The one dispatched from the Knight Order was Leodanis.
He had experience from a mock battle with Rei, so that was likely part of the reason he was chosen.
Even so, when Leodanis saw Set up close, he let out a cry of surprise.
"Whoa! So this is... a Gryphon?"
"Hm? You didn't participate in the Bestia Empire war? I took part in it with Set, so—"
Rei asked while stroking Set, who was nuzzling his head against him. Hearing this, Leodanis averted his gaze slightly and spoke.
"I was officially assigned to the Knight Order as a knight after that war ended."
"Ah... I see."
Whatever the case, several years had already passed since that war ended. Given that, it wasn't strange for there to be those who had become knights during those few years.
"Set won't do anything in particular as long as you don't try to harm him. But Leodanis, the reason you're coming with me is to prevent the people of Anesis from causing a commotion when they see Set, right? So is it really fine for you to be that afraid of him?"
Rei said this half-provocatively. In response, Leodanis—as expected—erased the fear and surprise from his face and spoke.
"I-I'm not that scared. Looking at him like this, he's rather cute, isn't he?"
It was obvious that Leodanis was putting on a brave front, but he didn't seem to notice his own demeanor as he reached his hand toward Set.
What will happen? Miranda watched the situation unfold.
That said, the only one who was nervous was Miranda. Rei didn't seem particularly concerned about Set's reaction.
If Leodanis were to do something to harm Set, that would be a different story, but all Leodanis was trying to do was pet him.
No—rather, for Set, the fact that another person, albeit hesitantly, was going to pet him was a happy thing.
Since he didn't sense anything like hostility, Set even turned his head toward Leodanis on his own to make it easier to pet him.
"...Oh?"
It wasn't that Leodanis had noticed Set's consideration, but as his hand came to rest on Set's head, it conveyed a softness far beyond what he had expected.
Leodanis was slightly surprised by this, but the pleasant sensation of petting Set was enjoyable, and he stroked his head over and over.
For Rei's part, he could have kept watching the sight of Leodanis growing accustomed to Set for a while longer, but he also wanted to look around Anesis, so he couldn't just stand there.
Given that the current season was winter, the sun set early. Since it was already afternoon, he wanted to leave the mansion as soon as possible.
"Looks like you've gotten used to Set, so let's get going. ...That alright with you?"
"Huh? Ah. No problem. I'll stick close to you so people don't panic when they see Set."
Saying that, Leodanis touched the hand that had just been petting Set moments ago and looked at Set with a tentative expression.
At this, Set turned his round eyes toward him as if to say, What's wrong?
Leodanis knew, of course, that Set—that Gryphons—were terrifying monsters.
Even so, when those round eyes were turned toward him, he couldn't help but wonder whether Set was truly someone he should be cautious of.
"Gruu?"
"Set seems to be wondering if something's wrong."
Rei translated Set's cry. He couldn't understand everything Set wanted to say, but he could grasp the general meaning.
"Eh? Ah, no. It's nothing. It's just... from what I'd heard, Gryphons were supposed to be quite ferocious. So for one to be this friendly was pretty unexpected."
"Ah, I see."
At Leodanis's words, Rei nodded in understanding.
That was a question most people who interacted with Set ended up having. There were even those who asked Rei whether the A-Rank Monster classification was wrong, given how adorable Set was.
"Set is fundamentally gentle and friendly. His intelligence is high enough that you wouldn't think he's a monster. But that's only because Set is the individual he is. It's the same with humans, right? There are good people, and there are scoundrels. In that sense, Set falls into the considerably good category."
Rei could more or less understand the reason for that.
Set was not a pure Gryphon, but rather a Gryphon created by Rei through Beast Magic. Because of those origins, Set likely inherited some of what could be called Rei's humanity, which resulted in his gentle personality.
(Though this is just speculation, and not something I can casually tell others. Besides, if he inherited my personality, he seems oddly too friendly.)
Thinking about his own personality, he did harbor the question of whether Set was really all that similar to him.
However, there were aspects where Rei and Set were alike. Enjoying meals, showing no mercy to anyone judged as an enemy—things like that.
Thinking about it that way, it wasn't that they were dissimilar.
"For now, just understand that Set is special. Let me tell you—if you ever encounter a wild Gryphon, never approach it. Wild Gryphons won't observe your demeanor like Set does, much less act affectionate toward you."
Someone who had come to know Set's adorableness might understandably think they could treat a wild Gryphon the same way when they saw one. But if one were to attempt such a thing with a wild Gryphon, losing their life was certain.
...The one saving grace, at least, was that Gryphons were A-Rank Monsters. For someone living an ordinary life, the chances of ever encountering one were virtually nonexistent.
"R-right. Understood. ...It's not like I think it'd be fine to do something like this to a Gryphon other than Set, either."
Perhaps because there was no more serious expression on Rei's face than when he said those words, Leodanis nodded with a slightly more serious look of his own.
"If you understand, then that's fine. Well then... let's head into the city."
Given that Anesis was a city in scale, calling it "going into the city" might have been inaccurate. But deciding that the expression suited the situation better, Rei ultimately didn't correct himself.
Neither Leodanis nor Miranda seemed to feel anything off about Rei's words either, as they left the Duke Kerebel Mansion without saying anything in particular.
