After receiving the message, shortly after finishing training, Rei was brought to the magic tent where the leaders of the rebel army were gathered.

The first thing he saw after entering the tent were the serious expressions on people’s faces.

Of course, not everyone looked so serious. Those who found pleasure in fighting, like Vihera and Gurgast, were smiling happily while Mercurio also wore a smile that gave away no indication of his true feelings.

Theorem didn’t appear surprised, happy, or despairing and gave a slight nod when Rei entered the tent.

He was probably thinking about the plan Rei had come up with previously.

……The ones with the most serious expressions were the three nobles who had been placed on the front lines due to the incident regarding Frizione’s letter.

They had originally planned to betray the rebel army in the next battle, causing tremendous damage……but now that they had to fight the punitive force to survive, their seriousness was only natural.

The three of them looked hatefully at Rei as he entered.

However, there was nothing the three of them could do.

Ever since the previous incident, the three of them had been placed under watch on Mercurio’s orders and it had been implied that if they tried to do anything strange, they would pay with their lives.

Because of that, they were still angry but unable to escape from the rebel camp.

Rei ignored their glares as he spoke to Theorem.

「I heard that a new punitive force has been sent out?」

「Yes. I heard it from a person I had left in the Imperial Capital.」

「How big?」

「About four thousand, excluding their logistics. Including the logistical force and their guards, it’s around six thousand.」

Theorem’s words caused the other rebel leaders to sigh in despair, groan in frustration……or respond in their own ways.

Naturally, they had already heard about the size of the punitive force. But even so, hearing the number again made them realise how slim their chances of winning were.

That wasn’t surprising though. In the previous battle, the punitive force had been greater than the rebel force, but the majority of the punitive force had been incompetent, as those were people Shurus had gathered because he deemed them unnecessary for his faction.

In comparison, this time, the difference in troops was even great and there was no doubt that after knowing the rebel army’s strength, they would send soldiers who could handle them.

「This time, the punitive force is made up of Prince Kabajid’s men.」

「I guessed as much.」

Rei replied to Theorem as if it were obvious.

「If that’s the case, then I think what you suggested before will be effective. What do you think? Fortunately, the distance is just right.」

Theorem looked at Rei meaningfully.

Nearby, Vihera also smiled as she looked over at Rei.

「I don’t mind, but……what will you do about them?」

Rei asked as he glanced over at the three nobles who were supposed to lead the vanguard in the battle.

It was a brief exchange of words without a clear subject, which made the three nobles feel uneasy.

Also, among the people here, there were some who seemed to understand while others had no idea.

It was clear how Mercurio divided those he could trust and those he could not.

「Yes, I understand what you’re trying to say, Rei, but……I don’t think they will need to play a role this time. Their role will be in a much bigger battle……when we actually cross swords with my brothers.」

「Then……you’re saying that with full knowledge of everything?」

Rei couldn’t help but ask after hearing Mercurio’s words.

It was already a common understanding among many of them that the three nobles in question had intended to betray the rebel army.

And yet, the rebel army would depend on them in the final battle against Shurus and Kabajid……a battle which the fate of the rebel army depended on.

It was no surprise that Rei would question that decision.

Several nobles seemed displeased with Rei’s words.

Although they were already used to his attitude, his language was still unpleasant for those of noble status.

Even so, they only showed their displeasure on their faces and didn’t voice their thoughts, likely because they understood that Rei was the rebel army’s trump card.

From the nobles’ point of view, the fact that he was also favoured by Vihera played a large role.

In addition, it was only the nobles who felt that way regarding Rei’s attitude, those present who represented the mercenaries and adventurers found it rather pleasant.

「Yes, of course. I understand what you’re trying to say, Rei, but I am convinced they have the strength needed. ……Right? You said that you would risk your lives to lead the rebel army to victory. I believe your words.」

「Y-……Yes, of course. Just watch our strength.」

To be honest, they absolutely hated the thought of doing something like that, but since Mercurio had already set his sights on them, they had to be careful with their words.

Still, it was some consolation for them that it didn’t seem like they would be on the front lines for the next battle.

(I guess, we can only pray that the rebel army loses the next battle. Or, if they can overwhelm Prince Kabajid’s army, I might be willing to cooperate with them. Whether they win or lose, lukewarm results would be the worst.)

One of the nobles thought to himself without showing it.

They only thought about getting through their current situation as they turned to look at Rei.

Their gazes were filled with a mixture of hatred, considering that it was Rei who had put them into this situation to begin with.

However, those thoughts were quickly wiped away as the representative of the three nobles spoke up.

「So……could we hear what has been discussed so far? I have no idea what His Highness Mercurio and Rei-sama have been talking about.」

「Hm? Ah, that matter. To put it simply, we’ve come up with a plan to deal with the punitive force coming for us. If we do this, I think we can wipe them out in one fell swoop.」

Everyone in the magic tent was surprised at Rei’s words.

