Glared at by the alchemists, Rei was completely at a loss to understand why he was being subjected to such hostile gazes, and stood there bewildered.
He had meant to compliment the golem's quality.
However, to the other party, the words that came out of Rei's mouth did not sound like praise at all. If anything, they came across as nothing short of sarcasm.
"I was just trying to give my honest impression, but it seems I've offended you. In that case, it's about time I—actually, before I go, let me ask you something. It's not exactly payment for my thoughts on your golem, but I'd like to ask a little something."
Regarding the golem, they had at least been willing to discuss the Goggles Magic Item to some extent, so by that logic, the alchemists weren't obligated to answer Rei's question. Furthermore, since the impression of the golem that came out of Rei's mouth was by no means acceptable to the alchemists who had built it, there were those among them who had no desire to answer his question at all.
However, amidst all that, the one who reacted calmly was the adventurer who was still holding his hand over the leader-type alchemist's mouth.
"What is it? If it's something we can answer, we'll tell you as much as we can."
At the adventurer's words, Rei thought for a moment and nodded.
He had heard from Ridon that the Dolan Workshop matter might be connected to the bandits, but that was ultimately unverified information. He had somewhat wanted to ask the alchemists about it, but he judged it better to hold off for now.
If so, then gathering information about what was actually happening took priority over chasing down dubious rumors right now.
"Since you were out subjugating bandits, you might know what I want to ask about. Have you heard that bandits have been disappearing around Egginis lately?"
"I've heard rumors. But for all that, I don't get the impression their numbers are decreasing, like with the bandits here."
"Even though bandits disappear, others are apparently coming from different areas to replace them. Anyway, do you have any information about these disappearing bandits?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that. Still, bandits gathering in Egginis? Is that information true?"
"The fact that bandits are disappearing is undeniable. But even so, considering their numbers aren't decreasing, I think it's safe to say that bandits are gathering here, don't you?"
"Who would do such a thing, and for what reason?"
"I wouldn't know even if you asked me. Besides, it's precisely because I want that kind of information that I'm out here investigating. Also... you're adventurers active in Egginis, right? Then, do you know someone named Golias?"
"Yeah, I know him. He's a skilled adventurer, but I haven't seen him lately. Wait, given the flow of our conversation just now, you asking like that means... could it be..."
Perhaps from the flow of Rei's words, the adventurer could vaguely imagine what had become of Golias. Not only the Adventurer Man who had been speaking with Rei, but the other adventurers also wore expressions of surprise.
They had known, at the level of rumor, that bandits were disappearing. However, that was, so to speak, the enemy vanishing on their own—likely perceived the same way as monsters disappearing. But if the ones vanishing extended beyond enemies that should be defeated, like bandits, all the way to adventurers, then it was no longer someone else's problem.
"Who knows. Honestly, it's just that there's such a possibility. A woman who knows Golias is claiming that he suddenly vanished. There's also the possibility he left Egginis without telling her for some reason, but the possibility that he disappeared for the same reason as the bandits can't be denied either."
According to what Rei had heard from Lindy, Golias would never do something like leave Egginis for an extended period without telling anyone—not even Lindy, or so she had said. Perhaps this was simply Lindy thinking that way because she harbored romantic feelings for Golias, or perhaps it was actually true. Rei couldn't tell either way, but for the time being, trusting Lindy's words and acting on them was the natural course of action given the current situation.
"I see. Sorry, but I hear the story about bandits disappearing fairly often, but this is the first time I've heard of an adventurer disappearing. If adventurers were really vanishing, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a much bigger uproar."
Right, Rei agreed with the adventurer's words. The other adventurers... and even some of the alchemists nodded in agreement as well.
"I agree with that opinion too. However, whoever is behind this uproar has surely considered that as well. Given that, they probably wouldn't make adventurers go missing as frequently as bandits."
Between adventurers and bandits, there was inevitably a difference in the scale of the uproar when someone went missing. Given that, to avoid drawing too much attention, those responsible would likely avoid targeting adventurers, who were more likely to cause a commotion.
Or rather, if it were an ordinary adventurer, it wouldn't be strange for people to assume they had died on a failed request. But unfortunately, Golias, the one targeted this time, was known as a skilled adventurer.
In that case, does that mean they're gathering quantity with bandits and quality with adventurers? Well, I don't know what they specifically mean by quantity and quality, though.
As far as Rei was concerned, he still didn't know who was behind this incident. However, even setting aside Golias's case, the bandit situation was clearly not something an individual could accomplish alone.
Bandits naturally operated in groups of a certain size, and to erase them—to erase an entire group without letting a single one escape—without using magic, Skills, or Magic Items, a certain number of people would likely be necessary. Furthermore, to replace the vanished bandits, there was no doubt that manpower would need to be allocated to that effort as well.
If so, then Rei's conclusion was that some sort of organization was behind this incident after all.
"Anyway, if you find out anything about that matter, let me know. I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount for information. And also..."
After saying that much to the adventurers, Rei's gaze next turned toward the alchemists. He continued speaking while looking particularly at the alchemist who was still having his mouth held.
"If you bring me any information regarding the case of disappearing bandits or adventurers, I'll accept a mock battle with your golem."
