The one who spoke was a handsome knight with striking purple hair and an elegant presence.
Rather than a knight, he gave off the impression of a noble young lord.
"My name is Satoru Gojo. I'm a friend of Reinhard's."
"Right?"
Faced with the group's obvious caution, Gojo did not seem bothered at all, still wearing that easygoing smile.
Reinhard nodded and spoke up. "This is actually only the second time I've met him. The last time was yesterday. He didn't have money for an inn, so I lent him some."
His explanation was concise. With just a few words, Reinhard clarified his relationship with Gojo to his fellow knights.
Even if Gojo called him a friend, compared to the comrades Reinhard had fought alongside for years, this unfamiliar traveler was still someone they could not fully trust.
After that, Reinhard turned his gaze to Gojo.
"Can you explain exactly what happened here?"
"There's no need to worry about being falsely accused…"
"No, no. I don't really have that concern."
Gojo shrugged, his tone calm, yet filled with quiet confidence.
"Honestly, I doubt anyone would still do something that stupid after what happened tonight."
"Besides, if you think about it another way, you could say this was me returning the favor."
Gojo briefly explained the encounter with the woman from earlier.
As for the matter of hiring Felt to steal something, he naturally glossed over it.
"Subaru, hand me the blade."
Subaru Natsuki passed the broken knife to Gojo.
"Here. This is that woman's weapon. Anything else you want to know?"
Gojo casually tossed the blade toward Reinhard and let out a yawn.
Reinhard caught it and examined it carefully.
At that moment, the purple-haired knight spoke in a low voice.
"If what you said is accurate, then I believe I know who you fought."
"An assassin from the underground world, known as the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."
"She has assassinated many important figures across various nations. She enjoys toying with her targets' organs and is wanted by multiple countries."
"I didn't expect someone like her to appear in the royal capital."
"Well, whatever her identity was doesn't really matter."
Gojo was clearly uninterested. To him, someone he had already defeated was not worth further attention.
"Someone that dangerous is probably a headache for knights like you anyway. You can just take this as me paying you back."
As he finished speaking, Felt quietly crept over and tugged on his sleeve, signaling for him to bend down.
She glanced at Reinhard and the others, then whispered into Gojo's ear.
"What kind of favor do you even owe him?"
"It's nothing much. Just a few silver coins…"
"Idiot! Just a few silver coins?!"
"Do you have any idea how big the bounty is on someone wanted by multiple countries?"
"Is that really something you settle with a few silver coins?"
"…"
"Ha… ha ha."
Gojo let out an awkward laugh. "Well, he did help me out…"
Felt gave a cold snort, crossing her arms as she stared at him.
Under her gaze, Gojo suddenly turned toward Reinhard with a serious expression.
"About the Bowel Hunter, the credit can go to you. But I think we should have a proper discussion about the bounty."
Missing out on those twenty Holy Gold Coins earlier had already hurt enough.
And now there was a bounty on top of that.
Just like Felt said.
What he needed most right now was money.
Without it, he did not even have a place to stay, let alone desserts.
How could the head of the Gojo family, a once-in-a-generation prodigy of the jujutsu world, end up living this pathetically?
Reinhard lifted his gaze from the broken blade, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"We'll verify everything first. If it's confirmed that Elsa Granhiert is truly dead, then the bounty will naturally be awarded to you."
"But for now, we'll need you to come with us to the Royal Guard headquarters to register and give a detailed account of what happened tonight, so it can be properly recorded."
"Also, regarding your battle with the Bowel Hunter, if it caused harm to others or property damage…"
"Hey, hey, hold on."
Gojo quickly raised his hands in a stop gesture, cutting Reinhard off.
He was already drowning in debt. He had no intention of adding more.
"You're not about to tell me someone lives in the sky, right?"
During the fight, he had deliberately aimed his attack upward for that exact reason. Too many people lived nearby in the slums.
If that Red had swept across the ground instead, who knew how many homes would have been destroyed, or how many lives lost.
Reinhard could not help but smile.
"That's just standard procedure. Even if someone files a complaint, we'll investigate it properly. You don't need to worry."
"That's a relief."
Gojo patted his chest and let out a breath.
"Alright then, let's go."
"Don't we still need to do that registration?"
As he spoke, Gojo walked up beside Reinhard and leaned in familiarly.
"I'm guessing you wouldn't mind arranging a place for us to rest, and maybe some food too?"
"If possible, of course."
After a brief discussion, Gojo and the others followed Reinhard's group to the Royal Guard headquarters.
On the way, the refined purple-haired knight who had come with Reinhard took the initiative to chat with Gojo.
Most of his questions were about Gojo himself.
Where he came from, why he had come to Lugunica, and so on.
Gojo answered him the same way he had answered Reinhard before.
Aside from hiding the fact that he had crossed worlds, everything else was the truth, so it was not really deception.
Through the conversation, Gojo also learned quite a bit about the knight named Julius Juukulius, as well as some things about the knight order.
Amid the relaxed chatter, it did not take long for the group to arrive at the headquarters.
Reinhard and Julius led them into a spacious room and began a more detailed inquiry about the events of the night.
"If it's possible, I'd like some desserts. Hot tea would be even better."
The moment he sat down, Gojo raised his hand like an elementary school kid asking to speak.
"Subaru, you're hungry too, right?"
"Sorry, but could you bring some other food as well? None of us had dinner."