The battle taking place in the Slum District was forcibly interrupted by Rei's—or more precisely, Seto's—intervention.
As the group of adults withdrew, what remained were Rei and Seto, along with a group composed mostly of children.
From within that group, a man who appeared to be in his thirties approached Rei with a nervous expression on his face.
"I appreciate you saving us. I really do, but why would an alias-holding adventurer intervene in a Slum District brawl?"
He asked Rei with evident suspicion.
From the man's perspective, there was no question that he and his people had been saved thanks to Rei and Seto. But it was only natural to wonder why they had done such a thing.
Then again, even if Rei had saved them expecting some sort of reward, they had nothing to offer.
Rei surely understood that, so why had he helped them?
It was precisely because they couldn't figure that out that they felt uneasy, and only natural that they remained wary of Rei.
Rei already had plenty of bad rumors—or rather, extreme rumors—attached to his name. That he made bandit hunting his hobby. That he wouldn't hesitate to use violence even against nobles.
...Those were actually facts rather than rumors, though.
Given that he was the owner of such extreme rumors, it was only natural to wonder what Rei might say to them next.
Without paying any particular mind to the man's attitude, Rei spoke.
"It's not like I have any special reason. Seto always plays with children, so he just wanted to step in."
"Plays with children...?"
The man clearly hadn't expected such words to come from Rei's mouth at a moment like this. He muttered with a visibly surprised expression.
For someone who knows nothing about Seto, it's impossible to imagine him playing with children. If this were Gilm, it would be a different story.
Seto had a body over three meters long and was an A-Rank monster gryphon. Given that, anyone unfamiliar with Seto in his daily life would never imagine he had a gentle personality—though he was just as merciless toward enemies as Rei was.
"Besides, it's not the same as the children with you, but I had a kid help me out a little in this Slum District this morning."
"Lumping them together just because they're children is a bit much, but... there's no denying we were saved thanks to that. I appreciate it."
Perhaps judging from that exchange that Rei had no ulterior motive, the man offered his gratitude. That said, he hadn't fully trusted Rei—his expression still showed about half a mind's worth of suspicion.
Rei understood as much from the man's demeanor but had no intention of pressing the point. As long as they lived in the Slum District, it was only natural that they couldn't easily trust others. Those who did wouldn't survive there long unless they had extraordinary luck or ability.
Precisely because Rei understood that, he said nothing about the man's wariness.
"Don't worry about it. Honestly, it was just Seto's whim. I'm sure you understand, but today was a special case. I can't say whether Seto or I will step in if you end up in a similar fight again."
Even as he said that, knowing Seto's personality, Rei suspected he would probably intervene if he saw the same situation unfold. Still, it wasn't guaranteed, and it would be unbearable if they relied on that assumption and started picking fights with other groups. So Rei issued the warning.
At his words, the man nodded.
"I understand. We won't do anything that stupid."
This incident had clearly given the man plenty to think about. Even so, he had no intention whatsoever of doing something reckless like relying on Rei and Seto to pick fights with other groups.
Judging from the man's attitude that nothing more needed to be said, Rei nodded.
"In that case, we'll be going. I never expected you'd be fighting among yourselves while golems were on the attack."
At Rei's words, the man's expression became indescribable.
In truth, for those living in the Slum District, a group of golems suddenly arriving had come completely out of nowhere. The man undoubtedly had plenty he wanted to say to Rei, who was likely the cause of that situation.
But at the same time, it was an undeniable fact that they had been saved thanks to that same Rei. Thinking of that, the man couldn't bring himself to say anything.
Rei could tell from the man's demeanor that he had thoughts on the matter, but decided that returning to the Fusetsu hideout took priority. Since they hadn't been able to find the Dolan Workshop alchemist, it would be wise to confirm whether everyone at the hideout was safe.
There was no denying the possibility that this golem attack was a decoy, and that skilled adventurers were being sent to the Fusetsu hideout instead.
Of course, the Fusetsu hideout was guarded by skilled assassins. Even adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop couldn't breach it so easily. If they tried to force their way through, the attacking side would suffer tremendous casualties—that much was certain.
Rei understood that, and in that respect, he felt the hideout was safe. But still, if possible, fewer casualties on Fusetsu's side was better. In that sense, returning to the hideout as quickly as possible was the right move.
"I see. Understood. Once again, I appreciate what you did today."
Saying that, the man bowed his head toward Rei. And it wasn't just him. The others—particularly the adults—bowed along with the man. They had been standing slightly apart, but they must have overheard the conversation between Rei and the man.
Seeing the adults bow, the children who had somehow already started playing with Seto followed suit, bowing their heads toward Rei as well.
The fact that they could play with Seto immediately after a fight was probably a testament to the resilience of children raised in the Slum District.
"Don't mention it. Seto, let's go."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Seto purred and padded over, leaving the children behind. He had been able to help them, and that was apparently satisfaction enough.
And so Rei and Seto departed.
The man who watched them go turned to his companions.
