It was the day after the battle with the Skeleton Anomaly Species, when Rei had sold the creature's remains and its four magic swords to House Silwa. Rei now found himself walking through the streets of Exil.
What made today different was his destination: he was heading toward the main gate rather than the dungeon.
Furthermore—and perhaps most significantly—Elena and Ielo were absent, despite having been by Rei’s side almost constantly since their arrival in the city.
Elena had originally planned to assist with the material stripping, but a sudden invitation had arrived from House Marstchel, and she had been forced to attend.
Naturally, Rei had misgivings about letting her go to House Marstchel alone.
Unlike Bosk’s House Silwa, Shaffner’s House Rebisole, or Byune’s House Flaut, House Marstchel was a family they had absolutely no prior contact with.
They were one of the Three Houses Governing Exil. With a small number of retainers, they were, in a sense, the most mysterious clan in the city.
(And... there’s almost no doubt they have some connection to the Anomaly Species incident.)
Rei bit into a Fang Boar skewer he had bought along the way, contemplating the situation.
Among the adventurer parties that had discovered the dungeon at the heart of Exil, the Marstchels were descendants of mages. Because of that, Rei found it impossible to believe they were unrelated to the anomalies.
However, the invitation had been addressed only to Elena. Rei, meanwhile, had the material stripping request he had placed at the guild the previous day to oversee.
The thought of abandoning the monster carcasses to accompany her had crossed his mind, but since the work was to be done outside the city, he needed to serve as a guard against roaming monsters. He also wanted to learn more about the dismantling process himself.
Above all, Elena had insisted he leave the matter to her.
When Rei had tried to argue further, she had asked if he couldn't trust her. Unable to say no to that, he had relented and was now heading to the gate with Seto.
"Guruuu?"
Walking beside him, Seto let out a soft trill, as if asking if he was alright. Rei reached out and gently stroked the gryphon's back.
"You're right. There's no point in me worrying. Elena is far more accustomed to dealing with nobles than I am. I should just focus on the task at hand."
"Guru!"
Seto chirped in agreement as they arrived at the main gate.
A group of over ten people was already gathered there, waiting expectantly for Rei.
To be precise, there were the ten hires who had accepted the request plus the four Rei had rescued in the dungeon—Tibia, Ecethesus, Nakt, and Gort—bringing the total to fourteen.
"...Heh."
Rei muttered involuntarily when he spotted Tibia. Despite having lost her right arm from the shoulder down, she was already out and active.
To think she could walk around a mere day after such a catastrophic injury... the medical technology of Elgin was clearly far superior to what Rei remembered of Japan.
Rei approached the group with Seto. Feeling every eye on him, he spoke up.
"Thank you all for coming. I assume everyone here is here for the monster material stripping request I placed at the guild? If anyone is here for another reason, speak up now."
Silence fell over the crowd. No one raised an objection.
In truth, there were a few who had planned to look down on Rei because of his youthful appearance and demand a higher reward. However, once they saw the gryphon accompanying him, their courage failed them and they remained silent.
"...Good. It looks like everyone is here. Some of you might be wondering why there are fourteen people when the request only called for ten. Those four over there have volunteered to help for free. Your rewards won't decrease because of their presence, so don't worry."
Several of the hired adventurers let out sighs of relief. They had been anxious when they saw more people than expected.
"As stated in the request, we’ll be stripping five types of monsters: Bloody Dile, Earth Crab, Spiral Rabbit, Kobold, and Desert Lizardman. The Bloody Diles and Kobolds are quite numerous. Since these names were on the form, I expect everyone here is capable of handling any of them."
Rei spoke with a testing edge to his voice. The adventurers responded with nods, grunts of affirmation, or confident smiles.
"Very well. The work will be done in a grove outside Exil. I considered the plains, but I’d rather not have every traveler heading to the city staring at us. As for security while you work... Seto."
"Guruuu."
At the mention of its name, Seto let out a low rumble and glanced at the adventurers.
To Rei, those round eyes were adorable, but the adventurers saw something else entirely. Feeling a gaze that seemed to be weighing them up as prey, several of them swallowed hard.
"Seto will be guarding the perimeter, so don't worry about monsters being drawn in by the scent of blood. I doubt anything will attack with a gryphon around, but if something does, I will..."
He trailed off, withdrawing the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring and giving it a massive swing.
The sight of the two-meter great scythe cleaving the air with terrifying force instilled a different kind of dread in the men.
