It was early afternoon the day after Rei and his party had parted ways with Sura, Gimekara, and the others. Eventually, something both familiar and yet unfamiliar came into view.
It was Gilm, a place that could be called Rei's second home.
The reason it seemed unfamiliar was probably the expansion construction.
The actual period Rei and his party had been away from Gilm was not all that long. Even so, the power of human labor was tremendous—with this many hands at work, it was apparently enough to reshape the entire town.
"If they still don't have enough people at this rate, I wonder how far the construction has actually progressed. ...They're not cutting corners, are they?"
Rei murmured as he gazed at Gilm in the distance, but considering Daskar's personality, there was absolutely no way he would ever permit such a thing.
If anyone tried to pull something like that during this project, it certainly would not end well for anyone living in Gilm. Even those who had come as migrant workers might, at worst, find themselves designated as bounty heads.
When working honestly was a guaranteed way to make money, would anyone really throw that away? It was practically unthinkable.
(Though if someone held a grudge against Gilm or Lord Daskar, they might do something like that, I suppose.)
Since Gilm was the only frontier territory of the Kingdom of Mireana, it held enormous value. Those who had targeted it, those who had targeted it and failed... there were all sorts of people out there, and among them, naturally, were quite a few who harbored grudges against Gilm and Daskar.
Would such people let an opportunity like this slip by? That was highly unlikely.
Of course, Daskar was well aware of that as well, and an Intelligence Unit centered on the Prairie Wolves was protecting Gilm.
(With those guys around, I can rest easy.)
Making that judgment, Rei called out to Elena and the others riding in the Set Basket.
"Gilm's come into view. We'll be arriving soon."
At his voice, a palpable sense of relief came from inside the Set Basket.
Gilm was an important place for Marina and the others, of course... but it must have held the same significance for Elena, who belonged to the Noble's Faction.
In front of Gilm's Main Gate, some people were lined up waiting to enter the town, while others who had presumably already received permission passed straight through.
"Alright, we'll set down soon. The Set Basket can't be seen from over there, so it'll have to be a spot a little ways from Gilm. That fine with you?"
"That will be fine. It is not as though I enjoy startling others, after all."
At Elena's words, Rei stroked Set and spoke to him.
"Set, set the Set Basket down somewhere a little away from Gilm."
"Gururu!"
Set purred happily at Rei's words and began descending toward the ground.
...Incidentally, among those near Gilm with keen hearing, some apparently caught even the faint sound of Set's cry and looked around in puzzlement. Thanks to the Set Basket's functions, they probably could not tell where the voice had come from.
Including such people, many turned their gazes toward the sudden sound. Its source was, naturally, the Set Basket.
"Eh? Wait, where did that come from!?"
Several people gasped in astonishment, but among them, a truly small number broke into delighted expressions.
Those who looked happy probably knew what the Set Basket was. They immediately looked up at the sky, spotted Set, and rejoiced.
"Gururururu!"
Set's cry echoed through the surroundings, and with that, the others finally noticed his presence.
Even if they did not know about the Set Basket, anyone coming to Gilm naturally knew about Set. Though there were some who, perhaps because they had come only seeking work, did not know about him at all.
Particularly right now, with the expansion construction underway and the population swollen, there were no small number of such people.
"Set! You're back!"
A Guard spotted Set's figure and waved happily. Those transporting lumber by carriage also noticed Set and waved with equal delight.
In the Guards' case, they were simply happy that Set had returned, but those hauling lumber welcomed the existence of Rei, who possessed an Item Box, from the very bottom of their hearts.
Among everyone involved in the expansion construction, the ones who had most eagerly awaited Rei's return were undoubtedly the Woodcutters and those who transported the felled timber.
They would cut down trees, load them onto carriages through the combined effort of several workers, and then escort those carriages back to Gilm to protect them from monster attacks.
Since the expansion construction had made the flow of people in and out of Gilm so much more active, monsters had grown correspondingly bolder, and ambushes were not uncommon.
Previously, there had been no monsters in the expanded forest, but lately, perhaps finding it a suitable habitat, their numbers had increased, and the escorts could not afford to let their guard down.
For people like them, Rei was nothing short of a savior—someone who made their work dramatically easier.
Bathed in the gazes of such people, Rei and Set first headed to the spot where the Set Basket had been set down.
"Mmm... it's not that cramped inside, but it really does feel good to step out into the open air."
Vihera said as she stretched broadly. The movement sent her massive bosom swaying, drawing stares from a group of men some distance away... but she herself did not seem particularly bothered.
And when, following Vihera, Elena and Marina emerged—beauties one might count themselves lucky to see even once in a lifetime—the stir grew even louder.
...Though rather than once in a lifetime, many of Gilm's residents had seen Marina and Vihera on multiple occasions.
Plenty of people also turned their gazes toward Ielo and Byune.
Drawing attention in more ways than one, Rei stored the Set Basket into his Misty Ring without any sign of concern, as though it were business as usual.
(The Set Basket had a few issues that could use improvement... but can I get it modified before the next use?)
Even if he wanted to modify the Set Basket, he did not know specifically how to go about it. Given that, he naturally could not estimate how long it would take, and the modifications would not be just a spot here or there but undoubtedly a large-scale renovation.
In that case, consulting a professional would be the best course of action.
