until Rei summoned him was primarily a hunting ground for rookie adventurers. Naturally, the monsters found there were weak—mostly goblins. Unless it was a rare species or a high-ranking species, normal goblins offered nothing to a creature of Seto’s caliber. Their meat was foul, and their hides sold for a pittance. The goblins that had attacked without understanding the power gap had all had their heads or torsos crushed by Seto's strike, scattering blood and flesh across the forest floor.
Incidentally, any lucky adventurer who stumbled upon the aftermath probably made a tidy sum scavenging magic stones and proof of subjugation parts without having to lift a finger.
"Gurururuu."
Seto turned its gaze toward the bear hide. Beyond the meat, the hide was a valuable resource, and in that sense, catching the bear had been far more profitable than killing common goblins. However, Seto wasn't boasting about the hide; it viewed it more as a gift for Rei. Having traveled to various cities like Gilm, Seto knew that bear hides were expensive items.
Understanding the sentiment, Rei smiled and stroked Seto's head and body. Seto narrowed its eyes contentedly. To an observer unaware that a major battle had occurred here only half a day ago, it was a perfectly heartwarming scene.
Then again, there were those who approached even knowing what had happened.
"Um, excuse me, Lord Rei. I brought some snacks for Seto-chan. Would that be alright?"
A female knight from Videre's Third Unit emerged from the darkness. Her acquaintance with Seto dated back to when Rei and Seto had rescued her unit from Sobul’s men, making her one of the gryphon's oldest friends within the Frizion Army. Of course, many others in the rebel army who adored Seto would likely claim they knew it first—and Mirene, the self-proclaimed and widely recognized Seto enthusiast back in Gilm, would likely growl at them all to "be gone, you novices!"
"Gururururuu?"
You're giving me something? Seto purred and looked at the female knight with its round, innocent eyes, looking nothing like the A-rank monster that had been a terror in the woods earlier that day.
"Um, Lord Rei?"
"Go ahead. Seto seems to be looking forward to it."
"Then... here, Seto-chan. I bought this from a traveling merchant earlier today."
She held out some dried fish. They were dried river fish, not seafaring ones, but in the landlocked Bestia Empire, any fish was a rarity.
"Gururuu!"
Seto purred and approached her happily.
"Ah, wait a moment. This dried fish tastes better if it’s grilled. Lord Rei, may I borrow your campfire for a bit?"
"Use it as you like."
The female knight thanked him and skewered the fish. Rather than searing them over the high flames, she held them at a distance to grill them slowly.
"Lord Rei, thank you for your help today."
As they watched the fish grill, she suddenly spoke up.
"My help?"
"Yes. If those ambushers in the woods had attacked us while we were busy with the unit on the highway, we probably wouldn't have lost, but we would have suffered heavy casualties. I'm certain the White Rose Knight Order would have lost people today if not for you."
"Don't worry about it. I was just doing my job. My role is to guard this army, after all."
"I know... but there are still those among us who despise you, Lord Rei. Even when it’s clear you saved them."
"That’s inevitable. My own attitude is partly to blame. Besides, even if they hate me, it’s not like they can actually do anything about it, right? As long as they don't try to harm me, it's their personal problem. I'm not exactly thrilled to be disliked, though, so I hope we can eventually reach a friendly understanding."
The female knight fell silent. It was the truth, but as a member of the White Rose Knight Order, she sincerely wished her comrades could get along with Rei and Seto.
Silence reigned for a few minutes until the savory scent of grilled fish filled the air. Perhaps feeling the awkwardness of the quiet, the female knight moved toward the fire to check the skewers. The small fish were perfectly done.
"Here, Seto-chan. Enjoy."
"Guruu?"
Seto looked at Rei to ask if it was okay. When Rei nodded, the gryphon purred and reached its beak toward the fish.
It’s a gryphon with the lower body of a lion... basically a feline. I guess it’s natural it likes fish, Rei thought as he watched Seto eat happily. The awkwardness from a moment ago vanished, replaced by a sense of peace. Seto’s presence alone was enough to soothe the tension.
Unaware of Rei's thoughts, Seto purred and continued to peck at the dried river fish.
"My sincerest apologies, His Highness Cabajid... My strength was not enough."
Blatta knelt before Cabajid and bowed his head. After their defeat and retreat from the battle against the Frizion Army, the survivors had returned to the Imperial Capital. Those under Schuls's command reported to him, while those under Cabajid reported to their own lord.
For Blatta, it was his second defeat in a row. The previous battle had been a night raid where they were helpless against a flame tornado, but this time, they had lost in a head-on engagement. They had even set an ambush, attacked with a cavalry unit from the rear, and placed ambushers on the flanks.
Blatta knew the eyes of Cabajid's subordinates and the nobles in the room were cold. He braced himself for dismissal or even execution, but the words that came from Cabajid were unexpected.
"I don't mind. It's true that stopping Frizion there would have been the best outcome, but you fulfilled your minimum objective by buying us time. Thanks to you, we've been able to make our next move. I still need Blatta to be active for us, so I have no intention of punishing you."
A noble in the room spoke up. "His Highness Cabajid. However, I believe reward and punishment are necessary."
"But considering Crimson was on the other side, is it really fair to blame him for the loss? Or could you have won against Crimson yourself?"
"That is... I cannot say for certain that I would win."
"Exactly. And as I said, Blatta did buy us time. My reports say Frizion and her people are tied up with post-war processing and will be spending the night on the battlefield. That’s more than enough time gained. Besides, I've made several other moves to buy time as well."
Cabajid spoke with a slight smile, and the noble bowed and fell silent. Cabajid turned back to Blatta.
"Changing the subject, how was the Fire Eater? Was it useful?"
"It certainly seemed to neutralize Crimson's flame magic. However, the fact that it only works through direct contact with the magic is problematic. If it were something safe to touch, like water or earth, it would be fine—but we're talking about fire."
"Hmm, that's what I predicted. But didn't you give Rhodos a magic item for recovery as well? Shouldn't that offset the issue?"
"...In terms of the recovery effect, yes. However, because the item strips away his will to achieve that effect, the loss of his autonomous judgment is a major source of concern in battle."
Cabajid closed his eyes and fell into thought for about ten seconds. Eventually, he opened them and let out a disappointed sigh.
"If it’s difficult to completely suppress Crimson with the Fire Eater... I'm not thrilled about it, but I suppose we have to use another means. In that case, it’s a matter of how we use the time we've gained. How is that front progressing?"
Cabajid looked at the noble who had argued for Blatta's punishment.
"As long as Pelfeel is leading, there should be no problem. ...I wish we still had Sobul, though. Pelfeel is competent, but she’s far too strict with herself and others, so her reputation among the subordinates is poor."
"Hahaha. That’s also her strong point. It’s all about how you use her. ...Besides, the recapture of Sobul should be happening soon. If it goes well, we might have him back shortly."
The plan to recapture Sobul was a suggestion brought by Count Schwindel when he joined the First Prince Faction. While Count Schwindel and his unit had run wild and died in the day's battle, Cabajid assumed the orders for the rescue were still in effect.
Cabajid did not yet know that the attempt had already been made—and that while Sobul had indeed been broken out of his carriage, the entire operation had been ruined by Crimson right near the very battlefield they were discussing.