How to distribute the Silver Lion's materials now that Elk and his party had declined them.
The first to react to Rei's words were Yohanna and her group.
"Rei-san, we don't need any materials either. We didn't contribute anything in the battle against the Silver Lion. There's no way we could claim a share of the reward, right?"
"...Are you sure?"
For Rei, it was precisely because Yohanna and her group had been caring for the unconscious Vihera and Rhodos that he had been able to fight the Silver Lion without worry.
Given that, he had been prepared to accept any claim they made on the Silver Lion's materials. But since Yohanna had stated they didn't need any before Rei could say a word, he couldn't exactly force the issue.
He asked the rest of the group the same question, but the only response was nods from everyone, backing Yohanna's words.
Amidst all that, Yohanna suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, that's right. We don't need the Silver Lion's materials, but please don't forget about the right to spend a day with Set-chan."
Her demeanor, which seemed to say that the right to spend a day with Set was far more important than the Silver Lion's materials, made her the finest possible devotee of Set.
Rei could only offer a wry smile and nod at those words.
If Set disliked Yohanna, it might be one thing. But for Set—who loved being fussed over by people—Yohanna was someone who would play with him, just like Mirene.
Even if Rei told Set to spend a day with Yohanna, Set would probably be happy about it and wouldn't refuse.
"I already promised you that beforehand. ...So, you're saying you don't need the Silver Lion's materials, but is there anything else you want?"
He asked while nodding at Yohanna's words, but the other men looked around at each other in bewilderment.
"Anything else, huh..."
"Hmm, as a reward for something like this, it'd have to be money, right?"
"But it's not like we're hurting for money."
They each muttered among themselves.
Yohanna and her group had come to this Dungeon seeking a potion that could restore Vihera's consciousness.
And while searching for that potion as they repeatedly explored the Dungeon, their pockets naturally became filled with various items, starting with monster materials, even if they couldn't obtain their target.
Even before the question of savings to survive the winter, they had already acquired enough funds to live comfortably for about a year.
...Those funds were originally saved so that they could hand them over if someone other than themselves obtained a potion that could restore Vihera's consciousness in this Dungeon. But now, the reason for saving up had vanished.
Naturally, that money would be split among themselves.
They had already discussed and settled those circumstances the day before.
That was why it wasn't that they didn't want money... but they didn't desperately need it right now, either.
Of course, having more would allow for a more luxurious lifestyle, so it wasn't that they didn't want it at all.
"Hmm, let's see. If anything, something money can't buy... oh, that's it!"
One of the men opened his mouth as if he had suddenly thought of something and turned his gaze toward Rei.
"Um, Rei-san. Only if it's alright with you, but could we have a little of the Silver Lion's meat? It doesn't have to be a lot. Since we went through the trouble, we'd like to let the guys waiting in Gilm eat some Silver Lion meat."
Those words resonated with the others as well.
Having just said they didn't need the Silver Lion's materials, the men felt it would be inappropriate to immediately go back on their words, but Rei readily nodded.
"Understood. Well, I didn't defeat the Silver Lion alone, so I can't make any guarantees, but I think it'll probably be fine."
The truth was, Rei had his eyes on the Silver Lion's meat as well.
Not only that, one could say he prioritized the meat over materials like fur, fangs, claws, tail, and internal organs. ...With the exception of the Magic Stone, of course.
Naturally, the materials of an S-Rank monster like the Silver Lion would serve as ingredients for very powerful Magic Items, weapons, and armor.
But for Rei, the most important of the Silver Lion's materials were, first and foremost as a matter of course, the Magic Stone, and next, the meat.
In the first place, the Silver Lion was six meters long in total. Even excluding its tail of nearly two meters, it was still close to four meters. The amount of meat it yielded was considerable.
In terms of sheer volume, giving some as souvenirs to the Former Mobile Unit members would barely make a dent.
At Rei's words, the men each nodded happily.
The higher the rank of a monster, the better its meat tasted due to the magic power it possessed.
Given that, who could help but look forward to the taste of an S-Rank monster's meat?
Even Elk, who had said he didn't need the Silver Lion's materials, felt saliva flooding his mouth as he imagined the meat's flavor.
But having already declined once, Elk's pride wouldn't allow him to say he wanted the meat after all.
All Elk could do now was look enviously at Yohanna's companions.
Naturally, Rei understood Elk's state and braced himself for his share of meat to shrink.
"Which means it's down to me, Elena, Marina, and Ara."
The remaining members were practically all people he considered his own.
Vihera was one of them, but since she had done nothing in this matter—in fact, she had only had things done for her—she naturally declined, saying it would be wrong for her to receive materials.
For that reason, Rei didn't particularly need to worry about distributing materials and had been thinking about how to divide the Silver Lion's materials...
"Lord Rei. I would also like to decline the Silver Lion's materials."
"Ara?"
Rei stared at Ara, who had for some reason declined to accept the materials.
Ara, who received his gaze, wore a gloomy expression despite the fact that they had accomplished the great feat of defeating the Silver Lion and that her master Elena's friend Vihera had regained consciousness.
Receiving looks not only from Rei but also from Elena, Ara eventually opened her mouth as if giving in.
"I couldn't do anything at the start of the battle against the Silver Lion. I was paralyzed with fear from that roar and held everyone back. For someone like me to want the Silver Lion's materials..."
"But it's also a fact that we were able to defeat the Silver Lion because of your power, Ara. It may not have had the same destructive force as Elk's Axe of the Thunder God, but your strikes were undeniably effective against the Silver Lion."
