"I've been waiting for you, Rei!"
The one who greeted Rei upon entering the Guild wasn't Lindy... but Roger.
He had told Lindy that they would meet again if she was at the Guild, and given the situation with Golias, he figured there was a good chance she would be. But Rei's expectations had been completely off—Lindy wasn't here, and Roger was here in her place.
"Why are you here, Roger? Our business should be settled by now, shouldn't it?"
As far as Rei was concerned, the incident where Roger had tried to harm Seto had been squared away with a free meal and some useful information.
So why was Roger showing up here now?
It was only natural for Rei to have questions.
That said... even while harboring those doubts, he could more or less guess the answer.
After all, Roger had been after Seto's materials from the very start.
Showing up again so suddenly after yesterday's incident could be seen as brazen, but it was also very much in character for him.
"Of course I'm here because I have business with you, Rei! Yesterday you mentioned having various rare monster materials that can't be obtained here in Egginis, didn't you? If you're willing, I'd like to buy them from you."
"Ah, I see."
Roger was a highly skilled Alchemist—so skilled that there was no one in Egginis who didn't know his name.
But even Roger couldn't hold a candle to the Golems produced by the Dolan Workshop.
In an effort to change that, Roger had set his sights on Seto, a High-Rank Monster gryphon.
...In reality, he had simply spotted Seto by chance while walking through the city and, without thinking, tried to capture him for materials.
Given the kind of person Roger was, it was only natural for him to covet the rare monster materials Rei possessed.
Still, perhaps having learned his lesson thoroughly from yesterday's incident, he didn't try to take them by force this time.
(Or maybe... even if he wanted to, he didn't have any usable pawns. That could be the real reason.)
Yesterday, Roger's guards—his flunkies—had been taken down by Seto.
None had died or sustained injuries severe enough to leave lasting aftereffects, but it wouldn't be surprising if some had walked away with a broken bone or two.
Given that, it was entirely possible that their injuries hadn't healed yet—or even if they had, they wanted to avoid facing Rei and Seto again.
(Then again, not having any guards at all is still a problem. Or maybe the adventurers here in the Guild have been hired as his temporary guards?)
Normally, the Guild would be quite bustling in the morning with people looking for work.
But Rei had woken up fairly late, and he had also stopped by the Dolan Workshop's office before coming to the Guild.
As a result, the morning rush had already passed.
While a fair number of people still remained inside, it was considerably emptier than before.
Among the adventurers still lingering in the Guild, it wouldn't be surprising if some were serving as Roger's guards.
After all, being a skilled Alchemist was entirely different from being accustomed to combat.
If someone attacked him, whether Roger could put up any resistance on his own... honestly, that was doubtful.
From what Rei could see, Roger didn't appear to train his body, nor did he study any form of martial arts. His gait alone made that obvious.
"Rei, will you sell me the materials?" Roger pressed, closing the distance between them.
Rei hesitated over how to answer.
First, if asked whether he would sell the materials, he had no intention of simply selling them for money. He already had a massive amount stored in his Misty Ring and didn't particularly need more.
However, if Roger was as skilled an Alchemist as claimed, then an exchange for Golems or Magic Items would be a different story.
But even then, there was still a problem.
Saying it would likely offend Roger, but at the same time, Rei understood that Roger wouldn't be satisfied otherwise. Resigned, he spoke plainly.
"I do have a fair amount of materials, but the A-Rank Monster materials I took down in the Forest of Magic might be needed when purchasing a Golem from the Dolan Workshop. I can't part with those."
"Wh—"
Roger was at a loss for words.
The thought that Rei had already been in contact with the Dolan Workshop probably hadn't even crossed his mind. It was only yesterday, and today—though a bit late—was still morning. He had assumed Rei hadn't yet visited the Dolan Workshop's office.
"Sorry about that."
"Grr... fine. I'll accept that. From what you've just said, you'd be willing to part with materials other than those from A-Rank Monsters, correct?"
Huh. Rei was mildly impressed.
He had fully expected Roger to fly into a rage over the contact with the Dolan Workshop, but instead of exploding, Roger had proposed a compromise.
It seemed he really had learned his lesson from yesterday.
"That's right. I can part with materials from B-Rank Monsters and below. But in that case, it won't be a sale—it'll be an exchange for Magic Items or Golems. I may not look it, but I'm not hurting for money."
"Hmm... B-Rank Monsters and below, huh..."
Roger hesitated at the compromise Rei offered.
Materials from B-Rank Monsters weren't actually that easy to come by. And materials from Frontier B-Rank Monsters or Forest of Magic B-Rank Monsters like the ones Rei had—given the geographical barriers—were nearly impossible to obtain.
"What'll it be? I heard your skill in Alchemy is top-notch, so that's what I'm counting on with this proposal."
Ugh. Roger choked on his words at Rei's statement.
