"Hmm... Looking at it like this, the unease still hasn't faded. I wonder what's causing this."
Rei murmured to himself as he walked through the streets of Gilm.
It was a monologue not directed at anyone in particular, but Set, having heard it, gave a small purr.
Even so, Set kept constant watch on their surroundings, scanning for anything suspicious—any suspicious objects, any suspicious people—with a degree of intensity that bordered on neurotic.
For Set, the fact that Rei had been targeted while they watched the street performance earlier stung deeply.
No matter how eye-catching the performance had been, Set had failed to prevent Rei from being attacked by an assassin.
Of course, had Set unleashed his full strength in a crowd that size, the collateral damage would have been severe.
Set understood that perfectly well. Even so... letting Rei get targeted right under his nose was extremely hard to swallow.
As if sensing Set's feelings, Rei gently stroked him while the griffon nervously surveyed their surroundings.
"Hey, calm down. That incident wasn't your fault. Even I would've had a hard time dealing with that situation. ...Besides, I made sure the guy who came at me paid dearly."
A kick that crushed the man's groin—no, a strike more like shattering his hip joint.
At the very least, that man would never function as a male again for the rest of his life.
Rei had dealt a devastating blow, yet he felt no particular regret about it.
...If anything, he'd destroyed the man's functions but spared his life. If anything, Rei felt the man should be grateful.
Naturally, he kept that sentiment to himself.
"Hm? Hey, Set. Looks like they're selling cold fruit water over there. Want to grab a cup?"
Summer was drawing near, and daytime temperatures had climbed considerably.
The sunlight beating down was intensely strong, too.
That was exactly why fruit water chilled with Magic Items or magic was so popular at this time of year.
...Not that Rei felt the heat at all thanks to the Dragon Robe, and Set could sleep soundly even in a snowstorm or a midday desert.
This level of warmth barely registered for either of them.
Still, even when comfortable, a cup of cold fruit water was a welcome treat.
With that in mind, skipping the stall was never an option for Rei.
"Grrru."
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry that carried a hint of interest.
For Set's part, he probably would have preferred to move somewhere Rei wouldn't be attacked.
But cold fruit water was extremely—no, incredibly—appealing to Set as well. That much was certain.
Since Rei was stopping by, Set decided to follow, heading toward the stall alongside him.
That said, the way he kept carefully scanning their surroundings showed he hadn't let his guard down entirely.
"Welcome! Oh, Rei and Set? My fruit water is cold and delicious. I spent ages perfecting the fruit blend."
Seeing Rei and Set approach, the stall owner spoke with brimming confidence.
By this season, the number of shops selling fruit water grew.
Since the Magic Items used to chill it were fairly expensive, the increase was steady but never excessive.
And even among shops selling fruit water, no two tasted exactly the same.
Which fruits to use, how many varieties, and in what ratio—those choices gave each shop its own distinct flavor.
That was why some stalls suited certain palates while others didn't.
In that sense, the fruit blend the owner mentioned—the combination and proportions of fruits—played a crucial role in any shop serving fruit water.
"If you're that confident, I'll take a cup."
"Coming right up. Set gets one too, right?"
"Gru!"
At the owner's words, Set purred as if to say, "Obviously!"
The fruit water was already prepared, so it was served immediately.
True to the owner's claim, Rei found himself holding a cup filled with cold fruit water.
Set leaned in to drink his own, and then—
"Grrrrrrru!"
Set's front leg shot out, kicking the cup away in a flash. At the same instant, he body-checked Rei just as Rei was about to raise the cup to his mouth.
"Whoa!"
Completely caught off guard by the sudden body check, Rei took the hit full-on and went flying.
That said, Set hadn't intended to actually attack him, so Rei managed to recover his footing.
"Hey—wait, Set?"
"Gru... Grrrrrrru."
In response to Rei's words, Set purred without breaking his sharp glare at the stall owner.
Rei wondered what had gotten into Set so suddenly, but then recalled what had happened just before—being stabbed from behind with a short sword.
Set's attention had been caught by the street performer's act, and he'd failed to notice the assassin.
That was surely why he'd reacted so instantly this time.
"Tch!"
The man who had looked like a friendly stall owner just seconds ago saw the fruit water he'd served—the fruit water laced with odorless, tasteless poison that would have undoubtedly killed Rei—get knocked flying. He immediately moved to his next move.
Snatching a hidden short sword from the stall, he charged at Rei, ignoring Set entirely.
"Idiot."
Rei's murmur and the crack of Set's front leg striking the stall owner—no, the assassin—from behind came almost simultaneously. The man was sent flying.
"Guh-ooh!"
Blown back by Set's strike, the man crashed into his own stall and demolished it.
That alone was proof of how devastating Set's blow had been.
"Still... if Set stopped me from drinking it, it was probably poisoned."
"Gru."
At Rei's words, Set gave a short purr, eyes fixed on the man twitching and convulsing amid the wreckage of the stall.
"Sorry, Set. You saved me. ...If it's a poison even I couldn't smell, it has to be high-grade."
Rei's senses were far sharper than a normal human's.
And yet even he hadn't been able to detect the poison by scent.
