The location was a treatment center of sorts where the wounded had been gathered.
Most of those receiving medical attention were soldiers of the Mercurio Army, but figures from the captured Subjugation Army could be seen among them as well.
The news of the Subjugation Army's surrender must have reached this place already. Most of the people working there wore smiles on their faces.
Among the treated Subjugation Army soldiers, however, some wore expressions of bitter grief. They likely didn't want to believe they had lost. After all, they had prepared a force more than four times larger than the Mercurio Army. Under such circumstances, it wouldn't have been strange for them to be certain of their victory.
Even so, the reason they didn't run wild in their disbelief was likely because they didn't want to cause trouble for the people who had treated their wounds.
However, the treatment provided at this medical ward primarily involved the use of various medicines. Those who could use recovery magic were not that numerous to begin with; its use was limited to those with life-threatening injuries who didn't have a moment to spare. Potions, while not as powerful as recovery magic, were also reserved for those who had suffered heavy wounds.
Since the Mercurio Army didn't possess an abundance of potions compared to the Subjugation Army in the first place, this was only natural. Consequently, treatments using medicines cheaper than potions became the primary method.
Rei appeared in this place alone and looked around. Seto, who was usually by his side, was nowhere to be seen.
Judging that bringing Seto to the medical ward might terrify those who weren't yet used to him, Rei had left him behind to serve as Mercurio's guard. Although the danger to Mercurio and his circle had decreased now that the Subjugation Army had surrendered, there was no guarantee that a desperate soldier wouldn't make an attempt on His Highness Mercurio's life.
(Besides, Seto has poor chemistry with Rhodos.)
Perhaps because the first impression during their initial meeting had been the absolute worst, Seto disliked Rhodos. For the usually friendly Seto, this was an extremely rare occurrence. There was also the fact that bringing Seto along to check on Rhodos wouldn't have been pleasant for either of them.
According to what Rei had heard from Theoreme, however, Rhodos was unconscious and showed no signs of waking up.
Rei surveyed his surroundings for Rhodos's figure, but this was the medical ward of the Mercurio Army, which boasted a force of ten thousand men. The number of soldiers resting and receiving treatment, combined with those from the Subjugation Army's side, was quite large.
Judging that it would be impossible to find Rhodos on his own, Rei was about to ask a person passing nearby when he stopped in his tracks.
"…Hey, why are you here?"
Rei asked with an unintentionally blank expression at the unexpected encounter. The individual spoke without appearing particularly surprised.
"Well, I heard that users of recovery magic were in short supply. Fortunately, the Water Spirit Magic I use has many spells applicable to healing. In exchange for cooperating with the treatments, I've arranged to receive some leniency in my treatment as a prisoner."
The person who spoke—Digma—quickly used Water Spirit Magic to splash water toward a seriously injured patient. When that water covered the torso of a soldier whose side had been slashed open, exposing his organs, the soldier’s face, which had been groaning in pain, relaxed into one of peace.
The skill to accurately apply recovery magic only to those with serious injuries without moving a single step while talking to Rei proved that the alias "Digma of the Water Dragon" was not something earned purely through combat ability.
(In that sense, I'm completely outmatched.)
As someone who understood himself to be an existence specialized for combat, Rei felt envious of Digma’s versatility.
(If I were to be given an alias for something other than combat…)
A myriad of actions since his arrival in Elgin flashed through Rei’s mind until he eventually reached a single conclusion.
(Cooking Rei, or something like that?)
The udon that had spread in Gilm had already begun to trend in the surrounding cities, and the seafood okonomiyaki he had made in the port town of Emotion had been quite well-received. Even in the Imperial Capital… he started to think, then immediately shook his head.
(That’s clearly an alias that would get me looked down on. …Unless people thought it meant I was 'cooking' my enemies into a bloodbath or something.)
Digma had been watching Rei with some interest, but judging that time was being wasted, he spoke up.
"So, what exactly did you come here for?"
"Hmm? …Oh, right. Actually, I heard Rhodos was in this medical ward. I heard there was some kind of abnormality, so I came to check on him."
"Rhodos… he was in the fighting tournament as well. Yes, he's certainly here. However, well… there's likely no point in seeing him right now. It seems he used a magic item with extremely strong side effects; his body is in an abnormal state."
Digma responded immediately. The fact that he understood exactly who was being discussed among so many injured was likely because Rhodos's symptoms were that distinct.
"Specifically?"
From Rei's perspective, Rhodos was the son of his friend Elk and someone with whom he shared a complicated history. They weren't exactly on good terms, but it was a fact that if he were to die, Rei wouldn't be able to face Elk or his wife, Min.
"He's lost consciousness. For the time being, I've provided what treatment I can with my spirit magic, but I don't know if he'll regain consciousness. Furthermore, even if he does return, there's a significant possibility that some kind of permanent aftereffects will remain."
"…I see."
Rei closed his eyes for a few seconds at Digma's words, then spoke again.
"I want to ask for your intuition as a recovery magic user—is there a chance Rhodos will wake up and be able to continue as an adventurer like before?"
"Let's see. The chance that he can function exactly as before without any side effects is ten percent. The chance of having minor aftereffects is thirty percent. The chance of serious aftereffects remaining is twenty percent."
"…What about the remaining forty percent?"
At that question, Digma merely shook his handsome head. It was obvious what that signified.
"I see."
Rei murmured softly and let out a sigh. He wanted the boy to regain consciousness if possible, but he also felt that if serious aftereffects remained, that in itself would be a devastating shock to Rhodos.
