Since they were heading to suppress the Dolan Workshop, Rei led Mirusu and several others out of the building.
Given what they had just witnessed, it was only natural for curious eyes to gather as people wondered what on earth had happened.
A man had already emerged from the building earlier and gone to a nearby blacksmith to purchase a large quantity of iron rods, so there were more than a few people speculating about what was going on inside.
Among those waiting outside, some had tried to enter the building, but since this was the hall used for the Holy Four Assembly, they judged that doing so would be unwise. Ultimately, no one went in.
When a group came filing out of that very building in an organized fashion—and Rei was among them—it was simply unrealistic to expect people not to stare.
However, among the party that emerged, the one who stepped forward and spoke was not Rei, but Mirusu.
Normally, it would be faster and more persuasive for Rei to explain things himself. But among those gathered around the building were some hired by Dailas, and given last night's incident, those people were hostile toward Rei.
Under those circumstances, if Rei were to talk about what had happened inside and announce they were heading to suppress the Dolan Workshop, it would without a doubt spark a major uproar.
At the very least, those harboring hostility toward Rei would not bother listening to a word he said.
...Granted, even with Mirusu speaking in Rei's place, having Rei standing right beside him might still be unacceptable to some.
Even so, they would certainly be more willing to listen than if Rei were the one talking.
"Listen up! What I'm about to tell you may seem hard to believe. But this is indisputable fact."
Saying so, Mirusu continued, well aware that many were watching him, wondering what was about to unfold.
"During the Holy Four Assembly that was taking place until just now, Dailas suddenly went on a rampage in the middle of the meeting."
At first, they likely didn't understand what Mirusu's words meant.
Many of those listening wore expressions of sheer confusion, wondering what he was talking about.
The Dailas that most people here knew was someone who could fittingly be called one of Egginis's foremost good men.
Given that, even if they were told such a Dailas had suddenly gone on a rampage at a meeting, they couldn't simply bring themselves to believe it.
"It's no wonder you can't believe it. Honestly, I couldn't believe it at first either. But... the unbelievable doesn't stop there. Dailas didn't simply go on a rampage—he had been significantly enhanced through a magic called necromancy. And such an enhanced Dailas didn't just rampage in the meeting hall; he also burst into the room where the bodyguards were waiting and went on a rampage there as well, resulting in numerous casualties."
A stir rippled through the crowd.
Many of those who heard Mirusu's words hesitated over whether to take them seriously.
Precisely because they knew the kind of person Dailas was, they couldn't simply accept what Mirusu was saying.
For one thing, the Dailas most people here knew was not someone who had undergone any sort of combat training.
How could such a person possibly defeat adventurers and soldiers—people whose livelihood was combat?
He said Dailas had been enhanced through necromancy, but among those listening, many were not well-versed in magic. There were even some who didn't understand what kind of magic necromancy was.
Or perhaps there were those who knew of necromancy but still couldn't comprehend why it would enhance Dailas.
"You all must have your thoughts on the matter, but there is no doubt that Dailas, famous as a good man, had a hidden side. And what was connected to Dailas was the Dolan Workshop."
Another stir swept through the crowd.
Naturally. The talk about Dailas was shocking enough, but as long as they lived in Egginis, just how significant an existence the Dolan Workshop was required no thought at all to grasp.
The revelation that the Dolan Workshop and Dailas had been connected was nothing short of astonishing to everyone gathered here.
"D-do you have proof!"
One person suddenly shouted.
Since he was an adventurer hired by Dailas, if Dailas were deemed a villain here, the consequences would be no laughing matter. That was likely the thought behind his outcry.
And once one person shouted, many others similarly employed by Dailas began shouting in succession.
However, when pressed by multiple people demanding proof, Mirusu took a deep breath and then shouted as he exhaled.
"There is proof!"
At that single statement, those who had been clamoring for proof fell silent.
Among those who fell silent, there were two types of people.
Namely, those who wondered if it might actually be true given that proof existed—people who knew nothing of Dailas's hidden side—and those who wore expressions saying they'd been caught—people who did know of Dailas's hidden side.
As both types fell silent, Mirusu spoke again.
"The reason the Holy Four Assembly was convened this time... it concerned the attack on Dailas's mansion that occurred last night. And the ones who carried it out were Robel's people."
In reality, they were less "his people" and more equal collaborators, or perhaps allies. But Mirusu apparently judged that there was no need to clarify that point now, so he kept it to himself.
Though among those outside the building, there were a few sharp enough to know about that matter already.
"And through the attack, evidence was discovered. Confronted with such evidence, Dailas judged that he could no longer keep up appearances. He enhanced himself with the power of necromancy, killed Lusitania, and Dwanda lost his left arm below the elbow."
Once again, the crowd stirred at those words.
The shock was particularly great for those employed by or in service to Lusitania.
The former worried that their commission had failed and they might not receive their payment, while the latter were reeling from the impact of losing their master.
The rest of the listeners were no different.
They had heard that Dailas was enhanced through necromancy, but they never imagined he had gained that level of power.
