In the end, Rei parted ways with the alchemist without ever exchanging names.
Despite talking so earnestly, they still didn't introduce themselves? Rei couldn't help but think, but from his perspective, it was undeniably a relief.
What kind of background that alchemist actually had, Rei had no way of knowing. True, the man had claimed that something had happened at his previous workshop and he'd grown tired of it and come to Gilm, but that didn't necessarily make it true. In that sense, Rei had also deflected the conversation by saying he'd received the Dragon Robe from his master.
Ah, but saying I got it from my master isn't really that far off, is it?
Rei's Dragon Robe had been made for him by Esta Nor of the Zephyle Clan. And Zephyle was the one who—to be precise, when Reiji Saiki died in an accident on Earth—had recognized his potential and brought him to this world of Elgin. Zephyle had also given him knowledge of Beast Magic. In that sense, saying he'd received the Dragon Robe from his master was by no means an exaggeration.
If he traced it back from there and arrived at Zephyle, that would be impressive in its own right, though.
Thinking such thoughts, Rei walked through the streets of Gilm, dyed red by the sunset. The sight of the entire surrounding area stained in deep red seemed to evoke a somehow lonely feeling in those who watched it. The fact that it was evening, and many children were heading home because it was almost time for dinner, probably contributed to that mood.
Of course, among the adults, there were many who were instead pleased that evening had fallen—thinking about how night would soon come and they could drink at taverns or enjoy a tryst with a lover for the night at a brothel...
While musing on this, Rei headed toward the clinic.
Talking with the alchemist hadn't been that significant an event for Rei. But in the sense of waiting for Marina to finish working at the clinic, it wasn't a bad way to pass the time. After all, originally Rei would have had to wait outside the clinic, but that window of time had now vanished. For Rei, who couldn't reveal his face and would have likely drawn suspicion, that could be called fortunate.
Net gain, plus-minus zero... no, I managed to learn a bit about an alchemist from outside Gilm, so maybe I should consider it a plus?
That said, Rei didn't know exactly how skilled that nameless alchemist actually was. Perhaps he possessed skill worthy of being called first-class even in Gilm, or perhaps he only had first-class talk and knowledge while his actual ability was second-rate. In that sense, Rei judged there was no real need to worry about it too much at this point.
If he truly has first-class skill, I'll probably run into him again someday. ...Though I really don't want to meet him at that workshop where they magically process Treant Forest wood, that's for sure.
Praying he wouldn't be influenced by the alchemists at that workshop, Rei walked on... and eventually, the clinic came into view.
Given that it was evening, there were no injured people lined up in front of the clinic. Now that work was over, there probably wasn't anyone who would line up here at this hour. There was a high probability that people would get injured from getting drunk and fighting or taking a fall, but it would take a bit more time before such people started appearing.
Though no one was lined up, there were still a fair number of people coming out of the clinic after finishing their treatment. Fortunately, none of them noticed Rei's presence.
The majority of those receiving treatment here were workers from the Expansion Construction site, and while many held the title of adventurer, naturally the vast majority were those who normally wouldn't be able to operate in Gilm. Given that, no one noticed Rei.
...There were some among them who, for whatever reason, possessed the ability to operate in Gilm yet chose to take on Expansion Construction work, but fortunately none of those coming out of the clinic fell into that category, and no one noticed Rei.
"Marina-sama is seriously gorgeous. I'm so jealous of Gilm's adventurers."
"Yeah. But she's working at the clinic, so she's not the Guild Master anymore, right? I don't know why she quit."
"Huh? Did you just get to Gilm recently? You should be able to find out that kind of information right away if you wanted to."
"Really? Then why did she quit?"
"A man. It's because of a man."
"Ah... with a woman that great, of course there'd be a man in the picture. But what kind of man could be with Marina-sama? Any ordinary guy would obviously be outclassed, right?"
"It's Crimson."
"Eh? Crimson, as in... the one who became an A-Rank Adventurer?"
"That's right. Apparently, the reason Marina-sama quit as Guild Master in the first place was because she wanted to be in the same party as Crimson."
"Wow... what kind of winner is he? From what I've heard, he doesn't even look strong from his appearance, right?"
"Yeah. So apparently, there used to be a lot of guys who tried to pick fights with Crimson and got wrecked. Though honestly, with a gryphon as a Tamed Monster and always traveling together, anyone who tries to mess with someone like that is just an idiot."
Chatting like that, they moved away from where Rei was hiding.
There were many things Rei wanted to say about the men's conversation just now, but doing so would naturally make them wonder why he would say such things, ultimately risking his identity being discovered. That being the case, since it would defeat the purpose of having hidden himself all this way, Rei couldn't afford to do something like that.
Next time, I'll ask Marina to give them a painful treatment if they get injured. Like using an incredibly stinging disinfectant.
As he considered that rubbing salt in a wound might be acceptable not as a proverb but in its literal sense, he eventually spotted the person he was waiting for coming out of the clinic.
