After hearing Rei's words, Ridon fell silent for a few minutes before speaking.
"Gather bandits? What would anyone do such a thing for?"
"Who knows? If the information you obtained—or rather, the rumors—are true, then I suppose the possibility that it's related can't be denied."
"Is it truly related?"
"No. As I said earlier, it's a pile of assumptions stacked on assumptions, with yet another assumption layered on top. Given that, it's not necessarily correct. It just caught my interest, that's all."
"Something that caught Lord Rei's interest, huh."
Normally, it wouldn't be strange to dismiss it as a coincidence. But it was Rei who had said it.
In the short time since becoming an adventurer—at a speed perhaps unmatched in the history of adventurers, where no one had ranked up or earned an alias so quickly, or at most only a truly tiny handful had—he had become an A-Rank Adventurer.
When someone like Rei said something had caught his interest, Ridon couldn't simply write it off as a coincidence.
"Hmm, I see. Then I shall look into it a little on my end as well."
"...Are you sure? At worst, assassins might be sent after you, just like your servant experienced."
In reality, no assassins had been sent after Lindy, who had been investigating the bandit disappearances and Golias's case alongside Rei. Given that, it was a fact that the assassins sent after Rei were likely for an entirely different reason, but even that wasn't absolute.
Lindy was an adventurer, but she didn't possess exceptionally outstanding strength, nor was she a High-Rank Adventurer. In that sense, the possibility that she had simply not been perceived as a particularly dangerous threat couldn't be denied.
After all, the assassin sent after Rei was by no means a high-level opponent. The woman herself seemed to think she was first-rate, but to Rei, who had been targeted by assassins countless times, she was nothing more than second or third-rate. Given that, the possibility that assassins in Egginis were generally low-level couldn't be denied either.
At any rate, if Lindy had been overlooked for such a reason, Rei couldn't imagine that Ridon, a noble, would be similarly overlooked.
Ridon was a noble—and a Neutral Faction noble at that. Anyone even slightly well-informed knew that Rei was famous as the Trusted Aide of Daskar, who led the Neutral Faction.
If Ridon, having made contact with Rei, were to investigate the bandit disappearances, the masterminds behind it would undoubtedly recognize him as a far more dangerous figure than Lindy.
And Ridon himself seemed to have trained to some extent, but even so, his strength appeared to be only around that of a C-Rank Adventurer at best. As for the servant who had brought Rei here, he seemed like a complete amateur with no combat experience whatsoever.
"By the way, I don't think I need to ask, but you do have escorts, right?"
"Naturally. But bringing escorts to meet Lord Rei would be tasteless, wouldn't it?"
"...So what were you planning to do if I turned out to be an assassin?"
Ridon blinked, his expression as if the possibility hadn't even crossed his mind.
From Ridon's perspective, the very fact that Rei had Seto with him made it impossible for him to be a fake. And since he belonged to the Neutral Faction, he had obtained more information about Rei than those of other factions.
He knew that Rei would wield his overwhelming power without mercy against anyone, even nobles, if they became his enemy. But at the same time, he also knew that, unlike some nobles, Rei would not use his power for no reason. Given that, Ridon recognized that the possibility of being harmed by Rei, while not entirely zero, was infinitesimally small.
"I hadn't considered that at all. Besides, despite how I look, I believe I have an eye for people. That's precisely why I belong to the Neutral Faction."
"...Haa."
Rei couldn't tell what about him inspired such trust. However, when told that Ridon trusted Daskar and therefore belonged to the Neutral Faction, Rei couldn't bring himself to harm someone like that.
"Setting my matter aside for now. Are you really planning to investigate the bandit situation?"
"Of course. Besides... I don't mean this in a bad way, but Lord Rei isn't used to dealing with nobles, is he?"
When put that way, since it was a fact, Rei couldn't argue. The very reason Marina had been appointed as his negotiator following his promotion to A-Rank Adventurer was precisely that.
That said, would a noble know anything about the bandit disappearances?
The majority of the nobles in Egginis weren't living there permanently; they had come to purchase Golems. Given that, it was unreasonable to expect them to know the deep circumstances surrounding the city.
If the bandits were gone, then all the better. But even though the bandits were supposed to be gone, the attacks hadn't stopped. Considering these circumstances, having heard about the bandits could actually become a source of discord between Ridon and the other nobles.
Still, the possibility that, precisely because they are nobles, they might know information I don't, can't be denied. So if he can do it, should I leave it to him? The only problem is being targeted by assassins.
Thinking that, Rei asked Ridon once again.
"As I said earlier, getting involved in this matter carries a high possibility of being targeted by assassins. Are you still willing to do it?"
"Ah, of course."
Seeing Ridon nod without a moment's hesitation, Rei was unsure how to react, and ended up voicing his question honestly.
"Why would you go that far for me? It's fine that you told me about the suspicious rumors regarding the Dolan Workshop. Talking doesn't take much effort. But gathering intelligence from other nobles doesn't offer that much of an advantage for you, does it?"
"No, there is. And a significant one at that, not something trivial."
"What kind of advantage?"
"Being able to create a debt with Lord Rei is a very significant advantage, isn't it?"
Hearing that, Rei wondered, Is it?
