The sight of the Frizion Army was confirmed.
That report arrived about a few hours after Rei had finished debriefing Mercurio on his actions since leaving the camp. The autumn sun had already dipped below the horizon, and a faint darkness was beginning to settle over the land.
The Frizion Army, which should have arrived several hours earlier, had been delayed by the units waiting in ambush along the highway.
Rei had attacked those units by dropping boulders from the sky, and most of the troops caught in those strikes had retreated. However, as they withdrew, they had performed various acts of petty sabotage—digging shallow pitfall traps, scattering wagon wreckage across the road, and occasionally firing arrows at the Frizion Army before fleeing just to buy a few more minutes.
Each encounter with these remnants forced the march to a halt, resulting in the army reaching the Rebel Army main camp at this late hour.
However, the delay may have actually been for the best.
It gave the Rebel Army time to handle some post-war processing, allowing them to repair damaged sections of the camp and clear away the debris that had been scattered about during the fight. Furthermore, the frantic adrenaline following the battle had mostly subsided.
Had the Frizion Army arrived while tensions were still at their peak, unnecessary friction might have broken out between the two forces.
Since the Frizion Army had arrived, they required a proper welcome. Mercurio, leader of the Rebel Army, headed to the edge of the camp accompanied by his guard, Theoreme.
"Mercurio, I am glad to see you unharmed. I was worried when I heard you were being attacked while your combat strength was so low."
Frizion spoke with a joyful smile. At the sight of his sister, Mercurio offered a small smile of his own.
"The same to you, Big Sister Frizion. I heard you faced many hardships from the time you left the Imperial Capital until you reached us. I am glad you are safe."
The smile on Mercurio's face was undoubtedly one of genuine joy. However, it was markedly different from the one he reserved for Vihera.
If asked if he was happy, he certainly was, but it was not the kind of overwhelming delight that radiated from his entire being. Frizion understood just how much Mercurio adored Vihera, so even though she noticed the difference, she chose not to voice it.
"More importantly, our opponent is Big Brother Cabajid. This incident was certainly dangerous, but I doubt he will give up quietly after this."
"Likely so. We repelled them in the end, but we weren't in a position to launch a pursuit. Besides, Big Brother Schuls is with him; it wouldn't be strange if they resorted to forceful measures."
Despite sharing only half their blood, their sibling bond allowed them to align their thoughts in a brief exchange.
"In that case, it seems the banquet to celebrate joining with Big Sister Frizion will have to wait for a while."
"Vihera isn't here yet, either."
"That's true. Since Big Sister isn't here, the celebration can stay on the back burner."
"...You haven't changed a bit."
Frizion let out a sigh even as a smile played on her lips. Mercurio had taken her joke entirely seriously. To Mercurio, "Big Sister" meant Vihera. That was why he addressed Frizion as "Big Sister Frizion," while Vihera was simply "Big Sister."
"Of course I haven't. It's not like it's been years since we escaped the castle. Putting that aside, I wanted to ask—did you see the retreating Subjugation Army on your way here?"
"No. I saw the units that a certain someone attacked 'on the way' here, but I didn't see the forces that were besieging this camp. In fact, I was going to ask you the same thing. Since they aren't here, I assume Rei played a major role in driving them off..."
"He did. But it seems they didn't use the highway to retreat. I wonder how they managed to withdraw that many people without being spotted... though I think I can guess."
He murmured the words while glancing up at the sky, which was rapidly being swallowed by the night.
"The Breath of Quantome, then?"
"Yeah. It's a massive money-sink that requires the magic stone of a B-Rank Monster, but if they used that illusion to shroud the Subjugation Army..."
"Even if they couldn't move while it was active, they could hide within it. They can't silence sound perfectly, but as long as they kept the noise to a level that wouldn't alert the surrounding area, it wouldn't be a problem."
"It would have been a different story if we could have deployed a pursuit unit... but as you can see, we were in no condition to do that."
Torches and bonfires were burning throughout the camp. Under their flickering light, the post-battle cleanup continued.
"If Big Sister were here, we might have managed something, but..."
"You mean the highway blockade. Even if you found it suspicious, you had no choice but to act, given that they were using starvation tactics."
"Yeah... though I'm sure she's fine."
Frizion offered a small, reassuring smile to Mercurio as he worried for his sister.
"At any rate, my army won't be able to rest inside the camp at this rate... Would you mind if we helped?"
"I was actually about to ask for your help. Theoreme, please guide them. I'd like to avoid any unnecessary friction."
"Understood!"
"Commander Angela, if you would."
"However, that would leave Her Highness Frizion's guard thin..."
"It's fine. If Mercurio is sending his confidant Theoreme, we should send someone of equal standing to coordinate, shouldn't we? Besides, in terms of protection, I have no reason to worry as long as Rei is here."
At Frizion's words, the gaze of everyone present turned toward Rei.
The members of the Rebel Army looked at him with absolute trust, a result of the battle that had ended only hours ago. The members of the Frizion Army also watched him with respect, having witnessed his prowess on several occasions.
...However, unlike the Rebel Army, there were also those in Frizion's ranks who viewed Rei with non-positive sentiments. Mercurio noticed this and looked surprised for a moment before nodding in understanding.
Rei was an individual with a powerful personality, for better or worse. It was only natural that some people would find him difficult to accept.
"I understand. Then, Lord Theoreme, I look forward to working with you."
"Likewise. Thank you for your assistance, Commander Angela."
"Think nothing of it. From today, we are all part of the same cause. Naturally, this place will become our home as well."
