Inside the magic tent, where many of the rebel army’s leaders, including nobles and adventurers, had gathered a short time ago.

Right now, there were fewer people than before, but still a decent number.

The people included Mercurio, the leader of the rebel army, Vihera, Theorem, Tilleyle, Gurgast, and Rei.

Up to this point, they could be considered the usual members, but there were also a few other nobles and adventurers mixed in.

They were the people who had organised the nobles, adventurers, and mercenaries who had joined soon after rebel army had formed.

Conversely, the people who weren’t here were those who had joined after the first battle against the punitive force.

In other words, the people here were those who could be trusted and relied upon in the rebel army.

And then……

「Your Highness Mercurio, this whole thing was fabricated by that adventurer Rei to frame us! We have nothing to be guilty of!」

「That’s right! And even though that adventurer called Rei has a title, he is still an adventurer from the Mireana Kingdom. This civil ware is only happening to the benefit of the Mireana Kingdom!」

「We have sworn loyalty to the Bestir Empire for generations. Who do you believe, us or some random adventurer?」

In front of the gathered crowd, the three nobles were being treated like criminals, with their wrists tied with rope.

The nobles were all yelling loudly that they were in the right and complaining about Rei’s cruelty.

The other nobles were unsure what to make of their cries and Rei just watched on without saying anything.

「I see. Rei overheard them discussing how to betray the rebel army.」

Rei nodded at Mercurio’s words before speaking up.

「They said that if a battle between the rebel army and the punitive force happened, they planned to betray us and join the other side. However, because they had heard about Frizione’s proposal, they thought they would be able to gain sufficient credit by providing that information without needing to do anything dangerous.」

「……So, that is what Rei has to say, do you have any objections?」

When Mercurio asked, the three tied up nobles raised their voices.

「That’s nonsense! That man is just trying to frame us in order to make his achievements seem bigger in order to increase his presence and influence among the rebel army!」

「That’s right! After all, this man is from the Mireana Kingdom!」

「If it’s to the benefit of their country, they probably want this civil war to drag on.」

The three of them shouted like that, but there was something they didn’t know.

That is to say, this rebellion was started because of help from the Mireana Kingdom……or more accurately the Neutral and Aristocratic factions.

It was inevitable as only a small part of the rebel army knew about this.

Mercurio, who listened in to the nobles’ words, looked clearly troubled as he frowned slightly.

Seeing Mercurio’s reaction, the three nobles thought that if they pushed harder now, they might be able to force the point. Before Rei could say anything, they each spoke with momentum.

「Your Highness Mercurio! Your Highness, who can you trust? We, who have been loyal to the Bestir Empire for many years, or the adventurer who caused great damage to the Bestir Empire during the Spring War?!」

『Yes, we would really like to hear your thoughts about that!』

The other two nobles shouted in unison, overlapping the first noble to speak.

Mercurio eventually waved his hand to silence the nobles.

His gaze then turned to Rei, who had been watching from a short distance away.

Because he was entering the magic tent where Mercurio was, he had already stored away the Death Scythe back into the Misty Ring.

「Rei. From what I’ve heard from them, it seems like you’re trying to denigrate them. ……I wonder what’s going on?」

「Your Highness! Don’t talk to such people!」

Whenever Rei spoke, all that came out were things that were disadvantageous to them.

Knowing this, one of hte nobles spoke up to stop Rei from speaking, but……

「Could you please be quiet for a bit? I’ve already heard enough from you guys, so shouldn’t I listen to what Rei has to say? Is there something strange? Or……is it inconvenient for Rei to speak?」

Mercurio asked with a very sharp gaze, in contrast to his gentle tone of voice.

The nobles, frightened by his sharp gaze, reflexively heard their breath.

They instinctively realised that the person before them was definitely a member of the royal family……that is to say, a descendant of the current emperor of the Bestir Empire, Tragist Gnos Bestir.

The nobles started to wonder if their plan had been seen through.

However, Mercurio didn’t care for the nobles’ reaction as he urged Rei to express his thoughts.

「So, Rei. If there’s anything you want to say, please do say it.」

「I’ve said everything I need to say. I want you to make the decision.」

「I see. If that’s okay with you, that’s fine, but if you want to say anything later, I won’t hear it.」

「Yeah, no problem. I don’t think you’re so stupid that you can’t understand the situation.」

Naturally, the nobles were pleased with Rei’s words.

Maybe they could create a rift between Rei and the rebel army, not just this time, but in future as well.

In other words, they might be able to remove the rebel army’s greatest strength and trump card.

(If that happens, there’s no doubt our……no, my military achievements will be unmatched.

Although the noble felt excitement, he didn’t show it on his face, probably due to his upbringing as a noble.

It was the same for the other two nobles, who saw the crisis as a golden opportunity.

Theorem smiled bitterly as he watched the nobles from some distance away.

Certainly, hearing their verbal exchange, it wouldn’t be strange to expect discord to build up between Mercurio and Rei.

There was also the underlying fact that Mercurio didn’t like Rei due to Rei’s relationship with his sister, Vihera.

