The day after arriving at the dungeon, Rei and his party headed toward the entrance by carriage, as was to be expected.
...Normally, a carriage wouldn't be necessary just to get to the dungeon.
However, given the need to transport two unconscious people—Vihera and Rhodos—having one was preferable.
Of course, if they pushed themselves, they could have carried two people on their backs. But if comfortable travel was an option, there was no reason not to take it.
Perhaps out of consideration for this, they only used Elena's carriage, leaving Elk's at the inn.
Elk had prepared his own carriage when they departed from Gilm, but he must have judged that Elena's alone would be sufficient for the trip from the inn to the dungeon.
Naturally, that carriage stood out considerably.
It wasn't adorned with unnecessary gaudiness, but the horse pulling it was unmistakably a fine steed, and the carriage itself would be recognized at a glance by anyone who knew better as a very expensive Magic Item.
"I guess it's a good thing we're going at this hour, huh."
The one who murmured while gazing out the window was Ara.
The reason Ara, who usually served as the driver, was sitting inside the carriage was simply because an Inn Staff member had taken the reins.
Given how expensive the carriage was, they naturally didn't want to leave it unattended in front of the dungeon.
Beyond that, leaving a carriage sitting in front of the dungeon entrance would only be an obstruction.
That was why, after Rei and his party entered the dungeon, someone needed to take the carriage back to the inn.
The man currently acting as the driver had been dispatched for exactly that purpose.
The availability of this kind of service was likely a major perk of staying at a high-class inn.
"I suppose so. The eager ones should already be diving into the dungeon early in the morning."
Marina murmured as she too gazed out the window at the surroundings.
Just as she said, those who were motivated and looking to dive into the dungeon would set off early... in this season, there were quite a few who entered the dungeon even before the sky was fully bright.
Even if not to that extent, those seriously trying to earn money would enter the dungeon by seven in the morning... or at the latest, before eight.
Thinking about it that way, it was unavoidable that Rei and his party, heading to the dungeon around nine, would be seen as clearly lacking in motivation.
(Well, even among those who dove into the dungeon this morning, we'll be the first to reach the lowest floor, though.)
As long as they had the extreme shortcut of Grimm's Teleportation Magic, Marina couldn't imagine anyone arriving at the lowest floor before them.
Granted, staying overnight inside the dungeon was a common practice, so it wasn't necessarily the case that those who had entered the day before yesterday hadn't already reached the lowest floor.
However, there was nothing on the lowest floor besides the Silver Lion, which Marina and her party intended to defeat this time, so there was no need to reach it in terms of earning money.
While such thoughts crossed her mind, the carriage continued down the road and eventually arrived in front of the dungeon.
When it came to a stop, Elk carried Rhodos, and Ara carried Vihera out of the carriage.
There were still a few adventurers nearby who cast curious glances their way, but given that the person sitting in the driver's seat was an employee from the inn where Rei's party was staying, and that there were also guards for emergencies, it was unlikely anyone would harbor any ill intentions.
Carriage guards? When first told about it, Rei and the others had been briefly puzzled, but reconsidering the value of the carriage and the horse, it was only natural.
"Then, we will take our leave here. We shall await your safe return."
The man bowed politely, and the carriage departed.
He was probably wondering why they were bringing two unconscious people into the dungeon... but refraining from prying into guests' affairs was likely a matter of training as an employee of a high-class inn.
Not that Rei and his party particularly minded being on the receiving end of such inquisitive stares.
"Rei-sa... Set-chan!"
The ones waiting for Rei and his party were Yohanna and her comrades.
She had been about to call out to Rei, but upon spotting Set playing with Ielo beside him, she immediately redirected her attention.
Yohanna closed the distance at a speed that made even Rei widen his eyes and began showering Set with affection right then and there.
Set purred happily.
Ielo, perched on Set's head, was also petted as if it were only natural, letting out comfortable-sounding cries.
"Ah... yeah. I figured this would happen."
Since they hadn't let Yohanna and Set meet yesterday, it was understandable that when they did meet today, her pent-up joy from the day before would come bursting out.
Seeing Yohanna like that, her adventurer companions looked slightly embarrassed as they bowed their heads to Rei.
"Sorry about this, Rei-san. ...Um, she's been saying she was going to brag about it to Mirene since yesterday."
"Why are those two so hostile toward each other? Or rather, in this case, is that a good thing?"
Like calls to like, or homotypic aversion. Both seemed applicable, yet also not—a feeling like that.
Both of them had feelings of loving Set, and the intensity of that affection was unmatched by anyone else.
Given that, they should be able to get along with each other... Rei had entertained such a thought before, but by now, he had discarded such naive notions.
This was because he had witnessed the homotypic aversion manifest far more strongly than like calling to like.
"Well, it's true that Set is cute, so it's not strange for someone to end up like that."
Yohanna's companion stated with deep conviction.
Whether it was Yohanna or her companions, they knew that Set was not merely a cute creature.
During the Bestia Empire's civil war, when they were assigned to the Mobile Unit led by Rei, they had undergone training where they faced a serious Set.
Of course, if Set attacked seriously, a normal opponent would die without being able to do anything, so it hadn't actually attacked them.
However, just facing a serious Set was not something an ordinary person could do.
Considering what Rei and Set had accomplished during the civil war after that, those feelings would only grow stronger, never weaker.
Even after such experiences, the fact that the man standing before Rei could still find Set cute... was perhaps also a matter of familiarity.
Though, if he weren't the type of person with such a personality, he probably wouldn't have gone out of his way to follow Rei all the way to Gilm.
"Hey, Yohanna! Stop fussing over Set so much, it's about time we get going!"
A different one of Yohanna's companions from the ones who had been talking with Rei shouted.
