The day after his conversation with Elena, Rei went to sleep in his room at the Wheat Inn as usual at dusk.
However, Rei, who had fallen into a deep sleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
Normally, it would take him several minutes—if not over ten—to shake off his drowsiness. Yet despite having just woken up, his mind was already sharp.
He sat up, casting a sharp gaze toward the door... and almost simultaneously, the door was knocked violently.
"Please wake up, Rei-san. I'm sorry, but I need you to come to the Guild right away!"
The voice coming from the other side of the door belonged to a Guild Staff Member.
Usually, when something urgent came up, Lenora—Rei's designated receptionist—was the one who came to call him. But as he thought about this, he noticed it was still dim outside the window, and the reason became clear.
Simply put, it was likely still before Lenora's working hours.
(But why the rush? It's still dark out. Must be an emergency.)
After turning on a Magic Item light to brighten the room, he threw on his Dragon Robe and finished getting ready. As he did, a bad feeling crept over him.
(Could something have happened to the Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear? If so, that would explain the hurry.)
For a Guild to borrow a beloved weapon from an adventurer—a Magic Item at that—only to have it stolen would certainly warrant this level of panic.
Of course, that meant it couldn't be helped from the Guild's perspective. But for Rei, who might have had his Magic Item stolen, a simple "it couldn't be helped" wouldn't cut it.
(Well, whatever the business is...)
When he opened the door, a Guild Staff Member stood there, just as expected. It was someone whose face Rei had seen at the Guild a few times before.
(Hm?)
But seeing the man, Rei felt a twinge of confusion.
The expression on the Guild Staff Member's face was not that of someone about to apologize. If anything, a look of joy was plain to see.
(So it's not about the Magic Item being stolen?)
Puzzled, Rei addressed the man before him.
"This early in the morning... no, late at night, I suppose? Either way, what brings you here at this hour?"
"Yes. The truth is, we need you to come to the Guild, Rei-san."
"...May I ask why?"
"That, I'll explain on the way. We have a carriage waiting in front of the inn."
Judging from the Guild Staff Member's evident urgency, Rei nodded, deciding he would likely get his answer once they arrived at the Guild.
"Got it. ...So, just me? Vihera's been working with me—she's here too."
"A separate female staff member has gone to wake her, so she should be at the carriage shortly."
"...Will she make it?"
Rei knew full well that it took time for a woman to get ready.
In Vihera's case especially, she had striking features to begin with, and the clothes she wore were rather unique. From his experience working alongside her, he knew she needed even more time than most.
"If it takes too long, we'll have her follow after us... For now, let's just go. Please."
Faced with a bow like that, Rei couldn't well refuse when he had no pressing business of his own.
Besides, the worst-case scenario—that his Magic Item had been stolen—seemed to have been avoided, which only made him all the more curious about what had happened.
"Understood."
Rei gave a short nod and stepped out of the room.
Heading down the stairs to the first floor, he spotted someone he didn't recognize at the inn's reception desk.
Who's that? he wondered for a moment, but since the person was manning the desk, he decided they must be a Wheat Inn employee.
That assumption was likely correct, as the receptionist was amiably accepting an apology from the Guild Staff Member for causing a disturbance at the inn in the middle of the night.
Stepping outside, Rei found a carriage he had seen several times before. The person on the driver's seat was a new face, but since they wore a Guild uniform, they were undoubtedly a Guild Staff Member.
"Please, step in. We've prepared some simple food and drinks inside, so if you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself."
"Hm? Aren't you going to explain the situation?"
"Yes, but I need to check on Vihera-san first. If it looks like she'll take a while, we'll go on ahead and send a second carriage, as I mentioned."
"...Fine. In that case, can I check on Set before we leave? I'm heading out at this hour—if I just slip out without saying anything, he'll probably worry."
"Eh? Ah, yes, of course I don't mind... Does being a Tamer mean you can sense each other's location even when apart?"
The Guild Staff Member asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
It wasn't actually because he was a Tamer. It was precisely because of Beast Magic that Set could sense Rei's magical power and detect his whereabouts. But he couldn't say that.
"Well, Set and I have been together since we were young. We share a deep bond. And Set is a Rare Species, even among Gryphons."
He fell back on his usual explanation and deflected. The Guild Staff Member didn't question it.
Or perhaps he did have his doubts, but wisely chose not to voice them. Standing before him was a high-ranking adventurer, an Alias Holder. Upsetting him could bring consequences no one wanted to deal with.
"Understood. But we're in a hurry, so there isn't much time... is that alright?"
"No problem. Let's go, then."
With that, Rei left the Guild Staff Member behind and headed toward the stables.
Even early risers wouldn't be awake at this hour. As a result, Rei reached the stables without encountering anyone.
"Gururururu."
Set must have sensed his arrival. The moment Rei opened the stable door, the familiar cry greeted him.
Among the horses in the stables, those accustomed to Set either stayed asleep at the sound or merely opened their eyes briefly before dozing off again. The ones not yet used to him weren't so fortunate—they stiffened in fear.
It was a small mercy that few travelers were coming to Gilm due to the Unbris situation, meaning most of the animals in the stables had already grown accustomed to Set.
Despite the dim light, Set was purring happily, having noticed Rei's arrival. Rei walked up to him, stroking the griffon as it rubbed its head against him, demanding affection.
