Naturally, news of the commotion in the garden reached Duke Kerebel almost immediately.
He had been in the middle of drafting documents to arrange food distribution for villages projected to face starvation when the report arrived. The news nearly made him ruin the very papers he was writing.
Even so, he marshaled extraordinary composure and finished the paperwork properly—a testament, perhaps, to all the years he had spent holding the rank of duke.
"And? How did that commotion end up?"
"Thanks to Lady Elena, it did not escalate into a major incident."
"...I see. Then see to it that Rei and Set are treated as proper guests."
"Are you sure that is wise?"
At Duke Kerebel's words, the man who had brought the report betrayed a hint of surprise.
Even an Alias Holder could not become a guest of Duke Kerebel on that merit alone. Even if Elena declared Rei a guest, whether the head of the household—Duke Kerebel himself—acknowledged it was an entirely separate matter.
That was precisely why the man delivering the report had expected Duke Kerebel to expel Rei from the mansion on the spot.
Perhaps noticing his subordinate's reaction, Duke Kerebel cast a silent gaze at him.
The subordinate caught that look and hastily bowed his head.
"Yes, sir! I will arrange it at once."
Duke Kerebel glanced at the man hurrying out of the room, then returned to his work.
But a few minutes after the subordinate had left, he lifted his eyes from the documents and stared out the window.
The garden where Elena and the others had caused the commotion was not visible from the office, but even so, gazing out at the grounds, he could almost picture Elena standing there.
And alongside her, the figure of Crimson Rei.
He had always wanted to meet Rei with his own eyes, but the thought that it had to happen at a time like this sat heavily with him.
"I can just imagine the fools making a scene. Honestly. She didn't have to bring Rei of all people at a time like this."
As the leader of the Noble's Faction, it was only natural that a great number of nobles would visit to pay their respects at the New Year, and a party would be held.
And the fact that Elena had brought Rei along meant she naturally intended to have him accompany her to that party.
It went without saying that attending a party with a member of the opposite sex who was not family signaled a special relationship between the two.
Even if it was not explicitly that kind of relationship, it could at least demonstrate they were closer than an ordinary man and woman.
And if Elena—who bore the alias of Princess General and served as a symbolic figure within the Noble's Faction—were to do such a thing, it would naturally ruffle the feathers of the other nobles.
The implication that his own daughter was being viewed in such a light was equally displeasing to Duke Kerebel.
Displeasing as it was, when he considered the very nature of nobles, he also felt it was unavoidable.
In any case, to the other nobles—especially those who had been vying for Elena's hand in marriage—Rei's existence was an unforgivable affront. That much was certain.
Such nobles were often rigidly entrenched in a sense of entitlement, and under those circumstances, avoiding a commotion was virtually impossible.
And if a commotion did break out, Rei would not hold back.
Well, he might at least restrain himself enough to avoid killing anyone, but only to the degree that no one ended up dead.
In fact, as far as Duke Kerebel knew, during the war with the Bestia Empire, Rei had severed the arm of a noble—and not a noble of the enemy nation, but a noble of the Kingdom of Mireana itself.
Even so, because it had happened on the battlefield, the situation had been manageable.
But if something similar occurred at a party venue, it would unquestionably become a major incident.
The worst outcome would be Rei giving up on the Kingdom of Mireana altogether and leaving.
Duke Kerebel, who had been gathering intelligence on Rei, naturally knew of his power as well.
He possessed a Tamed Monster named Set, a Rank A—no, as a Rare Species, a Gryphon equivalent to Rank S. Rei himself could use various forms of magic, but he was particularly skilled in wide-area annihilation spells.
Furthermore, he possessed numerous Magic Items, starting with an Item Box.
If such a person were to leave the Kingdom of Mireana, the loss would be immeasurable. That much was certain.
It was precisely because he knew this that Duke Kerebel's head ached over the matter.
"In any case... for now, I need to finish this up."
Knowing full well he was only half-shelving the problem, he returned to his paperwork.
In truth, a fair number of the documents required urgent attention, and there was no denying those needed to be handled first.
For Duke Kerebel, in his current predicament, paperwork was the only place his mind could find rest—an undeniable fact as well.
Around the time her father was seeking solace in his paperwork, Elena had returned to her own room with Ara.
Feeling nostalgic at the sight of her room for the first time in a long while, she still sensed something slightly off about it.
That must mean Marina's house was that comfortable to live in.
At Marina's house, Elena had changed her own clothes.
But here in this mansion, that task fell to the Maids.
Honestly, as someone who frequently found herself on the battlefield, Elena wanted to insist she could at least dress herself. But as a duke's daughter rather than the Princess General, having a Maid help her change was simply expected.
"My lady, what do you think of this dress for today?"
One of the Maids had brought over a blue dress.
Looking at it, Elena pondered for a moment.
The garment of a dress reminded her of Marina, who wore party dresses and the like on a regular basis.
The dress the Maid had brought was not the sort one would wear to a party. It would not look out of place as everyday wear, but to Elena, who had grown accustomed to Marina's attire, it seemed like a rather modest dress.
If I wore a dress like Marina's, would Rei be pleased?
She could not help but wonder. But the moment she imagined herself standing before Rei in a dress that exposed that much skin, she wanted to writhe in embarrassment.
In places where Rei was not present, she would not feel particularly self-conscious wearing a dress with a plunging neckline and an open back like the ones Marina favored.
