"...How did it come to this?"
About two weeks had passed since the Azoth Firm incident had been settled. Late autumn had already slipped away, leaving only the steady march toward winter, and Rei found himself letting out an involuntary sigh as the air outside grew increasingly cold.
Of course, no matter how cold—or hot—the environment became, the Dragon Robe possessed an enchantment that maintained a comfortable temperature for its wearer. Unless the snow fell so heavily that it became difficult to walk, the weather didn't particularly affect him.
Rei was currently inside the guild. For the past two weeks, he had lived a life of leisure—resting his weary body, purchasing necessary equipment, and spending hours reading books in the library. However, he had decided it was time to end his vacation and finish one last serious job before the heart of winter arrived. But just as he was scanning the request board for a suitable job, a fellow adventurer had suddenly approached him. When the man asked for his name and he identified himself as Rei, the stranger had dropped into a deep, formal bow, leaving Rei trapped in an utterly baffling situation.
Since Rei disliked crowds, he had timed his visit for the lull between morning and noon, roughly around ten o'clock. Consequently, the guild wasn't packed, but there were still a fair number of people milling about. In the middle of this crowd, someone was bowing deeply to him. It was only natural that the scene drew eyes; the two of them stood out like a public spectacle.
Rei was long past the point of caring about standing out, but he still had no desire to be treated like a sideshow. He let out another sigh and finally spoke.
"For now, just raise your head."
"Then, will you listen to what I have to say!?"
The man’s words implied he wouldn't dream of standing up until he received a favorable answer. Rei sighed for a third time.
"...Fine. I'll listen to a bit of it. Go grab a seat in the dining hall. I'll head over as soon as I've finished my business here."
"Really!? Thank you very much!"
The man snapped upright with incredible vigor, allowing Rei to finally get a good look at the face of the person who had been bowing so frantically.
In terms of appearance, he looked to be around the same age as Rei—or perhaps slightly older, maybe eighteen, assuming Rei looked fifteen. In this world of Elgin, he was at an age where a youth was expected to stand on his own as a man. He had hair that was more of a vivid yellow than blond, and his face held a look of earnest sincerity. His equipment consisted of leather armor reinforced in various spots with metal plates, likely chosen for ease of movement. A longsword hung at his hip, but it was unusually thin—as was the scabbard that housed it.
(That’s an estoc, I think.)
An estoc. True to its appearance, the blade was so slender it could almost be called delicate compared to a standard longsword. It was a weapon specialized entirely for thrusting rather than cutting, and it was impossible to catch an enemy's strike with the flat of the blade. One could try, but unless the blow was parried with extreme skill, the sword would snap like a twig. Even for the thrusting it was designed for, hitting solid metal armor could break the weapon. It was a specialist’s tool, requiring the wielder to precisely target gaps in armor or joints. It certainly wasn't a weapon for a beginner.
(Which means... he’s an adventurer with a decent amount of skill?)
Rei muttered the thought to himself as he watched the man’s retreating back disappear into the dining hall. His footwork was certainly that of someone who knew what they were doing.
"Well, I just hope this isn't the start of another uproar."
It had been two weeks since the power struggle at the Azoth Firm. The chaos involving the weapon shops had finally subsided, and the usual bustle had returned to Gilm. While the disturbance hadn't meant much to the common folk, it had been a massive headache for adventurers who relied on their weapons. That was why Rei had written the period off as a vacation and spent it resting.
With a war against the Bestia Empire considered a certainty for the coming spring, he wanted to at least spend this winter in peace. Entertaining that optimistic thought, Rei walked toward the counter.
"Ahaha. You’re certainly attracting attention, Rei-kun."
"Honestly, Kenny! Don't say things like that. Now then, um, Rei-san. What can we do for you today? You don't seem to have a request form with you."
Rei shook his head slightly at Lenora, who spoke while glancing at his empty hands.
"No, I was actually wondering if you knew anything about that guy from earlier. That was the first time I've ever had someone suddenly bow to me like that."
Had there been any other adventurers he knew in the building, he might have asked them. However, since it was nearly noon and most were out on jobs, there weren't many people around, and none of them were familiar faces.
Conversely, the number of adventurers who knew of Rei was quite large. He had always stood out, but after his flashy clash with the Azoth Firm’s people during the mess with Boruntar and Galahat, his strength and lack of mercy were more infamous than ever. As a result, very few people were brave enough to strike up a conversation with him of their own accord.
"Well, if it’s just his general reputation and not specific abilities, I don't mind telling you," Lenora offered.
"That's all I need."
Rei nodded, but just as Lenora was about to speak, Kenny squeezed in, pushing her aside.
"Oh! I’m bored, so I’ll be the one to tell you."
"Wait, Kenny!?"
"I’m much more sociable than Lenora, so I know all the juicy details."
Kenny, the cat beastman, narrowed her eyes playfully and purred like a cat while looking up at Rei. It should be noted that she was only looking up because she was currently sitting; in terms of actual height, she was slightly taller than him.
