Shuff, shuff, shuff.
A considerable number of adventurers walked through the city streets.
At the head of the group was Mirusu. Rei and Seto were there too, now heading toward the Dolan Workshop.
Normally, if this many adventurers were moving through the streets at once, it wouldn't be unusual for guards to gather and question what was going on. But among Rei's group, there were guards as well.
"Excuse me, what in the world is going on...?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. But from the looks of it, they don't seem to be causing trouble. In that sense, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Naturally, seeing such a large group moving through the streets, many people had questions. For housewives in particular, it was the perfect gossip material.
If the group had been tearing through the streets as they went, some people might have wanted to keep their distance. But while they weren't exactly marching in orderly formation, they weren't causing any kind of rampage either. That was why onlookers were a little surprised but had no reason to flee in panic.
Some spotted familiar adventurers among the group, but seeing the serious expressions on their faces, they couldn't bring themselves to call out.
(We're standing out. ...Well, having Seto with us makes that unavoidable, so drawing even more attention on top of that is to be expected, I suppose.)
Rei, walking near the front of the group, naturally noticed the many gazes directed their way. That said, he was accustomed to drawing people's attention to begin with. Being together with Seto made that simply unavoidable. Or perhaps carrying the Misty Ring also contributed to his conspicuousness.
That was why Rei didn't particularly mind the attention even now. If anything, with so many people around them, the number of looks directed at him personally was actually fewer compared to when he and Seto acted alone.
"Rei, I know this is belated, but are you sure it's fine to head to the Dolan Workshop like this?"
"Truly belated. For that matter, wasn't it Mirusu who said we were going to the Dolan Workshop and riled up this crowd?"
"Riled up... I'd appreciate it if you didn't use such blatant expressions. I never had any such intention."
The word "riled up" was apparently an unwelcome assessment for Mirusu. He showed his displeasure, but Rei had no intention of changing his wording.
Even if Mirusu hadn't intended it, the fact remained that he had fired up the people outside the building where the Holy Four Assembly was held and turned them into a fighting force for subjugating the Dolan Workshop. That was an undeniable truth. Given that, Rei's word choice was undeniably correct.
"Whatever the reason, having this much combat power is significant. ...That said, I can't say for certain how things will go when we face the golems."
"That's the thing."
A man cut into Rei and Mirusu's conversation. He was one of the adventurers who had been inside the building, just like Rei and Mirusu. Hired by Dwanda, he had decided to tag along with Rei's group hoping to earn some credit—and precisely because of that, he likely had plenty on his mind about the current situation of moving alongside so many others.
"I hear the Dolan Workshop's golems are high-performance, and they've apparently been selling them without any complaints from buyers... but do you really think we can handle golems like that?"
"If you're asking whether we can, then yes. I think we can manage if we try. Seto and I already dealt with them once before. Besides... this is just hopeful speculation, so I can't guarantee it, but maybe the golems won't come out at all. Or even if they do, their numbers might be few."
Rei's words carried a strange persuasiveness. In fact, he and Seto had destroyed a considerable number of Dolan Workshop golems in the Slum District, and their wreckage was currently stored in the Misty Ring. It was unlikely that the Dolan Workshop had deployed all of their golems to the Slum District, but there was no mistaking that they had suffered significant losses at Rei and Seto's hands. Given that, Rei predicted the golems the workshop could deploy would be few.
(But these are the Dolan Workshop's golems. They might have other trump cards hidden away, so I can't let my guard down completely.)
The golems in the Slum District had been thoroughly demolished. Considering that, it wouldn't be strange for the workshop to have built powerful golems capable of defeating strong enemies like Rei and Seto. That said, even if they had started making golems immediately after the ones in the Slum District were destroyed, crafting them wouldn't be that simple. Even if they slapped together makeshift golems, there was a high probability they'd be destroyed right away.
"Grrrrl?"
Perhaps understanding what Rei was thinking, Seto, walking beside him, purred with a confident air. From Seto's perspective, if there were golems getting in Rei's way, he would simply defeat them—or so he was likely thinking.
Understanding Seto's sentiment, Rei gently stroked his head.
"Thanks, Seto."
"...Being able to tell what Seto is thinking just from that is honestly amazing."
Though Rei and Seto couldn't speak the same language, seeing them communicate so clearly left Mirusu with an expression mixing surprise and bewilderment. That said, for Rei, communicating with Seto was nothing out of the ordinary. Being surprised, impressed, or bewildered by something like this at this point wasn't something he particularly cared about.
"So then—"
"Hold on. Looks like they made the first move from over there. ...I don't know how they learned about our movements, though."
Rei spoke as if to cut off Mirusu's words. The group had already left the main street and was proceeding along the road leading to the Dolan Workshop when a crowd of people appeared from ahead in their direction of travel.
Since they were coming from the direction of the Dolan Workshop, it was certain that they were enemies. In fact, hostility could be clearly felt from the opposing side.
