Rei and his party were led to a room in the back of the tavern.
It was a rather cramped room, but there was no one inside.
For a moment, Rei wondered if they had been tricked, but the shop owner silently stepped on a section of the floor.
The next instant, a floor panel some distance away rose with a clatter.
Rei turned his gaze toward the opening and saw a staircase leading underground.
"I see. Not a bad way to stay hidden. Though I imagine a basement would be troublesome if something went wrong—nowhere to run."
"No need to worry. This isn't the only way down. There are several other spots that connect to it."
The shop owner said this boastfully, having overheard Rei's muttering.
In truth, even building a basement alone would require considerable effort. Constructing one that connected to multiple other locations was no easy feat.
"Is this really just an ordinary tavern?"
"Yeah, it's been a normal tavern since my old man's generation."
From those words, it was clear that up until the shop owner's grandfather's generation, it had been anything but ordinary.
Rei, however, didn't particularly care.
If he were a citizen of Reblurina, he might have given it more thought. But he had come solely for retaliation against Jaya, and that was all there was to it.
With that in mind, he headed toward the basement without a second glance.
And since Rei was unconcerned, the rest of the party—including Elena—had no reason to care either.
If anything, it was the shop owner who was surprised by their casual attitude. Still, he hurried after them, realizing it could spell trouble if he let them go alone.
They descended the staircase leading underground.
Unchuu, who waited at the bottom, was highly cautious.
Given that he was at odds with an organization like Jaya, that was only natural.
Moreover, although Unchuu made his living as an information broker, his combat capabilities were substantial.
Because of that, there was a very real possibility he would attack Rei's party if he deemed them suspicious.
The shop owner had no combat experience.
Well, he had seen and broken up his fair share of drunken brawls in the tavern, but that was all they were—drunken brawls.
He had never been in a truly life-or-death fight, so he had no way of gauging just how much power Rei and his party possessed.
Of course, the fact that they had brought that short sword—the one left in Zels's keeping—meant he had at least expected they were no ordinary people.
"Wait, wait. You don't know Unchuu. Things could turn violent, so I'll go first."
Saying that, he squeezed past them and hurried down the stairs.
The staircase was just wide enough for people to squeeze past each other, so overtaking the advancing party was easy enough. Easy, and yet...
Every time he passed right beside the three exceptionally beautiful women—Elena, Marina, and Vihera—their three distinct fragrances wafted over him, stirring the shop owner's desires.
Anyone who knew who these three were would have found reason for intense jealousy. Yet here he was, committing that very act while continuing down the stairs.
Incidentally, he also passed Byune along the way, but since his desires were only aroused by mature women, he paid her no more mind than the others.
Upon reaching Rei's side, he spoke.
"Unchuu is hot-blooded. You don't want to cause a commotion either, right?"
"I won't deny that. We just want information about Jaya. Especially regarding a certain Magic Item..."
"A Magic Item?"
"Yeah, we acquired one from Jaya. We want to know what kind of effects it has."
"...I see. But Unchuu isn't an Alchemist, you know."
"I'm aware. But it's a Magic Item used by Jaya. It's only natural to think an information broker might know something. Of course, we have other things we want to ask about Jaya as well."
From the man who had accosted them in the tavern and in Mejougo, they had obtained a certain amount of information.
But that was all it was—a certain amount. General knowledge that was already widely known.
Of course, since it was their first time in Reblurina, that information hadn't been entirely useless.
However, what they truly wanted was deeper intelligence on Jaya.
Specifically, the kind of information needed to inflict enough damage to make them regret ever laying hands on Gilm.
If this broker called Unchuu is at odds with Jaya, it wouldn't be strange for him to have that kind of information.
In the first place, the mere fact that he was antagonistic toward Jaya within Reblurina made Unchuu a highly valuable asset to them.
"I see. ...Oh, it's over there."
The shop owner nodded at Rei's words and looked ahead.
At the end of his gaze was a single door.
It was wooden, but even from Rei's perspective, it clearly looked quite sturdy.
This wasn't some ordinary door you'd find anywhere. It looked custom-made—closer to an order-made piece.
In fact, Rei's guess wasn't wrong.
When this basement was originally built, it had needed to be that heavily fortified.
Really, what on earth did this tavern do in the past?
As Rei harbored that question, the shop owner knocked on the door several times.
The somewhat rhythmic sound made it easy for Rei to imagine that the knocking itself carried some kind of meaning.
After nearly ten knocks and a wait of over ten seconds... the door opened.
However, it didn't swing wide open for someone to enter.
In the gap of the door, a single man's face appeared.
I see. That knocking just now was to signal that he wasn't alone. Something like Morse code?
Rei wasn't particularly knowledgeable about Morse code—he had only learned about it through manga, novels, and anime during his time in Japan—but he at least knew the basic principles.
That was why it was easy for him to deduce that the knocking likely carried a similar meaning.
"Who is it?"
"Customers for you. Referred by Zels."
The man on the other side of the door—presumably Unchuu—didn't immediately show any sign of trust upon hearing the shop owner's words. He stared silently at Rei and his party.
But then, as if suddenly noticing something, his sharp gaze softened.
"Crimson Rei?"
It wasn't Rei... nor his companions, but the shop owner who was surprised by the words that left the presumed Unchuu's mouth.
