Pinned by the neck and unable to move under Rei's grip, Gran asked whether Rei truly intended to let go.
But Rei kept his hand pressed against the back of Gran's neck, showing no sign of releasing him.
"If you want me to let go, why don't you answer my questions first. You can manage that much, can't you?"
"Even if you say that... being pinned to the ground in winter with snow piling up, my body is going to get cold, you know."
"Fair enough. But if you give me the information properly, I won't have to keep holding you like this. ...Now then. What were you thinking, trying to get the Red Cloth to destroy the Earth Wall?"
That wasn't actually the question Rei wanted answered most, but it was a safe one for gauging whether Gran truly possessed the information he sought—and if he did, whether he was willing to share it.
"What was I thinking, you ask... If you think about it normally, they probably wanted to let the Cobolts back into Gilm, no?"
"Why would they do something like that?"
"Well... unfortunately, I'm not trusted enough by them to know everything, so I can't say for certain."
At those words, Rei tightened his grip on Gran's neck.
Gran felt it and, apparently thinking his neck bones would snap at this rate, hurriedly spoke up.
"It's not like I don't have other information. For example... yes, after destroying the Earth Wall, the Cobolts would naturally come flooding through. They told me to use that to dispose of the Red Cloth members."
"...What?"
The words that came out of Gran's mouth were unexpected enough that Rei stayed the hand gripping his neck.
"Why dispose of the Red Cloth? Aren't they using them as their hands and feet? ...Well, they did become too famous in a bad way, but."
As far as Rei knew, the Red Cloth had caused all sorts of trouble.
The fact that he had seen through one of the men in the group he'd been facing off against earlier as a Red Cloth member proved that clearly enough.
In other words, any action they took had a high chance of being immediately identified as the Red Cloth's doing, making them difficult to use as pawns—that much was obvious.
But even so, there were uses for them no matter what.
If they were existences that couldn't be brought into the open, there should have been ways to use them behind the scenes, in places that wouldn't become public knowledge.
Despite that, if what Gran was saying was true, it meant they were trying to dispose of the Red Cloth—the very pawns they were supposed to use—all at once.
"Well, I don't know the details myself, but... they did let slip something to the effect of 'they're no longer needed.'"
"...No longer needed? Which means they got their hands on other pawns?"
"I wouldn't know about that. But the fact that they were trying to dispose of them is true."
He said "dispose," but that essentially meant killing the men.
Even so, Gran showed no particular sign of guilt as he said it.
(Why? Even if they got new pawns, why would they need to discard them so readily? There should be any number of uses for them... no, wait. According to what I heard from the Guards, the Red Cloth wasn't just the thirty or so I saw earlier. So maybe they're culling the useless ones from among the Red Cloth? ...That would make sense.)
Feeling somewhat convinced, Rei set that point aside for now.
Judging from how the Red Cloth had reacted upon seeing Rei, it wouldn't be strange for them to be classified as useless—and that was likely a significant factor in this case.
"Well, I can accept that much for now. ...Then, next. What's your means of contacting the one who gave you this job? Or the place you go to make contact would work too."
Rei was surprised to hear they intended to dispose of the Red Cloth, but this was actually the information he more precisely wanted to know.
If he knew the contact point, it meant the person behind the Red Cloth was there, and there was a high probability he could uncover the mechanism used to summon the Cobolts by some method—Rei still hadn't abandoned the Magic Item theory.
That was the absolutely essential information for learning the truth.
...Granted, since Rei had built the Earth Wall, the majority of Cobolts could no longer enter Gilm, so it wasn't fatally important anymore.
The ones flowing toward the Gigant Turtle dissection site were being killed by the guards on duty, so there wasn't much of a problem there.
In fact, the greatly reduced concern about Cobolts entering the city was extremely significant for Daskar, for the Guild, and for the residents of Gilm.
"Umm, that... somewhat involves my credibility, so I'd rather not say if possible... Is that no good?"
Gran asked this, but in place of a reply, Rei tightened his grip on his neck.
"Gyah! U-Understood! I'll talk, I'll talk, so please ease up a little!"
Nearly having his neck bones crushed by grip strength alone, Gran hastily complied.
Granted, even if Gran's mouth had been a bit more stubborn, Rei wouldn't have actually gone so far as to break his neck.
After all, Gran was—finally, truly finally—the lead Rei had found on the Cobolt incident.
Given that, there was no way he would carelessly kill such a hard-won lead.
...Though making him believe he'd be killed if he didn't answer was absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, Gran naturally knew just how extraordinary an existence Rei was.
That was why, even without being threatened that seriously, he had become willing to talk like this.
"Good. I'm glad you decided to listen quietly. ...So, I'll ask again. What's your means of contacting the one who gave you this job, or where do you go to make contact?"
