"Hmm... revenge, huh."
As Rei recounted his encounter with Ilse earlier that day over dinner in Marina's courtyard, Vihera murmured the words under her breath.
Normally, Rei and his companions ate their evening meal at the Wheat Inn's dining hall around dusk. The reason they had shifted to dining in Marina's courtyard was because of Elena and Ara's presence.
The Noble Faction nobles in Gilm had, naturally enough, already received word that Elena was in the city.
After all, Elena had come to Gilm specifically to ensure that the Noble's Faction wouldn't interfere with the expansion construction project.
Given that, making sure Gilm's Noble's Faction knew of Elena's arrival was only natural.
That the Neutral Faction members learned of it as well was equally unsurprising—this was Gilm, the territory of Daskar, a central figure of the Neutral Faction.
Among the Three Great Factions, the last to learn of Elena's arrival was, as one might expect, the King's Faction.
...However, precisely because it was the largest of the Three Great Factions, its influence remained considerable.
They were the last to learn that Elena had come to Gilm, but even so, the difference was only a matter of hours.
Beyond the nobles, many of the merchants who had been waiting in front of the Lord's Manor had also deduced Elena's presence, and information was flowing in from various other quarters as well.
A large number of adventurers were currently gathering in Gilm from all over, and among them were naturally those who recognized Elena.
Under such circumstances, taking Elena to the Wheat Inn at dusk was simply not an option.
If they did, it certainly wouldn't be an atmosphere where they could eat in peace.
The reason Elena could currently enjoy a leisurely meal while chatting with Rei and the others was precisely because they were in Marina's mansion, shielded by Spirit Magic.
Even though they're both Alias Holders, their treatment is remarkably different.
Glancing at Elena and Rei, Marina found the contrast amusing.
The Princess General and Crimson. Both were Alias Holders whose reputations had spread to neighboring nations, yet the attitudes of others toward the two were vastly different.
Respect for the Princess General; awe for Crimson.
Of course, there were those who felt awe toward the Princess General and respect toward Crimson.
But looking at the bigger picture, the difference was decisive.
Entertaining these thoughts, Marina spoke up.
"Even so, there are all kinds of revenge. If possible, I'd rather it not turn into a major incident."
"From the sound of it, Marina, you don't particularly object to revenge either, do you?"
"That's right. When you've lived long enough, seeing someone out for revenge isn't uncommon. ...If the target happened to be someone close to me, that would be a different story, but otherwise, I say let them do as they please."
Marina replied to Rei with casual indifference.
"Marina-dono, that is a bit... as a former Guild Master, is that not imprudent?"
Returning the spoon she had been lifting to her mouth back to her soup bowl, Ara chided her.
But Marina, on the receiving end of the reproach, merely tilted her head with a soft "Really?"
In that moment, her brown skin, bathed in moonlight, presented a sight that could only be described as bewitching.
Ara was by no means attracted to women, but faced with Marina's appearance—seemingly the very embodiment of feminine allure—she found her cheeks flushing red almost involuntarily.
Catching herself, Ara hastily shook her head.
Marina had been watching Ara's reaction with amusement, but as Ara's gaze grew more insistent, she finally spoke again.
"That's right. I'm only a former Guild Master. I'm not the current one, so there's no need to be so particular. Especially since we aren't in a public setting right now."
"If you speak like that here on a regular basis, I imagine you might end up saying the same thing in public," Ara pressed gently.
Marina flashed a radiant smile. "Don't worry. How long do you think I served as Guild Master? I understand where that line is drawn perfectly well."
Put that way, it was hard for Ara—who had only lived about twenty years—to argue further.
"Marina, don't bully Ara too much."
"Oh? She's quite cute when she gets like this, so I just can't help... well."
At Marina's reply to Elena, Ara opened her mouth as if to retort... but in the end couldn't bring herself to say anything more, and instead reached for the food on the table.
"Still, revenge, huh. You've brought back quite a troublesome topic again."
Elena, having turned her attention away from Ara, naturally redirected her gaze to Rei, who had brought up the matter in the first place.
But it wasn't as though Rei himself was seeking revenge—he had simply been asked for his opinion on it.
"Even if you say that... By the way, Elena, judging from how you sound, are you against revenge?"
"From my position, I can't say either way."
"Eh?"
Having fully expected her to say she was opposed, a bewildered sound slipped from Rei's mouth.
And it wasn't just him. Marina, Vihera, Byune—the others all reacted the same way.
Only Ara showed no particular surprise at Elena's words.
"What is it? You're all so startled."
"No, I just assumed that, being you, Elena, you'd say revenge was a pointless act."
"...I have stood on countless battlefields and stained these hands with blood. Do you think someone like me could call revenge a foolish act? That would be nothing but empty posturing."
Elena, who had been to many battlefields, had naturally taken many lives.
If one counted not only those she had taken directly but also those claimed through her command of subordinates, the toll would far exceed mere dozens or hundreds.
Given that, Elena understood full well that it wouldn't be strange at all if relatives of those whose lives she had taken—directly or indirectly—came seeking vengeance.
At her explanation, everyone nodded in understanding.
Nearly everyone present had taken many lives in battle.
Only Byune, given her age, had never participated in a war, and even during her solo dungeon conquests she had tended to avoid combat, so she had taken relatively few human lives.
