After finishing a general explanation of the current matter at the Guard Force's Guard Station, several guards immediately headed to Seraris's convalescent home.
Their objective was to bring back Asimov, the victim of the incident.
If he had still been seriously injured, moving him would have been impossible. Fortunately, Asimov's wounds had already been healed with the potion Rei carried, and he was at least out of immediate danger.
Having heard this, the guards went to retrieve Asimov just to be safe.
"So, Marina-san. Do you happen to know where Rei went?"
According to Marina's explanation, Rei had gone off to track a scent together with Set, Vihera, and Byune. But without knowing specifically where they had gone, there was nothing they could do.
Given Rei's current state of fury, things could go badly. A part of Gilm could be destroyed — no, there was even a risk that all of Gilm could be wiped out.
As a guard, and as someone who loved Gilm, he absolutely could not tolerate such a thing. They needed to calm Rei down somehow.
It was with that thought that he asked Marina, but she silently shook her head.
"Unfortunately, right after Rei and the others left, I transported Asimov to the clinic, so I don't know where they went."
At this point, the guards had not yet received word that Rei had charged into the Noble District. The guards stationed there had received the information from adventurers, but it had not yet reached this Guard Station.
If they had known, they would have immediately rallied the other guards and headed for the Noble District themselves. Though, considering that doing so might put them at odds with Rei, it was not a decision that could be made lightly.
"I see... But I can't imagine there's anyone reckless enough in Gilm to steal Rei's Magic Item. Or, that's what I would normally say."
Various troubles caused by rookie adventurers — "rookie" in the sense of being new to Gilm — had become an annual tradition. It wouldn't be strange for some to think that because Gilm was a frontier town, they could make easy money.
And if someone who harbored such foolish notions happened to possess a moderate amount of strength... it was obvious what would happen.
Normally, they would receive a harsh baptism from Gilm's veteran adventurers, but that wasn't guaranteed.
"But would an adventurer who just arrived in Gilm target Asimov?"
He was a skilled alchemist, but precisely because of that, most people would want to avoid meddling with him unnecessarily.
"No, but there aren't many people living around Asimov's residence, so depending on the circumstances..."
Asimov's house sat in a sparsely populated area. Thinking of it that way, it wouldn't be strange for someone newly arrived in Gilm and ignorant of the local situation to try something. It wouldn't be strange, but...
"If you consider it a crime of opportunity, there are a lot of things that don't add up. First of all, we're talking about Asimov, who rarely leaves his house. Why would anyone think he was an alchemist?"
"Maybe it was just a coincidence?"
"You mean they didn't attack Asimov because he was an alchemist — they attacked him, and he just happened to be one? Well, it's not impossible."
Even so, it was clear that Marina wasn't convinced by the guard's explanation.
That someone coincidentally found Asimov's house — a location with ideal conditions for a robbery — and attacked it. That Asimov coincidentally happened to be an alchemist, who coincidentally happened to be in his research room where several Magic Items were scattered about. That from among those, they coincidentally found Rei's Sleipnir boots. And that they coincidentally noticed Rei entering the house and fled.
How many coincidences would need to align for all of that to be possible?
One or two would be one thing, but when this many coincidences lined up, it was difficult to call them coincidences anymore.
"You're right. When I think about it, that may be the case. Putting that aside, what will you do now, Marina-san?"
Judging that the matter couldn't be simply dismissed as coincidence, the guard prompted her. Marina thought for a moment.
She could wait at the Guard Station, but she wanted to investigate this incident with her own hands if possible. If she were still in the position of Guild Master, it might have been problematic — but fortunately, Marina was now nothing more than an ordinary adventurer. There was no issue with her acting as she pleased.
At the same time, it was a fact that Rei was running around driven by his emotions. Most likely — no, it was certain that this incident would cause a commotion serious enough for the Guard Force to be contacted.
"I'll try looking into it on my own a bit. But if anything happens, could you let me know? If Rei goes on a rampage, we'll need someone to calm him down, right?"
"That's... yes."
Normally, if someone caused a problem, it was the guards' duty to handle it. In fact, the guard force had been suppressing many of the disturbances that had erupted since spring — disturbances caused by adventurers newly arrived in Gilm. The reason "many" was used was because there were also plenty of cases where other adventurers had suppressed the trouble before the guards even arrived. Though it wasn't just the newcomers; the veterans who had been in Gilm from the start also caused more than their fair share of incidents.
In any case, the guard force had enough people capable of handling most adventurers — but that was only against "most" adventurers.
When it came to high-rank adventurers — let alone Rei the Alias-Bearer — they couldn't possibly suppress him. If they truly needed to rein Rei in, they would have to gather other high-rank adventurers and Alias Holders. Doing so would inevitably turn into a commotion that engulfed all of Gilm, putting the city itself in danger of annihilation.
To prevent that, they needed someone who could calm Rei down. In that regard, Marina was undoubtedly among the best candidates in Gilm.
Was the best person to calm Rei really her? For a moment, the guard's expression turned uneasy, but he quickly erased it and bowed his head to Marina.
