Around the time Rei and Rhodos departed from Tanaro, Mura and Shistoi were discussing the previous night’s attack in a room within a certain mansion in the city.
"They truly are the knights of Gilm, that frontier town in the Kingdom of Mireana. The combat strength of each individual is remarkably high. Even my little dolls—perhaps because the brainwashing was so simple—scarcely seemed able to inflict a single wound."
"Crimson, a Gryphon, the Axe of the Thunder God... I knew it was a gathering of high-level combatants, but even their knights are elite. This is getting troublesome."
Shistoi let out a sigh at Mura’s explanation and bit into the sandwich he held. He tore into the food as if venting his frustration, prompting Mura to sigh and chide him.
"This is a rare, delicious sandwich, so at least try to savor it."
"I know... but still."
"Yes. Honestly, they were more troublesome opponents than I anticipated. At this rate, this job is going to be a raw deal."
Mura murmured gloomily, bringing her black tea to her lips as she recalled the battles she had witnessed through her crystal ball.
They were opponents who kept coming even after receiving wounds that should have been fatal. Normally, a knight would have fallen into a panic, their combat becoming sloppy, yet although these knights had been momentarily surprised, that was their only reaction. They had immediately resumed their assault, defeating Mura's Puppets and the rioters one after another.
Fortunately, she had programmed them to shut down their consciousness if they were incapacitated. The fact that no information would reach the enemy was her only saving grace.
"And as expected, Crimson is the real problem. To be precise, that Gryphon of his. Even though we were so far away, I wonder how it managed to sniff us out."
If not for Shistoi's intuition, she likely would have been captured the previous night. The thought sent a momentary chill down Mura's spine. They hadn't even launched a full-scale assault yet; it was meant to be a probing attack to confirm the enemy's strength. Yet even during that probe, she had nearly been caught.
"Besides... once people of that caliber have seen our hand once, they'll likely be able to deal with us instantly next time."
"I know that... Good grief, why did I even take a job like this?"
"You were the one who accepted the job in the first place."
Mura was momentarily flustered by Shistoi's exasperated look, but she immediately averted her eyes and muttered, "Well, in any case, let's report this. This attack was something they told us to do, so they should be the ones to think of a countermeasure."
"I suppose so. I intend to head out myself the next time we strike, so it won't end up like this... I hope."
The lack of confidence in his voice came from having seen Rei's combat with his own eyes. If it were just the knights or that young man—Rhodos—he was confident he could manage somehow, even if it took some effort.
However, against those two alone... no, one person and one animal. If he faced Rei and Seto head-on, he couldn't see any path to victory.
(Though, there are plenty of ways to handle it in that case. We aren't exactly the types to challenge them to a fair fight from the front anyway... Besides, in addition to Crimson, there's also the Axe of the Thunder God. Actually, if you factor in experience rather than just simple combat power, they're the far more troublesome existence.)
Thinking thus, he anticipated the turmoil yet to come and involuntarily let out a sigh.
"Now then, Margrave Larkus. We have caused you a great deal of trouble. I am deeply grateful for your leniency regarding this matter."
"Nonsense, don't worry about it. I entered this city knowing full well that I was being targeted. Besides, your guard force and the knights worked quite hard. It wouldn't be a very pleasant outcome if the local governor were to be punished for that."
At Daskar's casual words, the local governor—whose hair had already vanished past the crown of his head—bowed his head in gratitude, struggling to hide his haggard expression.
To the local governor, the noble before him was nothing but a walking disaster. Truth be told, Daskar was a man the governor would have preferred never to host. However, since the groundwork had already been laid by his Lord, he couldn't refuse... and as a result, a massive riot had broken out in the middle of the night.
The local governor, whose health was fragile to begin with, looked as though he had aged ten or even twenty years from a single night's mental fatigue. Even so, it could be said that avoiding the worst-case scenario—Daskar's death—was thanks to luck siding with him after he had done all he could.
Slightly removed from the local governor and Daskar, and near Elk and the other guards, Dwalub was still watching Seto with an interested gaze. Unlike Mirene, the foremost Seto Enthusiast, his gaze was not one of doting affection. It was a purely clinical look, like a researcher observing a fascinating subject.
And yet, it wasn't a gaze that saw Seto as a mere object; it was based on a genuine recognition of Seto's existence. He had claimed he wasn't suited to be a researcher, but Rei suspected that was just humility. At the very least, since he wasn't disliked by monsters, Rei felt he was perfectly capable of the role.
"Guruuuu?"
To Seto, who turned its gaze toward him as if asking what was wrong, Dwalub offered several pieces of dried meat. Seto purred and sniffed each piece, which were spread out like a fan of cards.
Before long, catching an appetizing scent, Seto took the leftmost piece into its beak and swallowed it. Watching this, Dwalub committed the Gryphon’s preference to memory. Whether that preference applied to all Gryphons or was unique to Seto was a matter for future research. And since an A-Rank Monster like a Gryphon rarely appeared in public, God only knew when that research would ever be finished.
