CH 553

「……I see, so it was an after effect of the Spring War.」

Daska, who was sitting on a sofa, let out a sigh as he read through the letter that Rei had passed to him.

His face showed fatigue.

The incident with the Bloody Blades wasn’t the only reason. ……To be exact, it wasn’t common, but it wasn’t rare either for groups of bandits to come to the frontier.

No, what was currently bothering Daska was the issue of the Bestir Empire that Rei had brought to him.

Looking at Daska’s face, Rei was able to somewhat guess the situation. Without saying anything in particular, Rei drank the tea that was served by a maid.

Silence filled the office.

Daska was the first to break it.

As if trying to lift the mood, Daska spoke to Rei in a light tone.

「So, what was your reward this time? Did you get anything good?」

「Yeah, there were some really good ones. A gem, spears, and……」

Saying that, Rei took out the pocket watch from the Misty Ring and placed it on the table.

「A pocket watch? ……Hey, isn’t this made of mithril? Well, you’ve found something of great value.」

Daska was very surprised as he gently picked up the pocket watch that was placed on the table.

He traced his finger over the intricate carvings on the surface as he gave a sigh in admiration.

In fact, it was extremely rare to find a watch made using this much mithril, the carvings on it were also something that ordinary craftsmen were unable to make.

In the first place, it was extremely rare to be so extravagant with mithril.

However……that was why Daska felt a little uneasy.

(This pocket watch is certainly amazing, but it could also be bad if there was something merchant was planning to sell it to.)

Daska was somewhat concerned, but knowing Rei, he wondered if anyone would realistically try to take it off him.

(At the very least, someone who knows Rei’s ability wouldn’t do something so reckless……but if it’s some stupid noble, the situation would be different.)

The young noble who had a run in with Rei during the Spring War crossed his mind.

That noble had suffered a lot of regrets because of Rei, but even after hearing such a story, many nobles would still continue to think that they were someone special.

(……Well, regardless of how it was before, Rei has a title now. Even if they try to push back against him, they’ll only hurt themselves.)

Thinking of that, a small smile appeared on Daska’s lips.

Yes. As for the matter with the Bestir Empire, which Daska was currently struggling over, there was a good chance of things working out with Rei’s cooperation.

Thinking that far, Daska turned to look at Rei as he spoke up.

「That’s right, regarding the matter of the Bestir Empire, I will be leaving in a few days. I would like you to accompany me as an escort, so please keep that in mind.」

Rei’s eyes widened at Daska’s words, who spoke them as if it were nothing big.

「Uhh……does that mean that Daska-sama will be going to the Bestir Empire?」

「Correct. I have been getting invitations from the Bestir Empire every year to attent their fighting tournament. ……I guess this has turned out to be a bit ironic for them.」

Daska gave a sarcastic smile as he shrugged his shoulders.

He was the leader of the Neutral faction, but the Neutral faction was only a small force.

They were a force that somehow existed between the Royalist faction, the largest faction, and the opposing Aristocratic faction.

Evven so, they were still the Mireana Kingdom’s third largest power and so the Bestir Empire had half in irony……or more accurately, with the intention of psychologically harrassing him, extended invitations to Daska every year for the fighting tournament.

Naturally, Daska would never go to such an event on his own. He either wouldn’t attend or would send a proxy in his place.

However, things changed dramatically with the Spring War.

Although the Neutral faction’s power hadn’t increased by much since spring, the fact that they had someone with a title on their side meant that their military strength had come to be respected.

Because of that, even the Bestir Empire now recognised Daska as one of the true leaders of the Mireana Kingdom and extended an invitation this year without the usual intent of harrassment.

……That said, normally, few people would go to another country in such a situation.

If it wasn’t for Rei’s case this time, Daska had planned to refuse as usual, or send someone on his behalf.

However, due to Rei’s story, the significance of the tournament had greatly changed in Daska’s mind.

If Elena’s proposed plan went well, they would succeed in creating a pro-Mireana Kingdom faction within the Bestir Empire.

What’s more, if Daska himself cooperated in the founding of the faction, he would be owed a great favour and it would become possible for him to expand the power of the Neutral faction within the Mireana Kingdom.

However, of course, they couldn’t rely on Rei’s strength alone to carry out the plan.

Several days worth of time were needed, including today.

「It goes without saying, but this event will be a big deal in many ways for the Mireana Kingdom……even for the Neutral faction. For that reason, we need to take more than just the two of us when we go to the Bestir Empire.」

「That’s ture. Since I have to participate in the tournament, someone need to guard Daska-sama during that time. Especially since you’re probably resented in many ways by the Bestir Empire due to the Spring War.」

At Rei’s words, who spoke as if it were all someone else’s problem, Daska looked at him in disbelief.

「I’m sure I’m hated, but if you ask me, you have to be the one they hate the most, no matter how you look at it, right?」

「But in my case, I can protect myself. More importantly, I’m participating in the tournament as a subordinate of Daska-sama, Margrave Rowlocks, so I should be able to deal with anyone who tries to mess with me to some extent.」

Rei shrugged his shoulders as he placed the pocket watch back into the Misty Ring.

Daska looked at Rei, who said that he was in the safer position.

「……Well, whatever. Anyway, you’ll need to come along as my escort. As I said earlier, Elk is scheduled to return to Gilm in a few days.」

「I see, so it’s Axe of the Thunder God. You can definitely have peace of mind with Elk escorting you……」

Rei was a bit hesistant with his words.