...Even so, "relatively few" was not the same as "none"—and that distinction perhaps spoke to the inherent karma of those who lived as adventurers, knights, or soldiers.
"Well, I don't know exactly what kind of person this woman called Ilse wants to take revenge against."
"The fact that she went out of her way to ask me about it means... it's probably something along those lines."
Rei replied to Elena's words.
She had gone out of her way to come to Gilm, a gathering place for adventurers, and was asking what he thought about revenge. There was no doubt she intended to take revenge against someone currently in Gilm.
It's not like she's seeking revenge against bandits at a time like this, after all.
Right now, a large number of adventurers were already converging on Gilm.
Given that, Rei didn't think bandits would dare venture near the city.
Of course, there were cases like Count Relduct's private soldiers disguised as bandits, so he couldn't say with absolute certainty that there were none.
Alternatively, it was possible her target had already been killed by a monster, but... in the end, that possibility had to be considered unlikely.
"I just hope no trouble breaks out."
Sensing that the situation might escalate into a major disturbance, he murmured the thought aloud.
Of course, with so many adventurers currently gathered in Gilm, the guards were already patrolling with greater frequency than usual.
Even that wasn't enough manpower, and they had submitted requests to the Guild to have adventurers supplement the patrols.
If someone tried to cause a disturbance under these conditions, they would almost certainly be caught, and it would snowball into a major incident.
"So... did you hear what her reason for revenge is?"
"No, I didn't. What she asked me was simply what I thought about revenge."
"I see. ...Even if it is revenge, I hope it's not the kind where blood flows... what do you think?"
"Impossible."
In response to Marina's words, Rei shook his head firmly.
From the way she had asked him about revenge... and even more so from the way she had spoken of envying and resenting his power, he simply couldn't believe it would end as anything less than a major incident.
If anything, he could tell that she was unmistakably aiming for revenge in the truest sense—taking the target's life.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Marina nodded with a regretful expression.
"In that case, all we can do is pray it ends as small a disturbance as possible."
Vihera, who had been listening to Rei and Marina's exchange, muttered her agreement, and beside her, Byune nodded in sync while eating her pizza.
The two of them were currently handling patrols in Gilm.
Because of that, there was a very real possibility they would be called out if a disturbance occurred.
Although communication with Byune was difficult, she possessed average skill as a thief, making her well-suited for tracking down anyone who had caused trouble.
Vihera, with her sheer strength, was ideal for subduing violent individuals.
Especially given Gilm's current situation, the ones causing trouble were, in all likelihood, adventurers or hot-tempered craftsmen.
Naturally, subduing such people required a commensurate level of ability.
Gilm's guards normally handled such individuals, so their skills were more than adequate—but right now, incidents were breaking out everywhere, all at once.
They simply couldn't keep up. And that was exactly why adventurers like Vihera were being hired.
Under such conditions, those with outstanding ability naturally tended to be called upon more often, and Vihera was one of the most formidable fighters in all of Gilm.
If it were a genuinely strong opponent, Vihera would at least show some enthusiasm... but unfortunately, such individuals were few and far between.
...Few and far between, but not nonexistent—which perhaps spoke to Gilm's unique character.
In fact, up through today, there had already been a handful of occasions where Vihera had found opponents she could enjoy fighting, even if only mildly.
In any case, since Vihera was also the only person who could communicate perfectly with Byune, she was sometimes summoned for that reason alone.
Vihera and Byune generally worked together, but there were times when they absolutely had to split up... and that was when Vihera would be called in.
"A small disturbance, huh... It really would be nice if it ended that way, but..."
"What is it, Marina? You sound rather noncommittal."
What is it? — Marina, who had been watching Vihera and Byune, let out a small sigh in response to Elena's question.
"This is a massive expansion project, you know? Normally, it wouldn't be strange for people to try meddling in all sorts of ways. In fact, Count Relduct already made his move."
"That's right. That's exactly why I ended up coming to Gilm. ...Though personally, I was glad to."
Originally, the only way Elena could meet with Rei was through conversation via Paired Orbs.
Well, even that was considered fortunate for this era.
Unlike when Rei had lived in Japan, here in Elgin there was no internet for casually chatting with someone far away.
Letters were no better—unlike in Japan, where sending one would reliably reach the recipient within days, this was not so blessed an environment.
The cheapest way to send a letter was to entrust it to a merchant caravan, but then there was no telling when it would arrive.
At worst, the caravan itself could be attacked and wiped out by bandits or monsters.
There were also methods using adventurers, Summoning Magic, or tamed monsters to deliver letters, but those required sums of money that an ordinary person couldn't afford to spend casually.
In that sense, long-distance relationships were extraordinarily difficult to sustain in Elgin.
...Though the fact that they weren't entirely nonexistent perhaps served as proof of just how powerful an emotion human love could be.
In any case, compared to most people, Rei and Elena—with their Paired Orbs—were exceptionally fortunate.
No, initially they hadn't possessed such things at all. It was their desire to speak with each other whenever they wished, even while apart, that had driven them to obtain the Paired Orbs themselves—so it wasn't merely luck, but the ability to make it happen.
But... even so, wanting to speak with Rei directly, face to face rather than through Paired Orbs, was only natural for a young woman in love like Elena.