Once it was decided that Yohanna and her group would be temporarily employed by Rei and his party, there was nothing left to do until Marina returned. They each began their meals.
They ate the food they had ordered, enjoyed lively conversation, and drank alcohol—everyone except Rei, that is.
Naturally, the faint tension that had lingered in the air until recently vanished.
If anything, everyone was laughing and chatting excitedly among themselves.
The most popular person was, naturally, Elena... or rather, Elk.
Among Yohanna's male companions, there were naturally those who wanted to try talking to Elena.
However, there was no way they could casually approach Elena, who possessed beauty equal to or greater than Vihera's.
Aside from her beauty, coming from the Bestia Empire as they did, the alias of Princess General carried a certain weight that made them hesitate.
...And yet, they were able to talk normally with Elk, who, like Rei and Elena, was also an Alias Holder.
The fact that it was man-to-man conversation was probably a significant factor.
"So then, when the Werewolves attacked in a group, Min used magic and wiped them all out."
With a treatment plan now in sight for Rhodos, Elk was in good spirits as he continued talking.
The others laughed and reacted to Elk's casual storytelling, clearly enjoying themselves.
"It looks like you're all having quite a good time."
The one who called out to the party was Marina, who had finished her conversation with the Guild Master and arrived at the bar without anyone noticing.
She murmured with a hint of envy, as if to say that she had been stuck with business talk while they were having fun.
"Oh, Marina. You're back. Are you done talking?"
As Rei asked while eating a stew packed with meat, Marina offered a small smile and nodded.
"Yes. I've settled the matters regarding this situation. I also had them thoroughly brief me on the recent Dungeon reports... and it's in far better shape than I expected. It was an unexpected piece of good fortune."
"...Hm? What do you mean?"
At Marina's meaningful words, Rei wore a slightly puzzled expression.
But to Rei, Marina merely offered a smile brimming with feminine charm, said nothing, and took a seat in the chair beside him.
Elena on his right, Marina on his left... there were surely few scenes more fitting of the phrase "a beauty on each arm."
"Just a little something."
Marina said it in a way that seemed to deflect the question.
However, Rei judged that it must have to do with Guild confidentiality and did not press any further.
In contrast to Marina, Elena, who had been eating a vegetable and ham sandwich next to Rei, opened her mouth with a slightly curious expression.
"Are you scheming something?"
"Why yes, I'm always thinking about how I could captivate Rei, you know?"
Marina flashed a smile that could charm even other women.
At Marina's smile, Yohanna's companions who had been talking with Elk... and the other men in the bar who had been observing Rei's group... and even the women, found their eyes drawn to her.
Unlike when they had been discussing the Silver Lion, Yohanna's group was no longer giving off an atmosphere that rejected their surroundings.
That was likely why they had the presence of mind to direct their gazes toward Marina.
"Oh my? What's the matter?"
As Marina asked with an amused smile, everyone around her simultaneously reddened their cheeks—not from the alcohol—and averted their eyes.
Normally, if beauties like Elena or Marina were present, it wouldn't be strange for someone to try hitting on them... but among those in the bar and Guild, there was no one who would try to hassle Rei's group.
This was because there was no one who didn't recognize at least one of them—Rei, Elena, Marina, and Elk.
If everyone had been eating at separate tables, perhaps one or two people who didn't know their faces might have tried to approach them.
But with this many famous figures gathered together, someone was bound to recognize at least one of them.
Naturally, the one whose face was known to the most people was Elk.
"Is this meat from the Dungeon? This dish is delicious."
"Ah, yes. The Dungeon has a forest floor, and that meat comes from a monster called a Water Monkey."
Overhearing the conversation between Elk and Yohanna's companion, Rei exchanged a glance with Elena beside him.
What floated on both of their lips was a wry smile.
They were likely remembering the time they had been attacked by a massive swarm of Water Monkeys when they previously dived into this Dungeon.
"We went through a lot back then."
"Yeah. We managed somehow thanks to you, Rei... but the fact that Water Monkey meat dishes are being served at the Guild means there are adventurers out there fighting those swarms."
"Honestly, I never want to fight those monsters again."
Rei reminisced about those days with deep feeling, Elena expressed admiration for the adventurers who brought back Water Monkey meat, and Ara grimaced with disgust at the memory.
When they had dived into the Dungeon previously, there had been some harrowing experiences, but at the same time, it wasn't only that... though whether the Water Monkeys fell into that category was another matter.
They had been attacked by what could only be described as an endless number of Water Monkeys, driven back... and while they had somehow managed in the end, it was not a particularly fond memory.
Even so, considering it was the request that had led to him meeting Elena, it was by no means a bad thing.
...Though, the end of that request had left a rather large stain on the experience.
"But didn't you take some Water Monkey meat with you, Rei? If so, I don't think you should be this surprised."
Elena asked, directing her gaze toward Rei's Misty Ring.
Understanding what Elena's gaze was getting at, Rei nodded in response.
"Yeah, I still have some in there. But... I tried eating it once before, and it wasn't all that tasty. It definitely didn't turn out like this stew."
Despite being thoroughly simmered, it retained a moderate chewiness that made the texture enjoyable.
And yet, after chewing for a while, you could fully savor the flavor of the meat before it melted away in your mouth.
That stew dish, which offered a satisfaction that screamed "meat!" exactly as one would hope for, was so good that it would be perfectly acceptable to enjoy it on its own rather than as a bar snack to accompany drinks.
