Rei ducked into a labyrinth of back alleys to draw out the person tailing him and Seto. He waited at a dead end until, finally, a lone figure appeared with a wry smile.
"Goodness, I actually had quite a bit of confidence in my stealth. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell me how you noticed I was watching you?"
The figure, a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, tilted her head as she questioned Rei.
"I can only say it was a feeling," Rei replied.
While keeping his eyes fixed on her, Rei surreptitiously gripped a knife hidden within his Dragon Robe. He remained on high alert, giving a vague answer to keep her off-balance as he assessed her.
Her clothes were likely chosen to help her blend in with the locals. They were standard winter garments, much like those worn by any other woman in the city. If he had to find a difference, it would be the slight reinforcement in several places, but even that was hardly a rare sight.
She was attractive enough, but not a legendary beauty who would stop people in their tracks. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"You've been watching me quite intently since midday. What do you want?"
At his question, the woman's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
"So you really did notice. I suppose that's only to be expected... though it does make me lose a bit of confidence. Tell me, would you be willing to help me with my training sometime? I think you would make an excellent partner."
The woman spoke with a smile, but Rei merely snorted, showing no sign of interest.
"I doubt you went to the trouble of monitoring me just for such nonsense. I have no desire to indulge in the eccentricity of standing out in this cold any longer than necessary. State your business."
"My, what a cold person. I'm actually quite confident in my looks, you know."
The woman cast a sidelong glance toward Rei while pouting her lips.
In this regard, however, she had picked the wrong opponent. Rei was surrounded by women whose beauty far exceeded the norm. There were the guild receptionists, Lenora and Kenny. Then there was the Guild Master, Marina. And, of course, there was Elena, the Princess General. Beyond them, many of the female adventurers in the City of Gilm possessed more than decent appearances.
To Rei, even a woman who took pride in her looks was merely categorized as 'fairly attractive' when compared to those in his life.
Then again, it doesn't seem like she's seriously trying to seduce me, Rei thought. This is likely just a bit of entertainment before the real talk.
"I told you I've had enough of the preamble. I'm not so bored that I want to keep up with your idle chatter. Get to the point."
Rei urged her to begin while preparing to throw his knife from inside his robe at a moment's notice.
Judging that further stalling would only sour his mood, the woman finally let the smile vanish. She composed herself and spoke with a serious expression.
"Rei-san. We highly value your potential. Your massive Magic Power—which not even a group of first-class Mages could rival—and your high combat ability are remarkable. Someone who even tames an A-Rank Monster like a Gryphon should be valued much more highly. You aren't meant to end your days as a mere adventurer. Why not come to our side?"
"...The Bestia Empire."
Rei's voice was a soft murmur, but in the silence of the alley, it was loud enough to reach her ears.
The woman's expression didn't twitch a millimeter upon hearing the name, but Rei did not miss the slight tremor in her fingertips. It was a momentary agitation that normally would have gone unnoticed, but for Rei, it was all the confirmation he needed.
"I see, just as I thought. It's a clever move. If you recruited me—someone who has been a constant thorn in your side—you could simultaneously weaken the Kingdom of Mireana while bolstering the Bestia Empire. Two birds with one stone, right?"
"Two birds with one stone?"
Having no knowledge of Japanese idioms, the woman furrowed her brows suspiciously.
While observing her, Rei turned his attention toward the presences he had sensed when he mentioned the Bestia Empire.
Two of them. One on the roof to the right, and one at the corner of the passage behind her.
When he glanced at Seto, the Gryphon silently looked back with a small nod, confirming it had sensed them as well.
"Don't worry about it; it's just a saying from where I grew up. More importantly, since you didn't deny it, I can assume you're a Bestia Empire operative?"
"...I suppose so. It seems you saw through me from the start, so there's no need to hide it anymore. By the way, how did you know I was from the Empire?"
"It wasn't that difficult. I simply thought about who in this city would find me a nuisance."
"This country has factions like the King's Faction and the Noble's Faction, does it not? If they knew a talent like you was serving Margrave Larkus and the Neutral Faction, it wouldn't be strange for them to try and scout you."
"I have some connections with the Noble's Faction."
"Connections?"
The woman asked curiously, but Rei ignored her and continued.
"Of course, I know that opinions aren't necessarily unified within the Noble's Faction. And as for the King's Faction, I haven't even had any actual contact with them yet."
"Then why us?"
"Well, there isn't a single clear-cut reason. However, when I thought about which power would currently be most troubled by my presence, the Bestia Empire became the strongest candidate. After all, one of your few Alchemists and your supposed trump cards, the Beast Soldiers, were captured specifically because of their involvement with me."
"..."
The woman responded with silence.
In truth, from the perspective of the Bestia Empire, the incidents in the City of Gilm were absolute blunders. The assassination of Elena—the Symbol of the Noble's Faction—had failed. The Alchemist Postgera, who had spent a long time infiltrating the circle of the Chairman of the Azoth Firm, Boruntar, had been captured. Even the two Beast Soldiers acting as his bodyguards were now in the hands of the Kingdom of Mireana.
