Having defeated ten of the intruders in the Slum District, Rei and Seto moved through the area to track down the remaining enemies.
That said, Rei wasn't particularly familiar with Egginis's Slum District.
...Well, for that matter, he wasn't all that knowledgeable about Gilm's Slum District either.
(Should I just have Seto fly and search from the sky? No, but then they'd easily figure out where we are, too.)
A flying Seto was, naturally, extremely conspicuous.
Under normal circumstances, anyone searching for Rei and his group in the Slum District would deduce his presence the moment they spotted Seto.
(Ah, but then again... in terms of luring them out, wouldn't that be better?)
If searching for them himself proved difficult, he could simply have the enemy come to him.
That was by no means a wrong choice.
However, if Rei found them first, he could launch a preemptive ambush—just as he had done earlier.
But if the enemy found him first, the ambush would come from their side instead.
Rei had enough confidence to deal with an enemy ambush.
He did, but that still didn't make it an absolute certainty.
Moreover, considering they were hired by the Dolan Workshop, there was a chance they carried some kind of Magic Item.
"Ah, damn it."
"Gruu?"
At the words that suddenly slipped from Rei's mouth, Seto purred as if asking what was wrong.
Rei told Seto it was nothing, stroking his body as he did so...
(If the adventurers had Magic Items, then some of the ones I defeated earlier might have had them too. I didn't pay any attention after taking them down— that's a painful mistake. I'll check thoroughly next time.)
With that decision made, Rei spoke to Seto once more.
"Hey, Seto. As long as we don't know where the remaining pursuers are, I'm thinking of riding you and flying over the Slum District to lure them out. What do you think? Though in that case, there's a high chance they'll get the first strike on us."
"Gruu, grururu, grurururuu!"
Even if we're attacked, I'll evade it, so it's fine.
Seto cried out as if to say exactly that, and seeing his response, Rei made up his mind.
"Understood. Then... let's take to the sky right away. But since we need the enemy to spot us, I want you to fly at about the height of the buildings—just slightly above them."
Leaping onto Seto's back, Rei gave the instruction.
For a brief moment, he wondered whether it would be better to stay off Seto and deal with anyone targeting the gryphon directly, but the enemies' target was ultimately Rei, not Seto.
It was precisely because Rei was riding Seto through the sky that an attack was more likely to come.
"Gruru."
With Rei on his back, Seto leapt into the air after a few running strides.
As instructed, Seto flew at a relatively low altitude.
Skimming just above the surrounding buildings, Seto made sure his figure was visible to anyone in the Slum District—or more specifically, to those likely lurking in the vicinity.
"Well now, it all comes down to what the enemy does. I should stay ready to react instantly if anything happens."
Saying that, Rei withdrew Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring.
If those on the ground were going to attack in this situation, it would naturally be limited to ranged attacks—arrows, thrown stones, or magic.
Given that, defending against such attacks required preparation with long-handled weapons.
Several minutes passed.
Seto continued flying, and Rei was beginning to think the remaining enemies would spot them soon, yet there was still no sign of an attack.
(They're taking quite a while. ...I don't think they've failed to spot us. Which means they've found us but aren't making a move? But why? Did they realize I'm trying to lure them out? But since they're hired by the Dolan Workshop, even if they figured that out, I'd think they'd have no choice but to attack.)
Even if they judged Rei's actions to be a trap, they couldn't afford to ignore it.
They had come here—ordered, or perhaps commissioned—to capture Rei... as well as Anne and the other Illegal Slaves, along with the Non-Mainstream Faction alchemists including Ilunara.
And right now, they had no way of knowing where anyone besides Rei was in the Slum District.
Given that, they needed to extract information from Rei by any means necessary.
(Even to obtain information, there's no need to defeat me and Seto. Rather, wouldn't tailing us be more effective?)
Thinking about it logically, it would be difficult for the forces present in Egginis to do anything about Rei or Seto in a straight fight.
Given that, if they wanted to find out where Anne, Ilunara, and the others were, they simply needed to follow Rei and Seto when they returned to base.
That said, it wasn't as if they could do so that easily.
Against Seto, who could fly freely through the sky, the ground was littered with building debris, and the possibility of being attacked by Slum District residents couldn't be ruled out either.
It was by no means easy to tail a flying Seto.
(If so, then attacking us here is still their best option... or so I'd think. But there's no sign of them attacking at all. What's going on around here?)
Harboring such doubts, Rei continued to fly over the Slum District on Seto for several more minutes.
Even so, there was still no sign of the enemy making a move.
(Whether they're cautious or cowardly, I don't know. Either way, it's definitely a pain.)
Waiting for an enemy that never came was not an amusing situation for Rei.
He did consider simply continuing to wait until the enemy lost patience and acted, but given that they weren't attacking in this current situation, he didn't think wasting time here would prompt them to strike.
If so, he needed to choose a different approach.
(Or maybe they've decided they can't reach us while we're in the sky?)
Rei had initially expected them to attack with bows, magic, or thrown stones, but since they had come to capture his group, he didn't think they would have brought that many anti-air measures.
