Rei had been discussing the Bestia Empire inside the Lord's Mansion, but by the time they finished, the world outside had already grown dim. It was only just past four in the afternoon, but at this time of year, such early darkness was to be expected.
Upon leaving the Lord's Mansion, Rei headed straight to the stables to collect Seto. Seto had been sleeping soundly inside the stables, but he noticed Rei’s approach immediately and let out a happy trill. None of the other horses in the stables seemed startled by the creature's presence—hardly surprising, as they were the same animals that had traveled alongside them from the Bestia Empire all the way to Gilm.
"Guruuuu."
Seto rubbed his face against Rei, who reached out to pet him in return. After enjoying a few minutes of physical affection, Rei led Seto out of the stables. The other horses watched the pair go, and Rei—though he doubted they could truly understand him—spoke to them as he passed.
"Your masters won't be back for a little while yet. You lot should take it easy and relax here."
"Prrrff."
The horses neighed, though whether it was in response to his words or just a random sound was anyone's guess.
Nearly 30 members led by Sergio were unable to leave the Lord's Mansion for the time being. They needed to be briefed on the rules of Gilm and taught the essentials of frontier life to ensure they didn't cause any trouble. Naturally, the officials providing these explanations were also tasked with surveillance.
As the Lord governing this territory, Daskar could not simply grant immediate and total freedom to nearly thirty people arriving from the Bestia Empire. Still, it was fortunate for everyone involved that Rei had been the one to bring them; because of his involvement, Daskar was not treating the group with excessive suspicion or severity.
Technically, Rei could have stayed at the Lord's Mansion as well since he was the one responsible for Sergio and the others, but Daskar had told him that it was far too late to start doubting him now. Thus, Rei was a free man. As for Rhodos, whom Rei had also brought along, Elk and Min had taken charge of him. They were likely searching for any possible lead that might wake the boy from his coma.
"Well, I wish them the best... but it’s going to be difficult," Rei muttered.
"Guru?"
As they walked the path from the Lord's Mansion toward the city center, Seto tilted his head and let out a soft cry. He looked as if he were asking what was wrong. Rei petted him, telling him it was nothing, and continued down the road toward the main street.
"A-ha! Seto-chan! See, I knew it! I knew Seto-chan was here! My information network was spot on!"
A voice suddenly echoed through the path. Rei looked around and soon spotted a familiar face. She was quite well-featured—certainly a woman who could be called a beauty—but at the moment, her face was twisted into an expression of pure, rapturous bliss.
It was Mirene, the Leader of the Scorching Wind, an adventurer party with whom Rei shared a long history. To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say she was a woman who was absolutely head-over-heels for Seto.
The Scorching Wind were some of the oldest acquaintances Rei had among the local adventurers, dating back to his very first large-scale request in Gilm: the Attack on the Orc Settlement. Since she had been there when they defeated the Orc King, Mirene was one of the few people who knew a fair amount about Rei and Seto’s secrets.
"You found out we were back pretty quickly," Rei noted.
"It wasn't quick at all! I’ve been scouring the city ever since I heard the rumor that Seto-chan had returned. I've finally found you! It’s been so long, Seto-chan!"
"Guruuuu."
After giving Rei a perfunctory reply, she ended the conversation then and there and marched straight toward Seto. She handed him a piece of Dried Meat and immediately began petting Seto's head.
Seto had known Mirene for a long time and understood perfectly well that she adored him. He was a friendly creature by nature, and Mirene, who showered him with affection and always brought snacks, was more than enough to win his favor. Seto ate the Dried Meat she offered and let out a happy trill, clearly delighted by their reunion.
"Yes, yes. Seto-chan, you really were happy to see me too, weren't you? I'm so happy as well!"
"Guru?"
As Seto rubbed his face against her, Mirene’s eyes crinkled with joy. She continued to feed him the Dried Meat while savoring the feel of his fur to her heart's content.
Rei watched her with an exasperated expression until he noticed another figure approaching.
"It’s been a long time, Rei-san."
The man who spoke was a middle-aged individual in his forties. He was Sulnin, a member of Mirene’s party and the one who acted as her "stopper."
"Sulnin."
"Indeed. I must apologize for our leader. You’ve only just returned to Gilm, and yet..." Sulnin bowed his head as he glanced at Mirene, who was currently frolicking with Seto.
Rei shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Seeing this makes me feel like I’m truly back in Gilm."
"Hahaha. From our end, it’s a bit of a headache. Mirene becomes completely useless as an adventurer when she's like this."
"...I suppose that’s true."
Looking at Mirene now, playing with Seto with such abandon, very few people would ever guess she was a C-Rank Party Leader. C-Rank was a level reserved for established veterans and full-fledged professionals.
(Well, the world of adventurers is governed entirely by merit. It's not strange to have someone young at C-Rank, B-Rank, or even A-Rank. I mean, look at me—I still look like I'm in my mid-teens.)
As Rei mused to himself while watching the interaction, Sulnin asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that this sight makes it feel like I've really come home to Gilm."
"Why did you say the exact same thing twice...?" Sulnin sighed, clearly wishing his party weren't defined by such antics.
"You have your work cut out for you, Sulnin."
"Heh, it’s not all bad. Setting this aside, Mirene is usually a very capable Party Leader."
"I wonder how many people would believe that after seeing this," Rei said solemnly.
Sulnin could only offer a wry smile. While they stood there in that somewhat awkward atmosphere watching Mirene and Seto, they were near the main street. Even with the sun going down, such a spectacle was bound to draw attention.
"Ah! It’s Seto-chan!"
A voice rang out, and Rei looked over to see a girl of about ten years old. She ran straight toward the gryphon.
"Yay! Seto-chan, it’s been so long! Hey, we haven't seen you lately, where did you go?"