"Alright, let's go. We need to report to Lord Daskar that we're back... and we should help out with the expansion construction as soon as possible, too."
At Rei's words, everyone nodded.
Only Ielo, lying on Set's back, continued basking in the sun.
Summer had passed its peak, and the weather was gradually growing cooler as autumn approached.
However, that was only true in the early morning and at night. During the day, it was still hot enough to make one want to take a dip in the river.
Even so, for Ielo, a Child of the Black Dragon, the intense sunlight pouring down from above was apparently no bother at all, as it lazed about on Set's back in a state of complete relaxation.
"Guru..."
"Kyu!"
It was exchanging cries with Set.
Leading Set along, Rei and his party headed for Gilm's Main Gate.
Normally, Rei and his party would have had to line up behind the people already waiting in front of the Main Gate. But perhaps because prior instructions had been issued from Daskar, they completed the entry procedures quickly and were allowed through.
Of course, since Rei's party was already registered as expansion construction personnel, they could have entered without any special orders from above.
"Whoa... it feels like there are way more people than I remember."
That was Vihera. For her, who had been operating in the small nation of Reblurina even if only for a short period, Gilm must have seemed incredibly developed and crowded.
When traveling, they had been moving with nearly a thousand people, so it was not as though the number of people had been small. If anything, with that many people traveling together—sleeping in carriages during the day and on the Sand Ship at night—a considerable crowd had indeed been gathered.
Even so, returning to Gilm like this still made them widen their eyes at the sheer volume of people.
Originally, Gilm, as the only frontier of the Kingdom of Mireana, had already drawn large numbers of adventurers and Merchants. But now, beyond them, many more had come seeking work.
Even the adventurers and Merchants had increased compared to before, drawn by the jobs created by the expansion construction.
The population had grown so large that simple lodging facilities had been built near the construction sites. Even those were not enough, a testament to just how many people had flocked to Gilm.
(Good thing we kept the room at the Wheat Inn. If we had checked out, there's no way we'd have been able to stay there now.)
Naturally, not checking out meant the lodging fees for the time they were away still accrued. But conversely, as long as they could cover those fees, there was no problem at all. And no one in the group, Rei included, was hurting for money.
Only Byune was frugal by nature due to her upbringing, but since Vihera, who shared the room with her, covered Byune's lodging costs, that was a non-issue.
Of course, if it came to the worst, there was always the option of staying at Marina's mansion in the Noble District.
"It's fine that there are a lot of people, but it being this hard to walk through is a bit of a hassle."
"It's midday. That's just how it is."
Elena murmured as she looked around, and Marina agreed.
Indeed, it was right around noon, and many of the workers from the expansion construction had poured into the streets seeking a meal.
"Nn!"
Amid the crowd, Byune let out a small sound upon spotting a busy stall.
"Let's report to Daskar first before having lunch. He may have already prepared a meal for us."
At Marina's words—dropping Daskar's name—Byune nodded with visible reluctance.
"Cold udon, huh. Well, it is that season."
Looking at the udon stall Byune had apparently been eyeing, Rei murmured in understanding.
During the relentless hot days, not many people craved the original—or rather, that expression might not be quite accurate—the piping hot soup udon that had started being sold at the Full Belly Diner.
Because it was hot, wanting cold dishes was only natural.
Of course, not that much time had passed since Rei and his party had left Gilm. Thinking about it that way, it would not have been strange for stalls serving cold udon to have existed for a while already.
(People come from all sorts of villages and towns to work, and they eat udon. When they go back home, they spread it there... in that sense, udon could become incredibly popular.)
Entertaining such thoughts, Rei and his party made their way through Gilm.
Naturally, a group accompanied by Set and featuring Elena and the others drew immense attention...
"Ah, Set! Hey, Set! When did you get back!"
"Set-chan, let's play! Set-chan!"
Those who spotted Set first rushed over to Rei's side.
"Ah, sorry. I'd love to let Set play, but we need to talk with Lord Daskar at the lord's manor right now. So..."
"Oh, then wouldn't it be fine to just leave Set-chan here? I'll look after him if anything comes up. What do you say, Captain Rei?"
The person who cut in just as Rei was about to politely refuse the crowd gathered around Set was someone he knew well.
Someone who made him think, truly, that it was a good thing Mirene was not here.
"Yohanna, knock it off with the Captain already. How many years ago do you think that was?"
"How many years? It's not like it was ten or twenty years ago, so what's the harm?"
Yohanna, flashing a smile as she said this, was, just like Mirene... well, perhaps not quite to the same extent, but still one of Gilm's more recognizable figures.
Not only as a skilled adventurer, but above all as someone whose love for Set rivaled even Mirene's, she was a personality who stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
"Come on..."
"More importantly, what will it be? I'd get to be with Set-chan, so I wouldn't mind at all if you left him with me."
At Yohanna's words, the Children nearby turned expectant gazes toward Rei.
Meeting those hopeful stares, Rei hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded.
"Alright. I'm counting on you to look after Set."
"Yes, leave it to me! Come on, Set-chan, let's play together until Rei-san comes back, okay?"
"Gurururu."
At Yohanna's words—addressing him not as Captain but as Rei-san, a shift from moments ago—Set purred in agreement.
Set was probably just happy to be back in Gilm after so long, and to have someone eager to play with him.
In the end, Rei and his party left Set there and headed for the lord's manor.