To Rei's eyes, Gauche was exactly what one would picture upon hearing the words "oasis city" or "desert city."
It was a city in the desert... no, precisely because it was in the desert, walls encircled Gauche.
In appearance alone, the walls weren't all that different from Gilm's, but the key distinction was that they extended far underground.
Given that this was a desert, there were many monsters that burrowed beneath the surface—Sandworms and Sand Serpents chief among them.
To prevent such creatures from appearing inside the city, walls deep enough to block underground intrusion were an absolute necessity.
...As a result, the national finances of Solrein—a small country to begin with—temporarily deteriorated. Even so, over a long period of time the investment paid off, fully recovering the costs of constructing Gauche, and the city now operated in the black.
At any rate, the familiar scene of people being startled by Set played out at the gate when they entered, but Augusto smoothed things over. The paperwork for selling the Sand Bandits to slave merchants was completed, and now Rei stood taking in the sight of Gauche alongside Set.
Beside him, Augusto was explaining the city.
"Well, all of Gauche's construction costs have been fully recovered, but as time passes, problems inevitably arise... The particularly pressing issue lately is the deterioration of the walls."
"Ah... yeah, I can understand that."
Given that this was a desert, the walls naturally wore down far more quickly than they would in a place like Gilm.
Sandstorms, intense sunlight, and the bitter cold of night caused the walls to deteriorate day by day.
Once that deterioration reached its limit, the walls would crumble and fail to serve their purpose.
"But lately Gauche hasn't had much of a budget... look, see over there."
Augusto pointed to a section of the wall.
Even to Rei's eyes, the traces of hasty repairs were plainly visible.
"That's some incredibly shoddy work."
"Yes. As someone who lives in Gauche, I'd certainly prefer more thorough repairs, but it's not just one or two spots. Proper repairs naturally require a corresponding amount of materials..."
"Still, isn't that a bit too terrible?"
"...Previously, the Elema Trading Company employed more skilled craftsmen."
From those words alone, Rei more or less understood the situation. He understood, but what surfaced on his face was sheer exasperation.
"Are you insane? You people live here, don't you? If you cut corners on repairs like that, before you even start talking about money, it's going to cost lives!"
In the frontier—in Gilm—something like this would be absolutely unthinkable.
Endangering their own lives and the lives of every single resident just to save money was naturally absurd.
(Well, there was the Azoth Firm incident. But even the Azoth Firm never went this far. Though I suppose that's because Lord Daskar was there.)
The face of a certain person—someone Rei had, for some reason, been recalling quite often lately—flashed through his mind.
A person who had displayed ambition beyond their station, angered him... and was surely experiencing hell every time they closed their eyes at night.
"I understand that lives are at stake. I understand, but... the Elema Trading Company has deep connections with those in power..."
It was right as Augusto murmured those words that Zarust, standing beside him, fixed a sharp gaze on a single point.
"Augusto-san."
Following Zarust's cue, Augusto traced that line of sight and spotted a familiar figure.
The man standing there hadn't simply happened to be passing by. He had clearly been waiting for Augusto to arrive.
The fact that he made no move to approach, stopping in place instead, was undoubtedly because of Set at Rei's side.
"Daridora... why here. No, there's no need to even wonder."
"Who is that?"
Looking at the thin, nervous-faced man who appeared to be in his forties, Rei asked Zarust beside him.
He had the sun-baked brown skin typical of the People of the Desert, but for some reason he didn't look rugged. Combined with his nervous face and shifty eyes, Rei's immediate impression was of someone thoroughly underhanded and sinister.
"He's the current head of the Elema Trading Company."
"...I see. So that's the man..."
The one who had provided the Sand Bandits with a Sand Ship was the Elema Trading Company—that wasn't confirmed yet, but it was a highly probable conclusion.
Given that was the case, from the Elema Trading Company's perspective, they had gone so far as to hand over a Sand Ship, so why had Augusto's caravan returned safely? It was only natural they would be curious.
Zarust glared at Daridora with unmistakable irritation.
But Daridora—and the guards surrounding him—showed no sign whatsoever of noticing Zarust's killing-intent-laden gaze.
That was how thoroughly dumbfounded they were at seeing Set for the first time.
"Let's go."
As if unwilling to look at Daridora's face for even a second longer, Augusto turned to leave.
But that action seemed to snap Daridora back to his senses. He started walking toward Augusto in a flustered manner.
As if chasing after him, the figures who appeared to be his guards and entourage began moving as well.
"Why, Augusto-san. I hear you've been through quite an ordeal?"
Daridora asked with a demeanor that could only be described as serpentine.
He was deliberately keeping Set out of his field of vision—undoubtedly out of fear.
Even so, the fact that he approached and spoke to Augusto at all was largely due to the Tamed Monster collar around Set's neck.
Any incident caused by a monster wearing a Tamed Monster collar was fundamentally the responsibility of its master.
In this case, that was Rei.
Given his standing as the head of the Elema Trading Company, Daridora assumed Rei would absolutely never cause a scene—that he couldn't afford to.
That wasn't necessarily wrong. But it only held true as far as the residents of Gauche were concerned.
Even so, Rei didn't say anything as Daridora approached.
He simply watched the exchange between Augusto and Daridora in silence.
"My, you have remarkably quick ears. We've only just returned, you see. It almost sounds as though you knew we were going to be attacked."
Augusto was normally a good-natured man, but as if to prove he could be sharp when it counted, he delivered a pointed jab.
(Brushing off an assassination attempt with nothing but sarcasm is pretty impressive, though.)