The voice seemed to snap her back to reality. Yohanna, who had been petting Set and Ielo to her heart's content, hurriedly stood up and once again bowed to Rei and the others.
"Good morning. I'm sorry, I was having a bit of withdrawal..."
"No, what do you mean, withdrawal?"
Rei couldn't help but say that to Yohanna, but even without her specifying what kind of withdrawal it was, anyone could tell by looking.
"Oh, come on, Rei. That's enough, isn't it? We're diving into the dungeon together today, so let's all get along."
At Marina's soothing words, Rei let out a small sigh and turned his gaze toward the dungeon.
Perhaps because it was already past nine in the morning, there were only a sparse number of people around.
The busiest time of the morning had probably already passed.
"Yeah. If we go now, we won't have to wait in line. Is everyone ready?"
At Rei's question, everyone nodded as if it were a given.
Given that they were about to challenge the Silver Lion, there was no doubt that their preparations were complete.
"Then, let's go."
Nodding at Rei's words, the party began walking toward the dungeon.
There, a Guild Staff Member checking Guild Cards saw Rei and his party and let a surprised expression show on his face.
It was only natural. While the sight of people being carried out of the dungeon after losing consciousness in battle within was fairly common, bringing unconscious people into the dungeon was normally out of the question.
Bringing an unconscious person into the dungeon could very well escalate to murder.
"Hey, hey, hey, hold on a second. What do you think you're doing? What's with these two unconscious people?"
The man said in a flustered tone.
He was a different person from the one who had checked their Guild Cards when Rei and his party had previously dove into the dungeon.
Being a young man only in his mid-twenties, he sounded slightly bewildered by this unexpected turn of events.
"Here, take this. The Guild is already aware of this matter, so there's no problem."
Marina handed the documents to the confused man.
Though the man let his nose stretch a bit at Marina's smile, he properly accepted the documents as befitting a Guild Staff Member and quickly skimmed through them.
The documents apparently included information about Marina's identity, as the man hastily straightened his posture and spoke.
"Excuse me. Please, go on through."
"Whoa..."
Just who was it that murmured that involuntarily upon seeing the Guild Staff Member's attitude?
His blatantly changed demeanor stirred various emotions in those watching.
Though, considering Marina's position, that reaction could be called ordinary.
"Thanks. Well then, let's be off."
Following Marina, they proceeded straight into the dungeon.
Behind Rei and his party, the Guild Staff Member stood in front of the entrance temporarily.
This was because the documents Marina had presented stated that, for a short while after they entered, no other adventurers were to be allowed inside the dungeon.
The fact that Rei's party had come at this time rather than the busiest morning hours was likely due in part to this matter as well.
...It was a measure taken precisely because they could not allow Grimm to be seen by other adventurers, but neither the one who created the documents nor the one who received them was informed of the exact reason.
That was because Marina, the Guild Master, had created them using her own authority.
It was an act that couldn't be blamed even if called an abuse of power, but Grimm's existence was something that absolutely had to be kept secret.
They descended the dungeon's stairs and eventually opened a door.
Perhaps because the busy morning hours had already passed and many other adventurers had passed through here, there were no monsters of any kind.
"Let's walk a bit. If we're too close to the entrance, someone might come through trying to get out from inside."
At Rei's words, everyone except Yohanna and her group nodded with serious expressions.
While Yohanna and her group had been told of Grimm's existence, they had not yet heard how they would be getting to the lowest floor.
That was why they tilted their heads at Rei's words, but the fact that they still said nothing was surely due to their strong trust in Rei.
...Incidentally, Vihera and Rhodos had been carried by hand until they reached this first underground floor, but now they were placed on Set's back.
There would be no issue with monsters that appeared on this floor, but it was a precaution taken just in case.
If a monster attacked them here, Elk would probably... no, would definitely leap out immediately and annihilate the enemy.
And it was not just Elk.
To ensure no unnecessary harm came to Vihera, Rei, Elena, Marina, and the rest of the group felt exactly the same way.
"Vihera-sama, I'm so jealous. To think she gets to ride on Set-chan's back."
While following behind Rei and the others, who were walking ahead and scanning their surroundings, Yohanna murmured softly.
"No, are you jealous? Vihera-sama is unconscious, you know? I doubt she'd have any idea she's riding Set even if she is."
"Right... honestly, I'm more jealous of Set, having Vihera-sama on his back."
"Huh? Are you into that kind of thing? Wanting to be stepped on or crushed by a woman?"
At the words of the man who said he was jealous of Set, several people around him backed away.
The man frantically tried to offer words of excuse to his companions, but...
"Hey, don't make so much noise. We may have only just entered the dungeon, but it's still a dungeon, you know."
Elk scolded them, and Yohanna and her group fell silent.
They continued for a few minutes, and once Rei judged they were sufficiently far from the dungeon entrance, he looked around.
There was no one in sight, but it was just to be safe.
What was about to happen absolutely could not be seen by anyone else.
After thoroughly probing the surrounding presence, Rei turned his gaze back to Yohanna and her group and spoke.
"I'm going to use magic to ensure you never speak of what's about to happen to anyone. Is that alright?"
"Magic, you say?"
"Yeah. It's a spell where, if you tell anyone, my flames will take your life from within your body. ...However, as long as you bear that magic within you, there is also a benefit—you gain strong resistance to fire."
He had already revealed Grimm's existence yesterday, and he believed they probably would not betray him.
However, even so, thinking of worst-case scenarios, taking out an insurance policy was essential.
In response to Rei's question, posed with such thoughts, Yohanna and her group nodded without hesitation.
That was likely a testament to the strong trust they held for Rei.
Receiving the trusting smiles from Yohanna and her companions... Rei took out Death Scythe from his Misty Ring and began chanting the Seed of Restraint spell.