"Oh, it's Seto-chan! Seto-chan! You really are back!"
"My, it really is Seto. I’d heard the rumors that you returned yesterday... I suppose Gilm will be getting lively again."
"Hey now, it’s not like the city was a graveyard just because Seto was away."
As Rei and Seto walked through the streets, various voices called out to them from the crowds. Among them, the stall owners seemed particularly delighted. It was nearly noon, and the stalls were bustling with preparations for the lunch rush. Despite their busy schedules, the vendors called out to Seto while cooking in the cold air, surrounded by rising plumes of steam.
"Hey, Seto! Long time no see. You want a bite? I’ve got grilled skewers done to perfection right here!"
"Seto-chan, welcome back. Since it’s so cold out, how about a bowl of my soup with plenty of vegetables and meat?"
"Seto, I’ve got sandwiches. Want one? The bread is fresh out of the oven—one bite and you’ll be hooked!"
"Over here! I’ve got stewed udon. There’s no chewiness to speak of, but that just makes it soft and delicious!"
Seto trotted back and forth, happily accepting the offerings from the surrounding stalls. Of course, the food wasn't exactly free; Rei paid the vendors each time and bought portions for himself as well. However, the amount of food he received was far more than what he actually paid for.
The stall owners gave him extra service not only because Rei was a prime customer who bought in bulk, but also because he ate their food with such visible enjoyment. Anyone who watched this young man and his beast eating their lunch would find their own appetite whetted. Since it was lunchtime, the sight of them devouring their meal only made the hungry onlookers crave a bite even more.
(If Mirene were here, she’d probably have bought out half the stalls by now. And if she kept that up, she’d run out of money to get through the winter and end up having to take on a winter request through tears.)
Rei allowed himself a small smile as he remembered his friend, who had rushed off to tell her two companions that the Seed of Restraint inside her had finally vanished.
(Even Mirene had the sense to prioritize the Seed of Restraint incident over fussing over Seto... well, that was only natural, I suppose.)
Satisfied that she hadn't forgotten her responsibilities as a C-Rank party leader despite her obsession with Seto, Rei continued toward the Guild, making massive purchases at the stalls for the first time in a while.
The closer they got to the Guild, the more stalls there were targeting adventurers, and naturally, the number of adventurers themselves increased. Consequently, more eyes were drawn toward the pair.
"Hey, isn't that... Rei? When did he get back?"
"Ah... from what I heard, he returned yesterday."
"As always, he doesn't look like a B-Rank adventurer at all. You can tell who he is because Seto is there, but if he were alone, you could easily mistake him for some rank beginner."
"Well, that’s true. You’d know him by Rei's face if he took off that hood, but he always keeps the thing up."
Adventurers who knew Rei exchanged whispers with their comrades. Ever since he had first appeared in the city, Rei had been involved in one commotion after another, for better or worse. To the local adventurers who had witnessed his exploits, he was established as someone you shouldn't carelessly provoke or antagonize.
Many felt he wasn't a bad guy if you just spoke to him normally, and the sight of him with Seto was often quite heartwarming. However... it was also a fact that Rei simply did not look strong based on his appearance alone.
"Hey, hey, is that really Crimson? Aren't the rumors a bit laid on thick? There's no way a scrawny runt like that is actually strong."
"I hear you. ...He probably only got famous because of that gryphon, right? Hah, piggybacking off his tamed monster. Must be nice."
"But wouldn't he have to be a pretty top-tier tamer to have a gryphon follow him?"
"Please. A tamer is just someone who hides behind a monster's back. A guy like that would go down in one hit from us. ...In fact, why don't we just rough that Rei kid up and take the gryphon for ourselves?"
"Idiot. Even if that Rei guy is weak, a gryphon is still a gryphon. Do you think you’d walk away in one piece if you laid a hand on it?"
In a spot slightly removed from the main path, a group of adventurers who had likely arrived in Gilm while Rei was away in the Bestia Empire gathered to talk. It was a familiar sight in Gilm, and those who actually knew Rei watched them with pitying eyes. Though, some did direct sharp glares at anyone suggesting they would target Seto.
The emergence of such people was an unavoidable reality in Gilm. The city was located on the frontier, and while those who grew up there were one thing, anyone who traveled to Gilm from other regions arrived with a certain level of skill and the confidence to match.
Because skilled adventurers flocked to Gilm, they were often treated as novices upon arrival, but their pride remained high. Many firmly believed their skills would naturally be sufficient even here. Precisely because their strength had carried them this far, they were unable to comprehend the existence of a being far beyond their imagination.
To them, Rei’s strength as a pure combatant was likely just a series of exaggerated rumors, regardless of his ability to tame a gryphon. Even if the rumors mentioned his high combat ability, he was still short and lacked any visible muscle. Upon seeing him, it was inevitable that they would convince themselves that his achievements were actually the work of the gryphon.
If that’s the case, I’ll be the one to strip away the mask.
With those thoughts, several adventurers were about to call out to Rei when a voice intervened.
"Hey now, give it a rest. There’s no way someone of your level could beat Rei. Besides, getting involved with him just leads to a mountain of trouble."
