"So this is the Star River Inn."
"Guruu."
Rei stood before a fine-looking inn with Seto at his side.
Having gathered a fair amount of information from Roger at the dining hall—and squeezing a substantial meal out of him as restitution—Rei had decided to let the Seto incident go for now.
...As for Seto himself, the offending party hadn't been particularly strong to begin with, so he hadn't held much of a grudge. And since he'd been able to eat to his heart's content at the dining hall, he actually rather liked Roger now.
The Star River Inn was the establishment Roger had recommended.
Rei had already heard about it from Anne and Lindy as well. It was reputed to be one of the finest inns in all of Egginis.
Being such a high-end establishment, simply showing up and asking for a room would normally get you turned away.
Of course, in Rei's case, being an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer meant the inn would likely give him special treatment.
On top of that, he had a letter of introduction from Roger.
From Rei's perspective, Roger was simply the Alchemist who had tried to harm Seto. But according to Lindy, the man held considerable influence here in Egginis.
Given that, Rei judged a letter of introduction from Roger would suffice, and he stepped through the inn's gates.
"Excuse me, may I help you with something?"
With Seto in tow, Rei's presence naturally drew attention. Seeing the two of them, a man who appeared to be an inn employee approached and spoke up.
Setting Rei aside, the man stepped forward in front of Seto—who measured well over three meters in length—without the slightest sign of fear.
Well, perhaps internally he felt some awe or trepidation, but he certainly wasn't letting it show.
From that alone, Rei could tell the man had considerable nerve.
"Yeah, I came hoping to stay at the Star River Inn. As you can see, my Tamed Monster Seto is pretty big, so an ordinary inn would be a bit cramped for us."
Hearing that, the employee glanced at Seto and nodded in understanding.
He nodded, but then spoke with an apologetic look.
"Um, regarding a prior reservation..."
As an employee of a first-rate inn, he naturally knew the names of all guests with reservations.
That was why he wondered if Rei might be among them—but the name Rei was not on today's reservation list.
...Unlike Roger, this man had figured out who stood before him the moment he saw Seto. That alone marked him as a capable employee.
And yet, the fact that he was still prepared to turn away even Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker, simply because there was no reservation suggested he took his work seriously.
"No, I don't have one. But I brought a letter of introduction from the Alchemist Roger. Is that a problem?"
"From Lord Roger...?"
The employee was visibly startled by the unexpected name.
In Egginis, Roger was known as a skilled Alchemist—but equally well known for his high-handed behavior.
A letter of introduction from that Roger was surprising enough to make anyone blink.
For a fleeting moment, the employee wondered if it might be a forgery. But he couldn't imagine Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker, resorting to such a thing, and more importantly, he couldn't fathom why Rei would go out of his way to invoke Roger's name if it weren't genuine.
"Please wait a moment. I will consult with my superior. Lord Rei, please wait inside. As for Seto, I will have someone guide him to the stables."
Whether he had accepted the letter as genuine, or simply judged that treating an alias-holding Adventurer rudely would reflect poorly on the Star River Inn, the man extended the courtesy without hesitation.
Rei parted from Seto and stepped inside.
(Huh.)
Looking around the interior, Rei was genuinely impressed.
The Wheat Inn at Dusk—Rei's regular lodging in Gilm, though nowadays he only kept the room rented since Marina's house had effectively become his residence—was one of the finest inns in Gilm, yet it still carried a warm, lived-in atmosphere.
The Star River Inn, by contrast, had the polished air of a proper hotel.
That said, Rei wasn't particularly knowledgeable about hotels.
He had only stayed in them during school trips and the like, and naturally, the high school he'd attended in the countryside hadn't been able to afford anything luxurious.
...Of course, since coming to Elgin, Rei had traveled to all sorts of places, and among them he had stayed at inns that came close to this kind of hotel atmosphere.
The employee from earlier asked Rei to sit on a sofa and wait, and Rei obliged without protest.
Settling in and surveying his surroundings, Rei noticed a fair number of people who appeared to be Nobles and Merchants.
(These people probably came to Egginis to buy Golems. ...Doesn't seem like any of them have noticed who I am, though.)
With his Dragon Robe hood pulled up, Rei's face was currently hidden from view.
Combined with the robe's concealment effect, that meant many people were eyeing him with open suspicion—wondering why someone who looked like a novice mage was staying at an establishment like this.
Some, lacking any sense of their own standing, were even smirking at him outright.
True to its reputation as one of Egginis's finest inns, the interior was kept cool and comfortable even in the height of summer, thanks to Magic Items.
Despite the stares, Rei paid them no particular mind.
He was thoroughly accustomed to being looked at in all sorts of ways.
What he was not accustomed to was—
"Rei!? You're Rei, aren't you!?"
It wasn't just the people around him who jumped at the voice that rang out without warning—the one being called out to, Rei himself, was probably the most startled of all.
Not because a stranger had recognized him, but because the voice was one he knew.
He turned toward its source and found exactly the person he'd expected.
She was still young enough to be rightly called a girl.
And yet she was a genius of magic who wielded three attributes—wind, earth, and light. Maruka Quento.
The daughter of Duke Quento's House, which wielded enormous power even within the King's Faction, and someone with no small connection to Rei.
