The attack on Mejougo today had, naturally, been reported to Daskar in advance.
Given that, Daskar—understandably eager to learn the results as soon as possible—had arranged for Ara, who was entrusted with Rei's Paired Orb, to station herself at the Lord's Manor.
That was why the moment Elena used the Paired Orb, a response came through immediately.
"Lady Elena, it seems you're safe."
Seeing Elena's image in the Paired Orb, Ara let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart. Of course, Ara knew full well just how powerful Elena was. Even so, as someone utterly devoted to her, seeing Elena unharmed naturally brought comfort.
"Yes, it's not that there were absolutely no problems on our end... but we've safely completed the planned operation. There were a few unexpected results, however."
"Unexpected results?"
The figures of Ryutas and his guards, standing some distance away, were likely not visible to Ara. She sounded somewhat worried as she asked, and Elena shook her head to reassure her.
"I said there was no problem, did I not? I meant it. However, a matter has come up that requires some consultation with Lord Daskar. Ara, are you at the Lord's Manor right now?"
"Yes, I was told to station myself here today."
Had these been the words of a noble who thought only of their own interests, Ara would never have listened. But she knew Daskar was not that kind of noble. After all, she had ended up involved with him quite a lot, so it was only natural she understood this.
Elena, seeming to understand Ara's feelings, smiled and spoke.
"I see. Then without further ado, hand me over to Lord Daskar."
"Understood."
Saying so, Ara wore a slightly regretful expression. As someone devoted to Elena, she would have liked to talk with her a bit longer. But while that might have been fine under normal circumstances, there was no time for a lengthy conversation right now.
"You can speak with Ara tonight, can you not?"
"Yes!"
Those words from Elena clearly pleased Ara. Breaking into a full smile, she nodded and immediately called someone over, asking them to inform Daskar that Elena was contacting him.
Under normal circumstances, Daskar had his duties as lord and was extremely busy. If this were an ordinary city that would be expected, but Gilm was a frontier town. Moreover, the ongoing expansion construction meant even more work than usual. Nobles and merchants frequently sought audiences, hoping to gain even a small profit from the project. Under the current situation, meeting with Daskar should have been quite difficult.
And yet... less than a few minutes after Ara sent word of Elena's communication, Daskar appeared in the room.
He had been meeting with a merchant, but it was a meet-and-greet, and the fact that they hadn't been discussing anything particularly important likely played a part. From the merchant's perspective, having a conversation partner leave mid-meeting would normally cause displeasure, but since he desperately wanted Daskar to remember him favorably, he wouldn't lodge a protest. If anything, he had succeeded in leaving a good impression by telling Daskar not to worry about him. Though securing a promise for another meeting as soon as possible was quite characteristic of a merchant.
In any case, Daskar—having interrupted his meeting—cast a grateful glance at Ara for yielding her seat and sat before the Paired Orb. By that point, knowing Daskar had arrived, Elena handed the Orb over to Rei.
The retaliation against Jaya was a job Rei had received from Daskar. As such, he judged that he—merely an assistant—should not be the one to deliver the report.
"Good work, Rei. Now then, let me hear your report without delay."
"Yes. First, in terms of retaliation against Jaya, I believe we achieved sufficient results."
With that, Rei began his account from when they infiltrated—no, "assaulted" was more accurate—the giant's nest.
The report that came from Rei's mouth was truly gruesome. The giant children that were born by eating their way out of their mothers' bellies were especially so. Beyond that, there was the Black Crystal and the giants' rampage in the nest, the release of the prostitutes from their brainwashing, and the battle between the Resistance and Jaya.
After hearing those explanations, Daskar thought for a moment before speaking.
"Rei, have you asked what the prostitutes who escaped from Mejougo plan to do from here?"
"No. After providing support during their skirmish with Jaya, I came straight here..."
Upon hearing Rei's words, Daskar considered for a moment... and then spoke.
"Rei, those prostitutes—are you certain they have nowhere to go?"
"Given the numbers, probably. Some may choose to remain in Mejougo, but I imagine more would not want that."
Mejougo was a place where the prostitutes had their bodies used as men pleased, regardless of their own will, by men they did not even like. Those who would want to stay in a place with such memories were not nonexistent, but they would certainly be a minority.
"Hmm, in that case... Rei, I'm sorry to ask more of you, but protect those prostitutes and the Resistance members. Take them under our protection."
"Are you sure? Doing so would mean meddling in Reblurina's internal affairs, and we'd likely receive complaints from them."
"What are you saying? The Jaya crowd tried to take women from Gilm too, didn't they? We managed to prevent it that time, but that may not have been the first. There's a real possibility they've already taken people before we were even aware of it."
Those were words Rei could not deny. But he also understood that they likely weren't Daskar's true aim.
"In other words, you're gathering evidence?"
"That's part of it. Besides, we may be able to acquire capable personnel. There's no need to stand idly by when we have a chance to obtain them."
So that was his real objective.
Rei thought as much, but there was still something he found slightly unconvincing. Considering this matter alone, the Resistance seemed to be composed of capable individuals. In fact, from Rei's perspective—having had contact with Sura, who currently led the Resistance—that was an undeniable fact.
