Once he decided to return to Gilm, Rei moved quickly.
Of course, since Cathy had offered to throw him a farewell party, he couldn't just leave today. What he needed to do now was prepare for his departure tomorrow.
"…Well, even if I say 'prepare,' there's not really much to do."
He hadn't even been staying at this mansion for half a month. Given that, there was no luggage to organize.
Just like at the Wheat Inn—his usual lodging—Rei had the Misty Ring, an exceptionally convenient Magic Item. Because of it, the kind of belongings and tools normally scattered around a room were nowhere to be found in the one he'd borrowed.
"Now then, how should I kill time until tonight? …Maybe I should have stayed at the village a little longer?"
Rei pondered this, but he had decided to return to Gilm on impulse after seeing the state of that village. Going back now felt somehow wrong.
"I was a little interested in the artifact that covered that village, though. It sounds like it was destroyed, but if I'd brought back even the remnants, someone might have been happy to research them."
The original reason he had come to Gauche in the first place was the Twilight Spear—created by that very someone. Or so Rei reasoned, and since he had nothing better to do anyway, he decided to practice his Twin Spear Style.
"Haa!"
With that shout, the Twilight Spear in his left hand pierced through the air.
Compared to a two-handed thrust, the power was weaker—but that was only relative to Rei's own two-handed technique. Measured against an ordinary thrust, the kind a typical adventurer in Gauche might produce, it was no less sharp. No—sharper still.
He still couldn't coordinate a simultaneous right-hand Death Scythe thrust, but he had a sense that with continued practice, he'd get there.
Filled with that quiet satisfaction, he looked up at the sky—and found it dyed crimson. A sight that could truly be called a sunset.
"…Eh? Huh?"
He looked around in confusion. Some distance away, Set was lying on the ground. Since he was practicing Twin Spear Style, he had let Set rest freely near the stable as usual before starting his training…
"It's evening?"
The words slipped out before he could stop them. And no wonder. After making up his mind to return to Gilm, Rei had come back to Augusto's mansion around ten in the morning—he didn't have his pocket watch out, so he couldn't be sure of the exact time, but it was roughly that. After talking with Augusto and the others, he had returned to his room and, finding nothing to do, started practicing Twin Spear Style—and that had been when barely any time had passed since getting back to the mansion.
And now… Rei took out his pocket watch from the Misty Ring and checked. The hands indicated it was already nearing six in the evening.
He had no memory of eating lunch. Naturally, he had no memory of taking any breaks, either. He had been so completely absorbed in his Twin Spear Style training that he'd lost track of time entirely.
Once he realized several hours had slipped away, his stomach assertively demanded food, and his throat cried out for water.
Since there was a farewell party that evening, he decided against eating anything now—but he couldn't endure his thirst.
Rei's body was something that could be called the crystallization of the Zephyle Clan's magical techniques, but as a living creature, hydration was surely essential.
(…Wait, maybe I could actually get by without drinking water?)
For a brief moment, he wondered. But he had no intention of testing that theory by enduring thirst—especially since he'd be drinking something at the farewell party tonight anyway.
He pulled the Dagger of Flowing Water from his Misty Ring, channeled mana into it, and caught the water flowing from the blade directly in his mouth, drinking it down.
…If anyone had seen this, it would have looked like Rei was swallowing a dagger to kill himself.
Granted, this was near the stable within Augusto's mansion, and since the only people living there were Augusto and Cathy, someone wandering by was rare.
Rare—but not impossible.
"Kyaa! Rei, what are you doing!?"
Especially if that someone was Cathy, who had come to fetch Rei because the party was about to start. Her reaction to seeing a dagger's blade about to enter his mouth was entirely predictable.
"Ngha!? Nnggghhh…"
Startled by the sudden voice, he nearly spewed out the water that had been in his mouth, but somehow managed to hold it in and swallow.
"Haa, haa, haa… I thought I was going to die."
"…Hm?"
Seeing water trickle from the tip of the dagger Rei had pulled away from his lips, Cathy finally realized it was the Dagger of Flowing Water.
Pressing a hand over his mouth, all Rei could do was offer a wry smile at what he'd just put himself through.
"Um, Rei. Are you all right? Maybe I called out to you at a terrible moment?"
Cathy asked, her voice tinged with genuine worry. Rei lightly waved his hand to signal he was fine.
In truth, even if the dagger's blade had nicked the inside of his mouth, it clearly wouldn't have been a deep wound.
"No problem. My throat was just dry, so I was drinking some water."
"Really? Well, I'm glad, but…"
The relief from Rei's words lasted only a moment before Cathy fixed him with a look that was undeniably reproachful.
Cathy had once drunk water produced by the Dagger of Flowing Water. The taste—something that deserved to be called Celestial Nectar, so exquisite it hardly seemed like water—was impossible to forget. Because of that, seeing Rei drink from the Dagger of Flowing Water so crudely was not something she could easily stomach.
Of course, that was solely Cathy's perception. To Rei, the water from the Dagger of Flowing Water was something he could produce endlessly. He treated it the way he'd once treated water from a tap back in Japan.
"Well, that Magic Item is yours, Rei, so I won't press the matter. Anyway, the party is just about ready. Will you come?"
"Ah, yeah. Got it."
Cathy, perhaps judging that pressing the issue would only be a waste of breath, settled for a small sigh.
…Though it was equally possible she just didn't want the food to get cold by lingering here.
