"...What are you two doing here?"
Rei was genuinely surprised. As he spoke to the pair who had appeared so unexpectedly, he set the Paired Orbs down on the bed next to his pillow and prepared to welcome them.
"What do you mean, 'what are we doing here'? Didn't we tell you we were heading to the City of Emocion for the bounty too?"
"Well, yeah, I heard that... but even so, isn't this a bit too fast?"
Less than ten days had passed since Rei had parted ways with them on the road. He couldn't fathom how they were already here; by his calculations, the journey from their last meeting point should have taken at least half a month.
"Hahaha! This is what happens when I actually put in some effort!"
"Sigh... Well, it’s true that we pushed ourselves. We kept moving day and night without a single break," Miroir added, clarifying Egret's boast.
Indeed, while Egret seemed as boisterous as ever, Miroir was clearly exhausted. One look at her face was enough to convince Rei that they had arrived in the city exactly as she said—by foregoing sleep entirely.
This realization brought a sudden ray of hope to Rei’s predicament.
I need a small, elite team capable of pinning the Lemures down after Grimm teleports it, at least until I can get there, Rei thought. According to what they told me before, Egret only came here to find strong opponents. He doesn't care about the bounty, the materials, or the Magic Stone. In that case...
He once again pictured Hendeka, the fellow tamer, in his mind.
He had previously thought it would be reckless to leave the task of pinning down the Lemures to just Hendeka and his Icebird, but if two B-Rank warriors like Egret and Miroir took charge of the vanguard, it was a different story. Including Hendeka in the party for his aerial support with the Icebird Shen became a much more viable option.
Hendeka is a swordsman, but if he gets a bow or something and focuses entirely on rear support... yeah, this could work.
Rei quickly ran the numbers in his head. Deciding the plan was feasible, he turned his gaze back to the two adventurers. In that instant, Egret and Miroir both sensed something shift in the air.
For Egret, it was a thrill of combat. For Miroir, it was a sinking feeling that they were about to be dragged into something unpleasant.
"You two showed up at the perfect time. Get in here and close the door. I've got a proposal for you."
"In there? This room is tiny. Why don't we head down to the dining hall on the 1F?"
If they stayed in this room as a trio, Miroir knew they would be sucked into some disaster. She tried to suggest a more public venue, but she was too late. Her partner, Egret, had already marched into the room and dragged her in after him.
"Come on, just get in. It's cramped, sure, but it's not so small that three people can't sit."
"Hey—wait, Egret! I don't necessarily intend to get involved in the Lemures incident..."
She tried to resist, but she was no match for Egret's pure physical strength. Miroir was unceremoniously hauled into Rei's room.
From the outside, this probably looks incredibly suspicious, Rei noted. To any onlooker, it appeared to be a man dragging a protesting woman into his private quarters. He whispered a quick message to the crystal near his pillow—where Grimm looked somewhat exasperated—telling the lich he would call back later, then cut the communication.
Egret forced the reluctant Miroir to sit on the floor while Rei took a seat on the edge of the bed. Given the size of the room, there wasn't any other furniture to speak of—no chairs, no sofas.
Then again, that was why he was able to stay here so cheaply. He had the influence of Arktos, an enigmatic figure with significant sway, to thank for that.
"Now then, let's hear this 'good offer' of yours," Egret said, leaning his pole-axe against the wall.
Rei nodded and brought them up to speed on the current situation. He detailed the Lemures' attack patterns, its invisibility, and how the bounty hunters were currently in a stalemate. He also mentioned how, for some reason, the monster almost exclusively targeted him with seawater spears whenever he took to the sky on Seto.
"Ugh, that sounds like a real pain in the neck."
"But since you dragged us in here, you must have some way of dealing with it, right?"
Miroir had been listening with a scowl, but her curiosity as a B-Rank adventurer had finally been piqued. She leaned in, prompting Rei to continue.
Meeting her gaze, Rei nodded. "That's right. Through a certain connection, I managed to get my hands on a special magic item."
"A magic item?" Miroir repeated.
Rei nodded again. "It's a trump card that uses space magic. It detects an opponent that has launched an attack and forcibly teleports them."
"Wait, what?! If that's true, that's an insanely powerful effect! If the Guild or the kingdom found out, they'd do anything to get their hands on it..." Miroir blurted out.
Even Egret, who was a muscle-brain through and through, looked stunned. The idea of a forced teleportation countermeasure was far beyond his expectations.
"It's a natural level of power for a magic item found in a dungeon, isn't it? Though, it's a one-time-use item."
"Well, if something that powerful could be used repeatedly, the country really would mobilized the army for it. Anyway, what kind of 'connection' did you get this from?"
Rei ignored Miroir’s exasperated mutterings and continued.
