Temperatures in the desert plummeted at night, so the merchants and adventurer guards slept wrapped in blankets inside their tents.
Rei, however, passed the night in complete comfort.
That was because he used a Magic Tent.
It was designed for comfortable living inside. Whether in a desert or on a snowy mountain, stepping into the Magic Tent freed you entirely from the elements outside.
Of course, even a Magic Tent could only withstand so much. A direct attack from outside would breach it before long.
Having Set stand guard beside the tent was meant to prevent exactly that.
"Solrein, huh? I only know the name. I've heard it's mostly desert, though."
Elena's image in the Paired Orbs spoke as she sipped her tea.
Having spent the spring in Gilm, Elena had accumulated a considerable backlog of work — though not as much as Marina, the Guild Master.
Even so, she powered through the pile with her characteristic competence, and now, when night fell, she could spare at least enough time to talk with Rei like this.
...Given Elena's position as a duke's daughter, however, there were social functions she simply couldn't skip, so these conversations didn't happen every day.
"I see. I was hoping you might know something about Gauche, though."
"I'm sorry."
Being relied on by Rei and being unable to deliver was painful for Elena.
But Solrein was a country with no particular distinguishing features even among the many vassal states of the Kingdom of Mireana.
If forced to name one, it would be exactly what Elena had said — it was mostly desert.
That meant much of its territory was covered in sand. While the suzerain Kingdom of Mireana was another matter, compared to its neighbors, Solrein's national power was exceedingly low — a small country even among small countries.
That was precisely why Elena only knew the broad strokes about Solrein.
"Nah, I didn't know anything about it myself, so don't worry. ...More importantly, what happened with that matter you mentioned before?"
"Hmm, that. I'd have to call it... a bit difficult. Father is considering it positively, but the candidate isn't me. Much as it may not look it, I'm the face of the Noble Faction, so it can't be helped."
It can't be helped. Even as she said it, Elena sighed with visible disappointment.
What Elena had proposed to her father, Duke Kerebel, was to send someone from the Noble Faction to Gilm to maintain close communication with the Neutral Faction, with whom they currently had a cooperative relationship.
Noble Faction nobles already lived in Gilm, of course, but Elena had proposed sending a more prominent figure to strengthen the bond between the two factions.
Her true motive hadn't been the Paired Orbs at all — she had wanted to see Rei in person.
Duke Kerebel showed a certain understanding of Elena's proposal, but he never once considered Elena herself as a candidate for the dispatch.
Elena understood why. She occupied the position of the Noble Faction's symbol, and if the faction ever went to war, she would have to take part.
Yet the Bestia Empire — their long-standing enemy — had developed what could only be called a Pro-Kingdom of Mireana Faction in the wake of last year's civil war, and Elena predicted there would be no war for the foreseeable future.
Since the emperor himself wasn't part of that faction, it wasn't a guarantee — but it was likely.
"I see. I would've been happy if you could come, Elena. Set was looking forward to playing with Ielo, and Vihera and Marina were definitely looking forward to seeing you again."
"Hehe. Those two would probably say they can spend more time with you if I'm not around. ...Come to think of it, Vihera is on her way back to Exil with Byune right now, isn't she?"
She was likely recalling what Rei had told her during a previous conversation through the Paired Orbs. Elena smiled faintly and murmured with amusement.
To Elena, Vihera was a friend, a rival, and a romantic competitor — all at once.
The friendship aspect was especially significant.
And it wasn't just Elena — the same held true for Vihera and Marina. All three of them carried their own special circumstances.
Elena was a duke's daughter who bore the alias of the Princess General. Vihera was the former Second Princess of the Bestia Empire. Marina was the Guild Master, a Dark Elf with a bloodline deeply tied to the World Tree.
People in such extraordinary positions might be admired or feared, but finding equal friends was extraordinarily difficult.
In that sense, Elena was fortunate to have a friend like Ara.
In any case, it was precisely because they all shared these unusual circumstances that the three of them had been able to become genuine friends.
And the biggest reason of all was the existence of Rei — the man all three had come to love.
The bond between them, forged through both friendship and romance, was far stronger than Rei realized.
"Well, I'm at least glad Vihera wasn't caught up in that mess. Knowing her, she probably would've just beaten the crap out of those merchants."
If Rei showed even the slightest sign of being bothered, Vihera taking action was virtually a foregone conclusion.
And among the merchants swarming Rei, there was no guarantee that none of them would be dazzled by Vihera's beauty and get ideas.
Elena was usually away from Gilm, and Marina had her duties as the Guild Master of Gilm.
But Vihera had been traveling with Rei, which meant she undoubtedly would have crossed paths with those merchants far more often.
In that sense, it was probably lucky that Vihera happened to be on a homecoming trip to Exil with Byune. Lucky for the merchants who might have suffered at Vihera's hands, and lucky for Rei, who might have been stuck dealing with the aftermath.
After chatting with Elena a while longer, Rei finally went to sleep as the night grew late.
Rei pushed himself upright on the bed he'd been sleeping on.
He surveyed his surroundings, took stock of the situation, and muttered under his breath.
"...Morning."
Normally, Rei was dreadful at waking up. But in situations like this, he could snap alert in an instant.
This was likely instinct more than anything.
