「……Heh, so this is my room?」

Rei murmured to himself after seeing Set to the stables before being shown his own room by the innkeeper.

「Well, what do you think? I prepared this to satisfy the famous Crimson-sama.」

Rei smiled wry at the innkeeper, who had a slightly worried expression that barely showed on his face.

Rei’s smile didn’t mean anything in a bad way. No, rather, it was because his room was a bit too grand.

The size of his room was nearly three times that of the Dusk Wheat inn that Rei usually stayed at in Gilm.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a room meant for one person, but rather several people.

As for the interior, in addition to the bed and sofa, there was a desk and various magic items including lights and a refrigerator.

You could tell at a glance that they were all high end magic item and Rei couldn’t help but be surprised.

Even compared to high class inns such as the Dusk wheat and Golden Wind, this room was one or two ranks higher.

Moreover, this room was prepared for Rei alone. Daska’s room, of course, was still much better than this room.

「If you’re asking if I’m satisfied with it or not, I am satisfied. But, is it okay for me to have such a grand room?」

「Yes, we were told directly by the Empire.」

「……The Empire, huh.」

Rei was surprised to hear the Empire brought up.

The fact that there seemed to have been various considerations made for someone that they would normally be on guard against had to mean something.

(If you think about it nicely, this is a way to show off their largess after my victory over them……on the other hand, there is also the possibility that they are trying to isolate me from everyone else in order to assassinate me.)

Several thoughts crossed his mind, but since it had already been decided that this would be his room, he judged that there would be no point trying to say anything more and just nodded back at the innkeeper.

「Yeah, no problem. Thank you for preparing such a room. ……Oh right. Set, when he entered the stables, my Griffon was a bit hungry, so please get him something to eat.」

「I understand. Then, if you need anything else, please call on me.」

With a slight smile, the man gave a graceful bow before leaving.

Seeing him off, Rei checked through the room just in case.

Luckily, he didn’t spot any spy holes or any places where someone might be able to hide in.

That said, he really wasn’t too familiar with such things, so he couldn’t say for sure that he was safe.

「……For now, let’s rest.」

Saying that, Rei took off his Dragon Robes and the Shoes of Sleipnir before laying down on the bed.

It was a high quality bed and it softly took Rei’s weight, which wasn’t heavy to begin with, supporting him as he slowly sank down.

Magic items such as air conditioners that adjusted the temperature seemed to be in use throughout the inn. Despite taking off the Dragon Robes, he didn’t feel any heat at all.

At the same time, there was no sense of being too cold when the air conditioners were too strong.

This was probably because it was a top class inn in the capital of the Bestir Empire.

(Ahh……I was told I could rest for about 2 hours……let’s take……a little nap.)

Thinking to himself as he lay on the bed, Rei eventually surrendered himself to the sleepiness that washed over him.

 

 

The Imperial Capital of the Bestir Empire. Inside a huge castle at its center, the Imperial Castle.

This was the place where the Emperor of the Bestir Empire, one of the most powerful countries in Elgin, lived.

Luxurious and extravagant. It was said that even if you couldn’t go inside, it was still worth seeing it from the outside.

That said, it wasn’t just a work of art. It was designed to be the center of power if the Imperial Capital ever became a battlefield and was famously known as an impregnable castle.

In a room inside the castle, about 10 nobles were gathered.

「Those damned people have arrived?」

「Yes. I believe they are resting at the Eternal Sky Pavilion now.」

Hearing the words of a noble in his late 30’s, the other nobles all showed hateful expressions.

Even the highest ranking nobles present were no higher than Counts.

Furthermore, although they might be Counts, they were by no means wealthy, so staying at an inn like the Eternal Sky Pavilion was a rare occurrence.

Why were such people allowed to stay at such a top class inn that even they themselves couldn’t stay in……those were the honest feelings of the nobles gathered here.

「……Just the thought that Crimson is still breathing makes my blood boil. What’s going on with Requiem’s Toll?」

「They don’t seem to have made any moves at all……」

Some of the nobles sighed and muttered out oud while others were in uproar.

「Damn it, after all that money, this is what we get!」

「That’s what I told you! No matter how skilled or reputable they are, they are still just commoners!」

「But, didn’t you also agree to hire Requiem’s Toll?」

「Are you insulting me?」

「You! If you want to fight, I’ll fight you!」

Each of them voiced their dissatisfaction, yelling that it was the other’s fault with some even reaching for the weapons at their waist thinking that someone else was insulting them.

But……

「Calm down! What are we going to do if we start fighting among ourselves now!」

At the moment, as one of the nobles was about to pull his sword out, an angry voice echoed through the room.

Compared to the rest, who were just being noisy, this voice was overwhelmingly different.

Hearing the angry voice from the man, who seemed to hold a leading position among the group, the noble’s whose blood had rushed to their heads all calmed down.

「Hmph, listen up. Requiem’s Toll specialises in underground work. Considering that, the surest way is to make something happen in the Imperial Capital while the place is packed with tourists and merchants. In the first place, they just setup up a trap the first time to see how things would go, right? So don’t worry about the details too much.」

「But, Count Schwindel……as an enemy of our families, as an enemy of our friends……we cannot allow Crimson and Margrave Rowlocks to live.」

Hearing the noble’s words, a man in his 50’s ccalled Count Schwindel nodded as he stroked the beard on his chin.

