As the winter chill gradually ebbed and the temperature began its slow ascent, Rei looked up at the sky while sharing a sandwich with Set, who walked faithfully beside him.
"Mm, this is delicious. I’ve rarely ventured onto this particular street, so I didn't know they served sandwiches this good."
"Guruuu."
Set gave a cry of agreement, swallowing the sandwich it held in its beak.
It had been about a month since they finished the escort request for Alektor's caravan. The surrounding air had lost much of its bite; though it still grew cold enough for snow to dust the ground at dawn and dusk, the faint arrival of spring could be felt.
During this time, Rei had spent his days lounging at the Dusk Wheat Inn or reading books at the library. However, while looking out the window of his room earlier, he had been enticed by the cloudless blue sky and the brilliant sunlight, deciding to head out for a stroll through the city with Set.
Since they were exploring, they decided to visit neighborhoods they had never set foot in before to search for new food stalls. Their efforts were rewarded with unexpectedly delicious sandwiches, which Rei bought in bulk to eat as they walked.
Even in these unfamiliar districts, they were recognized. As expected of the celebrity of the City of Gilm—or perhaps the celebrity monster. Most of the stall merchants knew Set, if not Rei, and they sampled whatever was recommended—sandwiches, grilled skewers, and even unusual treats like dried river fish.
Set seemed delighted to be out in the city with Rei for the first time in a while. It spent the afternoon in an exceptionally good mood, purring happily, savoring every scrap of food offered to it, and gently playing with the children who flocked to pet its feathers. It was a joyful, busy time for the pair.
"...Well, I suppose we can only enjoy ourselves like this for now," Rei muttered, watching as a passerby offered Set a boiled sausage bought from a nearby stall.
The approach of spring meant that the outbreak of war between the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire was drawing near. In fact, when Rei had stopped by the Guild a few days ago, he had seen the adventurers in the tavern buzzing with excitement about how much they planned to earn by participating in the conflict.
The Adventurer's Guild was an independent body, not subject to national command. Strictly speaking, the government had no authority to conscript adventurers even in times of war. However, it would be a tragic waste to leave a fighting force forged through combat with monsters on the sidelines. Most adventurers felt a sense of loyalty to the city or kingdom they called home, and many were eager to defend it. Furthermore, even as an independent institution, the Guild’s operations would inevitably be hindered if the kingdom were occupied by a foreign power.
Consequently, a system had emerged where the state issued requests to hire adventurers as mercenaries, effectively balancing the interests of the kingdom, the adventurers, and the Guild. It was also common for influential adventurers or those with high combat rankings to receive nomination requests directly.
Of course, the Guild couldn't send every adventurer to the front lines without compromising the city's defenses and leaving it vulnerable to monster attacks. To prevent this, the Guild carefully managed the number of participants.
Rumors suggested that the formal war requests would be posted on the request board any day now. In anticipation, many adventurers had begun combat training to shake off the sluggishness of winter. While not all of them intended to join the war, spring made monsters just as active as the local wildlife. If an adventurer went out with dull reflexes, they were more likely to become a monster's meal than its slayer.
As Rei walked through the streets contemplating these matters, a blacksmith shop caught his eye. More specifically, he noticed a large barrel, about 150 centimeters tall, standing beside the shop's entrance. The barrel was overflowing with scrap—failed projects, weapons judged beyond repair, snapped sword tips, halberds broken in half, battle axes with shattered blades, and knives so rusted they were useless. It was also filled with a massive amount of ore fragments and dross.
"...Ho."
The sight of the barrel, combined with his thoughts of the coming war, sparked an idea in Rei's mind.
"I see... Could it work? Well, even if it doesn't, I have nothing to lose, and carrying it won't be an issue."
He muttered to himself and stepped inside the forge.
"Welcome. May I help you with something?"
The shopkeeper seemed slightly startled by the sight of Set peeking curiously through the entrance, but he seemed to realize who Rei was immediately. Knowing the rumors that Rei was a generous spender, the clerk greeted him with a professional smile.
"About that barrel outside—is that meant for the scrap heap?"
The lanky man in his forties was caught off guard. He had expected the famous adventurer to order a custom weapon, not ask about the refuse.
"Y-Yes. Those are failed works, items past their use, or things that can't be recycled even if melted down due to impurities. There’s some ore dross and fragments mixed in there too. Why do you ask?"
In response, Rei took out three copper coins and placed them on the counter.
"I'll take the whole barrel. I’d also be grateful if you have any more junk weapons, ore fragments, or blade shards you're looking to get rid of."
"I mean, that's perfectly fine... In fact, we'd be happy to have someone take our trash. It saves us the trouble of disposal, and getting paid for it is an unexpected bonus."
"Don't worry about it. Regardless of the contents, you'll still have to replace the barrel itself."
"No, no, even so, one copper coin would be more than enough. The barrel's a second-hand item anyway. ...Please wait a moment. I'll go ask the master if he has any more scrap or ore fragments he wants cleared out."
Rei watched the clerk hurry back into the forge.
A cold, calculating smile played on his lips. It wasn't a gentle expression; it was something far more ruthless.