Even so, part of her did want Rei to see her in such a form. But rather than voice any complaints about the dress the Maid had brought, Elena simply changed into it.
"My, it suits you beautifully. Any gentleman who laid eyes on you would be utterly captivated."
"Would he...?"
Since the words had come from a Maid, perhaps they were nothing more than flattery.
Thinking that, Elena nonetheless asked. But the Maid was praising Elena's appearance in the dress genuinely, from the bottom of her heart.
Perhaps sensing that as well, Elena finally relaxed a little.
"How is Rei faring?"
"Lord Rei is being entertained by Lady Ara. That... is it truly all right?"
The Maid's anxious words were not about Rei himself, but about Set—Rei's Tamed Monster.
Considering it was her first time seeing Set, the Maid's concern was only natural.
But to the anxious Maid, Elena smiled and spoke.
"There is no problem. Set would never attack anyone without cause. Mind you, if someone were to do something foolish, Set would likely respond accordingly."
The Maid showed relief at the first half of Elena's words, but her face once again filled with fear at the latter half.
"Do not worry. I know I have said this repeatedly, but Set is fundamentally friendly. In Gilm, he was treated as a pet, you know?"
"...Um, it is a Gryphon, is it not? An A-Rank Monster, yes?"
"No."
"Eh?"
Perhaps not expecting to be contradicted, the Maid followed the movement of Elena's golden hair with her eyes even as she directed a puzzled gaze at her.
Observing the Maid's reaction, Elena wondered whether it might be better not to say anything more. But judging that the news would spread quickly regardless, she continued.
"Set is not an ordinary Gryphon. He is a Rare Species. Strictly speaking, that makes him a monster equivalent to Rank S."
"Eek!"
An A-Rank Monster alone was already a symbol of terror. To be told it was actually equivalent to Rank S—Elena's words were completely unexpected, and the Maid drew a sharp breath.
Watching the Maid's reaction, Elena continued her explanation in an effort to calm her.
"I understand your fear, but Set is fundamentally harmless. Let me think—you have not actually seen Set yourself, have you? Are you not judging based solely on what you have heard?"
"Well..."
The Maid fell silent at Elena's words.
Indeed, when the Gryphon arrived, she had not gone to see it herself. She had simply been frightened by the news that a ferocious Rank A Monster—in actuality equivalent to Rank S—had shown up.
"Why not try watching Rei play with Set at least once? If you are still frightened after that, you simply need not approach him."
Even as she said that, Elena held a firm conviction that once people came to know Set's personality, he would become popular here as well.
In truth, Set had frightened people every time he entered an unfamiliar place, but after spending a certain amount of time together, most people ended up doting on him.
There were even those who became Set Enthusiasts rivaling Mirene in their devotion.
That was why Elena was confident that Set, who would be staying in this mansion for a while starting today, might be feared at first but would undoubtedly be accepted in the end.
"Kyu?"
As if overhearing the conversation between Elena and the Maid, Ielo, who had been eating Dried Meat inside the room, let out a cry and lifted its gaze.
Ielo, the Child of the Black Dragon, was a popular figure even at the Duke Kerebel Mansion.
That was precisely why Elena judged the groundwork existed for Set to be accepted as well.
"Set is also good friends with Ielo. So if you become friends with Set, Ielo will be pleased too."
The effect of that single remark was significant. On the face of the Maid who had been afraid of Set just moments ago, a determination stronger than fear now surfaced.
"I understand. Um, since I would be frightened on my own, I think I will invite a few others and go see the Gryphon—Set, was it? I think I will try visiting him briefly."
"I see. Ah, that reminds me. If you are going to see Set, I think bringing some food along will help him warm to you quickly. Set loves to eat, after all."
"Oh my... then he is not so different from Ielo, is he?"
"Indeed. In truth, the only real difference is size. You might consider his friendliness to be not so far from Ielo's."
At the suggestion that Set was no different from Ielo, the Maid smiled.
She must have decided there was no need to be afraid after all.
Of course, Set's current body length exceeded three meters—quite large indeed.
Those who could approach such a massive creature without hesitation were probably not very numerous.
If they are members of this household, it will be fine as long as Father and I tell them not to provoke Set. But the problem, as expected, is the other nobles.
Elena too arrived at the same conclusion as her father, Duke Kerebel.
No, in Elena's case, having been courted by nobles and pressed for marriage on numerous occasions, her anxiety ran even deeper.
"It is certain that Rei will be dragged into trouble. Should I prepare some delicious food, or perhaps a Magic Item of some kind?"
Given that a commotion was all but guaranteed, imposing trouble on Rei was equally certain.
In that case, it was only natural for Elena to want to prepare something as an apology for causing him grief—and, from her own perspective, to express gratitude for him accompanying her to the party by offering a gift or a meal Rei would truly want.
Delicious food and a Magic Item. There was no doubt Rei would be delighted to receive either.
That said, a Magic Item could not be just anything. What Rei collected were Magic Items of practical use.
That was obvious when one considered the various Magic Items Rei possessed, such as the Dagger of Flowing Water and the Twilight Spear.
In that case, it is food after all.
This being the Duke Kerebel Mansion, there was an abundance of ingredients for parties, and the employed Cooks were first-rate.
Because of that, Elena held a firm conviction that she could serve dishes certain to please Rei.