With a wet crunch, the sound of flesh being crushed echoed through the room.
The one who delivered the blow was a man in his forties.
The one struck was a young woman — she didn't even look twenty yet.
She had the kind of features that would be called cute rather than beautiful, but right now her cheek was swollen and blood dripped from her mouth.
An ordinary woman would have screamed and cried after being punched in the face. That would have been understandable.
But this woman, blood seeping from the corner of her lips, only glared at the man before her.
What burned in her eyes was a murderous intent so fierce it belied her cute appearance — a gaze that had no business belonging to someone who looked like her.
The man, however, showed no particular fear. He knew she would never actually raise a hand against him.
If anything, her defiance only stoked his irritation.
"What's with that look! Do you understand your position? 'I couldn't do it' isn't an answer. You do it! Why do you think I keep a woman like you around? For exactly this sort of situation!"
The man bellowed, but the woman watched him without so much as flinching.
They held each other's gaze for several long seconds... and then, at last, she spoke.
"It's impossible. The target is Crimson Rei. What could I possibly do alone against an Alias Holder?"
"This is a request from Lord Veen! It's not a matter of whether you want to or not — you have no choice but to do it!"
"...If you're ordering me to do it, then I can't manage alone. I need more people. Skilled ones, at that."
"I can't do that, which is why I'm telling you to do it yourself. Need I remind you? If you refuse, I'll have no reason to keep buying your brother's medicine."
The killing intent behind the woman's glare sharpened by another degree.
Until now, the man had never been troubled by her hostility-laced stares. But this one was different.
Without realizing it, he retreated several steps.
He didn't even notice he'd done it. Instead, he told himself he was by no means intimidated by the woman standing before him, and raised his fist once more.
Another wet crunch rang through the room.
Blood now flowed even more freely from her lips, but she made no move to wipe it away. She just kept glaring and spoke.
"If anything happens to Lanta... I won't let you live."
"Oh? Then you'd better do the job properly. Don't forget — your brother won't last long without the medicine I provide. And I decide how much to buy based on the results of your work."
Hearing that, the woman had no rebuttal to offer.
After all, she was the one who had agreed to those terms in the first place.
...If there was any mercy in her misfortune, it was that the man before her had no interest in her body.
Thanks to that, her chastity remained at least somewhat intact.
"Understood. But I'm not asking for a full complement — at least give me enough people to use as disposable pawns. Rei has a Tamed Monster named Set. He's not someone I can handle on my own."
The woman understood her own capabilities perfectly.
Against an ordinary opponent, she could hold her own through sheer skill. And by concealing her true nature and leveraging her appearance — the kind men found appealing — she could manage even against those somewhat more capable than herself.
But Rei and Set, the man and the beast, fell entirely outside anything feminine wiles could touch.
What's more, Crimson Lotus Wings had other party members besides Rei and Set. And though not a party member herself, there was Elena — holder of the Princess General alias — along with her bodyguard, Ara.
To target Rei amid all that was not a problem she could solve alone.
The man seemed to understand this as well. He thought for a moment... then handed her a bag containing several dozen Silver Coins.
"That should be enough to hire people in the Slum District. Plenty of them are grateful to Rei after the Gigant Turtle affair, but among those who arrived in the Slum District since spring, that amount will go a long way. Use them as meat shields."
At the bluntness of "meat shields," the woman's brow creased slightly — but she said nothing more.
Displeasing the man before her would only bring her harm.
"Fine. I'll work with that. But... are you sure about this? If we actually harm Rei, Gilm's upper leadership will move. Wouldn't that put you in danger?"
"Hmph. Never thought I'd have Francois worrying about me."
Perhaps emboldened by having successfully issued his orders, the man spoke in a teasing tone — as if he'd already forgotten the several steps he'd retreated from her killing glare moments ago.
But Francois was in no mood for his banter.
"I'm not doing this for Tripala. I'm doing this for that child — for Lanta."
"I don't care why. As long as you're useful to me, that's enough. And if I earn Lord Veen's favor, the rewards will be substantial. When that happens, your brother gets more medicine too. You can't complain about that, can you?"
He had a point. She couldn't argue.
To keep Lanta alive — her only remaining family — she needed the medicine Tripala provided.
And if doing this meant obtaining even more of it, she couldn't refuse.
"You're right. I'll head to the Slum District, then. It's night — the people there with questionable circumstances should be out and about."
With that, Francois left Tripala's room.
"Hmm... I'd love to study those jellyfish."
As the jellyfish that had been drifting across the nighttime lake and nuzzling close to Rei returned to the water, Anastasia murmured softly.
Even from her perspective, the creatures could hardly pass for ordinary monsters.
...Of course, the fact that this lake had been teleported from another world — and that the monsters within it bore no Magic Stones — already set them far apart from anything "ordinary."
