He turned his gaze toward the window. Outside, the moon floated in a cloudless night sky, casting a soft glow.
It was a beautiful night — the complete opposite of the troublesome matters currently weighing on Daskar's mind.
He stared at that sky for a moment, sighed once more, then turned his attention back to the subordinate standing before his desk.
"Goblins and Cobolts are one thing, but Orcs and Lizardmen are a real problem."
"Yes, sir. Fortunately, the only monsters forming packs are humanoid types, so we can still manage for now."
"…I suppose."
Naturally, monsters came in all varieties — humanoids, beasts, Undead, inorganic types, and so on.
In this incident, however, every pack consisted of humanoid… or rather, demi-human monsters.
That was the only reason they were coping at all. If other types of monsters had started forming packs as well, they would likely have been overwhelmed.
"Well, between our Knight Order and the adventurers cooperating, we should be able to handle it. …More importantly, what about the cause? Even if we can manage temporarily, if this drags on endlessly, we'll run out of steam."
Daskar voiced what was only natural — yet even as he spoke, an image flashed through his mind of one person and one creature to whom such common sense simply didn't apply.
The man who had achieved great results in today's battle against the goblin packs.
"Rei, huh. I'll have to properly thank him someday."
"Agreed. Losing a skilled adventurer like him from Gilm would be a tremendous loss in more ways than one."
His subordinate murmured with genuine feeling.
Considering everything Rei had done since arriving in Gilm, there was plenty that could be called problematic behavior — but the benefits far outweighed it.
Rei's raw combat power, and the abilities of his Tamed Monster, Set.
Beyond that, the new dish called udon that Rei had introduced had become a Gilm specialty.
Set himself had become a symbol of Gilm — in a mascot-like sense — and there was even data showing that minor crimes like fistfights had decreased since Rei and Set arrived.
(Being soothed by Set's cuteness that irritability drops, and as a result fights decrease… when I was first told that, I couldn't quite believe it.)
Daskar hadn't bought the story at first, but when shown the actual numbers, he couldn't deny it.
He had also heard that shop sales — particularly at food establishments — had risen, another benefit Rei and Set had brought.
As the lord of Gilm, Daskar had no complaints about commerce picking up.
Beyond that, the feathers and hair shed in Set's stable proved extremely useful as Alchemy materials, and Gilm's overall Alchemy capabilities had reportedly improved compared to before.
With numerous other benefits large and small flowing from Rei and Set, Daskar understood perfectly well that treating them poorly was absolutely out of the question.
(Moreover, Princess Vihera… no, former princess, and even Guild Master Marina are favorable toward Rei. …And then there's Lady Elena, the Princess General. Was he born under a star that attracts beautiful women? Well, they're all quite distinctly unique personalities, that's for sure.)
For Daskar in particular, the fact that even Marina held affection for Rei stirred up complicated feelings.
He wanted to forget it, but Marina had been his first love. He had even proposed to her as a child.
He no longer harbored such feelings now, but the memories still stung.
Recalling that time filled him with the urge to scream into his pillow while clutching his head in bed.
"Lord Daskar?"
Lost in thought, Daskar snapped back to attention at his subordinate's voice.
Now was not the time to dwell on memories he wanted to forget or the colorful cast gathering around Rei.
"So, why is it that only demi-human monsters are suddenly producing High-ranking Species and forming packs? What's the reason?"
"Unfortunately, we don't have one yet. We currently have scholars looking into it, and we've also sent an inquiry to Guild Master Marina-sama."
"…I see."
Hearing the Dark Elf's name come up mere seconds after he had just been thinking of her, Daskar caught his breath for an instant.
That he managed to quickly mask that surprise — or rather, that agitation — was a testament to his capability as the lord of Gilm.
Gilm was a frontier city, after all. Surprises came without end.
A lord who showed visible agitation over every minor shock would find governing Gilm extremely difficult.
"At any rate, we can handle things as they stand. But there are goblin packs beyond the ones that marched on Gilm, and monsters more capable than goblins are forming packs too. Considering all that, we can't afford to sit idle."
Those packs weren't heading for Gilm at the moment, but if they banded together and advanced on the city, Gilm might not lose — but the damage would still be severe.
(Then again, the reason today escalated into such a commotion is because they attacked suddenly in broad daylight. If we'd known from the start that such packs were out there, we could have had high-rank adventurers on standby.)
That was why Daskar wasn't treating the situation as desperate.
Not that he was underestimating it, of course.
That was precisely why he was reaching out to every avenue to see what could be done.
"Yes, sir. We're keeping the Knight Order and guards ready to deploy at a moment's notice tonight as well."
Daskar nodded at his subordinate's words and began considering how to improve the situation even slightly.
The next morning, Rei finished breakfast in the dining hall as usual and headed for the Guild with Vihera and Set.
But the atmosphere in town was unmistakably different from normal.
People were gathered everywhere in clusters, talking in hushed, urgent tones.
"It's changed a lot in just one day, hasn't it?"
"…Well, Goblins aside, word is that other monsters are forming packs too. Thinking about it that way, it's no wonder people are anxious."
"Guruuu…"
Set, surveying the surroundings, growled worriedly.
