That night, more than ten tents were pitched across a section of the Seremuse Plain.
Three carriages stood at the center of the encampment, surrounded by a perimeter of Escort Knights. Seto was also among them, integrated into the guard rotation.
As was customary, Seto lay on the ground beside the Magic Tent where Rei was resting, maintaining a vigilant watch.
Already, the remains of several monsters—mostly Skeletons and Zombies—lay scattered at its feet.
As expected, Undead had begun to converge on the campsite almost as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"Guruuu."
While remaining prone, Seto let out a disgruntled rumble from its throat, fixing its gaze on a Piece of Zombie Meat rotting a short distance away.
If the enemies had been limited to Skeletons, it would have been manageable.
In fact, from Seto's perspective, "better" didn't even cover it. Its mind was occupied by the firm belief that it would rather face thirty Skeletons than a single Zombie.
The culprit was the putrid stench of decay clinging to the Zombies.
Even in the dungeons of the Labyrinth City of Exil, it had suffered through the intense smell of the Undead, but it hadn't expected to be forced to endure that same foul odor out here.
Still, fighting on the open plain was far better than being trapped in a dungeon where the scent lingered.
Feeling the stench being thinned by the wind, Seto detected a presence and the sound of footsteps.
It opened its eyes, which had been closed for only a moment, but relaxed its guard upon realizing the sound was coming from inside the camp.
It had sensed the distinct presence of a human, not an Undead.
Sure enough, a Knight emerged from the shadows.
"Seto, any trouble out here? Actually... it looks like there was."
"Guru."
Seto rumbled in response to the Knight’s remark.
Rei’s tent had been placed on the outer edge of the campsite.
This wasn't because Rei was disliked; rather, Rei himself had suggested the arrangement to Daskar, noting that it made the most sense since Seto would be handling the night watch.
Daskar, knowing all too well the extent of Seto's power, had no choice but to agree.
A certain guard knight recently hired in Gilm had suggested that Rei’s Magic Tent should be placed right next to Lord Daskar’s, with Seto stationed alone on the perimeter, but the idea was rejected almost unanimously.
Above all else, the one Seto wanted to protect was its beloved partner, Rei.
While it felt affection for others in the group, they all came second to him.
Thus, the rookie Knight's suggestion was dismissed, and they settled on placing the Magic Tent on the outskirts so Seto could guard Rei while simultaneously monitoring the surroundings.
Furthermore, although Rei was technically hired as an escort, it was largely a formal title. The Knights understood this, and no one complained when he went to sleep instead of standing a shift.
If anything, those who knew how comfortable the Magic Tent was only grumbled about how jealous they were.
"I feel bad putting all the burden on you. Here, have some of this."
The Knight tossed a piece of dried meat toward Seto, who watched him with large, round eyes.
"Guruuu!"
Seto happily caught the snack in its beak and swallowed it down.
As it sat there savoring the meat and rumbling contentedly, it hardly looked like a creature on high alert.
The Knight had known Seto—and more accurately, Rei, who led the creature—for quite some time, but seeing the griffon like this still made him wonder if they were truly safe.
However, the nature of his worry wasn't "Is it okay to leave the watch to this guy?" but rather "I'd hate it if Seto got overconfident and ended up hurt." He was, for all intents and purposes, completely charmed by the creature.
But even as the Knight watched Seto out of concern—or perhaps having come to be healed by the griffon's presence—the creature suddenly froze.
Its eyes, usually so round and gentle, turned sharp as they fixed on a point in the moonlit plain outside the camp.
"Guruuuuuu!"
Seto crouched for a fraction of a second before using the tension to leap. Letting out a sharp cry, it spread its wings in mid-air to adjust its trajectory, flapping hard to accelerate its descent.
It swung its forepaw down in tandem with its cry.
The strike, fueled by Seto's weight, raw strength, and falling velocity, slammed into the skull of a Skeleton that had been creeping closer under the cover of the wind. Without losing any momentum, the blow continued through the head and crushed the spine, ribs, and hips in a single devastating motion.
Having annihilated the intruder, Seto let out a satisfied chirp, snatched up the Magic Stone in its beak, and returned to its spot by the tent.
The fact that it continued to collect Magic Stones despite having already absorbed so many was likely because it had watched Rei's habits so closely.
Seto placed the stone beside its reclining body and turned its round eyes back to the Knight.
"Guru?"
"Ha... hahaha. I guess there was no point in me checking on you."
When the Knight looked at the spot where Seto had dropped the stone, he saw a pile of nearly 10 Magic Stones.
There was no doubt they all belonged to the Undead Seto had neutralized.
"As expected of Seto. I suppose I don't need to worry about this side of the camp at all."
"Guruuu!"
Seto rumbled as if to say, "Leave it to me," and the Knight smiled, reaching out to gently stroke Seto's head.
They spent several minutes in quiet companionship.
If a certain party leader of the Scorching Wind had witnessed this, she would have undoubtedly been consumed by jealousy.
After a few minutes, the Knight finally pulled his hand away.
"Well, I should get back. Take care, Seto."
"Guru!"
Seto rumbled a goodbye and watched the Knight disappear back into the camp.
