All of the slave collars had been properly removed, and Rei and the others returned to their original room.
...Though several people, Anne included, had resumed their chores instead of returning.
Following Rei's advice, Anne was supposed to be careful while cleaning the Fusetsu hideout—not learning anything she didn't need to know.
"Well, anyway, this means we don't have to worry so much about the necromancy issue anymore."
As long as the slave collars were on, the wearer couldn't defy whoever held command authority. If ordered to move to the room where the altar and magic circle—the ones Rei had destroyed—once stood, and to lie on top of the altar, they would have no way to resist.
In that sense, for those at the Dolan Workshop who created golem cores, the slave collar was undeniably the most convenient tool imaginable. Even if it was being used quite differently from its original purpose.
(Well, it's fine for now, but if they get collared again, it'll end up the same.)
Of course, anyone who had been fitted with a slave collar once would resist if someone tried to put one on them again. But if the person resisting was someone who trained their body like an adventurer, that was one thing. What about everyone else—specifically, ordinary people like those who had been captured, who weren't particularly trained?
Or what if, even among adventurers, the opponents were stronger—and multiple ones at that?
Or perhaps, since the enemy was the Dolan Workshop, golems implanted with cores using human souls might appear.
If that happened, there was no way they could prevent someone like that from forcing slave collars onto them.
(Then again, that's exactly why we're being sheltered by Fusetsu.)
As he was thinking about all this, the door to the room was suddenly knocked upon.
It was similar to the knocking earlier, when they had announced they were ready to remove the collars, but... somehow the sound was more intense. Rei got the sense of urgency.
He wasn't the only one who felt that way. A man near the door, touching the spot where his slave collar had been, opened it.
Standing there was not the man serving as guard and lookout—but Nina.
Seeing Nina's beauty up close, the man unconsciously froze.
Nina paid no attention whatsoever to his reaction. On the contrary, she shoved him aside as if he were in the way and entered the room. Spotting Rei, who had risen from the sofa where he'd been lying down, she approached him immediately.
"It appears the Jalis Workshop is under attack."
It was a single brief statement, but Rei both understood and was surprised.
Of course, he had considered the possibility of the Jalis Workshop being attacked. He had warned Roger in case something happened, and he had even charged a defensive Magic Item—scheduled for installation in a golem—with mana, despite the large amount it consumed.
Even so, he had thought the actual probability of an attack on the Jalis Workshop was quite low.
"Are you certain?"
Given that Nina had come to see him directly to relay this information, the likelihood of a false report was low. In the first place, Nina had made contact with Rei because she predicted that if Fusetsu fought him head-on, they would undoubtedly lose. Making a false report here and angering him would be nothing short of suicide.
But even if Nina believed it was true, there was a chance that whoever had brought her the information had lied or exaggerated.
That was why Rei asked to confirm, but...
"Yes. One of our people witnessed it directly. There is no mistake—the Jalis Workshop is under attack."
"The Dolan Workshop?"
"No, adventurers."
"...Adventurers? Why on earth? Well, given how things have played out so far, I suppose they must be adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop."
Rei had in fact encountered adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop on several occasions. Given that, if he was told that adventurers were attacking the Jalis Workshop, it wasn't difficult to surmise they were hired by the Dolan Workshop.
"The details are unknown. Since the Jalis Workshop was under attack, I thought it best to report first and foremost. However... the most likely possibility is, as expected..."
She stopped there and looked at Rei.
Seeing her demeanor, it wasn't difficult for Rei to guess the purpose behind the attack.
"To lure me out."
"Yes. Or perhaps they're after those who escaped together..."
Nina said this with a tentative tone, and the people in the living room showed a hint of fear. The thought that they might be targeted by the Dolan Workshop brought fear to the forefront, as expected.
However, Rei denied it.
"That's wrong. There's no doubt the one they're trying to lure out is me."
The reason he could state that with certainty was, once again, the altar Rei had stolen. Currently stored inside his Misty Ring, it had to be an essential item for the Dolan Workshop to use necromancy.
Given how important it was, the possibility of a spare couldn't be entirely ruled out, but... from his conversation with Grimm, Rei understood it was a considerably precious Magic Item, so he figured there likely wasn't one.
That was precisely why the Dolan Workshop wanted to recover the altar no matter what.
Even so, to recover it, they first needed to find Rei. As a means to that end, they had probably attacked the Jalis Workshop where Roger—who had connections to Rei—was located.
(Wait, but from what I heard from the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop, they said something about using golems to find me in the slums. Was that a lie, or did the Dolan Workshop change their approach, or are they running both at once?)
What the Dolan Workshop was thinking to arrive at the current situation was unclear, but regardless, hearing that the Jalis Workshop was under attack left Rei with no option but to head there.
He had commissioned Roger to craft golems, and while their first encounter had been the worst possible, they had since built a reasonably friendly relationship. Given that, hearing that the Jalis Workshop where Roger worked was under attack left him with no option but to go help.
