Even the agitated Daridora had no choice but to calm down once Rei pressed the Death Scythe against him.
If he were to seriously cause a disturbance here, what would happen to him...? The blade of the Death Scythe was sharp enough to make that abundantly clear.
The coldness of the steel against his throat made him feel as though it might reap his life as casually as mowing grass—or rather, hunt him down. He couldn't help but think so.
"...Hm, ahem. It seems I got a little too excited. I apologize."
At Daridora's words, his guards along with Augusto, Zarust, and the others present settled down for the time being and resumed sharing information.
"So then, regarding the attacker that Augusto-san and his people captured... does he truly know nothing?"
"Yes. Given that he was treated as a disposable pawn even by the one who hired him, I doubt they would have entrusted him with any information."
"...Is that your assessment after conducting an interrogation?"
Augusto nodded in response to Daridora's question.
At the same time, Zarust, standing behind Augusto, also gave a nod.
Daridora stared intently at the two of them for a long moment before eventually letting out a small sigh and nodding himself.
It likely wasn't that they were hiding anything—the captured man probably knew nothing at all.
(I came here knowing the risks, but... honestly, it's been nothing short of a disappointment. To think I wouldn't obtain a single piece of information.)
Of course, he hadn't expected that coming here would reveal the full picture.
But even so, he had believed that at least some of the circumstances would become clear.
This was the moment that hope was reduced to nothing, and Daridora's conclusion was that there was nothing he could do about the current situation.
(In that case, what should we do from here? ...No, since I went to the trouble of coming all this way, perhaps I should at least exchange information.)
He glanced at the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window and thought.
Having braved the danger to come all the way to this mansion on the outskirts of Gauche, returning empty-handed would mean he had simply wasted his time. With that in mind, Daridora addressed Augusto.
"About today's attack... what do you think, Augusto-san?"
That question was just as Augusto had anticipated. He answered without any particular sign of alarm.
"Let's see. The most obvious answer would be a third party's scheme to fully escalate the conflict between Daridora-san and myself... I suppose."
"You think so as well, I take it."
Daridora agreed with Augusto's assessment, leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes. I say this with Daridora-san right in front of me, but anyone even somewhat familiar with the situation in Gauche knows that we're at odds. ...Well, rather than at odds, I should say I'm the one at a clear disadvantage."
"No, no, I wouldn't say that. The fact is, Augusto-san, you've acquired Rei-san as a trump card."
"That's true—having Rei-san cooperate with me is an extremely welcome development. But even so, there are still plenty of difficulties, so I can't say things have gotten any easier."
The two conversed with smiles on their faces, but the substance of their discussion encompassed even the possibility of their own deaths.
Because everyone present understood that, Zarust and Daridora's guards felt the danger that one or both of them might eventually lose their tempers and things could erupt into violence.
The most tense of all were likely Daridora's guards, who had witnessed Rei's abilities firsthand.
If a fight broke out in this confined room, they would have absolutely no chance of winning.
Many of them had already sensed Rei's power instinctively, but even so, seeing his strength with their own eyes naturally caused significant alarm.
Completely unconcerned by the tension around them, the two merchants continued their conversation.
"So, what do you think the goal was of whoever tried to intensify the conflict between Daridora-san and myself?"
"If one thinks about it normally, it seems like they're trying to spark a large-scale conflict within the city... that would be the impression."
"Yes. If you think about it normally, that would be the case. But despite that, they came at me with serious intent to kill. ...At first, I wondered if it might have been the independent action of the person who came to kill me, but... Daridora-san was also seriously targeted for his life."
"Indeed."
The three men who had attacked first, their senses dulled to pain.
Thanks to Narcus and the other guards, it had taken some effort, but they had managed to subdue them.
However, the countless arrows fired as if using those three as decoys—
Those arrows had unmistakably been aimed at Daridora.
If Narcus hadn't instinctively shielded him, the arrows would undoubtedly have pierced Daridora's head.
"In other words, their goal wasn't to intensify a conflict, but rather the lives of myself and Augusto-san. ...But when you ask who would do such a thing..."
As Daridora shook his head with a sigh, Augusto likewise nodded with a sigh of his own.
Even when he had been discussing the matter with Zarust and Rei before Daridora arrived, they had ultimately failed to arrive at the identity of this third party, left only to fret over it.
"If there's any possibility, it would be people from another organization aiming for the interests here in Gauche, but..."
Even as he said this, Daridora had essentially judged that possibility to be nonexistent.
He had the confidence that if there were a trading company or any other organization hostile to the Elema Trading Company, it would certainly have been caught in his information network.
(If that's the case, then outside of Gauche... but even the nearest city or village from Gauche would be quite far away.)
The question of whether residents of such a distant city or village would come targeting their interests wouldn't go away.
"The lord... there's no possibility it's him, is there?"
"None at all."
Daridora flatly dismissed Augusto's words.
Daridora understood that he was an absolutely indispensable figure for Lyubrand in governing Gauche.
Furthermore, he had gifted multiple Magic Items, and he took pride in the fact that Lyubrand's comfortable life in Gauche was thanks to him.
For someone like himself to be targeted by Lyubrand, it would only happen if he harbored intent to rebel.