If it were him, he wouldn't let them off this easily, Rei thought as he glanced at Daridora, his guards, and his hangers-on.
But the scale of operations between Augusto and Daridora was vastly different.
Daridora owned multiple shops and served as the head of the Elema Trading Company, while Augusto had only a single store.
That difference in influence was enormous, manifesting as a stark disparity in raw power.
For several minutes, they exchanged thinly veiled accusations... and then Daridora finally got to the point.
"By the way, Augusto-san. I understand the Sand Bandits who attacked you were in possession of a Sand Ship... What happened to it?"
So that was the real topic. Augusto understood.
Of course, Daridora was likely concerned about the fact that despite sending Sand Bandits to attack Augusto, Augusto and his people had returned unharmed.
But more than that, it was obvious he was worried about the whereabouts of the Sand Ship.
(It's understandable, though. A Sand Ship isn't something you can just purchase on a whim... Rather, if they lent it to Sand Bandits without any guarantee, that itself would be extraordinary. Does that mean they despised me that much?)
Daridora had probably expected that Augusto's group might bring the Sand Ship back with them. Upon hearing word of their return, he had rushed to the main gate—only to find no Sand Ship in sight.
Even so, it was inconceivable that they would have abandoned something as valuable as a Sand Ship in the desert, so he was clearly wondering what had become of it.
Rei reasoned through Daridora's motivations and concluded it was only natural.
After all, expecting someone to account for the existence of an Item Box User was asking the impossible.
"My, you have remarkably quick ears."
Augusto repeated the exact same words he had used moments before.
Understanding the mockery laced within them, Daridora twitched his eyebrows nervously.
Even so, he showed no sign of outrage, suppressing his irritation as he continued.
"Unlike some merchants, I have an extensive information network... So, may I ask what happened to the Sand Ship?"
Faced with Daridora—who was clearly determined not to back down given the Sand Ship's value—Augusto smiled and spoke.
"What happened to it, you ask? Why would Daridora-san be concerned about that? Goods held by Sand Bandits belong to whoever defeats them. That's only natural, isn't it? It's hardly something for Daridora-san to concern himself with."
Ownership.
The instant he heard that word, a tremor ran through Daridora's expression.
And the person he turned his gaze toward was Rei.
His reasoning was simple: someone who kept an A-Rank monster like a Gryphon as a Tamed Monster could easily defeat Sand Bandits, even ones armed with a Sand Ship.
The reason he looked at Rei rather than Zarust—who appeared to be the strongest present—or his party members, or any of the others who had accepted the escort request, was that Daridora recognized all of their faces.
As the head of the Elema Trading Company, he naturally knew the faces of those who guarded the defiant Augusto.
That was why he surmised that the completely unfamiliar Rei was the Tamer who had Set as a Tamed Monster.
(Still, I can't imagine such a slight figure could Tame a Gryphon... no, Tamers can make monsters their Tamed Monsters through means other than brute strength, can't they.)
Even from Daridora's perspective, Rei didn't look at all like a skilled adventurer.
But that was only because Daridora was a merchant.
The men serving as his guards, being skilled adventurers themselves, instinctively understood that Rei possessed power incomparable to their own. They understood—and they were terrified.
The impression the adventurers received upon looking at Rei was that of a wolf in sheep's clothing... no, a dragon.
That was why they desperately wanted their employer, Daridora, to avoid doing anything foolish toward Rei.
"...That Sand Ship was actually stolen from us. I would appreciate it if you could return it."
"Stolen, you say... The great Elema Trading Company had a Magic Item stolen by Sand Bandits? You didn't perhaps let them steal it intentionally, did you?"
"Augusto-san, aren't your words going a bit far? The theft of the Sand Ship was our oversight, but being accused of doing it intentionally is quite offensive."
Daridora stated this with exaggerated displeasure, yet even he himself didn't believe Augusto would buy what he was saying.
But it was a farce Daridora was fully aware of.
No matter how much Augusto called him suspicious, there was no evidence to prove it.
No—evidence did exist. But the evidence, the Sand Bandits who could serve as witnesses, would be silent corpses by tomorrow. So for all practical purposes, there was none.
"Is that so? Then I apologize. But please rest assured. We'll handle the Sand Ship properly on our end."
At the word "handle" from Augusto's mouth, irritation flickered across Daridora's face.
At Daridora's display, it was the surrounding guards who were inwardly trembling with fear.
They wanted nothing more than for this situation to end without incident.
Since they were quitting their guard duties today, they had no desire to fight Rei... but they couldn't let that show on their faces.
"Handle, you say? What exactly do you plan to do with it?"
"Hmm, even if you ask that... I don't own the Sand Ship, so I can't answer."
"...Then who does?"
"Rei-san."
With those words, Augusto's gaze turned toward Rei.
Following Augusto's line of sight, Daridora's eyes settled on Rei as well.
"...And you are?"
At Daridora's reluctant question, Rei spoke while stroking Set's body.
"Rei. I work as an adventurer in Gilm, in the Kingdom of Mireana. Just stopped by Gauche for a bit."
Strictly speaking, he had come to lay low until the uproar over the Twilight Spear blew over, but he had no intention of telling the man before him that.
He understood that doing so would only lead to trouble.
"Gilm... Rei... a Gryphon!?"
Precisely because he wielded considerable influence within Gauche, he must have recognized the name.
Daridora's eyes widened in astonishment... and after a few seconds, he hurriedly spoke.
"I apologize, but I've just remembered an urgent matter. If you'll excuse me."
With those words, he left his dumbfounded entourage and guards behind—still reeling from his sudden change in demeanor—and hastily departed the scene alone.