That day, the soldiers who were keeping watch at Mercurio’s army camp saw a group heading towards their position.

It was a group of about 10 people, dressed in glittering clothes.

The horses they were riding on were decorated just like their cloths as they leisurely approached the soldiers’ position.

「H-Huh? Hey, um……who do you think they are?」

The soldier spoke in confusion.

His confusion was obvious. If they were approaching with weapons in hand, they might have been nobles, adventurers, mercenaries, or volunteer soldiers hoping to join Mercurio’s army.

Or, they could be a reckless group acting on their own, intent of taking credit for themselves.

However, the only weapons they could see were excessively decorated rapiers in their sheathes and it was clear that the approaching people had no intention of fighting.

「You’re asking me……but what do we do? It’s hard to tell if they are allies or enemies.」

The other soldiers listening in all nodded their heads in agreement.

The fact was, they didn’t know how to deal with it.

But, if they came any closer, they would have to deal with them regardless……

「It can’t be helped, I’ll call for the captain. Please listen to what they have to say. I don’t think they’ll attack us, but don’t let your guard down either.」

「Ah, okay. Please call for the captain as soon as you can.」

The soldier nodded at those words as the rest took up their positions.

They hoped that the captain would be back before things became a hassle.

With that in mind, the remaining soldiers turned back to the approaching group after seeing their fellow soldier off.

The group had to have realised that the soldiers had noticed, but they continued forward without any change in their speed……eventually arriving at their position.

「Halt. This is the main camp of Mercurio’s army. I’d like to hear your purpose for coming here.」

When the time came to carry out their job, they thrust out the spears in their hands. At the words of the soldier, the person at the front of the flashy group stopped their horse as they replied.

「Mercurio’s army? I heard it was the rebel army, has the name changed?」

An unexpectedly gentle voice came from their mouth.

The soldiers, who had expected him to be a very overbearing person, felt his style to be quite lazy.

The soldier who had called out once again observed the person riding the horse in front of him.

Although he was wearing luxurious clothes and his horse was just as decked out, his looks seemed to suit his getup.

He didn’t give off an oppressive aura and was polite in his speech as well.

It was easy to guess that he was probably someone with a certain position of power.

「Yes. Her Highness Frizione’s army has joined, so the name ‘rebel army’ didn’t seem right, now it’s Mercurio’s army.」

The man nodded, as if satisfied by the words the soldier said.

「I see. It’s true that ‘rebel’ is a hard term to hear in many ways. ……Now then, to start from the beginning. My name is Frederick and I served His Highness Kabajid. This time, I have come as an envoy for negotiations with His Highness Mercurio, Her Highness Frizione, and Her Highness Vihera.」

Hearing that he served Kabajid, the soldiers all held their weapons tighter.

However, they didn’t point their weapons at the group, probably because the person called Frederick had no intention of fighting at all.

The same went for those led by Frederick and they held no hostility towards the soldiers standing guard.

「Negotiations? I understand. I’m currently calling for our captain, so please wait a little longer.」

「Yes, I understand. Let’s do that. ……Even so, things look pretty good, even though it was a battlefield just a while ago.」

Frederick muttered as he looked around.

In fact, the fences that had previously been destroyed had all been repaired. Various trash, such as weapon and armour fragments that had been scattered all over the ground, as well as corpses and blood marks had all been cleaned up. While not everything had been cleaned up, it was hard to believe a fierce battle had taken place here.

Of course, among the camp entrances, this one faced the main road and had the most traffic through it, so it was given priority on cleaning up.

「Yes. It was a victory for us after all. We put in the effort for post battle cleanup.」

「Is that so? From what I heard, it was a draw at best and, if you think about it in more detail, it was a victory for us.」

「No, no, I don’t believe that. After all, the moment Crimson appeared, your army was half destroyed. Many soldiers also ran away because of that, so objectively speaking, it was definitely a victory for us.」

「However, you weren’t able to destroy out military strength completely. No matter how many we lost, it is still true that our numbers still put us at an overwhelming advantage. Considering that, your side is more likely to be depleted, right? We might have lost a certain amount of strength, but that has since been replenished.」

As they exchanged words over who had won the previous battle, the soldiers noticed more footsteps approaching them.

The one approaching in a rush was the captain of the guards.

He must have run over after hearing the story. Going up to the nearest soldier to him, he exchanged words before loosening up his legs and turning to Frederick.

「I heard you serve His Highness Kabajid?」

「Yes. My name is Frederick. I was sent to negotiate with His Highness Mercurio, Her Highness Frizione, and Her Highness Vihera. Here is my proof.」

After saying that, he handed over a dagger.

The dagger’s sheath had Kabajid’s crest carved into it.

It was possible that someone had taken the dagger away to trick them, but it was also true that such a person would never go to Mercurio’s army.

「I understand, I’ve already reported it and will show you in.」

「I see, it would be a great help if you could do that.」

With a small smile on his face, Frederick was guided into the camp by the captain of the guards.

 

 

The inside of the magic tent was bustling with noise.

The reason was too obvious. Kabajid, their enemy, had sent over an envoy.

What was the purpose of their negotiation?

Would they suggest surrender, the return of soldiers they had taken prisoner in the previous battle, or, while likely impossible, the possibility that they would be the ones surrendering.