"Crimson!?"
"Well, something like that. Seems my information reached you properly."
"Naturally. You entered Rossi openly, without trying to hide anything. Not to mention you brought a Gryphon. It would be stranger if they didn't have information on you."
Unchuu said this, but the shop owner probably hadn't been aware. He was still staring at Rei with an expression of sheer astonishment.
Feeling that gaze, Rei realized that this information broker Unchuu's skills were the real deal, and he spoke with satisfaction.
"That's exactly right. ...Well then, do you know why we've come here?"
"No need to think about it. You went out of your way to visit a broker like me. Obviously, you're here seeking information on Jaya. ...Come in. I'll hear you out."
At Unchuu's words, the door opened.
Judging that they were now permitted to enter, Rei and his party stepped inside... but the shop owner let out a bewildered sigh before speaking.
"Anyway, my job here is done. There's plenty I'd like to ask, but I can't just leave the shop unattended."
"Yeah, leave this to me."
The two exchanged only a few brief words, but even that was enough for Rei and the others to sense the deep trust between them.
With that, the shop owner returned upstairs, leaving only Rei's party behind.
But Unchuu immediately spoke up.
"Come in. I don't know whether I have the information you want, but... I can't very well go and disgrace Zels, who sent you to me."
His tone calm, Unchuu invited Rei's party into the room.
Once inside, Rei and his party were taken aback by what they saw.
The room was about eight tatami mats in size, furnished with a desk, chairs, and a bed.
But that wasn't what surprised them... it was the fact that a single room had so many doors.
Five in total.
Having that many doors installed in one room was a sight that struck Rei as nothing short of bizarre.
If each of those doors connected to a different location... well, it made sense. If someone attacked the tavern targeting Unchuu, escaping from here would be easy.
"Chairs... unfortunately, I don't have enough. No stylish furniture like sofas either, so sorry, but you'll have to sit on the floor. I do apologize for making an Alias Holder adventurer and a Princess General do so."
Unchuu said this, but from the look on his face, it was clear he didn't feel nearly as bad about it as his words suggested.
Late thirties, or perhaps forties.
He wasn't heavily built, but he was a man with sharp eyes.
The phrase "lone wolf" came to mind, but given that he was cooperating with the shop owner and others, he wasn't really a lone wolf.
At any rate, Rei's party didn't find sitting on the floor particularly unpleasant.
Rei pulled a cloth from the Misty Ring, and they each sat on it.
"...How convenient. So that's an Item Box."
Looking at the cloth produced from the Misty Ring, Unchuu muttered with genuine feeling.
He had heard as information that Rei possessed an Item Box, but seeing it with his own eyes was still a significant shock.
"Well. ...Now, you seem to know quite a bit about us, but let's introduce ourselves anyway."
Saying that, Rei introduced the members present.
Listening to that, Unchuu introduced himself as well, and they got straight to the point.
Rei's party hadn't come to visit Unchuu to deepen their acquaintance.
They had come purely seeking information on Jaya, so they had no reason to be displeased by Unchuu's businesslike attitude. If anything, they were favorably impressed by how quickly things were moving.
"Right. There's a lot I want to ask, but... I'm not sure where to start."
"Shouldn't you just start with what you most want to know?"
At Marina's suggestion, Rei agreed that she had a point and spoke up.
"Then, straight to it. ...Could you tell me the locations Jaya values most, or places where destruction would truly hurt them?"
"...I don't mind telling you, but why do you want to know something like that? Well, of course I can tell from the question that you're hostile toward Jaya, but... forgive me for saying so, but you're from the Kingdom of Mireana, aren't you? Why would you go out of your way to involve yourselves in the affairs of a small nation like Reblurina? And furthermore..."
Unchuu paused, shifting his gaze not to Rei but to Elena, who sat beside him.
"It's one thing if it were just the adventurer Rei, but to think the Princess General, who could be called the very symbol of the Noble's Faction, has come along as well."
"Well, under normal circumstances, it would be surprising. Actually, if you weren't surprised, we'd be the ones who are surprised."
Marina said this with a smile in response to Unchuu's words.
In truth, until recently, the Neutral Faction and the Noble's Faction had been close to a hostile relationship.
Though relations had improved lately, there were still a certain number of people within both factions who could not accept this.
Why would members of those two factions come all the way to Reblurina, a vassal state of the Kingdom of Mireana?
It was only natural for Unchuu to harbor such questions.
"Right. ...So? Why go out of your way?"
"Do you know how the prostitutes working in Mejougo are gathered?"
"Ah... I see. Understood."
Even without Rei finishing his sentence, that alone was enough for Unchuu to grasp the reason.
"In other words, is that it? Jaya went to Gilm to gather women to turn into prostitutes."
"Yeah. And if that happened, naturally Lord Daskar, who serves as the lord of Gilm, couldn't just sit by and do nothing. That's why we were dispatched for retaliation."
"...What on earth was Jaya thinking. Well, fine. I understand the reason then. So, places where it would hurt Jaya. There are several, but... before that, I want to ask. Do you know about how the prostitutes of Mejougo periodically disappear?"
Turning a serious gaze toward Rei—one that seemed to say he would show no mercy if lied to—Unchuu asked this.