Naturally, Lindy knew more about Anne than Rei did.
However, since it had been quite some time since Lindy had last seen Anne in person, Rei was more familiar with her current appearance.
He also handed the slave trader the memo listing the slave trader shops that Rugana had provided.
It was a case of it taking a snake to know a snake—the slave trader was thoroughly familiar with every shop written on the memo Rei handed over.
This was to be expected. Being called the largest-scale slave trader in Egginis was clearly no exaggeration.
From Rei's perspective, he was fortunate to have negotiated with such a party first.
Of course, the deal was by no means a bad one for the slave trader either. While he hadn't managed to buy at rock-bottom prices, Rei had promised to sell any bandits he captured to his shop going forward.
In a sense, it was a fruitful transaction for both Rei and the slave trader.
...Though for the bandits being used as bargaining chips, it was certainly an unbearable fate.
"Then please leave it to me. At the earliest, today; at the latest, tomorrow, I will inform you which slave trader purchased the individual named Anne. I will also tell them not to sell her, since Rei-san intends to buy her once she's found. Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah, that's fine. I'm counting on you. ...Oh, come to think of it, this is a bit off-topic, but there's something I'd like to ask. Would that be alright?"
Since he had the rare opportunity to speak with the largest-scale slave trader in Egginis, Rei figured he might as well ask. The slave trader, understanding that leaving a good impression on Rei would lead to future profit, smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I don't mind. If it's something I can answer."
"It's nothing that complicated. ...Lately, aside from us, are there many people capturing bandits and coming to sell them?"
"Let's see. As far as my shop is concerned, I'd say there hasn't been much change. It's not so different from before. And if that's the case for my shop, I don't think the others are much different either."
"...I see."
Hearing the slave trader's explanation, Rei's reaction was not surprise but a confirming thought: just as expected.
His current understanding was that the bandits were disappearing because the Dolan Workshop was using human bodies as Golem materials. While he had no definitive proof, he was operating on that premise without question.
In other words, even if the bandits gathering around Egginis vanished, the Workshop was undoubtedly securing their corpses—or perhaps capturing them alive. Either way, they were being acquired.
Given that, it was unlikely that anyone else was selling bandits as slaves the way Rei was.
Based on what the slave trader had told him, Rei's prediction hadn't been wrong.
(That gives me one more reason to suspect the Dolan Workshop. The problem is how to corner them... but if I'm not careful, Lindy might charge right in. Right now she's too preoccupied with Anne's situation to do anything, though.)
If not for Anne's situation, Lindy might have actually stormed the Dolan Workshop herself. For her, it was the place most likely holding Golias.
In that sense, while what happened with Anne was a tragedy for Lindy, it had also kept her from rushing headlong into danger—a silver lining that was impossible to deny.
Of course... if Rei ever voiced that thought aloud, she would likely fly into an absolute rage.
"As a slave trader, do you feel that the number of bandits has been increasing?"
"Huh? No. It seems some people are being attacked, but the frequency isn't particularly high. And as Rei-san asked earlier, the number of captured bandits being sold as criminal slaves hasn't really changed compared to before either."
"I see. In that case... would you mind if I asked one more favor, on top of looking into Anne's situation?"
"Of course. I'll accommodate Rei-san's requests as much as I can."
From the slave trader's perspective, the more of Rei's requests he fulfilled now, the greater the profit he could expect down the line. For that reason alone, refusing was not an option.
Naturally, if the request was something even a slave trader couldn't deliver on, that would be a different story.
"I see. Then, just like what I asked earlier, I'd like you to look into whether the number of bandits being sold as criminal slaves has spiked dramatically compared to before."
"Understood. If that's all it takes."
The slave trader accepted readily, but investigating whether a woman named Anne had been sold into slavery and investigating the frequency at which criminal slaves were being sold were two entirely different matters.
For the former, other slave traders would share information without much reluctance. For the latter, since it directly concerned their business, they wouldn't simply disclose everything so easily.
And yet, the slave trader before Rei had accepted the request without hesitation.
Naturally, this was a statement born of confidence—the confidence that, as the largest-scale slave trader in Egginis, he could handle it. And of course, given the effort required to gather such information, he likely expected even greater profit from Rei in return.
"Then I'll leave it to you. As for Anne, notify the Star River Inn once you find out where she is. The bandit situation—whatever you can find out is fine."
"Understood. I shall do so."
With that, the negotiation between Rei and the slave trader came to a close.
"I hope Anne is safe."
After finishing the negotiation and stepping out of the shop, Lindy muttered the words after a moment, her voice heavy with distress.
(It's understandable. Someone she knows... no, a family member being enslaved—anyone would react like this. What's more, with this Garby person, who was supposedly friendly toward the orphanage until he took over as head of the merchant guild... it's only natural for things to end up like this.)
