Inside the room, many people were discussing what they would do from here on.
That said, quite a few among them had already made up their minds about their next steps.
Those people were either lending advice to others or making small talk.
Amidst all that, Rei...
"Come on, I'm begging you. If Rei-niichan asks, I think Anne-neechan will come around too. So please, help me out here."
...was being pestered by Camila.
The root cause was that Anne had said she wanted to return to the orphanage as soon as possible, bringing Camila with her.
For Anne to say that was essentially the same as stating something already decided.
While Camila knew he would eventually have to return to the orphanage, his honest feeling was that he wanted to put it off if at all possible.
That was why Camila had turned to Rei.
From Camila's perspective, he probably figured that if Rei said something, Anne would change her mind.
In truth, that judgment was by no means wrong.
If Rei spoke to Anne, even if she still hurried back to the orphanage, it wouldn't be strange for her to leave Camila behind in Egginis.
He wasn't her own child... but Anne trusted Rei enough to leave a child from the orphanage she personally cared for in his hands.
However, naturally, if such a situation came to pass, Rei would need to take responsibility for Camila's safety, and ultimately, he would probably be the one who had to transport Camila back to the orphanism.
That would definitely be a hassle for Rei, so he shook his head.
"Sorry, but I'm not planning on that. Instead of relying on me, wouldn't you be better off asking Lindy?"
"But Lindy-neechan is busy nursing Golias-oniichan, and I don't want to be a burden to her."
"That sounds to me like you're saying it's fine to be a burden on me."
At Rei's words, Camila was at a loss.
In reality, Camila had probably decided that it was fine to burden Rei.
To Camila, Rei was a reliable older brother figure.
The story of how Rei had played a major role in rescuing Anne when she was made an illegal slave—Camila had heard it in detail from those who had been captured alongside her, and above all, from Lindy herself.
Given that, Camila must have hoped that if he asked Rei about this current situation too, something might work out.
"Lindy is also busy nursing Golias, so if you offered to clean her room or do chores like that as a condition, there's a chance... a real chance, mind you, that she might let you stay in Egginis."
"Eh... that's..."
At Rei's proposal, Camila wore a conflicted expression.
For Camila, he probably couldn't bring himself to accept such a suggestion from Rei.
Why? Rei wondered with mild suspicion, thinking about Camila's behavior.
Even if it came to him staying here with Rei, honestly, Rei himself was busy with various things and couldn't just go along with whatever Camila wanted.
With the Dolan Workshop and Dailas incident, Rei needed to consult with Robel and Dwanda—or perhaps Dwanda's son, who was set to inherit his position—about the aftermath. Depending on the situation, there was also the possibility of reaching out to Daskar in Gilm through Rei, or having Elena intervene with Duke Kerebel through her connections.
Setting that aside, the fact that Rei was currently in Egginis also carried a strong element of evacuating from Gilm.
Merchants and nobles who wanted the materials from the Crystal Dragon—the new dragon species Rei had defeated in the Forest of Magic—might send agents to request them. Or those seeking information about the Crystal Dragon might approach Rei asking to hear about it firsthand.
Even apart from that, since Rei had become an A-Rank adventurer, there were many people who wanted to meet and become acquainted with an alias-holding A-Rank adventurer—one who had the Gryphon Seto as a Tamed Monster and possessed an Item Box.
Dealing with such people was a hassle, which was exactly why Rei had left Gilm and taken refuge in Egginis.
The expansion construction currently underway in Gilm had, until somewhat recently, proceeded with Rei and Seto's presence as integral factors. But at this point, there was no problem even without them.
...It was an undeniable fact that the construction was progressing more slowly compared to when Rei and Seto were working on it.
But that was simply because Rei and Seto were extraordinary; the current pace was normal.
For that reason, Rei couldn't casually return to Gilm right now.
He did need to go back to some extent to check on the Crystal Dragon dissection he had requested from the Guild and to collect the materials.
With all those various reasons, Rei was simply busy.
Honestly, he didn't have the time to entertain Camila.
"I know I don't look it, but I'm fairly busy. Sorry, but I don't have the leeway to look after you."
"No way..."
At Rei's clear refusal, Camila let out a disappointed voice.
Even so, the fact that he didn't truly look like he'd given up was probably because he was still trying to somehow rope Rei in.
(Or rather, why me? Based on everything discussed so far, it wouldn't be strange if he understood that relying on me is virtually impossible. Even so, if he wants to stay in Egginis, he doesn't have to insist on me... though naturally, if it were anyone other than me, I don't think Anne would readily agree either.)
Finding Camila's behavior puzzling, Rei asked directly.
"Why don't you ask anyone besides me? Lindy might have a chance, like I said earlier, and even setting her aside, there are other people you could turn to, right?"
"But it has to be Rei-niichan..."
"...It has to be me?"
"! A-ah, no, um... I just thought that if Rei-niichan asked, Anne-neechan would agree right away."
What was that? Seeing his reaction just now, it sounded like Camila was saying it had to be Rei or it wouldn't work.
But even if that guess was correct, why me?
Money?
In truth, Rei was a bit... no, considerably wealthy, that much was certain.
Enough that if an ordinary person wanted to live an ordinary life, he had wealth they couldn't spend even if they were reincarnated several times over.
