Not far from the City of Gilm stood a mountain. At its summit, a flock of Harpies had built a nest, preying on travelers, merchants, and adventurers alike. Having decided to accept the Harpy subjugation request, Rei, Phron, and Brasso headed toward the guild counter.
"Ah, all three of you. Have you reached a decision on the request?"
Phron nodded at Lenora’s question.
"Yeah. The three of us are taking this one."
Phron produced the documents she had taken from the B-Rank request board. Upon receiving them, Lenora furrowed her brows slightly.
"Rank B? In that case, we’ll process this as Rei joining the Crushing Warriors as a temporary member. Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah. We can’t take a B-Rank request otherwise."
"And you have no objections, Rei?"
Lenora turned a lingering glance toward him. Since Rei generally operated solo, she was likely worried about whether he could function effectively as part of a temporary party.
In this regard, unlike her colleague Kenny—who was currently casting envious looks at Lenora from the side—Lenora tended to view Rei more like a younger brother.
"It's fine with me. This isn't the first time I've joined another party, even if it's only temporary."
As Rei muttered those words, memories of the raid on the Orc settlement, his Rank Up Exam, and the time he had dived into the dungeon with Elena’s group flashed through his mind.
However, Lenora shook her head in disagreement.
"I suspect you're thinking of the Orc settlement right now, but that was a special case. Given the sheer number of people involved, it's quite different from actually coordinating within a specific party."
"...I served as a guard for another party on a nomination request once, didn't I?"
"Was that a party of adventurers?"
"..."
At Lenora’s pointed question, Rei quietly averted his eyes. If he still felt compelled to speak, it was likely out of pure stubbornness.
"I formed a party with others during the Rank Up Exam."
"I’m well aware of the Rank Up Exam, but even then, that was essentially a temporary party comprised almost entirely of solo members."
"Now then, Lady Lenora. Don't be so hard on the lad. It'll be fine, I tell ye. We've shared many a drink together, so I reckon we'll get along just fine, I do."
Lenora let out an involuntary sigh as she looked at Brasso, who had interjected with a wry smile.
"Very well. If you say so, Brasso, I will trust your judgment. The Harpy subjugation request is now officially accepted by the Crushing Warriors."
As she spoke, Lenora filled in the necessary details on the documents. Once finished, she looked back at Rei as if suddenly remembering something.
"Oh, that’s right. Regarding your material stripping request, it has been officially accepted at Rank D. How would you like to handle the rewards and the processing fee? Will you pay now?"
"Yeah. How much do I owe you?"
"Since it’s Rank D, the processing fee is one silver coin."
Rei pulled a coin pouch from his breast pocket and handed over the silver coin.
"Yes, exactly. Then we'll stick with the conditions you wrote down the other day, correct? And as a reminder, you will be conducting interviews when you accept the actual requests."
"Please. However, as you can see, I'm heading out for the Harpy subjugation now. It would be helpful if you could add a note saying that since the client is an adventurer, the interview times will be irregular."
"Understood. I’ll make a note of it. Well then, members of the Crushing Warriors, and you too, Rei. I look forward to your safe return."
The three of them left the guild, seen off by Lenora’s polite bow.
"Take care, Rei!"
Kenny’s voice echoed through the guild hall after them.
"Hahaha. You're quite the lady-killer, aren't you?"
Once outside, Phron grinned and slapped Rei repeatedly on the back.
"I don't think it's like that. Honestly, I feel more like a favorite pet to them."
"Still, I bet the adventurers who worship Kenny would be green with envy. In fact, you were getting some pretty jealous stares back there."
Rei gave a light shrug at Phron’s teasing before looking ahead.
"So, what’s the plan? Should we rent a carriage?"
"Huh? Not a chance. It’s not far enough to take days. We’re walking, obviously."
"That’s right. The reward for this request is small to begin with, so to be honest, we want to avoid any unnecessary expenses, we do," Brasso added.
