Byune was the one who reacted with a slight twitch to Elena Kerebel’s claim that House Marstchel was involved in this matter.
From her perspective, the news likely brought up a complex mix of emotions regarding her history with that family.
Vihera spoke up on Byune’s behalf.
"House Marstchel? Why are you so certain?"
"I can only say that it was my impression after meeting the head of the house directly," Elena replied, giving a small shrug before continuing. "Of course, there is also some circumstantial evidence. Take the anomaly species incident, which was ostensibly the work of House Rebisole. When the members of House Silwa reached that laboratory, every single researcher had already been slaughtered. With House Rebisole and House Silwa locked in conflict, there aren't many forces capable of pulling off such a large-scale maneuver, wouldn't you agree?"
Naturally, there were other underworld organizations in the city besides the three great houses. In a place like Exil, where so much wealth concentrated, that was only to be expected.
However, House Marstchel remained the most likely and suspicious candidate.
After all, among the parties that had originally discovered the dungeon in Exil, House Marstchel were the descendants of the mage. Even now, they remained a step or two ahead of the other houses in the field of magic. Logically, they should have been the first ones suspected of creating anomaly species.
"Furthermore—and this might be reaching a bit—the laboratory for creating anomaly species was located in the slum district. And the place where Ecethesus and his companion were attacked today was also near the slums. While it’s true the slum district is a convenient place for many such activities, Vihera's suggestion that there is a connection between the anomaly species and the attack incident carries weight."
"Then let's head to House Marstchel immediately!"
Ecethesus started to stand up as he spoke, only to be pulled back down by Nakt, who was sitting beside him.
"Calm down. This is all just speculation built upon more speculation. We don't have a single shred of decisive evidence."
Even as he chided Ecethesus, Nakt inwardly cursed their failure to capture even one of the opponents who had ambushed them.
(If we had caught one, we could have squeezed the truth out of them and reported it to House Silwa. That would have given us the formal justification we need.)
While Nakt muttered to himself, Vihera spoke up as if those concerns didn't matter in the slightest.
"Well then, now that we've settled the discussion, shall we get going?"
"Going where?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? We’re going to get information on the people who attacked you."
"No, I told you, we don't have that information..."
Nakt tried to continue, but Vihera silenced him with a shake of her head and a playful smile.
"We took a detour before coming to this inn, didn't we? While we were out, I gave descriptions of the men at the scene to a familiar information broker and commissioned them to find out who they were."
Hearing that, Nakt remembered how Vihera had wandered off to handle "business" before they arrived.
Ecethesus remembered as well, turning a stunned look toward Vihera.
"That shack?! You moved that quickly...?"
"Naturally. In these matters, the sooner the better. Though, to be fair, the information broker is actually Byune's contact, not mine."
Vihera turned a faint smile toward Byune.
Byune herself didn't seem to notice or care, continuing to sip her fruit water in silence.
(Come to think of it, how does Byune communicate with an information broker when she barely says more than 'Nn'?)
The question surfaced in Rei’s mind, but he stood up regardless, knowing they couldn't afford to waste time.
Tibia’s survival was on the line, and if they could resolve the anomaly species incident even a moment sooner, Rei had no reason to hesitate. He was still a bit tired from the dungeon, but that was a secondary concern.
"However, if this involves the anomaly species, we should probably pass the word along to House Silwa as well."
Rei looked around the room as he spoke, but then he quickly shook his head.
He, Elena, and Vihera were the primary combat forces of the group. Byune hated House Silwa, and he knew Ecethesus and Nakt wouldn't dream of leaving when they were about to rescue Tibia.
"There's no need for any of us to go personally, right? We can just send a message through the inn employees. This is a high-class establishment; surely they can handle a simple errand like that?"
"I considered that, but... isn't it a bit dangerous?"
There was a chance the people who had attacked Ecethesus might try to intercept the message to prevent it from reaching House Silwa.
However, Vihera shook her head.
"An inn like this will definitely have guards who pride themselves on their skill. We can have them go along, or simply have the guards deliver it themselves."
In the end, they went with that plan. After writing a letter to Bosk Silva, the group finally left the inn.
"We're standing out quite a bit... Is this really okay?"
Ecethesus muttered the question as they walked through the city, feeling the weight of the constant stares from the people around them.
The group certainly drew attention. However, the gazes weren't malicious. If anything, they were favorable.
...Of course, half of those stares were directed at Seto and Iero, while the other half were fixed on Elena and Vihera.
The former was due to the adorable nature of the monsters, while the latter was only natural given that the two women were unbelievable beauties.
In Vihera’s case, however, the admiration was tempered by a fair amount of fear, likely from those who had crossed her in the past.
"So, where is this information broker located?"