"Regardless, with this magic item, I can pull the invisible Lemures out of the water and send it to a specific location. The catch is that while I can teleport the monster, I can't teleport myself. After I trigger the forced teleportation, I have to fly Seto to the destination."
Egret grinned ferociously. "I see. So, while you're in transit, Miroir and I just have to play with this Lemures creature?"
"Exactly. And I'm not just asking you to hold it. If you can kill it before I get there, be my guest."
"Heh, now we're talking. Coming to this city was definitely the right choice. Don't you think so, Miroir?"
Miroir sighed, leaning her back against the wall. "Sure, it’s great for you since you get a fight. But we’re talking about a monster that can destroy ships from underwater... Wait, underwater?"
She suddenly turned back to Rei as if realizing a flaw.
"Hey, if the magic item teleports the target, why bother bringing it near the city? Just send it far away. Even if you can't send it to the other side of the world, send it into a desert or a forest. Heck, you could even drop it on the capital of the Bestia Empire since you’re at odds with them."
Rei shook his head. "Unfortunately, the range is limited. I can't send it that far. I have to find a suitable spot near Emocion."
"Ah... I see. I guess even a powerful magic item has its limits," Egret noted.
Rei nodded. "That’s the reality of it. Here’s the plan: I’ll draw the monster out at sea and teleport it. You two, along with another person I'm recruiting, will be waiting at the drop zone to stop it from returning to the water. As I said, kill it if you can, but if not, just focus on keeping it pinned until Seto and I arrive as reinforcements. Any questions?"
"Who’s this other person? If you're going out of your way to recruit them, they must be pretty capable." Egret looked like he was already hoping for a sparring partner.
Rei shook his head. "He isn't that strong. He’s a Rank D adventurer."
"Wait, hold on a second. Why recruit a low-rank adventurer? Unless he's like you and hides his true power, that sounds like a bad idea."
Disappointed that he wouldn't be meeting another powerhouse, Egret’s tone turned sour. Rei only smiled.
"He isn't a powerhouse, no. But he is a tamer, like me. He’s tamed an Icebird."
"An Icebird? I've heard of those..."
"You know, the winter monsters," Miroir chimed in. "Individually they're about Rank D, but in a flock, they're treated as a C-Rank monster."
"Oh, the ones that are strangely smart?"
"Yeah. They might even be smarter than you, Egret."
Egret laughed off Miroir's sarcasm. "Hey, even I know how important coordination is."
"I'm sure you do," she muttered with a wry smile.
Rei brought them back to the topic. "The tamer's name is Hendeka. Since he has an Icebird capable of flight, he'll be perfect for keeping the monster distracted. He’s also sensible; he’s not the type to do something stupid for glory."
"Well, you're the one running this show," Egret said. "If you say so, I won't complain. But if he's a burden, we might have to cut him loose."
"He knows his own limits, but I'll make sure to remind him. Now, about the share of the reward..."
"We're getting a fair cut, right?" Miroir asked pointedly.
Rei nodded. "Of course. However, I’m providing the magic item. You don't have a problem with me taking the largest share, do you?"
"That's fair. I just want the fight," Egret said.
"Egret, please try to care about money for once... though I guess since the plan is impossible without Rei's item, I can't complain. Hey, let me see this magic item."
"I can't let you handle it; it's very fragile. I can let you look while I hold it, though."
Since the magic item was the centerpiece of his cover story, he had to produce something. Because the actual teleportation would be handled by Grimm, the "item" was a complete lie. Rei reached into the Misty Ring and pulled out something that looked the part.
A 5cm crystal ball appeared in his hand. Egret and Miroir leaned in, eyes wide.
"This is it? The thing that causes forced teleportation?"
"It... doesn't exactly look like it’s brimming with power," Egret remarked.
Rei was lucky they were both pure warriors with no magical sensitivity. The "artifact" was actually just a common glass ball he had bought on a whim at a general store back in Gilm.
After letting them look for about thirty seconds, he stowed it back in the Misty Ring to avoid any further scrutiny.
"Alright, the basics are settled. I just need to tell Hendeka. Let's meet in front of the Guild tomorrow morning when the 9 o'clock bell rings."
"That works, but... where are we supposed to sleep?" Miroir asked, looking around. "Three people in here is impossible, and I am not sharing a room with two men."
"Yeah, this place is tiny," Egret agreed with a chuckle.
Rei shrugged. "This inn is fully booked, so you'll have to find your own place. It might be tough with all the adventurers in town for the Lemures."
"Ah, right. There were a lot of people out there. Miroir, we’d better go find a place fast."
"Good point. I'm not sleeping on the street. See you tomorrow at 9:00, Rei."
"Right. I'll see you then."
With the plan to slay the Lemures finally set in motion, Egret and Miroir headed back out into the city to secure a room for the night.