Continuing down the night road, Rei and his companions eventually arrived at what appeared to be an upscale residential district.
It wasn't quite on the level of Gilm's Noble District, but it was still an area where a considerable number of large mansions stood.
(Come to think of it, Gilm had an upscale residential district right before the Noble District too. Though the underground there was an absolute mess.)
Rei recalled the enemies he had encountered beneath that upscale residential district, but right now he had more pressing matters to consider.
"Rei, it's coming into view."
Some time after they entered the upscale residential district, Crow spoke up.
Following Crow's gaze, Rei spotted a single mansion ahead.
Even lumped together under the label of an upscale residential district, there were naturally disparities among the properties.
Against that backdrop, the mansion that appeared to belong to Dailas wasn't particularly grand. Compared to the other estates in the district, it ranked as mid-upper class at best.
"Surprising. He's one of the people running Egginis, and the mastermind behind this whole incident on top of that. I figured he'd be living in a much larger mansion."
"Rei, haven't you forgotten? Dailas is publicly known as an honest, good-hearted person. Whatever his true nature may be, he couldn't get away with openly building a lavish estate."
"…I see. Now that you mention it, that makes sense."
Rei accepted the explanation, though in truth, mid-upper class was strictly relative to this particular district. Viewed across Egginis as a whole, the scale of the mansion was unquestionably top-tier. Whether Rei hadn't noticed that fact or was simply feigning ignorance was unclear.
Whatever the case, the mansion at the end of their gaze was undoubtedly their target.
Gazing at the estate, Rei noticed that no Fusetsu assassins were visible around it. That, however, was merely appearances—when he probed for presences, he could sense a considerable number of people stationed around the grounds.
(As expected of Fusetsu, I suppose. I'd say there were about fifty of them, and the fact that every single one is hiding without being detected by the enemy is impressive.)
While marveling at Fusetsu's skill, Rei turned his attention back to Dailas's mansion.
Since it was enclosed by stone walls, he couldn't make out the exact details. But from the look of it, they didn't seem to be particularly on guard.
That likely meant they hadn't anticipated at all that Rei's group—that Fusetsu—would raid this mansion tonight. The probability was high that Dailas believed his identity as the one behind the Dolan Workshop hadn't been discovered.
From Rei's perspective, that certainly made launching the assault easier. Even so, the question remained: would Dailas really let his guard down like this under the current circumstances?
"Crow, is Dailas the kind of person who, believing his true identity hasn't been seen through, would leave his guard thin in a situation like this?"
"Hard to say. It's possible he's absolutely certain no one knows he's behind the Dolan Workshop. In fact, even when we investigated with everything we had, we apparently couldn't obtain definitive proof that Dailas was the one pulling the strings."
"Then that means Dailas doesn't expect to be attacked."
"Probably not."
"In that case, if Seto and I launch a full-scale assault, we can catch them completely off guard."
"Gruuru?"
At Rei's words, Seto purred, as if asking if it was his turn soon.
Stroking the eager Seto, Rei turned his gaze back to Crow.
"So while we're catching them off guard, you and your people infiltrate the mansion. By the way, I know it's a bit late to ask, but what's the plan once you're inside? Are you going to kill Dailas, fitting for an assassin guild, or is there some other objective?"
The most straightforward form of retaliation would undoubtedly be to kill Dailas. But since he was publicly known as a good person, killing him would create complications.
To carry out retaliation without that fallout, there were other methods—stealing valuables from the mansion, for instance, or leaving a dagger at his bedside to demonstrate that he could be killed at any time.
Having something like that done to you while you slept was proof that you could have been killed at any moment without it seeming strange. It was a tangible demonstration, through action, that they could take his life whenever they wished.
For the one on the receiving end, it would be unbearable. If the other party had even the slightest intent, they could have killed him at any time.
If such a thing continued for days, it would become not merely silent pressure but an overwhelming terror of death for Dailas. Placed in such a situation, he would likely increase his guards immediately and even hire assassin guilds other than Fusetsu.
"I understand what you're getting at, Rei, but I think it'll ultimately come down to killing Dailas."
"Ultimately? So you're not going to kill him right here and now?"
"Apparently we need to find evidence of his connection to the Dolan Workshop first."
"Then that means we can't go too flashy either."
If there was evidence inside the mansion connecting it to the Dolan Workshop, or proof of crimes that had been hidden up until now, Fusetsu needed to secure it. Circumstantially, it was certain that Dailas was the mastermind. They knew that, but physical evidence still held enormous power in critical moments.
In other words, Rei naturally wasn't permitted to burn the mansion down with magic, and using a major technique to destroy part of the estate should be avoided as much as possible.
"My companions are infiltrating the mansion, so from that fact alone, no flashy stuff. Got it? Absolutely. Don't do it. Don't you dare do it!"
"Does that… mean you want me to do it?"
"Why would you come to that conclusion!?"
Unable to comprehend the meaning of Rei's words, Crow performed the remarkable feat of shouting in a whisper.
From Rei's perspective, being told "don't do it, don't do it" repeatedly made him wonder if it actually meant the opposite—that he was being told to do it. But that was something only someone who had lived in Japan would understand. There was no way Crow, born and raised in this world, would grasp such a nuance.
