Those present each wore puzzled—genuinely puzzled—expressions as they looked at the person before them.
At the end of their gazes stood a small figure. Someone who could not possibly be leading a group of nearly a thousand.
A hood concealed most of their face, but even so, there was no doubt they were younger than the rest.
Of course, in this world there were those like Dwarfs who remained short even into adulthood, but looking at Rei's build, he could never be mistaken for one. No—even with the hood on, his visible chin showed not a trace of the beard characteristic of Dwarfs. In other words, Rei was unmistakably not a Dwarf.
The fact that none of them showed any disdain toward him was precisely because these were guards Gimekara had deliberately handpicked for their character. Had they been ordinary adventurers off the street, there was no question that all manner of commotion would have erupted.
(I wish I could have brought Set along.)
Having long since made peace with his own appearance, Rei turned his gaze toward the outer walls, thinking of Set, who was likely hunting outside the city.
A Gryphon—an A-Rank monster... or more precisely, classified as a Rare Species and equivalent to S-Rank. The city's upper echelon had refused to allow Set inside. What would happen if such a monster were let into the city and went on a rampage? Even when Gimekara invoked the name of the Zorgeh Merchant Guild, the answer remained no.
Of course, given Rei's position, he could have used somewhat forceful methods to get Set through the gates. After all, Set was registered with the Guild as Rei's Tamed Monster. Using that as a shield, it would be difficult for even the city's leadership to refuse him. If they forcibly did so, the relationship between Dolgana and the Guild would undoubtedly deteriorate.
Rei understood all of this, but given that they would be relying on the city's hospitality starting today, pulling such a stunt could bring unnecessary trouble—not so much to himself, but to the others in his group. Considering those circumstances, Rei chose to temporarily part ways with Set.
Though "part ways" only meant for as long as Rei was inside the city.
With nearly a thousand people in Rei's group, it went without saying that not everyone could stay at inns within the walls. More fundamentally, since the vast majority had fled Jaya with nothing but the clothes on their backs, hardly anyone had any money. Some might have brought rings or jewels given to them by clients, but such individuals were exceedingly few. What's more, given that anyone not present when the nine o'clock morning bell rang tomorrow would be left behind, how many would choose to risk oversleeping at an inn was questionable at best. Of course, if they had decided to remain in Dolgana, that was their choice to make.
"You all look like you've got plenty of opinions about me. So—how about a little sparring match? If I prove strong enough to satisfy you, there won't be any complaints, right?"
Sound judgment in a crisis was certainly important for anyone leading a party. But when it came to quickly putting people at ease in moments like this, nothing worked quite like a demonstration of raw power.
"A-are you sure? Um, we might not look it, but we're actually quite skilled."
One of the women at the receiving end of Rei's gaze spoke up. Since the majority of Rei's group were women, there were a fair number among the guards as well. This particular woman, concerned for Rei, had voiced her worry. From her perspective, given his small frame, she likely couldn't imagine him being able to spar with them.
(Did Gimekara not tell them about me?)
Though the question crossed his mind, given what lay ahead, he needed to demonstrate his strength now.
"Don't worry. I may not look it, but I'm confident in my abilities."
"…Is that so?"
At Rei's brimming confidence, the woman backed down, deciding that if he was that sure, then so be it.
In truth, with someone like Rei present, there was always a risk that someone would underestimate him. To prevent that, he needed to properly demonstrate his power here. Any concern that he might be just a child as he appeared had been dismissed by the man himself. If he was that confident—well, the woman and the others could hardly be blamed for thinking so.
"Then I'll go first. You're really sure about this?"
The woman who had first expressed concern took her stance as she said this. Since this was a sparring match, no weapons would be used—it would be strictly hand-to-hand. Of course, if Rei had used his usual weapons like Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear, there would have been no question of holding back.
The others around them directed curious gazes at Rei, wondering just how much strength lay behind such bold claims. That no one objected to the woman fighting first was proof she held a certain degree of influence among the guards gathered there.
"Come."
At that single brief word, the woman surged forward. Likely testing the waters first, the punch she unleashed was far from her maximum speed or power. She probably intended to pull the blow at the last second if Rei proved unable to react.
But before she knew it, her body was sailing through the air.
"Eh!?"
She had no idea why this was happening, but even so, she instinctively twisted midair and landed on the ground. As expected of an adventurer Gimekara had chosen, seeing her avoid slamming into the ground caused Rei to slightly raise his estimation of her. Of course, the fact that she had judged his ability by appearance alone meant she was still lacking in his eyes.
"Well? Want to keep going?"
"Ah… no. I understand now. Or rather, I understand that I have no idea what just happened."
"I see. What about the rest of you?"
At Rei's question, every one of the others shook their heads. That single exchange had been enough for them to grasp that Rei possessed an overwhelming strength on an entirely different level from their own.
"Then I take it there are no complaints about the guards. I don't know if you're aware, but the women traveling with us all have complicated backgrounds. Many of them are man-haters, so please be mindful of that."
