Through the darkness of night, a large force of soldiers advanced through the Slum District.
Knights marched among them, radiating a menacing aura that kept the surroundings on edge.
Had this been daylight, simply moving through the area would have sparked considerable commotion. But the hour was already nearing ten at night.
With the early sunsets of winter, most residents had already gone to sleep.
A handful still caroused at taverns or frequented brothels, but those asleep undoubtedly outnumbered them.
A short while earlier—right after the new year had begun—there might still have been revelers making merry. But a fair amount of time had passed since then, and New Year's celebrations were by and large a thing of the past.
...That said, many residents of the Slum District were still awake. When soldiers and knights descended upon their home turf, they naturally went on alert.
The reason none of them directly challenged the intruders' identity was likely instinctive self-preservation—anyone could sense that speaking up under the present circumstances might well get them killed by the soldiers or knights.
Among those soldiers and knights walked Rei, Elena, and Ara, with Set padding along beside Rei.
"Sorry, Set. For dragging you into something like this."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set purred as if to say it was no problem.
For Set, simply being able to go out together with Rei was enough to make him happy.
Even if it was the middle of the night... and even if the outing was a raid on someone's hideout.
"From what Elena told me, the place we're raiding is supposed to be an ordinary house. Though honestly, anything built in the Slum District is hard to call ordinary."
If there were an ordinary house in the Slum District, someone would almost certainly break in to rob it.
Or rather, there would probably be those who would consider outright assault rather than mere theft.
But what if that house belonged to the person wielding the highest influence among Anesis's underground organizations?
Under normal circumstances, no one would be fool enough to raid the home of such a dangerous figure.
...Then again, the fact that there might be some too foolish to make that judgment was precisely the nature of the Slum District.
At any rate, while the location was unusual, Rei had heard that the house itself was the size of an ordinary single-family home—perhaps somewhat larger, but nowhere near spacious enough to be called a mansion.
Given that, it was virtually impossible for Set, who measured over three meters in length, to fit inside.
"Gurururu!"
Set purred, signaling he didn't mind.
Rei, comforted by Set's response, gently stroked his head.
It must have felt good, because Set purred contentedly.
"...Lord Rei, I'm... sorry to interrupt this heartwarming moment, but... interacting with Set like that is loosening the tension among the men. If you would, please refrain."
Ara said this with visible awkwardness, struggling to find the right words.
For those like Rei, Elena, and Ara who were seasoned in battle, avoiding excessive tension before a fight was second nature.
But among the soldiers, many had combat experience without being as battle-hardened as Rei and his companions.
For such men, having this kind of relaxed atmosphere take hold could mean they might not be able to summon their full strength when the real fighting began.
Rei must have noticed this as well from Ara's gaze and the demeanor of the surrounding soldiers.
He stopped petting Set's head.
"Sorry."
"Gruu..."
Though Rei apologized, Set rubbed his head against him, asking for more.
Seeing Set's insistence, Rei gave in and gave his head a light stroke.
"Sorry, but that's it for now. Once this raid is over... well, it's already night, so it'll be tomorrow, but I'll play with you then."
"Gurururu? Gruu!"
He seemed only slightly disappointed, but Rei's promise to play tomorrow was evidently enough to satisfy him, and Set stopped begging for more attention.
Elena, who had been watching Set's behavior, turned her gaze to Ielo, who was resting quietly on her right shoulder.
Normally, the instant Set started getting attention, it wouldn't have been unusual for Ielo to cry out, wanting to join in the fun.
Yet Ielo wasn't doing so now, which struck her as odd. But upon looking at him, Elena's expression shifted to understanding.
Ielo was skillfully asleep on her right shoulder.
Ielo was still a child, after all, and didn't handle nighttime well.
While he could endure more than a human child, it had still been only a few years since he had been brought into this world.
Given that, it was only natural for Ielo to grow drowsy at night.
Moreover, though Rei, Elena, and most of those present were unaware, Set and Ielo had spent the daytime chasing each other in a game of tag in the stables, which had left Ielo quite exhausted.
(I suppose it's fine to leave him like this until we reach our destination.)
Elena decided there was no need to forcibly wake him and would let him sleep until they arrived at the raid location.
The fact that Ielo was not particularly expected to serve as combat power in this raid was also a significant factor.
Ielo was still small and, in terms of pure combat power, fell far short of Set.
He did possess scales that ordinary blades couldn't pierce, the ability to blend into his surroundings, and the power to let Elena re-experience what he had seen.
However, those were not abilities that lent themselves directly to combat. In terms of defense, it might be possible to use him as a shield, but Elena, who doted on Ielo, would never allow such a thing.
The real reason he had come along today was simply that he wanted to be with Set, didn't want to be separated from Elena, and wanted Rei's attention.
"Lady Elena, it's coming into view."
Elena, who had been watching Ielo, snapped back to attention at the words of a soldier approaching from ahead.
The scout she had sent to check the situation had returned to report.
But the soldier's face was oddly panicked, which made her furrow her brow.
"Hm. What is the situation? They surely know we're approaching, but... judging by your agitation, have they gathered their forces to wait for us?"
No matter how large this organization was within Anesis's underworld, what stood before them was the military might of Duke Kerebel's House.
