What was originally supposed to be a celebration for Vihera's safe return to consciousness had, before anyone realized it, morphed into a tasting competition for dishes made with Silver Lion meat by the end. Now that the celebration was over, Rei and his companions were walking outside.
It was already late autumn... and since it was nighttime as well, Yohanna and her group cried out at the chill in the night air.
Still, whether due to the effects of having eaten Silver Lion meat or simply because they had just finished a meal, they didn't seem to be truly bothered by the cold.
It was more accurate to say they were just putting on an act.
"So, we're planning to head back soon, but what are you all going to do, Yohanna?"
"Hmm, we'd like to return to Gilm before the snow starts falling in earnest, too. We've accomplished our goal, after all."
Murmuring this, Yohanna glanced toward Vihera.
Vihera looked perfectly healthy, despite having only woken up that very day from a state of unconsciousness lasting nearly two months.
Originally, Yohanna and her group had come to this Dungeon to obtain some kind of potion to restore Vihera's consciousness.
However, in the end, it was Grimm who performed the task of restoring Vihera's consciousness. What Yohanna and her group gained from this Dungeon was the money made from selling the materials and Subjugation Proof Parts they had acquired during their dives... and it was an amount that would certainly be called a fortune by general standards.
In that sense, it could hardly be said that diving into the Dungeon had been meaningless.
For an adventurer, there was no such thing as having too much money.
Replacing weapons and armor, purchasing consumables like potions, paying fees to informants—there were various other reasons as well, and compared to those living normal lives, their spending was intense.
"When are you heading back, Rei-san?"
"Ah... let's see. I think we'll leave soon. I want to be in Gilm for the winter, and above all, this Dungeon is... you know?"
Even without finishing his sentence, Yohanna understood what Rei was trying to say.
If the Dungeon's core had been destroyed, then as time passed, the Dungeon would lose its function as a Dungeon.
Knowing that, those who were quick to act would certainly consider withdrawing early... before winter arrived.
If there were many such people, things were bound to get crowded and complicated.
Yohanna must have understood what Rei meant as well. She turned her gaze toward the surrounding buildings.
Because this place had grown beyond the scale of a village and was already approaching that of a small town, the number of people living here was large.
Yohanna didn't know exactly how many people would try to leave early, but it was easy to imagine that if even ten percent of the residents tried to leave, it would cause considerable chaos.
If asked whether they wanted to get caught up in such chaos, the answer was naturally no... Moreover, they had their mansion in Gilm where Yohanna and her group lived, so if they were going to face the winter, it was only natural that they would want to spend it in their mansion rather than in a cramped inn.
"Then maybe we should head back early too..."
"Hey, Yohanna. We can't head back yet."
"Eh?"
Yohanna looked as if she wanted to say they should leave first thing tomorrow, but one of her companions stopped her.
"Why?" As Yohanna stood there, the male companion sighed before opening his mouth.
"Come on, did you forget? We have an escort request for an Alchemist in three days. Something about investigating materials inside the Dungeon."
"...Ah."
She had completely forgotten about it due to Vihera's... and incidentally Rhodos's, situation. Yohanna finally recalled the request they had accepted from the Guild and let out a sound.
In other words, it meant they couldn't return to Gilm alongside Rei's group.
Yohanna, who wanted to spend even a little more time with Set, would have preferred to return to Gilm at the same time as Rei's group if possible.
But since they had already accepted a request from the Guild, there was no way they could do such a thing.
If it had been because of an injury... or a broken weapon, they might have been able to cancel the request.
But this wasn't an unavoidable reason; refusing a request for personal convenience... while not impossible, doing so would definitely lead to various complications the next time they tried to accept another one.
And not just at this Dungeon. This Guild was a Branch Office of the Gilm Guild, which meant there was even a possibility that they would be turned down by the Guild when trying to accept requests in Gilm.
To avoid that, they would need to go to a different city or a different country, but since a certain degree of information was shared between Guilds, even that wasn't guaranteed.
Also, above all else, there was the biggest problem: could Yohanna even survive living somewhere without Set?
Anyone who knew how much Yohanna doted on Set would assert with absolute certainty that she could never do such a thing.
"Ahh... I wanted to enjoy a trip with Set-chan..."
"Give it up. In exchange, you got the right to spend a whole day with Set once we get back to Gilm, right?"
"That's true, but the time until I can play with Set-chan will be so much farther away!"
Unlike her usual demeanor, Yohanna complained like a spoiled child.
Normally, she was a reliable party leader who led everyone, but when it came to Set, she ended up like this.
However, no matter how much of a spoiled child she was, she must have understood what kind of situation it would take to accept a request and then throw it away halfway. In the end, Yohanna gave up on returning to Gilm with Rei's group.
"People who abandon their work halfway are hated by Set, you know."
There was no doubt that these words from Rei were the decisive blow, though.
"Uuu, Set-chan. Meeting here again is... probably impossible, so let's meet in Gilm. When that time comes, I'll spend a whole day relaxing with you, okay?"
"Guru."
At the fork in the road between the most expensive inn where Rei's group was staying and the inn where Yohanna's group was staying, Yohanna murmured sadly, as if facing an eternal parting from a lover.
Set, who had been listening, didn't seem all that serious about it, as if saying "see you later," but...
"Mm-hm. It's okay, Set-chan. I'm always thinking about you, Set-chan."
In Yohanna's mind, Set's current attitude seemed to have been translated as grieving over their parting, and she clung to him, lamenting their separation.
