Black clouds blanketed the sky over the Seremuse Plain.
They were clearly rain clouds; it wouldn't have been strange for a downpour to begin at any moment. Furthermore, the temperature had dropped lower than before, and a biting wind sapped the strength of those sitting atop the carriage coach boxes.
Despite the worsening conditions, Rei continued to lead the caravan from the front, his gaze shifting to the Death Scythe held in his right hand.
He had acquired a new skill last night: Flying Slash Level 4. When several Skeletons had appeared during his night watch, he had taken the opportunity to test it out, and the Flying Slash had certainly been powered up. Both the size and the destructive force of the slashing waves launched from the Death Scythe's blade had increased significantly.
The attack had easily sliced through the Skeletons' ribs and even shattered the magic stones protected within.
...Though, because of that, he hadn't been able to salvage any magic stones.
(Still, why did a Living Armor grant me Flying Slash? According to what Dietz told me this morning, the Living Armor that owned that magic stone was a battle-axe user. If that's the case, no matter how you look at it, learning Power Slash would have been more natural.)
While he harbored these internal doubts, a satisfied smile still played on Rei's lips. It was only natural; Flying Slash was one of the most versatile skills in his repertoire. Being able to launch a long-range attack with a simple swing of his Death Scythe was a massive advantage.
In terms of long-range combat, Rei possessed several methods: magic, the arrowheads produced by the magic item known as the Eye of Nebula, and spear throwing. Spear throwing was essentially his mainstay for distance fighting.
However, throwing a spear required a sequence of actions—retrieving the spear from the Misty Ring, bracing himself, aiming, and then throwing. Magic required the chanting of spells. In contrast, the Eye of Nebula was exceptionally easy to use since it produced arrowheads simply by channeling magic power; additionally, because he wore it beneath his Dragon Robe, it could take enemies by surprise.
However, the range of those arrowheads was not particularly long. Given that, the utility of the Flying Slash skill—which could be unleashed simply by aiming and swinging the scythe—was exceptional.
That was why Rei wore a look of satisfaction, even if he remained puzzled as to why he had learned it from an axe-wielding Living Armor.
Additionally, while Seto had received the magic stone, the battle-axe used by the Living Armor now belonged to Dietz. Rei had decided that those on night watch wouldn't take the duty seriously without proper incentives, so he had established a rule: whoever defeated a monster held the ownership rights to any valuable loot, such as materials, magic stones, or proof of subjugation parts.
Of course, Rei was not the official leader of this group. However, since the core of the group consisted of members of the Mobile Unit, no one voiced any objections to Rei's instructions. While some of the civilians brought along by the former Mobile Unit members felt a degree of dissatisfaction, none were bold enough to complain to Rei or Seto.
As a result, Seto—the greatest contributor to the Living Armor's defeat—claimed the magic stone, while Dietz claimed the rest. The main body of the Living Armor had been pulverized by Seto's Power Crush, so the battle-axe was the only salvageable item.
That battle-axe was no ordinary weapon. Through the power of vengeful spirits, it had become something akin to a magic item.
...It was technically a type of slightly cursed weapon, though. Still, it would fetch a respectable price in the right market, and Dietz had nodded with satisfaction as Rei stored the large axe within his Misty Ring.
"Rei, shouldn't we hurry a little? At this rate, we're going to get caught in the rain before we clear the Seremuse Plain."
Vihera called out to Rei from atop her horse as she rode alongside Seto. Rei looked up at the sky, confirmed that the clouds had grown even denser, and gave Vihera a nod before turning back to address the group.
"I'm picking up the pace! Everyone all right with that!?"
No one opposed the decision. It was only natural; if it rained in the middle of the Seremuse Plain, they would have to drive with impaired visibility. Under those conditions, there was a high probability they wouldn't notice an Undead attack until it was too late. Furthermore, the ground wasn't properly paved; there were holes and large stones scattered everywhere.
The desire to avoid traveling through such terrain in the rain was unanimous. Following Rei's instructions, they pushed forward at a faster pace, even if it meant being a bit reckless.
They continued like that for about an hour. Fortunately, though the rain clouds lingered, the downpour held off, and the edge of the Seremuse Plain finally came into view. Their marching speed, which would normally have been unbelievable, was likely due to the lightness of the carriages, which carried no unnecessary cargo.
Whenever an Undead did appear, Rei and Seto at the front easily kicked them aside, while Vihera and the members of the former Mobile Unit atop the carriages handled any threats approaching from the flanks.
(Rei-san, who defeated the S-Rank Immovable Noise, and Lady Vihera, who defeated the A-Rank Digma of the Water Dragon... When I think about having these two as guards, I feel like we could handle an entire national army, let alone a few Undead.)
Sergio mused to himself while maintaining a vigilant watch around the carriages. He was personable and polite, yet possessed the strength to operate as a solo adventurer. The only reason he had become a solo was that his previous party had disbanded due to internal conflicts.
To someone of Sergio's caliber, the man known as Rei was a surprise in many ways. Not wanting to be Rei's enemy was one reason he was heading to the Kingdom of Mireana, but more than that, he found Rei’s very existence to be deeply fascinating.
"Sergio, Zombies over there! Should we engage with bows?"
