The building was the headquarters of an organization called Black Dog. For a group that was trusted, feared, and regarded with goodwill by many in the Slum District, its headquarters was not particularly impressive.
If anything, "ordinary" would be a more fitting description.
Even in Gilm, two-story buildings were by no means rare. They were a common sight.
Moreover, as an organization based in the Slum District, it did not appear to have any particular defensive measures in place.
Of course, Rei was no thief, so his ability to discern the presence of traps was not exceptionally sharp.
Had Byune been there, she might have been able to identify any hidden traps.
"Grrr?"
Set tugged at the Dragon Robe with his beak, asking if it was all right now, if it was all right now.
Understanding what that meant, Rei looked at the building, thought for a moment, and nodded.
"Yeah. Go ahead."
"Grrrrl."
Purring happily, Set returned from his roughly seventy-centimeter size back to his usual three-meter stature.
Until they had arrived here, they had passed through many narrow paths, so he had been using the Size Change skill to fit through such places.
Naturally, since they had been walking for quite some time, he had also needed to reactivate the skill several times along the way.
The guide man had initially been surprised by Set's skill, but now perhaps accustomed to it, he showed no particular reaction upon seeing Set return to his full size.
Instead, he urged Rei to hurry along.
"Come on, let's go. They already know you're coming. Can't keep them waiting too long."
"...They already know?"
Rei voiced the question, and simultaneously understood. He had felt that they had taken quite a detour to get here, and this must have been the reason.
So he didn't completely trust us. ...Well, that's only natural.
Rei did not feel any particular dissatisfaction and accepted the man's actions. To begin with, if he had been in the man's position, he felt he would have done the same thing—notifying them of Rei's arrival in advance.
If this had been an ordinary visitor—whether someone coming to Black Dog could be called ordinary was another matter—the man probably would not have gone that far.
But the other party was Rei, an alias-holding adventurer who had dealt devastating damage to several underworld organizations in the Slum District. It was only natural that Black Dog would sense danger and prepare to receive him.
At any rate, Rei and Set followed the man toward the building.
As was only natural, there were guards posted at the building. From what Rei could see, they were undoubtedly of considerable skill.
Huh. ...Well, if this is the Black Dog hideout, it makes sense to have skilled fighters on hand. Besides, they knew I was coming.
Rei observed the men as he thought to himself.
In reality, while Rei remained calm, the guards were actually quite tense facing Rei the Alias-Bearer. The fact that they did not let it show was proof enough that they possessed sufficient ability as guards.
"Set, wait here for me."
"Grrr? ...Grrrrl."
At Rei's words, Set nodded, albeit looking slightly disappointed. Considering his body size, he must have thought it couldn't be helped.
Rei also briefly considered that Set might be able to enter if he used Size Change, but the fact that he wanted him on alert outside was undeniably true as well. The current situation with the assassins required that level of vigilance.
Hypnosis, or brainwashing. Or perhaps some other method of attack. The enemy might use troublesome means because of that. ...No, it really is extremely troublesome.
Rei had no way of knowing what method had been used to manipulate the man who had offered to guide him to the Black Dog hideout. Alternatively, there was also the possibility that the enemy had already recruited that man for some reason, and that was forcing Rei to think through even more difficult scenarios.
"Set's staying outside. ...Alright then, I'm counting on you."
"Got it."
At Rei's words about leaving Set outside, the man who had guided them gave a brief call to the guard, then urged Rei to enter the building.
Rei had no particular intention of objecting and stepped inside without fuss. In that instant, he understood that numerous gazes were directed at him.
The interior was laid out like a relatively spacious office, and many of the people inside turned their eyes toward Rei as he entered.
The reason Rei did not immediately go on alert was that there was no trace of hostility in those gazes. Given the current situation, he could tell that the Black Dog members inside the building were not hostile toward him, so he had no particular reaction.
The man who had led Rei there then approached a person working on some task at a desk in the back.
The man appeared to be in his forties to fifties, and his appearance was by no means what one would expect. At first glance, he was the kind of person no one would ever suspect of being part of an underworld organization.
Given that he also presented a somewhat timid demeanor, it would not have been strange for Rei to question whether this person truly held a position of any standing.
But the man who had brought Rei here approached the other without hesitation.
"Kaonora-san, I've brought Rei."
"Eh? Ah, good work. How did it go? Did anyone try to attack you or anything like that?"
"No sir. No need to worry about that. I chose routes that didn't seem like ambush points to get here."
"I see. ...Well then, Rei-san. I am Kaonora of Black Dog."
"...Are you, by any chance, the boss of Black Dog?"
"No, no. Nothing of the sort. I couldn't possibly do something like that. Think of me as a liaison to the boss. Black Dog is an organization that people rely on quite a bit, and we can't report every single thing to him."
"Ah... well, I suppose so."
Seeing this many people working here, it was easy to understand that Black Dog was extremely busy. And having come to rely on Black Dog amid all that, Rei was at a bit of a loss for what to say about it.
"So, what you want to know about is the assassins attacking you, correct?"
"Yeah. There's also the fact that ever since Set and I came to Gilm, we've been feeling a sense of unease, and I'd like you to do something about the source of that too. I think it's related to a Magic Item, a skill, or magic... something along those lines."
