Running through Fusetsu's hideout, Rei sensed three figures approaching from ahead.
They were assassins, so naturally they were skilled at concealing their presence—but not skilled enough to fool Rei.
(Now then, which is it? Hiding your presence in this situation makes it highly likely they're attackers. But there's also the chance they're Fusetsu assassins keeping low to respond to the intruders.)
Either way, he had promised the guard-sentinels he wouldn't attack first.
Given that, he needed to assess how the other side would act before doing anything.
"Rei!?"
One of the three emerging from the far end of the corridor spotted Rei and called his name.
Knowing his name suggested they were Fusetsu—or so Rei thought. But the attackers were likely hired by the Dolan Workshop, so it wouldn't be strange for them to know who he was either.
He readied himself for an attack... but then recognized the speaker's face and eased his guard.
It was one of the onlookers from the mock battle with Lindy earlier that day—yesterday, technically.
"You were watching during the mock battle. So, what are you doing here...? Actually, never mind. I can guess."
What a Fusetsu member would be doing under these circumstances was obvious without asking.
If anything, they'd be the ones wondering why Rei was roaming around at a time like this—after all, he and his companions were guests under Fusetsu's protection.
"Yeah. We're intercepting the intruders. But what about you, Rei? Why are you out here?"
"Same thing, more or less. The enemy has quite a lineup of skilled fighters, and there are a lot of them. In that case, a combat asset like me should be welcome, right?"
"Well..."
The man fell silent at Rei's words.
In truth, having someone like Rei present was invaluable given Fusetsu's current situation. That was undeniable. But whether that meant they could just let him roam freely was another question entirely.
Rei couldn't read the man's exact thoughts, but he understood the hesitation well enough. He spoke again to set the record straight.
"For the record, I'm not acting on my own. I've got proper permission from Fusetsu's upper command."
At that, the man's relief was faint but visible.
He could have overlooked things as a field decision, but if Rei had genuine authorization from above, there was no problem at all.
"I see. Good to hear. So, what's your next move? It'd help if you stuck with us."
"That's an option, but first I want to head outside. Seto's out there, and I want to know how assassins got past him."
"Hmm..."
Now that it was mentioned, the man found himself wondering the same thing.
With Gryphon Seto standing guard, how had they smuggled a small army of assassins into the hideout?
It was a troubling question, and unless they solved it, even repelling this assault wouldn't bring true peace of mind.
Capturing and interrogating one of the attackers might yield answers, but these were assassins—there was no guarantee they'd give up useful information easily. And even if they did, they'd still need to verify its accuracy.
Given all that effort, it would be faster to simply check on Seto themselves. It would also serve to corroborate anything they later extracted from a captured enemy.
Having reasoned it through, the man addressed Rei.
"Understood. If you're heading outside, I'm coming with you."
"Sure? It'd help me, personally, but—"
The trickiest part of navigating the hideout, as Rei had already discussed with the guard-sentinels, was telling friend from foe. Under the wrong circumstances, he might fail to recognize an enemy as an enemy—or worse, mistake an ally for one.
Having a Fusetsu member along would eliminate that concern entirely, which made a tremendous difference.
"Yeah, I don't mind. Besides, if I let you run loose and things go sideways, my own comrades could end up taking casualties."
"Appreciate it. But are you sure? I can do what I want, but you're operating under orders from above. You'd really break off to move with me in the middle of all this?"
"That's right. Which is why I'll be the only one accompanying you. ...That alright with you two?"
The man glanced back at his companions. They nodded without hesitation.
Given the situation, adapting on the fly was clearly the right call. And even setting that aside, there was another consideration: if things played out well, they might be able to throw Rei—a devastating combat asset—directly against the invaders' main force. That opportunity was too good to pass up.
"So that's how it is. If someone shows up who can actually take on your gryphon—Seto, was it?—and win, I figure you'd handle them. That work for you?"
Rei nodded at the man's confirming question.
Through his bond with Seto, he didn't sense that the gryphon had suffered any serious injury. Even so, the mere possibility—however slim—was enough to confirm that returning to the surface to check was the right move.
"Then it's settled. We'll handle things here. Don't push yourselves."
The other two nodded.
Hearing that exchange, Rei was mildly surprised. He'd assumed all three would come along, not just the one he'd been talking to. But from the conversation, it was clear only one would accompany him while the other two split off. Come to think of it, the man had said as much earlier.
"Not all of you together?"