Elena asked as she brushed back her golden hair, which fell in perfect vertical rolls. She seemed completely unfazed by the attention, having been the subject of such stares for years. Vihera was equally indifferent to the mix of praise and terror her appearance inspired.
"Just a little further into the back streets. Since the attackers made such a scene, they must have at least tracked which direction they fled in. From there, the broker can focus the investigation along their escape route."
"But, well... since they were escaping, wouldn't they have taken a long way around on purpose?"
Despite the sun sinking toward the west, the air remained sweltering. Ecethesus wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve as he asked.
The response he received was one of pure shock.
Not just from Vihera, but from Elena, Rei, and even Byune—who rarely showed any emotion—all widened their eyes slightly.
"W-What? Is it that strange for me to use my head for once?! Anyway, let's just hurry up. I'm worried about Tibia."
He spat the words out as if offended and urged them forward.
"Calm down. Panicking now will only give the enemy what they want. Most likely, they’re watching us from somewhere even now."
"...Really?"
"Probably. Though even if they try something, we’ll be able to take the initiative as long as Seto is with us."
"Guruuu?"
'What is it?' Seto tilted its head slightly. Vihera gently stroked the Gryphon's head as she continued walking with perfect composure.
She looked more like she was killing time by browsing the local shops than heading to a clandestine meeting with an information broker.
"Nn."
Byune muttered in agreement, and the group slowly made their way down the path, eventually slipping into the back streets.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a quiet corner of a back alley where almost no one else was in sight.
Fortunately, the alley was still wide enough for Seto to walk freely despite its massive size. Unlike the alleys near the slums, this place felt lonely and deserted, likely because there were far fewer people passing through.
Following Vihera and Byune, they eventually reached a shack that looked ready to collapse at the slightest breeze.
"...Is this the place?"
Ecethesus, who had stopped here earlier, nodded in response to Elena’s question. Nakt’s expression remained neutral, showing that he saw no issue with the location.
"Yes. I wonder if he's in..."
Vihera gave the door a light knock. A moment later, an elderly man in his 50s peered out.
Though his clothes were plain, they were tidy, and he didn't look like the sort of person who belonged in a dilapidated shack. When he saw their faces, a happy smile spread across his features and he bowed his head.
"Welcome, Lady Byune. And Ms. Vihera... and these two must be Mr. Ecethesus and Mr. Nakt. And—oh, how rare. I see we have Crimson and the Princess General as well."
The words had an immediate, jarring effect. Everyone except Vihera, Byune, Seto, and Iero was frozen in shock.
Rei and Elena were stunned that their identities—and in particular, their aliases—were so easily recognized.
Ecethesus and Nakt were even more shaken as they finally realized who the "Elena" traveling with Rei actually was.
Even if they didn't know her face, they certainly knew her alias. There wasn't a soul in the Kingdom of Mireana who hadn't heard of the Princess General.
"T-The... Princess General?"
"Of Duke Kerebel's House...?"
They turned to look at her with movements so stiff their joints seemed to creak. Elena let out a small sigh.
"There is no need for such formality. I am not here as a member of Duke Kerebel's Knight Order, but simply as Elena."
She spoke to the two men, who looked ready to drop to their knees, then turned back to the man with another sigh.
"It seems you are indeed a skilled information broker."
Elena’s identity was being suppressed by the guild, and neither House Silwa, House Marstchel, nor House Rebisole were spreading it. Some adventurers knew, but the guild had quietly instructed them to keep their mouths shut.
While not everyone would stay silent, the information should have only reached a tiny number of people.
(Or perhaps he simply knew who I was from the beginning because of his profession.)
She glanced toward Byune.
"Nn."
Byune nodded and gave her usual one-word response. At the very least, Elena was glad that Byune wasn't treating her any differently.
Satisfied with Byune’s confirmation, Elena turned her attention back to the elderly information broker.
"So, you know who I am. What have you found regarding the assailants?"
"Yes, I have confirmed their movements. I found their hideout, though I couldn't identify their true masters in such a short window of time. ...However, I have confirmed that some of them are heading toward a very interesting place."
"An interesting place?"
The old man nodded. When he spoke next, his voice carried a hatred so intense that even someone completely oblivious to the emotions of others would have felt it.
"To a massive estate in the western district. To House Marstchel's Residence."
"I see. That makes it certain that House Marstchel is involved. In that case, was Pri indeed the one behind the scenes... Shafner's puppeteer?"
"I cannot say for certain. Circumstantially, I believe there is no doubt, but..."
The old man spoke while struggling to suppress the hatred boiling within him. Because he knew his feelings were so strong, he was careful not to state his conclusions as objective facts.
Elena was curious about the source of such intense hatred in an information broker, but she caught Vihera’s eye and stayed silent.
The look Vihera gave her held no trace of battle lust or aggression; instead, it was a silent plea.