Despite causing a minor stir at the Green Springside Pavilion—though with Set, Elena, and the others present, not to mention an alias-holding adventurer, that was only to be expected—they successfully secured lodging. With it still being around midday, Rei and his party promptly set out for the Guild.
Of course, they didn't forget to grab a meal at a random dining hall they found along the way.
Being located on the main street, the food there was perfectly fine.
...Though "fine" was about the best that could be said for it. It wasn't bad enough to complain about, but it certainly wasn't anything to write home about, either.
As a shop right on the main thoroughfare, Rei couldn't help but feel it was somewhat underwhelming, but a glance inside showed a decent number of customers, so he figured there was no need for him to say anything.
He did, however, make a mental note to find a better place next time.
After traveling all this way from Gilm, it was only natural to want to try some delicious local specialties of Golts.
At any rate, having finished their lunch and arriving at the Guild, what Rei and his party saw was...
"There are more people here than I expected."
Rei's muttered words upon seeing the sight spoke volumes.
If this were Gilm, there would be hardly any adventurers inside the Guild around midday. While plenty of people might be eating lunch at the attached tavern, the area around the Request Board would normally be all but empty.
But upon entering and scanning the room, a considerable number of people who appeared to be adventurers had gathered inside.
"Something might have happened here."
Reliu had been looking somewhat displeased after being separated from Set at the Guild entrance, but upon seeing the state of things, he seemed to have his own thoughts on the matter and murmured as much.
Fortunately... though that might not be the best word for it—there were so many adventurers gathered inside the Guild that hardly anyone paid any attention to Rei and his party as they walked in.
When saying "hardly anyone," that meant a few had indeed noticed them, but even those individuals showed no particular inclination to say anything.
"Hey, did something happen?"
Likely looking to gather information, Reliu asked a nearby adventurer.
The adventurer looked mildly surprised before responding.
"What, you came here without knowing? That's... hard to say if your luck is good or bad, honestly."
"We just arrived. We came here for the dungeon."
"Ah... I see. Can't blame you for not knowing, then. The thing is, about that dungeon—apparently a few dozen bird monsters came out of it. Oh, do you know that this town's dungeon is on a cliff face?"
"I do. Thanks to that... well, that's one way to put it, but the monsters fall to their deaths on their own, right?"
"That's right. But who would've thought bird monsters would come out? That's beyond unexpected."
The adventurer talking with Reliu wore a troubled expression, as if to say this was the worst-case scenario. Reliu, however... and Rei and the others listening nearby, all felt a hint of exasperation.
Given that the dungeon was believed to be on a cliff face, it wouldn't be strange for any kind of monster to emerge from it.
Until now, it had probably only been the likes of Goblins, Cobolts, and Orcs, but if that place truly was a dungeon, there was nothing odd about bird monsters appearing.
This is the countryside, and apparently there's never been anything like a dungeon before, so I suppose it's only natural.
With that in mind, Reliu continued the conversation.
"So all these adventurers gathered here right now—it's to take down those bird monsters?"
"That's right. It's a request from the Guild... more precisely, an Emergency Request from the Local Deputy."
"I see. ...But from the looks of it, I barely see anyone with a bow or a staff. Will they be alright? The enemy is flying monsters, isn't it?"
Attacking flying monsters was no simple task. Magic would be the obvious choice, but mages were exceedingly rare, and in a rural place like this, having even one or two would be considered fortunate.
Yet, as Reliu had just pointed out, the vast majority of those gathered were equipped for close combat—longswords, spears, clubs, Battle Axes, and the like.
Given that, it was hard to imagine they could mount any effective assault against flying bird monsters.
If the enemies were ground-based monsters, assembling this many people might suffice to handle the situation.
But dozens of flying monsters had appeared, and they had gathered this many warriors—for what purpose? That was the question on Reliu's mind... and on Rei's party's as well.
At Reliu's words, the man he had addressed put on a bitter expression.
"I get what you're saying, but there's no time to call adventurers from other villages and towns, so it can't be helped. We don't even know if this town's Barrier can hold against them, and if they head for one of the nearby villages, that'd be a real mess."
"So that's the situation... Well, what do you say?"
It was then that Reliu turned his gaze to Rei for the first time. The man who had been speaking with Reliu also looked toward Rei, Elena, and the others... and froze mid-motion.
Though it wasn't Rei who stopped him in his tracks—it was Elena and the women beside Rei.
"Bird monsters, huh. Interesting. Originally, I'd planned to spend today gathering information and dive into the dungeon tomorrow, but..."
Had they arrived in Golts a little earlier, Rei would have at least taken a quick dive into the dungeon today to get a sense of the place.
But thanks to the morning commotion between Vihera and Reliu, it was already past noon.
In that case, defeating the monsters currently plaguing Golts would serve as a demonstration of Rei's party's strength—one that would discourage anyone from hassling them going forward, or at the very least reduce their numbers.
That was Rei's line of thinking.
Furthermore, while he had no idea what kind of monsters these birds emerging from the suspected dungeon might be, if they were unknown creatures, they would be the finest possible prey for both Rei and Set.
...All things considered, that last reason probably carried the most weight, but Rei simply gave Reliu a nod.
"Right. We'll be relying on Golts going forward, so selling them a favor now can't hurt."
"Hey, what exactly are you—"
The man who had been talking with Reliu was an adventurer himself.
If Set had been here, he might have recognized Rei as... Crimson.
