"So this is the Dark Elf settlement... wait, what the hell is that huge tree?! You couldn't see it at all from outside!"
As, having just stepped into the Dark Elf settlement, shouts as if he simply can't contain himself.
Rei watches him and figures that's a perfectly normal reaction.
But at the same time, a thought nags at him: He didn't even flinch when he saw Set, though...
The World Tree was completely invisible from outside the barrier, but once inside the settlement, there was no mistaking what stood before them.
Its sheer size — reaching a height of two hundred meters — demanded attention no matter what.
"Poro, porurururu!"
Poro, perched on As's left shoulder, seemed just as excited by the sight of the World Tree, wagging its tails like a dog.
Its nine soft-looking tails swung back and forth, repeatedly whipping As in the face — but As, long accustomed to the barrage, didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Once his initial outburst faded, he stood rooted in place, eyes glued to the World Tree.
"Surprised?"
"...Well, yeah, obviously. I've been to all sorts of places, but I've never seen a tree that massive before."
Still dumbfounded, As manages a reply.
"And doesn't it have this weird... presence to it? I got that same impression from a divine statue I saw in a dungeon once... though it wasn't this intense."
This time it's Rei's turn to be surprised — at the mention of a divine statue in a dungeon.
Every dungeon had its own distinct characteristics, of course. There was even one with an altar where Elena had performed the Ritual of Inheritance, so the existence of a divine statue wasn't implausible.
Rei understood that much. Still, he couldn't hide his surprise.
"You've explored a dungeon?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, quite a while ago. I dove in with a party led by a guy named Nicholas — an acquaintance of mine."
"Did you clear it?"
"No way. For us, even reaching the lowest floor was out of the question. We went down to the third basement level, grabbed the materials we were after, and got out fast. I have cleared some shallow dungeons in other areas with acquaintances, though."
"Porororo!"
For some reason, Poro lets out a proud cry at As's words.
Seeing this, As breaks into a small smile and reaches over to pet it.
Poro purrs contentedly under his hand.
Still stroking Poro, As wears a fond grin as he continues.
"There was a powerful monster guarding the spot where the materials were. And the only reason we could take it down was because Poro was with us. That's why it's sitting there looking so full of itself right now."
His words carry mild complaint, but the expression on his face is nothing but gentle.
Despite the grumbling, it's obvious how much he cherishes Poro.
"Still..."
As suddenly stops petting Poro, and his gaze shifts to Rei.
What fills those eyes is pure astonishment.
"I'm a Tamer too, but — man, how did you manage to make a gryphon your partner?"
It was the natural question for any Tamer to ask.
A gryphon was an A-Rank monster. Factor in that it was also a Rare Species, and it was effectively an S-Rank equivalent.
Taming such a creature was astonishing even from As's perspective.
As a fellow Tamer, he understood exactly how monumental an achievement that was.
The reason he wasn't as floored as he sounded was probably also because he was a Tamer himself. He knew from experience that the methods for taming monsters varied wildly from person to person.
Being a Tamer at all required special talent, and depending on the direction that talent took, even taming a dragon wasn't unheard of.
As glances at Ielo, sprawled out asleep on Set's back, and thinks to himself:
This is the kind of man worthy of the name "Crimson."
(This must be the kind of guy who gets called a hero. ...I can't lose to him. I'll become a man they call a hero, no matter what.)
He had loved hero tales since childhood. Night after night, he would beg his parents to tell him those stories, over and over and over again.
Growing up surrounded by those tales, it was only natural that he began chasing the dream of becoming a hero himself.
At first, he was a boy who understood absolutely nothing about the world.
Looking back, the memory made him want to punch his past self in the face — made him want to clutch his head and roll around on the ground in sheer secondhand embarrassment.
Yet the adults around him — adventurers like Birsh, Sanison, and Shains, and above all, Liv, whom he could confidently call his closest companion — none of them laughed at him. They supported his dream without a trace of mockery.
Since then, he had been caught up in one crisis after another, surviving each one alongside his partner Poro.
The result was his current standing as a C-Rank adventurer.
Being a C-Rank adventurer before even turning twenty was enough to earn the label of highly skilled.
But even so, compared to the accomplishments of the boy standing before him — younger than himself — it was undeniably more than just a step or two behind.
I can't lose to someone younger than me.
Baring his trademark optimism, As renews his resolve.
He had faced countless crises, and if there was one thing that had carried him through every time, it was that very positivity.
"Hey, um... Crimson."
"Rei is fine."
As Rei says this, he strokes Set, who is nuzzling against his side.
Rei was used to being called Crimson, but he still preferred to be called by his actual name.
"Got it. Then — Rei. That gryphon... Set, right? Mind if I ask how you tamed him?"
At As's question, Rei mutters here it comes inwardly.
Since he was publicly credited with taming Set, and As was a Tamer, he had always known this question would come eventually.
So, without any visible agitation, he retrieves his cover story and begins to speak.
"I was raised by a mage deep in the mountains ever since I was little. Set's been with me since then... basically since the day I was born. So if you ask me how I tamed him, all I can really say is — it just kind of happened before I knew it. ...Right?"
"Gururu."
Set lets out a cry as if to say that's right in response to Rei's prompting.
Poro, watching Set's reaction from As's left shoulder, tilts its head with a puzzled look.
"Pororo?"
Perhaps sensing something about Set, Poro shifts its gaze toward both Rei and Set.
As a Rare Species — making it equivalent to an A-Rank monster — perhaps Poro felt something when regarding Set.
