32 - The Shape of Revenge
No longer being dragged around by Princess Ekaterina, Rei found himself with a considerable amount of free time. As for how to spend that time, it ultimately came down to training. There were many people he had to kill, and some of them were stronger than he was. Power was necessary to achieve his revenge.
After having breakfast in his own room for the first time in a while, Rei headed to the Royal Guard Knights' training ground. Compared to that of the Kingdom Knights, the Royal Guard's facility was deserted. Not only was their original number small, but many of the Royal Guard Knights were assigned to guard the royal family in shifts, leaving them with no time to visit the training ground.
The few figures visible were either knights off duty or apprentice Royal Guard Knights whose assigned royal were absent. Even so, out of modesty, Rei chose a corner of the training ground to conduct his training.
The Royal Guard Knights were even more prideful than the Kingdom Knights. The looks they gave Rei, a slave, were cold. Rei was not one to care about such looks at this late stage, but now was the time to raise Princess Ekaterina's reputation. He could not afford to create unnecessary friction.
Since he had no sparring partner, his training centered on strength training. Carrying the barrels that had reappeared after a long time, Rei worked through the exercises Geel had taught him, one by one.
"...Repeating the same things really is boring, after all."
The training he was doing now was the same as what he had done once before breakfast. Not that Rei would cut corners, but unchanging training was indeed tedious.
"I wonder if it's okay to start something different? I should have asked Master about the next training he'd teach me."
When alone, he naturally found himself talking to himself more. Even if he asked in his heart, there was no one to answer him now. The other Rei was doing his best just to resist the interference from the Collar of Subordination.
The Collar of Subordination was a magic tool that dominated the mind of the wearer through intense mental interference. It constantly appealed to the mind for loyalty and submission to the master, issuing direct mental commands to ensure the wearer did not defy the engraved orders. The reason Rei was able to escape that mental interference was that the other Rei was blocking it.
The occasional oddness in Rei's words and actions was merely because he was hearing the orders received by the sub-personality Rei and acting accordingly.
"Maybe I should create another one?"
While it was fortunate to have escaped domination, for Rei, who had always conversed within his heart, the current state felt precarious. Even if they would ultimately reach similar conclusions, he had gained confidence in his decisions by questioning them.
He could not do that now. Once, there had been four Reis within him, including the primary personality. If he returned to that state, he could have conversations in his heart. Rei was occasionally tempted by such a thought.
"...I'll get scolded when I take it off."
In the end, feeling considerate toward the Rei who was currently working hard, he refrained. It was the usual cycle of thought.
"Proof that I'm not concentrating on training. I'll run."
Thinking that he was having unnecessary thoughts because strength training involved little movement, Rei chose to run until he collapsed.
Carrying two barrels, Rei began to run at full speed. He had yet to notice that the surrounding knights were watching him in stunned silence as he performed such haphazard training.
By continuing to run at full speed without slowing down, his mind finally went blank. Just as his focus began to shift solely to the loud thumping of his heart and the sound of his own labored breathing, an obstacle appeared as if waiting for that moment.
"Hey, you."
Ignoring the voice calling out to him, Rei passed right in front of the speaker.
"Could you wait a moment?"
The number of people in the castle who would interfere with Rei's training was limited. One such representative, Fumiya, had visited the training ground. As expected of the Hero, he caught up to Rei, who was running at considerable speed, and continued to speak to him.
"Hey, stop."
"Huff, huff, huff."
"You're a slave, right? Can't you listen to what I, the Hero, have to say?"
At those words, Rei had no choice but to stop. It was not that he was obeying an order.
"My master is Princess-denka, not you. Even as a slave, there is no need for me to obey your orders, is there?"
"But you're a slave, right? Since your status is the lowest, it's only natural to obey the orders of those above you."
Rei thought that Fumiya, who could say this with a straight face, was indeed not the kind of person he had imagined.
