Walking through the streets of Anesis, the shop they were looking for soon came into view.
The shop Miranda had mentioned—the one that sold baked goods made with plenty of honey, nuts, and dried fruits.
To Rei, who had eaten similar bread at the Labyrinth City Exil before, it seemed less like baked goods and more like sweet bread.
But he decided that saying anything before actually trying it would be premature, so he kept that thought to himself.
...Incidentally, Leodanis, who had initially suggested visiting a weapon shop, was following along quietly, though he appeared somewhat dissatisfied with Rei's choice.
For Leodanis, who was not particularly fond of sweets, baked goods probably held little interest.
Even so, the reason he had come along was largely to prevent disruption in the city caused by Rei's—or more precisely, Set's—presence, and to keep an eye on Rei to make sure he did not do anything strange.
What the party saw was a queue of about twenty people lined up in front of a single shop.
Fortunately, the snow was not falling too heavily today—just light flurries.
But even so, it was plenty cold.
Rei was wearing his Dragon Robe, so he did not have to worry about the cold, while Miranda was bundled up over her maid uniform and Leodanis wore a winter coat.
Seeing a queue this long under such conditions, it was only natural for Rei to be surprised.
"Oh my, the line is short today. I suppose it's because of the snow."
Beside the surprised Rei, Miranda murmured happily.
"Eh—" Leodanis, looking slightly dissatisfied with Miranda's remark, seemed about to say something, but wisely judged that speaking up in this situation would be unwise and closed his mouth.
"Is it usually longer?"
"Yes. The shop opened in late autumn, but it's been thriving ever since. Sweets are a powerful thing, so perhaps that's only natural."
"...I can understand that, but isn't it just as natural that sweets would be expensive? Being able to obtain large quantities of honey around here... is a bit puzzling."
If this were Gilm, there would be various monsters in the surrounding area, including bee-based monsters, so it would not be strange for honey to be obtained in large quantities.
But this was Anesis.
It was not a remote frontier, so naturally, large-scale honey harvesting nearby was out of the question.
(If I had to guess, given its location as the second largest city in the Kingdom of Mireana, they probably have a contract with a specialized merchant who brings in honey. Does beekeeping even exist in this world?)
A Tamer or a practitioner of Summoning Magic might be able to keep bee monsters as Tamed Monsters and practice beekeeping.
However, Rei unfortunately did not know whether beekeeping as he understood it was practiced in this world.
Of course, Rei did not know anyone who kept bees, so his knowledge on the subject came mostly from television and manga.
(Wasps try to feed on honeybees, but honeybees swarm the wasp and suffocate it to death... right?)
For some reason, that was what the word "beekeeping" brought to mind.
If he had known more about beekeeping directly, he might have been able to consider more specific details, like the shape of the hive boxes and how to extract honey without destroying the comb.
In any case, Rei and his party joined the queue.
Given his status as Duke Kerebel's guest, Rei could probably buy the baked goods without waiting in line... but pulling something like that in this kind of place would undoubtedly lead to very troublesome consequences.
Especially considering women's attachment to sweets, there was absolutely no way he could do such a thing.
So he quietly took his place at the back of the queue, but... naturally, none of the people there had ever seen a Gryphon up close, and some were understandably frightened by its presence.
Even so, what surprised Rei was that the moment Leodanis declared that Set was safe, the people who had been making a commotion calmed right down.
That said, it was not because Leodanis himself had that much influence, but rather because he had explicitly stated that he was a member of Duke Kerebel's Knight Order.
Additionally, Miranda's actions—smiling and petting Set to calm the people around them—had undoubtedly played a part.
Set himself seemed to understand that he would be feared in an unfamiliar place, so he was careful not to frighten those around him, avoiding large movements and loud cries.
Thanks to the efforts of those two and one animal, the people in front of and behind Rei's party did not show any extreme fear toward Set.
If anything, several curious individuals tentatively reached out and were even petting him.
Once one person petted him, the others no longer showed any signs of fear.
When the first person to pet Set broke into a delighted smile, the onlookers began to follow suit.
Though there are always exceptions, a fondness for sweets is a trait of women—but so is a fondness for cute things.
As a result, Set was instantly accepted by the women lined up in front of the shop.
Leodanis stared at this scene with a stunned expression of disbelief, while Miranda smiled and nodded as if it were only natural.
Rei, too, found nothing particularly strange about the sight.
He had witnessed scenes like this many times before—Set initially frightening people, only to gradually be accepted.
Given Set's adorability, it was only natural that cuteness would eventually outweigh fear.
(Even though he now exceeds three meters in total length compared to before, when he lowers his head in such a situation and lets out a cry while looking up with those round eyes... anyone would normally be overcome by that cuteness. I should probably be glad that other gryphons don't make this gesture. ...They don't, right?)
For a moment, Rei wondered what would happen if this sort of behavior from Set was something ordinary gryphons also did, but quickly reconsidered—surely a Gryphon called the Grim Reaper of the Skies would never do such a thing.
As they stood there, the queue gradually moved forward... and eventually, it was Rei's party's turn.