Rei would never mistake Marina for someone else... and quite independently of that fact, there was no way he would mistake that person. After all, Marina had the peculiar taste of wearing a Party Dress as everyday clothing. Granted, that appearance, which boldly showcased her brown skin characteristic of a Dark Elf, combined with Marina's feminine allure, attracted the gazes of not only men but women as well.
And yet, the fact that no one came to hit on Marina despite her dressing like that was partly because many people knew about Marina's reputation, and partly because she possessed an aura that instinctively made others feel she was biologically superior to them, regardless of gender.
Especially since it was evening and she was walking home through crowds, Marina was projecting even more of an intimidating presence than usual to avoid getting caught up in unnecessary trouble.
The only people who could call out to such a person were those who were acquainted with Marina, or those who possessed ability equal to or greater than hers... or both.
Yes, for example, someone like Rei.
"Marina."
"Oh my."
Rei, who was supposed to be in Egginis, was for some reason in Gilm. Even knowing that, Marina didn't seem particularly surprised. Partly because she had expected Rei to come to Gilm to collect the Crystal Dragon materials soon, and partly because Marina simply had nerves of steel.
She didn't call out Rei's name because she understood exactly what would happen if she called his name aloud given the current situation in Gilm. Also, the fact that Rei had called out to Marina meant that many of the surrounding people's gazes were now directed their way, which was also a factor.
For Rei, this situation was very unwelcome. Should he have waited until there were fewer people before contacting Marina? He couldn't help but think that, but in that case, he would have had to follow Marina from behind until he called out to her. Depending on the circumstances, it wouldn't have been strange for him to be mistaken for a suspicious person targeting Marina.
If so, then calling out to her right after she exited the clinic was actually not a bad choice after all, he thought, and opened his mouth.
"Can I walk home with you?"
With just those words, she must have understood what Rei was hoping for. Marina smiled and nodded.
...The fact that she still didn't take Rei's arm was because doing so would make it obvious to those who knew that the person talking to Marina was Rei.
The two walked toward the Noble District while receiving stares from their surroundings.
"So, when did you get back?"
"Early this afternoon."
"Hmm. ...You managed to get out of the Noble District quite well."
"When leaving, Elena gave me a ride in her carriage. I hadn't thought at all about how to get back, so I was stuck like this."
"Oh, is that so? Knowing Elena, it wouldn't be surprising if she anticipated that Rei would rely on me in a situation like this."
"Is that so?"
Rei replied, but it was also true that there was something convincing about Marina's words. Rei aside, when it came to Elena, it was only natural that she would understand Rei would be in trouble without a carriage for the return trip. If so, it wasn't unreasonable to think she had done what she did this time fully aware of the situation.
"I wonder. But that's just what I think. If you want to know the details, why don't you ask Elena after we get home? More importantly, how was Egginis? Knowing you, I imagine you've gotten caught up in all sorts of trouble?"
Marina's words hit the mark, so Rei couldn't argue. After all, he had been caught up in the disappearance of the Bandits, Golias's vanishing, and the orphanage incident. Thinking about it, even if someone said Rei was obviously caught up in trouble, he couldn't deny it.
"Yeah. I can't deny that I've been caught up in a lot of things. Personally, I think I'd be fine living a more peaceful life, though."
"...Rei living a peaceful life? That's quite a difficult thing to say."
From Marina's perspective, one could say Rei had a personality that attracted trouble. Not only that, he also frequently stuck his neck into trouble of his own accord. For someone like that, even if Rei said he wanted to live peaceful days, she could confidently declare that would be virtually impossible.
For Rei, he couldn't help but think she didn't have to go that far.
"But, well. Someday being able to enjoy days like that would be nice."
As if covering for her previous words, Marina told him that.
As they walked while conversing, they eventually arrived at the Noble District.
Rei proceeded while hoping his identity wouldn't be discovered. But Marina showed no concern for Rei as she walked through the Noble District.
Along the way, they encountered members of the Noble District patrol several times, and while they found Rei with his face hidden suspicious, perhaps because Marina was with him, none of them pried further. If it had been some ordinary adventurer with him, there probably would have been those who found Rei suspicious and probed.
But the person currently with Rei was Marina.
Marina had earned a certain kind of absolute trust in Gilm, so if Marina was with him and didn't find him suspicious, then... so they thought, and none of them pressed the matter. There was probably also the judgment that carelessly getting into a conflict with Marina and causing trouble for their employer as a result would be bad. Or perhaps they felt that if word spread that they had clashed with Marina, it would lead to troublesome situations.
Marina had served as Guild Master in Gilm for many years, so there were many who owed her favors. Additionally, there were many who simply admired Marina's overwhelming beauty—and that too, regardless of gender.
For someone like Marina, it would be one thing if she were committing some blatant violation, but simply traveling with someone whose face was hidden wasn't enough reason for anyone to call out to her... and as a result, Marina arrived in front of her house without anyone speaking to her.
Near Marina's house, there were many who were clearly watching the building—people who had been trying to find Rei—but even they couldn't call out to Marina at this moment, and as a result, Rei was able to return to Marina's house safely.