Fumiya was the one who had triggered the events that led Rei to this state. Not only that. Fumiya, who had observed the trial, should know that Rei resented him for hurting Rui.
"There is such a thing as order priority. The highest priority is an order from Princess-denka. And my duty is to protect Princess-denka from all danger. I am currently training for that purpose. Your orders do not take priority over that."
Without letting his inner thoughts show in his attitude, Rei explained the reason he could not obey Fumiya in a polite tone.
"Your wording has become even more polite, but the way you're so argumentative hasn't changed at all, has it?"
"Is that so? I wouldn't know. I am simply acting faithfully to my master's orders."
"I've already gotten permission from the Princess, who is that master."
"What kind of permission?"
"I was permitted to spar with you."
Rei knew immediately that it was a lie. He had the confidence that the current Princess Ekaterina would never let him do such a thing.
"That is a lie, is it not? Even if it were a fact, I have received no such order from Princess-denka."
"I'm telling you I got permission!"
"Hero-sama. Then, if you were to say it was an order from Princess-denka... let's see, and tell me to kill that knight over there. Would you tell me to obey that?"
"I wouldn't make you do that."
"But even if you, Hero-sama, said it was forbidden, if it were an order from Princess-denka, I would do it. That is how it is."
"What do you mean, 'that is how it is'?"
"...It means that unless it is a direct order from Princess-denka, I cannot obey. Do you understand now?"
"You really are argumentative. In other words, I just need to have the Princess say it directly, right?"
"...That is how it is."
Referring to her simply as "the Princess" was the same as addressing her without honorifics. Not out of loyalty to Princess Ekaterina, but Rei was angered by Fumiya's insensitivity.
"How tedious—"
"Ah, there is one more way."
"Eh, what?"
"To repeat insults toward Princess-denka, as you just did. As one who pledges loyalty to Princess-denka, such terrible behavior is something I cannot forgive."
"Insults...?"
Fumiya had no intention of insulting Princess Ekaterina. He didn't have the courage to test his own value to the point of angering royalty.
"You should call her Princess-denka, or Princess-sama. Even if you are the Hero."
"A-ah."
"Also, you said 'have her say it,' didn't you? Are you great enough to be able to order Princess-denka around?"
"That was just a slip of the tongue."
Fumiya was actually a calculating person, but it seemed that didn't translate to strength in a verbal argument.
"Please consider your own position. You are the Hero. In this place, where there are Royal Guard Knights with deep loyalty to the royal family, acting rudely toward royalty will generate antipathy. That will only be disadvantageous for you as the Hero."
"You're right. Sorry."
Rei's consideration ended up being wasted. Rei had already been drawing attention with his abnormal training. Now the Hero had come to speak to him.
The surrounding Royal Guard Knights, who had been casually eavesdropping to see what was happening, had heard the conversation clearly.
Antipathy toward Fumiya, who had spoken rudely to royalty, had already sprouted in the hearts of the Royal Guard Knights, and in stark contrast, the evaluation of Rei—who, despite being a slave, showed loyalty to Princess Ekaterina equal to or greater than their own—rose significantly.
"I have spoken insolently despite being a slave. I apologize for that."
"A-ah."
"Now, as I am still in the middle of my training..."
Normally, it should have ended there.
"Ah, wait."
"Is there something else?"
In Fumiya's case, it was not so.
"Hinata said she wanted to talk to you. Would you like to have a meal together for the first time in a while?"
"I am a slave. I have no qualification to be present in such a setting."
"...I see."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
"Ah."
"Still?"
Irritation mounted in Rei's heart. If this were a calculation to probe his reaction, he would have fallen right into it, but Rei believed that wasn't the case.
"Then, next time, I'll bring Hinata here. You can talk here."
"By the way, what kind of talk would it be?"
"She says she wants to apologize."
"As I thought. Then please tell Hinata-sama that an apology is unnecessary."
"...Do you not resent her?"
Rei could not put into words that those were not words that you, the direct cause, should be saying.