At Dietz's call, Sergio immediately shook his head and issued orders.
"The Zombies' movement speed can't keep up with us. Ignore them."
"Got it!"
Sergio continued to direct the group even while lost in thought, and they proceeded straight toward the edge of the Seremuse Plain until...
"There's the exit!"
Rei's voice reached everyone's ears. The moment they looked around, they noticed the very air had changed.
"Yeaaaahhhhhh!"
A roar of joy erupted from someone in the group. As if following suit, the others raised their voices in celebration as well.
"We did it! We're through! We're in the Kingdom of Mireana!"
"Wooooooo!"
"Yee-haw!"
The cheering didn't just come from the members of the former Mobile Unit. The people who had been tensely huddled inside the carriages felt the same relief. In fact, since many of them were unaccustomed to violence and danger, their joy was likely even greater.
Riding at the head of the carriages, Rei scanned the area for any abnormalities. While Undead generally didn't leave the Seremuse Plain, it wasn't an absolute rule. Even though they had entered the Kingdom of Mireana, the possibility of encountering a stray Undead was never zero.
"The nearest settlement is the Village of Goto. We'll be staying there for the night."
Rei spoke to confirm the plan he had already discussed. Snapped back to their senses by his words, everyone nodded in unison with serious expressions.
"Goto isn't a very large village. There isn't an inn, so we'll either sleep in the carriages or pay a resident to let us stay in their home... It will be cramped, just like before—maybe even more so—but..."
"That can't be helped," Sergio replied, and Rei nodded. "We should consider ourselves lucky that we don't have to spend the whole night on watch outside in this weather."
"Alright then, let's move."
With those words, Rei set off toward Goto.
(I've... finally come back to the Kingdom of Mireana.)
He kept that sense of deep emotion buried in his heart.
The guards stationed at Goto were standing watch to ensure no monsters or thieves entered, their minds focused on the hope of eating a warm meal once night fell. Though they wore winter gear, it couldn't perfectly block out the chill that seemed to freeze them to the core. They were stomping their feet to stay warm when...
"H-Hey! Look at that!"
One of the guards shouted, pointing at something in the distance. When his partner looked, his eyes widened so far he couldn't even speak.
A caravan of nearly twenty carriages was bearing down on their village. Even a large caravan usually only consisted of a few carriages; to these guards, the only time they saw twenty carriages at once was when an army passed through during wartime.
"W-What is it? Thieves!?"
"No way thieves would have that many carriages... No, wait. Hey, look! At the head of the line!"
Following his partner's gaze, the guard saw a figure riding upon the back of a Gryphon. The figure was small and wearing a hood, obscuring their face. However, the sight of someone riding a Gryphon was enough for the guards to immediately realize who it was.
It was the person who had stayed in the Village of Goto some time ago, and who had departed for the Bestia Empire alongside Margrave Larkus. Margrave Larkus had returned a short while ago, but the Gryphon hadn't been with him at the time. The guards remembered how the village residents—especially the children—had been terribly disappointed during the Margrave's overnight stay.
"Rei... has he come back?"
"Yeah. If he's on a Gryphon, it's definitely Rei. But what on earth happened to make him lead a caravan like that?"
The Rei the villagers knew was certainly a tamer with a Gryphon, but he hadn't been someone who led a large number of subordinates. Yet, from what they could see, Rei was clearly the one leading the carriages behind him.
Furthermore, another familiar figure rode beside him. Despite the freezing sky that heralded the coming of winter, it was Vihera, dressed in her characteristically thin raiment. Her position next to Rei made her look like a vice-captain of sorts.
In reality, they were not a mercenary band or a merchant caravan, but simply a relocating group... However, it was impossible for the guards to deduce that in this situation.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean, 'what do we do'... what can we do?"
While they fretted, the group led by Rei drew closer and closer. Normally, they should have gone to fetch the Village Head or someone in authority, but they were so confused by the unexpected sight that Rei's group reached the gate before they could act.
"It's been a while. ...Do you remember me?"
Rei pushed back his hood and spoke casually. The guard finally seemed to snap back to his senses.
"Yeah, we remember. There's no way we'd forget someone with a Gryphon as a tamed monster so easily. Even so, you were supposed to have gone to the Bestia Empire with Margrave Larkus; why have you come back leading a crowd like this?"
"Well, various things happened. The people behind me are those wishing to migrate to the Kingdom of Mireana."
"...You aren't involved in that Internal Strife of the Bestia Empire we've been hearing rumors about, are you?"
Though it was a rural village, Goto was the settlement closest to the Bestia Empire across the Seremuse Plain. Naturally, travelers coming from the empire through the plain often stopped there to rest. Stories of the civil strife had likely trickled down through them.
"Well, I wonder. I'll just say that I made a fair bit of profit out of it."
The guard broke into a wry smile at Rei's words.
"I can guess the gist of it from that. ...Anyway, you're entering the village, right? Then I'll need everyone to show their identification."
Following the instructions, Rei retrieved his Guild Card from the Misty Ring and handed it to the gatekeeper. Behind him, the others followed suit, showing their respective identification to the guards. The procedures were completed without any particular issues.
After receiving the Tamed Monster's Necklace for Seto, Rei and the others successfully finished all the requirements to enter Goto.