Whether it was exactly as expected or beyond all expectations, the room the inn had prepared was more than spacious enough to accommodate their entire party.
They had split into men's and women's rooms. The men numbered three—Rei, Elk, and Rhodos—while the women numbered five: Elena, Marina, Ara, Min, and Vihera.
Of course, Rhodos and Vihera were both unconscious.
At any rate, since the men were fewer in number, the room Rei and the others were staying in was the smaller of the two.
But "smaller" was only in comparison to the room Elena and the others occupied. Measured against the rooms at the Wheat Inn at Dusk, Rei's regular haunt back in Gilm, it was nearly three times the size.
The furnishings were of such obvious quality that even Rei, who lacked any particular eye for aesthetics, could tell at a glance they were expensive.
(Why would anyone build such a luxurious inn near a Dungeon? Can it even be profitable? Well, they must think it's profitable, otherwise they wouldn't be running it here.)
Beyond the conspicuously furnished main room, a separate bedroom had been provided.
There were also Magic Items for lighting and heating, as well as one that functioned like a refrigerator.
If monsters were to spill out from the Dungeon... or rather, since this settlement wasn't surrounded by walls like a proper town, it wasn't uncommon for monsters to slip in from nowhere.
If such monsters gathered in large numbers, this inn would naturally suffer the consequences.
Whether monsters would actually take valuables or show any interest in Magic Items was uncertain.
But that was merely optimistic hope. In reality, all valuables might be taken, and Magic Items and expensive furniture could be destroyed for amusement.
Considering such risks, Rei found it hard to believe that anyone would build such a luxurious inn in a place like this.
"I've gotten Rhodos settled in bed. What's the plan now?"
This room had two bedrooms.
Each contained two beds, making four in total.
Thanks to that, there was no need to worry about Rei or Elk sleeping on the sofa or, worst case, the floor.
Of course, since this was one of the finest rooms in a high-class inn, the floor was covered in a carpet that looked warm at a glance.
"Marina said she was going to the Guild's branch office, so I figured I'd tag along," Rei answered.
Elk, who had been looking at him with an envious gaze, needed to bring his luggage in from the carriage to the bedroom. Rei, on the other hand, had his Misty Ring, so that was unnecessary.
Elk pondered Rei's words for a moment before speaking up.
"The Guild, huh... Should I go too, then?"
"Ah... not sure. Probably better if you do, though."
The party challenging the Dungeon consisted of women aside from Elk and Rei, making them likely to be underestimated.
And while Rei's actual strength was another matter, his appearance wasn't particularly intimidating.
Of course, Rei's name had spread widely thanks to his past exploits.
However, there were many who knew his name but not his face.
If he brought along Set—practically his calling card—he wouldn't be looked down upon, but since they couldn't bring Set inside the Guild, that was meaningless this time.
Considering they might be harassed by mediocre adventurers unable to see through their true abilities, having an imposing companion like Elk with them from the start was the safer bet.
Besides, even if people didn't know Rei's face, Elk, with his extensive experience as an A-Rank adventurer, was recognized by many.
There were some who didn't even know Elk's face, but when it came to such individuals, Rei didn't particularly feel the need to do anything about them.
"I see, then I'll do that. Should I ask the Inn Staff to look after Rhodos?"
"Probably. I imagine Vihera is being looked after in their room too. If you're worried, before we head out..."
Why not check with the Inn Staff?
That was what Rei was about to say, but his words were cut short by a knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Excuse me. I've come to attend to Rhodos-sama at Lady Min's request."
In response to Elk's question, a voice came from the other side of the door.
"...That was fast."
At Rei's involuntarily murmured words, Elk, for some reason, flashed a proud smile.
He was probably pleased to show off Min's thoroughness.
"Well, Min's always been good at making arrangements like that. It's faster and more reliable to leave it to her than for me to try figuring it out."
"That in itself seems like it could cause its own issues, though."
"Umm... may I come in?"
Perhaps growing impatient with their conversation, the inn employee called out from the hallway.
"Ah, sorry. Come on in."
Elk glanced at Rei as if to confirm, That's fine, right?—though the fact that he'd already given permission before asking was very much in character.
The person who entered was a middle-aged man in his forties.
After taking in Rei and Elk's figures, he bowed deeply.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Telom."
"Yeah, we're heading out soon, so please take care of Rhodos."
"Yes, I've already been informed of that by Lady Min, so there's no issue."
That said, caring for someone in Rhodos's state essentially meant general caregiving while he remained unconscious.
For now, as long as they considered it basic care, there should be no problems.
Seen off by Telom, Rei and Elk stepped into the hallway.
Just then, Elena and the others emerged from a room a short distance away.
"Looks like everything's fine on your end as well."
Rei nodded in response to Elena's confirmation.
"I see. Marina is heading to the Guild's branch office, then. What shall we do?"
"Hm? You're going to the Guild, right?"
Elk looked puzzled, as if he had no idea what Elena was talking about, but immediately fell silent when Min raised the staff she was carrying.
Past experience had taught him that if he said anything careless in this situation, that staff would come crashing down on his head.
...Even so, Elk now wore a happy smile.
Ever since Rhodos lost consciousness—no, to be precise, ever since they began searching for a way to restore his consciousness and kept coming up empty-handed—it had become rare for Min to smile or engage in lighthearted banter like this.
Of course, it wasn't that Elk enjoyed being hit by Min's staff.
