It had been a few days since Rei and the others visited Pamidor.
As decided at the Blacksmith Workshop, the members of the Crimson Lotus Wings had set out to apply psychological pressure on Precious—only to stumble at the very first step.
The reason was simple: they could not determine Precious's whereabouts.
When Marina went to ask the guards, she was told he had not yet left Gilm, so it was certain he was still somewhere in the city... but exactly where remained unknown.
Even searching with Set's sense of smell was impossible. Set had never met Precious and therefore could not track him by scent.
"He probably knows full well he's being suspected, doesn't he?"
Vihera murmured over her black tea in the living room of Marina's mansion in the Noble District.
"You're right. ...It seems he's thought things through rather carefully on that front."
"Grrrl."
In response to Marina's words, Set, who had been lying in the courtyard, rumbled.
...Yes. Rei and the others would normally hold their strategy meetings in the dining hall of the Wheat Inn at dusk. The biggest reason they had deliberately come all the way to Marina's mansion in the Noble District was precisely this.
Set, lying in the courtyard adjacent to the living room.
At the Wheat Inn at dusk, Set basically had to stay in the stables—but that was only because the Wheat Inn at dusk was an inn used by large numbers of people.
Of course, compared to an ordinary inn, Set was able to spend his time far more freely there.
Even so, there were inevitably limits when it came to a lodging house.
As long as it was a customer-facing business, the proprietress Lana and the rest of the staff could not cater exclusively to Rei's convenience.
That was only natural, even for someone like Rei who had been staying at the inn for years.
For minor accommodations, they would manage something as a gesture to a regular patron.
But letting Set roam freely was, given the nature of a customer-facing business, simply impossible.
It should be noted that the Wheat Inn at dusk was known as one of the more upscale inns in Gilm.
Its primary clientele were merchants, and such people basically only stayed there while visiting Gilm on business.
By comparison, those like Rei who used it as their regular lodging would keep rooms at the Wheat Inn at dusk for years... in some cases, over a decade, or even decades.
That was exactly why they could overlook things and offer services that ordinary guests would not receive... and yet, when it came to the matter of Set, it was still impossible.
It was Marina who extended a saving hand to Rei in that situation.
At her own home, there was no one else around, so there was no need to worry about such things.
And so... as a result, ever since the Crimson Lotus Wings were formed, Rei and the others had ended up holding their meetings at Marina's mansion.
Right now, Byune was leaning against Set, half-asleep in the spring sunlight as he lay in the courtyard.
Watching the two of them, the frustration over the lack of progress on the Precious matter seemed to fade, at least a little.
(Well, I doubt anyone could stay irritated after seeing this sight.)
Unless one was a considerable eccentric, there was probably no one who could look at the scene before their eyes and not feel a warm, fuzzy sensation.
Byune was ordinarily extremely unsociable, but seeing her leaning against Set and dozing like this, one could never imagine the usual Byune.
"I guess we have no choice but to count on the Information Broker, huh?"
Reaching not for dried fruit but fresh—about the size of a cherry, though colored with a purple mottled pattern—Rei murmured.
Bringing the fruit to his mouth, a refreshing tartness-infused sweetness spread across his palate.
Rei liked sweet fruit, but he also liked fruit with a tangy kick.
"Yeah, it's good. I bought it at a shop on the way here. A lucky find."
Rei murmured, looking almost as if he had forgotten the fury from Asimov being wounded and the Sleipnir boots being stolen.
But that was only for the moment. As for what would happen when he actually came face to face with the mastermind behind this scheme, Marina and Vihera—who knew Rei well—could see it all too clearly.
Even now, a flame of anger swirled within Rei.
He was simply not showing it outwardly for the time being.
If an enemy stood before him right now, that person would learn beyond any doubt just what they had meddled with.
Knowing this full well, Marina and Vihera spoke up without any concern for Rei's demeanor.
"Cruise Fruit, huh. It's a fruit that's just in season during spring. ...Though sometimes a bitter one gets mixed in. From the look of you, though, it seems you're fine. I'm guessing whoever picked them had good skill."
Reaching for the same fruit Rei was eating—a Cruise Fruit—Marina popped one into her mouth and murmured.
With its purple mottled pattern, it was a fruit that, at first glance, hardly looked appetizing.
But it grew in the forests near Gilm, and for those living in the city, it was a familiar taste.
For Rei, who possessed the Misty Ring, awareness of seasonal foods that could only be eaten at certain times of year was naturally thinner than for others.
If one bought or foraged large quantities of seasonal food and stored it in the Misty Ring, one could enjoy that seasonal taste whenever one pleased.
Gamelion meat was a prime example of this.
For Rei and Set, Gamelion meat occupied an important position in their meals, and they could eat it practically around the clock.
...Of course, even Gamelion meat had a limit to how much was stored in the Misty Ring, so it was not something they could eat unless there was something to celebrate.
And even rarer than Gamelion meat was Silver Lion meat.
That was truly available only in extremely limited quantities, and under normal circumstances, there should be no opportunity to eat it.
Its sheer deliciousness causing one's palate to go numb for days was a luxurious drawback that was also an issue, but.
"Still... we're idle. The fact that we can't make a single move until the Information Broker arrives really hurts."
"You're right. If we carelessly take on a request here and the situation shifts during that time, we might miss our chance."
"I asked Elena about it when we spoke via the Paired Orbs yesterday, but it seems she's only heard the name of the Spiel Firm, nothing more."
"Hmm... well, the Spiel Firm isn't that large a firm to begin with, so the fact that Elena even knew the name might be surprising in itself."
