That night, the same day that Rei had taught the chefs from the Eternal Sky Pavilion how to make hamburger steaks. A few days’ walk from the Imperial Capital, about 10 figures were gathered in a forest.

「So, how are they doing over there?」

「Not good. They seem to have made thorough preparations to oppose us. I don’t know which faction they belong to, but I saw them being found and dealt with immediately.」

The moonlight would normally illuminate the surroundings, but because they were in the forest, the soft moonlight shining brightly in the night sky was blocked by trees and didn’t reach the ground.

The people talking all clicked their tongues in disgust.

「Damn it, who was it that said Count Obrisin isn’t good a this kind of underhanded work and that it would be easy to sneak in.」

One of the shadows spat in disgust, but the others all held the same thoughts.

Originally, they would already be inside, checking the fighting strength of the Third Prince’s faction, including the Third Prince himself, Mercurio.

That was what they had been ordered to do by their master……the Second Prince.

The Second Prince, Shurus, was naturally aware of the battle that was the secret struggle between his brothers.

That was why he had taken the opportunity to send in his own troops to outwit Kabajid, who was currently superior to him……

「Demon Soldiers, where did they get them from?」

That was right, there were Demon Soldiers with more sensitive senses than normal among the Third Prince’s faction.

Luckily, they were scouting from afar, so they weren’t attacked, but they had seen what appeared to be a spy from another force being captured by the Demon Soldiers in front of them.

「It’s not that I don’t understand. The Demon Soldiers were under Theorem’s direct control after all.」

「But, those Demon Soldiers should have been taken away from Theorem’s hands by now due to the result of the Spring War, right?」

「In the first place, they are the ones trying to rebel within the Bestir Empire. Considering that, it’s not strange to think that they would use all their available forces.」

「……So, what are we going to do in the end? If the Demon Soldiers are there, it will be extremely difficult to sneak into their camp, you know?」

『……』

The last person spoke and everyone fell silent.

It was true, but if things continued like this, it would be hard to carry out the orders given by their master. That was the truth.

「Whatever we do, it’s difficult to manage anything with our numbers. So how about we request reinforcements?」

One of those hiding in the forest spoke and, suddenly, a voice that didn’t belong to them echoed into the surroundings.

「That’s true. If you can get through this safely, that might be a good idea.」

The moment they heard that voice, everyone leaped back.

They hid in the shadows of the trees in the forest as they peered around.

As expected from those who worked in the shadows, it was an instant decision.

「Wow, that was a quick decision. Even though I came to check on you, everyone seems to be safe. ……I wonder if you’re one of Brother Kabajid’s men.」

Brother Kabajid. With those words, everyone realised the true identity of the voice.

(Princess Vihera!?)

Although they were shocked, they kept it to themselves and didn’t say anything, whicn was natural for someone used to this kind of work.

Piii-, Pii-, Pii-!

The leader of the group gave a signal with a whistle.

The simple order, which could be given by varying the pitch and length of the whistle, was to leave the area and gather at the second assembly point.

That was the order, but only a few who heard it were able to act.

The leader noticed the number of whistles coming back was low and he clicked his tongue internally as he tried to escape the place by blending in with the trees in the forest.

「Oh, where are you going? It’s a rare night time encounter, so shouldn’t we enjoy it a little more?」

「……Your Highness Vihera, why are you here……」

The leader muttered involuntarily as the other person appeared from the shadows of the trees.

Just as he had heard beforehand, Vihera wasn’t wearing any armour, just light clothing.

Even through the moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the trees, he could still see through her clothes.

At first glance, Vihera’s cloths looked like those of a prostitute or dancer, but the leader didn’t let his guard down.

In fact, he hadn’t heard replies from more than half of 10 or so allies with him. In other words, in this short time, the woman in front of him had taken out that many of his men, whether by knocking them out or killing them.

「Why? The peeping toms who came to spy on us ran away, so it’s only natural for a lady to chase after them, right?」

「……I honesty don’t think it’s right to dress like that when you’re a lady.」

「Oh, really? But the man Ii’m interested in will be happy with this outfit, right? ……Probably.」

「As a man, I’ll give you some advice. The clothes you’re wearing will stimulate a man’s deepest desires. But, it’s not good to stimulate them too much, so I think it would be best to be more careful if possible. Also, as the Second Princess of the Bestir Empire, you need to be more careful.」

As they exchanged words, they each looked for openings in the other’s eyes.

However, the man was looking for an opportunity to escape while Vihera was looking for an opportunity to take him out.

As for who had the advantage, it was overwhelmingly in Vihera’s advantage.

She had rapidly become proficient at the skill she had named Magic Palm, which sent a direct shockwave through her opponent’s body using magic power.

By using it, she could ignore an opponent’s defensive ability and inflict damage to them, even if they were wearing full plate mail.

The man Vihera was facing now was equipped with leather armour, dyed black for stealth. She could expect to deal a certain amount of damage with just a normal punch, even without using Magic Palm.

If she used magic items such as her gauntlets and leg guards, she could easily cut through the man’s defenses.

「……Would you be so kind as to let me capture you? If you tell me information about my brother, I won’t be rough with you, okay?」

What was fortunate for the man at this time was that Vihera had assumed he was a subordinate of Kabajid and had no idea he was actually a subordinate of the Second Prince, Shurus.

(But, this advantage only lasts for now.)

The man glanced into the dark forest.

Many of his subordinates had likely fallen already. Since that was the case, some information would inevitably be leaked. In particular, the fact that they were an intelligence unit directly under the Second Prince would become known sooner or later.