"Alright, first we assess the situation. Just because Rei is gone doesn't mean enemies won't come back right away. It's highly likely they'll hit us again before long. We need to prepare properly so that doesn't happen."
Following the man's instructions, the others—including the children—began checking the surroundings and assessing how much damage they had taken.
Fortunately, Rei had intervened before they were seriously outmatched, so they hadn't fallen into a truly dire situation. That was a saving grace.
If Rei hadn't stepped in, the worst-case scenario had been highly likely. They would have been absorbed into the other group—which sounded civil enough, but in reality they would have been used however the victors saw fit. In an even worse case, they might have been sold off as illegal slaves. That possibility couldn't be ruled out.
In that sense, the gratitude they felt toward Rei was deeply genuine.
In any case, they needed to sort out this situation as quickly as possible, and so they set to work with that gratitude still fresh in their minds.
"Oh, there it is. Flying really is fast."
Riding Seto through the sky, Rei made it back to the Fusetsu hideout in under a minute.
Seto carrying Rei while running along the ground was already faster than walking at a normal pace, but flying was naturally faster still.
The hideout that came into view showed no signs of having been attacked. A relief, to say the least.
Rei approached on Seto's back, his tension easing.
The gatekeepers stationed near the hideout noticed Rei and Seto but didn't say anything. If Rei had been a stranger, they would have been on alert—or possibly moved to eliminate him. But Rei was already an acknowledged guest of Fusetsu. Besides, given that he had been in and out of the place multiple times just since yesterday, there was no reason to question his presence now.
...Of course, even before anything to do with Rei, the fact that Seto was lying down outside the hideout meant that one glimpse of the gryphon was enough to ensure no one would ever forget either of them.
"Alright, Seto. I'm going to check on Anne and the others, so wait here. If any golems show up, just destroy them like before and gather the wreckage in one place."
The gatekeepers, who had only been half-listening to Rei's words, snapped their heads up with a start.
They had sensed something was amiss earlier, but it had never occurred to them that golems were actually in the Slum District. From their position in front of the hideout, the golems—larger than the buildings themselves—had apparently been too far away to see.
Noticing their reaction, Rei briefly wondered whether this was information he should be sharing. But if golems attacked while the gatekeepers were completely uninformed, Seto would keep them alive, yet the golems might still breach the hideout interior. With that in mind, he spoke.
"The Dolan Workshop dispatched golems into the Slum District. I took down the large ones, and the rest seem to have pulled back, but... there's a chance smaller golems could come this way. Stay alert."
"U-Understood."
If they were caught off guard with no information, the gatekeepers might lose the initiative. But if they knew golems were coming, they wouldn't be caught flat-footed—or so Rei figured. He knew that guards entrusted with Fusetsu, the largest assassin guild in Egginis, didn't earn that responsibility through reputation alone.
"Then I'm counting on you. Seto, take it easy until I get back."
"Gruu!"
Seto purred in acknowledgment and settled down to lie not far from the gatekeepers.
The weather wasn't great, and this was the Slum District—not exactly a grassy meadow. By no stretch of the imagination was it an ideal spot for a nap. But for Seto, who could sleep outdoors without a care even in the dead of winter, this was nothing.
The gatekeepers didn't so much as twitch at the sight of the gryphon lounging nearby. What they thought internally was another matter entirely.
Leaving Seto behind, Rei descended into Fusetsu's underground hideout.
He had been through it many times already, and his movements were now second nature.
My prediction that the Fusetsu hideout would be attacked seems to have missed the mark. That's a relief for me, though.
As he made his way through the underground—the true Fusetsu hideout—Rei reflected on this.
In the current situation, having the hideout intact was undeniably a huge help. If it were just Rei, he wouldn't have any particular problem even if the place had been destroyed. He could simply sleep outdoors with Seto.
Whether sleeping on a spacious bed inside the Magic Tent could truly be called "sleeping rough" was a separate question entirely.
In any case, if it were only him, there would be no issue. But with Lindy, Anne, Ilunara, and everyone else in tow, securing a place where all of them could rest easy was a far harder proposition. If it came to that in Egginis, Rei figured it would be better to load everyone into the Seto Basket and transport them somewhere else entirely.
That was why having a place like this was a lifesaver.
Thinking about it, choosing Fusetsu as a trading partner wasn't a bad call. I owe those two from the Slum District. By now, they've probably converted that mountain of axes into cash and headed for Gilm... or at least, I hope so.
From Fusetsu's perspective, they had destroyed Blood Blade to avoid fighting Rei, and were now continuing their dealings with him on top of that. In that sense, they might well see Rei as a God of Plagues. But considering the medicines—including the poisons seized from Blood Blade—and the compensation they were receiving from Rei in the current arrangement, it was by no means a bad deal.
The connection they had formed with Rei wasn't a bad thing for Fusetsu either.
The string of events had been troublesome for them, to be sure, but it had also yielded significant profit. Whether that was a silver lining in misfortune or simply strong luck was anyone's guess.
Either way, it doesn't matter, Rei decided, and put the matter out of his mind.