"Huh? You're going to make direct contact with him, Rei-san?"
It was the day after Elena had suggested that Rei try making contact with Ajas, and Rei had nodded in agreement.
While transporting building materials needed for the new wall in his Misty Ring, Rei encountered Ilse along the way and promptly explained the proposal Elena had made the day before.
"That's right. I managed to find the person you were talking about, but according to my investigation, he hasn't caused any problems in Gilm. He's behaving exactly like a well-mannered adventurer."
"Wh-what!?"
She probably couldn't believe the words coming out of Rei's mouth.
Ilse was speechless for a moment, but then her face gradually turned red.
It was immediately clear even to Rei, who was watching from the side, that this redness didn't stem from shame or embarrassment, but from anger and indignation.
"Calm down."
Rei called out to Ilse, who looked ready to bolt from the spot at any second.
His words helped Ilse settle down, if only slightly, but she still couldn't bring herself to forgive Ajas, and her fists remained clenched tight.
If Ilse had a little more strength, or if her nails were sharper, she might have broken the skin of her palms and spilled blood onto the ground.
"...I understand. But..."
In response to Rei's words, she barely managed to reply with just that much.
The man who had killed her family was being accepted by those around him as a well-mannered adventurer.
That was something Ilse could by no means tolerate.
Her features, which could fairly be called beautiful, twisted into a complex expression of humiliation, anger, and sorrow.
Though even so, she didn't look ugly to Rei.
Guess it's true that beautiful people have it easy.
Thinking that, Rei took the opportunity to speak to Ilse again.
"I had a bit of a question about that 'well-mannered' part, though... That guy Ajas is really your enemy, right? Is there any possibility you mixed him up with someone who has a similar tattoo...?"
"There isn't!"
What burst from Ilse's mouth was a shout loud enough for everyone around them to hear.
She shook her green hair wildly and directed a gaze that was half-hostile right at Rei.
Is he protecting my enemy... the enemy who killed my family?
Naturally, her words were also heard by the people nearby.
Once they realized that one of the people talking was Rei, it was no surprise that nosy onlookers turned their gazes toward them, wondering what was going on.
Rei must have understood this too. Knowing that drawing the attention of others here would be problematic, he pulled Ilse into the shadow of a building, to a spot hidden from passersby.
"Tch, Rei's making another beauty his woman. This sucks."
"Hey now, don't say that. It's only natural for women to be attracted to strong men. If you're jealous, you should just get stronger yourself."
"Like hell I could become a monster like that!"
"Hey, did you just badmouth Set-chan just now?"
"That's right. I heard it too. You just called Set-chan a monster, didn't you?"
"I didn't say that! How do you even mishear something like that!?"
The man who had called Rei a monster was being confronted by people who always doted on Set, but while listening to that exchange, Rei didn't intervene. He simply led Ilse toward the shadow of a nearby building.
Once he confirmed they were in a position where the people around them couldn't see them, Rei spoke again.
"About that guy Ajas..."
"Yes."
Ilse, too, had perhaps regained some composure from moving to a different location. She replied to Rei, suppressing the agitation from moments before.
She didn't seem particularly surprised to hear the name Ajas.
It wasn't as if she had done absolutely nothing over the past few days.
Taking advantage of her well-groomed appearance, she had been gathering information from adventurers at taverns.
Through that, she had already traced that the name of her enemy was a man called Ajas.
She had been accosted by her fair share of drunkards, but she had dealt with them using her natural wit.
The fact that she was able to hold her own, if only somewhat, against the man from Egg's Intelligence Unit was likely thanks to Ilse's high capabilities.
...Though in truth, only one person had been dispatched from the Intelligence Unit to investigate Ajas.
Looking at Ilse, who seemed somewhat calmer, Rei spoke carefully.
"The reason you judged Ajas to be Ajas... to be your enemy, was because of that snake tattoo, right? If so, there's a possibility... a real stretch, but is there any chance it was just some guy who happened to have the same tattoo?"
"There isn't."
Because she believed with absolute certainty that she was not mistaken, Ilse declared it instantly.
If it were just his face, there might be a chance of a misidentification.
Years had already passed since the day her family was killed.
No matter how much she filled herself with hatred, memories still faded with time.
But... that left hand.
There was no way Ilse could have mistaken the snake tattoo on that left hand, coiling around it as if climbing a tree.
Rei must have understood that as well. Even hearing Ilse's assertion, he nodded without any particular surprise and then spoke.
"If that's the case, then what Ajas is thinking, hiding himself away like he is now... no, that's not an accurate way to put it. Regardless, the question becomes why he's keeping a low profile..."
"I think, perhaps, he's plotting something."
"Probably. We made the same prediction yesterday. If what you say is true, he doesn't come across as the type to honestly accept requests and work diligently."
"Absolutely. At the very least, I simply cannot believe that that man... Ajas, has repented of his past deeds and reformed."
Ilse murmured, as if enduring the fierce emotions assaulting her.
To be precise, it's not that she can't believe it, but rather that she doesn't want to believe it.
From Rei's perspective, Ilse was stubbornly fixated on taking her revenge.
Of course, her family had been killed before she had fully struck out on her own, and she had seen the scene herself, so it was only natural for Ilse to harbor a strong desire for revenge.
Rei could understand that.
But... because she had lived with that desire for revenge since childhood, it had already become a part of who Ilse was.
From Rei's point of view, he found himself uncharacteristically worried about her.
