"Phew... Choosing this inn was definitely the right call."
Rei took off his Dragon Robe and Sleipnir's Shoes, then collapsed onto the bed in the room he’d been assigned at the Coral Inn of the Blue Sea.
The dinner he had eaten in the dining hall had been delicious, even if the portions left something to be desired. As for the stables for Seto, while not as grand as the ones at the Dusk Wheat Inn, they were more than spacious enough to be satisfactory.
His only complaint was that, as a corner room, the space was barely three mats wide, with the bed occupying most of it. But he had taken the room knowing that. More importantly, it cost only one silver coin per night and included both breakfast and dinner. Considering the current state of the City of Emocion with the influx of adventurers, it was an absolute steal.
"Anyway, putting that aside... I need to figure out what to do starting tomorrow."
He had come here specifically to defeat the bounty monster known as the Lemures, so he needed to focus his attention on that. However, the target stayed deep beneath the waves, and it used magic even when sinking ships. Without being able to see the enemy, he was at a loss.
"It's not like I can just... boil the entire ocean along with it."
Considering Rei's magic power, it was likely possible. But since this was a port city where the people lived off the sea, such a move would be the worst possible choice. If he played his cards wrong, instead of killing a bounty monster, he’d likely become a wanted man himself.
He was confident he could repel anyone who came after him for the reward, but that would mean he could no longer return to his home base in the City of Gilm. That would be disastrous on many levels.
"I guess my only option is to ride Seto and fly through the sky as conspicuously as possible, acting as bait to lure the Lemures out."
He sighed softly, remembering the seawater spears the monster had conjured with magic. For Rei, who specialized in flame magic, an opponent proficient in water magic was a terrible match-up. If the enemy would just show itself, he could manage, but he was stumbling at the very first hurdle: finding the thing. It was enough to make anyone feel gloomy.
"But I have to do it. I’ve come all this way, and any monster capable of causing this much chaos is bound to provide valuable materials or a magic stone. ...Wait, should I have brought Miroir and Egret after all?"
The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but he immediately realized that if those two were here, they’d still be wandering the streets looking for a place to stay. His tiny room couldn't possibly fit three people, and he suspected Miroir would have hated sharing a room with men anyway.
"For now... I'll spend the next few days flying over the sea to bait it. If I can at least see what it looks like, I can figure out a countermeasure."
Exhausted from the journey and the rescue activities, and already lying comfortably on the bed, he surrendered himself to the urge to sleep.
The next day, Rei woke to the 6 o'clock bell. In the dining hall, he ate a breakfast of seafood soup, bread, grilled fish, and seafood salad—a meal perfectly suited for a port town—while observing the other adventurers.
"What's the plan for today?"
"Plan? We came all the way to the Kingdom of Mireana for that reward, but it doesn't matter if the bounty won't show its face. I'm just going to the guild to pick up some mundane requests. Prices are high in this town since it's a port."
"Ah, sorry. Can I tag along?"
"You? Well, our skills are about even based on that last job, so I don't mind."
"Hmm, I'm not ready to give up yet, so I'll check out the coast. If I'm lucky, I might find some other monsters to kill for magic stones or materials."
"Isn't ignoring the Lemures basically giving up?"
"I don't know what to do... The money is tempting, but the target never appears. And since so many adventurers have swarmed the city, there aren't many regular requests left either."
"Tell me about it. Plus, the local adventurers in the City of Emocion haven't been looking at us very kindly."
"Can you blame them? The bounty was posted because they couldn't handle it themselves. We outsiders are here to snatch the reward from under their noses; of course they're going to be hostile."
"Man, maybe I'll just give up and head to another city. Staying here chasing a fortune is just a waste of time and money."
"If that's what you want, go for it. Less competition for the rest of us."
Rei nodded to himself as he sipped his seafood soup, listening to the chatter throughout the room.
(So people came for the Lemures' bounty, but they're stuck because it won't show itself. Being able to fly and lure it out relatively safely really is a lucky advantage.)
He squeezed some citrus over the grilled fish, which was seasoned simply with salt, and ate it with bread and seafood salad.
Despite being a "hidden gem" of an inn, the breakfast was easily on par with the Dusk Wheat Inn back in the City of Gilm. The steamed shrimp in the salad was particularly impressive—he wasn't sure how they prepared it, but it had a perfect, snappy texture and a deep flavor.
(I'd love to try some fried shrimp. They have eggs, breadcrumbs, wheat flour, and shrimp... all that's left is the oil. In a port town, they should have olive or sesame oil... which means I'd need sauce, or better yet, tartar sauce. I wonder if they have pickles in this world?)
He suddenly snapped back to reality.
He hadn't come here to indulge in fried shrimp; he was here to defeat the Lemures. He shook his head to clear away the distractions brought on by the delicious shrimp.
"Hey, what's with that kid? He's shaking his head for some reason."
"Who knows? Why is a kid like that even here? Surely he's not after the Lemures."
