They had been caught up in the Spiel Firm's power struggle.
Even hearing those words come from Tris's mouth, Rei strangely felt no urge to display anger.
He found it odd himself, but at the same time, he understood why.
Of course, if the Tris sitting before him had been the one to orchestrate this incident, Rei would have drawn Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and cut him down on the spot.
But the man currently in Rei's line of sight was apologizing to him.
That, in itself, was proof that Tris hadn't been the mastermind.
Still, since he couldn't be absolutely certain, Rei decided to ask directly.
"A power struggle within the Spiel Firm, huh? So which side are you on? Did you genuinely know nothing about this... or perhaps..."
Are you the one who orchestrated it?
Rei posed the question without radiating any killing intent or anger.
He wasn't radiating any—and precisely because of that, Tris knew he couldn't spin lies or evasions for the man seated before him.
"Naturally, I'm well aware of your power, Rei-san. Someone who understands that would never carelessly make a move against you. I don't have definitive proof, but the one who orchestrated this incident is likely... Precious. The man you all encountered in the corridor earlier."
The moment that name surfaced, Rei felt no surprise. If anything, it was closer to conviction—a quiet I knew it.
After all, Terry—Tris's own subordinate—had reacted that strongly. If they'd been told Precious was completely uninvolved, that would have been the far more shocking revelation.
"If you want to fight a power struggle inside the Spiel Firm, that's your business. But why did we need to get dragged into it? No—what were they even thinking, involving us? Actually, maybe I should ask it the other way around."
"As you know, the Spiel Firm only began operating in earnest in Gilm this spring."
"I'd figured as much. I heard about that before."
The Spiel Firm's merchants had always been active in Gilm to some extent.
But that activity was mostly procurement; they hadn't established a formal branch or conducted any large-scale operations there.
The frontier city of Gilm naturally had no shortage of business opportunities.
After all, there were countless goods that could only be obtained there.
Even so, relatively few firms actually maintained branches in Gilm.
...Though "relatively few" was a matter of perspective. When one considered how many firms existed across the entire Kingdom of Mireana, the number of houses with a Gilm branch was actually quite substantial.
Be that as it may, establishing a branch in Gilm was a significant milestone for any firm.
"...In other words, Precious resented the fact that you were entrusted with the Gilm branch. Is that the gist of it?"
For anyone within the Spiel Firm, being entrusted with the Gilm branch was a mark of honor—tangible proof that superiors recognized their abilities.
Beyond that, overseeing the branch meant immense—truly immense—profit, both professionally and personally.
Given all that, it wouldn't be strange for someone to covet Tris's position.
...Though it was precisely because Tris had been a little too eager that Mayo's firm—locked in research with Rei on making Goblin meat palatable—had ended up catching the blowback.
Regardless, it was entirely plausible that someone found Tris's relentless drive distasteful.
"Yes, that would be correct."
Tris's cheeks jiggled as he nodded, but given the gravity of the conversation, there was nothing remotely amusing about it.
"It's not exactly my place to say this about myself, but I do consider myself reasonably competent within the Spiel Firm."
"...I'd expect so. Being entrusted with the Gilm branch means you'd have to be competent, otherwise there'd be no point."
Coming from Marina—someone who had served as Guild Master until mere hours ago—she understood perfectly well what being entrusted with a Gilm branch entailed.
Acknowledged by such a person, Tris nodded and spoke again.
"Yes. However, Precious—the man you all met earlier—is also known as a capable merchant within the Spiel Firm. I understand he's prone to somewhat forceful dealings, but apparently nothing severe enough to cause real problems."
Tris let out a sigh, but from Rei's perspective, the man had some nerve calling anyone forceful.
Hakumo—the dagger forged from Silver Lion materials that Rei had commissioned from Pamidor.
Tris had barged into Pamidor's workshop and demanded to buy it outright.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—Tris apparently hadn't known who would be wielding Hakumo. The moment he learned that its user was Rei—or more accurately, Byune, who partied with Rei—he had quietly withdrawn.
Considering that much, it seemed Tris didn't engage in truly unreasonable transactions after all.
"So in the end, was this Precious trying to drag you down from your current position?"
To Vihera's question, Tris returned a nod... and right at that moment, Terry re-entered the office, leading a group of maids.
Light refreshments were arranged on the table—tea, sandwiches, dried fruit, and sweetened baked bread.
The one whose eyes lit up at the sight was Byune, who had been listening to the conversation with an expressionless, bored look.
Perhaps the sandwiches from the carriage hadn't been enough; she immediately reached for one on the plate.
Several of the maids smiled warmly at the sight of her, but once they finished setting up, they filed out of the room alongside Terry.
Rei briefly wondered why Terry had left as well, but deciding it didn't matter for now, he reached for a sandwich and steered the conversation back.
"Let's get back on track. So the reason Precious orchestrated this incident..."
"Simply put, he likely wanted to cause trouble for me as the head of the Gilm branch. And the bigger the trouble, the better. For instance, creating a situation that pitted the Azoth Firm—which holds considerable influence in Gilm—against an Alias Holder adventurer."
"That's... but wouldn't it be catastrophic if that failed? And even if it succeeded, wouldn't it be meaningless?"
Rei tilted his head, and Marina and Vihera nodded in agreement.