Watching Poro's behavior, Rei decides this topic could get tricky if it goes any further and hurriedly changes the subject.
"What about you? Where'd you find a rare monster like a Carbuncle... let alone a Rare Species?"
"Hm? Oh, Poro? Poro was hanging around near my village. At the time, I didn't think of it as a Carbuncle — just some squirrel-like monster. But thanks to this little guy, I've gotten out of more tight spots than I can count. Right?"
"Poruru!"
At As's words, Poro purrs proudly.
Watching the exchange, the onlookers feel a warm, fuzzy sensation wash over them.
A Carbuncle alone was rare enough, but this one had nine tails on top of that — a true Rare Species. In terms of rarity, it stood shoulder to shoulder with Set, a Rare Species gryphon, and Ielo, a child of the Black Dragon.
(Come to think of it, having three such rare monsters gathered in one place is pretty incredible. If there were someone out there researching monsters, they'd probably give anything to be here right now.)
As Poro leaps from As's left shoulder, it lands right beside Ielo on Set's back.
Given its small size, that was an impressively high jump.
What's more, the nine tails sway with every movement Poro makes, practically begging to be touched.
"...Ahem. So, what's the plan from here? Bringing As into the settlement seems fine with Marina and Optis, at any rate."
Rei — who had unknowingly been staring at the nine tails — clears his throat quietly and turns to Marina.
He wouldn't have minded looking around the forest a bit more, but Marina was the client here.
And when it came to this settlement, Marina was far more knowledgeable than he was — even if it had been nearly a century since she'd last set foot in it.
"Yes, indeed. I'd like to look around the forest if possible, but what do we do about As? Grandfather and I aside, if someone like Ragdo spots him, it could cause another uproar."
As if recalling the events of the previous day, everyone instinctively nods in understanding.
The attitude Ragdo had directed at Rei had been openly hostile.
That situation was ultimately defused by the Ring of the New Moon Rei wore, but As had nothing comparable to satisfy Ragdo.
A Carbuncle Rare Species might be unusual, but whether that alone would be enough to placate Ragdo was questionable at best.
(Then again, maybe it's fine as long as we just don't let him run into Ragdo. Besides, the World Tree issue — which was the real problem — has already been treated. If we just resolve the anomalies in the forest... I see. In that case, As with his Carbuncle could serve as valuable combat power.)
Marina thinks for a moment, then glances up at the sky.
The sun had climbed to its zenith — it was nearly noon.
"...Why don't we have lunch first, then head back to the forest in the afternoon. How about it, As? It doesn't look like you brought much in the way of food."
"Uh, I do have some, at least."
With that, As produces dried meat and hard-baked bread from the pouch at his waist.
For an adventurer, that was a standard meal — but for this group, who had been consistently eating warm, delicious fare thanks to Rei's Misty Ring, better than anything you'd find at a village or town eatery, it could only be called pitiful.
Though As had his reasons.
The dried meat and bread were emergency rations. He had originally intended to hunt animals or monsters in the forest for his meals.
Poro, in particular, was an exceptional hunter.
Using its sharp senses to locate prey, it could deliver an instant kill with its signature electric shocks.
It could also paralyze without killing, but since the end result was the same either way, killing outright was simply more efficient.
The simultaneous discharge of nine bolts of lightning — made possible by its nine-tailed form — packed enough power to genuinely earn the classification of an A-Rank equivalent monster.
Because both As and Poro were skilled hunters, they only carried about three meals' worth of preserved food.
As was about to explain all this, but Marina speaks up before he can.
"Then let's eat together with us. We're not about to refuse a meal to someone Cross sent here out of concern for the forest."
"...Just for the record, I'm the one providing the ingredients..."
"Oh? So you're saying Rei should make As suffer through preserved rations like that while the rest of us eat warm meals?"
Vihera chimes in with that question, and Rei shakes his head.
"I didn't say that much. I just thought you might let me have a say too."
"Hehe. Even if we had asked Rei, it would've ended up the same, you know. If it were up to you, Rei, would you really make As eat preserved food for lunch while we're having warm meals right in front of him?"
Put like that, Rei couldn't exactly argue further. He concedes and agrees to invite As to the meal.
"So, with that settled — care to join us for lunch, As? I'm planning to serve Orc meat today, for what it's worth."
Rei glances at Marina as he says this, but Marina simply nods without changing her expression.
As a Dark Elf — and one possessed of striking beauty even among her own kind — it was only natural for Marina to despise Orcs. But when it came to eating them, that was an entirely different matter.
In that respect, she was no different from Jusura or Odoban — a sensibility peculiar to Dark Elves, perhaps.
"Is that okay? I mean, if you're offering to treat me, I'm more than happy to accept."
As looks at Rei, his face bright with the glow of good fortune.
Now that they were inside the settlement, hunting for game would mean going back outside.
He could buy food from a shop, of course, but As preferred to avoid spending money whenever possible.
His wallet wasn't exactly overflowing to begin with, so if someone was offering to buy him lunch, he was more than happy to accept.
(I never thought maintaining a bow would cost that much...)
He recalls the amount he'd shelled out for the maintenance of the weapon on his back — his partner in a very different sense from Poro.
Coming to this forest in the first place had been partly to recoup at least some of that expense, so saving money wherever possible was always welcome.
Meanwhile, Optis — ignoring Marina's instruction to hear Ragdo's report — had already slipped away to attend a World Tree recovery celebration being held by acquaintances. Marina saw him off with a radiant smile, though her eyes weren't smiling at all, as she watched him go.