In actual fact, the A rank party from Gilm, Axe of the Thunder God, was realistically just Elk.

Axe of the Thunder God was just another name for Elk.

His name was much more well known and highly valued that Rei’s title of Crimson, which had been given to him after the events of the Spring War.

Their party was made up of Elk, a typical warrior, Min, a powerful magician, and their son, Rhodes, another warrior. Their strength was impeccable.

No, in terms of an escort, they were much better than Rei, who had very little experience in that area.

However……the reason Rei was a little hesistant was because of past incidents between Elk and the Bestir Empire.

Last winter, the Bestir Empire had taken his son hostage and blackmailed him into trying to kill Rei. The leader of that plot had been Theorem, who was involved in the entire upcoming plan along with Vihera.

Since Rei’s goal was to stand out in the arena and attract the attention of the bigshots of the Bestir Empire, Vihera and Theorem would be acting separately from him during the tournament.

But, as long as they were working towards the same goal, Elk and Theorem would definitely meet face to face.

At that time, it was a big question to Rei whether Elk would be able to keep his cool against Theorem, who had ordered the kidnapping of Rhodes.

(No, in fact, it wouldn’t be strange for them to end up killing each other.)

The image of the two of them fighting while covered in blood popped into his mind.

In terms of strength, it wouldn’t be impossible for Vihera to stop them, but Vihera was just as likely to join the fight herself.

As a combat fanaticc, she wouldn’t want to miss the chance ot fight Elk, a genuine A rank adventurer.

「Certainly, Elk and the Axe of the Thunder God will be a good addition considering their strength.」

At Rei’s hesitation, Daska nodded back immediately.

「I know. They took Elk’s son hostage and threatened him to kill you, right?」

「Yes. Considering Elk’s personality, I’m sure there will be a struggle at the very least.」

「I guess so. It’s definitely a possibility. ……No, it’s not a possibility. It’s safe to say an incident will definitely occur. However, it’s also true that we have no other effective force. There are naturally high ranking adventurer in the Bestir Empire as well. If one of them tried to kill me, the only person that could hold up against them and that I could contact to get here in the next few days was Elk.」

Gilm was located on the frontier and was a city where many high ranked adventurers gathered, even within the Mireana Kingdom.

Naturally, there were many A rank and B rank adventurers other than Elk and Rei.

However, Elk was the only high ranking adventurer available.

No, to be exact, there were quite a few B rank adventurer who were available as well. However, if asked if they could compete with opponents at the level of Vihera and Theorem, the answer would be no.

「……I understand the circumstances, but what do you plan to do with the matter regarding Theorem.」

「I’m sorry about that, but I guess I’ll have to leave it to you and Elk’s wife, Min, to handle. Also, we’re joining up within the Mireana Kingdom, right? I’ll do what I can to prevent a commotion.」

「You say you’ll do what you can, but really I’ll be the one doing it.」

Rei replied with a sigh, but it was also true that they had to bring Elk along as there was no one else they could use.

(……Alright, I’ll leave it to Min then.

Considering the burden was too heavy for him, Rei simply decided to throw the whole thing to Min instead.

As a loving wife, Min was someone Elk couldn’t afford to lose. Because of that, there was a good chance that she would be able to settle things more peacefully than if Rei had to deal with it.

「Anyway, I understand what you’re saying about Elk. Then, I assume we’ll be leaving Gilm in a few days?」

「Yeah, please keep that in mind. As for the Royalist faction, I’ve worked out the terms with the Aristocratic facion, so they will take care of the arrangements of reporting to them.」

「……When did you manage that?」

Rei had always carried his paired orbs with him inside the Misty Ring, so Daska couldn’t have used that.

And in the first place, the paired orbs were used to communicate with Elena, not Duke Kerebel.

At Rei’s question, Daska responded with a grin on his face.

「Well, we have a lot of contacts here as well. Fortunately, thanks to the Spring War, we’ve been maintaining a friendly relationship with the Aristocratic faction. ……Only between the upper echelons though.」

Rei had many doubts concerning Daska’s explanation, but assumed that they had just communicated using summoned or tamed monsters.

「I get what you’re saying for now. So, the plan is we will leave Gilm……when Elk returns?」

Rei thought Daska would nod back immediately at his question, but for some reason, Daska didn’t immediately respond as he seemed to think about something with a difficult expression on his face.

After a full minute of silence, Daska spoke up.

「Rei, just to confirm. Elk and Theorem……no, in this case it would be better to call him Flash. If we meet with Flash, there will definitely be a commotion, right?」

Rei nodded at Daska, who seemed to be asking for confirmation.

「Rather, haven’t you known Elk for much longer than me? You should be able to imagine what would happen.」

「……Hmm, that’s certainly true. And with Elk, safety on the road is as good as guarenteed, right? The most important thing to remember is the best way to use what we have. Then……」

Leaving Daska to his own thoughts as he muttered to himself, Rei looked out the window.

The sun had already risen, so it wasn’t morning anymore. But, the summer sun felt somewhat softer.

The fact that the season was starting to change towards autumn may have played a party in this.

As Rei looked at the tail end of the summer sky, Daska, who had finally collected his thoughts, spoke up.

「I’m sorry, but could you leave Gilm ahead of schedule and head for Goto to meet up with them? Even for them, wouldn’t it be a problem if they suddenly ran into Elk and were attacked……or killed? 」

Hearing those words, Rei couldn’t help but agree.