The clock winds back to the night Rei and Set first arrived in the City of Gilm.
At the center of the city stood a structure too grand to be a mere mansion, yet too modest to be called a castle. As one might expect of a frontier town, the building prioritized fortification over aesthetics, designed more for a long siege than for show. It was a rugged, imposing edifice.
The master of this house was Margrave Larcus, the ruler of the City of Gilm.
Strictly speaking, the Margrave ruled the entire surrounding region, but no matter how vast his lands were, Gilm was the only city within them. Naturally, generations of Margraves had attempted to develop the territory, but the harsh reality of the frontier—namely, the overwhelming presence of monsters—forced them to abandon any hopes of establishing new villages or towns.
At night, monsters prowled the highways outside the walls. No carpenter would ever accept a contract to build a house under those conditions. A few had tried building during the day and retreating to the safety of Gilm at night, only to find their hard work reduced to rubble by the following morning.
Others attempted to erect outer walls first, but an entire perimeter couldn't be finished in a single night. Inevitably, the half-finished walls were smashed to pieces before dawn.
Gilm itself had been established as the Kingdom of Mireana’s primary foothold on the frontier. The only reason the city existed at all was because of a sheer exercise in brute force: they had simply slaughtered every monster that appeared. To achieve this, nearly half the total military strength of Mireana—a nation considered a major power on the Central Continent—had been stationed on this site until the city was complete. That alone spoke to the staggering scale of the task.
The current lord of this city sat in his office, looking up at the ceiling as he processed the report on his desk. He took a sip or two of the wine he’d intended to save for later, using it as a tonic to steady his nerves, and took a deep breath.
He checked his reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall. He was a middle-aged man in his forties with an intimidating face, an impression only strengthened by the thick beard around his mouth.
Exhaling slowly, he returned to his desk and scanned the documents once more.
The report stated that a single individual had entered the city. Since Gilm was the only major settlement in the Margrave’s territory, it was a massive, populous place. Ordinarily, the arrival of one stranger wouldn’t warrant the Margrave’s personal attention—unless, of course, that person was a notorious criminal or the heir to a high-ranking noble family from the capital.
However, the contents of the report currently before Margrave Larcus were significant enough to rival either of those scenarios.
"...A man accompanied by a Rank A Gryphon, you say?"
He read the line over and over. No matter how many times he looked, the words remained unchanged.
"Neither a dream nor an illusion. Should I be celebrating or lamenting?"
A man with a Rank A monster in tow. And according to the report, he intended to become an adventurer. If that was true, the city had just gained an incredibly potent military asset.
Given the recent unnatural movements among the monsters, a warrior of that caliber was nothing short of a godsend.
"But the timing is far too convenient," the Margrave muttered, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the paper.
With a heavy sigh, he rang a bell on his desk. A moment later, a knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
"Excuse me, Margrave. You summoned me?" A man in his twenties entered. He was the Margrave's subordinate, acting as a personal secretary.
"Yes. Ranga, the Captain of the Guard Force... call him here. I want to speak with him directly about the report he submitted."
"Understood. Right away."
The Margrave watched his subordinate salute and leave, then turned his attention back to the documents.
"Abnormal monster behavior. Reports of several Rare Species. And then this boy arrives... Will he be a seed of chaos or a savior? For our sake, I hope it’s the latter."
Another knock sounded shortly after.
"Enter."
"Captain Ranga of the Guard Force, reporting as ordered, sir!"
The Margrave glanced at Ranga. With his fierce face and imposing beard, the man looked remarkably like his lord. The Margrave offered a small smile before speaking.
"Right. I called you here regarding your report."
"Yes, sir."
"You claim a person capable of taming a Rank A Gryphon has entered the city."
"There is no mistake, sir."
"...What was he like? Give me your honest impression."
Ranga recalled the youth he had met that afternoon. Rei had left a vivid impression, making him easy to describe.
"First, as for his appearance, he was quite short—his head barely reached my chest."
"That is... smaller than I expected."
The Margrave had imagined a mountain of a man, and he nodded, noting the discrepancy.
"He has red hair and blue eyes, with rather refined features. He wore a robe that appeared to be a Magic Item and carried a Great Scythe that was longer than he was tall. I also confirmed that he possesses some kind of Item Box Magic Item."
"...Are you certain?" the Margrave asked, his voice laced with involuntary skepticism.
Ranga met his gaze and nodded firmly. "Yes, sir. Absolutely certain."
"What an absurdly conspicuous fellow."
Small stature. A magic robe. A massive scythe. A legendary Item Box. And a Gryphon. As the Margrave pieced the image together, the result was someone who would stand out anywhere. He had considered the possibility of a foreign spy or saboteur, but no professional agent would ever dress so flamboyantly.
"And his actions after entering the city?"
"The report says he went straight to the Adventurer's Guild. After registering, he immediately got into a dispute with some D-Rank adventurers."
The Margrave’s cheek twitched. "So, is his goal to eliminate the adventurers of Gilm?"
"No, sir. According to our sources, the other adventurers were the ones who initiated the confrontation."
The Margrave exhaled a long breath of relief. Adventurers were the lifeblood of Gilm, both for its defense and its economy. If someone were to systematically wipe them out, the city wouldn't survive long. Ranga’s clarification was enough to ease his tension.
"Based on your description, he doesn't seem the type to favor subtlety."
