Night. Moonlight poured down as if to bless the victors of the Fighting Tournament. By the side of the stables at the Eternal Sky Inn, Rei was working his way through a grilled skewer.
"Guruuu."
Seto, whom Rei leaned against, remained seated as it stretched its beak toward a lump of meat prepared specifically for it. It was savoring grilled Fang Boar meat, seasoned heavily with salt and other spices.
Only about an hour ago, they had been holding a commiseration party for Most in the inn’s dining hall. Now, the gathering had ended, and everyone was spending their evening as they pleased.
"It’s true that for a pure mage to survive and win, the tournament rules are pretty harsh in several ways," Rei muttered.
"Gururuuu?"
As Rei alternated between bites of meat and vegetables on the skewer, Seto tilted its head as if to ask, Is that so? It turned its gaze from the meat toward Rei and let out a soft purr.
"Yeah. After all, you’re basically defenseless while you're chanting. ……Right?"
Rei’s gaze shifted from Seto toward the darkness.
"Ahaha. You’re certainly right about that, Rei-san."
Most, the very subject of their conversation, emerged from the shadows while scratching his head sheepishly. He carried a basket filled with various kinds of sandwiches.
"I couldn’t win today’s battle, even after using my trump card, the Bracelet of Atacante."
The Bracelet of Atacante. Rei had heard during the earlier meal that this was a single-use magic item providing a body strengthening effect, which Most had used during his match.
"Even if it’s single-use, a magic item that provides body strengthening must be a godsend for a mage," Rei said, nodding as he took a sandwich from the basket Most offered.
Seeing this, Seto stretched its neck out, asking for its own share. Rei tossed a ham and cheese sandwich into the gryphon’s mouth before looking back at Most.
"It seemed like a high-quality item. Where did you find it?"
"From a traveling merchant who visited a village I stopped at for a subjugation request. He said he’d sourced it in Ozos."
"Ozos…… If I recall, that’s the Magic City near the center of the continent, right?"
Most nodded as Rei recalled the information.
"That's the one. Thinking back, I'm impressed he managed to bring goods from Ozos all the way to the Bestia Empire."
Ozos was located on the opposite side of the Kingdom of Mireana from the Bestia Empire. While technically a country, it was more of a city-state, and it housed the largest Magic Academy on the continent. Naturally, with so many mages gathered there to study, magic-related technology had reached incredible heights. Even the Bestia Empire, despite its recent rapid development, had only caught up to Ozos in the field of alchemy.
"Ozos, huh? I’ve wanted to visit there eventually."
"Ahaha, I bet you have. For a collector of magic items like you, Rei-san, Ozos might be paradise in more ways than one. ……Though I’ve heard it comes with its fair share of trouble, too."
"Trouble?"
Rei stroked Seto’s back, enjoying the smooth texture of its feathers as he asked the question. Most prefaced his answer by explaining that it was only something he had heard from the merchant.
"Supposedly, there are all sorts of factions. Apparently, some of the groups focused on magic supremacy believe you aren't even human if you aren't a mage. Those people seem to cause quite a few problems."
"Wouldn't the other factions step in to stop that? Mages are rare as it is; if they act like that, they’ll end up being the ones everyone discriminates against."
Most nodded, reaching for a vegetable sandwich in the basket.
"Perhaps they lean toward radical ideologies precisely because they are a minority. Well, I haven't actually been to Ozos myself, so I can't say for sure. I've also heard of mages using illegal means for experiments, or magic item fraud and things like that."
"So it’s not all dreams and wonder."
"No, no, of course that’s only a small portion of the population. I’m sure there are plenty of good mages there as well. ……Probably."
Even for Most, these were just stories he had heard from others. There was a distinct possibility that the rumors were nonsense and Ozos was perfectly peaceful.
(Well, wherever you get that many people together, I doubt it's completely free of problems,) Rei thought. He finished the last bite of his vegetable sandwich and stood up.
"Anyway, I may have lost in the first round, but as a fellow mage, I really want to see you fight your way to the top, Rei-san."
"……Yeah. I have no intention of losing to anyone."
"Ahaha, that’s the spirit. There are a few other mages in the tournament, but the word is that they’re all going to have a rough time."
A magic warrior like Rei could still handle an opponent trying to disrupt his chanting, but pure mages were generally poor at dealing with close-quarters pressure. Mastering two different paths was never easy, so their struggles were only natural. Considering that, Most—who was at least somewhat proficient with a dagger—had performed remarkably well.
"Well, I should be going. Thanks for cheering for me today. I’ll be there to cheer for your matches, too."
"Right. Even if you aren't physically hurt, the mental exhaustion is real. Get a good night’s sleep."
"Yeah. See you later."
Most turned and walked away. Rei didn't miss the faint shimmer of what looked like tears of regret in his eyes, but he judged that saying anything more would be an insult. He watched him go in silence.
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head while munching on a sandwich, asking if everything was okay. Rei stroked its head and told the gryphon there was nothing to worry about. Under the autumn moonlight, Rei and Seto shared a quiet, relaxing moment together.
The next day. Rei gazed out the window of his room at a cloudy sky that made the previous day's fair weather feel like a lie. After opening the curtains, he frowned slightly at the overcast sky. It was gloomy enough that rain could start at any moment.