His concern wasn't for his own safety — it was for the people who always stopped to pet him, who always slipped him treats.
With his naturally affectionate disposition, it was only natural for him to worry about whether his familiar faces were frightened.
(A normal monster probably wouldn't act like this. …Is it because he was created through that Beast Magic, so he's inherited some of Rei's personality? But Rei isn't exactly people-friendly the way Set is.)
Watching Set, Vihera recalled the explanation Rei had given her the day before and mused to herself.
Whether monsters born through Beast Magic inherited the personality of the one whose magic power gave them life wasn't guaranteed — but perhaps they were at least somewhat influenced.
(If Rei were as friendly as Set, that would cause its own problems, though.)
Rei's features were refined enough to be called feminine to begin with.
Even so, the reason he didn't draw widespread adoration from the masses came down to his personality.
He refused what needed refusing, even when the other party was a noble.
For that matter, resorting to violence wasn't even unusual for him.
Not many women could fall deeply in love with a man like that.
For Vihera, that wasn't something to lament. In terms of keeping romantic rivals to a minimum, it was something to be deeply grateful for.
Though her rivals, starting with Elena, were by no means pushovers.
(Should I have learned more feminine skills, like cooking or sewing?)
Vihera knew her features were refined. She knew she had a figure that drew men's eyes.
That was why she had assumed that when she finally found someone she loved, winning his heart wouldn't be difficult. She never expected women with beauty and figures equal to or surpassing her own to appear.
Elena had told her that the women bound to Rei would be multiple in number, but even so, the desire to be first was surely a woman's instinct.
"Vihera? What's wrong?"
Lost in thought as she walked, she snapped back to reality at Rei's voice beside her.
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something."
"Like whether a powerful monster pack might show up?"
"Oh? So if I'm deep in thought, it has to be about fighting? It never occurs to you that I might be worrying about delicious food, or pretty clothes, or things like that?"
"…Well, it's Vihera."
The words that left Rei's mouth would normally have earned an understanding nod from Vihera.
But the Vihera of this moment was different from her usual self. Just seconds ago, she had been fretting over her own femininity.
So hearing Rei essentially call her unfeminine didn't sit well at all.
"Yes, you're right. Unfortunately, I'm not feminine. Sorry about that."
"Vihera?"
She reacted sensitively to words she would normally have laughed off.
Even when Rei called after her, she didn't respond. She simply walked away, leaving him standing there.
…The fact that her destination was still the Guild, though, was very much in character.
"Gururu?"
Set gave Rei a worried look, as if asking, Did you make her angry? Rei scratched his head with a troubled expression.
"Why did she get mad, I wonder? …Honestly, they really weren't kidding when they said a woman's heart is like an autumn sky."
He looked up at the sky as if to confirm — but what hung overhead were massive cumulonimbus clouds. This couldn't be called an autumn sky by any stretch.
From every possible angle, it was a summer sky.
Rei stared upward for a few seconds before sensing a gaze. He turned to find Vihera had stopped and was watching him.
"What are you doing? We're going to the Guild, aren't we? Then stop staring at the sky and let's get going."
"…Right."
A woman's heart and the autumn sky were clearly beyond his comprehension.
With that thought, Rei set off after Vihera with Set beside him.
"It's pretty quiet compared to yesterday, huh."
"Yeah. Well, now that we know goblin packs are out there, there are ways to deal with them."
Vihera nodded in agreement as Rei murmured while glancing around.
Her mood seemed to have improved during the walk — she even wore a faint smile.
Rei suspected the real reason was that she was imagining the prospect of battling powerful monsters.
Given how much Vihera loved combat, she must feel the exact opposite of what a normal person would feel about encountering dangerous monsters.
(Well, powerful monsters usually yield rare materials, so it's not just people who want to avoid them.)
For an adventurer confident in their abilities, a powerful monster could mean Gold Coins or Silver Coins… Platinum Coins, and if the materials were truly rare, even Light Gold Coins.
Of course, that assumed you could actually beat the monster in question.
"Ah, Rei-san. And Vihera-san. You've come at just the right time. There's a Nomination Request related to the current pack situation — would you like to take it?"
Lenora had spotted them and called out.
Normally she radiated energy, but the exhaustion from being overworked since yesterday was plain on her face.
Kenny, dealing with other adventurers a short distance away, looked the same. Ordinarily she would have noticed Rei the instant he walked in, but she hadn't registered his presence yet.
(She must be exhausted from everything since yesterday.)
Rei glanced at Kenny briefly, then turned his attention back to Lenora.
"So, where's the Nomination Request from, and what is it?"
"The Knight Order. Apparently, a pack of Lizardmen has been spotted some distance from Gilm. They're requesting Investigation and, if possible, annihilation."
At the word "Lizardmen," Rei and Vihera both reacted instantly.
For Vihera, it was the prospect of fighting powerful monsters. For Rei, it was the chance to obtain a Lizardman Leader's Magic Stone.
"How about it?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
That brief exchange was all they needed to confirm each other's intentions. Rei and Vihera accepted the request.
Rei had various thoughts about Vihera's completely restored mood… but that was a matter for another time.