The Spiel Firm.
Naturally, Rei knew the name.
No, it would be more accurate to say that during the winter, he had crossed paths with one of the firm's merchants—Tris—on several occasions.
"Seriously, the Spiel Firm, of all places."
The others had also heard a bit about the firm from Rei.
Byune in particular had a poor impression of them, having been told that Tris had once tried to buy Hakumo from Pamidor.
"Then, your master is..."
"Yes, Lord Tris."
Having come this far, Terry apparently decided there was no longer any need for secrecy. He readily nodded in confirmation.
Watching Terry's demeanor, Rei tilted his head inwardly.
For a moment—just a brief moment—he wondered if Tris might have been the one who orchestrated this incident.
But come to think of it, would whoever had targeted Rei go out of their way to summon him themselves?
Judging so, he immediately dismissed the thought.
As he casually stroked Set, who had been rubbing its head against him, Rei asked Terry, "So what should we do about Set? It doesn't look like it'll fit inside."
Whether the various things it ate during the winter had an effect, or whether it was simply hitting a growth spurt... Set was now about three meters in length.
Having grown that large, it could no longer fit through ordinary doorways.
If it keeps getting bigger like this, won't it have trouble entering dungeons and such? The corridors inside are fairly wide, but the entrances are quite narrow.
Rei briefly felt a flicker of anxiety, but then remembered that Set possessed a skill that allowed it to change its body size, at least temporarily, and was satisfied.
...Though what would happen if Set's Size Change skill ran out while moving through a narrow corridor? The thought crossed his mind, but he decided not to worry about it.
"There is a stable for Set, so it can rest there. Of course, dishes suitable for Set have also been prepared."
"Huh, you're on top of things."
"Thank you very much."
Terry bowed deeply in front of the Spiel Firm's building.
The building itself was reasonably large, with a sufficiently impressive storefront. In front of it sat a visibly expensive carriage, and Terry—a man who embodied plainness—was bowing.
There was no way they wouldn't stand out.
Noticing their own conspicuousness, Terry hurriedly spoke up. "Excuse me, I'll have preparations made right away."
Saying that, he called over two women nearby.
...Those called over raised delighted voices when told they would be guiding Set.
What they thought of Set was obvious from their reaction alone; there was no need to even think about it.
Set being liked was naturally something Rei was happy about, and he smiled.
Since he was wearing the Dragon Robe's hood, only his mouth was visible, but even so...
"Yeah, go ahead and do that. ...Set, go with those two. Don't eat too much, okay?"
"Grrrl."
At Rei's words, Set let out a short purr—probably pleased that it would be fed something—and followed the two women's guidance toward the stable.
After watching the happy Set leave, Rei turned his gaze back to Terry.
"So, you're going to guide me, right?"
"Yes. Lord Tris is waiting. This way."
Guided by Terry, Rei and the others entered the shop.
The building served as both the firm's storefront and its office. Inside, many people could be seen negotiating with the Spiel Firm's merchants.
No goods visible... well, I guess only negotiations take place here, and the actual merchandise is stored elsewhere. I'd heard the Spiel Firm only recently came to Gilm, but they're doing quite well.
Rei pondered as he watched the people conversing.
But naturally, their presence drew attention as well. When the negotiators turned their gazes toward the new arrivals, they found beautiful women like Marina and Vihera.
Rei, wearing the Dragon Robe's hood, didn't stand out nearly as much without Set at his side.
Of course, not everyone failed to recognize him; a few people noticed Rei's presence.
Even so, no one made a commotion—likely because the people here were reasonably competent merchants. They couldn't cause a scene and ruin the Spiel Firm's reputation, and many knew from past incidents that Rei didn't take kindly to merchants who approached him.
That was why, almost as an unspoken understanding, no one called out to Rei's group.
Terry led them through the shop and into the corridors beyond.
"I heard the Spiel Firm only started operating seriously in Gilm this spring, but they seem very active," Marina murmured as they walked.
Rei and Vihera both nodded in response.
Terry, too, seemed pleased that the firm he worked for was being praised, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
But the moment he saw a figure approaching from the direction they were heading, that smile vanished.
"Hm? Ah, Terry. And that is... oh my. Rei-san and company. That was remarkably fast."
The one who called out with a smile was a man in his thirties.
His build was slightly stout, but not enough to make his movements sluggish. Catfish whiskers—so to speak—were his most distinctive feature.
He wore a smile, but his eyes weren't smiling, giving an impression similar to Tris, whom Rei had met before.
"Precious-san... the fact that you're here, does that mean you had business with Lord Tris?"
"Yes. You can guess what it's about without me saying, can't you? It concerns the Spiel Firm's future here in Gilm."
"That matter should have been left entirely to Lord Tris."
"Of course I know that. But I also know I have the power to cooperate with Tris, so considering that, it's not strange for me to be here, is it?"
