After finishing a slightly early lunch in the inn's dining hall, Rei and his party immediately sprang into action.
...That said, the procedure consisted merely of checking out of the inn. It did not involve the hassle of procuring food, water, and various camping gear like Elk and his party had likely done before departing for Gilm.
Those supplies were already stored inside Rei's Misty Ring.
If anything, Rei had to resist the urge to take out and eat the dishes made with Silver Lion meat stored inside.
Despite having just finished a meal, he felt like he could still eat any amount of Silver Lion meat... and in truth, that was likely no bluff or empty talk.
At any rate, since Rei had not brought any personal belongings into his room, his preparation to leave was finished in no time at all.
Compared to Rei, Elena and the others needed to stow the personal belongings they had brought into their rooms—changes of clothes, washing utensils, and various other items—into their bags, so it inevitably took time.
Rei had been on the verge of leaving the inn, thinking it would be best to have them prepare the carriage while he went to check on Set, but...
"Oh, Rei. You're quite early, aren't you?"
On a sofa near the inn's counter sat Vihera. She offered Rei a smile and waved.
Befitting a high-class inn, multiple sofas were placed near the entrance.
It was a space for meetings, business discussions... and even for lovers to whisper sweet nothings to one another.
"Vihera? You're quite early too."
Carrying no luggage whatsoever and not looking at all like someone about to check out, Rei replied to Vihera, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea.
It was already late autumn—or perhaps early winter—yet Vihera wore only the thin garments typical of a prostitute or a dancer, naturally drawing attention.
Many of those passing by the sofa wore expressions of surprise.
That none of them fully revealed their astonishment was perhaps because, as guests of a high-class inn, they were adept at hiding their emotions.
Seeing Vihera's outfit, which seemed to flaunt her supple limbs, the fact that some people still kept their reactions in check earned Rei's faint admiration.
"Are you ready to go, Vihera?"
"Oh, do you think I need to prepare?"
"Ah... I see. Right."
Thinking about it, Vihera had been unconscious until yesterday.
She had been brought to this inn in that state, so unlike Elena or Marina, she did not particularly have any luggage.
Of course, the inn may have provided necessary items for her after they arrived last night, but she apparently had no intention of taking them along.
"So, are you heading to the stables, Rei?"
"Yeah. I figured I'd check on Set while I'm at it."
The horses pulling the carriage would not cower at the sight of Set.
That was partly because they were horses trained strictly since they were young, but more importantly, it was because they had encountered Set many times before.
While Rei felt there was no need to worry about that, he had still intended to go just in case...
"To see Set? Right, then can I come along too? Yesterday, one way or another, I didn't get to spend any leisurely time with Set."
"Ah... right."
Yesterday, no sooner had Vihera woken up than they were immediately dealing with the dismantling of the Silver Lion, the destruction of the Dungeon core, the report to the Guild, and the meal at the Orc Stew Pavilion... It was a time that could aptly be described as a torrential avalanche of events.
Of course, at the celebration held at the Orc Stew Pavilion, Vihera had talked about various things with the others, including Yohanna's group.
But... the conversations they had paled in comparison to the dishes made with Silver Lion meat.
She had been talking with Rei and the others in the dining hall until just now, but she must have wanted to talk with Set. That was likely what Vihera was thinking.
"If you wanted to talk to Set, I don't think you needed to wait for me. Set is well-behaved even when it's just you alone, isn't he?"
Among monsters, animals, or pets, it was not uncommon for some to bare their fangs without question at anyone other than their owner.
But Set possessed extremely high intelligence and could even understand human speech.
Given that Set was such an existence and was also fond of Vihera, there should have been no need for her to wait for him.
At Rei's words, Vihera showed a slightly exasperated expression and spoke.
"Rei, you should study women's feelings a little more."
"...Did I do something wrong?"
Rei tilted his head at Vihera's words. At his reaction, those around them who had been secretly watching... or rather, spying on their exchange felt frustrated and inwardly sympathized with Vihera's future, lamenting Rei's density.
"No, I know that saying these kinds of things to Rei won't have much effect. More importantly, come on, let's go to where Set is."
Standing up from the sofa, Vihera pulled Rei by the hand and led him out of the inn.
...Among those watching them go, more than a few men felt jealousy toward Rei, but naturally, Rei did not notice.
"Grrrrru!"
The moment they entered the stables, Set must have known who had arrived. Or perhaps it had noticed even before they entered. Set purred happily.
At the cry, the horses inside the stables neighed as if slightly confused, but Set paid them no attention at all, calling out to Rei and Vihera as if to say, "Hurry, hurry."
"It's only been a day, but it's really happy to see you."
"It's the Silver Lion meat, isn't it?"
Being told that, Rei recalled the effect eating the Silver Lion meat had on him, and he nodded in understanding... or rather, the moment he thought about it, he wanted to eat dishes made with Silver Lion meat again.
(Delicious... no, having food that's too delicious probably comes with its own set of problems.)
He turned his gaze to the Misty Ring on his right wrist, remembering the large quantity of Silver Lion meat still stored inside.
Especially in Rei's case, since he could eat dishes made with Silver Lion meat whenever he wanted, his mind was probably drawn to that thought more often than the others'.
"Gruu? Grrrrru!"
Set cried out, as if to say, "Play, play."
