Having parted ways with Bluitt, Rei and Elena headed straight to Elena's room within the Duke Kerebel Mansion.
Of course, Elena had several rooms in this mansion, and this was merely one of the reception rooms.
...In truth, it was the finest of all the reception rooms, but Rei showed no sign of noticing.
"Please, go ahead."
"...Now that you mention it, it feels like it's been a while since I last saw you," Rei muttered, watching Ara as she served him tea while he sat on the sofa.
Indeed, since arriving at the Duke Kerebel Mansion, Rei had hardly any opportunities to see Ara.
As the commander of Elena's Escort Knight Order, Ara had work piling up in the literal sense of the word, and she had been busy clearing through it.
As a result, she had crossed paths with Rei a few times, but compared to Elena, the frequency was remarkably low.
Ara seemed to understand this as well, and she offered a smile.
"That's right. I was so busy with paperwork that I inevitably had fewer opportunities to see you, Lord Rei..."
"Then, is it fine now? Well, I'm just glad I get to drink tea brewed by you."
Ara's skill at brewing tea was exceptionally high.
From Rei's perspective, it didn't seem like she was doing anything particularly different from anyone else, but the taste of the tea was distinctly better.
Someone more knowledgeable about tea would probably be able to discern various subtle differences, but... in Rei's case, he drank tea when it was served to him, but he never brewed it himself.
Even when he was in Japan, he had only ever drunk tea using tea bags at most. And even then, only a handful of times.
He had drunk his fair share of canned and bottled tea sold in vending machines—so-called tea-flavored beverages, one might say.
Even so, Ara was the one who could brew tea that Rei could confidently declare was delicious.
Honestly, Rei thought that Ara might be better suited working at a café or a similar establishment than holding the position of commander of Elena's Escort Knight Order.
That was what crossed his mind.
That said, the reason Ara had honed her tea-brewing skills to such a level was, first and foremost, because she wanted Elena to enjoy delicious tea.
Given that, Rei—who knew just how much affection Ara harbored for Elena—couldn't imagine her taking up a job that would take her away from Elena's side.
"Hearing you say that, Lord Rei, makes my efforts feel worthwhile. ...So then, Lady Elena. May I listen in on the conversation you are about to have?"
When Ara asked Elena, Elena turned her gaze toward Rei as if asking, What do you think?
"It's fine for Ara to stay."
If the person here had been anyone other than Ara—someone Rei didn't know well, or someone he wasn't particularly close to—he wouldn't have allowed them to listen in on the conversation.
Even with someone he was fairly close to, like Leodanis or Bluitt, he would have refused.
But having known Ara for several years, he was well acquainted with both her character and her abilities, so refusing her wasn't even an option.
Perhaps sensing Rei's thoughts, Ara sat down beside Elena, looking just a little happy.
...For a moment—truly just a moment—Rei wondered whether Ara's happiness stemmed not from being pleased by his words, but from getting to sit next to Elena. But he told himself that wasn't the case and opened his mouth to speak again.
"First of all, I was being targeted by an assassin known as Black Wolf."
The moment the name Black Wolf left Rei's mouth, the expression of Ara, who had been sitting happily beside Elena, froze.
Given that Ara considered Anesis her second home, she naturally knew the name Black Wolf.
It was precisely because she knew just how dangerous an assassin he was that Ara had frozen up like this.
"Honestly, it's a miracle you came out unscathed."
"Yeah. Black Wolf was genuinely strong. But being an assassin should have been his true forte, yet for some reason, when he attacked me, he came at me head-on. If he had just stuck to being a proper assassin, it certainly would have been dangerous for me."
After all, there would have been no telling what methods he might use to target Rei's life in the midst of everyday activities.
Had that been the case, it wouldn't have been strange for even Rei to suffer mental exhaustion.
And yet, Black Wolf had employed no such methods and had challenged Rei head-on.
Why he had done such a thing, Rei didn't know. It was possible that even Black Wolf himself didn't have any firm reason for it.
(Maybe he instinctively realized I was from Japan because of the nikuman incident? ...It's a possibility, but I wonder.)
In the end, now that Black Wolf himself had died without saying anything about those circumstances, there was no point thinking about it.
"You were lucky, then."
"Yeah. I won't deny that. It's because Black Wolf challenged me head-on that I was able to win."
Rei gave a brief reply to Ara's words and continued speaking.
"And since Black Wolf was an assassin, there's no doubt he was acting on information from someone. I asked Elena to check whether Duke Kerebel's House had any information on that, and she looked into it."
"...Is it really all right for me to hear this?"
At Ara's question, Elena nodded, indicating there was no problem.
To Elena, Ara was her childhood friend and the person she trusted most.
Furthermore, since Ara held the position of commander of the Escort Knight Order, which acted as Elena's hands and feet, Elena judged that it would be better for Ara to hear what was about to be discussed.
"Please do. ...Now, to put it simply, there is apparently someone who specializes as a mediator for Black Wolf. I've already learned the location of their base."
"As expected. ...But if you knew that much, couldn't Duke Kerebel's House have taken action on their own?"
It was true that Elena, who could be called their greatest combat power, had been absent, but Filma, who commanded the Duke Kerebel's Knight Order, was present.
