The sun had set completely, and the moon was veiled behind a layer of clouds, leaving the sky illuminated by only the faintest trace of light.
Through that dark expanse, a single shadow soared, the rhythmic beat of wings cutting through the night air. It was, of course, Rei, mounted upon Seto's back.
Having successfully conquered the dungeon, Rei was making his way back to Gilm. Ranga, who remained behind with his men to manage any potential monster overflows from the site, had suggested that Rei wait until morning to depart. However, Rei wanted nothing more than to rest in a proper bed at the inn. He had decided to push through the fatigue and return to the city immediately.
The dungeon wasn't particularly far from Gilm to begin with. With Seto's impressive flight speed, the journey was over in what felt like the blink of an eye.
"Guruuu!"
Seto let out a happy trill, its throat vibrating as the distant lights of Gilm came into view. While Light Magic Items weren't used everywhere, it was only just past 5:00 PM. Many citizens were still awake and active, and the city was far more brightly lit than it would have been on a summer night. Between the magical lanterns and the countless campfires lit by people trying to stave off the biting cold, the glow was unmistakable.
Guided by that radiance, Seto flew straight toward the city. As the Main Gate loomed ahead, the Gryphon adjusted its wings and began its descent.
On the ground, the guards momentarily stiffened as they caught sight of a massive shadow dropping from the sky. However, the tension vanished the moment they realized it was Seto. They let out collective sighs of relief and lowered their spears. The darkness of the winter night had made it difficult to identify the silhouette from a distance.
Seto touched down smoothly and began to trot toward the entrance. Rei dismounted, and the two of them reached the gate together.
"Rei and Seto, huh? Don't go giving us heart attacks like that. It gets dark so early this time of year as it is," one of the guards called out.
The area in front of the Main Gate was well-lit by bonfires and Light Magic Items intended to secure the perimeter, ensuring that the shadows held no surprises for the sentries.
"I hurried back, but I made it before closing, right?" Rei asked.
The guards who had seen him leave Gilm earlier that morning had already finished their shifts. Rei addressed a new face, though this guard was also an acquaintance. The man nodded immediately and began the processing paperwork for their entry.
Meanwhile, the other guards crowded around Seto, petting the creature and offering treats like dried meat and sandwiches.
"Guruuu!"
One of the men even produced a bowl of warm soup for the Gryphon, and Seto's joyful cries echoed through the night air.
"Tough shift to be working in this cold," Rei remarked.
"Well, it's part of the job. Besides, there are certain monsters that only show up during this season. If one of them decides to attack, we don't have time to complain about being chilly." The guard smiled as he quickly finished checking Rei's Guild Card and logged their entry. "Besides, it's not actually as cold right here as you might think. Haven't you noticed?"
"Hmm? Oh... now that you mention it, you're right."
Rei hadn't realized it at first, but heat-emitting Magic Items had been placed near the gate. They weren't powerful enough to make the area "warm" per se, but they took the edge off the freezing air. Rei likely hadn't noticed because his Dragon Robe possessed an air conditioner-like function that automatically kept him warm in winter and cool in summer.
"Well, we'll be closing the gates soon, and then I'm going to get properly warmed up inside Gilm. Nothing beats a mug of hot wine on a night like this."
The conversation continued until the procedures were finalized, allowing Rei and Seto to pass through the gates. As they walked away, Rei couldn't help but notice the lingering looks of disappointment on the guards' faces; they clearly wanted to keep petting Seto.
It wasn't just because they were fond of the Gryphon, though. Seto's natural body heat was immense, and many of the men had likely been using the interaction as a way to thaw out their frozen hands. Understanding this, Rei felt a bit apologetic as he led his partner deeper into the city.
Their first destination was the Adventurer's Guild. Rei felt it was only proper to report the dungeon's conquest to the Guild before doing anything else. Despite the darkness, it was still early evening, and the streets were crowded with people. Street vendors were doing a brisk trade with the evening rush.
A Gryphon walking through such a crowd was bound to draw attention. Many residents stopped to admire Seto, offering pieces of bread or grilled skewers they had just purchased. The stall owners, knowing that having a famous monster eat their wares was great for business, offered Rei deep discounts or gave Seto free samples of their food.
By the time they reached the Guild, they had collected enough food to serve as a normal person's dinner and breakfast combined.
"Seto, why don't you eat this and wait for me here?"
"Guru!"
Rei set the collection of snacks down in front of Seto, who settled into the Tamed Monster Space used for carriages and beasts. As Rei disappeared inside the Guild, Seto began to happily munch on a sandwich while purring under the hands of the crowd that had already gathered to play.
"Does that feel good, Seto-chan?"
"Here, have some of this too, Seto-chan."
"Hey, Seto. You've got quite the audience today, don't you?"
Seto basked in the warmth of their voices and hands, feeling perfectly content—though it was a slight shame that Rei wasn't there to join in.
The moment Rei stepped inside the Guild, he was greeted by a roar of noise. The sound was coming primarily from the attached pub. Since it was evening, the tavern was packed with adventurers eating dinner, groups holding a celebratory party for a successful quest, and others having a grim review meeting over a failed mission.
The Guild lobby itself was also much more crowded than it had been that morning. Many of those who had set out on requests had returned for the day. However, since it was the start of winter, the overall number of active adventurers was relatively low. Most had already completed their winter preparations and were planning to lie low until spring.
