The second punitive force was annihilated.

Unlike the punitive force sent by Shurus, the report this time was strictly hidden from people.

This time, the punitive force had left with great fanfare. Who could have imagined that the 6,000 strong army would be destroyed within the same day.

Only a few nobles and ordinary citizens who worked at the castle were aware of the information, and even they were advised to keep quiet about it.

But……the words ‘just between you and me’ were too appealing to many. Little by little, the word began to spread.

Even among those that knew, they didn’t really believe it would be possible to hide the event entirely.

That was those who caused the current situation now had to do something about it.

「……So, Kabajid, is it correct to say that this meeting is about dealing with Mercurio?」

Shurus asked Kabajid as he sat in a chair and took a sip of the tea that was on the table.

The way he drank the tea indicated he had no fear of being poisoned.

That was only natural as it was made by his adjutant, Amare.

That aside, he was also equipped with a magic item that prevented poisoning, so there was no way small amounts of poison would do anything to him.

「That’s right. Of course, that is our top priority. But……if anything, it also also so that we brothers and sisters can enjoy a leisurely cup of tea together.」

Kabajid spoke with a dignified smile, one worth of a noble.

He didn’t seem to care at all, despite the fact that the punitive force he sent out had been completely annihilated.

Standing behind the smiling Kabajid was Pelfiel, a female knight who appeared to serve as both his bodyguard and adjutant.

「But, if we are really going to gather as brothers and sisters, then I think Shurus and I are not enough. I think Mercurio and Vihera are essential as well.」

Frizione spoke with a gentle smile. Standing behind her was Angela Luxinova, the leader of the White Rose Knights.

「……Frizione. Mercurio and Vihera have rebelled against the Empire. They are no longer allowed to be here.」

「Is that really so? I think there are a lot of misunderstandings regarding that.」

「Frizione! They are the enemy! We need to do something about this situation now and not continue thinking about such casual things!」

Shurus’ voice was so powerful that it would have startled ordinary people……or even knights.

However, Frizione replied with a smile.

「No, Shurus. As your sister, I cannot allow brothers to fight each other.」

「Frizione!」

Shurus shouted again, but Frizione looked back with a serious expression that expressed no room for compromise.

Shurus went silent at that gaze.

Although he had spoken forcefully, Shurus had always been fond of his sister and of her gentle nature.

Frizione also doted on Shurus and it could be said that the hierarchical relationship between them was something that had instinctively formed over time.

That said, Shurus couldn’t remain a child forever. He was now working to become emperor and, as such, couldn’t let Mercurio’s rebel army do as it pleased.

While he had sent out his own punitive force under the knowledge they would lose, they had still lost too easily.

「What do you think, Kabajid?」

As a result, realising that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Frizione on his own, he turned to Kabajid, who had been watching their exchange with interest.

「Oh, me? Yes, watching the two of you converse makes me think that brothers and sisters are indeed a good thing.」

「What!?」

Shurus exclaimed with surprise.

That was only natural. He had expected Kabajid to take his side regarding defeating Mercurio. He hadn’t expected him to voice his agreement with Frizione.

Frizione was similarly surprised.

However, her surprise quickly turned into a smile and, after putting down her cup of tea, she spoke up happily.

「Well, well well well. I thought you would say that you wouldn’t forgive Mercurio……but as you said, this incident……」

Frizione wanted to speak further in order to sort out the relationship between her brothers and end the pointless conflict. But, Kabajid shook his head slowly in response.

「It is certainly sad for brothers and sisters to fight each other. But, Frizione, we are part of the Bestir Empire’s royal family. It goes without saying which is more important, our own feelings or the interests of the country. For us, the royal family, to act as we please according to our own selfish desires is nothing but and insult to the people of the Bestir Empire.」

That was all to say that even with their affection as brothers, he would not stop the fight against Mercurio.

「Kabajid……」

Even Frizione understood their position. She understood, but it was also true that she really wanted the brothers to stop fighting each other.

(Kabajid made this decision because he occupies a superior position in terms of military power compared to Mercurio’s forces, I guess.)

It was true that the first and second punitive forces had been defeated and defeated by an overwhelming margin.

But even so, Kabajid still had ample strength at his disposal, not to mention the nobles backing him.

As for Shurus, since many of those who would have hindered him had been killed, it was possible that his current military strength was even greater than before.

That said, in Shurus’ particular case, he was also stuck with the burden of handling the nobles who had been taken prisoner.

Not being able to move carelessly while in negotiations with the rebels was a hefty blow to Shurus in his current situation.

Of course……that was only with regards to the Second Prince’s faction.

It wasn’t impossible for Shurus to directly mobilise the troops directly under his command.

The fact that his own knights were included in the recent punitive force was proof of that.

「Kabajid. Last time, my army lost. This time, your army lost. I don’t think there’s a point in us sending further separate punitive forces.」

「Is that so? So what do we want to do? Should we get Frizione to go?」

At Shurus’ proposal, Kabajid looked over at Frizione.

However, Frizione immediately shook her head.

