"Now then. You tried to run from me. Naturally, you had a reason for that, didn't you? To be specific—either you know something about the Dolan Workshop's dark side... or you're directly involved in it."
Rei addressed the man pinned under his foot, unable to move.
Yona and the others around them listened in apparent disbelief at Rei's words.
They had already heard from Rei why the Dolan Workshop had ended up in its current state.
Yet even having heard the explanation, some part of them still clung to the hope that it was all some kind of mistake. That much was certain.
Of course, that was nothing more than wishful thinking. It was all too easy to imagine that the reality was entirely different.
But even so, the fact that they had harbored such thoughts in their hearts—wondering if perhaps it wasn't true—was undeniable.
That faint hope, however, was utterly shattered by the scene unfolding before their eyes.
Given the situation, it was impossible not to conclude that the Dolan Workshop had indeed been engaged in something sinister.
"No way... Really...?"
One of those watching Rei and the pinned man muttered, almost involuntarily.
"Th—that's wrong! I didn't do anything! This guy is just making things up!"
The man pinned beneath Rei's foot shouted desperately.
Judging that he could do nothing in his current position, he was likely appealing to the others who had sheltered with him for help.
But Rei simply pressed harder with his foot, as if to silence the man.
"Shut up. Then why did you try to run? How exactly do you explain that?"
"Th—that's... because you're the one who attacked the Dolan Workshop! I just thought you were dangerous! You should understand at least that much!"
"I believe I told you beforehand that if the people here don't know about the Dolan Workshop's crimes, they have nothing to worry about?"
"Do you really think I can trust the word of someone who actually attacked the Dolan Workshop!?"
"I also believe I mentioned that these are Robel and Dwanda's orders?"
"Even that is just you saying whatever you want! Expecting me to believe it is unreasonable!"
"Whether I'm lying or not will become clear soon enough. Either way, there's no doubt you're suspicious. I don't know what you were thinking, entering a shelter room instead of escaping, but that was a foolish move."
Even as he said this, Rei produced a length of rope from his Misty Ring, seized the struggling man's arms, and began binding them.
If this had been the likes of a bandit, he would have needed to bind them tightly to guard against Rope Escape. Alchemists, however, fundamentally did not exert themselves physically.
Rei had once watched alchemists fighting bandits in the mountains as a golem field test, so they might do at least a fair amount of mountain climbing. Even so, they certainly wouldn't be capable of something like Rope Escape.
The man raised his voice in protest as his arms were bound, but Rei paid him no heed.
The others who had been in the shelter room with him also kept their mouths shut, though their anxious expressions suggested this was partly because they had heard Yona's explanation—and partly because Rei was an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer.
Eventually, with his wrists secured behind his back, the man was hauled to his feet by Rei's hand.
He resisted, but when told he would be dragged if he refused to stand—and after actually being dragged a short distance—he had no choice but to comply.
Normally, it would be no easy feat for someone of Rei's small stature to drag a grown man. This, however, served as definitive proof that judging Rei by appearance alone was a mistake.
If Rei dragged him, he would undoubtedly be injured. The floors were littered with massive amounts of wall and ceiling debris—the aftermath of numerous golems moving through the building. What would happen if he were dragged through such terrain by Rei's strength required no imagination.
"Right. That takes care of this one. Just to be sure—is there anyone else besides this man who doesn't want to leave the shelter room?"
No one spoke up to say they felt the same.
It was painfully obvious what would happen to anyone who claimed they didn't want to leave. No one wanted to share the fate of the man Rei had bound.
More to the point, everyone else in the shelter room was genuinely ignorant of the Dolan Workshop's dark dealings.
Naturally, some had suspected that an organization with the technical prowess to produce Egginis's finest golems might have shady aspects—but that was mere speculation, and none of them were directly involved.
Given that, absolutely no one wanted to defy Rei here and end up like the man with his hands bound.
"I see. Then we're moving. Follow quietly. And do not try to run. If you do, I'll have to respond accordingly."
Those who had been listening nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
For those with nothing to hide, there was no reason to cause a disturbance. It wasn't impossible that everything Rei said was a lie, as the bound man insisted—but given the current situation, defying him simply wasn't an option.
An alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer was, by definition, an extremely troublesome opponent.
There were even some who wondered whether Rei's status as an alias-holding A-Rank Adventurer was itself a fabrication. After all, he had a very small build. Given that, there were those who questioned whether he was truly as strong as claimed.
However, seeing the practiced skill with which he had captured the fleeing man, it was easy to tell he was no stranger to rough work. In that sense, they figured they could trust him for now.
Since the man kept complaining noisily, Rei produced a cloth and gagged him.
Then, with Yona guiding the way, they headed for the Conference Room where he had first met her in order to exit the research facility.
