"I'm Bluitt Exolis. The unworthy son of the Exolis Count Family."
Perhaps assuming Rei didn't know who he was, Bluitt offered this introduction.
"Why is a count's son doing something like this in a place like this?"
Normally, a noble's son walking through the city wouldn't get into brawls with the likes of those men. Rei's gaze conveyed that sentiment, but Bluitt only looked toward a spot a short distance away.
There, a man and woman in their early twenties were bowing their heads.
Seeing that, Rei could more or less piece together what had happened. Most likely, the couple had been accosted by the thugs, and Bluitt had stepped in to help.
Still, even so, it seems a bit much for a count's son to be the one rescuing them. Well, even if he is a count's son, I suppose someone with his level of skill wouldn't have any problem? Even so, this could turn into a liability issue with his guards...
Rei occasionally interacted with those who held high ranks like dukes or marquises, but a count's family was still sufficiently above the clouds from a commoner's perspective. If word got out that such a person had been brawling with thugs, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
However, Bluitt, at the receiving end of Rei's gaze, either didn't care about such things or simply didn't let it bother him. He gave the bowing couple a casual wave and left it at that.
Watching the scene unfold, Leodanis wore a subtle—truly subtle—expression.
Maintaining the peace in Anesis was the guards' job, after all. Despite that, the one who had resolved the trouble was the son of the Exolis Count Family... and the next head at that. It was only natural for Leodanis to wear such an expression.
What were the guards doing?
Leodanis thought this with a hint of misdirected frustration, but it wasn't as though the Anesis guards were slacking off. In fact, the Anesis guards ranked among the most capable in the entire Kingdom of Mireana.
The guards failing to arrive in time and Bluitt ending up in a brawl was purely a matter of luck. When the couple was being harassed by the thugs, there happened to be no guards nearby—Bluitt was there instead. That was all there was to it. Of course, since it was a matter of luck, that didn't mean everything was perfectly resolved.
"Ah... why don't we leave here for now? If the guards show up, things could get complicated."
As a knight, Leodanis should have actively assisted the guards under normal circumstances. But doing so now would waste Rei and Bluitt's time for no good reason. Given the situation, he couldn't very well do that, so he chose to leave the area. Though, that was only possible because Bluitt had already rescued the couple; had the situation still been unresolved, he wouldn't have had that option.
"Hmm. I was actually hoping to talk with you a bit, Rei. Since we're at it, why don't we move together? Even if we're leaving here, that sounds more interesting."
"...Um, Rei?"
The protagonist this time was, after all, Rei. That being the case, the choice of whether to act alongside Bluitt was entirely up to him. Leodanis, having encountered the next head of the Exolis Count Family in a place like this, wanted to avoid leaving him unattended if at all possible. With that in mind, he looked at Rei, hoping he would agree.
"Yeah, I don't mind. I'm a little curious about you too, Bluitt."
Leodanis heard Rei's voice. Perhaps surprised that Rei had nodded so readily, Leodanis wore a slightly startled expression.
He had originally heard rumors about Rei, but after losing to him helplessly in their mock battle, he had gathered more detailed information out of frustration. What he'd come to understand was that Rei and nobles fundamentally didn't get along. There was even information that he had clashed with Noble Faction Nobles on multiple occasions. Rei nodding so readily to Bluitt's words was completely unexpected.
"Are you sure? If you go on a rampage, we'll be the ones in trouble."
"I have no intention of going on a rampage. Not from my side, at least."
Leodanis studied Rei as he said this, wondering what to make of it. But judging that saying anything more would only waste time right here, he reluctantly accepted. Getting into a needless argument would only risk drawing the guards.
"Got it. Then... let's get out of here."
At Leodanis's words, everyone present moved away from the spot. Though Rei figured that the fact Bluitt had been seen with them would likely reach the guards soon enough, given Set's presence.
"Oh, so the rumors that you're close with Lady Elena are true after all."
Bluitt laughed happily as he washed down a chunk of stewed meat with ale.
Rei and his group were currently in a park. Perhaps due to the falling snow, there was no one else around. It would seem natural for children to be playing there, but none were in sight. Rei figured they were probably playing somewhere else and didn't think much of it.
Children in this world basically played outside when they played. At the very least, since things like game consoles didn't exist as they had on the Earth where Rei had once lived, they had no choice but to play that way. There were some children who preferred reading, but books were extremely expensive and not something an average household could afford, so such individuals were overwhelmingly in the minority.
"Yeah. That's an undeniable fact."
Seeing Rei confirm Bluitt's words, Leodanis formed a complicated expression, while Miranda's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
For Leodanis, Elena was not only the symbol of the Noble's Faction but also the symbol of Duke Kerebel's House. Of course, he respected Filma, who led the Knight Order, from the bottom of his heart, but that didn't mean he didn't also revere Elena. And considering her beauty, it would be impossible not to yearn for her. Leodanis was naturally no exception; he harbored a strong admiration for Elena. To be told that Rei was on close terms with her—it was only natural that a complicated expression would find its way onto his face.
