The day after teaching the hamburger steak recipe, Rei got ready, as he did every day since coming to the Imperial Capital, and made his way down to the dining area on the first floor, where he was greeted by an unexpected sight.
「Hey, is this information true!?」
「His Highness Mercurio is rebelling against the Empire……I guess the rumoured thieves who tried to sneak into the castle the other day were……」
「Probably so. But why would His Highness Mercurio do something like that?」
「Whatever the reason, if things continue like this, it could turn into a civil war you know!? He attacked the castle and then ran away.」
「A civil war, huh. It’s true that it’s a business opportunity, but……I can’t help but feel depressed.」
「Even so, we can’t miss this opportunity. If we’re not careful, we’ll be left behind by the other merchants and companies. If that happens, what will happen to the people we employ? If we are to avoid that……」
「Wait a second! So that means you’re taking advantage of the civil war to do business!?」
「……You, whose side are you on?」
「In terms of who has the higher chance of winning, I’d take the Empire’s side. I don’t think Prince Mercurio has enough forces to do anything against the Imperial Army.」
「But, think about it the other way around. Joining the side that is most likely to win or the side that doesn’t have enough strength. Which side do you think will appreciate you more?」
「But, if you die, it won’t be worth it.」
「……But, if Prince Mercurio decided to rebel against the Empire, surely he must have some kind of countermeasure? Like, a trump card of sorts.」
「AHHHHHHHHH, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why would a civil war break out at a time like this? It’s messing up our trade plans!」
Rei, who realised why the place had turned into a crucible of chaos, sat down at a table without saying anything.
A waitress immediately came over to take his order.
Rei ordered bacon and eggs, salad, sausages, vegetable soup, and bread, which was enough food for three people, but just a light meal for himself. The waitress, who was already used to Rei’s appetite, accepted the order without any particular surprise as she spoke.
「You don’t seem too surprised, Rei.」
「No, I’m quite surprised. However, seeing everyone else’s surprise has made me strangely calm. Oh, I’ll also order some cold fruit juice and some after meal fruits.」
「Yes, yes, your appetite is as good as ever. But, what do you think will happen? A civil war just as the fighting tournament ends.」
The waitress asked as she looked around anxiously.
The Empire had expanded by absorbing neighbouring countries. Of course, rebellions were not that uncommon. But, they were usually caused by the countries they had conquered and annexed.
With enemies like that, the battlefields would naturally be closer to those countries, so those living in the Imperial Capital rarely felt the effects of the war.
Of course, it would be a different story for those who had family or acquaintances in the Imperial Army.
However, this time, it was the Third Prince, Mercurio, who had started a rebellion against the Empire.
Since that was the case, the possibility that the Imperial Capital could become a battlefield couldn’t be denied.
It wasn’t widely known that Mecurio and Vihera were camped out in Count Obrisin’s territory, not far from the Imperial Capital. Still, it was true that people would definitely start worrying if it did turn into a civil war.
And then……
「From what I’ve heard from the people in the dining area, there’s talk that neighbouring countries might respond to Prince Mercurio’s actions. ……What do you think Rei?」
The waitress asked Rei anxiously, but Rei just shook his head in response.
「First of all, as you know, I’m not from the Bestir Empire. I don’t know much about the circumstances regarding it, so it’s hard for me to answer your question.」
「Ah, that’s true. Now that you mention it, you’re right. You’ve really fit in since coming to this inn……」
The waitress smiled, as if to cover up her clumsiness, and left after receiving a message from the kitchen that food was ready to be served.
As Rei saw her off, he suddenly felt someone looking at him and turned to see who it was.
There, Luzi, Vaycul, and Mosst, the three members of Wind Dragon’s Fang, were approaching with somewhat displeased expressions on their faces.
(So they were still in the Imperial Capital after all.)
Rei thought to himself as he watched them come over.
They had become quite close and Rei had hoped they would leave the Imperial Capital before getting caught up in the civil war, but it seems his hopes had not been fulfilled.
Luzi sat down next to Rei and turned a sharp gaze towards him.
Vaycul and Mosst, who were nearby, also looked at Rei with different gazes than before.
「What’s wrong? You’re looking scary.」
「……Don’t act stupid. Did you know? Well, judging from the way you talked, you probably knew.」
「What do you want to talk about? There’s no point asking.」
Judging by the stern gazes of Luzi and the others, they had probably already figured out what Rei had been talking about, so he shrugged his shoulders as he continued.
「Well, sit down. It’s not good to talk while standing. Besides, I’m just here for breakfast.」
As Rei said that, the waitress who had taken his order came over to his table with food. Luzi and the others realised that they were drawing attention from the people around them and reluctantly sat down at the table.
Seeing that, the waitress gave a sigh in relief as she arranged the food on the table.
At this time……seeing the relationship between Rei and Wind Dragon’s Fang, who had been good friends until recently, become strained, as a waitress, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Even so, as expected from a waitress working at the Eternal Sky Pavilion, she arranged the food on the table without expressing her emotions.
「So, what would you like to order, Luzi and everyone else?」
After arranging all the food, the waitress took Luzi and the others’ order for a light meal of bread and soup.
