With their leader defeated, the Dolan Workshop's adventurers lost all will to fight.
They had been outnumbered to begin with, their morale artificially propped up by the promise of rewards to force them into battle. But the very person who had stoked that morale—the man with the strongest ties to the Dolan Workshop—had been effortlessly cut down by Rei.
Seeing that, expecting the Dolan Workshop's adventurers to maintain their composure and keep fighting was simply unreasonable.
"Rei, you saved us. Thank you."
Mirusu offered those words of gratitude to Rei, who had taken down the enemy leader.
From Mirusu's perspective, losing this battle was never an option, so expressing gratitude to the man who had brought it to a swift end was only natural.
"Don't worry about it. He wasn't that strong an opponent anyway. ...The real question is what to do with the ones who surrendered. As for the ones who ran, we can let them go for now."
"That won't be a problem. I've consulted with the guards, and we've decided to place them in the cells at the guard station for the time being."
"Is that... really okay? There are guards connected to the Dolan Workshop too, aren't there?"
Rei knew that well enough from the incident where adventurers had attacked the Jalis Workshop.
While the adventurers were assaulting the Jalis Workshop, no guards had shown up at all.
But the moment Rei arrived and repelled the attackers, the guards had appeared as if they'd been waiting for exactly that timing—which they probably had been.
Even so, they had ultimately fled in fear, likely because Rei declared he would resist by force.
On other occasions as well, there had been several close calls where he'd nearly clashed with the guards.
That was exactly why Rei questioned whether locking the adventurers up in the guard station's cells would simply hand the enemy a chance to recover their strength.
That said, he didn't believe every guard in Egginis was in bed with the Dolan Workshop either.
He had overheard their conversations and observed their movements, fully aware that there were those among them who genuinely did their jobs.
"It'll be fine. Thanks to Dwanda and Robel, the Dolan Workshop doesn't hold the influence it once did. Anyone with an eye for the times wouldn't dare side with them now. ...Of course, I can't say that with absolute certainty."
Mirusu phrased it that way partly because there might be those lacking the judgment to read the situation, and also because someone might side with the Dolan Workshop for reasons beyond mere coin—favors, obligations, things of that nature.
Even so, the majority of the guards who had been following the Dolan Workshop would likely fall in line with Rei's group—or more accurately, with Dwanda's and Robel's faction.
"If you've judged it's fine, Mirusu, then I have no objections. Given the current situation, I can't say your judgment is wrong either."
"Glad to hear it, Rei. Then let's handle the prisoners that way."
Technically, Mirusu was the one commanding this unit.
But if asked who the greatest combat asset was, everyone would probably point to Rei.
Appearances aside, his strength was truly worthy of the title A-Rank adventurer bearing the Crimson alias.
That was precisely why Mirusu felt compelled to be mindful of Rei.
Though Mirusu himself still hadn't fully come to terms with why he held his current position.
In his mind, based on sheer ability alone, Rei was the one truly suited to lead.
"Yeah, then take care of the captured adventurers that way."
"I'll go tell the guards right away. ...Oh, by the way, golem reinforcements never showed up in that battle after all."
"Thinking about it normally, the adventurers were probably just sacrificial pawns, weren't they?"
"No, but... why would they need to sacrifice adventurer forces as pawns? If they'd deployed golems here, it definitely would've put us at a disadvantage."
"Then maybe they just didn't have enough golems to spare."
In the battle at the Slum District, Rei and Seto had taken out a considerable number of golems, and their wreckage now sat in the Misty Ring.
Given that, it was entirely possible the Dolan Workshop simply couldn't muster any.
"Then do you think they knew about the shortage? Those adventurers came at us counting on golem reinforcements and special rewards."
Strong displeasure colored Mirusu's words.
Even though they'd been enemies, the fact that fellow adventurers had been deceived didn't sit well with him.
From Rei's perspective, blindly believing the enemy leader's words in the first place was what was truly foolish.
When he said as much, Mirusu showed a reluctant acceptance.
"Mmh... Fine. I've got plenty of complaints, but finishing the job we were assigned comes first."
"I think that's for the best too. Right now we should prioritize subjugating the Dolan Workshop. If they have golems, they'll definitely send them out this time."
Honestly, Rei didn't understand why the Dolan Workshop hadn't deployed golems here either.
Even if the adventurers were sacrificial pawns, committing golems alongside them would have been effective enough in whittling down Rei's forces.
Why they hadn't done so remained a mystery, but either way, once they moved to subjugate the Dolan Workshop, the Workshop would undoubtedly resist—unless they intended to surrender quietly.
