"Hey, Seto. Why are we even out here?"
"Guruuu?"
At Rei’s words, Seto flapped its wings and turned back, trilling in confusion.
Rei and Seto were currently in the sky, far removed from Gilm, at an altitude of about a hundred meters.
Seto was flying through a heavy snowfall, and the conditions were proving harsh even for Rei.
Being a hundred meters up while snow fell meant, quite naturally, that the temperature was bone-chillingly cold.
While the Dragon Robe handled the cold itself without issue, there was another, more pressing problem.
"Seriously, this snow actually hurts!"
Indeed, as Rei muttered, flying at Seto’s typical speed through a snowstorm meant the flakes stung like needles upon impact.
The temperature was manageable, but he didn't have anything like a barrier covering his body.
Because of that, he had no choice but to let the snow pelt him.
"Maybe I should have listened to Lenora and Kenny and waited for the storm to pass before setting out."
After the discussion regarding the nomination request had concluded in the Guild Master’s Office, Maruka had immediately requested that Rei depart.
Her reasoning was that members of the King’s Faction had already begun to move.
Normally, an adventurer would have declined, citing the need for travel preparations, but in Rei’s case—for better or worse—all his gear was stored inside the Misty Ring.
In other words, he could set out on a request the moment the whim took him.
Furthermore, Maruka had urged him to reach the City of Gracial as quickly as possible. Carrying letters for the gatekeepers, the Officer Academy, and Duke Quento's House, he had departed immediately.
Since there were no urgent tasks requiring his attention during the winter months, Rei had been in the mood to accommodate her request, which led to him flying through the storm...
"I really should have waited until it stopped snowing. I can't even look at the map like this."
The map was drawn on special paper created through alchemy, so it wouldn't be ruined by a little wind or moisture.
However, knowing exactly how valuable that map was, he couldn't bring himself to spread it out in these conditions.
If a gust of wind caught it and he lost it, no amount of money could compensate for the loss.
In such a scenario, even if they demanded his Death Scythe as payment, he would find it hard to refuse.
"Let’s see... the highway is supposed to skirt around that mountain, right?"
Recalling the map he had studied before leaving, Rei scanned the snowy landscape below.
"Guruuu?"
It seemed Seto was the first to spot it.
Seto trilled as if to say, Is that it? Following its gaze, Rei saw that the highway was indeed there.
"Yeah, thanks, Seto. Let’s follow that highway. It should eventually branch into two, so we’ll head that far."
"Guruu."
Seto let out an affirmative trill and flapped its wings.
As they flew over the road, the sight of a carriage traveling along the highway suddenly caught Rei’s eye.
"Wow, they’re actually running a carriage in this snow? If it were a specialized one like Maruka’s, pulled by something like a monster, that would be one thing, but that looks like an ordinary carriage... They must be having a rough time."
Rei’s words were merely an idle observation of the scene below.
However, as if his words had been a trigger, the carriage came to a dead stop in the next instant.
"Hiiiii-hi-hi-hiiiiin!"
The pained neighing of a horse drifted up to them.
For a moment, Rei thought a monster might have attacked, but there was no sign of one around the carriage.
Remembering that this wasn't the frontier and that powerful monsters didn't appear that often, he turned his gaze back, curious about what had caused the horse to scream.
"Ah... a wheel got stuck in a hole."
Even if it was called a highway, it wasn't paved with asphalt like the roads in Japan.
Actually, Rei knew from his own experience that even on asphalt roads, it wasn't uncommon for potholes to open up during the winter.
Of course, asphalt caved in because the material itself contracted from the cold, and since this road didn't use asphalt, it wouldn't cave in the same way.
(Instead, snow probably piled up and hid an existing depression, creating a natural pitfall trap.)
Seto looked back at him as if asking What now? After a moment’s thought, Rei asked it to descend.
The snow was making the highway difficult to follow in places, and he figured he might as well double-check the route.
"Guruuuu!"
Seto trilled in response and flapped its wings, descending through the falling snow toward the ground.
The people below must have noticed Seto’s approach. The driver, who had been struggling with the carriage, and the passengers who had stepped out, all turned their eyes to the sky one by one and froze.
Normally, if a monster was heading straight for you, fleeing would be the natural response.
However, they could see a person sitting on this monster’s back.
Judging that this wasn't a simple monster attack, they nonetheless prepared to draw their weapons, just in case.
"Hoh."
Aloft on Seto’s back, Rei muttered in admiration.
By the silhouette alone, they should have realized it was a Gryphon... or at least, they should have figured it out as it got closer.
Despite that, not a single person in his sight abandoned the carriage to run.
Even the driver was gripping a bow with a practiced hand.
Intrigued by their obvious combat experience, Rei waved his hand lightly to signal that he wasn't an enemy.
Seeing his gesture, the people on the ground seemingly decided he had no hostile intent. The atmosphere became visibly relieved.
Seto landed near the carriage.
By the time they touched down, the people around the carriage hadn't completely lowered their guard, but they were watching Rei with intense curiosity.
"What are you guys doing out here in a place like this at this time of year?" Rei asked as he dismounted.
One of the men, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, spoke up with a smile.
It was likely because he had realized the person before him wasn't an enemy.
...Though the light in his eyes wasn't quite as optimistic as his smile suggested.
"As you can see, a wheel fell into a hole. We were just wondering what to do about it."
"A hole, huh? I guess it was hidden by the snow and you couldn't see it. Want some help?"
