Hearing Theorem’s shout, Rei and Count Obrisin, who stood facing each other at a distance, lowered their weapons in dissatisfaction.

At first, Rei had reluctantly gone along with Count Obrisin’s fight, but as the battle continued, he had started to enjoy it himself.

Since he was now an ally, he couldn’t use the Count as a practice dummy for training Overlord’s Armour, but there was no doubt that he was a first class opponent, unlike the bandits he had fought on his way here.

Battle maniacs were a pain in many ways, but since Rei new one such battle maniac called Vihera, you could say he was used to it at this point.

As for Count Obrisin, his displeased expression probably came from the fact his immersion in battle was disrupted.

He turned his gaze to Theorem, eyes focused on him.

「Hey, what are you doing? We were just getting started.」

The force he gave off would have been enough to knock back the average soldier, but Theorem spoke as if that didn’t matter.

「That’s why. If you continued fighting like this, it would have gotten serious eventually. Our forces are already low in numbers, so we can’t waste that here.」

Cyanus, who was standing next to Theorem, nodded without seeming to care about the gaze Count Obrisin was giving them.

「That’s right. Wasting our forces here would be to the Empire’s……no, to His Highness Kabajid’s advantage.」

If it were to benefit the enemy, Count Obrisin could no longer continue the fight. He put away both battle axes he had in his hands.

If would certainly be fun to fight Rei here. But, as an ally, there was no way they could fight a battle of kill or be killed.

Furthermore, Rei was the one Vihera loved. He couldn’t kill the love interest of the person he had pledged allegiance to.

He probably had a feeling that he could afford to continue a half-hearted fight and miss out on the fun of fighting an overwhelmingly powerful opponent like the Empire.

(Of course, it would be a different matter if this Crimson, or whatever he was called, was willing to have a serious death match.)

Although he had put his battle axes away, the look he cast towards Rei was still unmistakably filled with combat instinct.

Receiving such a gaze, Rei let out a small sigh as he spoke.

「I know I shouldn’t be one to say this, but if we’re going to fight, wouldn’t it be better to fight a stronger opponent?」

「Heh.」

Hearing what Rei said, Count Obrisin gave a ferocious grin.

「We get along well, don’t we? That’s great, I like you. Even when we crossed swords, I didn’t think you had any ulterior motives towards Vihera-sama. Count Gurgast Obrisin. I reckon I could have a good fight with you.」

「……That’s why I said I don’t want you to fight Rei.」

Theorem spoke with a bitter smile at Count Obrisin’s words.

Even so, he had a slight look of relief on his face, perhaps because he judged that there wouldn’t be more battles to come.

Rei, who had been watching the two of them exchange words, smiled wryly as Set came over, looking at him with round eyes.

「Gururu~?」

Are you okay? Rei looked back at Set with something of a smile before scratching his head to say nothing was wrong.

There was a somewhat peaceful atmosphere here, but this battle had taken place near the camp……in the middle of the night. Naturally, the others at the camp would notice and people had become to gather.

Even so, the people who had gathered were not just here to watch. They had brought weapons such as long swords and spears to deal with any situation that might arise, which was proof of the high morale and training of the Third Prince’s faction.

When the soldiers who gathered this way saw that Count Obrisin was one of the people fighting, they seemed to understand. They then turned their eyes to Rei, wondering who the Count was fighting, before freezing up.

As subordinates of Theorem, a member of the Third Prince’s faction, these soldiers had naturally taken part in the Spring War on the Selemus Plains and many of them had seen Rei before.

「H-Hey……what……」

「Yeah. ……You’re kidding, right? Why is Crimson here?」

「No, but from the looks of it, doesn’t he seem to be on our side?」

「……Huh? Does that mean we’ve won?」

A small figure stood in the moonlight with Set standing next to him.

The soldiers couldn’t help but to share their thoughts, unable to mistake the two of them.

The Demon Soldiers who were hiding away from the other soldiers were also curious about Rei.

He was the main reason why the Demon Soldiers had suffered such a spectacular defeat in their first public battle.

That was why, if Rei was on their side, they couldn’t help but fall under the illusion that their victory was decided.

In fact, it wasn’t unlikely for those who participated in the Spring War to show up on the battlefield. In fact, the more enemy forces that showed up, the easier it would be then for the Third Prince’s faction to crush them in one fell swoop.

「Hmph, I see. It seems the soldiers trust him deeply……thought it seems more like they fear him.」

Hearing what the soldiers had to say, Count Obrisin spoke with a pleased smile.

However, few would recognise his expression as happy. Most would see it as a smile of a ferocious carnivorous beast that had found its prey.

(Daska-sama, Count Obrisin……why are there so many men with intimidating faces around me?)

Even Elk, who hadn’t crossed his mind, couldn’t be classified as a gentle looking person and was more likely to fall into the intimidating category.

Thinking like that, Rei turned his gaze towards Theorem again before speaking.

「So, I heard that Vihera is asleep……will I be able to see her tomorrow?」

The soldiers in the surroundings were startled when they heard Rei call Vihera by name.

They had only gathered after the fight with Count Obrisin after all.

Most of them didn’t know about Vihera and Rei’s relationship. In fact, Viherea hadn’t gone around making her feelings for Rei public. Even Theorem and Cyanus, who knew about it, didn’t go out of their way to spread the news.

「That’s right, sorry, but please do that. ……Just to confirm, you did come to help us, right?」

Theorem himself didn’t doubt that Rei had come to join them, judging from his personality and behaviour. But, that was because Theorem knew Rei well.

