"Oh, so this is only your second time going to Mejougo, Ren?"
Rei nodded at the man who asked with a smile, keeping up the mask of his fictitious persona, Ren.
"Yes, that's right. But since my first visit was also my very first time, I couldn't help but get lost in all sorts of ways... To be honest, my only lasting impression was of being completely bewildered."
"Ah... well, I suppose that's how it'd be for a first-timer."
The man nodded in agreement with Rei's words.
"Hah, don't give me that crap, liar. Zaoras, when you first went to Mejougo, you grabbed a woman right away and the two of you slipped off somewhere, didn't you? Listen, kid. This guy Zaoras is famous for being quick with women, you know?"
The one who interjected with an exasperated tone was a man sitting a short distance away from Rei and the others.
He appeared to be an acquaintance of the man called Zaoras, and despite his exasperation, there was a hint of teasing mixed into his voice.
Zaoras, who had been addressed, also seemed to know the other man. Though displeasure flickered across his face, he replied in a familiar tone.
"What's it to you? It's not like I'm that used to it. I can only get down to Mejougo about once every ten days."
"No, that's definitely often enough."
As they exchanged those words, the carriage continued onward and eventually arrived at Mejougo.
"Well then, Ren. I'm off to see my latest favorite girl. See ya."
The man who had been talking with Rei waved as he stepped down from the carriage and walked away.
(His latest favorite, huh. I hope that just means he got bored of the last one.)
Considering the acts likely taking place in Mejougo, the possibility that his previous favorite prostitute had been taken to the Underground Facility to birth a Giant couldn't be denied.
Rei hoped that wasn't the case, but he was also fully aware that it was likely a futile hope.
"Well, kid. I'm gonna grab a drink at a tavern before looking for a girl. What about you?"
The one who called out to Rei, now standing alone, was the same man who had been teasing Zaoras earlier.
It seemed that while Zaoras had a regular prostitute, the man before him chose a different one depending on his mood that day.
(Is "once in a lifetime" the kind of phrase you use in this situation too?)
Harboring that question, Rei opened his mouth.
"Last time I came, I just walked around Mejougo and didn't get to do anything, so I'm planning to properly enjoy myself today."
In this context, "enjoy himself" naturally meant sleeping with a prostitute.
Of course, Rei wasn't serious about any of that. If he actually did such a thing, Elena would find out through Ielo inside his Dragon Robe, just like last time.
Besides, Rei had plenty of things he needed to do today, so he didn't have time for anything like that.
Fortunately, the man had no way of knowing that.
He simply judged that Rei's response was only natural for someone visiting Mejougo, and didn't press the matter any further.
Deciding that the tavern came first, the man promptly headed off in that direction.
After seeing him off, Rei began walking through Mejougo, relying on his memories from his previous visit.
Naturally, several prostitutes called out to Rei as they spotted him, but he ignored them and pressed forward.
To Rei, the prostitutes before him were personalities manufactured by the Slave Collar.
He had no intention of speaking with them properly.
The prostitutes, for their part, seemed to decide there was no need to fixate on Rei. Once he ignored them, they immediately turned to call out to other customers.
Mejougo drew customers from surrounding villages and towns—no, even from other countries, and in large numbers.
Among such crowds, there was no need to cling to Rei.
If Rei had taken off his hood, women drawn to his appearance might have gathered around him, but fortunately, he currently had his hood up, so he wasn't targeted by the predatory prostitutes.
Observing his surroundings, Rei proceeded down the street.
With so many people walking along the thoroughfare, Rei didn't stand out much.
Continuing down a path he had walked before, he passed in front of the Guard Station where Jaya was playing at being guards.
(They don't seem to be on alert.)
Of course, since Rei and his party hadn't taken any action yet, it was only natural that Jaya wasn't on guard.
Even so, seeing it with his own eyes brought Rei a sense of relief.
(No sign of that Orc-faced woman from last time. Well, she's probably someone of considerable standing within Jaya, so I suppose that's natural.)
Glancing sideways at the different man standing in front of the Guard Station, Rei kept walking.
The man on watch didn't seem to consider Rei a dangerous or suspicious person. He didn't even glance in Rei's direction.
Continuing down the passage, Rei eventually turned into the alley where he had met Sharia.
(I hope she's still here.)
Since Sharia was a Beastman, once she ate the food Rei had left behind and recovered her strength, there was a real possibility she had already changed hideouts using her superior physical abilities.
But if she wasn't here, he'd just have to accept that.
Thinking that, he pressed forward.
"Rei!"
Before Rei, who had moved deeper inside, could say anything, that voice echoed through the surroundings.
What emerged was Sharia, wearing the same outfit as last time. She was dirty, as was only natural for someone hiding in such a place, but she looked well.
"How did you know it was me?"
"I'm a Beastman, so I have a good nose."
"Ah, right. A dog's sense of smell is incomparably better than a human's, isn't it?"
"I'm not a dog, I'm a Wolf!"
Sharia said with displeasure, but contrary to her tone, a smile tugged at her lips.
She was probably happy that Rei had come again.
Though rather than wanting to see Rei, she likely had far greater interest in the food he brought.
(I thought I left a decent amount of food behind, though.)
Feeling a slight doubt, Rei took out some bread from the Misty Ring and handed it over.
It was just ordinary bread, but it was freshly baked, from a bakery renowned even in Gilm.
Because he possessed the Misty Ring, where the flow of time was stopped, Rei had the advantage of being able to eat freshly baked bread whenever he wanted.
The appetizing aroma of the freshly baked bread was more than enough to stimulate Sharia's appetite.