The ones still taking requests were either those who hadn't saved up enough yet or those like Rei who were motivated by something other than the coin. Specifically, many were currently obsessed with the Gamelion meat shortage.
"Hey, how'd it go on your end?"
"Useless. Couldn't find a single trace of a Gamelion. Seriously, what's going on? They're never this hard to find."
"Right? And Gamelion season is almost over. If we don't find them soon, they'll just retreat back to the Forest of Magic for the year."
"...So what, we're supposed to go all the way into the Forest of Magic to find them? Forget it. I love the meat, but it's not worth my life."
"I hear you. My party is breathing down my neck because we're Gamelion hunting and coming back with nothing to show for it. It's getting pretty tense."
"Yeah, same here. So, what's the plan?"
"For Gamelions? Hmm... I'll give it five more days. If we haven't found anything by then, I'm calling it quits. I really wanted to secure some of that meat, but I've reached my limit."
"Fair enough. We're in the same boat. At least we finished our winter preparations already. Looking for Gamelions is basically a hobby at this point."
"Wait, really? Man, I'm jealous..."
"...Hold on, were you out chasing Gamelions when you haven't even finished your winter prep?"
"Well, yeah, they sell for a fortune right now!"
"You're an idiot..."
Rei filtered out the complaining of the Gamelion Hunters as he approached the Counter. Lenora was busy organizing a stack of documents when she noticed the figure approaching her. Kenny, who was working beside her, also looked up.
"Ah, Rei-san. Oh? I thought you went to investigate that dungeon?"
"Welcome back, Rei-kun! Don't be silly, Lenora. This is Rei-kun we're talking about. Obviously, he's back because he's already conquered the place."
Kenny was as biased toward him as ever, but for once, her exaggerated confidence was entirely accurate. Rei stepped up to Lenora's station and pulled the Dungeon Core split in half out of his Misty Ring, setting it on the counter.
At first, both Lenora and Kenny stared at the object with tilted heads, unable to identify it. It was only natural; a Dungeon Core was not something a common person—or even most guild employees—would ever see in their lifetime.
Lenora looked up at Rei with a puzzled expression. "Rei-san, what is this?"
"It's the Dungeon Core."
The lobby fell into a deathly silence.
Rei was a celebrity in Gilm, and a significant number of people had been eavesdropping on his conversation with the receptionists. Every one of them gasped. Possessing a Dungeon Core was the ultimate proof of a dungeon's conquest.
Many present knew that Rei had only left the city earlier that day. They realized with a shock that he had conquered the dungeon in less than twenty-four hours—more likely, in the span of just a few hours.
"...Eh?"
Lenora and Kenny were equally stunned. Rei had asked Lenora for information about the dungeon only this morning. Had anyone else made such a claim, they would have dismissed it as a joke. But coming from Rei, and given the weight of the objects on the counter, it couldn't be anything but the truth.
"Um... Rei-kun? Did you really conquer the dungeon already?" Kenny asked, finding her voice before the shell-shocked Lenora could.
The lobby remained unnaturally quiet as everyone strained to hear Rei's response. The muffled cheers and laughter drifting in from the pub only served to highlight the eerie silence of the guild hall.
"Yeah. Like you said, it was a new dungeon and pretty small-scale. It wasn't that difficult to conquer, even for me."
Nearly every adventurer in the room mentally screamed, What do you mean 'even for me'?!
Rei ignored the invisible waves of shock as Lenora finally regained her composure.
"We heard the monsters there weren't particularly strong, but still... to finish it in such a short amount of time is..."
"Well, putting that aside, I have a report to make regarding the dungeon's contents."
"...What is it?"
"The room containing the Dungeon Core was packed with Gamelions. More than fifty of them. I suspect that's the reason for the Gamelion shortage this year—the dungeon was hoarding them."
The lobby erupted into noise. There were at least a dozen Gamelion Hunters in the room at that moment, and the revelation hit them like a physical blow.
"Gamelions? I see... So the Dungeon Core was responsible for their disappearance."
"Most likely. Because of that, I'm willing to sell a portion of the catch to the Guild."
"That would be a huge help, but are you sure?" Lenora asked. "I know you were looking forward to the Gamelion Meat yourself, Rei-san. And Seto-chan too."
"Yeah. Ranga asked me to help out, and it's not good for Gilm to be facing a shortage like this. However, I have a request of my own. I'll sell ten Gamelions to the Guild. In exchange for the value of some of those carcasses, I want the Guild Staff to handle the Gamelion Material Stripping and butchering for my remaining share. Is that possible?"
Lenora hesitated for a moment. Realizing this was beyond her authority, she looked over her shoulder toward her superior behind the counter.
Gran, the superior in question, nodded without a moment's hesitation. While his personal love for Gamelion Dishes played a part, he recognized that this was an incredibly profitable deal for the Guild. Gamelions were rare this season, and the market price had skyrocketed. If the Guild could secure ten of them just by providing labor, it was an easy choice. He would have no trouble finding staff members who were experts at dismantling to handle the job.
"Understood, Rei-san. We will accept your proposal," Lenora said with a bright smile.
While the resolution of the Gamelion shortage was a factor, her smile was likely fueled by the thought of the Gamelion Dishes she would soon be enjoying.
As an afterthought, Rei also handed over the report from Ranga, which the Guild would see delivered to the Lord's Mansion.