Having concluded his talk with Orban, Rei's meeting for the day was over for the time being, and he returned to the room where Anne, Ilunara, and Lindy were waiting.
"It seems your meeting went well."
Rei nodded at Nina's words as she guided him back to the room where Lindy and the others were.
"Yeah. It went far better than I expected."
For Rei, this had been a meeting with the man who led an assassin guild.
Considering that, the possibility that things could have ended with the two of them as enemies was one he couldn't deny.
In reality, however, the atmosphere between Rei and Orban had been a friendly one.
From Orban's perspective, he likely had no desire to make an enemy of a powerhouse like Rei—and since a serious rampage from Rei could have reduced Egginis to ashes, the honest truth was that he'd had no choice but to be cautious.
Continuing their conversation as they walked, they eventually arrived at a room Rei recognized.
"Then, I will take my leave. There are guards posted outside the room, so please let them know if anything happens."
Guards... was technically correct, but Rei could easily imagine they were doubling as watchers.
That said, it didn't irritate him.
In a different place, he might have thought differently, but this was an assassin guild—and not just any assassin guild. It was the hideout of the largest one in Egginis.
Naturally, their vigilance was strong. Even toward the people they were sheltering, there was no way they could allow free movement throughout the hideout. Posting watchers was simply the obvious course of action.
"Got it. I'll leave things as they are. Though the people you're sheltering aside, I'll probably be stepping outside at least once."
"Is that wise? The Dolan Workshop's agents are most likely out searching for you and your companions, Lord Rei."
"Probably. But given the current situation, I can't just stay here and hide. Besides, I need to go to the Star River Inn too."
He needed to inform Maruka and the others that he was safe. He also needed to tell Camila—who had walked all the way from Buldan to Egginis for Anne's sake—that Anne had been rescued, so she could rest easy.
"I see. Then please be careful. I don't imagine someone like you would have any trouble, Lord Rei, but it wouldn't be strange for Dolan Workshop members to still be out in the city."
"At this hour, it stands out when you're moving around sober rather than drunk. Acting without being spotted by those kinds of people is something I'm good at. ...Though me traveling with Seto would be the most conspicuous thing of all."
"Ahaha, that's true."
Just as Rei said, there was no denying that Rei and Seto moving together would be far more conspicuous than several sober adventurers moving as a group.
If asked which would be easier to spot, nearly everyone would say Rei and Seto.
...That said, being easy to spot and being easy to capture were two entirely different questions—and the answer to the latter was obviously no.
Rei, bearer of the alias Crimson, and an A-Rank Adventurer.
Seto, treated as the equivalent of an S-Rank Monster due to being a Rare Species.
Even if someone found that particular person and creature, capturing them... would be difficult, at the very least, for adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop.
If there was any possibility, it would involve not adventurers handling it, but golems being used instead.
Being the Dolan Workshop's golems, their performance was undoubtedly high.
However, Rei had defeated golems before—even if they were made by Ilunara and the other non-mainstream faction members.
And he had done so alone against multiple golems.
Compared to the mainstream faction's golems... the popular golems currently known as the Dolan Workshop's golems in Egginis, their performance would naturally be inferior.
Even so, having beaten multiple golems by himself, he clearly wasn't someone the mainstream faction's golems could defeat so easily.
"Anyway, Orban listened to my request, so there's still a chance this matter will be resolved safely. Given that, for now I just need to do what I have to do."
Advancing through the hideout as they talked, they eventually reached their destination—the room where Lindy and the others were waiting.
Naturally, an assassin serving as both guard and watcher was already stationed in front of the door, ensuring that the people on the other side wouldn't be allowed any further.
That said, this policy was strictly for outsiders like Rei's group.
Since Nina, who accompanied Rei, was a Fusetsu executive, the guard understood what she wanted with just a glance and stepped aside from the door.
"Then, I will take my leave here. I have various matters to attend to."
Nina didn't specify exactly what kind of work she had.
Even so, Rei could guess.
Most likely, it was related to the situation of Rei's group having crashed here tonight.
(Or rather, it's probably about arranging that meeting with one of the people running Egginis that Orban mentioned.)
If Rei's guess was correct, this was work that existed precisely because he had come.
Alternatively, it could be about the removal of the slave collars.
In any case, since this situation had arisen because of his arrival, he couldn't very well stop Nina from going to handle her duties.
"Got it. Good luck."
Nina bowed at his words and departed.
After seeing her off, Rei stepped through the door the guard-watcher had cleared for him.
...The two stationed here as guard-watchers probably knew exactly what kind of person Rei was.
When he passed by them, they displayed noticeably tense demeanors.
Rei naturally picked up on their behavior, but without saying anything about it, he entered through the door.
"Ah... Rei... you came back."
"Why do you sound so surprised?"
For some reason, the moment he stepped through the door, Lindy greeted him with surprise from among the people gathered in the large room.
The layout of this place connected from the door with the guard-watcher to this large room, and then from this room to each individual room.
As a result, many people had currently gathered in the living room.
