"Ah..."
Ajas's head accepted the blade of Ilse's dagger with an almost uncanny ease.
A human skull, by its nature, possessed a certain degree of hardness—enough so that someone unaccustomed to combat attacking with a longsword would not easily break through it. Of course, with sufficient power—someone like Rei, for instance—crushing a skull with whatever weapon they happened to carry would be trivial. But Ilse, who had scarcely engaged in combat at all in her life, should not have been capable of such a feat.
And yet, her blade pierced through Ajas's head with ease, driving deep enough to cleave through the brain within. Having received that blade, Ajas relinquished his life just as simply.
Early to mid-thirties... a man who had deceived, killed, and committed every manner of villainy—his end came with unexpected swiftness.
"Mmmmmgh—!"
Lebejev, whose mouth had been stuffed with cloth by a nearby Intelligence Unit agent to silence him, screamed upon seeing his comrade's life extinguished. Though most of the sound was muffled into meaninglessness, his wail of grief still echoed through the surroundings.
"If he could understand the sorrow of losing a comrade, he should've just acted as a proper adventurer from the start instead of getting involved in something like this," muttered the Intelligence Unit agent standing near Lebejev, watching him continue to cry out despite being gagged.
"Well, the other one's just unconscious, so he might have it easier."
Haston had thrashed violently, but having received treatment for his severed right knee, he was now unconscious. Several Intelligence Unit agents surrounded him where he lay collapsed on the ground some distance away, ready for any contingency. His hands were bound and his mouth sealed; normally his legs would need to be tied as well, but with his right knee severed, that was impossible. Then again, lacking a right leg entirely, even if he tried to escape, breaking free from this place would be all but impossible.
In contrast to the activity unfolding around her, Ilse—who had personally slain the enemy she had pursued for five years—heard none of it. If anything, despite having killed Ajas, she had yet to feel any sense of reality. She stared blankly at the dagger in her hand. The surrounding voices barely registered; she simply stood there, half in a daze.
Rei and the others observed her state but did not attempt to speak to her. They understood that nothing they said would reach her now—or even if it did, she would not be able to comprehend it.
"Well then, Rei-san. We'll be taking the captured men with us."
Dahl glanced at Ilse before addressing Rei.
"Yeah. Go ahead. I thought it was just some organization running a slave trade, but... this looks like it's going to be a much bigger incident than expected."
"...Yes. It was completely unexpected for us as well."
An organization, yes—but not one from this country. Rather, an organization from Reblurina, a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana, not a major power like the Bestia Empire. For the Kingdom of Mireana, there was no doubt that many would feel they had been slighted by a vassal state.
And the foremost among them would undoubtedly be Lord Daskar.
To have allowed such blatant underhanded activities in the city he governed—Daskar's pride had been crushed as thoroughly as possible. It wasn't merely having mud slung on his face; it was the kind of humiliation akin to having horse manure smeared across it. Even so, he was a central figure of one of the Three Great Factions—the Neutral Faction. Under normal circumstances, something like this would have been almost impossible to believe.
Of course, Gilm was currently in the midst of expansion construction, and large numbers of people had flocked there seeking work. From that perspective, it was probably an ideal place for plotting conspiracies or perpetrating crimes. In fact, precisely because so many such individuals had gathered, the Intelligence Unit was currently busy in multiple senses, and even for this incident, they had not been able to dispatch as many personnel as they would have liked.
"Though for now, it's not as if the people ruling Reblurina have directly extended their reach here. It's strictly the work of a criminal organization within that country... right?"
"Yes. However, whether an organization alone could pull off something this large-scale is another question entirely..."
"It'd be difficult."
"Indeed. At the very least, it's certain that someone connected to the organization exists within Reblurina's upper echelon. For starters, I doubt that this many Slave Collars could be procured so easily."
"That's a fair point."
A Slave Collar was an expensive Magic Item. Preparing several dozen of them was not something an ordinary organization could accomplish so easily. What's more, there was no guarantee that Ajas and his group were the only operatives dispatched by the organization. It was virtually certain that members had been deployed elsewhere beyond Gilm as well. Considering that those operatives were likewise equipped with Slave Collars, attributing everything to a single organization was unreasonable.
"Well then, we'll be taking our leave for now. I've already sent someone running to report that this incident is resolved, but I expect we'll need to provide a detailed briefing as well."
"Yeah, understood. Thanks for everything this time. Tell Ilse I said thanks on her behalf."
"No, we're the ones who should be grateful. Being able to borrow the strength of the Crimson Lotus Wings was a great help."
Dahl bowed deeply—first to Rei, then to the Crimson Lotus Wings, Elena, and Ara. Meanwhile, Elena's Tamed Monster, Ielo, was riding on Set's back playing, and showed no sign of noticing Dahl's farewell.
"Oh, right. What will happen to the women who were captured?"
"Let's see. After we question them about the circumstances of where they were captured, we'll likely send them on their way with a few days' worth of living expenses."
"...Huh."
Rei murmured with a hint of admiration. Questioning them before releasing them was expected, but he hadn't imagined they would go so far as to provide living expenses, even if only for a few days. It wasn't just Rei who was surprised; the others felt the same. In truth, very few lords would do such a thing. That alone made it clear that this particular incident was being treated as special in various ways.
