When Rei and his group returned to the Silver Fruit Inn after gathering information, Marina and the others had already arrived back. They immediately gathered in Rei's room to exchange what they had learned.
Rei had considered holding the discussion over a meal in the dining hall, but he understood that, unlike in Gilm, they stood out overwhelmingly here in Rossi.
Moreover, the possibility that the organization hadn't yet caught wind of the Ajas incident couldn't be dismissed entirely. Given that, he judged it best to avoid consulting in a place where they might be seen.
At the Wheat Inn at dusk, where people were accustomed to Rei and his group, few would pay them any mind even if they discussed matters over a meal in the dining hall.
However, for those constantly looking for their next business opportunity, Rei's group's discussions could serve as a good source of profit. There was a high likelihood that someone would try to eavesdrop—though for entirely different reasons than what Rei was worried about.
"Here, a souvenir. You liked these, didn't you, Rei?"
What Marina held out as she said this was a Panyan.
It was a local specialty dish of this country, made by hollowing out a large loaf of bread similar to a French baguette and stuffing it with stir-fried meat and vegetables.
Rei had indeed enjoyed the dish when he first ate it upon arriving in Rossi, just as Marina had said.
Byune also happily accepted the Panyan Marina handed her.
However... Rei and his group had already eaten a fair amount at the tavern.
For those like Rei and Byune, who ate large quantities, it was one thing. But Vihera's appetite was only slightly above average—by adventurer standards, at least—and her preferences aside, that was all it amounted to.
Given that, there was no way Vihera could eat a whole, substantial Panyan on top of everything else.
"Rei, please."
"Yeah."
For the time being, Vihera's Panyan was stored in the Misty Ring, and the conversation resumed.
"Anyway, we managed to find a clearly suspicious place."
At Rei's words, Elena looked slightly displeased, but Marina smiled.
Before long, Marina spoke up, looking amused.
"Mejougo... right?"
It seemed Marina and her group had also arrived at what was likely the correct answer.
Rei was surprised for a moment, but since Mejougo wasn't particularly hidden to begin with, that was only natural.
It was a pleasure district in the truest sense, sustained entirely by brothels and taverns.
Normally, when one heard the term "pleasure district," they would picture a single district within a town or city.
But Mejougo was exactly what the name implied.
Naturally, if beauties like Elena or Marina had gone around asking about such a place, some would have mistaken them for aspiring prostitutes, and others might have harbored far worse intentions.
Even so, it was a silver lining that Marina had visited the Guild.
"It seems the Guild isn't too fond of Mejougo, either."
"...Hm? Why is that?"
Brothel patrons naturally came from all walks of life, and among them, adventurers were some of the best customers.
Depending on the request, taking on a subjugation job meant risking one's life.
Even with other types of requests—escort missions, for instance—fighting bandits to the death was not uncommon.
Many who finished life-threatening assignments longed for human warmth, and heading to a brothel afterward was a frequent choice.
Of course, if one had a lover, that would be a different story.
Regardless, a brothel was an essential establishment for adventurers, just like a tavern.
Without them, sex crimes would undoubtedly increase.
If that happened, the reputation of adventurers—and by extension, the Guild—would naturally suffer.
So why did the Guild find Mejougo displeasing? Rei couldn't understand.
Perhaps sensing his question, Marina took a sip of the fruit water Rei had prepared before beginning her explanation.
"Guarding brothels in a pleasure district is also fundamentally one of an adventurer's jobs. Of course, if a brothel has its own connections, they might hire a retired adventurer or an acquaintance. But... that's only when you think of it as a single establishment."
Hearing that much, Rei understood what Marina was getting at.
"In other words, in Mejougo, adventurers are needed only as customers. They don't issue guard requests to adventurers?"
"Correct. Mejougo is apparently a fairly famous pleasure district in this area. Enough so that people come in large numbers from surrounding countries, including the Kingdom of Mireana."
"If that many customers are coming, then if adventurers had been hired for security, it would have been a significant source of income. Having that opportunity taken away is what doesn't sit well with them... is that about right?" Vihera interjected.
Marina nodded at her words.
"That's right. I met with the Guild Master, and they seemed to harbor quite a strong dissatisfaction over that very fact."
"Hmm... by the way, was that Guild Master not an acquaintance of yours after all, Marina?"
Before heading to the Guild, Rei had already been told that the Guild Master here was someone Marina didn't know.
However, he had thought that perhaps they had met before and she had simply forgotten—but Marina shook her head.
"Unfortunately, it was someone I'd never met. Though it seemed they knew of me."
"...I figured."
Marina was famous in various ways.
Enough so that anyone serving as a Guild Master in a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana would naturally know her name.
Rei had thought as much, but he noticed that Elena, for some reason, wore a displeased expression whenever the Guild Master came up.
"What's wrong?"
"...Honestly, I cannot bring myself to like the Guild Master here."
"Ah... for you, Elena, that's understandable. Being approached that obsequiously wouldn't sit well with you."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Elena gave a brief reply to Rei's question.
Seeing her demeanor, Rei vaguely sensed that the Rossi Guild Master's personality probably wouldn't suit him, either.
