When Rei returned, the Spiel Firm's Gilm branch had already resumed normal operations.
The carriage that had crashed into the building was gone, and while the broken doors and walls hadn't been fully repaired, the work was sufficient as an emergency fix.
The curious onlookers had already dispersed, and only a handful of people who knew nothing of the situation remained, tilting their heads at the state of the shop.
No—perhaps it was a precaution. Several guards were present as well.
Still, the fact that they were operating the shop as usual was likely on Tris's orders.
Having only begun full-scale operations in Gilm that spring, immediately running into trouble would naturally cause issues with appearances.
Amidst all this... Rei and Set approached the shop openly.
The guards were initially surprised to see Rei, but his and Set's presence was well-known among them.
Because of that, they didn't react with any particular astonishment at his arrival. Rather, one of them spoke up in a joking manner.
"Hey, hey, Rei. Don't tell me you're mixed up in this incident too."
The guard who asked that wasn't particularly looking for a reaction. He had simply called out as a conversation starter.
Considering he hadn't been there when Rei came earlier to fetch someone to take custody of Keena, he had probably arrived as a relief shift.
In response to the guard's question, Rei gave a small shrug and spoke.
"Yeah. No mistake about me being involved. I came because I have some business with Tris."
"...Seriously?"
"Yeah. You didn't know? I've been reasonably involved in this whole matter from the start. The Asimov thing, for one."
"Now that you mention it, that happened too. If Rei's involved, it's going to turn into a troublesome—and big—incident."
The guard let out a small sigh, said nothing more, and let Rei pass.
The guards were originally stationed there to take immediate action if anything happened, and screening people with business at the Spiel Firm likely wasn't part of their role.
After parting with the guard, Rei left Set at that spot and entered the shop.
(Huh... despite all that commotion, there are a lot of customers.)
That was Rei's honest impression upon seeing the inside of the shop.
There were over ten customers by count alone, engaged in various discussions with the Spiel Firm's merchants.
Some were negotiating, while others, having apparently concluded their deals, were chatting amicably with smiles on their faces.
"Oh, Rei-san? What brings you here?"
One of the merchants in the shop apparently knew Rei. He asked with a puzzled expression.
Rei, who had been wondering who to approach, took the opportunity and addressed the merchant who had spoken to him.
"I have some business with Tris. Sorry, but could you announce me?"
"The manager? Well, our shop is currently a bit..."
The man trailed off, his gaze drifting toward the hastily repaired state of the shop—particularly the area near the entrance where the carriage had crashed.
"You see, something happened a little while ago. The manager is a bit busy right now..."
"Tell him I'm here. Tell him I have something to discuss about this incident."
"...Are you saying you're involved in this incident too, Rei-san?"
A slightly suspicious expression.
Of course, there had been many incidents involving Rei that turned into disturbances. For the residents of Gilm who knew that, it was a natural reaction.
That wasn't wrong, but Rei felt that in this case, he was completely on the side of someone who had been caught up in it. Being looked at that way by the merchant was unwarranted.
"It's not like I'm the only one involved. More importantly, relay a message to Tris. Tell him this incident might get resolved all at once."
"...Understood. Please wait a moment."
With that, the merchant departed.
Watching him go, Rei noticed several people looking his way, but he tried not to let it bother him and moved to the side to stay out of the way.
The other customers and merchants soon returned their focus to their own business discussions. They were curious about Rei, but they probably felt that taking care of the deals in front of them was more important right now.
Rei watched the people immediately concentrating on what was before them, until he eventually noticed the merchant from earlier returning with a serious expression.
Coming straight to Rei, he spoke with a tense demeanor.
"The manager will see you. This way, please."
"Yeah, sorry."
Rei wondered why the man's face was so stiff, but he also felt that asking about it here wouldn't get him an answer.
When they arrived at their destination, Rei noticed four guards standing in front of a room.
(Ah, right. One of the guards was killed by Keena. So they sensed the danger and hastily increased their guard detail... that's probably it.)
Rei felt the guards staring at his face, but he didn't react and silently watched the merchant knock on the door.
"Excuse me, Manager. I've brought Rei-san."
"Let him in."
At those words, the merchant opened the door and let Rei inside.
Whether he had been instructed beforehand, the merchant didn't enter the room and walked away.
(An office, huh?)
There was a desk for official work, and on it was a pile of documents—not high enough to call a mountain, but still several papers were visible.
At the desk, Tris was reviewing documents, signing them, and sorting them into different categories.
In addition to Tris, there were two other guards in the room.
Even from Rei's perspective, they appeared clearly more skilled than the four outside.
"I'm sorry, Rei-san. We're a bit tied up right now."
"No, don't worry about it. I'm the one who came without an appointment. Besides... I heard about the carriage incident."
At those words, Tris looked up, the flesh of his cheeks jiggling.
"Is that so. And so, I understand you've come here because it's related to this incident. May I assume it also has to do with the carriage matter?"
His tone was polite, but Tris's eyes weren't smiling.
Even under that gaze, Rei nodded without appearing bothered in the slightest.
