Rest and his five guards joined the advance team.
At the assembly point outside the royal capital, nearly a thousand soldiers had already gathered.
"Oh, it's Lubeth."
There, he saw Wilhelm Lubeth, the 'Sword Saint Who Hates Women,' with whom he had shared a drink after the military council the other day.
Around Wilhelm were several similar guards. He didn't know their names, but he recognized their faces. They were students from the Knight Department.
"Hmm..."
As soon as Lubeth met Rest's eyes, he looked away somewhat awkwardly.
It seemed he remembered passing out drunk from when they drank.
(It's nothing to be ashamed of. Having one or two weaknesses makes you more endearing, I think.)
He can't talk to women, and he passes out just from sipping a cup of weak sake.
He has surprisingly many weaknesses, even though he's an exceptional swordsman.
"There are surprisingly many familiar faces..."
Among the advance team participants, there were nobles and knights he had met at social gatherings. There were many people he knew by sight.
"Ah... so you are Count Clover."
In the midst of this, one man called out to him.
It was the vice commander of the Knight Order, who had also been present at the recent military council... Vareiya Cattleya.
Vareiya had been put in charge of the advance team, and upon arriving at the border fortress, he was to become the supreme commander for dealing with the foreign tribes.
"My... Vice Commander. I look forward to working with you from today."
"Likewise... I've heard rumors. Your exploits are quite famous, you know."
Vareiya in His Early Twenties He is very young for holding the position of vice commander of the knight order.
That might also be due to the reflected glory of being the eldest son of House Cattleya and the son of the knight commander, but I had heard rumors that it was largely due to pure ability.
(Young vice commander. A man who is a close aide to the crown prince and confirmed to be the next knight commander... He really has an aura that keeps me on guard.)
"From the subjugation of the magic beast Sabnock to your exploits in the previous civil war... your performance is truly splendid. Let us support the Kingdom of Aiwood together from now on."
"Yes, of course..."
While answering, Rest felt a dangerous air that pricked his skin.
(Hmm... rather than an atmosphere that keeps me on guard, isn't he just straight-up showing hostility?)
His tone was calm.
The content of his words was not hostile, but his voice was strangely heavy.
It felt like he was applying pressure. I could sense a strange pressure from every word.
"Um..."
"By the way... is Yuri doing well?"
"Ah..."
Then, belatedly, Rest realized.
The fact that he is the son of Marquis Cattleya means... in other words, Vareiya is Yuri Cattleya's older brother.
"She's naïve, you know. I hope she hasn't been causing you trouble? I'm worried she might be deceived by bad people."
"You haven't been taking advantage of my sister's naivety to deceive her, have you?"
"If anything happens to her, I have to clean up the mess immediately. Let me know right away."
"If you do anything to Yuri, I'll deal with you right away, so be prepared."
From behind the calm words, a mysterious sub-audio could be heard.
It might be Rest's imagination, but... Vareiya's gaze was intense. Extremely intense.
"From now on, please get along with my sister with moderation... Father has approved as well, and I intend to do what I can for my sister too..."
'If you lay a hand on my sister, I won't let it slide... Father may have approved, but I don't recall ever giving my approval!' "I will sincerely do my best in my relationship with your sister."
"Good. Please do."
Vareiya extended his hand for a handshake.
Rest dejectedly took his hand and was gripped back with tremendous force.
If he hadn't cast the magic of [body reinforcement] and [hardening] beforehand, the bones in his hand might have been crushed.
"Tch..."
Vareiya clicked his tongue softly and walked away, unable to crush Rest's hand.
Rest watched his back as he cast [healing] to soothe his aching hand.
"He's quite an intense brother..."
"I've heard that Marquis Cattleya and his son dote on their sheltered young lady... It seems that's true."
Diebl, who had watched the whole thing, smiled wryly.
Rest had heard that Yuri was staying at Count Clover's household, but that was with her father's permission.
However, from the looks of it, her brother Vareiya didn't seem convinced.
"Come to think of it... Yuri has other brothers, doesn't she..."
"At the border fortress, there is the second brother, Carius Cattleya, and in the advance party, the third brother, Toya Cattleya, is also participating. I hope this doesn't become a troublesome situation."
"Please don't raise a flag... I really feel like something will happen!"
Rest's shoulders trembled at an indescribable chill.
At Diebl's words, Rest's morale dropped before the battle even started.