Rei and Vihera, their curiosity piqued by the adventurer who had bolted toward the Guild in a panic, followed after him with Set in tow.
Of course, Rei had planned to visit the Guild anyway to report his return from Gauche to Marina. The fact that he had been waylaid by Vihera's ambush on the way there had simply cost him extra time.
"I wonder what happened? Ideally it's a strong monster."
She was clearly imagining a battle against a formidable foe. Vihera's eyes were moist, and the aura surrounding her could only be described as bewitching.
In terms of feminine allure, Rei had never met anyone who surpassed Marina. But Vihera possessed a different kind of allure altogether—one that was, in its own way, just as potent at stirring men.
The men walking nearby... and occasionally women, couldn't help but swallow hard at the atmosphere radiating from Vihera's body, an aura that could even be called vaguely indecent.
Noticing this, Rei sighed and spoke up.
"Vihera, it's leaking... something's leaking."
"...Leaking?"
Brought back to herself by Rei's words, Vihera hastily glanced around.
She noticed that many people whose eyes met hers had flushed cheeks—or rather, faces turned bright red.
Under normal circumstances, being stared at like that would have made anyone panic and wonder what was going on.
But Vihera simply flashed them a brilliant smile.
All those she smiled at—men and women alike—could do nothing but silently avert their gazes.
"Come on, let's go. An adventurer was panicking that much. It's almost certainly a powerful monster."
"Got it."
Rei led Vihera, who showed not the slightest remorse, and Set, who tilted his head quizzically as if asking what was wrong, toward the Guild.
What Rei and Vihera saw upon entering the Guild was a single adventurer standing before the counter, his face deathly pale.
That person was without a doubt the same one they had seen earlier, and Vihera naturally made a beeline for the counter.
Kenny immediately noticed her approach.
To be precise, she noticed Rei, who was walking beside Vihera.
"Ah, Rei-kun! I heard you'd gone to Solrein, but you're back already!?"
Rei reached the counter and nodded to Kenny as she waved.
"Yeah, just got back. I was going to report everything to Marina, but then I saw that guy running past with a pale face and followed him."
The man Rei's gaze fell upon—Hester—was startled.
Living in Gilm, Hester naturally knew Rei's name and had spotted him from afar on numerous occasions.
But he had never once spoken to him.
To merchants—particularly those in the food trade—Rei was an exceptional customer who bought things left and right. But among adventurers, his reputation carried a different weight entirely.
When Rei had first arrived in Gilm, plenty of people had underestimated him based on his appearance and tried to pick fights. Most of them had ended up regretting it.
Hester had been among those who had initially tried to pick a fight with Rei, which was why he still harbored a lingering wariness.
In reality, a fellow adventurer had stopped him before he could do anything, and from Rei's perspective, Hester was merely someone whose face he vaguely recalled seeing somewhere before.
Kenny's expression turned slightly disappointed at Rei's words.
So he hadn't come to see her...
Her gaze then shifted to Vihera, who stood beside Rei, her heart racing at the prospect of battling a powerful foe.
Even to Kenny, who prided herself on her own appeal, Vihera was an opponent she couldn't possibly imagine surpassing.
Furthermore, the person Rei had come to see was Marina—and against Marina's feminine charm, Kenny stood no chance either.
Just as Kenny, stung by this realization, was about to open her mouth with a slightly downcast expression...
"Rei-san, you're here at just the right time!"
Lenora, who had been speaking with her superior inside the counter area, rushed over to Rei with an expression of genuine relief.
"What's wrong? ...Well, I can pretty much guess."
Replying to Lenora, Rei turned his gaze back toward Hester.
Understanding the meaning behind that look, Hester instinctively started to step back—but then caught himself. If he wanted to deal with the Goblins that had slaughtered his party members, Rei's combat power would be invaluable. He somehow managed to hold his ground.
(Oho.)
Watching Hester, a flicker of admiration crossed Vihera's lips.
When she had first seen Rei, Hester had cowered in fear. Now, determination filled his eyes as he stood his ground.
From Vihera's perspective, it was only natural to judge him as someone with potential.
Rei felt the same way.
Initially, Hester had regarded him with awe and fear, but now he was meeting his gaze with firm resolve.
It wasn't that he no longer feared Rei—rather, something outweighing that fear kept him from backing down.
Finding himself unexpectedly fond of this man named Hester, Rei redirected his attention to Lenora.
"So, can I get the details from you, Lenora?"
"Yes. Actually, it seems Hester was attacked by a horde of Goblins."
At this, Rei aside, the desire for a worthy opponent rapidly withered within Vihera.
How could mere Goblins possibly satisfy her craving for a strong enemy?
Sensing Vihera's mood, Rei prompted Lenora to continue.
"I can't imagine an adventurer based in Gilm having much trouble with Goblins."
"Right. According to Hester, there were nearly a hundred of them. And what's more, they retreated with a level of discretion that's hard to believe for Goblins."
"...I see. Leading that many Goblins... so it's a Goblin Leader?"
Rei asked, recalling what he had read in a monster encyclopedia. Lenora nodded with a troubled expression.
"That's most likely the case, but... Goblin Leaders aren't exactly intelligent, to be honest. Abandoning their prey just because they got close to the road and spotted adventurers..."
She trailed off, clearly bothered by the discrepancy between a Goblin Leader and the tactical quality of the retreat.
