The news that Rei's party had conquered the dungeon spread throughout Golts that very day, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Many had never even suspected that the hole in the cliff was a dungeon, assuming it was nothing more than some kind of monster nest. Those same people learned the truth—that the opening in the cliff face was indeed a dungeon—right alongside the news that it had already been conquered.
In addition, Guild Master Vanilas issued a guild proclamation warning people not to approach the dungeon. This was based on what Rei had told her: because the dungeon core had been destroyed, there was no telling what would happen to the expanded space within.
Ideally, she would have liked to outright forbid entry, but unfortunately, a Guild Master simply didn't have that kind of authority.
So she did the only thing she could—urge people to stay away as much as possible.
Naturally, being told to stay away only made some people think there was something worth seeing, and they approached the dungeon anyway.
There was no dealing with those types. Vanilas chalked it up to personal responsibility—self-inflicted consequences—and left it at that.
All things considered, Vanilas wielded considerable influence within Golts. Even if someone tried to hold her accountable over this matter, she had clearly issued a warning beforehand. No one could argue with that.
In any case, while Golts was abuzz over the news... Rei and his party returned to their inn without fanfare, ate a meal, and went to sleep.
And so, the following day...
"Alright then, Rei-san. First, the Kelpie, please!"
At the Guild Staff Member's words, Rei withdrew the Kelpie from his Misty Ring.
Being a horse-type monster, the Kelpie was reasonably large. At the very least, the majority of adventurers in Golts would be seeing one for the first time.
A stir ran through the gathered crowd.
The adventurers who had come to handle the dissection at the Guild's request raised their voices in surprise upon seeing the creature.
"Alright, alright, everyone please calm down. The Kelpie is already dead, so there's no need to worry about it suddenly reviving and attacking you. And if you're this shocked by the Kelpie, you'll faint when you see the next one."
Guided by the Guild Staff Member's instruction, the group moved to a spot a short distance from the Kelpie.
(Being able to do a dissection out in the open like this is nice. If this were Gilm, there's a high chance monsters would attack mid-dissection. Though I suppose even in Golts, beasts like boars, bears, or wolves could show up.)
It was autumn now. Whether it was bears preparing for hibernation or other animals, they all needed as much nutrition as they could get.
At a time like this, disassembling a monster out in the open—even near town—would make for an irresistible target.
Of course, as long as Set was present, that wouldn't happen unless they were truly desperate.
In any case, it was undeniably far easier than in Gilm, where monsters existed in overwhelming numbers.
"Bringing it out."
He gave the courtesy warning, and in the next moment, Rei withdrew the Garangiga's corpse from his Misty Ring.
The adventurers stirred once more.
Since it had lost its head to Set's strike, the corpse—while enormous—undeniably lacked a certain visual impact. Even so, the sheer size of the Garangiga was completely unexpected for the adventurers of Golts. It was plainly not a monster that could be found anywhere near this region, so their shock was only natural.
Having lost its head, blood began to flow from the wound. Normally, a monster defeated the day before would have been fully drained of blood, but since it had been stored in the Misty Ring, the Garangiga was preserved exactly as it was at the moment of death.
A powerful stench of blood drifted through the clear autumn air.
"Alright, split into your assigned groups and begin the dissection. Just to be clear, I must ask that you absolutely do not steal any materials, Magic Stones, or Subjugation Proof Parts. Guild staff are keeping watch, so if anyone tries something like that..."
The Guild Staff Member cut his words off right there.
Perhaps because he didn't specify exactly what would happen, the implication only stoked more fear among those listening.
Of course, the people participating in this dissection were well aware of what kind of people Rei's party was. Given that, none of them would dare do something as foolish as stealing monster materials and making an enemy of a high-ranking Alias Holder... let alone Gryphon Seto.
...There were a few with slightly shady backgrounds among them, but there was no doubt that under the watchful eyes of the Guild Staff Member, they wouldn't—and couldn't—step out of line.
"Alright then, Rei-san. Please leave the monster dissection to us. With something this size... it should be done by noon if things go smoothly. What will you do? You're welcome to wait here, of course."
From the Guild Staff Member's perspective, having Rei present as a deterrent would make his own job considerably easier.
But Rei took the opening and casually decided to leave.
"I'd like to look around Golts a bit, so I'll leave this to you. With the Guild Staff Member here, there shouldn't be any worry about materials getting stolen."
"Understood. Then please enjoy Golts to your heart's content."
The Guild Staff Member would have preferred he stay, but if Rei said he wanted to look around town, he couldn't very well refuse. Besides, Golts was the man's beloved hometown. If someone wanted to go see it, he would be glad, not reluctant.
"Alright, I'm off to buy souvenirs!"
The first to leave the area was, naturally, Reliu. Eager to purchase a souvenir for his beloved wife, he headed into Golts, mentally tallying how much money he had on hand.
As an A-Rank Alias Holder, the funds Reliu carried could buy just about anything sold in town... but he was only thinking about what kind of souvenir to buy, with zero regard for the price.
"Ah... well, good luck."
Calling out to Reliu's retreating back with a notably halfhearted tone, Rei mulled over what to do with himself.
