The place Prairie Wolves led Rei and Ilse to was a bar.
The moment they realized this, Rei and Ilse couldn't help but think another bar... but Prairie Wolves paid them no mind and walked right inside.
Having come this far, the two had no intention of turning back empty-handed. Rei told Set to amuse himself nearby as usual, and then they too entered the bar.
Once inside, Prairie Wolves didn't take a seat just anywhere among the scattered customers but headed straight for the back of the establishment. Naturally, the two followed after him.
(I see. This is probably one of the hideouts for people like Prairie Wolves and his associates.)
Rei made that guess as he headed deeper into the bar. In fact, among the rooms in the back, there were several faces Rei had seen before, confirming his suspicions.
"Right this way, please. ...It's not much, I'm afraid."
The room Prairie Wolves showed them into was about six tatami mats in size. It contained a table and chairs in the center, with a window on the wall — a rather bare, austere room. Prairie Wolves had called it dirty, but it wasn't as though dust had accumulated or cobwebs hung from the ceiling.
"Let me grab some drinks. Please wait a moment. There are also a few others I need to call over for the explanation."
With that, Prairie Wolves left. Seeing him off, only Rei and Ilse remained in the room.
With nothing in particular to do, the two decided to sit rather than keep standing.
"Rei-san. What do you think Ajas is thinking... no, plotting?"
Perhaps because there was no particular topic at hand, Ilse asked Rei that question. But even when asked, Rei had no answer to give.
"Hard to say. Honestly, I'm not really sure. Considering that the Intelligence Unit is mobilized, it's certain he's plotting something... but as for what that is, I don't have the information either."
To Rei, even if Ajas was scheming something, it would be enough to simply crush him along with whatever plot he had. That was the sentiment he held.
But considering the Intelligence Unit was on the move, this was clearly no petty crime... that much was certain.
As Rei and Ilse were talking, there was a knock at the door, and Prairie Wolves appeared carrying a tray with cups of drinks and a plate of bite-sized sandwiches.
Ilse, who had already eaten and drunk somewhat at the bar during the conversation with Melan, wasn't particularly stimulated by the sight of food, but Rei reached for the sandwiches on the table without a second thought.
"Now then... I'd like to get straight to the point, if you don't mind."
At Prairie Wolves' words, Rei and Ilse nodded in unison. ...Though Rei was still eating a sandwich as he did.
"Thank you. But, let's see. Where to begin... Yes, first of all, the reason this whole matter became serious was because we investigated that man, Ajas."
"Well, that makes sense. If there hadn't been any interest in the first place, you wouldn't have investigated him. And if that were the case, naturally it would've been difficult to find out even if Ajas was plotting something."
"That's right. ...At first, there were no particular issues. Well, our side was also short-staffed at the moment, so we could barely spare anyone."
In reality, the only person Egg had assigned to investigate Ajas was a single individual. But... it was also a fact that this one person produced significant results in this case.
There was no doubt that this person had been investigating Ajas's case, but naturally, it was impossible for one person to investigate everything perfectly on their own. That was why the man decided to use an external organization.
Fortunately, the Intelligence Unit was a covert division within the organization headed by Daskar, and they had friendly relations with certain external organizations. The investigation after Egg's subordinate had done a preliminary sweep was entrusted to one such external organization... and since that organization was based in the slums, they detected that one of the other groups operating in the same slums was making suspicious movements.
...Yes. They were forcibly abducting women who had wandered into the slums from among those who had gathered in Gilm for the expansion work. Not only that, but they were even using people with connections to the slums to deliberately lure women in.
Of course, that organization was also aware they were crossing a dangerous bridge. Even so, they had the justification of it being a large-scale deal, and above all, to avoid arousing suspicion from Gilm's residents, they had imposed the restriction of targeting only those who had come to Gilm for the expansion work.
In the end, that organization still got caught.
And so, the organization on friendly terms with the Intelligence Unit obtained that information, gathered more intelligence to sell to the Intelligence Unit at a high price... and while they suffered some losses, the connections between Ajas, Lebejev, Haston, and the like came to light.
Egg, upon being informed of the matter, naturally poured more effort into investigating Ajas. Granted, the Intelligence Unit was already operating near its limits even under the current circumstances, so the investigation took some time... but in any case, it was revealed that Ajas was attempting to abduct a large number of women, and that was where they struggled.
Naturally. The investigation into Ajas had originally stemmed from a request from Marina — or more accurately, from Rei — and since that wasn't particularly being hidden, the Intelligence Unit could easily gather that information.
In other words, depending on the circumstances, there was a chance they could end up antagonizing Rei. It wouldn't have been strange for someone to think that.
To prevent that, the Intelligence Unit decided to make contact with Rei.
Listening to the explanation from the man, Rei and Ilse each wore different expressions. Rei wore an expression of understanding... and Ilse, an expression of sympathy toward the man from the unit before her.
"So what Ajas is plotting is abducting women from Gilm. ...To make them slaves?"
"That's right. I think that possibility is high. If it were just one or two, we could consider it as Ajas and his group satisfying their own desires, but as far as we can determine, it's over twenty... no, close to thirty."
"Then it's not like Ajas and his group are simply fond of women... that possibility is off the table."
"Yes."
At Rei's words, Prairie Wolves nodded in agreement. The two exchanged that brief exchange, but Ilse listened to their conversation with evident displeasure.
