In response to the words of the man who had suddenly stepped out of the carriage, Rei nodded while storing his Death Scythe into his Misty Ring.
Since he was dressed in visibly luxurious attire, it was easy to imagine that he was a noble. Still, Rei’s attitude remained unchanged. In the first place, the noble he associated with most often was the grim-faced Daskar, so he wasn't the type to feel intimidated just by seeing a noble like the one before him. His recent clash with Keep likely influenced his perspective as well.
...Then again, he had also met nobles like Maruka, so he didn't hate the aristocracy as a whole. Nevertheless, it was an unavoidable fact that Rei generally harbored a poor impression of them.
"Yeah. I’ve taken on a request, so I’m heading to the City of Gracial in Duke Quento's territory."
"...I see. No, forgive my sudden intrusion. Actually, I am also currently on my way to Gracial. It is unfortunate for both of us to be traveling during this season."
Rei felt a bit surprised by the man's friendly smile. He had fully expected another round of trouble, but their exchange so far seemed civil.
(This is unexpected. I mean, I know not every noble is like Keep. If they were, the Kingdom of Mireana would probably be finished by now.)
The image of a country populated entirely by people like Keep crossed his mind, and he hurriedly shook his head to clear it. Seeing this, the man looked at him with a curious expression.
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
"No, it's nothing. More importantly, since you're heading to Gracial, I take it this road really does lead there?"
"Indeed. Although it will still take some time. This highway definitely leads to Gracial."
Rei let out a sigh of relief. He had been fairly certain he was on the right track, but this was his first time traveling this highway. A bit of anxiety was only natural.
"What is it? You do not seem like someone who is lost."
"Ah—no. I know the way to a certain extent."
To be precise, he possessed a map, but considering its rarity, he couldn't easily mention it to others. He feigned a bit of ignorance to cover his tracks.
"However, as you can see, I’m traveling through the air on Seto... on a Gryphon. Things are inevitably different compared to traveling on the ground."
At those words, the man finally noticed Seto lying in the snow a short distance away. An expression of understanding appeared on his face... but in the next moment, it turned to one of doubt.
"Well, to my eyes, it looks as though it is simply lying in the snow..."
"Yeah, that's what it looks like to me, too."
"...Is that quite alright?"
In response to the man's concerned question, Rei tilted his head.
"Is what alright?"
"No, I mean, lying in the snow like that. Will the Gryphon not catch a cold?"
"...If it caught a cold from just a bit of snow, it wouldn't be worthy of being called an A-Rank Monster."
"I see. Is that how it is?"
Rei felt his pace slightly thrown off by the man, who seemed genuinely convinced by his explanation. At any rate, if this highway led to Duke Quento’s territory, he had no further business here.
"It was a help to hear that I'm on the right road. Since you're heading to Gracial, maybe we'll run into each other over there."
"Hmm, I wonder. Unfortunately, I will not be able to move about very freely once we arrive. Still, let us hope that we might meet if fate allows."
From those words alone, it wasn't hard to guess that there were complicated circumstances involved. Of course, Rei had no intention of prying. The man before him seemed to fall into the category of a "good" noble. At least, that was how it felt to Rei.
However, that was effectively as far as his interest went. If they were attacked by monsters or some other threat here, he would be happy to lend his strength. But if asked if he wanted to travel with them and protect them the whole way, Rei’s answer was a flat no.
In the first place, Rei was currently under contract to Maruka. There was no point in neglecting her request to travel slowly to Gracial. Lady Maruka had sent Rei ahead precisely because traveling with the main group would take too much time... even with the snow falling.
Considering that, Rei did not feel like getting actively involved with the noble in front of him.
(And besides...)
He shifted his gaze toward the area around the carriage. The men who had spoken to Rei first were still there. Though they seemed relaxed, he could tell they were focusing all their attention on him. If Rei were to try anything strange, they would likely attempt to protect the noble even if it meant throwing their lives away.
Even though they knew how strong Rei was, they were prepared to go that far for him. With guards that loyal, Rei didn't think he was needed.
"Well, since the carriage is fine now, I'll be going... Let's meet again if we're meant to."
"Yes, quite. ...Meant to, is it? To be honest, I feel there is nothing quite so unreasonable as fate."
Judging that if he stayed, he would inevitably be dragged into the man's problems, Rei gave a light wave and approached Seto, who was still lounging in the snow.
"Guruuu?"
Are we done? Seto looked up at him, and Rei nodded. Seeing that, Seto stood up and turned its back toward Rei.
Rei straddled Seto's back, looked back at the noble once more, and spoke.
"Well then, I'll pray for your safe arrival in Gracial."
"Indeed. You are traveling through this weather as well. Flying through the air must be dangerous, so do your best."
After exchanging those final words, Seto took a few running steps and soared into the sky with a powerful flap of its wings.
The sight of the Gryphon flying through the fluttering snow inspired a sense of the fantastical in those watching from the ground. It was only natural. In Gilm, Seto's presence had become a part of daily life, but he was an A-Rank Monster—the kind of creature even a High-Rank Adventurer might meet only once in a lifetime.
Given that they were completely unharmed, the people who met Seto today could only be called lucky.
"Crimson Rei and Seto, huh. ...I hope we can meet again in Gracial." The man who had seen Rei off murmured softly.