"Is that okay? It would be a huge help to us."
As the man spoke, one of the others suddenly cried out.
"A Gryphon... Ah! A Gryphon!? Then, are you perhaps Crimson Rei!?"
At that single shout, all the men were rooted to the spot in shock.
They were residents of the Kingdom of Mireana, and furthermore, they were entrusted with guarding the person inside the carriage.
Naturally, they had heard the name of someone so famous in their line of work.
"Ah, that’s right. He’s riding a Gryphon, so it’s got to be him!"
"But isn't Crimson part of the Neutral Faction? This is Viscount Gizurus's Territory, which belongs to the King's Faction. Why on earth would he be here?"
"Maybe because he's an adventurer?"
"Through this kind of snow?"
"Regardless, do you think there's anyone besides Crimson who has a Gryphon as a tamed monster?"
As their voices buzzed, the man who had been speaking to Rei asked for confirmation.
"So, is it true? Are you really Crimson?"
"Yeah. I won't deny being called that."
"...I see. And, uh, why are you here?"
"I got lost... no, that’s not right. This is my first time visiting this area, so I wanted to ask if I was on the right path. I was looking for someone to ask when I saw your carriage stopped here."
"A place you're visiting for the first time?"
The man tilted his head at the response, but Rei continued regardless.
"Anyway, I’ll take care of that carriage with the wheel stuck in the hole. After that, would you mind answering a few questions for me?"
"I mean, we don't mind, but... at this rate, we were going to have to unload all the cargo before we could pull it out..."
Unloading the carriage in this snow just to make it a bit lighter was a daunting prospect.
Furthermore, because of the falling snow, they would have to find a way to keep the goods from getting wet. It was only natural they didn't want to perform such a task in this freezing cold.
More importantly, the person they were guarding was currently inside the carriage.
If they made their charge stand in the snow and they fell ill, their superior would surely have their heads.
If things went poorly, their pay might even be docked as punishment.
Between that and their genuine professional concern for their charge, the men's honest feelings were that they wanted to avoid the hassle at all costs.
And then, an Alias Holder B-Rank Adventurer had appeared. It would be a lie to say they weren't pinning their hopes on him.
"Then, please. We’ll help too..."
"Hmm? Oh, I don't really need any help. It'll be over in a second, so just wait."
Replying to the man, Rei pulled the Death Scythe out of the Misty Ring.
The men froze for a moment at the sudden appearance of the great scythe, their hands reflexively moving toward their weapons again.
Seeing this, Rei struck the Death Scythe's butt end against the ground to show he had no ill intent.
"Don't worry. I’m not planning on hurting anyone."
"...You expect us to trust someone who just suddenly pulled out a weapon?"
"I just need this to fix your carriage."
"I'd appreciate it if you explained how exactly you're going to fix it."
"Well, you'll see if you watch. And if you're that worried, I’ll do it from a distance."
Saying so, he backed away from the carriage to prove his words.
Once he was about five meters away, they seemingly decided he wasn't about to do anything to the carriage itself. The men's tension eased.
...Of course, Rei did have his Flying Slash attack, but fortunately, the men didn't seem to know about that.
Once their tension dissipated, curiosity about what he was going to do took its place.
"Here I go."
Calling out to the men so they wouldn't be startled, Rei thrust the Death Scythe's butt end into the ground.
"Terrain Manipulation."
The moment those words left Rei’s mouth, the carriage, which had been tilted at an angle by the sunken wheel, was naturally lifted upward.
"Wha—! H-Hey!"
"A-Ah... You’ve got to be kidding me, right?"
"Is that earth magic?"
"I see, earth magic... Wait, earth magic? As far as I knew, Crimson was supposed to be a master of flame magic, true to his name. You know, like that flame tornado."
"Just because someone is a specialist in flame magic doesn't mean they can't use earth magic at all. He’s probably just not as good at it."
"...You call that 'not as good'?"
At the man's final murmur, the carriage's tilt had already vanished, and it was perfectly level.
This was nothing less than proof that he had the power to manipulate the terrain exactly as he envisioned.
If someone claimed he wasn't "good" at it despite having that kind of power, it would be impossible to believe.
In reality, however, Rei was using a skill rather than earth magic, which was precisely why it was so effective.
Rei, who had drawn the gazes of everyone present, spoke up once he confirmed the carriage could move without issue.
"I’ve leveled it out for now, but since it fell into a hole, there’s a chance the axle or something else was damaged. I’d recommend having it looked at as soon as possible."
"...A-Ah. Yeah. Right. You’ve really saved us. Thank you."
The man Rei had been talking to replied in a daze.
Rei was used to people being surprised by his skills, so he ignored the man’s shock and stated his original objective.
"So, does this road lead into Duke Quento's Territory? Specifically, I want to know if it continues toward the City of Gracial."
"Gracial!?"
The one who cried out in surprise wasn't the man in front of Rei... but someone from inside the carriage.
"Did you just say Gracial?"
The carriage door, which had remained silent until now, swung open, and a man stepped out.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be around Rei’s age, or perhaps slightly older.
Despite being a man, he had striking, shoulder-length blue hair.
He didn't seem frivolous; if anything, he looked like a quite serious individual.
The man was now watching Rei with deep interest.
...Incidentally, the horses pulling the carriage were, as usual, paralyzed with fear at Seto’s presence.
That was likely why the man had been able to step out of the carriage so easily.