"Were you safe?!"
Rei and Seto had continued to evade the attacks of the water spears until the assault ended as abruptly as it had begun. As they arrived back at the cluster of magic item ships to resume the rescue, they were greeted by that shout.
Rei nodded at the voice of the man who seemed to be the leader of the adventurers he had spoken with a few times already.
"Can I assume that attack just now was the rumored bounty?"
"Likely so."
"...Likely?"
Since they were out here, the adventurer men were likely after the bounty themselves. Despite that, Rei tilted his head in confusion while straddling Seto at the vague response.
The adventurer man let out a troubled sigh and looked around.
The desperation that had filled his face earlier was gone. While the appearance of the monster that served as the bounty was a major problem, it had been a blessing in disguise. Terrified by that creature, the lesser monsters that had been targeting the passengers and crew in the water had vanished as well.
They would surely return soon, but the man had evidently judged that the numerous rescue ships heading their way would arrive first.
The man's adventurer companions and those on the other magic item ships remained vigilant, but a sense of relief was beginning to color their expressions.
Some parties had already decided it was safe enough to begin hauling women, children, and the elderly onto their vessels. Even those who hadn't gone that far were surrounded by survivors clinging to the hulls of the ships.
Watching his fellow adventurers pull several children from the water, the adventurer man continued his explanation to Rei.
"Yeah. Several ships have been sunk so far, but it seems no one has actually confirmed what the enemy looks like. Or maybe someone has, but even if they know, they're likely keeping the information to themselves."
"...I heard a story that a mage fought back and repelled it when their ship was about to go down. Was that a lie?"
"No, it's a fact. That said, they didn't launch a direct attack on the monster itself. It’s more accurate to say they destroyed those water spears—the ones it used against you—and blasted magic into the sea. The attacks stopped after that."
"Troublesome," Rei muttered.
The man nodded silently.
A monster that attacked from long-range without ever showing itself. Rei had managed to evade it thanks to Seto, but the sheer power of those strikes was enough to shatter a ship's hull. Dealing with it was beyond the capabilities of average adventurers.
(It’s just like a sniper.)
A fatal blow from an unseen location. Looking at the situation, Rei couldn't help but make the comparison in his mind.
In fact, considering it could fire in rapid succession like the water spears directed at him, its nature was even more dangerous than a common sniper.
"However, that troublesome nature worked in our favor this time. Thanks to that thing showing up, the other monsters cleared out."
"Given that this situation was caused by that creature in the first place, it feels a bit like a staged performance. ...I'm Rei. This is the Gryphon, Seto."
"Ah, I thought so."
The man nodded as if convinced by Rei's introduction.
"It's just as I heard from the people who participated in the war the other day. I'm—"
Just as the man began to introduce himself, a shout cut him off.
"Hey! We're ready over here! Start the rescue!"
The giant ship that Rei and Seto had visited several times had finally arrived at the scene, and the crew immediately began calling for the rescue operations to commence.
"Ah, they're here. We'll have to finish the introductions later. Rescuing the people in the water comes first. We're starting our side of the rescue too, so we're counting on you. Having someone who can fly is a huge help right now."
With that, the man set to work, hauling survivors out of the sea and moving them toward the giant ship where they could climb onto the deck via rope ladders.
The other adventurers on magic item ships also moved their vessels with practiced speed, transferring survivors to the larger rescue ships.
Rei confirmed from the air that no monsters were nearby. He prioritized pulling those drifting in more distant areas onto Seto's back and ferrying them to the deck.
With the evacuation point so close, it was only a minor effort for Seto to carry even a well-built man.
Still, the survivors were true sailors. The men Rei reached out to insisted that he prioritize rescuing women, children, and the elderly first. Rei nodded and pulled them from the water one after another, delivering them to safety.
The process continued for about an hour. It took that long to pull nearly one hundred people from the sea, but they finally succeeded in rescuing everyone.
They hadn't been able to save every soul cast into the water—a significant number of passengers and sailors had already fallen victim to the predators—but the faces of the survivors were bright with relief.
The scale of the disaster was obvious, and the individuals or organizations that owned the lost ships had surely suffered a massive blow. Even so, the fact that so many passengers and crew members were alive was cause for smiles.
"Hey, kid! You really pulled our weight this time!"
The Captain, who had become a familiar face after Rei delivered so many passengers to his deck, called out in a booming voice.
"I wanted to save everyone if I could, but..."
"Don't talk nonsense. Saving this many people in that chaos is a job well done. Besides, you drew that thing's attention, which kept the casualties from rising. You did great."
"That thing." Rei didn't have to think twice about what the Captain meant.
"So the one controlling those water spears is the bounty monster."
"Yeah. It manipulates seawater to attack just like it did earlier, and it stays submerged even when it sinks a ship. No one has a clear picture of what it actually looks like. Good grief, for a monster, it’s got a cunning wit."
The Captain spat venomously and glared at the sea. Soon, a sailor arrived to report that preparations for the return to port were complete.
The Captain immediately gave the order to head back.
Judging that the immediate danger had passed, Rei was about to mount Seto when the Captain spoke up again.