They didn’t seem hungry, so it was more of a payment for using a table in the dining area.
After seeing the waitress off after taking their orders, Luzi spoke again.
「So, what do you know?」
Rei didn’t seem particularly bothered by Luzi’s words as he reached for the freshly baked bread that was generously placed on the table.
Today’s bread looked so white and soft that you could guess it’s texture before you even touched it.
Rei shrugged his shoulders as he deftly tore off a piece of the bread and placed it in his mouth.
「Well, I don’t know what to say. On the way back to the inn after the award ceremony at the stadium, I heard someone talking, obviously praising the First Prince. If you think about, you could have predicted what would happen.」
What Rei said wasn’t a complete lie. He had certainly overheard what seemed to be one of Kabajid’s men talking about it at a bar.
But in reality, the situation had just progressed in the way he had been expecting for a while, that was why Rei had half expected the outcome already.
「……That’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth either.」
Vaycul spoke after hearing Rei’s words.
Was it a thief’s instinct or a woman’s instinct? ……Or did Vaycul have some sort of information?
Rei didn’t know which it was, but all he could do was shrug his shoulders.
「I believe I told you the other day, but I’ve given you all the information I can. Now it’s up to you guys to decide.」
「You……no, I think I’ll stop with the questions.」
Luzi sighed, having realised that Rei wouldn’t give up any more information, even if pressed further.
Seeing that, Mosst asked Luzi.
「Are you sure?」
「Yeah. No matter how much we try to get him to talk, he absolutely won’t say anything. If we really want to get him to talk, we’ll have to use force……do you think we can do that?」
At Luzi’s response, Mosst was speechless.
He had seen with his own eyes how strong Rei was.
He had managed to fight against someone who had completely defeated Luzi.
(And……)
Mosst thought of Rei’s tamed Griffon, Set.
Although Set hadn’t been able to participate in the tournament due to the rules, Griffons were A rank monsters, so their strength had to be high. High enough that they wouldn’t be able to handle one, no matter what they did.
If asked whether they could deal with a monster like that……Mosst didn’t have the strength, confidence, or even conceit to say yes.
「That’s right, it seems like there’s no point in talking any more. And besides, breakfast has just arrived.」
As Mosst spoke, he saw the waitress bringing their breakfast over, so the conversation ended there.
After that, although it was still a bit awkward, the atmosphere didn’t become particularly hostile as they finished their breakfast.
……Even though there were slight differences in time, Vaycul was surprised to see that Rei had managed to finish a hearty breakfast for three around the same time it took them to finish their own breakfasts……which was just bread, soup, and a salad.
In addition, it wasn’t like Rei was eating quickly, he had been savouring his food thoroughly……still, Vaycul found it unbelievable.
Anyway, after finishing their meals, the four of them continued talking over fruit juice.
It was still noisy in the dining area as many people were still exchanging information and discussing the civil war, but for Rei, it was nothing he needed to worry about.
……Luzi and the others, on the other hand, seemed a little worried.
After the meal, Luzi’s group stood up.
「I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you do anything strange to ordinary people, we’ll stand in your way even if we can’t fight you. Just remember that.」
「Yeah. If you stand in my way, I’ll fight you with all my strength.」
With that exchange of words, Rei saw them off.
(Well then, I wonder which side Luzi and the others will side with. If they make such a bold statement and then join with the Third Prince’s faction, it will be interesting in various ways.)
Thinking like that, Rei left the dining area himself.
He didn’t head for the stables where Set was……or his own room……but to the room where Daska was staying.
As usual, there were two knights guarding the room and, as Rei approached, they looked slightly wary.
However, after seeing it was Rei, they let their guard down and smiled as they spoke.
「What’s the runner up of the fighting tournament doing here?」
「I have something to say to Daska-sama. Is that okay?」
「Okay, wait a moment.」
With that, one of the knights knocked on the door before entering.
It seemed he had gone in to ask for Daska’s permission.
After getting permission, the knight came back out immediately.
Normally, it wasn’t that easy to get permission to meet with a noble……especially one with the rank of margrave.
An appointment needed to be made beforehand and, when meeting, all sorts of small preparations would have to be made.
The fact that Rei was able to meet with Daska without all that hassle was probably due to the fact that Daska trusted him so much.
Rei’s contributions to Gilm up to now were so great that it wouldn’t be strange for him to be granted nobility.
……Although that would certainly not be what he would want.
That aside, Daska also hated wasting time on unnecessary things.
Regardless, Rei, who got permission to meet Daska at an abnormal speed, entered the room.
There, he found Daska reading some documents at his desk while his two guards, Elk and Min, sat on a sofa a short distance away.
「Pardon me.」
「Oh, you need my help? What is it? Did you get attacked by Requiem’s Toll again?」
Daska spoke in a light tone, knowing Rei’s strength.
He knew that Rei would be able to deal with it somehow, even if he was attacked by Requiem’s Toll.
However……Rei’s next words were completely different to what Daska had in mind.
「Actually, I would like to join the Third Prince’s faction.」
That meant that Rei would take part in the fighting that would come from the civil war to occur.