Spring was drawing near, but as the sun dipped below the horizon, the nights still held the lingering bite of winter. Cloaked in the thick darkness, Rei, Seto, and the four members of the Blade of the Azure Sky pressed forward.
They were bound for the building in the slums where Min and Rhodos were being held captive. Aside from Rei’s group, the other parties currently mobilizable by the guild were also converging on the location—their task was to surround the perimeter and ensure that no one escaped once the operation commenced.
"……Hoh."
Rei muttered under his breath as they entered the slum district and he took in his surroundings. Bilt, the leader of the Blade of the Azure Sky, caught his reaction.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I just thought the slums were strangely small. Gilm has them, of course, but they’re much larger and far more crowded than this."
In a frontier city like Gilm, anyone can make a living as an adventurer provided they have the strength. Conversely, the reality was that those who came to the frontier without sufficient skill often found themselves in a hopeless predicament.
Not everyone ended up destitute, of course. Some were scouted by capable parties, while others honed their abilities until they were fit for the frontier. There were even those who transitioned to professions outside of adventuring.
But not every failure could be salvaged. Those forsaken by luck, those whose strength was fundamentally lacking, or those who pushed themselves until their bodies broke—a significant number of such people eventually descended into the slums. The same was true for those who chose a life in the criminal underworld.
Daskar, the Margrave Larkus, had taken measures such as recruiting for the guard force to alleviate the problem, but completely eliminating the slums was impossible. A slum district was, in many ways, a necessary outlet for society's casualties.
However, the slums Rei saw now were considerably smaller than those in the City of Gilm. Part of that was due to the difference in population between the two cities, but even accounting for that, the area was remarkably compact.
When Rei mentioned this to Bilt, the young man offered a proud smile.
"Impressive, isn't it? Apparently, the slums were quite extensive when I was born. But after Tirage-san became Guild Master, he managed the guild efficiently and coordinated with the Acting Lord to take real action. This is the result."
Listening to Bilt, Rei nodded. If Tirage had produced such tangible results, it was no wonder the adventurers of the guild admired him.
"Though, there are some who call the Guild Master soft and despise him for it," Carla added. "But more importantly, let’s move. The other adventurers should be starting their maneuvers soon. It’ll be a disgrace if we, the entry unit, are the last to arrive. Honestly, we weren't even supposed to be part of the raid, but Bilt just had to insist on tagging along……"
Carla, the archer, grumbled complaints about her leader under her breath.
"Come on, we owe Rei a massive debt, don't we?" Bilt countered. "Thanks to the Sword Bee incident, we managed to escape our financial crisis, even if it was only temporary."
"Yes, that's true. But the only ones in a financial crisis were you and Begrif. Bilke and I still had plenty of savings……"
"Guh."
Bilt was momentarily silenced by Carla's bluntness. Her vitriol showed no sign of receding.
"And just when I thought the Sword Bees solved everything, you’re both broke again. ……Are you actually stupid? Do you just die if you don't spend every coin you have? Can I shove an arrowhead into your brains? I'd love to see if I could swap those useless things for a goblin’s brain."
"Mugugugu……"
"Muu."
Carla's verbal abuse—if one could call it that—hit the mark so accurately that Bilt and Begrif had no choice but to take it in silence.
"Now, now. Calm down, Carla," Bilke said, finally taking pity on her brother. "Besides, thanks to the Sword Bees, we were able to get to know Rei. It’s not every day you get to befriend an adventurer who's famous throughout the frontier, you know?"
Understanding that Bilke had a point, Carla nodded without further argument.
"I suppose so. But don't forget that I’m the one taking top contribution this time, understood? I intend to properly exercise my rights regarding the reward."
"A-Hahahaha. I know, I know. You’re as fond of money as ever, Carla."
"Of course I am. Without money, you can't even buy food, and I need a massive amount of funds to make my dream come true. ……Wait, I see it. Over there."
Engrossed in their conversation, they had reached their destination without realizing it. Everyone's gaze focused on the building Carla indicated.
"……Guruu."
"Yeah, looks like this is the place."
Seto sensed multiple presences inside the building and let out a soft purr, turning its head toward Rei.
"Whoa, incredible. You really can communicate with a gryphon. ……If you can talk to them, does that mean you don't have to be afraid of them?"
Bilke muttered in admiration, and the other three nodded along. They had seen Rei and Seto together many times, but seeing them actually exchange intentions in such a fluid way was a different experience entirely.
"Well then…… where are the other adventurers?"
Begrif gripped his pole-axe and scanned the area, but he soon shook his head.
"Ah, no good. I don't have any ability to sense presences. Carla, what about you?"
"Begrif…… Honestly, expecting such a thing from someone whose brain is made of muscle was my mistake. If what was packed inside that head of yours was money-muscles instead of regular ones, I'd crack it open and add it to my fortune."
"Hey! Don't say such terrifying things with a straight face!"
"Shut up. If it's not money-muscles, stay quiet. We've managed to avoid detection so far…… eh?"
Carla, who had been speaking coldly to Begrif, suddenly snapped her attention toward the target building.
Normally, that building should have been occupied only by the Bestia Empire spies and the hostages. But in Carla’s line of sight, she saw several figures closing the distance, preparing to storm the structure.
Judging by their silhouettes—some equipped with swords, others with spears—Carla knew immediately that they were adventurers of the City of Abuelo.
"Wait, what!? Why!? Rei, Seto, and the rest of us were supposed to be the ones to charge in!"
"Hey, what happened?"
Bilt asked, startled by Carla's sudden agitation. But it was a third party's voice that answered him.
