Even in a Labyrinth City, the busy and slow hours of the Guild remained much the same.
After all, monsters inside a dungeon grew more aggressive at night, just like those in the wild. Naturally, few people were eager to go out of their way to fight creatures at their most ferocity.
Of course, there were monsters that only appeared at night, as well as ores and plants that could only be harvested under the cover of darkness. If one were to ask if the dungeon was completely devoid of adventurers during the night, the answer would be no.
Among them were battle maniacs who cared little for conquest or material gain, seeking only the thrill of combat itself. To such individuals, a nighttime dungeon filled with savage enemies was, in a sense, a paradise.
Regardless of those few exceptions, it was a simple fact that the number of adventurers present in the Guild during the day was sparse, whether in Gilm or Exil.
Rei and Elena entered the Guild just after noon, a time when the stares of curiosity from those around them were at their minimal.
"I didn't expect Seto to fall fast asleep like that."
"The same goes for Iero. To think my own familiar would prioritize sleeping beside Seto over its own master..."
"Well, I doubt a normal familiar would behave like that."
As the two entered the Guild while exchanging idle conversation, the eyes of every adventurer and Guild Staff member present were drawn to them.
One was a boy in his mid-teens, clad in a robe that suggested he was a Mage or perhaps an apprentice mage. He drew little concern. His robe looked somewhat expensive, but that was all. He wasn't particularly tall and appeared to be just another fledgling Mage—not a common sight in Exil, but there were enough of them that he could be dismissed as such.
The misfortune in this moment was that not a single person capable of sensing an opponent's Magic Power, Mages included, was present in the Guild. Such individuals were rare to begin with, and at this hour, they were mostly busy diving into the dungeon. Consequently, those who saw the pair could only assume Rei was some kind of attendant to the woman beside him.
Then there was the figure at his side. She had golden hair and a feminine body with curves that were apparent even over her armor. Her beauty was so striking that it captivated the gaze of anyone who saw her, radiating a dignified strength of will that demanded attention.
The overwhelming presence Elena exuded caused the Guild hall to fall silent for several seconds.
However, Rei and Elena were both well-accustomed to such reactions. They paid the silence no mind and walked straight to the reception desk.
"Excuse me. We arrived in Exil today. We'd like to complete the procedures for entering the dungeon."
"...Ah, y-yes!"
The Receptionist had been momentarily transfixed by Elena’s appearance at close range, but she quickly snapped back to her professional self. This quick recovery was likely a trait unique to receptionists working in a Labyrinth City.
"Um, then, please present your identification. ...Is it for both of you?"
The Receptionist stole a quick glance toward Rei.
"Yeah, me too. This is my Guild Card."
Rei reached into his Dragon Robe and pulled his Guild Card from the Misty Ring.
He placed the card on the counter. The Receptionist’s gaze was still glued to Elena, and she picked up the card on the counter without a second thought, looking at it merely to confirm Rei’s identity.
In truth, she was far more interested in Elena’s background than Rei’s. But the moment her eyes fell upon his Guild Rank, her movements froze.
"...Eh? Rank B?"
She whispered the words under her breath. Normally, such a small voice would have been swallowed by the ambient noise of the room.
But currently, every eye in the Guild was focused on Elena, and the hall was unnervingly quiet. Even a whisper from the Receptionist was perfectly audible to the adventurers standing near the counter.
It didn't reach the entire Guild at once. Exil’s Guild was significantly larger than the one in Gilm due to its status as a Labyrinth City. In Gilm, which sat on the Frontier, even average beginners struggled to defeat the monsters that appeared near the city.
While Goblins existed for beginners to hunt, the Frontier also saw high-rank monsters appearing near the Highway that low-rankers couldn't hope to handle.
Because of this, most beginner adventurers in Gilm were locals; few low-rankers traveled there from the outside.
In contrast, the shallow upper levels of Exil’s dungeon were home almost exclusively to low-rank monsters, while high-rank monsters were found only in the deeper floors. With more beginners, the Guild required a vast space. Furthermore, unusually for a Guild, Exil’s facility did not include a tavern. This was likely because the city was already teeming with adventurers and supporting businesses.
Due to the sheer size of the hall, the Receptionist’s words didn't echo to every corner, but...
"Rank B?"
"Wait, that kid is?"
"You've got to be kidding. He looks like an apprentice mage no matter how you slice it."
"The Guild must have made a mistake. I'm still Rank D; there's no way a brat like that is Rank B."
"...!?"
As the claim that Rei was Rank B began to ripple outward from the counter to the rest of the Guild, a male C-Rank Adventurer, who had happened to oversleep and was stopping by to train, gasped.
This man wasn't famous for being exceptionally powerful, but he was a well-known veteran with nearly fifteen years of experience, respected for looking after his juniors. Seeing such a man gasp with an expression of pure astonishment naturally drew the attention of everyone nearby.
"Nebros-san, what's wrong?"
One of the adventurers, noticing Nebros acting strangely, spoke up in concern.
The speaker was a late-teen adventurer who had been mentored by Nebros many times. Their relationship was practically that of master and disciple. Because of this bond, he asked with genuine worry, but Nebros simply shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. I just... I just realized something."