It was hard to imagine they would be lacking in combat power.
Under those circumstances, why had they left Black Wolf at large?
It was only natural for Rei to wonder.
But Elena shook her head at Rei's words.
"The one serving as Black Wolf's mediator is the head of the largest underground organization in Anesis."
"Ah... I see."
Anesis was known as the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Mireana, after the Royal Capital.
Naturally, the largest power operating in the shadows of such a city couldn't be disposed of so easily.
Because they were an underground organization, they certainly committed various crimes, but at the same time, it was an undeniable fact that the city wasn't plunged into chaotic disorder precisely because that organization existed.
If no single organization controlled the underworld of Anesis, it would become a state of warring factions, with numerous organizations clashing against one another in a struggle for supremacy over the city's underground.
Additionally, they also served as a deterrent against criminals arriving from outside Anesis.
Governing Anesis, the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Mireana, was not something that could be managed with idealism alone.
Even in Gilm, where Rei was based, there were several such underground organizations, and Daskar, the lord, tolerated their existence.
Rei, having vaguely sensed those circumstances, couldn't argue with Elena's words.
Of course he had his thoughts on the matter, but voicing his dissatisfaction over the Black Wolf incident wouldn't change anything. ...If Rei were to start his own underground organization in Anesis, that would be a different story, but naturally, he had no such intention.
However, that being the case, there was something he found problematic about the current situation.
Namely, if Duke Kerebel's House had been turning a blind eye to that organization all along, would it not be problematic for Rei to launch an attack against them?
"Rest assured. This time, they went too far, no matter how you look at it."
As if reading Rei's thoughts... no, rather than "as if," she had likely read them outright, Elena made that declaration.
This incident had exceeded the acceptable limits for Duke Kerebel's House.
Rei held the position of a guest of Duke Kerebel's House.
And Black Wolf had tried to kill that very Rei.
This was completely beyond the acceptable range for Duke Kerebel's House.
By chance, Rei had won against Black Wolf this time, but that was only because it was Rei.
If the one Black Wolf had targeted hadn't been Rei, there was a high possibility that person would have died.
Had that happened, the dignity of Duke Kerebel's House, which had welcomed that person as a guest, would have been completely ruined.
"Then?"
"Indeed. Because of this matter, it took time to obtain my father's permission. ...We strike. I do not know what they were thinking in doing such a thing, but that does not mean we can simply do nothing about it. ...You're with me, aren't you?"
Elena, asking the question already knowing the answer, received a natural nod from Rei.
He had fought to the death with Black Wolf and had a mock battle with Bluitt.
Even so, Rei still had plenty of stamina to spare, and if told to fight right now, he would have answered without hesitation that there was no problem.
"Of course."
"Hmm, I see. ...But, rest for now."
"...Huh?"
Rei had fully expected them to set out immediately, but what came out of Elena's mouth was the unexpected word: rest.
Why on earth? It was only natural for him to feel puzzled... and dissatisfied.
"Is this a joke?"
"It is not. Think about it. If we cause a commotion while it's still light out, it will naturally be seen by many people. If that happens, there will surely be those who take unnecessary action. To prevent that, we will strike at night."
Rei felt somewhat unconvinced by Elena's words, but as long as this was Anesis—Duke Kerebel's Territory—he couldn't ignore her intentions.
No, if he had truly insisted on having his way, he probably could have, but he judged that it would be better to follow Elena's lead for now.
Even so, he voiced the doubt he felt about her words.
"This incident is, in a manner of speaking, close to making an example of them, isn't it? So why don't we need to make it clear that it was Duke Kerebel's House who did it?"
"We will make it clear. However, at the same time, I have no desire to cause a commotion for the general populace. That is precisely why we strike at night. I'm not sure 'fortunately' is the right word to use, but the place we plan to raid tonight is apparently quite well-known in the underworld. I hear that other organizations have lookouts posted so they can learn of any movements that occur."
"Ah... I see. You'll have those people spread the word about what happened."
"Precisely."
Even without explicitly announcing that Duke Kerebel's House had launched the attack, the people watching the targeted location would spread the information on their own.
What's more, information spread by such people generally grew more sensational as it circulated.
If so, just how flamboyant would the rumor of Duke Kerebel's House's raid become as it spread through the underworld of Anesis?
Hearing that, Rei, while feeling it was slightly improper, found himself looking forward to it just a little.
...Of course, Rei participating in that battle meant that rumors about the Crimson would naturally spread as well, but for Rei, that was old news.
Given that rumors about the Crimson had already spread due to the war with the Bestia Empire and various other reasons, it was only natural for him to conclude there was no point in worrying about it.
"Anyway, I understand the situation. ...So, who will be participating in this raid? Don't tell me it's just going to be me, you, and Ara."
"Essentially, that is correct. However, we will have soldiers surround the perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping the location we're raiding. ...Though, given the nature of the place, it's highly likely that hidden passages for escape have been prepared."
"Yeah, that sort of thing would definitely exist. What's the plan for that?"
When Rei thought of escape routes, what came to mind were scenes like underground passages leading to a house in a distant location, or connections to a dried-up well.
Of course, since Elgin had magic and Magic Items, it wouldn't have been strange for there to be escape methods different from what Rei was imagining.