It had been a few days since combat training began being held three times a day — morning, noon, and evening.
At the end of the road Rei and his party traveled, a town came into view.
In the sense that it sat between the Kingdom of Mireana and Reblurina, it was the last town in Reblurina.
Because of that, it was a fairly large town, one that profited greatly from travelers coming from the Kingdom of Mireana.
And standing before that town called Asura was a figure Rei recognized.
"Set-chaaan! Set-chan, Set-chan, Set-chaaan!"
She was waving so vigorously it was visible even from a distance, and the fact that her voice carried despite them still being quite far away made the sheer volume obvious.
Indeed, even among those lined up to enter the town, some could be seen trying to put distance between themselves and Mirene — a sight visible even from Rei's vantage point in the carriage.
"We've finally linked up, huh."
Opening the door leading to the carriage's driver's seat, Rei muttered quietly.
He had expected as much, though he had thought perhaps they might join up a little sooner... but that had apparently been a slightly optimistic assumption.
Still, if they had managed to rendezvous, there was no problem.
"...No, perhaps there is."
Precisely because Mirene was a Set enthusiast, she could be seen even now waving frantically at him.
But what the women in Rei's party — particularly those who relied on Set as their emotional support — thought of that sight was painfully obvious without even thinking about it.
They had believed Set was theirs alone, only to discover he was being doted on by an unfamiliar woman.
In reality, Mirene had been the one to accept Set far earlier than anyone. But no one here knew that.
While Rei was thinking such thoughts, his group continued advancing, eventually arriving before Asura.
While traveling through Reblurina, it had not been uncommon for the guards to panic upon seeing the size of Rei's party.
But Ronitas, who led the envoy delegation, must have made arrangements with Asura in advance.
Even seeing a large group like Rei's, the guards were surprised but did not panic to any significant degree.
When the carriage stopped before the Main Gate, Ronitas immediately approached.
"Ronitas?"
"Yeah, it's been a while... well, not quite that long, but it's been a few days. Glad to see you're all doing well. I've already sorted things out here regarding your situation, so there's no problem. No procedures or anything — just bring your key people straight inside."
"Is that fine?"
"Yeah. However, the others will need to wait outside for a while to avoid causing any incidents. ...That's not a problem, right?"
It was not a question but a voice seeking confirmation.
Hearing that tone, Rei had no particular objections and returned a nod.
"Understood, that's fine. But a lot of them are looking forward to being in town, so I'd appreciate it if you could get them inside as soon as possible."
"I'll tell them to make it as quick as they can. ...Let's go."
At Ronitas's words, Rei, Elena, Marina, Vihera, Byune, Ryutas, Gimekara, Sura, and the others proceeded into Asura.
For the record, Set was being so thoroughly doted on by Mirene — whom he was seeing for the first time in days — that bringing him into town was simply not an option.
If they were being allowed in, that probably meant Set would have been allowed in too without issue... but nothing to be done about that. Bringing Set into town in this situation would definitely spark an unnecessary uproar.
Glancing at several women who were directing hostile glares at the Mirene who was fawning over Set, Rei continued into Asura without a word.
He understood that in the current situation, saying anything would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Given that, leaving things to the natural flow of events would cause no problems.
The fact that Surnin came out of Asura just as Rei's group was entering, passing them going the opposite way, was probably related as well.
You're causing us trouble. No, there's no problem.
They hadn't exchanged actual words, but the fact that they had communicated through eye contact alone was unmistakable.
With Surnin around, it won't become a problem. Even Mirene couldn't use rough tactics against amateurs... Yeah. At least for now, they were still classified as amateurs, without a doubt.
The combat training held three times a day.
In the first few days, those participating had mostly been only the ones assigned as guards... but now, a fair number of the women had also joined in.
It was likely influenced by the fact that they had been forcibly brought here by Jaya.
If they had been just a little stronger, they wouldn't have let their first time be sold for money.
Everyone understood that the number of escorts in this party was small.
Because of that, those who wanted to be able to protect themselves in an emergency were by no means few.
Of course, not everyone in the party felt that way, but even so — they were volunteers from a group of nearly a thousand people.
Naturally, their numbers had grown to a considerable size... and among them, more than a few possessed high aptitude for combat.
If combat training continued like this until they reached Gilm, some might actually gain a decent level of strength — or so Rei predicted.
He wouldn't even be surprised if some of them acquired enough power to hold their own against a Low-Rank Adventurer.
After all, there were those whose talent Marina, Vihera, and others could vouch for — enough talent to register as adventurers and start working immediately upon arriving in Gilm.
"This way. It's the inn where we're staying, so there shouldn't be any worry about being overheard."
Saying that, Ronitas led them to an inn not far from the Main Gate.
That it was a high-class establishment was immediately apparent from its refined appearance alone.
"Nice place you're staying at."
"Obviously."
At Rei's words, Ronitas replied instantly.
"Honestly, I'd personally prefer a more relaxed, less stiff kind of inn... but we're the Gilm envoy delegation. For someone in such a position to stay at a cheap inn would be dragging Gilm's name through the mud."
"Ah, I see."
From Ronitas's words, Rei could more or less understand the circumstances.
If Ronitas were to stay at a cheap inn in this situation, it would imply the Gilm envoy delegation had only that level of financial power, which would invite contempt.
There were those who judged what kind of person someone was by what sort of inn they stayed at.
