“Wait, wait, wait! Just what on earth are you carrying!?”
It was a night with lightly fluttering snow as Rei and Set walked through the City of Gilm. Under normal circumstances, simply walking through the streets wouldn't have prompted such an outburst from guards or patrol knights.
The reason three guards on patrol had intercepted them was obvious: Rei was carrying a woman over his shoulder, and Set had two men draped across its back.
Furthermore, a heavy scent of blood wafted from one of the men, making it only natural for the guards to demand an explanation.
“Since you’re accompanied by a Gryphon, you must be that adventurer named Rei. I’m going to need a detailed explanation of the situation. Who are those three?”
“Sure. I don’t mind, but can I ask a favor in return? It’s directly related to this matter, of course.”
“...What is it? I can’t promise we’ll grant it, but let’s hear it.”
The streets were relatively empty given the cold winter night, but there were still people about. Whether headed for a tavern or a brothel, several passersby watched with curiosity—or with slight frowns, sensing trouble—as they took in the sight of Set with two unconscious men and Rei with a woman over his shoulder.
Wary of the growing audience, Rei handed the woman to one of the guards and approached another. He lowered his voice so the nearby onlookers wouldn't overhear.
“Go to the Lord's Mansion and bring back some knights. These people are Bestia Empire spies.”
“!?”
The guard took a sharp, audible breath at Rei’s revelation.
Had this happened just a few months ago, he likely would have laughed it off. But times had changed. It had recently been exposed that a Bestia Empire Alchemist had infiltrated the city and had been operating in the shadows for a long time.
As a guard who had been part of the investigation of the Azoth Firm following the uproar to capture that operative, he was well aware that the adventurer standing before him had been central to that incident. Consequently, he didn't doubt the claim.
“I understand. I’ll call them immediately. However, we can’t just handle this out in the open. Could you come to the guardhouse for now? It’ll be better for you than standing out in this cold waiting for the knights to arrive. Besides, to be honest, handling someone like you is a bit above my pay grade.”
Rei considered the offer for a few seconds before nodding.
While Rei’s Dragon Robe and Set’s natural constitution meant they didn't mind the cold, standing around under the winter night sky was hardly pleasant. If they could wait while sitting down, it was the better option.
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”
“That helps... Hey, go get the knights.”
Following the lead guard’s gaze, one of the others nodded. With one guard holding the woman and another needed to escort Rei to the guardhouse, it was clear the third man was the only one free to run the errand.
“I’ll be back shortly,” he said briefly before running off toward the Lord's Mansion.
Watching him go, Rei was guided to the guardhouse located near the downtown district.
“It’s a cramped place, but please, come in.”
Rei and the guard entered the small building. After Set handed over the two men to the guards, it lay down in the shadows outside as it always did. This time, however, it wasn't relaxing or sleeping. It remained on high alert, monitoring the surroundings to ensure no other Bestia Empire spies came to rescue the captives or silence them.
Seeing Set act with perfect understanding after just a glance from him, Rei decided he would reward it with a feast of meat once this business was finished.
“Wait here for a bit. We’re going to tie these three up so they can’t escape even if they wake up.”
The guard placed a cup of tea on the table in front of Rei before heading into the back.
“Yeah, no problem. Just make sure you tie them up tight. These people are what you’d call ‘underground existences.’ They can probably dislocate their own bones to slip out of ropes if you aren't careful.”
“...Understood. We’ll be extra cautious.”
With that, the two guards went down into the building’s basement.
(I see. I thought it was a bit small for a guardhouse, but the jail cells are in the basement. Still...)
Rei nodded inwardly. He wondered if someone could simply use Earth-type magic to facilitate an escape, but generally, high-profile criminals weren't held in a local guardhouse like this. These cells were primarily for people who caused trouble in the downtown district. As such, they didn't need to be exceptionally sturdy. More importantly, since the surface area of the City of Gilm was limited, building expansive facilities above ground was difficult.
If this weren't the frontier, expanding the city walls wouldn't be so hard. But out here, every expansion was a risk. If the walls were breached during construction, there was no telling what monsters might pour in. Furthermore, expanding the walls could provoke the local monster populations, so the city couldn't be enlarged lightly.
Pondering these matters, Rei took a sip of his tea and immediately frowned.
“I suppose this is what you’d expect from guardhouse tea.”
“Hahaha. Well, the budget is what it is. We can’t afford expensive leaves. Still, we’re lucky to have any tea leaves at all.”
The guard who had come up from the basement sat down across from Rei with a smile.
“Now, I’d like to hear the details, but... that’ll have to wait until the knights from the Lord's Mansion arrive. You’d rather avoid explaining everything twice, right?”
“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”
Thanking the guard for his consideration, Rei brought the tea to his lips again. While drinking the beverage—which was better described as tinted hot water than tea—he glanced around the interior of the guardhouse.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
The guard asked, noticing his gaze. Rei just shrugged slightly.
“Nothing. I just thought it would be noisier since this guardhouse is near the downtown district. But it seems you aren't that busy.”
The guard shook his head with a sigh.
“It’s still early in the night. Things will get exponentially busier from here... though, even so.” The guard looked outside as he continued. “Since it’s winter, it only gets to this level. If it were summer, the number of idiots who get carried away would increase, and the chaos would be no joke.”
