"Yeah, Rei-kun. It's been quite a while."
Rei's party had arrived at Gilm—or more accurately, since they had been escorting merchants, perhaps "the merchants' party" would be the better term. In any case, the ones there to greet them were, naturally, Gilm's guards.
What surprised Rei most was spotting a familiar face among them.
The man's stern expression and large build would send any timid person running if they crossed paths at night. Yet, as if his appearance and personality were completely at odds, the voice that came from his mouth was gentle—almost soothing.
(A stern face with a gentle personality... it wouldn't be strange to picture him as a forest bear, right? Well, bears in this world can turn into monsters, so they're far from gentle. Then again, the same could be said for bears in Japan.)
The fact that the first thing Rei had encountered upon arriving in this world was a C-Rank monster—a Water Bear—may have had something to do with it. He found himself thinking along those lines as he gazed at Ranga, then spoke up.
"The fact that you're back means things with Count Eriel's House are settled?"
To begin with, the whole reason Rei had left Gilm to become an instructor at the Officer Academy in the City of Gracial was the duel that had resulted from a dispute with Keep, the heir to Count Eriel's House.
From there, events had progressed almost like a chain reaction, ultimately escalating into a full purge of discipline within the King's Faction.
Amidst all that, Ranga had headed to Count Eriel's Territory to seize the assets that Count Eriel's House had wagered on the duel.
Ranga had departed in winter, but it seemed he had returned well before spring arrived.
And that was only natural. As was evident from the two merchants Rei had been escorting, plenty of people came to Gilm in spring to purchase goods.
Because of its unusual position as a frontier region, there were many things obtainable only here within the Kingdom of Mireana. No—even looking across the entire world, there were plenty of materials and items unique to this area.
That was why merchants came not only from within the Kingdom of Mireana but from other nations as well, going out of their way to make the trip.
Even from the Bestia Empire, which had stood in hostile opposition to the Kingdom of Mireana for years.
During this season, when such people arrived in droves, the guards' workload naturally hit its peak.
Much like the bustle of late autumn just before the snow fell, this was one of the busiest times of year for the guard force.
Given the season, it would have been unthinkable for Ranga, the Captain of the Guard Force, to be absent. Appearances aside, there were simply too many situations that only he could properly assess.
...Yes—such as handling the fact that, despite having fled her homeland, the second princess of the Bestia Empire was now attempting to enter Gilm alongside Rei.
"Yes. Things on that end worked out somehow. ...Rei-kun, that woman is..."
Ranga trailed off, directing his gaze toward Vihera.
The civil war that had erupted in the Bestia Empire the previous autumn was something the Kingdom of Mireana's Neutral Faction and Noble's Faction had both been deeply involved in.
Through that connection, Daskar had obtained intelligence on key figures of the Bestia Empire—and naturally, that included information on Vihera.
A beauty with flashy, eye-catching features, dressed in thin garments like those worn by a prostitute or a dancer—clothing that seemed designed to entice men—with hand armor and foot armor on her limbs.
With someone that distinctive, Ranga—who had heard the details from Daskar—wouldn't have mistaken her even without knowing exactly what her face looked like.
Furthermore, the intelligence indicated that this woman held deep affection for Rei, and the fact that she was traveling with him only confirmed those rumors.
Rei seemed to understand that Ranga had pieced together Vihera's identity. He gave a small nod.
"...If possible, I'd like you to meet with Lord Daskar at least once. What do you think?"
"That's what he says. What'll you do?"
At those words—closer to a plea than a formal request—Rei turned his gaze toward Vihera.
The two merchants and Magita had no idea what Ranga was talking about, and Set was happily purring as it received dried meat from the other guards.
After taking in her surroundings with a glance, Vihera eventually turned her gaze to Rei and gave a nod.
"I suppose it can't be helped. No matter what I end up doing, I was going to need to meet the lord of Gilm eventually. Fine. But would it be all right if I go after I've finished my quest report at the Guild?"
"Of course, that's no problem. ...I'll contact Lord Daskar's side, so please visit him once you've finished your report at the Guild and have some free time."
"Yes, thank you."
After that brief exchange, they quickly completed the procedures to enter the city and passed through the gate.
The guard who had been fussing over Set wore a disappointed expression, but seeing that several more people were already lined up behind Rei's group, he seemed to realize he couldn't linger, and reluctantly gave up.
And so they entered Gilm, but...
"Whoa, this is nothing like Sablusta... Abuelo wasn't that different from Sablusta."
Magita muttered in genuine awe as he looked around at Gilm.
Compared to Sablusta and Abuelo, the number of people coming and going through the streets was noticeably larger, and above all, the sheer energy was on another level.
Precisely because it was a frontier town, that liveliness far outstripped what you'd find in other cities.
The most numerous by far were, as expected, adventurers.
No matter where you looked, adventurers were always in sight—a scene that could only be described as uniquely Gilm's.
Similar sights could be found in a Labyrinth City like Exil, but Magita had never been to one, and the concept simply didn't exist in his mind.
"Come on, let's go. The Guild first."
Rei called out to Magita, who was craning his neck to take in every detail of his surroundings.
At those words, Magita's face clouded with dissatisfaction.
"I don't really need to go to the Guild, you know. It's not like I took on a quest or anything."
"If I leave you to your own devices, you'll cause trouble. I'm not going to put up with that while you're with me. Besides..."
Rei paused, drawing out the moment to capture Magita's attention, then continued.
"There are plenty of adventurers at the Guild stronger than you."
"I'm going."
That instant decision—no, it was practically a spinal reflex—drew a wry smile from Rei. He turned his gaze toward Vihera and Byune, who were receiving their quest completion signatures from the merchants.
