The New Year's party was gradually drawing to a close.
It was already around the time when the date would change, and normally, many people would be asleep by this hour.
Even so, perhaps because today was a once-a-year celebration, or simply because they were caught up in the excitement and high spirits, not many were struggling to fight off drowsiness.
"In that case, I'll take on the flood control project."
"Good, I'm counting on you. I'll see that you're properly compensated, so rest easy."
"Thank you. Fortunately, my household has many Earth Attribute mages, so we excel at that kind of work."
While some were having conversations like that...
"Damn it! Is there really nothing to be done about Lady Elena!? I finally... I finally got this strong, and..."
"Give it up. No matter how strong you get, becoming an Alias Holder like Crimson is impossible, right?"
"That's..."
"More importantly, hey. Look. Those girls over there. They've been glancing your way over and over."
"What!? Is that true!?"
A noble who had been pursuing Elena found a new romance.
At any rate, most of the nobles were spending their time freely.
Those who had conducted successful negotiations at the party were in good spirits, drinking wine and savoring the dishes prepared by Georgima and his disciples.
Nobles whose negotiations had fallen through were bringing wine and food to their mouths to suppress their frustration.
Amidst all this, in a corner of the venue, several nobles had gathered and were talking among themselves.
"Still, today's party was full of surprises. I never expected Lady Elena to showcase such a magnificent dance."
"Indeed. When I saw that dance, I was completely captivated. I got excited despite my age."
"If you're saying that, then the same goes for me. That dance truly was magnificent. ...And the adventurer who was Lady Elena's partner. An Alias Holder called Crimson, I hear, with considerable strength."
When one noble said that, several who had watched Rei's mock battle immediately spoke up.
"I saw the mock battle Rei participated in, and his strength was the real deal. ...Plus, he has a Gryphon as a Tamed Monster."
"Exactly. Honestly, when I first heard about it, I wondered why Duke Kerebel would accept a mere adventurer as Lady Elena's partner. But seeing that he has a Gryphon as a Tamed Monster, there's nothing to do but accept it."
"...It's not just that. That man's strength is..."
Suddenly, a noble who had been silently listening to the conversation murmured this.
What dwelled in his tone was unmistakable fear.
Given that this noble was usually imposing, the surrounding nobles felt puzzled seeing him like this.
"Baron Chilmno, what's wrong? This isn't like you."
At the words of his friend from before he had inherited his title, the man called Baron Chilmno brought wine to his lips as if to calm himself.
Perhaps it was a particularly strong vintage, as his mouth burned with heat... and Baron Chilmno exhaled as if expelling that warmth.
"I fought alongside Rei on the battlefield once. You know, the war against the Bestia Empire a few years ago."
"Ah, come to think of it, you did say you were participating."
Even among the Noble's Faction, not all nobles were financially comfortable.
Especially for low-ranking nobles like baronial families, it was not uncommon for those who participated in war to earn merits, hoping for rewards or promotion to a higher title.
Baron Chilmno was no exception, having participated in the war against the Bestia Empire.
Since he trained regularly, he was confident in his own strength, and the soldiers he led were rigorously drilled, possessing enough skill to be called elite troops.
However... what Baron Chilmno saw on the battlefield was Rei, using a massive Flame Tornado to inflict heavy casualties on the Bestia Imperial Army's Vanguard.
And immediately after, Rei's figure, using a large scythe to cut down enemies one after another.
Perhaps because he wielded a scythe, to Baron Chilmno, his actions looked as though he were reaping human lives like mowing weeds with a sickle.
That figure, holding a scythe and reaping enemies' lives as if dancing, could have been called a Grim Reaper without seeming the least bit strange.
Having explained the battle, Baron Chilmno, perhaps having calmed down somewhat from talking, continued slowly.
"Honestly, I think Duke Kerebel's decision to build friendly relations with the Neutral Faction was the best possible judgment. If it came to fighting Margrave Daskar, who keeps Rei as his hidden blade..."
A shudder.
As if imagining what it would be like to make an enemy of Rei, Baron Chilmno's body trembled.
Seeing this, those who had been listening to his words realized that their own understanding had been naive.
Those nobles who thought they understood Rei's strength from watching the mock battle now highly evaluated Duke Kerebel's decision to build friendly relations with the Neutral Faction, just as Baron Chilmno had said.
After all, they absolutely wanted to avoid opposing the Neutral Faction and encountering Rei on the battlefield.
"For a man like Baron Chilmno to feel compelled to say that much... Looking at him like this, it's hard to believe at all."
One of the nobles who had been listening to Baron Chilmno spoke while watching Rei chatting amiably with several other nobles.
His gaze had become somewhat wary, likely because he now understood that Rei possessed that much power.
"That's right. I'm telling you all too. I urge you—truly urge you—not to do anything that would make an enemy of Rei. If you oppose him, all that awaits you is ruin. After all, Rei doesn't hold back just because his opponent is a noble."
Baron Chilmno knew the fact that during the war where Rei earned his alias, Rei had swung his large scythe without any mercy whatsoever, even against nobles of the Kingdom of Mireana.
Normally, one couldn't so readily attack a noble so decisively.
But Rei, who did so without hesitation, was precisely like a natural enemy to nobles.
Even if one tried to silence him with power, he found no value whatsoever in that power.
