As Rei, Marina, Vihera, and Byune entered the tavern, the gazes of the patrons inside naturally converged on them all at once.
This tavern, tucked quietly away in the back alleys, was fundamentally the kind of place where everyone was a familiar face.
There were times when regulars brought friends along, growing the clientele, but Rei and his group were different. Every one of them was visiting this tavern for the first time.
To be precise, Vihera had been here once before... but perhaps no one present today knew that, or perhaps they simply chose not to say anything.
...Incidentally, Set was lounging near the tavern as usual.
Anyway, under normal circumstances, complete strangers walking in would draw trouble. While Rei, draped in his Dragon Robe, might be spared, Marina in her deeply plunging party dress and Vihera, clad in thin garments befitting a dancer or a prostitute—hardly out of place in a tavern like this—would normally have no one to blame but themselves if they got harassed. And Byune, visibly small and childlike, would ordinarily be dismissed outright if she set foot in such an establishment.
But even as Rei's group entered the tavern now, no one was foolhardy enough to accost them.
The regulars here—people who had lived in Gilm long enough to know better—were well aware of who and what they were dealing with. They knew exactly what kind of people Vihera and Marina were... and who it was that accompanied them.
No one paid any mind to Byune's presence, but in a way, that was only natural.
At any rate, the four of them took their seats at an empty table without anyone giving them trouble.
Rei's group had come to speak with the Information Broker introduced by the Guard Force, but having entered a tavern, it was only natural to order something. The other patrons, observing their behavior, likely concluded that they had not come to cause trouble. Deciding that carelessly getting involved would only lead to headaches, they looked away from Rei's group and returned to their drinks among themselves. Though perhaps deeming it unwise to be rowdy and risk drawing unwanted attention, they drank a little more quietly than usual.
"May I take your order?"
A clerk approached their table and asked. Unusually, it was a man rather than the female clerks commonly found in taverns.
Whether this was simply the norm at this tavern, or because it was still daytime, or because of who Rei's group was—none of that was clear. Faced with the question, however, Rei and the others placed their orders without paying the detail much mind. Marina and Vihera both ordered wine, Rei went with watered-down wine, and Byune asked for milk.
Normally, ordering watered-down wine or milk would invite jeers, but of course, there was no one foolhardy enough to pick a fight here. In addition, they ordered a fair amount of stewed offal and beans—a dish often given unique seasoning at establishments like this—along with skewers, stew, braised meat, and bread.
"I-I'll bring those right out. Please wait a moment."
The clerk who had taken their order headed toward the kitchen, looking a little startled.
...Naturally. The dishes they ordered were not particularly unusual; they were standard fare at this kind of tavern. The reason for his surprise was the sheer volume of the order. They had ordered several times what a typical patron would eat and drink here. The stewed offal and beans varied in flavor from shop to shop, but since most tavern fare suited Rei's palate, he ordered enough for ten people. They had requested generous portions of everything else as well, so the men who had the misfortune of sitting at tables nearby doubted their ears—and found themselves muttering internally, "Go to a diner, not a tavern."
Once several of the pre-made dishes were laid out on the table, Marina turned to the clerk.
"Does the flower that blooms on moonlit nights sell here?"
A twitch. The clerk froze at Marina's words, then finally spoke.
"At dawn, it just might come in stock."
"Then... should I come before the moon sets and the sun appears?"
"...No. That won't be necessary. I can show you to a room where you can talk right away, if you'd like?"
"I see. Could you show us there once we've finished eating?"
"Understood. I'll make it so. We take pride in our cooking, so please enjoy."
After exchanging the coded phrase they had learned from the guard and securing an appointment to meet the Information Broker after their meal, Marina reached for the bread on the table.
"Oh?"
The bread was softer than she had expected. Marina voiced her surprise. It clearly wasn't freshly baked—the loaf was not warm—but even so, it was undeniably soft to the touch, and that seemed to catch her off guard. Of course, soft bread was not rare in Gilm, even when it wasn't fresh from the oven. But to be served such bread at a back-alley tavern was entirely unexpected.
Startled by Marina's reaction, Rei reached for the bread while sampling the Fang Boar stew. He felt the same surprise.
"Despite its appearance, it's quite a delicious tavern," Vihera murmured, equally taken aback as she tasted the Fang Boar stew.
Even if it was called a stew, it wasn't simply a matter of throwing meat into a pot and boiling it. Before stewing, the meat needed to be pre-seasoned, sometimes seared on the surface, tied with string to hold its shape, or scored with a knife to ensure even cooking—all manner of preparatory steps were required. Even during the simmering process, the heat control, seasoning, and cooking time demanded considerable technique.
In that sense, the Fang Boar stew on the table was hard to believe as something that would be served at a back-alley tavern. Furthermore, the skewers brought out alongside it were crisp and fragrant on the outside, yet cooked on the inside without being overdone. Naturally, compared to professional establishments like the Full Belly Diner or the Golden Bread Pavilion, it fell somewhat short. But even so, as food served at a tavern in such a place, it was undoubtedly first-class.
(So that's why there are so many customers here despite being in the back alleys.)