"Come on in, come on in! Dried Meat is cheap right now! Once the snow starts falling in earnest, going outside will become a hassle. So you'd better buy some long-lasting Dried Meat while you can!"
"When you think winter, think this! We've got plenty of warm clothes to get you through the winter. They're not new, they're used, so you can get them at a reasonable price!"
"When winter snow falls, just dealing with the snow in front of your house is a whole job. At times like that, I'll shovel snow for you! It's a per-winter contract, so if you sign up now, you won't have to worry about snow shoveling this winter!"
"For a cold body, this! How about a special Soup packed with meat! It'll warm you right up!"
Several dozen minutes after leaving the Duke Kerebel Mansion, Rei and his party had arrived at a bustling street with people coming and going in large numbers.
True to its scale as a city, the number of people there was considerable. Though even so, compared to Gilm until somewhat recently, it couldn't help but feel fewer.
(People were gathering to Gilm from all sorts of places, so I suppose that's natural.)
In Gilm particularly, there had been a time when the number of people increased so much that inns became insufficient, leading to the creation of temporary lodgings—not fancy enough to be called inns, but bare places for overnight stays.
Even then, there weren't enough buildings and some people ended up sleeping on the streets, which made clear just how dense Gilm's population had been at its peak.
"So, what did you say you wanted to see, Rei? If it's weapons, I... or rather, the Knight Order members, know a shop we go to."
Leodanis asked this, but the situation around Rei and his party—with no other people nearby—could be described as somewhat extraordinary.
As expected, Set's presence was likely influencing this.
Even so, Leodanis knew that Set was by no means a creature that would attack people. Of course, barely an hour had passed since he had met Set, but Set's gentleness, adorableness, and friendliness were more than enough for Leodanis to make that judgment.
...In this regard, one could call it the discernment of whoever chose Leodanis as Rei's guide and monitor.
If the knight dispatched from the Knight Order had been older than Leodanis, having witnessed with their own eyes just how much Rei and Set had accomplished during the Bestia Empire war, they wouldn't have been able to adapt this quickly.
Leodanis naturally knew about the matter with the Bestia Empire as well. But that was merely knowing about it—information from hearsay.
Those who had seen the battle with their own eyes, and those who had merely heard about it secondhand. Even with the same information, that difference was immeasurably vast. It wouldn't be wrong to call it a difference in real experience.
Because Rei understood this, he was grateful to Filma and Duke Kerebel for dispatching Leodanis.
"A weapon shop, huh. It's not that I'm not interested, but I'm not really in need of weapons."
"...Well, seeing that scythe and spear of yours, I can't exactly say I don't understand what you mean."
For Leodanis and his acquaintances, the weapon shop they intended to take Rei to could be called their regular haunt.
Of course, it wasn't the regular shop of the Duke Kerebel's Knight Order; it was merely Leodanis's personal regular shop.
As a result, the weapons in that shop weren't particularly impressive items—cheap and decent quality, that type of weapon.
Naturally, many of the weapons that Leodanis and his peers normally used were items provided by the Knight Order. But those items were only of decent quality, and if one wanted to use a different weapon—one that truly fit comfortably in their own hands—they needed to procure it themselves.
For that purpose, their regular weapon shop existed. Though besides that, the shop was also frequently used to procure supplementary weapons to be used alongside one's main weapon.
Hearing this explanation from Leodanis, Rei felt a slight interest in that shop. It was the notion of weapons meant for supplementary use, not as a main weapon, that caught his attention.
That said, it was only a mild interest, and he had no intention of buying any weapon.
When it came to supplementary weapons, Rei had the Eye of Nebula.
That Magic Item, which generated arrowheads through magic power, was a supplementary armament used to attack opponents by flicking or throwing them. Since the arrowheads disappeared after time passed, it was extremely convenient as a disposable weapon.
Its drawback was that, as a consequence of modifying the original Magic Item—which created arrows through magic power—into its current form, using the Eye of Nebula required an enormous amount of magic power.
In fact, he had previously tried letting Byune use it, thinking she might be able to handle the Eye of Nebula better than Rei could, but due to insufficient magic power, she couldn't generate the arrowheads.
"By the way, there's a baked goods shop that's popular among the maids. Would you like to go there?"
Perhaps judging that Rei wasn't particularly interested in the weapon shop, Miranda made that suggestion regarding where to go.
"Baked goods? What kind are they?"
"Ah, yes. They use something like bread dough, coat it in honey, and bake it. The crispy texture is irresistible. Plus, they have nuts and dried fruits in them, so the flavor changes with every bite."
Perhaps remembering the taste, she murmured happily. Seeing her like that, Rei found himself wanting to eat those baked goods too.
(Wait, if it's bread dough, then strictly speaking, should it be called sweet bread rather than baked goods? Also, I feel like I've eaten a similar bread before... ah, the bakery in Exil.)
He remembered eating bread like what Miranda was now describing at a bakery in the Labyrinth City Exil, which he had visited with Elena.
It might not be exactly the same, but that was precisely why he wanted to enjoy a different flavor.
This was true not only for Rei but for Set as well, who cleared his throat as if eager to go to the shop Miranda mentioned. Rei completely forgot about the weapon shop and went off to buy baked goods.