"Hey, wait! I said wait!"
Ajas shouted as he barely managed to evade Ilse's strike.
The shock from the Death Scythe's blow made it difficult to move his body. And even if he could move, Rei, his companions, and the Intelligence Unit surrounded them—escape was all but impossible.
Ajas understood this full well, but even so, he couldn't bring himself to take Ilse's strike head-on.
"Oh my, why are you running? Come on, take my blade properly!"
The blade swung once more.
Ajas somehow evaded it, but the fact that Ilse didn't hesitate to swing at him was, to some extent, beyond his expectations.
Of course, Ajas knew he was the enemy of Ilse's family.
But even so, he never imagined that a young woman like Ilse, when the moment of revenge finally arrived, would bring her blade down so readily.
If he hadn't dodged, her dagger would have unquestionably severed his ear—and at worst, the strike could have gone wide and dealt a fatal blow to his head.
Understanding this all too well, Ajas couldn't help but reflexively dodge her attacks.
"Ajas!"
Seeing this, Lebejev called out on reflex as well.
But with the tip of the Twilight Spear pressed against him by Rei, he couldn't take any action either.
If he tried to do anything, that spear tip would pierce him without a doubt.
If it were merely being stabbed, Lebejev wouldn't exactly volunteer for it... but he wouldn't be overly opposed either.
However, being stabbed naturally meant taking damage.
If that happened, it would definitely slow him down when the time came to flee.
Given that, it was only natural for him to want to avoid unnecessary damage as much as possible.
"You sound like some champion of justice worrying about your comrade, but you're Ajas's comrade too. Considering the countless crimes you've committed up until now, you're in no position to say such things, are you?"
Rei, who held the Twilight Spear pointed at him, muttered in exasperation at Lebejev's concern for Ajas.
To an outsider who knew nothing, what was happening here would look like one man being taken hostage while another, completely helpless, was being unilaterally attacked by a woman.
If asked who was in the wrong, someone with no prior information would undoubtedly say it was Rei and his group.
"I know that! But telling me not to worry about my friend is impossible!"
Seeing Lebejev shout, Rei furrowed his brow.
"You say things like that when your own comrades are hurt, yet you've piled up countless crimes until now. How selfish."
With those words, Rei stored the Death Scythe in his right hand into the Misty Ring, then slipped that same hand inside his Dragon Robe.
The moment Lebejev saw Rei's movement, a bad feeling washed over him... but it was too late to put it into words.
In Rei's hand, which he pulled out from the Dragon Robe, he was gripping something.
Lebejev didn't know what it was, but it was an arrowhead created by Rei's Magic Item, the Eye of Nebula.
That arrowhead, formed from magical power, had the property of disappearing after a short time.
But for use as a weapon in combat, it was more than sufficient.
"Ajas, dodge!"
What was Rei aiming for? Having understood that, Lebejev shouted, but by the time he did, Rei's right hand had already flicked the arrowhead.
The arrowhead cut through the air and left a single gash across Ajas's left cheek.
The wound was slight enough to be called a graze, but for Ajas, who was desperately trying to evade Ilse's attacks, stopping his movement even for an instant was a critical blunder.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to dodge without issue even after taking such a graze.
But right now, due to the Death Scythe's attack, he was far from being in perfect condition.
As a result, Ilse's forcefully swung dagger easily severed Ajas's right ear.
"Gwah!"
Rather than pain, it was heat.
That sensation assailed where his right ear had been.
Ajas instinctively clutched the spot, but the familiar feeling of his ear was gone—only the slick sensation of blood remained.
Blood spilled from between his pressed fingers.
Even under the moonlight, Ajas could clearly see his right ear lying on the ground.
And yet, the scream that escaped his mouth was brief—surely because he had that much resolve.
"The left ear too—"
"That's far enough, Ilse."
Having finally succeeded in taking his right ear, Ilse was already moving on to the left, but a voice stopped her.
Ilse knew whose voice it was. She knew, but... she couldn't help shouting at the person who was interrupting her as she swung her dagger at the enemy of her family she had pursued for years.
"Why, Rei-san?!"
"Calm down. I believe I told you beforehand. We're going to hear what Ajas has to say first."
"That's..."
At Rei's words, Ilse came back to her senses from her state of extreme excitement.
That was right—ultimately, she would be the one to take Ajas's life, so hearing him out before that was acceptable.
"I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."
A little? the surrounding Intelligence Unit members muttered inwardly as they watched.
Precisely because Ilse was beautiful enough to be called a beauty, her earlier demeanor, as if she had gone blood-mad, had thoroughly unnerved the men of the Intelligence Unit.
The Intelligence Unit members, given the nature of their work, were no strangers to killing people.
But... there was a difference in intensity between doing it themselves and watching a beautiful woman like Ilse do it.
Completely oblivious to the Intelligence Unit's feelings, Rei turned to Ajas, who was pressing his hand against where his right ear had been, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Now then, let me ask again. Why did you do something like... kidnapping enough women to fill three carriages? Where were you planning to take them?"
"T-That's..."
Under normal circumstances, Ajas would never have entertained such a question.
But right now, Ilse, who was actively trying to kill him, was standing before him, and his body could barely move thanks to Rei's attack.
Moreover, with people far stronger than him surrounding them, there was nothing he could do.
(At the very least, it's a relief that Haston is being treated and Lebejev hasn't been attacked.)