"That kind of worldly person is exhausting to deal with properly... no, perhaps tedious is more accurate. But if they believe there's profit in it, they won't betray us, so in terms of practicality, they're actually quite convenient."
"I understand. I would never do anything to let that show. I only speak frankly because it is in front of you, Marina, Vihera, and Byune."
That likely meant she felt comfortable enough to reveal her true feelings among the members present here.
Elena brushed up her golden hair and quietly averted her gaze, perhaps out of bashfulness.
"A-Anyway. It is safe to assume that there are definitely some clues to be found in this place called Mejougo, is it not?"
Elena said this as if to cover up her embarrassment, and her words were not wrong. However...
"If Mejougo is operating without any issues whatsoever, then there's no doubt that someone in the upper echelons of Reblurina is connected to the organization."
At Rei's murmured words, the others all nodded in agreement.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to operate a pleasure district like Mejougo.
The very fact that it was operating at all meant that the upper echelons of this country were involved with the organization in some capacity. There was no mistaking that.
"So, the question is who goes to Mejougo."
Even as she said this, Marina's gaze was directed at Rei.
Naturally. After all, Rei was the only man in the party.
And the one heading to Mejougo, a town primarily built on brothels, would naturally have to be a man.
As a result, the only conclusion was that Rei would be the one to go.
However... there were, of course, those who could not accept this.
"I am opposed to this."
The first to voice her objection was Elena.
Sending the man she loved to a brothel was something she simply could not tolerate.
Though going to a brothel was unacceptable to her, Elena had no issue with Rei taking Marina, Vihera, and two other women as wives—something Rei could never quite understand.
"Hmm, I'm inwardly opposed too... but who else would go besides Rei?"
Marina seemed dissatisfied, but not to an unbearable degree.
"I suppose I feel the same as Marina, more or less."
Vihera murmured as well, with an air of resignation.
In contrast to the three women, Byune simply watched the exchange among the others, seemingly indifferent either way.
"...I would like to hear what Rei thinks about this."
"You're asking me that...?"
Rei muttered with an expression that said he'd walked right into that one.
Being the only man, he understood full well that he had no choice but to go.
But at the same time, he could also understand why Elena was opposed.
"So? What do you think, Rei? I'd like to hear that too."
Marina, who had been watching Rei's reaction, looked at him with a smile.
Vihera, just like Marina, was also looking his way.
Receiving the stares of all three, Rei wondered what he should do.
There were many things he wanted to say, but the fact remained that they had come to Reblurina on a quest.
Given that, it was also true that they couldn't afford to be picky about their methods if they wanted to retaliate against the organization that had meddled with Gilm.
Moreover, every member of the Crimson Lotus Wings had played a major role in the expansion project.
Given that, Rei understood they needed to return to Gilm as soon as possible.
"Ah... right. If there are no other leads, then I think I have to go. There are definitely clues to the organization in Mejougo."
"That's..."
Elena had no choice but to withdraw her words when Rei put it that way.
The very reason Elena had come to Reblurina with Rei and the others was that her father, Duke Kerebel, had told her to cooperate with them.
Torn between herself as a duke's daughter and the symbol of the Noble's Faction bearing the title Princess General, and herself as a woman in love with a single man—her wavering was surely the suffering born of Elena's own fastidiousness.
"Rei, do you really have to go?"
"I have no choice but to, right? There are definitely several bases of Ajas's organization here in Rossi as well. But as for exactly where and how many, it's obvious that we, having just arrived, wouldn't know."
"Finding a truly reliable information broker wouldn't be easy, either," Marina murmured with feeling.
That was something she understood precisely because she had once been an active adventurer and afterward worked as a Guild Master.
If an information broker merely sold lies or outdated information, that would be one thing. But in the worst case, they might sell Rei's group's information to the organization.
Finding a trustworthy information broker who wouldn't do such a thing was no simple task.
Furthermore, this was Rossi, the capital of Reblurina.
Since none of them had any local knowledge of the area, the difficulty only increased.
Getting an introduction from someone was an option, but then the question of whether that someone was trustworthy became a major factor.
"Especially in our case, we can't afford to spend that much time, either," Rei muttered, and everyone nodded.
"See, Elena? It's not like Rei has to actually visit a brothel just because he's going to Mejougo, right? In this case, all we need is to confirm whether the prostitutes there are people taken by people like Ajas."
"But, Marina... are you truly fine with this?"
"If you ask whether I'm pleased about it, of course I'm not. But if we're to do something about the current situation where we lack information, we need to be prepared for some danger. ...Well, by danger, I don't mean physical danger, but danger in a chastity-related sense."
Marina murmured with amusement, but Rei decided to pretend he hadn't heard that last part.
"Where I grew up, there's a saying: 'If you want to catch a tiger's cub, you must enter the tiger's den.' Simply put, it means that if you want something important, you have to be willing to face danger."
"...With Rei, I feel like you'd encounter a tiger and think 'just my luck' and strike it down..."
"True. Rei could handle a tiger with ease."
Vihera nodded in agreement with Elena's words, and a ripple of laughter passed through the room.
Once the laughter faded, Elena reluctantly opened her mouth.
"Very well. I shall leave it to Rei."
Though clearly displeased, she acknowledged that Rei would head to Mejougo.