"Huh... so this is Fusetsu's hideout. I've sure had a thing for basements lately."
The negotiations with Nina had concluded safely for now, and Rei found himself inside Fusetsu's hideout.
It was a genuine hideout properly constructed underground—not some camouflaged abandoned building.
He hadn't entered this place during his last visit, but this time was different.
That was precisely why Rei found himself looking around with genuine curiosity as they moved through the space.
And it wasn't just him—the others were doing the same.
Everyone present knew almost nothing about assassin guilds.
An opportunity to see an assassin guild—and its hideout—with their own eyes didn't come around often.
That was likely why, despite feeling a healthy fear toward the very concept of an assassin guild, they also couldn't help being somewhat fascinated.
"Still, I knew the hideout was underground, but... they really managed to carve out an enormous space down here."
Rei muttered this as he took in the sprawling hideout before him. It wasn't quite an underground shopping district, but it felt as though an entire mansion had been buried beneath the earth.
It was hard to believe something like this could be built so easily.
If it was Fusetsu, the largest assassin guild in Egginis, perhaps such a feat was possible—but naturally, undertaking construction of that scale would draw attention from the surroundings. More than enough attention to make it known that Fusetsu's hideout was right here.
"The fact that the golem industry is thriving means that procuring specialized golems isn't a difficult matter, either."
Nina, serving as their guide, had caught Rei's mutter and offered this explanation.
Naturally, it wasn't Rei who reacted to the mention of specialized golems—but rather Ilunara and the other alchemists.
Since they considered themselves the experts when it came to golems, that was only natural.
"Golems...? In that case, excavation golems? But such specialized golems are..."
"Besides, if they were excavating, the sound would surely echo through the surroundings. Constructing this kind of space in secret would be virtually impossible, I'd think."
"You'd think so, right? Ah, but you know, a while back—somewhere, I forget where—there was a workshop that developed a device to reduce the driving noise golems produce, remember? If you think about that..."
"No, that was strictly about golem driving noise, right? I don't think it would be that effective for underground excavation."
This conversation drifted from behind them.
Until moments ago, the alchemists had been somewhat timid—but the instant the topic of golems came up, this was how they got.
Then again, considering they possessed a nature close to that of craftsmen, it wasn't all that strange.
"This hideout... there aren't any outsiders besides us who've been here before, are there? Something like that isn't the case?"
"There aren't. It's not uncommon for us to invite people who commission Fusetsu. And... this is a bit of a gray area as to whether I should mention it, but it's not as though no one ever comes to us seeking protection."
"I see. So there are at least a fair number of people who think the same way I did."
"That's right. Though the reason they approach us is somewhat different from your case, Lord Rei."
So saying, Nina flashed a meaningful, alluring smile.
It was a smile born from deep confidence in Fusetsu—her own organization.
An assassin guild—an organization that would never step into the public spotlight.
And yet, for those who belonged to such an organization, that was precisely why they took pride in it.
"An assassin guild that also handles bodyguarding... or rather, sheltering people. I do have to wonder if that's really appropriate for an assassin guild. ...But considering Fusetsu's scale, I suppose it's not so strange."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. ...Now, we'll be arriving at the guest rooms shortly. You'll be living here for a while, so there may be various things you need to be mindful of, but please accept that much."
The first remark was directed at Rei, and the follow-up toward the rest of the group—specifically, those being sheltered.
Those who had been captivated by Nina's beauty nodded, half in a daze, at her words.
"The slave collars will need a little more time. The person in charge of them is quite busy."
"I'd expect so."
What exactly "busy" meant in practical terms, honestly, even Rei didn't know.
But slave collars were normally not things that could be removed so easily. Rei understood that much well enough.
And pointing it out here wouldn't change anything.
Of course, from Fusetsu's perspective, they had no desire to make an enemy of someone like Rei. They didn't want to—but that didn't mean they could comply with all of his demands, either.
If they were to do something like that, Fusetsu—whether they could win or not—would likely challenge Rei to a fight, or else sever ties with him entirely.
There were already assassins who felt they had been used to Rei's advantage during the Blood Blade affair.
The result was that they had crushed Blood Blade, a rival guild that had brazenly carried out assaults in the middle of the streets—so in that sense, it was by no means a bad outcome for them.
Even so, being made to serve Rei's purposes had been far from a pleasant experience.
(Indeed, several of the people I passed by were sending me looks laced with irritation.)
While moving through this underground hideout, he had naturally passed by several people.
Since they were here, those he encountered were, naturally, assassins belonging to Fusetsu—and that was why some directed looks of irritation and dissatisfaction toward Rei.
Even so, since they understood the gap in strength well enough to know they could never beat him in a fight, no one took direct action.
That said, for people like them, it wouldn't be strange for some to decide that Anne, Ilunara, and the others Rei had brought were disagreeable simply for being his acquaintances.
In that case, what would happen if Rei left this hideout?
Fusetsu was keenly aware of being the largest assassin guild in Egginis, and many of its members took pride in their work as assassins.
But when the numbers grew large, it was inevitable that some with problematic personalities would emerge among them.
