After handing out dried fruit to the Children to stop their crying and settle them down, Rei walked through Gilm with Set at his side.
The sense of incongruity he had felt upon arriving in Gilm was still present.
Moreover, considering the killing intent he had sensed for just an instant when handing the dried fruit to the Children earlier, there was no doubt that this unease was caused by someone intent on harming him.
Given that was the case, carrying trees from the Treant Forest to the Alchemists' building under the current circumstances would very likely cause a commotion.
Rei knew full well just how valuable Alchemists were to Gilm.
That being the case, leading a dangerous foe to the place where the Alchemists worked was out of the question.
(If possible, I'd like to deal with the one targeting me... specifically, the one who sent that killing intent my way... but they won't show their tail.)
He wanted to take care of it as early as possible. That was Rei's honest feeling, but even so, the enemy showed no sign of breaking cover.
Even now, as he walked the streets, the enemy made no move to attack.
"Gruu?"
Seeing Rei troubled, Set purred as if to ask, What are we going to do?
There was a slightly apologetic look in his eyes, likely because he couldn't find the person believed to be targeting them.
While Rei and Set acted together, searching for enemies was Set's job. Given that, it wouldn't be strange for him to feel that failing to find the enemy was his own responsibility.
But Rei patted Set's head as if to comfort him.
"Don't worry about it. The enemy got the better of us this time. ...Outside of Gilm, there's no way Set wouldn't have caught wind of them, right?"
"Grururu."
Set purred at Rei's words. He seemed grateful for the reassurance, but still wore a somewhat downcast expression.
As he walked through the town, Rei searched for something to cheer Set up... and suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered ahead.
Entering a crowd while someone was radiating killing intent was tantamount to suicide.
Rei knew that, but driven by the desire to lift Set's spirits and—more importantly—the thought that he might be able to lure the enemy out, he headed into the throng.
Set initially looked a bit surprised, but whether he understood Rei's intent or was simply intrigued by the sight of so many people gathered together, he followed Rei into the crowd.
The emotions drifting from the mass of people were ones of joy, fun, and amusement.
(Doesn't seem to be a fight, at any rate.)
At first, he thought everyone might be watching a brawl, but what he heard from the crowd was laughter. True, people sometimes laughed during fights—to provoke an opponent, for instance—but as far as he could tell, that wasn't the case here.
"Hey, what's this crowd about?"
"Eh? ...Set-chan..."
The young man Rei called out to let out a startled murmur when he saw Set.
It wasn't particularly unusual for a man to call him Set-chan. Rei knew a few others who did the same, so without paying it any special mind, he spoke again.
"Ah, it's Set. So, what's with this crowd? I can hear some kind of cheerful music too."
Being short, with this many people gathered, Rei couldn't see what was ahead of the crowd. He could probably find out if he used his Sleipnir boots or had Set fly him up on his back, but he judged there was no need to go that far right now.
"Eh? Ah, yeah. Um... a street performer has shown up. He's pretty amazing, so everyone's here watching."
"Hehh, a street performer."
Street performers weren't that rare. You could see them in Gilm from time to time, too. With its large population, Gilm was a very easy place for a street performer to earn money—though that was strictly limited to those who had the skill to back it up.
Many skilled adventurers gathered in Gilm, and when it came to street performances that relied on physical strength or agility, it was quite common for the adventurers in the audience to be more impressive than the performer. In that sense, a street performer who could excite the residents of Gilm this much had to be undeniably amazing—a truly top-tier performer.
"What do you say? Want to watch?"
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set purred energetically. His demeanor made it seem like he had completely forgotten about luring out the enemy who was likely targeting them.
...That said, given their current situation of being mixed in with a crowd, it would actually be easier to deal with the enemy if they made a direct move.
Together with Set, Rei pushed through the crowd.
Being nearly three meters in length, when a creature of that size pushed through a crowd, naturally many people were shoved aside. But fortunately—perhaps as expected—the people watching the street performer didn't hold it against him, considering it was Set they were dealing with. If anything, they even made room so he could see better.
It was proof of just how beloved Set was in Gilm.
...And so, alongside Set, Rei casually wove his way through the crowd, making his way toward the front.
Having reached the very front, Rei and Set finally managed to lay eyes on the street performer.
"Whoa..."
A voice of surprise slipped from Rei's mouth, quite involuntarily.
The street performer's physique was extraordinary—a build that could only be described as balloon-like. And yet, the way he darted around in front of everyone while juggling short swords displayed a level of skill more than sufficient to explain his popularity.
As befitting a street performer, his face was painted, and Rei was reminded of a circus clown he had seen on TV back in Japan. Of course, the balloon-like man's makeup wasn't exactly that of a clown—it simply gave that kind of impression.
"Fah fah fah. Look, look. At the sight of short swords swimming freely through the air."
Saying that, the man leaped high into the air—so high you'd think he was bouncing on a trampoline—moving this way and that with ease.
Looking at his body alone—though he was wearing clothes, so it wasn't entirely certain—he appeared to be quite overweight. A body that looked like it easily exceeded a hundred kilograms. And yet, despite moving around this much, the man didn't have a single drop of sweat on his face.
