The merchant watching the scene unfold didn't understand what had happened at first.
No—he understood. To be precise, the desire not to understand was probably stronger.
He had hired two women as carriage guards: Vihera and Byune... or more accurately, one woman and one girl.
Byune was an unusual sort who barely spoke and communicated through fragmented words, but normal conversation was still possible, and more importantly, she was highly skilled in combat.
And the other one—Vihera, who acted as Byune's guardian—possessed a striking beauty and wore clothing that seemed designed to provoke men. The merchant found his eyes drawn to her no matter what.
He had seen his fair share of beautiful women as a merchant, but the fact that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on was undeniable.
On top of that, she treated him and everyone else with an easygoing warmth, so it was only natural that he would develop feelings for her.
And when those feelings shifted from admiration of Vihera's beauty to something more romantic—something closer to love—it was the most natural thing in the world.
He wasn't the only merchant who had fallen for Vihera. His partner, traveling with him on this very carriage, felt the same way. It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to stay up late into the night, talking about her.
It was perhaps getting ahead of himself, but he had been planning to ask her to work for him directly once they reached Gilm, rather than through a formal request.
That decision hadn't been based solely on Vihera's beauty. They had been attacked by monsters and bandits several times along the way, and the effortless skill with which she dispatched every threat made her more than reliable as a guard.
And someday, he wanted her to become his wife and walk through life at his side.
He had harbored those hopes—but looking at the scene before him, he had no choice but to accept that it was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
He had seen Vihera's smile countless times while under her protection, but he had never seen her wear a smile like the one she now wore.
Knowing who that smile was directed at, he couldn't even bring himself to think of competing.
It was his first time seeing the man in person, but as a merchant, he of course knew who rode a gryphon while carrying an oversized scythe.
A man who had skyrocketed to fame over the past year or two—said to have single-handedly devastated the Bestia Imperial Army during last year's war.
The B-Rank adventurer with the alias of Crimson, Rei.
(Goodbye, my first love...)
The merchant quietly averted his gaze from the two pressing their lips together and accepted that his first love had ended all too easily.
Glancing beside him, he caught his partner wearing an equally sorrowful expression, and resolved that the two of them would drink away their heartbreak together that night.
Leaving those pitiful merchants to their grief, Vihera beamed with joy and delighted in her reunion with Rei alongside Byune.
"So, Rei. Why are you here? I'd be thrilled if you came to meet me, though."
Perhaps satisfied for now after their kiss, Vihera asked the question that had been on her mind.
It was only natural. She had told him beforehand that she would be heading to Gilm in the spring, but even so, him appearing at such a perfect moment was unthinkable, even from Vihera's perspective.
(If he somehow sensed I was coming and came here for me, could this be destiny? ...Elena would probably scold me, though.)
Vihera entertained the fantasy of a prince on a white horse riding to her rescue—but it was just that, a fantasy.
True, she had been attacked by bandits, but she had also turned the tables on them and then deliberately provoked them to keep them from fleeing. So casting Vihera as the princess in distress was more than a little unfair.
And given Rei's demeanor and the fact that he carried the Death Scythe—a massive weapon—casting him as a prince on a white horse was equally difficult.
"If you're asking why, the honest answer is that I just happened to be passing through. That's all there is to it."
"By chance? ...Had you gone somewhere?"
"Yeah. I took a job over the winter and was working as an instructor at an Officer Academy in a place called Gracial."
"...Well, that's quite an unexpected development."
Rei offered an ambiguous smile to Vihera, who was looking at him with a gaze that seemed to say, You did something again, didn't you?
In truth, he didn't think things would have turned out this way if not for the duel incident back in Gilm, but what was done was done.
That thought led him to recall the matter of the Holy Light Religion.
If he himself had been targeted as a major enemy, then it wasn't hard to imagine that Vihera, Byune, and others who had fought alongside him might be targeted as well.
Just as that realization struck and Rei opened his mouth to speak, Byune tugged on the hem of his Dragon Robe at almost the exact same moment.
"Mm!"
Byune, speaking in her usual clipped manner, pointed at the bandits lying on the ground.
A few were dead, but the majority had either lost consciousness or were awake yet unable to move.
She was clearly trying to say, "Stop flirting and deal with the bandits!"—and she had a point.
Those who couldn't move from pain would recover given enough time.
With Rei, Set, Vihera, and Byune all present, it wasn't as if the bandits could do anything even if they regained the ability to move. But they couldn't afford to ignore the possibility entirely.
"You're right. Let's tie up the bandits for now. ...Oh, that reminds me. We were planning to escort those merchants to Gilm—what about you, Rei?"
"What about me? I don't have any particular business to attend to, so I'll travel with you if you'll have me."
The instructor position at the Officer Academy was technically a Nomination Request processed through the Guild.
But there were political circumstances involved, which made it easy enough to be flexible.
For instance, if it took Rei and Set a little longer than expected to return to Gilm.
"Is that so? Then I'll go ask them. Could you wait here a moment?"
Clearly pleased that Rei would be joining them, Vihera broke into a run toward the carriage.
