About ten days had passed since clearing the checkpoint between Reblurina and the Kingdom of Mireana. Along the way, they had passed through several villages and towns, and each time, the number of escorts had grown.
Even so, because they prioritized personality over strength when selecting escorts, there were not many who could be called truly skilled—which was precisely why some tried to forcefully sell themselves into the role.
"I'm telling you, hire me! From the looks of it, it's nothing but women, right? I'll let you hire me, so don't worry and leave it to me!"
That voice echoed through the guild hall of one of the towns they had stopped at during their journey.
Perhaps because the number of reasonably skilled adventurers had increased compared to Reblurina, there had been a growing number of people recently making such claims with confidence in their own abilities.
If he were allowed to bring Set into town, no one would be making this kind of fuss.
Also complicating matters was the fact that the man had some moderate skill, but not enough to see through Rei's true power.
And above all, the presence of Marina and Vihera in Rei's party was a significant factor.
If things went well, they might be able to get close to these two beauties.
It was only natural that the men would harbor such thoughts.
At the very least, the saving grace was that Elena wasn't here. Then again, since Elena's face might be recognized, would the disturbance not have happened if she had been here instead?
Half in a state of escaping reality, Rei thought of Elena, who had been consulting with Ara about Noble's Faction matters.
To the man demanding to be hired, however, Rei's attitude was apparently unforgivable.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?! I'm telling you, hire me!"
"...Even if you say that, what we're hiring for are people with good personalities, even if their skills are only so-so."
"Then there's no problem with me, is there?"
The man replied to Rei's words without a moment's hesitation.
There was no doubt he genuinely believed he had no issues and possessed a good personality.
Looking at the man's demeanor, Rei was momentarily dumbfounded, but the next instant, he shook his head.
"Looking at you right now, I can hardly say you have a good personality."
In truth, the man was directing gazes full of desire at both Marina and Vihera.
Furthermore, having heard the explanation that those being escorted were nearly a thousand women, seeing his eyes light up made it obvious what he was expecting.
If he were approaching them out of genuine affection, that would be one thing, but being confronted with such an openly lustful display, hiring such a person as an escort was simply not an option for Rei.
The majority of Rei's party had, after all, been brainwashed by Slave Collars and forced into prostitution against their will.
Given that, it was only natural for them to be sensitive to such gazes from men.
The reason Set was so beloved by so many women was partly due to Set's inherent cuteness, but even more so because Set was an animal—technically a monster—and would never direct such gazes at them.
What would happen if a man like the one making a scene before Rei, demanding to be taken on as an escort, were introduced into such a group?
He would undoubtedly cause problems.
That was why Rei had said what he did, but the timing was poor.
Being told something belittling in front of two beauties like Marina and Vihera—and above all, that the one saying it was Rei.
If Rei had been carrying Death Scythe, the man might have realized his true identity, but he couldn't exactly bring out Death Scythe in the middle of town when he wasn't even in combat.
For those reasons, it was not unreasonable for the man to assume that Rei was merely borrowing the authority of others—a fox borrowing a tiger's fearsomeness—while dragging along two women like Marina and Vihera.
Being told by such a person that he didn't seem to have a good personality—in other words, that he had a bad one—it was only natural for blood to rush to the head of the inherently crude man.
"The hell you say, you brat! Do you know who you're talking to?!"
Shouting as if to intimidate, the man reached out toward Rei.
In the past, most people would have been unable to say anything when this man threatened them.
He probably thought Rei was one of them.
But from the looks of his surroundings, there was no doubt he held considerable influence within the group he led.
Threatening such a man and making him obey his orders would bring him a comfortable life. Not only that, he might even be able to make Marina and Vihera his own women.
That was what he had been thinking when he acted, but the next instant, he felt some kind of impact, and for some reason, he found himself slumped against the wall.
"Gah... eh..."
Even through the Leather Armor, the shock of his body slamming hard against it couldn't be completely absorbed.
Without understanding what had happened, the man lost consciousness right then and there.
"Umm... uh... isn't this normally my part to play?"
Looking at the man who had lost consciousness after hitting the wall, Rei muttered in bewilderment.
If the man had tried to throw a punch, he had intended to counterattack.
But before he knew it, before Rei could do anything, the man had been punched by someone else and sent flying.
From Rei's perspective, it felt like his prey had been snatched away from right under his nose.
This must be exactly what they meant when they said a kite swoops away your fried tofu, he couldn't help but think.
"No, I'm sorry! My idiot said something idiotic and did something idiotic... He's truly an idiot."
How many times did he just say "idiot"?
Thinking that, Rei looked at the person bowing to him.
Shorter in stature than even the petite Rei, yet the arm that had punched the man had muscles that were visibly pronounced.
With a magnificent beard extending from his chin down to near his chest, Rei didn't know who this person was, but he could understand what kind of person he was.
"A Dwarf?"
"Yeah, I'm Shinarama, the Guild Master of this guild. My idiot is truly sorry. And, I've done something inexcusable to Marina-sama as well..."
"Eh?"
It was Rei who inadvertently let out a questioning voice at Shinarama's demeanor.
That was because Shinarama was clearly showing signs of nervousness in front of Marina.
Well, if it were only nervousness, given that Marina had been the Guild Master of Gilm for many years, it might not have been so strange.
But the Shinarama standing before Marina was not only nervous—his face was overflowing with joy.
His entire attitude seemed to declare that being able to meet Marina was the happiest thing imaginable.
