Three days had passed since departing Gilm, and Rei's party had already left the Kingdom of Mireana and entered the country of Reblurina.
The journey was supposed to take two days, but it ended up requiring an extra one because Rei spotted a merchant caravan under attack by bandits along the way.
It wasn't that he lacked the desire to save an innocent caravan, but for Rei, the stronger impulse was the simple recognition that finding bandits meant it was time to earn.
If that had been the extent of it, he could have just raided the hideout he learned about from the captured bandits and made off with the treasure and weapons. But that particular gang hadn't simply stolen money and valuables—they had also captured a large number of people to sell into slavery, and dealing with the captives ended up costing them time.
He couldn't exactly leave the prisoners at the bandit hideout, especially one nestled in the mountains, so in the end, he had to escort them to a nearby village. That alone consumed an entire day.
Fortunately, it wasn't some remote hamlet. The village was reasonably large, so getting word out went smoothly.
Of course, not all of the captives were residents of that village, but even Rei couldn't manage everything.
In the end, they returned the captives' belongings from among the items found in the hideout, and it was agreed that Rei's party would claim the rest. After that, they departed the village.
If there had been fewer captives, I might have been able to transport them all at once with the Mirage Basket... but with over twenty people, that was never an option.
From atop Set's back, Rei thought to this as he glanced toward the city visible on the horizon—the capital of Reblurina, Rossi.
"So that's Rossi."
"Hey, Rei. What does Rossi look like from up there!?"
Vihera's voice called up to him from inside the Mirage Basket.
The Mirage Basket fundamentally had no windows; there was only a single door for entering and exiting. Because of that, a sense of confinement was inevitable.
This was another point earmarked for improvement once the current request was finished.
However, given that the Mirage Basket's defining feature was its ability to blend into the surrounding scenery using Murder Chameleon leather, simply adding windows was no easy task.
The ceiling section could be detached, which did somewhat alleviate the claustrophobia. But even looking up, all they could see was Set's body and wings, Rei's feet straddling the gryphon's back, and the sky beyond—so the enclosed feeling was never fully dispelled.
That was why Vihera and the others riding inside had no choice but to ask Rei about conditions outside.
"Yeah, let's see. For a capital, it's not all that large. From what I can see, it's smaller than Gilm."
"I figured as much."
The one who responded was not Vihera, who had asked the question, but Marina.
"Gilm is the only city on the frontier, and in the Kingdom of Mireana, no less. The sheer number of people who gather at a place like that versus the capital of Reblurina—which is merely a vassal state—is on a completely different level."
Her slightly boastful tone likely stemmed from her experience serving as the Guild Master, commanding adventurers—one of the key pillars supporting Gilm. She couldn't claim to have built Gilm into what it was today single-handedly, but her words carried the pride of someone who had contributed to its growth every step of the way.
Listening to Marina, Rei kept his eyes on Rossi as it steadily drew closer from atop Set's back.
Given the purpose of their visit, it would have been more prudent to split up some distance from the city and enter one by one.
But naturally, getting into Rossi required identification, such as a Guild Card.
With more time, they could have used Daskar's authority as a lord to forge one, but they simply didn't have that luxury. If they took too long, word of Ajas and his associates' capture might reach the wrong ears, and there was also a high chance the Kingdom of Mireana would make the first move on its own.
Of course, the organization Ajas belonged to possessed an abundance of Magic Items, and given its scale, it was likely connected to Reblurina's upper echelon. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising if they had Paired Orbs as well.
The lack of time was certainly a factor, but the single biggest reason they hadn't prepared forged Guild Cards was, without a doubt, Set.
Someone who kept a gryphon as a tamed monster might be the only one in the entire world.
Moreover, Rei's alias, Crimson, was widely known—not just in the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire, but across all the surrounding nations—precisely because he was an adventurer with a gryphon at his command.
Naturally, that reputation had spread to Reblurina as well. Anyone who saw the gryphon would know it was Rei without needing to check a Guild Card.
Elena, Marina, and Vihera were each beauties at a level one might be fortunate to see once in a lifetime, making it all but impossible to conceal their identities.
Elena, with her golden drill-curls that looked as if sunlight itself had been woven into hair.
Marina, a Dark Elf who habitually wore a Party Dress, radiating an almost overwhelming feminine allure.
Vihera, clad in garments so sheer they looked as though one could see straight through them—the kind of attire a prostitute or a dancer might wear.
There was no way those three wouldn't stand out.
Byune was fundamentally expressionless, but her features were striking in their own right. Even so, the fact that she drew less attention than the others only served as proof of just how flashy Rei's party was.
Since avoiding attention was impossible even if they tried to slip in quietly, Rei figured they might as well go all out and make their presence undeniably known.
Naturally, this would stir up all sorts of unnecessary commotion, but at the same time, there was a very real chance that those connected to their current case would come to them.
"Alright, Rossi is close. We'll be landing soon."
Set had continued flying while they talked, closing the distance to the city considerably. The fact that no one had raised the alarm about a gryphon attack was thanks to the Mirage Basket.
Set's wings were larger than the basket, so anyone who happened to look up from below would have spotted them clearly. But fortunately, no one on the ground had been watching that closely.
