"Over there, huh?"
The location the children had guided them to.
To be precise, they hadn't moved right up next to the strangers. From a distance, they were able to confirm the figures of those who had suddenly arrived in the Slum District just today.
"Yeah, I think it's those people," one of the children said in response to Rei's murmur.
The child hadn't actually seen the group directly. They had simply used information they'd been given to lead Rei this far.
That was why, even though the children likely suspected their targets were the people over there, they couldn't be completely certain when asked point-blank.
Even so, judging by how they acted in the Slum District, it was obvious they weren't residents.
"Got it. Then here's your reward. I'll throw in a little extra."
With that, Rei pulled the promised number of Orc meat and vegetable sandwiches from his Misty Ring and handed them to the two children.
As a bonus, he added a few fruits with a sweet-and-sour flavor similar to mandarin oranges.
"Eh? Oh, thank you."
The child's voice carried genuine surprise—perhaps they hadn't expected Rei to actually pay the promised compensation, let alone throw in fruit as a bonus.
When children in the Slum District did a job, it was rare to receive the full amount originally promised. Being shortchanged was an everyday occurrence, and receiving no payment at all wasn't even unusual. If they dared demand the agreed-upon compensation, they might even get themselves killed.
In that sense, being paid properly was something the children deeply appreciated.
"I'll handle the rest from here. You two need to leave right now. If you stick around carelessly, you'll get caught up in the fighting. ...Well, whether it actually comes to a proper fight is another matter."
He'd heard there were about twenty people in total, but only ten or so were within Rei's line of sight.
Still, if they'd come to the Slum District to capture Rei, having all twenty move as a single group would be inefficient. Moving in smaller squads of a few would make more sense for a search—but this was the Slum District, and they probably felt uneasy traveling in small numbers in case something happened. As a result, they'd split into two teams of ten.
(Half-hearted, really. ...Though even if it'd been twenty instead of ten, the outcome probably wouldn't have changed.)
From Rei's perspective, the effort required to fight ten versus twenty wasn't all that different. Twenty would certainly take more effort than ten, but only by a marginal degree. When hunting bandits, it wasn't uncommon for their numbers to reach thirty or forty.
Another point in Rei's favor was the location itself. The Slum District had plenty of collapsed buildings, making it difficult for a group to fight as a unit. Against someone with an overwhelming advantage like Rei, the narrow terrain meant the pursuers could only engage a limited number of fighters at once.
Seto's large body further restricted where he could operate, but with his physical abilities, he could fight perfectly well even in tight quarters. And if all else failed, flying was always an option.
Taking all of that into account, the opponents ahead of him weren't going to be much trouble.
(Which means I just need to capture them and wring out whatever information they have. The real question is how much they actually know. Given they were sent here as disposable pawns, it's safe to assume they don't have anything critical. Even so, information is information.)
Reaching that conclusion, Rei turned to Seto beside him.
"Seto, I'm going to charge in first. You keep watch and make sure none of them get away. Flying... might get us spotted from elsewhere, so I'd rather you not fly if possible. Still, better that than letting one escape."
"Gururu."
Seto purred, leaving it to Rei's judgment.
For Seto, fighting opponents of that caliber wasn't particularly challenging. The key this time, though, wasn't defeating them—it was making sure none slipped away.
"Alright, I'm counting on you. I'm going in. If anyone tries to run... let's see, try not to kill them if possible. These guys were probably sent into the Slum District as half-disposable pawns anyway."
"Guruu?"
Seto let out a questioning purr—Is that okay?
Rei nodded to indicate it was fine.
"Those guys probably don't have much in the way of information. Actually, they might be carrying something specific to lure me out. Either way, I don't think there's any need to kill them. Unless one of them actively cooperated with the necromancy—that'd be a different story."
Seto seemed satisfied with that explanation. Whether he genuinely agreed or not, Rei couldn't say. But since Seto had nodded, Rei judged there was no problem. After confirming the children from earlier had already left the area and put plenty of distance between themselves and the scene, Rei sprang into action.
Without even drawing his usual weapons—Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear—he advanced along the road. Confirming that Seto, despite his massive frame, was moving undetected, Rei used the buildings and their remains as cover, steadily closing the distance to the men.
They showed no sign of noticing Rei's presence as they made their way through the Slum District.
"Tch, are we really gonna find him? I mean, sure it's the Slum District, but look at this dump. No way anyone gets found that easily."
"Even so, our job is to find Rei and the others who broke into the Dolan Workshop. That's what we're being paid for. You chose to come here yourself, didn't you? You could've joined the search in the city instead."
"I know that, but the pay was better over here, so what're you gonna do?"
"Listen, high pay means there's a reason for it. And this time, that reason is the Slum District. You should understand that much."
"Well... I guess..."
Listening in on the conversation, Rei nodded inwardly.
The biggest takeaway was exactly what he'd expected: these men were hired by the Dolan Workshop. There had been a remote possibility that they were entirely unrelated to Rei and the Workshop—that they'd come to the Slum District for completely different reasons. But that conversation had just eliminated the possibility entirely.
