A few days had passed since seeing Ilse off. Bistol apparently had his hands full on his end, so they still hadn't managed to meet up.
Amidst all this, today once again featured a bright summer sky with cumulonimbus clouds rolling overhead as Rei and his companions settled in for breakfast outdoors.
They usually ate dinner in the garden, but breakfast was either had inside the house, or Rei, Vihera, and Byune would eat at the Wheat Inn's dining hall at dusk.
So why, of all days, were they eating breakfast at Marina's house today? A change of pace was the most fitting explanation.
Naturally, the fine summer weather also played a part — that much was certain.
Another factor was that while Rei and the others were out working, Elena and Ara had nothing to do and were largely bored.
For those reasons, Rei and his companions were having a slightly more lavish breakfast than usual, but...
"Oh my."
Suddenly, mid-meal, Marina murmured as she sipped a soup made with summer vegetables and dried sea fish.
At the faintly intrigued tone in her voice, everyone at the table turned to look at her.
The members present were Rei and the rest of the Crimson Lotus Wings, along with Elena and Ara, who had taken refuge at Marina's house.
Ielo and the carriage horses were around too, of course.
Be that as it may, among close acquaintances, no one was particularly startled by the curious note in Marina's words.
"So, what is it? Hope it's nothing troublesome."
"We have a guest."
Marina answered Rei's question, and upon hearing this, Elena and Ara both frowned.
They were staying at Marina's house, but it wasn't uncommon for nobles or merchants who caught wind of their presence to come knocking, wanting an audience.
That being the case, Elena and Ara generally ignored such visitors.
Here comes another one of those types... — that was what the two of them thought, but Marina spoke up as if to put them at ease.
"It's not someone here to see Elena. It's one of Daskar's subordinates."
"Lord Daskar's? I see. Does that mean there's been some development in the Ajas incident?"
"I wonder. It'll be faster to hear it directly when they arrive. Shall we finish up our meal?"
"Kyu!"
Hearing that the meal was wrapping up, Ielo — which had been eating a piece of Orc ham cut to roughly the size of its own body — let out a disappointed cry.
Incidentally, right beside the table where Rei and the others were eating, Set was devouring an enormous Orc baked wrap — something that seemed rather excessive for breakfast.
Though it was called a baked wrap, it was technically a steamed roast: meat coated in spices, wrapped in giant leaves, and then steamed.
Since steaming naturally took considerable time, this wasn't something prepared that morning. Rei had previously bought it at a shop and stored it in his Misty Ring.
For an ordinary person, it would have been a dish meant for four or five, but for Set, it was barely a single serving.
"Grrrrl."
Sure enough, upon hearing Marina's words, Set purred as he finished off the remaining meat.
The others also polished off what was left on their plates, and before long, Marina rose to her feet.
"Well, it seems they've arrived, so I'll go step out for a moment."
With that, Marina left the table.
"What do you think?"
"About what? If it concerns Ajas, I'd guess they've come to ask us for a favor... wouldn't you say?"
Vihera muttered with a hint of expectation, and Rei gave her just that brief reply.
Given that Daskar had sent a messenger all this way, it was only natural to assume there was some kind of request involved.
"You're right. If that's the case... the country where Ajas's organization is based — Reblurina, was it? They probably want us to go there, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that's highly likely. The real question is who'd be going in that case..."
Rei offered that much, but Vihera made no effort to hide her assumption that she would naturally be going.
Even during their current patrols, encountering moderately strong opponents in combat wasn't all that rare.
Even so, the overwhelming majority of incidents were scuffles — minor brawls that caused a commotion in the streets — and the kind of tense, thrilling battles Vihera was hoping for almost never happened.
Having repeated one half-hearted skirmish after another, Vihera had consequently fallen into a state of frustration — combat frustration, to be specific.
Even during the battle when Ilse carried out her revenge, the opponents Vihera fought had been Jestal's guards, and they hadn't been particularly skilled.
That was why she wanted to cut loose against a truly formidable enemy, and sooner rather than later.
It was only natural for Vihera to feel that way.
(Though Reblurina is a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana. And a rather small one at that. I doubt there are many combatants there capable of giving Vihera the fight she's looking for.)
Thinking this, Rei turned his gaze to the remaining members.
Byune, as usual, didn't so much as change her expression. Elena merely wore a slightly downcast look.
Elena was present in Gilm during the ongoing expansion project as a deterrent, a watchdog — there were various ways to put it, but in any case, she was there to ensure the Noble's Faction didn't try anything further.
Given that, Elena leaving Gilm would entirely defeat the purpose.
Elena understood this. She understood it perfectly, but... even so, as an individual, her honest desire was simply to be with Rei — the man she loved.
Unlike Marina and Vihera, who were in a party with Rei, Elena was neither a member of his party nor, fundamentally, an adventurer.
Given that, it was only natural that, as a woman, she envied and felt jealous of Marina and Vihera, who were constantly by Rei's side.
It wasn't that she was scheming to monopolize him.
But still, she couldn't help wishing for more time with him, if at all possible.
(Lady Elena.)
Ara, Elena's trusted confidante and closest friend, naturally understood how she felt.
But voicing it aloud right now would be dangerous in more ways than one.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Marina's voice rang out unexpectedly in the morning air.