Even knowing this was designed to lure him out, if the attackers were adventurers—not from Gilm, but from Egginis—there were any number of ways to deal with them. Even fighting them head-on, Rei had no intention of losing.
"Understood. Then I'm heading to the Jalis Workshop."
Normally, in this situation, someone would have tried to stop him. But Nina, who knew his strength, simply bowed her head.
"May fortune favor you."
Leaving Nina as she said that, Rei exited the room.
Those who had been listening to the conversation tried to say something to him, but in the end, they couldn't bring themselves to do so. Until just moments ago, Rei had been lying on the sofa. At that time, it would have been easy to call out to him.
But now, having heard that the Jalis Workshop was under attack, the very atmosphere Rei exuded had completely changed.
Of course, in reality, even if they had spoken to him in this situation, Rei wouldn't have done anything. The people in the room vaguely understood that much, but still... the undeniable fact was that they simply couldn't bring themselves to call out to him.
There were some who thought: So this is an alias-holding adventurer.
Whether or not Rei noticed that the people remaining in the room were thinking such things, he proceeded through the Fusetsu hideout at a brisk pace.
A few people who found Rei's presence disagreeable initially tried to pick a fight with him, but... seeing his demeanor, they judged that causing trouble here and now would lead to the worst possible outcome, and let him pass.
Upon exiting the underground hideout, Seto was lying on the ground outside the camouflage building.
"Grrru!"
Sensing Rei's presence, Seto purred happily. Patting him lightly on the head, Rei spoke.
"The Jalis Workshop... where Roger is located is apparently under attack. The attackers are adventurers. To be precise, I think they're adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop. If that's the case, the guards probably won't move. Or even if they do, I think it'll be after a considerable amount of time has passed."
So I'm going to help.
Hearing Rei say that, Seto purred in acknowledgment.
For Seto, his first encounter with Roger had certainly not been a good one. But through subsequent interactions, Seto had come to regard Roger as a reasonably likable person. That was why, with Roger under attack and Rei going to help, there was no question of cooperating.
...Meanwhile, those serving in a gatekeeper-like role for Fusetsu had been listening to Rei's explanation but simply ignored it, deeming it none of their concern.
In reality, they were undoubtedly interested, but as one would expect of Fusetsu gatekeepers, they had no desire to learn things they shouldn't know. If they did, there was no denying the possibility they'd be caught up in Rei's actions.
Naturally, Rei had noticed their demeanor as well. Feeling somewhat disappointed by their attitude, he said nothing further and mounted Seto's back as the gryphon crouched down.
"Alright, let's go, Seto. We're in a hurry this time, and more importantly, we need to let the other side know I've arrived, so flying is fine."
"Gruu? Grrrrrruu."
Seto purred, asking if it was really okay to fly. He probably remembered Rei saying multiple times before that flying in the city was prohibited.
Rei patted the back of Seto's neck, signaling there was no problem.
"I should already be wanted by the guards over this whole affair. Given that, flying once or twice won't matter. Besides, I fly in Gilm too, right?"
In reality, in Gilm's case, it was because of the Crystal Dragon incident and the attention from becoming an A-Rank Adventurer, making it a semi-emergency measure. Even so, Rei had no hesitation about flying here.
Part of that was because it would be difficult to publicly try him for his actions. After all, if his case were taken to a higher authority—in this case, outside Egginis—it would mean that despite being an autonomous city, they were unable to govern themselves.
Furthermore, setting that aside, if this matter were taken outside Egginis, they would need to investigate why such action had been necessary in the first place, and if that became public, the Dolan Workshop's affairs would naturally come to light as well.
For the Dolan Workshop, doing such a thing was out of the question.
In other words, even if Rei rode Seto and flew through the air... and even if his intrusion into the Dolan Workshop became an issue within Egginis, once it stepped outside, the likelihood of being held accountable was low.
(Well, as long as it's only a possibility, it's not absolute. There are probably those who act without considering any of that at all.)
There were people in the world who didn't think about consequences. Those who acted purely on the emotions of the moment had no understanding whatsoever of what kind of situation would ultimately result. In that sense, the possibility that someone might publicly put out a wanted notice for Rei—not just within Egginis—could by no means be denied.
Of course, if things went that way, it would undoubtedly be convenient for him. It would be convenient, but if the person responsible ended up making Rei a bounty target, that would be a major negative. Specifically, an extremely troublesome ordeal—that would be more accurate.
An alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer. If that happened, Rei's bounty would naturally be a substantial sum. The thought of bounty hunters coming all the way to Gilm seeking such an amount was something he didn't want to contemplate.
In reality, the various things Rei had done weren't serious crimes that would make him a bounty target, but that sort of thing could be manipulated depending on who filed the report.
(If it comes to that, it's still a pain... I'd like the Dolan Workshop crowd to put a stop to that sort of thing.)
Thinking thus, Rei turned his thoughts to the battle that awaited at the Jalis Workshop.