The day after encountering the bandits and the illegal slave trader, Rei and his party were in the sky as planned.
The matter of the Dark Elf woman had been resolved just as Marina had said — her wounds had fully healed by the previous day, and she had decided to return to her settlement on her own.
Rei was thanked for using a potion on her, but if she had been told that the potion was actually meant to keep Marina's angry gaze from turning toward him... what would have happened?
Musing on this, Rei looked up at the sky.
Clouds floated here and there, but it was not quite overcast.
It was undeniably the kind of weather that could be described as a clear autumn day.
(Come to think of it, we ended up clearing the dungeon in just a few days one way or another, but if we head back to Gilm now, will we make it in time for the Gamelion season?)
Whether the word "season" was appropriate in this context, even Rei was not sure.
But his honest feeling was that, for the time being, it was the most fitting word for the situation.
Unless some highly irregular event had occurred, it would not be strange for the Gamelion Hunt to have already begun.
Rei had originally thought he would be unable to participate in this year's Gamelion Hunt, but since the dungeon had been conquered far more quickly than expected, he could not help but harbor the hope that if they returned to Gilm, they might still be able to join in.
"Gururu?"
Perhaps concerned by Rei's demeanor, Set turned around mid-flight and let out a cry as if asking what was wrong.
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking that if we hurry, we might still make it in time for the Gamelion Hunt."
"Gururururururururururu!"
Make it in time for the Gamelion Hunt.
The moment Rei said those words, Set flapped his wings fiercely and picked up speed.
What had driven Set to react like that... was obvious without even thinking about it.
"Ah... did I just set a flag I shouldn't have?"
Rei could not help but think so, but having already said it, he accepted it as unavoidable.
Besides, there was a very real possibility that they could actually make it in time for the Gamelion Hunt.
"Still... it's boring while flying like this. Though if I say things like that, it usually turns into a flag and some carriage ends up getting attacked."
Just like yesterday, when the illegal slave trader had been attacked by bandits.
Moreover, those bandits had been the very group that attacked the person transporting the special potion Rei had been asked to retrieve the day before — so in terms of flags, it was like a double recovery.
If something similar happened again, they might end up wasting time unnecessarily, so Rei stopped thinking about such things for the moment and turned his gaze back to the sky.
Perhaps because the season was transitioning from autumn to winter, the air felt clear.
Of course, that was not necessarily because the day was overcast.
After flying for several hours... in stark contrast to the previous day, noon approached without a single interruption.
Though, moving on the ground would have been one thing — since they were traveling through the sky, it was generally unlikely to get caught up in trouble so easily.
At any rate, spotting a river flowing through a forest, Rei asked Set to descend toward it.
In winter, eating lunch near a river would be somewhat cold, but while the temperature today was fairly low, the sun was also out, so it did not feel that cold.
That was precisely why Rei decided to have their meal near the river.
Setting the Set Basket down near the river, Rei dismounted to the ground alongside Set.
"Gurururu?"
Seeing Rei begin to prepare the meal, Set rumbled as if asking whether they were not going to catch fish.
For Set, eating by a river and catching fish in a river were probably a package deal.
Also, having caught a large quantity of fish at the sea not long ago might have been related to that as well.
It was not that Rei disliked river fish either.
The light, clean flesh had a different appeal from sea fish, with many varieties offering their own distinct flavors.
"Kyu! Kyukyu! Kyuuu!"
And beside Set, who was trying to catch fish, Ielo — having leapt out of the Set Basket — was crying out energetically.
For Ielo, having faced crabs at the sea and rivers multiple times, the desire to finally win was probably strong.
"Ielo, calm down a little. Playing is fine, but first eat the lunch Rei prepared for you. Understand?"
When Elena told Ielo in a gently instructive tone, Ielo looked slightly disappointed but settled down.
It was probably a sign that it had been properly trained.
And... seeing Ielo's reaction, Set also did not press Rei any further about catching fish.
While training was part of it, above all, delicious cooking held far greater meaning for Set than playing.
"Ah, being able to travel alongside Rei and the others is almost over, huh. Being able to eat freshly made meals in the middle of work... honestly, I was pretty envious."
Looking at the dishes Rei was preparing — the array of food being brought out one after another from the Misty Ring — Reliu murmured wistfully.
Normally a solo adventurer, Reliu had already grown accustomed to the considerable luxury of eating freshly prepared meals even out in the wilderness by traveling with Rei's party.
...In reality, not even a month had passed since Reliu started traveling with Rei's party... but the fact that words of regret were already coming from his mouth showed just how striking Rei's meals had been.
If it was just a warm meal, one could easily make a simple soup using a campfire, and if they were lucky enough to defeat an animal or monster, they could skewer and grill the meat.
But... what could be made that way was, after all, nothing more than amateur cooking.
Of course, there were those who had experience working in places like dining halls, but even such people were far outclassed by professional cooks who had spent years honing their craft.
To enjoy a meal on par with what Rei prepared out in the field, one would need to bring along a cook... but that alone would not be enough.