"Welcome. The shop is full right now, so it's takeout only—is that alright?"
The person who said this was, to Rei's surprise, a man in his thirties.
And not just any man—he was a powerfully built giant who in no way matched the image of a confectioner.
He was clearly over two meters tall, and his body was packed with solid muscle.
Muscle so dense that describing it as rock-like would be entirely fitting.
"Eh..." was Rei's honest reaction upon seeing the man.
He was the complete opposite of what one would imagine upon hearing the word "confectioner."
But in reality, the shop's customers showed no sign of being intimidated by the man... if anything, they were chatting with him in a friendly manner.
"So? Takeout's fine, right? Three portions—huh?"
The man had been about to ask if three portions would be enough, but then noticed Set beside Rei.
Until then, he must have been too busy handling customer orders to have the leeway to notice Set's presence.
Even so, the surprised expression he showed upon seeing Set lasted only an instant, and the next moment, he erased his surprise and spoke again.
"Four portions, then? Sorry, but we have a lot of customers, so I'm limiting it to one per person."
"Ah, yes. We'll take that, please."
At Miranda's words, the man nodded and immediately wrapped the bread.
They paid and left the shop.
Rei and his party leaving meant, naturally, that Set—who had been with them—would also be gone, and the women who had been lined up behind them, petting Set, showed slightly disappointed expressions.
Of course, the next moment, they realized they could now buy the baked goods they had come for, and their attention was immediately redirected.
Moving a short distance from the shop... Rei and his party unwrapped the paper while walking.
What appeared was something between a cookie and bread—a baked good.
As Miranda had said, the baked good was generously coated with honey, filling the surrounding air with a sweet aroma.
"Gruu! Grurururu!"
The sweet aroma must have been stimulating for Set as well.
Eat it already, eat it already! it seemed to cry.
Rei handed one of the wrapped portions to Set.
At first, Set gave it a small peck with its beak, and apparently deciding that the sweet baked good was delicious, it proceeded to eat it in rapid succession.
Since Rei was holding Set's portion in his right hand so that Set could eat, he brought his own portion—held in his left hand—to his mouth.
The first thing that spread through his mouth was a crisp texture and the sweetness of honey, and soon the nuts and dried fruits kneaded into the dough delighted his palate.
(Is this Melon Bread? No, it's quite different... unlike Melon Bread where the biscuit dough and bread dough are separate layers, this is definitely a baked good where everything was baked together. Well, Melon Bread is also baked together, but in a different sense.)
Bread with biscuit dough on top is what is generally called Melon Bread.
That is the basic form of Melon Bread, and as far as Rei knew, there were varieties that included chocolate chips, and even luxurious versions that actually used real melon juice.
...Incidentally, Melon Bread is called "Melon Bread" not because melon juice is used in it.
There is a theory that it got its name because lines are drawn on the biscuit dough to make it resemble the appearance of a melon.
In reality, there are apparently several theories about how the name "Melon Bread" came about, but Rei at least believed that theory was probably the correct one.
In any case, while it did resemble Melon Bread, what Rei was eating now was undeniably a different food.
It was a food that was hard to describe, but that was only because Rei knew about Melon Bread.
Miranda, who did not know of it, was happily savoring the sweetness, and even Leodanis, who had initially seemed reluctant, now wore a satisfied expression as he ate the baked good.
As for Set, partly due to its large size, the wrapped portion Rei had been holding was already empty.
"Gruu."
Seeing Set looking disappointed after finishing so quickly, Rei gave the baked good—resembling Melon Bread—that he had eaten about half of to Set.
Rei did not dislike sweets, but more than that, he simply did not want to see Set looking sad.
(If possible, I'd like to buy out the entire stock... but I can't do something like that at a shop that busy.)
He was not sure whether the man was the shop owner or a clerk, but Rei felt that even if he offered to buy all the goods, the man would refuse.
If the man had been someone greedy for money, buying out the stock might have been possible.
But Rei could not imagine that man having such a personality.
Furthermore, behind Rei's party, there was still a considerable queue.
If Rei and his party bought up all the remaining baked goods, the people behind them would naturally be left with none.
What would happen if he bought out all the sweets in front of the women who had been waiting in line in the falling snow, looking forward to their treat?
That was something Rei did not even want to think about.
(Yeah, I'll just stick with buying only enough for our group. I would have liked two or three extra for Set's share, if possible. Besides, if I really want a large quantity of these, I don't have to buy them here—I can place a separate order later.)
There was also the thought that going out of his way to provoke hostility from others was unnecessary.
"Yeah, it was good. It was good, but... getting in that line takes some courage."
Having finished his baked good, Leodanis murmured earnestly.
Rei understood the sentiment.
The queue they had just been in was almost entirely women; men were an overwhelming minority.
The few men who were there were not lining up alone—whether with a lover, a friend, or family, they were queuing together with a woman.
In that kind of place, no matter how much Leodanis might want to eat the baked good again, lining up by himself would require considerable courage.
Asking a woman from the Knight Order, or perhaps a personal female friend unconnected to the Order, to queue with him.
That was supposed to be the best option Leodanis could think of at the moment.