The person who had suddenly spoken to them was, exactly as Marina had described, someone who looked as though the word "ordinary" had been given physical form.
He was taller than Rei, though not to a surprising degree. His build was neither gaunt nor overweight, and while his average physique didn't carry any visibly obvious muscle, neither did he look unreliable. His clothing had a spring-like feel to it, but it was the sort of outfit you could find on anyone if you just looked around. His facial features weren't so ugly as to be painful to look at, but neither were they so refined as to be captivating. His brown hair, cut short and neat, could be found on countless people after a brief glance down the main street.
He was as thoroughly ordinary as could be; in fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that very ordinariness was the man's defining characteristic.
"Huh..."
Vihera let out an impressed-sounding voice as she regarded the man who had spoken to them.
Given that a scheme was underway to pit Rei against the Azoth Firm, she had naturally remained vigilant. Yet despite that, she hadn't detected the man's presence until he had come quite close. She had sensed him by the time he entered her range, of course, but conversely, that meant she had failed to pick up on his presence before then.
"My, you came out quite quickly. I was sure it would take a bit longer," Marina said to the man with a smile.
Based on their initial contact, she had expected him to appear once they started moving, but she hadn't thought he would show himself this soon.
"I heard you were looking for me."
"'Heard,' huh. I'm a little curious about who you heard that from... but you won't answer that even if I ask, will you?"
"No, unfortunately."
Since she had expected that response, Marina wasn't particularly disappointed.
"I see. Then, could you tell us the details about this situation? Only as much as you can share, of course."
"Right. I would like to discuss that, but my master wishes to meet with you all. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I ask you to accompany me? Naturally, my master knows far more about this matter than I do."
"...Master?"
Perhaps because she hadn't expected that to come up so readily, Marina echoed the word back. Rei and the others felt the same, staring intently at the utterly unremarkable man before them.
Seeming not to have anticipated being regarded this way, the man nodded with a hint of bewilderment. "Yes. My master very much wishes to meet with you all."
"...What do you want to do?" Marina asked, turning to look at Rei.
As far as Rei was concerned, he had no choice but to accept the man's proposal. Given that they currently had no leads worth the name, he couldn't afford to turn it down.
"We've got no choice but to go. Whoever came up with this ridiculous scheme needs to be paid back accordingly, after all."
"I agree with Rei. This whole situation has been mocking us in a lot of ways." Vihera nodded in agreement.
Byune, who had been riding on Set's back, didn't seem to care either way, showing no sign of speaking.
"So with that, show us the way."
"Yes, I have a carriage prepared. This way, please."
The man led Rei and the others out of the back alley. Numerous gazes from people in the alley followed them as they went.
Rei was aware of the stares, but without paying them any particular mind, he called out to the man walking ahead of him.
"So, what's your name? You seem to know ours, so I'd like to hear yours if possible."
"I doubt I'll have many opportunities to meet with you again, Rei-san... but my name is Terry."
"...Terry, huh. Got it. Then I'll leave the guiding to you, Terry."
"Yes."
Learning that not just his appearance but also his name was commonplace—nothing unusual—Rei found himself thinking the man was remarkably thorough. Terry, however, proceeded down the road without showing any sign of noticing Rei's assessment.
Walking behind Rei, Marina turned her gaze once more to the back of the man who had introduced himself as Terry.
(Did he use this incident as a means to forge a connection with Rei...? Is that a possibility? If so, that would be fine, I suppose.)
When they had left the Noble District, numerous people had approached them, seeking to establish ties with Rei—or rather, with Crimson Lotus Wings. Rei and the others had turned all of them away, but if the intent was to build a relationship by providing information about this incident, that was a different story.
If that was indeed the aim behind this incident, then Terry's master was someone deeply well-informed. Not only that, but if the sequence from the incident occurring to obtaining information had been remarkably swift, it meant they possessed considerable information-gathering capabilities.
(But still, it's only natural to think that this incident has some connection to the party that messed with Rei, isn't it?)
Though she had various thoughts on the matter, given the current situation, it was virtually certain that Terry's master was involved in this affair. It was possible that, on top of that, they also wished to form a connection with Rei...
Be that as it may, when they emerged from the back alley, a carriage was already waiting there.
Even at a glance, it was clearly expensive and impressively built. Furthermore, the horse pulling it showed no alarm even upon seeing Set. It was obvious that the horse had been rigorously trained—and naturally, a horse trained to such a standard was an extremely expensive creature.
In Rei's case, he had experience riding in the carriages of several nobles, including Elena, and the horses that pulled such carriages were just like the well-trained animal now standing before him.
"Huh." Vihera muttered in understanding upon seeing the horse. Since this was someone capable of preparing such an animal, she likely concluded that Terry's master was a person of considerable standing.
"Please, get in. I would have preferred to hide the fact that Rei-san was riding in this carriage, but... that seems impossible." Terry smiled faintly as he glanced at Set.
The presence of Set essentially meant Rei was there as well—something that most residents of Gilm knew. Since they occasionally went their separate ways, it wasn't an absolute certainty, but.