Then again, aside from Rei, there were many others who had come to this world through various means—teleportation, reincarnation—such as Takumu, a fellow member of the Zephyle Clan, or Cabajid, Vihera's older brother. If such people had spread that kind of cultural knowledge around, Rei would have found that perfectly understandable.
"Got it. I won't do anything for now, so relax. More importantly, it looks like they've noticed us making noise here. Leave the rest to me and go join your companions."
"…You're sure you'll be okay?"
Perhaps because of the earlier exchange, Crow eyed Rei with suspicion. From Crow's perspective, his companions might already be inside the mansion. If Rei went on a flashy rampage, several of them would infiltrate under cover of the chaos, and he himself had intended to do the same. Knowing all too well just how capable Rei was, he must have feared Rei might actually go through with what he'd said.
"Relax. That earlier thing was a joke. A joke. I'm an A-Rank Adventurer, you know? I'll hold back properly, so stop worrying."
Crow hesitated over whether to trust Rei's words. He wavered, but given that the guards around Dailas's mansion were already growing suspicious of their presence, he couldn't stay here forever.
"Absolutely. Really, don't do it!"
Leaving those words behind, Crow separated from Rei and vanished into the darkness of night.
Unlike the place where they had encountered the thug earlier, this was an upscale residential district. Multiple Magic Items providing illumination were installed throughout the area, leaving relatively few pockets of true darkness. And yet Crow slipped into the night with ease. The level of his stealth technique was so masterful that even Rei was impressed.
"Impressive. Well then, I suppose it's about time we made our move. Seto, ready?"
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Seto purred with eager enthusiasm.
Seto's cry carried through the surrounding area and naturally reached the ears of those guarding Dailas's mansion.
They were positioned at a spot not too far from the estate, in a zone where the light from the Magic Items might or might not reach. The guards, suspicious of Rei standing still in such a place for no apparent reason, were startled by Seto's cry—and Rei was not about to let their moment of panic slip by.
"Seto!"
With a short shout, Rei broke into a run alongside Seto toward the gate of Dailas's mansion. If the distance to the gate had been greater, he might have ridden on Seto's back to close the gap, but it wasn't far enough to warrant that.
"W-Who goes there! What are you doing! Do you have any idea where you are!?"
Seeing Rei and Seto, the guard at the front of the group shouted in panic. His words could only be described as sheer panic itself. Even seeing the gryphon Seto at Rei's side, he couldn't recognize Rei for who he was. His entire attitude screamed that he had never expected this mansion to come under attack.
(Strange. Isn't their vigilance far too lax, no matter how you look at it? He's been pulling the strings of the Dolan Workshop from behind the scenes this whole time. You'd think he'd be properly on guard in case something happened.)
But from what Rei could see, the guards protecting the mansion were completely off guard. Or rather, they had probably found Rei and Crow's conversation suspicious, but even so, they never expected an open, brazen assault like this.
What's more, when Rei and Crow had been talking, they had positioned themselves in an area beyond the reach of the light so they couldn't be seen, and Seto had been hidden using Size Change on top of that. It would have been unreasonable to expect the guards not to be startled by his sudden appearance.
Thinking calmly, Rei and Seto's presence had been a topic of rumor within Egginis lately, so it wouldn't be strange for someone to recognize them. Much less when Dailas and the Dolan Workshop had even ordered guards to capture Rei. But without any prior warning, Rei and Seto had appeared before them out of nowhere.
If this had been Gilm, someone might have immediately recognized Seto. But under the current circumstances, there was nothing the guards could do to respond.
"Sorry, but I need you to go to sleep!"
Saying that, Rei chose the Twilight Spear over Death Scythe—both retrieved from the Misty Ring—and drove it into the solar plexus of the nearest startled guard.
From the look of it, these were people who didn't know about Rei's group, who didn't know Dailas's true nature—mere hires. Rei had no desire to kill such opponents. So while he did thrust with the Twilight Spear, it was a strike with the butt end. On top of that, the guards were properly equipped with metal armor for their work. The attack landing through their armor meant the guard was sent flying, but it was highly unlikely to be fatal.
However, those who saw their comrade suffer such a fate were stunned by the scene unfolding before them. Their fellow guard—a grown man wearing metal armor—had been blown back several meters. There shouldn't be that many people capable of such a feat. Trembling at the thought of having to fight such an opponent was only natural, and—
"Grrrrrrruuu!"
Not missing their fear, Seto activated King's Intimidation.
Already cowering at the presence of Rei and Seto, the guards were completely frozen by Seto's roar at close range.
For a moment, Rei wondered whether it was really wise to use such a flashy Skill, but their job was a diversion. They needed to rampage as flashily as possible, draw out the combat forces inside Dailas's mansion, and make it easier for the Fusetsu operatives to move about inside.
In that sense, Seto's roar echoing throughout the area served not only as a use of King's Intimidation but was by no means a mistake in terms of drawing attention. In fact, the roar seemed to have reached the neighboring estates around Dailas's mansion as well. Rei could vaguely sense activity picking up at those other mansions, as if something had happened.
(Well then, I suppose I should make a bit of a spectacle of myself too.)
Originally, Rei would have liked to use Flame Magic here, but that had been vetoed. Given that, he needed to draw attention through other means.
"Dailas, come out! It's already been uncovered that you're connected to the Dolan Workshop and tried to frame me! Since you seem so eager to pick a fight with me, I went out of my way to come here!"
Rei shouted, his voice echoing throughout the surroundings.