"Maruka? Why are you here...?"
Naturally, running into Maruka in a place like this was the last thing Rei had expected.
His surprise was plain on his face as he looked at her.
The last time he'd seen her had been several years ago, and in that span she had grown considerably.
...Even so, the fact that she was still a child in terms of age hadn't changed.
"Why I came here? That should be obvious. I came to Egginis, so naturally I'm here to buy Golems!"
Maruka declared it without a hint of hesitation.
And indeed, since she was actually here in Egginis, that reason was self-evident.
Seeing Maruka address Rei, those who had been eyeing him with suspicion began to wonder just who he was.
They might not have been able to identify the hooded figure, but many of them certainly recognized Maruka.
She was regarded as a powerhouse representing the generation after Elena, who was known as the Princess General. And more importantly, she was the daughter of Duke Quento—one of the most influential figures within the King's Faction, the largest political faction in the Kingdom of Mireana. Of course they knew her.
In fact, a good number of those present had been angling for a chance to build a friendly relationship with her.
...Even so, the fact that no one tried to hassle Rei despite Maruka having spoken to him suggested they understood all too well that doing so would instantly destroy any hope of earning her goodwill.
"Come to think of it, you're not here alone, right? Where's Koan?"
"Koan had other business to attend to. He isn't here."
"...Hey, don't tell me you actually came here by yourself?"
Koan was Maruka's bodyguard, someone Rei had crossed paths with on a few occasions before.
A skilled Magic Sworduser who always spoke to Rei in polite tones, he was a friendly, approachable man.
And yet he was utterly devoted to Maruka, who was far younger than himself—the kind of person who would move heaven and earth to grant her wishes.
It was precisely because someone like that served as her bodyguard that Duke Quento could allow Maruka a degree of freedom.
With Koan absent, it was only natural to worry about her safety.
Of course, Maruka was a prodigy who could wield three attributes of magic at her age, and as a pure spellcaster, she was highly capable.
That said, given her youth and standing, her lack of experience was unavoidable.
If someone managed to close the distance and force melee combat before she could even begin casting, Maruka would struggle to cope.
That was why it was only natural for Rei to worry about what kind of situation she was currently in.
Maruka seemed to understand exactly what was troubling him.
She spoke as if to set his mind at ease.
"There is no need to worry. Koan is away, but I have another bodyguard arranged. ...The problem is that he isn't quite as skilled as Koan."
As if on cue, a man who had been waiting a short distance away approached them.
"I'd be in trouble being compared to Koan-senpai. How many people in the world do you think are skilled enough to match him?"
The man addressed Maruka in a light, easygoing tone.
He held a spear, and from the way he carried himself, Rei could tell he was reasonably skilled.
That said, as the man himself had admitted, he apparently didn't measure up to Koan.
"That cannot be helped. Your way of speaking is comfortable for me, at any rate."
"I'd rather be judged by my skill than my manner of speech. ...Oh, pardon me. I'm Nicky, currently serving as Lady Maruka's bodyguard in Koan-senpai's stead. It's an honor to meet you, Rei-san, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker."
A ripple went through the room.
The Nobles and Merchants within earshot stirred the moment the word "Crimson" left Nicky's mouth.
With Rei's Dragon Robe hood drawn up, most of his face was hidden from view.
That was why none of them had realized the man before them was the alias-holding Adventurer known as Crimson.
...Unless someone possessed the ability to see through the Dragon Robe's concealment effect, identifying him as Rei would have been all but impossible.
"Nicky, huh. Good to meet you. Maruka's quite the mischief-maker, so I imagine bodyguard duty is a handful... but do your best."
"Mph... Rei, what exactly do you think of me?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? It's just as I said."
Which was to say, he thought she was a mischief-maker.
Maruka understood this perfectly well, and she puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
"Now, now. Look, Lady Maruka, you really shouldn't throw a tantrum like that, either."
"Nicky, what do you think of me? Don't tell me you've started thinking of me as a mischief-maker too."
"...Hm?"
Nicky hesitated for a moment before answering Maruka's question.
And for Maruka, his hesitation alone was answer enough.
"Hmph. I understand perfectly well what you think of me, Nicky."
Nicky offered a sheepish smile at her declaration.
But the fact that he didn't correct himself made it quite easy to guess how he truly felt about her.
As Rei chatted with Maruka and Nicky, the employee from earlier returned and bowed to him.
"We have confirmed the letter of introduction from Lord Roger. Lord Rei, your stay is no problem at all."
"Great, then I'll leave it to you. Let's go with... ten days for now."
In reality, he would need to return to Gilm once before those ten days were up.
Even so, considering he'd be staying in Egginis for a while, it made sense to secure lodging for a reasonable stretch of time.
If he found a better inn after the ten days, he could always move.
"Hm? What's this, Rei? You might not have been able to stay here?"
"Well, it's that kind of place. You can't just walk in and expect them to say 'right away, sir.' I had a man named Roger write me a letter of introduction, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue."
"Oh... Roger, is it. So you had a connection with him. As expected of you, Rei."
Maruka said this with genuine admiration, but Rei was seriously torn on whether what had happened between them could really be called a connection at all.