Seeing Rei land on the ground, the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop unconsciously stepped back.
They understood that saying anything to Rei would probably—no, almost certainly—be beyond their ability to handle.
Still, if they didn't say something, they figured they'd be attacked on the spot by the Death Scythe and Twilight Spear Rei was carrying. The only thing they could think of was:
"U-using a Tamed Monster to fly through the air is prohibited! You're breaking the rules regarding Tamed Monsters!"
"Maybe so. But so what? Do you seriously think you can stop me with words like that at this point?"
"Guh..."
There was no denying that Rei's words were perfectly reasonable.
Flying freely through a city on a Tamed Monster was fundamentally prohibited.
There were special exceptions—Rei had received permission from Daskar, for instance.
Naturally, Rei had not been granted permission to fly freely in Egginis.
Daskar's permission applied only to Gilm, his own territory.
In that sense, the adventurer's accusation wasn't wrong. It wasn't wrong, but...
To make a major issue of Rei's actions would require publicly disclosing why he had done what he did. Given that many people in the current situation wanted to keep the Dolan Workshop matter under wraps, this incident wouldn't escalate into anything that serious.
"Now then, what'll it be? If you still want to fight, I'll oblige. If you withdraw, I won't pursue you."
"Hold on, Rei-san!?"
The one who shouted in evident displeasure at Rei's words was the man commanding the Jalis Workshop's guards.
They had been attacked unprovoked, and the fact that the guards—who should have arrived immediately—hadn't shown up made it obvious the Dolan Workshop had pulled strings behind the scenes.
Knowing that, it was only natural to want to crush the attackers while they had the chance.
And yet Rei had said he wouldn't pursue them if they fled, rather than finishing them off.
For the man commanding the guards, this was clearly unacceptable.
However, Rei paid no mind to his displeasure and spoke.
"I won't say you'd have lost without me... but both sides would have taken heavy casualties. I put a stop to it midway, so you've got no grounds to complain. ...Or am I wrong?"
"Guh..."
Rei's words were indisputable fact.
If Rei hadn't shown up, the golems would have given them an edge, but there was no question that casualties on the guard side would have been much higher.
In that sense, Rei was right—that much was undeniable.
But being right didn't mean they had to be satisfied.
"But... if you just let these guys go, they might attack again! We should crush them thoroughly here so they can't dare defy us!"
"You say that, but... You lot—planning to attack here again? As you can see, they've got golems. And the Dolan Workshop that hired you has no intention of sending any."
Hearing that, the attacking adventurers fell silent.
It was only natural—they hadn't received a single golem reinforcement from the Dolan Workshop.
Incidentally, the golems that had been fighting the attackers had now stopped moving.
Whether whoever was controlling them had assessed the situation outside and halted them deliberately, or whether the golems had stopped on their own judgment, Rei couldn't tell.
"Now then, that makes you all disposable pawns, plain and simple. Given that, you're not going to do something like get hired by the Dolan Workshop again to attack here... are you?"
He laced the final words with killing intent.
Naturally, as active adventurers, they sensed the killing intent radiating from Rei instantly, and the attackers nodded frantically.
If they shook their heads here and said they'd attack again, there was no doubt Rei would unleash his power—and the outcome would be exactly what that killing intent promised.
"U-understood. If I'd known Rei was here, I never would've taken this job. But that's strictly my personal opinion. The guys here aren't a party or anything. And I can't control whether people who didn't participate this time might sign on for the next Dolan Workshop job."
That was likely a preemptive defense on his part, but it also painted an honest picture of these adventurers' current situation.
"Then go."
The adventurers nodded at Rei's curt words and departed.
Naturally, it was considerable humiliation for them to flee because of Rei's presence—and because of Seto, circling overhead, watching and keeping them in check.
In fact, they glared at the onlookers as if venting their frustration.
Even so, they understood full well what Rei would do to them if they laid hands on the bystanders here. They glared, but didn't actually resort to violence.
A few tightened their grips on their weapons, only to be stopped by a fellow adventurer nearby.
If they attacked civilians here, Rei certainly wouldn't stand by and watch.
They were retreating because they feared Rei and Seto. Provoking that same Rei and Seto was utterly out of the question.
Going a hundred steps further—even if someone pulled that kind of stunt somewhere unrelated to them, they could tolerate it since it had nothing to do with them.
But right now, with themselves present, such an act would very likely get them attacked by Rei and Seto as well. Stopping it was the obvious call.
The others did the same—reining in anyone who looked ready to do something stupid before leaving the scene.
...It went without saying, but they had been fighting in a public place like this.
Some of the adventurers spotted acquaintances among the onlookers, but they pretended not to notice and simply walked away.
