Several days of travel had passed since the incident with the Orcs. Eventually, a wall came into view in the direction Rei and his group were heading.
What that meant, anyone could imagine.
"Finally, a town. ...What was the name of this town again?"
"I believe it was called Dolgana. It's a fairly large town within Reblurina."
In response to Vihera's words, Marina offered the answer.
As a former Guild Master — and even before that, a renowned adventurer — Marina possessed a wealth of information on various topics.
Of course, how large the town actually was would be easy enough to find out if one simply took the initiative to gather a little information.
Moreover, traveling along the highway naturally meant frequent encounters with merchant caravans and peddlers, and receiving information as a bonus when purchasing goods from such people was by no means a rare occurrence for Rei and his group.
To the merchants as well, Rei and his party — who paid generously — were recognized as prized customers, and when it came to common knowledge that anyone would know, they freely shared what they could.
...Naturally, there were also those who saw that the majority of Rei's group were women and tried to overcharge them, but what fate befell such people requires no imagination.
"Our first town," Rei muttered.
Considering Mejougo and Rossi, though, this was not strictly their first town. Even so, in terms of places where Rei and his group could actually stop, the description was by no means wrong.
"Rei, what will you do in town? Allow free time?"
"Yeah. Though anyone who doesn't return by the time the evening bell rings when we depart will be left behind."
As long as there might be people who wished to remain in Dolgana, Rei's stance was that if they chose to stay without saying anything, then so be it. There was no need for them to go out of their way to report to Rei's group just to leave the party.
(Though I'd at least like them to give a heads-up to the people organized in their ten-person units.)
Even if it hadn't been that long, they had traveled together this far. They had clashed to some extent, and some had even grown closer, so while Rei himself might be fine, he wanted them to properly say a few words to the people in their groups.
Thinking this... he concluded that ultimately it depended on the individual. He let out a small sigh.
"So, Rei. Leaving aside the matter of people departing, what if there are people who want to come with us?"
"So there was that issue too."
How troublesome, Rei thought as he looked up at the sky at Marina's words.
Blue sky, white clouds, and a sun aggressively asserting its presence. It was a sight that truly screamed "summer!" but at the same time, it was also a cause of physical exhaustion for Rei's group.
For Rei, wearing the Dragon Robe with its Simplified air conditioner ability, the weather was no problem at all, but the vast majority were merely enduring the heat.
Among the women who, having originally worked as prostitutes, hadn't had so much as a tan, walking under the midsummer sun naturally resulted in tanning. Some disliked this as women, while others were pleased, considering it healthy.
They walked while diligently staying hydrated, but even so, there were those whose stamina reached its limit and collapsed. Such people were transported by carriage, but swaying in a carriage's cargo bed with heatstroke-like symptoms would take a significant physical toll.
(It's not guaranteed to happen, but... I really can't imagine there being anyone eccentric enough to want to join us knowing that risk.)
Rei honestly explained his thoughts to Marina, but what came back was, for some reason, a look of exasperation.
"Listen. For someone living in Reblurina, the chance to go to the Kingdom of Mireana — let alone Gilm, which is quite developed — doesn't come around often. On top of that, even though we're sleeping outdoors, as long as we have the Sand Ship, it's not truly sleeping outdoors."
"In other words, you think the number of people will increase, Marina?"
"Yes. Without a doubt."
Seeing her state it so definitively, Rei pondered whether that was really how it would be, but concluded that if Marina said so, she was most likely correct.
Indeed, rather than languishing in a small country like Reblurina, it wouldn't be strange for there to be people who wanted to go somewhere more prosperous and make something of themselves.
(It's like someone living in the countryside who, after graduating high school or college, takes a job at a company in Tokyo... I guess?)
Thinking that far, Rei suddenly wondered what he would have done if he had never come to this world called Elgin and had graduated from a perfectly ordinary high school.
Advancing to university — he had no interest in studying to begin with, but in the sense that he could remain a student for a few more years, it was a viable option. A university degree carried considerable weight in the countryside, one way or another.
Finding employment at a local company — considering his own personality, he had no idea what kind of work would suit him. He liked books, so maybe a bookstore clerk? Or perhaps taking over the family farm.
Regardless, Rei hadn't felt much desire to head to Tokyo. He would even get dizzy from the crowds at local summer festivals, so he had a strange confidence that he absolutely wouldn't be able to survive in Tokyo, which he'd only seen on TV and the like.
(Well, it's a moot point now, isn't it?)
He still wanted to see his parents and friends again, and he wanted to read the continuation of the manga and novels he'd been following. But even so, the person he was now was not Reiji Saiki, but the Alias Holder and B-Rank Adventurer, Crimson Rei.
In the first place, even if he could return to Japan in his current situation, both his face and his build were vastly different from before his "death" — though whether that expression was accurate or not, he wasn't sure. He was even certain that if he appeared before his family and friends, they probably... no, they definitely would not recognize him as himself.
"Hey, Rei, that's..."
Rei had been thinking about what he'd do if he returned to Japan, but he was suddenly brought back to reality by Marina's surprised voice.
A voice filled with surprise, coming from Marina, who was usually calm and possessed adult composure to an almost excessive degree. Hearing that voice, Rei wondered if perhaps pursuers from Jaya or Rossi were lying in wait, but following Marina's gaze, he spotted an unexpected figure ahead.
"Is that... Gimekara?"
Yes, riding a horse and approaching Rei's group was without a doubt Gimekara of the Zorgeh Merchant Guild.