"Then, please convey this as well. Even if I accept an apology, will anything change for me? If I accept it, will I be able to escape my status as a slave? Even if Hinata-sama can comfort her own feelings with that, I gain nothing. It's a bit long, but please."
"...That's..."
Even Fumiya understood that the words Rei asked him to convey were sarcasm directed at Hinata.
"Even if Hinata-sama is heartbroken over me, I have no obligation to comfort her. I only serve Princess-denka, and dealing with Hinata-sama would only interfere with that."
"You don't have to go that far."
"How should I say it for you to understand? Listen. Accepting Hinata-sama's apology would mean that I believe Hinata-sama was in the wrong. That would be the same as believing that Princess-denka, who made me a slave, was in the wrong. If she knew that, the kind Princess-denka would be heartbroken. I cannot let Princess-denka feel such things."
"But, in reality, the Princess—ah, Princess-sama—did make you..."
"As a result, I escaped the death penalty. I am grateful for that now. And the reason I became able to think that is thanks to Princess-denka, who grants generous treatment to a slave like me."
"I see..."
Rei continued to praise Princess Ekaterina relentlessly. This was because he had finally noticed that the surrounding Royal Guard Knights were eavesdropping.
The higher her evaluation rose, the deeper Princess Ekaterina's despair would be when it eventually plummeted. That was Rei's revenge against Princess Ekaterina. To give her something even greater than the humiliation Rui had suffered—that was Rei's goal.
"Now, for real this time, please excuse me."
As expected, Fumiya did not pester Rei any further. With that, Rei was finally able to immerse himself in training again.
◇◇◇
Repeating similar training in the afternoon, and some time after finishing dinner, Rei left his room.
His destination was Miria's room. Standing before the door, he called out.
"Miria-sama."
There was no answer.
"Miria-sama."
He called her name once more, but there was no reaction. Just as he was about to leave, thinking she wasn't there, the door opened slightly from the inside.
"Ah, you've come."
"W-what? You haven't moved rooms yet?"
"There's no need to wait to move rooms. I think it's better to create the source of rumors early."
"I-I see."
"May I come in? I've already been seen by enough people. If I don't go inside now, it will be thought strange that I'm just standing here."
"...Alright."
Passing through the door that was finally opened wide, Rei entered Miria's room.
The layout of the room was not much different from Rei's. The only difference was whether there was a window or not. The complete lack of femininity was not because of Miria. Since it was a room provided within the castle, changing the interior according to personal taste was not permitted.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I won't do anything. You're not actually going to tell me to sleep with you, are you?"
"O-of course not."
"Well, even if you did, I couldn't."
"What?"
"...It's not about you, Miria-sama, but about the orders."
"Ah, that's right."
"Since there's no point in just spacing out, I'll do as I please."
"Do what?"
"Training. It's my daily routine. Besides, it's better to break a bit of a sweat."
"Why?"
"If we were to engage in the act, we'd at least break a sweat."
"...I-I see."
Miria was convinced, but this was Rei's harassment. There was no way anyone would be checking whether Rei had left the room sweating or not.
Casually removing his clothes, Rei became shirtless.
"W-what are you doing?"
"It would be strange if my clothes were soaked in sweat, wouldn't it? I wouldn't engage in the act while wearing clothes."
"I-I see."
Miria was being toyed with as he pleased. Stopping the teasing for a moment, Rei actually began his training.
"Should I join in?"
"Miria-sama is going to sleep here, right? I don't think any extra fabrication is necessary."
"But I'm bored."
"Then why don't you try making some noise?"
Rei found another way to tease Miria.
"Noise?"
"The kind of noises one makes during the act."
"What!? How could I do such a thing!"
"Ah, so you don't know. What kind of noises to make."
"That's not the issue..."
Even if she knew, she would be too embarrassed to let out moans. Rei knew that as well.
"Shall I teach you? What kind of noises women make during the act."
Knowing this, he tried to torment Miria further, but...
