After defeating all the enemies who had attacked the carriage, a problem arose.
"So, what do we do with these guys? I mean, we can't just leave them here, and we probably need to bring them to Gilm, but..."
Among the Black Garb, many were dead, but a fair number were still alive. That meant they couldn't simply be left as they were.
"Hmm, even if you ask what to do, we can't fit any more in the carriage, you know?"
Rei already knew that. The carriage was already full with just the ones who had come to reconnoiter the lake and the Birth Tower — the root cause of this whole incident. To bring the survivors along in this situation, they would literally have to force them into the carriage.
"In that case... oh, we don't need to think about it after all."
Spotting soldiers approaching them, Rei muttered that.
It was obvious when he thought about it — this was a road leading to the Treant Forest, but it was also visible from the main highway. Fighting a major battle in such a place would naturally be seen by those traveling along the road. On top of that, the roar from Set's King's Intimidation had also been heard by people on the highway. Naturally, some of those who noticed would report it to the Gilm guards, and once the guards heard the details, rushing over was the obvious thing to do.
"Rei! What on earth happened here!?"
For the guards, Rei and Set were familiar faces. If it were just Rei alone, it would be hard to tell who he was from a distance in his Dragon Robe, but with Set nearby, it was easy to figure out. That was exactly why the guards called his name immediately.
"I captured some suspicious people in the Treant Forest and was transporting them to hand over to the Knight Order. Then their allies attacked trying to free the captured ones, so I fought them off."
Rei simply explained the situation. His words were not inaccurate.
Hearing this, the guards frowned slightly at the mention of handing them over to the Knight Order.
"The Knight Order? Not us?"
Normally, criminals fell under the guards' jurisdiction. Rei should have known that as well, so why would he do such a thing? — it was only natural for them to wonder.
Rei glanced at the carriage with a serious expression — the carriage packed with the Black Garb who had come to reconnoiter — before speaking.
"Yeah. Sorry, but these guys are associates of the ones we captured last night... the ones in that carriage. And it seems the Knight Order wants to obtain that intelligence themselves."
"...I see."
He said it as if convinced, but the guards felt somewhat displeased internally. That said, since the Knight Order and the guards had different jurisdictions, it couldn't be helped. Moreover, even with different jurisdictions, they shared the same commitment to protecting Gilm, so they wouldn't let their displeasure show. In fact, the current Gilm was short-staffed even for the guards, and the knights of the Knight Order had been helping them out with various things. That was exactly why the guards nodded readily at the mention of the Knight Order.
"But handing over the ones in the carriage to the Knight Order is fine — the thing is, I also want to hand over the ones still alive here to the Knight Order. Can I ask you to handle that?"
"Can't be helped. It's your request, Rei, so I'll hear it out. Besides, we can't leave the corpses like this forever, either."
It was spring, and the season was gradually moving toward summer. Mornings and evenings were still reasonably cool, but during the day, breaking a sweat was not uncommon. That was why leaving the corpses as they were would eventually turn them into Undead, or in some cases, spark a plague. Even if that didn't happen, the stench of rot drifting through the surrounding area would still be a problem. To prevent that, the corpses needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
In reality, Rei could store the corpses in his Misty Ring, and the guards naturally knew that too. But even so, given the current situation, there was no doubt that Rei should bring the people in the carriage to the Knight Order as quickly as possible.
"We'll clean up here, so go on ahead, Rei. If any of the ones lying there are still alive, just hand them over to the Knight Order, right?"
"Is that fine? Thanks. I'll bring you something next time."
"Let's see. If you've got Gamelion meat, that'd be great."
Gamelion meat, which could only be hunted in winter, was naturally unavailable now that spring had arrived. Well, there was dried meat or salted preserves made into rations, so it wasn't completely unavailable — but there was no doubt that freshly cooked meat was the most delicious.
"Got it. Next time, then."
"Huh? You're seriously going to share some?"
The guards had asked, but they hadn't expected Rei to actually follow through, so they showed visible surprise at his words. Not just the guard who had asked for Gamelion meat, but the others as well.
Looking at those guards, Rei waved lightly and departed for Gilm with the carriage.
But he didn't let his guard down.
From here to Gilm, they weren't that far apart. But given that they had been attacked in a place like this, it was entirely possible they could be attacked right near Gilm — or, in some cases, even after entering the city. Normally, it would be hard to imagine them doing such a thing, but considering these were opponents who had dared to strike right beside the highway, honestly, there was no telling what they might do.
(Maybe they're actually aiming for exactly that... it's not impossible.)
Rei couldn't understand what they were thinking, acting so boldly — so recklessly that "reckless" was the most fitting word. But considering what they had done, he couldn't relax at all until he handed the Black Garb in the carriage over to the Knight Order.
"Since we don't know what those Black Garb might pull, don't let your guard down."
"Yeah. We're counting on you too, Rei and Set."
Perhaps because they had actually been attacked, the coachman replied with visible tension and urged the carriage forward.
But fortunately — as was only natural — they reached Gilm without being ambushed again.