It was a punitive force made up of elite soldiers, more in number than them, and led by a capable commander.

It would be extremely difficult to survive against such a force. That was what they were thinking, so it was only natural for them to be surprised after hearing Rei say that they would be able to easily wipe them out.

「That means……you’re going to use a fire tornado?」

Rei was about to reply when one of other nobles in the tent asked, but……

「That’s enough.」

Theorem stopped him there.

「I’m sorry, but we’ll be keeping what we’re doing a secret. There may be enemy soldiers hiding in this camp.」

As he said that, as expected, Theorem turned to look at the three nobles.

The three of them looked back quietly as they gave a deceptive smile.

Normally, they would have reacted forcefully, as if to show that it was a false accusation, but the three of them already knew how the rebel army’s leaders viewed them, so they couldn’t speak up now.

If they said anything, at worst, they might be told that Rei’s plan would be abandoned in favour of sending them to fight the punitive force on their own.

Considering that, they’d rather not respond at all.

The other nobles all looked at Theorem, as if to say that they were not the same as those three, but Mercurio interjected here.

「Let’s just leave it there, shall we? Surprises are surprises for a reason, so it’s fine. Don’t worry. You’ll all experience an incredible surprise.」

「A……surprise?」

One of the nobles muttered as he looked at Mercurio.

Mercurio nodded in response with a smile.

As Vihera’s blood brother, his smile was charming enough to captivate the nobles for a moment.

Seeing the nobles fall silent, Theorem took the opportunity to speak.

「As Prince Mercurio has said, please leave this matter to Rei. Fortunately, Rei has a proper unit now, and if this goes well, we’ll be able to take out the punitive force, the First Prince’s main force, with almost no casualties on our side.」

With those words, the nobles’ turned to Rei again.

「That’s right, if things go well, as Theorem said, I think the damage on their side will be close to complete annihilation or something similar. ……However, this is just a plan I came up with, it’s not really a plan at all. If it works, I would appreciate it if you consider it to beneficial.」

「……Your Highness Mercurio, if he says that……」

Hearing Rei’s words, one of the nobles seemed to become uneasy as he turned to ask Mercurio.

It was a fact that the punitive force going towards them could be considered the First Prince’s main force. It was only natural to feel uneasy if their trump card didn’t seem to have faith in their own plan.

「In addition, you said you would be able to annihilate the enemy……can you really do that? I heard that you dealt a great deal of damage to the Bestir Empire’s army during the Spring War……damage that decided the outcome of the war. But even so, it couldn’t be considered annihilation, right? According to the information I received, the damage sustained by the fire tornado was mostly on the vanguard. Even among the vanguard, a considerable number of them managed to escape.」

Several nobles nodded at his words while several others seemed surprised.

The general view on Rei’s performance during the Spring War was that he had burned up the entire Bestir Empire army, but in reality, the damage hadn’t been that great.

No, the vanguard had lost close to half their force, so it wasn’t little damage by any means, but it still couldn’t be called complete destruction.

After creating the fire tornado, Rei had used his Death Scythe to slaughter the enemy soldiers one-sidedly while other units of the Mireana Kingdom took advantage of this to press the attack, but despite all that, a fair number of the vanguard had still survived.

Even with the help of others aside from Rei……skilled adventurers like Elk, they had been unable to wipe out the vanguard. But now Rei was saying he alone could annihilate the punitive force, which comprised of more soldiers than their previous battle and where undoubtedly better trained.

It was impossible to believe that so easily.

However, Theorem showed now signs of being shaken by such words, same for Mercurio.

Vihera specifically looked over at Rei with an expression of complete faith.

Theorem had already heard the plan Rei had come up with. From what he had heard, he was certain that if all went well, they would be able to annihilate the punitive force without any casualties.

However……

(Even if they are subordinates of Prince Kabajid, they are still citizens of the Bestir Empire.)

Thinking of that made Vihera feel a little sad, but she also felt that it was natural for one to be prepared to die if they were on the battlefield.

This was Vihera’s view on life and death as someone who loved to fight.

With the highest ranking leaders of the rebel army all confident about the success of the operation, there was no way anyone else could say anything in response.

In the end, they decided to prepare for an interception, but they basically left the task of dealing with the punitive force to Rei, ending the meeting.

There were quite a few nobles who weren’t happy with Rei’s special treatment, but it was clear that he had the power to deserve it, so they didn’t voice their dissatisfaction.

Of course, it remained to be seen what they would say to each other after returning to their tents.

「Rei, the guerrilla unit you and I formed. Are those the only ones we need to send out? It will take three to four days for the punitive force to arrive in the area. As an army, they will inevitably move slowly……but that’s the same for us. Even if we make preparations to intercept them in the case of an emergency, timing will still be an issue.」

Mercurio asked Rei for confirmation, but Rei just nodded back silently in response.

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