"I got called to the Guild. Sorry, but I need to head out for a bit."
"Gururu?"
Are you okay? Set tilted his head.
Being roused at this hour, Set likely understood that something significant had happened.
Stroking Set's head, Rei spoke in a reassuring tone.
"The Guild Master is Marina, so I doubt she'll do anything strange. At first I thought maybe the Magic Items I left with them had been stolen, but it doesn't seem like that's the case."
"Gururu..."
Hearing this, Set felt somewhat reassured. Even so, being left behind clearly didn't sit well with him—a sorrowful glint lingered in those round eyes.
But he seemed to understand that being selfish would only cause trouble for Rei. Set didn't press the issue further.
"Alright, I'm heading out. You go back to sleep, Set. We'll probably have you working hard tomorrow... no, today too."
Gryphon Seto possessed a constitution that let it go days without sleep without any ill effects. But not needing sleep and choosing not to sleep were two entirely different things.
Besides, perhaps due to the influence of being created through Beast Magic, Set was by no means averse to sleeping. It loved dozing under the spring sunshine, in the shade of summer trees, or in the crisp autumn air, and thanks to the toughness of its Gryphon body, it could sleep soundly even in winter snow.
It loved sleeping, but above all, it loved being with Rei.
When Rei made camp, Set would keep watch. If anyone approached who might threaten his beloved companion, Set would spring into action instantly.
"Gurururu."
Giving Set one last stroke as it purred its farewell—be careful—Rei stepped out of the stables.
Returning to the front of the inn where the carriage waited, he found Vihera emerging from the building, fully dressed.
Despite having just woken up, as far as Rei could tell, she looked exactly the same as always. Clad in her usual thin garments, it was a look quintessentially Vihera.
...In truth, having gotten ready in such a short time, there were a few details that weren't quite up to her usual standard. But whether fortunately or unfortunately, Rei noticed none of them.
Relief at not letting her beloved see her disheveled state, mixed with a twinge of dissatisfaction that he didn't pick up on the small imperfections she'd tried so hard to fix. Feeling these conflicting emotions, Vihera spoke.
"It looks like you're all set."
"Yeah. A man's grooming is quick and easy when he puts his mind to it."
Of course, that was strictly true for an adventurer like Rei. Nobles and prominent merchants could also get ready faster than women, barring extraordinary circumstances.
"I see. Well then, let's get in the carriage. You'll explain on the way, won't you?"
Vihera glanced behind her as she spoke. At the end of her gaze were the male Guild Staff Member who had come to wake Rei, and the female Guild Staff Member who had presumably gone to wake Vihera.
"Yes, I will. Let's hurry."
Following the male Guild Staff Member's lead, Rei climbed into the carriage alongside Vihera.
The Guild clearly understood that summoning Rei and Vihera at this hour was unreasonable. Whether by Marina's instruction or another staff member's call, the carriage they boarded was exceptionally well-appointed.
Reaching for one of the sandwiches that had been prepared inside, Rei addressed the Guild Staff Member.
"So, I think it's about time you explained what's going on."
"Right... Simply put, we were able to identify Unbris residue on the Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear you lent us, Rei-san. Using that residue, a Magic Item—an Unbris detector, you might call it—has been completed."
"...Huh?"
At the Guild Staff Member's explanation, all that escaped Rei's mouth was a stupefied sound.
Vihera hadn't said anything either, but she couldn't hide her look of surprise.
Rei's hand, frozen mid-reach for the sandwich, eventually lowered. After a moment, he found his voice.
"That's... remarkably fast, if true. It hasn't even been a full day since I lent you the Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear."
"Yes. I understand how you feel, Rei-san. Honestly, even the Guild found the pace of developments overwhelming. When the report came in, there was quite a bit of confusion."
The male Guild Staff Member's words—spoken as if to say he fully understood Rei's reaction—were met with a nod of agreement from the female staff member beside him.
Under normal circumstances, simply creating a Magic Item took a great deal of time. That much was obvious if one considered how long it had taken to forge Rei's own Twilight Spear.
Of course, the Twilight Spear had required gathering a variety of rare materials, so it had undoubtedly taken longer than a typical Magic Item. Still, the point stood.
"Is it genuine? You're not just claiming to have completed a Magic Item that doesn't exist to cover something up, are you?"
Vihera, having calmed down slightly after drinking some fruit water prepared in the carriage, fixed the Guild Staff Member with a questioning look.
He had clearly anticipated such suspicion. Nodding at Vihera's words, he replied.
"Naturally, when the Guild first heard the report, we had the same suspicion. However, upon investigation, we concluded that the Magic Item is by no means a fake."
"What do you mean, 'apparently'? Why so vague? If it's truly a Magic Item that can find Unbris, why not just activate it and see?"
"Yes, of course the Guild thought the same... but unfortunately, they weren't able to activate it."
"Huh?"
Rei stared at the man as if he'd lost the thread entirely. The Guild Staff Member offered a wry smile and continued.
"According to the person who created the Magic Item, they succeeded in extracting the Unbris residue, but they were unable to separate it from the magical power of the items it clung to—the Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear. Given enough time, it would be possible, but right now, every moment counts, so..."
Hearing those words, Rei understood exactly why he had been summoned.