Having finished their lunch—or perhaps breakfast—Rei and his party made their way toward the Guild, with Set in tow.
Bringing Set along was essentially a form of bug repellant.
Naturally, the "bugs" in this case were men—and occasionally women—looking for any excuse to get close to Elena and the others.
If this were Gilm, there would be hardly anyone bold enough to hassle them even without such a measure. But this was the nation of Reblurina, where Rei and his party's names were still largely unknown.
Well, rumors of monikers like the Crimson or the Princess General had probably reached these ears, but few knew what they actually looked like.
Under those circumstances, Rei's party walking around alone would be nothing short of an invitation for trouble.
But with Set present... the hope was that few would dare mess with a group accompanied by a gryphon.
In fact, no one tried to hassle them as they walked, which proved the strategy was sound.
(If this were Gilm, the opposite would be true—Set's presence would draw crowds.)
Set had practically become Gilm's mascot. The moment he showed his face, children would flock to him wanting to play, and adults would constantly spoil him with treats.
But here, the exact opposite was happening.
"Gruu..."
Set rumbled with disappointment, sensing that people were afraid of him.
Rei stroked Set to comfort him as they pressed on toward the Guild.
Many startled at the sight of Set, but most breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing his Tamed Monster collar.
They continued through the crowd until they finally arrived at their destination: the Guild.
"I know it's a bit late to ask, but did all of us really need to come?"
Rei muttered as he gazed at the building—which was incomparably smaller than the one in Gilm.
"Yesterday was quite the ordeal, you know. Surely you understand?"
Marina told him, an exasperated expression on her face.
Even with such a casual attitude, Marina's feminine allure was impossible to hide.
She wasn't doing it on purpose, but her curvaceous figure, brown skin, and Party Dress exposing her generous cleavage... all of it drew men in like bees swarming honey.
Just yesterday, before they could even meet the Guild Master, several men had hit on her. Some had even tried to drag her away half by force.
Naturally, Marina had no interest in following such men. She firmly rejected all of them, and those who tried to use force received an appropriate response via Spirit Magic.
That was exactly why she had suggested bringing Set along—judging that stepping outside the Silver Fruit Inn to request an introduction to a Guild Information Broker would only lead to more trouble.
...The presence of Elena, Vihera, and Byune alongside Marina had also strongly influenced that decision, of course.
If just Marina had caused that much chaos, having the others tag along would undoubtedly have led to a major uproar.
(Though I can't say for sure what will happen once we get inside the Guild.)
Marina mused on this as she watched Set purring happily under Rei's petting.
Up to this point, Set had served as an effective deterrent, so there were no issues.
But Set, of course, couldn't enter the Guild.
That being the case, it was only natural to assume that trouble inside would be unavoidable.
(I wonder how widely the news of the men who tried to force themselves on me yesterday has spread... Plus, fortunately, it's daytime. Most adventurers are out on requests right now... no, that was true yesterday too. Even so, considering the commotion it caused...)
Marina let out a small sigh, which somehow exuded even more sensuality.
An adventurer who happened to be passing by caught a glimpse of her. Though startled by Set, he was immediately captivated by Marina's profile.
Noticing nothing of the sort, Rei's party entered the Guild together.
The adventurer, mesmerized by the melancholic look in Marina's eyes, watched them go... only to suddenly realize that Gryphon Seto was staring at him with a curious look. With a small yelp, he fled the scene.
"M-Marina-sama!?"
The moment the Guild receptionist spotted Marina, she called out and rushed out from behind the counter.
The receptionist had fairly well-organized features—more "cute" than "beautiful"—and was known for being composed and reliable.
That was why the surrounding adventurers watching her flustered state wore expressions of sheer surprise.
There were fewer than ten adventurers inside the Guild, and the attached tavern had about the same number.
Given it was past noon, many were probably eating in the tavern.
Drawing the gazes of such patrons, the receptionist made her way over to Marina.
Some adventurers likely knew of yesterday's incident. Seeing Marina, a few displayed outright shock.
There were those who considered hassling the beauties—Elena, Marina, and Vihera—but the receptionist reached them first, causing them to miss their chance.
Given that getting Marina to approach her quickly had been the receptionist's goal from the start, it could be said things went exactly as planned.
"Oh my, you're... Nanaris, was it?"
"Y-Yes! I'm honored you remember my name, Marina-sama. So, what brings you here today? With... such a large group, no less..."
The receptionist named Nanaris glanced at Rei's party behind Marina.
Two women possessing beauty equal to Marina's, a girl with a face like an exquisite doll, and a young man wearing a Dragon Robe...
...It was somewhat abnormal that Rei, within this group, looked like the most inconspicuous ordinary person.
Of course, that was only because he had his Dragon Robe hood up. Without it, his feminine face would inevitably draw attention.
"Yes, we have some business at the Guild... There are too many ears here, though. Could you lend us a room?"