(However……His Highness Mercurio isn’t one to make the wrong decision based on his own emotions. He wouldn’t drive out Rei, the most powerful member of the rebel army, out of his own jealousy.)

With that conviction in his eyes, Theorem looked at Mercurio and the three nobles as he thought about something.

The other nobles exchanged glances while keeping quiet in order to not disturb Mercurio.

The other nobles here felt a sense of familiarity with the three nobles, but also slight irritation.

Their familiarity, needless to say, came from the fact that they were nobles themselves. The irritation came from the fact that the nobles were fair weather allies who had only joined after their previous battle.

Another reason for their irritation was probably because the three nobles seemed to want to get rid of Rei, the strongest force in the rebel army.

While many of them held similar thoughts, Vihera just gave a small smile and showed no signs of protecting Rei.

……However, her eyes were not smiling at all.

Needless to say, Vihera’s gaze was directed towards the three nobles who had been brought before Mercurio.

However, the three nobles didn’t seem to notice at all as they turned their gazes towards the bright future that seemed to await them.

That was why they didn’t notice Mercurio’s lips curl either as he saw his sister’s reaction.

Making his sister unhappy made Mercurio, who was already feeling done watching this farce, utter his judgement.

This was in addition to the fact that he had already noticed their strange behaviour during the earlier discusison regarding the proposal from his half sister.

「I see, I can certainly tell that you are loyal to me, and at the same time, that you are willing to risk your lives for the rebel army. ……Let me ask one last thing. Can I assume you really feel that way, that you are truly loyal to me, and that it’s not just lip service?」

His words were spoken with the intention of final confirmation.

Hearing those words, the three nobles, who were already in a desperate situation, didn’t notice anything strange as they smiled and nodded in return.

「Yes, of course. We believe that Prince Mercurio is the most worthy successor to the throne of the empire and we are willing to risk our lives for that.」

「I feel the same.」

「Yes, if it’s for Prince Mercurio’s sake, please use as much of our strenght as you wish.」

Yes, those are the words I wanted to hear.

If they had heard Mercurio’s internal thoughts, the nobles would probably have trembled from the bottom of their hearths.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t read minds and couldn’t understand the meaning of Mercurio’s next words. ……No, it would be more accurate to say that they didn’t want to understand.

「I see. Then, when we next fight the punitive force, I want you three to take the lead in the vanguard.」

「……Huh?」

「Eh?」

「Yes?」

Mercurio looked skeptical when he heard their different responses.

「Huh? What’s wrong? You were all saying some very bold things up until now, weren’t you? I just wanted you to put those words into practice. Is there a problem?」

As he spoke the question in his mind, Mercurio’s words were unbearable for the nobles.

They looked around in a panic and saw everyone nod at Mercurio’s words.

Yes, they had finally realised that there was no one here who they could call an ally.

「No, Your Highness Mercurio. Well……that’s right! No matter how strong my troops are, the vanguard would be……」

「Oh? Have you already forgotten what you said a moment ago? You swore loyalty to me and wouldn’t hesistate to risk you lives for the sake of the rebel army’s victory? Or was what you just said a complete lie, a fabrication? Is that what you want to say?」

Mercurio seemed genuinely puzzled. The nobles were at a loss for words at Mercurio’s question.

Indeed, it was true that they had said such a thing, and it was also true that having said that, they had no choice but to take action.

But, for the three nobles, the rebel army was nothing more than bait for them to gain glory.

With that understanding in mind, they wanted to avoid wasting their own military strength on the rebel army.

And, above all, if they became the vanguard of the rebel army and fought the punitive force, it would be nearly impossible for them to switch sides.

It would be difficutl for them to switch sides in the middle of combat and, if the rebels were to find out, they would likely be attacked from behind as well.

Considering all that, the nobles did not want to accept Mercurio’s orders.

But naturally, they couldn’t refuse at this stage.

If they refused Mercurio’s orders now, it would mean that their earlier words were a lie, and if that happened, it would ultimately prove, even if implicitly, that Rei’s words were true……that they were trying to betray the rebel army.

At this point, they couldn’t attempt to leak Princess Frizione’s information to the punitive force either.

If they showed any signs of such behaviour, they would undoubtedly be suspected by those around them and wouldn’t be able to escape from the rebel army.

(What should we do……what should we do……what should we do!?)

They racked their brains for a way to break out of their current situation, but all they could think of were hopeless plans.

Should they just kill Mercurio and escape? The nobles considered taht, but with Vihera and Theorem by Mercurio’s side, they would only be killed if they attacked.

Should they accept Mercurio’s orders now and then find a way to escape?

The nobles judged that to be their only option, but the other side had to have considered that as well.

If that were the case, it was unclear when the right opportunity would come for them. If things when poorly, they would have to fight the punitive force before the opportunity could arrive.

But……

(Is that our only option?)

If they had more time, they might have been able to find a better solution, but in the short time they had, the only thing the three nobles could think of was to wait for an opportunity to escape from the rebel army, which they believed to be close to annihilation.

(Why……why has it come to this?! Just before, everything was going according to our plan!)

Why did it have to come to this? With thos anguished thoughts in their hearts, the three nobles could only accept the role of vanguard.

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