The guide led Rei, Elena, and Seto to a structure that resembled a large warehouse, situated a short distance from the guild.
The moment they stepped inside, it became immediately apparent that this was no ordinary storehouse as a wave of cool air enveloped them. Although it looked as if rain might fall at any moment, the temperature outside was still nearly thirty degrees Celsius. The impending storm had made the air thick with humidity, making the afternoon feel even more stifling—until they stepped through the doors and were greeted by a refreshing, dry breeze.
This climate was maintained by magic items, though their purpose was likely to prevent monster carcasses from rotting rather than to provide comfort for the staff. Still, the relief was undeniable. Elena slipped off her cloak, tucked it into her magic pouch, and let out a long, relaxed breath.
"I must say, this environment is remarkably pleasant."
"Guruuu!"
As they were in a warehouse, Seto had been allowed inside. He gave a happy trill, his throat vibrating with contentment.
The man who had led them there flinched in terror for a heartbeat, but he didn't abandon his post. Steeling himself, he continued guiding them toward the back of the facility.
"This way, please."
Waiting for them in the depths of the warehouse were several guild staff members and representatives from House Silwa. Among them stood a figure Rei hadn't expected to see.
"Hah! I knew it would be you lot who brought down that anomaly species."
The speaker was a mountain of a man, standing well over two meters tall with muscles as dense as iron. He carried a massive claymore in a sheath on his back. Looking at him, Rei couldn't help but mutter a surprised comment.
"The Head of House Silwa made a personal appearance for this?"
Bosk Silva let a fearless grin spread across his face at Rei’s exasperated tone.
"Naturally. This is the corpse of the anomaly species that harmed my younger brothers. I wanted to see it with my own eyes. ...So, is that the rumored gryphon?"
"Gurururuuu."
Seto purred as if to say, "Nice to meet you."
A look of profound interest flickered in Bosk's eyes as he watched the friendly beast. However, he quickly shook it off and got down to business.
"Now then, Rei. Based on our talk yesterday, I assumed that even if you killed the thing, you wouldn't be inclined to just hand over the body or the magic stone to us. What brought about the change of heart?"
The day before, when Bosk had requested Rei to hunt the creature, there had been a tacit understanding: Rei would carry out the extermination, but the magic stone would be his to keep. Bosk was clearly curious why Rei had suddenly decided to surrender both the corpse and the stone. Rei gave a small shrug.
"Well, there are a few reasons... but to be honest, I just changed my mind."
"A few reasons, eh?"
In truth, it was because of the requirements of his beast magic, but Rei couldn't exactly say that. He kept his explanation intentionally vague.
"Either way, this is a good deal for Exil, the guild, and House Silwa, isn't it?"
"...Fine. I'm sure you have your secrets. Regardless, bring the anomaly out. You have it on you, don't you?"
At Bosk's prompt, every eye in the room turned toward Rei. Most of the staff looked suspicious, though a few were wide-eyed with anticipation. Rumors of his item box had clearly made the rounds among some of them.
Following Bosk's gaze, Rei moved to the center of the room. He navigated the list in his mind, selecting the specific entry. In the next instant, the massive, three-meter-long corpse of the spear frog appeared in the middle of the empty space.
While seeing something appear out of thin air was rare, it wasn't unheard of for those familiar with teleportation or summoning magic. However, the sheer existence of a legendary item box was enough to leave several of the observers breathless with shock.
Before their curiosity could turn into an interrogation, Bosk’s voice thundered through the warehouse.
"Hey! Do your damn jobs! You have work to be done before you start satisfying your personal curiosity!"
His leadership was impeccable. The command snapped the staff back to reality, and they immediately hurried toward the spear frog’s carcass to begin their examination.
"Impressive. Your charisma is as advertised, it seems," Rei remarked.
"It's nothing like that. If we're talking about charisma, you're the one who outranks me, aren't you?"
"I wonder. Right now, I'm just a simple adventurer."
"...Heh, have it your way. Tell me, what did you think after fighting this thing? Was it as 'abnormal' as the name implies?"
Bosk watched his people begin to slice away samples of skin and tongue for study as he questioned Rei. Rei gave a solemn nod.
"Yeah. I've encountered three anomaly species now and fought two directly, but there are still things I don't understand. To be honest, fighting this one made me realize it isn't a 'normal' monster at all."
"Not a normal monster? Well, obviously. That's why we call them anomaly species."
Bosk tilted his head slightly, wondering what Rei was getting at. Rei hesitated for a second. Without being able to explain beast magic, providing clear evidence was difficult.
"It's more of a feeling. Based on Seto’s reaction, the creature felt fundamentally unnatural."
"Guru?"
Hearing his name, Seto looked up from where Elena was petting him. Looking at the gryphon didn't exactly prove Rei's point to Bosk, but given that Seto was an A-rank monster, his instincts weren't something Bosk could easily dismiss. In that sense, Seto’s presence provided the perfect cover for Rei’s specialized knowledge.