"If we learn anything, I will contact you immediately."
"Alright. Then..."
Marina murmured in response to the guard's words and chanted a short spell. In the next moment, a mass of water appeared inside the room.
It wasn't much different from the one she had used to transport Asimov. However, while that mass of water had been large enough to carry a person, this one was only fist-sized.
"Um, this is...?"
The guard asked with a bewildered look at the mass of water that had suddenly appeared. The fact that he didn't view it with suspicion was probably because he trusted Marina. Her years of service as Guild Master were enough to inspire that level of confidence.
"It's something I created with Spirit Magic. If you find out where Rei is, crush this mass of water. If you do, I'll know."
"That's... quite convenient, isn't it?"
It wasn't as though they could communicate clearly through it, but in Elgin, where means of communication were limited, a water-based contact method was extremely useful.
But Marina shook her head.
"Unfortunately, it's not that convenient. First, the range it can communicate over isn't very wide. It turns into plain water after a few hours. And above all, you have to be quite skilled with Spirit Magic to create one."
Given that there weren't many people who could use Spirit Magic, it was impossible to produce these masses of water on a regular basis.
"I see. It's unfortunate, but it can't be helped."
The guard wasn't in a position to make unreasonable demands of Marina, so he accepted it readily. However, while Spirit Mages were few in number, Marina wasn't the only one. He was already thinking about whether they could somehow secure another.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
"Ah, yes. Understood. If we learn of Rei's whereabouts, we'll contact you immediately."
After exchanging a few brief words, Marina left the Guard Station.
"Now... the question is how to find a lead."
A spring-like blue sky and warm air. Looking at that alone, it wouldn't be strange to find someone napping in the shade. Set loved napping, and Marina had seen Rei keep him company on many occasions. But even so, she couldn't imagine Rei doing such a thing in the current situation.
Given how furious Rei had been, if he found the person who attacked Asimov, there was no doubt they would be torn to pieces.
At the very least, I hope he doesn't kill them.
She thought this because losing the person who could explain the circumstances of the incident would be a problem. The fact that Marina wasn't particularly close to Asimov was also a factor. He had almost no interest in anything outside alchemy, and never hit on her despite her appearance — she found him agreeable enough.
Thinking such thoughts, she walked through the town. Her current appearance looked like nothing other than a casual stroll with no particular destination in mind.
About ten minutes after leaving the Guard Station, Marina looked around.
It wouldn't be strange to get some kind of reaction by now.
As she scanned her surroundings, she noticed someone watching her.
Given her beauty and her Party Dress, which exposed a generous amount of skin, there were always many people staring at Marina — regardless of age or gender, men and women alike. But the gaze directed at her now was an entirely different kind.
Tracing it back to its source, she found a plain man with no distinguishing features whatsoever. He looked as though the words "plain" and "average" had been given physical form. Someone so unremarkable that you might not even notice him if you passed on the street.
He must have realized that Marina had caught his gaze. He gave a small bow and meaningfully shifted his eyes toward a deserted area.
Marina briefly suspected him, of course, but following him was the only real option. She trailed after him.
Given her striking beauty and outfit, the people around them followed her with their eyes — but ultimately without doing anything more, Marina headed toward the empty area.
"Now, you've guided me here, so that should be enough. Do you know something about this incident?"
"I am merely transmitting information my master gave me. Is that acceptable?"
The man turned to face her and spoke in a flat tone, his voice completely devoid of emotion. His features were as unremarkable as the words "plain" and "average" suggested, but that very quality left a strong impression on Marina as his defining characteristic.
"Yes, I don't mind. Right now, I want even the slightest lead, and it's up to me to determine whether that information is genuine."
"I see. Then, to be direct: this incident was carried out by a certain individual attempting to pit Rei against the Azoth Firm."
"The Azoth Firm?"
Given Marina's former position as Guild Master, she naturally knew about the previous incident where Rei had clashed with the Azoth Firm. She knew it had been part of a Bestia Empire scheme, and as a result, the Azoth Firm's chairman at the time had been arrested, with his brother Galahat now serving as the current chairman. And that under Galahat's leadership, the firm's relationship with Rei had been repaired.
"Who exactly would do such a thing? First of all, does the one who orchestrated this even know what kind of person Rei is? If they think they can play Rei like a puppet, they're going to regret it."
Marina's voice carried strong conviction, but the man showed no sign of being perturbed. It was as if he didn't care how the incident turned out one way or the other.
"Unfortunately, I was not told about those details. But since they are someone who knows Rei, I believe there will be no problem."
I hope so. So, is that all the information you can share with me?
"Yes. At the very least, this incident was not orchestrated by the Azoth Firm."
"You're oddly quick to defend the Azoth Firm, aren't you?"
"I cannot say anything more. What you make of it is your own freedom."
With those words, the man turned his back to Marina and walked away.
Marina considered calling out to his retreating figure, but then she noticed that the mass of water she had left at the Guard Station had been crushed. She gave up on saying anything more.