His reaction was something along those lines, but in reality, being able to create a debt with an Alias Holder who was an A-Rank Adventurer carried great significance. Moreover, when that person was also the Trusted Aide of Daskar, who led the Neutral Faction, the significance was immense.
"Well, if you're fine with that, it helps me out... but I don't want to get yelled at by Lord Daskar, you know?"
"Hahaha. I'll handle that part well, so don't worry. I know my fair share about nobles, you see. Personally, my honest feeling is that I would have rather become an adventurer and made a name for myself, but alas."
Facing Ridon as he said that, Rei was at a loss for how to respond.
It was true that being an adventurer was an easygoing profession. At the very least, adventurers didn't have to be excessively polite like nobles, follow dining etiquette, or be unable to do what they wanted when they wanted—things like that didn't apply to adventurers.
That said, if asked whether being an adventurer was an easy job, Rei couldn't nod in agreement.
What was ultimately demanded of adventurers was ability. Being the child of a noble or the child of a great merchant—none of that was of any use when fighting monsters. Of course, having such social standing was undoubtedly advantageous when negotiating with clients or held significant meaning when assembling Combat Power. But even so, in the end, one's own ability was what mattered most.
Depending on the situation, there might be a possibility of managing things through one's status, but even so, one's own ability was more important than that. And in the case of nobles, failing to navigate their circumstances could lead to disgrace, putting their house at a disadvantage, or at worst, death. In contrast, if an adventurer failed during a request, the possibility of death was extremely high. It was a fact that nobles also ultimately faced the possibility of death, but for adventurers, that possibility was even higher.
"It's fine to admire adventurers. From what I've heard, there are some eccentric nobles who invite adventurers just to hear tales of adventure about what kind of requests they've taken on. But... if you're satisfied with just that, then fine. You should stop thinking about actually becoming one, though."
So said Rei, but it wasn't as if the children of nobles who became adventurers were nonexistent. Those born not as the eldest son and unable to inherit the family—among them, those who had confidence in their own abilities sometimes chose the path of an adventurer. There were also those who became adventurers reluctantly because they couldn't do anything else, but such people basically couldn't survive for very long.
From Rei's perspective, if they had received an education as a noble, they knew reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as various etiquette and manners, so he thought they could make a living as a merchant or something without having to become an adventurer.
"Nobles envy adventurers, and adventurers envy nobles, huh."
"There's a saying from somewhere that 'the grass is always greener on the other side.' It means that other people's things look better. That's probably the reason for what you're feeling."
"That's... I see. Now that you mention it, that might be true."
Perhaps finding Rei's words convincing enough, Ridon nodded. Rei couldn't help but think that it wasn't really something worth being that impressed by, but given the current situation, he figured it couldn't be helped.
"Let's get back to the topic. Anyway, if you're going to investigate the bandit disappearances, you should keep your escorts with you as much as possible. Just like I was targeted, the possibility of someone infiltrating the Star River Inn disguised as a maid can't be denied either."
When Rei repeatedly told him to be careful with his safety, Ridon nodded as well. For Ridon, being told this many times could have been annoying, but for some reason, he didn't seem all that displeased. If anything, he even looked pleased by Rei's words.
Why? Rei couldn't help but wonder, but if the person himself was satisfied with it, then that was fine for now. Rei didn't press the matter any further.
"And so, if I obtain any information regarding the bandit situation, I just need to inform Lord Rei. This is getting a little interesting."
"...You do understand the situation, right? I'll say this just in case, but this isn't a game or anything. It's a serious investigation, you know?"
"Of course I understand. We might face corresponding danger ourselves. Given that, I won't take half-measures, so please rest assured."
Facing Ridon, who stated this with conviction, Rei felt a slight doubt: Can I really trust this person?
However, it was also an undeniable fact that it would be helpful if Ridon actually gathered intelligence from the nobles. Being a noble, it was unclear whether he would know much about the bandit disappearances in depth. It was unclear, but the absence of information was, in itself, a piece of information. The fact that Rei wouldn't have to go out of his way to take the trouble of gathering information from nobles himself was significant in this case.
"Understood. Then I leave it to you."
"Umu. By the way, what probability would Lord Rei estimate for the Dolan Workshop being involved in the bandit disappearances?"
"Let's see. As a possibility, I'd say it's well below half."
Rei estimated it to be around thirty percent.
The reason the probability wasn't that high was, as expected, the issue of how to put dead bandits to use in Golems. Thinking normally, it would probably involve using internal organs like hearts as Golem materials, but those Golems would be sold to others. In that case, depending on the circumstances, one could imagine the Golems being disassembled—the Golem breaking from an unexpected accident and needing repairs, or simply someone wanting to see what the inside of a Golem looked like out of curiosity.
Even if it were sealed like a black box so it couldn't be opened, if the owner were a noble or a great merchant, the possibility of them being able to open it was high. If that happened, the presence of human internal organs inside would be discovered.
Or perhaps they used Alchemy to prevent it from being found... at any rate, for now the possibility isn't that high. Rather, I think it's more likely the work of an Alchemist experimenting with new techniques to beat the Dolan Workshop, or for the purpose of testing a Golem's performance.
So thought Rei, but upon hearing that the probability was low, Ridon's expression turned to one of disappointment.