As she did, her thin clothing fluttered in the spring breeze, putting her curvaceous figure on full display for Rei. He quietly averted his gaze and pretended he hadn't seen a thing.
"Mm!"
Byune tugged on Rei's Dragon Robe again.
Seeing her point toward the bandits, it was immediately clear what she wanted.
"Set, I'm going to tie up the bandits. Keep watch over the surroundings for me, will you?"
"Guruuu!"
Set cried out in response, and Byune's expression barely changed—though the corners of her eyes softened just slightly.
Byune had developed an attachment to Set through their experiences in Exil, and she seemed happy to see that he hadn't changed a bit.
"Alright, Byune. Let's tie up the living ones for now."
"Mm!"
Rei pulled rope from his Misty Ring and spoke, and Byune quickly snapped back to attention with a nod.
They went about selecting the bandits who were unconscious or too injured to move and binding them with rope.
A few of the bandits entertained thoughts of exploiting a gap and making a run for it.
But there was no way Set, tasked with keeping watch, would allow such a thing. And with their injuries severe enough to barely move, they ended up being tied up one after another by Rei and Byune.
Before long, it seemed Vihera had finished her negotiations. She approached Rei with a bright smile.
"How did it go? ...Actually, looking at you, I don't even need to ask."
"Yes, basically there's no problem. It seems they already knew about you, Rei. They just want to have a quick word with you—could you go? I'll handle things here."
"Got it."
Rei nodded without a moment's hesitation.
Under normal circumstances, he might have voiced some concern for Vihera's safety, but he and Vihera knew each other's personalities and abilities well enough that such words were unnecessary.
Handing the rope to Vihera, Rei headed toward the carriage a short distance away.
Waiting there were two men in their mid-twenties.
One wore a good-natured expression; the other looked mildly displeased.
"I heard you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes. I understand you'll be joining us as an additional guard... in which case, we'll be traveling together for the short journey to Gilm. Given that, I felt we should know what kind of person you are."
The good-natured man had barely finished speaking when the displeased one cut in.
"To be honest with you, your reputation isn't exactly all good. I'll grant you that a lot of it is. But given all that, I can't put my full trust in you the way Vihera and the others do."
"I can't deny that."
After all, Rei had repeatedly gone out of his way to attack bandits, had crossed swords with nobles, and had even clashed with the Azoth Firm—one of the most powerful organizations in Gilm.
(...Wait. Thinking about it like that, am I actually pretty... no, quite a dangerous person? From an outsider's perspective, it'd be completely understandable if they didn't want anything to do with me...)
Rei reflected on everything he had done up to this point and found himself nodding in acceptance. Being regarded with this level of caution was only natural.
"I see. Glad you understand. ...Well, the fact that you're not resorting to violence when a couple of mere merchants say this to you suggests the rumors might be exaggerated."
"I told you, didn't I? Since he's an acquaintance of Vihera's, there's no need to be that on guard. Besides, an Alias Holder adventurer isn't someone we'd normally be able to hire. This is a great opportunity."
"...If you say so."
The displeased merchant said no more on the matter.
In truth, he had no desire to travel with Rei.
Considering the way Vihera—with whom he had fallen nearly in love at first sight—was looking at Rei, the journey from here to Gilm would be nothing short of agony.
Being forced to watch the woman you love act affectionate with her partner right before your eyes—that was tantamount to psychological torture.
The only saving grace was that neither of the two merchants had actually confessed their feelings to Vihera.
If they had, the discomfort would have been unbearable.
"I see. Well then, it's a short trip, but I'll be counting on you."
Utterly oblivious to the two merchants' inner turmoil, Rei turned his back to them and headed toward Vihera, who was interrogating the bandits.
"...You sure about this?"
"Yeah. Of course. No point in saying anything now, is there? In that case, it's better to at least get our money's worth by having the adventurer with the alias of Crimson guard us."
"You're pretty shameless, you know that?"
"Am I? Well, they say first love never comes true. So what's the harm?"
The two merchants traded remarks, making light of each other's heartbreak as they sealed their feelings for Vihera away.
"How did it go? Did they spill the location of their hideout?"
"Yes. I asked them gently and they told me right away."
Vihera said this with a smile, but the ground near the bound bandits was dented in the unmistakable shapes of hands and feet. It wasn't difficult to imagine what her version of "gently" actually entailed.
Not that Rei had any intention of reprimanding her for it.
Considering what the bound bandits had likely done to earn their living, Vihera's interrogation was, as she said, gentle—no, far too gentle.
(Though once they're handed over to the Guard Force, they'll probably be interrogated all over again. Thinking about how harsh that will be... I can only feel pity for them. After that, it's slavery. ...They brought it on themselves, though.)
The bandits, seemingly well aware of the fate that awaited them, hung their heads in despair. Rei glanced at them, then turned to Vihera.
"So, where's the hideout? Well, you and Byune were the ones who got attacked, so I won't ask for a cut of the spoils. ...Oh, but the spear I used in my initial attack broke. It'd help if you let me grab a replacement from their weapons."
"If it's a spear you're after, the bandits have the ones they were using right over there, don't they?"
Following Vihera's gaze, just as she said, the spears the bandits had been using lay scattered on the ground.