"Is this the right building?"
Vihera muttered as she stared at the structure before them.
It was only natural she'd ask. The thing standing there barely qualified as a building. It was a hut so dilapidated that no one would blame you for questioning whether it could even be called one.
The walls were peeling in places, making it trivial to peer inside. It was the kind of structure that looked ready to collapse at the slightest provocation.
"I can't believe she hid Platinum Coins in a rundown shack like this."
"That's exactly why, isn't it? No one would ever imagine treasure being hidden in a hut like this."
"...I see. Even if there's a fire, only the hut itself burns. The Platinum Coins buried in the ground stay safe."
"Yes. When you think of it that way, it's quite clever. But still, hiding something so valuable in a place where anyone could just walk in... you'd think she'd be worried sick."
"Mn."
Byune let out a short sound of agreement at Vihera's words.
Buried in the ground, the coins were unlikely to be found easily—but that wasn't a guarantee. For a creature with a keen sense of smell like Set, finding them wouldn't be difficult at all.
Of course, Keena was somewhat well-known in the Slum District and the underworld as a reasonably skilled freelance assassin. Anyone foolish enough to steal her treasure would likely trade their life for a brief moment of luxury. There shouldn't be many death-seekers willing to target Keena's valuables knowing full well what that entailed.
"Well, we can ask her about all that later. For now, let's focus on what we need to do. Set, we're going inside. Keep an eye on the area. I doubt anyone's going to try anything at this point."
"Grrrwl."
Set let out a confident cry, as if to say, "Leave it to me."
Rei genuinely believed no one would be foolish enough to interfere with them—and he was right. Ever since they'd approached the Slum District, no one had so much as harassed them.
Given Rei and Set's fame in Gilm, that wasn't surprising. The fact that they had formed Crimson Lotus Wings, a B-Rank party, was also fairly well known.
Death-seekers who would pick a fight with people like them were...
"Hey hey hey, look partner. Fine-lookin' women over there."
"Yeah, real fine. Hehehehe."
Those voices rang out suddenly from nearby.
"...So they do exist."
Rei hadn't expected anyone to still be brazen enough to accost them. Of course, these were the kind of people who hung around a place like this. It wouldn't be strange if they weren't caught up on rumors and information.
Even so, leaving me, Vihera, and Byune aside... Set is right there. Looking at those two, I seriously doubt they could handle a Gryphon.
The two men who had approached them were a study in poor impressions. One was covered in unkempt facial hair that gave off an unhygienic air. The other was visibly obese, letting out an unsettling cackle while staring at Vihera.
Neither looked remotely strong.
For just a fleeting moment, I wondered if Precious had made some kind of move... but it was completely my imagination.
One look at the pair told Rei they were anything but formidable. He lost interest, gently stroked Set, and spoke.
"Set, sorry, but handle those guys. As long as you don't kill them, do whatever you want."
"Grrrrwl."
Set cried out and stepped forward.
As he showed his readiness, the pressure radiating from his body—something between Fighting Spirit and killing intent—made the two men involuntarily stumble backward.
"Wh-what the hell! You think you can do this to us!?"
"Yeah, yeah! This ain't acceptable!"
They finally started panicking, as if only just grasping how dangerous their situation was. Rei completely ignored their protests and walked into the hut.
Something that sounded like bodies being slammed into the ground came from behind him, but he didn't spare it a thought.
The interior was, as expected, quite old and showed no signs of anyone actually living there.
"Ugh... what a place," Vihera said.
"Mn."
"Yeah. That's exactly why no one would think to look for treasure here. ...It should be over this way."
Recalling Keena's instructions, Rei headed toward the corner of the hut. Several boards had been laid down, and he pried up a few of them. Beneath, there were signs of digging. After a light excavation, something wrapped in cloth emerged from the dirt.
"This is it."
"Yes, I'd say so. Looks like she was telling the truth after all."
Even at this stage, Vihera hadn't really thought Keena would lie. But some small part of her had wondered, what if? Seeing the Platinum Coins actually there brought a wave of relief. If they hadn't found them, the deal Marina had arranged—Keena joining the Prairie Wolves—would have fallen through.
"Alright, then..."
"Mn."
Before Rei could finish, Byune, who had been surveying the hut, let out a short sound and pointed to a spot a short distance away. Near where the Platinum Coins had been buried, there was a clearly disturbed patch of ground.
Given that Keena's coins had been hidden in this hut, what was buried there didn't require much imagination.
"Ah... let's leave it. We didn't come here to confiscate all of Keena's hidden fortune. Whatever's buried there, it belongs to her."
"...Mn."
Looking slightly disappointed, Byune nodded. Though classified as a bandit, that was merely a technical designation. She wasn't a bandit in the truest sense and had no intention of taking someone else's belongings. She'd only been curious about what might be hidden there.
"Come on, let's hurry. I want to wrap this up today if possible."