"Hah! That'd be a hell of a joke. If a brat like that could kill the Lemures, I'd have claimed the bounty ages ago."
Rei sighed as he overheard the party at the next table.
It was his own fault, but it was still an annoying situation. While his alias of 'Crimson' was becoming famous, it was associated specifically with a magic warrior accompanied by a Gryphon. Without Seto by his side, Rei looked like nothing more than an apprentice mage.
(Well, whatever. I'll head to the guild and gather as much info as possible. I should probably wait until the morning rush dies down, though.)
He finished his meal, savoring the flavors, and washed it down with a glass of fruit mixed juice.
Afterward, he spent some time wandering the city with Seto. They spent a happy few hours buying and eating seafood or purchasing raw ingredients in bulk to store in the Misty Ring.
The one man and one beast enjoyed their time so much it almost seemed like the reason they had come to the City of Emocion in the first place. Eventually, noticing the peak hours at the adventurer's guild had passed, they headed toward the guild with slightly reluctant faces.
"Guruuu."
Seto let out a longing trill at the seafood dishes they passed. Rei, meanwhile, caught sight of some squid meat hung out to dry on lines like white curtains, which briefly reminded him of Japan.
"Alright, Seto."
"Guruu."
Even before Rei finished his sentence, Seto headed toward the guild's Tamed Monster Space and lay down.
A horse hitched to a carriage nearby froze in terror at the sight of the Gryphon. Other adventurers who had just arrived that morning and were unaware of the previous day's incident with Seto also cringed in fear, but Rei ignored them as usual and stepped inside.
"Don't you dare mess with me!"
The moment he opened the door, a scream of rage echoed through the hall.
Since it was a woman's voice and the guild had a tavern attached, Rei initially assumed it was a drunken brawl. However, the yelling was coming from the guild counter. A woman in a swimsuit with sun-tanned skin was currently berating a group of adventurers.
(Tanned skin? A dark elf... no, just a sun-tan. But why is she wearing a swimsuit in the middle of the city?)
The image of Marina, the guild master of the City of Gilm whose sex appeal was often excessive, flashed through his mind. However, the woman before him lacked Marina’s overwhelming allure.
"We're sorry, but if there's a request, we have to take it," one of the men in the three-man adventurer party said, bowing his head apologetically. His two companions looked disgruntled but didn't speak up.
(A request? Some kind of dispute?)
Rei's interest was piqued, but his priority was information on the Lemures. He moved to a part of the counter away from the yelling woman and addressed the receptionist.
"Excuse me, I'd like some information on the Lemures."
Since it was a bounty, the guild was required to provide basic details. Lenora and Kenny had told him as much before he left the City of Gilm.
The receptionist, however, looked at Rei's youthful appearance with skepticism. It was the guild's policy to prevent low-rank adventurers from throwing their lives away on impossible targets, even if they were from another branch.
"Please show me your guild card. Information on the Lemures is restricted to adventurers of Rank D or higher."
"Sure. Is this fine?"
"Wait... what!?" The receptionist's eyes widened. "My apologies, Lord Rei, C-Rank Adventurer. I have confirmed your status. Here are the documents."
She seemed genuinely shocked—perhaps because of Marina’s letter of introduction or perhaps because she recognized the name 'Crimson.' She stood frozen for a few seconds before recovering and handing over a single sheet of paper. She had clearly performed this action many times; her movements were practiced and efficient.
A few other adventurers who had overheard Rei’s request had been planning to pick a fight with him based on his age, but they froze when they heard he was Rank C, letting out silent sighs of relief that they hadn't acted.
Rei looked over the information he had obtained with such effort. As the single sheet of paper suggested, there were almost no established facts.
(No one has clearly seen its form. The name 'Lemures' is just a placeholder because they needed to call it something. The only confirmed attack method is water magic. High stealth, long-range water magic... Yeah, one page is more than enough for this little info. Even the reports of people 'repelling' it sound more like the monster just let them go.)
He scanned the document quickly. Seeing nothing new, he prepared to leave and begin his plan of using Seto to bait the monster out. But then—
"Hey, you! Hold on a second! If you're an adventurer, say something to these guys!"
The voice belonged to the woman in a swimsuit who had been arguing at the other end of the counter. Rei sighed, realizing he was being dragged into the mess.
"Sorry, but I'm busy. I don't know what you're arguing about, and I'd prefer if you didn't involve me."
"Don't involve you?! You're an outsider adventurer just like them, aren't you? That makes you comrades!"
"I'd rather not be lumped together as 'outsiders' like that..."
"It's all the same to the people of this city!"
Seeing she wasn't going to listen, Rei sighed again and looked at the three-man adventurer party who were being unilaterally berated.
"I'll listen to the story, but let's at least move to the tavern. Since you're dragging me into this, you're buying the drinks, right?"
"...Yes, our apologies."
The polite-looking adventurer man bowed his head apologetically to Rei, and the five of them made their way toward the tavern attached to the guild.