It was only natural—being in an unfamiliar place... and an assassin guild's base at that. Wanting to huddle together with a larger group rather than just yourself or the handful of people you lived with wasn't strange at all.
Consequently, the living room now had a considerable population density, making it feel cramped.
"But you went to meet the head of an assassin guild, right? Then..."
It wouldn't have been strange if he'd never come back.
That was what Lindy implied, but for Rei, being thought of as someone who could be taken down that easily wasn't exactly amusing.
"Do you really think I'd be taken down that easily? Besides, it doesn't necessarily have to end in a fight. Actually, I met with the one leading Fusetsu this time, and we managed to settle things through negotiation."
Rei had nearly said Orban's name, but caught himself at the last moment.
The name of the person leading Fusetsu was, naturally, information of considerable value.
Information that, if sold to the right buyer, would undoubtedly fetch a substantial sum.
At the same time, it was dangerous information—merely knowing it could put a target on your back.
Given that, it was better not to mention Orban's name here.
Lindy showed no sign of noticing Rei's reasoning, simply accepting it with a nod of understanding.
"So that's how it is. I'm heading back to the Star River Inn once."
"Wait, seriously? The Dolan Workshop's pursuers are out in the city, you know."
"Probably. But... haven't you forgotten? Camila is at the Star River Inn, worrying about Anne."
"Ah."
She had been so caught up in tonight's events that she'd completely forgotten about Camila.
A startled sound slipped from Lindy's mouth.
"So I'll go let her know that Anne was safely rescued and that you're all okay too. Given Camila's personality, she's probably staying up waiting."
"Knowing that child, that's probably true."
Knowing Camila's personality well, Lindy strongly agreed with Rei's words.
After all, she was the type of person with the grit to walk all the way from Buldan to Egginis.
Until she learned what had happened to Anne based on the information she had provided... she probably wouldn't be able to sleep a wink.
"Right? So I need to put Camila at ease. Besides... depending on how things go, it might be better to bring Camila here."
"Here? Well, it might be better than being with strangers, but whether Camila can tolerate being here is questionable."
It was true that they were being sheltered, but at the same time, that meant they couldn't freely leave this living room.
For someone with as active a personality as Camila, the current situation was surely not something she could endure.
"By that logic, even at the Star River Inn, she can't carelessly go outside because of the Dolan Workshop situation. If that's the case, I don't think being here makes much difference in the end."
"That's... hmm, I wonder. Do you think they'd know Camila is connected to us?"
"Considering the Dolan Workshop's influence, I'd say it's almost certain. In that situation, if Camila were walking alone through the city, she'd be caught easily and used as a hostage to draw us out."
For the Dolan Workshop, their greatest secret had been discovered by Rei and his group.
On top of that, the magic circle was destroyed, and the altar was wrecked with most of it carried off.
No matter what, they needed to capture Rei's group or... at worst, silence them permanently.
That was why, to resolve this matter, they would not hesitate to use any means available.
Before such people, if Camila—who had connections to Rei, Lindy, and Anne—appeared, the option of not capturing her simply did not exist.
He had asked Maruka and the others to guard Camila, of course, but whether that provided complete peace of mind was still questionable.
Maruka was Rei's friend, but at the same time, she was the daughter of Duke Quento's House, which held strong influence even within the King's Faction—the largest of the Three Great Factions of the Mireana Kingdom.
There was no telling when that might come into play.
And since Maruka understood that she was the daughter of Duke Quento's House, if it came down to choosing between Duke Quento's House and Camila, she would hesitate, but ultimately, she would choose her own house without a doubt.
"But... how would they know Camila is connected to us? If she doesn't leave the Star River Inn... no, considering the Dolan Workshop's influence in present-day Egginis, there's no room for hesitation on that front."
From the time Camila arrived in Egginis until she found Lindy, she must have spoken with various people.
With the Dolan Workshop's influence, gathering that kind of information was not impossible—and precisely because she was an adventurer based in Egginis, Lindy could state that with certainty.
"Ah, but if that's the case... does that mean Roger might be in danger too?"
Rei, who had been worrying about Camila, suddenly realized this.
Roger was a skilled alchemist, and before the Dolan Workshop had grown this large, he had been one of the people who produced the finest golems in Egginis.
Naturally, the Jalis Workshop that Roger belonged to was a large workshop, but even so, it was an undeniable fact that it currently ranked below the Dolan Workshop.
Given that, it wouldn't be strange for the Dolan Workshop to make a move to bring Roger under their control.
Rei's group knew the Dolan Workshop's secret, and Roger was a skilled alchemist—the Dolan Workshop would surely want to prevent those two things from connecting at all costs.
"Ah, this is bad."
"Eh? What is?"
"Roger. There's no way the Dolan Workshop would just leave Roger alone. With a little investigation, they'd quickly find out that he and I know each other."
Rei knew that the incident of Roger initially provoking Seto had become quite a well-known rumor.
Given that, it wouldn't be strange for them to figure out the relationship between Rei and Roger from there.