「As I said before, I cannot agree to a bloody battle between brothers. In the first place, I’m sure you understand that I have less military strength than both you and Shurus.」

It was true and Shurus, let alone Kabajid, knew how much military strength Frizione truly had.

Even if she combined the whole strength of her faction, the combined fighting strength was still nowhere near that of Kabajid or Shurus.

「……If Kabajid, myself, and Frizione worked together to organise a punitive force, I don’t think we’d lose, even against Mercurio and Vihera.」

Frizione shook her head again at Shurus’ words.

Although he was angry at his sister’s stubborness, it was also true that Shurus did want to leave some level of fighting force in the Imperial Capital in case of an emergency.

After all……

「It’s true that if Shurus and I combine our strength, we can face Mercurio. Fortunately, we’ve received offers of cooperation from nobles who have yet to join a faction until now. But in that case, how do we deal with Crimson, who I lost to this time? He can create huge fire tornadoes and control them at will. The moment he’s free to move around, we’ll be at a disadvantage.」

Kabajid spoke that they were at a great disadvantage, but the smile on his face didn’t seem to indicate that he would just accept their disadvantage.

「Kabajid?」

Kabajid’s response seemed to raise some suspicion as Shurus questioned him.

It was the same for Frizione. Although they weren’t at a disadvantage in terms of military strength compared to the other party, they were still at a disadvantage. Despite that, Kabajid still looked relaxed, so Shurus prompted him to speak with his eyes.

「Well, it’s true that we do have a way to counter Crimson, but it’s not a guarantee. It’s just a possibility……so don’t get your hopes up about it. Let’s get back to the topic of the punitive force. Is it fair to say that Frizione won’t be joining the punitive force at all?」

「……Kabajid. Do we really have to fight Mercurio?」

Frizione had a pained expression on her face as she asked one last time.

If it had been a personal matter, Kabajid might have given a bitter smile and tolerated her selfishness, but that only applied to personal matters.

Although he carried a gentle expression, he never gave in when it came to matters that could affect the future of the country.

(Rhodes……huh. If that person acts as expected, then maybe……and while luck still plays a role, there are still other options.)

The face of the person that had joined his faction crossed Kabajid’s mind.

His subordinate had given him a document detailing the personality and abilities of his biggest obstacle this time. Crimson was someone who could only be described as free spirited……truly free spirited.

If he didn’t like someone, he wouldn’t hesitate to make an enemy of them, whether they were a noble or a large merchant company.

Of course, this was only possible because he had the ability to do so, but Kabajid still found him to be an interesting opponent.

(I would have like him to remain in the Bestir Empire, but……it’s going to be difficult.)

Unless something extraordinary happened, it was unlikely that someone like Crimson would choose to serve a country.

(But……someone with that much power, comparable to a full fledged army, roaming around freely. And, not just S or A rank, but B rank. Does he know how dangerous he is?)

It wasn’t surprising that some people believed they could control Rei and make him simply follow their orders just because he was a low ranking adventurer.

Naturally, there was no way Rei would accept that, and if they weren’t careful, those who approached Rei would suffer greatly for it. Those people wouldn’t even try to admit their mistakes, so they would just continue to direct their resentment towards Rei for all the losses they suffered.

Before, it hadn’t been as obvious due to how Daska protected him. But, now that Rei had severed all ties with Daska, at least on the surface……

(Of course, there are people on the rebels side who have thought about it as well. Many of those who joined after the battle with the first punitive force did so for pragmatic reasons.)

Kabajid muttered to himself as he recalled the faces of people he had seen from the information he had been given.

Frizione seemed to find his response suspicious and spoke up again.

「Kabajid, please answer me. Do we really have to fight Mercurio?」

「That’s right. As I said before, this is a battle that cannot be avoided. ……Shurus, how much fighting strength do you have available?」

『Kabajid!』

Both Shurus and Frizione responded at the same time.

However, even though they had the same response, the emotions carried in their voice were completely opposite.

Frizione was sad while Shurus was happy.

However, Frizione didn’t speak further.

She knew there was no point saying anything more and that Kabajid had no intention of changing course.

Shurus glanced at his sister, who was looking down sadly, for just a moment before turning to Kabajid and speaking.

「As you know, were are still negotiating the ransom for the nobles who were captured. Those nobles cannot participate, but the rest are free to join……however, we will still have to limit the number of participants to some extent or the nobles who were taken prisoner might try to interfere in various ways.」

If Shurus participated in another punitive force, the safety of the captured nobles would no longer be guaranteed.

It wasn’t surprising for the families of those nobles to think that way.

「Hmmm, then I would like you to only send soldiers under your direct command as well as nobles who you can guarantee will not betray you. We will manage the rest.」

The punitive force would be dispatched in cooperation between the First and Second Prince’s factions.

In name, it would be similar to the previous punitive force that was wiped out by Rei, but this time there was a big difference,

Both Kabajid and Shurus were serious about defeating the rebel army this time, They weren’t going to be observing or scouting.

「……Kabajid, Shurus……」

Frizione looked at the two of them sadly as she made up her mind.

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