He was, of course, well aware that he was a highly skilled Alchemist—or more precisely, exceptionally capable when it came to Golems. And yet, he couldn't hold a candle to the Dolan Workshop's creations as things stood.
That was precisely why he had been lashing out in frustration, which had only worsened his reputation.
In the midst of all that, Rei had acknowledged him as a skilled Alchemist.
...Of course, that was merely Rei's own impression, and Roger understood full well that the Dolan Workshop was superior. But having his skills recognized by Rei—an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer—was still genuinely pleasing.
"Understood. For now, let me see the materials. If they look useful, I'll consider taking on a Golem commission."
Roger delivered this with something close to embarrassed deflection.
Rei nodded and asked, "Then what should we do? Surely you don't mean to take out the materials here? I mean, if you're fine with that, I don't mind."
Pulling out monster materials from the Frontier—and specifically from the Forest of Magic, an area the lord had forbidden anyone from approaching—right here inside the Guild would undoubtedly draw attention. Many people already knew of Rei from traveling with Seto, but it wouldn't be surprising if someone was blinded by the materials dangled in front of them and tried to make a move.
Egginis attracted a lot of adventurers, and among them were those who harbored baseless pride, convinced they could do anything. Usually, veteran adventurers nearby would keep such people in check, but that wasn't an absolute guarantee.
"No, let's not. If you did something like that here, it might stir up unnecessary greed in others."
Roger was an Egginis Alchemist himself. He could easily imagine how adventurers would react upon seeing unknown materials—or more precisely, how adventurers with ties to Alchemists would react.
"I see. Then let's step outside. ...The person I'm looking for doesn't seem to be here, either."
Rei scanned the Guild once more, but Lindy was nowhere to be seen.
He had come to the Guild to gather information from her, but with her absent, there was no reason to stick around. It was disappointing, but in exchange, he could trade with Roger and obtain a Golem—through barter, admittedly—so it wasn't a bad outcome. Assuming, of course, that Roger found Rei's materials usable after seeing them.
"Very well. Let us leave."
Rei nodded at Roger's words.
As Rei and his group left the Guild, several people cast meaningful glances their way. Roger hadn't noticed, but Rei was well aware of them. That said, since none of those watching were actually making a move, Rei had no intention of acting on it for now.
The moment they stepped outside, Seto trotted over to join them. He seemed briefly confused to see Roger with Rei, but it appeared Seto had forgiven him for yesterday's incident—likely because the meal at the dining hall had lightened Roger's wallet considerably.
That was somewhat unusual. Normally, once Seto identified someone as an enemy, forgiveness didn't come easily. And yet here he was, showing every sign of having let it go.
"...Seto, huh."
After a few seconds of silence, Roger murmured the name as he looked at the gryphon.
Just as Seto might have felt something toward Roger, Roger likely had his own complicated feelings regarding Seto. The materials Rei was offering were limited to B-Rank and below, but with Seto's materials, there might be a decent surplus—or so Roger was probably thinking.
Then again, what was done was done. Saying anything more would be pointless.
Tearing his gaze from Seto, Roger turned toward the adventurers who had followed him out of the Guild—his guards—and spoke.
"Since Rei is with us, I don't think we need to worry much about security. But if anything happens, I'm counting on you."
"Understood. Don't worry about that. We'll handle the guard duty properly on our end," the Adventurer Party Leader told Roger.
Listening to that exchange, Rei felt somewhat conflicted.
As long as he was present, there was no real concern about Roger being attacked. If anything, Rei himself was far more likely to be targeted.
That was precisely why he wasn't particularly worried about Roger's safety. But since they were traveling together, if Roger did get attacked for some reason, Rei figured he would step in to help. He might end up stealing the guards' job entirely, though.
"Sorry, but if Roger gets attacked, I'll be stepping in too."
"N-no, if you've decided that, Rei-san, then by all means."
The words carried far more respect than anything they had directed at Roger.
At the adventurers' demeanor, Roger showed a slightly displeased look. The fact that they showed more respect to Rei than to him—their employer—was clearly something he found objectionable.
But while the adventurers had accepted Roger's request, being in Egginis, they naturally knew all about his poor reputation. They had taken the guard job partly because it was only temporary—lasting until his regular guards, the ones Seto had defeated yesterday, recovered—but mostly because the pay was well above average. Not just slightly above, but significantly so.
And the real draw was probably the chance to interact with Rei. It wasn't that they were scheming anything—they simply wanted to talk with an alias-holding adventurer.
Looking at the adventurers addressing him, Rei guessed as much. The eyes fixed on him were colored with admiration and aspiration—there was no mistaking it.
(Egginis is a big city, and it's famous for its Golem industry, so it wouldn't be strange for Alias Holders to be here, I'd think.)
With that thought in mind, Rei chatted with the adventurers while attending to Roger, and the group moved on.