"Young Master, let's head out soon. We felt safe while Crimson was here, but we don't know when the pursuers will arrive. If possible, I'd like to put more distance behind us while we can."
"...You're right. Let's go then. Be sure not to let your guard down. My Uncle's Operatives are quite skilled."
"Yes, please rest easy. We'll make sure to deliver you to Gracial even if it costs us our lives."
"Don't be a fool. Your lives are not something to be thrown away so easily. I won't permit you to die without my permission, so keep that in mind."
At the Young Master's words, the others listening nearby broke into warm smiles—smiles filled with the firm determination that they would be the ones to protect this man.
"H-Hmph. Come on, let's go. ...Fortunately, the horses seem to have recovered from the fear of facing Seto and can manage to walk now."
Speaking as if to hide his embarrassment, the man climbed back into the carriage. It wasn't just "as if"—he actually was flustered. In fact, the man's cheeks were tinged a faint red as he boarded.
As they watched their master enter and prepared for departure, one of the men muttered to his comrade.
"Hey, don't you think it would've been better to bring Crimson over to our side somehow?"
"It would've been great if we could... but from the looks of it, he was in a hurry to get to Gracial. He probably didn't have the time to deal with us."
"...But for an Adventurer as great as Crimson to be in such a hurry, did something happen in Gracial? If so, is it really okay to go there? Could their influence have reached that far already?"
"We've already talked about that. Gracial is the safest place for us right now. I don't think they'll be able to find us over there immediately. ...We just need to make it until spring. Anyway, if we can buy time and protect the Young Master until spring, our victory is certain. We've got to hold on."
"Sigh. There was Civil Strife in the Bestia Empire just a few months ago; I hope we aren't about to have Civil Strife in the Kingdom of Mireana next."
"It won't go as far as Civil Strife. At most, it'll end as a conflict between nobles. ...If things go well, it might be handled as mere Internal Strife, but I wouldn't count on that."
"Good grief, they talk about being part of the King's Faction and all that, but it ends up like this. It makes me sick to hear them call themselves nobles."
"Hey, you idiot. If the Young Master hears you..."
"Hey!"
At that exact moment, as if he had been listening, a voice called out from the carriage. It was their master, the man they were sworn to protect.
The perfect timing caused the men to freeze. They wondered if their conversation had been overheard. But fortunately, the voice directed at them was not a harsh one.
"Hey, what is it? We are departing soon, are we not? You were the ones who said we should gain as much distance as possible in this snow."
"A-Ah, yes! We're coming right now!"
Relieved that their talk hadn't been heard, the men finalized the preparations for departure.
A few days after leaving Gilm, fortunately without the weather turning too rough and without encountering any Bandits—who were rare in winter—Rei had been heading toward Gracial on Seto's back.
...Or rather, he had been heading there. Because right now, a city on a scale exceeding even Gilm... or more accurately, a metropolis, was visible to Rei's eyes.
"That's Gracial. ...Right?"
"Guruuu?"
Rei muttered while looking at the clear sky, a complete change from the weather of the past few days. While he thought it was likely correct, the reason he couldn't say for certain that the metropolis in his line of sight was Gracial was because Rei occasionally displayed an outrageous lack of sense of direction.
Even so, in the days between leaving Gilm and arriving here, based on what he had heard from the group in the carriage and at the villages and towns he had stopped at along the way, he felt certain.
...Some minor commotions had occurred along the journey, but since no one had suffered any major damage, Rei had decided it was fine for the time being.
"In any case... it's quite something."
Rei muttered as he looked at the wall surrounding the metropolis. Though it wasn't as grand as Gilm on the Frontier, the wall before Rei's eyes was of considerable height, and the thickness of that wall was easy to imagine.
"Even though there aren't many vicious monsters like on the Frontier, to have a city wall like this... they must be assuming their opponents will be humans."
Whether they were assuming Bandits, or hostile nobles... or perhaps considering the possibility of the Kingdom of Mireana being invaded. Rei didn't know the exact reason, but he could at least understand that the defensive power of the metropolis called Gracial was extremely high.
"...If this isn't Gracial, that would be interesting in its own way. At any rate, let's go, Seto."
"Gururururuuu!"
Seto trilled in response to Rei's call and began to descend toward the city.
The ones surprised to see that were the people trying to go through the Procedures to Enter Gracial. Because of the winter season, there were few people undergoing the procedures. However, "few" didn't mean "no one"; in a metropolis of this size, people were naturally coming and going even in winter. Unlike Gilm, it was likely because vicious monsters were less common.
While such people were shivering in the cold and lining up to finish their entry, there was no way it wouldn't cause a stir when a monster suddenly descended from the sky.
"U-Uwaaaaaah! It's a monster! A monster attack!"
"Contact the guards—no, get the Knights!"
"Let us evacuate! Help!"
"It's coming! It's coming right for us!"
The people in line began to fall into chaos, and just as the scene was about to turn into a full-blown panic...
"Be silent!"
A loud voice rang out through the area. It strangely permeated the crowd, and soon those who had been making a commotion began to calm down.
"That is not a monster. More accurately, it is a Tamed Monster. This is the B-Rank Adventurer Rei from Gilm, who holds Crimson's Alias. He has come on a direct request from Lady Maruka."
The man who spoke was a massive individual who stood well over two meters tall, with a body that could only be described as being forged entirely of muscle.