Of course, since they were aware of Seto's existence, it wouldn't be strange for them to have some means of attack. But in this situation, what was essential were methods to capture or attack targets on the ground—Anne, Ilunara, and the rest.
"Then I should assume that flying through the sky won't have much of an effect. Seto, can you land somewhere spacious—somewhere with enough room for the enemy to attack easily?"
"Gruu!"
Leave it to me, Seto purred.
Seto then descended toward an area in the Slum District where they could move around with relative freedom.
Understanding Rei's intentions, Seto didn't go into a steep dive, but descended at a leisurely pace.
If anyone had noticed Seto's presence, this was the perfect movement for an ambush.
(Or maybe they realized they had no chance of winning even if they attacked, and instead of fighting me, they're tailing me to find the base... where Anne and the others are. I can't rule out that possibility either.)
Since they had no chance of winning against Rei in a fight, it wouldn't be strange for them to aim for that instead.
There could be any number of requests given to those hired by the Dolan Workshop.
Of course, from the Dolan Workshop's perspective, it wouldn't be strange for them to prioritize above all else the capture of Rei, who was believed to have stolen the altar.
"Seto, I'm sure you've noticed, but pretend you haven't spotted the guys approaching us."
"Gruu."
As Rei spoke from atop Seto's back during their descent, Seto purred to indicate he understood.
While Rei stroked Seto and voiced his thanks, the gryphon soon reached the ground.
(Well? Is there any sign they're going to attack...? No, there isn't.)
From their presence, he could tell there were several people around.
That said, he couldn't discern whether the sources of those presences were hired by the Dolan Workshop or were simply Slum District residents.
If there had been intense killing intent or hostility, that would have been a different story, but unfortunately, the presences around him didn't seem to harbor such strong emotions.
(Which means it's tailing after all. But if so, I have ways to deal with that too.)
It would be one thing if he were in a situation where he knew nothing, but if he was already expecting to be tailed, dealing with it was not difficult.
"Alright then, let's head back to the hideout. Anne, Ilunara, and the others are probably worried about us, too."
Speaking to Seto, he deliberately leaked the information that Anne and Ilunara were at the place they were about to head toward.
For Rei, if they reacted to this and took the bait, dealing with them would be straightforward.
In a way, it was an obvious trap.
However, for those currently searching for Rei, even if they sensed danger, they had no choice but to act here.
A truly cautious person might choose not to move, but...
Those who came to the Slum District to search for Rei and his group were not that cautious.
At least, that was what Rei thought as he proceeded through the Slum District with Seto.
(Now then, the ones tailing us are... yeah, they're there, after all. Given that they're following us in this situation, they can't be Slum District residents. It's not an absolute certainty, though.)
Even among Slum District residents, there was no guarantee someone wouldn't try to pick a fight with Rei.
That said, since they were tailing him in this situation, there was a high probability they harbored some kind of malice.
Given that, it wouldn't be strange for such a person to come under attack from Rei.
(Still, the problem is where exactly to spring the attack. I don't know the terrain in this vicinity all that well. If so, I should just strike at some suitable spot.)
While considering where to attack, Rei proceeded through the Slum District with Seto.
Naturally, there was no sign of Slum District residents attacking them.
Walking while surveying the surroundings, he searched for a place that would work to his advantage...
(That's the place.)
Rei continued through the Slum District with Seto, and after about ten minutes... he found a favorable location.
It was fairly spacious, and with many collapsed buildings in the area, there were plenty of spots where even Rei or Seto could hide.
It was a bit tight for Seto to move freely, but more than enough for Rei to go all out.
Rei moved to the center of the area and suddenly stopped.
Since Rei had stopped, naturally Seto stopped as well.
And the one tailing them also came to a halt.
"Alright, Seto. You can't move around much here, but... you have a method unique to you. Let's put it to use, since we're here."
Understanding what Rei meant, Seto immediately turned to face behind them...
"Grururururururururuu!"
He let out a roar that echoed across the entire area.
King's Intimidation.
That Skill rendered anyone Seto judged as an enemy unable to move, and even if they managed to resist, their movements would be slowed for the duration of the effect.
The King's Intimidation unleashed without warning naturally succeeded in freezing the movements of those hiding around Rei and his group.
Last night, during their escape with Anne, Ilunara, and the others, Seto had also used King's Intimidation to hinder the pursuit.
Since they were hired by the Dolan Workshop, there was a high chance they knew about it, and it was equally possible that someone who had been caught in it last night was here now.
But... even so, Seto's King's Intimidation—partly because it was so abrupt—exerted maximum effect.
"Good, Seto. Keep watch and make sure no one suspicious approaches."
Saying that, Rei headed toward the scattered presences around him.
Even those outside the effective range of King's Intimidation must have heard Seto's roar.
For Slum District residents with sharp senses for danger, the likelihood of approaching the source of that roar was low.
Of course, there were always those drawn to danger precisely because it was dangerous.
Whether to test their strength, seek thrills, or because they equated danger with profit... regardless, there were those who would act for any number of reasons. But without paying any particular mind to such individuals, Rei located the remaining members hired by the Dolan Workshop, bound them with rope, and secured them one after another.