"Right, the attackers are dealt with for now. But are the other areas secure? This whole thing could have been a decoy while they snuck someone inside elsewhere."
"We'll check immediately. We've already had golems and available Jalis Workshop personnel survey the perimeter, but..."
He trailed off without finishing.
Golems were high-performance, but difficult to trust completely.
The Jalis Workshop staff could be trusted, but in terms of ability they were ordinary people, not adventurers. Even if someone had infiltrated, detecting them would be difficult.
Given those circumstances, the guards here needed to inspect the workshop interior as quickly as possible.
(Though honestly, I think the chances of an actual infiltration are low.)
That was Rei's estimation.
If they had truly intended to sneak someone in, they would have dispatched real combat assets—not the kind who'd retreat the moment Rei showed up.
The fact that they hadn't told him all he needed to know: the adventurers were nothing but disposable pawns.
(Still, since they were used as pawns, I can't rule out the possibility of an infiltrator. Better to be thorough here. ...I could always have Seto do it.)
With Seto's sharp five senses, its Sixth Sense, and its ability to detect magical power, finding infiltrators wouldn't be impossible.
The real question was whether the Jalis Workshop side would accept it.
He considered this while watching the man rapidly issuing orders to his subordinates.
Given that Rei had let the adventurers go instead of crushing them, the people employed by the Jalis Workshop undoubtedly harbored mixed feelings toward him.
There was no denying they'd been saved by Rei and Seto, but they also felt there were ways things could have gone more in their favor.
(As long as Roger's safe, there's no real problem.)
As Rei was thinking this, one of the people hired by the Jalis Workshop suddenly bowed his head.
For a moment Rei couldn't place him, but the man's identity quickly became clear.
He was one of the adventurers hired as Roger's guards—the very person Rei had just been thinking about.
"Are you sure you should leave Roger unguarded?"
"I was told to come here. Besides, there are others besides me, so it's fine."
That reminded Rei—several people had been assigned to guard Roger.
And judging by the current situation, Roger was probably fine too.
"I see. Then—"
"Ah."
Just as Rei was about to say something, a sound escaped the man he'd been talking to.
Rei turned toward the voice—and saw guards.
Pushing through the onlooking crowd, they appeared with stern expressions and approached Rei and the others.
(Quite a late arrival. Or rather—the adventurers retreated, so the guards came out.)
Rei had heard the guards grumble about their nighttime duties.
From what he'd gathered, some guards had been co-opted by the Dolan Workshop—or those allied with it—while others resented that arrangement.
It wasn't hard to imagine which side these conveniently timed guards fell on.
Roger's guard, still standing with Rei, wavered upon seeing them.
He surely understood exactly why they had come.
"Relax. Those guys are probably here for me."
From how prepared the guards were when they appeared, Rei belatedly understood the real reason behind the Jalis Workshop attack.
They had mounted this large-scale operation specifically to capture him.
The Dolan Workshop surely knew that Rei had joined hands with Fusetsu—and with Robel, who had ties to Fusetsu.
Given that, they wanted to avoid a direct confrontation with Rei if at all possible.
The guards were their instrument for that.
"A-Rank Adventurer, Crimson Rei. We have a report that you used your Tamed Monster gryphon to fly through the city. Is that correct? ...No, there's no need to ask."
The guard who called out to Rei paused and looked up at the sky.
Seto was visible there—the one who had carried Rei all the way here.
That sight alone was the strongest proof that Seto had flown through the city.
They had witnessed it in the act. There was no denying it now.
That was what the guard implied, but Rei remained armed with Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear in hand, showing no intention of standing down.
The guard who had addressed him flashed a brief look of irritation at his stance, but—perhaps because his opponent was an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer—he kept it off his face.
"Before that, I have a question."
"What—"
The guard started to respond, but Rei talked right over him.
"Until just moments ago, this Jalis Workshop was under attack by adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop. Why didn't you come immediately? And yet the instant I arrive, you show up as if you'd been waiting. ...I'd like a detailed explanation for that."
"Guh..."
The guard had no response.
Answering Rei's question here would clearly open a whole host of problems.
There was no way he could give a straight answer.
"Shut up! That's not the issue right now! What you did is a violation of regulations! Come quietly!"
Letting Rei talk any further would only make things worse.
That was the judgment behind the guard's shout.
But it was already too late.
The onlookers who had heard Rei's words were already turning their stares on the guards, wondering why they hadn't shown up during the battle.
The guards besides the one confronting Rei had noticed those stares too.
They showed a flicker of unease—and at their reaction, Rei smiled and spoke.
"No."
He flatly refused, defying the guard's order.