The one who said that was not Rei, but Elena.
It wasn't that she was covering for a close companion; rather, purely considering the magnitude of the role Ara had played, the option of her not receiving the Silver Lion's materials didn't exist.
If this were a case like Elk's with Rhodos, or like Yohanna's group who hadn't participated in the battle at all, then such a claim might have been accepted.
But Ara had participated in the battle, judging that if Elena fought, she would naturally fight as well. And as Elena had said, she had served as sufficient combat power.
At the very start of the battle, she might have been rendered useless by the Silver Lion's roar.
But that wasn't something that could be said only of Ara. For an ordinary adventurer, having a means to counter it would be extremely difficult in the first place.
Above all, Ara had been temporarily incapacitated by the Silver Lion's roar, but she had returned to the fight midway through.
There was no doubt that she had contributed significantly to the battle from that point onward.
"But, Lady Elena..."
"Besides, if you don't receive materials, wouldn't it make it harder for Marina and me to claim ours as well?"
Implicitly telling her that it wasn't for Ara's own sake, but rather so that Elena and Marina could receive the Silver Lion's materials, Ara should accept materials too.
Ara finally gave a nod.
(I don't really like using this method... but if I don't say this much, Ara probably won't accept the materials.)
Elena thought as she looked at Ara.
Having served Elena loyally for a long time, she knew Ara's extremely faithful and honest personality.
But precisely because of that, Elena wanted Ara to think more of herself.
She understood that this was somewhat an imposition of her own goodwill, but even so, Elena wanted Ara to fare a little better.
Moreover, while it couldn't be said that Ara's attack had been the fatal blow against the Silver Lion, it had certainly dealt an effective strike.
Thinking of it that way, Elena's feelings were by no means wrong.
Watching Elena, Marina opened her mouth in support.
"That's right. It's not that I don't have materials I want either... but if Ara, who participated in the battle, can't receive any, I'd feel a little hesitant."
"No..."
At Elena and Marina's words, Ara turned a troubled gaze toward Rei.
Since Rei was nominally the leader of this party, it was probably an act born of wanting him to do something about it...
"Right. I think Ara has every right to receive materials."
Rei casually took Elena and the others' side.
No, it wasn't just Rei. Set and Ielo, who were at Rei's side, were also purring and crying "Kyu kyu" as if agreeing with Rei and Elena.
"That's right. From where I'm standing, Ara was plenty useful. She even helped treat my wounds."
Elk followed up, and Min nodded in agreement as well.
Receiving the stares of everyone, Ara gave in and opened her mouth.
"I understand. If it's alright for me to receive them, I would like to take some materials. ...Since I already have the Power Axe that Lord Rei gave me for a weapon, could I have the Silver Lion's body fur, which can be used for armor?"
Given that the Silver Lion's fur possessed strong resistance to both physical and magical defense, if used as material for armor, it would undoubtedly become powerful armor.
Of course, to make the most of that material, a highly skilled Alchemist or Blacksmith who crafts armor... or, in the case of making clothes or shoes from the fur, a different kind of artisan would be necessary.
"That's true. Your armor isn't all that powerful, Ara, so isn't that fine? Fortunately, there's quite a lot of Silver Lion fur."
Considering the size of the Silver Lion, the amount of fur needed to make armor for one person wouldn't be that much.
Which part of the body the fur came from would likely affect the armor's performance, but considering it was the fur of an S-Rank monster... and one boasting high defensive capabilities at that, its performance would vastly differ from armor made from lower-ranked monsters.
With Ara safely agreeing to receive the Silver Lion's materials, Rei naturally turned his gaze to the remaining two.
"What about you two, Elena and Marina?"
At that question, the first to open her mouth was Elena.
"Having said that to Ara, I suppose I can't very well refuse to take materials myself. ...Hmm, let me see. In that case, I would like to take the Silver Lion's claws."
"Oh, I was aiming to use the Silver Lion's claws for arrowheads. In that case, I'll take the tendons. They'd be perfect material for making a bowstring."
The materials they each wanted didn't conflict, and the materials Elena and Marina would receive were quickly decided.
But Rei, listening to this, turned his gaze toward the Silver Lion with a troubled expression.
Naturally. Ara wanted the Silver Lion's fur, Elena the claws, and Marina the tendons.
Of course, those were extremely rare and valuable materials, but there was still a massive amount of Silver Lion materials remaining.
What should be done with the remaining abundance of materials.
As Rei was thinking this, Grimm's figure suddenly caught his eye, staring intently at him.
His demeanor, giving off the impression that he was watching some entertaining show, was slightly unamusing to Rei... but considering this matter, Grimm hadn't participated in the Silver Lion battle, but had fulfilled an even more important role.
For Rei, Grimm also had more than enough right to obtain the Silver Lion's materials.
(In the first place, I've been relying entirely on Grimm for this whole affair. He's the one who told us that the Silver Lion's heart could restore Vihera's and Rhodos's consciousness, he's the one who transported us straight to the deepest layer of the Dungeon, and he's the one who actually restored their consciousness.)
Despite being helped that much, Rei hadn't been able to give Grimm anything in return.
It was solely on the basis of being associated with Zephyle that he was freeloading on Grimm's goodwill.
"Grimm."
"Hmph, I'll say this upfront: I have no need for the Silver Lion's materials. As it happens, there's nothing I particularly need right now."
However, Grimm spoke as if stealing a march on Rei.
And so, after their discussion, it was ultimately decided that almost all of the Silver Lion would belong to Rei.