Summer was drawing to a close, but the nighttime heat remained oppressive.
While the temperature had certainly dipped compared to the peak of midsummer, it meant little to those out on the town. People crowded the taverns to eat and drink as if shaking off the heat, or they headed for the brothels in search of the touch of soft skin.
It was still early in the evening. Rei walked through the city alone, making his way toward the Dusk Wheat Inn.
The reason it had taken him until this hour, despite heading to the Lord’s Mansion before sunset, wasn't particularly complicated. Elena and Daskar had needed to exchange a great deal of information regarding the Bestia Empire. They had spent the time discussing how to move forward and how their respective factions—specifically, Elena's father's faction—would involve themselves in the matter.
The Holy Light Religion incident that had played out in the shadows of Exil also came up. They had discussed how to respond should the cult ever attempt to infiltrate Gilm.
In the end, Rei had been treated to dinner at the Lord’s Mansion, where he enjoyed a feast made from high-rank monster materials. He had no complaints about the delay.
His only concern was...
(I just hope Seto isn't sulking.)
He muttered the thought to himself as he looked up at the sky. His eyes were drawn for a moment to the clouds obscuring the moon before—
"Ah! There he is! Rei-kun! It’s Rei-kun!"
A voice from behind snapped him back to reality. He heard the light patter of running footsteps followed by the distinct thud of someone leaping off the ground.
A moment later, a soft weight pressed against his back.
Rei maintained his balance and glanced over his shoulder. He saw a familiar cat beastman woman with a flashy, striking face. It was Kenny, one of the guild receptionists.
"Hey! You can't just jump on him like that! It’s dangerous for Rei-san too!"
More footsteps approached, slightly slower than the first. As Rei turned around with Kenny still clinging to his back, he saw a girl with a serious, diligent expression. She was another familiar face: Lenora, who worked as a receptionist alongside Kenny.
"It’s been a long time, Rei-san. I’m sorry for the trouble Kenny is causing. Come on, Kenny, get off of him!"
"Ehh... but it’s been forever since we saw Rei-kun, hasn't it? If I don't get my refill of Rei-kun components now... Wait. Huh? Hmm? Mmm?"
While responding to Lenora, Kenny leaned her face closer to Rei’s back and sniffed him curiously, as if something had caught her attention.
"I smell a woman I don't recognize."
Kenny narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Lenora gave a small sigh and spoke up to soothe her.
"That’s only natural. Rei-san was in a labyrinth city. There were obviously other adventurers there, so of course there would have been women among them."
"Mmm, it doesn't really smell like that, though... Rei-kun, any ideas?"
Rei looked away and gave a small shrug. "I worked with a lot of different adventurers. Naturally, some of them were women."
"Really?"
"Probably."
As he gave his brief reply, the images of two women flickered through his mind: a dignified woman known as the Princess General, and an enchanting battle maniac clad in the thin raiment of a dancer or prostitute.
"Hmm... Well, whatever. Anyway, Rei-kun, Lenora and I were just talking about getting dinner. Want to join us?"
Kenny cast a momentary glance of doubt at Rei’s reaction but quickly changed the subject. For her, deepening her bond with the Rei standing in front of her was more important than worrying about a potential rival who might not even exist.
Rei had already eaten at the Lord’s Mansion, but he still had plenty of room. He gave a small nod.
"Sure. I want to check on Seto, though, so I'd prefer the inn, if that's alright."
"Of course! Right, Lenora?"
"That’s fine with me. I wanted to hear your stories anyway, Rei-san."
Lenora directed a gentle smile toward him. Seeing him as a younger brother, she was honestly curious about the experiences he’d had in Exil.
They quickly settled on eating at the Dusk Wheat Inn dining hall and began walking together.
"By the way... I'm not one to talk, but isn't it a bit late for dinner?"
In this world where people tended to start their days early, few had full meals after the sun had completely set. While taverns were often packed with drinkers, full dinners were usually reserved for those working through the night.
Kenny nodded exaggeratedly, as if she had been waiting for him to ask. In the process, she casually linked her arm with his—a move typical of someone as flirtatious and experienced as her.
"I know, right? Apparently, a goblin settlement was discovered deep in the forest along the highway. We had to calculate rewards for the party that cleared it, handle the magic stone purchase and material processing, and cash in all the Proof of Subjugation Parts. And they didn't even submit the report until late afternoon..."
"I-I see."
Feeling the sensation of Kenny’s ample chest against his arm, Rei felt his cheeks flush slightly. He let her pull him along toward the Dusk Wheat Inn.
"...What on earth is going on? No, I suppose it makes sense, but I still don't want to believe it..."
Rei muttered in a daze at the scene before him.
"Ah, ahaha. Well, there were a lot of people saying they wanted to see Seto-chan, so I guess this was expected."
Kenny gave a wry smile as she replied.
"Wow... I mean, just wow. That’s incredible," Lenora added, looking exasperated.
A crowd had gathered near the Dusk Wheat Inn stables. Normally, it was a quiet area, but now nearly twenty residents were clustered there.
Upon returning to the inn, Rei and the others had intended to go straight to dinner. However, when they spoke to the landlady, Lana, she informed them that many residents gathered aiming for Seto.