"What will you do? Do you want to see him?"
When Digma asked again, Rei shook his head.
"No, if he's unconscious, there's no point in me seeing him now. Once this civil strife is officially over, I'll drop by then."
"Is that so? I understand. …Is the Subjugation Army's defeat truly certain for this conflict?"
"Yeah."
Judging that it was better not to mention yet that Cabajid had taken responsibility for the defeat with his own life, Rei gave a short answer. Another reason was that Rei himself hadn't finished organizing his thoughts regarding Cabajid.
For about ten seconds, they both fell silent. However, even if they didn't speak, this was still a medical ward. The voices of soldiers groaning in pain echoed all around them.
"Was Lady Vihera… safe?"
Digma was the one to break the silence. Rei tilted his head slightly at the name that had come out so unexpectedly, then quickly understood. He remembered who it was that had defeated Digma. Considering that, it wasn't so strange for her name to come up here.
"She's safe. Though, it seems she has no intention of appearing in public any further."
That was exactly why Rei had returned to the main camp—to receive instructions from Mercurio or Theoreme on how to conclude this civil strife.
However, from Digma's perspective, he couldn't seem to grasp Rei's words. He spoke up with dissatisfaction, slightly knitting his brows.
"Why? Why would Lady Vihera, who performed such great deeds, discard those merits herself? Is it because of His Highness Mercurio's… no, that's not it."
Digma had been captured as a prisoner by Vihera, and since regaining consciousness, he'd had a brief chance to speak with Mercurio. Since it was Vihera who had captured him, her name had naturally come up. That being the case, Digma understood how much Mercurio cherished his older sister, and he judged it impossible for Mercurio to steal achievements from her.
Because that was the truth, Digma couldn't understand why Vihera would so easily surrender her own merits, and he tilted his head in confusion. Given that Digma had always attracted attention because of his own beauty, he couldn't quite comprehend Vihera's way of thinking. At the root of it, however, were Digma's own feelings; his heart had been stolen by Vihera's strength and beauty.
"If you're from the Bestia Empire, I think you'd know, but Vihera has already left the Bestia Empire once before. Because of that, she doesn't really want to stand out. She doesn't plan to make her original position public and intends to quietly disappear just like thi—"
"What did you say!?"
Digma shouted, forcibly cutting off Rei's sentence. His voice was filled with the intensity of an A-rank adventurer, causing the nearby injured to instinctively shrink back.
However, Rei didn't understand what Digma was so excited about and merely tilted his head.
"Lady Vihera is disappearing!? Where is she going!?"
Digma asked with an intensity that made it seem as if he might attack at any moment. But since Rei didn't specifically know Vihera's destination, he couldn't tell him. Or rather, there were several places he suspected, but those were merely guesses and weren't certain. Beyond that, he felt that telling him where Vihera was going would undoubtedly lead to a troublesome situation later.
"Don't ask me that. But since she left the country, isn't it obvious she's leaving the Bestia Empire?"
"I see. …I see. …Wait, what!? She's leaving the Bestia Empire!?"
Digma's handsome features contorted as he processed the news. Looking at him, Rei wondered if the man had always been this troublesome while he nodded.
"She already abandoned her status, so I think that much is obvious, isn't it?"
"No, even if it's not around the Imperial Capital, she could be somewhere on the frontier or in the countryside inside the Bestia Empire…"
"…That possibility isn't nonexistent, but…"
It would likely be impossible, Rei thought, his tone implying the sentiment.
For better or worse, Vihera stood out in the Bestia Empire. With her appearance and ability, she likely wouldn't be able to live quietly no matter how remote the countryside. Furthermore, since Vihera was a battle maniac at heart, she wasn't the type to pull off a life of seclusion.
"If that's the case, should I also leave the Bestia Empire?"
"Is it okay for you to decide that so easily?"
As an alias holder known as the Water Dragon, Digma was one of the foremost powerhouses even within the Bestia Empire. If such a powerful figure were to leave the country so easily, it would be a major loss for the Empire.
Since an adventurer was ultimately a free individual, they couldn't be forcibly tied to a country. They couldn't… but even so, the Bestia Empire would surely want to prevent someone of Digma's caliber from defecting if possible.
However, even if they tried to bind him forcibly, they would face the problem of how to handle an A-rank adventurer who held an alias. If they tried to use careless military force, and that was enough to manage him, he wouldn't have become an alias holder in the first place, and there was even a danger that the force would be completely annihilated. To handle it for certain, they would have to prepare someone with even greater ability, or bind him to the country with money, women, or power.
Then again, high-rank adventurers could already receive extremely high rewards, women were literally theirs for the choosing, and many had no particular interest in political power.
And from Rei's perspective, it wasn't a bad outcome for a powerful asset like Digma to disappear from the Bestia Empire. Considering the possibility of fighting them in a future war against the Kingdom of Mireana, he even felt like actively encouraging the idea. Digma, who used Water Spirit Magic, excelled at fighting multiple opponents using the Water Dragon of his namesake. And as his presence in the medical ward proved, he was also skilled in recovery magic, which was a rare talent.
"What are you saying? An adventurer is a free existence. One should follow their own heart and live freely."
"…Well, if you're fine with that, I don't mind."
As Rei replied to Digma, he noticed a soldier appearing at the entrance of the medical ward and approaching them.
"Captain Rei, His Highness Mercurio and the others are ready. They request that you come at once."
"I see, got it. …Well, I'm heading out. I'm counting on you to look after Rhodos."
"Yeah."
Exchanging brief words, Rei left the medical ward along with the soldier.