The journey since leaving the Imperial Capital progressed with remarkable smoothness.
Rei had expected the number of thieves to increase due to the recent civil strife, but not a single one appeared—not even a stray monster crossed their path. In truth, Rei had actually hoped for some thieves to show up so he could replenish his travel funds.
Rei was generally not hurting for money, but he was no saint. Given his past behavior, it was unlikely anyone would ever mistake him for one. At any rate, he felt absolutely no guilt in defeating thieves who attacked them and claiming whatever treasures they had hoarded. He had rationalized it as a way to restore public order in the surrounding area, but it seemed his expectations had been naive.
"I’m bored."
"Guruuu..."
Man and beast murmured idly as they led the way.
While the members of the Mobile Unit and Vihera were already accustomed to Seto, the families, lovers, and friends traveling with them toward the Kingdom of Mireana were naturally not. If it were only the people, Rei could have found a way to bridge the gap with a bit of effort, but the horses pulling the carriages were a different story.
Even if the horses didn't exactly become friends with Seto, it took more than a day or two for them to stop panicking in his presence. From Rei’s experience, even if they were kept together inside the stables all day, it usually took about five days for them to acclimate.
Furthermore, while Vihera’s horse was a rigorously trained mount that showed almost no fear toward Seto, she still didn't stay close to them. The reason was simple: if a specialized combat asset like Vihera traveled alongside Rei, they might not be able to respond in time if a monster or thief attacked the carriages. Consequently, Vihera moved with the members of the Mobile Unit as a guard for the convoy.
Though, with so many members of the Mobile Unit gathered in one place, any local threat would have been trivial to handle.
"The weather is... well, it’s not bad," Rei remarked, looking up at the sky.
It had been clear when they left the Imperial Capital, but after several hours, the sky was no longer a perfect blue; clouds drifted lazily through the air. Still, they weren't rain clouds, so Rei wasn't particularly worried. If they were traveling on foot, the members of the Mobile Unit would have had their stamina drained by the cold if it rained. Fortunately, everyone was riding in carriages, which spared Rei that particular logistical headache.
As he was thinking while looking up, he suddenly heard horse hooves approaching from behind.
(Ah, I see. Setting aside my own situation, if it rains, it would be better to have Vihera get into one of the carriages.)
Thinking of that person... specifically Vihera’s clothing, the thought of her getting drenched in the cold rain of late autumn was not a pleasant prospect to watch, regardless of how she felt about it herself. Her clothes were made of cloth so thin they were practically translucent; if they got wet, every Man's Eye would naturally be drawn in that direction. As a result, the glares from the women in the group—especially the lovers, wives, sisters, and mothers of the Mobile Unit members—would become razor-sharp.
No one wanted to deal with that kind of stress in the cramped confines of a carriage. Thus, almost everyone in the group had reached the same conclusion: if it started raining, they would offer Vihera a seat in their carriage. Of course, "almost everyone" included the single men traveling alone, for whom being stuck with a rain-soaked Vihera would be nothing short of a reward. Naturally, they understood her strength well enough not to do anything foolish, but the temptation was there nonetheless.
In that sense, the person who would be most troubled by rain was Rei. If Rei rode in a carriage, Seto would get lonely, but if he approached a carriage while riding Seto, the horses would be terrified. He couldn't get close carelessly. It wasn't as if they would be completely separated, but Seto hated not being right beside Rei when they were so close.
(In other words, if it starts raining, I should consider getting wet along with Seto. I won't catch a cold, but I don't really like the sensation of being soaked.)
The Dragon Robe was equipped with a temperature adjustment function to keep the wearer comfortable, and above all, Rei’s body itself was a special creation made by the Zephyle Clan. The idea of him catching a cold just from getting a bit wet in the rain was practically impossible.
"Well, if it happens, I'll deal with it then. For now, it doesn't look like we need to worry about rain."
"Guruuu?"
Are you okay? Seto asked with a slight tilt of the head. Rei shook his head to say it was nothing before stroking the gryphon’s head. As they walked, Seto narrowed his eyes comfortably at the sensation of Rei’s hand and purred.
Generally speaking, the temperature had already dropped to around ten degrees Celsius—hardly the sort of weather for a casual stroll. In fact, the people acting as a Driver for the carriages were all bundled up in appropriate cold-weather gear.
As they continued on, Seto eventually turned his gaze toward a grove of trees growing a short distance from the highway and let out a sound. Rei wondered for a moment if it was an enemy, but nothing approached them. In truth, the figure in the grove was simply a bear—not a monster, just an ordinary animal—seeking nutrition in preparation for hibernation. It must have understood the staggering difference in power between itself and Seto, as it quickly fled back the way it had come.
If ordinary travelers had been passing by, they might have been attacked. In that sense, it was unlucky for the bear but very lucky for any normal wayfarers.
"Guruuu..."
Except for Seto, who let out a disappointed cry at having missed a chance to eat Bear Meat. Still, he must have remembered that the Bear Meat Rei had obtained while they were staying at Frizion’s villa was still stored in the Misty Ring. He purred as if to cheer himself up.
"...What is it?" Rei asked, tilting his head while atop Seto's back.