Honestly, Rei shared the same opinion.
Having only a superficial understanding of the magic called necromancy, he still couldn't fathom how anyone could use it to enhance a living body.
"For that reason, we are now heading to the Dolan Workshop. Frankly, there is still quite a lot I haven't told you. But right now, taking the people at the Dolan Workshop into custody as quickly as possible takes priority. ...For those who have already accepted a commission, I believe this will count as an additional request. Those willing to help, come with us to the Dolan Workshop."
At Mirusu's words, the adventurers and soldiers looked at one another in confusion, unsure what to do.
...Among them, the most bewildered were the guards.
If Mirusu's words were true, it would spell serious trouble for the guards as well.
After all, a significant number of guards had been bribed by the Dolan Workshop.
That meant, regardless of their own awareness, objectively speaking, they had been connected to Dailas.
"I'm going!"
One of those gathered suddenly shouted.
The man drew stares from all directions, but he continued without any sign of being intimidated.
"This is something that could threaten Egginis itself, right? Then as an adventurer of Egginis, I don't have the option to sit this out!"
That single statement, spoken from the heart, moved the people listening around him.
...Though there were some who shot him glances telling him not to do anything unnecessary.
Mirusu could tell that those people were likely the ones who knew of Dailas's hidden side.
But even if they knew about it, what they knew was ultimately only superficial.
Anyone with knowledge of something truly critical wouldn't have been left outside—they would have been brought into the building.
Had they been inside, there was a high chance they would have been killed by the half-deranged Dailas. So in a way, they might have been fortunate... regardless of their own awareness of the matter.
"Th-then I'm going too."
Once one person declared they would go, another followed, and then the rest fell in behind them.
The fact that Mirusu had clearly stated this would take the form of an additional commission probably made all the difference.
"Hey, Mirusu. Is this additional commission for real?"
"Yeah. I already talked it over with Dwanda and Robel, so there's nothing to worry about."
Rei wondered when he'd found the time for that—but if it actually helped things proceed smoothly, there was no problem at all.
If there was a problem, it was that Rei, being an adventurer himself, couldn't participate under the guise of joining this additional commission.
In Rei's case, he had been acting entirely outside of any commission from the start, so it was a moot point by now.
That said, Rei had already received a leather pouch full of jewels from Orban as compensation.
Considering the value of the jewels inside, it was certain to be a significant net gain.
"I see. As long as there's no issue, that's fine. Robel and the others would never struggle to pay adventurer commissions."
Since they were two people leading merchant associations representative of Egginis, there was no need to worry about that.
(I wonder what will happen to the Dailas and Lusitania trading companies.)
Of course, given that they were large trading companies, it wouldn't be unusual for them to have successors.
But even so, the people leading them had suddenly died or been captured.
The former aside, with the latter, it wouldn't be surprising if the company collapsed entirely.
In that case, Dailas's trade routes and the like would likely be absorbed by other companies.
In that sense, one could potentially view it as having turned a profit...
(No, probably not.)
Rei quickly dismissed the thought.
After all, this incident could result in Egginis losing its autonomy in the worst case.
Looking at it that way, for Robel and Dwanda, even if their profits increased somewhat, when viewed comprehensively, the loss of autonomy could lead to the worst possible outcome.
"Rei? What's wrong?"
"Hm? Ah, no. It's nothing."
In a place filled with so many motivated people, there was no way he could voice his thoughts about Egginis's dark future.
If he said something like that here, it wouldn't be surprising if a riot broke out before they even reached the Dolan Workshop.
"I was just thinking about how much resistance we might face at the Dolan Workshop."
"I heard they have a fair number of adventurers and guards over there. Considering that, it's best to assume there will be significant resistance. For them too, being captured here means nothing but the worst outcome awaits. Given that, they won't just quietly let themselves be taken. And... there are golems too."
Honestly, the most troublesome thing about suppressing the Dolan Workshop wasn't the living combatants—it was the golems.
High-performance golems with cores made from human souls.
For Rei, they weren't a decisive threat.
But that was solely because it was Rei.
For ordinary adventurers—especially those in Egginis—the mere fact that the enemy was golems made them a formidable challenge.
On top of that, if they had to face high-performance golems with cores made from human souls, those heading to the Dolan Workshop would certainly suffer considerable casualties.
(It's ironic, but the attack on the Jalis Workshop probably serves as a useful reference.)
The Jalis Workshop had been attacked by numerous adventurers, and golems were deployed to defend it.
The assault on the Dolan Workshop would undoubtedly be informed by that incident.
"When fighting golems, never try to take one on alone. It's best to have multiple people engage and draw the enemy's attention before striking. Honestly, I doubt you can beat golems any other way."
Rei gave those instructions.
No—rather than instructions, they were more like advice.
If the people here were to actually fight golems, whether they would listen to Rei's words and act on them was, frankly, uncertain.
As far as Rei was concerned, as long as he'd said his piece, then regardless of how those who heard it ultimately chose to act, he didn't particularly intend to worry about it.