"I agree, sir."
"Then you don't think he's a foreign spy?"
"It seems highly unlikely. The boy was remarkably ignorant of common knowledge. He didn't even know there was an entry tax. More importantly, while he had Gold Coins, he didn't possess a single Silver Coin or Copper Coin."
The Margrave frowned, though not out of suspicion this time. "Ignorant of common sense and carrying no small change? Where has he been living?"
Currency was well-established across the Central Continent. To arrive at a city without even a single Copper Coin was baffling.
"He claims he lived deep in the mountains with his magic mentor... but..."
"But?"
"Well... he used the term 'Sorcery' instead of 'Magic.'"
"...What?"
Magic and Sorcery. They referred to the same thing, but 'Sorcery' was an archaic term that had fallen out of use long ago. Most people today wouldn't even recognize the word.
"Just how isolated was this mountain?"
The Margrave had now almost entirely ruled out the idea of Rei being a spy.
"He didn't seem to know his own location, either. He said his training was finished, so his master used Teleportation Magic to dump him in the Forest of Magic, telling him to become an adventurer."
"The Forest of Magic?" the Margrave groaned.
It was a forest about ten days' walk from the city. It was home to everything from low-level Slimes and wild animals to terrifying high-rank Dragon Species. It was a true wilderness of beasts.
"Yes, sir. He reportedly hunted a Water Bear and a Jarm there, and he used their pelts to pay his taxes."
"Taking down a Rank C Water Bear? Well, if he has a Gryphon, I suppose that’s not so surprising."
A Water Bear was Rank C, and a Jarm was Rank F—though the latter could reach Rank D if encountered in a pack.
"Very well. Based on your report, I'll assume he isn't a foreign agent."
"I concur, sir. While his strength is significant, no one would use such a conspicuous person for infiltration. He could be a decoy, but..." Ranga shook his head. "There’s no point in using someone who can tame a Gryphon as a mere distraction. There are far better ways to utilize that kind of power."
The Margrave nodded. "I agree. Still, we can't ignore the one-in-a-million chance. Keep an eye on the boy—Rei, was he? Just... look out for him."
"Is that a surveillance order, sir?"
"No, it’s not an order to watch him, but to look after him. Based on what you’ve said, he’s lived alone with his master and likely lacks social graces. I don't want to lose a talent capable of taming a Gryphon over some petty grievance. In particular, watch the Noble's Faction. If they try to sink their claws into him, let me know. I'll handle them."
"Understood, sir!"
The Noble's Faction was the power block centered around the high aristocracy. In Mireana, the King's Faction, the Noble's Faction, and the Neutral Faction were locked in a constant struggle for influence. As part of the Neutral Faction, the Margrave was in the minority, with the ratio being roughly 6:3:1.
The Noble's Faction often harassed smaller powers. The thought of them antagonizing a boy who commanded a Rank A Gryphon made the Margrave look as though he’d just swallowed something incredibly bitter.
The day after Rei arrived in Gilm, an adventurer party was locked in combat a few hours outside the city.
"Damn it!"
A large man cursed as he swung a massive axe.
"Gigi!"
The target was a meter-long ant. Even with its head severed by the axe, the creature continued to thrash in its death throes.
"Vargas! Don't get sloppy!"
A man with a longsword and shield shouted at his leader, using his shield to block the headless ant as it lunged at Vargas. A third man moved in quickly, severing the creature's legs to finally end the fight.
"Dammit, Vargas! I told you we can't keep fighting like we used to!" Zolito, the swordsman, barked.
"I know that! But why the hell are we stuck fighting these weaklings?!" Vargas slammed his axe into the dirt, sending soil and rocks flying in frustration.
"Cool it. Don't forget we're in over our heads with debt. If we try to run, we'll be branded as outlaws for sure."
Vargas clicked his tongue at the reminder from the man with the dagger.
Debt. Indeed, the D-Rank adventurer party known as the Falcon's Claws was currently drowning in it.
It had all started during a celebration after they’d cleared a magic trap in a labyrinth. Vargas, a naturally boorish and aggressive man, had picked a fight with a newcomer at the Adventurer's Guild. He’d chosen the wrong target. One thing led to another, they dueled in front of the guild with all their funds on the line, and they had been utterly humiliated. Their weapons and gold were stripped away, leaving them with nothing but broken bones and bruised egos.
Vargas had suffered the worst of it, losing the Battle Axe—a Magic Item he’d only just acquired—in the process.
Because they were injured, they’d needed treatment from a clinic or a mage, but since Rei had taken every last coin, they didn't even have money for food, let alone medical bills.
However, as a D-Rank party, they had a modicum of trust and a proven record. The guild had advanced them the cost of treatment and basic living expenses on credit. Now, they had to pay it back, which was why they were currently stuck taking low-paying requests to hunt Soldier Ants.
As for their gear, they were using the old backup weapons they’d kept from before Vargas’s magic axe, so their debt was strictly for medical and living costs.
There was no escaping a debt to the guild. With Magic Items allowing branches across the world to maintain close contact, any attempt to flee would result in them being blacklisted and hunted by bounty hunters. None of them wanted to end up as "Dead or Alive" targets, so the Falcon's Claws were forced to toil away at menial tasks.
"Who the hell is 'Goblin Drool'?!" Vargas roared, desperately refuting the disgraceful name Rei had branded them with.