But Set wasn't here, and all the man could discern was that Rei was a small, hooded figure without weapons—someone who looked like a mage, perhaps.
Given that, it was hardly unreasonable for him to hear Rei's words and try to put a stop to whatever he was planning.
Paying no mind to the man's reaction, Rei spoke.
"The subjugation request for the bird monsters—the B-Rank party Crimson Lotus Wings will accept it."
Rei's voice somehow cut through the Guild. This, despite the fact that many adventurers were busy exchanging information with their companions, the room buzzing with chatter.
The Guild fell silent... but a moment later, laughter erupted from several people scattered around the room.
"Pfft, a B-Rank adventurer? A kid... no, a little girl? I get admiring adventurers and all, but sorry, we don't have time to humor you right now. At this rate, Golts will—"
"Why not let 'em try? What's the harm?"
"Hey! What are you suddenly talking about?"
"It's fine. The bird monsters already left the dungeon, right? Then..."
"Crimson!?"
Amidst the chatter of adventurers, a voice of sheer shock suddenly rang out through the room.
The war against the Bestia Empire, several years past.
Among the adventurers who had fought in that war, there were naturally some from Golts.
And having participated in that war meant they had, as a matter of course, witnessed Rei conjuring a Flame Tornado... a Fire Whirlwind.
Golts in particular was a town within the territory governed by a lord of the Neutral Faction, and the man who had just cried out had seen with his own eyes, from up close, just how devastating the Fire Whirlwind Rei had created could be.
That was why, even without Set present, even with the Dragon Robe's hood drawn up to completely obscure his face, he had been able to recognize Rei.
"No way? Crimson? The Crimson...?"
"Well, I've heard rumors too. They say Crimson looks like some mage apprentice at first glance, or something like that."
"Bullshit! That kid, an alias-holding adventurer? No way in hell! Enough with the jokes!"
Voices of suspicion, voices of grudging understanding, and... the voice of the man who had assumed a child wandered in when Rei first entered, all raised in denial, echoed across the room.
There was no way the Guild Staff Member would miss such a commotion among the adventurers.
...That, and he had also heard Rei's declaration moments earlier.
Even so, his initial thought upon hearing the unfamiliar voice was that some freshly minted adventurer was making a scene to draw attention. The party name was one the Golts Guild had never heard of, and it was equally unknown in the surrounding area, which likely played a large part in that assumption.
He knew of the alias-holding adventurer called Crimson, but he had never registered the existence of the party Crimson had formed.
In reality, Worker had already informed the Guild that Rei and his party were coming to conquer the dungeon, and the relevant information had been properly passed along.
Had this been an ordinary time... had they arrived just a few hours earlier, the Guild would have recognized Rei properly.
But right now, the Guild was in a state of near-chaos due to the bird monster outbreak.
And this was the result.
"Members of Crimson Lotus Wings, and I understand Reliu of Gale is present as well!"
At the voice from the Guild counter, the other adventurers once again turned their gazes toward Rei. The fact that their eyes also fell on Reliu beside him was because they now understood that a second alias-holder was among them.
The man who had been speaking with Reliu moments ago wore an expression of pure astonishment as he stared at Reliu, apparently never having imagined that the person he had been casually chatting with was an alias-holding adventurer.
Reliu, on the receiving end of those stares, gave the man a light clap on the shoulder.
"Appreciate the intel. It really helped. Rei!"
Rei understood immediately what Reliu was getting at. So, following Reliu's lead, Rei... and Elena and the others alongside him, all made their way to the counter.
"Right. I mentioned that Rei is the one accepting this request, but I'm also acting with Rei's party on a temporary basis this time around. With two alias-holders present, I'd say that's more than enough to handle this Emergency Request, wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes. Having you and Reliu with us is a great reassurance. However, um... I would like to confirm just in case—the enemy this time is flying bird monsters. As for your means of attack..."
Are you equipped for this? The Receptionist, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, asked with a look of genuine concern.
This was not because she doubted the skill of Reliu or Rei as alias-holders, but rather because means of attacking airborne enemies were inherently limited. A bow, magic... or, in some cases, thrown stones.
To the Receptionist's question, however, Reliu nodded as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
"First of all, you know that Rei has a Tamed Monster named Set, right? That's quite well-known."
"Yes. Reports of Set's various exploits have reached even our Guild."
The Receptionist smiled with genuine delight and turned her gaze toward Rei. That smile carried enough charm to captivate a good number of adventurers in the Golts Guild. ...On Rei, however, who traveled with Elena and the others, it had little effect, and he replied with nothing more than a small nod.
"Besides, we have several members who can use bows and magic, so even against flying opponents, we're not short on attack options. I can't exactly do it as freely as I'd like, but I can manage well enough myself."
Eh? Rei, who had been listening to the exchange between the Receptionist and Reliu... no, Elena and the others as well, all found themselves questioning this.
As far as Rei and his party knew, Reliu's attack methods were limited entirely to his longsword. At the very least, during his mock battle with Vihera, there had been no sign of any ranged capability.
Perhaps sensing their reaction as a slight, Reliu temporarily broke off his conversation with the Receptionist and shot Rei a disgruntled look.
"What? Don't tell me you thought I was useless against airborne enemies?"
"Ah... That's not what I meant. You're an alias-holder, after all."
Reliu still seemed somewhat dissatisfied with that response, but at any rate, Rei's party would be the one accepting this Emergency Request.