Inside the carriage, Rei was gathering various pieces of information from Kotonara and Jil.
Though in truth, it was mostly Kotonara who shared the information, while Jil's role was to rein him in.
Furthermore, the information Rei got from Kotonara wasn't all necessarily useful.
Details about which prostitutes worked at which brothels in Mejougo, or which establishment to visit if one had particular tastes—such intel wasn't of any great necessity to Rei.
The most important thing Rei learned from Kotonara was that every prostitute in Mejougo wore a collar to prove their status.
Of course, Rei also knew those collars were likely Slave Collars.
But he understood that at least Kotonara didn't recognize them as such.
From talking with him properly, it seemed Kotonara perceived the collars as flashy accessories that didn't resemble Slave Collars—simply identification marking the wearer as a prostitute belonging to Mejougo.
(If someone was brought here by force, they might try to appeal that fact and seek help... no, I see. Is leaking that kind of information also prohibited by the Slave Collar?)
Swaying in the carriage, Rei pondered these things.
He was sure there were those who knew the truth, but given Kotonara's personality, it was clear he wasn't pretending ignorance.
If Kotonara had known, he surely wouldn't have been able to enjoy a night with someone who'd been forcibly taken as a prostitute.
It had only been about an hour since Rei had met him, but Kotonara's personality was that transparent.
Of course, gathering information alone could easily arouse suspicion, so Rei also asked about other matters—like what kind of dishes the taverns served.
"Yeah, my recommendation would be Orc stew."
"...Orc meat stew? Isn't that not particularly rare?"
Orcs weren't especially high-ranked monsters, but they possessed exceptionally delicious meat for their rank.
And while not quite on the level of Goblins, they still had high reproductive capabilities, making their meat relatively common.
Of course, since Orcs appearing outside frontier regions was somewhat rare, they weren't eaten as frequently as in Gilm.
Even so, in an entertainment district like Mejougo, surely ingredients like Orc meat could be obtained in abundance?
Or rather, was that precisely why it was being recommended to him?
Rei thought as much, but Kotonara broke into a broad grin and spoke.
"Of course, when I say Orc stew, it's not your regular stew. Listen, okay? Hear me out? What's in the Orc stew I'm talking about, besides Orc meat... is Orc junk, you know. Quite a few guys eat it before heading to the brothels, or so they say."
"Ah... I see."
Rei was at a loss for how to respond and deflected with that.
"Orc stew is tasty even when eaten normally, so there are also plenty of people who order it for the taste alone," Jil said, backing up Kotonara's words.
However, having learned what ingredients went into the stew, Rei had absolutely no desire to eat it.
Of course, even back in Japan, Rei had heard of such dishes or seen them on TV.
He recalled seeing dishes using those particular parts of deer on television as well.
It was a variety show where celebrities ate without knowing what they were having, only to be told at the end what the ingredients were.
In any case, Rei resolved never to eat Orc stew even when visiting a tavern in Mejougo, and... as if waiting for that precise moment, he felt the carriage slow down.
Noticing this, Kotonara spoke with a delighted smile.
"Oh, we're here? ...Anyway, Ren, if you haven't decided on a shop you want to visit yet, you should try a place called Water-Bathing Maiden. It's a good fit for someone coming to Mejougo for the first time."
"Yeah, that's right. For a beginner who just wants to be with a woman normally without any special plays, Water-Bathing Maiden would be good," Jil agreed.
For some reason, it seemed Rei's destination was about to be decided as the brothel called Water-Bathing Maiden.
But Rei hadn't come to Mejougo to sleep with prostitutes.
His original purpose was to uncover the secrets of the organization that was likely running this place.
(For now, Water-Bathing Maiden, was it? Should I pretend to head there and lose their trail? I heard the next carriage leaves at dawn, so I'll investigate until then... and if I find nothing, I'll wait for the next one.)
The carriages traveling between Mejougo and Rossi, as well as the surrounding villages and towns, ran four times a day: morning, noon, evening, and dawn.
If so, missing one or two opportunities to return shouldn't be a problem—or so Rei judged.
Of course, the longer it took to return to Rossi, the more Elena and the others would grow suspicious.
Fortunately, Ielo was inside the Dragon Robe.
As long as he always acted alongside Ielo, Elena viewing Ielo's memories would serve as proof that Rei hadn't been with any prostitutes.
While pondering all this, the carriage gradually slowed and eventually came to a stop.
The passengers were each excited, anticipating the dazzling experiences about to unfold.
The coachman and his guards opened the doors, and the passengers disembarked one by one.
Rei also stepped out of the carriage together with Kotonara and Jil... but just before doing so, he noticed that the carriage doors had no handles on the inside.
That meant, in an emergency, the doors couldn't be opened from within.
Of course, that was the case for ordinary people; someone with sufficient combat ability could destroy the carriage from the inside and escape.
In fact, if Rei put his mind to it, he was confident he could break out from within without even needing to summon the Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear.
The carriage being designed to lock people in was presumably meant for ordinary folk, or perhaps those like adventurers—experts in rough work—who nonetheless lacked the strength to break out.
(Well, now that I think about it, they did say Reblurina doesn't have particularly strong adventurers. Thinking about it normally, this is probably sufficient. ...Though I suppose word about Mejougo has apparently spread to neighboring countries, so even this probably isn't absolute.)