Besides, she and Rei would be parting ways tomorrow. She had no desire to pick a pointless argument on their last day together.
"Guruuu…"
Set gave a somewhat lonely cry toward Rei. He envied Rei for getting to go to the party, and the thought of being left behind here while everyone else enjoyed themselves clearly saddened him. Even without words, that was the feeling Set radiated.
"Why are you looking so lonely? This party is a farewell party for Rei and Set-chan—which means of course Set-chan is coming too."
"Gururu!?"
Really!? Set let out a joyful cry.
Seeing Set's reaction, Cathy smiled and nodded.
"Yes, of course. Set-chan is a proper guest of our house, isn't he? You came here with Rei, so I'm certainly not going to leave Set-chan out. Now then, shall we go?"
At Cathy's smiling words, Set began walking happily ahead.
…and Rei felt a surge of gratitude toward Cathy for being so considerate of Set.
"Gururu!"
Set, having walked a little ahead, called back to Rei, who hadn't moved yet. What's wrong? Let's hurry up and go—the way he looked back with round eyes, urging Rei along, made him seem almost like a child excited over a treat.
…Then again, considering Set's age since birth, that was perhaps only natural.
Cathy smiled at Set's demeanor and headed back into the mansion with him. Rei followed after her.
He had assumed they would go to the living room as usual, but Cathy turned toward the dining room instead. Naturally, a mansion of this size had a dining room—it was just that since only Cathy and Augusto lived there, they normally used the living room rather than bothering with the larger space.
"Huh? Not the living room?"
"Yes. The living room would be a bit cramped for Set-chan, wouldn't it?"
"…Well, that's true."
Considering Set's size, fitting into the living room was possible. But the room itself wasn't particularly spacious. Given that, they wouldn't be able to fully enjoy a farewell party crammed into it. To avoid that, she must have set up in the dining room instead, where even Set—whose body length exceeded two meters—could be comfortable.
"Gururu?"
Oblivious to the fact that he was the reason for the extra effort, Set tilted his head quizzically, turning his round eyes toward Rei and Cathy as if to ask what was wrong.
Seeing this, Rei started to apologize to Cathy—but caught himself. One look at her face told him an apology wasn't what she was after.
"Thank you."
"Hehe, it's nothing. I prepared all sorts of dishes, so I need you both to enjoy them to the fullest."
Whether she naturally counted Set as one person rather than one animal out of consideration for Rei… or whether she simply recognized Set as family without thinking about it, Rei couldn't say.
Either way, as they walked down the corridor, Rei stroked Set's head and smiled. Cathy smiled too—and just like that, they arrived at the dining room.
Even before the door opened, Rei—and Set, whose sense of smell was far sharper—caught the appetite-stimulating aroma drifting from inside. Rei, who had skipped lunch entirely while practicing Twin Spear Style, was especially hungry.
He had only wiped his sweat lightly, and the fact that he had no noticeable body odor was probably fortunate, if only because it meant he wouldn't interfere with the aroma of the food.
"Welcome to the party!"
The door swung open with those words, and an even stronger fragrance washed over them—appetite-stimulating and warm.
A spread of dishes generously seasoned with spices, characteristic of Gauche. Far too lavish to believe Cathy had decided to throw a party today and then planned and prepared the menu from scratch.
Frugal as their everyday life might be, they spared no expense when it came to food. And given Cathy's cooking skills, every dish was unquestionably exquisite.
"Ah, you've come."
"I know I'm the one throwing this party, but… are you really leaving already? I think you could stay a little longer."
Waiting inside were Augusto and Günter. Originally, Günter hadn't wanted to attend this kind of gathering, but when Augusto personally insisted, there was no refusing him.
Augusto would have liked to invite Zarust as well, but the man was at the People of the Hundred Faces' village, so that was out of the question. Sure, if Set were so inclined, he could fly there and bring Zarust back in a matter of minutes—but Augusto knew from years of friendship that Zarust would never abandon his duties for a party.
Daridora and his guards would probably come if called. But the alliance with Daridora had been purely temporary—a necessity born of the People of the Hundred Faces threat. Once this matter was settled, Daridora would resume interfering with Augusto's affairs. Enjoying a party with someone like that was simply out of the question.
Rei's departure meant they might never meet again. If they truly wanted to, they could reunite by traveling to Gilm. But such a journey was easier said than done. For Set, reaching Gauche wouldn't be difficult, but considering Rei's standing and circumstances, even that was unlikely.
That's exactly why Cathy is holding back her tears and trying to smile through the parting.
Augusto let out a quiet sigh and set those thoughts aside. He picked up a cup from the table and handed it to Rei. Knowing that Rei wasn't fond of alcohol, he had filled it with tea instead.
For Set, a bowl of soup was prepared in place of a drink, while Augusto, Cathy, and Günter each took up alcohol. And the one who spoke on behalf of everyone present was, naturally, Augusto—the master of the house.
Looking just slightly—only very slightly—lonely, he raised his cup and spoke.
"Then, to Rei and Set's new journey, and to the prosperity of everyone gathered here… cheers!"
"Cheers!"
With those words, everyone raised their cups and clinked them together.
After drinking his tea, Rei immediately reached for the food. Set, not to be outdone, eagerly savored the dishes.
Between bites, they exchanged brief but fond memories. And so, Rei's last night in Gauche passed—enjoyable, yet tinged with a quiet sadness that lingered like the fading desert light.