Being remembered by name by the Daughter of Duke Kerebel could be called extremely fortunate for a firm.
...However, if one considered what impression Elena had formed of the Spiel Firm after hearing the details from Rei yesterday, that might be a different story.
For a while after that, Rei, Marina, and Vihera continued their conversation, while Byune dozed against Set in the spring sunlight.
Set, too, lay in the courtyard, deliberately avoiding movement so as not to wake Byune.
From an outsider's perspective, it was a sight that would make many envious of Byune, but she herself seemed entirely unbothered.
"...Hey, Rei. It's nice to relax like this, but do you want to get a little exercise?"
Just as Rei finished eating the last of the Cruise Fruits, Vihera asked, as if she had been waiting for exactly that moment.
"Hm? Exercise? ...Sure, I don't mind. But keep it moderate."
At Rei's words, Vihera showed a slightly disappointed expression.
Even so, apparently unwilling to pass up the opportunity for a mock battle with Rei, she headed toward the courtyard through the window without complaint.
The window connecting the living room to the courtyard was made of quite a large pane of glass.
So large, in fact, that it would not be surprising if it were worth several Platinum Coins.
The casual use of such windowpanes was a testament to the fact that, despite its modest size, Marina's mansion was still an estate in the Noble District.
(It's supposedly reinforced with Spirit Magic and such... but isn't Spirit Magic just way too convenient?)
Thinking this, Rei followed Vihera out into the courtyard.
Making sure to stay far enough away so as not to disturb Set and Byune, who were enjoying their sunbathing, the two faced each other.
Of course, as Rei had just said, neither was going all out—Rei held a practice spear with a blunted tip, and Vihera had not generated blades of magic from her Hand Gauntlets or Foot Guards.
"Don't do anything too reckless. The moment I call for it, you stop the mock battle immediately. ...Alright, begin!"
From the living room, Marina, tea in hand, signaled the start.
Her voice carried a hint of exasperation, but hearing it, Rei and Vihera began moving without any particular concern.
The first to move was Vihera.
Compared to Rei, who wielded a spear, Vihera—who fought in close combat—inevitably had a narrower attack range.
And to neutralize the reach of Rei's spear, she needed to seize the initiative.
"Hah!"
Kicking off the garden ground, she closed the distance to Rei in one burst.
As if to intercept the incoming Vihera, Rei swung his spear.
...That was right—swung, not thrust.
Rather than thrusting the spear, he used a sweep, which covered a wider area.
Vihera must have anticipated Rei's attack. She lowered her upper body slightly, evading the spear swung horizontally toward her shoulder, and closed the distance to Rei.
The moment she entered what could rightfully be called point-blank range, Vihera's fist shot out.
Her target was Rei's face, hooded by the Dragon Robe.
The Dragon Robe possessed powerful defensive capabilities, but even it could not negate the raw impact of a blow.
Even so, the fact that she aimed for the face rather than the torso—which presented a larger target—was likely born of the desire to land a hit with even slightly more destructive force.
Given Vihera's skill level, targeting the face instead of the torso was not much of an issue.
Ordinarily, one might call hers a woman's slender arm, but Vihera wore Hand Gauntlets on her hands.
And contrary to her appearance, her arm strength was considerable.
Above all, there was Magic Impact Palm, which could deal massive damage to an enemy on contact, nearly independent of raw physical strength.
...Of course, this mock battle was merely an exercise to get their bodies moving.
Naturally, Vihera had no intention of using Magic Impact Palm, and the fact that her strike targeted Rei's face was likely proof of that.
Rei deflected the fist closing in on his face by turning his head slightly and shifting his body back just a fraction.
Vihera's fist tore through the empty space right beside Rei's cheek.
Even in a mock battle, a single hit from that strike would carry enough force to knock an ordinary person unconscious.
But Rei, evading that blow, simultaneously swept his spear at Vihera's feet.
Most people, when attacking, focused their attention on the offensive and let their guard slip.
What's more, Rei's strike came from outside Vihera's field of vision.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been unable to avoid it—her feet swept out from under her, sent tumbling to the ground... but Vihera lightly leaped and dodged the spear strike.
Part of it was that she had read Rei's movement, but it was also likely that she reacted half on instinct upon hearing the spear cut through the air.
"Hah!"
Vihera, having made the light leap, kicked out at Rei mid-air.
A light leap though it was, she was undeniably airborne.
That meant her body was suspended in the air, even if only for an instant.
Ordinarily, there would be no opponent capable of exploiting such a fleeting opening—but the one Vihera currently faced was Rei.
In fact, if Vihera's kick had been even a fraction slower, Rei's spear would have already swung down.
Because Vihera's kick came a split second earlier, it served as a check and halted Rei's movement.
Creating distance from Rei with that kick, Vihera stepped forward once more.
Rei, spear in hand, awaited her.
Toward Vihera, who was charging straight at him, he unleashed a thrust powered by the twist of his body.
A strike swift enough to be called a master's thrust.
But Vihera relaxed her forward-stepping right knee, deliberately breaking her own balance to evade Rei's thrust.
Even in an imperfect stance, she pressed forward, attempting to land a blow on Rei, convinced of victory.
...But in the next instant, Rei's spear transitioned from a thrust to a sweep, bearing down on Vihera...
"That's enough!"
By the time Marina's voice rang out, Rei's spear had stopped inches short of striking Vihera's body, and Vihera's blow had fallen short of reaching Rei, bringing the mock battle to an end.