Rei and his companions had been enjoying their conversation with the Former Mobile Unit members, but since they were out on a patrol request, they couldn't afford to chat for long.
Moreover, it was midday in the middle of summer. The sunlight beating down meant they would sweat just from standing outside.
Judging that it would be cruel to keep the Former Mobile Unit members talking in the scorching heat, Rei pulled several cold fruits from his Misty Ring, handed them out, and parted ways with them there.
Cold fruits in the sweltering heat were worth a Silver Coin... no, they were something you'd want badly enough to pay a Gold Coin for.
The Former Mobile Unit members were delighted, their motivation to continue the patrol restored as they headed off.
After seeing them off, Rei and his group made their way to Marina's house.
Fortunately... or perhaps as expected, they arrived without getting caught up in any further trouble.
(I had a feeling something might happen, but I never expected nothing to happen at all.)
Given how often Rei found himself caught up in trouble, hearing that people were trying to cause mischief in the Noble District had made him assume he might run into such individuals himself. In the end, he never crossed paths with anyone like that.
"Come on in. ...Now that I think about it, it's been a while since you last came to my house, Rei."
"Hm? Is it different for Vihera?"
"Yes. Since someone troublesome was at the Wheat Inn at Dusk, the rest of us have gathered here a few times after Rei left."
"...The Wheat Inn at Dusk?"
The slight surprise in Rei's voice was surely because he knew exactly what kind of inn the Wheat Inn at Dusk was.
As one of the more high-class inns in Gilm, its lodging fees were naturally expensive. But the service matched the price, and it was always thriving.
In particular, it had a Magic Item that functioned much like an air conditioner, making it extremely comfortable during the height of summer and winter.
Furthermore, with the expansion construction drawing in large crowds, every guest room at the Wheat Inn at Dusk was fully booked.
...Of course, there had been few vacant rooms to begin with, as the inn already served as the regular lodging for its established patrons.
As a result, Vihera had her fair share of familiar faces there, even if they weren't exactly friends or acquaintances.
Despite this, when Rei tilted his head wondering why that would be a problem, Marina let out a sigh.
The fact that even such a simple gesture could look alluring to men was proof of why Marina was Marina.
"Look, the rooms are full, but the dining hall is open to everyone, right? And if you can eat delicious food there, people naturally gather. That's when Melan—was that his name?—that person shows up. And since yesterday, there's also..."
She trailed off, but Rei understood what she meant.
Melan was the man who had fallen in love with Vihera at first sight and been pursuing her, and the reason Marina trailed off was Danza, who had arrived in Gilm just yesterday.
Even individuals like that could naturally walk into the dining hall of the Wheat Inn at Dusk.
"Ah... I see. Sounds like you've had it rough."
"In that sense, I'm glad you came back today, but..."
Marina trailed off again, likely because there were others who kept approaching her as well.
Those who had been in Gilm from the start knew whose party Marina and Vihera belonged to, and anyone who put even a little effort into gathering information would be able to learn the same.
But for those who couldn't—or wouldn't—do so, coming across a beauty like Marina or Vihera, someone they might see only once in a lifetime, it wouldn't be strange for them to immediately try to make a move.
Whether they had come to the Wheat Inn at Dusk targeting Marina and Vihera, or had simply walked in and spotted them by chance—in any case, there was no doubt the two found it a nuisance.
...No, it wasn't just the two of them. Byune found such people a nuisance as well.
She was trying to enjoy her meal, and here were people interrupting her as if to get in the way.
Additionally, there were some with rather unusual tastes, and a small number even considered trying to court Byune instead of Marina or Vihera.
"I don't mind being a bug screen, but then I'll probably have people coming after me instead. ...And they actually did."
Not much time had passed since Rei returned to Gilm. And yet, he had already been accosted by two of them.
He could hardly expect to spend the days ahead in peace.
"But if someone tries to bother you, anyone who knows the situation even a little would probably stop them. And if you show your strength to one or two people, I think you'll be safe unless something really unusual happens."
Marina and Byune nodded in agreement with Vihera's words.
That Rei possessed strength unbefitting his appearance was something many people knew. Considering that, there probably weren't many who would recklessly try to pick a fight with him.
"Well, putting that aside... it's been a while since everyone's been together, so let's take it easy."
Having just arrived at Marina's house, Marina said this with a smile. She quickly used Spirit Magic to confirm that nothing was amiss while she had been away, then stepped inside.
Without needing to be told, Set parted from the others and headed for the garden.
With the doors and windows shut tight, the interior had been filled with a sweltering heat, but Marina's Spirit Magic cooled the house down in no time.
The Wheat Inn at Dusk used a Magic Item to maintain a comfortable temperature inside, but Marina could achieve the same effect effortlessly with Spirit Magic alone.
"Phew, sorry to keep you waiting. ...Would you like something to drink?"
"No, I'll provide that much at least."
In the living room they were shown into, Rei gazed out at Set lying in the garden while pulling cold Fruit Water from his Misty Ring.
"...It's delicious."
After taking a sip or two, Vihera murmured with genuine feeling.
The acidity and sweetness were beautifully balanced by the cold water, creating a taste so good it made you feel like you could drink it endlessly.