Which was extremely welcome, as it meant Rei could attack without any hesitation.
With their identity as enemies confirmed, Rei erased his presence and launched himself from the shadow of the building where he'd been hiding.
The first one he struck was the man who'd been complaining about being in the Slum District. Since they saw themselves as the hunters, the thought that someone might attack them never crossed their minds. The man was caught completely off guard.
He was wearing leather armor, but the fist Rei drove down from above was more than enough to transmit shock straight through it. In terms of delivering impact directly into an opponent's body, Vihera's Magic Impact Palm served a similar function. But what Rei had just done wasn't a refined Skill—he'd simply relied on raw physical prowess to punch the man.
An ordinary person's surprise attack, even if it connected, would have been absorbed by the armor without inflicting significant damage. But Rei was no ordinary person. The fist, swung with his exceptional physical abilities, punched through the armor's mitigation and delivered a devastating shock deep into the man's body.
"Gubohh!"
The man's consciousness was snuffed out in a single instant. As he crumpled to the ground, Rei simultaneously struck down another man beside him. Only when both bodies hit the dirt did the others finally notice Rei's presence.
"It's Rei!"
The fact that someone could shout that out so quickly meant they understood exactly who they were dealing with. Naturally—they'd been searching for him. He was wearing the Dragon Robe, which through its concealment effect appeared as nothing more than an ordinary robe. He didn't have Death Scythe or the Twilight Spear, his trademark weapons, and Seto, his famous tamed monster, was nowhere to be seen. Despite all that, they'd recognized him instantly—probably thanks in part to instinct.
Whether it was intuition or not, the fact that it was true was undeniable. And given that it was true, some of them attacked, having identified him as Rei. They did attack... but ultimately, adventurers in Egginis were simply a cut below the ones in Gilm, where Rei was based.
Even more critically, the adventurers had been ordered by the Dolan Workshop to capture Rei alive if at all possible. That was a huge factor. They couldn't unleash lethal strikes because of it.
Not that it would have mattered. Even if they'd seriously tried to kill Rei, he would have effortlessly dodged their attacks, and even if one landed, the Dragon Robe's formidable defense wasn't something they could easily overcome.
The Dolan Workshop had issued the order because they needed to recover the new dragon species materials Rei possessed—and more importantly, the altar he had made off with. It was common knowledge that Rei had an Item Box. Given that, seeing the altar missing from the magic circle room, it didn't take a genius to figure out who'd taken it.
(Actually, given all that, the ones coming after me should've been the best fighters the Workshop could hire. But seriously—this level of skill?)
Rei surveyed all ten men collapsed on the ground and found himself doubting what he saw. That said, they had undeniably been targeting him, and not a single one had tried to run. Even the last man standing hadn't fled, so their professionalism was at least commendable. No doubt some harbored thoughts of claiming the full reward by being the one to take Rei down.
"Gururu."
Rei had defeated everyone, leaving Seto with nothing to do. The gryphon padded over, purring as if to complain about being bored.
"Sorry for leaving you with nothing to do, Seto. But knowing you were there is exactly why I could charge in without a second thought."
"Guruu?"
At Seto's questioning purr—Really?—Rei patted his head to confirm that was indeed the case.
This time, whether driven by greed or not, every single one of them had attacked without fleeing. But there could have been some who, watching their companions fall one after another, decided it was hopeless and tried to bolt. In those moments, having Seto there gave Rei peace of mind.
"Anyway, these are only half of the ones who entered the Slum District. I'll get what I need from the other group. As for disposing of these guys, the Slum District residents will take care of it."
No one was around at the moment because Rei and Seto were still there, but the moment they left, residents would come. When that happened, the adventurers' equipment would certainly be stripped from them.
The worst-case scenario of them being sold as illegal slaves couldn't be ruled out, but Rei optimistically predicted it wouldn't go that far. After all, the biggest reason he'd clashed with the Dolan Workshop in the first place was the illegal slave trade. If Fusetsu understood that, they would have already spread the word through the Slum District.
If that was the case, the residents—precisely because they were Slum District residents—wouldn't dare go against Fusetsu's wishes. That said, they were still Slum District residents at the end of the day. There might be some among them who'd succumb to the temptation of immediate profit.
(That much... I can only call bad luck. Though whether the slave traders—even the illegal ones—have contacts willing to buy them is another matter entirely.)
Thinking along those lines, Rei raised his voice and shouted out to the surroundings as a precaution.
"You're free to strip these men of their equipment! But if you kill them or turn them into illegal slaves, I won't guarantee that person's life!"
How far those words carried, Rei didn't know. But he judged there was no need to show any further consideration to the people who had just attacked him, and he left the scene with Seto.
Several minutes after Rei and Seto vanished, the Slum District residents arrived and stripped the unconscious men of their valuables and gear. However—whether because they'd heard Rei's warning or not—not a single person attempted to enslave or kill them.