It wasn't that she found Rei or Prairie Wolves unpleasant. As a woman, she couldn't conceal her disgust at what Ajas was doing.
"...I see. Well, setting that aside for now, what was your reason for making contact with us? The fact that there was a possibility of clashing with us means you've gotten some kind of lead in this matter, right?"
"Yes. Actually, thanks to you... no, because of you, Ajas and his group can no longer afford to stay in Gilm indefinitely."
He likely wanted to say it was Rei's fault rather than thanks. Observing Prairie Wolves' demeanor, Rei spoke up.
"I see. It's because we made contact with Ajas."
"Yes. If it had only been Ilse-san who made contact, they certainly wouldn't have acted so hastily. It's entirely possible that Ilse-san herself might have been targeted as well."
"I suppose so."
Ilse couldn't deny Prairie Wolves' words either. A beautiful woman whose strength, in and of itself, was nothing remarkable. Such a person — for whatever reason, though she didn't accurately know, or rather, didn't want to know — would be nothing but perfect prey for Ajas.
Of course, those directly gathering women weren't Ajas and his group, but rather the organization dealing with them.
"In any case, that's why Ajas and his group were trying to expedite their next transaction with the organization. ...No, it would be more accurate to say they were trying to."
It seemed he wasn't yet aware that Rei and Ilse had placed direct pressure on Ajas... but even so, Prairie Wolves, as befitting someone from the Intelligence Unit, more or less understood the situation from the current circumstances.
"Ah... right. Ilse, what do you want to do?"
Rei asked whether it was all right to share Ilse's circumstances. Ilse thought briefly about Rei's words before eventually giving a nod.
"Yes, I don't mind."
With that nod, Ilse began to tell her story. That five years ago, her parents and older brother, who had been traveling peddlers, were killed by Ajas, who had been serving as their escort. That she had become an adventurer to exact revenge. ...That she had come to Gilm, which was bustling and drawing people in for the expansion work, and found Ajas there — all of that and more.
Listening to her story, Prairie Wolves wore an expression of understanding. Why someone like Ilse, who clearly wasn't suited for rough business, was targeting someone like Ajas. Because the reason behind it made sense to him.
"I see. ...In that case, there's a possibility they could flee Gilm as early as tonight."
"But flee from where... somewhere other than the Main Gate? Which would mean the expansion site?"
"Unfortunately, I couldn't say on that front. But given that they're an illicit organization, it wouldn't be strange for them to have some kind of connection, and it wouldn't be surprising if they had some escape route we don't know about."
"Wouldn't it be impossible because of the Barrier?"
"I would think so too, but there are no absolutes in this world. The possibility that they have some method we can't even imagine... is quite real."
Seeing Prairie Wolves mutter in frustration, Rei had no choice but to agree. Such organizations likely had some means or another.
"Then maybe we rushed things a little?"
He couldn't help but think that, but it was only now that he learned what Ajas was specifically plotting. Expecting him to predict that beforehand would have been unreasonable. No, someone with a sharper mind might have been able to predict even that. But... unfortunately, such a feat was impossible for Rei.
"You're right. But that couldn't be helped."
Prairie Wolves responded accordingly to Rei's words. In fact, it had taken time even for the Intelligence Unit to see through Ajas's true identity and his scheme.
If it had been original Gilm residents being abducted, it would have become a topic of discussion much sooner. But those who were abducted were all people who had come to Gilm after the expansion work began. Because of that, the spread of information was inevitably delayed.
(Hm? Women going missing...)
Suddenly, he recalled something he had heard from a party called Mercy Rain several days ago. That one of the female members of that party had also gone missing. That was what he had been told.
"Ah... from Mercy Rain's... I forgot the name, but you said one of the women in that party went missing. Could that woman also be...?"
"Mercy Rain, you say? Hmm..."
At Rei's words, Prairie Wolves thought for a moment before speaking.
"Ah, yes. Apparently a report was filed with the Guard Force that a woman named Lyusha had gone missing. From our investigation as well, we believe she was almost certainly caught up in this matter."
"Just as I thought."
Having anticipated it, Rei felt a twinge of regret hearing Prairie Wolves' words. This matter would probably... no, would definitely become a major incident.
If an incident broke out in order to prevent the actions of Ajas and his associates, there was naturally a possibility that the abducted women would be harmed as well. Even if they were adventurers, they had been captive for several days now. Naturally, their physical condition couldn't be at full strength, and being held captive, they likely had no weapons.
If that were the case, it would be difficult for them to seize an opportunity if Rei and the others made a move. ...In reality, they had been fitted with slave collars and forbidden from resisting.
Given the value of slave collars, neither Rei nor... nor Prairie Wolves and his associates had imagined that such items could be procured in bulk. Though Egg, who led the Intelligence Unit, and those around him had not dismissed that possibility.
Still, procuring slave collars for the number of people who had gone missing would require a small fortune. Taking such a risk for rewards that weren't even that substantial — that was why Egg and his people had assumed that either no slave collars had been prepared, or if they had, only a few... or so they had believed.
In this regard, they had evidently misjudged the seriousness of whoever was giving orders to Ajas and his group.
"In any case, it would be problematic in various ways if you were spotted right now, so could you leave the surveillance to us? Of course, the moment they make a move, we'll notify you immediately."
At those words, Rei looked at Ilse. Meeting Rei's gaze, which implicitly asked whether they should leave it to them, Ilse thought for a few seconds before eventually nodding.