"Kid, if you show up with a Gryphon, the port authorities are going to be on high alert. We could see a flying monster helping with the rescue from the harbor, but even so..."
"That's a fair point," Rei agreed.
While his role in the rescue might mitigate some of the fear, arriving with a high-rank monster like Seto was bound to cause a commotion.
Rei suddenly remembered the letter Marina had given him.
"I have a letter of introduction from my Guild Master, so I don't think it will be total chaos."
"...No, kid. There's no world where walking around with a Gryphon doesn't cause a scene. Anyway, it's better if you head back on my ship. I’ve got a bit of influence in the City of Emocion. I want to pay you back for the help, and I'll make sure things go smoothly for you. What do you say?"
"If you put it that way... I'll take you up on the offer."
"Guruuu."
Seto, listening to the conversation, trilled its throat in agreement.
As a high-rank monster, Seto seemed to understand that it could be frightening to ordinary civilians. Unless it was dealing with thieves or enemies of Rei, the Gryphon was remarkably considerate.
"Good, I'm glad you understand. It's less than an hour to the port, so enjoy the short trip."
Rei nodded, and Seto lay down in a wide space on the deck.
The Captain smiled at the sight of the Gryphon before returning to his duties. Rei leaned his weight against Seto's warm body as usual, but as he did, he noticed several children staring at him—or rather, at Seto.
Rei initially wondered if they were afraid, but the about 5 men—or rather, the five children—watching Seto showed no sign of terror. Instead, their eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Guru?"
Sensing the many gazes fixed upon it, Seto opened its eyes and tilted its head back at the children.
"Whoa! It looked at us!"
"Hey, don't be scared. It saved us, remember?"
"Yeah. Tetto, you were the one who said we should go say thank you."
"Ugh, it's just a little scary..."
"Really? It looks cute to me. Look, it's tilting its head like it's asking 'what's wrong?'"
The children were trying to whisper, but every word reached Rei's ears clearly.
(They’re so child-like... Then again, the first ones to stop being afraid of Seto in the City of Gilm were also the children.)
Rei looked away and stroked Seto's back, enjoying the smooth texture of the feathers. Finally, having worked up their courage, the five children approached Rei and Seto.
"Um... excuse me."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Rei looked up from Seto, and the five children bowed their heads in unison, as if they had practiced the timing.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"...Ah, yeah. Don't worry about it. It wasn't exactly charity work."
Unused to being thanked so directly, Rei answered with a hint of embarrassment.
"But it's true that you saved us."
"Hey, hey, mister! Can I touch the Gryphon?"
"Wait! You're already touching it! Stop doing things it might hate!"
The children were a flurry of individual movement; some peppered Rei with questions while others reached out to pet Seto. One tried to play peacemaker, but they were essentially doing whatever they pleased.
"Gurururuuu."
Seto, who had a soft spot for children, purred as it played along. Eventually, the adults nearby began to cast curious glances at the Gryphon as well.
Most of them were the survivors. They had lost everything they owned, and under normal circumstances, they would be dreading the costs of food and lodging once they reached the port. In a way, focusing on Seto was a form of escapism from their grim reality.
An hour passed in this fashion. As the ship pulled into the harbor, Rei could see from the deck that the residents of the City of Emocion had crowded the docks, likely drawn by news of the attack.
Naturally, the people at the port could see Seto as well, and a buzz of excitement and fear began to spread as the ship drew closer.
The Captain, who had noticed the stir at the port while commanding his men, approached Rei.
"Ah—kid. Sorry, but could you stay here for a bit after we dock? I'll head out first and pull some strings so you can enter the city without any trouble."
The Captain knew exactly what a Gryphon represented. He didn't want a panic to trigger a rampage in the city, so he made the proposal.
"...Fair enough. I’d rather not get caught up in a headache right after arriving. I'll leave it to you."
Rei nodded and pulled the letter of introduction Marina had given him from the Misty Ring.
For a split second, he worried that showing the Misty Ring might cause trouble, but he had already swapped between his Death Scythe and spear multiple times during the rescue. Since he had likely been seen then, hiding it now seemed pointless.
However, Rei had made a slight oversight. He had forgotten just how many survivors were crowded onto the deck compared to when he was out in the water.
While the crew was busy with docking maneuvers, the survivors were mostly silent, staring at the City of Emocion—or more specifically, at the port.
Yet, a small handful of them witnessed the moment Rei pulled an envelope out of thin air. They didn't necessarily realize it was an Item Box, but magic items like pouches that utilized space magic were relatively well-known. People knew they were incredibly valuable. Many of the survivors had just lost their ships and nearly all their worldly wealth. When those two facts combined, the result was predictable.
Rei felt several gazes directed at him—eyes clouded with raw greed.
He sensed the attention, but he didn't pay it any mind as he handed the letter of introduction to the Captain.
After all, for someone like Rei who traveled with an existence as prominent as Seto, being the target of greedy eyes was nothing new.
"What's this?"
"The letter of introduction from the Guild Master of the City of Gilm I mentioned earlier. This should help cut down on the red tape."
"I see, that’s a help. I'll get this to the officials right away. Kid, just wait on the deck a while longer."
Rei nodded and waited for the ship to finally reach the harbor.