「Of course it is the same for me. Originally, after the war ended, Peristella was supposed to become my son-in-law. Considering that, I cannot allow them to live freely in the Imperial Capital……but, what if we get too hurried and force Requiem’s Toll to attack……and fail to kill them? It would make no sense to do that.」

「That is……」

The surrounding nobles fell silent at the words of Count Schwindel.

He was angry that Crimson and Margrave Rowlock were still alive, but it was clear that they would only fail if they left their anger uncontrolled.

Some of the nobles thought they could kill Margrave Rowlocks themselves……but Margrave Rowlocks was someone with the background of a knight and held considerable fighting strength himself.

Then, it went without saying, there was also Crimson.

It was clear how much power he possessed as he was the cause of the nobles who had died among them.

「Anyhow, we must wait for a good opportunity now. Even if we force ourselves to rush, if we mess up, we’ll only make them more wary and lose our strength unnecessarily.」

Count Schwindel spoke to persuade the others as the lingering dissatisfaction finally subsided.

Most of the nobles present only held a low rank and didn’t have any outstanding capabilities.

However, that was why they had sent their relatives to the Selemus Plains to stand out in the war. But, as a result, all their relatives had died.

It was because of this that Count Schwindel was a pivitol figure among this group. If it weren’t for him this group would have long collapsed.

Although they were unreliable people, there weren’t many others that Count Schwindel could share his feelings with.

No, rather, there were many people who held great hostility towards Crimson, Margrave Rowlocks, and the Mireana Kingdom, particularly Crimson, who had achieved so much in battle, and Margrave Rowlocks, who had employed him. However, frighteningly few were willing to try anything.

Part of this was because of their fear of Crimson himself, but at the same time, rumours had spread that he had been personally invited to the tournament by the upper echelons of the Bestir Empire.

If this had been any other year, Margrave Daska would have sent a representative in his place, but this year, he had come to the Imperial Capital in person.

Such an abnormal situation couldn’t help but remind them of the Spring War……however, the upper echelons of the Empire had ordered them not to interfere in any way.

In other words, if it was found out that they were holding a meeting like this, they would definitely be punished.

However, it was precisely because Count Schwindel held a relatively high level of power within the Bestir Empire that they were able to hold a discussion like this inside the castle.

Count Schwindel looked around as he spoke with a melancholy expression.

If the people with him knew what he was about to say, they would probably be more than just irritated.

「Actually, it seems that Margrave Rowlocks will be coming to the castle in about 2 hours.」

『What-!?』

Their enemies were within their sights.

Some of the nobles grew agitated at his words and shouted out, but Count Schwindel spoke to stop them.

「Listen up. I forbid you from doing anything here!」

「But why! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! If we can settle our grudges with him……」

「It’s useless. Have you forgotten? In addition to Crimson, they also have the Axe of the Thunder God. Do you think we have enough pawns to handle two people with titles? Are you just going to rely on me?」

「T-That is…….」

Count Schwindel’s words made everyone else speechless.

It was true that they had no capable pawns in hand.

No, it wasn’t that all their subordinates were incompetent. They had strong knights and people who had the talent to govern territory.

However, in this case, it was an issue with their target.

If they had subordinates with enough strength to deal with the person who had single-handedly destroyed the Bestir Empire’s army, they would already have been given a higher rank.

「……I’m not saying you can’t see them with your own eyes. I will be seeing them with my own eyes myself. But listen. Don’t touch them inside the castle. If you can’t do that, then stay here or go back home. In any case, we need to save our strength for now. If we get the chance, we need to make sure we have enough strength to kill them.」

At Count Schwindel’s words, all the nobles fell silent.

However, none of them left.

 

 

「Uhh……do I need to go as well?」

That was the first thing Rei had asked after being awakened by a knight and called to Daska’s room while he had been sleeping.

「Yes. In the first place, you’re supposed to be my escort, so of course you and Elk need to follow me to the castle.」

Rei let out a sigh in response to Daska’s words, who nodded as if it were only natural.

In the first place, Rei didn’t handle formal events well. Naturally, he didn’t think it too interesting to see the interaction between the Empire’s nobility and Daska, each probing the other, and above all……

「If it’s the castle, there will be a lot of nobles from the Empire, right? If I go to such a place, I’m sure to be dragged into something troublesome.」

「That is right. But, it’s still better to draw the attention of the Empire’s upper echelons and, more importantly, if you’re going to jump into the fighting tournament, you might as well show up.」

「Then, how about Rhodes?」

Hearing Daska’s words, Rei glanced over at Rhodes, who was also in the room.

This was because Rhodes was also planning on participating in the tournament.

Even today, their early morning combat training for the tournament was still ongoing.

「Yes. The group heading to the castle consists of me, Axe of the Thunder God, you, and a few other knights.」

Everything had already been decided and would not be changed. Hearing Daska’s words, Rei nodded while suppressing a sigh.

(I guess it will be interesting to see who Vihera and Theorem are going up against.)

Was what Rei thought.

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