The sudden report brought that day would stun the governing authorities of the City of Emocion—specifically, the men hired to serve as subordinates to the nominal noble lord.
"What! The Lemures has been defeated!?"
Among the several people in the room, a man in his early thirties was the first to cry out.
"Yes, that is the report I received. Since it came directly from the site, I believe there is no mistake."
At the words of the man in his twenties, a flash of joy appeared on the faces of the dozen or so people present. However...
"Hm? Wait, wait, wait. It’s well and good that the Lemures was defeated, but why was it on land and not in the sea where it lived? Well, since no one knew what the creature actually looked like, I suppose if someone told me it was a monster capable of acting on land, I would have to take their word for it."
At those words, the others seemed to return to their senses, their expressions clouding over with doubt.
The people gathered here were those who effectively run the City of Emocion. As such, they could not easily believe information that had not yet been confirmed. After all, this was a city often called the gateway to the Kingdom of Mireana, a place where countless wily merchants gathered; caution was their primary currency.
"Now that you mention it, that’s true. In the first place, is that monster really the Lemures? According to the information we have, it suddenly appeared in a location quite close to this city."
"Regarding that matter, the report from the site claims they used a Magic Item to perform a forced teleportation of the Lemures."
"...Excuse me?"
The claim was so entirely unexpected that the people in the room turned a collective, vacant stare toward the messenger. It was as if they couldn't even process the words he was saying.
The man, perhaps having anticipated such a reaction, continued to speak.
"This is strictly based on the initial report from the site. I expect more detailed information will arrive later."
"...I see. At any rate, if the Lemures has truly been defeated, there could be no better news. The adventurer who defeated it—that’s the one, right? The one with the Gryphon who acted as a decoy so several ships could set sail."
"Yes, sir."
As they watched the messenger nod, one of the women present spoke up with a look of realization.
"I see. If it's an adventurer capable of taming a Gryphon, it might not be so strange for him to possess such an outlier of a Magic Item. That adventurer seems quite capable; I wonder if we could scout him."
"Better not. As the reports say, he's someone the Guild Master of the City of Gilm has her eye on. Furthermore, according to our intelligence, he's also reportedly close with Margrave Larkus. It would be no joke if we made a clumsy move and they started pulling strings against us from the frontier."
A man replied with an exasperated tone, and hearing that, the woman let out a sigh.
"Still, he's more than worth the risk. He can use magic suited for long-range attacks, and he has a Gryphon that can fly freely through the sky as a Tamed Monster, right? When it comes to dealing with pirates and the like, he would be a peerless asset."
Agreement rose from several voices at those words.
While pirates had mostly disappeared recently due to the influence of the Lemures, if the creature's subjugation was true, the pirates would undoubtedly resume their activities.
Though the Lemures had been a disaster for the City of Emocion, the disappearance of the pirates was one of its few silver linings. Of course, the negative factors had been so overwhelming that no one felt particularly grateful for the monster's presence.
"Even so. Considering Marina Alianza’s shrewdness, it wouldn't be a problem if that adventurer, Rei, wanted to move his base to this city of his own accord. But if we were to move on our end... it would certainly lead to a disastrous political situation."
"...Fine, I get it."
The woman nodded reluctantly at the man's warning. Another woman in her forties sitting next to her finally chimed in.
"Then, for now, we'll just have the Guild confirm whether it's true that the Lemures was defeated?"
"Right. The Guild should have some kind of information, and they'll investigate whether that massive monster seen from the city was truly the Lemures."
"By the way, I’m just asking out of curiosity, but what kind of monster was the Lemures in the end?"
When one of the officials asked that, every gaze in the room turned back to the messenger.
Succumbing to the silent pressure, the man opened his mouth.
"This is not yet confirmed information, but merely the speculation of the adventurers on the scene... but they suspect it was a species of Sea Serpent."
"What? Wait a minute. I didn't think Sea Serpents were that gargantuan."
"Yes. Therefore, they believe it might be a Rare Species or a High-ranking Species."
"...I see. If that's the case, it makes sense why it was more intelligent than a normal Sea Serpent. Well, detailed information about the Lemures will likely be circulated by the Adventurer's Guild later. More importantly, assuming the Lemures is gone, we must prepare to manage the ships anchored in the harbor. If they all depart at once, the chaos will be significant."
"That’s true. Especially since many owners haven't been able to set sail because of the Lemures and are desperate to stop paying us harbor fees."
With that, the people in the room began to contemplate the busy days ahead, and more than a few felt the onset of a headache. In fact, from the following day onward, they would become so busy they would have no time to sleep, and some would even collapse from sheer exhaustion.
The sun was already beginning to set, the time when it wouldn't be strange for the Main Gate of the city to begin closing. Despite the hour, a large number of adventurers were currently gathered at the entrance. These were the people who had rushed out upon seeing the Lemures, accepted Rei's proposal to assist in the dismantling work, and finally returned to the city.
"Your Guild Card... ah, confirmed. You may enter."
"Mine too, please. Hurry it up!"
"Hey, wait, wait. One at a time! I'll put anyone who breaks the line or cuts in at the very back!"
