"Well, it’s about time I head out."
"Ah, take care. What are you going to do about your room once you collect the bounty?"
"Let's see... I think I'll be staying for another day or two, so just keep it as it is."
"Got it. I’ll be looking forward to a souvenir!"
Sent off by the inn's shop girl and her mischievous smile, Rei stepped out into the street.
The City of Emocion had been in a festive uproar for several days following the subjugation of the Lemures. Now that ten days had passed, the fervor had finally begun to cool. Most of the ships that had been trapped in the harbor were gone, having set sail to make room for the new vessels arriving at the docks.
Today marked the tenth day since Rei had defeated the creature. According to the guild's rules, ten consecutive days without a sighting or an attack was the threshold required to officially recognize the subjugation.
...That said, several ships had still fallen victim to pirates over the last week. It seemed the groups Rei had captured previously were merely the tip of the iceberg, and pirate informants were likely still lurking within the city to gather intelligence.
"Well, I wasn't hired for pirate subjugation, so I can only tell the local adventurers to do their best," Rei muttered to himself.
If Rei were to truly handle the pirate threat, he and Set would have to act as full-time escorts or patrol the waters off the coast of Emocion indefinitely. Since the sea monsters had yet to resurface, there was no pressing need for him to head back out to sea. Perhaps the situation would have been different if the guild had issued a nomination request for him to patrol, but they were hesitant to let an outsider hog all the glory and make their local members look incompetent. Likewise, individual shipowners couldn't hire him as a private guard because he was a vital strategic asset—he needed to be available to respond immediately if the Lemures reappeared.
In the end, dealing with the pirates was a task left to the shipowners and the adventurers belonging to Emocion's Guild.
"Guruuu?"
Set, walking beside him, tilted its head as if asking what was on his mind. Rei smiled and reached out to give the griffon's head a fond scratch.
"It's nothing. More importantly, once the Lemures incident is officially settled, we’ll be heading back to the City of Gilm. Just be ready for that."
"Guruu."
Set nodded, though it cast a lingering, regretful glance at the nearby seafood stalls and the newly popular okonomiyaki stands.
Over the last ten days, Rei had spent almost the entirety of his pirate-hunting rewards on local delicacies. He had bought up staggering amounts of fish, crabs, shrimp, and shellfish, along with various prepared dishes. Even if he and Set ate nothing but the stock stored within the Misty Ring, they had enough to last for months—perhaps even a year.
Besides, Rei and Set both knew the way back to Emocion now. If they ever ran out of their favorite snacks, they could simply fly back for a shopping trip.
As they walked, they eventually reached the front of the guild, where they met up with Egret, Miroir, and Hendeka. The Icebird Shen was waiting for them as well, perched atop the roof of a nearby building.
"Yo, Rei. It’s been a while."
"Yeah. It looks like you haven't—actually, your weapon is different. You mentioned having a pole-axe made from the Lemures fangs. Is that it?"
Rei turned his gaze to the weapon on Egret's back. The handle appeared to have been carved from a massive fang, and the axe head itself had a pale, bone-like hue, suggesting the materials had been integrated as a catalyst during the forging process.
"The blacksmith dwarf complained the whole time," Egret said, stroking the weapon with a satisfied grin. "But in the end, the pole-axe is the only weapon for me. Its attack power is on a whole different level compared to the one the Lemures broke."
Miroir let out an exasperated sigh beside him. "It’s all well and good that you replaced it, but the commission fee was astronomical even with the fangs provided. Because of you, I spent the last ten days slaving away at guild requests."
"...Guild requests? I thought the monster count was down lately," Rei noted.
"Subjugation jobs are scarce, sure, but there’s plenty of work in the city. Ships have been arriving in droves to make up for lost time, and the pay for loading cargo is actually pretty decent."
"I don't think cargo handling is the kind of work a B-Rank adventurer is supposed to be doing..."
"We also took a few pirate subjugation contracts," Hendeca added. "Though we only managed to damage their ships before they escaped."
"Yeah, having Shen around made the pirate hunts a lot easier," Miroir said with a small smile, reaching over to pat Hendeca’s head.
Rei’s eyes widened slightly at the casual intimacy of the gesture. After a moment, he nodded as if a realization had struck him.
"I see. So, you’ve decided to form a permanent party?"
"Well, Hendeca is surprisingly reliable," Miroir replied.
"No, really, compared to you two, I’m just..." Hendeca turned bashful at her praise, but his reaction seemed less like that of a teammate and more like...
"Wait, don't tell me you two—"
Rei's trailing thought caused Hendeca to freeze up. Miroir likewise became restless, her usual composure wavering.
Looking at their reactions, Rei finally understood the true nature of their relationship.
"I see. You didn't just form a party—you became a couple."
"...Ahaha. You caught us?" Miroir laughed sheepishly.
"Hey, it's not like you were trying to hide it. Good for you," Egret interjected. It seemed he had no issue with his partner dating their new teammate.
"I honestly thought for sure that you and Miroir would end up together," Rei admitted, looking at Egret.
"Pfft, no way!" Miroir blurted out.
"Exactly. I can't imagine being with Miroir like that," Egret agreed with a vigorous nod.
Rei conceded the point. Their bond was clearly built on a foundation of pure friendship rather than romance—a rare exception to the usual tropes.
