In a way, it was convenient that Maruka and Nicky had come to Rei's room.
After all, since Rei and Lindy were going to sneak into the Dolan Workshop once night fell, they needed someone to watch Camila.
Camila had every intention of going to the Dolan Workshop alongside Rei and the others, but naturally, Rei and Lindy had no plans to bring him along.
Under those circumstances, with Maruka and Nicky arriving at just the right moment, asking them to look after Camila was the obvious choice.
"So that's the situation. We'd like you to keep an eye on Camila while we're at the Dolan Workshop. Would that be alright?"
"I shall accept."
"...That was surprisingly quick."
For Rei, having them take on the matter of Camila so readily was somewhat unexpected. Of course, since there was no other option, he absolutely needed Maruka to agree—but he had assumed there would be more negotiation involved. Since she had accepted his request so easily, it was only natural to find it a little strange.
However, Maruka showed a dissatisfied expression at Rei's reaction.
"I, too, have been considering various things. I came to this Egginis seeking the Dolan Workshop's golems, after all."
Maruka had come to Egginis representing Duke Quento's House, desiring the Dolan Workshop's golems. And yet, if the golems they obtained used humans as materials—not just people like bandits, but innocent people trapped and enslaved to serve as material—that was something she could never tolerate.
If they purchased golems manufactured by such means and others found out... it would be nothing less than a stain on the honor of Duke Quento's House.
In that sense, for those who had already purchased Dolan Workshop golems, this matter becoming public would mean a serious loss of face.
"Then I'll take you up on that. Nicky, is that alright with you?"
"Sure thing. It's just guarding the young lady alone, plus one more person."
Normally, an increase in guard targets from one to two would be a significant burden for the one doing the guarding. But as anyone could tell from watching Nicky protect Maruka, he was among the most capable fighters that Duke Quento's House had to offer.
Moreover, Maruka could hold her own or better when it came to magic, not only against children her own age but against adults as well. Given that, adding one Camila to Nicky's guard duties wasn't much of a burden.
"Then for now... they say you can't fight on an empty stomach, so shall we eat something at the dining hall?"
"Hmm. You can't fight on an empty stomach. 'Tis a phrase I've not heard before, but it rings true. Though, if one were acting alongside Rei, the possibility of being driven to utter helplessness by starvation would be nonexistent."
Maruka's words clearly referenced the war with the Bestia Empire. In fact, Rei's Misty Ring contained a considerable amount of food, so even if one participated in a war alongside him, there would be no need to worry about starving.
That said, if Rei went to war, the presence of Rei and Seto alone would likely settle things—and the possibility that it wouldn't even constitute a war in the first place was probably higher.
"I'm glad you think so, but you might as well eat at the dining hall here. There's good food right in front of you, after all."
The food stored in the Misty Ring was, naturally, preserved as fresh as the moment it was made, so taking it out would unquestionably yield a delicious meal. Moreover, what was stored was only food Rei had already judged to be tasty.
However, that food could be eaten at any time, whereas the food at the Star River Inn's dining hall could only be eaten right now.
And so, Rei headed to the dining hall together with everyone else.
"Now then, it's about that time."
Rei muttered after finishing dinner at the dining hall and returning to his room once the post-meal rest had ended. Looking outside through the window, he could see the moon and stars floating in the sky. While there were a few clouds in the night sky, the weather was generally good.
(Well, I'm not sure about using "good weather" to describe looking at the night sky, though.)
Hearing Rei's words, Lindy also looked at the sky through the window and nodded.
"You're right. Then let's get going. We're ready whenever."
"Lindy sis..."
"Camila, I'll go rescue Anne, so wait here quietly."
Lindy spoke gently to Camila. However, Camila wore a dissatisfied expression at her words, yet fell silent. For his part, he likely still wanted to go to the Dolan Workshop with them even now. But having been persuaded so thoroughly, he probably understood that he would only be a hindrance if he went.
...Though it wasn't as if he found the prospect of waiting here with Maruka, whom he had fallen for at first sight, entirely unappealing.
"Rei, knowing thee, I think there shall be no problem. However, the opponent is the Dolan Workshop. Since we know not what they may do, take utmost care."
"Knowing Brother Rei, I think you'll be fine, but... please really be careful."
Rei replied that he would be fine to the words Maruka and Nicky respectively offered, then left the inn together with Lindy.
"There are still quite a few people on the main street."
"Grrrl."
Seto purred as if agreeing with Rei's words. Beside the pair of one person and one creature, Lindy directed a gaze filled with exasperation and dissatisfaction at Rei.
The reason was simple: despite being about to sneak into the Dolan Workshop, Rei had brought Seto along.
"Hey, Rei. Why did you bring Seto? He stands out completely, you know?"
Some time had passed since Rei arrived in Egginis. However, it was an undeniable fact that even with some time having passed, there were still people who had never seen Seto. Because of that, quite a few people were looking at him with curiosity.
Since it was still early evening, there were few people dead drunk, so no one came bothering Rei as he led Seto along. Even so, Lindy's dissatisfaction stemmed from a simple question: what was the point of standing out this much when they were about to sneak into the Dolan Workshop?