"But still... ah, did that self-proclaimed Rank B do something to you? If you want, I can go give him a piece of my mind. That kid being Rank B has to be a mistake, and if I press him hard enough..."
"Stop it!"
Nebros barked the order involuntarily. He knew exactly what would happen if the boy did such a thing. Yes, just like the terror he felt when he first learned of Rei’s existence...
"Nebros-san?"
"...I didn't know he was Rank B either, but his strength is the real deal. I've confirmed it with my own eyes."
"With your own eyes? This is the first time we've seen them in Exil, isn't it? I mean, I don't know about the kid, but a woman that beautiful would have been the talk of the town if they'd been here before."
'What are you talking about?' the man's expression seemed to say, wondering if Nebros was joking, but he was met with a gaze of absolute, deadly seriousness.
"Listen, you know I participated in the War with the Bestia Empire back in the spring, right?"
"Y-yes. Of course. I wanted to go too, but my rank wasn't high enough... Wait. Did that kid fight in that war?"
The young man seemed to understand the implication mid-sentence. He turned a shocked gaze toward Rei.
For the War with the Bestia Empire, the Guild had prohibited anyone at Rank E or below from participating as a mercenary. The young man had been on the verge of taking the D-Rank Rank Up Exam at the time, but the timing hadn't worked out, and he had been forced to stay behind. In other words, that child over there—the apprentice mage who looked like he’d only just started out—must have been at least Rank D or higher back then.
The man assumed that meant there was a possibility that the Rank B the Receptionist mentioned was indeed a clerical error by the Guild.
However, reality was far more terrifying.
"Whether he participated? No, it's not that simple. He is... he is... Crimson."
A stir.
The other adventurers nearby who had overheard Nebros began to murmur the moment they heard the name Crimson.
The adventurer who had single-handedly annihilated the enemy’s Lead Unit. The one accompanied by a Gryphon, an A-Rank Monster known as the Grim Reaper of the Skies. A man who could be called the newest hero. Though not part of the official record, rumors among the adventurers, knights, and soldiers who had fought in the war insisted that this one individual had decided the outcome of the entire conflict. That was the man who held the alias of 'Crimson'.
At the sound of that word, several adventurers who had been planning to approach Rei to get to Elena suddenly froze in their tracks.
Furthermore, at this moment, the eyes of everyone in the Guild were fixed on Rei, and no one realized that Elena was the Princess General. This was likely because, while the alias 'Princess General' was famous across the land, few had seen her face. Even if someone recognized her, they likely assumed that a Duke's Daughter of her status could not possibly be standing in a place like this.
"Crimson... that kid is Crimson!?"
"Yeah. I saw him use magic with my own eyes. ...It was terrifying. I've never seen a Flame Tornado that massive in my life. And he threw barrels into the vortex from the air; when they shattered, the metal shards inside turned it into a meat grinder. Not to only mention how he mowed down enemies with a great scythe that was longer than he was tall."
"..."
Nebros didn't have the eyes of a man telling a tall tale. He was speaking the absolute truth.
The young man understood this perfectly, having been taught the ropes of being an adventurer by Nebros for quite some time.
In other words...
"The real Crimson."
He whispered, swallowing hard.
The same was true for the men around him who had been listening to Nebros.
The name Crimson spread through the hall just as the "Rank B" whispered by the Receptionist had, and now every gaze in the Guild was fixed squarely on Rei.
Despite the weight of those stares, Rei didn't seem to care as he spoke to the Receptionist.
"Is there some problem with me being Rank B?"
"N-no. Not at all. I'll have the materials ready immediately. ...As for the lady here..."
The Receptionist glanced at Elena, asking timidly.
She wondered if this woman, who was far too beautiful, was also some kind of common-sense-defying existence like Rei.
Because she already had that suspicion, she managed to keep herself from crying out when she finally looked at the documents she had been handed.
Even when she saw the name written there: Elena Kerebel.
"!? ...I-I see. There is no problem. I'll have everything ready shortly, so please wait a moment."
She gasped, but realizing she couldn't afford to cause another scene like she had with Rei, the Receptionist hurried to process the registration.
Thanks to the fact that the adventurers' attention was entirely focused on Rei, almost no one noticed her panicked behavior.
A few minutes later, two cards and a crystal-ball-like object slightly larger than a palm were placed on the counter.
"Please place your right hand on this crystal and lightly channel your Magic Power while holding the Dungeon Card with your left hand. Once that's done, the registration will be complete. ...I should ask, you are able to channel Magic Power, yes?"
The two nodded silently.
Whether using a large Magic Item or a small one, the act of channeling Magic Power was a fundamental requirement. It was the same principle Rei used for the Death Scythe or Elena for her Whip-sword—and the same one used for a simple Magic Item to start a cooking fire.
The Receptionist had only asked as a formality, as some people lacked the constitution to use even basic daily items.
But she was perfectly aware of who stood before her: Crimson and the Princess General.
And so, the registration of the Dungeon Cards was completed without a single hitch.