"Mmm... I've finally gotten used to this life."
As the sun fully emerged in the early morning, Rei stretched and rose within his tent to prepare for the day.
It had been over half a month since they departed the City of Gilm. In that time, the Larkus Territorial Army had continued its advance, absorbing units dispatched from nearby towns as it made its way toward the Seremuse Plain—the designated battlefield. Even for Rei, who was tasked with handling supplies, the routine of the past two weeks had become second nature. He no longer felt the same mental exhaustion when dealing with the vast numbers of strangers.
"Guruuu?"
Seto must have sensed Rei was awake. The gryphon, who had been lying just outside the tent, poked its head through the entrance and rubbed its face against him, purring a morning greeting.
"Ah, good morning. Well, word is we’ll arrive at the Seremuse Plain past noon today. This march ends here. Hang in there for one last day, Seto?"
"Guruu." Seto responded with a soft purr that clearly meant, Leave it to me.
They had already moved out of the frontier areas where monster attacks were a constant threat, so the burden on the scouts had lightened. Thieves were generally more intelligent than monsters; few were foolish enough to strike a massed military force. Even those reckless few had been wiped out by the Prairie Wolves before they could even launch an attack. Consequently, Seto had been relieved of its duties with the lead group and was now traveling alongside Rei's carriage.
The primary reason for Seto's relocation, however, was the sheer terror the gryphon inspired in the reinforcement troops from other regions. Unlike the people of Gilm, these soldiers couldn't cast aside their fear of the creature. In truth, it was the adventurers of the City of Gilm who were the outliers. Normally, it was asking too much for anyone to get along with an A-Rank monster—a creature essentially equivalent to a living natural disaster. The difference lay in the fact that Rei and Seto had been active in Gilm for nearly a year. Many had watched Seto happily devouring piles of food from market stalls, turning the terrifying beast into a familiar, almost mascot-like figure.
"Fwaaaah... Mmm... Morning, Rei. You’re lively as ever."
Luno poked his head out of a nearby tent. As a high-ranking and versatile adventurer, Luno was a convenient companion, a role he had leaned into by serving as Rei's guard. He enjoyed the perks: traveling by carriage and avoiding the dangerous vanguard or rearguard rotations. While he was technically there to protect Rei, their combat abilities were worlds apart despite holding the same rank. Luno essentially got paid a premium—bolstered by Rei's importance to the supply chain—just to sit in a carriage and chat.
"Yeah. The endless travel finally stops today. My body’s gone stiff after two weeks in that carriage," Rei grumbled.
Luno let out a wry smile. "What are you talking about? You’ve been training every single night before bed."
"That's just practice. It’d be a different story if I could find someone for a mock battle..."
"Hah! Again, what are you talking about? That’s your own fault for going on a rampage. No matter how much they provoked you, there’s such a thing as restraint."
At Luno's blunt reminder, Rei sighed and silently stroked Seto's head.
Because this march was a military operation, a war would break out sooner or later once they reached the Seremuse Plain. For that reason, time was set aside for training even during the advance. Rei had been too mentally exhausted to participate at first, but once he acclimated, he had joined in to keep his skills sharp. He participated, but...
(There are fools everywhere, but I didn't think they'd pick me of all people to harass.)
Unlike knights or soldiers, adventurers were mercenaries. While parties maintained their own coordination, solo adventurers or temporary members like Rei generally acted as individuals. About ten days ago, a few adventurers from the newly joined units—men who hadn't heard of Rei in Gilm, Abuelo, or Sablusta—had judged him by his appearance. Thinking he was a low-rank nobody, they had tried to shake him down. Rei had seen no reason to hold back. He had instantly crushed the bones in their arms and legs. He hadn't killed them, but the display of power had left everyone else too terrified to even stand near him during drills. Only the Gilm veterans remained unfazed, some even looking at the victims with pity.
"Fine... you want to go a round with me?" Luno asked, noticing how frustrated Rei looked. The young man with the Magic Eye offered the invitation while finishing his morning stretch.
"That would be a great help. You sure?"
"Sure. Facing a strong opponent is good for me too. Just... if you get serious, you’ll drop me before I even draw my sword. Take it easy on me, okay?"
"Yeah, no problem. Let's do it after breakfast."
"Got it. Well, it's the final day. Let's make it count."
With those words, Rei headed toward the supply unit to find Keo and prepare breakfast for the 5,000 troops.
"Hey, look at their food. How is it that luxurious for rations? All we get is bread, cheese, and jerky."
In the area where the adventurers congregated for meals and training, a young man from the reinforcements stared in disbelief. The Gilm group was eating sandwiches stuffed with ham, fresh vegetables, and cheese, accompanied by bacon and vegetable soup and sizzling grilled skewers.
A middle-aged man nearby laughed. "What, did you just join the army yesterday?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"It's obvious," the older man said, shrugging as he chewed his own hard, dry bread. "Those guys are the Larkus Territorial Army—adventurers from the City of Gilm."
"From the frontier? I knew they were tough, but how can they afford food like that? They've been on the road longer than us."
"Usually, you'd be right. But... ah, look. There they are."
The older man gestured toward the open training area. When the young adventurer followed his gaze, he froze. Some others gasped or screamed; one man even abandoned his breakfast to flee. A gryphon had appeared, its coat shimmering in the morning light.
"Wh-Why is a gryphon here?!" the youth hissed.
"Relax. It won't attack. Look at its neck."
The youth squinted. Hanging from the beast's neck was a Tamed Monster's Necklace. "...He tamed it?"
"Yeah. Ridiculous, isn't it?" The older man watched as Rei and Luno approached. To the youth, Luno looked like the skilled master about to train a disciple.
"You're looking at the wrong one," the veteran corrected. "The kid in the robe is the one who tamed it."
"What?! A brat like that? Don't joke with me."
"I thought the same thing. But look at the Gilm crowd."
The youth looked. To his horror, the veterans from Gilm were watching the 'brat' with expressions of pure dread. Only one woman dared to run up and hug the gryphon, stroking it happily.
"Are the Gilm guys all insane? Hugging a gryphon like it's a kitten?"
"That's just Gilm for you. But it's not just the pet. That kid is a monster in his own right. Ten days ago, he broke a party of C-Rank adventurers in minutes. And he's the reason they have food. He's an Item Box user."
"An Item Box?! No way..."
"Believe it. There are things in this world beyond common sense. Take my advice: don't even breathe in Rei's direction. He reached Rank C faster than anyone in history. He's got a tamed A-Rank monster, a legendary Item Box, more magic power than most mages, and his combat skills are super first-class. He's a freak of nature."
"Why is a monster like that even here...?"
"Because it's war," the veteran replied bluntly, turning back to his meager meal.
The youth could only stand in stunned silence as he watched the mock battle begin.