Rei watched Elk glare at the watcher sprawled on the ground, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. Taking a breath, Rei spoke to him once more.
"So, what's your next move?"
"What do you think? It's obvious. Once I hand this piece of trash over to the Guard Force, I’m heading straight for Abuelo to rescue Min and Rhodos."
"That’s impossible," Rei said, dismissing Elk’s plan out of hand.
Upon hearing this, Elk turned a gaze half-clouded by murderous intent toward him. "...Why?"
"Think about it. It takes about a day to reach Abuelo from here. Even if you rode a horse to death, it would still take over half a day. If this watcher doesn't make some kind of regular contact before then, those two are dead. Am I the only one who sees it that way?"
"..."
"Furthermore, you have several broken ribs. You can patch them up with potions or recovery magic, but you’re hardly in peak condition."
"Coming from the one who gave me these injuries, that’s rich," Elk muttered, letting out a heavy sigh and a bitter, self-deprecating smile. "But if not that, then what? You're saying I should just stay here and let Min and Rhodos be killed?"
"No one said that. There are other ways. For instance... I could go to Abuelo. Fortunately, with Seto, the trip would only take a few hours. Even if they have a schedule for regular contact, we could probably fake our way through a window that short, don't you think?"
"...Indeed. I happen to agree."
A man with a rugged beard but a calm expression interrupted their conversation. It was Ranga, the Captain of the Guard Force and a man well-acquainted with Rei. Five guards followed closely behind him.
"Ranga..."
"Good grief, you truly are a magnet for trouble, aren't you?" Ranga sighed, offering a wry smile at the sight of Rei. Rei merely shrugged and glanced toward the black-clad man.
"It's not my fault. These guys were aiming for my life to begin with. More importantly, shouldn't it be the Guard Force's job to stop suspicious types before they even set foot in the city?"
"Don't ask for the impossible. The man was a traveling companion of Elk-san, an A-Rank adventurer. We can't just detain someone or refuse them entry without a shred of evidence."
If they made a move like that and offended an A-Rank adventurer enough to make him move his base of operations, it would be a disaster for Gilm. Leaving that sentiment unspoken, Ranga gave his subordinates orders to bind and take custody of the black-clad man.
"Now, I’d like to hear the full story if possible..."
Ranga looked toward the two, but he quickly realized an interrogation wasn't going to happen immediately. Rei and Elk had started arguing again.
"Fine, then lend Seto to me! That solves the problem."
"It solves nothing. For starters, you're way too heavy. Seto would be exhausted long before he reached Abuelo. In fact, there's a good chance he'd collapse before he even saw the city gates."
Compared to Rei, Elk possessed a massive frame packed with dense, heavy muscle. Clad in leather armor made from monster hides and carrying the Axe of the Thunder God—a weapon nearly as gargantuan as the Death Scythe—Rei estimated Elk’s total weight exceeded 150kg.
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"...Well, given the circumstances, I'm the obvious choice."
"Wait! The hostages are Min and Rhodos! It should be me who goes to save them!"
"And I keep telling you that's impossible. As I just said, you riding Seto is out of the question. The only time Seto can fly at high speeds without tiring is when he's carrying me."
As he listened, Ranga grasped the general situation and frowned. The family of a famous A-Rank adventurer being held hostage was a nightmare scenario for the city's stability.
"But that great scythe of yours is heavy too, isn't it? It has to be dozens of times heavier than my axe!"
"The Death Scythe has a Weight Reduction effect that applies only to me. As long as I'm the one holding it, Seto doesn't feel its weight."
In truth, because Seto and the Death Scythe were both products of Beast Magic and shared a magical connection, Seto could swing the scythe around as if it were weightless, just like Rei. However, since Rei kept the secrets of Beast Magic to himself, he could hardly explain that.
Elk remained silent for several seconds, clearly struggling to accept the logic. Finally, he spoke again.
"Even if you reach Abuelo, what good does it do if you don't know where the rest of them are hiding?"
"And you think you do?"
"I stopped in Abuelo before coming back here. I saw Min and Rhodos then. I have a general idea of where they're being kept."
"Then all you have to do is tell me. Besides, I doubt they'd underestimate an A-Rank adventurer like you. They've almost certainly moved them since you last saw them. Your information will be a reference at best."
Rei methodically dismantled Elk's arguments until the big man fell silent, unable to retort. Ranga stepped in to break the deadlock.
"The Guard Force needs a formal statement from those involved, but... perhaps you should consult the Guild Master first?"
"Consult the Guild Master?" Elk blinked, caught off guard by the suggestion.
Rei, however, knew that Guild Masters possessed magic items for long-distance communication. He nodded in agreement without a word. Elk understood the concept of guilds contacting each other, of course, but as a vanguard who usually left the complicated thinking to his wife, the idea hadn't immediately come to mind.
