The City of Gilm was the only city within the territory of Margrave Larcus. Along the highway leading to its gates, two carriages made steady progress.
While towering cumulus clouds drifted through the high, brilliant blue sky, the horses pulling the vehicles maintained a leisurely pace.
"Oh, the city is finally coming into view," Gran muttered from inside the larger carriage.
Through the window, the outer walls of Gilm had appeared on the horizon.
"Ah, I'm exhausted," Culotte sighed, the relief of seeing the walls clear in her voice. "I know it was for the rank-up exam, but traveling for several days straight really takes its toll."
"I'm tired too... but it worked out, didn't it? The merchants we rescued had their carriages left intact," Scola noted.
"Well, yeah. I guess even the bandits realized those carriages were worth keeping."
It was true. After Rei and the others had suppressed the cave that served as the Bandit Gang's base, they had found the two carriages belonging to the rescued merchants hidden nearby, away from the forest's edge. The bandits likely intended to use them to transport stolen cargo. Thanks to that discovery, they had avoided the cramped misery of squeezing both merchants into the Guild's carriage, which was already at maximum capacity.
As Gilm—the place they all called home—loomed larger, Gran tapped on the carriage wall to get the attention of Superbia in the driver's seat and Rei on lookout.
"Rei, Superbia, you hear me?"
"Yeah," Rei replied.
"Loud and clear," Superbia added.
Gran nodded at their responses. "Alright, now that Gilm is in sight, I’ll explain what happens once we’re back. It's nothing complicated. Once we reach the Guild today, you’re all disbanded. You can pick up your reward for the request at the reception later. After that, I want you to gather in the Guild meeting room again tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be announcing the rank-up exam results then, so don’t give me any 'I forgot' excuses. That’s the gist of it. Any questions?"
Culotte spoke up immediately. "What about the treasure we took from the bandit hideout?"
"I don't care how you divide that among yourselves. Just don't go causing a scene by squabbling over it," Gran warned.
"Got it. Then, to make sure things stay civil, would it be okay if we split the loot as soon as we disband at the Guild?"
The others inside the carriage nodded in agreement. Even Rei and Superbia remained silent in the driver's seat, seemingly having no objections.
"Then it’s settled," Culotte said. "Rei, you heard that, right? Once we disband... ah, wait, where should we actually do the distribution? We can't exactly do it in the middle of the Guild hall..."
Among adventurers, there were plenty of low-lives who used their rank to bully others. If they flaunted their spoils in front of such people, they were asking for trouble—Culotte could already envision the headaches.
"In that case, I'll lend you the 2F meeting room," Gran offered, coming to her rescue. "Given the volume, it might be a pain to carry it all home at once, but you'll have to figure that part out yourselves."
"Wait, really? That solves everything. Thanks, Gran-san!"
"Don't mention it. Personally, I'd rather provide a room than have a brawl break out in my lobby."
"What? Like we’d ever... oh, right. Arrogan might be a bit of a liability."
"Hey! Why is it always me!?"
Arrogan and Culotte bickered playfully, but the air between them was a far cry from the hostility they’d shown at the start of the exam.
It was a natural change. During the few days following the total annihilation of the Bandit Gang, Arrogan, Culotte, and Scola—all of whom had been tormented by nightmares—had poured out their feelings. They had spoken heart-to-heart about the weight of killing the bandits. As a result, the three of them—particularly Arrogan and Culotte—had hit it off so well that the others wondered where all that initial animosity had gone.
(...To be honest, I wish they'd become this friendly at the start of the exam. I guess they're just two of a kind when it comes to being stubborn,) Rei thought, listening to the banter behind him with a wry smile.
Since they were this close to the city, the chances of a monster attack were slim. Rei had shifted his focus from scanning for threats to simply enjoying the view.
"...Rei," Superbia spoke softly, keeping his voice low enough that those inside the carriage wouldn't hear.
"Something wrong?"
"No, well... I just wanted to say I learned a lot this time. I thought I was strong—and for an E-Rank, I suppose I am. But this trip forced me to realize that I'm only strong within that tiny, limited world."
"Is that so?"
In Rei's eyes, Superbia's skills were genuinely high. At the very least, he was far superior to the members of Falcon's Claws, who had spent their time posturing as D-Ranks.
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you it was a good experience. I learned plenty."
"If you feel that way, then that's good enough. I didn't really do anything special."
For the remainder of the trip, the two spent their time discussing the finer points of close combat and sharing stories of past battles.
"Ah, Rei. Welcome back. Did the rank-up exam go smoothly?"
When the carriage reached the main gate, Ranga called out with his usual professional politeness.
"Yeah, we made it. No injuries, either. As long as I pass the exam, I won't have anything to complain about..."
While they talked, Rei handed over his Guild Card. Nearby, the others were also submitting their identification to the other guards.
"By the way, do you know where Set is?"
"Set hasn't left the city today. I heard it returned from a subjugation request yesterday with the members of Scorching Wind, so I imagine it's resting in the stables."
"I see. That's good. It didn't cause any trouble, did it?"
"None at all. Everything's been quiet."
Rei let out a sigh of relief. Even though Set was as intelligent as any human, he had still been slightly worried, as they had never been apart for this long before.
"All right, you're clear to pass. Go on in."
With permission granted, the carriage rolled into the city. The two merchants stayed behind, as their paperwork was more extensive than the adventurers', so they parted ways there.
Once inside Gilm, they headed straight for the Guild. Everyone stepped off the carriage and began unloading their belongings. In Rei's case, all his gear was stored within the Misty Ring. Even his Death Scythe was put away to avoid being a nuisance in the city. He stood there completely empty-handed, save for the Mithril Knife tucked into his belt.