When Rei's group had entered, there had been a few empty tables. Now, new arrivals were settling into those seats and ordering food. These additional customers were likely regulars; they did not draw stares the way Rei's group had. Still, even they seemed a little surprised by the unusual atmosphere inside—though that surprise turned to understanding the moment they spotted the table laden with a massive spread of food.
Thus, time passed as they ate, with Marina and Vihera enjoying some light drinks alongside their meal. Once most of the food on the table was gone, Rei called the clerk over and settled the bill. The price was somewhat steep, but considering the quality of the food, it was an acceptable amount.
"Then, please come this way. There is someone waiting for you."
Nodding at those words, Rei's group followed the clerk to a private room in the back of the establishment.
"Hm?"
"Listen... don't forget the real reason we came here," Vihera muttered in exasperation at Byune, who looked as if she were wondering whether they were about to just go home.
At Vihera's tone, Byune seemed to finally remember why they had come to this tavern in the first place. Without further complaint, she followed along to the private room.
The room Rei's group was led to was not particularly large. It was less a space for a wealthy patron to reserve for a banquet and more a room suited for private discussions. In truth, what Rei's group was doing here was not holding a banquet but purchasing information from an Information Broker, so the setting was entirely appropriate.
"You the customers? What do you want to know?"
A man sitting in a chair, nursing an ale, asked upon seeing Rei's group.
The clerk who had guided them to the room stepped outside, leaving them alone. The arrangement served a dual purpose: it kept watch for anyone approaching, and it ensured the clerk would not overhear what the Information Broker discussed with Rei's group. Many had lost their lives from hearing information they were never meant to hear. This was a self-defense measure to avoid that fate.
"We want information on a man named Precious, from the Spiel Firm."
"...I see. The Spiel Firm that's been the talk of late."
"The talk?" Rei echoed.
If the Spiel Firm was that much of a topic, it was strange that Rei had not caught wind of it. This was not because Rei was actively gathering intelligence, but rather from casual conversations with shopkeepers while buying food on the street, or from overhearing the chatter of people around him. Naturally, this amounted to idle gossip and rumor—nothing certain. But in terms of freshness, the information was as current as it got.
"Yeah. Though when I say 'talk,' I mean only among the underworld. The Spiel Firm does business quite aggressively. You know that?"
"I've heard as much."
"Is that so. In doing so, they make sure to have proper talks with the underworld too. That alone is something most firms do, but the Spiel Firm is spending serious money to build connections there."
"Is that... normal?"
That most firms engaged in such practices was news to Rei. But it was not necessarily a bad thing. It was only natural for a firm to have dealings with the underworld. Naturally, if someone from the underworld were to act openly, the guards would not stay silent—but such things rarely happened.
"I wouldn't call it 'normal,' but it's not uncommon, either. At any rate, that's how the Spiel Firm has become fairly well-known in Gilm's underworld."
"I see. Well, I understand about the Spiel Firm. What about Precious?"
"Unfortunately, I have no information on that man."
Hearing this, Rei recalled that although the Information Broker before him was retained by the Guard Force, he was not a particularly skilled one.
(Come to think of it, that was the case. ...But well, I still managed to glean quite useful information.)
That firms connected to the underworld were not all that rare was a surprise to Rei, beyond just the Spiel Firm. But as long as the world was not as safe as modern Japan, it was only natural to think one had to protect oneself. The Knight Order and the Guard Force existed, to be sure, but their numbers were limited. And when spring or late autumn brought floods of people to Gilm, chaos grew to the point where there were areas beyond the reach of the Guard Force or the Knight Order. In times like those, the denizens of the underworld could be extremely useful.
"Then, is it possible to have you gather information on Precious?"
"...The great Rei seeking information means it's related to the incident where you charged into the Noble District, doesn't it?"
Rei was not surprised by the broker's words. To begin with, even the man from the underworld they had dealt with earlier had known about it. Rather, if someone like that had been in the know while this Information Broker had not, Rei would have lost faith in the man's skills entirely.
"Yeah. It's related... presumably. The circumstantial evidence clearly points to him, but we don't have solid proof."
"Hmm, I see. ...Honestly, it looks like it'll be quite difficult, but I'll look into what I can. Naturally, the information fee will be considerable, you understand?"
Even as the Guard Force's retained broker, he was not formally employed by them. Since he had to earn his own keep through honest work, he had to function properly as an Information Broker.
Of course, in this case, his counterpart was Rei, who had no shortage of money. If anything, it was nearly certain that once this incident was resolved, some form of payment would come from the Spiel Firm as an apology and token of reconciliation. Paying the broker before him a modest reward would barely dent his finances.
"Understood. I'll pay whatever price you name."
"Whatever I name? Are you sure about that?"
If the broker could set his own price, it would be entirely possible to demand several gold coins—or even a platinum coin or a light gold coin—for the most worthless scrap of information.
But Rei simply nodded, indicating that it was not a problem.
"You're the Guard Force's broker, so you might ask for a little much, but you won't say anything completely unreasonable."
It was an unspoken warning: if he tried to gouge them, word would make its way to the Guard Force.
The Information Broker silently raised both hands in response to Rei's words.