"If all of us go to the Guild, we'll definitely stand out. Though, honestly, even in a small group, this lineup would draw attention," Min said.
"If it's the same either way, wouldn't it be better to go together?" Elk replied.
Sensing the staff being raised again, he immediately went quiet.
"That's true. Someone might have forgotten to buy supplies for tomorrow, so splitting up is fine. I'm going to the Guild—who's coming with me?" Marina asked.
"Ah, Rei asked me to come along so we don't get harassed by any weirdos."
Elk looked at Marina as if to ask, What do you say? and she smiled.
Marina's smile, radiating feminine charm, was so beautiful that even Elk, who had Min as his wife, was momentarily captivated.
...However, upon noticing that Min's eyes had taken on a slightly dangerous glint from nearby, he hastily snapped back to reality.
Unlike before, the hope that they might actually be able to restore Rhodos's consciousness had clearly lightened everyone's mood.
Considering a battle with the Silver Lion awaited them tomorrow, they normally wouldn't be able to relax at all... but the fact that they could was likely a privilege reserved for A-Rank adventurers.
"Well, with Elk around, no one will bother us unnecessarily. I think that's for the best, too."
With Min's blessing, Elk would be joining them at the Guild.
Marina smiled at Min and offered her thanks, then turned her gaze to Rei.
"So, Rei, will you be joining us as well?"
"Yeah, I don't have anything in particular to do, so I don't mind."
"Hmm, then I shall come along as well. Leaving Marina and Rei alone together seems rather dangerous."
"...Hey, um, I'm here too."
Feeling slightly wounded at being left out of the headcount, Elk muttered.
"Of course I know Elk is here, and it's certainly better than being approached by strange people. However, regarding this particular matter, Elk's presence isn't all that significant."
"Yeah, yeah."
Replying to Elena's words with a somewhat exasperated—or rather, I can't deal with this—tone, Elk looked around once more and spoke up.
"Now then, what about Ara and Min?"
"Naturally, if Lady Elena is going, then I am going as well," Ara said.
"Having everyone absent from the inn at once might cause problems if something happens. I'll stay behind. I want to properly recover from the travel fatigue before tomorrow," Min said.
As an A-Rank adventurer, Min had more stamina than the average man.
But even so, traveling by carriage was naturally fatiguing to some degree.
Moreover, Min was a woman.
When it came to sheer physical stamina, she was inevitably inferior to Elk.
...Had they been traveling in Elena's carriage, she wouldn't have been nearly as tired.
But no matter how expensive a carriage was, it was still just an ordinary carriage.
Understanding this, Elena nodded at Min's words.
And so, it was decided that everyone except Min would head to the Guild.
When the party entered the Guild, they naturally drew attention.
Those who had seen Rei and his group when they previously visited the Dungeon wondered why they were back.
And those who didn't know them were captivated for a variety of reasons.
Naturally, there were those who recognized famous faces like Elk, Elena, and Marina, and wondered what they were doing in a place like this.
Amidst all that... there was one person who reacted completely differently from the rest.
"Huh? Captain Rei!? Why are you here?"
The voice of the person who uttered those words echoed naturally through the Guild hall.
The sheer imposing presence of Rei and his group had also cowed the other adventurers into silence—a significant factor in itself.
"Eh? Hey, why are you guys here? And I'm not a captain anymore."
"Ah, sorry, it just slipped out! But if Rei-san is here, that means Set-chan is here too, right? Is Set-chan outside the Guild?!"
To Yohanna, Rei was someone worthy of respect.
But at the same time—no, more than that—her feelings for Set were overwhelmingly strong.
The others besides Yohanna also recognized Rei.
Every one of them had served in the Mobile Unit that Rei led during the civil war in the Bestia Empire, and had come to Gilm with him after the war ended.
"Then if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go shower Set-chan with affection—"
"Set isn't here."
Rei told this to Yohanna, who looked ready to bolt out the door at any second.
She stopped in her tracks, and with an expression that could only be described as despair, she slowly turned her gaze toward Rei.
"Why... Captain Rei without Set-chan is like a skewer without meat, isn't it?"
"...Isn't that going a little too far?"
A skewer without meat... that wasn't even food anymore.
Not that it mattered much to Rei, who kept a considerable number of skewers stored in his Misty Ring as handy weapons for when there was no need to kill an opponent.
"Ah, ahahaha."
She probably realized she'd gone overboard. Coming back to her senses, Yohanna let out a dry laugh.
"M-More importantly! Why are you here, Rei-san? And... um... with all these people in tow?"
The individuals accompanying Rei each possessed an equally commanding presence.
Why was he here, bringing such company along?
It wasn't just Yohanna; her comrades were directing the same inquiring gazes at Rei.
"Actually—"
"Rei."
Elena cut in sharply as he was about to mention Vihera's name.
With the entire Guild watching, Elena preferred to keep Vihera's name out of it. Rei nodded in acknowledgment.
"I know. ...More importantly, it's lucky for us that you guys happen to be here."
"Huh?"
"...Marina, I think Yohanna and the others can be trusted. What do you say?"
At Rei's question, Marina considered it briefly before nodding.
"I suppose so. If you say so, then it should be fine. I was planning to have you introduce us anyway, but... regardless, I'll go speak with the Guild Master here. Could you explain things to her in the meantime?"
Yohanna could only tilt her head in confusion at Rei and Marina's exchange.