Phron shook her head at Rei’s question, and Brasso nodded in agreement.
"Well, wouldn't it be faster to finish the request quickly and move on to the next one? In the end, that would probably increase our total earnings, wouldn't it?"
"I know that's one way of looking at it. But even if it's only temporary, you've joined the Crushing Warriors. You'll have to follow our style while you're with us."
"...I'm not hurting for money, so I don't mind either way."
As they talked, they reached the waiting area for tamed monsters and carriages. As usual, a large crowd of children had gathered around Seto.
There were adults among them as well, some holding pieces of dried meat they had presumably bought specifically to feed him.
Leaving Phron and Brasso to stare in surprise at the crowd, Rei waded into the throng with practiced ease.
"Sorry, everyone. We have a request to get to, so that's all for today. Also, we’re going on a long trip, so Seto won't be here tomorrow. Don't be too disappointed when you come by the guild."
"Aww, Seto isn't gonna be here tomorrow?"
"Now, now. It can't be helped. Rei is an adventurer, and Seto is his partner."
A middle-aged man, who appeared to be the father of a 10-year-old boy grumbling in complaint, stepped in to soothe the child.
Watching the scene, Rei stroked Seto's head as the gryphon finished the treats from the crowd.
"Come on, Seto. Time to head out."
"Guruuu."
Seto gave a small nod of understanding and rose from where he had been lying.
As Rei watched him, he suddenly noticed something.
"Seto, have you gotten a little bigger?"
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted his head at Rei’s observation. From Rei’s perspective, the gryphon certainly felt slightly larger than when he had first been created through Beast Magic.
(Well, he’s been this size since the moment he was born, so I guess it’s only natural for him to grow... maybe?)
Pondering this, Rei stroked Seto's back as he rejoined Phron and Brasso, who were both still wearing expressions of shock.
"Gurururuuu?"
Seto tilted his head as if to ask, Who are these two?
"We're working with these two for this request. We're going to subjugate the Harpies nesting in the nearby mountain."
At those words, Phron finally seemed to snap back to reality. She tentatively reached a hand out toward Seto.
"Um, I'm Phron. I'm hoping to borrow your strength to deal with those Harpies. Nice to meet you. ...Rei, he doesn't bite, right? That beak is incredibly sharp."
"As long as you don't do anything weird, you'll be fine."
"I-I see...? Given that sharpness, I feel like even just playing around with him would be dangerous."
"You saw the scene just now, didn't you? Seto is beloved even by the children of the City of Gilm. Don't worry, he won't do anything unprovoked."
"...U-Understood."
Despite her hesitation, Phron’s hand finally brushed against Seto's back.
"Whoa! What is this fur? It’s incredibly smooth!"
She let out a cry of surprise at the silk-like texture.
"Ho ho, he certainly has clever eyes, he does."
Beside the amazed Phron, Brasso reached out without the slightest hesitation and stroked Seto's head.
"Hey, Brasso! How can you be so casual? Look at that beak and those talons."
"Hahaha. They might look dangerous if ye only look at the business end, but look at those round eyes. They show high intelligence, they do. Truly an A-Rank monster, just as expected."
"Guruuu."
Seto gave a small nod as if to say, Of course.
"Hmm? This Gryphon—Seto, was it? Does he actually understand what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. Seto understands human speech perfectly."
"I see. That's another point in favor of his rank, I reckon."
Brasso nodded in admiration. Judging that the introductions were finished, he looked toward Rei, Seto, and Phron.
"Now then, let's each get our gear in order and meet back in front of the Main Gate. As for the plan, I'm thinking we launch a night raid while the Harpies are sleeping. Any objections?"
Phron shrugged silently, and Rei gave a small shake of his head.
"No objections. Since they'll be huddled together in their nest, it's the perfect time to strike. ...By the way, do Harpies happen to have poor night vision?"
"Not a chance. If they had the faces of birds, maybe, but Harpies have bird limbs with the face and torso of a woman, remember?"
