"Lady Vihera, you only arrived yesterday, and yet here you are again so soon."
In the office a Maid had guided them to, Daskar called out to Vihera as she entered, putting away documents as he spoke.
Since Vihera had requested to be treated not as a princess but as a mere adventurer, Daskar's tone wasn't particularly stiff.
"Yes. A rather troublesome situation has come up, and I thought it best to report it. Do you mind?"
Daskar had expected a smile in return, but Vihera's expression was dead serious—and Rei and Byune, flanking her on either side, were equally devoid of any playfulness.
Sensing the gravity in all three of them, Daskar had a bad feeling as he urged them to sit on the sofa and ordered the Maid who had escorted them to bring tea.
He placed the documents he had been reading on his desk, then came around to the sofa and sat down facing Vihera's group.
"So, what exactly is this about? Judging by the look on your faces, it seems like quite a troublesome matter."
"Right. Troublesome... no, I think 'a hassle' would be more accurate."
Vihera's expression as she said this with a sigh was filled with melancholy, and Daskar found himself captivated for a moment.
Though captivated, he snapped back to his senses immediately—no doubt thanks to the resistance he had built up from Marina.
"Troublesome, not a hassle, huh. To be honest, I'm not very fond of that sort of trouble. So? What kind of hassle has come up?"
"There's a possibility that an alchemist from the Bestia Empire is trying to orchestrate something against Gilm."
"...From the Bestia Empire?"
At those words from Vihera, Daskar's brow furrowed.
When he had heard "trouble," he had assumed it was something along the lines of a conflict breaking out over Vihera's beauty between Rei and other adventurers, nobles, or merchants—trouble of that degree.
But what actually came from Vihera's mouth was the phrase "an alchemist from the Bestia Empire."
It was entirely unexpected, and Daskar understood that the trouble Vihera spoke of was as real as it could possibly be.
"That is certainly a hassle. But why would the Bestia Empire try to do something to Gilm now? Well, I can guess the reason, but..."
Daskar's gaze shifted to Rei.
The civil war that had broken out in the Bestia Empire last year—many who were even slightly well-informed knew that Rei had been involved.
And it was easy enough to understand that the Third Prince's faction had won the civil war because of Rei's cooperation.
"I can think of a few possibilities, but the most likely one is... revenge against Rei, I suppose."
Following Daskar, Vihera's gaze also turned toward Rei.
Despite being on the receiving end of both their stares, Rei said nothing and simply fell silent.
Byune, too, fell silent without a word, and the office was enveloped in stillness.
That silence lasted for several dozen seconds... and eventually, it was broken not by anyone in the room but by the sound of a knock from outside.
"Excuse me."
What the Maid brought in was tea for everyone and a large plate piled high with sandwiches.
The sun had already set and it was fully dark outside—a thoughtful gesture from the Maid, who anticipated they might be hungry.
Understanding this, Daskar expressed his gratitude, and the Maid smiled, bowed, and left the office.
"...Well, sitting here with long faces deep in thought isn't going to produce any good ideas. Let's fill our stomachs for now. You'll have some too, won't you, Lady Vihera?"
"No, I already ate at a tavern before coming here, so..."
"I see. What about you, Rei, and the young lady there?"
Maintaining Vihera's figure must be quite a challenge—Daskar could understand that much.
She had curves in all the right places yet carried almost no excess fat where it mattered—a figure that any woman would describe as nothing but enviable.
Though ultimately, Daskar was a man, so he could only imagine how deeply an ordinary woman might long for a figure like hers.
"Ah, then I'll have some, please."
"Mn!"
Rei, who was a big eater to begin with, and Byune, who ate an amount that belied her small frame, both nodded at Daskar's words and reached for the sandwiches.
Vihera watched the two of them with a slightly envious look as she sipped her tea.
Thanks to the sandwiches, the atmosphere in the office grew lighter than before, and talk of the alchemist was set aside for the moment as Rei and Vihera's conversation drifted to today's Cyclops subjugation.
"Seven Cyclops in total, plus a Rare Species or High-ranking Species... You did well to win against a group like that."
"In my case, it was only the red Cyclops, so it wasn't all that difficult."
"In my case, they were regular Cyclops, but I suppose my combat compatibility was good. No matter how powerful their strikes are, when they're just swinging wildly, dodging is easy."
The way she said it so casually made it perfectly clear that she hadn't struggled at all in the actual fight.
Noticing this, Daskar let out an exasperated sigh.
He had understood that she possessed that level of strength, but seeing it proven right before his eyes like this was still naturally surprising.
Before taking his position as lord, Daskar had belonged to the knight order in the Royal Capital, and he was confident in his own abilities.
Confident enough to believe he could defeat most soldiers, adventurers, or knights he might face.
Even now, he never neglected his training alongside his duties as lord, and his skills certainly hadn't dulled since his days as a knight.
If the territory Daskar governed were a more peaceful place, he might not have needed to be so strong himself.
But Gilm—and Margrave Larcus's Territory—was frontier land, and its people demanded a lord with the strength to fight and survive on the frontier.
That was why it was established as a family tradition that the heir to Margrave Larcus's House would join the knight order in their youth.
Even from Daskar's perspective, Vihera was strong.
His instincts told him she possessed the kind of ability where he wasn't sure he could win if they fought—no, that he would almost certainly lose.
Having lived his life as a knight, it wasn't as if he didn't feel a twinge of frustration.