"And you want me to go subjugate it?"
Since Lenora had returned while he was talking with Kenny, Rei had already figured as much.
Sure enough, Lenora nodded apologetically.
"Yes. An investigation would also work, but with your power, Rei-san, I believe you could eliminate it without issue. Naturally, this will be a Nomination Request, so we'll add extra compensation to the reward. ...What do you think?"
Based on the available information, there were some lingering questions, but nothing that seemed particularly urgent.
The fact that the Guild was nonetheless issuing this as a Nomination Request to Rei meant the Goblin Leader's uncharacteristic judgment was a concern for them as well.
"What will you do? I'll pass."
Vihera's words carried little enthusiasm now that her anticipated battle with a formidable enemy had somehow devolved into a Goblin Leader subjugation. Rei thought for a moment... then nodded.
"Eh? Rei-kun, you're taking this request!?"
Kenny, who had been listening nearby, blurted out in surprise.
She had been certain he would find it troublesome and refuse, given that it was a request involving Goblins.
She had planned to invite Rei to dinner once he finished... but that plan had been completely derailed.
A major reason Rei accepted the request was that while he had absorbed plenty of Goblin Magic Stones, he had never absorbed a Goblin Leader's.
He had previously acquired a skill from a Goblin Rare Species' Magic Stone, so he believed that even a Goblin—if it were a Rare Species or High-ranking Species—might grant him a skill.
(Besides, from what I've heard, this Goblin Leader is smarter than a normal one. If that's the case, it's entirely possible it could be a Goblin Leader Rare Species. There's no way I'm letting this slip by.)
If the Goblin Leader might be a Rare Species, there was no reason to let it go.
"Yeah. I'm a little curious about this Goblin Leader, to be honest. More importantly, I don't have a Goblin Leader's Magic Stone yet."
Hester, who had been listening to Rei's reply to Kenny, suddenly recalled something.
(I think I heard something about him having a hobby of collecting Magic Stones. So that's it. ...Well, that's not a bad thing for me at all. In that case!)
Thinking he might actually have a chance to avenge his party, Hester spoke up with urgency.
"H-hey. Rei-san. If it's alright with you, could you take me along to defeat the Goblin Leader? I've already been attacked once by the horde it's probably leading, so I'd make a perfect guide."
"Huh? Are you serious? You barely escaped with your life, and you want to go back?"
"Of course! I can't afford to sit around resting until I've avenged everyone!"
Hester pleaded desperately, but Rei was unsure how to handle him.
If Vihera were going, Rei would also travel on the ground with Set, so it wouldn't be a problem.
But since Vihera had lost her motivation because the opponent was Goblins, Rei intended to ride Set and travel through the sky.
In terms of travel speed, it was incomparable to moving on the ground, so that was only natural.
But if Hester joined the Goblin Leader subjugation and Rei accommodated him, they would need to travel on the ground.
With normal Goblins, that might not have been an issue. But this time, the opponent was a Goblin Leader that appeared to be unusually intelligent.
If they leisurely traveled on the ground, there was a very real possibility the enemy would vanish into thin air.
Given that, Rei wanted to prioritize Set's mobility above all else. With that in mind, he shook his head at Hester.
"No can do. Sorry, but if I match your travel speed, we might let the Goblin Leader escape. I'll be going alone this time."
"Wait, Rei-san! Please! I'm begging you! Please take me along on this request! I don't need any reward, and I'll hand over all the materials you want! So please!"
Hester bowed his head deeply to Rei, face-to-face.
The word and culture of dogeza did not exist in Elgin, but if it did, he would have prostrated himself without hesitation.
(Actually, it wouldn't be surprising if Takumu or someone like him had spread it, would it?)
Rei briefly recalled the fellow Earth-born mage who had been Zephyle's companion, but right now, the more pressing issue was how to refuse Hester, who was bowing so deeply before him.
Rei could understand the desire for revenge more than he couldn't.
But even so, the fact remained that traveling with Hester risked letting the Goblin Leader escape.
This was an opponent smarter than a normal Goblin Leader—one who had pursued prey all the way to the vicinity of the road, only to judge that pressing further would be dangerous and break off the chase.
Since Hester had escaped, the Goblin Leader would surely anticipate a human counterattack and relocate its hideout.
They needed to find and eliminate the Goblin Leader before it could make that move.
Rei had absolutely no intention of letting the Goblin Leader—especially one that might be a Rare Species—slip away.
"...Sorry. If you could keep up with Set's speed, that would be one thing, but right now every second counts. Even on horseback, it's impossible to keep up with Set. If you were a Dragon Knight controlling a Wyvern, it'd be a different story, but..."
"No way... please! I'm really begging you! Let me come with you! I want to avenge everyone!"
Hester desperately pleaded to be allowed to come along, no matter what.
Rei understood Hester's feelings all too well, which only made it harder to find the right words.
Just as he was about to voice his refusal again, convinced it was impossible to bring Hester along... he suddenly stopped.
A certain scene flashed through Rei's mind.
He understood that it wasn't impossible—and if so, he could grant Hester's request.
With that thought, Rei opened his mouth to address Hester, who was watching him with earnest eyes.
"Are you really... no matter what it takes, you want to avenge your comrades?"
At Rei's words, Hester nodded instantly—before even considering whether his request would be granted.