"We're ready on this end. Go ahead!"
Hearing Elena's voice, Rei gave Set the signal.
Flapping its wings, Set descended to a spot slightly off the main road leading into Rossi.
While airborne, they might have gone unnoticed by those on the ground, but once they landed, it was another story entirely. The sound of Set's wings beating and the wind it kicked up were impossible to conceal, and the people on the road immediately turned toward the commotion.
Even if it was a small country, Rossi was the capital of Reblurina. Though perhaps not as bustling as present-day Gilm, the number of travelers heading toward the capital was still significant. If it had been one or two people, that would have been one thing, but there was no way a crowd that size wouldn't notice a gryphon descending.
"H-hey! L-look! What is that!"
"A gryphon!? No way, why is a gryphon here... and someone's riding it!?"
"No, it's carrying something. What is that?"
"H-hey. Shouldn't someone go call the soldiers?"
"Idiot, if that's really a gryphon, soldiers won't be able to do a thing about it!"
Passersby caught sight of Set, Rei on its back, and the Mirage Basket clutched in its talons, and the crowd erupted into a frenzy. Seeing a few people actually start toward the city to fetch soldiers, Rei hurriedly spoke up.
"Wait, please! Set here... this gryphon is my tamed monster. It won't harm anyone on its own, so there's no need to worry! I am Rei, a B-Rank adventurer from the Kingdom of Mireana!"
He announced this with a confident bearing, but with the hood of his Dragon Robe pulled up, his small stature made him look somewhat less than imposing. Even so, he managed to stop those who had been about to flee at the sight of the gryphon.
"Hey, who's that guy?"
"Well, he says he's an adventurer, right? ...But a B-Rank? That little guy?"
"...Ah! I've heard of him! The adventurer who burned the entire Bestia Imperial Army during the war between the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire!"
Rei's expression subtly soured.
As long as word of mouth and bards were the primary means of spreading information, exaggeration was inevitable. Even so, he never imagined a rumor claiming he had burned the entire Bestia Imperial Army had been making the rounds.
At this rate, who knows what the story will become by the time it spreads further... It's not going to turn into a rumor that I burned both nations' armies to ash, is it?
A faint dread crept over him, but judging that there was nothing to be done about it now, he spoke.
"There are some exaggerations, but... well, it's safe to say I'm that adventurer. So no, I'm not a bandit or anything like that. Please, don't worry."
"...But what is such a famous adventurer doing in this country?"
"Ah, I'm here on a job. So—"
Before the woman who had identified him as Crimson could reply, the door of the Mirage Basket resting on the ground swung open.
Clearly not expecting the basket to have a door, the onlookers instinctively turned their gazes toward it.
What emerged from the doorway was a beauty, a beauty, and a beauty... and a beautiful girl.
They were so impossibly stunning that they didn't seem of this world. Every man and woman present could do nothing but stare in rapt admiration. A few people pinched their own cheeks to check whether they were dreaming, but even being able to move that much was impressive.
Looks like it would've been better to just have Elena and the others outside from the start instead of bothering to explain myself.
Taking in the crowd's reaction, Rei felt a flicker of embarrassment at having gone out of his way to justify himself. He glanced away toward Rossi—and spotted several figures who appeared to be guards approaching from the city.
Naturally. The spot where they'd landed wasn't all that far from Rossi. The guards would have seen Set descending, and even if they hadn't, a crowd this size gathering would have been enough to prompt an investigation.
Ah, this looks like it could get troublesome... Then again, if the goal was to make a strong impression that we've arrived, maybe this actually works in our favor? Though that depends on how much Ajas's organization knows about Gilm.
The Intelligence Unit and guards had managed to extract some information from the two men captured alongside Ajas, and it had been forwarded to Rei's party. But truth be told, both men had proven tight-lipped, and they hadn't obtained nearly as much as they'd hoped.
"Hey, you! What are you all doing gathered in a place like that!"
One of the guards leveled his spear at Rei, apparently pegging him as the ringleader of the whole situation. But beneath the bravado, his tension was plain to see—hardly surprising, given the gryphon standing right there.
The other guards similarly aimed their spears at Rei, but there was absolutely no air of hostility about them.
"I'm Rei, an adventurer from the Kingdom of Mireana. These are my party members. We've come to Reblurina on a request."
"...Crimson Rei, huh."
As a guard, he apparently had at least some knowledge of the Kingdom of Mireana. He muttered the name while studying Rei's face.
"Yes. Our transportation is Set here and that basket. I had him land a bit away from the main gate because landing right in front of it would have caused a panic."
"But... we can't have a basket that enormous just sitting here in the road."
Now that Rei's identity was confirmed, the guard's tone had softened considerably, and the spears were already lowered. Rei shook his head to assure them there was nothing to worry about.
"I'll take it with me, so it's fine."
"...Take it with you? This giant basket?"
"Yeah."
Evidently unfamiliar with the Misty Ring, the guard looked at him in puzzlement. Leaving the man where he stood, Rei walked over to the Mirage Basket resting on the ground, gently touched it—and in the next instant, it vanished from sight.