"Don't be unreasonable. Seriously. As you can see, those jellyfish are quite friendly toward us. Do something to upset them, and things could get very unpleasant."
The jellyfish were friendly. That didn't necessarily mean they were weak.
It was entirely possible they were high-rank monsters.
And provoking such creatures needlessly? Rei had no desire to find out what would happen.
...No — even setting that aside, he simply couldn't imagine trying to upset creatures that had taken a genuine liking to him.
Whether she sensed something in his words or not, Anastasia gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. But if those jellyfish ever warm up to me, would it be all right to study them a little?"
"That's... well, it's not really my place to stop you. But honestly? I think you'd be better off leaving them alone."
Those jellyfish seemed to possess a degree of intelligence that belied their appearance.
If Anastasia somehow established a friendly relationship with them and asked permission to study them, there was a real chance they would understand.
But their understanding might not match what she or Rei expected. And that gap — slim as the possibility was — could spiral into a serious problem.
"Besides, Anastasia, you already have the Wis—" He caught himself. "You already have a current research subject, don't you? Taking your eye off it to chase something new when you haven't finished studying it — honestly, I have to question that."
Rei had nearly said "Wisp" in front of everyone. He managed to cover it up.
He didn't think anyone was eavesdropping, but the adventurers here were all experienced hands. It wouldn't be strange if someone caught a stray word by coincidence.
That was why he'd deflected — carefully avoiding the word "Wisp" and steering the conversation elsewhere.
Whether she understood his caution or not, Anastasia nodded, albeit with visible reluctance.
"You're right. Unfortunately, I suppose that's how it has to be. Still, there's no denying those jellyfish would make a fascinating research subject."
"Telling me that won't help. Besides, Anastasia, you're not the only one researching this lake. You could leave that side of things to the others for now, don't you think?"
Anastasia's expression flickered with mild surprise. But the investigation of the lake was mandatory — it was only natural that researchers had been dispatched.
Which meant the number of people who knew about the lake would only keep growing.
Anastasia understood this. But as long as the lake required investigation, it was unavoidable.
...That said, for researchers, the most important thing was always their own work. More precisely, satisfying their own intellectual curiosity.
If they told anyone else about this lake, the punishment might be permanent — they could be barred from ever returning.
And then someone else would get to investigate this veritable mass of unknowns and uncover its secrets instead.
Even if they were allowed to return, the growing number of researchers visiting the lake meant someone else might solve the very mysteries they'd been pondering.
That was intolerable.
Better to say nothing at all — that was the nature of researchers, with some variation among individuals.
...Which was exactly why Anastasia had no intention of telling anyone besides her assistant, Fana, about the Underground Space and the Wisp.
The Wisp, after all — a being capable of teleporting people and objects across worlds — was classified far above this lake. Daskar, who had entrusted Anastasia with the research, would never permit her to speak of it to anyone else.
"In any case, don't try anything strange with those glowing jellyfish. I'd rather not have to hurt you, Anastasia."
"...I know."
Reluctant though she was, Anastasia accepted his words.
If Rei was being this adamant, she decided, it would be best to let the matter drop.
Satisfied that she wouldn't try to provoke the glowing jellyfish — at least for now — Rei shifted the topic.
"What kind of researcher are you, anyway? Monster research, I'm guessing?"
"Hm? Well... I was never fixed on one specific thing. I research whatever catches my interest, one after another."
"...Huh."
So she was what you might call a genius-type researcher.
He'd assumed that being entrusted with the Wisp meant her specialty was monsters.
"Oh, for the record — if I were human, that might be different, but I'm an Elf. I have a longer lifespan than humans, so I have that much more time to learn. In that sense, Elves might be naturally suited to research."
That made sense to Rei.
There were geniuses who could hear one thing and understand ten, so it wasn't strictly true that Elves made better researchers. But looking at the big picture, their longer years of study gave them a clear advantage.
"In that sense, I'm envious of Elves."
Rei said it plainly. But his body had been created through the Zephyle Clan's technology, and even he didn't know exactly how long his lifespan would be.
Still, considering he hadn't grown at all since arriving in this world, assuming an ordinary human lifespan seemed rather optimistic.
Moreover, among his companions, Elena, Marina, and Vihera all clearly possessed lifespans far exceeding a human's.
In that sense, Rei and his group were, in more ways than one, something beyond human.
"You're right. Though a long lifespan has its downsides, too. For example, I have a strong curiosity — that's why I left the forest in the first place. But among Elves, there are more than a few whose spirits have simply worn down over the centuries, until no curiosity remains at all."
That explanation left Rei with a vague sense of unease. Ugh...
From where he stood, a long lifespan meant nothing if that was how it ended.
...Perhaps knowing someone like Grimm made him feel that way all the more.