(Surrender quietly... is that possible? If we told them we'd already secured Dailas, maybe they'd give up. But what awaits them after surrender is nothing but despair. So that means all-out resistance... no, fleeing? But alchemists without golems are just weaklings, and fleeing with golems would draw attention. Which means... taking the Dolan Workshop's techniques and seeking refuge at another workshop?)
That seemed the most likely scenario, but the key to the Dolan Workshop's golems lay in the cores created from human souls through necromancy.
And the ritual to extract those souls was only possible with the altar Rei had stolen.
Without necromancy, the Dolan Workshop's alchemists were nothing more than ordinary alchemists with no distinguishing characteristics.
There was also the chance they might take unprocessed golem cores—ones still fashioned from human souls but not yet embedded in golems—but even those would be meaningless once used up.
...The more fundamental question was whether any workshop would even accept necromancy-based golem technology in the first place.
Hearing that the Dolan Workshop was being subjugated over the necromancy golem issue—in reality, the connection to Dailas was just as significant—most workshops would normally never take such people in.
(There are probably alchemists who still want to learn the Dolan Workshop's techniques despite everything. If so, we need to act fast before that can happen.)
Having reached that conclusion, Rei addressed Mirusu once more.
"The Dolan Workshop's alchemists might try to flee. I want to secure them before that happens. Let's hurry and move out."
"Hm? Ah, got it. If you say so, Rei. I agree there's no point wasting time here."
With that, Mirusu stepped away.
He was likely going to instruct the guards to place the surrendered adventurers in the guard station's cells, just as they had discussed.
(Then again, the cells at the guard station aren't that large. With the number of adventurers we captured, it'll be hell in there.)
The adventurers who had been working for the Dolan Workshop numbered quite a few when all was said and done.
Some had escaped, but those who surrendered were even more numerous.
That was on top of the ones Mirusu's group had knocked unconscious or left incapacitated.
Cramming that many people into narrow cells would likely result in something packed tighter than sardines.
Though ultimately, that was the consequence of the choices the Dolan Workshop's hired adventurers had made for themselves.
Rei had no intention of dwelling on it further.
"Grrr?"
Noticing Rei's demeanor, Seto purred as if asking what was wrong.
Rei patted Seto and shook his head, signaling it was nothing.
"Just thinking about something. More importantly, we're heading to the Dolan Workshop now. Unlike last time, we're going in from the front. ...Haven't decided what Seto will do yet, though."
Rei had infiltrated the Dolan Workshop once before.
On that occasion, Seto had waited outside rather than entering the building.
But having actually been inside, Rei had been struck by just how spacious the place was.
In a sense, that was only to be expected.
Golems manufactured at the Dolan Workshop had to be moved outside somehow.
Of course, the easiest approach was to move completed golems through a designated exit.
But relying on a single route meant problems would arise when the unexpected occurred.
For precisely such emergencies, passageways wide enough for golems to traverse had been prepared.
With corridors that wide, Seto would have no difficulty navigating them either.
...Though personally, Rei wanted Seto stationed outside to intercept and capture anyone who tried to flee the Workshop.
"Grrr? Grrrr, grru!"
Seto showed clear eagerness about the upcoming assault on the Dolan Workshop.
As Rei continued patting him, Mirusu returned after finishing his instructions.
"Rei, we're ready on this end. We can head to the Dolan Workshop now. ...We're moving out, alright?"
"Fine by me. I want to get there as fast as possible. Besides, we took out the adventurers who were lying in wait here, so there probably won't be any more interference before we reach the Workshop."
That was merely a prediction, but from the Dolan Workshop's perspective, there was no reason to dole out their forces in piecemeal fashion.
...Though if that were the case, the rationale for using the adventurers as sacrificial pawns was equally baffling.
"Let's hope so. Anyway, let's move. Staying here any longer will just invite more unnecessary trouble."
Mirusu's gaze drifted toward the surrounding passages as he spoke.
At the end of that gaze stood several figures.
Naturally, they were neither allies of Rei's group... nor were they enemies.
They were onlookers from nearby buildings—workshops other than the Dolan Workshop—who had come to see what the commotion was about.
This area connected to the Dolan Workshop, but that didn't mean no other workshops existed nearby.
It was only natural for people from those establishments to wonder what had happened.
Or perhaps, given that the fighting had broken out in the middle of the city, they were simply worried about whether the unrest would spread to their own doors.
The gazes directed at Rei's group carried a mixture of fear about what had trans