Galahat was about to let the guards inside the mansion to explain the situation, but just as things were being settled, a carriage arrived.
It had come at considerable speed, but the guards who disembarked seemed slightly bewildered—no doubt finding it unexpected that no commotion had erupted in front of Galahat's mansion.
When Marina stepped out last, Rei and the others nodded in understanding despite their surprise.
After all, it was Rei who had originally asked for the guards to be informed about Asimov's situation.
"It looks like everyone is safe," Marina murmured with relief as she looked at Rei's face, then at the others.
She had figured there would be no problems if Rei was involved, but it wouldn't have been surprising if Galahat's mansion—and the entire surrounding area—had been burned to the ground.
Seemingly unaware of Marina's concern, Rei asked her calmly. "So, how is Asimov?"
"No problems. His injuries were already healed with your potion, right? I left him at the clinic, and after that, the guards picked him up. He's sleeping at the Guard Station."
"...I see." Though he kept it from showing on his face, Rei let out a breath of relief. Of course, since he was wearing his hood, few could have actually seen his expression.
Seeing Rei's demeanor, Marina suddenly noticed that his boots were different from the ones she had seen that morning.
"Rei, you recovered the Sleipnir boots, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I don't know who it was, but someone pulled a stupid stunt."
"Let's discuss that inside the mansion. There are things we don't want others to hear," Galahat said.
Rei and the others each nodded. The nobles' private soldiers and adventurers who had come wanting to know what had happened would have liked to hear the story themselves, but since they had no connection to the matter, pressing the issue was impossible. Even so, the guards promised to explain the general situation later, and the crowd finally dispersed quietly.
"We're fine here. You all head back to the Guard Station," one of the guards said. The guards who had arrived by carriage nodded obediently. Normally, they might have complained about rushing all the way here, but they were likely relieved that the Noble District—and Gilm itself—had not been destroyed.
With that, Rei's group, Galahat's group, and one guard entered the mansion. The others who had lingered behind also departed.
"For now, let's talk inside. ...Coris, that's fine with you, right?"
Coris nodded at the words spoken for confirmation, and everyone except Set entered the mansion.
"First, please take your time and drink. You'll have some too, won't you, Rei? Unlike earlier?"
At Galahat's offer of tea, Rei nodded, unlike before. "Yeah, I'll have some." He brought the tea that Galahat's subordinate had prepared to his lips.
When he had first come to this mansion today, Rei had viewed Galahat—and the Azoth Firm—as enemies to be wary of. But in reality, it was clear that Coris had been used by someone, and given that, Rei had decided to treat Coris not as an enemy but as a victim caught up in the situation. That was why he was now drinking tea here like this.
"Still... I had heard talk that Marina-sama was stepping down as Guild Master, but it was true," Galahat said.
Galahat was originally a B-Rank adventurer. As a high-rank adventurer, he had met Marina before, but having also worked as an adventurer exclusively for the Azoth Firm, their relationship had not necessarily been good. During Boluntar's era as Chairman, the Azoth Firm had made various unreasonable demands and acted tyrannically toward the Guild, so that was only natural. Because of this, Galahat, carrying a sense of obligation, inevitably took a humble posture—though that was strictly limited to private occasions. In public, as Chairman of the Azoth Firm, he had to face Marina as an equal.
"Hehe, I'm not the Guild Master anymore, so you don't need the honorific. I'm just an ordinary adventurer now. I formed a party with these three, see."
Hearing that she had formed a party with Rei, Galahat, Coris, and Mult were all surprised. Among them, the most shocked was Mult, who was still an active adventurer.
"Ugh, you formed a party, Rei...? Is that true!?"
"Well, is it really that surprising?"
"I mean, when you say Rei, you're famous for working solo without forming a party with anyone. ...And with such beauties..."
Rei understood what Mult meant by those words, but he knew that saying anything in response would be pointless, so he only offered a wry smile. He was aware of how those around him perceived him, and it was a fact that their perception wasn't necessarily wrong. He was fully conscious that Marina and Vihera held favorable feelings—no, love—toward him.
However, he was a bit troubled that Byune was grouped in with them. To Rei, Byune was not someone he saw as a woman, but more like a younger sister.
"...Galahat, you don't seem very surprised."
"Right. Rei had already been acting alongside Vihera here for some time, hadn't he? Byune over there was away for a while, but she eventually rejoined last year. ...Marina-san joining the party was unexpected, though."
At Rei's words, Galahat directed his gaze toward Marina, who was smiling.
"Hehe, I was originally planning to hand over the Guild Master position to my successor in the near future. It just happened a little sooner thanks to Rei."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Right now, I'm a member of the B-Rank party, Crimson Lotus Wings. If you have any requests, tell Rei. He's the party leader, after all."
At those words, Mult was surprised once again. Given that Rei was an Alias Holder and had Set with him, it was a fact that he was the most famous. But as far as Mult knew, Rei's personality was far from suited to being a party leader.