Rei understood this, but he still had questions about Garby's actions.
There was no denying that Anne was an attractive woman, but why go out of his way to enslave her? If Garby simply wanted to make Anne his woman, Rei could have at least understood the motivation.
But according to the information Camila had brought, Anne had been sold to a slave trader in Egginis. Why would Garby go to such lengths?
(Should I look into this a bit more?)
Normally, traveling from Egginis to Buldan, where the orphanage was located, would take a fair amount of time even by carriage. But for Rei, who had a partner named Seto, he had the means to get there immediately.
"Lindy, I'm thinking of heading to Buldan to ask some questions. If you have a letter, I can deliver it. What do you want to do?"
"Huh? Wait... are you serious? What about looking into Anne's information, and the Dolan Workshop situation? There's no way you can afford to be away from Egginis for days."
"Did you forget? I have Seto. And with Seto, a round trip back to Egginis in a single day is entirely possible."
Lindy was taken aback. She had seen Seto many times and had heard the rumors, but actually knowing what Seto was, she couldn't possibly believe such a feat was doable.
Still, once she realized Rei was serious, she immediately considered what she should do.
"Then could you take me to Buldan too? I want to see with my own eyes what the orphanage is like now that Anne is gone. Besides, it would be better for me to explain the situation directly rather than sending a letter. And if possible, I want to bring Camila back with us."
"Ah... about Camila..."
Rei nodded, understanding her point. Even so, he couldn't simply agree.
"Most likely, Camila left without telling any of the adults at the orphanage. Under normal circumstances, they'd never allow a child to do something like that."
A child traveling alone—not by carriage, but on foot—all the way to Egginis. Most children would die attempting such a journey.
The fact that Camila encountered no monsters or bandits, arrived safely in Egginis, and even managed to reach Lindy's inn was nothing short of miraculous. Even if someone told Rei it was as lucky as buying a lottery ticket in Japan and winning first prize, he would accept it without hesitation.
If they were going to notify Lindy of something, the adults should have come themselves.
(Or rather, they've probably noticed Camila is missing and are searching Buldan. Or maybe they took a carriage and are heading for Egginis... no, considering the travel speed, it wouldn't be strange if they'd already arrived? Come to think of it, they could have spotted Camila on the road. Or maybe with Anne gone, they're too overwhelmed taking care of the children to spare anyone for the trip?)
Thinking along those lines, Rei shook his head at Lindy.
"Sorry, but taking you along would be difficult."
"Wait, why not!?"
Between the situation with Anne and Camila going missing, Lindy was naturally worried sick about the orphanage. Being told that a day trip to Buldan was possible, only to learn she couldn't go along—it was only natural for her to feel dissatisfied.
"Seto can't carry anyone other than me while flying. If pushed to the limit, he might manage a child—someone about Camila's size—but in that case, the strain on Seto would be severe. Even so, if you're determined to come... my party has done it a few times before. Would you want to hang onto Seto's legs and fly through the sky that way?"
"That's..."
Perhaps imagining herself flying through the air while clinging to Seto's legs, Lindy's cheek twitched.
Seeing her reaction, Rei suddenly remembered something.
"That's right. There's the Seto Basket. Using that, you and Camila could fly together—but it would definitely stand out."
When flying, the Seto Basket was concealed from view on the ground, so it wouldn't normally attract attention. But when deploying the basket or touching down, it would inevitably draw eyes.
In a world where flying through the sky was far from commonplace, the very act of riding the Seto Basket through the air would unsettle those unaccustomed to it.
Given all that, Rei would prefer not to use it.
"Garby, or whatever his name is, is in Buldan, right? If that man, who's been meddling with the orphanage, learns about the Seto Basket, it could cause real trouble. If he comes after me, I can deal with him however he likes. But if he turns on the orphanage, I'd have a hard time handling it."
The distance between Buldan and Egginis was nothing for Seto, but that was only because it was Seto. Expecting Rei to constantly monitor the orphanage from that distance was impossible, and with communication being difficult, there were few ways for him to learn if something went wrong there.
If they had a Paired Orb, it would be a different story. But items like the Paired Orbs weren't so easily obtained. Considering how much effort Rei and Elena had gone through to acquire theirs, that much was obvious.
"I see... understood. Then at least let me get a letter sorted out."
Lindy had been about to argue, but ultimately, if Rei said no, then no it was. Pushing the matter further would be pointless.
The orphanage was a genuine concern given Anne's situation, but Golias weighed on her just as heavily.
In any case, Anne was here in Egginis as a slave. Securing her safety came first. With that in mind, Lindy began preparing to write a letter.