As Rei and his companions stepped out of Pamidoor’s workshop, Seto—who had been lying nearby—immediately noticed them and approached with a rumbling purr.
Rei scanned their surroundings while stroking Seto’s head. The man who had been stabbed in the right shoulder with a knife was gone, and the thieves Seto had knocked unconscious had also vanished.
"I suppose they didn't abandon their comrades after all," Rei muttered, sounding almost impressed. For a fleeting second, he wondered if he should have secured the unconscious men for questioning, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
(No, the ones sent here are likely nothing more than the Azoth Firm's tail. They’d be cut loose the moment they were caught. Between the intel I could gain and the risk of harboring a traitor in the midst... the risk far outweighs the reward.)
Having reached that conclusion, he regained his composure and turned to Brasso.
"So, where should we go to hear Mult’s story?"
"Hmm... Our inn, perhaps?"
"But we have Seto to think about," Phron interjected. "Our place is strictly for adventurers; they don't even have a stable for tamed monsters. Besides, this interrogation will probably take a while. It’d be a bit much to ask Seto to wait outside the whole time."
As Rei listened to Brasso and Phron, only one location came to mind.
Technically, he could have gone to the Lord's mansion to lay everything bare. However, the thought crossed his mind that if he involved Margrave Daskar at this stage, Boruntar might realize his peril and fly into an unpredictable, violent frenzy. He decided against it.
"Then let's head to the Dusk Wheat Inn. The place where I'm staying has a stable for Seto, so that won't be an issue. It’s also famous for being a high-class establishment, so Boruntar probably won't be able to resort to any loud or violent methods there."
After all, the inn hosted traveling merchants—the very lifeblood of the City of Gilm—and the mercenary bands hired to guard them. Launching an attack there would ruin Gilm's reputation. By extension, the Azoth Firm, which relied on weapon trades with other cities, would suffer massive financial losses.
At that moment, Rei judged that even a man like Boruntar wouldn't be so reckless. From their brief interactions, Rei saw him as a greedy, nuisance of an old man, but he assumed that anyone in charge of Gilm's weapon trade would at least be capable of making basic profit-and-loss calculations.
In a sense, he wasn't wrong. However, Rei’s greatest miscalculation was failing to realize just how much Boruntar feared his position being usurped by his younger brother, Galahat.
To Boruntar, the choice between damaging Gilm’s reputation or protecting his own status was no choice at all. He would burn the city down to stay on top.
Since Rei was unaware of Galahat’s true circumstances, it was an understandable oversight... but it was one that would ultimately bring their conflict to the surface.
"True. They certainly wouldn't be able to pull any clumsy stunts at the Dusk Wheat Inn," Phron agreed.
Brasso, who was still carrying Mult on his back, nodded in approval.
"Guruuu."
"Hm? Seto, what is it?"
They were about to set off when Seto moved to the front of the group and crouched down. It looked as though he was offering a ride.
"No, wait. I see."
Seto turned his head toward his back while remaining crouched, and Rei understood the gesture. He looked at Brasso.
"Brasso, Seto says he’ll carry Mult for you."
"Mu? Is that so? He isn't particularly heavy, but..."
"While we're at it, it would be a huge help if you could take these too," Rei said. He looked at Mult on Brasso’s back, then at the man's halberd and the leather armor they had stripped off him.
"Ah, leave the gear to me. It'll just be in the way like that."
"Right. I keep forgetting Rei has an Item Box. Everything was moving so fast it slipped my mind," Brasso said with a look of realization. He handed over the spear and armor, which Rei promptly stored in his Misty Ring.
"It’d be so much more convenient if we could just store the guy in there, too," Phron muttered reflexively as they settled Mult onto Seto’s back.
"Storing a living human is impossible," Rei replied. "It’s not like the harpy corpses. As long as they’re dead, I can store them without a problem."
"Well, it is an Item Box," Brasso added. "A corpse is treated as an item—an object. Something with a soul isn't recognized as a mere thing, I suppose."
Phron nodded at the dwarf's logic. With that settled, the group began their trek toward the Dusk Wheat Inn.
"If we take the back streets, we're more likely to be ambushed. We'll stick to the main street."
"I see your point, Rei, but... well, there are certainly more people there than in the alleys."
Brasso’s concern was that even on the main street, the crowds thinned out at night. It was better than the back streets, certainly, but it wasn't as packed as it was during the day. With just enough people around, any ambush would likely result in heavy collateral damage.
Phron snorted, dismissing the worry.
"I get what you're saying, Brasso, but those guys were beaten so badly by Rei and Seto that they fled without landing a scratch. I doubt they have the stones to try again so soon."
"I'm worrying about that one-in-a-million possibility, you fool."
While the cautious Brasso and the proactive Phron bickered, Rei casually scanned their surroundings.
"...Whether they plan to attack or not, there's no doubt we're being watched."
Indeed, ever since they had left Pamidoor’s workshop, Rei had felt an incessant gaze. He could tell they were being monitored, but the observers were skilled enough that he couldn't pinpoint their exact locations.
"It's likely the same people who tried to jump Mult from behind. Or maybe the one who shot him."
"Guruuu."
At Rei's words, Seto let out a low rumble from the back of his throat and shifted his gaze. He looked toward the rooftops across the street, then to the shadows of a building further away, and finally behind them.
It was immediately obvious who was watching. Even if they were skilled enough to suppress their presence and evade Rei’s senses, they couldn't fool an A-Rank monster like a Gryphon.
"I see. Three of them? That sounds about right."
"Guruu?"