"Ah... right."
Rei glanced at Lenora, and seeing her shrug as if to say it couldn't be helped, he gave a small nod.
"All right. Go ahead."
"Leave it to him. His name is Hasta. He’s a Rank D adventurer and a local of this city. He reached Rank D about a year ago, so he’s something of a veteran. Like you saw just now, Rei-kun, he’s the type who’s straight as an arrow once he sets his mind on something. Apparently, his family runs a dining hall near the library."
"A dining hall, huh? ...Wait, Rank D adventurer aside, what about his party?"
"Hasta is a solo, just like you."
Rei was a bit surprised by Kenny’s answer. He knew there were other solo adventurers, of course. Among his own acquaintances, there was Luno, the man with the Magic Eye that could see mana. However, it was an undeniable fact that solos were an overwhelming minority. One usually only worked alone if they had supreme confidence in their skills, possessed a personality so abrasive that no one would group with them, or, like Rei, had secrets they couldn't share.
"It’s a bit rich coming from me, but a solo at Rank D is rare. Is there a reason?"
"Rather than a reason, it’s more that Hasta became an adventurer specifically to help with the family business. Like I said, his parents run a dining hall. If he uses the meat from the monsters he kills himself, their material costs drop significantly, right?"
"...I see. If he were in a party, he’d have to split the take. Though I suppose they could split it by giving him the meat and the others the magic stones..."
Rei voiced the doubt that had occurred to him, but Kenny’s brow furrowed slightly. Lenora, listening behind her, had a similar expression.
"Apparently, he did exactly that at first, Rei-kun—splitting the magic stones and meat with a party. But they got into a fight over the shares. In the end, the party disbanded. He was only Rank E back then, but since he was already quite skilled, he’s been working solo ever since."
"That makes sense. He certainly looked like he could move."
Rei recalled the man's posture as he had walked away and felt convinced.
"I think I’ve got the gist of it. For now, I'll hear him out and then decide."
"Yeah. Um... if you can, please try to help him out, okay?"
Leaving Kenny's worried voice behind him, Rei headed into the dining hall to find Hasta.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, not at all! If anything, I’m the one who should apologize for taking up your time."
Rei took his seat while glancing at Hasta, who was bowing so low his forehead nearly hit the table again.
"Oh, since I’m the one who inconvenienced you today, lunch is on me! ...That said, I don't have much money, so please pick something cheap."
Rei nodded at Hasta’s bashful smile and ordered a set consisting of warm soup, grilled skewers, and bread from a passing waitress. It was a slightly early lunch. For Rei, whose body burned through energy at an incredible rate, this amount of food was more of a snack than a proper meal.
"I'll have the same."
Clearly relieved by the choice of a cheap set, Hasta ordered the same. Rei watched the waitress head for the kitchen, then lowered the hood of his Dragon Robe and looked Hasta in the eye.
"Whoa... you really are younger than me."
Hasta couldn't hide his surprise at Rei’s baby-faced appearance. Rei, however, was entirely used to that reaction and cut straight to the point.
"Yeah. Now, let’s be direct. What do you want from me? You must be in a real bind to bow like that the moment we met."
"...Yes. As it happens, my family runs a dining hall. I provide the monster meat that my father and mother use in the kitchen."
(Is this where he asks to buy the meat I have in my Misty Ring for cheap?)
Rei made his prediction. He had Set, a gryphon who was over two meters long—and growing—to feed. To keep Set's belly full, Rei kept a massive supply of monster meat stored in his Misty Ring. He still had plenty of Orc meat and a mountain of Water Monkey meat from the dungeon, among various others. He was certain Hasta was after his hoard, but...
"No, that’s not it."
Seeing Rei’s face, Hasta seemed to realize what he was thinking and quickly shook his head.
"I’ve heard the rumors that you have a gryphon and that you collect meat to feed it. You probably think that's why I’m here, but what I’m actually asking for is for you to lend me your strength."
"...Lend you my strength?"
"Yes. You see, from autumn through winter... right about this time of year, a certain monster starts to appear. It isn't right next to Gilm, but out on the plains about half a day’s journey away."
A plain half a day from Gilm. The description brought to mind the area Rei and Set often passed through whenever they went to train their skills.
"Wait, do you mean the plains in the direction of the Forest of Magic?"
"Oh, you know the spot? Exactly. I want your help to hunt the monsters that appear there."
"Cooperation, huh? Couldn't you just put out an official request?"
Rei glanced toward the guild’s request board, but Hasta gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Hiring adventurers through the guild costs money. I don't have the funds to pay a proper reward right now... so I planned to hunt them myself. It’s just that it’s a bit too much for me to handle alone. That’s why I reached out to you—you're strong, you're solo, and your rank is close to mine. There are other reasons too, but..."
"I see."
(A direct request outside the guild, then.)
Rei mused privately before asking the obvious question.
"Just so I know what I’m getting into, what monster are we talking about?"
"Gamelions."