"I, the one known by the alias of Crimson, will take responsibility for repelling them. Focus on the stripping and don't worry about your surroundings. ...Of course, I shouldn't have to say what will happen if anyone tries to pilfer the materials, right?"
Rei rested the Death Scythe's shaft on his shoulder as he spoke.
His display of intimidation was a calculated move to ensure no one tried to steal the harvested parts. Between Seto, the massive scythe, and his reputation as Crimson, the threat was etched into the minds of any who might have harbored dishonest thoughts.
"...Now, any questions?"
When no one spoke, Rei lowered the hood of his Dragon Robe, squinting briefly against the bright sunlight.
"If that's all, we're heading out. Don't worry about lunch. I'll be providing meat from the Desert Lizardman and Bloody Dile once they're stripped. I have sauce, salt, and seasonings ready."
This was the carrot to the scythe's stick. The promise of a feast of monster meat helped thin the atmosphere of fear, making it easier for the adventurers to get moving.
"Alright. Let's move out."
With that, Rei led the way through the gate.
A thirty-minute walk from Exil brought them to a stand of trees that was more of a grove than a forest.
This was where Rei and the workers set up.
The grove was far enough from the highway that they wouldn't be spotted by travelers, and a small stream nearby provided a way to alleviate the midsummer heat.
Rei hadn't chosen this spot solely for the temperature, though. He had prioritized a place where they could wash the blood from their hands after the dismantling.
The only downside to the summer grove was the insects, but several adventurers had brought insect repellent magic items, so it wasn't a problem.
"Alright, split up. Two on Desert Lizardmen, two on Earth Crabs, one on Spiral Rabbits, and four on Bloody Diles. The rest of you, start on the Kobolds. Once your assigned monsters are finished, move on to help the others. The Kobolds will take the longest due to the sheer numbers."
Rei began pulling the monster carcasses out of the Misty Ring one by one.
The sight of the bodies appearing out of thin air made most of the adventurers' eyes go wide. Only Tibia and her party, who had seen it yesterday, remained unfazed. Rei’s possession of an item box was a known rumor, but seeing it in person was a different matter entirely.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get to work. As a volunteer, I’ll tell you this: there’s an additional reward if we finish today, so give it your all. And make sure you hand over all materials, magic stones, and proof of subjugation parts to Rei-san!"
For some reason, Tibia took the lead, and the others dispersed into their groups after a quick consultation.
"Rei-san, the Kobolds are small and we have a lot of hands on them, so they'll go fast. You should put more out. It’s hot, so we shouldn't leave too many out at once, but keeping up the pace is important."
"Yeah, you're right."
Rei watched her. Despite losing her arm only yesterday, she was giving orders without a hint of distress, and the other adventurers followed her lead.
He felt a bit of doubt at how easily they complied, but since it made the work more efficient, he left the coordination to her. He didn't know it, but Tibia’s party was well-known in Exil, and her reputation was enough to keep the others in line.
"How’s this for the Kobolds?"
Rei asked, pulling five more carcasses from the Misty Ring.
"That should do for now. We won't have anyone sitting idle. Just add more as they finish."
"Got it. ...Seto, I'm counting on you to watch the perimeter."
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head slightly. Rei understood what it was asking and gave a small smile.
"Yeah, I'll call you when lunch is ready. We’re saving the Earth Crab for Elena and Ielo, but you can eat your fill of the other meat."
"Gurululululuuu!"
Seto let out a happy cry and moved off.
Since the trees were too thick for aerial scouting, Seto moved to a distance where it wouldn't disturb the workers. Using its sharp five senses and magic power, it kept a keen watch for anything approaching.
The adventurers began their work with a mixture of relief and lingering tension.
"Careful with the Bloody Dile hide! It's not just for armor; it sells high for accessories too."
"The fangs! Get the fangs out of the way first. No, not like that... why are you cutting from there!?"
"Huh!? I always do it this way!"
"The shell on the Earth Crab is hard, but most of the limbs are already gone. Just pry the top off carefully to get to the magic stone..."
"Remember, the proof of subjugation for a Kobold is the right ear. If you skin the head wrong, you’ll ruin the cut."
"Hey, the Desert Lizardman hide is valuable. I'm going to strip the tail, so hold it down. The leg is in my way!"
The work proceeded smoothly for about an hour. Then...
"Gurulululululuuu!"
Seto's warning cry suddenly echoed through the grove. The adventurers froze, looking around for the source of the danger. One of them looked up and screamed.
"A Wyvern! There's a Wyvern overhead!"