If Seto were the type of monster suited for infiltrating facilities, she might have been able to accept it. But Seto, over three meters in length, had difficulty even entering a building through a normal entrance.
Depending on the situation, there was the Size Change skill, but unfortunately, Lindy didn't know about it. No, even if she had known, Size Change was still only level two and couldn't change his size that drastically—and given the time limit, it wasn't suited for infiltrating the Dolan Workshop anyway.
Of course, Lindy knew that Seto was a high-rank monster, and having seen his abilities to some extent in the battle against the bandits, she had no complaints regarding his combat power. However, what they were about to do was an act of infiltration. Given that, they couldn't have Seto enter the building with them, and if he waited outside, he would naturally stand out.
Considering those circumstances, it seemed to Lindy that there was no point in bringing him along. If she had to come up with a reason, it would be that Seto's presence would draw a crowd, which could serve as a diversion for the Dolan Workshop. That was about the only justification she could think of.
Even so, Lindy felt there were better methods than actually doing something like that.
"He stands out because we're walking down the main street. Once we get near the Dolan Workshop, there shouldn't be many people around at this hour."
"Even so, there's no need to bring Seto..."
"Gruu..."
Hearing Lindy's words, Seto purred sadly. When he looked up at her with round eyes as if asking, Can't I come along?, Lindy almost instinctively found herself about to say he could—but she held back and spoke instead.
"Even if he doesn't stand out, if someone spots him, it'll definitely cause a commotion. So why are you bringing Seto?"
"Right. There are a few reasons, but... Seto's senses are sharp. Not just a little, but sharp enough to be worthy of a gryphon."
"Gruu!"
As if to say, What happened to that sad look from a moment ago?, Seto purred happily.
"That's... well, I understand. But Seto can't enter the workshop, right? So in the end, I think it's pointless."
"Seto is also good at staying out of people's sight, so I don't think it'll be a problem."
In reality, it was because he had the Optical Camouflage skill, but even without it, being a high-rank monster, he could naturally conceal his presence. Also, since it was currently night, if he hid in the shadow of a building, he wouldn't be found so easily.
"Even so, if he ultimately can't enter the building, then it's pointless, isn't it?"
It wasn't that Lindy disliked Seto by any means. But right now was a critical moment that would determine whether or not they could rescue Anne. Given that, the option of bringing Seto—who carried a high risk of being discovered—simply did not exist for her.
"If reinforcements come from outside while we're searching the building, we can leave that to Seto. Besides... in a real emergency, and I mean a true worst-case scenario, we might need to rely on Seto to escape the building. It's just a worst-case scenario, though. Even if we manage to rescue Anne, moving while protecting her would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
Anne was an orphanage staff member, and she had reasonable physical strength from playing with the children and doing daily chores. However, that was only in the context of everyday life, and whether she had the stamina to flee from captivity was questionable.
Also, since she had been brought in as a slave, there was no telling how she was being treated. If she had been kept in a harsh environment on the rationale that she was going to be material anyway, it was possible she might not even have the stamina to run.
"Seto? ...I see. Then it can't be helped."
Lindy showed an understanding expression at Rei's explanation. ...Even so, she hadn't completely accepted it yet.
Rei could understand Lindy's attitude, but since she had accepted it for now, he didn't press the matter any further.
"So, about Anne..."
When Anne's name left Rei's mouth, Lindy's expression grew stern.
"What about Anne?"
"If possible, I'd like to find her and bring her back today, but we need to be prepared for the possibility that won't happen. If Anne is being held where we sneak in, or if someone remaining there knows her location, then that's one thing—but otherwise, rescuing her tonight will be difficult."
"That's..."
Naturally, Lindy could understand Rei's words. However, whether she could accept that was an entirely different matter.
"If that happens, what will we do?"
"...Why are you asking me that?"
"For this matter, there's no doubt that I'm acting alongside you, but ultimately, you're the one holding the initiative."
Rei also held favorable feelings toward Anne. However, his relationship with her was short. Naturally so, since it was a relationship of merely a few hours, not even a full day.
Compared to Rei, Lindy and Anne had a relationship spanning years. Moreover, they had likely lived together at the orphanage—or so one could imagine.
Given that, Rei recognized that the initiative for this matter lay with Lindy.
"That's..."
At Rei's words, Lindy was at a loss for what to say.
Considering Rei's strength, it was strange for her to be the one holding the initiative in this matter. She thought so herself—but more than that, the idea that she would hold the initiative in the actions to rescue Anne made her happy.
At the same time, knowing that her own mistakes could directly determine whether or not Anne could be rescued, she couldn't help but feel the weight of that responsibility.
"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll cooperate. Anyway, the first priority is to sneak into the Dolan Workshop and extract information from whoever's left there. ...It would be nice if there is someone left, though."
"There probably will be, right? ...What if there isn't?"
"In that case, we'd have no choice but to gather information from documents and the like."
Having this conversation, the two and one creature headed toward the Dolan Workshop.