No, perhaps he did find some value in it, but it was only a value that could be safely ignored.
Even if one hired bodyguards, there was no way they could easily procure someone capable of defeating Rei and... let alone Gryphon Seto.
And as long as Set was present, even if one somehow hired someone Rei truly couldn't beat, if Set fled into the sky, pursuit would be difficult.
On top of that, if they let him escape, they would never know when or from where the next attack might come.
Naturally, someone strong enough to defeat Rei would require a corresponding amount of money to hire, and unless one was exceptionally wealthy, continuing to employ such a person would be difficult.
At Baron Chilmno's words, those listening unknowingly swallowed the saliva in their mouths.
"Hahaha. You're a reasonable guy, aren't you?"
"No, no, not at all. I'd say you're the more reasonable one."
Before Rei's eyes, a somewhat unexpected scene was unfolding.
That was because Bluitt and Ranigus were laughing together.
Though both were nobles, Bluitt wasn't staying in Anesis, and they belonged to different factions—Ranigus of the King's Faction and Bluitt of the Noble's Faction.
Despite that, the two must have been highly compatible. They had hit it off in no time.
A short distance away from Ranigus and Bluitt, Teles was praising Elena's dress and her dance from earlier.
Even further away from there, Ara was watching Teles talk with Elena with an envious expression, but she had to attend to the nobles approaching her and couldn't leave her spot just yet.
Ara's public reputation was as Elena's right-hand woman. ...And that wasn't actually wrong.
To the Noble Faction Nobles, Ara was quite attractive as a marriage prospect.
That was precisely why many young men were trying to woo her.
...However, she herself had absolutely no interest in men, and if it came down to talking with these suitors, she would much rather be at Elena's side.
If the men pressing their advances on Ara had been forceful about it, she could have used her proud Herculean Strength to beat them down.
But whether the men knew that, or simply thought it was beneath them to resort to violence, they were wooing Ara in a perfectly ordinary manner.
"What do you think, Ara? Near my estate, at this time of year, a snowfield stretches out. A pure white snowfield with no footprints. I would love to see it together with you."
"I'm sorry, I have my duty as the Escort Knight Order Commander for Lady Elena, so I can't leave Anesis so easily."
In reality, she had been in Gilm with Elena all along, but she declined the invitation while making sure not to let that show.
"Then, would you like to look around Anesis with me? I just arrived in the city, so it would be helpful if you could show me around."
"I'm too busy with work right now to have that kind of leisure. I'm sorry."
In addition to such exchanges...
"Ara, your eyes hold a strong will, and they're wonderful. I could look at them forever."
"I want to celebrate encountering a jewel like you."
"That dignified atmosphere of yours. I could watch you forever."
She was being showered with compliments like that, one after another.
(Ugh... what a disaster.)
While watching Ara's situation, Rei brought food he had taken from a nearby table to his mouth.
It was food that had been made over several hours ago, but as expected of dishes made by Georgima and his disciples, it was perfectly delicious.
Since it was food served at a party, they must have focused on dishes that wouldn't lose flavor even when cooled.
Among dishes, there are those that are extremely delicious while hot but lose their flavor rapidly once cooled—one could call it a duration of deliciousness.
Dishes suitable for a restaurant, but not suited for eating at this kind of party.
Georgima naturally understood this, so he had primarily made the kind of dishes Rei was now eating.
Even so, the fact that there were various dishes to enjoy even cold was a testament to Georgima's skill.
"Hey, Rei. What do you think?"
Rei, who had been enjoying the food, suddenly snapped back to reality when Bluitt spoke to him.
But since he hadn't been listening to the conversation at all, there was no way he could answer when asked what he thought.
"Sorry, I was eating and wasn't listening. What were you talking about?"
So he apologized honestly and asked what they had been trying to say.
Bluitt showed a slightly exasperated look at Rei's attitude, but still didn't voice any complaints and explained the situation.
"Ranigus was saying his estate has good hunting grounds. No monsters show up there, so apparently you can hunt safely. Not interested?"
"Interest... sorry, but not that much."
The prey caught through hunting—so-called hunting—was fundamentally wild animals.
Especially since Ranigus was saying there were no monsters there, that was naturally the case.
However... setting aside the enjoyment of hunting itself, when considering purely the taste of the meat, wild animals were inevitably inferior to monster meat.
There were those who preferred that gamey flavor, and Rei didn't deny that... but still, if he was going to eat, his honest feeling was that he wanted to eat delicious meat.
Among monsters, there were also unpalatable ones, Goblins being a prime example.
But the meat of high-rank monsters that Rei fought was, due to containing magical power, definitely more delicious than wild animal meat.
Depending on the case, there even existed meat so fine that it wouldn't be strange for it to appear on the tables of nobles or royalty.
"Is that so? Hunting is quite fun, though. ...Ah, no. I suppose in Rei's case, you're used to that kind of hunting."
"Yeah. I don't know what noble hunting is like, but when you live with Set, you end up hunting monsters a lot. For the meat."
In reality, it was also because he wanted unknown Magic Stones, but he couldn't reveal Beast Magic, so he deflected with a vague answer.
And so, Rei and his group, joined by Ara who had somehow shaken off the men pressing their advances on her, spent the time among familiar companions until Liberte announced the party's closing.