Rei was surprised to hear from Jeev that the Emperor wanted to meet with him, but Vihera was even more surprised.

Before she had run away from the Bestir Empire, Vihera had only spoken to her father a few times a month at most.

While she held no affection towards her father, she still respected him for leading a nation as great as the Bestir Empire.

Hearing that someone like that wanted to meet with Rei, it was only natural for her to suspect political motives.

Vihera felt uneasy knowing that Rei disliked such things, but Jeev’s next words were even more surprising to her.

「Your Highness Vihera……no, Vihera-sama, if you wouldn’t mind, you are also invited to join.」

「……Me as well?」

「Yes. Vihera-sama performed admirably in battle, so I believe that is the reason why.」

「I ran away from this country though……is it still okay?」

As Vihera asked for confirmation, Jeev nodded with a smile.

「Of course. His Majest Tragist is fully aware of that. It doesn’t seem to be an issue, so I don’t believe there is anything to worry about. It has been a long tim since you last saw His Majest the Emperor, so I would like you to enjoy your time.」

「Even before I ran away, father……no, I’d only seen His Majesty a few times a month.」

「Surely you must realise that governing a country as vast as the Bestir Empire means that he simply cannot have that much free time?」

Vihera shrugged her shoulders as if saying ‘I guess so’ at Jeev’s reproachful words.

As she did that, her chest shook, drawing the attention of the officials around her……as well as the soldiers.

「Mm, ahem. Vihera-sama, I think you should dress a little more modestly when you meet with His Majesty Tragist. His Majesty would surely be dismayed to see his daughter dressed so provocatively.」

Befitting his station, Jeev spoke those words without sparing even a single glance at Vihera’s chest.

However, Vihera didn’t seem to care for Jeev’s words as she smiled and spoke again.

「Really? I don’t think father would mind my outfit. Besides, I’m an adventurer now, unfortunately. These are all the clothes I brought.」

「……Won’t you catch a cold in this cold weather?」

「Don’t worry, I’ve considered all those thing carefully. Despite how they look, these clothes are actually quite warm.」

With what you’re wearing? Jeev couldn’t help but question Vihera’s response and he wasn’t wrong to do so.

Vihera’s cloths appeared to be thin, nearly see through garments.

The only thing she wore under them to cover her attention grabbing body were her undergarments.

It was the kind of attire commonly worn by prostitutes or dancers, certainly not what Jeev would think of when the word ‘clothing’ was mentioned.

「Yes. To be exact, it is the effect of a magic item.」

「……Ah, I see. I thought your outfit was just provocative, but it is also a magic item.」

「Yes. ……Considering that it is provocative though, you don’t seem particularly interested.」

Clad in such clothes, Vihera knew that her beauty and physique would draw the arousal of men around her.

And while she didn’t expect people to look at her with leering gazes, given her position as a former member of the royal family, she still expected that she would receive casual glances from people like the soldiers……repeated casual glances.

Jeev was almost distracted by her for a moment, but ultimately, that was all.

「Although I may look like this, I have a loving wife.」

「You’re still as devoted as ever. So, what do we do? I’ve only brought these clothes and I Vihera the adventurer now, so I have no intention of taking them off carelessly.」

That was, of course, a lie.

In the first place, as a magic item, such clothes were quite expensive and not something she could easily keep spares of in case of emergencies.

That was why she did actually have other clothes to change into, were something to happen.

But, it was also true that as an adventurer, her current clothes also doubled as her formal attire.

She would probably have to leave her weapons behind, like her gauntlets and greaves, before meeting with the Emperor, but she had no intention of taking off her current clothes.

「Besides……there’s only one person in this world that I’m willing to take them off for to show what’s underneath.」

Vihera cast a side glance towards Rei, who was listening in while eating the food on his plate.

Rei brushed her words aside with a troubled smile.

Seeing their interaction, Jeev seemed to understand their relationship.

He thought for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

「I understand. His Majesty Tragist isn’t one to overly care for small matters such as this. If Vihera-sama says so, there shouldn’t be any problems.」

As Jeev spoke reluctantly……very, very reluctantly, Vihera gave a beautiful smile.

The other officials with Jeev glanced at him, wondering if that was really okay. However, the fact that their eyes repeatedly drifted back to Vihera made their thoughts completely unconvincing.

As for Quelda, who knew if it was good or bad luck that Jeev was still holding his head down, causing him to be unable to see Vihera’s body.

At the very least, it did mean that Jeev’s opinion of him didn’t drop any further.

……Although his attitude towards Rei meant that his reputation had already taken a big hit.

「Well then, shall we get going? His Majesty Tragist is waiting for us.」

「Now? Is the audience already over?」

Vihera was surprised by Jeev’s casual words.

Rei felt the same as he also asked Jeev.

「Right now?」

「Yes. The audience has already ended, so this is the time for the royal family to discuss their own matters by themselves. ……There is also the matter of Prince Kabajid.」

Jeev’s words convinced Rei, but raised a new question at the same time.

Based on what Jeev said, there was no problem in calling Vihera over.

She might have run away from the country, but she was still family member and would mourn Kabajid’s death.

But, why was he being called over?

