The noble had been relentlessly bombarded by the arrowheads generated by the Eye of Nebula.
Fortunately—or rather, because Rei had deliberately aimed it that way—the fired arrowheads struck with significantly less force than they would have against a true enemy.
To Rei, there was no mistaking that the noble who had ordered the soldiers to attack was an enemy.
Even so, the fired arrowheads had their power suppressed, and more importantly, the attacks only hit through his clothing. So while they caused pain, they didn't inflict fatal damage like shattered or broken bones. At most, the injuries were bruises.
...However, precisely because the attack power was weakened, the number of fired shots exceeded thirty.
It was a half-hearted sort of pain, but that was only from Rei's perspective.
Battles were something subordinates did, not oneself.
As a noble, he would never be the one attacked.
For someone who thought that way, the idea that he himself could become a target had probably never crossed his mind.
From the sheer pain, the noble—unquestionably in his twenties—began to cry.
"Waaaaaaaaah! How dare you do this to meeee! I won't forgive you, I absolutely won't forgive youuuuuuu!"
Sobbing and screaming, his body unable to stand from the pain, he was supported by his soldiers and fled from in front of the warehouse.
"Whoa..."
Seeing a dignified man cry out that blatantly was unexpected even for Rei.
A voice of sheer bewilderment slipped from his mouth.
The warehouse's adventurer guards felt the same way.
"Umm... well, you know. Maybe Rei went a little too far too."
One of the adventurers, having watched the previously haughty man being dragged away while wailing and sobbing, somehow managed to say just that.
Rei wanted to voice his disagreement, but considering the current situation, he could understand why someone would say it.
"I did hold back."
This was by no means a lie. Rei had certainly held back.
If he had seriously attacked that noble, the damage would not have been limited to mere crying and screaming.
But the man who suggested Rei might have gone too far shook his head.
"Even if you held back, that's only by your standards, right? For a noble who looks like he was raised completely pampered like that, it was still a harsh blow."
"...Even with all that?"
If Rei had seriously thrown the arrowheads generated by the Eye of Nebula, the damage could easily have torn skin, gouged flesh, and shattered bone.
Yet he had thrown them in a way that would not cause that level of destruction.
If it had been an adventurer of comparable strength, even after taking damage from Rei's attack, they might have been able to endure the pain and move on to their next action.
At the very least, they would not have cried and screamed from the pain.
"Even with all that. You've had your share of run-ins with nobles too, Rei, so you should understand what kind of personality those types have. They're the sort who know nothing of the so-called harsh realities of the world."
Being told that, Rei couldn't help but think he might have gone a little too far.
The noble from earlier had unquestionably had his dignity completely crushed.
A noble who prized appearances above all else had shown himself in the streets, crying and screaming while being carried on a subordinate's back.
Given that he was a noble, Rei figured he had probably prepared a carriage near the Guild. But considering he might have been seen on the way to that carriage, it wouldn't be strange for him to hold a grudge and attempt retaliation.
Of course, if he tried something like that, he would undoubtedly be counterattacked and defeated.
"Anyway, I get that a troublesome type like that might show up. Guarding here is a fairly tough job too, huh."
"Well, I won't deny that. But lately, guys like that had stopped coming around. Today, the biggest reason was probably that you showed up, Rei. If someone like that comes when you're not here, we just have to tell them we can't let them into the warehouse."
"And they'd give up?"
From what Rei could see, that noble had an attitude as if he thought he was the center of the world.
It seemed he believed adventurers like Rei and the others should meekly obey his commands as a matter of course.
As far as Rei was concerned, they could think whatever they liked.
But just because they thought that way didn't mean he had any obligation to comply—that was his honest feeling.
"Yeah. We'll make them give up. There've been guys who tried to force their way into the warehouse no matter what, but back then we stopped them by force. Nothing like that happened while I was on duty, though."
Rei replied to the adventurer man telling him this, agreeing that it made sense.
From what Rei could see, it was obvious that the adventurers didn't enjoy dealing with such parties either.
In Rei's case, he wouldn't hesitate to use force even against a noble.
The attack on the noble from earlier had unquestionably been done with considerable restraint.
He hadn't used Death Scythe, nor had he used the Twilight Spear.
He had attacked using the Eye of Nebula, and even then, the strikes were significantly held back.
In that sense, there was no doubt that the noble from earlier had been lucky.
Depending on the circumstances, a single strike from the Eye of Nebula could have inflicted far worse injuries than what had just occurred.
Had that happened, given that this was the Guild, there was no denying the possibility it could have become a major incident.
"For now, I'll report this matter to the Guild. The Guild will probably reach out to that noble... or whoever is above him. Once that happens, they'll come to apologize to the Guild and that'll be the end of it."
The qualifier "for the most part" was because among nobles, there were those who would absolutely never admit they were in the wrong.
That said, even such nobles, when a higher-ranking noble—one with a higher peerage—mediated, they could not refuse.