(A firestorm conjured by fusing my skills with Set's... That alone can devastate a wide area. But what if that firestorm was filled with thousands of metal shards and broken blades? Let's see what happens then. The initial cost was only three copper coins; even if it fails, I've lost nothing.)
"Oi, sorry to keep you waiting. You're the one? The eccentric who wants to haul away our trash?"
While Rei was refining his plan for the shrapnel firestorm, two men emerged from the back of the shop. One was the clerk, and the other was an elderly man. Despite his age, his body was corded with more muscle than most novice adventurers. He possessed the kind of powerful physique that looked like it could support the weight of several grown men without breaking a sweat.
"Yeah. I have a bit of a project in mind. How about it?"
"...Hmph, fine. I like the look of you—didn't even flinch when you saw me. Wait here. I'll bring out the rest of the junk."
The elderly man gave a rough, masculine grin and vanished back into the forge.
"Phew, that went well," the clerk noted. "Though this was a good deal for us too."
"I'm glad to hear it."
They chatted for about five minutes until the master returned, hefting another barrel filled with metal shards onto his shoulder.
"Here, take this one too. This junk is just in the way. It’s a help to have it gone."
Rei smiled and placed three more copper coins on the counter.
"Then take this as payment."
He reached out, touched the barrels on the floor, and sent them into the storage of his Misty Ring.
Whether the two men didn't know Rei was an Item Box user or were simply seeing the magic for the first time, they watched in stunned silence as the barrels vanished instantly. Leaving them behind, Rei stepped outside and stored the original barrel into his Misty Ring as well.
"You've been a big help. I might be back for more later."
"Yeah, anytime. Though we might have cleared it out ourselves by the time you return, so I can't promise we'll have a hoard ready."
"That's fine. I'll just consider it good luck if you do."
Rei gave them a polite nod and continued on his way with Set.
Even if it was technically garbage, he had obtained an excellent haul. Rei couldn't help but smile under his hood. Set, sensing Rei's satisfaction, wagged its tail and purred as they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, browsing stalls and soaking in the spring-like weather.
"Ah, Rei-san. Welcome back. You have a guest waiting."
"...A guest?"
When Rei returned to the Dusk Wheat Inn after his leisurely holiday with Set, he was greeted by Lana, the landlady of the Dusk Wheat Inn. She was as stout and cheerful as ever, but her face held a distinct look of excitement.
"Yes. Elk-san, the Leader of the Axe of the Thunder God, is here to see you."
"...Elk?"
The name gave Rei pause. After the subjugation of the Blue Caterpillars, he had heard that the Axe of the Thunder God party—the whole family—would be leaving Gilm until spring.
"Yes. He's waiting for you in the dining hall."
"I see. I'll head over. Could you bring us something light? Just tea for me."
"Of course, I'll bring it right away."
Leaving Lana, Rei headed toward the dining hall.
"Oh, Rei! It's been a while. How have you been?"
As soon as he stepped inside, Elk called out to him in his usual boisterous voice. However, his wife Min and his son Rhodos were nowhere to be seen.
"I've been spending tedious days waiting for spring," Rei replied. "Though I hear the war will keep us busy once it arrives."
When Rei mentioned the war, Elk's cheek twitched for a fraction of a second. But in the next heartbeat, he was wearing a wide smile again, as if nothing had happened.
As the Leader of the Axe of the Thunder God and an A-Rank adventurer, Elk was a legend in Gilm. His presence made the dining hall even noisier than usual. Between him and Rei, who was a celebrity in his own right, the pair was drawing every eye in the room.
Feeling the weight of the collective gaze, Rei gave a weary smile.
"Sorry, but you're too famous for this place. Why don't we move to my room?"
"Hm? ...Ah, yeah. You're right. That would be more convenient."
"...Convenient?"
"I mean, food doesn't taste as good when everyone's staring at you. I thought it would be better with just the two of us."
Rei felt a flicker of suspicion at Elk's behavior. He wondered if perhaps Elk had gotten into a fight with his wife and returned to Gilm early out of sheer awkwardness. Normally, traveling alone in this season was suicidal, but for an A-Rank adventurer, it was merely an impulsive choice.
Rei told Lana to bring the refreshments upstairs and led Elk up to the 2F.
"Come on in. It’s a plain room, but it’ll do."
Since Rei kept almost everything he owned in his Misty Ring, the room was sparse, containing only the standard bed, desk, and chair. Rei entered the room first to invite his guest inside.
"A-Ah. Thanks."
"...Seriously, Elk, what's wrong? You're acting strange."
Rei looked back, noticing how strained Elk's smile appeared. It lacked the innocent, boyish mischief that usually defined him. The same feeling of wrongness Rei had sensed in the dining hall intensified. Just as he was about to press further—
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
A piercing scream echoed from the hallway.
Rei whirled around reflexively. As he started toward the door, Elk was already standing there, his battle axe raised high.
The man's face was completely void of emotion. He looked like a mindless doll or a mechanical puppet. "Forgive me," he whispered, his voice a ghost of a sound, as the battle axe swung down toward Rei.