Having rescued Ryutas from the bandits in the forest and interrogated them to learn the location of their hideout, Rei naturally proceeded to seize whatever valuables they had stashed away.
...Of course, it was only a small bandit gang of five. On top of that, they had only recently arrived in the area, so there was hardly anything worth calling treasure.
Still, a few jewels and accessories, some weapons, and a bit of coin—it was a fact that he earned at least a modest profit.
"If they were banditing around there, these accessories were probably either gifts for prostitutes or sold by prostitutes who received them... ah, wait. But because of those Slave Collars, the women aren't working as prostitutes of their own choice, right?"
If that was the case, wouldn't they hold onto the accessories they received rather than dispose of them?
The question crossed Rei's mind, but for now, scouting Mejougo from the air took priority over pondering it.
Set was already carrying the Set Basket, having taken off from the bandit hideout.
Naturally, there was no one inside the Set Basket, but Rei had packed plenty of Magic Stones to keep the magic from running out, so there was no worry about it depleting mid-flight.
"Guruuu"
A few minutes after taking off from the hideout, the lights of Mejougo came into view.
"Set, gain more altitude just in case."
"Guruu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry and flapped its wings, climbing toward a higher altitude.
They usually flew at about a hundred meters up, but right now they were at a hundred and fifty... no, nearly two hundred meters.
At this altitude, scouting the ground was normally impossible.
Well, looking down still allowed him to grasp what kind of structures were in a given area, so it wasn't as if reconnaissance was out of the question... but pinpointing exactly how many people were where would be difficult.
Still, since Rei had come to learn the general layout of Mejougo and—above all—confirm where the entrance to the underground facility was located, that was perfectly fine.
(They said the entrance to the underground facility is at the center of Mejougo, but... is that it?)
What Rei saw when he turned his gaze toward the center of Mejougo was a single building.
It wasn't particularly large, but several other structures surrounded it, arranged as if to protect the one Rei had singled out.
Just walking through Mejougo, one might never notice it. But viewed from above, there was no hiding it.
(Well, they probably aren't even considering being scouted from the air in the first place.)
In a world where the very act of flying was extremely difficult, Rei didn't think a small nation like Reblurina would be on high alert against the handful of people capable of flight—including Dragon Knights—even in Mejougo, which wasn't the capital.
(Anyway, it's safe to assume that building is the entrance to the underground facility. As for the road leading there... that's going to be a problem.)
They likely never anticipated aerial reconnaissance, but it was clear to Rei that the approach from the ground was heavily guarded against anyone trying to sneak into the facility.
Several buildings stood along the path to the entrance, meaning anyone approaching from the ground would have to deal with them first.
(Well, it doesn't matter for us.)
Elena and the rest could all fit inside the Set Basket.
In terms of raw numbers, they were few. But aside from Byune, those transported in the Set Basket possessed combat power that could rightfully be called inhuman.
For those who had surpassed a certain threshold of strength, the phrase "quantity over quality" lost all meaning. In Elgin, where quality overwhelmed quantity, Rei and his party would suddenly appear right in the enemy's center via the Set Basket.
That alone would be enough to instill sheer despair in anyone foolish enough to make an enemy of them.
After carefully studying the building that likely led to the underground facility, Rei tapped Set's back lightly to signal they were done.
In response, Set flapped its wings silently and departed the area.
Normally, a stroke from Rei would elicit a happy cry, but Set understood they were still scouting Mejougo and remained silent.
Once they were sufficiently far from Mejougo, Rei stroked Set again.
"Alright, let's land somewhere for a moment and stow the Set Basket."
"Gururuu!"
Listening to Set's cry, Rei turned his gaze toward the ground.
Below was a grove of trees—close to where they had rescued Ryutas from bandits on their way to Mejougo.
Unfortunately, Ryutas was nowhere to be seen, nor were the bandits.
(Most likely, those men who approached back then were his escorts, and they've already moved on. ...Though I still don't know if Ryutas is truly a merchant.)
Ryutas had worn a refined expression, and between the escorts who had secretly closed in and the aura the young man himself projected, Rei strongly suspected he was no ordinary merchant.
There was no decisive proof, but... Rei had a feeling they would cross paths again somewhere soon.
While he mulled this over, Set descended into the grove.
The landing spot, however, was different from where they had encountered Ryutas.
"We're heading straight back to Rossi."
"Guruu"
Acknowledging Rei's words, Set lowered the Set Basket it had been carrying to the ground. ...Actually, "dropped" might have been the more accurate word.
Once on the ground, Rei stowed the Set Basket into his Misty Ring and immediately climbed back onto Set's back.
"Gurururururuu!"
Set's happy cry echoed through the surroundings.
Carrying the Set Basket wasn't particularly heavy—at least not by Set's standards—so that wasn't the issue. The problem was that it was bulky.
For Set, who loved to fly freely, that bulk was inevitably stressful.
It would have been one thing if someone had been riding inside, but this time the basket was used purely for camouflage, and was empty.
Because of that, Set's handling of it inevitably turned rough.
(Well, it won't break just from being handled a little roughly... right? If it broke at this level, it wouldn't be much use.)