"Guruuuu."
Seto savored the dried meat while purring, but before long, Daskar's conversation with the local governor concluded. As a final gesture of apology, barrels containing food and ale were loaded into the carriage. Once the cargo was secured, Daskar shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"We're departing!"
Fully exerting his natural charisma, he saw everyone present immediately finalize their preparations. Rei stroked the head of Seto, who was still finishing its snack, and looked toward Dwalub. Just as Rei was about to speak, the man handed him the remaining dried meat.
"For the road."
Understanding the sentiment instantly, Rei gave a small smile and thanked him.
"Thanks. I'll take it."
He straddled Seto to follow Daskar's Entourage, and the duo began their journey. Behind them, the local governor and the knights watched until they were no longer in sight. However, the fact that almost no city residents were present to see them off spoke volumes about how the delegation was viewed within the Bestia Empire. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say it showed how they viewed Rei and Seto.
Trying not to dwell on the thought, Rei stroked Seto's neck.
"Despite everything, it was a pretty good city. The inn's dishes were delicious, too."
"Guruuuu!"
Seto also had no complaints about the meals, purring in a good mood. Being a prestigious inn, the hospitality had been impeccable. The only regret was that their stay had been cut short by the rioter attack, preventing them from fully enjoying the inn's comfort.
"The food at that inn really was delicious, wasn't it?"
A knight on horseback traveling next to Rei murmured thoughtfully. Other knights nearby overheard and began to voice their own impressions.
"They call it Bestia Empire cuisine, but it was perfectly delicious even for us."
"Yeah, though I was a bit concerned that the seasoning was a little light..."
"Well, that's because the Bestia Empire is landlocked. Salt is expensive here."
"Ah, I see... wait, don't they have rock salt?"
"Rock salt has to be mined, so it's always more expensive than salt produced from seawater."
"I suppose so. That's exactly why the Bestia Empire has started so many wars—they want access to the sea."
As they chatted, Seto suddenly looked up at the sky. Rei looked up as well, drawn by the Gryphon’s movement. The blue sky that had been clear and cloudless just a short while ago was now being capped by a lid of heavy rain clouds.
"Guru."
"Yeah. It looks like it's going to rain... well, at this temperature, we won't catch a cold."
The knights, who had been discussing everything from food to geopolitics, noticed the change as well. They looked displeased at the rain clouds that had appeared so suddenly.
"Ugh... and it's not even been an hour since we left. If only it had started raining a bit earlier, Lord Daskar might have postponed our departure... No, probably not."
Probably not indeed, Rei thought, agreeing with the knight's mutter. Spending another night in a city that had just suffered a riot was the last thing anyone wanted. While most of the rioters had been caught, it didn't mean they were all gone. The clever ones were likely still watching for an opportunity.
"Well, Lord Daskar will probably look for a place to take shelter if the rain gets heavy," another knight murmured. But that also meant they would keep pushing through anything less than a downpour. Daskar and the Axe of the Thunder God members like Elk were safe inside the carriage, but Rei and the guards outside had no rain gear.
"It's a good thing it's only late summer, not winter. We won't catch our deaths."
"Still, getting soaked might lead to a fever... for a normal person, anyway."
"True enough."
The knights shared a smile. None of them, having trained their bodies to such a degree, expected to catch a cold from a bit of rain. That confidence was a part of their identity. Whether as a knight or an adventurer, one could never claim they couldn't complete a mission just because of the weather. Having operated in winter snow before, getting wet in this transitional season was merely a nuisance.
As they spoke, the first few drops began to fall.
"Here it comes. I wonder if this is a Rain of Blessing for the local farmers?"
"...Come to think of it, I haven't seen it rain once since we entered the Bestia Empire."
"Hey, there isn't actually a water shortage, is there?"
"From what I've seen traveling this far, everything looked fine... but who knows."
As the knights talked, the carriage door opened and Elk poked his head out.
"We're going to keep going for now, but if the rain gets stronger, we might take shelter. Keep an eye out and report if you find a suitable place."
Everyone nodded, and through the light rain, Daskar's Entourage continued along the highway. They passed a few merchants and adventurers, but the rain helped them proceed without drawing as much attention as before.
"Ugh, it's getting stronger."
A knight looked up at the clouds with a grimace. The light rain had intensified into a steady, heavy fall. It wasn't quite a downpour yet, but the rainfall was clearly worsening.
"Guruuuu."
Seto also found the rain annoying, looking up at the sky and purring irritably. The knights began scanning the horizon for shelter, but unfortunately, there were no woods or buildings along this stretch of the highway.
"Tch, this is starting to get seriously annoying."
The knights grew silent as the rain continued to intensify. After about an hour, the rain had become a torrential downpour.
"A village is in sight!"
The knight at the head of the line shouted, his voice filled with relief.