Come to think of it, why am I worrying about Ilse this much?
Suddenly, Rei questioned his own feelings.
Normally, Rei wouldn't delve so deeply into another person's circumstances.
Even if he were told it was about revenge, he might feel something, but that would be it.
At the very least, he would never think of seriously cooperating like he was doing now.
"Rei-san? What's wrong?"
"Hm? Oh, no. It's nothing. I was just thinking about how to approach him when I make contact. Even he would be startled if I suddenly came up to him out of nowhere, right?"
"...Well, that's true."
Rei was a famous figure in Gilm in more ways than one.
If someone like that suddenly approached him, under normal circumstances, Ajas wouldn't be able to simply accept it at face value.
"That's exactly why how I make contact becomes an issue."
Hearing Rei's words, Ilse racked her brain.
But naturally, no good idea came to mind right away.
As the two of them were puzzling over it, Rei suddenly realized something.
If Ajas had come to Gilm to accept requests, then he would naturally be accepting them at the Guild.
On top of that, given that he was active in Gilm as a well-mannered adventurer, his standing with the Guild was naturally high as well.
In that case...
"Should I try relying on Lenora and Kenny?"
"Who are they? They sound like women's names."
"They're Guild receptionists. My assigned one and her friend. They've helped me out with a lot of things."
"...Huh."
For some reason, Ilse's voice dropped a notch.
The faint glint of seeing a rival in women that flickered in her eyes was probably not just Rei's imagination.
"Did something happen?"
"No, it's nothing. I just thought that you have quite a lot of beautiful acquaintances."
Ilse had been investigating Ajas over the past few days, but naturally, she had also looked into Rei, whose help she had requested for her revenge.
After all, Rei was famous in Gilm.
Compared to Ajas, investigating him was far easier.
And when she investigated Rei, she naturally ended up looking into the Crimson Lotus Wings that he led, and various pieces of information about its party members were gathered along the way.
Once she did that, hearing about how he was surrounded by peerless beauties like Marina and Vihera was only to be expected.
Moreover, one of them was a former Guild Master, so in terms of newsworthiness, it was quite significant.
For Ilse, hearing that Rei, who kept such beauties at his side, was also close with the Guild receptionists made it only natural for a tinge of contempt to mingle in her gaze.
In fact, since receptionists served as the face of the Guild, those with well-featured appearances were chosen for the role.
Of course, simply being good-looking wasn't enough; the prerequisite was that they also had the ability to properly do their work.
Receptionists, who could be considered a kind of elite, naturally held high popularity among adventurers.
Gilm in particular, perhaps due to its special nature as a frontier, had many beauties like Lenora and Kenny.
Furthermore, if one gathered even a little information about Rei, it would be easy to learn what kind of feelings Kenny harbored for him.
Knowing those circumstances, it wasn't strange for Ilse to direct a contemptuous gaze at Rei.
"...Well, I can't deny that."
Having many beautiful acquaintances was something even Rei couldn't deny.
In fact, it was an undeniable truth, and moreover, he was favored by Elena, Marina, and Vihera—three women who, while each different in type, could all be called peerless beauties. If he denied that and those three heard about it, he would suffer for it later in more ways than one.
Perhaps judging from Rei's attitude that it was better to say nothing more, Ilse eventually spoke again.
"So, will things work out if you talk to the Guild?"
"I can't say for certain, but probably."
Rei didn't make empty promises, but considering how much he had contributed to the Guild up until now, that was by no means an exaggeration.
Especially in the single area of the ongoing Gilm expansion work, the role that Rei and the members of the Crimson Lotus Wings he led were playing was extremely significant.
Rei used his Misty Ring to transport materials, transport lumber logged from the Treant Forest, transport defeated monsters, and so on.
Marina used her Spirit Magic to bring about work efficiency dozens of times—perhaps even more—than that of an ordinary worker.
Vihera, with her high combat skills, assisted the Guards by patrolling Gilm and apprehending numerous suspicious individuals and those causing disturbances.
Byune wasn't serving as a major source of Combat Power, but as a thief, she was still useful in various ways. ...Though the number of people who could communicate with her was limited.
Set was entrusted with the important job of aerial patrol, and also served as a mascot that healed the hearts of those in Gilm.
Considering all of this, it was clear just how much the Crimson Lotus Wings were contributing.
Given how much Rei and his party were contributing, the Guild should be willing to listen to at least a reasonable request.
In reality, they would listen to not just reasonable requests, but most unreasonable ones as well.
"...Understood."
Hearing Rei's explanation, Ilse eventually replied, still harboring some dissatisfaction.
For Ilse, she had absolute conviction that Ajas was undoubtedly her enemy.
But considering Ajas's current disguise, if she acted recklessly here, there was a possibility that Ilse would head toward the worst possible future—one where Ajas escaped and Ilse became a wanted criminal.
Ilse must have understood that as well.
That was precisely why she gave a reluctant nod to Rei's words.
Once he confirmed that Ilse had accepted it, Rei let out a breath of relief.
If she had said no, things could have gotten very complicated.
At worst, there was even a possibility that Ilse, rebelling against Rei's words, would charge straight at Ajas.
"Alright, now that that's settled, let's get going."
"Huh? Wait, what about your work, Rei-san?"
"My side of things is pretty flexible. Besides, no one should be in dire need right now."
Hearing Rei's words, Ilse felt the impressive nature of a High-Rank Adventurer.