Seto tilted his head slightly, as if asking, Should we strike? Rei gave a small shake of his head.
Even if it was quieter than midday, the street still had plenty of traffic—and, naturally, plenty of drunkards. Rei could easily imagine the chaos that would erupt if they started a major fight here.
"It'll cause a scene. Save the rampage for later."
"Guruuu..."
Seto gave a small nod of understanding. Rei stroked the Gryphon’s head as they continued down the street. Despite the lingering gazes of their watchers, they eventually reached the familiar facade of the Dusk Wheat Inn.
"Hoh, quite the place..."
"It’s definitely a big inn," Phron remarked. "A bit out of our price range, I'd say."
"Is that so? It’s not as expensive as you'd think. Anyway—Seto, thanks for the help."
"Guruu."
With Brasso and Phron’s help, Rei shifted the still-unconscious Mult from Seto’s back to his own.
"You only say that because you have money to spare," Phron teased.
"I have a little leeway now, sure, but I originally chose this place out of necessity."
"Necessity?"
"Yeah. Finding a place that could accommodate Seto's stable was the main issue. This was the only place that fit the bill."
"I see," Phron said, looking thoroughly convinced. Brasso, meanwhile, was already eyeing the inn with sparkling eyes, his nose twitching at the scent of ale wafting from the door.
"Oh, Rei-san. Welcome ba— My, quite a group you have. And who is this?"
Lana, the Landlady of the Dusk Wheat Inn, greeted them immediately, her eyes moving from Phron and Brasso to the unconscious man on Rei's back.
"He's an acquaintance who's a bit dead drunk. I'll be looking after him in my room. More importantly, we'd like some food..."
Rei glanced toward the dining hall. It was clearly the peak of the dinner rush; the room was packed with guests and locals who had come specifically for the kitchen’s reputation. There wasn't a single seat left for them.
Lana lowered her head, her plump face showing her genuine apology.
"I'm so sorry, as you can see, we're a bit full at the moment..."
"That's fine. Could you bring some food up to my room instead? Enough for everyone here."
"Wait, hold on, Rei!" Phron interjected, her eyes wide with shock. "You ate like a horse on the way to the guild! You're still planning to eat more? Where do you even put it all?"
She remembered him buying and devouring a mountain of grilled skewers, sandwiches, and fresh bread from every stall they passed. Rei just nodded as if it were perfectly normal.
"I've got a high metabolism. Besides, I have the kind of constitution where I never get fat, no matter how much I eat."
"...You're making an enemy of every woman in the world," she grumbled, giving him a scornful look.
Rei ignored the jab and turned back to Lana. "Also, please send some food out to Seto as well."
"Understood. Please wait just a moment."
A voice called for the landlady from the dining hall, and Lana gave a small bow before hurrying off to attend to her customers.
Rei watched her go and started toward the stairs.
"I'd be quite happy if you could send up some wine as well!" Brasso called out toward the kitchen.
Rei and Phron exchanged a brief glance and wordlessly decided to pretend they hadn't heard him.
"So this is Rei's room... Wait, you barely have any luggage at all!"
Phron had opened the door for Rei since his hands were full with Mult, but she couldn't help but shout when she saw the interior.
"There's a bed, a desk, and a chair. What else do I need?"
The room was furnished with everything a standard inn provided, but that wasn't what Phron meant.
"I mean your personal stuff! Usually, a room reflects the person living in it! Where are your weapon maintenance kits? Your books? Your spare clothes?"
As she pointed out, there wasn't a single personal item in sight.
"Oh, that. Everything's in my Item Box. It’s more convenient that way."
"...Right. Item Box user. I guess everything just fits in there," Phron muttered, sounding exhausted as she stepped aside.
Rei moved past her and laid Mult down on the bed. Once he was settled, Rei took a seat on one of the chairs and exhaled slowly.
"Come to think of it, we rushed back from the Harpy mountain, went straight to the Lord's mansion, then to the guild, then to Pamidoor’s workshop... and then this guy shows up with a mob on his heels. It feels like a week’s worth of trouble happened in a single day."
"Hahaha! Well, it’s no wonder you're tired, Phron. But it's all about your perspective."
"Perspective?" Phron asked, sliding down to sit on the floor. Brasso took a seat nearby.
"Aye. Instead of thinking of it as a string of troubles, think of it as a productive day. If you look at it that way, it hasn't been all bad, has it?"
"If you say so..."
Just as Phron let out a heavy sigh, there was a knock at the door. Rei and the others instinctively reached for their weapons.
"Who is it?" Rei called out.
The voice that responded was the one he had just spoken to downstairs.
"It's Lana. I've brought your dinner."
"Right. Thanks."
Rei kept his hand near the knife at his belt just in case as he opened the door. Lana stood there holding a large tray laden with several dishes and a bottle of wine.
"Is this enough for now?"
"Yeah, this is perfect. What do I owe you?"
"Excluding your prepaid portion, Rei-san, one silver coin will cover the rest."
It was a fair price for three extra meals and a bottle of wine. Rei took out a silver coin and handed it over.
(Though I'll be sure to collect this from Mult later,) he thought to himself as he watched Lana walk away.
"...Food..."
As the savory aroma of the meal began to fill the room, Mult’s eyes fluttered open. He sat up on the bed, looking around dazed and half-asleep, as if the smell of the food had been the only thing capable of pulling him back to consciousness.
"Waking up to the smell of dinner... well, I can't blame him. It does smell good," Phron said with an exasperated grin.
Rei agreed silently as he approached the bed.