(To take their own lives after being captured, not giving up any information……how many people would be able to make that decision? The only saving grace is that there were others aside from me who managed to escape this place. A the very least, we would be able to deliver the information to Prince Shurus. His Highness will also know who attacked us……)

As the man thought that in his mind, Vihera smiled seductively under the moonlight.

Her expression was so lustrous that the man facing her as an enemy was captivated for a moment.

However, what Vihera said as she made an inviting gesture towards the man wasn’t something he had expected.

「I’ll tell you this much, there’s no point in getting your hopes up that anyone made it out of the forest before you. Count Obrisin’s men have them surrounded.」

Hearing her words, the man woke up from his captivation as he clicked his tongue internally.

Few of Count Obrisin’s subordinates were able to work together as a group. ……No, rather, you could say that there were almost none. However, on the other hand, that meant that they were able to demonstrate their true abilities while fighting individually.

……Right. In other words, the current situation was the perfect opportunity for Count Obrisin’s soldiers.

「As expected of Her Highness Vihera……should I say?」

「Really? Anyone can do something like this, you know?」

Vihera said that as if it was nothing, but the man wanted to shout out that it wasn’t a joke.

Training people like himself took a lot of time and money. If they were defeated and captured so easily, he would have no excuses to give to his master, Shurus.

That said, while he would feel the humiliation of having to report it, he absolutely had to avoid having all his subordinates captured here.

He had to get out of this situation no matter what and let Shurus know about it.

(Fortunately, the only opponent in front of me is Her Highness Vihera. In other words, if I can get lose Her Highness Vihera, I will have a better chance of escaping successfully.)

At this point, he had no intention of fighting Vihera directly and beating her, he was only focusing on escaping.

That was because he understood the difference in skill between himself and Vihera. Just know that was enough to show he was skilled.

「Well then……if you don’t surrender, I’ll start now, is that okay?」

Vihera stomped her feat firmly on the ground and, in the next moment, dashed forward, closing the distance between her and the man in one go.

The man had been waiting for that and jumped backwards, pulling a knife out of his pocket and throwing it.

The knife came flying through, slicing through the air, but Vihera didn’t care as she poured her magic power into her gauntlets, creating claws and easily cutting down the knife.

「What-!?」

It was an attack he was confident in, so he never expected it to be blocked so easily.

Being distracted by Vihera’s movements for a moment proved to be a decisive gap for the man.

By the time he realised it, Vihera was already in front of him, dashing forward as she reached out to gently touch his torso with her hand……

「Fuu-!」

Letting out a short breath, she unleashed her Magic Palm, creating a shock of magic power through his body.

「Damn it……」

The man sensed danger, but was unable to finish his sentence, losing consciousness and collapsing on the spot.

Seeing that, Vihera approached him vigilantly for a few seconds after he had fallen to the ground, just to be sure, and kicked him lightly with the tip of her foot. She gave a sigh of relief after confirming the man was completely unconscious.

「It looks like it’s over. I know the night time is the best time to fight such opponents, but it’s bad for my beauty. I hope my skin isn’t too rough when I meet Rei. What do you think?」

All she could see was the forest.

「I think Vihera-sama is attractive enough the way she is. Honestly, that Rei you’re talking about……Crimson, was it? I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with him.」

But, even in that state, she heard a reply and, at the same time, a middle aged man in his fifties appeared from the dark forest.

His body was well built and muscular, standing well over 2m tall.

He held a battle axe in each hand that was each larger than normal.

The strength he had as he swung two battle axes was far beyond that of a man in his fifties.

Looking at the blood stained blades of the battle axes, it was clear he wasn’t carrying such weapons for show or out of curiosity.

「It’s Rei. He’ll definitely show up with the battle with Kabajid begins. ……He lost in the finals of the fighting tournament, so it won’t be surprising for him to come to the battlefield seeking more strength. If we meet then, you’ll understand why I was attracted to Rei……Count Obrisin.」

Count Obrisin’s stern expression turned suspicious as Vihera spoke with some kind of conviction.

「Why are you so confident about that, Vihera-sama?」

Although he called out to Vihera by her name, his way of speaking wasn’t like that of someone speaking to a person they served.

A warrior. That was the reason Count Obrisin was called that.

This attitude stemmed from when he was a member of the Second Princess’ faction.

Normally, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be charged with lèse majesté for his poor manners. But, Count Obrisin’s had military strength and achievements. And, above all, Vihera herself liked Count Obrisin, so he continued to act the same way without any particular punishment.

「Well, I guess that’s just the intuition of a woman who knows the both of you. ……I just wish I could have been there for Rei right now.」

This was information she had received after escaping the Imperial Capital. When Vihera had heard that the winner of the fighting tournament was the Immovable Noiz, her eyes had widened in shock.

Normally, she would have considered it a foregone conclusion. After all, it was a battle between a S rank and a B rank.

But, even so……Vihera still thought that Rei would win.

Now that she was wrong, as a warrior, she wanted to know how he had fought, and as a woman, she was shocked and wanted to be by Rei’s side.

But, considering her current position, she couldn’t do that……she believed that Rei would use that defeat as motivation, so she remained in Count Obrisin’s territory.

「I’ll go and bring back the unconscious people. We need to hurry and gather information.」

Having said that, Vihera sighed as she turned her gaze to the giant, bloodstained battle axes.

「I wish you had captured them instead of killing them.」

「Ahahahahaha. Don’t ask me to do something unreasonable.」

After that exchange, they called Count Obrisin’s subordinates to retrieve the unconscious people and returned to his territory, which was their base.

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