「Hmm, I see. it’s true that Orcs will form settlements when a higher ranking species is born among them. And, once a settlement is established, there will inevitably be great damage to the surrounding towns and villages. Considering all that, it is true that it would be best to destroy them while the settlement is still in its early stages. If you hesitate, it is entirely possible that the Orcs’ power will grow to the point that the noble who governs the territory will no longer be able to control them.」

Tragist nodded in understanding after hearing Rei talk about the time he had attacked an Orc settlement.

「But, father, Orcs are still low ranking monsters. And, because they have similar physiques to humans, the military finds them useful for combat training. Of course, we should still avoid causing damage to their surroundings.」

Shurus, who had been listening in to the conversation between Tragist and Rei, spoke up.

He wasn’t wrong. Orcs possessed a certain level of intelligence and strength in addition to their good reproductive ability, making them perfect opponents for the army to gain combat experience.

「Shurus, that might be true from the perspective of the army, but for those who live and travel through the area, Orc settlements are a nightmare, especially for the women.」

Orcs were basically a male only monster species, needing females from other races to reproduce.

And, the most common victims were humans.

Of course, they also posed a danger to demi-humans……such as Elves, Dwarves, and Beastkin, but there was no denying that ordinary humans were the most common.

「I know. That’s why we immediately send in the army whenever we hear of an Orc settlement. It’s not like we’re deliberately neglecting them in order for them to expand.」

Perhaps Shurus felt that Vihera was implying the Imperial Army was deliberately letting Orc cause damage for their training, causing him to reply in an annoyed tone.

After accepting the metal card from Tragist, the atmosphere in the room had softened considerably.

At present, Rei was talking about the adventurer requests he had received in the past, causing discussion to heat up.

Most of the people present were actively serving Bestir Empire in some form, so while they had some knowledge of what adventurers did, few of them knew what the life of an adventurer was reall like.

Vihera was the exception of course, having run away from the Bestir Empire to be an adventurer in the Mireana Kingdom. But even in Vihera’s case, she had mostly sought out strong opponents as she explored the dungeon in Exil.

That said, her stories of exploring the dungeon were so realistic that everyone……even the Royal Guards, listened in with interest.

(Well, it’s only natural that they would be interested in Exil. Of course, the Bestir Empire has Labyrinth Cities as well, so anything learned there could be put to good use running them here.)

Occasionally, at Vihera’s urging, Rei would add his own explanations, and as he talked about events from when he wasn’t with Vihera, Rei began to understand why they were so interested.

The conversations continued on.

Although Shurus initially held a negative impression of Rei, which was understandable considering the reason for his defeat in the civil war, he gradually grew intrigued by Rei’s stories of fighting monsters.

Shurus had always held a keen interest in military affairs. While his talent for combat was inferior to Vihera’s, it was still fair to say he was a highly capable fighter.

That was why he had been so well received by the Imperial Army.

「If there was one monster that left a big impression on me, it would have to be the Gamelion. It’s a monster that is in season in the Bestir Empire right now, when I first heard of it, I was told it was a rabbit monster……」

「Hmm, that’s right. I remember being surprised the first time I saw a Gamelion as well.」

It was true that Gamelions were a kind of rabbit monster, but it was massively larger. They also had gigantic fangs for killing and devouring its prey and blade like ears. Anyone who saw a Gamelion would be unlikely to consider it a rabbit.

Like that, Rei talked about the monsters he had fought as an adventurer for the next 30 minutes.

By the end of it, not just Shurus but even the Royal Guards, who held their own thoughts regarding Rei, were drawn into the conversation.

Thirsty from all the talking, Rei paused to drink some cold tea.

Perhaps thinking that they had reached a break in the conversation, Theorem, who had also been listening with interest, spoke up.

「So, Rei. I’d like to talk to you about your reward for everything……」

「Here?」Rei’s eyes widened slightly, as he had never expected the topic of his reward to come up during an audience with the Emperor, let alone a private gathering of the Royal Family.

But Theorem simply nodded without any particular reaction.

「Yes. His Highness Mercurio said that your reward should be an heirloom passed down through the Royal Family.」

Perhaps he had already anticipated that something like this would happen. Tragist just watched the conversation unfold without saying anything in response to Theorem’s words.

Neither Shurus nor the Royal Guards seemed annoyed by the matter either.

It might have been different if Theorem had brought the matter up as soon as Rei entered the room, but maybe because everyone had been happily listening to Rei’s stories up until now, they didn’t seem particularly opposed to Theorem bringing the matter up.

(Perhaps that was his intention from the beginning?)

Rei seemed to understand why Shurus had brought up Gamelions earlier.

That didn’t mean he was unhappy about it though.

While Rei wouldn’t go as far as to say he was happy about it……it was certainly reassuring that Shurus wasn’t openly expressing his dislike of him.

「So, as for your reward……I’ve prepared something called the New Moon Ring.」

At Theorem’s words, it wasn’t Rei……but Shurus and Frizione who expressed surprise.

The Royal Guard didn’t seem to understand why Shurus was so surprised.

It was a family heirloom after all, so it wasn’t surprising that the Royal Guard didn’t know what kind of magic item it was, unless they were of a certain rank.

Amare and Angela were similarly unfamiliar with what the New Moon Ring was as they watched the conversation unfold.

「Theorem……are you serious?」

「Yes, Your Highness Shurus.」

「But, that magic item……oh, that’s right. Come to think of it, Rei’s magic power is……」

「Yes. That’s why it’s the New Moon Ring.」

Perhaps getting a little impatient at their cryptic conversation, Rei interjected.