As for Miranda, it wasn't that she didn't admire Elena, but... as expected, that was likely the difference between men and women. More than admiration, she was genuinely more curious about Elena's romantic circumstances.
It was not uncommon for Elena to be rumored as a beauty without peer, but contrary to such rumors, she had no close men at all. Well, to be precise, if it was simply a matter of being close, there were a few—but what Elena felt toward such individuals was friendship and camaraderie, not romantic attraction. Her beauty drew constant advances from men, which had only further distanced her from any romantic feelings of her own.
That was why, when the maids had learned a few years ago that a male figure had appeared in Elena's life—Elena, who had come to be known as the Princess General—they had all gossiped about what kind of person he could be.
However, the rumored Rei had, for one reason or another, never actually come to Anesis... until now, finally.
And they had also been granted what could only be called implicit consent from Duke and Duchess Kerebel.
Through the maids' gossip, Miranda was aware of these circumstances. Even so, if she could hear the story firsthand, it was only natural that she would want to.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to state it so definitively. But... if that's the case, there'll be more and more guys coming at you with hostility, you know? Even I would gladly welcome Lady Elena as my wife if I could."
Even as he said that, there was no trace of obsession toward Elena in Bluitt's demeanor. He probably just wanted to see Rei's reaction.
"If they're going to be hostile toward us, we'll just respond in kind."
"...Just like the rumors."
Hearing Rei's words, Bluitt formed a masculine grin.
Bluitt had, of course, gathered various pieces of information about Rei. Among them was the fact that he didn't hold back at all, even when dealing with nobles. He also knew that there were nobles who had actually tried to harm Rei and suffered for it.
"I don't know exactly what those rumors are, but the fact that I can mostly guess is what's troubling."
"Well, considering your personality, I suppose."
"...Setting aside my rumors, what about you? Why were you, someone in the position of a noble's next head, walking around the city alone in that outfit with no one else?"
Normally, it would be unthinkable for the next head of a count's family to walk around the city without even a single escort. Yet Bluitt had been doing exactly that. Moreover, he had been thorough enough to prepare clothing that commoners wore—high-quality ones at that. That this was mere coincidence was what Rei found impossible to believe.
"I wasn't plotting anything, so relax. I was simply interested and observing this city. Even from my perspective, the prosperity of Anesis is honestly enviable. My territory is reasonably prosperous, but even so, it falls several notches short of Anesis."
Those words were likely genuine, not flattery. Though, given that Anesis was the second city of the Kingdom of Mireana, it would be quite difficult for any city in Bluitt's territory to surpass it.
"So it really was just sightseeing?"
"That's right. I was thinking about what I should do compared to my family's territory. I wasn't just vaguely looking around."
"Oh, is that so? Then what do you think is different between Anesis and your territory?"
The reason Rei asked was likely because Gilm, his current base, was undergoing Expansion Construction. If there was some element unique to Anesis that could be applied to Gilm, perhaps Gilm could become even more prosperous. That was what he thought.
...Of course, though those around him considered Rei to be Daskar's right-hand man, no such relationship actually existed. If Rei voiced an opinion, Daskar would listen, but whether it would be adopted was uncertain. Urban design was something that should be left to specialists in that field; a proposal based on knowledge Rei had only picked up in passing was more likely to cause harm than good.
Whether it would prove useful or not, it was better to remember whatever knowledge one could, and so Rei waited for Bluitt's response.
Bluitt, receiving Rei's expectant gaze, thought for a moment... then opened his mouth.
"Let's see. First, I was surprised by how little litter there was."
"...Huh?"
Rei had fully expected him to talk about the city's location or perhaps some particular shop. The mention of litter caught him off guard.
But he quickly recalled some knowledge he had happened to come across back in Japan.
The Broken Windows Theory... or something like that, was it?
Places with broken windows tend to become prone to crime. To be precise, there were more detailed aspects to the theory, but that was the extent of what Rei remembered.
"When there's litter lying around, a lot of people think it's fine to toss their own trash too. As more and more accumulates, the place naturally becomes dirty, people stop going there, and eventually the kind of crowd you'd rather not have around starts gathering. Once that happens, a slum district forms in no time, and shady characters band together."
Hearing Bluitt's words, Leodanis wore a proud expression. Having his master's policies praised was naturally a good feeling.
The fact that they were doing something close to the Broken Windows Theory was surprising even from Rei's perspective. Given that something like that couldn't possibly exist in this world, Bluitt had probably arrived at it through sheer experience.
No, maybe it's possible that someone else who came here through reincarnation or Teleportation spread that theory.
Since Rei knew of people who had Teleported or reincarnated into this Elgin, it wouldn't be strange for such knowledge to have lingered in some form.
Thinking such thoughts, Rei continued his conversation with Bluitt.