With those words, the Frizion Army and Mercurio's Rebel Army entered the camp together.
The first collaborative effort between the two forces was the post-battle cleanup. Because they worked side-by-side, any potential rivalry was largely forgotten. Instead, the atmosphere in most areas was peaceful, with soldiers exchanging stories of the battles they had fought.
Needless to say, the topics of Rei and Seto played a massive role in bridging the gap. A common subject was more than enough to get the soldiers talking.
While the atmosphere at the camp grew lighter, a heavy gloom hung over the Subjugation Army.
It was understandable. They had exhausted every means and taken action only after judging that victory was a certainty. Using starvation tactics should have forced the Rebel Army into a corner. Setting aside the leadership, the common soldiers would have grown anxious and violent as food supplies dwindled, leading to internal strife within the Rebel ranks.
Furthermore, the merchants would have been forced to leave the camp immediately if the starvation tactics continued. Even if they saw the situation as a business opportunity, they would have realized that their presence was only further depleting the Rebel Army's resources.
Given those factors, the Rebel Army would have had to break the highway blockade even if they sensed a trap. Yet, after an operation planned with such meticulous care, it had ultimately ended in failure.
Naturally, the eyes of those present turned toward Pelfeel, who had been in command.
Subjected to those gazes, Pelfeel remained seemingly unbothered, calmly issuing orders to her subordinates. Every instruction was focused on the next steps: assessing damage, counting the soldiers who had fled, reorganizing units, overseeing the treatment of the wounded, and verifying remaining supplies.
"What are you all dazing off for? It is true that our attack on the Rebel Army failed. However, just because this battle did not go as planned does not mean His Highness Cabajid or..."
She paused, looking over at those of the Second Prince Faction before continuing.
"...His Highness Schuls has been defeated."
"But this operation mobilized a significant portion of our deployable forces. And yet, it failed, didn't it?"
"It cannot necessarily be called a failure. While we retreated without crushing the Rebel Army, it is a fact that we inflicted considerable damage. In particular, many of the fences, the keystone of the camp's defense, were destroyed. There is no doubt they have consumed a vast amount of their strength. In contrast, we still have many forces remaining."
"That's..."
When put that way, it was indeed a fact. However, being a fact did not necessarily mean the men were satisfied. Or rather, the officers might have been able to accept the logic, but the most important element in battle was the soldiers.
There was no doubt that the common soldiers would not be satisfied if told today's battle was not a loss, but a draw or mutual damage. Most of the troops who had participated in this fight had terror carved into their souls.
They had seen Crimson, clad in his Overlord's Armor, rampaging across the field—blowing away, crushing, and pulverizing everything in his path. They had seen the A-Rank Monster Gryphon, whose sharp claws easily crushed human skulls from the air, whose physical ability surpassed even beastman soldiers, and whose roar paralyzed all who heard it.
Very few would be willing to say, "Yes, of course," when told they had to face those opponents again.
...Still, judging by the fact that they would likely be able to return to the battlefield in a few days or a week, they were in much better shape than the soldiers of the Imperial Army who had faced Rei at the Seremuse Plain during the Spring War.
"Won't the soldiers be useless like this?"
"Indeed, that may be a problem. However..."
Pelfeel cut herself off as her eyes suddenly widened, as if she had noticed something. She immediately reached for the hilt of the sword at her waist, but—
"Stop right there."
She froze at that single sentence.
It wasn't as if anything physical had been done to her. She had been stopped purely by the weight of those few spoken words.
The people around her tilted their heads, unable to comprehend what was happening. Realizing they truly did not understand what had occurred, Pelfeel took a sharp breath.
It took about 1 minute for her to steady her breathing. Ignoring the confused looks from her subordinates, she spoke.
"Why... are you here?"
"I was asked by Cabajid. Though even I was surprised he'd send a messenger that far out."
The nobles around Pelfeel finally registered the voice that had addressed Cabajid without any titles. They turned pale and looked around frantically.
"Calling His Highness Cabajid by name? Who is it!?"
Still unable to find a figure, they looked around with growing indignation. Pelfeel could only watch her subordinates' confusion with amazement. To her eyes, the speaker was visible right nearby.
The man, who had appeared out of nowhere just a few steps away, was standing boldly in plain sight. Yet, he prevented anyone other than Pelfeel from even recognizing his presence, allowing only his voice to reach them.
Pelfeel knew better than anyone that she wasn't significantly superior to the others just because she could see him. She realized the owner of the voice was simply choosing to make himself visible only to her. She found it impressive, but not mysterious—it was clear that the person before her possessed that level of power.
"And so... for what purpose have you come? Is it to purely lend us your strength?"
"Well, that would be interesting, too... but for now, I'm strictly a messenger. Heh, Cabajid has some nerve using even me as a messenger."
Pelfeel's subordinates could only look around in bewilderment as she conversed with an opponent they could not see. They likely refrained from drawing their weapons only because Pelfeel was speaking with the mysterious entity, suggesting it wasn't an immediate threat. The act of calling Cabajid by name was an unforgivable insult, but they were powerless to do anything against an invisible foe.
"A messenger?"
"Yeah. Currently, the two of Cabajid and Schuls are heading this way, leaving only minimum forces in the Imperial Capital. It seems they intend to join up and initiate the Final Battle. Since they said they'd leave Crimson to me, you don't have to worry about that. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon on this highway, in front of the village nearest to here. Consider the message delivered."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pelfeel realized the figure she alone could see had vanished.
Listening to the contents of the message and the noisy confusion of her subordinates, Pelfeel muttered a single word.
"Immovable..."