For someone newly arriving in Gilm, the entry procedures would take a fair amount of time, but the carriage Rei and the others were riding in belonged to Daskar, and the coachman was his subordinate. Since Rei himself entered and left Gilm almost daily, the procedures were completed quickly.
And so, Rei and Set headed toward the Lord's Manor with the carriage.
Along the way, there were some who wanted to play with Set upon seeing him, but perhaps understanding from Rei and Set's demeanor that they were on the job, no one tried to approach them. In the current situation where they didn't know where the Black Garb might strike from, that was extremely helpful.
(That said, there's no sign of an attack so far. If I think about it normally, maybe they've concluded they can't attack anymore? No, but still. After going to such lengths, Lord Daskar will definitely impose sanctions on the organization that caused this incident. Considering that, it wouldn't be strange for them to make some kind of move here.)
They pressed on, staying vigilant — but in the end, they arrived at the Lord's Manor without being attacked by anyone.
That was the normal outcome, but having seen the sheer recklessness of those Black Garb, Rei couldn't simply feel relieved. He couldn't help but think there might still be something coming, even now.
It was possible that the attack near the highway had been their last reserve of combat power. No, rather, that possibility was high. And yet, the reason Rei still felt a knot of unease in his chest was that he was anticipating there was still something more.
That said, if there was something, once inside the Lord's Manor, there was nothing more that could be done — that was also a fact.
Harboring such doubts, Rei called out to the knight serving as gatekeeper.
"Hey, are your injuries healed already?"
The one who answered was the knight who had nearly been killed by the assassin disguised as a merchant a few days prior. With an indescribably awkward expression, he spoke up.
"Injuries? You mean the one from when you kicked me? It's just a light bruise, nothing more."
To protect the knight from the assassin's dagger, the quickest method had been to kick him and send him flying. Because of that, the knight had survived — but it was a kick from Rei, who possessed inhuman strength. Even though he had held back instinctively, a bruise-level injury was unavoidable. Being kicked with restraint over Metal Armor and still sustaining a bruise was absurd in the first place, though.
"...Anyway. Inside this carriage, there might be — and I really mean 'might' — people from the same organization as that assassin."
"What!?"
The ones who cried out were not just the knight Rei had kicked, but the other knight simultaneously as well. This other knight had also been present at the gate during the assassination incident. Naturally, the matter had piqued his interest.
Both knights closed in on Rei together. The coachman watched them with a somewhat exasperated gaze — though not just the knights, Rei as well.
As Daskar's subordinate, the coachman worked at the Lord's Manor. He naturally knew about the assassin incident Rei was talking about. But even so, he wondered whether it was really necessary to bring that up here.
"I'm telling you, it's not like the people in the carriage leaked any information. It's just my thinking they might be, that's all."
"...When you call it Rei's intuition, somehow it feels like it would be incredibly accurate. Is that just my imagination?"
When the knight who had been targeted by the assassin muttered that, his partner nodded in agreement. Because they knew just how much Rei had accomplished, calling it his intuition lent it a strangely powerful persuasiveness.
"Ah... well, never mind about my intuition. For now, just let me inside. I need to hand over the people in the carriage to the knights quickly. Also, the guards will probably bring in more captured people later, so please handle that as well."
At Rei's words, the knights remembered their duty and immediately opened the gate. Regarding handling the guards, since it was part of their job, there was no issue.
The carriage, Rei, and Set passed through the gate — but instead of the usual road leading to the Lord's Manor, they took a different path. At the end of it stood the Knight Order headquarters. Though, location-wise, it was right beside the Lord's Manor.
Naturally, the Knight Order headquarters also had underground dungeons and the like. The reason the Fleeing Adventurers — who had pretended to be chased by Cobolts to obtain information about the lake — had been held in the Lord's Manor's underground dungeon was that those adventurers were not criminals. Though they had entered the Treant Forest without permission, they were treated as merely unfortunate adventurers.
But unlike those adventurers, the ones in the carriage — and the ones the guards were about to bring — were not unfortunate adventurers. They were bona fide criminals. That was why they had been brought to the Knight Order headquarters.
"What's the matter?"
A knight standing in front of the headquarters noticed the approaching carriage and came over to ask. Whether due to a good upbringing or not, he spoke with polite courtesy. The coachman explained the situation, and upon hearing it, the knight immediately went back inside.
"Well, I'm off duty for now. Just need to go report to Lord Daskar."
Originally, Rei had accompanied the carriage primarily as an escort. If he rode Set, he could reach Gilm in a matter of minutes, so that was about the only reason to travel with the carriage. And in fact, if Rei hadn't come along, the coachman would have died or at least been injured in the Black Garb attack. The Black Garb packed inside the carriage would have been taken back by the enemy, too.
But that escort was no longer necessary once they reached the Knight Order headquarters. The knights of Gilm were known as an elite force, and not opponents an assassin could do anything about.
"Thanks for the help. I appreciate it."
The coachman spoke briefly, and Rei waved lightly before leaving the scene with Set.
That said, Set naturally couldn't enter the Lord's Manor with Rei, so it headed to the garden as usual. Rei saw Set off toward the garden partway down the path, then headed toward the Lord's Manor.