"Min, Rhodos! You're safe!"
Along with that boisterous shout, a hulking giant of a man came bursting through the main gate. He threw his arms around the woman in robes and the boy in leather armor standing beside Rei, pulling them into a crushing embrace.
"W-Wait—Dad!?"
"Ngh! You brute! Learn some restraint!"
Rhodos let out a muffled shriek at the force of the hug, while Min brought her staff down hard on Elk’s head.
Fortunately, Min and Rhodos were already back in their own gear. The members of the Blade of the Azure Sky had found their equipment abandoned in a corner of the building where they had been held hostage and had promptly returned it.
Had a greedier group like Ogre Heart found it, they likely would have pocketed the gear for themselves. In that sense, Min and Rhodos were truly fortunate that the Blade of the Azure Sky had made the discovery—though the other party members had been casting suspicious glances at Carla, who was notoriously stingy.
A few days had passed since the resolution of the incident. Thanks to Tirage's consideration, Min and Rhodos had been able to make the journey back to the City of Gilm by carriage.
Strictly speaking, Rei hadn't accepted a formal request for this affair, so there was no obligation for him to stick around. However, since he was on relatively good terms with the pair, he couldn't just abandon them to their own devices. Thus, he and Seto had spent a full day escorting the carriage back from the City of Abuelo.
"Welcome back. You've had a long journey."
Ranga, wearing a stern face that carried his best attempt at a welcoming smile, greeted Rei and Seto as they watched the members of the Axe of the Thunder God reunite.
"Yeah. It was a lot of trouble, but it wasn't without its spoils."
As Rei muttered this, his mind drifted to the high-quality spear and the massive supply of Yaki Udon currently tucked away inside his Misty Ring. He had been dragged into a mess of someone else's making, but those two items—the Yaki Udon in particular—were arguably his greatest spoils from the whole ordeal.
(I couldn't get them to teach me how to make the sauce, but I have the real thing. If I take it to the Full Belly Diner for them to sample, maybe we'll be able to eat Yaki Udon in the City of Gilm too.)
While musing to himself, Rei pulled out his Guild Card and handed it to Ranga.
The captain quickly verified it before returning the card and the Tamed Monster's Necklace to Rei.
"The Guild Master left a message. She wants you to report to the guild as soon as you're back."
"...I figured as much."
Since they had resolved the incident using the authority of Marina, the Guild Master, reporting to her was a matter of course. Rei nodded without objection and headed toward the guild with Seto, leaving the Axe of the Thunder God party behind to continue their loud, boisterous reunion.
"H-Hey! Rei! Help me out with my dad!"
"I'm not so tactless as to intrude on a family reunion. Just don't be too late getting to the guild," Rei called back over his shoulder. He had zero intention of getting caught up in that stiflingly "warm" domestic scene.
Rei parted with Seto at the entrance as per their usual routine. The moment he stepped inside, a receptionist called out to him from behind the counter.
It was a human girl with black hair tied in a ponytail—Lenora, a familiar face to Rei.
Understanding from her words that his role in rescuing Min and Rhodos in Elk's stead hadn't been made public, Rei gave a noncommittal nod.
"Yeah, things happened. ...Anyway, I heard the Guild Master was asking for me."
Lenora tilted her head slightly. She had only heard from her peers that the request wasn't anything particularly significant, so she couldn't understand why the Guild Master's name was being brought up.
Still, she was the face of the guild for a reason. She quickly regained her professional composure and nodded.
"I understand. I'll go check with her, so please wait a moment."
"Sure. While I'm waiting, maybe I'll talk to Ken—hm? It's unusually quiet. Is she not here?"
Noticing the absence of the girl who usually bounded over with a smile the moment she spotted him, Rei looked back at Lenora.
During the height of winter when activity was low, it might be one thing, but spring was practically here. A significant number of adventurers were already swarming the Request Board, so there was no reason for a receptionist to be idle. Lenora paused on her way to the back and gave a wry smile.
"Kenny is actually off today with a fever. Honestly, calling in with a headache right when we're about to get busy... It's quite a headache for me, too."
"...I see. It's the change of seasons; it's only natural people get sick. Don't worry about it, I'll wait here. Just let her know I'm back."
"Will do. Could you keep an eye on the counter for a second?" she asked a colleague before disappearing into the back.
As Rei watched her leave, he briefly wondered if Kenny's illness had anything to do with the recent incident, but he dismissed the thought. Since Lenora and Kenny had apparently been in contact today, he assumed his friend hadn't been targeted or kidnapped.
"Quite a few of them have already resumed work, huh?" Rei remarked to himself while scanning the room.
The density of people in front of the Request Board was nearly several times what it had been a month ago. Conversely, the noise from the attached tavern had noticeably died down.
Those still drinking and carousing in the tavern were either celebrating a completed request... or the few who hadn't quite worked up the motivation to start their spring season yet.
As Rei waited for Lenora to return, he sensed a presence approaching from behind.
"...Rei. You could've at least tried to help me. You just abandoned me..."
Rhodos appeared, looking utterly haggard despite the short time since they'd parted. Behind him was Elk, still grinning from ear to ear, and Min, who followed with a weary smile.
Rei smirked at the bedraggled trio.
"I told you, didn't I? An outsider is just a nuisance during a family reunion. Besides—"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. The Guild Master is ready. She wants Rei-san and the three members of the Axe of the Thunder God to report to her office."
Lenora's voice cut in before Rei could finish.
Upon hearing the summons, Elk's jolly expression vanished, replaced by a stern focus. Min and Rhodos underwent the same transformation, their casual atmosphere evaporating instantly.