If the Zorgeh Merchant Guild remained in Reblurina as things were, they would suffer significant damage. To avoid that, he had come to consult with Rei about relocating their headquarters to the Kingdom of Mireana — specifically to Gilm, which was currently the hottest, not in terms of temperature but in terms of economics.
In response, Rei and his group had set their conditions: horses and carriages, feed, clothing, cloth, water, and escorts for a thousand people. They had laid out conditions that, under normal consideration, would be absolutely impossible to accept.
That was because what Rei had guaranteed was merely an audience with Daskar, nothing more. If things worked out well there, fine, but even if negotiations failed, Rei and his group had no intention of returning the supplies they had received. Of course, they had anticipated that in such a case, it would take the form of Daskar purchasing the goods from Gimekara.
"It has been a while. Rei-san."
Upon reaching Rei and his group, Gimekara offered a smile and spoke. His face bore no trace of grim resolve; if anything, he wore a smile brimming with confidence.
Seeing Gimekara like that, Rei could easily understand why he had come.
"You're accepting our conditions in full?"
"Yes. There were some among the upper ranks who were reluctant, but it is a certainty that things will become hopeless if we remain as we are."
Telling Rei that the expenses were still substantial and that it had taken considerable effort to persuade them, Gimekara prompted Rei to revise his assessment of him slightly.
The conditions had been issued with the full knowledge that they were unreasonable. Given that they were a merchant guild, Rei had thought they would likely negotiate to make the conditions more manageable, but...
(I never expected them to accept everything as-is. That was unexpected. ...But unexpected in a good way.)
If they had managed to fulfill the conditions Rei and his group had demanded, the road ahead would become considerably easier. And with everyone traveling by carriage, their travel speed would undeniably increase significantly compared to before. In other words, they would rendezvous with the envoy dispatched from Gilm that much sooner.
"I see. Then I suppose we'll camp outside this town today. Originally, I planned to depart immediately after finishing our business in town, but..."
Adjustments for who would ride in which carriage, storing the prepared feed and provisions, introductions with the escorts — besides those, there were numerous other tasks to handle. Given that it was impossible to finish all of it in a matter of hours, Rei had no choice but to completely scrap the schedule he had originally envisioned.
The one small mercy was that he hadn't yet informed everyone of the original plan. If he had announced it and then changed it, it would have undoubtedly caused confusion.
"It would be a great help to us if you did. I've already spoken with the people in Dolgana, so I don't think it will be a major issue."
"You're well-prepared."
Dolgana, at the end of Rei's gaze, was often regarded as one of the prominent towns within Reblurina. The fact that Gimekara had already spoken with the upper echelon of such a town demonstrated just how much power the Zorgeh Merchant Guild held within Reblurina.
"Yes. The future of the Zorgeh Merchant Guild is at stake. And so... will the meeting with Lord Daskar be secured?"
"Yeah. I'll arrange it tonight. Also... would it be a problem if I deploy the Sand Ship outside the town? If that's not possible, we'd need to move a certain distance away from here."
"That won't be a problem either. I've obtained proper permission. They've also said the town will dispatch guards to keep watch, so please rest easy today."
Seeing this thoroughly accommodating situation, Rei recognized Gimekara's sincerity. Given that he had gone this far, Rei judged that he wouldn't betray them from this point on, and nodded.
"Understood. I'll leave all negotiations and coordination with the town, and everything else, to you. ...Just to confirm, we can all enter the town, right?"
If it were a village, negotiations could resolve anything. But what lay ahead of his gaze was a town. As such, there was a real possibility of identity verification. Rei had intended to negotiate using the name of the Crimson Lotus Wings or Elena, but if the Zorgeh Merchant Guild would handle that on their behalf, it would save them the trouble.
Whether he understood Rei's reasoning or not, Gimekara offered a gentle smile and nodded.
"Much appreciated. Well then, you'll need to discuss various things, so Marina, I'm counting on you."
"Oh, I'm the right choice?"
A smile different from the one Gimekara wore — alluring, and yet carrying an impression of provocation. Marina asked with such a smile, and Rei immediately nodded back.
"The most skilled negotiator among us is you, Marina. That's why I'm leaving it to you."
"I'm happy to be trusted like that. Well then, let me live up to those expectations for now. ...Alright?"
"Go easy on him."
Marina had employed her sidelong glance — a weapon with fearsome destructive power — on Gimekara, but he somehow managed to respond without showing agitation. Though, contrary to his unagitated words, his cheeks were faintly flushed.
Leaving the two of them there, Rei searched for Sura... but before long, Sura approached him, apparently concluding that he had business with her. Faced with the town of Dolgana, the group's movement had halted, so that was only natural. And seeing Gimekara arrive and exchange words with Rei, it was only natural to conclude that some kind of instruction would follow.
"What's the matter?"
"Gimekara accepted the conditions I previously set, and has prepared supplies including carriages."
"No way!?"
Sura had heard the conditions as well, which was why fulfilling them was completely unexpected. Because of that, she cried out almost reflexively.
"It's true. So... right. First, we'll need to organize who rides in which carriage. Ideally, I'd like to keep the ten-person units intact when assigning carriages, but if that's not possible, figure out how to divide them up. I'm leaving that to you."
"...Understood."
Sura still had complicated feelings toward the Zorgeh Merchant Guild, which had cooperated with Jaya, and toward Gimekara, who belonged to the company — but if truly everyone could ride in carriages, they would be able to exit Reblurina even a little faster. Driven by that reasoning, she somehow suppressed the irritation within her and gave her reply.