"Of course not. We have orders from above—we can't just do whatever we please."
That was reason enough, and Rei didn't press further.
"Got it. Just you, then. ...What should I call you?"
He hadn't cared before, but if they were going to fight side by side, he couldn't very well go without a name.
The man apparently felt the same, because despite looking thoroughly reluctant, he answered.
"Call me Crow."
"Crow. Got it."
Rei caught a faintly Japanese ring to the name, but figured such things happened and let it go. A Japanese-style name wasn't particularly unusual in this world, after all.
"Alright, Crow. Let's move. If we run into anyone, you handle the friend-or-foe call."
"Yeah. I'll take that seriously."
For Crow, this was a moment where his judgment could mean the difference between his comrades living or dying. Failing to give it his all simply wasn't an option. He nodded with a grim expression.
With matters settled, Rei and Crow headed for the surface while the remaining two set off to carry out their assigned duties.
"So—word is a fairly large coalition of assassin guilds came together for this. Any idea how many actually got in?"
Rei asked as they ran through the hideout's corridors, following Crow's lead.
Rei had traversed these paths several times and knew the route to the surface, but having a Fusetsu member guide him was still the safer bet. Crow might know shortcuts Rei didn't, and could adjust their movements based on the likelihood of enemy encounters. With all that in mind, there was no reason not to defer to him.
"Unfortunately, we haven't run into any enemies yet. But based on the intelligence coming in, a large organization has breached the hideout, so the numbers are probably significant. Which means we should be due for a clash any moment now. Besides, we're heading toward the surface—in the direction the enemies are pushing from."
"Even so, we haven't encountered a single one. Not a sign."
Crow had no rebuttal. He, too, found it strange that they hadn't crossed paths with a single enemy after coming this far.
In silence, he pressed on through the hideout.
(Seriously, what's going on? Not having to fight assassins is a relief, sure. But if they've all bypassed us, that means they could be converging on where Lindy and the others are. In that sense, I can't fully relax.)
Rei found the situation both fortunate and alarming. They kept running, and before long Crow spoke up.
"Surface is just ahead."
"Thought this place looked familiar. Finally."
Even underground, Rei recognized the stretch of corridor, and spotted the stairs leading up.
"You already know, but there could be assassins up there. Stay sharp."
Rei heightened his awareness, ready for anything, and started up the stairs...
"Huh?"
No assassins appeared on the stairs. None inside the camouflage building, either. A bewildered sound slipped from Rei's lips—and in a sense, that was only natural.
"What's going on!?"
Crow's voice wavered as well.
If enemies had infiltrated the hideout, they should have been posted here—the connecting point. Otherwise, if they tried to flee and Fusetsu sealed this exit, they'd be trapped.
Grrr?
As if in response to their voices, Seto's cry echoed from outside.
The sound carried no hint of injury. Seto, it seemed, was unharmed.
"Crow, let's step outside and check."
"Yeah."
Crow kept his reply brief. He'd already sensed something was wrong, and now it was clear—something was very wrong. Rei felt exactly the same.
Together, they stepped out of the building...
"Just as I thought."
The scene before them was, in a way, exactly what Rei had expected.
The two Fusetsu gatekeepers and Seto were all there. The only deviation from Rei's prediction was that Seto, rather than lying down as he'd imagined, was on his feet and waiting by the door.
Grrr!
Seto purred with delight at the sight of Rei and nuzzled his face against him.
Rei stroked Seto while scanning the surroundings. The Slum District stretched out around them. No bloodstains. Well—old ones here and there, but nowhere was there a fresh trace. And no sign of any fallen assassins, either.
(The gatekeepers seem fine. From the look of it, the breach didn't come through here after all. ...Actually, those two don't even seem to know enemies have gotten into the hideout.)
Near Rei, who was still petting Seto and mulling over these questions, Crow addressed the gatekeepers.
"The fact that you two are unharmed means the enemy didn't come in through here."
Crow's tone was more convinced than surprised. Like Rei, he'd realized that the absence of anything amiss was itself the anomaly.
"Yes, sir. From the look on your face, something's happened."
"It has. A coalition of multiple assassin guilds has infiltrated from somewhere other than here."
"That's..."
The gatekeepers had braced for bad news, but hearing it from Crow still left them stunned. They exchanged bewildered glances.
"The fact that you didn't know confirms it—they came in from somewhere else entirely. I have no idea how they managed it, but..."
Crow muttered that it was a problem. Rei nodded in silent agreement.