"Huh... so this is Marina's mansion."
"Grrrrrl."
At Rei's murmur, Set purred happily.
...Though that happiness wasn't from seeing Marina's mansion, but from the falling snow.
"She said it wasn't that big, but it seems she was just being modest."
"Mm."
Byune nodded in agreement with Vihera's murmured words beside Rei.
For a mansion in the Noble District, it was undoubtedly small.
But even so, compared to buildings outside the Noble District, it was unquestionably large enough to be called one.
At the very least, if Marina was living alone, one could say it was too spacious.
It was roughly the same size as—perhaps slightly smaller than—the mansion where Yohanna and the others lived.
Naturally, there was a courtyard, and though it appeared currently unused, a stable was also visible.
From the direction of the mansion, its owner... Marina appeared and began walking toward Rei and the others.
Marina, wearing her usual party dress, looked striking—the red of her dress vivid against the white snow piled up around her.
She was probably using Spirit Magic. The snow vanished cleanly in the path where Marina walked.
(So convenient. She doesn't even have to bother with shoveling snow.)
Rei earnestly admired the convenience of Spirit Magic, but then it occurred to him that he might be able to melt the snow if he used his own magic.
It occurred to him... but he quickly dismissed the idea, judging that the melted snow would refreeze and create all sorts of hazards.
With the Spirit Magic Marina was using, she was simply moving the snow itself, so there was nothing to worry about. But in Rei's case, snow melted by Flame Magic would turn into water.
And if he tried to completely evaporate even that moisture... he ran the risk of causing a water vapor explosion.
Rei could never bring himself to take such a dangerous risk over something as trivial as shoveling snow.
...Though the fact that Set, who enjoyed playing in the snow almost every day, would be disappointed if he did such a thing was probably also a factor.
"Welcome. ...Come to think of it, it feels like it's been quite a while since I've said something like that in this mansion."
"Oh, so not many people come here, then?"
"That's right. I greet guests at the Guild more often. I really only come back to this mansion to sleep. ...Honestly, if it's just for sleeping, I think an inn would be fine too."
"No, the Guild Master living at an inn... honestly, how would that even look?"
At Marina's words, Rei muttered with a hint of exasperation.
Of course, when speaking of inns, there was a wide range—from cheap lodgings for rookie adventurers to luxury inns where wealthy merchants stayed.
But for someone in the position of Guild Master, staying at an inn in her own home territory... it would naturally give rise to some unsavory rumors.
Given the prevailing sentiment that those in a position of standing should live accordingly, a mansion at least this size was necessary for someone who was both the Guild Master and a former A-Rank adventurer.
Understanding this, Marina flashed an alluring smile and shrugged at Rei's words.
...At that moment, the twin swells of her dark skin jiggled wildly through her deeply exposed neckline, asserting themselves—though Rei merely averted his gaze.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Marina flashed an alluring smile with an entirely different meaning from moments before.
"Well, there's no point standing out here talking in the snow. Please, come inside. Set, you..."
"Gruu!"
At Marina's words, Set turned its gaze toward the mansion's courtyard.
What lay there was accumulated snow.
Untouched snow—fresh snowfall that no one had stepped on or disturbed.
For Set, who had recently become enamored with playing in the snow, that courtyard was the ultimate playground.
Seeing Set's demeanor, Rei and Vihera smiled, while Marina's expression turned slightly bewildered.
The interior of Marina's mansion, while Set could fit inside, wasn't spacious enough for it to run around to its heart's content.
With that in mind, if Set wanted to play in the courtyard, she had no intention of stopping it.
"You can play freely in the courtyard. Just don't break any trees, okay?"
"Gruu!"
Set purred as if to say "Got it!" and plunged right into the courtyard, trampling through the snow.
Marina's use of Spirit Magic to clear the snow was limited to the area from the entrance to the Main Gate.
Seeing Set enjoying the sensation of stepping on fresh snow, Rei and the others couldn't help but smile.
Its innocent appearance didn't look at all like a High-Rank Monster gryphon.
It looked like nothing so much as a small child playing.
(Well, that impression isn't wrong.)
Rei found himself agreeing with his own thought internally.
After all, it hadn't even been five years since Set was born through Beast Magic.
By normal reckoning, Set was still at an age where calling it a child would be appropriate.
...Of course, given that it was a monster, many species reached adulthood within months of birth.
In any case, while Set charged into the courtyard ahead of everyone, trampling snow and rolling around making body prints in the drifts, Rei and the others were guided inside the mansion by Marina.
(Set was rolling around in the snow... but will its wings be okay? I hope it doesn't hurt them.)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei entered the mansion.
Inside, it was dead silent.
There were no Maids or Butlers in sight, yet it was so clean that one might think not a speck of dust had settled anywhere.
"Wow, this is amazing."
"Mm."
"Is it?"
Vihera let out a voice of astonishment, and Byune nodded in agreement.
But Marina reacted as though their surprise was nothing special.
"Naturally. This mansion is fairly spacious, yet it's this clean... and it doesn't look like there are any Maids, either. How are you doing it?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you before? If you use Spirit Magic, this much is easy."
"...Marina, what exactly are you using Spirit Magic for?"
Magic itself was rare, but Spirit Magic was even rarer among those who could use it.
Spirit Magic was primarily used by Elves and Dark Elves, but those races rarely appeared in public.
There were humans who could use Spirit Magic as well, but such individuals were naturally even rarer than mages.
To use such rare Spirit Magic for cleaning... Vihera's voice was laced with exasperation.
