"Ugh... ah..."
Letting out a sound that could barely even be called a voice, Rhodos opened his eyes.
But his body refused to move as he wanted, and he had no understanding of what was happening to him.
All he could see was his usually strong-willed mother with tears in her eyes, and his father—a man best described as magnanimous—wearing an expression of overwhelming emotion.
"Wha... tt..."
Rhodos wanted to ask Min and Elk what had happened, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate.
His body was equally unresponsive to his will.
It was a side effect of being unconscious for so long, though the Magic Item Elk had obtained kept his physical deterioration to a minimum.
Even so, it was only natural that his body wouldn't move immediately upon waking.
What was even more unfortunate for Rhodos was that he had received almost none of the magic power and blood benefits harbored by the Silver Lion's heart.
The vast majority had been poured into Vihera. Rhodos had awakened using only what remained after her treatment.
This wasn't because Grimm had played favorites, however.
Even though both had been unconscious, the amount of magic power required to restore consciousness differed greatly between Vihera—who had Unbris, a being born from a magical anomaly, lurking inside her body—and Rhodos, who had lost consciousness in a semi-brainwashed state.
If anything, the fact that Grimm could also awaken Rhodos's consciousness using what remained of the Silver Lion's heart after restoring Vihera's was something only he could have pulled off.
Anyone less skilled in magic than Grimm might have managed to restore Vihera's consciousness, but restoring Rhodos's would have been impossible.
"Rhodos... honestly, you overslept far too much."
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Min spoke. Beside her, Elk broke into a joyful smile and opened his mouth.
"Really. Even I wouldn't oversleep like you did."
"...Ah... ugh...?"
Rhodos couldn't speak properly with his mouth barely moving, but Min and Elk could tell he had regained consciousness, and they exchanged happy words with each other.
"We'll need to retrain Rhodos's weakened body."
"Yeah. Getting brainwashed is pathetic for my son. We need to thoroughly beat some sense into him from the core so that never happens again."
While they were happy Rhodos had regained consciousness, the conversation between husband and wife was anything but reassuring for him to hear.
(Brainwashed?)
Rhodos tilted his head at that word, his mind not yet fully functioning.
He had no understanding whatsoever of why he had been unconscious.
The last thing he remembered was heading toward the Bestia Empire. After that, almost no memory remained.
(What happened...?)
Naturally, he had no way of knowing that nearly a year had passed since he lost consciousness.
His body wouldn't move as he wanted. All he could do was stare blankly at his surroundings.
Then, with great effort, he shifted his eyes—and the next moment, he caught sight of Grimm, and his body went rigid.
Grimm's appearance was exactly what one would expect of an undead monster.
As an adventurer, it was not an opponent one could possibly approach in a friendly manner.
Were his parents about to be attacked by an undead monster?
Mistaking Grimm's figure standing behind his parents for a threat, Rhodos struggled to speak despite the difficulty of even opening his mouth, trying desperately to warn them.
"Be... hind..."
"Hm? What is it?"
Elk tilted his head like Rhodos, but Min seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
She turned her gaze behind her, nodded in understanding at Grimm's figure, and spoke.
"There's no need to worry. He is an undead monster named Grimm, but a rational one. It was thanks to his cooperation that we were able to restore your consciousness, Rhodos."
"...Ugh, ah?"
Rhodos felt somewhat conflicted about having been saved by an undead monster, but even so, as the conversation continued, his thoughts gradually began to organize themselves.
This quickness of judgment was likely a sign he was cut out to be an adventurer.
"So you're awake."
At that voice, which came abruptly, Rhodos shifted his gaze.
Standing there was Rei, someone Rhodos knew well.
The moment he saw Rei, he felt as though he needed to remember something. But the moment he tried to recall it, whatever it was slipped away.
"Re...?"
"Hm? Ah."
Understanding that his name was being called, Rei gave Rhodos a small nod.
Considering how things had been when they parted ways, Rei had assumed Rhodos would hate him, or at the very least show some kind of reaction. But even facing him like this, Rhodos showed no particular response.
While that was a relief, seeing Rhodos so weakened left Rei with a vague sense of disappointment.
There had been various issues between Rei and Rhodos, and Rei certainly held no fondness for the man. But he still didn't dislike or hate him.
"It's been quite a while since I last saw your face."
"Re... i...?"
"Hm? Well, I don't know what you're trying to say, but you'll be back to normal before long."
"It sounds like he's saying it's been a while."
At Min's translation, Rei wore an expression of understanding.
"You wouldn't know since you were unconscious. It's been nearly a year since you lost consciousness."
"Yea... r...?"
Rei's words must have been a considerable shock to Rhodos.
He said only that and fell silent.
"Hmm... Rei, may I assume your request is now fulfilled for the time being?"
As if timing it to the moment Rhodos fell silent, Grimm called out to Rei.
"Ah, yeah. Um... Grimm. You really helped us out this time. Thank you."
Rei bowed deeply.
Several people watched with looks of surprise.
Seeing Rei lower his head and express gratitude was something many of them were witnessing for the first time. It was a sight they could scarcely believe.
"Foho foho. Think nothing of it. If it's Rei's request, something of this level is easy. Besides, Rei is a special existence to me. A request from you is no hardship whatsoever."