"Mn."
At Vihera's urging, Byune headed out of the hut. Rei and the others followed, stepping outside to find two men sprawled on the ground.
Who they were didn't require much thought.
Rei glanced at the pair, confirmed they had scratches and bruises but were still breathing, and gave Set a stroke.
"Good job not killing them."
"Grrrrwl!"
Set purred as if to say, "Naturally!" It was a cry that perfectly conveyed his happiness at being praised.
Had there not been two men collapsed on the ground, it could have been a heartwarming scene.
After Rei spent a few minutes stroking Set, the unconscious men finally came to.
"Hiih! Hiiiigh!"
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
Before their eyes stood the fearsome monster that had battered them so thoroughly. Seeing Rei petting it as casually as one might pet a cat, Vihera watching with an exasperated expression, and Byune's emotionless stare—the two men finally understood that the people before them were far from ordinary. They screamed as they scrambled away.
Paying the fleeing pair no mind, Rei pulled out the Platinum Coins they'd found inside the hut.
"Set, here. Track the scent on these coins—the one that doesn't belong to Keena."
"Grrwl."
Purring as if to say, "Leave it to me," Set activated his Sense of Smell Enhancement and sniffed the Platinum Coins. Then, catching the scent lingering in the air, he set off down the street.
His first destination was not the Slum District, but the road leading toward the main street.
I thought Precious might have hidden in the Slum District to avoid detection...
Somewhat surprised by the direction Set chose, Rei and the others followed.
"Where do you think he is?"
"Who knows? Common sense says some inn or another... assuming the man who brought the job to Keena hasn't left Gilm yet."
Vihera replied to Rei's question.
"That's the problem. Marina spoke to Lord Daskar about it, but we can't rule out the possibility that he escaped using some method we couldn't predict. If that's the case, we've lost our trail."
Rei sighed, though he privately estimated that the odds weren't all that high. Leaving Gilm undetected was extremely difficult due to the Barrier. For major figures in the underworld, something like that could be managed—but Precious didn't have that kind of backing in Gilm.
Which meant he was most likely still inside the city. That was Rei's prediction—or perhaps better described as a premonition.
And watching Set advance down the street without hesitation, that feeling only grew stronger.
Hiding in a carriage to slip out... the guards would normally catch on to something like that.
There was also the option of hiding inside a barrel or something similar, but not many people went that route. Whether Precious could partner with someone who operated that way... given enough time, it was possible, Rei judged.
And right now, time was both their greatest enemy and their greatest ally.
"Grrwl?"
"...No, that's for later."
Noticing Set eyeing a nearby stall, Rei gently stroked his head. Set seemed to understand that this was an important moment. Without showing any dissatisfaction, he returned to tracking the scent.
Several people tried to dote on Set when they saw him, but one look at Rei's demeanor made it clear this wasn't their usual casual outing of snacking and playing. Aside from a few who couldn't read the room and the Children, no one tried to bother him.
Set seemed slightly lonely about that, but he understood that tracking the scent on the Platinum Coins took priority. As if severing his lingering attachment, he pressed on down the street.
"So... where do you think he is?"
"Hmm. I figured the Slum District was a strong possibility, but... it looks like that's not it."
"Mn."
Vihera answered Rei, and Byune nodded in agreement. Rei felt the same way.
The Slum District was not a place anyone would normally enter. That was precisely what made it convenient when you wanted to vanish from prying eyes. Yet despite the Platinum Coins having been hidden right near the Slum District, Set hadn't headed that way at all.
Which meant Precious—or more precisely, the man who had commissioned Keena—definitely wasn't in the Slum District.
Ah, maybe he deliberately drew attention to himself to divert our eyes away from Precious...? That's a possibility too.
The thought crossed Rei's mind fleetingly, but for now, trusting Set's nose was undeniably the best option.
"Hm? Wait a second. This road..."
Rei and the others had been following Set's lead when Rei suddenly realized the surroundings had grown familiar.
They were not far from the Guild. It wasn't right on the main street, but it was undoubtedly a bustling area.
As a place for Precious to stay, it wouldn't normally be unusual. But given the current situation, the idea that he was openly checked into an inn was enough to raise eyebrows.
"What do you think?"
"Even if you ask me... you don't think Set would mistake the scent, do you? If so, he's almost certainly staying at an inn around here."
Vihera replied.
They say the darkest place is under the lighthouse. This is exactly that. ...Though whether Precious is actually here, I still can't say for sure.
Rei walked on, thinking as he surveyed the area.
Where they finally arrived was, sure enough, an inn not far from the Guild. Rei at least knew its name. While it couldn't compare to the Wheat Inn, it was still firmly in the higher-class category. And being a high-end establishment, it boasted strong security as a selling point.
Thinking of it that way, Precious staying here wasn't so strange.
"Alright then... let's go."
Muttering those words, Rei took a step toward the inn.