The house that came into view was far too grand for a single merchant's residence.
Rei had expected as much, given that it had a stable large enough for Set to enter, but it was safe to say the house was considerably larger than he had anticipated.
Of course, it wasn't quite what one would call a mansion, but through the eyes of Rei, who usually lived out of inns, it was plenty impressive.
...Though the inn Rei normally stayed at was the Twilight Wheat Inn, one of the highest-ranked luxury inns in Gilm.
(Perhaps slightly smaller than the mansion the former Mobile Unit members live in...? Well, they have several people living together there.)
What crossed Rei's mind were the faces of the Mobile Unit members who had fought alongside him during the Bestia Empire's civil war.
Among those members were people who had come to Gilm for various reasons — they never wanted to make an enemy of the Kingdom of Mireana where Rei lived, they admired his strength, they were interested in the Kingdom of Mireana, they thought Set was cute, and so on.
Not all of them lived together, of course, but still, many former Mobile Unit members shared a single mansion.
What now lay before Rei's eyes was about one size smaller than that mansion, but it was clearly more than sufficient for a single family to live in.
"...That's a pretty big house."
"Is it? I'm glad to hear you say so. ...Well, I didn't build this house myself; it's been passed down through my family for generations. The ancestor who built it was one of Gauche's foremost merchants."
"So your family has been merchants for generations."
"Yes. They all had far more talent than I do. That's how they were able to build a mansion like this. ...For me, simply maintaining this estate is the best I can manage."
Augusto said this with a self-deprecating tone, but even under pressure from the Elema Trading Company, he strove to conduct honest dealings and was widely trusted.
...That was precisely why he was able to maintain this estate, however precariously.
"Now, let's go. My wife should be waiting with a delicious meal prepared for us."
Prompted by Augusto, they headed toward the mansion's gate.
"Hey, Augusto. You're pretty early today. ...And who's that?"
A middle-aged man who appeared to be a gatekeeper called out to Augusto.
His tone was less like someone addressing an employer and more like someone greeting a friend.
"Günter, sorry as always. Are you making sure to stay hydrated? Don't push yourself too hard. This person is my guest."
Augusto's tone toward the man called Günter was more casual than the one he used with Rei or Zarust.
"This is Rei-san, who saved me when we were attacked by a Sand Serpent. And this is Rei-san's tamed monster, Set."
"Ohh. So you saved Augusto, huh? Then I'd better welcome you properly. Welcome, Rei, Set. I'm Günter, the gatekeeper of this house. Nice to meet you."
Günter casually replied to Rei, then turned his gaze toward Set as well.
Unusually for someone seeing a Gryphon, he showed no particular sign of surprise.
Even so, the fact that he didn't reach out to touch Set was either out of wariness... or because, casual speech aside, he was doing his job properly as a gatekeeper.
Regardless, the fact that he neither looked down on Rei and Set nor caused a needless commotion was undoubtedly a favorable impression for Rei.
"Yeah, nice to meet you."
"Guruuu."
Hearing the brief greetings from the person and the creature, Günter smiled and nodded in response.
After that short exchange, Rei and Set finally followed Augusto's guidance through the gate.
"Augusto!"
As if she had been waiting for the group — or more precisely, for Augusto alone — a woman came running from the mansion.
She appeared to be in her thirties, like Augusto.
Her features would normally give a gentle impression, but the expression on her face now was nothing short of pure anxiety.
"Cathy, what's wrong, running like that? Look at me, I'm perfectly fine, so you don't need to worry so much."
"But the boy you sent as a messenger told me you were attacked by a Sand Serpent and Sand Bandits. It's only natural to worry, isn't it? Are you hurt? Are you really okay?"
While talking, the woman called Cathy began checking Augusto's body directly for injuries.
Augusto, being touched all over, tried to suppress a ticklish smile, but he understood that his wife was doing this out of concern for his well-being.
That was why he gently stroked her hair, which was gathered at her shoulders, and spoke in a soothing tone.
"Rei-san and Set saved me, so I'm fine."
"Really? You're really okay?"
"Yes."
Augusto nodded immediately.
And that was, without a doubt, the truth.
The Sand Serpent had its head effortlessly obliterated by a single throw of the Twilight Spear, and the Sand Bandits, who had attacked riding a Sand Ship, were rendered unable to move by the roar unleashed through Set's King's Intimidation skill.
The only work Augusto and Zarust's group had to do was tie up the incapacitated bandits and keep watch to ensure they didn't try anything strange on the way to Gauche.
Of course, that was still a considerable effort, but compared to fighting a battle with no chance of winning, it was overwhelmingly easier.
After hearing this explanation, Cathy finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then, naturally, her gaze turned not to Rei, but to Set, who possessed an overwhelmingly larger presence.
"Kyaa!"
Cathy screamed and hid behind Augusto.
Seeing this, Set let out a slightly disappointed purr, but... being feared by people he met for the first time was something he was used to, so that was the end of it.
Like the gatekeeper Günter just now, someone who wasn't afraid of Set despite meeting it for the first time was the rarity.
"It's okay. Set is gentle, so it would never harm you, Cathy."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Have I ever lied to you, Cathy?"
At Augusto's words, Cathy shook her head slightly and directed a passionate gaze at her husband.
Augusto received that gaze and returned one equally passionate, and gradually their faces drew closer...
"Ahem. If you could do that sort of thing somewhere out of sight, I'd appreciate it."
As if snapping back to reality at Rei's words, Augusto and Cathy pulled apart rapidly just before their lips could meet.
Watching them, Rei wondered if Günter was subjected to this kind of exchange on a regular basis, and felt sympathy for a man he had only just met.