Byune had already drained her cup and was holding it out toward Rei, wanting more.
Handing Byune another cup of Fruit Water, Rei spoke again.
"My request has been completed safely. ...However, the Magic Items I brought back from Count Relduct's Territory aren't really to my taste."
Having broached the main topic, Rei produced several Magic Items from his Misty Ring.
Paintings, a jewel box, sculptures... these were Magic Items worthy of being called works of art.
To those who knew their value, they were items worth paying a fortune for. But to Rei, they served no particular purpose even if he kept them.
"My, these are quite fine pieces."
As the Guild Master, Marina possessed an excellent eye for such things, and she must have judged that the items spread across the table held significant value. She murmured in admiration.
"These aren't really my thing. If I hold onto them, they'll just gather dust inside my Misty Ring. So I thought maybe you could display them in your house, Marina."
"...Ah, so this is what you meant by presents."
Vihera, who had been watching the exchange between Rei and Marina, finally understood what Rei had meant when they reunited.
She had been slightly bothered by the fact that he was giving presents only to Marina, but knowing that those presents were this kind of artwork, it made perfect sense.
"Even if I received this kind of present, I wouldn't have anywhere to put it. I can't exactly leave it in my room at the inn."
The Wheat Inn at Dusk, being a high-class establishment, naturally had far better security than any of the countless cheap inns around.
But at the end of the day, it was still just an inn—not a noble's mansion or anything of the sort.
For a truly skilled thief, breaking in wouldn't be impossible.
Leaving a present from Rei in such a place would, if anything, be nerve-racking for Vihera.
"Right? Well, there were a lot of people around at the time, so I couldn't exactly say what the presents were."
"Strictly speaking, isn't that not a present but just you pushing off your unwanted things onto me?"
Marina said this with a slightly exasperated look, and she wasn't exactly wrong.
Perhaps feeling somewhat guilty about it, Rei quietly averted his gaze.
But Marina, who had been watching his reaction closely, eventually smiled.
"That's fine. It's a present from you, after all. In that case, I'll have to display it properly. Most Magic Items of this type include effects that prevent deterioration from the surrounding environment, but..."
Marina paused, then gently reached out and touched the painting on the table.
After a few seconds, she gave a small nod and spoke.
"As I suspected, it does have that kind of effect. Of course, I can't know the precise details, so we'd need to have an Alchemist examine it to look into it properly."
"Ah... I forgot to ask about that. I was pretty busy with various things."
Recalling the events at Relduct's estate, Rei began explaining what he had experienced.
As expected, Byune reacted when she heard about the river fish hot pot, but that was already anticipated, so he didn't mind.
Of course, it was certain that he would end up bringing out the hot pot from his Misty Ring for Byune to eat later.
"Hmm... still, destroying a mine was a reckless thing to do."
"Not really. It was night, there was no one around, and as for injuries or deaths... there probably aren't any."
To be precise, if someone had been hidden and out of sight near the mine, there was a real possibility they could have been caught up in the collapse.
But since no such information existed among what Rei knew, he had judged that worrying about it would serve no purpose.
"Anyway, it hasn't been that long... but still, with the Crimson Lotus Wings gathered like this, I'd like to have a party today. ...What do you think?"
"Mn!"
The first to voice agreement with Vihera's suggestion was Byune, who had immediately thought about being able to eat delicious food.
However, Marina spoke up, seeming slightly hesitant.
"Having a party is fine, but as you know, there are a lot of people who have come to Gilm right now. Naturally, every shop must be busy every day. Having a party under those circumstances..."
Marina murmured regretfully as she looked out at Set lying in the garden.
If it were just the four of them—Rei, Marina, Vihera, and Byune—they could eat and drink at any shop without issue.
But once Set was included, it suddenly became much more difficult.
If Set joined them and made a ruckus at a shop, they would need a considerable amount of space.
Additionally, there was a very real possibility that someone who had just arrived in Gilm might get drunk and try to accost them, targeting Set's gryphon materials.
If that happened, with the town already overcrowded and trouble breaking out frequently, the Guards and patrolling adventurers would end up saddled with extra work.
To prevent that from happening, Rei turned his gaze toward the garden where Set was resting.
"There's no need to have a party at a shop. In this garden, Set can join in without any issues, and we won't be bothered by other people."
"...Well, that's probably for the best."
Since it was her own house, Marina was apparently agreeable to the idea as well.
She gave a small nod, then turned her gaze to Vihera and Byune.
"What do you two think? If you're both fine with it, shall we have the party here? We could buy food, or..."
Marina trailed off and turned her gaze toward Rei.
That's right—since his Misty Ring contained a large quantity of dishes and ingredients, there was no need to go out of their way to buy any.
Understanding the meaning of that look, Rei nodded.
"Sounds good, I'm fine with that. Besides... we have the Oven, too."
The food made with the Magic Item Oven—especially the Pizza—was delicious, as Byune knew from having eaten it before.
"Mn!"
That was precisely why Byune immediately voiced her approval.
Vihera, likewise looking forward to making and eating delicious food together, nodded right away... and they immediately set about preparing the meal.