"Hmm, whatever could you be talking about?"
He smells like blood.
The old man who had just been told this tilted his head with a puzzled look, as if genuinely unable to comprehend what Rei was saying.
Seeing the old man's reaction, the guards hesitated for a moment over whose words to believe... but quickly turned sharp, unwavering gazes upon him.
To the guards, Rei was someone they had interacted with on many occasions, and someone they had cooperated with to solve cases together.
Calling him a comrade-in-arms might have been slightly exaggerated, but there were many who thought of him in exactly those terms.
Moreover, regardless of Rei's personality, his abilities were undeniably among the finest in all of Gilm.
For Rei to say that the old man before him smelled of blood, the guards had no choice but to believe him.
"I'm sorry, but we'd like to take a look inside this mansion for a bit."
The guard made the request, but the old man shook his head.
"I apologize, but I cannot do such a thing. I am here at my master's orders. As such, I cannot allow strangers who were not invited... even if they are guards, into the mansion..."
Absolutely not.
So saying, the old man revealed his unwavering resolve to never let those present set foot inside the mansion.
"Heh. Is it possible there's something inside this mansion... something that would be troublesome if others... if we guards saw it?"
"Hardly. There is nothing of the sort. However, I cannot permit anyone to search my master's mansion without permission."
"You'll just have to accept that we're guards and leave it at that."
"Unfortunately, I cannot. I will speak with my master when he returns, so please leave for today."
So saying, the old man bowed his head.
Just as the guard was about to say something to the man, he was suddenly sent flying sideways.
"Wha—!?"
The guard, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened, could see Rei reaching out beside him, making it obvious why it had occurred.
One of the guards began to say something to Rei, but someone had acted even before that.
"Hah!"
"Too slow!"
The old man, who was supposed to have his head bowed, unleashed a sharp, fast kick accompanied by a forceful exhale.
A kick aimed at the head of the guard beside the one Rei had sent flying.
A kick possessing such power and sharpness that, had it landed, the head would have burst... well, perhaps not to that extent, but a skull fracture would have been certain.
However, that kick was effortlessly stopped by Rei's hand, which had shot forward as if to shield the guard.
What echoed through the surroundings was a sound like flesh being slammed against concrete, magnified several times over.
"...Foot Guards equipped, using kicks as attacks, huh. I haven't seen that much outside of Vihera, but... that's quite a dangerous butler you are."
Realizing that beneath the old man's trousers lay Foot Guards, Rei spoke in a teasing manner.
Even so, he did not release his grip on the man's leg.
The old man desperately tried to shake off Rei's hand, but his leg showed no sign of coming free.
Rei was only holding it lightly, but that was light by Rei's standards, which clearly meant something entirely different for the old man.
In that situation, the guards must have finally understood what had happened.
Before they could even feel confusion, before they could even assess the situation, they pinned down the man whose leg Rei had grabbed and bound him so he couldn't move.
This act of binding was something that, when done by an amateur, could often be escaped easily by someone with the right knowledge, like a bandit, even if the amateur thought they had tied the bonds securely.
But for guards, it was not difficult to bind someone in a way that they couldn't escape even by dislocating their joints.
Perhaps because they were professionals, the guards bound the old man with astonishing speed... speed that surprised even Rei, and then scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
"Guh..."
The old man, perhaps not expecting to be captured so easily, could only let out a sound of surprise.
"Well, that makes it clear this mansion is suspicious, at least... but I'd like you to tell me, who is using this mansion?"
Rei asked the bound old man, but the man showed no sign of opening his mouth.
(Heh. High loyalty, huh... At least he doesn't seem to be acting out of fear toward his superiors.)
Rei observed the old man before him and muttered as if impressed.
In truth, the old man had only lost so easily because his opponent was Rei, but the man's abilities were reasonably high.
As if to prove it, setting aside the first strike he attempted, the second kick aimed at the head was something even the guards couldn't react to.
If Rei had not been present, the man's strike would have undoubtedly shattered a guard's skull.
Which meant there was a possibility a guard could have died.
That said, being a guard was a job that risked one's life.
They wouldn't let being targeted stop them from doing their jobs properly.
...Though after work, they would probably drink themselves into a stupor to drown out the fear of death.
"For now, this man doesn't look like he'll say anything no matter what we ask. But the fact that he attacked us like this means there's definitely something inside this mansion... just as you all said earlier, something they don't want seen. That much I'm certain of."
As if having no objections to Rei's words, the guards each nodded.
If there truly were nothing they couldn't show, the old man wouldn't have attacked even if the guards had persisted—so it was only natural.
It was precisely because he judged that the guards would absolutely not back down that he tried to seize the initiative and reduce their numbers by even one, leading to that action.
"That judgment wasn't necessarily wrong, either. Without Rei, depending on the circumstances, everyone might have been taken down right here."
