"You're Rei, right?"
Rei and Seto had just left the inn and were heading toward the guild when two men appeared before them, posing that very question.
While their tone was technically a query, the men's eyes held the light of absolute certainty. After all, there was no mistaking an adventurer accompanied by a Gryphon.
Seto was currently rumbling his throat contentedly while snacking on a grilled skewer. Rei nodded to the two figures, who were pointedly shifting their gazes away from the massive creature.
"Yeah."
Having confirmed his identity, the two men exchanged a silent look before speaking again.
"Lord Boruntar of the Azoth Firm has summoned you. Follow us."
The one who spoke appeared to be the leader, a warrior in his thirties.
"I refuse," Rei replied without a moment's hesitation.
"What!?"
The response was so unexpected that the men were left speechless.
It was only natural. These men were employed by one of the most prominent merchants in the City of Gilm—a man who essentially served as the coordinator for all the city's weapon shops. In an ordinary town, his influence might have been lesser, but in a frontier city like Gilm, the number of adventurers was staggering. Consequently, the power held by the man who managed the weapons those adventurers relied upon was immense. They hadn't imagined for a second that anyone would flatly reject a summons from such a figure.
"Is that all you wanted? I'll be going, then."
Seeing that the men were frozen in shock, Rei began to walk past them with Seto.
"Wait! Do you even know who Lord Boruntar is!?"
"Yeah. Or rather, you just said he was from the Azoth Firm yourself."
"Exactly! Then you should understand the consequences of refusing a summons from someone like him!"
"Even if you say that, I actually went to the Noble District yesterday after he called for me. His gatekeepers turned me away without a second thought. Why should I bother answering his summons twice?"
"...What?"
The men were stunned. Rei felt a secret smirk forming inside as things proceeded exactly as he’d anticipated. He left the men standing there and continued on his way with Seto. However...
"Wait. If that happened, it was certainly a failure on our part. To summon you and then treat you with such disrespect... I am sorry."
Seeing the leader bow his head deeply, Rei realized he couldn't simply walk away.
(That’s unexpected. Based on the rumors, I thought everyone associated with the Azoth Firm and Boruntar would be the type to use their position to force their demands on everyone.)
Rei stopped and let out a small sigh. If they had continued to be overbearing, he would have ignored them and headed for the guild. But with a man much older than himself—and one clearly wearing high-quality equipment—bowing his head like this, Rei would look like the villain if he didn't stop.
"Hey, Galahat-san! You don't need to bow your head to a brat like this!"
One of the other men, a man with a halberd, shouted in a panic at the sight of his leader—Galahat—bowing.
"We summoned him, yet the gatekeepers drove him off. In this situation, we are clearly the ones in the wrong. It is only natural to apologize."
"That's not your fault, Galahat-san! It was those gatekeepers... Good grief! Hey, you! Do you have any idea who this person is? This is Galahat-san, a B-Rank Adventurer! Don't just stand there and let a man like him keep his head bowed!"
The man glared at Rei, clearly feeling that talking to his leader was useless.
"Mult! We are the ones inviting him, so show the appropriate respect!"
"But!"
Mult reflexively tried to argue against Galahat's reprimand, but eventually, he clicked his tongue and looked away.
"I apologize again for our rudeness," Galahat said. "If it is convenient, would you be willing to accompany us now? I promise you won't have another unpleasant experience like you did yesterday."
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head as if asking "What are we doing?" and Rei sighed as he stroked its back.
"Fine. I can't really refuse after you've gone that far."
(I could have just walked away if it were only that Mult guy... but I didn't think anyone in the Azoth Firm would be so decent. I guess it really is true that you shouldn't judge things based on rumors alone. If that's the case, maybe Boruntar isn't as bad as his reputation suggests either... It might be worth meeting him properly once.)
"Oh, that is a help. I shall lead the way. Please, follow me."
Galahat began to walk with a smile. Mult and Rei followed, with Seto bringing up the rear.
"Good grief," Mult muttered as they walked. "I'm letting it slide this time because Galahat-san stopped me, but don't get too carried away just because you've become a little famous. You'll get crushed eventually. Not all adventurers are as big-hearted as Galahat-san."
Mult's gaze made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction. He clearly resented that the man he respected had bowed to a mere child.
"If the Azoth Firm had handled things properly yesterday, it wouldn't have come to this in the first place," Rei pointed out. "Isn't it a bit misplaced to be blaming me?"
"Hah!?"
Mult turned to glare at him, but...
"Mult!"
He was immediately silenced by Galahat's stern voice from the front.
(I see. Mult clearly can't win against Galahat. I'm not sure if it's out of trust or just pure admiration, though.)
Muttering to himself internally, Rei followed Galahat and the others. Before long, they re-entered the Noble District.
As they walked through the streets, they spotted a few men who looked like adventurers walking toward them.
"!?"
Galahat's entourage—or rather, the men approaching—stiffened for a moment upon seeing Seto, but they soon let out sighs of relief.
