Summer sunlight poured down in the early morning. Just as the 6 o'clock bell finished tolling throughout Gilm, Rei stood before the Main Gate.
He wasn't alone. Besides Set, he was joined by Lenora, Kenny, and Mireine. The members of the Axe of the Thunder God—Elk, Min, and Rhodos—were also present, as was Sulnin, acting as Mireine's guardian.
Lenora, Kenny, and Mireine all looked somewhat drained, likely a result of barging into Rei’s room at the Dusk Wheat Inn the night before and carrying on until the small hours. At Mireine’s insistence, they had held an impromptu send-off party under the moonlight near the stables.
Mireine spent the time lamenting her parting with Set, while Lenora spoke to Rei with constant concern. Kenny, true to form, spent the night trying to tempt Rei into "making a summer memory" with her—though she was promptly disciplined by Lenora every time she tried.
Despite the late-night revelry, the three women had ended up staying over at the Dusk Wheat Inn. The establishment was known as one of the higher-class inns in Gilm, but Lenora and Kenny were popular guild receptionists with high salaries, and Mireine had recently pocketed an unexpected windfall from a goblin remnant hunt. Staying for a night didn’t hurt their wallets much. Kenny’s only real concern was a matter of girlish pride: she was slightly bothered that she had to see Rei off in the same clothes she’d worn the day before.
"Set, stay healthy, okay? Make sure you don't get an upset stomach. Here, take this. It's a basket of sandwiches I had the landlady make. Eat them if you get hungry."
"Guruuuu."
Hearing Mireine’s voice, Set immediately reached its beak toward the pleasant-smelling basket and began tossing sandwiches into its mouth. Mireine watched with a wry smile, thinking the gryphon had only just finished breakfast, but she happily stroked its head as it chirped with joy.
"Rei, I don't know exactly what you’re up to, but please don't do anything too dangerous. You’ll have us all worried."
Rei gave a small nod at Kenny’s words. "I’ll be careful, but I wish you wouldn't ask the impossible of an adventurer."
"That's one thing, and this is another."
"Ah... Kenny, don't ask for the impossible," Elk cut in. The words slipped out because he was already privy to the mission’s details, causing Kenny’s cat ears to twitch with suspicion.
Anticipating that things would get complicated if Kenny kept talking, Lenora turned to Elk. "Come to think of it, why are the members of the Axe of the Thunder God here? I know you’re all on good terms with Rei, but is that really the only reason?"
"Hm? Ah... yeah. Well, you can pretty much think of it like that," Elk replied, dodging the question.
Lenora felt a pang of doubt, but she figured there must be some professional reason involving an A-Rank Party, so she let it drop.
"Anyway," Elk continued, "shouldn't you say your piece to Rei instead of worrying about me? At this rate, Kenny’s going to take all the credit for the goodbye."
"...I feel like I'm being dodged, but you're right. I can't just leave Kenny to her own devices." Lenora let out a small sigh, bowed to Elk’s group, and walked over to Rei. "Now, now, stop bothering Rei."
"Ah! Wait, Lenora! I was just about to use this momentum to—"
"Did you say something?"
"I didn't say a thing! Not a thing! I wasn't thinking anything strange at all!" Kenny reflexively chirped, shrinking back from Lenora’s cold tone. Lately, she felt like she couldn't win against Lenora at all. She shook her head in frustration.
She only gets this strong when Rei is involved, Kenny thought. Yesterday, today... I wonder if this is the power of a big sister. Or rather, a self-proclaimed big sister.
"Are you thinking something weird again?"
"No way!" Kenny hurriedly denied it, amazed that Lenora’s sixth sense had seemingly sharpened as well.
Glancing at Kenny one last time, Lenora turned back to Rei with a sincere expression. "Rei, I don't know what your errand is, but I'm sure it will be difficult. Please, just don't get hurt. Return to Gilm safely."
"Yeah, of course. Gilm is basically home to me now. Besides, danger is just part of the job. I can't go into details, but I have some powerful allies this time, so there’s no need to worry."
Rei gave her a reassuring look, and Lenora nodded with a small smile. Even Kenny, who had reclaimed her spot next to her friend, nodded in agreement. To them, Rei looked exactly as he had when he first arrived in Gilm the previous spring. He hadn't seemed to grow an inch. However, the feats he had achieved since arriving were far beyond the capabilities of any ordinary adventurer. Knowing that, they were able to see him off with some measure of peace of mind.
"Well, I can't stay here forever. It’s time to go. Set!"
"Guruuu!"
Set, who had been playing with Mireine, gave a cry and trotted to Rei’s side. Rei stored the gift basket in his Misty Ring and prepared to head toward the guards at the Main Gate, but Min stepped forward and handed him an envelope.
"Rei, this is from Lord Daskar. It contains a map to Goto. He expressed regret that he couldn't see you off personally—maintaining a low profile and all—but he said he'll see you again in Goto."
