"…Huh? Um, why does it come to that?"
After a few seconds of silence, Tris asked the question to Rei, who was staring him down.
Though swallowed by Rei's overwhelming presence, the fact that he managed to ask at all was a testament to Tris's pride as a merchant.
But even after repeating the question, the gaze Rei fixed on him didn't waver.
There was a term for it—"eye power"—but what Tris felt now was so intense it bordered on physical pressure.
Tris was known within the Spiel Firm for his competence.
Even so, faced with Rei as he was now, he couldn't afford to make a careless move.
…Though the fact that he could still open his mouth at all was commendable in itself.
With Tris standing before him, Rei repeated the same question he'd asked moments ago.
"So the Spiel Firm is choosing to make an enemy of me. Is that the correct understanding?"
"I have no such intention!"
The words from Rei's mouth were apparently just as astonishing the second time around.
Even so, Tris frantically shook his head and protested that he had no intention of making an enemy of Rei.
As he did, the flesh of his cheeks and jaw jiggled, lending a somewhat comical air to the display…but unfortunately, no one present was in a mood to appreciate it.
"But you intend to handle the one who came after me yourself, don't you? You want to keep me from going after him. …Doesn't that mean your stance and mine are fundamentally incompatible?"
"Rei, isn't 'enemy' a bit strong for that? If anything, I think 'competitor' would be a more accurate description."
Marina spoke in a tone meant to calm Rei.
At her words, Tris felt a wave of relief, though he kept it from showing on his face.
Making an enemy of Rei—limited to Gilm as the context may be—was disastrous in more ways than one.
First and foremost, making an enemy of Rei also meant making an enemy of his Tamed Monster, Set.
Given that Set was something of a mascot in Gilm, the people who naturally doted on the creature would hardly look kindly on the Spiel Firm.
Beyond that, above all else, the moment they made an enemy of Rei, serious damage to the Spiel Firm was a certainty.
After all, how many people could actually stop Rei if he went on a rampage?
"Competitor…huh. Fair enough, that may be more accurate. But if you get in my way, I'll treat the Spiel Firm as an enemy all the same. Are you still fine with that?"
Prompted by Marina, Rei slightly revised his stance, but shifting from open hostility was only a marginal improvement at best.
…Though that marginal improvement was very likely a lifeline for the Spiel Firm. Even so, Tris had desperately wanted Rei to simply stand back and watch.
Wondering if there was any way to manage it, he wracked his brain…until he recalled Rei's hobby.
Yes—Rei's hobby of collecting Magic Items.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Tris opened his mouth.
"I understand that Rei-san is angry about this matter. But could you perhaps see your way to accommodating me? Of course, I will offer a proper apology for the trouble caused this time. I've heard that Rei-san's hobby is collecting Magic Items. The Spiel Firm deals in Magic Items as well, so—"
"Out of the question."
Rei's reply came without a second's hesitation.
It was true that he had a hobby of collecting Magic Items.
That much was fact.
But…even so, the notion that he could be bought off with Magic Items over this incident was dissatisfying—offensive, even.
"Don't underestimate me. …You're making me want to burn this entire Spiel Firm to the ground."
Rei lowered the hood of his Dragon Robe and spoke with a smile.
It was precisely the sort of smile Tris himself often wore—one where the mouth curved but the eyes stayed cold.
"Still…right. If you were to hand over something like an Item Box, I might consider it. The genuine article, of course—not the degraded version."
Item Boxes existed in extremely small numbers.
One only had to consider how many times Rei had been targeted for his own to grasp how rare they were.
The degraded version that Elena possessed was far inferior in performance compared to the original Item Box it was derived from.
Whether or not there was a hard limit, whereas the genuine Item Box could store items in nearly unlimited quantities as far as Rei was aware, the degraded version could hold only a modest amount.
Even so, it could accommodate roughly a room's worth of cargo, making it overwhelmingly more convenient for transport than a horse-drawn carriage.
The Item Box also had the property of stopping the passage of time for anything stored inside.
The fact that Rei could eat freshly prepared meals anywhere was thanks to this very effect.
The degraded version, by contrast, did not halt time for stored items.
Despite the difference in performance being as vast as the gap between heaven and earth, the degraded Item Box was itself extremely rare—so much so that it wasn't uncommon for it to be traded not merely in Platinum Coins but in Light Gold Coins.
If even the degraded version commanded such a price, the value of the genuine Item Box went without saying.
In the first place, unlike the degraded version, it could not be produced with current technology.
The number in existence was fixed, and only a few were known to the world.
There might be someone quietly holding one in secret, but even if so, finding it would be nearly impossible.
At the very least, it was not something the Spiel Firm could acquire.
The Spiel Firm was a reasonably large merchant house, but that was only to a degree.
Looking across all of Elgin—no, even just within the Mireana Kingdom—there were any number of firms larger than the Spiel Firm.
The Spiel Firm was, at best, mid-to-upper tier…or perhaps squarely mid-tier.
Asking them to obtain an Item Box was simply impossible.
"That is…it is shameful for a merchant to say this, but that is impossible."
"Then drop it."
"But—!"
Tris cut in with a shout, as if to block Rei's words.
