The room was quite spacious by Rei’s standards, about 20 tatami (33 square meters) in size.

However, considering it was a room where the Emperor of the Bestir Empire and his children were going to meet, it was actually quite small.

Present in the room were the Emperor of the Bestir Empire, Tragist, the Second Prince, Shurus, the First Princess, Frizione, and the Third Prince, Mercurio.

Along with them were their respective bodyguards or aides, Amare was by Shurus, Angela by Frizione, and Theorem by Mercurio.

Behind the Emperor were also figures clad in lavish armour.

(Come to think of it, does Vihera need bodyguards or aides as well? ……She probably doesn’t need a bodyguard though.)

Vihera was already strong enough to defeat titled A rank adventurers, so ordinary guards would probably only get in the way.

A bodyguard who would only be a hindrance in the event something happened couldn’t really be called a bodyguard.

(In that case, am I supposed to play the role of her bodyguard?)

The thought crossed Rei’s mind, but even with the number of bodyguards, most people present were not carrying weapons.

The only exceptions were the ten or so knights who were standing behind Tragist.

Rei could tell that they were quite skilled and strong, so they were probably the Royal Guard, those tasked with protecting the Emperor’s safety.

And, since even Rei could tell that they were wearing high quality equipment, there was no doubt that they were probably high ranking Royal Guards.

(I suppose that is only to be expected, since they are the Emperor’s bodyguards……although I don’t seem to recall seeing them during the tournament.)

Recalling the tournament, Rei immediately realised why.

Noiz had been with the Emperor at the time.

With Noiz, his friend, at his side, there was no way anyone would try to mess with the Emperor.

(Since people assume I can defeat Noiz, it now makes sense why they are so cautious with me. ……I see, that’s why their gazes are so wary of me. Even if my weapons are taken away, I can still use Fire Emperor’s Crimson Armour.)

Of course, being an adventurer from the Mireana Kingdom was also a reason to be wary of Rei.

As he thought about that, Rei turned to look over at the royal family, who were seated on sofas in the middle of the room.

As he looked, a question suddenly arose in his mind.

「Vihera, what about your mother? Or Frizione’s mother?」

As Rei asked in a low voice, Vihera nodded back.

「My mother and Frizione’s mother have both passed away, but Shurus’ mother is still alive. That said, in the Bestir Empire, the Empress generally has no political power. At least publicly. This might appear to be a family meeting, but in reality, it is a political matter.」

「……Isn’t that strange? Normally, wouldn’t the family of the empress or a concubine hold a lot of power?」

「Do you think someone like my father would let that happen?」

With just those words, Rei understood everything.

Tragist was someone who carried a strong presence.

That much was clear from the speech he had heard during the fighting tournament.

If asked whether someone like that would allow his Empress to do whatever she wanted, Rei could only say that was impossible.

「What’s the matter? Come over here. I called you two over because I wanted to hear things from you directly.」

Tragist, seated on his own sofa, called out to Rei and Vihera.

The two of them couldn’t ignore the Emperor’s urging and headed to the center of the room.

As Rei did so, he felt the Royal Guard’s eyes focus on him, watching his every move intensely. Internally, Rei was quite impressed.

However, his admiration didn’t come from the fact that they were so focused on him, but that they didn’t seem to be taken aback by Vihera’s outfit. In reality though, Rei was quite off the amrk.

The two of them bowed as they reached the center of the room.

「It’s been a long time, father. I never thought you’d call for me after I ran away from the country……」

「Nice to meet you, Your Majesty Tragist. I am Rei, a B rank adventurer from the Mireana Kingdom.」

Rei had treated Mercurio, Shurus, and Kabajid, Vihera’s siblings, as he would talking with his own friends……but, he couldn’t really do that with Tragist, Emperor of the Bestir Empire.

If he really were to do that, it could quite quickly become an international incident.

「Hmm. I’m glad to see that you’re doing well, Vihera. But, isn’t that outfit too attention grabbing for me?」

Frizione’s eyes narrowed at Tragist’s words.

She looked at Vihera reproachfully, as if saying ‘How could you wear such attire to something like this’.

「Fufufu. If I were still the Second Princess, I might have worn a dress, but……I’m no longer royalty, I’m just an adventurer. That’s why I came here dressed like this.」

Shurus opened his mouth, wanting to say something to Vihera in response……but, Tragist’s laughter echoed through the room before he could interject.

「HAHAHAHA-! I see, I see. If you consider yourself an adventurer, then that’s fine. To be honest, I had high hopes for you too. And you’ve exceeded even my expectations. No, it really is amusing.」

Tragist picked up a glass of wine from the table in front of him as he laughed.

He downed it in one gulp before pouring himself some more.

Next, he turned to Rei.

「This is the first time I’ve met you in person.」

「Yes. I’m very sorry about the award ceremony.」

「Don’t worry about it. Noiz wasn’t there anyway. In fact, because you were there either, it was an amusing award ceremony without the first or second place winners. Besides……you were busy at the time, weren’t you?」

「……I don’t know what you’re talking about.」

While Rei knew that his actions had been exposed, he couldn’t bring himself to admit it and could only pretend he didn’t understand.

Seeing Rei’s response, a ferocious smile appeared on Tragist’s face.

While that was only a change in his expression, the aura he gave off definitely changed in that moment.