"This matter is connected to the fact that a large number of the people gathered here came for Gilm's expansion construction. So apparently those circumstances play a role. Though I should mention this is something I heard from a colleague as small talk, so it may not be entirely accurate."
"Hmm. Daskar probably doesn't want any stains on the expansion project. Considering the reputational damage it could cause, a few days' living expenses isn't that significant," Marina muttered in understanding at Dahl's words.
Though that, too, was only possible because Daskar fell into the category of virtuous lords.
Of course, it's not purely out of goodwill. This incident could—no, for the Neutral Faction, it carries the potential to become a significant advantage. Well, the risk that came with that reward was considerable as well.
They had managed to stop Ajas and his group, so there was no particular problem. But if Ajas's trade had gone through successfully, and they had safely escaped beyond Gilm... Daskar's pride would have been crushed even further than it already was. It was certain that Daskar would use this incident as grounds to make various demands on Reblurina. While not all of the gains would belong solely to him, it would still be a substantial windfall. Additionally, there would need to be a settling of accounts—making amends and tying up loose ends for this affair.
In any case...
Rei turned his gaze toward Ilse, deciding that considering such matters was not his responsibility.
She had defeated the enemy she had pursued for years. Whether she felt any sense of accomplishment or not, Rei couldn't say. But one thing was certain: Ilse was staring at Ajas, who lay collapsed on the ground with a dagger still embedded in his forehead, with an absent, vacant expression.
Perhaps it would be better to leave her alone for a while longer. Rei couldn't deny the thought, but the night was growing late. The date had already changed before his group had arrived at the Slum. Time-wise, it was still nighttime, but in a few hours the morning sun would begin to rise.
Rei and the members of the Crimson Lotus Wings were considered the backbone of the expansion construction effort. As such, none of them could simply say they were skipping work because they were sleepy. Though Elena and Ara, having nothing in particular to do during the day, could sleep normally if they wished.
However, Rei and the others were adventurers. As such, there were times when requests required pulling all-nighters. Fortunately, Rei had rarely taken such requests, but this too could be considered a worthwhile experience.
Not that I want to consider this kind of experience worthwhile.
Sleep was one of Rei's supreme comforts. And even though his body possessed performance beyond comparison with an ordinary human's, sleep was not unnecessary—it was essential. Taking those circumstances into consideration, pulling an all-nighter was hardly desirable.
"Ilse, it's almost morning. You should get at least a little sleep."
"...Yes."
Perhaps snapped back to herself by Rei's words, Ilse looked away from Ajas on the ground and turned toward him. She still appeared somewhat dazed, but she must have regained her senses at least partially. She gave a small nod at his words and tried to move from where she stood—but then suddenly stopped. And once again, she turned her gaze toward Ajas's corpse on the ground.
From an outsider's perspective, it was impossible to tell what Ilse was thinking. Whether she was basking in the satisfaction of having accomplished her revenge, whether she was being assailed by guilt over having killed a person, or whether it was something else entirely. In any case, from Rei's perspective, it was undeniable that Ilse was not in a normal state.
However, for a man to tend to her would reflect poorly on appearances. Given that, it was only natural to think that her care should be left to one of the women. Fortunately, the Crimson Lotus Wings were all women aside from Rei, and both Elena and Ara present at the scene were women as well. If that was the case, there were plenty of candidates to ask to look after Ilse.
Among them, Rei's gaze settled on Marina.
"Marina, can I ask you?"
"Yes, leave it to me."
With a soft chuckle, Marina cast a smile at Elena and Vihera before approaching Ilse's side and whispering something into her ear.
Seeing Marina do so, Elena and Vihera each twitched their cheeks. She wore a triumphant smile at having been the one Rei relied upon. Marina herself likely had no such intention, but at the very least, Elena and Vihera both perceived it that way.
However, to say anything in this situation would make it appear as though they were jealous of Marina. Moreover, considering Ilse, who had just fulfilled her revenge, they judged it better to hold their tongues here. Both of them settled for directing a slightly intense gaze at Marina and nothing more.
...Though "slightly intense" was strictly from Elena and the others' perspective. The others present—particularly the Intelligence Unit agents who normally had little contact with Elena and her group—found that several among them unconsciously felt their knees tremble and their teeth chatter. The Intelligence Unit was a gathering of battle-hardened veterans, but even for such individuals, the Fighting Spirit and killing intent radiated by Elena and Vihera was enough to send a chill down their spines.
"Hm? What is it?"
The moment Rei asked that, both the Fighting Spirit and killing intent vanished cleanly.
"It's nothing. For now, Ilse should be made to rest properly. Given some time, she should be able to sort out her feelings to some extent," Vihera said.
"I agree with Vihera. For Ilse, killing someone was a first experience, was it not? If so, feeling either excitement or depression is only natural," Elena added.
Every person present had, in some form or another, experienced the act of taking a human life. That was precisely why Elena could understand Ilse's feelings.
...Though in Rei's case, the relevant common sense had been tampered with when he came to this world, so he felt nothing in particular when killing someone, as long as they were an enemy standing against him.
In any case, the disturbance that had erupted in the middle of the night thus came to a close. However, though the incident itself was safely resolved, it had given rise to—no, brought to the surface—numerous seeds of conflict and calamity that would linger long after.