Mercurio’s military leaders were all discussing it.

「Tilleyle, what do you think?」

As Mercurio asked, Tilleyle shook his head with a difficult expression.

「I don’t know. If it’s about the prisoners, from my understanding, they wouldn’t go this far……」

「If this war goes longer, it will be a loss for both of us, so maybe it’s to discuss settling everything in the next battle?」

Although Gurgast’s words seemed possible, Tilley eventually shook his head again.

「……But, there’s Rei-kun here, right? If we go into a head on fight, there’s a higher chance that they will be the ones to lose out heavily.」

No one present could refute Tilleyle’s words.

In fact, up until now, the punitive force had mostly suffered losses due to Rei, particularly the second punitive force, and the one that had recently attacked the rebel, now Mercurio’s, camp. And, while on a slightly smaller scale, the punitive force had also suffered losses when Rei was in Frizione’s army, such as when they had escaped the Imperial Capital and were ambushed.

If asked whether they would fight Mercurio’s army head on with a strong presence like Rei around, they could only say no.

At the very least, the people who would actually have to fight Rei would say no, unless they were suicidal or held a big grudge against Rei.

「Don’t you think……they might have found a way to deal with him?」

Gurgast’s words made everyone go quiet.

If that was true, then it was certain that they would be at an overwhelming disadvantage due to the difference in numbers.

「We……well. Whether that’s what they want or not, we’ll have to listen to the person who actually came to negotiate. Even if we have a guess……as Tilleyle-dono said, they might just be here to discuss potential terms of surrender.」

At the noble’s words, everyone else sighed in relief.

The reality was that they still weren’t sure what was being negotiated.

It wasn’t good for them to be worried overthinking things now.

「Yes. I don’t think there’s any need to think too far at this point. If you’re worried, it’s fine to voice your concerns after they arrive. ……Theorem, what do you think?」

At Mercurio’s words, Theorem, who had been refraining from speaking, spoke up immediately.

「We have assigned appropriate forces to ensure nothing happens. We have also sent soldiers to contact Her Highness Frizione and Vihera, so they will be here soon.」

「……What about Rei? He might not be with my sister, right?」

「Yes. He’s still resting in his magic tent because his body is still feeling tired. I heard that he shouted “If I had used that magic item, the drain on my magic power would have been much lighter!” at some point. 」

What are you talking about? Mercurio was confused for a moment.

His confusion was clear enough. Rei had completely forgotten about the Bracelet of Magic Absorption that he had on him.

The Bracelet of Magic Absorption was a magic item that had the affect of absorbing magic power from opponents equal to the damage inflicted against them.

However, due to Rei’s enormous magic power, he never had the opportunity to use it before.

Because of that, while Rei wore the bracelet every day, he had treated it just as an ordinary bracelet and had completely forgotten its effect.

No matter how good a magic item was, it was useless if not activated.

In that sense, Rei’s magic power was the reason he had never used it before.

「Anyway, what about Vihera-sama……」

「Oh, what about me?」

Vihera entered the magic tent just as Theorem was speaking.

Behind her was Frizione and her guard, Angela.

「Have you heard, sister?」

「Yes. It seems that Kabajid wants to negotiate with us. An envoy has come.」

「That’s right. That’s what I’ve heard.」

Mercurio nodded and was about to say something again when a knight came through the entrance to the magic tent.

「Your Highness Mercurio, the envoy from His Highness Kabajid has arrived. Should I let him in?」

「……It’s before Rei is here, but there’s nothing that can be done about it. Yes, show him in.」

It was a shame that Rei was yet to arrive, but even so, he couldn’t keep the envoy waiting outside.

He felt that it was quite inconvenient for Rei’s magic tent to be located on the outskirts of the camp at times like this.

「Pardon me. My name is Frederick and I serve His Highness Kabajid. I am extremely honoured to meet with His Highness Mercurio, Her Highness Frizione, and Her Highness Vihera. When I see the other nobles I know here, it feels like this is like a second castle in the Imperial Capital.」

As Frederick came along with his group, all disarmed, he bowed gracefully while speaking. However, those that heard his words couldn’t help but give bitter smiles.

It was true that there were a number of well known nobles present, but there were very few of them who could be considered powerful.

Marquis Lognos barely counted while Theorem and Angela were up for debate.

That said, there were some who were famous not for their influence, but their uniqueness, such as Gurgast, the head of the Obrisin county, famous for his love for battle, and Tilleyle, Viscount Bugle, who was famed for his artistry and admiration for Vihera.

「Haha, I can’t compete with the wealth of talented people under Kabajid and Shurus. I can’t believe they’ve lost so many battles in a row, but I’m impressed that they still have that much strength.」

Mercurio’s words were to keep Frederick in check.

A statement that since the start of the civil war, they had been the ones with the overwhelmingly better results.

「That’s right. We are a gathering of talented people, like a glimpse into the stars……so, can we get to the main topic right away?」

「That’s right, we don’t want to waste time either. What have you come to negotiate……I’d love to know.」

Frederick once again gave a graceful bow towards Mercurio, who prompted him to speak, before speaking.

「So……Your Highness Mercurio, why don’t you surrender to His Highness Kabajid?」

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