And he somehow understood why Zarust hadn't come with them.
(So he knew about this. ...Well, I had a bad feeling when Augusto started boasting about his wife, but I never imagined both husband and wife would be this type. Should I just find another inn...? No, that's apparently difficult, so maybe I should sleep outdoors?)
As Rei seriously debated whether he should leave, facing the two who were hastily trying to compose themselves, Augusto spoke up quickly, though whether he sensed Rei's thoughts was unclear.
"Cathy, you heard from the messenger, right? I'd like to have Rei-san stay with us for a while — would that be all right?"
"If you say so, then I have no objections. And that Gryphon, from what I can see here, seems like a quiet, good child."
Rei smiled wryly at how quickly her attitude had changed, wanting to ask where her earlier fear of Set had gone.
"Come on, let's go inside. Oh, wait. Before that, the Gryphon... Set-chan, was it? I need to show Set-chan where the stable is. Augusto, can you take care of that?"
"Yes, leave it to me. If you asked, I'd even bring you Daridora's head."
"...I'm happy to hear that, but that's not quite a joke anymore."
Hearing her voice after a momentary silence, Rei sensed she was half-serious in wanting that to happen.
(Sounds like a pretty deep-rooted problem. ...Well, from what I've heard, it's understandable. The Tira Tree, huh.)
Rei recalled what Augusto had told him.
The Tira Tree, which only eliminated monsters. Daridora apparently planned to plant them surrounding Gauche.
The walls enclosing Gauche had also become quite deteriorated, and repairing them would require an enormous expense.
Compared to that, planting Tira Trees would incur some cost, but it would be far less than what repairing the walls would require.
(I can understand both sides of the argument.)
Daridora wanted to plant Tira Trees to reduce costs, while Augusto opposed that and pushed for wall repairs.
There was no doubt that both of them were acting out of concern for Gauche, but as merchants, that wasn't their only motivation either.
If the Tira Tree planting went forward, the Elema Trading Company would surely see significant profits, and the same would likely hold true for Augusto.
However, Rei had no intention of blaming them for that. As merchants, seeking profit was only natural.
"Here we are. This stable isn't currently in use, so there's no problem with Set using it."
Augusto led them to a stable located a short distance from the mansion.
The interior was spacious, but it appeared to be currently unused. Aside from Set, Rei, and Augusto, there was no sign of any living creature, and a somewhat lonely atmosphere hung in the air.
There was a newer stable as well, but that one was apparently being used by camels at the moment.
As far as Set was concerned, being alone in a stable was lonely, so it would have preferred otherwise. But no matter how much Set did nothing, there was no way the camels would quickly get used to a Gryphon.
Since Augusto's business would suffer without his camels, he couldn't do something like putting Set and the camels in the same stable.
"Grurururu..."
As Set let out a lonely purr, Rei reached out and gently stroked it.
"Don't worry. I'll be right there in the mansion, so I'll come visit if anything happens."
As Rei stroked Set in a soothing manner, its loneliness must have eased even just a little. Set purred slightly with happiness and rubbed its body against Rei.
Rei continued petting Set for about a minute.
Augusto simply watched the two of them in silence.
(Rei-san and Set. Without this person and this creature, I would undoubtedly be dead right now. ...Meeting Rei-san, an Alias Holder adventurer, was nothing short of fortune. To protect Gauche, I must recruit him as an ally no matter what.)
To Augusto, Rei was an immensely appealing asset.
Rei's personal combat prowess was of a caliber worthy of an alias, and his tamed monster was a Gryphon, an A-Rank monster.
...Officially, it was treated as S-Rank as a Rare Species, but Augusto had never seen Set use its skills.
And most conveniently for Augusto, Rei was an adventurer from Gilm — from the Kingdom of Mireana.
In other words, even after this matter was resolved, Rei would fundamentally not be staying in Gauche.
It wasn't that Augusto disliked Rei. But when someone possessed too much power, relying on that person was also a mistake.
That was something he wanted to avoid as a resident of Gauche.
"Now then, shall we go? My wife should have prepared a delicious meal for Rei-san. And we'll make sure Set's meal is properly prepared too, so please look forward to it."
At those words from Augusto, Set, who had been looking lonely just seconds before, purred with delight.
At the sight of his overly fickle partner, a smile involuntarily crept onto Rei's lips.
But there was no doubt that a delicious meal was also highly appealing to Rei.
"Set, I'll come back later."
"Grurururu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry that seemed to say, "I'll be waiting!"
Seen off by Set, Rei and Augusto left the stable and headed toward the mansion.
"Gauche has a local specialty dish called Panita."
"Panita?"
At the name of a dish he had never heard before, Rei's curiosity was piqued.
Food was one of Rei's great pleasures. One could even call it a hobby.
However, there was a significant difference between the fine dining nobles often spoke of and Rei's approach to eating.
Most nobles' idea of fine dining meant rare, expensive ingredients prepared by a skilled chef with great time and effort.
By comparison, Rei was satisfied as long as the food was cheap and delicious.
Dishes like stewed offal and beans, the kind served at taverns, were among Rei's favorites, even though he wasn't particularly fond of alcohol.
"Yes. You roast a block of meat while thinly slicing it, then wrap it together with vegetables and beans in a thin crepe made from wheat flour dissolved in water."
"...I feel like I've heard of a dish like that before."
Suddenly, the name of a dish called a doner kebab, which he had eaten at festival stalls during his time in Japan, crossed Rei's mind.
There were likely various differences, such as the meat being thinly sliced and yogurt being used for seasoning, but based on the description he had heard, Rei's image of the dish was without a doubt that of a doner kebab.