「It would be helpful if you could explain everything instead of making me figure it out on my own.」

Theorem nodded at Rei’s words.

「The New Moon Ring is a magic item excavated from the ruins of an ancient magical civilisation. It has the ability to conceal the wearer’s magic power.」

「……Is that it?」

Contrary to its impressive sounding name, the New Moon Ring didn’t seem to have an as impressive effect.

However, Theorem shook his head.

「That’s all……? I wouldn’t say that these types of magic items don’t exist, but they are quite rare. They need extremely skilled artisans and rare materials to make. In addition……」

Theorem spoke up as Rei’s reaction was far from what he had expected.

Vihera continued from where Theorem left off.

「Rei, you do realise that your magic power is incomparably larger than most mages, right?」

「Of course.」

While Fire Emperor’s Crimson Armour had reduced the magic power consumption to some extent compared to Overlord’s Armour, it still used enough magic power that an ordinary mage would have been unable to sustain it for more than a few seconds.

As for Overlord’s Armour, Rei had only been able to use it due to his massive magic power.

In terms of magic power alone, Rei was probably near the pinnacle of all of Elgin.

It was quite possible that there wasn’t a single other human in this world who possessed more magic power than Rei.

No one could say for sure though, because abnormal people would appear from time to time.

「Then did you know that some mages……no, not just mages, but some people have the ability to sense the magic power of others? Of course, there aren’t that many people who can do that. Maybe one every 50……no, every 100 mages.」

「I know. I’ve met several people who can see magic power. I also know of someone who had magic eyes that could see magic power directly.」

The figure of a solo adventurer, like himself, flash through his mind.

「Then you understand, right? For example, even if you tried to do something stealthy, if there is someone who can sense magic power, it would be impossible for you to hide from them.」

「……I see. So, this New Moon Ring……」

Rei nodded in response to Vihera’s explanation as he finally understood the benefits of the New Moon Ring.

「Yes. As Theorem said earlier, the New Moon Ring hides the wearer’s magic power. Of course, it doesn’t actually reduce your magic power, it only hides what others can see. It’s also very rare, it’s the only magic item of its kind that we have excavated from the ruins of the ancient magical civilisation. Within the Bestir Empire at least.」

「If that’s true, then this is quite a valuable magic item for me.」

「That does seem to be the case. It’s a type of magic item that alchemists can still create, but I think the New Moon Ring is the only one capable of fully hiding your magic power.」

No matter how stealthy Rei was, he couldn’t do much about his movements being revealed due to his magic power.

In such situations, a magic item that could prevent that from happening was extremely useful.

Rei thought about it for a few seconds before nodding back at Theorem.

「I understand. The New Moon Ring will be my reward. I’ve received this as well.」

Rei turned to look at the metal card that was still on the table.

There was no doubt that the metal card was already a very valuable item.

Tragist had already told him that possessing that card allowed him to do almost anything within the Bestir Empire, so it was definitely a good item to have in emergency cases.

「In that case, please wait a moment. Prince Mercurio, is that okay?」

「Yes, I’ll be gone for a moment. Is that okay, father?」

「Yes. This is something you decided yourself. If you’re going to give it as a reward for Rei’s strength, I have no complaints.」

With Tragist’s words, no one could present any further objections and it was decided that Rei’s reward would be the New Moon Ring.

「We will be back soon.」

With those words, Theorem left the room with Mercurio.

There was no need to say why they were leaving.

Rei saw them off as he waited for them to return with the New Moon Ring.

「Rei.」

Tragist called out to Rei again.

「What’s the matter?」

「When will you be leaving the Imperial Capital?」

「Probably within the next few days……I think. There are quite a number of people who want to leave with me after the civil war, so I will be heading back to Gilm with them.」

「……I see. Are you poaching them from me?」

Tragist’s gaze sharpened for a moment, but Rei shook his head.

「That is not my intention. It wasn’t something I asked them to do after all. I think they might have just become attached after working together for so long.」

To be exact, some admired Rei and Set’s power, some like his generosity towards his allies, and others were overwhelmed by Set’s cuteness……there were quite a range of thoughts.

But, the biggest factor was that if they ever had to fight against the Bestir Empire, that would mean fighting against Rei.

Having witnessed Rei’s strength in person, they would rather not have to do something like that.

「Many former members of the guerrilla unit were quite enamoured with Rei, so it’s understandable. In fact, if Rei had tried to poach everyone, I think the whole unit would have agreed……oh, no, Pelnyx wouldn’t have followed Rei.」

As they were conversing, Theorem and Mercurio returned to the room.

They had a small, but luxuriously decorated jewelry box with them.

「……Please accept this. This is your reward for the request.」

Theorem opened the lid of the jewelry box before handing it to Rei.

Inside was a ring that seemed to be made from some kind of magic metal.

There weren’t any gems attached to it, and depending on how you viewed it, it looked like something you could find for sale at a street stall.

However, true to it’s name, its lustrous black colour, like a condensed form of night, would catch peoples’ eyes.

That was the only thing inside the jewelry box……the New Moon Ring, nothing else.

Well, the jewelry box itself was worth a fortune on its own.

At Theorem’s prompting, Rei gently picked up the ring.

He slipped the ring onto his left index finger as everyone else watched.

As he did so, the ring, which was slightly larger than his finger, shrunk to a perfect fit.

「Rei’s magic power has dropped to just above the level of an average mage……」

Theorem, who could sense magic power, muttered out loud and his words echoed through the room.

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