"...I see. I was hoping a night raid would be even more effective if they couldn't see in the dark."
"Well, if you're going to use that logic, what about Seto? He's a Gryphon, but his head is an eagle's, isn't it?"
"No, Seto sees perfectly fine at night. I'm not sure if it's because of his magic power, but he has no issues. I suppose that's where an A-Rank monster truly shows its worth."
"Gururuuu."
Seto gave a pleased warble from the back of his throat at the praise. To Phron, who wasn't used to him yet, the sound seemed more like a growl of displeasure, and she took a hasty step back.
Brasso watched her with an exasperated look, but realizing they would never leave at this rate, he clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Listen up. We meet in front of the Main Gate in one hour. From there, we move to the mountain inhabited by Harpies and strike tonight. We'll camp there and return to the city tomorrow. Now hurry. Anyone late gets made the porter!"
With that, Brasso quickly moved away from the front of the guild. Phron let out a sigh and scratched her head before following after him.
"Rei, make sure you're ready. If you're late, you really will be carrying everyone's gear."
She left him with that final warning.
(Well, I have the Misty Ring, so being the porter wouldn't actually be a problem...)
Since almost all his belongings were already stored inside the ring on his right arm, Rei didn't actually have much to prepare for a trip to the mountains.
"Ah, wait. That's right. Since Harpies can fly, I should probably prepare a countermeasure other than just relying on Seto."
In that moment, the spears he had used with such great effect in the dungeon flashed through his mind. Thanks to Rei’s physical strength and the weight of the spears themselves, a thrown spear functioned with the power of a siege engine. He didn't need expensive weapons for this. Since they were essentially disposable, crude spears sold for a pittance would be perfect. In fact, they were better for his wallet. Ultimately, even stones from the roadside might work, but he preferred spears since the blades provided significantly more lethality.
"Right. I have some time, so I'll go check the weapon shops for some spears."
Muttering to himself, he headed toward a weapon shop near the guild with Seto.
(Come to think of it, that kid I saved a while back mentioned his father was a blacksmith... Well, I'm short on time today. I'll drop by after the Harpy subjugation is over.)
Thinking this, he entered a weapon shop about a ten-minute walk from the guild. Due to his size, Seto had to wait outside. Having already grown accustomed to this, the gryphon lay down in a spot that wouldn't block the street and waited for Rei.
"Welco—"
The shopkeeper started to greet Rei as he entered but abruptly cut himself off. Rei tilted his head at the man's behavior but moved toward the section where the spears were displayed.
There were many types: impractical ceremonial spears, decorative spears, and a large number of plain soldier's spears with no ornamentation.
Rei was interested in the latter. More specifically, since he intended to treat them as disposables, he wouldn't have minded spears sold at a clearance price.
He picked up a spear made for soldiers—a weapon that was strictly practical—and held it to check the weight distribution.
His stance was not that of a traditional spearman, but rather closer to that of an athlete in a javelin throw.
"Hmm. This feels about right."
After testing a few more soldier's spears with a satisfied expression, he took five of them toward the weapon shop counter. However...
"I'm sorry, customer. Actually, all the spears in that area are already reserved for a specific client. I can't sell them to you."
The shopkeeper bowed his head with an apologetic expression.
"What? Then why are they on display?"
"Well... because of the sheer quantity, we simply didn't have room in the back. Ideally, we would have kept them in the warehouse, but we were told they'd be picked up immediately."
The shopkeeper continued speaking rapidly, as if determined not to let Rei get another word in.
"And so, since we’re going to be busy with that delivery, I was actually planning to close up shop for the day. My deepest apologies..."
The seemingly good-natured Gilm Weapon Shop Owner, a man in his 30s, repeated his apologies while bowing repeatedly.
Though he felt a twinge of suspicion at the man's behavior, Rei had only viewed restocking the spears as a lucky bonus. Without pressing the matter, he left the shop and headed toward the Main Gate.