"Hm? Wasn't there a guest?"
Perhaps puzzled by the fact that Marina had returned alone, Vihera asked.
For Vihera, who had been hoping for a promising battle against a strong opponent, the failure to bring the visitor along only deepened her frustration.
But as if to calm Vihera, Marina offered a reassuring smile.
"Daskar wants everyone to come to the Lord's Manor. ...Everyone here."
"...Pardon?"
The one who murmured, clearly bewildered by Marina's words, was, naturally enough, Elena.
"Marina, I'd like to confirm something. When you say everyone here, do you mean not only the Crimson Lotus Wings but also Ara and myself?"
"Kyu!"
Don't forget about me! Ielo cried out from atop Set's back, where it had moved at some point.
"Ah, right. Ielo's here too. ...Anyway, this includes us as well?"
"Yes. Everyone here. I did ask the messenger again to be sure, but it seems he does want Elena and the others to come too. As for work absences, it's already been arranged with our superiors, so running a little late won't be a problem."
"...Why?"
Elena had already reported the events of the day Ilse took her revenge directly to Daskar in person.
Daskar led an overwhelmingly busy life, but he still needed to hear the circumstances from Elena, who had been dispatched by the Noble's Faction, no matter what.
Though making time for that had only made his already packed schedule even busier.
Setting aside Daskar's workload, Elena simply couldn't fathom why she was being summoned again when she had already given her report.
"Hmm, it's no secret that Elena has been acting alongside us, so maybe it's related to that? Or perhaps, since she's staying at Marina's place, it would be a bit awkward to only summon Marina and the rest of us."
Elena tilted her head with a questioning look at Vihera's suggestion. But since she herself was being summoned, declining wasn't an option.
Besides, spending day after day idle at Marina's house was often tedious, so she decided that going along would be fine and gave a nod.
"Very well. I do not know why Lord Daskar has called for even me, but if I have been summoned, I shall go."
Elena nodded, and Ara naturally fell in step with her. They immediately set about preparing the carriage.
Normally, a carriage wouldn't be able to seat everyone present, but Elena's carriage had its interior space magically expanded.
When moving a large group like this, it was an extraordinarily convenient asset.
The carriage's exterior was crafted so as not to readily betray how much money had gone into it, so it didn't draw unwanted attention.
...Though, with Set trotting alongside it, there was no mistaking who was riding inside.
Then again, anyone with a discerning eye could easily tell that the carriage was worth a small fortune.
And currently, Gilm was teeming with merchants drawn by the expansion project, meaning there were quite a few people with just such discerning eyes.
As a result, the carriage attracted far more attention than expected — both from Set's presence and its own unmistakable quality — as it made its way toward the Lord's Manor.
"Thank you for coming all this way."
Daskar greeted Rei and his group as they entered the Office, but immediately returned his attention to the documents in front of him.
"This is the last one. Give me just a moment."
"My, you summon us all the way here and then make us wait? ...Well, looking at that mountain of paperwork, I suppose I can't complain."
Marina had started to tease Daskar, but the sheer pile of documents on his desk silenced anything further she might have said.
If anything, she looked at him with genuine concern.
Daskar paid it no mind, however. He instructed a maid to bring tea and refreshments, then went right back to his paperwork.
Rei and the others settled onto the sofa. A short while later, the maid arrived with tea and baked snacks at almost the exact same moment Daskar finished reading the final document, signed it, and dropped it into a sorting box.
Moving from his desk to the sofa, Daskar immediately spoke up.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, especially after you came all this way."
"I don't mind. ...But isn't the volume of work a bit much? Handling this amount every single day is going to ruin your health, you know."
To Marina, Daskar was an old acquaintance — she had known him since he was a boy. Seeing him so swamped with work that it might actually break him was something she couldn't simply accept.
"Ah, right. The workload should ease up before long. Once it does, I'll be able to take a breather, so just bear with me until then. ...Now then."
After responding to Marina, Daskar swept his gaze over Rei and the others seated on the sofa.
Then, looking at Elena — and Ara, standing behind her as her guard — he spoke.
"Lady Elena, I apologize for summoning you so deliberately."
"No, I do not mind. I am usually idle, after all."
In truth, Elena had nothing in particular she needed to do and often spent her days at Marina's house with time on her hands.
With nothing pressing during the day, she whiled away the hours sparring with Ara.
...Thanks to that, Ara's combat skills had noticeably improved in the short time they'd been at it, making these genuinely fulfilling days for her.
However, it was also true that Elena's desire to help Ara — even a little — cope with the loneliness of being parted from her friend played a part in those sessions.
"That is good to hear. ...However, the matter concerning Lady Elena will come last, so I must ask you to wait a while longer."
Elena gave a small nod at Daskar's words and reached for her tea.
Perhaps because they had just finished breakfast, she didn't reach for the baked snacks.
Byune, naturally ravenous as ever, had no such hesitation and immediately helped herself.
Daskar watched Byune with a brief, fond smile, then in the next instant his expression returned to that of a lord as he spoke.
"Now then, I imagine you've already guessed... I would like Rei and the others — no, the Crimson Lotus Wings — to go to Reblurina. The reason goes without saying, I trust?"
So he declared.