"Understood. We'll head up immediately."
Elk stepped forward to take the lead. As the eldest, the party leader, and the father, it was his duty to act as the representative.
Not that it made much of a difference to Rei.
The four of them passed behind the counter and headed into the depths of the guild. Lenora watched them go, then turned to a nearby colleague to ask if they knew what was going on... but the truth was that only a handful of people in the entire City of Gilm knew the details.
Even the Dusk Wheat Inn customers, who had witnessed the fight between Elk and Rei and likely suspected something was afoot, didn't know the specifics. They mostly understood it as a drunken brawl between two hotheads—an impression that had likely been subtly cultivated by the guild's information management.
Aside from Rei and the Axe of the Thunder God members themselves, the only people in Gilm who knew the full story were the upper management, starting with Margrave Larkus and Marina, the Guild Master. In Abuelo, it was limited to Tirage, Verde the Secretary, and the four members of the Blade of the Azure Sky.
"Guild Master, it's Elk. Min, Rhodos, and Rei are with me."
Elk announced their arrival with a knock on the door.
Even a "light" knock from a man of Elk's stature sounded more like someone punching the wood. However, as this was the door to the Guild Master's Office, it was built sturdy enough to withstand far more than that.
"Come in."
The four entered the office to find Marina poring over documents with a somber expression.
"I'm glad you're back. It's a relief to see a party of your caliber return safely. ...Well, let's save the details until after you've sat down. I'll get some tea started, so make yourselves comfortable on the sofa."
The group complied, taking seats on the reception sofa while Marina personally brewed tea and served it to them.
"...Now then. First, let us address the root of the problem. How did an A-Rank Party like yours get used so easily by the enemy?"
Rei, Min, and Rhodos looked at her with puzzled expressions. Elk had been in Gilm the entire time Rei was in Abuelo; surely she could have gotten the story from him already?
Marina caught their look and gave a wry chuckle.
"...I asked Elk, but his explanation was terrible. He was so worried about you all that he couldn't get a coherent point across."
"But haven't you been in contact with the Guild Master of the City of Abuelo? We gave a full report of the circumstances there once we were rescued. Did you not hear from him?" Min asked.
Marina shook her head.
"Of course I heard. But a firsthand account is always more reliable than a report, wouldn't you agree? Besides, new details often come to light once the initial shock has faded."
"...I see. That makes sense. Rhodos, you explain."
"Huh? Me?" Rhodos blinked, caught off guard by his mother's sudden command.
Min nodded firmly.
"I was captured because you were being held hostage. And Elk played along because both of us were held hostage. Therefore, it is only fitting that the person who became a hostage first should start the story."
"...Fine."
Rhodos sighed and began to recount the humiliating events.
"Dad and Mom were busy back in the port town, so I went out for a walk alone. A girl about my age was snatched right in front of my eyes, so I chased the kidnappers. I managed to take them down and rescue her, but... when I reached out to help the girl up, she grabbed my hand. I felt a sharp prick, and then my body started to go numb. I couldn't move a muscle."
"I see. They exploited your softness and your naivety," Marina observed. "You may be young, but you are still a C-Rank Adventurer. Letting your guard down just because the opponent was a girl is a grave mistake. Though I suppose it was precisely because of your age that you fell for such obvious bait."
She let out a small sigh and took a sip of her tea.
A young, hotheaded, and socially inexperienced boy like Rhodos was the perfect target for such a trap.
(A targeted trap... perhaps too targeted. They must have gathered extensive intel on Rhodos before executing the plan. And since the Axe of the Thunder God is based here, that intel was likely sourced within this city. Not that the spies are necessarily still here.)
The Axe of the Thunder God was a famous party in Gilm. They were a frequent topic of conversation, so gathering information on them wouldn't have been a Herculean task.
Marina gestured for Rhodos to continue.
"After that, they gagged me and tied me up so tightly I couldn't even twitch. And then..."
Rhodos glanced at his mother. Min nodded and took over.
"I'll take it from there. When Rhodos didn't come back, Elk and I split up to search the town. A man approached me and showed me the necklace to increase defense against fire that Rhodos always wore. At that point, the battle was already over. If Rhodos had been right in front of me, I might have found a way to rescue him, but they held him in a separate location—one that even the messenger didn't know. They told me that if I resisted, they would kill Rhodos. They even pointed out that since the messenger wasn't part of the group actually holding him, hurting the man would be pointless. I had no choice but to surrender."
"...Clever. If they planned it that thoroughly, there was likely no way for you to turn the situation around on your own. ...And Elk?"
Elk gave a bitter nod.
"Yeah. They gave me the same speech. Min and Rhodos were kept in separate locations, so I couldn't even force a combat situation, which is my only real strength."
"I'm not surprised. If I were to capture Elk, I'd use underhanded tactics rather than face him head-on, too," Marina murmured. She fell silent for a moment, sipping her tea as she pondered. After a few quiet moments, she spoke again.
"Fundamentally, adventurers are responsible for their own safety. Consequently, the guild only intends to levy a minor fine. ...However, you now owe a significant debt to the guild in the City of Abuelo. For the foreseeable future, the Axe of the Thunder God will be expected to prioritize any requests coming from Tirage."
"I know. He helped save my family. We'll do whatever he needs," Elk declared. Min and Rhodos nodded in solemn agreement.
Marina looked at the three of them with satisfaction before turning her gaze to the fourth member of the group.
"And then there is you, Rei. You are the one who suffered the most in this affair. As such, you are entitled to seek compensation from the Axe of the Thunder God. ...What do you have to say?" she asked, waiting for his response.