"Looking at this, I guess letting Seto stay outside the stables was the right move."
"True. If you tried to fit this many people inside, the horses and other animals would definitely get spooked and start rampaging," Lenora said, nodding in agreement.
"And the one in the middle is... Mirene, obviously."
Seto was lying down in the open space in front of the stables under the moonlight. Several lights had been set up around the area. In the center of the glow, Mirene was busily feeding Seto grilled skewers, sandwiches, and meat stews while petting it affectionately.
The other people were similarly adoring Seto, offering food and stroking its feathers.
Standing a short distance away was a man letting out a small sigh. He was the one using magic to provide the lights around Seto. This was Sulnin, the mage of the Scorching Wind and the party’s resident stopper who specialized in handling Mirene's rampages.
The trio approached Sulnin rather than the distracted Mirene. Rei held a sandwich he had received from Lana. She had asked him to give it to Sulnin, knowing he’d been dragged into this.
"It’s been a while."
"Ah, Rei-san. And Lenora-san and Kenny-san too."
"Good evening."
"Looks like you’re having a rough time."
Lenora and Kenny greeted Sulnin as he bowed with a faint smile. They both felt a certain pity for the poor mage, who was undoubtedly the greatest victim of the current situation. Rei handed him the sandwich.
"Here, it’s from the landlady. Eat up and try to cheer up."
"Thank you. Truly... thank you."
His first thanks was for the food, but the second was clearly directed toward Rei’s patience regarding Mirene, who remained the focus of Sulnin’s weary gaze.
"Well, I figured things would turn out like this once we got back to Gilm."
"True. Mirene-san has been a bit listless lately," Lenora noted as she sat on the grass and began laying out the sandwiches for their group. Kenny sat down right next to Rei, never one to miss an opportunity to be close to him.
Lenora gave her colleague an exasperated look before reaching for a sandwich.
"Oh? Now that I think about it, there aren't many bugs out tonight."
"They have proper measures in place for that. Look over there," Sulnin said, pointing.
Beside the stables stood a cylindrical object about a meter high. it emitted a faint glow that was barely visible against the moonlight.
"It’s an insect repellent magic item. It prevents the animals and tamed monsters in the stables from getting irritated or failing to rest because of the bugs. Some ordinary inns have them, but the Dusk Wheat Inn has a particularly large stable, so they must consider it a high priority."
"Huh."
The sound of admiration came not from Kenny or Lenora, but from Rei.
"..."
Kenny and Lenora exchanged a silent, stunned look. Eventually, Kenny spoke up hesitantly.
"U-Um, Rei-kun? You stayed at this inn for over a year, didn't you? Did you really never notice that magic item?"
"No, well..."
Rei stuffed a sandwich into his mouth to avoid the question. The bread was freshly baked and soft, filled with chicken simmered in a sweet and salty sauce and crisp leafy vegetables. The flavor was so good he felt like he could eat dozens of them.
"This is delicious."
"...Mhm. I’m hungry too, so I’m going to eat."
Kenny reached for a sandwich filled with grilled, flaked river fish. Lenora gave her a look that asked if they were just going to drop the subject, but Kenny ignored it and took a large bite.
(A good woman knows when not to press a man when he's troubled. Though, if this were about another woman, it would be a completely different story.)
Kenny thought this to herself while glancing at Lenora.
"So, Rei-san, now that you're back from the labyrinth city, are you going to be in Gilm for a while?" Lenora asked, taking small bites of her ham and vegetable sandwich.
Rei finished chewing, swallowed with a gulp of water, and shook his head.
"I’ll probably be leaving Gilm again soon. I’ve gotten caught up in a troublesome matter."
"What? No way! You just got back!" Kenny cried, licking a bit of sauce off her hand.
Sulnin looked equally surprised. In his case, he was worried that if Rei left, Seto would go too, and he dreaded what that would do to his party leader’s morale.
(She wouldn't actually try to follow Rei just for Seto... would she?)
He couldn't dismiss the possibility, not with Mirene currently looking absolutely blissful as she played with the griffon. However, as her stopper, Sulnin knew following Rei would be dangerous. If someone as powerful as Rei called something a "troublesome matter," it was likely an ordeal on a completely different scale.
"A lot happened in Exil. There are things going on that could turn into a real mess if handled poorly."
"Can't you tell us what this troublesome matter is?" Kenny asked, her cat ears twitching.
Rei silently shook his head. Telling them he was heading for the Bestia Empire would only make them worry, especially since he knew how much of a target he had become during the Spring War.
"Well, Seto and I are a team, and we have other allies. If you consider that, it’s not really something you need to worry about."
He took a bite of a sandwich packed with ham and cheese, keeping his tone intentionally light.
"Besides, you’ll probably hear about what I’m up to eventually. If you're curious, just wait patiently for the news."
Since he planned to enter the fighting tournament in the Bestia Empire, it was bound to become a massive topic of conversation. The news would reach Gilm soon enough.
With that thought, he continued eating his dinner, surrounded by the concerned gazes of Kenny, Lenora, and Sulnin.