(Is it because I played an active role in the civil war? No, if that were the case, there would be no need to invite me during a time for family matters……)

Rei was still skeptical, but Vihera placed a hand on his shoulder.

「There’s no point worrying about it. Father does some crazy things sometimes, so this isn’t that strange. Besides, it would be rude to keep him waiting. Let’s go.」

Vihera’s words made Rei stand to his feet.

In the end, it would be rude to keep someone like the Emperor waiting, and it was also true that he was somewhat intrigued by person that was Tragist.

While Rei had met members of the royal family, such as Vihera, Mercurio, and Frizione, and opposed others, such as Shurus and Kabajid, he had yet to meet with the Emperor in person.

He had only seen Tragist from afar in the arena, but even then, he had felt an overwhelming presence from the man.

All that considered, it wasn’t a surprise that Rei was interested with meeting in person.

「It seems you’re interested. In that case, let’s go.」

Smiling at Rei’s response, Jeev led Rei and Vihera out of the hall.

The guerrilla unit and the other soldiers watched them leave with looks of surprise on their faces.

「Vihera-sama is one thing, but even Captain Rei was summoned by His Majesty the Emperor……that’s quite impressive.」

「You’re right. But, you could have guessed, right? Everyone can see that Vihera-sama is smitten with Captain Rei. In other words……is he going to ask for her hand in marriage?」

「……Asking His Majesty the Emperor?」

「……Surely Captain Rei won’t get into a fist fight with His Majesty Emperor?」

『……』

With just those words, all conversation in the surroundings went quiet.

In this large hall, the drunken revelry of those who hadn’t even noticed Jeev and his companions’ entry into the hall seemed so much louder to the soldiers’ ears.

 

 

「Rei-dono, I’m sorry, but I would like you to hand over any weapons.」

After walking about 10 minutes from the hall, they arrived at a room closer to the outside of the castle and Jeev turned to Rei before speaking.

「Weapons? ……Is this fine?」

Taking off the Mithril Knife at his waist, sheath included, he handed it over to Jeev.

Jeev took it, but still shook his head.

「We are aware that you, Rei-sama, have an item box. It contains several weapons. Furthermore, by using the item box, you can instantly take out anything you want. So……given that you are a titled adventurer, I can’t let you meet with His Majesty Tragist with such weapons……or similarly dangerous equipment.」

「……I see.」

Thinking it made sense, Rei nodded his head.

While he still wasn’t quite aware of it himself, Rei currently possessed the strength to defeat Noiz. In addition, he was technically an adventurer from the Mireana Kingdom, which had been in conflict with the Bestir Empire for many years, not to mention he had fought against the punitive force in the recent civil war.

……Taking all that into consideration, it wasn’t so surprising that he would be seen as a potential enemy.

But……that didn’t mean that Rei would just hand over the Misty Ring, his lifeline, so easily.

It would be fatal if someone were to run off with it……well, that was a bit of exaggeration, but it would still be quite devastating.

「I’m sorry, but this is my lifeline. I can’t give it to you. If I absolutely have to give it to you, then I can only decline the audience.」

All the officials except Jeev widened their eyes at Rei’s response.

From the perspective of someone in the Bestir Empire, they never imagined that someone would refuse a summons from the Emperor.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that Rei was from the Mireana Kingdom.

Even among people from the Mireana Kingdom, most would unconditionally comply with the requirements if the Emperor asked to meet with them while they were in the Bestir Empire.

This was naturally due to the difference in Rei’s values.

While Jeev didn’t fully understand the reasoning behind Rei’s words, he still took out a small box from his pocket.

「You certainly have a point, Rei-dono. It’s true that many people in this country hold grudges against you, so I understand that you would rather not hand over your item box. So……how about this? You can put your item box inside this box, lock it, and then keep the box and key with you.」

「……I see.」

Jeev’s idea was certainly easier for Rei to accept.

In essence, the goal was to make it so that Rei couldn’t immediately access his item box, so there was no need to give it over to someone else to hold onto.

「Just to be clear, there’s no tricks with the lock right? For example, being unable to be unlocked after locking……」

「Yes, you can see here.」

Jeev locked and unlocked the box several times as he spoke.

Seeing that, Rei seemed to relax. He put the Misty Ring into the box and locked it before holding onto it in his hand.

「……Rei-dono, you seem to have forgotten something.」

Just as everyone gave a sigh of relief, Jeev’s voice echoed out again.

「I forgot something?」

「Yes. The magic item at your waist. That’s also a weapon, is it not?」

Nebula’s Eye, which used magic power to create arrowheads.

It was something he had acquired after coming to the Bestir Empire.

「……You’ve got quite the sharp eye.」

Rei muttered quietly as he took it off his belt and handed it to the man holding his Mithril Knife.

He always wanted to have at least one weapon on him in case of emergencies, but he had now essentially given them up.

Of course, his physical abilities were still superior to many people and with Fire Emperor’s Crimson Armour, it didn’t make too much of a difference whether he was carrying a weapon on him or not.

Vihera followed suite by handing over her gauntlets and greaves.

「Then, I will return these after your audience is over.」

Jeev gave a deep bow before knocking on the door.

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