One would also need to carry the cooking equipment itself, and unless they had money to spare like a noble or a wealthy merchant, it was utterly impossible for an ordinary adventurer.
...A High-Rank Adventurer and Alias Holder like Reliu would likely have the financial power and influence to pull off something like that... but then they would need to protect the cook in combat, making it impractical for a solo adventurer like him.
"That's a fair point. Why don't you try going to a Labyrinth City like Exil and diving into the dungeon? If you do, there's a chance... a very slight chance, but a chance nonetheless, that you might obtain an Item Box."
Rei suggested as he ladled a hearty vegetable and bacon soup into each person's bowl.
Of course, even Rei who made the suggestion did not think Reliu would accept it.
If he were to go to a Labyrinth City, given his devoted husband nature, Reliu could not go alone.
In other words, he would have to bring his wife Schmine along, but traveling was physically demanding for an ordinary person, and there was also the question of whether she could adapt to life in a Labyrinth City.
In terms of the number of adventurers, a Labyrinth City like Exil was not so different from the frontier town of Gilm.
But when it came to the quality of adventurers, there was a significant difference.
Those who came to Gilm — not all of them, but the majority — possessed a certain level of skill. ...Of course, with the Expansion Construction underway and a desperate shortage of hands, there were now a fair number of people who would normally never be able to make their way to Gilm.
By comparison, a Labyrinth City had a dungeon within the city itself, so entering it was undeniably dangerous, but the city was not located in the frontier.
Naturally, the number of people who gathered there was greater, and among them would be petty villains who lacked strength but possessed cunning.
Of course, in that sense, Gilm had skilled villains too... but since that was the same wherever one went, Reliu probably judged that Gilm, where such people were still fewer in proportion, was the better option.
"When I think about Schmine's safety, it's a bit... I can't exactly go alone, after all. If I had a partner like Set, I could freely go back and forth between a Labyrinth City and Gilm, but I don't have any talent as a Tamer."
"You're already an Alias Holder with the title Gale and a High-Rank Adventurer. That alone makes you incredibly rare among adventurers. Adding Tamer talent on top of that... honestly, how fair is that?"
"I mean, what can I say? Your leader is exactly like that, isn't he?"
Steamed potatoes were mashed and seasoned with salt and pepper, with finely shredded Dried Meat mixed in, along with boiled and finely chopped vegetables that resembled spinach — though their color was purple.
It did not use anything like mayonnaise, but it was a dish close to potato salad.
Also, while it was unclear what secret seasonings had been used, it had a tartness similar to citrus, making it a somewhat unusual dish.
Rei was probably not the only one who thought so. Elena, while eating the potato salad — technically not exactly that, but close — spoke up with a hint of admiration.
"This dish is delicious. Rei, do you remember where you bought it?"
"Ah... let me think."
Inside Rei's Misty Ring was a vast quantity of food.
Naturally, it decreased as they ate it day by day, but when it did, he would have a nearby dining hall prepare meals in bulk and purchase them.
In other words, because the turnover in the Misty Ring was so high, he did not really remember where he had bought a particular dish.
Of course, if it was something that left a strong impression like udon, that was a different story.
"Eh? Then is this dish already gone?"
Vihera seemed slightly shocked, probably because the potato salad had been that delicious.
Beside Vihera, Byune also lowered the corners of her eyes slightly, wearing an expression of shock.
Given that Byune was normally expressionless, the fact that not just her atmosphere but her actual expression had changed showed just how shocking Vihera's words had been.
As if to calm the two of them, Rei shook his head to indicate there was no problem.
"I forgot where I bought it, but there's still quite a lot left, so don't worry."
At Rei's words that there was still a fair amount of potato salad remaining, Vihera and Byune... no, the others as well, all wore happy expressions.
The only exception was Reliu, who would be parting ways with Rei's party once they returned to Gilm, and he lamented the fact that he would no longer be able to eat like this.
"Hmm, there are various subtle secret seasonings, but I think I could make something similar. It would only be similar, though — several levels below this."
The one who said that was Marina, the best cook among the group.
Of course, the others could cook to some extent as well, but that was truly only to some extent, and they were far behind Marina.
"Really!?"
"Yes. But like I just said, it would probably be several levels below this in taste. ...I can't match a professional, after all."
Hearing Marina's words, Rei suddenly recalled a memory from Japan.
A friend's older sister, who was famous for being a good cook, had tried to reproduce the deliciousness of a dish she ate at a restaurant... but just as Marina had said, she could only produce a dish that was several levels inferior in taste.
Despite being known in the neighborhood as a skilled cook, she told Rei when he tasted it that she was still far from matching a professional.
...Though to Rei, it had seemed more than delicious enough.
"Even so, if you can make a similar dish, then with gradual improvements... eventually, couldn't you get it to taste the same?"
"Oh my, Vihera. Are you telling me to just keep cooking forever? Well, I have stepped down as Guild Master and returned to being a plain adventurer, so it's not impossible."
Just because it was not impossible did not mean she could spend all her time doing only that, and Vihera quietly averted her gaze from Marina as she ate her potato salad.