The flame extending from the Death Scythe in Rei's grip slowly flowed into Elena and Ara's bodies.
In the next moment, the spell known as the Seed of Restraint that had resided within Elena and Ara simply vanished. Only what could be called a divine protection remained.
"...Somehow, I feel refreshed, yet it's as if a hole has opened in my chest. Such a complicated sensation."
Elena rested a hand against her own ample bosom and murmured.
True to her words, Elena felt as though Rei's presence—which had been a part of her until just moments ago—had simply disappeared.
Beside her, Ara tilted her head at her master's words.
"Is that so? I don't particularly feel anything one way or the other."
"Hmm. Then perhaps I am the only one feeling this."
Elena tilted her head slightly at Ara's response, but a moment later, a satisfied smile crossed her lips.
For Elena, having had Rei's presence within her had been by no means unpleasant.
"You're making a happier face than I expected, though for a different reason than what I had in mind. You originally came to Gilm this time to have the Seed of Restraint lifted, didn't you?"
The Seed of Restraint was a spell that forbade its bearer from speaking of Set's singularity to anyone.
It was a vicious enchantment—violating the oath sealed before the spell was cast would cost the offender their life.
But during the civil war in the Bestia Empire the previous year, Rei had displayed Set's nature as a Rare Species as thoroughly as possible.
With that being the case, there was no longer any need to use the Seed of Restraint to keep Elena and the others silent.
That was why they had communicated through the Paired Orbs, and Elena and Ara had come to Gilm specifically to have the spell lifted.
However, no sooner had Elena arrived in Gilm than she was caught up in the affair with Zboz. Even after that was settled, there had been tasks to attend to, beginning with the Cyclops dismantling, leaving her no time to catch her breath.
In the midst of all that, they found themselves riding together in a carriage toward the Dark Elf forest, and during the lull of making camp, they had seized the opportunity to lift the Seed of Restraint.
"Should we head back soon? We can't leave all the work to Vihera and Marina."
Elena's carriage performed at maximum capacity, covering considerably more distance than an ordinary carriage.
Even so, there was no way to reduce a journey that would normally take ten days one-way to nothing in a single day. With the sun beginning to set, they had stopped to make camp.
They had slipped away for a short while, and if they lingered too long, they might earn themselves a scolding. With that in mind, Rei headed back toward the campsite with Elena and Ara.
"Oh my, you're done already? I thought you had important business to attend to?"
Seeing Rei and the others return, Marina wore a look of mild surprise.
She had been told it was important business, so she had assumed it would take considerably longer.
Since they had returned having barely spent any time at all, she was naturally curious.
"Yeah, that's taken care of. More importantly, are the camp preparations finished?"
"As you can see."
Following Marina's gaze, there was nothing but a crackling campfire.
Normally, they would have needed to clear the grass growing on the ground to make a place to rest, prepare food, and set up sleeping bags and tents.
But this party had no need for such troublesome measures.
Elena and the others would sleep inside the carriage, which was itself a Magic Item, so no special preparation was necessary. Rei likewise had a Magic Tent, meaning he didn't need to clear a spot.
As for food, Rei's Misty Ring contained an endless supply of dishes, so there was no need to go hunting for game.
And with Set—a Gryphon—among their number, there was absolutely no need to worry about keeping watch.
If one had to name a task that still required doing, it would be caring for the horses pulling the carriage.
Giving them water and feed, wiping away their sweat—that sort of thing.
"It's been a while since I left Gilm, but this is quite a comfortable journey, isn't it?"
Marina murmured as she watched Ara, who had gone straight to tending the horses upon returning.
In truth, not just in Gilm but across all of Elgin, the number of people traveling more comfortably than Rei's group would be astonishingly small.
That was how exceptional Rei's Misty Ring and the various Magic Items stored inside it were—not to mention Elena's carriage.
"Still, we covered a remarkable amount of ground in just one day. Compared to a normal carriage, it was overwhelming. At this rate, won't we arrive sooner than the estimated seven days?"
"I wonder. We're still in the frontier, so there aren't many bandits about, but if we keep going, they'll definitely come after us. ...Though I say it myself, this party stands out far too much in every sense of the word."
Vihera, who had been glancing toward Rei where he sat beside Marina, offered this warning with a small shrug.
Her ample bosom swayed with the motion, but she paid it no mind whatsoever.
"Having to be on guard against bandits instead of monsters is a bit pathetic, honestly."
"Fufu, true enough. But if it's Rei—the one bandits call the Bandit Eater—wouldn't you welcome a bandit attack?"
At Marina's teasing smile, Rei's expression shifted to one of mild surprise.
He had naturally known that bandits feared and despised him under the name Bandit Eater, but he had assumed that was a reputation spread only among their kind.
"I'm surprised you knew that name."
"When you're a Guild Master, you hear all sorts of things. What do you say? Why not change your alias from Crimson to Bandit Eater? If you did, the bandits might think twice before causing trouble."
"No, it's not as if an alias is something you can change on your own. They're given to you spontaneously."
Murmuring this, Rei turned his gaze skyward.
The sunset stretched across the horizon—a scene that somehow called to mind his alias, Crimson.
As the dying light painted the surroundings red, Rei's eyes caught sight of Set and Ielo soaring through the air.
It wasn't a ground chase but a three-dimensional game of tag played across the sky.
"...They're playing quite an interesting game."
