"So, what do we do now? We've already arranged things with the information broker, so there's nothing left for us to do, right?"
Having concluded their transaction with the information broker retained by the Guard Force, Rei and his party made their way toward the main street.
Beside Rei, Set happily munched on sandwiches they'd bought as souvenirs from the tavern.
Despite being a back-alley establishment, the food there was leagues better than what you'd find at any random restaurant in town.
Of course, it fell somewhat short of renowned eateries like the Full Belly Diner or the Golden Bread Pavilion, but there was no denying it served genuinely good food.
Given the quality of the place, Rei's party had bought sandwiches to go for Set, who had been waiting outside.
...Under normal circumstances, a place like that might not have offered takeout, but the staff knew exactly who Rei and his party were, and no one was about to refuse them.
Though if anything, the real reason they'd let them walk out with sandwiches was probably sheer delight at having their cooking praised.
"Yeah, you're right. We've asked the information broker, and we've had the underworld contacts gather what they can. So all that's left for us is to wait for the intel to come in."
"...That's unusually docile for you, Rei."
"Is it? ...Well, maybe you have a point. But I made a promise to Tris. Besides, it's not like I go around attacking just anyone. ...Has my reputation been spreading in weird directions lately?"
"Can't be helped."
At Rei's words, Vihera gave a small shrug.
Naturally, the motion sent Vihera's ample cleavage — barely contained by her thin attire — swaying, and a man passing nearby found his gaze irresistibly pulled toward the sight.
Whether the woman beside him was his lover or a family member, she drove her elbow into his ribs without hesitation.
The blow, landing square while his guard was completely down, had more than enough force to double him over.
Paying no heed to the little drama unfolding behind her, Vihera kept her eyes on Rei and continued.
"Famous people get subjected to all sorts of bizarre scrutiny as a matter of course. That goes for anyone well-known, not just Alias Holders. Even Elk has all kinds of things said about him behind his back."
"...In Elk's case, he's got such a bold personality that I think it's only natural people talk."
From Rei's perspective, there was no denying that Elk had a bold personality.
Though the fact that he wasn't arrogant about it was very much in character for the man.
His reputation as a devoted family man who couldn't say no to his wife Min was also fairly well known.
...Though that devotion to his family could sometimes spiral out of control.
When his wife Min and son Rhodos had been taken hostage in the Bestia Empire, Elk had been on a razor's edge the entire time Rei was heading to rescue them.
Enough so to instill genuine terror in anyone foolish enough to cross his path.
That was something the usual Elk would never do.
The people who witnessed that side of him had likely been the ones to spread the rumors.
Rei couldn't know every detail, but knowing Elk's usual personality, he felt that strange rumors were only to be expected.
(Besides, they were clearly desperate with everything going on with Rhodos.)
Elk and Min had been frantically working to find a way to treat Rhodos after the incident in the Bestia Empire left him unconscious.
Their desperation had been enough to spawn rumors whether they wanted it to or not.
Currently, Rhodos had received treatment in exchange for their help treating Vihera, who had been rendered unconscious by the Unbris, and was now awake and functioning normally.
Even so, having been unconscious for so long, Rei had heard he was now working hard at rehabilitation.
Rei had considered visiting a few times, but it never came to pass.
Not because Rei chose not to go — Elk had subtly asked him to hold off on seeing Rhodos for now.
Rhodos harbored a competitive streak toward Rei, so he likely didn't want Rei to see him as he currently was, barely able to move.
(I don't mind... but if it bothers him, there's nothing I can do about it. Besides, if it triggered some kind of awkward confrontation and caused a scene, that'd be a whole mess on its own.)
The image of Rhodos that Rei had seen during the civil war in the Bestia Empire had left quite a strong impression on him.
With Elk and Min around now, Rei figured things would be fine even if something happened, but it paid to be cautious.
(In that case, losing his memories was... a blessing, maybe?)
Turning these thoughts over in his mind, he continued through the town.
They'd already moved from the back alleys to the main street, and naturally enough, people who wanted to fawn over Set started appearing.
Rei watched as children and adults alike gathered around, feeding Set and petting him, when he felt a tug on his Dragon Robe.
For a split second, Rei wondered if it was a pickpocket, but when he turned to look, he found Byune standing there with her usual expressionless face, tugging on the fabric.
"What is it? Don't tell me you want to play with Set? If so, you'll be staying with him from here on, so you could at least share him a little."
Since Byune genuinely enjoyed playing with Set, Rei figured she might be sulking, feeling like Set was being taken from her.
That was the reasoning behind his words, but Byune shook her head, denying it.
"Mm."
What she held out was a short dagger with a pure-white blade.
Though the blade was clearly longer than a typical short dagger, it was still a weapon that fell under the short dagger classification.
Looking at the weapon forged from Silver Lion materials and bearing the name Hakumo, Rei let out a sigh of appreciation at its beauty — even as he wondered why Byune had produced it here.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if she meant to forcibly deal with the people fawning over Set, but naturally, Byune showed no such inclination.
So had she brought it out just to show off? But given Byune's personality, he couldn't imagine her doing something like that either.
In the end, the only way to understand what was going on was to ask someone who could comprehend Byune's intent.
"Vihera, what's Byune trying to say?"
Rei had grown fairly adept at reading Byune's intentions, but he still wasn't perfect.