"If you say that, I would've liked you to help with a method other than the Silver Lion's heart from the start."
"That is precisely why you must not rely on me so much. Do you properly understand what kind of existence you are? Even for an S-Rank monster, if you can't defeat a Silver Lion alone... you're still lacking, I would say."
Rei naturally knew whom Grimm was comparing him to when he said that.
Zephyle—the genius among geniuses whom Grimm had admired before becoming an undead monster.
Rei was the one who had inherited Beast Magic, created by Zephyle—or more precisely, by the Zephyle Clan. As such, Grimm's honest feeling was that Rei should possess enough strength to defeat something like a Silver Lion on his own.
"...Against that Silver Lion?"
The murmured voice came from Elk.
But to those who didn't know the relationship between Rei and Grimm, or between Rei and Zephyle, being told to defeat a Silver Lion alone was nothing short of reckless.
That was why it was only natural that such a bewildered-sounding remark came from Elk's mouth.
Grimm glanced at Elk and the others before speaking.
"Hmm, it may have been a special monster to you all, but the Silver Lion is by no means particularly strong."
"...No, that might be true for a powerful monster like you. But actually facing the Silver Lion, I can tell you there's no way anyone could handle it alone."
There was no trace of a joke in Elk's words. It was the voice of a man who believed that from the bottom of his heart.
"That is why I told you, did I not? For you all, that is. Rei must become much, much stronger, after all."
At those words, everyone around turned their gazes toward Rei with looks of pity.
It was only natural. Having experienced the battle against the Silver Lion and then hearing this, they understood just how incredibly difficult that would be.
Even for someone like Yohanna who hadn't participated in the battle, the same held true.
No—precisely because she hadn't participated, her imagination regarding the monster known as the Silver Lion ran even wilder, which meant she directed an even stronger gaze of pity toward Rei compared to Elk and the others.
"Rei-san... um, my condolences."
At Yohanna's words, Rei judged that continuing this conversation would be problematic in various ways—specifically regarding topics concerning Zephyle—and turned his gaze toward the Silver Lion's corpse.
Grimm had already drained the blood, which was now stored in barrels Rei had on hand.
But the Silver Lion's materials weren't limited to that.
The pelt that had blocked the majority of Rei and his companions' attacks, the flesh, the internal organs... various parts were extremely rare as materials. Selling them would fetch an enormous sum, and crafting equipment from them would result in immensely powerful gear.
"Alright then, let's discuss how to divide up this Silver Lion."
"Yeah, we'll pass."
The first to say so in response to Rei's words was Elk.
Beside him, Min nodded quietly, showing no disagreement with her husband.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Just getting Rhodos's consciousness back is more than enough for us. No, if anything, I feel like we should be the ones paying you. ...What do you say? If you need, we can pay some money."
At those words, Rei shook his head.
In the battle against the Silver Lion, Elk's strength had played a very significant role.
Additionally, Min's magic, while unobtrusive, had contributed sufficiently as combat power in keeping the Silver Lion at bay.
Above all, the main reason Rei and his group had decided to defeat the Silver Lion was to restore Vihera's consciousness. In that sense, their goal was no different from Elk and Min's.
Given that, even if Elk and the others wanted a share of the Silver Lion's materials, Rei had no intention of complaining. If anything, he would have accepted it as a matter of course.
"But are you sure? I mean, I don't know how to put this, but you've been spending quite a bit of money lately, haven't you?"
"Ah, well, that's true."
At Rei's words, Elk nodded while scratching his head.
In truth, they had purchased various Magic Items for Rhodos's treatment and had even called in mages who could use Recovery Magic.
The money spent on those things, even considering that Elk was an A-Rank adventurer, was by no means something he could afford comfortably.
When Unbris created hordes of countless monsters, the reason Elk had accepted and worked on the subjugation requests was a combination of the Guild not having surplus combat power and Elk himself needing money.
Rei didn't know all of Elk's circumstances completely, but he understood that Elk was struggling financially.
...Though even while struggling, the fact that Elk could readily prepare a carriage and the horses to pull it—the likes of which they had ridden to this Dungeon—made Rei wonder, by his own sensibilities, whether Elk was truly short on money.
Then again, Rei himself was far from praiseworthy when it came to his sense of money.
It wasn't uncommon for him to impulsively buy a Magic Item on the spot if he liked it, and above all, when it came to food, there were countless shops and stalls whose sales had gone up since Rei arrived in Gilm.
"It's fine. Rhodos's consciousness has returned, and we are an A-Rank party, after all. Earning money isn't that difficult for us. If it comes down to it, we can always just throw Elk into some forest or another and that will solve everything."
"Hey, Min."
At Min's words, so casually declaring she would throw her own husband into a forest, Elk wore a pitiful expression.
That sight was in no way what one would expect from an Alias Holder and A-Rank adventurer.
But Min, watching her husband's demeanor, had the corners of her mouth curve ever so slightly into a faint smile—a gesture that several people, including Rei, did not miss.
This was likely the ordinary dynamic of this married couple—and, if Rhodos were included, of this family.
(I already knew this, but he's completely henpecked.)
Observing Elk and Min, Rei muttered to himself.
"In any case, we don't need any materials. That arrangement is fine with us."
At Min's words, Rei and the others once again turned to discussing how to divide the Silver Lion's materials.