For the time being, Rei decided to assume that the suspicious group Bob had encountered during his travels was responsible for the attack.
Whether that was actually the case, unfortunately, he couldn't say for certain. But with the enemy unidentified, the simple fact that they were an unknown quantity was enough to breed an irrational fear — and naturally, Rei wanted to avoid that.
"All right, then. The real question is what we do from here. First of all — how did they even find Bob? Were they tailing him the whole time?"
"Hmm, I don't think so. If I'd been tailed for any length of time, I think I would have noticed. Besides, there were quite a lot of them, right? That many people behind me — there's no way I wouldn't have caught on."
"Not necessarily all of them at once. One or two could take turns following you, swapping out whenever they thought you might be getting suspicious."
"Ah, I see. Hmm, but when I was walking along the highway, there wasn't really anyone behind me. So if I think about it that way..."
He still didn't believe he'd been tailed. That was what Bob insisted, but Rei suspected that someone with specialized training could shadow a target without ever being noticed. Alternatively, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that they had used some method to tail him — the same kind that had allowed them to approach without Seto detecting them.
"Anyway, I have no idea how they found out we were here — that Bob was here — but it's better to stay on guard. Well, in this case, Bob's the one with the problem."
"Hey, hey. Rei. Why don't we just take Bob to the Fairy Dwelling?"
"...Huh? Why would we do that?"
The words that suddenly came out of Nielson's mouth caught Rei completely off guard. And for good reason — the existence of the Fairy Dwelling wasn't something to be revealed to people so casually. On top of that, Bob had joked about eating fairies. And more importantly, the attackers from earlier had seemed able to pinpoint Bob's exact location even from a distance. That meant if Bob were in the Fairy Dwelling, those same enemies might be able to find their way there.
Would the fog surrounding the Fairy Dwelling be enough to stop them? If the guard wolves attacked while the enemy was lost in the fog, there was a chance they could be driven off quickly... no. Considering they'd gotten this close without Seto noticing, expecting the wolves to detect them might be asking too much.
The wolves guarding the Fairy Dwelling were ordinary wolves — not monsters. In terms of pure ability, they were inferior to even common monsters. However, the fact that they could operate within the fog gave them a considerable advantage against intruders who breached the settlement. But even so — if asked whether those wolves could counter a Magic Item or Skill capable of fooling even Seto, Rei could confidently say it was impossible.
"If it were just Bob, that'd be one thing. But if there's a chance those people might come to the Fairy Dwelling, won't the Chief be angry?"
"!?"
Nielson froze.
What would happen if she incurred the Chief's anger? That was something Nielson absolutely did not want to experience. She had awakened to new power as a fairy, but deep within her still lived the conviction that she must never go against the Chief. Or perhaps she simply understood that awakening to new power wasn't enough to defeat her.
"Um... let me think about whether to bring Bob along. I think it would be fine if the Chief says it's okay. Inside the Fairy Dwelling, it'd be hard for those people to get in, too."
"No, as long as we don't know how they found Bob, we can't rule out the possibility that they could enter the Fairy Dwelling, can we?"
"That's... I wonder. You'd know if you asked the Chief about that!"
Nielson decided she couldn't make the judgment herself and chose to dump the entire matter on the Chief. Given what might happen to her if she brought Bob to the Fairy Dwelling on her own whim and caused a problem, it was perhaps only natural.
"But why the sudden urge to bring Bob to the Fairy Dwelling, Nielson?"
That was a genuine question. Nielson and Bob had only just met; they had no prior connection. Setting that aside, Bob had made comments about eating fairies — however jokingly — so there were aspects of him that seemed genuinely dangerous. From Rei's perspective, Bob didn't actually seem all that suspicious. The biggest factor was that no killing intent, hostility, or malice could be sensed from anything he said or did. But that was solely Rei's impression. Whether a fairy would judge Bob as harmless was... honestly, impossible to say. If it came to that, they could simply think of another approach — or so Rei figured.
"In the first place, what's Bob's opinion? Even if Nielson wants to take him to the Fairy Dwelling, if Bob's against it, we can't exactly force him."
"Eh? Me? Of course — if there's a place like the Fairy Dwelling I could actually go to, I'd love to visit."
Bob answered without a moment's hesitation. For him, the Fairy Dwelling was something out of fairy tales — he'd never imagined it was a place he could actually visit. Being told he might have the chance, he naturally wanted to go and see it for himself. Bob had always been the type who wanted to see new places, which was precisely why he'd chosen a life of traveling and hunting. Given that, there was no way he would let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
...In fact, Bob no longer held any grudge against the attackers from earlier. If anything, the thought that their ambush might lead him to the Fairy Dwelling made him feel almost grateful. What those attackers — who had come intending to kill him — would think if they heard that was another matter entirely.
"In the first place, if we're taking Bob to the Fairy Dwelling... how exactly do you plan to do it?"
"Eh?"
