"...So, what was the reason for this argument?"
Rei asked the question while relishing the food he had ordered on the adventurers' dime. He sat in the tavern attached to the guild, savoring a dish of stir-fried shellfish and vegetables with butter alongside giant boiled shrimp, their bodies easily over fifty centimeters long.
The trio of adventurers—one man and two women—watched Rei with somewhat resentful gazes. Rosha, the woman in a bikini who was the catalyst for Rei getting dragged into this, directed a look of pure exasperation at him, quite unlike the adventurers' hostility.
Perhaps her reaction was only natural. While the stir-fried shellfish was standard fare, the boiled shrimp were among the most expensive delicacies on the tavern's menu.
Normally, it was common to crack the shells with a hammer or a similar tool, but Rei simply peeled them open with raw strength as he prompted the group to continue. Rosha finally spoke up.
"I’m Rosha. I’m a fisherman here in the City of Emocion. Well, I don't go out to the open sea on a boat; I do my fishing near the harbor."
"I see. So, why is a fisherman arguing with adventurers?"
"That's because..."
The male adventurer tried to interject, but Rosha cut him off instantly.
"These guys took a subjugation request and attacked me while I was diving! That alone is bad enough, but they even destroyed the nets containing the fish and shellfish I'd been working to catch since this morning... Thanks to them, I’ve taken a total loss!"
"That's why we're apologizing! It's not like we attacked you on purpose, you know!?"
"If apologies solved everything, we wouldn't need a knight order or guards. Anyway, I told you I'd forgive you if you just compensated me for the fishing gear you destroyed and the value of today's catch."
"Don't be ridiculous! Seven silver coins is extortion!"
Rei understood both sides of the story from that exchange alone.
However, what surprised him more than anything was the fact that she was skin-diving while a monster was loose in the sea.
Monsters were a fact of life in Elgin. As Rei had seen offshore the day before, the sea was no exception. Despite that, the woman before him was diving with nothing but her own body—which was expected for a diver—without wearing any kind of armor. To Rei, it seemed like nothing short of a death wish.
"I understand your side, Rosha. Now, what about yours?"
"...We have no excuse. I believe we are entirely at fault."
"Hey! We admit we're in the wrong, but seven silver coins is just too greedy! Our savings are already dwindling as it is!"
At the female adventurer’s protest, the fisherwoman snorted, making it clear she didn't care about their financial troubles.
"I'm out there fishing while prepared to die. And in the middle of that, I was almost killed, you know? By adventurers who specifically came to the City of Emocion from some other town, no less. ...Wouldn't it be better to settle this before I take the story to the guild or the city officials? Or would you rather refuse to pay now and risk being run out of the city? Naturally, if that happens, other adventurers who’ve come here will also have a hard time. Especially lately, outsider adventurers like you have been causing all sorts of trouble."
"Th-that's..."
As he watched the female adventurer falter, Rei popped the last piece of shrimp into his mouth.
He wiped his dirty hands, checked his surroundings, and finally spoke.
"The matter is settled. Pay five silver coins, including the inconvenience fee. Even if your savings are low, it's not like you can't afford that much, right?"
Rei stood up as if his role was finished, but the remaining female adventurer, who had been silent until now, called out to him.
"Wait. We’re the ones paying for your meal here. Couldn't you cooperate with us a little more?"
"As for this food, consider it the fee for taking up my time. Besides... take a good look around. You'll see quite clearly that it's in your best interest to pay quietly."
"Huh?"
The three of them raised their voices in confusion and looked around.
What they saw were the tavern's customers directing accusatory glares at them. Since it was a tavern attached to the guild, it was obvious that most of those people were fellow adventurers.
Among them were those who had always operated in the City of Emocion and those who, like Rei and the trio, had come seeking the bounty. Overwhelmed by the pressure of the stares from both groups, the trio felt their resolve crumble.
The local adventurers didn't want the reputation of their profession to drop while they worked in the city. The bounty hunters, meanwhile, were worried that someone else's mistake would make it harder for them to operate.
The fisherwoman looked at Rei as if she wanted to complain that the settlement was less than she had requested, but when she met his steady blue eyes, she fell silent.
Having confirmed the situation, Rei turned back to the three adventurers.
"You understand? I feel the same way. I don't know why you made such a mistake, but I'm not interested in suffering because you’ve made things difficult for the rest of us."
With that, Rei turned and walked away.
The three adventurers and the fisherwoman could only watch his retreating back in silence.
Incidentally, as a result of their discussion afterward, the adventurers ended up paying three silver coins and agreeing to work under the fisherwoman to pay off the remainder of the debt.
"Set, did I keep you waiting?"
"Guruuu?"
When Rei called out after stepping out of the guild, Set turned and gave a happy purr. The Gryphon had been facing off with a bird monster about one meter in height that stood nearby.
Rei's eyes were drawn more to the bird than to his partner.
"...An Icebird?"
Yes, it was an Icebird, a monster Rei had fought before.
It was a D-rank monster and wasn't particularly powerful, but what caught Rei's attention was the necklace around its neck. It was a Tamed Monster's Necklace, the exact same kind Set wore. In other words, the Icebird was someone's summoned beast or a tamed monster.
"...Still, for an Icebird to be active in this season... Ah, I see."
Judging by the slight magical hum from the ring on the Icebird's right leg, Rei concluded it was likely wearing a magic item of some sort.
"This is the first time I've seen a tamed monster other than Set. ...No, there were the Dragon Knights' Wyverns."
