About ten days had passed since his date with Vihera, and Rei found himself at Marina's house.
The only other one there was Set.
In that regard, it wasn't just the two of them like during his outing with Vihera, but Marina was perfectly happy nonetheless.
Beyond getting to spend time alone with the man she loved, she would also get to witness Set absorb a magic stone.
As a woman, as an adventurer, and as a Spirit Mage, she had a feeling this day would be deeply fulfilling.
"Here. Black tea was fine for you, right, Rei?"
Marina's garden had been adjusted with Spirit Magic, just like during the party held there previously.
Just as before, a table had been brought out, and Marina set a cup of black tea on it.
"Yeah, I'm not great with alcohol. ...Mm, this is good."
Rei murmured thoughtfully after taking a sip.
Purely in terms of the tea itself, it probably couldn't compare to what Ara brewed.
But Marina had poured her heart into making it, and to Rei, it tasted plenty good.
"Is that so? Hehe, I'm glad to hear that. ...Set seems to be enjoying himself, too. I'm glad I invited both of you."
At Rei's words, Marina smiled blissfully, glancing over at Set as he bounded around the garden.
Thanks to the Spirit Magic regulating the environment, the garden was entirely free of snow.
In truth, the past few days had been fairly warm, and even out in the city, much of the snow had already begun to melt.
Today's weather was every bit as suggestive of spring's arrival as the day he had gone out with Vihera.
Between the rising temperatures and the Spirit Magic, nearly all the remaining snow had vanished—leaving behind a carpet of green lawn.
Set was currently racing across it, clearly delighted.
Set had no problem rolling around in the snow, but it wasn't that he disliked greenery. If anything, he actually preferred grass and trees.
That was precisely why he was tearing around Marina's lawn with such enthusiasm.
Watching Set's carefree antics, Rei shifted his gaze to Marina, who sat across from him.
She had dressed appropriately for the tea party. Unlike her usual attire, she wore a party dress with relatively modest exposure.
Even so, both of her shoulders were still bare, which made it easy to imagine just how flashy her usual party dresses must be.
Setting his teacup on the table, Rei spoke up.
"More importantly, is this okay?"
"My, whatever do you mean?"
"Well, there's still a fair amount of snow outside, but your garden looks like this. Even with Spirit Magic, the effect doesn't last forever, does it?"
"Ah, that. Right. Normal Spirit Magic couldn't manage it, but... there are always little tricks, you know?"
Rei didn't know much about Spirit Magic, but looking at Marina's confident expression, he knew pressing further would be unrefined.
"I see. I won't ask any more, then. ...Oh, come to think of it, what about the matter with Worker? I heard the handover was mostly finished."
"Hm? Oh, as far as that goes, I barely have any work left as Guild Master. ...I've already gone to see Daskar and introduced him."
Daskar Larkus was the lord of Gilm and a central figure of the Neutral Faction, but to Marina, the image of him as the boy who had proposed to her in their childhood was probably what stuck most.
She behaved properly in formal settings, but right now it was just the two of them—this was a completely private moment.
That was why she could bring up his name so casually.
Rei didn't know the full details of their relationship, but he could tell they were on good terms, and he accepted it as natural given their respective positions.
In the frontier region of Gilm, if the two people holding the highest positions—lord and Guild Master—were to start a power struggle, the resulting damage would be enormous.
Precisely because it was a frontier region, such a conflict could potentially prove fatal for Gilm.
From that perspective, the good relationship between Marina and Daskar was something to welcome.
"Do you think Worker will get along well with Lord Daskar?"
"Let me think..."
At Rei's question, Marina fell silent as if turning something over in her mind, then took a sip of her tea before speaking.
"I think he'll be fine. If anything, Worker will probably be easier for Daskar to deal with than I am."
After all, Daskar would surely find it easier to interact with Worker, who was starting from a clean slate, than with Marina, who knew all sorts of embarrassing stories from his childhood.
That was what Marina said, though a barely concealed smile played at her lips.
Worker didn't know about Daskar's childhood the way Marina did. But he was still the person Marina had chosen as her successor.
If Daskar were to underestimate him, the consequences for a lord could be severe.
As the Guild Master of Gilm, Worker would never do anything to cause fatal harm to the city, but even so, he had plenty of cards up his sleeve.
"Hmm. Well, I don't know Worker all that well, but if you say so, Marina, I suppose he can be trusted."
Rei had only met Worker a handful of times.
The matter with Elena, and the matter with the Silver Lion.
Just those two occasions.
But he believed Marina's judgment of character was never wrong, so the option of not trusting Worker simply didn't exist.
After that, Rei and Marina continued their conversation—just the two of them—sometimes laughing, sometimes blushing, sometimes getting mildly annoyed. Their happy time together drifted by.
Set spent his time racing around the lawn-covered garden, getting petted by Rei and Marina whenever he wandered close.
After a while...
"Hey, Rei. Do you think you could show me Set absorbing a magic stone now?"
Marina suddenly asked.
Her words reminded Rei that spending time with Marina today had also carried the meaning of letting him show her Set learning a new skill.
He had been torn about whether to give the Snow Salamander's magic stone to Set or to Death Scythe.
But being asked by Marina like this, he reconsidered and decided it might be better to let Set absorb it.
Death Scythe's skills were certainly useful, but Rei already had combat methods like Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor and Twin Spear Style, not to mention an array of combat Magic Items.
Given that, it was clear that Set, who frequently operated on his own, stood to benefit more from getting stronger.
He scanned the surrounding area, confirming that no one was observing them, before speaking.
"Right. If you're asking, then I will. ...Hey, Set!"
"Grrr?"