"Yes," Ranga continued. "The Guild Master can contact the Guild Master of Abuelo. While Rei-kun is flying there on Seto, the Abuelo Guild can use their thieves to scout the location. You could start the rescue operation the moment he arrives."
"...I see. No matter how I look at it, I’m not getting to Abuelo myself." Elk closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking directly at Rei. "Rei... will you do this for me?"
Despite his broken ribs, his face showed no sign of the pain he must have been feeling.
"I know I have no right to ask this after I tried to kill you. If you save Min and Rhodos, I’ll do anything to make it up to you. If you want magic items, I’ll give you the Axe of the Thunder God. If my life is what it takes, you can have it. Just... please! Save Min! Save Rhodos! Save the two people who are my entire world!"
Elk was the leader of the Axe of the Thunder God, an A-Rank adventurer beloved in Gilm for his boisterous, caring nature. In terms of pure strength, he was one of the elite of the Kingdom of Mireana, second only to the outliers of S-Rank. Yet here he was, casting aside all pride and reputation to bow deeply to a boy younger than his own son.
The onlookers watching from the inn and the guards standing behind Ranga all gasped. It was an unthinkable sight—a living legend prostrating himself.
Rei felt the weight of those many gazes and let out a long sigh.
"Don't worry about it. It’s not like Min and Rhodos are strangers to me. I can’t give you a hundred-percent guarantee, but I’ll do everything in my power to bring them back. Besides..."
"Besides?" Ranga asked.
"No, it's nothing," Rei said, shaking his head to dismiss the question.
(The Bestia Empire has been messing with me for a while now. Or rather, I’ve been a constant thorn in the side of their schemes. They probably finally got fed up and decided to remove the eyesore... but they were naive. I’ll make sure to ruin this plan too. And they'll pay the price for threatening people I know. I’ll pay them back with the blood, flesh, and agonized screams of their soldiers once the war begins.)
"Well then, let’s head to the guild. We need Marina to get in touch with Abuelo."
"Right. Better to move than to stand here thinking. Rei, let's go!"
Before Rei could process the plan, Elk grabbed his arm and began hauling him toward the city center.
"Hey! Wait! I know we're in a hurry, but what about my room? There's a giant hole in the wall!"
"Oh, right. Uh... Ranga, can you handle that?"
"Sigh... fine. I'll explain things to the manager. Tell them the danger is over and we'll discuss the details later. As for the repair costs..."
Ranga glanced pointedly at Elk. The big man didn't hesitate.
"Right. Use this."
Elk reached into a pouch at his waist, pulled out a single coin, and flicked it to one of Ranga's subordinates.
The guard frowned, thinking it was a pittance for someone of Elk's stature, until he caught the coin and realized it was a Light Gold Coin. He nearly choked.
"C-C-Cap... Captain?!"
His voice was a near-scream. It was understandable; a Light Gold Coin was enough for a family of four to live in luxury for a decade. If they lived modestly, they could survive for thirty years without working.
"Elk-san, isn't this a bit much?" Ranga asked with a wry smile.
Elk shook his head firmly. "No. I’m a famous man in this city, and I just caused a violent incident at our most famous high-class inn. Considering the damage to the inn's reputation, this is the least I can do."
Even for an A-Rank adventurer, a Light Gold Coin was a massive sum to part with. But Elk felt it was only right given the trouble he'd caused. He was also clearly out of practice with handling money, having left it to Min for so long.
"Sigh... understood. If you're that insistent, I won't argue. You there, go tell the manager of the inn what happened and give them the coin. Make sure to emphasize that Rei-kun was entirely blameless."
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away!" The guard clutched the coin with both hands as if his life depended on not dropping it and ran toward the inn.
With that settled, Ranga turned back to Rei and Elk. "To the guild, then. Every second counts if we’re going to save Elk-san's family."
"Yeah."
"Let's go."
"Guruuu."
Nodding in unison, the group set off with Ranga in the lead. On the way, Rei forced Elk to drink a potion that was notoriously foul-tasting as a mix of healing and petty punishment. Elk, feeling the weight of his debt, didn't dare refuse and downed it through sheer grit.
The Adventurer's Guild was as bustling at night as it was during the day. The attached tavern was packed with people drinking and shouting, celebrating the coming end of winter.
In contrast, the guild counter was nearly deserted. During the winter months, few adventurers were active at night unless they were truly desperate for coin.
"Oh? If it isn't Elk. And Rei... wait, even the Captain of the Guard Force? What happened?"
Since it was night, the flowers of the guild—Lenora and Kenny—were off duty. A male guild staff member sat behind the counter instead. He looked at the unlikely trio and the guards with an expression of pure shock.
"Some trouble. Sorry, but we need an immediate meeting with the Guild Master."
"The Guild Master? ...I take it this isn't a social call."
The staff member looked at their faces: Rei, who was unnervingly calm; Ranga, whose rugged face was tight with professional tension; and Elk, who looked more serious than anyone had ever seen him. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the staff member nodded and hurried off to find the Guild Master.