Looking around Golts for something interesting, rare ingredients, or—even if the odds were slim—a hidden gem of a Magic Item sounded appealing. Also, since arriving in Golts, they had been entirely focused on the dungeon. If the town had a Local Specialty Dish, he wanted to try that too.
"I have some errands to run with Vihera and Byune, so Rei, why don't you look around with Elena?"
"Marina... is that alright?"
Elena asked, genuinely wanting to confirm. After all, Marina was telling her to walk around Golts alone with Rei—in other words, to go on a date.
For Elena, a proposal like that coming from Marina's lips was the most wonderful thing she could imagine. Getting to go on a date alone with the man she loved was incredibly exciting for Elena, who was a maiden at heart despite her outward bearing as the Princess General.
"Yes. Vihera and I can be with Rei whenever we want, but given Elena's position, you'll likely need to leave Gilm someday, won't you?"
"That is..."
Marina had spoken an undeniable truth. Elena was currently acting as though she belonged to the same party as Rei, and her family had implicitly encouraged this arrangement. But nominally, her role was to monitor the Noble Faction to ensure they didn't interfere with Gilm's Expansion Construction.
Though at present, Ara was handling that task single-handedly back in Gilm.
Regardless, that meant Elena might someday be called to act as the Noble Faction's Princess General, and there was a possibility she would have to leave Gilm entirely.
That was why Marina was implicitly telling her to enjoy a date with Rei while she still could.
Realizing this, Elena nodded with a complex expression—half joyful, half wistful.
"Yes. Since the opportunity has arisen, I shall take you up on that offer. ...Rei, does that suit you?"
"Hm? Ah, I don't mind at all. What about Set?"
"Gruu? Grururu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a cry while gazing up at the sky.
Some of the Golts adventurers startled at the sound, but Rei and his party continued their conversation without paying it any mind.
"I see. Go fly as much as you like for the first time in a while. Just make sure you're back by evening."
"Gruu!"
Set indicated it wanted to fly solo for once, freely hunting and eating monsters and animals to its heart's content. Rei stroked Set as he gave it permission.
Set rubbed its face against Rei before pulling away. Taking a few running steps, it flapped its wings and soared off into the sky.
"Well, Set's gone too, so we should get moving as well. Leave Ielo to us."
Saying that, Marina scooped up Ielo and nudged Elena toward Rei.
Elena cast Marina a glance that mingled mild protest with gratitude, then turned to Rei.
"Then, shall we be off?"
"Yeah. It'd be nice to find something interesting."
"Hehe, I doubt things that suit your tastes will be that easy to come by."
Exchanging happy smiles, Rei and Elena headed back into Golts together.
Watching them go, Vihera turned to Marina and Byune.
"So, what should we do? Wandering around Golts and running into Rei and the others by coincidence doesn't sound very interesting."
"You're right. In that case... want to drop by the Guild?"
"Ehh... go all the way to the Guild? On our precious day off?"
"Exactly because it's our day off. I spotted an interesting dish at the Guild tavern. Not curious?"
"Nn!"
The first to bite at Marina's words was, naturally, Byune. For Byune, the promise of an interesting dish apparently carried that much weight.
Seeing Byune's reaction, Vihera muttered that it couldn't be helped. For her part, Vihera had nothing in particular she needed or wanted to do in Golts, so heading to the Guild tavern posed no problem.
If it turned out there was actually someone strong in Golts, Vihera might have insisted on seeking them out instead, or simply broken off on her own. But as things stood, the tavern suited her fine.
And so, everyone's plans for the day were set, and they each went their separate ways.
"...An Alias Holder adventurer, huh. Even just watching them, you can feel the aura."
An Adventurer Man in his mid-twenties, assigned to the Kelpie dissection, muttered as he watched Marina's group walk away.
Not that his gaze was actually on the group as a whole—it was captivated by Vihera's back, specifically the alluring curves visible through her thin garments, attire more befitting a prostitute or a Dancer.
"Hmph! I'm gonna be famous like that Rei guy someday too!"
Beside the man stood a boy still in his mid-teens—whose apparent age wasn't far from Rei's—muttering with unmistakable competitive fire.
For this boy, it was clearly galling that Rei, who appeared to be around the same age as him, already held the status of a high-ranking Alias Holder.
The man, whose eyes had been fixed on Vihera's back, smiled warmly at the boy's words. He remembered that when he had first become an adventurer, he too had been constantly fixated on climbing higher and higher.
Not that he'd given up on rising even now—on becoming a higher-ranked adventurer. But once you hit your mid-twenties, you generally got a sense of how much talent you truly had. At the very least, the man knew that even if he gave it everything, he'd be lucky to reach C-Rank. He held no illusions about making B-Rank or A-Rank, let alone becoming an Alias Holder.
"I see. Well, good luck. Relentlessly chasing the top is a young man's privilege. Train hard in Golts, and once you've built up some real strength, why not try heading to Gilm? You might see things you'd never see here."
"Obviously! I'll make a name for myself in Gilm too!"
Patting the head of the boy who shouted that, the man set off to begin the Kelpie dissection.