At Rei's words, the guards nodded earnestly. Confirming this, Rei held a few brief discussions and then headed to his next destination.
Watching Rei's retreating figure, the guards exchanged words.
"To think a kid like that has that kind of power."
"You said it. At first I thought he was looking down on us, but… when someone shows you their strength like that, well."
"I get that I was thrown, but I still can't figure out how he did it."
As they traded remarks, their gazes naturally converged on the woman who had been thrown.
"Do you remember how he threw you?"
"No. I threw a punch, and the next thing I knew I was already airborne. I have absolutely no idea how that happens."
At those words, the people remaining once again grasped the sheer height of Rei's strength. How could a child like that possess such power?
"Anyway, the people we're guarding apparently come with a lot of baggage, so let's do our jobs properly and not get dismissed by the client. If we pull this off, there's a hefty reward in it too."
At the man's muttering, the others nodded in agreement.
"Gimekara, is the fodder ready?"
When Rei arrived at the stable area, Gimekara, who had been waiting for him, nodded with a beaming smile.
"Yes, of course. I've prepared enough to last comfortably until we reach Gilm, so please rest assured. Though what's here isn't all that much."
Several people beside Gimekara wore puzzled expressions upon seeing Rei. They likely couldn't understand why Gimekara was being so deferential. Having received similar looks from the guards earlier, Rei paid no particular mind to the brazen stares of what were presumably stable workers and spoke.
"I saw the guards. Skills aside, they seemed like decent people. That helps."
"No. I would have preferred to introduce individuals excelling in both skill and character, but such people are not so easily gathered in large numbers."
"I'd imagine."
Adventurers with both skill and good character were naturally in high demand. Gathering large numbers of such individuals was impossible even for the Zorgeh Merchant Guild, which wielded considerable influence in Reblurina. Furthermore, even adventurers considered skilled in Reblurina were ultimately so only because the nation was small. Compared to adventurers in Gilm, where skilled ones gathered in great numbers, it was undeniable that they fell short by one tier, two tiers—perhaps even more. Gimekara understood this as well, which was precisely why he had selected based on character rather than skill.
"So, about the fodder."
"Yes, everything in that warehouse over there has been purchased by us, so please take it without hesitation."
"Appreciate it. But whether it's fodder, food, or water, I can't be the only one transporting everything. It's not like we'll be traveling together forever."
"There's no need to worry about that. We've prepared carriages specifically for transporting supplies."
"…Huh."
A voice tinged with surprise and admiration slipped from Rei at the revelation that dedicated supply carriages had also been prepared. In truth, transporting that volume of supplies would require a considerable number of carriages. They had needed numerous carriages just to serve as transportation for nearly a thousand people, and yet they had also prepared supply carriages—and the horses to pull them. Naturally, that meant significantly greater expenses. That they had gone to such lengths despite understanding the cost meant Gimekara—no, the Zorgeh Merchant Guild—was deadly serious about escaping Reblurina.
(Well, just getting involved with Gilm was bad enough, but Jaya has been committing all manner of blunders. Nobody wants to stay aboard a ship that's guaranteed to sink. In that sense, I suppose I could commend them for acting swiftly, as a merchant would.)
Of course, as a merchant guild that had cooperated with Jaya, simply relocating their headquarters to Gilm wouldn't immediately grant them freedom to trade. There was no question they would be monitored for years. Since Gimekara was undoubtedly acting with that understanding, Rei wouldn't complain. "Couldn't complain" was probably the more accurate phrasing.
"I appreciate you going that far."
"As a merchant, I consider this only natural diligence. More importantly, once we've finished storing the fodder, the next item is food. I took Rei-san into consideration and prepared a good deal of freshly cooked meals rather than just preserved food. Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah, that's fine by me. Fresh food is all well and good while I'm around, but like I keep saying, it's impossible for us to travel together indefinitely. With that in mind, we'll still need preserved food."
"I understand. However, both food and fodder have been prepared in small, divided portions at towns and villages along the highway. So I don't think you need to worry much about spoilage."
"I see. That helps."
Anything stored inside the Misty Ring wouldn't spoil. But when it came to goods like bread and cheese loaded onto carriages, there was always a risk. In winter that wouldn't be a concern, but unfortunately, it was currently summer. Though the peak of the season had passed, it was still plenty hot.
"You're welcome to feel as grateful as you like. As merchants, we've taken this action believing it will be to our profit."
Gimekara, wearing a good-natured smile as he said this, displayed the very picture of a merchant. Facing him, Rei became convinced that the journey ahead to Gilm would be at least somewhat easier. Being a merchant, Gimekara would sell his favors to the fullest whenever opportunity arose, and would do everything to improve his standing with Daskar upon arriving in Gilm—Rei could understand that clearly. Additionally, if his group received various forms of assistance along the way, they would naturally be less inclined to harbor ill will.
Though he had no intention of dropping his guard.
With those thoughts in mind, Rei continued his discussions with Gimekara.