Because the City of Gilm was on the Frontier, information reached the Bestia Empire slowly. By the time they realized the situation, Postgera and the Beast Soldiers had already been escorted to the Royal Capital, making a rescue impossible. When they investigated the cause, they eventually discovered Rei—who was still only a D-Rank adventurer, but possessed combat power equal to an A-Rank and was rumored to potentially reach S-Rank in the future.
Incidentally, because Vel Sails—the man who had betrayed the Kingdom of Mireana—had remained mostly silent regarding Rei, finding information on him had taken much more effort.
"And so, a recruitment offer from the Bestia Empire. I'm quite satisfied in this city, you know. Is there any benefit for me if I join you?"
"As you surely know, the Bestia Empire will launch a war against the Kingdom of Mireana next spring. Someone like you, who knows of the Beast Soldiers, should understand whether this kingdom stands a chance."
"I see, so survival is my benefit. But I'm an adventurer, not a soldier or Knight. I could simply leave the country if things get bad."
"Do you think we would just let you go after you've interfered with the Empire so much? In the war next spring, you will be a Bestia Empire's target. Even if you stay off the battlefield, Shadows like us will certainly make a move. However, if you surrender now, we can promise you substantial rewards. Money, women, a title of nobility... Oh right, I heard your hobby is collecting Magic Stones and Magic Items. We can guarantee ample rewards in those areas as well."
The woman presented a choice: ruin by staying with the Kingdom of Mireana, or prosperity by defecting to the Bestia Empire. If Rei were an ordinary adventurer, he might have considered it. But...
"I'll have to refuse. You're an opponent I've fought many times. I have my own emotional grudges, and I feel a sense of duty toward the people of this country. Above all, I don't want to belong to a country that recruits people like Vel."
To Rei, those rewards weren't worth losing his current home.
Well, the Magic Stones and Magic Items are a bit of a shame, though, he thought with a mental shrug.
He could feel the atmosphere around the woman becoming increasingly lethal.
"Is that so? How unfortunate. But having been refused, I can't exactly go home and say, 'Oh well.' Given your combat power, you're too dangerous to leave alive. Therefore..."
As she spoke, the sun began to dip below the horizon. Through the dimming light, Rei heard the whistle of something flying from his right.
"Whoops!"
Rei whipped his Dragon Robe up toward the sound. A high-pitched metallic clang rang out as something was deflected.
"Impossible! You blocked an Uruipuka Needle with a mere robe!?"
Shocked, the woman stared at the scene. Ignoring her, Rei swiftly threw his knife toward the source of the attack.
"Gah!"
The attacker on the roof was likely stunned that their prized needle had been blocked so easily. The dagger pierced through their torso, and they plummeted from the roof to the ground.
The greatest misfortune for these three was having Rei as their opponent. A needle strike that could penetrate metallic armor had been blocked by the 'impossible' method of a robe, and Rei's knife had been thrown with enough power to pierce through Leather Armor reinforced by the Empire's Alchemy.
"Guruuuu!"
Seto gave a ferocious cry and kicked off the ground. The Gryphon kicked off the wall, using a Triangle Jump to circle behind the woman.
"!?"
Terrified by Seto's movement, the woman spun around and pulled a whip from her coat. But all she saw was Seto's back and wings as it moved past.
"Eh?"
She let out a stunned sound, but as she realized Seto's goal and opened her mouth to warn her comrade at the corner, a voice whispered in her ear.
"You shouldn't take your eyes off your target. It's incredibly careless."
Along with the voice, a sharp impact struck her neck, and her consciousness was forcibly severed.
In the brief moment as she collapsed, she saw Rei—who should have been nearly ten meters away—standing over her, having delivered a Knife-hand strike.
"Why... how..."
She slumped to the ground, unconscious. An instant later, a heavy thud echoed through the alley.
Rei looked over to see a Black-clad man—likely the victim of a single blow from Seto's forepaw—being blown through the wall he had been slammed against.
Seto possessed extraordinary strength for a Gryphon and had its physical power further boosted by Magic Items. Rei knew an ordinary human couldn't withstand such a blow.
"It seems you underestimated both Seto and me," Rei said to the unconscious woman.
Seto returned to Rei's side, carrying the Black-clad man it had just sent flying by his collar in its beak.
"Now for the one who threw the needle. Seto, I'll watch her. Please go get the man I hit with the knife."
"Guru."
Seto gave a throaty cry and headed toward where the roof attacker had fallen.
Watching him go, Rei muttered to himself.
"Now, where is that needle..."
He scanned the ground. The sun had set, leaving the alley in darkness, but Rei's Night Vision made the task easy. He picked up the needle that had been deflected by the Dragon Robe.
"I see. As expected of a spy."
The 20cm Needle was painted black. If thrown at high speed in the dark, it would be invisible to most.
"You'd have to avoid it by sound alone. And if you take even a slight wound..."
The tip of the black-painted needle was wet with liquid. He didn't know the exact effect, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
Soon after, Seto returned with the second Black-clad man in its beak, the knife still embedded in his stomach. Since the man was clearly on the verge of death from blood loss, Rei decided it was better to have as many prisoners as possible. He pulled a potion from his Misty Ring to staunch the bleeding and keep the man alive.