After dropping off the monsters he'd stored in his Misty Ring at the Guild warehouse, Rei exchanged a few brief words with Lenora and Kenny before heading out. He cast a sidelong glance at the guild staff members, off-duty adventurers, and even a few ordinary townsfolk already busy dismantling the creatures.
He hadn't felt anything in particular when he'd originally stored the corpses, but from Rei's perspective, having people like that around was incredibly convenient.
The Gigant Turtle... no, come to think of it, they said they'd have adventurers dismantle that one. It won't even fit inside the warehouse, so it has to be taken apart outside. That means it'll absolutely draw a crowd. In other words, it's good publicity for the Guild.
Granted, the Guild of Gilm already carried considerable name value on its own. Whether going out of its way to attract even more attention in this situation actually served any purpose... Rei couldn't say.
Well, I don't need to worry about that. The Guild's probably already considering all angles. For now, I just need to call Set and head to the Treant Forest... hmm?
Let's go.
Rei had been thinking just that when he caught what sounded like a familiar voice. He turned his gaze toward it.
"Look, listen to me. That guy Rei is by no means an ordinary person. Just getting involved with him brings misfortune!"
"..."
Rei never expected to hear himself badmouthed so blatantly, but the one doing the talking—Melan—hadn't shouted with the intention of letting Rei overhear. If anything, he probably hadn't even noticed Rei was there.
Normally, Rei would have absolutely avoided getting involved. But if the person Melan was speaking to was Ilse, that changed things.
Yesterday, she had asked for his help with her revenge. While his answer was technically still on hold, she was nonetheless his client—or rather, someone who intended to become his client. He couldn't just stand by and let someone poison her against him.
The reason he usually ignored such things was that Rei knew full well he attracted attention and envy in various ways. Becoming an alias-holding high-rank adventurer in his mid-teens, and moreover having Gryphon Seto as his tamed monster—it would have been stranger if people didn't envy him.
However, Rei was merciless toward anyone who made an enemy of him.
Knowing that, his detractors couldn't afford to lash out recklessly. And if they tried to scheme against him, he was far too dangerous an opponent to risk even their own lives as a bargaining chip.
It wasn't that Rei was some kind of tactical genius who could see through every scheme.
It was just that... his sheer combat power was overwhelming.
No matter how many traps they laid, he was the kind of opponent who would calmly bulldoze through them with brute force. Nothing short of a nightmare.
The last resort available to such people... was badmouthing Rei behind his back.
Rei possessed exceptionally high ability in one area—combat—but he had plenty of flaws otherwise. For those looking to tear him down, those shortcomings were the perfect ammunition... or rather, the perfect material for a verbal attack.
Of course, that sort of thing was meant to be shared behind closed doors, not announced loud enough for Rei himself to hear.
Regardless, even if Melan hadn't done it intentionally, Rei walked toward the man who was broadcasting his grievances to the entire street.
Because Melan had been running his mouth at a volume that carried, several passersby had already turned to look. That was precisely why they caught sight of Rei approaching Melan and Ilse. Eyes widening, they quickly put distance between themselves and the brewing scene.
The first to pick up on the shifting atmosphere was Ilse, who had been listening to Melan's rant. She noticed the crowd thinning around them and glanced about while still keeping one ear on his words.
What she saw was Rei, closing in from behind Melan.
Recalling exactly what Melan had been saying, Ilse's expression darkened as she sensed trouble.
Melan, oblivious to the exodus around him, did at least notice the change in Ilse's expression. Looking puzzled, he opened his mouth.
"Hm? What's wro—"
"Speaking ill of someone out loud for the whole street to hear... honestly, I don't think that's a very good idea."
At the voice from behind, Melan froze.
Naturally. He knew exactly who it belonged to.
Melan himself had once challenged Rei to a duel and been swatted aside without effort. Rei was his rival for Vihera's affections, a high-rank adventurer, a wall standing squarely in his path. There was no mistaking that voice.
And hearing the mention of badmouathing only removed any lingering doubt.
"Rei, why are you here..."
Melan turned toward the voice, and what came into view was unmistakably Rei.
"I was just passing through and happened to catch you badmouthing me... well, slandering me, I suppose? Either way, I heard it. I'm not going to tell you not to talk behind my back, but you should at least keep your voice down."
It was genuine advice, not mockery.
Since Rei attracted envy wherever he went, he figured being the subject of gossip was par for the course. And Melan, at least, had a legitimate reason for hostility—Vihera.
But to Melan, those words—spoken without any hidden agenda—sounded like nothing but condescension.
The only reason he didn't explode was the guilt of having been caught badmouthing Rei within earshot.
He hadn't intended to broadcast it. But as he'd talked with Ilse, he'd grown increasingly worked up, and his voice had risen without him even realizing it.
Caught between rebellion, shame, reluctant understanding, and jealousy, Melan wore a complicated expression.