The psychological pressure he gave off was so strong that Rei could almost feel it as physical pressure.

(I see. So this……is Emperor Tragist.)

He had felt the same sensation from Tragist during the tournament. ……No, now that he was so close and Tragist’s focus was solely on himself, Rei could feel that his presence was even stronger than during the tournament.

Looking at the man before him, the impression of a lion that Rei had felt back then grew even more vivid, and it definitely wasn’t just his imagination.

「Father. Could you not provoke Rei so much? You know he’s strong despite how he looks, right? Knowing you, father, you were probably gathering information on us during the civil war.」

Vihera’s voice rang out, breaking the tension in the room.

Hearing Vihera’s voice, Shurus appeared shocked and incredulous, Frizione sighed with an ‘it can’t be helped’, and Mercurio smiled, as if saying ‘as expected of my sister’.

Although they all had different reactions, the atmosphere became noticeably more harmonious as a result.

「I see. It certainly does seem that he was quite important. ……You’re Crimson Rei, aren’t you? What do you think? Would you like to serve the Bestir Empire? If you do, I promise you’ll be treated accordingly.」

Rei was taken aback by the sudden question.

He was quite aware of the damage he had caused to the Bestir Empire, so he never expected the Emperor himself to make such an invitation.

In fact, others who knew what Rei had done were also greatly surprised, so it was easy to see how unexpected the offer had been.

But, at the same time, it also wasn’t uncommon to try and befriend someone that they would rather not antagonise.

It was precisely because of this that such people were better off as allies rather than enemies.

In particular, rumours had already started to spread that Rei had defeated Noiz.

While Rei would never admit it himself, it was a fact that Noiz had been the first to leave in his fight against Rei.

The punitive force soldiers had seen it themselves.

It wasn’t just because of his actual strength, but also his reputation, that the Emperor of the Bestir Empire wanted to take Rei in.

However, despite knowing that……or rather, because he knew that, Rei shook his head.

「I’m sorry. I……have no intention of serving the Bestir Empire. Not just the Bestir Empire, but any other country or noble either. ……At least not for now.」

「……Heh, you’re still calm after turning down my offer. You’ve got guts. And that’s why you were able to make it all the way to the finals of the fighting tournament. I’m starting to really want you. What the Bestir Empire needs is strength, in every sense of the word. Surely someone like you wouldn’t be comfortable in the Mireana Kingdom?」

「That would be true in the Royal Capital. However, I usually live in Gilm, at the frontier. No one bothers me about my status there……well, not no one, but not that many either.」

The figure of the merchant who had once tried to steal Set and his Misty Ring crossed his mind.

While the man hadn’t been a noble, he had still wielded considerable influence within Gilm.

But even he was eventually brought down by Rei.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely Rei’s doing, it could be said that the merchant had brought it on himself in many ways.

(Come to think of it, an alchemist from the Bestir Empire had been involved back then. It was also the first time I directly fought a Demon Soldier.)

Rei was suddenly filled with nostalgia as he recalled those memories.

In reality, it had only been a year ago, but recent events had been so intense that it felt like it had been so long ago.

「Hmm, why are you so reluctant to serve those in power? Many people I know would want to serve their country, attain nobility, and reach for even higher positions.」

「I know that there are many people who want to achieve higher positions, but I have no interest in power personally. Surely there are others in the Bestir Empire, like Noiz, who aren’t interested in having power either?」

「Hahaha. That’s true. But, you also have to consider that Noiz is an S ranked adventurer, one of only three in the world.」

Tragist’s laughter echoed through the room again as he exchanged words with Rei, the pressure from his aura gradually creeping out again.

「It’s because of their strength that they have power. Isn’t that right?」

「You’re not wrong. Noiz has the strength, so no one can blame him for doing whatever he wants. ……As long as he doesn’t break the law, of course.」

「As expected.」

Even if you said strength was everything, if Noiz were to do something that clearly violated the laws of the Bestir Empire, the Bestir Empire wouldn’t tolerate it.

「……Well, I’ve digressed. Regardless, the Bestir Empire needs more strength. You understand that?」

After losing the Spring War, a civil war had broken out. In the midst of all that, an adventurer from the Mireana Kingdom had come second in their fighting tournament.

It was basically a coincidence that Rei was involved in all this, but it was also true as a result Rei’s involvement, the perception that the Bestir Empire was nothing to be feared of had started to spread among neighbouring countries.

Even those that didn’t quite go that far had started to consider that they could potentially challenge the Bestir Empire and win.

The Bestir Empire was starting to be looked down on by its neighbours and vassal states.

Tragist was aware of all this, but he had still not interfered with the civil war.

As a result, he had obtained a stronger heir to the throne, so he didn’t believe it to be a problem.

However, there was a separate issue that if things continued as they were, there was potential for vassal states and occupied territories to start fighting for independence.

For Tragist, it would have been best if he had been able to bring Rei into his ranks, but Rei had turned down his offer to serve.

「In that case……how about a honorary nobility? You won’t be given any territory and won’t have any responsibilities. You’d be a noble in name only……but that would let you move freely through the Bestir Empire. That’s right, let’s make you something like an Earl.」

Tragist spoke as he took a sip wine, gazing at Rei like a carnivorous beast refusing to let its prey go.

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