He knew this, but Ilse's target was Ajas himself.
For that reason, the fact that his two companions hadn't been touched was a salvation for him. ...Haston had his right knee severed and had sustained multiple wounds in the subsequent fight, but fortunately, he was currently receiving treatment.
(But if I say nothing here... knowing Rei's personality, he might hand me over to Ilse without a second thought.)
He considered trying to brush Rei off with smooth talk, but even if he could manage Rei, there were many others present besides him.
Given that, even if he could somehow handle Rei, the others would be another matter entirely.
If anything, the worst possible outcome awaited him if he deceived Rei.
What should he do to save himself and his comrades?
Thinking this, Ajas opened his mouth while enduring the pain in his right ear.
"Fine! I'll tell you the reason, and I'll tell you who gave the order. So guarantee the safety of me, Lebejev, and Haston!"
At those words, nearly everyone present turned their gaze toward Rei.
Strictly speaking, the one who wanted to kill Ajas was Ilse, and Rei was merely assisting her... but even so, it went to show that Rei's presence carried enough weight to command the attention of everyone around him.
Receiving those looks, Rei thought for a moment about what to do... then opened his mouth while looking at Ajas.
"All right. Depending on your information, I'll consider it."
Hearing Rei's words, Ilse reflexively tried to protest, but Byune, who was standing right beside her, stopped her.
"You mean it?"
"Yeah. ...So? Why did you do something like this? Those carriages are packed with the women you kidnapped, right?"
"Yeah. They're wearing Slave Collars, so they won't cause any commotion. ...Gathering the women was an order from above. It wasn't our idea."
More readily than Rei had expected, Ajas explained the circumstances.
For Ajas, the question of which was more important—the organization he currently belonged to or his longtime comrades Lebejev and Haston—had been decided from the start.
If it meant saving his two comrades, he wouldn't think twice about selling out the organization.
"From the top of your organization, huh. Then what is that organization thinking? Don't tell me they went out of their way to abduct women this aggressively just to run a brothel..."
"No, the women who were taken are working in brothels. That's a fact. It's no joke!"
Seeing that Rei's gaze had shifted toward Ilse after he mentioned them working in brothels, Ajas asserted forcefully.
But the intensity in Rei's gaze didn't change.
"There should be a fair number of women who want to become prostitutes anywhere."
Rei's words were by no means a lie.
Prostitution was a profession one could do with nothing but their own body, and even a woman with no skills could work in it.
Of course, there were women in the world who refused to accept prostitutes, but it was also a fact that crimes of women being assaulted were kept in check precisely because prostitutes existed.
Additionally, for those living in the slums, prostitution was a quick way out.
If asked whether they came all the way to a place like Gilm just to forcibly abduct women to obtain such prostitutes... ordinarily, one wouldn't believe it.
At the very least, Rei couldn't believe it.
But seeing Rei's demeanor, Ajas still didn't change his tune.
"I'm not lying! I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking, but the women taken over there are definitely working as prostitutes."
Rei tilted his head while keeping his sharp gaze fixed on Ajas, who stated this so firmly.
(For him to assert it this strongly in this situation, what Ajas is saying is probably the truth. But... why go out of their way to turn abducted women into prostitutes?)
That was what he couldn't understand.
As Rei had said, for those who wanted to become prostitutes, they could fundamentally become one without issue.
Of course, there were those who couldn't speak well for some reason or another, or women that men wouldn't want to hold, so not everyone could necessarily become a prostitute. And even among those who did, many couldn't attract customers.
Even so, going out of their way to come to a dangerous place like Gilm, and even making deals with an underground organization... was clearly not an ordinary situation.
Thinking about it normally, it was certain there was some reason beyond just prostitution.
"Do you really know nothing beyond that?"
"Yeah, I don't know the reason at all."
Glancing at Ajas, who stated this firmly, Rei turned his gaze toward the Intelligence Unit.
It was an inquiring look, asking if they knew anything, but the Intelligence Unit members all shook their heads in unison.
Judging that they probably knew nothing, Rei thought for a moment... then moved on to the next question.
"Where is the headquarters of the organization that ordered you to carry out this incident?"
Honestly, this wasn't information Rei particularly needed.
But even if Rei didn't need it, it was information the Intelligence Unit very much wanted to know.
Having openly acted against Gilm like this, that organization could safely be regarded as an enemy.
To this question as well, Ajas answered without hesitation.
"Rossa, the capital of Reblurina."
"...Huh?"
What came from Ajas's mouth was a completely unexpected word.
Given that he'd said "capital," Rossi was undoubtedly the capital of a nation.
But the capital of the Kingdom of Mireana was called Carphilly, not Rossi.
"Reblurina!? Why would that country do such a thing!"
Rei didn't know, but Elena, who had been listening, must have recognized the name. Unusually for her, she wore an expression that could only be called astonishment as she stared at Ajas.
Seeing Elena's reaction, Rei surveyed the others.
Marina, Vihera, and the Intelligence Unit members all wore expressions of astonishment, while Byune, as expressionless as ever, was impossible to read.
Ilse was glaring at Ajas with a gaze full of killing intent.
"So, I don't know this country called Reblurina... what kind of country is it?"
"It is one of the small nations adjacent to this country, and simultaneously a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana."
In response to Rei's words, Elena offered that reply.