Ranga, acting as the representative for the trio, knocked on the door at the top of the stairs that led up from inside the guild counter.
Only Ranga, Elk, and Rei were present. One of Ranga’s subordinates from the Guard Force remained on standby near the counter in case of an emergency, while the others had been dispatched to report the situation to the Lord’s Mansion, the Guard Force headquarters, and the Knight Order.
In truth, the Knight Order was essentially stationed at the Lord’s Mansion anyway, but the protocol remained.
"Guild Master, it’s Captain Ranga of the Guard Force. We have an urgent matter. May we have a moment?"
"Yes, you may. Come in."
At the sound of the voice from within, Ranga opened the door.
The first thing to greet their eyes was a Dark Elf wrapped in a provocative dress, her brown skin exposed as if for the very purpose of being admired.
This was Marina Alianza. She was the Guild Master who governed the Adventurer’s Guild here on the frontier of the Kingdom of Mireana.
Adventurers were a rowdy lot by nature, and those drawn to the City of Gilm on the frontier were particularly overflowing with vitality. Among the vast numbers of low-rank adventurers, there was no shortage of crude and violent men. Marina Alianza was the individual who held such a tempestuous crowd together.
She wore a daring outfit and possessed eyes that harbored a sharp intelligence. She held the immense magic power characteristic of the Dark Elf race, and her skills as an archer were beyond first-class; she was a woman who had once been an A-Rank adventurer herself.
"Now, I heard you have urgent business... what might it be? For the three of you to barge into the Guild at this hour of the night, it must be quite the development."
Her tone carried the implicit warning that she would not be pleased if the matter were trivial. As Marina spoke with that hidden edge, Elk took a step forward.
The fact that she could remain so composed and assertive in the presence of Rei—an existence harboring such overwhelming magic power—spoke volumes of her status as the Guild Master of Gilm, even accounting for their prior acquaintance.
"I’ll explain. The truth is..."
Elk began to recount everything that had transpired. He told her how his party members—and his family—Min and Rhodos had been captured by black-clad men in the port town where they had gone to escape the winter cold. He explained how they were being held hostage to coerce him into taking Rei's life in Gilm.
He went on to describe his return to the city with a watcher to target Rei, how Rei’s quick wit had allowed them to use Seto to capture and neutralize the spy, and finally, the fact that Min and Rhodos were currently being held in the City of Abuelo. Having told the whole story, Elk bowed his head deeply.
"Guild Master, I beg you! Please, we need your help!"
"..."
Marina stared at the bowing Elk in silence. Though she didn't speak, Rei and Ranga felt a visible pressure radiating from her body. Had anyone capable of sensing or seeing magic power been in the room, their face surely would have twitched in terror. Magic power equivalent to nearly ten ordinary human mages was boiling beneath her skin.
"Heh... hehehe. I see. So they would use one of the most prominent faces of my Guild to try and snuff out a rising star... They actually dared such a thing."
"G-Guild Master?"
Sensing something abnormal in her tone, Elk raised his head, his cheek twitching slightly as he spoke.
In reality, Marina’s heart was blazing with cold fury. To a member of the long-lived Dark Elf race like her, the adventurers of Gilm were essentially her charges—subjects under her aegis. To blackmail Elk and force him to attempt to kill Rei, who was also under her protection, was an unforgivable insult.
The fact that Rei possessed magic power greater than her own was irrelevant. As long as she was the Guild Master, he was one of hers to protect. In that same vein, Elk was technically superior to her in pure combat strength, but he was still her subordinate in the hierarchy of the Guild.
"...Very well. Since they’ve gone to such lengths to pick a fight with me and my Guild, I shall gladly give them the war they want."
The smile Marina wore as she whispered those words was dangerous and captivating, radiating an almost lethal allure that made it impossible to look away.
Rei heard a sharp intake of breath beside him. He glanced over to see Ranga staring at Marina as if his very soul had been snatched away by her staggering presence.
"Elk, Rei. What is it you require of me?"
She turned that intense, alluring gaze toward them. Elk hesitated for a split second before speaking.
"Min and Rhodos are supposed to be held in the City of Abuelo. I want you to contact the Guild there and have them pinpoint their location."
"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem. I helped the Guild Master there quite a bit in the past, so he owes me enough to listen to a little 'unreasonable' request."
Marina nodded immediately at Elk’s words.
Due to the long lifespan of the Dark Elves, Marina’s network of connections was far wider than any ordinary human's. Between her social standing and her past as a high-ranking adventurer, her influence was substantial, and she took pride in being able to navigate difficult situations through her personal ties.
"And what then?"
Rei spoke up next.
"I’m going to head to the City of Abuelo on Seto now. I want to settle this tonight. If we drag our feet, they might try another trick."
"...I see. It’s true that Rei and Seto are the fastest pair in this city right now. Let’s go with that. Wait a moment."
Deciding instantly, Marina nodded to Rei.
She reached toward a crystal sitting on her desk and funneled her magic power into it.
As the magic power flowed, the crystal linked with its counterpart, projecting the face of the recipient onto its surface.
"Hm? Marina-san? What’s happened at this hour?"