If their selfishness caused trouble for their faction, naturally many would feel disgust toward the noble who did such a thing.
They would likely think that the noble's fallout might land on them too.
Noble society was broad yet narrow.
There was no telling how or from where rumors might spread, and if that happened, it would unquestionably become troublesome.
To avoid that, one couldn't do anything careless... in theory.
That is, if they were talking purely in terms of logic.
(If that noble holds a grudge against me and tries something to settle the score, it'll definitely be a hassle for me in various ways. But even so, I don't particularly intend to do anything about it.)
Staying here might invite other troubles.
Judging that, Rei called out to the adventurers.
"If I stay here, it might cause trouble, so I'll head back soon."
"You should."
For the adventurers guarding the warehouse, if Rei were to stay here as he was, there was a high probability that a different kind of trouble from the noble earlier would come along.
It was only natural that they would want Rei to leave as quickly as possible to prevent that.
Rei naturally understood their thinking, but still, considering the current situation, he judged it better to distance himself as quickly as possible and departed right then.
...However, he didn't simply go back the way he came. Instead, he went into the Guild building first and then exited through the other side.
Given the earlier incident, the possibility that some kind of lookout was stationed on the road leading directly from the Guild warehouse to the outside could not be denied.
If so, he had no intention of deliberately walking into such a place himself.
By comparison, the Guild building—especially the area Rei headed toward, where requests were received and where the tavern was—still had quite a number of people gathered even at this hour.
If he exited through such a place, he didn't think he could throw off everyone watching, but he should at least be able to shake a certain number of them.
Given that, Rei was confident that his action was by no means a mistake.
(It seems I wasn't wrong. ...Still, there are some gazes on me.)
Exiting the Guild, he did indeed feel eyes on him.
Even so, he didn't feel that many.
By passing through the Guild, he had certainly reduced the number by some amount.
(Still, the fact that someone is watching me is a nuisance. ...There are quite a few people wearing robes like me, but even so, it seems I can't throw them off that easily.)
Just because he was being watched didn't mean he intended to take any action here.
If he moved needlessly now, it would only cause the person watching him to recognize that he was Rei.
"Well then, for now... should I just look around a bit? Even when I head back, I might end up bringing someone along."
When returning to Marina's house, it would be best to get back as quickly as possible.
Once inside Marina's property, it would not be so easy for anyone to follow Rei.
If there was anyone who could contact him in that situation, it would be someone who happened to be meeting with Elena when Rei returned to Marina's house.
Just because Rei had entered Marina's property didn't mean that if someone immediately requested to see Elena, it would naturally be granted right away.
She was the daughter of Duke Kerebel, who led the Noble Faction, one of the Three Great Factions of the Kingdom of Mireana, and a figure who could be called the symbol of the Noble Faction, bearing the alias of Princess General.
To make contact with someone like that, one would need to secure an appointment in advance—perhaps several days, or in some cases even earlier than that.
In that sense, entering Marina's property was the quickest solution.
(That said, once I do that, I won't be able to go out at all anymore.)
While walking through the city streets, he purchased various items from food stalls he had never bought from before.
If he were to buy ten or twenty servings' worth, there was a possibility he'd be identified as Rei.
He was cautious about that, so he only bought a normal single serving, or perhaps two.
(Ah, should I drop by the Treatment Center where Marina is working?)
Of course, if it became known that Rei had come, it would cause problems, so he couldn't go to the Treatment Center and meet Marina directly.
But he judged that just checking whether she was doing her work without any issues would be fine.
Eating the skewers he had bought at a stall, he headed toward the Treatment Center.
He had felt gazes during the Guild incident, but as he progressed, the eyes directed at Rei decreased.
Even those who found Rei suspicious didn't have absolute certainty.
If Rei had done something like rushing off somewhere, they might have been convinced he was Rei... but the current Rei wasn't rushing anywhere, and was only stopping by stalls to buy food.
If it were Rei, he wouldn't behave like that.
Those who thought so had dropped away from tailing him.
As far as Rei was concerned, he hadn't done that on purpose.
He hadn't decided on anything to do yet, so he had simply been taking detours while walking along.
The fact that those tailing him decreased under such circumstances was, in a way, undeniably fortunate.
"Hm? That's..."
The Treatment Center was getting close, but he noticed that for some reason, people were gathering around it.
What on earth had happened?
Rei didn't know that either, but if something had happened at the Treatment Center, it would undoubtedly involve Marina.
If Marina used her power—not physical strength, but in the comprehensive sense—she could handle most situations.
The Spirit Magic that Marina wielded had that much power.
In that sense, he didn't think Marina would be caught up in any danger.
Even so, he was undeniably concerned, and his steps toward the Treatment Center quickened slightly.
Marina was also a skilled healer.
Perhaps someone with an injury that even Marina couldn't do anything about had been brought in?
That was what he had been thinking... but what Rei saw after slipping through the gathered crowd was a scene in which several men were trapped inside water, frantically struggling, unable to breathe.