"Yo, Galahat-san. Is that Gryphon the one everyone's talking about? ...Hm? Wait, you're the kid from yesterday..."
The man who had called out to Galahat recognized the familiar face. It was the same person he had seen right around here the day before.
"What's this, boy? Are you back at the Azoth Firm again today?"
Rei finally remembered who the men were.
"Right, we met around here yesterday..."
"Yeah. No, wait. If you have that Gryphon with you, does that mean you're that rookie everyone's been talking about?"
"I can guess what kind of rumors are going around, and you're probably right. Your equipment looks quite different, though."
The men he had met yesterday had all been wearing green-dyed leather armor. But the men before Rei now were wearing various gear—metal armor, cloaks, and personal leather armor. None of them wore the matching green sets from yesterday.
Noticing Rei's gaze, the man spoke with a bitter smile.
"That equipment was provided by the employer. Apparently, he had a longing for knight orders or something, so the contract required us to wear matching armor while we were in his service."
"I take it you're not anymore?"
"Well, yeah. The contract period ended yesterday, so we're back to our own gear today."
"Rei, do you know these people?" Galahat asked, noticing their casual conversation.
The other man spoke up before Rei could reply.
"It's not like we're close. He just asked me where Lord Boruntar's Residence was while I was on patrol here yesterday."
"I see... Is that so. My apologies."
"Huh? What are you apologizing for?" The man looked puzzled as Galahat gave a small bow.
"Well, the truth is, Rei did come to Lord Boruntar's Residence yesterday... but it seems the gatekeepers turned him away. I'm putting him through the trouble of coming here twice. It also means the directions you gave him ended up being a waste of time."
"Ah, don't worry about it. You've helped us out in a lot of ways, Galahat-san. Something like this is nothing."
The other men behind him nodded in agreement.
(As I thought, Galahat seems to have a fair amount of popularity. It's not just Mult who admires him.)
Rei's opinion of Galahat continued to rise.
"Well, we're heading to the guild to collect our reward. See you later, Galahat-san. Mult, try not to give Galahat-san too much trouble."
"Yeah. You guys stay safe."
"Shut up! Just get to the guild and drink your rewards away."
Though he was complaining, the look Mult gave the departing men held a certain sense of camaraderie.
"Are you close with those guys?" Rei asked.
Mult seemed like a typical muscle-brain type who admired Galahat because he was stronger, while judging anyone who looked weaker as beneath him. Given that personality, Rei didn't think he would be so friendly with someone he didn't know well.
"Hm? Ah, well, yes. Those guys are fairly capable adventurers. C-Rank, if I recall."
They continued their walk toward the mansion.
"Heh. What's their party name? The only C-Rank parties I've heard of around here are Scorching Wind and the Crushing Warriors."
"No, those guys aren't actually in a party together. They just happened to be on the same request this time; they all belong to different parties or work solo."
"...Isn't that unusual?" Rei asked, surprised.
"It is. But every adventurer has their own circumstances, and it's bad manners to pry. ...Anyway, we're here."
Ahead of Galahat's gaze was the Golden Roof Rei had seen the day before. Two gatekeepers stood before the entrance.
The two men were glaring at the group with spears in hand, just as they had yesterday, but...
"Ah, Galahat-san."
Recognizing Galahat, they let out sighs of relief and lowered their spear points.
"Wait? That brat from yesterday..."
Then, the gatekeepers noticed Rei and let out puzzled voices. Galahat looked at them with cold eyes.
"This is Rei. He was here yesterday, wasn't he?"
"Y-Yes. He said he wanted to be hired by the Azoth Firm—"
"No, I don't recall saying anything like that," Rei flatly interrupted Feder's attempt at an excuse.
"Guh! Sh-shut up, you brat! What are you doing here today!?"
Fearing for his position, Feder leveled his spear at Rei.
"Gurururururu!"
Seto stepped in front of Rei, letting out a bellicose cry. Its sharp eyes, usually round and cute, were filled with a menacing glare directed straight at Feder.
"Eek!"
Meeting Seto's gaze head-on, Feder instinctively recoiled, stumbling back until he bumped into his partner, Cinquante.
"Idiots," Galahat said. "Rei is someone Lord Boruntar summoned personally. You two turned him away based on your own selfish judgment. You turned away a guest... I'm sure you were given the briefing. Are you saying you didn't bother to remember it?"
"Well... we just didn't think a filthy brat like this would be Lord Boruntar's guest..."
As Feder desperately tried to make excuses, Cinquante stood in somber silence, clearly realizing the fatal mistake they had made. Galahat looked at Mult.
"Listen well. Remember that if you act based solely on your own assumptions, you can commit irreparable blunders like these men."
"Yes, sir."
"And Rei. My apologies for the unpleasant experience. These two will be properly punished. I hope you can find it in you to forgive us."
"Well, if Galahat says so, I don't mind."
"Then, allow me to say it once more. Welcome to the Boruntar Mansion."
Galahat gave an elegant bow that was quite unlike that of an adventurer.