The possibility of such people pulling some kind of stunt on Anne, Ilunara, and the others couldn't be entirely dismissed.
If they were to foolishly provoke them, the relationship between Fusetsu and Rei would become fatally damaged, and at worst, Fusetsu could face annihilation—but it seemed many weren't capable of thinking that far ahead.
"Nina, I'll say this just in case—if anyone tries to pull anything on the people I'm leaving with you..."
" Yes, should such a person exist, we'll deal with them on our end."
What Rei could think of, Nina had naturally already anticipated. Without even letting him finish, she declared this.
"Got it. Then I'll leave it to you."
Nina's definitive statement convinced Rei that the matter was in safe hands, and he said nothing more.
Since Nina had made the decision, it was clear that anyone who tried something against Anne, Ilunara, and the others would be met with the worst possible outcome.
"Yes, please leave it to us. ...Well then, we've arrived."
As the conversation with Rei reached a natural pause, Nina made the announcement.
The area Nina guided them to was a section where several rooms lined a corridor.
"Please use one room for every three people. Normally we'd be able to offer something a bit more comfortable, but with this many people..."
At Nina's words, Rei took another look at the number of people he'd brought.
Seeing them, he couldn't argue with the three-to-a-room arrangement.
No—if anything, they were lucky it was only that much.
If there had been others seeking shelter here at the same time, it could easily have been four, five, or perhaps even more to a room.
"I don't mind. We're the ones asking for shelter, so this is perfectly fine. If there's anything else I can help with, I'd like to pitch in. I used to work at an orphanage, so I'm good at general housework. Cooking and things like that, though..."
"I'm sorry, but cooking is handled by our own specialists."
Anne looked disappointed at Nina's words, but in a way, this was only natural.
After all, meals were the perfect vehicle for poisoning.
If this were an orphanage, they might have welcomed Anne's help in the kitchen—but unfortunately, this was an assassin guild.
They couldn't entrust meal preparation to anyone who wasn't fully vetted.
That said, leaving Anne with nothing but that explanation wouldn't sit right, either. And it was a fact that they were short-handed in areas beyond cooking, so...
"We might ask for help with laundry and cleaning and that sort of thing. Would that be alright with you?"
"Ah, yes! No problem at all! I'm good at those too!"
Admittedly, even with laundry, poison needles could be concealed in clothing, and cleaning carried its own risks in the sense that it would mean snooping around the Fusetsu hideout.
But even so, it was still safer than cooking.
"Wonderful. Then, if there are others willing to help out, they're more than welcome."
When Nina said this with a smile, several of the women said they'd help if there was anything they could do, and quite a few men—drawn in by Nina's beauty—volunteered as well.
A few of the alchemists seemed to feel the same and began moving in that direction, but Ilunara stopped them.
For Ilunara, the idea of alchemists cooperating with Fusetsu clearly gave him pause.
If the promised deadline passed, there was a real possibility they would have to hand over their knowledge as compensation.
That was exactly why, from this point forward, they needed to carefully consider and prepare which techniques would be safe to share with Fusetsu—just in case.
In that sense, too, he couldn't afford to send the alchemists off on miscellaneous chores.
"Now then... I'd like you to meet the head of Fusetsu, Lord Rei. Would that be acceptable?"
"Right now? That's rather sudden."
"Your arrival was rather sudden as well, Lord Rei."
Told that, Rei couldn't very well argue back.
The truth was, the current situation had come about almost entirely by following the momentum of events.
Originally—when he had first sneaked into the Dolan Workshop—the plan had been to extract information from the alchemists there, obtain testimony and evidence that they were using human materials, rescue Anne, and escape.
But when he actually infiltrated the Workshop, he found non-mainstream alchemists inside, along with far more slaves than just Anne. And most notably, what he had assumed was the use of human materials turned out to be something else entirely—the use of human souls.
For Rei, this was completely unexpected, and as these surprises piled up, carrying out the original plan had become entirely impossible.
The result was the situation he now found himself in.
"Adaptable" made it sound impressive, but in reality, "winging it" was probably the more honest description.
That was why, despite his surprise, Rei found himself accepting Nina's words without protest.
"Understood. Then I'll meet with him. I can go alone, right? The others don't usually do much intense physical activity, so they're pretty worn out from tonight. I'd like to let them rest if possible."
For Rei, tonight's events hadn't been particularly exhausting.
But for everyone else—the former slaves and the alchemists, starting with Ilunara—it had meant running all the way from the Dolan Workshop to the Slum District, and even after entering the slums, though their pace had slowed, they had still kept walking.
And by now, it was already past midnight—a time when any of them would normally be fast asleep.
Rei often worked through the night as an adventurer, but for ordinary people, the physical toll was undeniably harsh.
(Though I suppose alchemists might be used to pulling all-nighters.)
In Rei's mind, his image of alchemists was still strongly shaped by the ones back in Gilm.
That was why... no, that was precisely why he had the impression they wouldn't mind staying up all night if it was for the sake of their craft.
Without knowing that was how they were perceived, Ilunara wore an expression of unmistakable relief at Rei's words.