(As long as we're forming a party as adventurers, I really should work on that... though I have a feeling it's a lost cause.)
Vihera immediately understood what Byune wanted and spoke up to fill in the gap.
"She's saying that if we don't have anything in particular to do, she wants to go to Pamidor's Blacksmith Workshop. She's been maintaining Hakumo herself, but having a professional take care of it is still the best option."
"...I see. Well, I needed to tell him about the situation with Asimov anyway, so I was already planning to visit Pamidor. I don't mind at all."
Beyond that, there was also the matter of informing him that they had officially formed a party.
All things considered, Rei's relationship with Pamidor went back quite a ways.
That was why he felt it necessary to have that conversation.
On top of that, Pamidor and Asimov went back a long way as well.
In fact, Pamidor and Asimov's relationship as a Blacksmith and Alchemist ran deeper than Rei's with Pamidor as a customer.
Rei had heard at a previous party that Pamidor was practically family to Asimov, occasionally bringing him meals.
If that was the case, there was no question that Pamidor needed to know someone who was practically family had been injured.
Even if the wound itself had already been healed with a potion.
(Besides, Asimov was targeted precisely because he knew me. That being the case, Pamidor knowing me means there's a real chance he could be targeted too.)
Of course, there was the question of whether Precious would use the same method twice.
But there was equally no denying that the incident with Asimov had been effective in getting to Rei.
Given that fact, there was no guarantee anywhere that Precious wouldn't repeat a similar play.
"All right, then let's go see Pamidor."
"Mm!"
At Rei's words, the corners of Byune's lips curved into a small smile — just barely, truly only barely, but unmistakably pleased.
Seeing Byune's reaction, Rei felt a small warmth of his own... and after letting the people gathered around Set know they were moving on, he led the party away from the spot.
As they neared Pamidor's Blacksmith Workshop, they were relieved — or perhaps it was only to be expected — to find no smell of iron rust drifting out the way there had been when they entered Asimov's research room.
Since Pamidor didn't use deodorizing Magic Items the way Asimov did, he was presumably fine.
With that in mind, Rei told Set to wait near the shop and stepped inside the workshop.
"Pamidor, you here?"
He called out, but there was no one behind the counter.
However, there were clear signs of someone deeper in the shop — in the direction of the forge — so the place wasn't empty.
"No, not like that! When you swing the hammer, you've got to put more force into it! Don't think about holding anything back — just swing with everything you've got!"
Hearing the bellow, Rei tilted his head.
That didn't sound like Pamidor's usual voice.
No, Pamidor had a face so fierce you could mistake him for a Bandit king, but even so, Rei couldn't fathom why he was shouting like this — or more precisely, who he was shouting at.
Originally, Pamidor was the only one who worked in this Blacksmith Workshop, but the shout just now sounded exactly like someone teaching another person how to swing a hammer.
Given that, it was only natural to wonder why.
The others had clearly been thinking the same thing.
"What do we do?"
Vihera asked, but since they'd come to see Pamidor, staying silent wasn't really an option.
"Only one thing for it. ...Pamidor, you in? I'm coming through."
He called out and stepped into the forge — and his eyes went wide at the scene before him.
It occurred to him that he'd been similarly stunned walking into Asimov's research room, but this time, at least, it wasn't a worst-case scenario.
Kumito, Pamidor's son, was gripping a hammer and bringing it down over and over.
Since it was being wielded by a boy who'd only just passed ten, the hammer was naturally nowhere near the size Pamidor used.
It was sized just right for Kumito to handle at his current age.
Standing beside him, Pamidor was shouting himself hoarse, pointing out every mistake the boy made.
"When you swing the hammer, you've got to treasure a moment's brilliance. Channel your inner current straight into the hammer and bring it down. Got it?"
"I don't get it at all!? What are you even talking about!?"
Kumito, who'd been working up a sweat swinging the hammer, couldn't help but cry out at his father's utterly baffling advice.
His hammer had stopped mid-swing.
"Tell me about it..."
Rei, who'd been listening to Pamidor's instructions, voiced his agreement with Kumito.
And he wasn't alone — Marina, Vihera, and even Byune, who normally paid little attention to anyone outside the party, all nodded along.
By any reasonable standard, what Pamidor was saying made no sense whatsoever.
Yet the man himself showed not the slightest doubt about his own words, his fierce face twisting in genuine bewilderment as if he truly couldn't fathom why the instructions weren't getting through.
(I've heard genius types are terrible at teaching... I guess that's what's happening here. Though honestly, I always figured Pamidor was more the hardworking type than the genius type.)
Shaking off that thought, Rei called out to Pamidor, who was failing spectacularly at passing his craft down to his son.
"Pamidor, got a minute?"
"Nngh? ...Well, if it isn't Rei. And the rest of you. What brings you all here?"
"No, 'what brings you here' is what I'd like to ask you."
"Kumito's going to be working as a blacksmith, so I'm training him. ...You don't get it?"
"If there's anyone alive who could understand that explanation, I'd be genuinely impressed."
Once again, Marina, Vihera, and Byune nodded at Rei's words.
...Actually, Kumito was nodding right along with them.
Clearly unamused by their reaction, Pamidor scowled and spoke in a surly tone.
"So, let me ask again — what did you come here for? As you can see, I'm busy. If it's not urgent..."
"Asimov was attacked by someone."
To get Pamidor to settle down, Rei delivered the news without preamble.