Fortunately, they encountered no remaining golems on their way out. Though, if there had been any, they would have emerged as reinforcements during the earlier battle—so it was only natural that none appeared.
"This is..."
One of the people from the shelter room muttered involuntarily at the sight of the Dolan Workshop's current state.
It was hardly surprising. The building's interior had sustained tremendous damage while they sheltered inside.
"These are the remnants from when the Dolan Workshop's golems all attacked us at once. I'd think seeing this is enough to convince you that the Dolan Workshop isn't exactly normal, wouldn't you?"
At Rei's words, those who had been listening could only fall silent.
"Rei, you're safe. So, umm... setting aside the one tied up over there, what about the others?"
The moment they stepped outside the Dolan Workshop, Mirusu spotted them, approached, and called out.
That the bound and gagged man was connected to the Dolan Workshop was obvious at a glance. But seeing that the others weren't restrained, it was only natural to wonder why.
"This bound man tried to run from me. It's safe to assume he knows about the Dolan Workshop's dark side. The others worked at the Workshop, but they're people who likely had no involvement in its shady dealings. Not only alchemists work at the Dolan Workshop. Well, there are alchemists among them too."
As he said this, Rei's gaze shifted toward Yona.
But at the same time, many of those who had come with Rei were not alchemists. The Dolan Workshop occupied a large grounds, after all. Besides alchemists, there were clerical staff, errand runners, material managers, and even people who cooked in the dining hall.
Because of that, a considerable number of people had no involvement in the Workshop's dark side. Even Mirusu, hearing the explanation, couldn't possibly believe that all of them were complicit.
"I see. Well then... hmm, looks like you had a fair amount of success on your end too."
Rei's gaze moved to a group of people bound some distance away.
Whether they had been found inside the building, caught while trying to flee, or captured for some other reason entirely, Rei didn't know. But a sizable number had been apprehended nonetheless.
Following Rei's gaze, Mirusu smiled with evident pride.
Up to this point, including the golem destruction, they had relied heavily on Rei. But capturing the Dolan Workshop's alchemists was purely the achievement of Mirusu and his team. In that sense, the pride in his smile was well-earned.
"We found the hidden passage the people fleeing the Dolan Workshop used. Followed it, and these people were waiting at the exit."
Mirusu's gaze swept over Rei's group, including Yona.
Yona and the others must have recognized the faces of the people at the end of that gaze. Each of them wore expressions of surprise—or disbelief. Or perhaps, a refusal to believe.
"Glad they were caught. ...Hmm? The ones who entered the building right after me haven't come back yet?"
"No, they haven't. Rei, do you know anything?"
"Apparently the Dolan Workshop has several emergency shelter rooms, and they should have headed there. I had Yona—her—guiding me, so I didn't get lost. But they might be. Or maybe they just couldn't get the shelter room doors opened for them."
In Rei's case, Yona had been acquainted with the people in the shelter room, so getting them to open the door had been relatively easy. But at the other shelter rooms, the adventurers were naturally meeting the occupants for the first time.
Considering that, it was entirely possible they had been met with suspicion and denied entry.
"According to Yona, an adventurer could force the doors open if they really wanted to... but at worst, they'd have no choice but to break in and drag the people inside out."
If they resorted to that, the shelter room occupants would naturally regard the adventurers with hostility. That could quickly lead to people fleeing or acting defiant. Though even if that happened, once they were brought outside and Yona and the others explained the situation, they would understand.
"I see. In that case... we should probably send reinforcements. If someone they know goes to persuade them, they might be more willing to listen."
Mirusu had apparently been thinking along the same lines as Rei.
"That might be for the best, but the interior of the building is quite badly damaged. In some places, a collapse wouldn't be surprising."
Yona and the others from the shelter room nodded in agreement.
Having witnessed the interior of the Dolan Workshop with their own eyes, they could confirm that Rei was not exaggerating. In their current situation, if told to go back inside, they would quite honestly prefer to decline.
"That bad? ...That's a problem. It'll be dangerous when retrieving documents and materials from inside the Workshop. What's more, the important evidence was likely carried off by those who fled. So searching for documents and evidence will take that much longer, and conducting searches in structurally compromised areas will be difficult."
Rei nodded in understanding at Mirusu's words, then turned his gaze toward the captives other than the man he had personally apprehended.
"You mentioned evidence was taken—did those people actually have any on them?"
"Yeah. Though not much. Those people were involved in the Workshop's dark side, but apparently none of them were particularly important figures."
At Mirusu's words, Rei once again turned his gaze toward the Dolan Workshop.
Ideally, he hoped that among the people still in the other shelter rooms, there would be someone holding crucial information.