"Sorry. I got a little carried away."
That he could still offer an honest apology was a testament to Melan's pride.
Rei, fully expecting hostility, was mildly surprised. So the man wasn't a complete hothead.
"Well, that's fine. But arguing on a main street like this is unsightly."
"...That's..."
At Rei's words, Melan glanced toward Ilse.
Ilse, receiving the look, showed no sign of being bothered by it and spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Rei-san. Apparently, he found out you and I were together yesterday."
"Ah... I see."
To Melan, Rei was—adventurer or not—someone whose character simply couldn't be trusted. Part of that was the preconception of a romantic rival, but objectively speaking, it wasn't entirely wrong. For Melan to warn Ilse, whom he'd only just met, to stay away from Rei out of concern was, in a sense, only natural.
"...Rei. Why are you getting close to Ilse?"
"It's not like we're particularly close or anything."
There was no lie in Rei's words. The truth was, he'd spoken with Ilse because she'd asked for his help with revenge—not because he wanted to get to know her, and certainly not because he was trying to charm her.
But looking at Ilse right now, it doesn't seem like they were discussing revenge. I suppose that's to be expected.
Even from Rei's perspective, Melan struck him as the type who believed that what was right was right, plain and simple. Of course, as an adventurer of a certain rank, it was hard to imagine he'd never been on the receiving end of something unreasonable. Then again, unilaterally challenging Rei to a duel and unilaterally losing could itself be called an unreasonable experience.
From Rei's point of view, being unilaterally challenged was the unreasonable part.
"No matter how you look at it, you two are close, aren't you?"
"I guess so... maybe it's because of a certain circumstance?"
"A certain circumstance?"
Melan looked utterly lost. But Rei had only said it offhandedly because he couldn't think of a proper excuse on the spot.
Ilse, picking up on that, quickly came to his aid.
"Um, Rei-san saved me when I was being harassed by some adventurers. That's all. I just treated him to a meal as a thank-you."
Anyone who truly knew Rei would have thought That's suicidal... upon hearing those words. In fact, among the onlookers keeping their distance while watching to see what would happen, more than a few were casting pitying glances at Ilse.
But Melan—despite having gathered some information about Rei—didn't know about his bottomless appetite, and so he accepted Ilse's explanation at face value.
"What, is that it? Then you should have just said so."
"...Even if you had, I don't quite think you would have believed me."
Rei muttered it under his breath, but Melan caught it. For a brief moment, his expression soured. Then it settled back into calm.
"What's the relationship between you two, anyway? Are you actually a couple, by any chance?"
"Huh?"
Both Ilse and Melan made the same sound, but the emotions behind them couldn't have been more different.
Melan was half-confused. Ilse, on the other hand, was thinking Why me?
It wasn't that Ilse disliked Melan. She could tell he was somewhat self-righteous, but she also understood he was genuinely worried about her. Even so, he was someone she had only just met. She couldn't possibly see him in that light.
"Judging by your reactions, it seems you're not."
"Of course not."
Ilse stated it without a second's hesitation.
Seeing that, Melan felt a twinge of hurt. True, they had only just met, and his heart already belonged to Vihera. Even so, being asked whether he was dating someone and then being denied without a flicker of hesitation wasn't exactly pleasant.
Hm?
Rei didn't understand why Melan looked stung, but since Ilse had made it clear they weren't together, he pressed on.
"If Ilse were your girlfriend, you might have the right to weigh in on who she spends time with. But she's not, so I don't see why it matters who she has a meal with."
"That's... we're friends. Worrying is only natural."
"Maybe. But at the end of the day, a friend is a friend. It's not that deep a bond. Complaining about her sharing a meal with someone—that's overstepping, don't you think?"
"That's..."
Melan must have realized that if someone who wasn't even his girlfriend had said the same to him, he'd have been resentful. He didn't look like he had any rebuttal left.
"I get that you have a lot to say, Melan. But you two just met, right? You should keep that in mind before you act."
"Ugh..."
Unable to fire back, Melan choked on his words. Still, some lingering feeling must have remained, because he continued glaring at Rei with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
Rei, paying it no mind, went on.
"In the first place, what about your work today? Vihera already headed out."
"...Today's my day off."
He said it sullenly, but it was the honest truth.
He'd been helping the guards with patrols, and that work was grueling by any standard. With so many adventurers packed into the city, incidents were constant. Being the ones tasked with resolving them meant the patrol teams burned through their stamina at an alarming rate.
To prevent unnecessary injuries, adventurers showing signs of fatigue were ordered to rest. Today was Melan's designated rest day. He'd insisted he was fine, but the Guild had overruled him, and so here he was—sulking through an unwanted day off.
Vihera, meanwhile, was out working without a problem.
Feeling thoroughly inadequate, Melan bit down on the thought.