"Oh, Rei. Did you have business at the Guild?"
After finishing his talk with Worker — the report that he would be away from Gilm for a while to travel to the Duke Kerebel's Territory — Rei, Elena, and Ara stepped out of the Guild.
Normally, he would have chatted with Lenora or Kenny, but the Guild happened to be in the middle of a busy period. They were tied up tending to adventurers and had no time for small talk.
Kenny, who ultimately hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Rei despite him coming all the way to the Guild, threw herself into her work in a state of half-resignation. But in any case, as Rei and his group exited the building, a voice suddenly called out to them.
There was no denying that Rei was one of the most well-known figures in Gilm.
He wasn't particularly sociable, so he didn't have a huge number of friends or acquaintances. Even so, being a celebrity meant it wasn't as though no one ever called out to him. When Rei looked toward the source of the voice, he showed no sign of displeasure and replied with a smile.
"Rocks, Sura. And Sharia too, huh... Looks like things went well."
The one who had called out was Rocks, an acquaintance, and Sura and Sharia were with him.
Several other women who had come from Mejougo were also present, but they gave Rei a light bow in greeting before heading straight for Set to pet him.
With a small crowd gathered just outside the Guild, it was easy to figure out that Set was there.
The reason Rei commented that things had gone well was the Gamelion corpse loaded on a cart behind Rocks and the others.
In other words, Rocks's group had successfully completed a Gamelion Hunt.
For Rocks, who wanted to earn whatever money he could — or more precisely, for his lover Sura — being able to hunt a Gamelion here was a significant boon.
The external wounds on the Gamelion weren't particularly large, so with skillful dissection, they could likely fetch a high price for the pelt and similar materials. Alternatively, taking advantage of its strong resistance to slashing attacks, it could be used as material for armor.
"Yeah. Though... I would've liked to reach Gilm a bit sooner."
"Ah, tell me about it. I felt the same way."
Rei, who had gone on a Gamelion Hunt just a few days prior, nodded in agreement with Rocks's words.
The peak of the Gamelion Hunt had already passed, and the number of Gamelions had dropped astonishingly low.
In that sense, Rei was surprised at their good fortune in finding one at all, given that Rocks and his group didn't have the option of searching from the sky like Set.
Of course, finding a Gamelion was only half the battle — they still had to bring it down. Without real skill to back up their luck, they'd have ended up as the Gamelion's meal instead.
Rocks and his group possessed both qualities, which was surely how they had managed to take the creature down.
"Are you going to sell this Gamelion?"
"Obviously. Among Sura's group, there are people who want to buy back their carriages and horses, and others who want to furnish the houses they're living in."
Daskar had provided housing for them to survive the winter, but that meant the buildings themselves — nothing more.
Naturally, in all other respects, only the bare minimum had been provided.
Even in welcoming their resettlement, he wasn't welcoming them to provide a life of luxury. He needed them as a labor force.
The plan from the start had been for them to work and earn money themselves, purchasing non-essential furniture and other goods on their own.
And indeed, it was proving effective, as many of the women were currently working in various capacities.
Those with skills as adventurers were subjugating monsters — if not quite participating in Gamelion Hunts — while those who lacked confidence in combat outside of archery were helping with the Expansion Construction.
Amid so many people earning money, having bagged a Gamelion was undoubtedly a major windfall.
Well, knowing Sura's personality, she'll probably use the money from the Gamelion for everyone's benefit.
Having served as the Resistance's leader, Sura was the type to look after people. If she said she'd use the Gamelion Hunt earnings to help those in need — particularly to buy back the carriages and horses from Gimekara — Rei wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
Besides, having carriages and horses would be extremely convenient for transporting goods, and it would definitely give them an edge whether operating as adventurers or merchants.
"Furniture, huh. Come to think of it, how many ended up joining the army in the end?"
One way to earn money was to enlist in the Margrave Army. The training was rigorous, but the pay was commensurate.
Naturally, that amount fell far short of what a successful Gamelion Hunt would bring in, but it was considerably higher than the Expansion Construction work, which carried no risk to one's life — though actual combat such as war was another matter entirely.
"About fifty. The army has women too, but it's basically a male-dominated outfit. That bothers some people."
"Ah... I see."
These were women who had originally been fitted with Slave Collars, brainwashed, and forced to work as prostitutes. That some of them would develop an aversion to men was simply unavoidable.
Even so, many didn't show that level of disgust toward the men they had been traveling with for the past several months, Rocks included. Just as Rocks had started dating Sura, there were women who had begun relationships with men from the Resistance.
But still, being surrounded by unfamiliar men and spending all day, every day, in the same place with them — that was something many simply couldn't endure.
As a result, out of nearly a thousand people, only fifty had made the decision to join the army.
Fifty might sound like a lot at first, but it wasn't fifty out of a hundred — it was fifty out of a thousand. Overall, that was quite few.
Of course, that was only the situation for now. Going forward, as they built lives in Gilm, if some women overcame their aversion to men — or at least their discomfort around them — there would likely be more who chose to enlist.
I suppose if they created an all-female unit... no, there aren't that many who are skilled enough to begin with. Probably not feasible.
There were capable fighters like Sharia and Sura, but even then, they were by no means numerous. Of course, if they were given bows and carriages, and allowed to use arrows liberally, they could certainly hold their own.