But Daridora had absolutely no intention of defying Lyubrand.
He was interested in pursuing commercial profit, but he had no desire to rule the city of Gauche.
His desire to gain greater profits through commerce far outweighed any inclination to take on such a troublesome endeavor.
"In that case, are there any other candidates—"
"If you're being targeted by assassins, doesn't that mean you've earned someone's hatred? Well, this particular incident feels a bit too large-scale to be called an assassination, though."
Rei interjected with those words as Daridora sought other candidates.
It was easier to understand if one assumed that the person who had orchestrated this attack wasn't seeking some kind of profit, but rather harbored hatred toward Daridora.
While only one person had attacked Augusto, those who attacked Daridora were three disposable pawns with no sense of pain. And then there were multiple archers on top of that.
Moreover, as for those archers, no one had been able to confirm what any of them looked like—an added layer of concern.
Given all that, if either of the two was the target of stronger hatred, it would naturally be Daridora.
For that matter, Daridora's Elema Trading Company held strong influence in Gauche, and it was not uncommon for them to commit high-handed acts backed by that power.
Someone who resented that... or someone who had suffered because of it had plotted Daridora's assassination.
"...Well? I think it's a perfectly plausible possibility. No, rather than talk of interests or conflicts, this seems like the more likely scenario."
"That's..."
At Rei's words, Daridora was at a loss.
He probably understood himself that he had earned the resentment of many people.
Daridora remained unable to say anything, but apparently judging that staying silent would accomplish nothing, he was just about to open his mouth—right at that moment, the sound of a knock echoed through the room.
The only person currently in the mansion besides those gathered in this room was one individual.
Understanding this, Augusto called out toward the door from which the knock had come.
"Cathy, what is it?"
At Augusto's words, the door opened, and the person who had knocked showed their face.
Standing there, as expected, was Cathy.
However, she wasn't carrying any drinks, and she wore a somewhat bewildered expression.
"Augusto, um... one of Daridora-san's subordinates has come. He says he has something he needs to tell you in a great hurry. Shall I let him through?"
"My subordinate, you say?"
Daridora, who had been twisting his nervous-looking face in displeasure at having what he was about to say interrupted, found himself questioning why his subordinate had come—and moreover, had gone so far as to come to the mansion of Augusto, whom he could safely be said to be at odds with.
He was currently in the middle of an important discussion about what to do going forward. To think that someone would do something to interrupt it...
(If he came on some trivial errand, he should understand that he'll be reprimanded. Knowing that, he still came...)
Something must have happened. He didn't know whether it was good or bad, but something had definitely happened.
"Augusto-san, if you wouldn't mind, could you let my subordinate through here? Given that he came all the way to this mansion, it's certain he has some urgent business."
"...I see. But are you sure you want him brought in here? If you'd like, I can prepare a separate room."
"No, here is fine. Both Augusto-san and I are currently being targeted. Wouldn't you agree that, past disputes aside, we need to cooperate now? For the sake of our mutual survival."
At Daridora's words, Augusto hesitated for a moment.
If it were just himself, he had Zarust—a guard he could trust—and above all, Rei and Set, an adventurer and Alias Holder.
In that case, there was no need to ally with Daridora here.
That was what he thought, but there was also the danger that the people working at his shop could be caught in the crossfire.
The choice Augusto ultimately made was a bitter one, but it was to temporarily join hands with Daridora.
"Understood. Cathy, please show them in here."
At Augusto's words, Cathy nodded, closed the door, and departed.
She had likely gone to fetch Daridora's subordinate.
"Now then... good news or bad news. Which do you think it will be?"
Perhaps to pass the time, Augusto asked, and Daridora shook his head.
"Given what happened today, I doubt very much it could be called good news. Though I would certainly prefer it to be good news myself."
"...That's true."
Considering what had happened to him today, there was nothing for Augusto to contradict in Daridora's words.
He let out a small sigh, and silence filled the room.
Augusto and Daridora were thinking about what would happen next, while the guards including Zarust resolved to definitely protect them when the next attack came... and in the midst of all that, Rei alone, without letting the atmosphere grow heavy, quietly observed the situation around him.
A few minutes later... the door was knocked on once again.
And the ones who entered the room were Cathy and a single man.
"Ah..."
Who was it that let out that sound?
But it couldn't be helped. Looking at the expression on the man who had entered, it was impossible to think he had come with good news.
After seeing Cathy give a small bow and leave, the man tried to speak to Daridora, but hesitated over whether he should with Augusto—who was at odds with Daridora—present in the room.
(It's understandable. Until this morning, he was someone they would have killed if given the chance.)
Thinking thus, Daridora judged that since he was now allied with Augusto, there was no particular need for secrecy, and opened his mouth.
"I don't mind. I am currently working together with Augusto-san. Whatever happened, go ahead and tell me without holding back."
The man displayed a look of astonishment at the words that Daridora had joined hands with Augusto, but eventually understanding that it was neither a lie nor a joke but the truth, he opened his mouth with some hesitation.
"Just now... truly just a moment ago, a report came in that the Tira Tree research facility has been attacked. We are currently sending people to gather detailed information, but I felt it was necessary to inform Lord Daridora of this matter as quickly as possible, so I came ahead to report."
So he reported.