『I see. So that Widele quietly admitted defeat?』

A voice could be heard inside a magic tent.

The owner of the beautiful voice looked at Rei from the other side of a Paired Orb with a happy smile.

That Widele……Rei nodded as he brought a cup of cold water, filled using the Dagger of Flowing Water, and replied to Elena.

「Yes. As expected of the captain in the White Rose Knights, she was quiet strong. Do you know her?」

『I don’t know who Widele is, but I do know the name of the White Rose Knights. They are a famous knight order under the command of Princess Frizione. However……』

Elena’s tilted head could be seen reflected in the Paired Orb.

Rei, realising that Elena was wondering about something, urged her to continue as he drank his water.

『Yes. The White Rose Knights are certainly well known. But I thought they were more of a ceremonial knight order.』

「Ceremonial?」

This time, it was Rei who tilted his head, not Elena.

Elena seemed amused by both their reactions as she spoke with a pretty smile.

『As the First Princess of the Bestir Empire, it is necessary to attend various ceremonies. Imagine the scene of beautiful women, clad in shining white armour, accompanying the Princess. It would be quite a sight, would it?』

Hearing Elena’s explanation, Rei thought of Widele and her subordinates.

Indeed, they all had well formed features and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them beautiful.

If several dozen such people gathered and acted in unison, it would certainly be an incredible sight.

Men would be enchanted by the beauty of the White Rose Knights and women would admire their dignity.

Of course, not everyone would be enchanted by the White Rose Knights, but many still were.

However……

「In terms of beauty though, The General Princess is really something.」

『What, what are you saying all of a sudden……really, saying something like that out of nowhere.』

Elena’s face was instantly dyed red with embarrassment.

The reason why Rei was hardly captivated by the White Rose Knights, including Widele, was mostly because he knew Elena, who could be called the embodiment of beauty and a goddess of war.

「Oh, I wish you’d say such pick-up lines to me.」

A seductive voice came from the entrance of the magic tent.

It was obvious whose voice it was.

Set was keeping watch outside the magic tent, so it was clear who it could be if he let them in without a fuss.

Furthermore, with the recent annihilation of the punitive force, security around Rei’s magic tent had been tightened significantly.

That was because Mercurio and Theorem judged that if Rei could use Set’s mobility to create fire tornadoes wherever he wanted, he might be seen as a dangerous enemy to Kabajid and Shurus……no, the Bestir Empire itself.

It was safe to say that fighting a dangerous person like Rei head on was pointless.

However, even if it was one in a billion, there was always the risk of assassination.

Even though Requiem’s Toll, one of the most powerful underground organisations in the Bestir Empire, had been unable to kill Rei, it was still less risky than fighting him head on.

In fact, even Rei was well aware that he could be killed in his sleep without knowing.

Set was there to deal with such people, but the higher-ups, including Mercurio and Theorem, couldn’t just leave Rei alone, as he was now the trump card of the rebel army……or even a hero, so they decided to assign him a dedicated guard.

That said, there was of course a large difference between an ordinary soldier and Set in terms of senses, intuition, and ability to sense magic power, so for the most part, the guards were nothing more than for show.

They had naturally seen Vihera frequenting Rei’s tent, so their relationship had almost become an open secret.

『Vihera……you again? Aren’t you supposed to be the princess of an empire? Why can’t you be a bit more modest?』

「That’s a strange thing to say. As you said, I was a princess. In the past tense. Now, I’m just an ordinary commoner.」

『What about you is ordinary? Ordinary people wouldn’t dress like you do to seduce men, and they definitely wouldn’t gleefully beat up those who are fooled by your charms.』

「Oh, really? It’s just a maiden’s hobby, isn’t it?」

A maiden’s hobby. Not just Elena, whose expression could be seen through the Paired Orb, even Rei gave a sigh at those words.

Vihera didn’t seem amused by their reactions. She had a dissatisfied look on her face, as if saying.

「What, you have a problem with me being a maiden?」

『As I said, it’s impossible to call yourself a maiden when you’re dressed like that.』

「But, men like these outfits, don’t you think? Even Rei prefers an outfit like this that’s visually appealing rather than someone in dull armour, right?」

With a melting smile, Vihera provocatively leaned over to Rei in front of Elena.

『What!? V-Vihera, what are you doing? I told you to be more modest!』

Although Elena understood that it was a blatant provocation towards her, there was no way she could forgive Vihera’s actions as frowned from the other side of the Paired Orbs.

「Oh? Are you jealous? If you were here, I’d give this place to you……but what a shame.」

『Vihera……you……』

「Ooh, scary, scary. Well, let’s leave the jokes aside for now.」

『Don’t think you can get away with joking about everything, okay? Next time we meet, I’ll make sure to explain this to you.』

Beautiful women are scary when they get mad. It was a phrase Rei heard often, but he now felt the meaning of it more than before.

She wasn’t showing any obvious anger. But, just by looking at her……even though she was on the other side of the Paired Orb, Rei could feel a certain tension.

However, far from being frightened by Elena’s anger, Vihera just smiled seductively, saying that she’d be more than happy to experience it.