"I see. I'll be leaving Gilm for a while soon, but you all keep at it on your end."
"Hm? A request?"
He had apparently concluded that Rei leaving Gilm meant he had accepted a request. When Rocks asked, Rei glanced at Elena.
"I've got some business at Elena's home."
"Business at her home..."
Rocks was an adventurer of Gilm. He naturally knew that Elena was an Alias Holder known as the Princess General, and that she was the only daughter of Duke Kerebel, who led the Noble's Faction.
Given that, he understood perfectly well what it meant for Rei to be going to Elena's home.
"Um, hey. Are you sure about this?"
There was no question that Rei was one of the foremost adventurers in Gilm. For someone like him to be heading to the estate of a noble who led the Noble's Faction, it was only natural for Rocks to worry that trouble might break out.
But Rei seemed to interpret Rocks's concern in a different light.
"Party etiquette and things like that — I need to study up on them, after all."
"You're going to a party!?"
At Rei's words, Rocks shouted almost involuntarily.
Rei's group already stood out a great deal, so raising his voice like that naturally stirred the curiosity of everyone nearby. Noticing this, Rocks hurriedly apologized.
"S-sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
The one who said that to Rocks wasn't Rei, who had been shouted at, but Elena, who had been watching the conversation unfold from behind him.
"Given Rei's personality, problems will undoubtedly arise. I understood that perfectly well when I invited him."
"...I don't mean to pry, but why would you do such a thing? Considering Rei's personality, I'd think keeping him away from that kind of venue would be the right call."
Perhaps because he was addressing Elena, a duke's daughter, Rocks's manner of speech shifted from his casual tone with Rei to one of deference.
Given Elena's status, that was a natural reaction. If anything, it was Rei and his group, who interacted with someone like Elena so casually, who were extraordinary from an objective standpoint.
Of course, the fact that Elena preferred that sort of attitude from them was also true.
"Even so, there are things I must do."
As Elena replied to Rocks, her cheeks flushed faintly.
For a beauty of Elena's caliber to blush like that, the onlookers — men and women alike — were utterly captivated.
Sura, who had recently started dating Rocks, understood exactly what Elena was thinking in bringing Rei to the party. She drove her elbow into Rocks's side for asking something so tactless.
"Guh!"
If Sura had been an ordinary woman, Rocks would have gotten away with just a wince. But Sura was no ordinary woman.
She had, after a fashion, held the Resistance together in Reblurina, and had simultaneously led over a thousand people on the journey from Mejougo to Gilm.
Naturally, her own abilities were considerable — certainly enough to participate in a Gamelion Hunt without being a burden. To be caught by Sura's elbow with absolutely no warning, even for a skilled adventurer like Rocks, made the pain nearly impossible to endure.
"I'm sorry, Lady Elena. This man is just oblivious about these things."
"Y-yes. That is fine, but... um, are you alright?"
Sura smiled and nodded to Elena, who asked while watching Rocks crouch on the ground clutching his side, indicating there was no problem.
"It's usual for him."
"...I-I see."
Sura herself was completely unaware of it, but to have made Elena — a person bearing the alias of Princess General — pull back, however slightly, was in its own way a remarkable feat.
In fact, the incident spread to some extent, and the number of people foolish enough to hassle Sura and the others who had come to Gilm with her decreased as a result — proof that one never knows what will prove beneficial in this world.
"Then we'll take our leave now. The Gamelion needs to be dissected promptly as well."
"See you."
Sharia, who had been silently watching the conversation unfold, said only that before lifting the crouching Rocks to his feet and departing.
Come to think of it, Sharia is a dog's... no, a Wolf Beastman, right. Could it be that she'd have terrible compatibility with Kenny at the Guild?
The thought crossed Rei's mind as he watched Sharia's retreating figure, but sensing that voicing it would drag him into unnecessary trouble, he kept his mouth shut.
In his line of sight, he could see Sura more or less dragging away her other companions who had been fussing over Set.
To anyone who didn't know better, it was a scene that could easily be mistaken for a kidnapping.
But to the residents of Gilm, the sight of someone hauling away people who were clamoring to pet Set more was nothing unusual.
Newcomers to Gilm were startled and suggested to passersby that perhaps they should report it to the Guards or someone.
After all, piteous cries rose from those torn away from Set, and for anyone not well-acquainted with Gilm, thinking something was wrong was only natural.
"Hey, wait. Is this okay? That — that!"
"Hm? Oh, it's fine. It's a common sight in Gilm. First time here?"
"Huh? Yeah, it is. I heard business was booming thanks to the Expansion Construction, so I came... but does that have something to do with this?"
"Ah, I see. That explains it. Like I said, it's not an unusual sight in Gilm. Nothing to worry about."
The man who was told this couldn't help but wonder if it was really alright, but in truth, very few people were making a fuss over the scene. Most were watching with amusement as if to say, "There they go again," so he had no choice but to accept that this was apparently an everyday occurrence.
"More importantly, did you find any good merchandise?"
"Yeah, I managed to procure a decent amount of Gamelion meat, but... that's about it."
"Hmm, I see. That does seem a bit lacking. Alright, I'll tell you about a place with some good goods."
For whatever reason, the man he had struck up a conversation with offered this, and so he found himself obtaining information about sourcing merchandise from an entirely unexpected source.