"Ah, you think so too, Rei-san? Actually, when we defeated Water Monkeys in the Dungeon, we tried preparing them in various ways too... but we just couldn't get them to taste this delicious."
Yohanna, who had been listening to Rei's words, muttered in dissatisfaction.
However, her frustration was mixed not only with the food but also with the disappointment of not being able to go see Set.
When the conversation had ended and the party was about to begin, Yohanna had tried to leave the Guild.
Her intended destination was, naturally, the stable of the inn where Rei's group was staying.
But Rei had stopped her, saying she could see him tomorrow.
Even if she would see him tomorrow, Yohanna wanted to see Set today too.
Completely oblivious to Yohanna's attitude, Rei reached for the food as he spoke.
"That's purely the skill of the cook."
"...I suppose so. But if it were a big city like Gilm, I'd understand, but why would a cook that skilled be in a place like this?"
It was Marina, who had been talking with Ara, who answered Yohanna's question.
Whether it was because she was the Guild Master and understood why a skilled cook would be here, or whether she had simply heard it from someone else...
In any case, Marina opened her mouth to address the puzzled Yohanna.
"It's because this is a Dungeon."
"Because it's a Dungeon?"
"Yes. Precisely because it's a Dungeon, various materials... no, perhaps I should call them ingredients. They're easily obtainable here. For someone training in the culinary arts, this is the perfect training ground."
"...I see."
Now that she mentioned it, it made sense.
Being able to cook using rare ingredients sourced from the Dungeon could be considered a privilege for a cook working in a location like this.
"But even if they hone their skills here, the ingredients... the food obtained from the Dungeon can't be acquired in other places, so wouldn't it not be very useful?"
One of Yohanna's companions asked Marina.
...Though he was asking seriously, the man kept glancing toward Marina's deeply exposed neckline.
Even while receiving those gazes, Marina smiled and spoke.
"Perhaps that's true. But being able to prepare a wide variety of dishes is a valuable skill for a cook. It might not be useful in other places, but then again, it might."
"Is that... how it works?"
It seemed the man, who lived as an adventurer, couldn't quite understand Marina's words.
To the tilting his head in confusion, Marina smiled and nodded, confirming that was simply how it was.
While the man hadn't understood, if he was told that was simply how cooks were, he had no choice but to accept it.
And so, they spent some time eating and drinking together... and eventually, as the food began to run out, Rei spoke up.
"Well then, making too much noise here and having it affect tomorrow won't do anyone any good, so let's wrap things up here... Yohanna, come to the front of the Dungeon around nine in the morning tomorrow."
"Huh? Um, that's awfully late. It takes a fair amount of time to reach the lowest floor where the Silver Lion is, doesn't it? ...Wait, I suppose that goes without saying for you, Rei-san."
Rei had experience diving to the lowest floor before.
He should have known perfectly well just how much time it took to get there.
But then, why...? Yohanna was confused.
"Well, I'll explain that part tomorrow."
Rei had mentioned knowing Grimm, but he deliberately kept his words vague, judging that it would be better not to discuss what kind of abilities Grimm possessed right here and now.
When the topic of Grimm had first come up, Yohanna's companions had been keeping watch on their surroundings, but right now everyone was drinking and eating, making it an unsuitable situation for discussing secrets.
In any case, meeting Yohanna and her group at this bar had served as a welcome change of pace in the best possible sense.
"Tomorrow... once Vihera regains consciousness, let's throw a big celebration."
"Ah, that's a great idea. Vihera-sama will surely be pleased. Um, and of course Set-chan will be there too... right?"
"Yeah."
Perhaps because she hadn't seen him when they came to the Guild today, Yohanna looked at Rei with pleading eyes, and he nodded as if it were a given.
If they were all celebrating together, it was only natural that Set would be present.
(Though that means I'll need to find a restaurant we can reserve entirely. And a fairly large one at that.)
At the very least, they would need a restaurant that Set could fit inside, but finding such a place was an open question.
If it were spring or summer... or even the beginning of autumn, they could have held the party outside, but it was already quite cold outdoors now.
During the day it was still somewhat warm, but by evening, holding an outdoor banquet would be all but impossible.
Well, Rei had his Dragon Robe, so he would have no problem attending an outdoor banquet even in the dead of winter, and the same was true for Set.
But for the many others, if they carelessly tried to hold a banquet outside, in the worst case, someone could freeze to death.
Granted, since almost all the party participants would be adventurers, worrying about freezing to death was probably overthinking it.
"Ah, then I'll go find a good restaurant. I may not look it, but I've been here for a while now."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
Rei had also come to dive into this Dungeon before, but back then he had almost no time to go around looking at the shops here.
He had come purely to dive into the Dungeon, completed the Ritual of Inheritance there, and left immediately.
...If no betrayal had occurred and the Ritual of Inheritance had ended without incident, he might have had the composure to raise a toast at a restaurant after returning to the surface, or to buy souvenirs.
Furthermore, this place had developed enormously compared to when Rei had visited previously.
So much so that Rei found himself wondering if it was an entirely different location.
"Yes. Leave it to me. I'll plan a feast that will delight Set-chan... and surprise Vihera-sama, who will be waking up for the first time in so long."
"...Right, please do."
The fact that Set's name came up before Vihera's was probably just the reason Yohanna was Yohanna.
"Indeed. To surprise Vihera... tomorrow, there is absolutely no room for failure."
Hearing the conversation between Rei and Yohanna, Marina murmured with a smile... as alluring as ever, but now laced with determination, prompting Rei and Yohanna... as well as everyone else who had heard Marina's words... to nod in agreement.