The Wyverns that the Dragon Knights he fought during the war had ridden. Even if they had been raised from eggs, they were still a type of tamed monster.
I'd like to talk to the person who tamed it, but the sea comes first right now.
"Guruuu?"
Prompted by Set, who tilted its head as if asking "Aren't we going?", Rei left the guild and headed toward the harbor.
Naturally, he continued to buy and enjoy seafood from the stalls along the way. By the time they reached the harbor, Rei and Set had stuffed themselves to the point where lunch was no longer necessary.
The first thing that caught his eye were the many ships at anchor. There were massive ocean-going ships, vessels that traveled along the coast, and small fishing boats—a vast number of them were moored in the harbor. They weren't there by choice; they stayed docked because they risked being sunk by the Lemures if they ventured out.
However, staying moored wasn't free. There were docking fees, and more importantly, the delay in cargo transport meant a massive loss for the ship owners. The Emocion side couldn't exactly force the collection of docking fees in the current crisis, so they had lowered the rates significantly. Nevertheless, every little bit added up, and eventually, the captains would be forced to take risks.
Beyond the ships, Rei saw a sea of people wandering the harbor. There were laborers for loading cargo, sailors staring resentfully out at the horizon, and adventurers hoping to claim the bounty if the Lemures ever came within reach of the shore.
Most adventurers had no choice but to wait at the harbor since they lacked the means to go out to sea. When the Lemures first appeared, some had taken boats out in hopes of exterminating it. However, almost all of them had been attacked and sent to a watery grave along with their ships without even seeing their attacker. Others had simply wasted time failing to find the creature or were repeatedly attacked by other monsters. Consequently, ship owners were no longer willing to lend out their vessels.
The only ones currently out at sea were a very few wealthy adventurer parties with magic item ships, or those who had purchased boats outright instead of renting them.
The latter groups, having paid a fortune for their vessels, were searching for the Lemures with grim expressions while keeping their rivals at bay.
However, such adventurers were only a tiny fraction of those gathered in the City of Emocion. Most were either waiting at the harbor or taking guild requests to earn their daily bread.
Under a hail of gazes filled with jealousy, envy, hope, and hatred, Rei climbed onto Set's back.
"Alright, Set. I'm counting on you."
"Gurururururuuu!"
With a loud cry, Set kicked off the ground and flapped its wings, ascending as if climbing the air itself.
Set headed straight for the ocean, toward the site where a ship had been attacked the previous day.
Several ships were already in the area, belonging to those who, like Rei, held onto a shred of hope that they might find a clue. The people on those ships looked up at the shadow flying overhead; upon discovering it was Set, they watched with envious eyes.
As expected, no one was surprised by Set since they had seen him during the rescue activities the day before; it was a gathering of high-rank adventurers, after all.
Finding a familiar face on one of the magic item ships, Rei had Set descend.
"Did you find anything that looks like a clue?"
"No, nothing at all."
The leader of the adventurer party Rei had spoken to during yesterday's rescue answered him.
The party hadn't forgotten the man who commanded a Gryphon in just one day, and they replied in a friendly manner.
That said, the adventurers on the other magic item ships or the boats purchased at the harbor were giving Rei the cold shoulder.
To those who could only move by boat, Rei and Set were far too powerful as rivals for the bounty. Therefore...
"Hey, kid. You're late to the party, so show some consideration for the rest of us."
An adventurer on a boat likely bought at the harbor called out to him.
"Tell someone who cares."
Since the approach was hostile from the start, Rei returned the sentiment in kind.
The other man wasn't about to back down, and he glared at Rei with menacing eyes.
"Hey, you. Just because you're on a Gryphon—"
At that moment, Set suddenly flapped its wings powerfully and surged away from its position. In the next instant...
"What!?"
Astonished voices erupted from the adventurers below.
A spear made of seawater had just pierced through the space where Set had been hovering a fraction of a second ago.
"Tch, so it's shown up! Set, let's pull back for a bit."
"Gurururuuu!"
Rei glanced around and, deciding they would only cause collateral damage at this rate, gave Set the order to move.
With a loud cry, Set flapped its wings and flew away from the ships.
"Hey, wait a minute! Are you trying to take the bounty all for yourselves!?"
The voice of the man who had been arguing with Rei echoed across the water, but Rei ignored it.
Several more seawater spears pierced the air, tracing the trajectory of Set's flight as if chasing them.
"Damn it! After them! We can't let them monopolize the bounty!"
The man shouted to his companions and turned his boat toward Rei and Set, but the difference in speed between the boat and the flying Gryphon was absolute. They stood no chance of catching up.
"I can't see anything in the water... no, it's not there after all."
As Set tilted its body to evade another seawater spear, Rei gripped the Gryphon tightly to keep from falling while peering into the ocean.
The water was clear, allowing him to see deep into the depths, but he couldn't spot anything that looked like the Lemures.
"The sea... the sea!?"
Rei looked up at the sky as if a sudden thought had struck him, but there was nothing in view but clouds and seabirds.
"Tch, I thought it might be a flying enemy pretending to be a sea monster... whoops."
Set tilted its body again to evade a seawater spear.
The Lemures' primary method of attack was water magic, which meant it didn't necessarily have to be submerged. For a moment, Rei had hoped it was an aerial monster, but realizing he was off the mark, he let out a small sigh.
Set continued to dance through the air, evading the seawater spears for another five minutes. Then, as if the creature had simply lost interest, the attacks abruptly ceased.