But at the same time, as a lord, having someone of Vihera's strength in Gilm was a cause for the greatest joy.
My own frustration aside, Gilm's interests are what matter most.
Having reached that conclusion, the next thing that came to mind was what to do about this matter.
Should I file a formal protest with the Bestia Empire? No—deliberately destroying what is currently a good relationship would only lead to war. In that case, I need to contact them through back channels. Handling this matter on our end benefits us too. If we secure the alchemist, we could obtain their technology, for instance.
Daskar thought as he reached for a sandwich.
Before him, Rei and Vihera said nothing in particular and remained silent as they reached for the sandwiches and tea.
...Meanwhile, Byune, seemingly oblivious to all of this, was eating her sandwiches in single-minded silence.
Byune's behavior—best described as mokkyu mokkyu—could be called adorable from an outsider's perspective.
The sight of her expressionlessly yet earnestly stuffing sandwiches into her mouth had a small-animal-like charm to it.
Daskar had been agonizing over how best to deal with the alchemist, but watching Byune like this made his fretting seem foolish.
That's right. In the end, we need to capture them alive. Well, in the worst case, killing them can't be helped, but keeping them alive benefits me in many ways. And if we're capturing an alchemist alive, we'll need someone quite skilled.
If it were just an alchemist, there wouldn't be much need to worry about their combat prowess.
Alchemists weren't necessarily suited for combat to begin with.
Of course, as Magic Item specialists, they understood Magic Items better than anyone, and therefore had the ability to use them effectively.
But against a first-rate warrior—or even one of mid-tier skill—the general consensus was that an alchemist would lose without being able to do much of anything.
That's if it's a normal alchemist, though.
An alchemist who would hand a Magic Item to a Cyclops couldn't possibly be normal.
They likely excelled in combat themselves, or had companions who were skilled fighters.
And those companions would need to be strong enough to handle Cyclops.
Considering all of that, there weren't many people who could be entrusted with this matter.
...Yes, for example, the people sitting right in front of him.
People who had been involved in this matter from the start, and whose abilities were beyond question.
Furthermore, Rei had Set as a Tamed Monster, and Vihera had the strength to win against five Cyclops at once.
Even Byune, who was now eating sandwiches with single-minded focus before him, clearly possessed highly impressive skills as a thief—Daskar could tell that much.
Given that the opponent is a Bestia Empire alchemist, I feel it might be a bit harsh on Lady Vihera...
Even so, since the disturbance had been caused by a Bestia Empire alchemist, it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask Vihera, who was already a involved party, for her help.
"Lady Vihera, would you—and Rei, and the child there, Byune—would you take on the nomination request?"
"The request is to capture the alchemist who orchestrated this incident... I take it?"
"That's right. Capture them alive if at all possible."
"...What do you think? Given my position, it's a bit difficult for me to refuse, but Rei, you don't have to force yourself to take it, do you?"
Rei shook his head at Vihera, who had turned to look at him.
"No, I'll take it too. If we're up against an alchemist, I might be able to get my hands on some good Magic Items."
"So that's your reason. Even though you're one of the primary targets yourself."
"You say that, but either way I'm going to be targeted. Might as well get as much reward as I can, right?"
"As for the Magic Items the captured alchemist has, you're free to do with them as you please. Of course, I don't need to tell you not to cause any strange incidents with those Magic Items. Ah, and naturally, if there are any Magic Items you don't need, I'd like to buy them from you."
Daskar said this because he knew that the Magic Items Rei collected were generally practical ones.
Magic Items, by their very nature, often held rare value.
Even among those Rei might not want, there could be items that were extremely valuable from Daskar's position.
"Understood. On our end, it's better to have you buy unwanted Magic Items than to hold onto them."
As long as he had the Misty Ring, having too many unwanted Magic Items wasn't really a problem, but since there was no point in hoarding them, Rei agreed to Daskar's proposal.
"Then I'll contact the Guild about the nomination request, so rest assured. ...Lady Vihera, and Byune, I'm counting on you. Also, it would be problematic to make this matter public in any way. The fact that a Bestia Empire alchemist is involved—please keep it strictly confidential. I'll also send someone to tell the two who informed Rei about this matter not to speak of it."
Vihera nodded at Daskar's words, and Byune nodded as well, mid-sandwich.
And so, the day after returning to Gilm, Rei found himself swept up in the turmoil surrounding the Cyclops incident.
"Isn't Rei a little too loved by trouble?"
On the way back from the lord's mansion, Vihera muttered.
Since those words weren't wrong, Rei had no argument to counter them.
"I guess I was born under a star like that."
"Guruu."
As if to agree with Rei's words for some reason, Set gave a cry.
"Mn."
And Byune, walking beside Set, let out a short sound of agreement as well.
"More importantly, should we go grab something to eat? Some warm soup, maybe?"
Rei muttered, as if trying to change the subject.
It was dark all around, and since it was just the beginning of spring, the nights weren't particularly warm.
In that sense, Rei's suggestion wasn't wrong at all.
...However.
"You just ate all those sandwiches, and you're still hungry? ...Byune too?"
"Mn!"
At Vihera's words, Byune nodded to indicate she wanted to eat.
"...What in the world is going on with your bodies? Set wants to eat too, of course?"
"Guruu!"
Set let out a cry of agreement at Vihera's words... and Vihera reluctantly went along with the two and their companion.