Nielson looked at him as if she couldn't fathom what he was asking. Since she normally rode on Seto's back alongside Rei, she probably hadn't grasped his point.
"For the record, Bob can't ride Seto."
"Really?"
"Really. The only ones who can ride on Seto's back besides me are children. There's the option of hanging from his front legs... oh, and there's also the Seto Cage."
"The Seto Cage? What's that?"
Bob, who had been listening in on their conversation, asked the question — apparently intrigued by the term. One look at his eyes shining with curiosity made it clear that telling him not to be interested would be an exercise in futility.
Did I just make a mistake? The thought crossed Rei's mind briefly, but he decided there was no harm in explaining what the Seto Cage was.
"The Seto Cage is, as the name suggests, a cage that Seto carries. If you ride inside it, you can travel normally without having to dangle from his legs mid-flight."
"...I see. That does sound convenient."
For someone as curious as Bob, dangling from a gryphon's legs in midair was probably not something he wanted to try. But being told there was a Seto Cage as an alternative — it would've been unreasonable to expect him not to be delighted.
Ah — maybe the reason Nielson took a liking to Bob is because she sensed he has the same relentless curiosity as she does. Fairies were, by and large, highly curious creatures. The degree varied from individual to individual, but as far as Rei knew, Nielson was particularly curious even by fairy standards. Given that, he thought she might have recognized the similarly curious Bob as kindred and taken a liking to him.
...That said, Bob had talked about eating fairies right in front of Nielson. He claimed to have heard such legends, but whether there was any truth to them, Rei didn't know. Still, the fact remained that Nielson had taken a liking to Bob. Given the current situation, Rei decided it would be best to keep that in mind.
"For the time being, if we use the Seto Cage, we can take Bob to the Fairy Dwelling... no, should we head to the Treant Forest first? We can definitely get him that far, at least."
"Gurururu?"
At Rei's muttering, Seto suddenly purred. At first, Rei wasn't sure what he was trying to convey, but after a moment, it clicked.
"Ah, I see. If it's just about keeping him safe, we could leave Bob at the Birth Tower."
The area around the Birth Tower and the lake was currently restricted — only those with permission from the lord, Daskar, could approach. The adventurers stationed there weren't the recent influx drawn by the expansion construction, but veterans who had been active in Gilm long before, when only skilled adventurers gathered. And only those whose conduct the Guild could vouch for were assigned as guards. Capable, trustworthy people were assembled there. Additionally, the Lizardmen from another world served as a viable fighting force.
Given all that, it would be the ideal place to shelter Bob.
...Or so Rei thought, before immediately shaking his head and rejecting the idea. After all, Bob's attackers had gotten right up close without Seto detecting them. Skilled adventurers were gathered around the Birth Tower, yes — but even so, Rei couldn't imagine that any of them surpassed Seto's five senses, his Sixth Sense, or his ability to detect mana.
"Wait — Rei-san!? I thought I was going to the Fairy Dwelling!?"
Inferring from Rei's muttering that he might be taken somewhere else instead, Bob spoke up desperately. Someone with Bob's curiosity naturally wanted to visit the Fairy Dwelling if the opportunity was right in front of him. Rei could certainly understand that — the Fairy Dwelling was, in all likelihood, an ideal place for satisfying Bob's curiosity.
"Don't worry. At first I considered taking you somewhere else, but given that they can hide their presence and appearance using a method that's difficult to detect even for Seto, bringing you there wouldn't accomplish much. Besides... taking you there without Lord Daskar's permission doesn't sit right either."
Rei was trusted by Daskar, so he didn't think doing that much would be a problem. At the same time, it was also true that while it would be one thing if there were no other options, he didn't see the need to go out of his way in the current situation.
...Of course, if he were being strictly consistent about that logic, the Fairy Dwelling was an even more closely guarded secret than the Birth Tower or the lake. But in this case, it was Nielson who had taken a liking to Bob and wanted to bring him along — Rei wasn't the one pushing for it. Given that, he was confident he could smooth over the matter no matter what.
"I see — that's a relief. But who is this Lord Daskar? For someone of your caliber to address them with '-sama'..."
"You know of Gilm... you've been traveling, so I assume you've at least heard of it?"
"Yes, certainly. It's the only frontier in the Mireana Kingdom, right? I've always wanted to visit at least once, but with my skill level it seemed difficult. I have heard, though, that with the expansion construction underway, travel has gotten much easier. I was hoping to go if the chance ever came."
"I see. Lord Daskar is the lord of Gilm. He's quite a well-known figure, but... you really haven't heard of him?"
The lord who governed the Mireana Kingdom's sole frontier, and the leader of the Neutral Faction — one of the Three Great Factions. Beyond that, he had a reputation as a fierce warrior, always the first to charge into the enemy on the battlefield. Such a figure was undeniably famous. Or so Rei thought — but that was because Rei moved in those circles. For ordinary people who rarely had reason to interact with such figures, unless they lived nearby or had heard a bard's songs, it was only natural that they wouldn't know.