"Ahaha. As for me... well, I’m just incredibly happy that the woman I fell in love with felt the same way," Hendeca said, blushing.
"Kikiki!" Shen let out a celebratory cry from the rooftop.
Their conversation in front of the guild naturally drew attention. Passing adventurers offered various reactions: lukewarm stares, envious glares from those jealous of Hendeca’s luck, and a few genuinely supportive smiles.
Noticing the audience, Miroir turned bright red and reflexively reached for the whip at her waist.
"H-hey, Miroir-san! Let's just go inside! It's payday—it would be a waste to get kicked out for starting a fight now!" Hendeca pleaded.
"...Hmph. Fine. Come on, Egret, Rei. Let's move."
Miroir and Hendeca hurried into the building. Rei watched them go, a faint, amused smile on his face.
"Heh... Miroir, of all people."
"Surprising, isn't it? It caught me off guard too," Egret said with a small shrug. "But when you think about it, Miroir’s big-sisterly attitude and Hendeca’s slightly unreliable nature actually fit together pretty well."
Rei followed Egret into the guild to collect their final reward.
The moment Rei stepped through the doors, the receptionist, who had become well-acquainted with his face, immediately went to fetch Rosethus. The assistant guildmaster had been expecting them on this tenth day and appeared promptly from behind the counter to lead them to the 2F Meeting Room.
"Welcome. I've been expecting you, Rei-san."
"I take it that means there have been no more reports of the Lemures?"
The entire City of Emocion was already operating on the assumption that the monster was dead. The shipowners felt the same; if the creature had resurfaced, the resulting panic would have been impossible for Rei to miss. His question was a small jab at the guild's initial skepticism, but Rosethus took it with a humble nod.
"Yes, that is correct. And because of that period of observation, we can now officially certify the subjugation. I hope you can forgive our caution; it worked out in your favor as well, didn't it?"
"I suppose so," Rei replied with a small, knowing smile.
With the formalities out of the way, Rosethus produced a small cloth bag from his pocket. It landed on the table with a heavy, metallic clatter. Egret, hearing the weight of it, let out an appreciative whistle.
"Is that 20 Platinum Coins? You split the 2 Light Gold Coins for us?"
"Indeed. I was informed you would be splitting the reward four ways, so I thought it best to provide currency that was easier to distribute."
"That’s much appreciated," Rei said. Egret and Miroir echoed his thanks, while Hendeca—who was seeing Platinum Coins for the first time in his life—simply stared at the bag in a daze. If he was this stunned by the bag alone, Rei wondered if the man would have fainted if they had presented him with the actual Light Gold Coins.
Miroir glanced at her lover with an amused look, then turned back to the table to discuss the division.
"Rei, we agreed that Hendeca and I would take a larger share of the cash in exchange for forgoing our rights to the Lemures materials, right?"
"Yeah, that’s fine with me."
Rei emptied the bag onto the table. The coins, true to their name, gave off a brilliant white luster. He stacked them into four piles of five coins each and slid them across the table.
"First, the base split." He then took two coins from his pile and two from Egret’s, moving them to Miroir and Hendeca’s stacks.
The final distribution left Rei and Egret with 3 Platinum Coins each, while Miroir and Hendeca received 7 Platinum Coins each.
"Are we all in agreement?" Rei asked. The other three nodded without hesitation.
"Most parties end up at each other's throats over a haul like this, but you four are quite remarkable," Rosethus noted with a smile.
Rei wasn't particularly strapped for cash, and he had already sold off a significant portion of the Lemures materials he didn't need for himself. Between that and his pirate bounties, his trip to Emocion had been incredibly profitable—even if a large chunk of that profit had already been converted into seafood. Egret was satisfied now that he had his new pole-axe, and the couple was more than happy with the windfall of cash.
"Well, there wasn't much to argue about to begin with," Rei said, standing up. "Are we finished here?"
"Yes, the guild is satisfied. To be perfectly honest, we would have preferred it if an adventurer belonging to Emocion's Guild had struck the final blow for the sake of our reputation... but the recovery of the port's trade is far more important than our pride. We cannot thank you enough. And Rei-san, as promised, I will contact you the moment we receive any credible information regarding Rare Species."
Rosethus gave a deep, respectful bow before leaving the room. Rei and the others made their way down to the 1F and stepped back out into the salty air.
"So... we're heading back to the inn to grab our gear and head out of the city," Egret said, adjusting the strap of his pole-axe. "What about you, Rei? Want to travel with us for a while longer?"
Rei took a moment to think, patting Set’s head as the griffon leaned in close. He eventually shook his head.
"No, I think I’ll stay here a little longer. There are still a few things I want to pick up before I leave."
"Is that so? Well, I guess this is where we part ways, then."
"Yeah. Take care of yourselves."
"You too, Rei... though I have a feeling you'll be fine no matter what trouble you run into," Miroir said.
"Ahaha, Miroir-san is right about that. But Rei-san, I feel like I've really grown thanks to you. Thank you for everything. You too, Shen."
"Kiki! Kikiki!"
At Hendeca’s word, the Icebird Shen chirped a farewell to Rei and Set.
"Guruuu."
Set let out a resounding cry of its own, bidding farewell to the three humans and its avian companion. With that, the Lemures Subjugation Temporary Party was officially dissolved.