"Really? But you didn't say anything when I cleared the snow earlier, did you?"
"That's because it's useful for taking on requests. Honestly, I'm incredibly envious."
Snow was surprisingly hindering when it came to walking.
One could slip, and lifting one's feet took more stamina than usual. Once it melted, it soaked the ground and made walking even more difficult.
For carriages, wheels could get caught in rutted tracks, and with fresh snow, wheels might not advance through the accumulation at all.
For those reasons, using Spirit Magic to manage snow and make walking easier was perfectly understandable for an adventurer.
But... cleaning was different.
Of course, it was better to have it done than not, but even so, the feeling of "surely not..." was stronger.
"Marina, honestly..."
"What? It's convenient, isn't it?"
Judging that anything more she said would be wasted on Marina, who declared it so casually, Vihera gave up.
She also felt that having others criticize how she used her own abilities was presumptuous.
"Fine. If that's what works for you, Marina, then it's fine."
"Right? Anyway, the room is this way. I'll get drinks ready right away. Tea is fine, isn't it?"
At Marina's words, Rei and the others nodded and were shown to the reception room.
The reception room was, naturally, cleaned immaculately without a speck of dust, and the moment they entered, Rei and the others opened their eyes slightly wider.
But having already seen it once, they weren't about to be surprised by the same thing again, and they took their seats on the prepared sofa.
"Wait here a moment."
Saying that, Marina left the room.
Rei and the others watched her go, then looked around the room once more.
Marina had said she only came back to sleep, but she had clearly prepared properly for when guests came.
Several landscape paintings hung on the walls, including one depicting the World Tree.
A Magic Item for heating had been set up in the reception room, and it had already been warmed before Rei and the others entered.
"It's a surprisingly comfortable room."
"Mm."
Vihera murmured, and Byune nodded while surveying the surroundings.
Besides the paintings on the walls, there were several pieces of furniture in calm, tasteful colors, and spending time in this room would undoubtedly allow one to relax comfortably.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here you go."
As Rei and the others were looking around the reception room, Marina returned carrying tea.
After placing the tea on the table, Marina also took a seat on the sofa and spoke.
"Now then, it's a modest home, but please take your time and relax today."
The reason Marina had invited Rei and the others to her home—her mansion—today wasn't because she had any particular business.
She simply wanted to have a leisurely chat at her own place.
If she had to name a reason, she wanted to discuss a little about what would happen from spring onward... after she handed over the Guild Master position to Worker and began acting alongside Rei and the others.
She would become an advisor, and simultaneously an adventurer—essentially a half-staff, half-adventurer position.
With these members gathered, it was only natural that the conversation would turn to exactly that topic.
"Marina, you acting together with us won't be a problem for the Guild, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Of course, the Guild won't make any special considerations just because I'm there."
"...But you've been the Guild Master all this time, haven't you, Marina? In that case, isn't it possible that the Guild Staff Members might... without even realizing it themselves...?"
"Well, I can't deny that. However, I think Worker will be fairly strict about that sort of thing. I'm also keeping it in mind to make sure nothing like that happens."
Marina had served as Gilm's Guild Master for many years.
Everyone recognized her achievements, and as a former A-Rank adventurer, her abilities were high. And above all, she was a person who seemed to embody the very phrase "feminine allure."
In terms of popularity, she was undoubtedly among the top of all Guild Masters in Elgin.
Because of that feminine allure, she was avoided by female adventurers who boasted of their own sex appeal—having instinctively judged that they couldn't compete with her—but she was beloved by most others.
Given that, the possibility that the staff might extend some form of consideration to Marina, even unconsciously and unintentionally, couldn't be completely dismissed.
"I think Lenora and Kenny will probably be fine, though."
"Huh," Vihera murmured in admiration upon hearing Marina's words.
Naturally, Vihera also knew what kind of people Lenora and Kenny were.
...Naturally. After all, Vihera had been traveling with Rei.
Lenora, who was Rei's assigned receptionist, and Kenny, who harbored feelings for him—meeting them was an inevitable fate for Vihera.
Kenny, in particular, kept a wary eye on Vihera, undoubtedly because Kenny herself also prided herself on her sex appeal.
Though lately, the Kenny that Rei had mostly seen was bundled up in heavy clothing.
Even when she took off her coat at the herbal tea shop, she had still been somewhat padded.
"More importantly, shouldn't we decide on a party name?"
Even while thinking about one of her romantic rivals, Vihera brought this up.
Now that she mentioned it... Rei and the others agreed with the suggestion.
Until now, Rei, Vihera, and Byune had been acting together as three, but they hadn't formally formed a party.
They were just sort of together, to put it accurately.
But with Marina joining them, officially forming a party was definitely the right move.
Otherwise, countless people would undoubtedly try to recruit Marina, who was returning to adventurer status, even if only half-time.
"Hmm, but Marina is half-Guild Staff, right? Can she even join a party?"
"Oh, that's fine. Even if I'm called an advisor, it's not like I'm receiving a salary or anything. ...Though, knowing Worker, once I join the party, he'll probably be strict about all sorts of things to prevent any favoritism."
"That's not a problem at all."
"...The most dangerous one here is you, Rei."
At Rei's immediate response, Marina muttered with a hint of exasperation.
But Rei was serious.
If it came down to it, he could always quit being an adventurer... and just become an ordinary traveler, after all.
"As for Byune... well, when it's time to return to Exil, she'll leave the party. Something like that?"
"Mm!"
Byune nodded at Vihera's words, and after that, they continued chatting over tea until evening.