"If a gryphon sensed it, then there's definitely something wrong... I suppose," Bosk muttered, seemingly trying to convince himself. Rei breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Anyway, from what Seto could feel, this thing possessed multiple magic powers, unlike a normal monster."
"Multiple magic powers?"
"Yeah. Normally, a monster only has its own magic power. A goblin has a goblin's magic, an orc has an orc's magic, and so on. But this anomaly species was different. It was a spear frog, yet it had the magic power of several different monsters inside it."
Bosk’s gaze turned razor-sharp. He looked at the spear frog, but a significant portion of his attention remained fixed on Rei.
"If that's true, then it definitely earns the title of 'abnormal.' We'll have to stay on high alert in more ways than one. ...Still."
Bosk paused, shifting his intense focus back to Rei.
"You seem to understand things in remarkable detail. It's almost as if you can actually speak to the gryphon."
"...Well, I've lived with Seto since he was an egg. We've been together a long time. I can tell what he’s trying to say through the nuances of his cries."
"Hoh? So you're saying anyone who lives with a monster from birth can understand them?"
"At the very least, Seto and I have a great deal of compatibility. We don't speak the same language, but we understand each other's intentions well enough."
The warehouse fell into a brief silence, broken only by the sounds of the researchers working on the carcass. Bosk was the first to break the tension, the intensity in his eyes fading as if it had never been there.
"Well, the details don't matter. The bottom line is that the anomaly species that hurt my men has been killed and handed over to me. Plus, a high-rank monster like a gryphon pointed out the suspicious parts. If I push for anything more, I'll probably get hit with bad luck for being too greedy."
He was acknowledging that there was more to the story without demanding to hear it. Rei frowned slightly. He wasn't thrilled that a man as sharp as Bosk realized he was hiding something. He had originally pegged Bosk as a simple muscle-brain, but after a few meetings, he’d realized the man was far more capable—certainly enough to help manage a place like Exil.
"By the way, what do you think is the reason for it having multiple magic powers? Tell me your opinion as a mage."
"Well, having multiple magic signatures isn't natural. Someone is likely doing this artificially... or, perhaps, these anomalies are appearing due to some accidental interference."
Rei’s answer seemed to hit the mark. The sound of Bosk grinding his teeth echoed through the room. Even if House Silwa didn't rule the city alone, he clearly despised the idea of someone conducting illicit experiments in his territory.
Elena, still petting Seto, let out a soft sigh as she watched veins bulge in Bosk's forehead.
At this rate, it's probably for the best that we don't mention the high probability of House Rebisole or House Marstchel pulling the strings, she thought. It's frustrating that we can't show clear evidence while Rei has to protect the secret of his beast magic.
Rei seemed to be thinking the same thing. He opened his mouth for a moment but decided to say nothing.
"Hey! Check the magic stone first! That's the monster's core; analyze it!"
"But Big Brother, the guild usually handles the magic stone—"
"I don't care! There's a massive difference between looking for 'something' and looking for something you know is there!"
Prompted by Bosk’s roar, the workers redoubled their efforts. Turning back to the party, Bosk pulled a small cloth bag from his vest and handed it over.
"Regardless, you did good work. This is the best result I could have hoped for. You have my thanks. Here's the reward. I've added a little something extra, so go get yourselves a decent meal."
Inside the bag were the two gold coins for the base request, the success reward of two platinum coins, and an additional two silver coins.
"Are you sure about the extra?"
"It's within my discretion. This was a private request that didn't go through the guild channels, after all. Rewards fluctuate. You're an adventurer; you should know how this works."
"I usually only take requests from the guild board, so I wouldn't know. ...But if you're offering, I'll take it."
Bosk gave a boisterous, masculine laugh and nodded.
"Good. I gave you the extra specifically so you wouldn't forget about our connection. Feel as indebted to me as you like."
"...I think saying that directly to our faces kind of defeats the purpose," Rei replied with a dry look. Bosk didn't seem to care and waved them off.
"Anyway, there's nothing left for you to do here today. Head on home. You've been fighting in the desert all day; go get some rest. Or knowing you lot, you'll just dive back into the dungeon tomorrow. Either way, there's no reason to hang around here. Go on."
Rei hesitated for a split second, wondering if he should mention the bandit goblin mage. But since the magic stone had already been consumed by his scythe, producing the body now would only invite unwanted questions. He decided against it and turned to leave.
"Then we'll be going."
"Yeah. I might call on you again if another problem crops up, so be ready."
Rei gave a small nod to the voice behind him as Seto and Elena followed him out of the warehouse.
"Now then... I'm going to make whatever bastard created this 'anomaly species' realize exactly what they've done. You lot! Don't miss so much as a single scrap of evidence!"
"Yes, sir!"
The sound of Bosk’s command and the thunderous response of his subordinates echoed through the cold air of the warehouse.