A few days after Rei had taught Gimekara about natto, he and his companions once again stood before Gilm.
"Lady Elena, please be careful. I hear the sea is home to monsters completely different from those on land."
"I know. It is not as though this is my first time going to the sea, so do not fret so much."
Elena had previously fought a Kraken alongside Elk, the Axe of the Thunder God, other adventurers, knights, and soldiers.
Because of that, she was somewhat at a loss for how to respond to Ara, who was speaking as though it were Elena's first trip to the sea.
Rei had been smiling faintly at Elena's demeanor, but when he noticed a man approaching him, he shifted his gaze in that direction.
The man seemed to realize Rei had noticed him and offered a smile and a bow.
"Rei-chan, thank you so much for letting me come along with you today."
The one who said that while closing one eye was a man Rei knew well—or rather, someone who was at least male in appearance.
He was short in stature, and for Rei, who did not appear to have much muscle at all, the solid build covering that body was almost enviable.
He was one of the merchants Rei had met not long after the Expansion Construction in Gilm had begun.
Though he nominally held the position of leading a merchant caravan, this time he had left it in the hands of his companions and chosen to travel alongside Rei's group. His name was Bistol.
He had somehow caught wind that Rei's group was heading to the sea and had asked to tag along.
This wasn't for Bistol's personal amusement or because he wanted a vacation; it was purely a matter of business.
"If it's Bistol, he won't do anything strange, so there shouldn't be a problem. ...At least, not for us."
Bistol's body was heavily muscled, but his personality was that of a woman. If anything, from what Rei could tell, he could even be called a maiden.
Given Bistol's nature, Rei's prediction was that traveling alongside Elena and the others wouldn't cause any problems.
And in practice, that assessment was not wrong.
Bistol's preferred type was tall men with lean, toned muscles.
In that sense, there was no one among Rei's group who matched his taste.
...However, the statement that there would be no problems applied strictly to Rei's group.
For the men in the villages and towns they would visit, it was entirely possible that Bistol would become something like a predator hunting its prey.
(Fishermen and men in port towns do have an image of being tightly toned, after all. ...Well, I don't even know if we'll be going to a place like that. Ah, but to find out what kind of fish can be caught, we'll need to gather information.)
Where Rei and his companions were heading was the sea.
However, this was not a so-called vacation or anything of the sort; they were going to the sea purely to catch fish.
Given that, it was not a beach outing but rather what should be called a fishing trip.
"My, to think I could run into Rei-chan and the others at a time like this. I truly am lucky, aren't I~"
Saying that, Bistol stroked the pouch at his waist, looking genuinely delighted.
That pouch differed greatly in construction and appearance from the one Elena owned, but it was undoubtedly what could be called a Magic Pouch.
A device that could be described as a lesser version of the Item Box, which Elena also possessed.
However, even as a lesser version, it was an extremely expensive item.
Rei also wondered why Bistol possessed such a thing, but when Bistol closed one eye and said, "It's a se~cret," there was nothing more Rei could press him on.
Well, if it were truly necessary, Rei would not have let up his investigation over something so trivial, but considering Bistol's personality, it was hard to believe he had obtained it through illegal means.
...Of course, the possibility that he had turned the tables on an attacker and coincidentally acquired the Magic Pouch they carried could not be completely ruled out.
Regardless of the reason, Bistol, having obtained a Magic Pouch, learned that Rei's group was heading to the sea and conceived the idea of using it to bring back fish.
Considering the Magic Pouch's capabilities, Rei also wondered, "Why fish?" but seeing how satisfied Bistol was, he had no intention of saying anything further.
(Besides, for Gilm, which doesn't face the sea, there's no doubt that sea fish are quite expensive. It's a solid business venture. With the Expansion Construction drawing people in, if they knew there was sea fish—not dried, but fresh—there would be those willing to pay a fair price for it.)
That said, not everyone would appreciate such fish.
Currently, people had gathered in Gilm from all over.
Naturally, among them were those who had come from coastal areas. For such people, it would be hard to understand why fish would be so highly valued.
If anything, for those people, the meat of monsters that could be hunted around Gilm would hold far greater rarity.
"Alright, standing around like this won't get us anywhere. ...Let's get going!"
At Rei's words, Elena, who had been talking with Ara, and the others gathered around him.
When Rei took out the Set Basket, Bistol's eyes sparkled the instant he saw it, and he began petting it.
"This is the Set Basket, isn't i~t? I've been looking forward to riding in it. I can't wait to see what it's like~"
His demeanor as he said that excitedly did not seem like flattery or a joke at all.
Truly, his attitude and aura conveyed that he had been looking forward to this from the bottom of his heart.
Of course, it was only natural for Bistol to feel that way.
Fundamentally, in this land of Elgin, the opportunity for a person to experience flying through the sky was by no means common.
One would have to become a Dragon Knight, tame a flying monster, or summon such a monster through Summoning Magic.
In Rei's case, it was nominally taming... but those who possessed such talent were exceedingly rare.
That was precisely why Bistol was so overjoyed at the prospect of flying through the sky in the Set Basket.
(It doesn't have anything like windows, and even if you look through the only opening on top, all you can see is Set's belly. ...Should I get windows installed next time?)
So he thought, but the Set Basket was an item crafted using various precious monster materials, so whether such a modification was even possible was questionable at best—or so Rei predicted.
"Bistol seems excited too, so let's head out."
"Gruu!"
Set cried out happily. While it was true he was rejoicing at being able to go to the sea, he was even more excited about the prospect of eating seafood.
At least, that was how it felt to Rei, and if Rei felt that way, it was undoubtedly correct.