One guard muttered while looking at Rei.
Though they frequently dealt with adventurers and had undergone solid combat training, there were times when they couldn't cope if the opponent was simply that strong.
And the old man they had faced this time was one such opponent they couldn't handle.
For that man, the worst mistake was assuming that only guards were before him.
Perhaps lacking the ability to read his opponent's true strength, it was costly that, even looking at Rei, he couldn't recognize Rei as Rei thanks to the Dragon Robe.
If Set had been with them, he might have recognized Rei for who he was, but unfortunately Set was currently outside the mansion with the other guards, keeping watch to ensure no one escaped.
"The problem is inside the mansion. If there are others with the same level of strength as this man, that's a bit... no, quite troublesome."
One guard muttered in frustration.
It might also have been that they never expected a sudden ambush, but the fact remained they couldn't react to the old man's strike.
At the very least, the guards present couldn't defeat the old man one-on-one; they needed numbers.
If so, searching this mansion would undoubtedly take time.
Given the scale of a mansion, there was also a high probability of hidden passages, hidden staircases, hidden rooms... and the like.
To find those, they would naturally need to locate suspicious areas, which required personnel.
But thanks to the old man's presence, while Rei was one thing, the others could no longer act alone or in pairs.
(Or perhaps, was that his intention all along? If so, there's no doubt it's troublesome.)
Perhaps it was the wisdom of age, Rei mused, turning his gaze to the bound old man.
As if sensing Rei's gaze, the old man looked at Rei despite being gagged.
Since he couldn't speak, there was no way to know what he was thinking, but from Rei's perspective, there seemed to be a satisfied look in his eyes, as if he had done what he needed to do.
Of course, that was only how Rei interpreted it, and it might have been different in reality.
Regardless, there was no denying that the old man's actions had been troublesome for both the guards and Rei.
"What do we do? Should we call for more guards? If so, I think we can manage with sheer numbers."
"That is one option. But... this case requires us to gather evidence as quickly as possible. If only we could send Set inside the mansion, that might be ideal."
So said a guard, though the one who said it surely understood it was impossible.
If anything, it was undoubtedly a joke meant to relax everyone, Rei included.
"Well, Set's senses are sharper than mine. If we could get him inside, it would definitely be useful. Though, there'd be a lot more places in the mansion getting broken."
Using Size Change might reduce the amount of damage to some extent, but Rei had no intention of doing such a thing.
Size Change was not as well-known as Fire Breath among Set's skills.
Which meant it could serve as a hidden trump card in an emergency. Granted, situations where changing one's body size carried significant meaning probably wouldn't arise all that often.
"I see. Then it can't be helped. We'll need to search this place ourselves after all. Besides, the job of spotting anyone fleeing the mansion is important."
With Set's senses, it would be virtually impossible for anyone to slip through his grasp with any ordinary trick.
"But then, how do we search the mansion? If someone like that guy comes out, we're helpless. It's different for you, Rei, of course."
The guards' gazes turned toward Rei.
Since it was Rei who had actually defeated the old man, no one could deny that.
...For those who knew Rei's true strength, it was only natural to conclude there was no need to do so.
"Ah... then, a compromise. Rei goes alone. We'll... move in groups of two to three. It'll take longer than if everyone searched separately, but if we're attacked, we should be able to handle it to some extent. And while we hold out, the others can come help. That works, right?"
In this case, "help" was likely directed at Rei.
Rei understood that as well, so he nodded in response to the guard's words.
"Understood. Then I'll check around the center of the building. That way, no matter where someone gets attacked, I won't be delayed too much. Though, the center of a mansion is normally where important rooms would be, so having me search there... I'm not so sure about that."
Rei had undoubtedly accumulated various experiences as an adventurer.
But naturally, compared to the guards who were professionals in this field, his skills fell short.
That was why Rei said as much, but the guards nodded, indicating it wasn't a problem.
"That's fine with us. If something important is there, it's entirely possible that whoever is guarding it is strong. In that sense, having Rei search there is definitely the best choice."
Everyone nodded at the guard's words, and as a result, Rei would investigate the central area of the mansion.
The remaining guards split into groups of two or three and entered the mansion.
Additionally, since there was a possibility... a very real, if slight, possibility that someone might escape from here, and above all, someone needed to keep watch over the captured old man, a few would remain behind as well.
"Rei, let us know right away if you find anything."
"If there are any important-looking documents or anything, I'll store them in my Misty Ring. That way, you can go through them later, right?"
"...Right. Just don't forget what you put in there and leave it at that. We have no way of knowing what's inside, so be careful."
Rei's Misty Ring was exclusively his—only Rei could put things in or take them out.
Knowing that, the guard conveyed the warning to Rei.
"I know. I'll keep careful track of what goes in."
Nodding, Rei proceeded deeper into the mansion.