Fortunately, the remaining matches of the first round were being held today, so Rei didn't have to fight. However, the first round would end today. The second round would begin tomorrow, and since Rei had fought on the very first day, he was scheduled for a match then.
"Rain, huh? I heard they use legacies of the Ancient Magic Civilization to keep the rain off the stage…… but still. I don't mind watching it from inside a building, but I have no desire to go wandering around in this weather."
Luckily, he didn't have any acquaintances competing today, nor did he have any errands to run. Since there was no reason to head to the arena, he decided to let his body rest and headed down to the dining hall.
"Heh, taking it easy today?"
"Yeah. Looks like rain, anyway."
Rei shared breakfast with the three members of the Wind Dragon Fang who were also in the dining hall. They discussed their respective plans for the day. Rei was resting at the inn, Ruzy was heading to the arena, Veikyul was going to the adventurer's guild, and Most was visiting an acquaintance in the Imperial Capital. Their plans were entirely different.
"Besides, I want to spend some time with Seto," Rei added.
Most, who knew about the previous night, tilted his head at the comment. Rei could see no trace of yesterday’s tears in his eyes; it seemed Most had moved on to some extent, even if he hadn't fully recovered.
"You were with Seto last night. Is that still not enough?"
"He’s a big softie at heart. Since we came to the Imperial Capital, I’ve been busy with the Fighting Tournament and other things, so I haven't been able to give him much attention. I want to make up for it while I have the chance. Besides, being with Seto is a comfort to me as well."
"I think I understand that," Veikyul said. Ruzy nodded along as she reached for a piece of bread. "I was a little scared at first because I heard he was a gryphon, but when I went to the stables to get my horse, he was incredibly friendly."
"That's true," Ruzy agreed. "When a monster is that friendly, it almost makes you doubt if it's really a gryphon."
The general public's impression of gryphons was one of viciousness and ferocity, befitting their status as Rank A monsters. And for the most part, that reputation was well-earned.
"That's because I've raised Seto since he was a fledgling," Rei explained. "He’s used to people. ……But let me warn you, never try to treat any gryphons other than Seto that way. No joke, you’ll die."
"I know that. Besides, the chances of ever meeting another gryphon are practically zero," Veikyul replied with an exasperated look.
Rei had to agree. Even encountering a Rank B monster was difficult, to say nothing of a Rank A. As for Rank S monsters, seeing one was close to a miracle.
(Well, in the forest where I was born…… born? Anyway, in that forest, things like Dragon Species seemed to be everywhere,) Rei thought.
After breakfast, they went their separate ways to attend to their business.
"Guruuu!"
Seto let out a happy cry the moment Rei appeared at the stables. Since this was one of the finest inns in the Imperial Capital, the guests were all high-class, and their tamed monsters and horses did not fall into a panic state at Seto's cry. ……Though that didn't mean they were entirely comfortable with him, either.
"All right, settle down. We just saw each other last night, didn't we? I brought your share of food, too. ……What do you want to do? Should we go out back? We can't leave the grounds, and it might rain soon."
"Gurururuuu."
Seto purred that it wanted to go outside, and Rei led it out. It was surely not Rei's imagination that the other animals in the stables seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief as they left.
"Guruuu, gurururuuu!"
Purring happily, Seto ran around the area near the stables. Fortunately, the stables were at the back of the inn and shielded from the main building’s view, so it didn't cause a scene. If the other guests had been watching, there certainly would have been trouble.
The inn was massive, and while it was far too expensive for most nobles, there were still a significant number of guests during the tournament season. Among them were a few people who were unaware that Rei was staying there. If a guest who didn't know about the adventurer known as 'Crimson' saw a gryphon running around freely, their reaction was predictable.
"Kyaaaaaaaah! A G-Gryphon!?"
A sharp scream echoed through the air. Rei turned toward the source and saw a young woman. She appeared to be in her late teens and wore practical, easy-to-move-in clothes, but the tailoring was clearly high-end. A noble's daughter, or perhaps the daughter of a great merchant.
"Guruuu?"
Seto tilted its head at the woman, but the woman—who could only see a monster—staggered back in terror. Realizing this could go south quickly, Rei stood up and approached her. She noticed him, and her gaze darted between Rei and Seto.
"It's all right," Rei said, trying to reassure her. "Seto is my tamed monster. See the Tamed Monster's Necklace around his neck?"
Upon hearing that, the woman covered her mouth and tentatively looked at Seto’s neck. Indeed, he wore the collar that served as proof of being a tamed monster. It was clear the gryphon wasn't wild.
Still, she seemed unable to process that such a beast could be tamed. She looked back and forth between Rei and Seto before finally speaking with a trembling voice.
"Um…… is he really a tamed monster?"
"He is. ……I thought Seto and I were fairly famous in the Bestia Empire by now. Had you not heard of us?"
"Y-yes. I rarely leave my home."
As they spoke, her fear still seemed to outweigh her curiosity. Seeing her take several steps back as if wishing to flee, Rei decided that detaining her further would only cause more stress, and he let her go.
……A few hours later, that same woman would return and, after spending a bit of time with Seto, become captivated by its cuteness—but that is a story for another time.