"Kyu! Kyukyu!"
On Set's back, Ielo was also crying out happily.
Ielo was delighted as well, but in this case, it wasn't about eating fish; it was probably just purely happy to be going out with everyone.
(You were rivals with a river crab, right? Does that mean you might find a rival in a crab or a hermit crab at the sea too?)
Thinking such things, Rei watched as Ielo, called by Elena, flew off Set's back and entered the Set Basket along with everyone else, then lightly patted Set's back.
That alone was enough for Set to understand what Rei wanted, and he crouched slightly to make it easier for Rei to mount his back.
Then Rei climbed onto Set's back, and Set, with a few running steps, beat his wings and soared up into the sky.
The sight of Set taking flight from a spot slightly away from Gilm's Main Gate drew the gazes of those going through entry procedures into the city.
For those who knew of Set's existence, it was not a particularly attention-grabbing sight, but among those present were some who were seeing Set for the first time.
For such people, Set was undoubtedly a rare existence in many senses.
Drawing looks from the surroundings, Set beat his wings broadly in midair, then grabbed the Set Basket—which had been placed on the ground—with his four legs and soared back into the sky.
The people present could not watch as Set, carrying the Set Basket, vanished from their line of sight in the blink of an eye, demonstrating the basket's effect of blending into the surrounding scenery.
"Mmm... another fine day today."
"Gruu!"
Though summer was nearing its end, the daytime weather and temperature were still thoroughly summer-like.
In terms of temperature, it was not something Rei—wearing the Dragon Robe with its Simplified air conditioner function—needed to be particularly concerned about.
But even so, being able to enjoy the summery air from atop Set's back like this was an exceedingly luxurious and enjoyable experience.
Cotton candy-like cumulonimbus clouds drifted across the sky in abundance, almost as if asserting that it was still summer and too early for autumn.
The intense sunlight pouring down from above seemed to cheer on those cumulonimbus clouds and their declaration.
(There's late autumn and late winter, but late summer... hm? I feel like I've heard that somewhere. Does the term "late summer" actually exist?)
Gazing at the summer sky and thinking such thoughts, Rei suddenly found himself wondering.
Late summer—a term indicating the end of the season.
Rei wondered whether such a word existed, but when he actually turned the term "late summer" over in his head, he realized he remembered seeing it in manga, novels, and games.
Rei puzzled over the phrase for a moment, but immediately banished the thought from his mind.
Now was not the time to be thinking about such things; they needed to get to the sea quickly.
That was his judgment.
"Alright, Set. ...Speed up toward the sea!"
"Gurururururururuu!"
At Rei's cheerful words, Set—perhaps simply happy as well—let out a cry that resounded throughout the surroundings.
...At Set's cry, the monsters and animals on the ground felt terror from the bottom of their hearts and hid so as not to be found by him.
Additionally, merchants and adventurers traveling toward Gilm, as well as those seeking work, instinctively looked up at the sky.
Of course, among them were some who recognized the cry as Set's, and such people showed no particular sign of fear.
They continued onward for several hours, flying toward the sea, but...
"Tch, why won't they flee even with Set here!? What are they doing coming at us!?"
With a click of his tongue, Rei threw the Twilight Spear he had drawn from the Misty Ring.
The spear tore through the air and skewered the flock of Harpies that lay ahead.
Watching several Harpies plummet to the ground, their bodies and wings pierced, Rei returned the Twilight Spear to his hand.
It was precisely because of this ability—the spear returning to his hand—that he was able to fight on even footing against a flock of what must have been over a hundred Harpies.
"Gururururuu!"
The Fire Breath Set unleashed blocked the Harpies' approach.
There were some Harpies that launched Wind Blade or sharp feathers, but even while carrying the Set Basket, attacks of that level were useless against Rei and Set.
Even when the Harpies tried to attack with their preferred hooked talons, they were struck down by Rei's Twilight Spear or skills unleashed by Set before they could close the distance, and their numbers steadily dwindled.
"Anyway, it's their numbers that are troublesome, so I'll just reduce them."
Muttering, Rei stored the returned Twilight Spear in his Misty Ring and drew Death Scythe.
What was needed here was not Death Scythe as a weapon—a great scythe—but Death Scythe as a Magic Catalyst.
"Flames, become arrows that burn all to ash and rain down like a shower."
As he chanted the incantation, flame arrows materialized one after another near Rei, who was riding on Set.
Approximately fifty of them.
Once all the flame arrows had assembled, he unleashed the magic.
"Shower of Flame Arrows!"
The instant he spoke the magic's name, the nearly fifty flame arrows behind Rei flew all at once toward the Harpies.
The flame arrows struck the Harpies and set them ablaze, one after another.
Normally, he would not want to do such a thing for the sake of Magic Stones and materials, but heading to the sea as they were now, Rei honestly did not have the time to spare for such considerations.
Harpies were pierced and burned by the flame arrows in quick succession.
Even so, watching the Harpies that still tried to attack them, Rei wondered: could it be that they had approached a Harpy territory or nest?
However, the only thing on the ground below right now was grassland, and there was nowhere nearby that could possibly serve as a Harpy habitat.
(In that case, rather than a nest, did we enter Harpy territory? But this sort of thing has never happened before.)
There were also Harpy nests near Gilm.
The place where Rei had previously obtained—strictly speaking, created—Flame Ore was a prime example.
But even when Set flew around the outskirts of Gilm, Harpies never attacked.
Deciding it was probably just the behavior or habits of the Harpies in this area for now, Rei once again flew toward the sea together with Set.