That alone made it obvious he possessed physical abilities that belied his appearance.
...Then, suddenly, the street performer glanced in Rei's direction for just an instant.
Since Rei was watching while accompanied by Set, he figured it was only natural that even a street performer would have their eyes drawn to Set. Even a performer with this level of skill would naturally be surprised upon seeing him—or so Rei reasoned.
However, the street performer only looked toward Rei and Set for a truly brief moment before immediately returning to his performance.
(To be moving around that flashily while juggling short swords... ten? No, more than that. Around fifteen? Continuing to juggle that many is impressive. Just juggling that many short swords while standing still would already be incredibly difficult.)
Naturally, short swords had blades. It was possible the blade portions were dulled so they couldn't cut. But even so, if he were to accidentally catch the tip of one, it wouldn't be strange for him to get injured. Seeing that he was wearing gloves, there was a chance they were slash-resistant.
But even so, Rei watched the man with admiration, thinking that continuing to juggle short swords like this was genuinely impressive.
But then... whether the man made some kind of mistake or not, the short swords he was juggling suddenly collided with each other. With a sharp metallic ring, the swords that struck each other came flying toward Rei.
That said, Rei had been tracking the trajectory of the short sword and didn't show any particular surprise or make a dramatic leap out of the way.
The short sword spun and pierced the ground right next to Rei...
"!?"
The moment he saw that short sword, Rei sensed a sharp killing intent from behind and tried to move almost reflexively—but perhaps because of the crowd, it was hard to move, and his body was delayed for a split second.
The opponent had probably been aiming for exactly that moment.
A strike with a short sword was launched at Rei's back from behind.
"Guh... sogah!"
Even while feeling a sharp pain in his back, Rei, still facing forward, forcibly threw a kick backward. A strike with his heel that seemed designed to destroy the opponent's foot or knee—or, depending on the angle, their groin.
"Gyabeh!"
Along with a sickening, squelching sensation felt through his foot came the man's scream from behind.
It was then that the people around finally realized something was wrong and distanced themselves from Rei and Set.
Now able to move freely at last, Rei turned his gaze toward the man lying on the ground behind him. Thanks to the audience clearing the space, the man was clearly visible—clutching his bleeding groin, he had fainted with foam coming from his mouth.
"...Hey, Rei. Are you okay? That guy stabbed a short sword into your back!"
Someone who knew Rei asked with concern. Though not as famous as Set, Rei was reasonably well-known among the general public. The man worried about him had probably recognized him in that way.
Rei made a show of checking his back inside his Dragon Robe... and was relieved to find that the short sword's strike hadn't pierced through.
"I'm fine. This robe is also a magic item, after all. A mere short sword strike is nothing."
To be precise, it was crafted using the scales and skin of a dragon that had lived for centuries—a magic item created by Esta Nor, an alchemist of the Zephyle Clan who was said to be the greatest alchemist in history. It was by no means something that could be dismissed with words like "also."
But saying so honestly would cause trouble, and since the Dragon Robe itself had a concealment ability that prevented others from discerning its true power, he glossed over it that way.
The Dragon Robe, crafted by layering scales between sheets of dragon hide, could not be pierced by half-hearted attacks. And on top of that, it even featured a simplified air conditioner function, making it undeniably a highly advanced magic item.
Feeling grateful for the Dragon Robe, Rei once again turned his gaze toward the man who had fainted with foam coming from his mouth. Having delivered that kind of blow to his groin, it was certain he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
(There was no other way, though.)
As a man himself, Rei could imagine just how much pain being kicked in the groin would cause—and not just a light kick, but a full-strength kick from Rei. Depending on the circumstances, there was even a possibility that his hip joint had been shattered before the question of whether his groin was crushed even came into play.
He knew that, but it had been a split-second reaction. He hadn't been able to hold back.
(If there had been fewer people, I might have been able to strike with an elbow or something... no, considering the opponent had a short sword, and not knowing what other weapons they might have had, that would have been reckless.)
As Rei gazed at the unconscious man, Set rubbed his face against him, purring as if to apologize. Originally, Set should have been the first to notice the enemy's approach. But because he had been focused on the performance, he had been late to react—that was the judgment behind his apology.
That said, to Rei, it wasn't particularly strange that Set hadn't noticed. Whether it was a technique, a skill, or a magic item—the means were unknown, but the opponent had completely concealed his killing intent. Having closed in right behind Rei, it was only at the moment he actually thrust the short sword that he first revealed his killing intent. Asking Set to somehow manage that situation was, even Rei had to admit, unreasonable.
"Anyway... ah, sorry, but could someone call the guards? I can't just leave things like this."
"No, no, no, no. You were almost killed—how are you so calm about this!"
The man who had asked if Rei was okay raised his voice in disbelief, astonished that Rei showed no sign of being bothered at all right after nearly being killed.
But Rei spoke in a way meant to put the man at ease.
"If you work as an adventurer, honestly, this kind of thing isn't all that rare. There's no need to worry too much. ...Though I appreciate the concern."
So he told him.