Elena looked at the letter placed on the table.
Then she turned her gaze back to the man who had set it there—Daskar—and spoke.
"My father sent this?"
"Yes. I've been in correspondence with Duke Kerebel regarding this matter, and it arrived during our exchange."
"...I see."
Daskar's words came as no particular surprise.
After all, the current Noble's Faction was working to deepen its relationship with the Neutral Faction. Naturally, there were those within the faction who disapproved of that direction—those who had seized on Gilm's expansion as an opportunity to make their move. It was precisely to keep such individuals in check that Elena had been dispatched to Gilm.
"For now, I'd like you to read it," Daskar said. "I believe it is by no means bad news for you, Lady Elena."
Elena felt a flicker of surprise at those words, though she kept it from her face. Given the current situation, she had assumed that any letter from her father—Duke Kerebel, who led the Noble's Faction—would instruct her to wrap up her work in Gilm and return to his side. The fact that Daskar was telling her otherwise meant he likely already knew the letter's contents.
What kind of letter could he send at a time like this?
With that thought, Elena examined the wax seal, confirmed it was indeed from her father, and used the paper knife Daskar had placed on the table to extract the letter from its envelope.
For the next few minutes, Elena read in silence while the others watched without a word. Only Byune, absorbed in savoring the baked snacks, paid the proceedings no mind.
"...Phew."
Elena let out a quiet sigh as she finished reading. Her expression was far from dark—if anything, she looked pleased. The contents of the letter were indeed not bad, just as Daskar had said.
"Lady Elena?" Ara prompted.
Elena offered a radiant smile. "It says I am to accompany Rei and his party to the country of Reblurina and cooperate in resolving this matter."
The most surprised by Elena's announcement was undoubtedly Ara. She could never have imagined that Duke Kerebel would instruct Elena to become so deeply involved in this affair.
But she was not the only one caught off guard. Aside from Daskar, who already knew the contents, and Byune, who was lost in her snacks, everyone present was startled.
"Why, though?" Vihera said. "I don't mean to be rude, but Elena, you're the symbol of the Noble's Faction, aren't you? You'd send her—of all people—to Reblurina? It may be a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana, but right now it's practically an enemy nation."
Rei and Marina shared Vihera's misgivings. Of course, they were glad Elena would be coming along—not just for her combat power, but for morale as well. Still, as Vihera had pointed out, Elena was the symbol of the Noble's Faction. Letting her head to another country so easily was something that naturally invited questions.
To Vihera's question, Elena answered, brushing back her golden hair.
"It seems my father wishes to use this opportunity to formally build a cooperative relationship with the Neutral Faction. To that end, the Noble's Faction has decided to cooperate in responding to what was done to the Neutral Faction—yes, an act by the country of Reblurina that could fairly be called an attack."
"More accurately, an organization based within Reblurina... correct?" Marina interjected.
Elena nodded. "Indeed. But do you believe an organization capable of something like this has no connection to the state? At the very least, it is certain that someone near the heart of their government has ties to this organization."
Whether she found that convincing or not, Marina raised no objection. Her interjection had likely been a precautionary measure more than anything. Seeing that the others had nothing to add either, Elena spoke again.
"That being the case, I will be cooperating with Rei and the others as well. ...However, Ara."
"Yes? What is it?"
Since Elena was going with Rei's party, Ara had naturally assumed she would be going along too. She tilted her head at being addressed so suddenly.
Elena looked somewhat reluctant as she continued. "I will be going with Rei and the others, but I need you to stay behind in Gilm, Ara."
"No!"
Ara's outcry came almost before Elena could finish her sentence, and it was laced with genuine anguish.
"I am the commander of Lady Elena's Escort Knight Order. As such, it is only natural that I remain at your side!"
"...I would feel much more reassured with you there, Ara. That much is true."
There was no falsehood in Elena's demeanor as she said it. Ara—her childhood friend, someone she had grown up alongside since they were children—was undeniably one of Elena's most reliable companions. In terms of pure combat power, she may have been inferior to Rei and the others, Byune excluded. Even so, a single swing of her Power Axe, backed by her Herculean Strength, carried enough force to dispatch an ordinary adventurer with ease.
She was also invaluable to Elena simply as someone to talk to. And yet...
"Ara, we came to Gilm for the express purpose of keeping the Noble's Faction from making any suspicious moves. As long as that remains our duty, we cannot both be away from the city at the same time."
"That's..."
Elena's words sealed Ara's lips. She understood perfectly well that Elena was right—what she said was correct. And yet, Ara still could not bring herself to nod in agreement. It was not that she doubted Elena's ability. She was simply, genuinely worried for her safety.
Watching Ara's deeply troubled expression, Rei had a sudden thought.
"How about leaving one of Elena's Paired Orbs with Ara?" he suggested. "That way, she could contact Elena whenever she needed to. If you'd prefer, I could lend my Paired Orbs to Ara instead."
The others nodded in understanding. Normally, a Magic Item like the Paired Orbs was extraordinarily valuable—something that, if sold, would fetch a fortune large enough to live on for years, or in some cases, a lifetime. Naturally, Rei would never consider lending one to someone whose character he did not know well. But fortunately, he knew Ara. He knew her well enough to trust that if she ever contemplated misusing it, she would not fear Rei's retribution so much as she would dread being abandoned by Elena.