Vihera smiled and gently reached out to stroke its body.
"It wasn't just Rei and the others; you fought for my sake too, didn't you, Set? ...Thank you."
"Gruu!"
In response to Vihera's words of gratitude, Set shifted its body slightly.
It was an attitude that seemed to say that fighting for Vihera's sake was only natural.
Perhaps understanding what Set was trying to convey, Vihera once again felt gratitude toward Set while gently stroking it.
Rei, too, reached out his hand with a happy smile at the gesture his partner had shown.
"We're leaving here today, so once we get outside, you can play to your heart's content. ...It would be nice if we had a frisbee, though."
"Frisbee? What's that? Some kind of Magic Item?"
Tilting her head at the unfamiliar word, Vihera asked.
"Ah... right. In the world I lived in before coming to this one, it was common... yeah, it was probably commonly used as a toy when playing with pets."
If anything, Rei recalled using it more to play with friends rather than pets, but he had seen TV programs where someone threw a frisbee and a dog caught it.
(A dog and Set... no, Set's lower half is a lion's, so it's a feline, right? But its personality is definitely closer to a dog's.)
Set's appearance was undeniably that of a gryphon... its lower half was that of a lion, but Rei was certain that its personality was that of a dog.
In fact, when Rei stroked Set's neck just now, it was purring happily.
(Hm? Was it cats that liked having their throats stroked?)
As Rei pondered this question, Vihera, apparently intrigued by the word "frisbee," spoke again.
"Can this thing called a frisbee be made?"
"I wonder."
The frisbee that Rei had played with when he was in Japan was made of plastic.
But naturally, there was no such thing as plastic in Elgin.
(Then wood? A wooden frisbee... there were wooden boomerangs, so I feel like a wooden frisbee could work. The problem is how to shape it like that.)
A frisbee was circular in shape.
In this world without machinery, how could one achieve a frisbee-like shape?
That was something Rei could not figure out.
(No, there are Dwarves and such, so with their kind of technology... maybe?)
The thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he considered looking for a Dwarf to make a frisbee once he returned to Gilm.
He did not know whether boomerangs existed in Elgin.
Rei had visited various towns and villages, including Gilm, but had never seen a boomerang.
If that was the case, he predicted that even if boomerangs did exist, they were likely limited to a very specific region.
(Well, boomerangs were originally hunting tools, so maybe I should suggest them to people who hunt.)
While Rei was lost in thought about boomerangs, the question of whether one could actually hunt with one made him tilt his head in doubt.
After all, if one were to hunt prey with a boomerang, a bow and arrow would be more reliable.
At the very least, in terms of killing power, a bow and arrow was overwhelmingly superior.
"Rei? What's wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that making a frisbee would be difficult."
"Is that so?"
Nodding at Vihera's curious words, Rei began to explain what kind of object a frisbee was.
Wood would be carved into a perfect circle without any distortion, and the inside would be hollowed out.
Just hearing that description made it easy for Vihera to imagine that it would be difficult.
"Sounds hard to make, doesn't it?"
"Right. If you just asked an ordinary craftsman around here, I think it'd be a bit impossible."
Conversely, that meant a craftsman with the appropriate skill could make one.
Noticing the hidden meaning in Vihera's words, Rei nodded in understanding.
(Still, whether it's a frisbee or a boomerang, they're basically cheap goods. Having a first-class craftsman make one would clearly be a loss. Should I make it an art piece with jewels or something? No, even if not jewels, a frisbee made of stone or metal would be too heavy.)
The frisbee, which he thought would be ideal as a toy for Set, was given up on after he judged it wasn't something he wanted to go that far for.
Of course, if he genuinely wanted one, he wouldn't care about the cost.
After all, he had just obtained Silver Lion materials.
"Lord Rei, Lady Vihera, so you were here."
As they were stroking Set together, a voice suddenly echoed around them.
Rei and Vihera turned their gazes toward the source of the voice and, unsurprisingly, saw Ara standing there.
"What is it?"
"We're already ready to leave. The inn procedures are done, and once I confirm whether you're all ready, all we need to do is prepare the carriage and we can go."
Her slightly angry tone was probably because Rei had been with Vihera instead of Elena.
It wasn't that Ara harbored romantic feelings for Rei.
Well, she did hold affection for him, but it was the kind of affection better described as friendship rather than between a man and a woman.
That was why she could unreservedly support the romance of Elena, who was both her best friend and her master.
"I see. Then let's finish up our preparations too. ...Set, let's go."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set gave a short cry and stepped out of the stables.
Leaving Ara behind to prepare the carriage, Rei, Vihera, and Set—the two humans and one creature—headed back to the inn.
Waiting there, as expected, were Elena and Marina. Seeing that Vihera had been with Rei, their gazes focused on her.
Vihera was subjected to their meaningful stares, but the person herself showed no sign of minding at all, smiling as she spoke.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"Indeed. I believe you did make us wait somewhat. Disappearing before one realizes it—honestly, I have my doubts about that."
Elena spoke with slightly barbed words, but Vihera simply gave a small shrug.
...Merchants who happened to be leaving the inn had seen Vihera's gesture, and naturally stumbled and fell on the spot.
Moreover, the merchants behind that man tripped over him and fell as well.
While having this exchange, Elena and the others waited for the carriage to arrive... and then set off for Gilm.