At Rei's words, everyone except Ara, who was still tending the horses, looked up.
Among them was Odoban, who harbored a sense of awe toward Rei—but fortunately, she showed no outward sign of it at the moment.
"Ielo is probably happy to have a companion who can fly too. Set might find it a bit underwhelming, though..."
Elena wore a cherishing smile that was a far cry from her usual War Maiden demeanor—something closer to motherhood.
Perhaps noticing Rei's intent gaze upon her, Elena turned her eyes toward him.
Without either of them saying a word, they simply looked at each other in silence.
A bittersweet atmosphere drifted through the air around them...
"Mn!"
Byune suddenly broke the silence.
Seeing her rub her belly, it was immediately obvious what she was trying to say.
Elena and Rei both exchanged small smiles and spoke.
"Shall we have dinner soon? You must be hungry too, Rei—if not quite as much as Byune."
"I won't deny that. ...Ara, are you about finished over there?"
When Rei called out to Ara, who was still tending the horses, a reply came back immediately.
"Ah, yes! I'll be done shortly, so please go ahead and start without me!"
Despite holding the rank of captain in Elena's Escort Knight Order, Ara was originally a proper noble daughter—though looking at her now, few would guess as much.
With Ara's assurance given, Rei began producing various dishes from the Misty Ring.
Freshly baked white bread that wafted a fragrant aroma through the air, with a crisp exterior giving way to a fluffy, moist interior.
A hearty stew packed with vegetables and meat, simmered until the ingredients were meltingly tender, with extra garnishes added for serving.
An Orc meat sauté where a sweet-and-sour fruit sauce brought out the rich umami of the firmly seared meat.
A salad of vegetables, cheese, and nuts tossed in a special dressing.
Several other dishes besides these emerged one after another from Rei's Misty Ring and were laid out before them.
The aroma of food far too extravagant for a campsite spread through the air.
No—not just for a campsite. Even in a city, this would be a lavish meal that one wouldn't normally encounter.
"...My, this is quite extravagant. Lunch was nothing but sandwiches and soup."
Vihera stared at the spread with wide eyes.
"Well, it's the first day, so I went all out. The quality will drop a bit starting tomorrow."
"Gruuuuuru!"
"Kyu! Kyuuu!"
Catching the scent of the food, Set and Ielo descended from the sky where they had been playing tag.
Seeing them purr with excitement, eager to eat, everyone present—including Rei—broke into smiles.
Since even the normally expressionless Byune allowed the faintest curve to form at the corner of her mouth, it was easy to imagine just how infectious Set and Ielo's enthusiasm was.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. ...This is quite a feast."
When Ara arrived, having finished with the horses, dinner began with the full party gathered around.
Every dish was superb, and smiles abounded as everyone ate.
Set and Ielo likewise savored the food, purring contentedly all the while.
When dinnertime came to an end, there was nothing left to do but sleep.
But having just finished eating, drowsiness had not yet set in, and so everyone passed the time freely until sleep claimed them.
"Haaaaaaah!"
"Too slow!"
Mirage shifted into its whip form, its blade tip swinging toward Vihera.
But Vihera shifted her body as if she had read the attack, evading it and stepping forward.
Seeing Vihera close the distance with a clenched fist, Elena smiled faintly and flicked Mirage's handle with her wrist.
Mirage's blade tip, which had been behind Vihera, reversed direction and struck at her from behind.
She must have sensed it from the sound of the approaching blade. Without even glancing back, Vihera altered her course ever so slightly... and Mirage's tip sliced through the empty space where she had been standing a heartbeat before.
"Hoh, you noticed that. I was sure it would land."
"Something like that, anyone would be able to sense."
"No, that's impossible."
Ara, watching the two spar under the moonlight, spoke up almost involuntarily.
If she were attacked from behind in the same manner, she was certain she would be struck.
An attack from behind—especially one from the Magic Sword Mirage—would be a fatal blow.
This was a mock battle, so neither was fighting with lethal intent, but even so, it was an exchange fierce enough that an injury wouldn't have been surprising.
"Ara, aren't you going to join in?"
A voice called out to Ara as she watched Elena and Vihera's duel.
Turning toward the source, she found Odoban standing there.
"No. I have no such plans at the moment."
"That's a shame. I was hoping to cross blades with you."
At Odoban's words, a brief chill ran down Ara's spine.
She didn't think she would lose in a fight, yet the cold sensation crept over her all the same.
It was her instincts reacting to Odoban's preference for beautiful and cute people—a preference Ara sensed without consciously understanding it. But before she could identify the source of that feeling, Elena and Vihera's battle resumed.
"Here I come."
Vihera moved first.
Even while walking, she constantly shifted her center of gravity while maintaining a steady pace.
It was a footwork technique that made it appear as though her body were swaying, despite the fact that she was simply walking at a measured pace.
It was a technique designed to make opponents hallucinate that their attacks had passed right through her body if they struck carelessly. But seeing it, Elena only smiled boldly and readied Mirage.
"Come. I'll receive you head-on."
At those words, Vihera surged forward, and Elena swung Mirage... and to any onlooker, a battle so fierce unfolded that it was unclear whether the two truly understood this was supposed to be a mock battle.
"...Mn."
Byune watched the fight from a slight distance, petting Set and Ielo while directing a thoroughly exasperated gaze at the combatants.
It was fine to have a mock battle, but no matter how one looked at it, they were fighting far too seriously.