But the Resistance's main force had already been crushed by the giants, and in terms of pure combat power, they were by no means superior. Moreover, no matter how much Daskar secured the Resistance, whether people would leave Reblurina—the country where they were born and raised—and come to Gilm... no, to the Kingdom of Mireana, was a questionable prospect at best.
What was the point of doing a favor for such people? That was Rei's doubt.
It was certainly not the case that Daskar was helping the Resistance merely because he felt sorry for the prostitutes. That alone was not the reason.
Of course, that wasn't because Daskar thought the prostitutes could suffer whatever fate befell them. He undoubtedly felt pity for them, but the current Daskar was, above all, in the position of a lord. Due to that position, it was an undeniable fact that he could no longer judge matters based on his emotions alone.
In that case, there must definitely be something else... but what?
To resolve that question, Rei asked directly.
"What is your objective?"
"Personnel. As you know, Gilm is currently undergoing expansion construction. And with a project this large, no matter what kind of people they are, the more we have, the better. Of course, if there are those who don't wish to come to Gilm and want to return to their homeland, I won't force them."
"In other words, if there are those who wish to return home, you'll part ways with them partway?"
"From my perspective, either is fine. They can part ways on the spot, or they can save up money in Gilm before returning to their homeland."
From Daskar's perspective, it was likely a simple calculation: as long as he could bring a certain number of people to Gilm, that was good enough.
Hearing that, Rei eventually nodded.
The women who had been protected by the Resistance were all victims of Jaya. As such, Rei felt some desire to help them if possible—but if they decided on their own to return, he had no intention of saying anything about it.
"Understood. I'll cooperate with the Resistance on our end and convey Lord Daskar's proposal. Also, one more thing... Ryutas."
At Rei's words, Ryutas, whose name had been called, stepped forward.
On the other side of the Paired Orb, Daskar, seeing a face he was meeting for the first time, wore a puzzled expression. Daskar had a face that could accurately be called stern, but that puzzled expression somehow lent a hint of humor to it.
"A pleasure to meet you, Margrave Daskar Larkus. My name is Ryutas, and I am currently under Rei's protection."
"Under Rei's protection? In other words, there is some reason behind it."
If Ryutas were an ordinary person, Rei wouldn't have needed to go out of his way to protect him. It was a remark born of that judgment, and Ryutas smiled.
Naturally, that smile was not one born from genuine joy or amusement, but rather the same calculated expression as always—one chosen because it would not displease the other party.
"Yes. The truth is, despite how I look, I am the son of the one currently leading Jaya."
"Oh."
At Ryutas's words, Daskar muttered briefly. However, his expression was different from before, directing a gaze at the man before him—technically, before the Paired Orb—that seemed to see straight through to the bottom of Ryutas's heart.
Under Daskar's gaze, Ryutas momentarily caught his breath. He was skilled at putting on expressions, but the intensity he felt from Daskar's gaze must have carried that much power. That he was overwhelmed for only an instant was perhaps precisely because it was Ryutas.
"Using the phrasing 'the son of the one leading it' means you are not the successor, then?"
"Correct. There are several children besides myself regarded as successor candidates. Though in my case, I was never particularly expected to begin with, and now that I've cooperated with Rei to defy Jaya, I can never return to the position of successor."
"Why would you do such a thing? From your position, betraying Jaya is fatal, is it not? Though, if it's true that Jaya has been discarded by the nation, I should say you read the situation accurately."
"More than anything, I felt I could no longer follow my father's methods. And as you can see, the organization has indeed been discarded by the nation."
At Ryutas's words, Daskar gave a small nod.
In the first place, abducting women from other countries by force as a national effort—though Jaya served as the public face—was reckless. Until now, the Black Crystal and the Slave Collars had prevented any major uproar, but the crystal had already been destroyed by Rei, and the women had regained their freedom. Not to mention that the giants, Reblurina's trump card, had gone on a rampage.
Of course, those rampaging giants had already been annihilated by Rei and his party.
Siding with Jaya would mean facing Reblurina's army... and the nation itself. Siding with Reblurina would mean, Jaya notwithstanding, a very high possibility of coming into conflict with the Kingdom of Mireana. And without their trump card, the giants, at that.
The people of Reblurina were trying to fabricate Jaya as a common enemy with the Kingdom of Mireana, but Rei had already reported that to Daskar. Given that, it was certain their scheme—too crude to even call a stratagem—would fail.
If so, there was no doubt that siding with Rei and his party was the best choice under the current circumstances.
Daskar firmly met the gaze directed at him, laden with that meaning. An exchange of glances between man and man.
As if understanding they should not interrupt the two, everyone present fell silent... and eventually, Daskar broke the silence.
"Understood. We will take you into our protection."
He declared in a heavy, weighty tone.
Having drawn those words out, Ryutas formed a small smile. If Daskar had said here that he had no need of Ryutas, the only destination for him and his guards would have been the next world.
That he had managed to avert that outcome was enough for Ryutas to feel that risking his life had been worth it, and he felt relieved.