That said, Camila didn't seem to know the details about that.
If so, then it wasn't money.
Something other than money... if that were the case, what came to mind was...
Thinking along those lines, Rei recalled the events since he had started acting alongside Camila.
Since not much time had passed since Camila originally came to Egginis, it wasn't difficult to remember those events.
As he recalled them, a certain point suddenly occurred to him.
"Maruka?"
"!?"
At the name that slipped from Rei's mouth, Camila reflexively caught his breath.
That was proof that Rei's guess was correct.
(Ah... so it really is Maruka. But that's a bit...)
What kind of feelings Camila harbored toward Maruka, Rei couldn't know for certain.
Specifically, whether he simply admired an older, kind woman, or whether he genuinely held romantic feelings for her.
If it was the former, once he was separated from Maruka, it wouldn't be strange for those feelings to fade quickly.
But if it was the latter... then Camila shouldn't be able to forget his feelings so easily.
An outcome where Maruka and Camila ended up together was, first and foremost, virtually impossible.
The difference in their social standing was simply that vast.
Alternatively, if Camila possessed some kind of special talent... like Rei's overwhelming strength, or became an artist who would go down in history, or possessed a skill no one else could use yet everyone desired... if he could achieve something like that, there might be a possibility of being welcomed into Duke Quento's House as Maruka's husband.
However, unfortunately, Camila was not someone with any particular special ability; he was truly an ordinary child.
An orphan who was no match for Maruka—a duke's daughter who was said to be the next Princess General.
In such a situation, even if Camila directed his feelings toward Maruka, the possibility of them being realized was virtually nonexistent.
Of course, there was a possibility that Camila could become a famous adventurer and earn an alias in the future... so it wasn't absolutely impossible for his feelings to be fulfilled.
Even so, the odds were undeniably harsh.
"Give it up. If it were just being friends, that'd be one thing, but you should accept that anything beyond that is impossible."
"That's..."
Camila probably understood Rei's words as well.
Being an orphan, Camila was mature for his age.
...The fact that he wouldn't have survived until being placed in the orphanage otherwise was likely also a factor.
"For that reason, give up on anything with Maruka. I know it's not my place to say, but the pain from that sort of thing is something time will heal."
Rei spoke as if he knew from experience, but regardless of what it was, it was undeniable that wounds naturally healed as time passed.
Even if Camila couldn't accept it right now, eventually... whether that was next month, next year, or perhaps several years from now, as time passed, he would be able to forget about Maruka, or at least look back on it as a fond memory. That was Rei's prediction.
"...I-I don't feel that way at all."
His innocent feelings of love... or perhaps it was Camila's first love, and having it seen through was probably embarrassing.
Saying that, he left the area as if he couldn't bear to stay in front of Rei a moment longer.
That said, since this was the Fusetsu hideout, there were only so many places he could go.
In fact, Camila headed toward the private rooms deeper inside this very room.
(Well, how should I put it... things turning out like this over Camila's situation was a bit unexpected. Still, there's nothing in particular I need to do right now. What should I do from here?)
As Rei, having seen Camila off, was thinking about what to do next, the living room door was suddenly knocked on.
Some of the people in the living room who had been discussing their plans seemed to notice the knock, but since Rei had nothing in particular to do, he headed toward the door, and they returned to their own conversations.
From Rei's perspective, since someone was coming to this room under these circumstances, he acted on the assumption that they probably had business with him...
"Lord Rei, may I have a moment?"
As one might expect, the person there was someone with business for Rei.
However, it wasn't someone arriving as another person's agent like usual, but rather the woman who handled negotiations even within Fusetsu... Nina.
"Nina? What is it?"
"Yes. A message came from Lord Orban instructing me to deliver potions to you, Lord Rei."
"Ah... I see."
As expected of Fusetsu, Rei thought with understanding.
Orban had probably learned that Rei was summoned to Dwanda's residence and given his reward for the Necro Golem incident.
From Rei's perspective, he wasn't in any particular hurry regarding his compensation.
Even so, Dwanda had moved quickly to make contact, driven by his desire to employ Rei if possible.
Orban and Robel likely had their own thoughts about Dwanda's behavior.
That was why they had prepared the potions as quickly as possible, to demonstrate that they too valued Rei highly.
Guessing this from Nina's attitude, Rei nodded frankly at her words.
"Understood. If the potions are ready, I'm glad to hear it. Then let's go right away. Now is fine, right?"
"Yes. The potions are already prepared, so please come this way."
Told that, Rei nodded at Nina's words, since he didn't particularly have anything urgent to do at the moment.
Leaving the room, he was guided by Nina through the underground passage.
Perhaps because they were underground, it didn't seem to have become as hot as the surface yet, and Nina showed no signs of sweating.
Currently, on the surface, the temperature had risen by more than ten degrees compared to an average year, making it a midsummer day... no, an extreme heat day, or perhaps even hotter than that.
Despite those conditions, underground was still comfortable.
In that sense, those belonging to Fusetsu... among them, those currently at the hideout were fortunate to be spending their time comfortably.
Of course, if the heat on the surface continued without subsiding, it would eventually affect the underground as well.
Rei continued through the underground passage, chatting with Nina about the situation on the surface.