After all, even if the scheme had succeeded, the fundamental reality wouldn't change: Tris—or more accurately, the Spiel Firm—would have made an enemy of the Azoth Firm.
If Precious was trying to usurp Tris's position as head of the Gilm branch, that was, by any measure, completely off the mark.
What would happen to a firm that had only just opened a Gilm branch if they drew the ire of the Azoth Firm, which still wielded strong influence in the city?
Any reasonable assessment would say they'd have no choice but to withdraw from Gilm entirely.
So why would he do something so transparent?
As if answering that question, Tris set his teacup on the table and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, that much escapes me as well. Besides, as I said at the outset, the notion that this incident was Precious's doing is strictly circumstantial. There's no definitive physical evidence. I had hoped to pin him down on it earlier, but..."
"I see. So he never let you corner him into an admission, and then he ran into us on his way back."
"Yes. Unfortunately, that is the case. Circumstantial evidence alone simply isn't enough to do anything about him."
Judging by his sigh, Tris was clearly lamenting his own inability to act.
And seething at Precious's thoroughly meticulous handiwork.
"Would it be out of the question for me to... make a move?"
Rei knew full well how he was perceived by those around him.
If so, wouldn't it be reasonable to approach Precious directly, even if a bit forcefully?
He offered the suggestion, but Tris silently shook his head.
"This is someone who has laid his plans with meticulous care. He's undoubtedly factored you into his calculations, Rei-san, which means he's taken appropriate countermeasures. Of that, I have no doubt."
"It sounds like they have combat power on their end, too."
"The ones who attacked Asimov?"
"Yes."
Marina and Vihera exchanged brief words.
A merchant of considerable standing wouldn't think it strange to have bodyguards, nor to have people he could trust with behind-the-scenes work in secret.
If they possessed that kind of combat power, even if Rei and his party tried something, Precious's side might not be able to stop them entirely—but they could at least stall for time and summon the guards.
Rei thought that calling the guards would be suicidal for Precious, but given that the man had orchestrated an incident of this magnitude without leaving a single piece of evidence...
He was clearly confident he could weather any investigation.
"Then what do you think we should do? We know Precious orchestrated this, and we're just supposed to let it go?"
To anyone familiar with his temperament, Rei's demeanor seemed remarkably calm.
But precisely because it was calm, the anger seething beneath the surface was all the deeper and darker.
"Let me think. Personally, I would very much like to do exactly that... but looking at you, Rei-san, it's clear that isn't an option. If so, we must choose a different course."
"I'm inclined to agree. I don't much care for sitting back and waiting for the other side to make their move."
"Mm."
Vihera and Byune voiced their support for a proactive approach.
Given Vihera's naturally aggressive personality, waiting for the opponent to act ran contrary to her nature.
She disliked it, though she could do it if necessary. This time, she had apparently decided it wasn't needed.
"If we act carelessly from our end, I think it'll lead to all sorts of... unpleasant complications."
To those two, it was Marina who offered a cautious counterpoint.
Marina also leaned toward aggressive action by nature, but if everyone advocated for the offensive, the balance would be off.
That was precisely why she was playing the role of the cautious one now.
"If we just sit here quietly, wouldn't they get emboldened by this incident and take even more aggressive action?"
"I don't think you need to worry about that."
Tris dismissed Rei's concern.
Why? Rei's gaze demanded an explanation, and Tris continued as if it were obvious.
"Precious surely understands that his information has reached us, given that the two of us met. He knows that any careless move on his part now would only deepen the suspicion against him."
"...If that's the case, I'd have preferred he hadn't done anything strange right from the start."
Anger still simmered, but more than that, exasperation had taken the upper hand in Rei's mind.
His initial assumption had been that this incident was a scheme targeting either him, the Azoth Firm, or both.
But in reality, they had simply been collateral damage in the Spiel Firm's internal power struggle. That was all there was to it.
Of course, if asked whether he could forgive Precious for using him, the answer was a flat no. Combined with what had been done to Asimov, Rei had already decided how he would settle things.
As if sensing that fury, Tris let the brief smile fade from his face... only to form another one in the next instant—a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Your anger is entirely justified, Rei-san. However... regarding this matter, would you be willing to let us settle it internally?"
For Tris, this incident was a direct challenge—Precious picking a fight with him head-on.
As such, he wanted to handle it with his own hands.
For someone entrusted with the Gilm branch, it was a natural instinct.
He wasn't wrong. By no means was he wrong.
It was just... that only held true if the person sitting across from Tris wasn't Rei.
"Oh?"
The word was calm—not particularly loud. One might even call it a whisper.
But the instant those words reached his ears, Tris felt a chill crawl down his spine. A cold like ice formed in the dead of winter, despite it being spring.
That he didn't let the agitation show on his face, nor break into a cold sweat, was a testament to his years of experience.
Staring down what was essentially a powder keg—a presence that would detonate catastrophically if provoked—Tris somehow forced his mouth open.
"I'm prepared to make any concessions within my power. And if there's something you seek by way of apology for this incident, I'll pay it to the fullest extent possible. So... please. Would you grant me this?"
"...Fine."
After several seconds of silence, Tris exhaled a breath of relief at the word that left Rei's mouth.
His proposal had been accepted. That was what he concluded as he—
"In other words, the Spiel Firm is choosing to make an enemy of me. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"
At those words from Rei's mouth, Tris froze.