If Mejougo's reputation spread to surrounding nations, those with money—nobles and wealthy merchants—would naturally take an interest.
The guards such people employed would possess considerable skill.
Naturally, they would be more capable than Reblurina's adventurers.
Alternatively, the possibility that skilled adventurers might come directly to Mejougo themselves couldn't be denied.
(In that case, this is probably just a precautionary measure... a "just in case" sort of thing, I suppose.)
Looking at the door, Rei stepped down from the carriage.
And then... his eyes widened.
Because what lay before him was a town with so many lights that one might mistake it for daytime—though that was perhaps an overstatement.
Light-providing Magic Tools commanded a certain price.
And yet Mejougo was flashily decorated with various lights, enough to be visible from where Rei and the others currently stood.
When Rei was in Japan, many shops in the shopping district near his school would put up illuminations during Christmas, but this was far more extravagant than that.
(That's quite... no, for an entertainment district, I suppose this much isn't unusual.)
In fact, the entertainment district in Gilm also kept its Magic Item lights on late into the night, a testament to its prosperity.
But this Mejougo was on a completely different scale from the one in Gilm.
Using this many Magic Item lights so lavishly was likely proof of just how many people spent money in Mejougo. And...
(So the prediction that they possess a large quantity of Magic Items wasn't wrong after all. The question is exactly how many they have.)
One of the major reasons Rei had accepted this request from Daskar in the first place was targeting Magic Items.
That being the case, having this many Magic Items available was a welcome development for Rei.
"Hey, Ren. What's wrong? You surprised seeing Mejougo for the first time, huh?"
Seeing Rei surveying his surroundings, Kotonara asked.
Perhaps because Rei had his hood up, Kotonara couldn't tell what kind of expression he was wearing.
Taking advantage of that, Rei smiled and spoke.
"That's right. I never imagined it would be this bright even at night. Today isn't a special occasion or anything, is it?"
Kotonara flashed a satisfied smile at Rei, who asked with an expression of feigned surprise, and nodded.
"Yeah. It's always like this here. Even in the Kingdom of Mireana, I bet there aren't many streets like this. Once they see Mejougo, those idiots mocking us as a vassal state won't have anything to say anymore."
"I suppose that would be nice."
While Rei and Kotonara talked, the other passengers who had disembarked each headed toward their intended establishments.
Those establishments varied—some were taverns, others brothels.
"Hey, Kotonara. Shouldn't we get going too?"
"Hm? Oh, right. ...Well then, Ren, we're heading out. What about you? Want to come along to the same place as us? Or are you still set on Water-Bathing Maiden?"
"Ah... right. I haven't decided on a specific place yet, so I'd like to look around a bit more to see what kind of place Mejougo is."
"Is that so? Then we're off. Jil."
"Got it. ...So, which place should we hit first? There are so many good places here, it's hard to choose."
"How about a drink first to get in the mood? Want to grab one before we go?"
Chatting like that, the two departed, ultimately leaving Rei alone—though Ielo was still with him.
The only people around were the carriage coachmen, their assistants, and the guard men.
For each carriage, the three were present as a set, and they all stared at Rei without any change in their expressions.
There was something suspicious in their gazes, and Rei felt they were looking at him as if wondering why, having come all the way to Mejougo, he wasn't hurrying off to a brothel or tavern.
(Did I linger too long? Well, normally people head straight to their intended shop after getting off, so thinking about it that way, it might not be so strange... but I should probably play it off for now.)
Looking around at his surroundings with apparent curiosity, Rei left the area.
At first glance, he looked like some wealthy but sheltered child fascinated by a place he was visiting for the first time—and it wouldn't have been strange for him to appear that way.
Besides, Rei was genuinely looking around with interest, so it wasn't entirely an act.
(It kind of reminds me of Kabukicho that I saw on TV.)
Recalling scenes he had seen in police documentary shows and dramas, Rei walked through the streets of Mejougo.
The sun had already set, and in an ordinary village or town, it would be a time when people were beginning to turn in for the night.
But here in Mejougo, as if to say the day was only just beginning, large numbers of people stood in front of their establishments calling out to passersby.
There were tavern touts as well, but the most numerous were undoubtedly those soliciting for prostitutes.
Many of them wore outfits that accentuated their bodies, flirting with and inviting the men walking down the street—though a few women were also among the passersby.
(They don't look like they're doing this against their will.)
If women who had been forcibly abducted were being made to work as prostitutes, it wouldn't be strange for that to show in their attitudes somehow.
But at least from what Rei observed of the prostitutes while walking down the street, he saw no such signs anywhere.
Either the Slave Collars possessed enough coercive power to suppress even that, or perhaps they had been brought by force but had taken to life in Mejougo.
(If it's the latter, things are bound to get complicated.)
While the objective of this request was to carry out retaliation against the organization, simultaneously liberating those who had been forcibly taken was also one of its goals.
However, liberation was only relevant for those who did not wish to continue as prostitutes; if that was what they desired, it would be a different matter.
Of course, they would still need to contact their families, lovers, or friends.
"Hey there, brother, want to play a little?"
Rei had been walking while observing his surroundings, but suddenly a voice called out to him from behind.