(Our movements... well, thinking about it normally, there must be a spy or a traitor among us. Probably among the adventurers or subordinates hired by Dailas.)
For Dailas's subordinates—especially those who knew his hidden side—the current turn of events was dire. Of course, now that so many people knew the truth, it would be impossible to pretend nothing had happened. But as a means to buy time so they themselves wouldn't be captured, leaking the information that Rei's group was heading to subjugate the Dolan Workshop wasn't a bad play.
(Could it be... and this is a real long shot, but is there any chance they're actually planning to wipe us out entirely with the Dolan Workshop's combat power and make everything disappear...?)
Thinking about it normally, it was clear that would be impossible. However, if the person who leaked the information to the Dolan Workshop was someone who hadn't thought things through, it wouldn't be strange for them to believe that killing everyone here would allow them to hide everything.
"There's nothing ahead but the Dolan Workshop! What are you planning to do going there? And with such a large group!"
When the people from the Dolan Workshop stopped moving, the man at their front shouted. Seeing him take charge in a setting like this, he was likely the one leading the adventurers on the Dolan Workshop's side.
Rei directed his gaze toward Mirusu. Being on the receiving end of that look, Mirusu wore an expression that seemed to ask, "Do I have to step up here?" From Mirusu's perspective, the strongest person in this group was Rei, and as the one known as Crimson Rei, he should be the one to step forward.
But if Rei stepped forward here, those who had been hired by Dailas and harbored hostility toward him wouldn't accept it. That was why they needed Mirusu to take the lead.
(Besides, it was Mirusu who gave the speech about Dailas and persuaded the people who were there.)
Most of the people here had come this far because of Mirusu's words. Given that, it was only natural for Mirusu to step forward as their representative. ...It had taken the form of persuasion, but in reality, many had followed his words out of calculated self-interest, deciding it would be more beneficial to comply. That was an undeniable fact.
"Come on, go. The ones behind us are expecting you to step up, Mirusu."
Those words sealed it. Apparently judging that he could no longer run from this, Mirusu took a step forward.
"The Dolan Workshop is to be subjugated by order of Dwanda and Robel! Interfering with that means defying the highest authorities of Egginis! Do you understand?!"
A stir ran through the crowd. The adventurers on the Dolan Workshop's side buzzed at Mirusu's words. They never expected the names of Dwanda and Robel to come up here. Moreover, they were hired by the Dolan Workshop—the finest workshop in all of Egginis. They never imagined that someone with authority above their own would appear.
(Besides, from the looks of it, none of them seem to know about Dailas. ...Or wait, judging by that man's demeanor, maybe the one leading them does know?)
Based on Rei's prediction, very few people likely knew about the connection between the Dolan Workshop and Dailas. In that sense, even having a single person who understood the relationship would be considered quite a lot.
"So what! Even if it's an order from above, we have no intention of following unreasonable orders! That is the Dolan Workshop's will!"
The shout of the man leading the Dolan Workshop's adventurers echoed through the surroundings. His declaration that they wouldn't obey even orders from above caused unease among those hired on the opposing side. The man had no choice but to say that, because he understood that complying would be the worst possible outcome for them. Still, he held a position of leadership over the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop, and his name was reasonably well-known. That was why brazenly declaring at the top of his lungs that he wouldn't follow unreasonable orders carried a certain degree of persuasiveness.
"Are you sure about that? At this rate, you'll simply become rebels or criminals. If you defy them knowing full well these are orders from above, it wouldn't be strange for you to end up as bounty heads!"
Mirusu's shouted words were quite exaggerated. When considering whether they would actually become bounty heads over this incident, it was doubtful. At least, that was how it seemed to Rei, who was listening nearby.
(He's not declaring definitively that they'll become bounty heads, so is that fine?)
If he had stated it definitively here, it might have caused some problems later. But what came from Mirusu's mouth was the phrase "might become bounty heads." Since he wasn't flatly declaring they would definitely become bounty heads, it was probably fine.
And those words dealt no small shock to the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop. For an adventurer, becoming a bounty head was close to the worst possible outcome. If they became bounty heads, they wouldn't be able to enter villages or towns with a Guild. If they needed to buy something, they would have to go somewhere without one. On top of that, being a bounty head naturally meant being pursued by bounty hunters.
What's more, the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop were reasonably active in Egginis, but in terms of actual ability, they were by no means exceptional. If genuine bounty hunters came after them, it wouldn't be strange for them to be killed on the spot.
...When bounty hunters fought bounty heads, they generally killed them. There were special cases where a bounty was offered on the condition of capturing them alive, but that was truly rare, and even if the adventurers here became bounty heads, it was highly unlikely they'd fall into such a category.
"What will you do? If you become bounty heads, it won't just be your problem. Your families, friends, lovers... you'll cause trouble for all of them too!"
This too was a fact. When someone became a bounty head, many bounty hunters contacted the bounty head's acquaintances in an attempt to gather information.
Being told that by Mirusu... the morale of the adventurers hired by the Dolan Workshop rapidly plummeted.