"Master, let's hurry up and get to the Guild!"
Seeing Magita's enthusiasm—a complete one-eighty from his earlier reluctance—Rei wondered if he had acted too hastily.
It was true that the Guild had its share of adventurers more skilled than Magita.
But right now it was the middle of the day.
Most adventurers would be out on quests. The ones currently at the Guild were likely people like Vihera's group who had already completed their assignments, or people like Rei who timed their visits for the quieter hours to browse quest postings and avoid the crowds.
Or perhaps those who had declared today a day off and were nursing drinks at the tavern.
In any case, the odds were high that the kind of adventurers Magita was hoping to find simply wouldn't be there.
(Did I goad him too much?)
Wondering if he might have overdone it, Rei turned his attention to the two merchants approaching him.
"Rei-san, it really helped having you with us this time. If possible, I'd love to work with you again through a proper quest next time..."
"Yeah, if the opportunity comes up, I'll take your quest."
"...Appreciate the help this time."
The rough merchant extended his hand with his usual gruff demeanor.
Rei clasped it, and as if that was all he needed, the man seemed satisfied. The two merchants gathered their horse and departed.
The horse, which had never fully grown accustomed to Set, finally seemed at ease now that it was leaving—pulling the carriage in noticeably good spirits.
After watching the carriage disappear into the crowd, the only ones remaining were Rei, Vihera, Byune, and Magita—the four of them, plus a single gryphon.
(Well, rather than "just four people and one animal," the phrasing "four people and one animal" is probably the more accurate way to put it.)
Looking at it objectively, with combat assets like Rei, Set, and Vihera all in one place, it was safe to say this group packed a fearsome amount of fighting power.
However, the arrival of spring also meant an influx of new adventurers coming to Gilm...
"Hey, that woman's seriously gorgeous, isn't she? And those clothes on that body... I wonder how much she runs?"
"Hey, you just got to Gilm and you're already thinking about wom—"
Two adventurers passing by exchanged words as they caught sight of Vihera.
One of them in particular, the instant he laid eyes on Vihera, had his gaze stolen by her beauty, his heart stolen, and even his feelings swept away in a single glance.
Seeing his companion staring at Vihera with a burning gaze, the adventurer who had spotted her first gave a wry smile. It couldn't be helped.
Vihera was attractive enough to warrant that reaction—and here she was, wearing thin garments that looked like something a dancer or a prostitute would wear, seemingly designed for no other purpose than to entice men.
The men's misfortune was that their attention had become completely locked onto Vihera.
And it wasn't just the one who had fallen in love at first sight—the one who had spotted her first was equally ensnared.
That was a testament to just how powerfully Vihera commanded men's gazes. But if they had been even slightly more observant, they would have noticed Set near Rei—happily munching on sandwiches it had received from nearby passersby.
And if they had noticed that, they would have realized that an adventurer known as Crimson—one who traveled with a gryphon—was right there.
"Ah, hey... aren't those guys about to hit on Rei?"
"Hah? No way, who'd do something that stu—oh, right. Those two did say they just arrived in Gilm, didn't they."
"Shouldn't we stop them? Knowing Rei, if someone tries to mess with him, he'll hit back hard."
"Yeah. Hold on a sec. I'll go talk to them."
Three adventurers returning from completed quests noticed the pair heading toward Rei's group, and one of them broke into a run.
If it had been someone unlikable, they might have looked the other way. But the man had been fairly personable, if a bit overconfident, when they'd spoken at the Guild—so they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Hey, you two. Don't even think about messing with that woman."
Suddenly addressed like that, the two adventurers turned irritated glances toward the voice.
But the irritation vanished the moment they saw it belonged to a senior adventurer they'd chatted with at the Guild a few times.
"What's going on, all of a sudden?"
Their blank response drew a sigh from the senior adventurer.
"The person you were about to pick a fight with is dangerous in more ways than one. If you want to keep working as adventurers in Gilm, never make an enemy of him."
"...Is that woman that big a deal?"
"She's definitely stunning—better-looking than anyone I've seen—but I wouldn't call her that important..."
"That's not who I'm talking about."
The senior adventurer flatly cut them off as the two fundamentally misunderstood the situation.
"I'm not telling you to stay away from the woman. No, granted—looking at her, she's attractive. Enough that I'd want her company for days, not just a night. But I'm talking about the man in the robe."
"...The man?"
"The little one?"
"That's right. His face... well, it's hard to tell with the hood, but underneath it he's got features you'd hardly believe belong to a man. But the looks are only skin deep—what's inside is ruthless. If you want to keep living in Gilm, don't do anything stupid like picking a fight with him."
"He doesn't look that strong, though."
One of the two muttered with visible skepticism. The senior adventurer sighed in exasperation and redirected their gaze to a spot a short distance from Rei and Vihera—where, for some reason, a gryphon was eating sandwiches while being petted by a girl of about ten.
"Look at that. Look closely. Burn it into your memory."
He repeated himself several times, and the two adventurers finally noticed its presence—Gryphon Seto.
"Wha—!? A g-gryphon!?"
"No way, why is one here...? Wait. A gryphon? If you're talking about a gryphon, that would mean..."
As if something finally clicked, the adventurer scrambled to recall what he knew. The senior adventurer saved him the trouble.
"That's right. That's the B-Rank Adventurer who's already an Alias Holder—the one who made a name for himself in last year's Spring War. Crimson. His real name is Rei."
"Crimson..."
"That kid is Crimson...?"
The two adventurers turned to the senior adventurer with looks that said you've got to be joking. But all that met them was a deadly serious gaze.
And so, the two adventurers could only stand and watch in stunned silence as Rei's group walked away—never even managing to call out to Vihera.