The other soldiers half expected it as as well, but they weren’t as sure.

In order to gain that certainty……and to raise the morale of the soldiers, Theorem asked Rei the question.

Since the Third Prince’s faction was overwhelmingly inferior in terms of military strength, any positive news was good.

Rei had no idea what Theorem was thinking, but his reply was already set.

「Of course.」

It was short……but Rei’s reply was a clear affirmation of Theorem’s words and the soldiers revealed expressions of joy.

But, before the soldiers could explode with emotion, Rei spoke again.

「However, I will cooperate with you as an adventurer only. Purely for the purpose of combat. I will make it clear that I have no intention of joining the army after the civil war is over. ……Well, if I were to join the army, many would object to it.」

As Rei shrugged his shoulders, Theorem had no choice but to agree.

Rei’s strength was certainly attractive. However, the man before them, Rei……no, the man named Crimson, brought more trouble than it would be worth. If he really did join the army, his schedule would only get busier as well. Considering the time and effort required to do all this, no matter how attractive of a combat force Rei was……even if all went well and Vihera could bring him back to the Bestir Empire, he had no interest in joining the army.

However……although Theorem thought that way, the man with him thought differently.

「Why don’t you serve Vihera-sama or Prince Mercurio? I feel like I could fight you without getting bored.」

「Count Obrisin.」

Theorem’s voice sounded somewhat reproachful.

Hearing that, Count Obrisin shrugged his shoulders, as if to say ‘I know, I know’.

「Well, that’s fine. I’ll just enjoy fighting to my hearts content until you’re gone.」

「……I’m still on your side, you know?」

Rei sighed at the people who looked at him not as an ally but as an opponent as he looked around.

「A lot of people have gathered.」

More than 20-30 people had already showed up.

「That’s right. After making such a big mess, it’s only natural that nearby soldiers would come over.」

Cyanus, who was standing next to Theorem, muttered out loud, her expression barely changing but still expressing some amazement.

Rei nodded in agreement.

His scythe and Count Obrisin’s battle axes hadn’t directly clashed, so high pitched metallic sounds hadn’t rung out, but it was still enough to draw the nearby soldiers.

「Well, that’s beside the point. I know it’s a bit late to ask, but I’ll ask anyway. Since the Third Prince’s faction are now being treated as rebels, that means you were able to safely rescue the prince, right?」

「Yes. I have to thank you for that. Thanks to you, we were able to safely rescue Mercurio-sama. I’m grateful for that.」

Theorem gave a deep bow.

The surrounding soldiers started to murmur softly when they saw that.

They hadn’t expected Theorem, who had led them to this point, to bow so easily.

But it was true that Rei had participated in the tournament, drawing away many people who would normally have remained in the castle to the stadium.

If Rei hadn’t participated, it would have taken a lot longer to rescue Mecurio.

(If this was Prince Kabajid’s intention though, it might not have made a difference whether Rei was there or not.)

Despite what he thought, it was still true that Rei had helped them greatly, so it was no big deal for him to bow his head.

Rei waved lightly at Theorem.

「There’s no need to worry about it that much. Anyway, as for Vihera’s brother who you saved……I guess I’ll meet him tomorrow as well.」

「Sorry, but please do that as well. It’s this time of the night after all.」

In fact, judging from the position of the moon in the night sky, it was definitely past midnight.

Since that was the case, it wasn’t hard to imagine that he was also asleep, just like Vihera.

Firs of all, Mercurio was the leader of the Third Prince’s faction. If he had dark circles around his eyes from lack of sleep, it would affect the morale of the Third Prince’s faction.

Knowing that, Rei couldn’t force the subject and agreed to meet him in the morning.

「So, Rei. Actually, if you do meet Prince Mercurio, please try not to act carelessly.」

「……Carelessly?」

What are you talking about? Rei looked at Theorem like that, but what he got back was a bitter smile.

「Prince Mercurio and Princess Vihera are blood siblings.」

「Yeah. Come to think of it, Vihera mentioned something like that before.」

Since he had decided to help by participating in the tournament, he had naturally heard about the situation.

What’s the big deal? Rei asked and Theorem continued speaking with a wry smile.

「Prince Mercurio is very fond of his sister. If it weren’t for that, he would have been the perfect lord.」

「But, Theorem-sama, a lord who is too perfect makes his subordinates keep their distance. I think it is easier to feel close to a lord who has some flaws.」

「……Well, that might be true.」

There was certainly nothing wrong with someone who could do everything perfectly on their own, in terms of ability. But, that would make them lonely more than anything and, if they ever made a mistake, they were prone to running off on their own.

「I understand what you’re trying to say. I’ll be as careful as I can. ……So, what should I do until morning? I can sleep outside with Set if you like.」

「I can’t treat someone with a title like Crimson like that. ……Yes, let’s prepare a tent.」

「No, I have a magic tent, so you don’t have to worry about that. Well, if that’s what you want to do thought, you can do it. Of course, Set is fine too, right?」

Theorem nodded without hesitation at Rei’s question.

He knew that Set was tamed and wouldn’t go wild without reason, but he still thought it best to have someone nearby who could keep him in check.

Especially since there were many people in the camp who had participated in the Spring War.

「Well then, let’s get Rei and Set to a tent right away.」

「I see, I’ll show them around.」

A man with a somewhat gentle expression emerged from the group of soldiers and spoke.

Theorem couldn’t help but say his name when he saw who it was.

「Tilleyle.」

[Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Next Chapter]