Once the Knight was gone, Seto closed its eyes again, pushing its Five Senses—especially its hearing—to their limits to detect and intercept any further Undead.
The next day, Rei woke up in the soft bed of his Magic Tent and stepped outside. The first thing he saw was Seto lying on the grass, just as he had expected.
The problem, however, was the small mountain of Magic Stones piled beside the griffon.
There had to be twenty... no, closer to thirty.
A literal mound of stones sat next to Seto, and a faint, putrid stench—entirely inappropriate for a morning breeze—clung to the air.
"Guruuu!"
Seto rumbled a "good morning," and Rei returned the greeting with a smile.
"Good morning. Thanks for keeping watch, Seto. You really saved us... but wait, are all of these Undead Magic Stones?"
"Guru."
Seto nodded and glanced toward the remains littering the area.
The bone shards were clearly from Skeletons. The half-melted, rotting lumps responsible for the stench were undoubtedly Pieces of Zombie Meat.
"Sorry, Seto. I appreciate the help... no, wait a second."
Rei trailed off, tilting his head as he looked back at the Magic Tent he had just left.
The Magic Tent was supposed to possess an innate ability to repel low-level monsters.
(What happened? With the Blood-Stained Blade, the area was just too large. But this time, our numbers are small and the camp is compact. ...Well, rather than overthinking it, it'll be faster to ask Lord Daskar.)
"Guruuu?"
Seto called out to him, wondering why he had suddenly gone silent.
Rei told the creature it was nothing, stored the Magic Tent back into the Misty Ring, and headed toward Daskar with Seto in tow.
"Good morning, Lord Daskar."
"Hmm? Ah, Rei. We owe Seto a debt of gratitude for last night. Thanks to him, we didn't have to worry about the side where your Magic Tent was. The Knights were able to rotate their shifts with much more rest than usual."
Daskar spoke with surprising energy for someone who had just woken up. If anything, he looked refreshed.
Beside him, the three members of the Axe of the Thunder God—Elk, Min, and Rhodos—along with Vihera and Theoreme, were discussing their plans for once they entered the Empire.
"I'm glad everyone was able to rest. ...Actually, I have a question about the Magic Tent. I thought one of its effects was to repel weak monsters, but it didn't seem to work last night. Do you have any idea why?"
Daskar gave him a puzzled look as if the answer should have been obvious.
"That's likely due to the unique nature of the Seremuse Plain. Normally, it would indeed keep Undead like Skeletons and Zombies at bay."
"The Seremuse Plain's nature?"
"Yes. As I've said, this land has been the stage for countless wars. As a result, powerful grudges have saturated the very soil. That's likely the cause."
"...I see."
Rei realized that if that was the case, the issue with colonization was far more deep-seated than he had imagined. While there were Mages among the Adventurers who could perform Undead Purification using Holy Magic, it still felt like a daunting task.
Rei’s honest assessment was that successfully settling this land would be incredibly difficult.
"Besides, if the monster-repelling effect of your tent was working properly, wouldn't we have made it the center of the camp?"
Daskar’s point was hard to argue with.
Rei had assumed Daskar was aware of the effect and had placed the tent on the edge under the assumption that the range was sufficient to protect the rest of the camp.
"I see. The Seremuse Plain... it’s a much more troublesome place than I thought."
"I won't deny that. ...Now, more importantly, Rei. I'd like you to prepare breakfast. We need to eat and get moving."
At the mention of Rei's cooking, everyone nearby wore a joyful smile.
The fact that they could eat fresh, hot food in a place like this—thanks to Rei's Item Box—was a massive boost to the party's morale.
"Right. Since it's breakfast, I'll prepare something relatively light."
Rei reached into his storage and pulled out large baskets filled with sandwiches.
The fillings were simple—mostly vegetables and ham—but the bread was freshly baked and the vegetables were perfectly crisp.
It was the kind of meal that felt entirely impossible in such a desolate location.
He also served Bacon, Nut, and Mushroom Soup, portioning the steaming liquid into soup plates.
Only Seto's meal was different: a massive serving of lightly seasoned grilled meat.
Several of the Knights, as well as Elk, watched Seto with envious eyes, but they refrained from trying to steal the griffon's meal and focused on their own breakfast.
"By the way, how long will it take us to clear the Seremuse Plain?" Rei asked between bites of his sandwich.
Vihera swallowed a spoonful of soup before answering.
"Based on yesterday’s pace, we should reach the other side by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."
"I agree," Theoreme added, sandwich in hand. "Provided we aren't delayed by monster attacks. We're in carriages, after all, not riding on horseback."
Rei accepted the explanation, but another thought occurred to him.
"So, will we be splitting up just before then?"
Rei's primary mission was to draw the attention of the Bestia Empire Upper Management to provide a distraction for the Third Prince's Rescue. Traveling together would be highly problematic.
Vihera’s eyes clouded with a hint of sadness as she nodded.
"That's the plan. You and Margrave Larkus's group will attract a lot of attention, so it won't be hard for us to find you if something happens. As for you reaching us..."
Vihera glanced at Daskar, who was eating silently. Daskar caught her eye and nodded.
"It will be as we discussed last night. There won't be any issues," he declared.