"……Sorry. I couldn't keep the hotheads under control."
Two figures emerged from the shadows of a nearby building—a man in his mid-twenties and a woman in her early thirties. Both were armed with swords and were clearly local adventurers. Bilt recognized them instantly.
"Iseberg-san, and Horti-san too……"
The man was Iseberg, and the woman was Horti. They were the members of a C-Rank party called Twin Dragon Fang, and they were reliable seniors to the Blade of the Azure Sky.
"Those idiots from Ogre Heart went rogue," Iseberg explained. "They’re aiming for the credit. We tried to stop them, but we couldn't afford to cause a scene here."
"What!? But they're……"
"……Sorry, but could someone explain this in a way I can understand?" Rei interrupted. "I believe I heard that Ogre Heart was a party known for causing trouble."
At Rei's request, Iseberg glanced at Seto and offered a small nod.
"Forgive me. You must be the Rei the Guild Master mentioned. And this Gryphon is Seto? Ogre Heart is a Rank E party. They’re nearly ten members strong, which is unusual for a single party. Did you hear about the adventurers who caused a brawl around here recently?"
Rei recalled the briefing in the office.
"I think I heard something about a fight with a group called the Gilgumon Family."
"Yeah. They were slapped with a heavy fine as punishment……"
With that, Rei understood the situation perfectly.
"So they’re trying to snatch the credit and use the reward from this mission to pay off their debt?"
"……Most likely."
"Tsk. Those guys think they're strong just because they have numbers," Bilt spat. "They've caused us nothing but trouble."
Bilt’s frustration was palpable, but in the next moment, the focus shifted. Rei leaped onto Seto’s back without a word.
"There's no point in complaining here. If they clumsily alert the enemy and the hostages are put in danger, it’ll all be for nothing. Sorry, but I'm going in first. ……If those Ogre Heart people get caught in the crossfire, I’d appreciate it if you’d look the other way."
Horti nodded at Rei’s words.
"Of course. It's their own fault for ignoring the plan. We'll testify to that, so go wild. It seems the last incident wasn't enough of a lesson for them."
The others all nodded in agreement. It was clear that the Ogre Heart party was a major source of headaches for the local guild.
"Right then. Let's go, Seto!"
"Guruuuuu!"
Seto gave a short cry, took a few running steps, and flapped its wings, soaring into the night sky.
Watching them take flight, the remaining adventurers gave small nods and moved to fulfill their adjusted roles. The two from Twin Dragon Fang returned to their assigned positions, while the four members of the Blade of the Azure Sky moved to fill the gap left by the rogue Ogre Heart party.
Observing the swift reorganization from above, Rei gave a small nod and directed Seto toward the target building. He first ascended higher into the air to ensure they wouldn't be spotted by any lookouts.
(I see. There are three of them, as reported. One is watching the window, and the other two are waiting near Min and Rhodos. ……If those Ogre Heart fools charge in, the lives of those two can't be guaranteed. I need to settle this before they make their move.)
Monitoring the movements of Ogre Heart, he saw that they were finally beginning to scale the exterior toward the 2F.
"Alright, Seto. Gain as much speed as you can and dive toward the building. Pull up right before you hit the wall. I'll use that momentum to crash into the room where they're holding Min and the boy."
"Guru?"
Are you sure? Seto tilted its head. Rei gave a firm nod.
Based on how easily Seto had neutralized the enemy in Gilm, Rei judged that while they shouldn't be underestimated, they weren't exactly insurmountable foes.
(Though, that was a surprise attack using the darkness of night. I have to keep that in mind.)
Considering they had managed to suppress even Elk, they were not opponents to be taken lightly, especially with hostages involved.
"……Alright, let's go."
"Guru."
Seto purred in response and flapped its wings, plummeting toward the target building. From its back, Rei saw the structure approaching with terrifying speed.
The lookout peering through the window was too slow to notice them, but it wasn't just his own negligence. Very few people in the world traveled by air, with the exception of rare Dragon Knights—who were absent from Abuelo. The sentry had focused his awareness entirely on the ground. Furthermore, while the spies had information on Rei, they hadn't expected the watcher they'd sent to Elk would be captured so easily, nor did they realize the incredible speed with which Seto could travel from Gilm to Abuelo. Crucially, the presence of the Ogre Heart members on the ground had played right into Rei's hands, drawing the man's attention downward and creating a fatal opening.
By the time the lookout realized something was wrong and glanced upward, Seto was already on top of him.
"Ene—"
Before the man could scream "enemy attack," Rei leaped from Seto's back. He smashed through the window and swung his arm with crushing force.
The blow, delivered with almost no restraint, shattered the man's jaw and sent him flying sideways. He crashed through an interior wall and vanished into the next room.
"Hah!"
In a flash, Rei withdrew two daggers from his Misty Ring and hurled them at the two black-clad men standing over the bound forms of Min and Rhodos.
Ideally, he would have thrown his spears, but in the cramped confines of a room, his preferred long-handled weapons—whether a spear or the Death Scythe—were difficult to wield effectively. The daggers were the pragmatic choice.
"Guh!"
"Gaah!"
The daggers struck with surgical precision, sinking into the arms of the two men and forcing them to drop their longsword and dagger.
"!?"
Even as she lay bound on the floor, Min had been desperately watching for a chance. She swung her leg out, tripping the man closest to her.
At the same time, Rei closed the distance with a burst of speed. His fist buried itself into the solar plexus of the only remaining standing man, who collapsed instantly, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
The man Min had tripped looked up from the floor, only to find the cold Death Scythe's blade pressed firmly against his throat.