"If you really need to move separately, I could leave Set with someone else, you know?"
"No, I think it's pointless to worry about that at this point, and my master said there's no need to concern ourselves with it."
"Gururu?"
At the exchange between Rei and Terry, Set tilted its head. ...For some reason, Byune, who had been riding on Set's back, tilted hers as well. Watching them, Vihera silently patted Byune on the head.
"You all seem to get along well."
"Yeah, I won't deny that. We've been through a lot together."
Exchanging those brief words, Rei and the others boarded the carriage. Byune reluctantly climbed down from Set's back and got in as well. Then Terry took his seat on the driver's box and set the carriage in motion.
Set, letting out a short purr, followed behind the carriage—but naturally, doing so made them extremely conspicuous. The carriage itself was also of quite high quality, so drawing attention was inevitable.
"Hey, that carriage... if Set's with it, does that mean Rei is riding in it?"
"Whoa... I'd love to ride in a carriage like that, even just once."
"You idiot. If commoners like us got into a carriage like that, we'd be too worried about scratching something inside to even relax. Those are for people who're used to riding in them."
The man found himself nodding in agreement with his friend's words. After all, he was the one who had said he wanted to ride in such a carriage at least once, but if he actually did, he would undoubtedly be too tense to enjoy any part of it.
Beyond those two, many others were also watching the carriage. The vehicle itself being impressive was one reason, but above that, the biggest cause of the attention was Set traveling alongside it.
"...I get the feeling we're drawing a lot of attention."
"Isn't that obvious by now?" When Rei muttered this inside the carriage, Vihera replied with a hint of exasperation.
Rei thought about saying something back, but since she wasn't wrong, he had no grounds to argue.
"Still, I'm hungry. ...Want something to eat?"
Perhaps trying to change the subject, Rei pulled several sandwiches from his Misty Ring and asked the other three.
The first to receive one was, naturally, Byune. She happily bit into the sandwich, which was generously stuffed with simmered Orc meat and vegetables.
During winter, vegetables had been expensive, but it was spring now. Prices hadn't completely settled yet, but they had come down considerably compared to the winter months. And more importantly, with spring came an abundance of wild plants, allowing them to enjoy sandwiches made with seasonal ingredients.
"This pleasant bitterness is nice. It holds its own against the bold, rich flavor of the Orc meat," Vihera remarked as she ate the sandwich Rei had given her.
It tasted similar to a wild plant called butterbur shoot, or "bakke" as it was known in the region where Rei had lived. Naturally, however, this butterbur shoot was different from the ones Rei knew—it was red in color. Since it was finely chopped, it was hard to tell exactly what kind of plant it originally was, but at the very least, the color was different from what Rei recognized.
Despite being inside a luxurious carriage, Rei and the others paid it no mind whatsoever. Ordinarily, one might worry about dirtying the carriage by eating sandwiches in it, but Vihera, by virtue of her background as a former imperial princess, and Marina, as a renowned Guild Master, were both accustomed to riding in such carriages. Byune was focused entirely on the deliciousness of her sandwich and showed no concern for the carriage. And Rei, knowing Elena's carriage, wasn't particularly impressed by a vehicle of this level, however fine it might be.
And so, for a short while, time was spent satisfying their hunger.
The sandwiches Rei had taken out easily amounted to ten servings, but even that was insufficient to fully fill the stomachs of everyone present. In the first place, Rei and Byune ate more than normal, and Marina and Vihera, being adventurers, also consumed larger quantities than average. It was simply because Rei and Byune ate in such extraordinary amounts that the other two weren't perceived as eating much by comparison.
After finishing the sandwiches, Rei next produced some fruit water. He would have preferred to drink water from the Dagger of Flowing Water, but he judged it best not to do something like that inside a carriage. Even so, the fruit water refreshed their palates, and with their hunger somewhat settled, they moved on to discussing what lay ahead.
"What do you think?"
"Let me think... If we consider it normally, they're probably on our side... but I can't fully trust them."
"Right."
"Mm."
Vihera, Marina, Rei, and Byune each murmured their thoughts.
An opponent this well-prepared was undoubtedly involved in this incident somehow, and there was no way they could completely trust such a party. That was a sentiment shared among all of them.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't follow someone so blatantly suspicious. But right now, they simply had no information. That was why, even if they found it slightly... no, considerably suspicious, they needed to make contact with Terry's master.
"Regardless of what kind of person they are, we'll obtain at least some information. If they want to cooperate with us after that, then that's fine. But being quietly used without our say isn't something I'll accept."
"I don't think there are many reckless people who'd try to use Rei so conveniently," Vihera said.
"I agree with Vihera. For better or worse, Rei is a celebrity in Gilm, and anyone who does even a little research would know what kind of person he is. Do you really think someone like that would try to use Rei?" Marina replied.
Just as Marina finished speaking, the carriage came to a stop. A moment later, Terry opened the carriage door, and Rei and the others stepped out—only to find a signboard hanging on the building before them, reading "Spiel Firm."