Given that, Ronitas and his group, bearing the Gilm banner, could not possibly stay at such a cheap inn.
Entering the inn with "Blessing of the Earth Inn" written on its sign, a staff member immediately approached.
"Welcome back, Lord Ronitas."
"Yeah, these are my guests. Let me use the reception room for a bit. Also, bring us some drinks and something to eat."
"Right away."
After a brief exchange, the staff member departed.
The gesture carried a certain refinement, proving that the Blessing of the Earth Inn was a proper high-class establishment, not just in appearance but in substance as well.
Personally, Rei preferred the homey atmosphere of the Wheat Inn at dusk... but he supposed there were plenty of people who liked this sort of thing.
Thinking such thoughts with admiration, Rei and the others were shown to a room on the second floor.
As Ronitas had called it a reception room, it was evidently a room designed for several people to converse.
No one else was present, but for the sake of comfort, a cooling Magic Item kept the room pleasantly cool despite it being summer.
Each person took a seat on the sofas, and Ronitas was the first to speak.
"Now then... shall we start with introductions? Though that obviously excludes Rei and his group, who already know each other."
"I would appreciate that. ...Then allow me to go first. I am Gimekara of the Zorgeh Merchant Guild, which has been providing support to Rei-san and his party."
Remaining seated on the sofa, Gimekara bowed his head.
"Then I suppose I'm next. Ryutas, formerly of Jaya. I have several personal guards, but I've left them outside."
Under normal circumstances, a guard separating from their protectee would be unthinkable.
But with Rei's group present, it was clear to the guards that no matter what happened, Ryutas would absolutely be safe.
Rather, if Jaya pursuers were to attack in this situation, there was no question that Rei would annihilate them.
Not only that, but it would mean they had laid hands on the envoy delegation from Gilm as well, which would place Jaya in an even worse position — that much was certain.
"Last is me, I suppose. I'm Sura, leader of the Resistance."
Looking at Sura, Ronitas briefly flashed a surprised expression.
He had heard about Sura's existence from Rei and the others, but even so, he must have thought she was too young.
Ronitas's surprise vanished immediately, but Sura was not the type to miss it.
Even so, she said nothing — because Sura herself acknowledged that being young was simply a fact.
Perhaps I should at least be glad I don't look older than my age.
Thinking almost as if to convince herself, Sura smiled at Ronitas in a way that said she hadn't noticed a thing.
As Sura smiled, the final person — Ronitas — spoke up.
"I'm Ronitas. I believe you've heard from Rei, but I'm the one leading the envoy delegation to Reblurina. ...Now, with introductions out of the way, there's something I'd like to confirm first."
Pausing, Ronitas turned his gaze toward Ryutas.
Understanding the meaning behind that look, Ryutas nodded at Ronitas before speaking.
"We'll be heading to Rossi with you, Ronitas-san — just like this, straight through."
It was essentially a there-and-back trip, but for Ronitas, Ryutas's company was indispensable in the sense that it would allow him to obtain detailed information about Jaya and Reblurina.
Naturally, they would be able to gather various information at the villages and towns they stopped at along the way, but the fact that Ryutas had been directly involved gave his information a value that surpassed what others could provide.
"I see, that helps. And... on the Zorgeh Merchant Guild's side, can you secure personnel to replace Ryutas and his departed guards?"
"If it's purely numbers, we can provide as many as needed... but when it comes to those with the right character, or skill, or both... that's somewhat... no, to be honest, it would be quite difficult."
"You're a merchant, and you're giving up before even trying? Making it work in Gilm with that attitude will be tough, I'd say."
Ronitas's tone carried a provocative edge — no doubt because he was bothered by the fact that Gimekara was a merchant from the Zorgeh Merchant Guild, which had cooperated with Jaya.
In that sense, Ryutas had held the position of a Jaya successor candidate, yet Ronitas's attitude toward him was amicable.
Ryutas had defected as an individual... well, Rei wasn't sure if defection was the right word here. But Gimekara was moving the entire Zorgeh Merchant Guild. The difference probably lay there.
An individual and an entire trading company carried different levels of influence on their surroundings.
In particular, Gimekara had gone so far as to declare to Daskar that once the Zorgeh Merchant Guild finished establishing its foothold in Gilm and gained power, it would make contact with the underworld.
Naturally, Ronitas had heard about those circumstances from Daskar, so it was only natural that his attitude would grow stern.
Ronitas too loved the city of Gilm, and because of that, it was difficult for him to feel favorably toward anyone who might bring harm to it.
Gimekara seemed to understand Ronitas's feelings as well, for he smiled even under the stern criticism and spoke.
"That's true. But while it might be possible in Gilm, in villages and towns near Reblurina — anywhere that isn't Gilm — it's simply impossible to gather skilled adventurers. Of course, we'll do everything in our power, but we can't claim the impossible is possible."
Put that way, Ronitas had nothing further to say.
If he were to force someone to claim the impossible was possible, it would amount to imposing unreasonable demands on a merchant beyond what was necessary.
And that from a member of the Gilm envoy delegation, no less.
"...Understood. Then let's start by exchanging information in earnest. I've already finished exchanging information with Rei's group the other day, but this is the first time with everyone else."
So saying, Ronitas began a detailed discussion about Reblurina and Jaya... about Rossi and Mejougo.