And with Rei and Set added to that force, a single organization stood no chance of winning a direct confrontation.
Still, if soldiers were marching toward their headquarters, it wouldn't be strange for them to consider mounting a defense.
Quietly complying with orders and disarming was one option, but doing so would undeniably make them look weak in the eyes of rival organizations.
Had this been an ordinary merchant guild, that might not have been a problem.
But as an underground organization, they could not afford to invite contempt from those around them.
Precisely because Elena understood this, she suspected the other side might have prepared their forces and lain in wait. But the soldier shook his head, denying her assumption.
"No, it's not that. Around the target house, there were soldiers and knights gathered, but they belong to a different affiliation than ours."
"Are you saying they're not the enemy's forces?"
"Yes. The soldiers and knights looked ready to storm the house at any moment."
"The Marquis Seisole's House."
From the soldier's account, Elena deduced which faction those forces belonged to.
She had already heard from Teles and the others that the Marquis Seisole's House was mobilizing its combat forces.
She had heard that much... but even so, the possibility that they had come to raid the very same target was unexpected, even for Elena.
(No... if Gaiska was the one who hired Black Wolf, then is it really so strange for the Marquis Seisole's House to show up here? Whether they've learned that Black Wolf is dead or not, the possibility that they've moved to obscure those circumstances can't be dismissed.)
She had already near-enough confirmed that Gaiska had hired Black Wolf.
But there was not yet any definitive evidence—no contract, no testimony from involved parties.
Given that, it was no surprise that the Marquis Seisole's House would move to erase the trail.
Of course, the purpose was undoubtedly to shield Gaiska from accountability—but not out of concern for him. It was purely to protect the Marquis Seisole's House's reputation.
Whatever the reason, they were attempting to attack the very organization that had mediated for Black Wolf.
That being the case, Elena could not simply stand aside and let the Marquis Seisole's House do as it pleased.
"What shall we do?"
"We press on. We cannot let the Marquis Seisole's House act freely. We need to take charge of this operation."
If the opportunity arose to somewhat diminish the Marquis Seisole's House's influence, that would be the ideal outcome.
But the critical caveat was that weakening them too much was out of the question.
Striking the right balance would make this a delicate operation, and that difficulty was not lost on her.
Even so, she could not leave the Marquis Seisole's House's forces to their own devices.
She quickened her pace toward the target house.
Led by Elena, the forces of Duke Kerebel's House pressed forward as well.
Under normal circumstances, there might have been men unhappy about being led by a woman—but this was the Duke Kerebel's House army.
They were well accustomed to following Elena, who bore the alias of Princess General, and at present, there was no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
This was likely one of the Duke Kerebel's House's particular strengths.
As they continued advancing, Set eventually turned his head slightly, as though he had caught a sound. Shortly after, Rei also understood what had drawn Set's attention.
(Ah, I see. Come to think of it, they did say the assault was already underway. In that case, those sounds are from the fighting.)
What reached them was the clash of metal and the screams of men. And what drifted through the air was the rusty, iron scent of blood.
Given that, what was happening ahead was obvious without further thought.
Elena sensed it as well moments after Rei, and her stride quickened even further.
Naturally, the rest of the group followed suit, and their pace increased across the board.
Before long—
"Who goes there!"
The voice rang out suddenly through the darkness of the Slum District.
Who had spoken was obvious without a second thought.
After all, just ahead, the largest underground organization in Anesis—the one that had served as mediator between the Marquis Seisole's House and Black Wolf—was locked in combat.
The men stationed here were serving as a bulwark, a cordon to prevent unwanted participants from joining the fight—specifically, to intercept reinforcements from rival organizations.
That was precisely why they reacted so sharply to Elena's group emerging from the darkness.
"I am Elena Kerebel of Duke Kerebel's House. I have business ahead. Let me pass."
"Elena Kerebel... the Princess General!?"
The soldier initially seemed not to recognize who stood before him, but he clearly knew the name Elena Kerebel and her alias, the Princess General. His surprise was plain, his agitation unmistakable.
"That is correct. On behalf of Duke Kerebel's House, I have business at the house ahead of here. I ask that you step aside and let me through."
"Wh—!? No, but..."
Whether because he had been ordered not to let anyone pass under any circumstances, the soldier showed no sign of moving from his position, even when addressed thus by Elena.
"What is it? In Anesis—within the very territory of Duke Kerebel's House—are you saying you cannot follow the orders of Elena Kerebel?"
"That's... no, but... I'm not authorized to make that call. Please wait a moment. I'll summon my superior at once. Hey!"
At his words, another soldier nearby bolted from the scene.
What he was rushing off to do was obvious enough.
But Elena had no intention of waiting.
For all she knew, the superior officer might try to stall for time to benefit the Marquis Seisole's House.
That being the case, standing around and waiting was the worst possible move.
"My apologies, but I don't have the luxury of waiting. We're passing through."
So declaring, Elena strode past the soldier.
He reflexively reached out toward her, but—
"Is there some problem with Lady Elena's words?"
Ara, gripping her Power Axe, fixed the soldier with a glare so fierce it looked as though it could kill him on the spot.
Under that gaze, the soldier found himself utterly unable to do anything more.