Given the man's confident demeanor, the taste was likely negligible as well.
A truly odorless, tasteless poison.
...But that was only true for a human. Set, whose senses far surpassed a human's, had clearly detected the poison in the fruit water.
If a Beastman had been present, they might have caught it too, since their senses were also sharper than a normal human's.
At any rate, an enemy using poison of that caliber was no ordinary thug. They were undoubtedly skilled.
Of course, that skill applied strictly to poison handling. In every other respect—specifically, their ability in actual combat—they hadn't amounted to much.
(Well, considering it was Set who hit him, I suppose that's to be expected.)
Rei reflected on this while the commotion drew stares from passersby.
The foot traffic wasn't especially heavy, but there were still a fair number of people in the area.
Thanks to the Expansion Construction, Gilm was crowded just about everywhere these days.
Causing a scene this big under those circumstances was bound to attract attention.
Judging that leaving things as they were could spiral into an unnecessary uproar, Rei spoke up.
"The unconscious man is an assassin. Set noticed he was trying to get me to drink poisoned fruit water and stopped him."
Set had stopped him from drinking the poisoned fruit water. Once Rei said that, the onlookers found themselves nodding in acceptance.
It was a testament to how deeply Set was loved and trusted by the people of Gilm.
...Among ordinary citizens rather than adventurers, Set might well have been more trusted than Rei himself.
"Sorry, but could someone go call the Guards?"
"Ah, I'll go."
At Rei's request, a man who looked like an adventurer in his mid-twenties spoke up and dashed off.
He was older than Rei, who still appeared to be in his mid-teens, but the world of adventurers ran on merit.
There were plenty of people who would respect someone with real ability, even if that person was ten years younger—apparent age, in this case.
In that sense, the adventurer had likely nodded so readily to Rei's words because of that unspoken understanding.
"Now then."
Deciding to handle what he could before the Guards arrived, Rei examined the unconscious man.
Set had probably held back to some extent. The man sent flying had fractures in several places, but he was still alive.
If Set had struck without restraint, the man's upper body would have been literally shattered to pieces.
Whether to preserve a source of information, or to spare Gilm's residents a gruesome sight—
(Most likely the latter.)
The people of Gilm all doted on Set, which also meant that Set held genuine affection for the residents who showered him with attention.
That was why he'd pulled his strength this time—to avoid terrifying the bystanders.
If the onlookers had been adventurers, Set wouldn't have bothered worrying about that.
"Hmm... So this guy's a dead end, too."
While binding the unconscious man's wrists and ankles with rope and gagging him to prevent him from biting his tongue or swallowing poison, Rei gave his belongings a quick search. Finding no Magic Item that could be generating the unease, he muttered with a faint note of disappointment.
The reason he didn't seem truly disappointed was probably because he'd already figured this man was nothing more than a hired hand.
If the unease was being generated by a skill of some kind, it should have already vanished now that the man was unconscious.
As he finished tying the man up, the Guards arrived with the adventurer from earlier.
Rei recognized the Guard immediately.
They had just met at the scene of the street performer incident—naturally.
It was also the same person who had processed his entry into Gilm earlier today.
"Again, Rei?"
"Yeah, again. ...And it doesn't look like it's over yet."
"The unease?"
The Guard asked as though he already knew, even without Rei finishing his sentence.
From his perspective, this incident played out the same way as the last one, so it was a natural assumption.
"That's right. I searched him, but he wasn't carrying any Magic Items. And since he's unconscious, even if it were the effect of a skill or spell, it should have dissipated by now. The fact that it hasn't means..."
"Someone else is out there. ...What did you actually do? Being targeted this many times in a row doesn't just happen."
The Guard had been genuinely worried during the street performer incident. But now, with a second attack—and not a scratch on Rei—the concern had started to wear thin.
"Even if you say that... Honestly, if we're just talking about reasons people might want me dead, I couldn't even count them all."
"...Figured."
Faced with Rei openly admitting he had no shortage of enemies, the Guard could only nod.
That said, those grudges weren't from innocent people who'd been wronged without cause.
The most obvious example was bandit hunting.
The Bandits he'd hunted down had every reason to harbor a deep grudge against him.
And the Underground Organizations that had crossed him had suffered devastating losses, giving their survivors plenty of motivation as well.
Weighing all of that, pinning down who was pulling the strings this time was no easy task.
"Without knowing who's behind this, the only thing I can really do is walk around as much as possible and draw them out. Once they run out of pawns, they'll have no choice but to show themselves."
"You think so? Maybe they're the type to cut their losses and pull out once the pawns are gone."
"If so, fine. ...Well, not fine, but if the attacks stop, I don't have a problem."
Rei's reply drew a conflicted expression from the Guard.
Under normal circumstances, being told the mastermind didn't matter while actively being targeted by assassins was something he simply couldn't wrap his head around.
If the Guard himself were in Rei's shoes, he wouldn't be able to rest until the one pulling the strings was dealt with.
(This must be the difference between an adventurer and a Guard... no, between an Alias Holder adventurer and an ordinary Guard.)
Watching Rei, the Guard couldn't help but think that with a pang of quiet realization.