The group of adventurers froze. They were about to reflexively snap back at the person belittling them, but when they turned and saw a sturdy large man whose overwhelming strength was obvious at a glance, the words died in their throats.
"If you're already shivering just by looking at me, you don't stand a chance against Rei."
Faced with such an warning, the newcomers managed to avoid Rei's baptism.
"...Well, whatever."
Rei muttered as he watched the group being led away by an adventurer he vaguely remembered seeing at the Guild. If they had actually approached him, Rei had planned to fight them under the guise of self-defense, knock them out, and strip them of their gear—he’d had his eye on a spear one of them was carrying. But if the trouble was gone, that was fine too. He continued his shopping and headed for the Guild.
By the time he reached the building, he was carrying more food than he could possibly hold. He left Seto’s portions out and stored the rest in his Misty Ring so they wouldn't go to waste by getting cold.
"Well then, this might take a while... but I suppose you won't be bored."
"Guruuu!"
In the usual carriage waiting area, Seto lay down and purred contentedly. Nearly twenty residents, ranging from five-year-old children to elderly people in their sixties, had already gathered around. They were stroking Seto, talking to it, and trying to offer it snacks.
Rei thought he saw a familiar face from the Dusk Wheat Inn stables among them, but he told himself it was just his imagination and walked inside.
The Guild was relatively quiet since it was nearly noon. Many adventurers had already finished their preparations to get through the winter, which likely explained why there were fewer people than usual for this time of day. Instead—though not exactly as a replacement—the attached tavern was fairly crowded with people eating and drinking.
"Rei-kun!"
As he looked around the Guild, a voice rang out. Rei turned toward the source just in time to see a cat beastman leaping over the counter. It was Kenny, the cat beastman receptionist who made no secret of her affection for him. Despite her dramatic leap, her short skirt didn't even flutter. According to Kenny, this was all part of her professional Receptionist's Etiquette.
"Wait, Kenny!?"
Lenora shouted, rebuking her friend’s sudden outburst. Kenny, however, paid her no mind and rushed to Rei’s side.
"Rei-kun, I heard you went to the Bestia Empire! Were you okay? I heard you were with Lord Daskar, but I was so shocked when you weren't with him when he returned!"
"Ah... yeah, sorry. I had some things to take care of over there. It just kind of happened that way."
"What do you mean, 'it just happened'... well, fine. You aren't injured, are you?"
Kenny reached out to check Rei's face and patted down his body through the Dragon Robe to check for wounds. If anyone else had tried this, Rei would have stopped them instantly, but knowing her actions were born of genuine concern, he simply stood still and allowed her to do as she pleased.
After confirming he was unharmed, Kenny let out a sigh of relief... but then, her eyes locked onto his hand. Specifically, the ring on Rei’s finger.
Normally, a ring was a gift given to someone of the opposite sex as a sign of affection. While some wore them for fashion, Rei was the last person to care about such things. That meant someone had made a move on him.
Reaching that conclusion in a split second, Kenny turned her gaze back to Rei with a slow, mechanical movement that almost suggested a creaking sound. Many of the adventurers in the Guild—few as they were—had been watching the scene with amusement, but the moment they saw Kenny’s movement, they froze in their tracks. This included not just the low-rank adventurers, but even some B-Rank and C-Rank adventurers as well.
"...Say, Rei-kun. This ring... where did you get it? Did someone give it to you?"
Rei, however, remained blissfully unaware of the chilling atmosphere Kenny was projecting and spoke without any trace of tension.
"Oh, I got it from Theoreme."
"...Huh?"
Kenny went still, as if time itself had stopped. The reason for her shock was different from before. Theoreme was, by any measure, a man's name. That meant Rei was wearing a ring he had received from a man...
Several women eavesdropping from various corners of the Guild let out suppressed, high-pitched squeals of excitement. Instantly, Kenny’s eyes snapped toward the source, glaring at the adventurers and guild staff until they were silenced.
The aura emanating from Kenny was so intense it could silence even veteran adventurers; it was something that could only be described as a grisly aura. The fact that it vanished completely the moment she turned back to Rei was very much like her.
"Rei-kun... um... why would a person named Theoreme give you a ring?"
For Kenny, this was a question driven by the ominous premonition that the person she loved might not be interested in women at all. She tried to sound casual, but her voice was thick with tension.
Rei, still oblivious, answered simply.
"I had a small request to handle in the Bestia Empire. I received this magic item ring as a reward for resolving it."
"...Oh. I see."
Kenny let out a long sigh of relief. She had been so agitated that she’d forgotten, but she finally remembered that Rei had a hobby of collecting magic items. He was wearing bracelets and other gear as well, but because she was a maiden at heart, she had only had eyes for the ring.
"I’m so gla—Ow! Hey, what was that for!?"
Just as she was about to relax, Lenora’s fist came down on her head. Kenny turned to complain, but the words died in her throat when she saw the look on Lenora’s face.
"Kenny, jumping over the counter... I wonder what you were thinking?"
Lenora was smiling, but her eyes were entirely cold. Faced with that gaze, the only thing Kenny could do was offer a strained, fawning laugh.