No matter how reliable Set was as a watchman outside the Magic Tent — safer than being inside a village or town, even — some part of Rei close to pure instinct remained on guard against the fact that they were sleeping outdoors.
He quickly dressed and stepped out of the Magic Tent. The morning sun was already fully up.
Thanks to the Dragon Robe, Rei wasn't bothered by the heat, but the temperature had already climbed past thirty degrees.
The others were already preparing breakfast. As Rei emerged from the Magic Tent, they called out greetings one after another.
Oddly enough, their attitude toward him was noticeably warmer than it had been the day before.
(Well, no mystery there...)
He glanced over at Set, who was lying near the Magic Tent chewing on jerky that one of the adventurers must have given him, and let out a small smile.
Several adventurers were gathered around Set.
Rei recognized them. They were the ones Zarust had introduced yesterday when assigning them to keep watch alongside Set.
The original plan had been for Set and a single adventurer to take shifts, but in the end, several were assigned — proof that they didn't fully trust Set. Or more precisely, they didn't fully trust Set and Rei.
Rei didn't complain.
When someone shows up out of nowhere with a Gryphon as a Tamed Monster, expecting to be trusted completely was unrealistic.
None of them had spent more than a few hours with Set, but in a situation where it was just them and the Gryphon, it was only natural that someone bold enough to try communicating with it would eventually step forward.
Set was inherently affectionate toward anyone who showed no hostility toward it or Rei.
Before long, one adventurer had befriended Set. Seeing this, others grew bold enough to pet it as well — albeit tentatively. When the watch shift changed and the next group saw what was happening, the pattern continued. And so, one by one, the adventurers warmed to Set.
As for the watch itself, Set had kept a sharp eye on things, so there were no issues to speak of.
"So nobody came for the Sand Bandits in the end."
With Set on guard, any rescue attempt would have been detected instantly. The fact that the night passed without incident meant that even if a traitor existed, they'd been too intimidated by Set to act.
Rei reached that conclusion while watching Set play with the adventurers, then made his way toward Augusto and Zarust, who were talking a short distance away.
Noticing Rei's approach, Zarust offered a wry smile and called out.
"You've become quite the popular one overnight."
Rei didn't need to think hard about what he meant.
After all, Set was right there in his line of sight, frolicking with the adventurers.
"I figured as much. Set's friendly by nature with anyone who isn't hostile. Back in Gilm, where I'm usually based, it's the darling of the whole town."
"...Gilm, you say? It's famous as one of the cities in the Kingdom of Mireana where skilled adventurers gather."
Augusto, who had been listening to Rei and Zarust's exchange, murmured with a trace of envy.
Augusto was fairly well-known in Gauche, but Gauche was ultimately just one city in the small nation of Solrein.
It ranked among the larger cities in Solrein, but compared to anything in the Kingdom of Mireana, it was overwhelmingly small — which meant there were far fewer rare goods for a merchant to deal in.
For a merchant like Augusto, dreaming of eventually making his mark in a major power like the Kingdom of Mireana was only natural.
"Yeah. It's out on the frontier, so there are plenty of ferocious monsters in the area. Camp out at night and you'll basically get attacked. Well, I don't have to worry about that, personally."
"...Set, huh."
The wistful murmur was colored with envy.
Senses far sharper than any human's. The ability to detect magic. Formidable combat prowess as an individual.
It was a monster with abilities that made it the ideal watchman.
"I've seen a few Tamers in my time, but I've never seen anyone with a Gryphon like Set as a Tamed Monster."
"Well, Set and I are a bit different from the norm."
The instant those words left Rei's mouth, a sharp gleam flashed in Augusto's eyes.
Augusto was generally good-natured — some might even call him timid — but he clearly recognized that what Rei had just let slip could be a seed for business.
"Rei-san, what did you mean just now? Did you make Set your Tamed Monster through a method other than normal Taming?"
"Yeah. But I'll tell you upfront — hearing about it doesn't mean you can pull it off right away."
"Even so, I'd very much like to hear it. I'll pay you, of course."
Rei was taken aback by the unusual intensity in Augusto's demeanor, but eventually shook his head.
"No reward needed. It's not the standard method, but it's not exactly a secret, either."
"...Hm? What do you mean?"
"It's simple. I grew up alongside Set from when I was little — from when Set was just a chick. That's why it's so attached to me. This method is the same as how Dragon Knights raise dragons from eggs, so anyone can do it if they put in the effort."
Whether it would actually work out for anyone else, though, was another question entirely, Rei added in closing.
Augusto frowned as he absorbed this.
Dragon Knights existed in Solrein, naturally, but feeding Wyverns — which required enormous quantities of food just to maintain — was extremely harsh for a small country like Solrein.
Even so, they kept a few for national defense and prestige, so Augusto understood exactly what Rei was saying.
"But wouldn't you say that's not exactly reliable?"
"Probably not. Plenty of people die in the process of raising Wyverns, too. But there's no mistaking that how I made Set my Tamed Monster was through that method."
Strictly speaking, it was through Beast Magic. But since he couldn't say that out loud, he had no choice but to fall back on his usual cover story.
"If one could obtain a monster's child or egg... then perhaps..."
"Augusto, how about we finish breakfast first? It's going to be hot again today, and the sooner we reach Gauche, the better."
Zarust posed the question while gazing up at the endless blue sky, and Augusto nodded in agreement.