"U-Understood! I'll contact the Guild Master immediately!"
With that, Nanaris turned on her heel and headed for the back of the counter.
"Ah, wait... I wasn't saying I needed the Guild Master specifically. Just lending us a room would have been fine..."
Marina muttered, but Nanaris was already gone.
Marina looked around somewhat helplessly, but no one met her gaze.
The adventurers who had been interested when the group entered now understood from the scene that Marina's party held some special position. They quietly averted their eyes.
"Well, if he's going to talk to the Guild Master for us, isn't that easier for us anyway?"
At Vihera's words, Marina wore a complicated expression and turned her gaze to Rei and Elena.
"Well, if the Guild Master is willing to intervene, the person he introduces us to will probably be someone reliable, right?"
"Hmm. I'm not overly familiar with adventurers, so I cannot say for certain. But if Rei, an adventurer, says so, surely we can trust his judgment?"
At their words, Marina opened her mouth to say something... but ultimately said nothing else and averted her gaze.
At that moment, as if waiting for Marina to look away, footsteps came running from the direction of the counter.
Footsteps so loud and flashy that someone experienced in combat, like an adventurer, would never make.
"Here he comes."
Marina murmured, and the owner of the footsteps appeared.
A middle-aged man easily exceeding a hundred kilograms, his hair already thinning.
Given that it was summer, his face was drenched in sweat from running.
"Hahh, hahh... S-Sorry to keep you waiting, Marina-sama."
He spoke breathlessly. The current Guild Master addressed Marina—a former Guild Master now an adventurer—with the honorific "-sama."
This alone vividly illustrated the power dynamic between them.
(There's no rule that says a Guild Master has to be a former adventurer, but still... isn't this a bit much?)
Rei held this thought as he watched the man trying to catch his breath, dripping with sweat.
Rei didn't know the exact layout of this Guild, but given it was a Guild, he could imagine its structure wasn't vastly different from Gilm's, even if the size was.
That was why he couldn't understand how running from the Guild Master's office to here could produce this much sweat... even in summer.
No, if it were just a little sweating, he could have accepted it... but the man's forehead was so drenched it looked as if he had run several kilometers under a blazing sun.
Of course, Rei knew several Guild Masters who weren't former adventurers.
Even so, to see a man in this state... he thought, then another idea struck him.
(In other words, does he have enough ability to remain Guild Master despite looking like this...? The fact that this is the nation of Reblurina probably plays a part, too.)
If so, perhaps he wasn't an opponent to be underestimated.
As Rei observed the Guild Master, the man finally caught his breath and spoke.
"Marina-sama, my apologies for showing you such an unsightly display. So, what business do you have today?"
"...Right. It might be better to ask you, Zels, rather than needlessly involving a Guild staff member. I'd like to discuss something, if you don't mind?"
"Yes, yes! Of course! For you, Marina-sama, I'll make all the time you need! Shall we use the conference room... no, would my office be better?"
The Guild Master, Zels, told Marina this with sparkling eyes.
What surprised Rei as he watched Zels was the complete absence of lust toward Marina.
Well, to be precise, he was clearly delighted to speak with Marina, but "not casting a lecherous gaze" was the most accurate way to describe his reaction to her Party Dress, which exposed her generous cleavage.
If Zels had been a small child, Rei wouldn't have found it strange.
But Zels was extremely obese—a man who broke a sweat just walking from his office to the counter.
Based on Rei's experience, most men would stare, be captivated, mesmerized, and let their jaws drop at a beauty like Marina.
Not all were like that, but he certainly never expected the man before him to be one of the rare exceptions.
(Or maybe he's a sly old fox? Is that it? If so, I guess I can kind of understand...)
The conversation progressed while Rei observed Zels, and soon the party was led by him into the area behind the counter.
The surrounding adventurers, those eating and drinking in the tavern, and the Guild staff including Nanaris silently watched them go.
"Hahh, hahh, hahh... please, come in. I showed you around yesterday as well, but this is my office. Please step inside."
Climbing the stairs behind the Guild counter was apparently quite strenuous for Zels. He wiped the sweat erupting from his face with a handkerchief as he spoke.
The fact that it was summer likely contributed, but even so, Rei couldn't help thinking he was sweating far too much.
Thinking this, Rei followed Marina into the office.
The moment they stepped inside, cool air greeted them.
It was obvious Magic Items like those used in inns were being employed.
Of course, since Rei wore the Dragon Robe, he didn't seem particularly bothered by the temperature.
(Well, seeing Zels's state, if the room were the same temperature as outside, he wouldn't be able to work properly anyway.)
Sweating that profusely meant his sweat would probably get on the documents. And that would ruin them. Watching Zels wipe his sweat but look comfortable now that he was back in a cool room, Rei reasoned.
"Now then, please have a seat on that sofa, everyone. I'd like to hear the circumstances that brought you to visit me."
Zels said this with a smile.