Faced with Precious speaking so nonchalantly, Terry—for just an instant—let anger flash across his utterly plain face as he ground his back teeth.
What the other man was after, what he had done, and for what purpose he was here. Precisely because he knew all of that, he gritted his teeth.
Rei and the others could only watch the exchange between the two.
It was their first time meeting this person named Precious, so that was only natural. Judging from Terry's demeanor, they could guess there was some history between them, but Rei found himself wondering whether it was appropriate for him to get involved.
Precious must have noticed Rei and the others behind Terry, who was glaring at him. He smiled and spoke.
"Oh, pleased to meet you. Rei-san, Marina-san, Vihera-san, and Byune-san, I presume. I am Precious of the Spiel Firm. What a coincidence to meet you in a place like this. Do you have business with Tris?"
"Yeah. We were told he had some information regarding an issue we're dealing with, so we came to hear it."
"Hoh... Then, allow me to offer a word of advice. Things are not always as they appear on the surface, nor as they come to light. Fact and truth may seem similar, but they are different."
"...I see. In other words, you're saying there's a possibility that Tris's information is wrong? Is that what you mean?"
Rei asked to confirm, but Precious shook his head while still wearing his smile.
"No, no. I wouldn't say that necessarily. Judgment on such matters should be made by you and your party, not me. All I can do is offer advice. Please decide for yourselves how to take it."
"I see. I'll gratefully accept your advice. More importantly, if that's all you have to say, are we done here? We're busy people."
"Yes, of course. I'm well aware you're all busy. I'm glad to see your friend seems to be safe."
"...What?"
Rei, who had been about to start walking, stopped in his tracks.
The comment about his friend being safe was clearly the words of someone who knew about what had happened to Rei—Asimov's attack.
Considering that he hadn't mentioned anything about the Sleipnir boots, he probably didn't know the full story.
No, was it possible he did know but simply chose not to say it?
Even during their brief exchange, Rei could tell that Precious had a silver tongue. If that were the case, the possibility that he knew about the Sleipnir boots but was keeping quiet about it couldn't be ruled out.
Thinking that, Rei was about to say something... but before he could, Precious took his leave.
"...I apologize for the disturbance. Let us proceed to Lord Tris."
The intense emotion he had displayed moments ago had already vanished. Terry said only that and began walking down the corridor once more.
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived in front of a room.
"Excuse me, Lord Tris. I've brought Rei-san and the others."
"Please come in."
At the voice from within, Terry opened the door.
The room was an office.
Papers were piled high on the desk where Tris was seated, suggesting that the room's occupant had been repeating a cycle of scanning documents, signing them, and reaching for the next one.
It seemed he had finally finished a batch. Tris set down the document in his hand and stood up, wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Welcome, everyone. It seems things were quite difficult this time."
"Yeah, they were. ...Someone named Precious said something similar to me."
The moment Precious's name came up, Tris's expression cracked for just an instant.
But it truly was only for an instant; in the next moment, he smiled again and spoke.
"Is that so, Precious. I was actually just speaking with him until a moment ago... Did he cause you any trouble?"
"No, nothing like that. He just said a lot of things that sounded meaningful."
"...I see."
Tris murmured as if pondering something in response to Rei's words.
But he soon shook his head slightly and spoke to Terry.
"Terry, please bring tea and something light... no, some food we can snack on."
His brief glance at Rei was probably because he knew from experience how much Rei typically ate.
At Tris's words, Terry bowed and left the office.
Now, the only ones in the office were the members of Crimson Lotus Wings—led by Rei—and Tris.
"For now, please sit. You must have a lot you want to ask, and this will be a fairly long story."
Saying that, Tris rose from the desk and came over to the sofas placed in the room.
Rei and the others had no particular objections and quietly took their seats.
Of course, they couldn't all fit on one sofa, so they sat on the sofas arranged on all four sides around a central table.
Across from Tris sat Rei and Marina, while Vihera and Byune sat on the sofas to either side.
And the first to speak was, naturally, Tris.
"Now then, first and foremost... I apologize."
After everyone had taken their seats, the very first thing Tris did was bow deeply to Rei.
Since his head was lowered, Rei couldn't see Tris's face.
But if he had been able to see it, he would have noticed that Tris— who usually wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes—looked genuinely sorry.
Silence flowed as no one spoke.
The only sounds in the room were the murmurs drifting in from outside the office and beyond the windows.
In that silence... eventually, Rei spoke.
"Please raise your head. To begin with, I can't do anything if I don't know what you're apologizing for. It's definitely related to this incident, I assume, but please tell me the details more precisely."
At Rei's words, Tris raised his head.
"The truth is, the incident you were all caught up in... a power struggle within the Spiel Firm is involved."
That was what he told them.