The effect of the words that came out of Rei's mouth was significant. From the alchemists' perspective, they wanted mock battle data against stronger opponents, not the bandits they had overrun this time.
Unilaterally overwhelming an opponent was likely correct in terms of combat. But for the alchemists who were trying to raise the golem's completeness even slightly, the honest truth was that they wanted it to fight a formidable enemy rather than an opponent it could simply crush.
How much information the alchemists could gather on this matter, Rei couldn't tell. However, the more channels for obtaining information, the better.
There was also the information from Randi that the Dolan Workshop matter might be connected to this incident. Though Randi himself had believed that information was not credible enough to be trusted.
Rei agreed with that opinion as well. To be precise, as someone who wanted the Dolan Workshop's golems, he hoped it wasn't true. After all, if it was a golem made from doing something to people, Rei didn't want one either.
Anyway, alchemists for alchemists. Whether the Dolan Workshop was guilty or innocent was unknown, but even so, being fellow alchemists, the possibility of them finding some kind of clue was not nonexistent. The chances might be low, but Rei judged that taking measures on that front wasn't a bad idea.
That said, if the Dolan Workshop was involved in the bandits' disappearance, there was a possibility that the alchemists investigating it could also find themselves in danger. But given the nature of what they would be looking into, they should understand that themselves.
"For that reason, if you obtain any information... going through the Guild would mean not knowing who might be listening, so come to the Star River Inn. If I'm there, I can handle it directly, and even if I'm not, just leave the information in a letter or something."
"The Star River Inn..."
One of the adventurers let out a voice of surprise at the name of the inn where Rei was staying.
Like Lindy, the Star River Inn was the highest-class inn in Egginis, not a place where ordinary adventurers could stay. Or perhaps, if one were guarding a noble or wealthy merchant who stayed at the Star River Inn, they might end up staying there through that connection. But the people here were in no position to do something like stay at the Star River Inn.
Among them, there were even those who thought that since an inn was a place to rest one's body, as long as a certain standard was met, that was sufficient, and staying at a luxury inn like the Star River Inn was nothing but vanity.
That said, in Rei's case, rather than vanity, a large part of his choice was driven by wanting a place with stables where Seto could relax comfortably. Some ordinary inns didn't have stables at all, and even those that did were often cramped—due in no small part to the fact that Seto was larger than an ordinary horse.
Also, as someone who enjoyed the act of eating, Rei liked cheap and delicious food, but naturally liked high-end cuisine as well. Cheap and delicious food could be had at any eatery, but the food available at the Star River Inn's dining hall... well, there were establishments akin to high-end restaurants, but even so, they were inevitably few in number.
If so, then he could just use the Star River Inn's dining hall—a place more appropriately called a restaurant. In reality, one could order not just high-end cuisine but general dishes as well if one wanted. It was truly stocked with first-class food.
Well, even so, the fact that I feel the taste is inferior to the Wheat Inn at Dusk's... probably has to do with the quality and freshness of the ingredients, and things like that.
Gilm, located in the frontier, had many monsters in its surroundings. Among them were monsters worthy of being called High-Rank Monsters, and the higher the rank of the monster, the better the meat tasted, likely due to its magical power. In contrast, Egginis, despite being an Autonomous City, was in an ordinary location. If it had a Dungeon or something, there would have been a possibility of obtaining fresh, high-quality meat, but...
"Well, for that reason, if you come to the Star River Inn, I'll tell the staff to route any information to me. Is that a problem?"
"...It's not necessarily guaranteed that we'll be able to obtain that kind of information, you know?"
The Adventurer Man asked as if seeking confirmation. From their perspective, Rei's proposal was probably too good to be true. Rei himself hadn't intended to prepare such favorable conditions. That was likely the difference in perception between Rei and ordinary adventurers or alchemists.
"Ah, just whenever you get information is fine. Then, with that—"
"Please wait!"
Just as Rei judged the conversation was over and was about to leave the area with Seto, he was suddenly called out to.
Who is it? When he turned his gaze, the one who had called out to Rei was the female alchemist wearing the Goggles Magic Item.
"Is something the matter?"
"Um, there's something I'd like to confirm. If I bring information about the case of the disappearing bandits, would it be possible to receive materials from that gryphon of yours as a reward?"
You idiot! The adventurers who had heard the words come out of the female alchemist's mouth nearly screamed.
If they knew the rumors about Rei, it wouldn't be strange for them to know that Rei doted on his gryphon—on Seto. Because of that, if Rei became angry at being told to hand over Seto's materials, what would they do?
Facing an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer, there was no way the people here alone could handle it. Even with the golems the alchemists had developed, they felt it would be of little significance. In fact, that assessment was not wrong. If Rei got serious, he could effortlessly destroy the golem, just as he had stated himself earlier.
Given such a situation, their honest feeling was that they absolutely wanted her to stop doing anything to anger Rei.
"Oh? Materials? What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Eh? Um, well..."
At this point, the female alchemist finally seemed to understand the meaning of her own words, and she hastily spoke up.
"I mean things like feathers, or something like that!"
"...Well, if it's that, then fine. Depending on the quality of the information, I'll consider it."
So Rei declared.