Rei could generally understand Seto’s moods, but the finer details often eluded him. He could tell that Seto had found something and was happy, then looked disappointed, and then remembered something else and was happy again. It would have been a different story if he could find a more distinct reason for the gryphon's joy.
"Gurulululululuuu!"
Looking at Seto purring happily, Rei ultimately never figured out the cause of his excitement.
They continued along the highway for several hours. When the sun reached its zenith, Rei and the others decided it was time for a lunch break and began preparing a meal by the side of the road.
Normally, a group of this size would settle for portable rations like hard black bread or Dried Meat. Some might obtain ingredients and cook for themselves, but that involved starting a campfire and time-consuming preparation. The luckiest among them might have bought some sandwiches before leaving. That was a luxury reserved only for the first day out of the Imperial Capital, made possible by the cool autumn weather.
However, in that sense, this group was extremely fortunate. From Rei’s Misty Ring, a pot containing Freshly Made Stew was brought out, followed by a large quantity of Freshly Baked Bread and piles of Freshly Grilled Skewers. While everyone raised cheers of joy, the only one who looked dissatisfied was Seto, who had been hoping for Bear Meat Dishes.
"Heh... adventurers eat pretty well, don't they?"
While she wasn't doing any of the cooking, one of the women murmured as she warmed herself by the campfire. She was one of the travelers who had come along as family rather than as a Mobile Unit Member. Of course, Rei couldn't let that misconception stand.
"There's no way that's the case. Usually, it's just Dried Meat and hard bread. The only reason we can eat hot, freshly made food like this is thanks to Captain Rei having an Item Box," a Mobile Unit Member hurriedly explained.
Rei offered a wry smile. "Isn't it about time you stopped calling me 'Captain'? The Mobile Unit has already been disbanded."
"No way! The unit might be gone, but to me, Captain Rei will always be Captain Rei!"
The first person to respond to that firm declaration was a Middle-aged woman who appeared to be the man's mother.
"Ah, to think that Maruno would grow to respect someone this much... Rei-san, thank you."
"Wait, Mom! What are you saying to Captain Rei!?"
The man called Maruno hurriedly tried to stop the Middle-aged woman as she set her plate of stew on the ground and bowed. But his mother didn't mind; in fact, she lightly slapped her son's head and forced him to bow to Rei as well.
"Hush! You say thank you too! Honestly, you're always all talk."
"Mom! Stop it in front of everyone!"
At the sight of Maruno’s predicament, everyone eating lunch around the campfire burst into laughter.
A meal truly was something that unraveled people's hearts. Those who had been hesitant toward Seto when they left the Imperial Capital gradually began to open up as they ate together. They couldn't bring themselves to pet him just yet, but they no longer cowered when he was nearby. This was partly due to the members of the Mobile Unit desperately talking up Seto's cuteness inside the carriages, and partly because they had seen him looking so happy while receiving food from Rei.
"Gurululuuu."
His earlier grumpy mood forgotten, Seto plunged his beak into a plate overflowing with stew and purred happily. Looking at him, almost everyone wore a softened, peaceful expression.
"Captain Rei... no, Rei-san. If we keep going, the highway will split in two. One way goes straight to the Kingdom of Mireana—the road you took when you came to the Imperial Capital. The other is a detour, but there's a village that way where I’ve arranged to meet one more person..."
After finishing the meal and taking a rest, Sergio approached Rei.
"If we take that detour, how much further is it to the Kingdom of Mireana?"
"Only slightly longer, really."
"Then there's no problem. We'll stay the night in that village."
"Hmm. Well, fine by me. As long as I can stay in the same room as Rei, that's all I care about," Vihera chimed in, leaning against Rei.
Many of those watching were taken aback. Though they all knew about Vihera by now, they were amazed she would show her affection for Rei so openly.
"Absolutely not," Rei replied flatly. "Even if we stay at an inn, the rooms will be separate. Unless we're forced into a large communal room."
"Hmm, but the village we're going to isn't that big, so I think we'll have to share rooms to some extent," Sergio noted.
Rei silently looked around. Including himself and Vihera, there were just under twenty people in total. In a place like Gilm or the Imperial Capital with large inns, it was one thing, but he realized immediately that a small village inn likely wouldn't have enough individual rooms for a group this size.
"In the worst case, I have my Magic Tent..."
The Magic Tent Rei possessed was far more luxurious than any local inn. In fact, it would be significantly better than whatever accommodations they were headed toward. Of course, even more luxurious versions existed—such as the high-performance model kept by Daskar, who had given Rei his tent as a reward.
"But Rei-san, how many people can fit in your Magic Tent?"
"If they don't mind sleeping on sofas or the floor instead of beds, about half of the group can rest in it."
"In that case, we'll put as many as we can in the inn, put the rest in the house of the person we're meeting, and anyone left over can use Rei-san’s Magic Tent," Sergio suggested.
Rei nodded his agreement.
"Just to be clear, it's fine to let them into the Magic Tent, but make sure they don't do anything strange. Not that I think anyone here would."
"Hahaha. With Rei-san and Seto around, I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to be light-fingered. But if there were... that person would certainly come to regret it. I wouldn't want to travel with someone like that anyway," Sergio laughed, his voice ringing out as a clear warning to those around them.
It was true that everyone here was in the same boat until they reached the Kingdom of Mireana. However, since many of them had only just met today, full trust was still a long way off.