"...I see. That's a rather difficult matter. Let me ask the boss about it."
"Oh, right. Here."
Saying that, Rei took out a letter from his Misty Ring—the letter Marina had written—and handed it over.
Upon receiving the letter, Kaonora saw Marina's name written on the envelope as the sender and gave a small murmur of interest.
Given that Marina had gone to the trouble of writing a letter, Rei had thought there was some kind of connection between Black Dog and her, but it seemed there was more to it than he had expected.
Marina is a Dark Elf and has lived a long time. Thinking about it that way, it wouldn't be strange for her to have a connection or two with an underworld organization.
Considering the span of time Marina had lived, that possibility was more than sufficient.
Rei had been thinking that if Marina found out, she wouldn't exactly scold him, but she might act a bit subtly displeased. Eventually, Kaonora looked at Rei and spoke.
"With this letter, the boss will certainly see you. ...However, I need to check with him first, so please have a seat on that sofa and wait a moment."
Saying that, Kaonora departed.
"Well, I'll be heading back now, so I'll take my leave here."
When Rei sat down on the sofa, the man who had guided him spoke up. From Rei's perspective, all he could do was express gratitude to the man.
"I see. Thanks for guiding me here."
"It's nothing. If you went on a rampage in the Slum District, the damage would be no laughing matter. Thinking of that, this much is nothing."
Saying that, the man gave a light wave and departed.
The suggestion that the Slum District would collapse if Rei were let loose was something he couldn't entirely let slide without feeling something, but if someone was trying to take his life, he had no choice but to fight back. If that happened, the surrounding area would inevitably suffer collateral damage.
Of course, the fact that the Slum District would collapse from that alone meant something was already seriously wrong.
At any rate, a few minutes after the man left, Kaonora appeared from the door.
"Thank you for waiting, Rei-san. Please, this way. The boss will see you."
Led by Kaonora, Rei headed toward a room in the back.
Since the building was two stories, there was naturally a second floor, and Rei had a slight suspicion that the boss might be up there. But Kaonora was definitely guiding him to a different room.
If so, the second floor must have been used for some other purpose, Rei thought as he entered the room.
And what awaited inside was...
An Elf? No, the ears are too short for an Elf. Which would make him a Half-Elf?
Inside the room was a sofa where a man who appeared to be a Half-Elf was seated, and a three-person sofa placed facing it. There was truly nothing else in the room.
If one were to point to anything else, it would be the letter Marina had written, which the Half-Elf man had been reading.
"What's wrong? Come on in. You came here because you wanted to talk to me, right?"
The Half-Elf man raised his face from the letter and called out to him. Based on appearance alone, he looked to be in his thirties.
That said, while Half-Elves were not as long-lived as Elves, they still had long lifespans.
In the novels and manga Rei had read, or the games he had played back in Japan, Half-Elves were sometimes depicted as beings hated by both Elves and humans. But here in Elgin, there was no unconditional prejudice against Half-Elves. There were regions where they were intensely disliked, and regions where they were treated kindly by both races.
In that sense, Rei had no way of knowing what kind of childhood the Half-Elf before him had lived.
Even so, Rei would not change his attitude based on the other person's background. He nodded at the man's words and sat down on the three-person sofa.
"Then, Zoraku-sama. I will take my leave here. I still have work remaining."
"Alright, do your best. But don't push yourself. Don't forget to rest properly."
At the Half-Elf's—Zoraku's—words, Kaonora nodded and left the room.
"Were you surprised that a guy like him holds a high position in Black Dog?"
"Yeah. I won't deny that. It's definitely quite different from the underworld organizations I knew about... and expected."
"The underworld organizations you know are mostly scum, right? Being lumped in with those kinds of people isn't very amusing. ...Of course, since Black Dog is also an underworld organization, we do plenty of things we can't speak openly about."
"Is that how you met Marina?"
"No, it was before that with Marina-san. She saved me when I was alone and had nowhere to turn."
Those words from Zoraku were somewhat unexpected to Rei. But considering Marina's nature of being caring despite her manner, it was something he could actually accept.
"I see. So it's thanks to that connection that Black Dog has a cooperative relationship with Marina."
"...Let me make this clear, I don't run the organization on personal sentiment."
Zoraku stated that, fixing Rei with a sharp gaze. Rei nodded back to him.
Though they had only spoken briefly, Rei could immediately tell that Zoraku was sharp-minded.
"That works out for me too."
"Hmph."
At Rei's words, Zoraku wore a somewhat displeased expression.
To Zoraku, Marina was both his benefactor and a figure like a mother... or perhaps an older sister. The fact that she had quit her position as Guild Master and returned to being an adventurer just because she wanted to be with the man before him was, from Zoraku's perspective, by no means a welcome development.
Even so, it was not as if Rei had forced Marina into it, and since it was her own decision, Zoraku might have his thoughts about the person before him, but he would not voice them.
...Above all, as the one who led the organization called Black Dog, a connection with Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker, was something he very much wanted.
"So? What you want is information. Is that correct?"
Zoraku asked Rei that question.