Once everyone had their luggage, Gran addressed the group.
"Alright, good work on the exam. We'll disband here. Like I said in the carriage, you can pick up your reward at the counter. I’ll go handle the paperwork for the meeting room, so feel free to head up. Dismissed."
With that, Gran disappeared into the Guild. As the supervisor, he clearly had plenty of work waiting for him.
"Well then, let's go get our rewards first."
"Right. They say he who mocks a single silver coin will one day weep for one," Arrogan agreed, echoing Culotte's suggestion.
The Guild hall was relatively quiet, given the time of day. Only a few adventurers were eating a late lunch or scanning the request boards. The six of them made their way to the counter.
Upon seeing Rei, Lenora and Kenny's faces immediately brightened.
"Rei-san, welcome back! Did the rank-up exam go okay?"
"Yeah, managed to get through it. We're here for the reward. Gran told us we could collect it here."
"That's right. I'll just need to see your Guild Card to confirm."
"Hey, Lenora! I was going to help Rei-kun—"
"Now, now, I've got Rei-san. Kenny, you take care of the others, please."
"...Fine, I get it."
Following Lenora's lead, the six adventurers divided among the available receptionists. They submitted their cards, signed the documents, and each received a single silver coin.
"Congratulations on finishing the exam," Lenora said with a smile. "Now you just have to wait for the results. Make sure to rest well today so you aren't carrying any fatigue tomorrow."
"Thanks. Also, we're going to use the meeting room upstairs for a bit. Gran said he'd clear it with you."
"Understood. There aren't any meetings scheduled, so there shouldn't be a problem."
Rei nodded and headed up the stairs with the others.
"Rei-kun! We're celebrating when you pass!" Kenny called out after him.
"My, Rei, you're certainly popular with the ladies. That's a bit unexpected," Feelma said, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. Beside her, Culotte grinned as if she'd discovered a juicy secret.
"I didn't realize Rei had a preference for older women. I'll have to watch my back."
"It's not like that. They're just teasing me."
"Are they? Those eyes looked pretty serious to me," Culotte countered.
As they walked, Superbia muttered a single word under his breath.
"...Jealous."
"Wait, Superbia!? Since when were you that kind of character!?"
"First Rei’s tastes, now Superbia’s personality. This trip is full of surprises," Feelma laughed.
Bickering and joking, they entered the meeting room and made sure to shut the door firmly behind them.
"Alright, Rei. Do your thing."
"Got it."
At Culotte's prompting, Rei began pulling items from the Misty Ring—weapons, armor, gems, currency, potions, and cheap magic items from the bandit hideout. He lined them up across the table.
The sheer volume was staggering; the table groaned under the weight as if its legs might snap at any moment. It was a testament to the quality of the Guild's furniture that it held up at all.
The other five watched in half-stunned silence as a mountain of loot appeared from thin air. After about five minutes, when Rei finally finished, their attention turned to the spoils.
"Now, the question is how to split this... it's hard to divide perfectly six ways. Let's start with preferences. I'm fine with weapons."
Following Rei's lead, everyone stated what they wanted. Arrogan and Culotte both wanted currency. Scola wanted the potions and magic items. Feelma aimed for the gems, while Superbia wanted the armor.
"Hey, why are you going for the money too? Grab some spare gear or something!"
"You could say the same to you! You're a thief; shouldn't you be eyeing the weapons?"
As Arrogan and Culotte began to squabble, the other four watched with tired eyes. After ten minutes of the same back-and-forth, Rei decided he'd seen enough.
"I'll take ten spears and five daggers. That's all I need. Any objections?" Rei asked, looking at the group.
"No, if that's all you want, we're fine with it..." Culotte said, and the others nodded.
"I don't mind either, but... are you sure? You have that great scythe; those will only ever be spares," Superbia noted.
"I can use them as javelins. They're useful enough for throwing."
As he spoke, Rei stored the ten spears and five daggers back into the Misty Ring.
"Alright, that's my share. The five of you can figure out the rest. I’m going back to the inn; I want to see how Set is doing."
"A-Ah, sure."
"If you're okay with that, Rei, then so are we," Feelma added.
Since his choices didn't overlap with anyone else's goals, no one complained. Arrogan, in particular, was more than happy to see Rei leave. If the guy he felt so intimidated by was satisfied with a few cheap weapons and left the rest to them, he considered it a win.
"I'll be going then. See you at the Guild tomorrow."
With no objections from the group, Rei quickly made his exit. As soon as the door closed, the sound of Arrogan and Culotte bickering resumed behind him.
"Oh, Rei-san. Are you done with the meeting room already?" Lenora asked as he came back down to the 1F. Kenny was busy with another adventurer and could only shoot a resentful glance at Lenora for getting to talk to him again.
"My part is finished. The other five will probably be a while longer, though."
"I see. Well, like I said, we don't have any other plans for the room today, so they can take their time."
Rei shared a few more words with her and left the Guild. Lenora watched him go with a knowing smile, having a very good idea of why he was in such a rush.
Ten minutes later, Rei stood before the stables of the Dusk Wheat Inn. In his hand, he held ten meat skewers he’d bought from a street stall—Set's favorite.
"Guru-ru-ru-ru-ru-ru!"
Set's joy-filled cry echoed through the stable, startling the other horses. Rei knew he’d likely get a scolding from Lana later for the noise, but for now, he didn't care.
He was just happy to be reunited with Set after their first long time apart.