"My Guild Card... eh? Huh? Where did my Guild Card go? Uh..."
"Reinforcements! Call for more reinforcements! It’s taking too long with only about 5 men! I'm sure there were some idle guys at the Guard Force Headquarters!"
The number of adventurers exceeded fifty, and since many led wagons or horses, the area in front of the Main Gate was so congested that movement was difficult even for a city like Emocion. Of course, the Guards were desperately processing the entry procedures, but the crowd showed no sign of thinning.
Still, most of the adventurers, who would normally be making a scene in such a situation, were in high spirits. Satisfied smiles were everywhere; they had received Lemures Meat from Rei as promised for the dismantling, and further, Rei had declared that the banquet to be held at the Guild tonight would be his treat.
Originally, Rei hadn't considered paying for a banquet, but Egret had told him that when one defeats such a large monster, it was traditional to use the reward to treat everyone to a celebration.
Rei had agreed because he was in an excellent mood after successfully defeating the disaster-class monster and obtaining a long-desired Magic Stone. For that reason, he had finished his entry procedures earlier than the others and was heading toward the Guild with the companions who had fought by his side.
"Man, even so, the Lemures was strong. I never thought it would negate physical attacks and then secrete a liquid from its skin that rots our weapons."
"...You're in a surprisingly good mood for someone whose cherished Pole-axe was ruined," Miroir noted. "For my part, I never want to fight a monster like that again. Seriously, even if it was a type of Sea Serpent, why was it that massive and violent?"
"Now, now. Miroir-san, please settle down. At any rate, we did defeat the Lemures."
Listening to the banter between Egret, Miroir, and Hendeka, Rei made his way through the streets while looking around the city.
Word must have already been spread by those who returned earlier. The entire city was bustling, and scenes of people happily talking with neighbors could be seen everywhere.
The reason no one was calling out to Rei and the others—the primary victors—was, fortunately or unfortunately, because the information on exactly who had delivered the killing blow had not yet permeated the populace. However, it would only be a matter of time once the adventurers currently at the gate entered the city.
(I'm not exactly thrilled about a commotion starting. ...Well, if anyone trying to get a piece of the pie approaches, I'll just deal with them appropriately.)
While he considered this, the group reached their destination.
"Seto."
"Shen, you too."
In response to the calls from Rei and Hendeka, the two creatures let out short cries and moved toward the Tamed Monster Space. Watching them go, the four humans entered the Guild.
"Hey, look at that."
"Yeah, it’s Crimson. In that case, as I thought..."
"Was it that monster we saw before noon?"
"There are rumors it was the Lemures, but why would a monster from the deep sea appear on land?"
"Maybe it was a species that could move on land? From what we could see, it was clearly a Sea Serpent species. If so..."
"But it was out at sea the whole time, so why suddenly on land?"
The adventurers inside the Guild, and those having an early dinner at the attached tavern, noticed Rei entering and began whispering speculations. Rei paid them no mind and headed straight for the counter. Egret and Miroir were used to such stares, but Hendeka looked around with a restless, nervous expression.
"Look, settle down," Miroir said. "You're one of the main actors in this whole affair."
"But Miroir-san, I'm not really good with these kinds of situations..."
Listening to them, Rei addressed the Receptionist.
"I’ve completed the subjugation of the Lemures. What should I do? I've brought what I think is the Proof of Subjugation Part, but since the Lemures' appearance wasn't even known to begin with, I suppose it won't serve as much evidence."
"...P-please wait a moment. I'll go call a supervisor immediately!"
Deciding the situation exceeded her authority, the Receptionist hurriedly disappeared into the back. At the same time, voices of astonishment rose from those in the Guild who had overheard Rei.
"As I thought, they were the ones..."
"But how are they going to prove it?"
"Who knows? But anyway, the city will finally be quiet. Because of the adventurers coming in from outside, all the requests were being snatched up. I was wondering what to do for work."
Rei waited patiently, and eventually, a man in his forties appeared from the back with the Receptionist.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rosethus, and I serve as the Assistant to the Guild Master here. I heard that you have subjugated the Lemures... may I hear the details?"
"Sure, that's fine."
Rei nodded at the unexpectedly polite response. Since most of the male Guild Staff he had met so far had a rugged appearance, he looked at Rosethus with considerable surprise.
Rosethus guided them to a meeting room on the second floor. The layout was familiar; the structure of Guild meeting rooms didn't change much regardless of the city. However, there were minor local differences. In Emocion, the room was decorated with coral and seashells, and the walls were painted in a deep ocean blue.
Hendeka, entering such a room for the first time, looked around with interest, while Egret and Miroir showed the calm of High-Rank adventurers. Rei, no stranger to these rooms either, remained composed.
"Now then, regarding the defeat of the Lemures... um, I apologize, but do you have anything that could serve as evidence? Since no one has clearly seen the Lemures before, we are currently unsure of how to proceed."
"I figured as much. ...In that case, I'd like you to look at this first."
So saying, Rei reached into his Misty Ring and placed a massive Magic Stone, approximately 30cm in diameter, onto the table.