"I stopped there during the Spring War, so I know the way... but I'll accept this gratefully. I'll go on ahead and wait for you. If you can, try to do something about Elk’s grudge against Theoreme before you get there."
"I'll certainly try," Min replied with a faint smile.
Watching the two exchange a friendly look, Kenny chimed in. "Wait, Rei! Do you prefer older women?! I mean, that's fine, but a married woman is a bit much, don't you think? Look, right here you have a perfectly good, reliable older sister figure—"
"Kenny... honestly," Lenora groaned.
"What? Lenora, you're fine because your, uh, physical development makes people think you're younger, but I—"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know that I—"
"Hmph, I wonder..."
Smiling wryly at the bickering fading behind him, Rei tucked the envelope into the breast of his Dragon Robe and looked back at those who had come to see him off.
"Well then, I'm off!"
At his voice, the two women stopped their quarrel and began waving enthusiastically.
"Rei, take care!" Kenny shouted.
With a final nod, Rei and Set passed through the Main Gate and completed the procedures to leave the city.
The summer sun was high, but perhaps because the peak of the season had passed or because it was still quite early, the heat wasn't as oppressive as it had been. High in the sky, riding on Set's back, Rei immediately began reading the letter from Daskar. The envelope was firmly sealed with wax, proving it hadn't been tampered with since leaving the Margrave's hands.
"Well, Min got it directly from Lord Daskar, so I wasn't really worried."
The letter detailed the specific route Daskar would take to Goto and his estimated arrival date. There was also a map included. It wasn't nearly as precise as the one he had received from Marina previously; it only showed the main route to Goto and the scale was incredibly rough. However, since Rei had visited the town once before on his way to the Seremuse Plain, it was more than enough. Between the map and Set’s ability to fly, getting lost wasn't a concern.
"For today... yeah, I'll just go as far as I can. I’d prefer a town, but I've got the Magic Tent, so camping out is fine too."
"Guru!" Set gave a happy trill.
Set loved the delicious street food in the city, but staying at an inn usually meant being separated from Rei at night. When they were camping, even if it had to stay on watch, it could be right next to the Magic Tent—right next to its beloved Rei. That was the reason for its joyful cry.
"Sorry for always making you look after me," Rei said, stroking Set's neck in a gesture of thanks. Set responded with a high-pitched trill and increased its speed, its wings flapping powerfully.
In an instant, the carpet of green below blurred, and the single line of the highway began to fly past. Thunderclouds towered in the distance like white mountains against the deep blue sky.
"The weather is certainly nice."
Ordinarily, the summer sun would be brutal. As the day progressed, the temperature would climb to a point where it was hard to believe autumn was approaching. However, Rei wore the Dragon Robe—which functioned effectively as a wearable air conditioner—and Set was a gryphon. The heat was no obstacle. They simply soared through the heavens. To anyone looking up from the ground, they would have looked like a single arrow slicing through the sky.
Set continued onward, soaring far above the adventurers, caravans, travelers, and monsters moving slowly along the ground.
About two hours after leaving Gilm, Rei felt thirsty and pulled a chilled fruit from the Misty Ring. It looked like a black grape but was the size of a human fist. He bit into it, the skin snapping between his teeth. The fruit was incredibly juicy, possessing a sharp acidity with a hint of sweetness.
"...This is delicious."
"Guru." Set turned its head back and trilled, clearly asking for a share. Even flying at such high speeds, the gryphon was able to look backward without losing its balance for a moment.
"Alright, wait a second." Rei quickly finished his piece and pulled out two more fruits. He held one out, and Set happily snatched it up in its beak and swallowed it down.
"Gurululuu."
"Yeah, it's good. This fruit was a real winner. I should have bought more of them."
He had only bought them as a trial, so there weren't many left in the Misty Ring. Of course, "not many" for Rei meant about twenty, but at the rate they were eating them, they wouldn't last more than a few days.
After finishing the snacks, they continued their flight. When the sun reached its zenith, Rei checked his pocket watch. It was just past 12:30 PM. Deciding it was time for lunch, he signaled Set to descend.
They landed near a river a short distance from the highway. It was a small stream, barely a meter wide, but the sound of the flowing water and the sunlight reflecting off the surface made the summer afternoon feel significantly cooler. Neither of them actually suffered from the heat, but the visual of the water was still a welcome comfort.
Being a river, it was likely a watering hole for monsters, but none would dare show themselves while Set was projecting its presence. Only a creature with zero intelligence—like a goblin that couldn't grasp the difference in power—would be foolish enough to approach.
"Now, for lunch... let's stick with what's ready. Fortunately, we got plenty of sandwiches when we left Gilm. I’ll just add some cold vegetable soup."
"Guruuu!" Set cheered at the mention of the menu.
The meal itself was simple, but for an adventurer on the road, sandwiches made with freshly baked bread and perfectly chilled soup were luxuries. Above all, the quantity was staggering. Between the one man and one beast, they polished off a portion intended for twenty people.
It was a graceful, quiet midday break—hardly the behavior of someone about to send shockwaves through the Bestia Empire.