Set, who had been dashing across the lawn, stopped at the sound of Rei's voice and turned around.
Realizing Rei was calling him over, he trotted back happily.
"Gru?"
Set tilted his head as if asking what was wrong. In response, Rei pulled the Snow Salamander's magic stone from his Misty Ring and tossed it into the air.
Without even pausing to think, Set snatched the magic stone out of the air with his beak and swallowed it in an almost reflexive motion.
[Set has acquired the skill 'Ice Arrow Lv.2']
The now-familiar announcement echoed in Rei's mind.
Set must have heard it too, because he let out a joyful cry.
But unlike Rei, who was connected to Set, Marina had no way of knowing that.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, it looks like the skill was successfully acquired. ...Set, could you show us?"
"Grrrr!"
At Rei's instruction, Set activated Ice Arrow.
Ten ice arrows materialized in the air around him.
"Considering there were five before he absorbed the magic stone, that's exactly double. ...Ten ice arrows is actually pretty strong."
Ice inherently possessed mass.
Even a single Ice Arrow could deal a fatal wound to a Goblin.
With ten appearing at once, a single cry could fell ten Goblins—no, considering the arrows could pierce straight through a Goblin's body, he could potentially take down even more.
At its current low level, there was a real chance Ice Arrow might prove ineffective against more powerful monsters, but still.
"Heh... that's quite impressive."
Marina murmured admiringly as she stared at the ice arrows hovering around Set.
For Marina, who wielded Spirit Magic, producing a similar attack wasn't particularly difficult.
But even though Spirit Magic required shorter incantations than standard magic, it still took some time to take effect.
Set, by contrast, could conjure ice arrows with nothing more than a cry. That activation speed would be undeniably advantageous in combat.
"Hehe, isn't it?"
Clearly pleased that his partner was being praised, Rei flashed Marina a proud grin.
"Shouldn't Set be the one feeling proud, not you?"
"I mean, Set is my partner. ...Right?"
"Grrrr!"
Set purred happily at Rei's words.
At the same time, the ice arrows dropped to the ground and dissolved away.
Giving Set's head an affectionate pat, Rei looked up at the sky.
"Great weather. ...Days like this are perfect for just taking it easy. And Set looks happy getting to run around to his heart's content."
"You're right. This winter has been far more peaceful than usual, but it's finally coming to an end. ...Rei, your preparations are in order, right?"
"I'm not sure what you mean by that. I don't really have anything in particular to prepare. Though I suppose I should probably stay active."
"Gru!"
At Rei's words, Set purred as if to say he was more than ready.
Given how much he'd been moving around, that claim was hardly unfounded.
"Hehe, Set is certainly full of energy."
Marina smiled warmly as she looked over at him.
Whether he was happy to be praised by Marina or not, Set purred and nuzzled his face against her.
"Hehe. There are plenty of good things about being in a party with you, Rei, but being able to interact with Set like this whenever I want has to be one of the biggest perks."
"Ah... hearing you say that makes me happy, too."
Rei smiled as he watched Marina dote on Set.
Considering Set's role as Gilm's mascot, there were probably plenty of people who would want to join Rei's party just for the chance to play with him.
Two individuals in particular stood out for their unrivaled affection for Set: the woman who led a certain party, and the woman from the Former Mobile Unit.
Of course, the former already had her own party, and the latter, while not formally in one, was a leading figure among the people she lived with.
If they were to throw all that aside and ask to join Rei's party, they'd undoubtedly be met with exasperation—or worse, they might be cut off entirely.
Being thought of that way by Rei naturally meant being thought of that way by Set, who adored him. The two of them, along with anyone else who shared that mindset, knew full well they could never endure such a thing.
In any case, Rei and his group had no intention of adding more members for the time being.
Even if they did, it would be after Elena came to join them... or so he was thinking.
However, when Byune eventually departed, the party would lose its thief. Rei planned to manage that gap using Set's abilities, his own magic, and Magic Items.
"Hehe. I'm glad you're happy, Rei. ...Oh, that's right. Could you wait here a moment?"
"Hm? Sure, I don't mind."
Rei was puzzled by the sudden request, but since he'd already decided to spend the entire day with Marina, he simply nodded without objection.
Catching Rei's easy acceptance, Marina flashed an amused smile and disappeared inside the house, leaving Rei and Set in the garden.
Several minutes passed.
Rei was passing the time with Set, eating sandwiches and drinking tea, when Marina finally reappeared.
"So... how do I look?"
Rei understood what she was asking immediately.
Marina had already been wearing a dress with an unusually modest neckline, but now a brooch was pinned to it.
"It looks great on you. ...Where did that brooch come from?"
"Hehe. Lenora, Kenny, and the others gave it to me when they heard I was stepping down as Guild Master."
"...I see. Then you'd better take good care of it."
"I will. But Rei—just as I'll treasure this brooch, I want you to treasure me, too."
Marina spoke not with her usual alluring smile, but with a softer, feminine one, radiant with happiness.
[Set]
'Water Ball Lv.4' 'Fire Breath Lv.3' 'Wind Arrow Lv.3' 'King's Intimidation Lv.3' 'Poison Claw Lv.5' 'Size Change Lv.1' 'Tornado Lv.2' 'Ice Arrow Lv.2' new 'Optical Camouflage Lv.4' 'Magic Eye of Shock Lv.1' 'Power Crush Lv.5' 'Sense of Smell Enhancement Lv.4' 'Bubble Breath Lv.1' 'Crystal Breath Lv.1' 'Earth Arrow Lv.1'
Ice Arrow: At Level 1, creates and fires five ice arrows; at Level 2, creates and fires ten. In terms of power, landing all five arrows is enough to crack rock.