"Well then, you all be careful too."
"Ah, yes. Understood. But what we're doing is escorting an Alchemist, and we won't be diving that deep, so I don't think you need to worry."
"Even if it's an enemy you can defeat easily, a Dungeon is still a Dungeon. Anything can happen, so don't let your guard down."
Getting a glimpse of her somewhat underestimating the Dungeon, Rei repeatedly stressed not to let her guard down.
Since they had been operating in this Dungeon up until now, they should have a grasp of what kind of beings the monsters that appeared here were.
In fact, if one considered purely the time spent diving into the Dungeon, Yohanna and her group had spent overwhelmingly more time than Rei's group.
The men also knew just how much strength Rei possessed.
They had come to the Kingdom of Mireana precisely because they had witnessed his power firsthand during the Bestia Empire civil war, and that was the reason they were heeding his warning about the Dungeon.
When someone like Rei told them to be careful once again, there was no way they wouldn't listen.
"Understood. Once we finish escorting the Alchemist this time, we'll return to Gilm too."
Yohanna and her companions had no intention of staying in a Dungeon that had lost its core, either.
Above all, their party leader Yohanna had Set in Gilm, and she had received the right to spend a whole day with him.
In that situation, there was no way Yohanna would agree to stay here.
Also, the male companions strongly felt that if they were going to relax, they would rather do it in their mansion in Gilm than in an inn.
"Well then... we should get going soon. Yohanna, let go of Set already."
"Ahhhhh, Set-chan... I'll go back to Gilm as quickly, as absolutely quickly as I can. It'll be lonely until then, but wait for me, okay?"
"Gururu?"
At Yohanna's words, Set let out a curious purr.
That behavior of Set's must have been adorable to Yohanna as well.
Not wanting to let go, she clung to him.
But they couldn't let her keep doing this forever, so Rei peeled Yohanna off of Set.
"Come on, that's enough. If you fuss over Set too much, he'll end up hating you."
"Ugh!"
Rei's single phrase was more effective than expected, and Yohanna immediately let go of Set.
Though, to be fair, Set, who had been clung to, didn't show any sign of being particularly bothered.
"S-Set-chan. You won't come to hate me, right? Right? Right?"
"Guru!"
Of course! Set purred.
Perhaps relieved to see Set like that, Yohanna let out a sigh of relief, her panic from seconds ago vanishing as if it had been a lie.
"Well, since you've let go, Yohanna... see you."
Besides Rei, Elena and the others each exchanged farewells, and they parted ways with Yohanna's group, heading toward their inn.
"Now that I think about it, walking around like this at night instead of taking a carriage is pretty unusual."
"Is it?"
At Vihera's words, Rei questioned it.
Since Rei rarely rode in carriages or the like, walking to get around wasn't all that unusual for him.
...Though he did ride Set to get around instead of a carriage.
"I do. ...What about you, Elena, and the rest?"
"Hmm, true. Due to my position, I often travel by carriage or on horseback."
"Oh my, then does that mean I'm the one who has experienced this kind of thing with Rei the most?"
At Elena and Marina's words, Vihera declared with a somewhat smug expression.
In response, Elena and Marina naturally displayed displeased expressions and opened their mouths.
"Even so, considering that your relationship with Rei hasn't progressed, it seems to be rather ineffective."
"Right. If anything, hasn't being together just become inertia for you?"
When both of them said such things in unison, naturally Vihera wasn't amused either.
"My, my. Losing a battle between women and getting jealous is a bit much, don't you think?"
"Lose? Me? Unfortunately, I have never once lost to Vihera."
"Is that so? At the very least, I think you've lost to me in terms of feminine charm."
"Oh, if it's that, then I have a fair amount of confidence myself."
In response to Vihera's words, Marina chimed in as if in agreement.
Elena, Marina, and Vihera... all three of them had appearances befitting the term "rare beauties."
However, even as rare beauties, the impressions one received from each of the three were vastly different.
Elena had a dignified aura, Vihera had a healthy sensuality, and Marina had a feminine allure.
Though the three gave off such different impressions, it was a fact that when it came to the aspects of charm and allure, Elena was inferior to the other two.
Of course, if she wore a party dress like the one Marina was wearing, her appearance would become an alluring figure that captivated the gazes of all who saw her.
But even so... given that she had accumulated time as one who lived for battle rather than as a woman, she inevitably fell short of Vihera and... let alone Marina, who exuded a rich, feminine allure.
Precisely because she was aware of this, Elena gently reached out to her hair, which looked like nothing but pure gold, under the softly descending moonlight.
"I-It's okay, Lady Elena! You are very beautiful! Right, Lord Rei?"
Ara asked Rei, but within her gaze was a light so intense that even Rei flinched for a moment.
If he said otherwise, in that instant, his throat could be torn out... it was a light that made him genuinely think so.
"Ah... yeah. That's right. Of course I think so too. Right, Set?"
"Guru?"
Suddenly asked, Set tilted its head quizzically.
To the Gryphon Seto, the beauty and ugliness of humans was incomprehensible.
Let alone discussions about feminine allure or charm, it couldn't understand them at all.
Rei tried to somehow brush off the topic vaguely, but naturally, there was no way Elena and the others would be fooled by that... and they ended up walking noisily together until they arrived at the inn.
It was a casual exchange, but... precisely because it was such an exchange, Rei deeply felt that Vihera had truly returned.