"S-stop it. That's Cecil's, isn't it?"
That was a slight failure. Rei hadn't considered that Cecil's name would come up here.
"...I wouldn't do something so rude. I'm not that insensitive. Besides, the noise thing was a joke."
"A bad joke."
"My apologies. You seemed bored, so I thought it might serve as a distraction."
Because Cecil's name had come up, Rei lost the will to bully Miria and began his training.
Miria watched him silently for a while, but perhaps she really was bored, as she spoke to Rei.
"Want some help?"
"Ah, yes. Please."
Assisting Rei's training was something Miria was used to. Without a word, she climbed on top of Rei and applied her full weight. Feeling a slight sense of nostalgia for it, Rei continued his training in silence.
"Hey."
"W-what is it?"
"You can tell jokes, can't you?"
"C-could you please move?"
To answer the question, Rei decided to have Miria, who was on top of him, move aside for a moment.
"A-ah."
"...I was asked the same thing by Cecil-sama."
"You met Cecil!?"
"Yes. I met her when I accompanied Princess-denka to the Mage Corps' training ground."
"I see. And?"
"I answered that I haven't lost my emotions."
"That's right. You still have emotions."
"Yes."
"...Hey."
After a pause as if she were thinking about something, Miria spoke to Rei again.
"What is it?"
"You resent me, don't you? Because of my testimony, you were reduced to a slave, and with Cecil..."
"That's the second time I've been asked that; I was asked by the Hero."
"You met the Hero too!?"
Probably the person Rei resented the most. Miria was surprised to hear he had met that person.
"Yes. Today. I met him at the Royal Guard Knights' training ground."
"And? Do you still resent her?"
"I cannot say anything about that."
"Why?"
"I answered the Hero like this: if I were to say that I resent her, it would be the same as saying that I resent Princess-denka."
"That's..."
At the mention of Princess Ekaterina's name, Miria showed a bit of agitation. Naturally, Princess Ekaterina should be among those he resented. That was what she thought.
"I do not resent you as much as you think, Miria-sama. I am far more free than I imagined. Though that doesn't mean I desire to remain a slave."
"I see."
"I do sometimes think about what would have happened if I had served Princess-denka in a different capacity. Whether I would have been able to pledge my loyalty to Princess-denka in the same way as I do now."
"And how would that be?"
"I don't know. Once the Collar of Subordination is removed, my heart of loyalty might dissipate. Thinking about that makes it complicated. Whether it's better as it is, or better to have it removed."
"...Sorry. I don't quite understand."
"...In other words. If my current feelings for Princess-denka are fake, then that in itself would be lonely."
"I think I get it. In other words, the current Kamui has the same feelings for the Princess as I do."
"Yes. No matter how many other people I might hurt, if it is for Princess-denka, I would not hesitate."
"That hurts to hear."
Rei's words were the very essence of Miria's actions in hurting Rei and Cecil for the sake of the Princess. Being told that by the person himself, Miria's heart actually ached.
"It seems my analogy was a bit poor. May I ask you something in return?"
"What?"
"Do you regret it? Not just regarding me, but Cecil-sama is likely hurt as well. I believe she regrets it, thinking it happened because she spoke to you, Miria-sama."
"I'm sure that's true."
"To you, Miria-sama, Cecil-sama was a good rival. That relationship is now broken."
"I'm sorry for Kamui and Cecil, but I don't regret it. It's just as Kamui said. The most important person to me is Princess-denka."
Miria had betrayed Cecil out of loyalty to Princess Ekaterina. She had simply prioritized the Princess's orders above all else. Miria had no malice toward Rei.
The reason Rei, who could feel the other person's emotions, had trusted Miria to some extent and failed to detect the betrayal was because of that.
With Miria's current words, Rei became certain that the direction of his revenge against Miria was not wrong. There was no point in driving her mad with seduction. He realized that the greatest revenge would be to strip away the pride as a Royal Guard Knight and the loyalty that Miria cherished so dearly.