Gazing at Rossi in the distance, Rei mused on this.
Rossi and Mejougo were roughly an hour apart by ground.
At that distance, flying at Set's speed meant they could cover it in the literal blink of an eye.
(As a last resort, Set could attack Mejougo from the air... and since it's only a few minutes back to Rossi, I'd have a solid alibi. Well, I don't think alibis are taken that seriously in this world, though.)
He pictured hauling rocks from Rossi, dropping them on Mejougo, then flying back for more... but then he realized that if it came to that, he could simply load rocks into his Misty Ring and drop them from the sky.
Rei knew he was entertaining a pointless line of thought, but for some reason, idly plotting like this was inexplicably enjoyable.
The few minutes until they reached Rossi passed in a flash. Before long, Set began its descent toward the area near the Main Gate.
A fair number of people were lined up to complete their entry procedures, and naturally, many stiffened in fright at the sight of Set.
When a Gryphon known as the Grim Reaper of the Skies suddenly drops out of the heavens, that sort of reaction is only to be expected.
The guards stationed at the Main Gate were also startled by Set's appearance, but fortunately, they had seen Rei depart from Rossi with their own eyes.
That was why they didn't react with the same visible shock as the others.
...Still, partly because Set touched down a short distance from the Main Gate itself, the people waiting in line didn't panic.
And once Set was on the ground and Rei dismounted, many onlookers realized the Gryphon was a Tamed Monster.
Bearing the stares of the crowd, Rei began preparing for his entry procedures.
He scanned the people in line, wondering if Ryutas might be among them... but the young man was nowhere to be seen.
Not much time had passed since they had parted ways in the grove.
If that was the case, it wouldn't be strange to run into him here... but as the thought crossed his mind, one of the guards approached.
"Rei-san, I'm sorry, but your presence here is making the others tense. I'd like to process your entry first, if you don't mind?"
The polite tone was partly due to Set's presence, but... it was largely because Rei was an Alias Holder adventurer.
Furthermore, there was a rumor circulating that Rei showed no mercy, even to nobles. ...Which happened to be true.
Given all that, speaking to him with politeness was only natural.
Of course, that sort of response also depended on the guard's personality, but this particular guard had clearly decided it would be best to get Rei into the city as quickly as possible.
And he wasn't wrong.
Even though everyone had more or less grasped that Set was a Tamed Monster, having a completely unfamiliar Gryphon nearby was reason enough to feel frightened.
If this were Gilm, many people would already know Rei and Set's nature and personalities, so it probably wouldn't have caused such a commotion.
Whether he understood the guard's reasoning or not, Rei gave a small nod.
"If that works for you, it works for me. Go ahead with the paperwork."
"Guruuu"
As if responding to Rei's words, Set rumbled its throat. The guard froze for a moment at the sound but, having obtained Rei's consent, immediately set to work on the paperwork.
Thus, drawing stares from the surrounding crowd, Rei completed the procedures, placed the Tamed Monster necklace on Set, and entered Rossi.
Even inside the city, the attention didn't let up.
However, while Rei drew his share of looks, Set seemed to be the real talk of the town. People who had caught a glimpse of it once came out for a second look, so at least Set felt less lonely than when waiting outside.
Not that Set ever felt lonely as long as it was with Rei.
"What do you think, Set? Want to head straight back to the Silver Fruit Inn?"
"Guruu? ...Gururuu"
At Rei's words, Set hesitated briefly... then spotted a stall a short distance away and let out a cry.
It was a Panyan stall—the same dish they had eaten when Rei and his party first came to Reblurina... and to Rossi.
Of course, while the dish itself was the same, the stall was different from the one Rei had visited before.
"Good idea, let's pick some up. Might as well stock up on good food while we can."
Remarking that this was only possible thanks to the Misty Ring, Rei approached the stall with Set.
"Welc—"
The moment the Abuelo Stall Owner caught sight of Rei, the words died in his throat.
Of course, considering he wasn't used to seeing a creature like Set, that was hardly surprising.
"Two Panyan."
As if taste-testing before buying in bulk, Rei ordered two Panyan and ate them together with Set.
The seasoning was slightly different from what he'd had before, but it wasn't bad.
It was simply that, since the previous Panyan had been his first, he had unconsciously established that flavor as the standard.
"Gurururuu"
Set rumbled its throat in satisfaction, and Rei nodded in agreement as he took another bite.
This one was slightly spicier than before, and the extra kick brought out the flavor of the generous portion of meat.
Satisfied with the taste, Rei bought every last Panyan the stall had and departed.
The Abuelo Stall Owner stood frozen, staring after Rei and Set as if he couldn't believe his entire stock had just sold out.
However, it was still only the afternoon.
The busiest part of the day—noon—had already passed, but there were only a few hours left until the evening rush, which would be nearly as chaotic.
Determined to maximize his earnings for the day, the Abuelo Stall Owner scrambled to prepare more ingredients.
...And so, while Set may have been terrifying to some, the fact that Rei and Set purchased stall food in massive quantities gradually became known. As a result, Rei and Set came to be regarded as valued customers.