"Yeah. Right, you're busy with a lot of things too, so I'll get straight to the point. We captured the woman who orchestrated the carriage incident."
"!?"
At Rei's words, Tris openly displayed his surprise.
Naturally. He was being told that an opponent they had been helpless against had been captured so effortlessly.
The guards, especially those who had lost a comrade, tightened their expressions severely.
"So, and then... the person you captured?"
"Unfortunately, after we questioned her thoroughly, we handed her over to the guard force. But when we heard what she had to say, she told us some rather interesting things."
"Interesting things, you say? Would you mind sharing them with me?"
"Sure. If you'll leave this whole matter to me, including that, I'll tell you."
"And if I refuse?"
"I won't do anything from my end. I'll just proceed with things as I originally anticipated in this case. Of course, having your agreement here would make various things easier for me, though."
At Rei's words, Tris dropped his usual affable smile and furrowed his brow.
With his characteristic cheek flesh quivering, he opened his mouth.
"I can't give a careless answer without hearing the specifics of what that entails."
"Can't you? That might be true. I don't have confirmation yet, but we might be able to prove that this series of incidents is Precious's doing. Though, that's strictly a 'might' at this point."
As a fundamental matter, even if they determined that Precious was suspicious regarding the carriage crashing into the Spiel Firm branch, if someone argued that the Asimov incident was a separate matter, that would be the end of it.
Rei judged that he would leave those circumstances to Marina.
Of course, if Precious's guard was involved in this incident, it was certain that Precious himself would come under considerable scrutiny.
The possibility of extending that all the way to the Azoth Firm matter was genuinely high.
(Besides... worst case, if he resists in some way with this incident and we can resort to forceful action, that'd be fine too.)
Rei's involvement in this matter was almost purely circumstantial.
Originally, someone had pulled a ridiculous stunt against him—attacking Asimov, stealing the Sleipnir boots, attempting to use them to pit him against the Azoth Firm, and trying to make it look like Tris was behind it. Retaliation against the party who had tried to pull all that was the reason Rei got involved.
He had been waiting for the other side to slip up and reveal themselves in relation to Tris, who was caught up in this incident just like him—rather, who was the real target—but the possibility that they had finally shown their tail was high.
Given that, Rei had no intention whatsoever of hesitating here.
Whether he sensed something from Rei's demeanor, Tris... and even the guards, all without any conscious awareness, felt their throats go dry, their pores open, and a chill run down their spines.
"Understood. I'll leave this matter in your hands, Rei-san. So, could you tell me about it?"
Making an enemy of Rei as he was now would result in considerable damage.
Understanding that, Tris changed his stance without hesitation and said so.
Normally, the guards would have voiced complaints about Tris doing such a thing.
But today, there was no need for such concern.
Or rather, there was no one foolhardy enough to do something like that in front of Rei as he was now.
It should be said that it was fortunate for Tris that only those who could comprehend the terror of making an enemy of Rei were in this room.
If there had been someone here who couldn't feel the aura Rei was radiating at all and had complained to Tris... in that case, it would have ultimately brought great regret to Tris.
At any rate, with Tris accepting his request, the atmosphere Rei emitted returned to its usual state.
"I'm glad you understand. Now, to the main point. According to the female assassin who carried out this incident, the one who commissioned the job was a man with the look of an adventurer."
"...Is something the matter with that?"
Whether he understood what Rei was getting at or not.
In any case, prompted by Tris to continue, Rei went on with his explanation.
"At first, we thought Precious had gone through several intermediaries to commission the female assassin."
He deliberately avoided mentioning the name Keena directly, so that if he and Tris ultimately parted ways after the conversation, he could slow Tris's movements even slightly.
Rei only used the designation "female assassin."
"That wasn't the case?"
"Yeah. You already know that we went to the Slum District before, right? And that Precious had been meeting with some underworld figures there."
"Yes."
"But apparently, that female assassin didn't belong to any organization. Of course, there's the possibility that someone from the organization Precious had contacted made the commission to avoid any blowback reaching them if something happened, but..."
Tris, listening to that explanation, found something he could actually accept.
At the very least, knowing that Rei was an enemy he couldn't oppose, he couldn't imagine anyone connected to himself using someone with ties to him to cause a disturbance.
But Rei didn't seem to think that way. He continued his explanation.
"And considering what we heard from that female assassin, the one who brought the commission was most likely the man serving as Precious's guard."
"...Oh?"
As if that single word had piqued his interest, an intrigued yet convinced-sounding voice escaped Tris's mouth.
If that were true, it would indeed be fatal evidence.
Those serving as Precious's guards were people from the orphanage that his family had operated for generations, and they held strong trust toward Precious.
If such a person had been moving, it could safely be concluded that this incident was Precious's doing.
"So, I'm thinking of having the female assassin—who agreed to cooperate with us after we caught her—come look for that guard."
"I don't think the testimony of the person who masterminded this incident can be relied upon."
"True. But testimony is testimony. If it actually turns out to be suspicious, that's a different story, but it's almost certain that Precious is moving behind this incident, right? Then that's enough."
At Rei's words, Tris eventually gave a small nod.