“...I see.”
Rei suddenly remembered a documentary about the police he had seen back in his original world. He recalled how busy kobans in downtown areas were during the summer. Fortunately, or perhaps not, Rei had lived in a rural area deep in the mountains, so he had never actually witnessed such a scene.
(Being a guard isn't an easy life either.)
After all, the City of Gilm was full of adventurers. That meant there were countless professional combatants who might get drunk and go on a rampage. In that sense, these guards had a harder job than police officers.
“More importantly, it was you, wasn't it? The one who delivered medicine ingredients to that city where the plague broke out.”
“Hm? Oh. You mean the City of Baar.”
“The City of Baar, huh... It’s not exactly close, but it’s not that far either. Is there any danger of the plague spreading to this city?”
Being a guard, he was naturally worried about his home. Rei nodded to reassure him.
“It’s fine. The disease was Magic Fever, but the City of Baar was under strict quarantine. Besides, the medicine made from the ingredients I brought has already started curing people. There’s no fear of it spreading.”
(Of course, that’s unless someone creates another Dungeon Core like the one in the City of Baar here,) Rei added privately, though he kept his expression neutral.
They continued their conversation, touching on the recent udon craze and how the supply of Gamelion meat was considerably higher than the previous year. Eventually, a loud knock echoed on the guardhouse door.
“They’re here.”
Recognizing the authoritative knock, the guard opened the door to welcome the visitors.
As expected, five knights of the Knight Order of the City of Gilm stood there in their knight armor.
“We received word and came as quickly as we could.”
“Yes. Rei, over there, is the protagonist of this incident.”
The guard answered the knight at the front, who appeared to be the commanding officer.
(The protagonist... that makes it sound like I’m the one who caused the trouble,) Rei thought.
In a sense, that was true, but the knights didn't seem to mind. The knight representative glanced at Rei.
“Seeing Set outside, I had a feeling... and sure enough, it’s you.”
Rei didn't recognize the man, but the knight clearly knew of him and his Gryphon. He nodded as if satisfied and turned to his subordinates.
“Transfer the three captives to the carriage. They are members of an underground unit. They likely possess information beneficial to the Kingdom of Mireana. We will extract it using whatever means necessary.”
“Understood.”
The knights nodded and followed the guards into the basement cells. Once they were gone, the officer approached Rei.
“I’d like to hear the full story, but doing it here might be problematic.”
“Wait a moment. What do you mean, ‘problematic’?”
Feeling like his workplace was being insulted, the guard snapped at the knight. The officer remained unperturbed, shaking his head slightly.
“Regrettably, people like those Rei captured have already infiltrated the city. We can’t say for sure that these three are the only ones. If we talk here, there’s a possibility our information could be overheard.”
“Wait. As long as Set is outside, you can rest easy on that front.”
“...I see. I would have preferred to conduct the briefing at the Knight Order Headquarters, but it’s true that no one would be foolish enough to try eavesdropping where a high-rank monster like a Gryphon is standing guard. Very well, let us hear the details here, then.”
Trusting the Gryphon’s perception more than Rei’s word, the knight nodded and sat on the sofa across from Rei. Though he wasn't wearing a helmet, his breastplate added significant weight, causing the sofa to sink deeply as he sat.
He took out a paper and a magic item pen and looked at Rei.
“Now then, tell us everything in order.”
“Right. It started during the day. I was outside the city to hunt Blue Caterpillars for a subjugation request when I felt a gaze on me. When I tried to search for the presence, it vanished immediately.”
Rei briefly explained how he had intentionally moved to a secluded area in the city to lure them out. He described how he was approached with a recruitment offer for the Bestia Empire and how a battle ensued when he refused. Finally, he detailed how he and Set had neutralized and captured them.
“...I see. It’s only natural the Bestia Empire would want to bring you to their side.”
As the knight muttered this, he thought of the alchemist who had rooted himself within the Azoth Firm. He knew from his superiors that the alchemist and the Beast Soldiers had already been transferred to the Royal Capital for interrogation. They were currently squeezing every bit of intelligence out of them. Since Rei was the one who had triggered that entire chain of events—despite appearing as nothing more than a slender apprentice mage—it made sense that the Empire would try to claim him.
(The Bestia Empire puts great effort into alchemy, but an adventurer who has tamed a Gryphon is likely a talent they’d want even more than that alchemist. And while I can’t sense it myself, rumor has it this man possesses massive magic power,) the knight mused.
The guard listening in looked slightly overwhelmed as the scale of the situation became clear. The knight glanced at his notes to confirm Rei’s story. After asking a few more technical questions, Rei was finally released an hour later.
“We will take custody of these three spies. After we extract what they know, they will likely be escorted to the Royal Capital just like Postgera. ...They might try to contact you again. If they do, it would be a huge help if you could capture them and hand them over like you did today.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled by that prospect. There isn't much in it for me, after all.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. You are the protagonist of this incident, after all.”
The guard patted Rei’s shoulder in a consoling manner. The knight gave a bitter smile and exchanged brief greetings before boarding the transport carriage.
Watching them leave, Rei finally headed back to the inn with Set.