The face projected in the crystal belonged to a scrawny-looking man in his fifties. This man was Tirage, a former merchant who had been appointed Guild Master not for his strength as an adventurer, but for his management skills, serving as the bridge between the frontier of Gilm and the regions beyond Abuelo. During his younger days as a merchant, he had been saved numerous times by Marina and her party—including Seis and Dialogo—who had served as his guards or acted as intermediaries for the rare magic items and materials produced only in Dark Elf settlements. He had also been quite taken with Marina herself. For all these reasons, he could never hold his head high when speaking to her.
"It’s been a while, Tirage. I have much I want to say, but I’ll set that aside and get straight to the point. You know the A-Rank party, the Axe of the Thunder God, don't you?"
"Yes, of course. Our city has been indebted to them on many occasions."
While Gilm was a city on the frontier, Abuelo was the city situated closest to it. Naturally, the probability of being attacked by savage monsters was higher than in other regions. The city had been besieged by monsters several times, and Rare Species often appeared in the vicinity. The Axe of the Thunder God had resolved such crises more than once. Rei nodded as he listened to Elk's explanation of their history.
"Regarding the members of that party... you know Elk, I assume?"
As she said this, Marina tilted the crystal to show Elk.
On the other side, Tirage gave a small nod.
"Yes, certainly. It’s been a long time, Elk-san. And that man there is the Captain of the Guard Force, I believe... but who is the other child?"
Tirage’s gaze shifted to Rei for the first time.
Marina was the one who answered the question. She knew Rei was notoriously lax with etiquette toward superiors and didn't want to waste time on a potentially prickly introduction.
"This is Rei. Has the news not reached Abuelo yet? He’s the promising rookie who broke every record by climbing to Rank C in the shortest time in the history of the Gilm Guild."
"Ah, I see. The one rumored to have a Gryphon... I must say, I envy you, Marina-san. One rising star after another..."
"Save the pleasantries for later. We don't have much time."
Marina cut Tirage off sharply.
He seemed to realize then that something was wrong. It was late enough that many people would already be asleep. The fact that she was contacting him via a magic item at such an hour already suggested an emergency, but Tirage began to realize the situation was even more dire than he had anticipated.
"...I'm listening."
Seeing Tirage straighten his expression, Marina’s usual languid air vanished, replaced by a deadly serious face.
"The truth is, Elk’s wife and child have been kidnapped and are being held hostage by a certain group. They threatened him, saying they would kill his family unless he assassinated Rei."
"...What?"
"Fortunately, Rei’s quick thinking allowed us to capture the watcher who was in Gilm. Now that we have the spy, we want to suppress the rest of them as quickly as possible."
"I see. And you believe the rest of the group and Elk-san's family are here in Abuelo?"
"Yes, that’s the word. I’m sending Rei to your city now. I want you to have all the information on their location gathered by the time he arrives."
"...Right now? If that's the case, wouldn't it be faster if our own people moved directly?"
Tirage’s brow furrowed slightly. He took her request as a slight against the capabilities of the Abuelo Guild.
His reaction was understandable. Taken literally, Marina’s words could be interpreted as: "Your forces aren't up to the task, so I'm sending my own."
Marina sensed his defensiveness and gave a slight shake of her head.
"The ones behind this are likely the Bestia Empire's Shadows. Rei has crushed their plots several times before, so they’re desperate to eliminate him. But Rei is strong—he's an outlier, frankly. That's why they tried to use an A-Rank adventurer like Elk. In other words, Rei is experienced in dealing with the Empire's shadow units. Unfortunately, the Abuelo Guild lacks personnel with that specific experience, don't you agree?"
"...That may be true. But we do have several A-Rank adventurers of our own, even if not as many as you. It's not as if we're incapable..."
"Tirage. Have I ever been wrong before?"
"............"
When Marina cut him off again, Tirage met her with silence.
Rei, Elk, and Ranga watched the exchange without a word. This was a conversation between two Guild Masters; even an A-Rank adventurer or the Captain of the Guard Force had no business interjecting. For Rei, despite being the fastest to reach Rank C, it was entirely out of the question.
The silence stretched for nearly a minute. Finally, as if surrendering to her will, Tirage let out a long sigh.
"I understand. It’s true that I’ve never come out behind by following your lead. I will focus our efforts on information gathering."
"Good. I'm glad you see reason. I'm sending Rei and Seto to you immediately. Use your Guild Master's Authority to prepare for their arrival."
"Yes, yes. I’ll follow your instructions to the letter. Any other requests? While I'm at it, I can handle most things within reason."
"Let's see... Rei, do you have anything?"
Marina turned her gaze to Rei. Since he was the one actually making the trip, she left any specific logistical needs to him.
"Right. When I stopped in Abuelo during an escort mission before, I wasn't allowed to bring Seto into the city to avoid causing a panic. But this time, I need to launch a surprise attack. It would be helpful if you could clear us for entry."
"You heard him. Can you do that?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. No problem. I'll use my Guild Master's Authority to notify the guards and the Acting Lord."
Tirage nodded, though he was visibly taken aback by Rei. Marina was someone Tirage viewed as a superior, almost transcendent being, yet Rei spoke to her with a casual, almost blunt tone.
Marina famously hated stiff formalities, but her sheer presence and strength as a Dark Elf usually made people revert to them out of instinct. Yet Rei spoke to her as if it were the most natural thing in the world... like a comrade addressing an equal.
It was perhaps in this moment that the existence of Rei was truly engraved into Tirage's mind.