"...The means of contact is to go directly to a hideout. However, that's merely the place I go to make contact—it's not their true base, I think. At the very least, when I was in that house, there were almost no signs of anyone present."
"Careful, aren't you. Well, considering you're hiring people, I suppose that's natural."
If they were using truly trusted, personally loyal subordinates, that would be one thing, but preparing a separate location to meet someone who only took on contract work was not unusual for someone with even a modicum of caution.
For one thing, they were luring monsters—even if just Cobolts—into Gilm.
If caught, they would undoubtedly be arrested and likely executed.
Considering that, the option of not being cautious here simply didn't exist.
"What will you do? The place I know is merely a temporary base. Do you still want to hear it?"
"Of course. Even if it's a temporary base, it's still a base. If we investigate who's going in and out, it should at least serve as a lead to them."
"...Understood."
Perhaps judging that he could no longer obfuscate, Gran nodded quietly, still pinned by the neck.
"Since I'll talk, would you mind letting go of my neck? Like this, the cold is going to start affecting my ability to speak."
Lying on the cold ground sapped more stamina than one might expect.
Gran understood that—or rather, was experiencing it firsthand—which was likely why he said so.
(Now, what should I do... No, given that it'd be troublesome if he tried something right now, I should probably let him up.)
So judging, Rei released the back of Gran's neck.
Even as he released him, he stayed prepared to react instantly if Gran moved—a decision stemming from his judgment to capture him immediately if he tried to flee.
That said, Gran didn't think he could escape from Rei in his current situation either.
He'd been found even when hiding with his presence erased in perfect condition.
Now Rei was right in front of him, and he'd been lying on the winter ground until just moments ago, chilled to the bone.
In that condition, there was no way he could outrun Rei.
...Though that did mean he would have run if he'd been confident he could escape.
"Satisfied now? ...So, where's this base you use to make contact?"
"It's not far from the Slum District. Do you know a general store called Mishun's Shop? From there..."
Saying so, Gran obediently explained the base's location.
Granted, that was only what Gran was saying—whether the described location actually had a base, or whether the base was genuinely in use, remained unknown.
"I see. ...Then we're heading there right now, and you're coming with me."
"Could you spare me that? I'm currently just a hired hand. If it gets out that I spilled my employer's information, it would be quite bad for my reputation."
"Even so. I can roughly picture the location you described, but when we actually go there, I need to confirm whether it's really in use or whether it's a trap, don't I? ...More than anything, I think you're worrying about the future a bit too soon."
Rei's words were neither exaggerated nor baseless.
This was someone who had been pulling Cobolts into the city—and who had been hired knowing exactly that.
Naturally, if handed over to the Guards, a severe punishment was certain.
"Couldn't you manage something there with your influence as an Alias Holder? I may not look it, but I'm actually quite useful, you know?"
Gran said this in an affected manner, but though he wore a smile, his gaze held a serious edge.
Naturally. If he couldn't work something out here, then just as Rei had said, he had no future ahead of him.
Given that, he desperately needed Rei to put in a good word for him.
"Hmm, let me think. ...Well, I can consider that much. Though there aren't many places I could introduce you to."
What came to Rei's mind was Egg and his subordinates, who operated as Daskar's men within Gilm and as the Neutral Faction's underworld figures.
Originally, many of Egg's subordinates had questionable pasts.
What mattered for an underworld figure—in other words, an intelligence organization—was ability, first and foremost.
Given the high danger and constant risk of death, the attrition rate was inevitably high.
That was why it wasn't unusual for someone to be hired for such work even if their personality was somewhat problematic or even if they had a dark past.
That said, since it also meant that skill was all that mattered, Rei thought it might actually suit Gran, who had confidence in his own abilities.
...Though he hadn't considered at all whether Gran himself would accept such work.
(If he doesn't want that... I can just leave him to the Guards for now. That's about all I can offer.)
Gran, watching Rei's demeanor as he thought this, felt a chill run down his spine from something other than the cold for a moment.
But he must have understood there was nothing he could do about his current situation.
Without showing any hint of anxiety on his face, he maintained the same smile as before and spoke.
"Then, for now, I'll leave it at that."
"Understood. ...And of course, you're coming with me."
"Yes... given how things have turned out, I believe that's the best choice."
If Gran had been not just a hired hand but someone with genuine loyalty, he wouldn't have betrayed them so easily—but unfortunately, Gran was truly nothing more than someone who had been hired.
Prioritizing his own safety over his employer's was only natural given Gran's character.
What's more, the person before him was Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker—and though not present here, Gryphon Seto was nearby as well.
Until a short while ago, Gran had thought that even against Rei and Set, while he couldn't win in a fight, he could at least hide and avoid detection. But that confidence had been shattered to pieces.
"Very well. Then let's head out. If we waste too much time here, they might get suspicious."
So Rei declared.