For Tris, this was a moment where he absolutely could not back down.
In the Spiel Firm's power struggle, if someone other than himself resolved this matter, Tris would be looked down upon.
As a merchant, that was something he could never allow.
If he did anything here that invited contempt from those around him, it would smear mud on the Spiel Firm's name.
As someone entrusted with a branch office, he could never commit such an act.
Information spread quickly among merchants, and it was only a matter of time before this incident became public knowledge.
The Azoth Firm in particular, which wielded considerable influence even in Gilm, had been fully swept up in the Spiel Firm's internal strife.
It was highly unlikely that the Azoth Firm would try to hush the matter up.
They would surely take some form of action once they had clearly established their justification.
"Is there…is there any way you could grant me this request? I beseech you."
Watching Tris bow his head deeply, Rei thought for a moment.
In his mind, making Precious take responsibility for this incident was already a foregone conclusion.
But from Tris's demeanor, he also felt it might be worth hearing the other side out, at least to some degree.
He held no grudge against the Spiel Firm or Tris personally—nor any particular attachment.
"What do you think?"
"Fair enough. Neither you nor Tris is willing to back down. In that case, wouldn't it work to just let each of you act as you see fit? Then, whoever reaches Precious first gets to do as they please. But in that case, you'd need some kind of decisive evidence."
Knowing Rei, if she didn't spell this out clearly here, he might charge straight for Precious then and there.
That was what Marina was thinking, and naturally Rei pulled a displeased face…but he voiced no objection and nodded.
If he did something like attack Precious without any evidence, he could well end up being pursued by the guards.
Of course, if it came to that, Rei wouldn't mind leaving Gilm altogether.
Even so, Gilm was a comfortable place to live—that was a fact—and so long as nothing forced him out, he wanted to avoid taking such a step if at all possible.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Tris also let out a quiet breath of relief.
In terms of pure strength, Tris couldn't possibly match Rei.
Since Rei was regarded as a Combat Power that could rival an entire army single-handedly, that was only natural.
But if gathering evidence became the top priority, then he, a merchant well-versed in information, held the advantage—or so he reasoned.
"Either of you have any objections?"
"None."
"No, I have none."
Rei answered reluctantly…and Tris replied with a smile, both responding to Marina's words.
Seeing that, Marina nodded once more.
"Then let's each start by gathering evidence to corner Precious. …Oh, and just to be safe—there's a chance, a real outside chance, that Precious isn't the culprit this time. So don't go jumping to conclusions."
Marina said this because Precious, whom they'd run into in the hallway, had spoken in a manner laced with suggestive implications.
It was reasonable to assume he'd said those things simply to bewilder and confuse them—but even so, there was always that one-in-a-million possibility.
Marina, drawing on her experience as a Guild Master, had already determined that Tris couldn't be fully trusted either.
Moreover, she had heard full well that over the winter, the Spiel Firm had been taking various heavy-handed—not quite illegal—actions.
"Hoh. Are you saying my information is not to be trusted?"
"I'm not going that far. But there really is that one-in-a-million chance, isn't there? Just in case."
In truth, it was her Guild Master's instinct telling her that judging everything solely on the information from Tris was dangerous.
There was a possibility that Tris was trying to use Rei's power to entrap Precious.
Such a possibility existed, after all.
"…Understood. Then, we shall proceed accordingly."
Tris must have grasped what Marina was thinking.
Though reluctant, he accepted her words without protest.
"Good. I'm glad you understand. Then let's wrap up the discussion here. Or is there anything else you'd like to go over?"
"Under normal circumstances, I would very much like to discuss various business opportunities with Rei-san…but given the situation, that's clearly not possible."
As someone entrusted with a branch of the Spiel Firm, there was no end to the matters he'd have wanted to trade with Rei over.
Rei, famous as a highly capable adventurer, could obtain plants that would be difficult for the average adventurer to gather…and he could fell powerful High-Rank Monsters to acquire materials and Magic Stones.
Furthermore, with his ability to travel by riding Set and his possession of a Misty Ring, he could transport vast quantities of cargo at speeds that dwarfed horse-drawn transport.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have desperately wanted to broach business talks…but given the current climate, there was no way that could happen.
As Tris murmured with what sounded like genuine regret from the bottom of his heart, Rei gave a nod of his own.
"Right. It's a shame, but until this matter is resolved, I won't be doing the Spiel Firm any favors. And…no, never mind. I'll leave it at that."
Rei cut himself off mid-sentence, but Tris could grasp what he'd been about to say.
It was surely about the firm Rei had been personally close with—the one that had suffered major damage at the Spiel Firm's hands.
Pushing into Gilm and securing a meaningful market share had required those aggressive actions…but now they were rebounding against them.
Should we have taken a different approach? But there was no way to know Rei-san had a connection with them…it's too late for that now.
That firm's connection to Rei wasn't built on some important contract.
It was research into how to make Goblin meat palatable—something that, from the outside, could only look like a fool's errand.
That was precisely why they'd never realized Rei was tied to them through that hobby…and as a result, it had become one of the root causes of the current mess.
Regretting it, if only slightly…and yet Tris continued turning over every idea he could, desperate to somehow turn the situation around.