If it were a battle between soldiers or knights, Rei would have had no problem being there, but being here right now made him feel uneasy.

「Ahh……anyway, let’s get back to the main topic. What was it again……?」

『I think you were calling me beautiful?』

「Yes. I think you were saing that you wanted me to woo you too.」

Elena and Vihera, who had been fighting each other just a few seconds ago, spoke in unison with each other.

I just can’t understand the exchanges between women. Rei spoke with a bitter sigh.

「Please forgive me. I know I said something that doesn’t suit me. But more importantly……yes, the White Rose Knights.」

「You had a mock battle with Widele, right? I’ve heard about it. Although, considering Rei’s strength, I think it was only natural.」

Rei nodded, gently averting his gaze from Vihera, whose ample breasts shook as she shrugged her shoulders.

「Yes. She used a lightning magic sword, so she has a pretty good advantage against ordinary oponents. It’s an ability that will paralyze your opponent for a few seconds through their equipment, so the effect is pretty good. I’d like to have it.」

「……Hey. Widele is my sister’s subordinate, so don’t do anything strange, okay? If you do want to do something strange in a different sense though, I’ll do it as much as you want.」

『Vihera.』

Elena’s reproachful voice made Vihera sigh softly.

「I know. Anyway, since we’re teaming up with them, don’t do anything that might turn them against us, okay? This is a request from me as a leader in the rebel army.」

The fact that she made a request here, rather than an order, showed how much influence Rei held within the rebel army.

It was no exaggeration to say that Rei’s fighting strength was essentially that of a second army and he left a strong impression on the rebel soldiers.

(Although for those who looked down on Rei, they’re probably not feeling so great.)

Especially for the three nobles who had been exposed by Rei for betraying the rebels, they must have felt like they would be killed at any moment. Remembering how their expressions got worse day by day, Vihera smiled maliciously in her heart.

Rei was an important person to Vihera. That was why she would even abandon her country for Rei’s sake. …….Although she technically had already fled her country.

「I know. I don’t want to get in trouble just to get a magic item either.」

『Really? You sometimes do unexpected things Rei. Considering that, I wouldn’t say it wouldn’t happen.』

Elena seemed to recall all the troubles Rei had caused in the Mireana Kingdom……especially for her. Elena spoke with a strange smile that seemed to carry a mix of bitterness and amusement.

In fact, Rei had caused many disturbances and many of those disturbances had even harmed nobles.

This was because he didn’t hold the same respect or fear for nobles as the people of Elgin.

However, it was also true that it was Rei’s personality that captivated both Elena and Vihera.

「I’m really counting on you, Rei. You’ll be accompanying Widele when you meet with my sister, so if something happens……」

As if remembering something, Vihera looked off into the distance, something that was unusual for her.

『Vihera?』

「Is there anything wrong?」

Elena and Rei must have noticed that something was off with Vihera. They called out to her, but Vihera just kept looking off into the distance, as if a switch had been flipped.

「……Hey, Elena. As the daughter of a duke from the Mireana Kingdom, have you even met Frizione?」

『Unfortunately not. To begin with, I’ve never been that interested in high society, in addition, Her Highness Frizione is the First Princess of the Bestir Empire. There’s no way someone like me, the General Princess, would have a chance to meet someone like that……especially since I’m from the Mireana Kingdom, a long time enemy.』

「I think people would like to meet you though as the famed General Princess. In fact, when it became known that I had a title, people from various places wanted to meet with me. They were all turned down by Daska-sama though.」

『That was wise. Considering Rei’s personality, if you had met with them, there would definitely have been problems.』

「……It’s not like I’m violent. If they treat me with courtesy, I’ll treat them accordingly.」

Rei and Elena exchanged words as Vihera continued to look off into the distance.

A few minutes passed before Vihera finally recollected her senses.

「Anyway, even though she might look like a quiet and sheltered young lady, she can actually do some pretty unexpected things. You can understand what I mean if you think about it.」

『It’s true, I’m surprised she would betray the other side, which is currently stronger than the rebel army, even including you and Rei. That said, considering how Rei can be utilised, you are essentially on equal terms in fighting strength, if not stronger. If you have some insight into the situation, it’s not that strange.』

「……Unfortunately, you’re thinking that my sister considers the situation. Well, she probably does, but her top priority is to stop the fighting between siblings. I’m not sure how that fits for a member of the royal family, but she is popular with the people.」

In terms of popularity with the people, Vihera was by no means inferior.

But her type of popularity was different.

Vihera was more popular as an idol of sorts while Frizione was popular as a leader because of her kindness.

It wasn’t that one of them was more popular than the other, but Vihera believed that Frizione was more suited to lead than she was herself.

Of course, that was only in comparison to herself.

Kindness may certainly be a valuable quality in a leader, but harshness was just as necessary if not more so.

「Anyway, sister sometimes does all sorts of unexpected things. She might do some strang things to Rei as well……so please bear with her.」

As Vihera spoke with a small smile, Rei had a subtle feeling of dread.

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