Watching Sharia eat the bread she had been given, Rei remained vigilant of his surroundings.
He didn't have any specialized knowledge, of course, but still—if anything was amiss... or so Rei thought, when he suddenly stopped moving.
(Who's that? No... hostility?)
Sensing a presence approaching from the direction he had come, Rei adjusted his stance so he could react at any moment.
A few seconds behind Rei, Sharia stopped eating as well.
Both of their gazes were directed toward the passage Rei had come from.
Sharia, aware that she was a fugitive, growled deep in her throat while still clutching the bread.
Normally, if someone showed up right after Rei had arrived, she would have been justified in thinking he had betrayed her.
But fortunately or not, Sharia was a Wolf Beastman.
She wouldn't bare her fangs at someone she had recognized as an ally unless something extraordinary happened.
And Sharia's judgment was by no means wrong.
"...That surprised me. To think I'd be found before I even showed myself."
Saying that, with no particular sign of surprise despite her words, the figure who appeared was someone Rei recognized.
"You... from before..."
"Yes, it's been a while. I'm glad you remembered me."
"...That's fine and all, but why are you here?"
It was only natural that Rei's tone grew guarded.
In the first place, from Rei's perspective, this woman—Sura—was also a prostitute in Mejougo.
Which meant she was essentially under Jaya's control, and having such a person here was clearly an unwelcome development for him.
Perhaps sensing Rei's wariness, Sharia too grew wary of the prostitute before them.
For Sharia, who had been forced to work as a prostitute in Mejougo, it was only natural to be on guard when someone who appeared to be one revealed herself.
But even under the scrutiny of both of them, Sura opened her mouth without any sign of agitation.
"Calm down. I'm not your enemy."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
Trusting someone who claimed to be an ally and dropping his guard was not an option for Rei.
"The fact that I'm talking to you both like this should tell you I'm not a prostitute under Jaya's control... don't you think?"
With a smile, Sura removed the Slave Collar—or more precisely, a collar that looked like a Slave Collar.
"What!?"
Startled voices slipped from both Rei and Sharia.
It was only natural. Under normal circumstances, the Slave Collar couldn't be removed no matter what you did.
In Sharia's case, for reasons unknown, hers had come off.
At any rate, faced with such an unexpected sight, Rei froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
Just because she had removed the Slave Collar didn't immediately mean Sura wasn't an enemy.
In the worst case, she could even be one of Jaya's agents.
Seeing Rei refuse to let down his guard even after she removed the Slave Collar, Sura tilted her head as if slightly troubled.
Then, several seconds of silence passed between them.
Eventually, as if she had thought of something, she smiled and spoke.
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Sura. I may look like a prostitute in Mejougo, but that's not actually what I am. I'm currently leading the Resistance that Rei sought cooperation from."
"...What?"
At those utterly unexpected words, Rei's movements halted once again.
Indeed, the words that came from Sura's mouth carried that much impact.
"Lead the Resistance? You?"
Rei looked at Sura anew.
Her age was late teens to early twenties.
A woman of the same generation as Elena and Vihera, clearly older than Rei.
Sura was accustomed to being regarded with such eyes.
Without any sign of concern for Rei's reaction, she continued.
"That's right. I don't know if you've heard, but the Resistance was hit by Jaya a while back and its main force was wiped out. And the people who had been leading the Resistance up to then were either killed, injured so badly they couldn't move, or had their spirits broken and stepped down from the front lines."
"I heard about that. The Giants, right?"
"Ah, so you knew about that too. Anyway, that's why—with all the people who had been leading the Resistance up to now gone, we needed a new boss, right? That's where I come in."
"But you're weak, aren't you?"
The one who cut into the conversation was Sharia.
Perhaps because she possessed a certain degree of strength as a Wolf Beastman, Sharia could roughly gauge how strong Sura was.
She wasn't a complete amateur, but it was difficult to call her skilled.
Somewhere between a beginner and a veteran, perhaps.
Sura, aware that her own strength wasn't all that great, showed displeasure at Sharia's words but didn't deny it.
"That's true. But the person leading an organization doesn't always have to be the strongest, right? The ability to lead an organization and the ability to fight on the front lines are two entirely different things."
"Hmm? How so? At least in my tribe, the strongest person becomes the clan leader."
"Ugh, you're that type? You look like that, but you're all brawn—how pitiful."
At Sharia's words, Sura felt something akin to pity.
Sura understood that she herself had above-average looks—enough to be called beautiful, even.
Even from Sura's perspective, she had to admit that Sharia was just as much of a beauty as she was.
Learning that someone like that was all brawn, it was only natural to feel somewhat disappointed.
But Sharia, who had been called all brawn, didn't seem particularly bothered.
She probably didn't even consider "all brawn" to be an insult.
The sarcasm failed to land as sarcasm, and the insult wasn't received as an insult.
At that, Sura felt the tension from moments ago vanish entirely.
"Anyway, I have a certain kind of sharp intuition. Normally, that wouldn't be enough to get someone chosen as leader, but fortunately... well, that's a strange way to put it, but the point is I've saved the Resistance countless times with this intuition. Back then, though, there was nothing I could do."
For just an instant, a regretful expression crossed her face—no doubt thinking of the time the Resistance's main force was attacked by the Giants.
But Sura quickly shifted her thoughts.
Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past.
"At any rate, as the one leading the Resistance, I've come to speak with Rei, holder of the alias Crimson, who leads the B-Rank party Crimson Lotus Wings. Will you hear me out?"
So saying, Sura gazed straight at Rei.