"Guruuu?"
Seto trilled in response to the girl’s question. He could understand her words, but unfortunately, he couldn't speak.
"Wait, Seto-chan? Oh, it really is him! Wow, it’s been ages!"
"Whoa... just looking at Seto is so healing."
When Mirene had first shouted, few people had approached, likely because foot traffic was light at that specific moment. Now, however, Seto was quickly surrounded by the residents of Gilm. Watching this, Rei remembered that several Fanatical Seto Fans were among the group that had come with him to Gilm.
(I just hope they don't get into a fight with Mirene.)
On one hand, you had the Former Mobile Unit Members; on the other, a C-Rank Adventurer like Mirene. In terms of pure skill, Mirene was likely the stronger of the two, but the gap wasn't insurmountable. It was the kind of difference that could be flipped by the smallest of circumstances.
(And considering how she tends to go off the rails when Seto is involved... I wouldn't be surprised if her combat power spiked purely based on those emotions.)
The best-case scenario for Rei would be if they all hit it off as fellow Seto fans. But as for how it would actually go... he wouldn't know until they actually met. Those hoping to migrate were currently tied up with paperwork and Questioning at the Lord's Mansion, but Rei could easily predict they would be free to move around soon enough.
"Um... Rei-san, what should we do about that?" Sulnin asked, gesturing toward the crowd.
The townspeople were in a frenzy over their reunion with Seto. For the moment it was fine, but if a carriage tried to come through, the Crowd was large enough to be a serious obstruction.
"Should we move somewhere with less traffic?" Rei suggested.
"Yes, definitely," Sulnin agreed immediately.
Rei called out to the gryphon in the center of the mass of people. "Seto! We're moving to a different spot!"
"Guruuuu!"
Seto’s cry echoed from within the group, and the crowd parted to let him through. Despite how much they wanted his attention, no one tried to block his path; they all understood exactly what kind of creature Seto was.
There were a few people nearby who didn't know what was happening, and some were so shocked by Seto’s sudden appearance that they actually lost their footing and fell over. A fair amount of time had passed since Rei had left for the Bestia Empire, and since it was now the transition from autumn to winter, many newcomers had arrived in Gilm in the interim.
...Fortunately, the current crowd was much smaller than it would have been during the peak midday rush. Most of the people in Gilm at this hour were either late arrivals or people who had traveled from very far away.
The residents of Gilm were well-accustomed to the reactions of such people. When those nearby explained that Seto was Rei’s Tamed Monster, the newcomers were shocked all over again, though for a different reason. Rei was famous in many circles, and his reputation preceded him. Still, hearing a rumor and seeing the reality with one's own eyes were two very different things.
Seto ignored the stunned stares and walked over to Rei. As the gryphon rubbed against him, Rei petted Seto's head and addressed the crowd.
"If we make a scene here, we'll be in everyone's way. We're going to move to a different location, so anyone who wants to play with Seto can follow us. However, as you can see, it's already dark. If you have chores or business to attend to, you should head home. Both Seto and I will be in Gilm for a while..."
Rei stopped mid-sentence as the local Dungeon crossed his mind.
"We'll be here for at least a few days, so if you really want to spend time with him, it would be a big help if you could come see him during the day."
"Even if you say 'during the day,' I'm not sure about playing outside in this cold."
"Hey, lady, look at yourself! It's already night and the temperature's dropping, and you're still playing with Seto!"
A voice from the crowd shouted back at Mirene's earlier comment. Hearing that, about half the people seemed to remember their responsibilities. Though they looked disappointed, they began to disperse. They didn't forget to wave to Seto as they left, making one last attempt to get his attention.
(Well, it's evening, so I'm sure plenty of people need to get dinner started. If they told their families dinner was late because they were playing with Seto, they'd probably get a real earful.)
Rei watched them leave, then noticed Mirene giving him a look that was practically begging him to move. He led them to a nearby spot that was out of the way of passersby. In the end, only about ten people followed them, which served as a testament to Seto’s enduring popularity.
"Hahaha! Here, Seto-chan, have this Sandwich!"
"Oh, this fruit is good too!"
"Then I’ve got some Dried Fish!"
"Well, then take these! They're dried fruits with the sweetness all concentrated!"
"Oh, I have honey!"
"Yay! Seto!"
Rei watched as the group immediately began fussing over Seto in the quiet corner. Beside him, Sulnin watched with an unreadable expression as his own Party Leader threw herself into the task of adoring the gryphon with more fervor than anyone else.
"Um, Rei-san. It might not be my place to say, but shouldn't you stop them?"
"...Stop them? Seto doesn't seem to mind, so isn't it fine? I suppose I'll have to end it if it gets too late, though."
Seto was naturally affectionate, so the current situation—being adored and given food—was something he found pleasant rather than annoying. He would certainly object if someone tried to pull his feathers or pluck his fur, but Mirene and the others were far too captivated by his cuteness to ever do something so cruel.
In fact, if anyone did try to harm Seto for his materials, Mirene would likely be the first to step in and stop them. As someone who loved Seto from the bottom of her heart, she was more than capable of seeing through anyone who only liked him superficially.
As he watched the scene, Rei spoke up.
"By the way, I was hoping to meet with the rest of the Scorching Wind soon... Could I see the other member, Ekryl, as well?"
"Huh? Well, we’ve already finished our winter preparations, so we’re actually quite free. I don't mind, but... is something wrong? Do you have a request for us?"
Sulnin tilted his head, surprised by the sudden suggestion. Rei kept his eyes on Seto as he answered.
"I was thinking it's about time I removed that Seed of Restraint I placed on you all a while back."
"...What?"
At Rei's words, Sulnin could only stare at him, his face a mask of utter bewilderment as if he couldn't process what he had just heard.