In Elgin, as was common, Dwarves and Elves were not hostile toward each other.
Of course, whether Dwarves or Elves, since there were many of them, there would naturally be some who didn't get along.
However, since they weren't racially hostile to one another, a sight like the one before him wasn't impossible.
It's not impossible, but... even so, it feels strange.
In the manga and novels Rei had read while in Japan, Elves and Dwarves were typically depicted as being on bad terms.
Because of that, seeing a Dwarf directing a gaze of pure admiration toward Marina felt somehow incongruous.
He had seen Elves and Dwarves getting along in Gilm a few times as well, but Shinarama's current demeanor seemed to carry something beyond even that.
"Oh, you're... Shinarama, right? I see. I heard you became a Guild Master, so it was here."
"Yes. I caused Marina-sama all sorts of trouble in the past... and yet, I've caused you trouble again today, and for that, I apologize."
The way he bowed deeply made it clear just by looking that Shinarama held strong reverence for Marina.
And those most surprised to see Shinarama like that were the adventurers in the guild.
Some had been wondering whether to help Rei's party, who was being harassed. Others thought they deserved it. Still others watched with disinterest as if it were nothing new. The majority of such people were staring at the bowing Shinarama in disbelief.
To the adventurers of this guild, Shinarama was a Guild Master who could be described as a strong, reliable big brother figure.
When one of the guild's adventurers had a dispute with a noble in the past, Shinarama hadn't backed down at all. He had continued to protect the adventurer who clashed with the noble, and ultimately even forced the noble to apologize. Shinarama was a well-known figure in this area for doing exactly that.
For someone like that to be bowing his head... it was simply unbelievable, which was the honest feeling of those watching the scene.
"It's fine. There are plenty of adventurers with that kind of personality, after all."
"I'm sorry, I'll make sure to discipline him thoroughly."
Saying that, Shinarama directed his gaze toward the man he had punched.
The man had lost consciousness from the impact of his back hitting the wall, but had he been awake, he would have been shivering from Shinarama's glare.
The onlookers gazed at the man with pity.
They understood what fate awaited him from tomorrow onward.
Considering Shinarama's personality—and the fact that the man had tried to harass someone Shinarama revered and held deep affection for.
Technically, it wasn't Marina whom Shinarama revered, but rather Rei, a companion traveling with Marina, but the result would likely be the same.
No, given that the man had directed lustful gazes at Marina, the punishment might actually be even harsher.
"Hey, come on. That Dark Elf... who is she? I can't believe Shinarama-san is being that humble."
"I wanna know too. Brother Shinarama is a big face around here. For him to bow his head in public like this..."
"Sister, how wonderful."
"Hey, wait. Since when did you start calling her 'Sister'?"
Amidst such voices reaching them, the conversation between Shinarama and Marina continued.
"So, how many adventurers here would be acceptable personality-wise? I don't know whether the information has reached you or not, but we're currently traveling with nearly a thousand people. We want adventurers to serve as escorts—specifically, the kind who won't cause problems."
While explaining, Marina's gaze shifted to Gimekara.
Originally, it had been arranged for Gimekara to hire adventurers here.
But during that process, the man from earlier had harassed Rei, bringing that discussion to a halt.
"Gimekara, can I leave the negotiation to you? Shinarama, it would probably be difficult for you to handle things with me as the other party."
Showing off one's work in front of someone they admired was one thing, but actually negotiating with that person was something many would prefer to avoid if at all possible.
And Marina knew that Shinarama was exactly that kind of person.
That was why she left the negotiation to Gimekara.
Of course, given that the Zorgeh Merchant Guild had declared it would support Rei's party's travels, it was only natural for Gimekara to handle the negotiation here.
"Yes, please leave it to me. First, our destination is Gilm. So for anyone who wants to go to Gilm, I can recommend serving as an escort. Lodging, water, and food are all provided by us, and the meals are basically dishes so good you wouldn't believe you're camping outdoors."
"Hmm, Gilm, huh. There are quite a few guys who want to go to Gilm..."
When Shinarama glanced at the Receptionist, she apparently understood immediately what the Guild Master wanted. She spoke up right away.
"Their conditions are for adventurers with good personalities, even if their skills are only so-so. Since it's a journey escorting nearly a thousand women, that naturally becomes a point of concern."
"Ah... right. There are a fair number of skilled guys, but adding good personality on top of that cuts the number down significantly."
Saying that, Shinarama glared at the adventurers who were looking his way.
The adventurers who had been told they had personality issues, regardless of their skills, hastily averted their gazes.
In truth, they knew full well that while their skills might be one thing, they had various personality problems.
That was precisely why they looked away from Shinarama.
Seeing the adventurers' behavior, Shinarama let out a sigh.
"As you can see. It's not that there are none at all, but at least among the guys here right now, there's no one who fits what you're asking for."
It was currently just about noontime.
Despite that hour, the very fact that they were in the guild without having accepted any requests meant they couldn't be called serious adventurers.
Of course, how many days an adventurer took off after completing a request varied from person to person.
Since there were undoubtedly some among them who fell into that category, it wasn't necessarily the case that all of them were hopeless.
"Then, let me say this. Setting aside the selection based on personality, regarding the compensation..."
"Hmm, I can't accept that. Raise the compensation a bit more."
"However, considering that we'll be providing nearly everything, including meals..."
The negotiation that had begun so abruptly was watched over in silence by everyone present.