Perhaps noticing Mult's gaze, Rei let out a sigh before speaking. "I know what you're thinking. Even I don't think I'm suited to be a party leader. But for various reasons, I was the only one who could do it."
Marina, the former Guild Master and current advisor; Vihera, former princess of the Bestia Empire; and Byune, who was already set to leave the party in the near future. Given all that, in the end, Rei was the only one who could serve as party leader.
(Come to think of it, I should probably let Elena know too, at least. ...It's a bit disappointing that it has to be through a Paired Orb, though.)
There had been various issues surrounding Asimov's assault, but as a result, Asimov's wounds had been healed with a potion and he was fine, and the stolen Sleipnir boots had been recovered. Thanks to that, the anger Rei had initially felt had faded considerably.
Of course, that was only the current situation. He still fully intended to pay back a visit to whoever had attacked Asimov—who could have died if the potion had been applied any later—and stolen the Sleipnir boots, which were important to Rei.
(Still, I'm wearing the Sleipnir boots as they are, and there's no particular problem, but... the modifications really are finished, right? Once Asimov regains consciousness, maybe I should have him check that properly.)
It was true that Rei had been called by Asimov because the modifications were finished. Considering that, there should be no problem, but the possibility that Asimov had been making final adjustments to the Sleipnir boots when he was attacked could not be denied.
Normally, Rei would also consider the possibility that someone had tampered with the Sleipnir boots, but he was not worried about that. The Sleipnir boots were originally created by Esta Nor, and they were not something an amateur could meddle with. No, even a professional alchemist would not have been able to do anything with them in that short amount of time. Even so, he decided to have Asimov inspect them properly just in case.
"...Now, let's put an end to the small talk and get to the main topic."
At Marina's words, the expressions of those present changed. Only Byune remained as expressionless as ever, enjoying the taste of the fruit served alongside the tea on the table.
"Right. So, who goes first?" Rei asked.
Marina thought for a moment before speaking. "Could you start with your side? We have some things to report too, but I'd like to hear yours first."
"We followed Set tracking a scent, and that led us to this mansion. When we asked for Galahat, we learned that Coris had arrived just before we did, so we had Mult call him."
At those words, the gazes of everyone in the room turned to Coris. The man himself wore a slightly apologetic expression. The fact that someone had hidden stolen goods under his carriage likely made him feel inadequate as a merchant.
Perhaps sensing concern for Coris, Rei quickly spoke again. "Coris himself seemed completely unaware, so I thought something was off and had Set track the scent... and the scent led to Coris's carriage. Hidden underneath the carriage were the Sleipnir boots. I don't know what method was used, but the scent couldn't be tracked any further."
"...I see."
With Rei's explanation, Marina was able to accept the words of the person who had contacted her. The claim that someone was trying to pit Rei against the Azoth Firm had been proven true. The fact that the culprit had clearly been mindful of the scent up until hiding the Sleipnir boots under Coris's carriage, but then made it impossible to track the scent further, was blatantly suspicious.
(Though, considering the person who relayed that information, it could also be a form of consciousness manipulation to guide our awareness as they desire.)
Normally, she would have trusted the other party's words more. But the reason she could not was, after all, the unsettling nature of the person who had contacted her. A person who looked as though the very word "ordinary" had been given physical form. And yet, someone who gave off a distinctly inhuman sense of wrongness.
"What about your side, Marina?"
At Rei's words, Galahat and the others from the Azoth Firm also turned interested gazes toward Marina. What Rei had described was something the Azoth Firm members had experienced firsthand. In contrast, the information Marina held was entirely unknown. That was why she was now the recipient of such curious gazes.
Under those gazes, Marina spoke. "First of all, Asimov was healed by Rei's potion, and he's currently being looked after at the Guard Force's Guard Station, so you can assume his safety is guaranteed unless something extraordinary happens."
Rei and the others had already heard this from Marina beforehand, but hearing it stated again gave them peace of mind.
"And here's the crucial information... After I explained the situation to the guards, I did some independent searching for any information I could find. That's when a strange individual approached me."
With that, Marina relayed what she had been told by that person—that it was an attempt to pit the Azoth Firm against Rei and his group.
Rei and Galahat naturally already understood that much. But the problem was who had orchestrated it.
When asked, Marina shook her head. "Unfortunately, I couldn't pursue them. Right while I was talking to the person, the report came in that you all had charged into the Noble District. While I was receiving that report, they vanished into the crowd."
"When the guards came... were they not able to catch them?" Galahat asked.
Marina shook her head. "It wasn't that the guards came to report directly. I had arranged to be notified through Spirit Magic if anything happened."
"...Spirit Magic really is convenient, isn't it," Galahat murmured earnestly.
But upon being told that only a handful of skilled Spirit Magic users could actually perform such a feat, he let out a sigh once again at the truly extraordinary abilities possessed by Rei and the others—the members of Crimson Lotus Wings.