That was why Rei could offer the Paired Orbs to Ara without hesitation.
"I would be glad if you did that," Elena said, "but... are you sure?"
Rei nodded, signaling it was no trouble at all.
"Thank you very much, Lord Rei."
Ara still seemed somewhat dissatisfied at the prospect of being separated from Elena. But with the Paired Orbs, she would at least be able to speak with her at any time. She had seen Elena using the Paired Orbs to speak with Rei before, and had even spoken with Rei through one herself. She understood perfectly well what that meant.
Daskar watched the exchange while sipping his tea, then spoke.
"I'm sorry, Rei. I truly end up relying on you for so much."
"Not at all, it's no problem," Rei replied. "I'd been curious about what Ajas's organization was after anyway."
According to the information they had extracted from Ajas, the women they kidnapped were being used as prostitutes. But given that there was no shortage of women willing to enter that profession, going out of their way to kidnap them from another country—and from the suzerain state at that—using an expensive Magic Item like a Slave Collar made no sense no matter how he looked at it.
There had to be a reason they went to such lengths. The fact remained, however, that he had no idea what that reason was.
Under normal circumstances, it was probably not something he would need to concern himself with so deeply. And yet, Rei found himself inexplicably bothered by it. A bad premonition—that was the most honest way to describe what he was feeling.
If Daskar had not brought this matter to him, there was a real chance Rei would have eventually headed to Reblurina on his own, without saying a word. Not immediately, of course, but around winter, once Gilm's expansion work had settled down.
For that reason, having Daskar formally request it like this was, if anything, convenient. And more than that...
"The basket Magic Item you had made—would I be able to receive that as well?"
The Magic Item Daskar had prepared was something Rei was genuinely grateful for. Unlike before, when he had operated solo, Rei was now part of a party—the Crimson Lotus Wings. So far, they had never needed to travel long distances as a group, and they had managed by having members cling to Set's legs. But relying on that as their only means of transportation going forward was cause for concern.
Using a carriage would be necessary if everyone needed to travel together. If they were crossing a desert, the Sand Ship he had previously acquired would serve nicely—but unfortunately, there were only a handful of deserts in the Kingdom of Mireana. Granted, some Dungeons did have a Desert Floor, so it would not be entirely useless. Even so.
For Rei—and for the Crimson Lotus Wings as a whole—the basket Magic Item Daskar had arranged was a tremendous asset.
"Hm? Well, yes. If that's what you want, Rei, we can add it to your rewards. Mind you, there aren't many uses for a thing like that. It was originally designed for Set, after all."
"Thank you. I'd like to say that's more than enough on its own, but once this matter is settled, there are a few improvements I'd like to request. At the very least, I'd like it modified so it draws on my magic power instead of magic stones when changing the bottom's color."
"I understand. The current model was thrown together in a hurry, after all. Once my alchemists have some breathing room, I'll have them prepare for modifications. And if you run into any issues while using it out there, we'll factor that in as well. Naturally, I'll cover all the necessary costs and materials."
"...Are you sure? Going that far for us?"
The offer was unexpected, even to Rei. But he seemed to be the only one caught off guard. Marina wore her usual enigmatic smile as she chimed in.
"Well, this is a request to go to another country—one that's effectively an enemy nation, given the circumstances—and wipe out a criminal organization. If anything, I'd say this much is the bare minimum."
Daskar had not used the word annihilate. But given the need to settle accounts over this incident, that was clearly where things would end up. And in truth, Rei had every intention of doing exactly that.
"If there's anything else you'd like as a reward, I'm open to discussing it. Anything come to mind?"
"Let's see," Marina said. "First, any assets or wealth the organization possesses—we split them among ourselves. That's acceptable, yes?"
"Sure. It would be similar to how we handle bandit subjugation rewards."
"Other than that... anything?"
Rei thought for a moment before answering Marina's inquiring gaze.
"I have a Magic Item called a Sand Ship. Would it be possible to have it modified to operate on normal ground, not just sand?"
"Sand Ship? ...Ah, that's right. There was a report about you traveling to a desert a while back. You acquired it then?"
"Yes. The Sand Ship is incredibly convenient, but it only works on sand. If it could be modified to run on solid ground as well, I think that would be quite revolutionary."
"I see the appeal. But... modifying a Sand Ship to work on the ground would require deploying a substantial number of alchemists and mages, and the materials needed would be immense. I'm sorry, but I can't go that far."
"...Then what about combining it with the reward for this mission and the pay from the work I've been doing on Gilm's expansion?"
Originally, Rei had planned to receive his expansion work compensation in materials—Flame Ore and the like. But if it meant making the Sand Ship usable on land, the payoff would be enormous, both as a means of transportation and as a shelter when camping outdoors.
"If that's the case, I don't mind redirecting my share of the reward toward it," Vihera offered.
"Then I think I'll hitch a ride on that bandwagon too," Marina added.
Vihera and Marina both voiced their agreement with Rei's proposal. But even hearing that, Daskar did not nod. He could not.
If the Sand Ship modification were actually undertaken, it would become a massive project requiring the full resources of Gilm. The expansion work alone was already stretching them to their limits. Adding something of that scale on top would be nearly impossible. They simply had no resources to spare.
As Daskar wrestled with the dilemma, Rei suddenly flashed a grin, as if he had just thought of something, and looked back at Daskar.