"Hmm... it really does still get cold at night."
Elena looked around as she said it.
The sun had already vanished completely, leaving the moon and stars to shine in the sky above.
During the day, it had been getting somewhat warmer—though still below ten degrees—but once night fell, the cold was as sharp as ever.
Rei, however, was wearing the Dragon Robe, so he didn't feel it in the slightest. And Elena, who was complaining about the cold, had inherited the Magic Stone of an Ancient Dragon, giving her physical abilities that easily surpassed any human's.
Her remark about the cold was probably more reflex than genuine discomfort.
"Yeah. The Gigant Turtle dissection request wrapped up today, so here's hoping it warms up a bit sooner."
"Hehe. Lord Daskar was pleased, too."
"Ah... right. Well, he would be."
The reason Rei and Elena were walking through the town alone together at night was that Rei had gone to report to Daskar about the Gigant Turtle dissection. There, he had run into Elena, who had been discussing matters concerning the Neutral Faction and the Noble's Faction, and so the two of them ended up heading back to Marina's house together.
...Though in Rei's case, he was still staying at the Wheat Inn at Dusk, so going "home" to Marina's house applied only to Elena.
Meanwhile, Set and Ielo were presumably playing together in Marina's garden by now.
"It's a shame the dissection is over. We can't just eat as much meat as we want anymore."
"It's not so bad. I've got a fair amount of Gigant Turtle meat stored in my Misty Ring. Of course, if Set ate his fill every single day, it definitely wouldn't last until next year—but if we're just eating a reasonable amount on a regular basis, it should be fine."
"You have that much?"
"Well, the dissection did go on for over a month, one way or another. ...Though the fact that it didn't even progress that far in all that time is almost frightening."
In the end, this winter's dissection hadn't even managed to completely break down a single leg.
Part of that was probably the inexperience of the workers, but ultimately, what they'd managed to dissect amounted to less than half of one out of six legs.
Then again, the Gigant Turtle dissection involved peeling off scales, skinning, and a host of other tasks, so perhaps it was only natural that it took time.
"Next year, the people who participated this time will probably join again, so the pace should pick up. And with word spreading about the Gigant Turtle, I imagine more people will stay in Gilm for the winter."
In terms of earning money, the Gigant Turtle dissection was undoubtedly a lucrative venture.
Of course, that wasn't from the request fee itself, but rather from selling the Gigant Turtle meat Rei distributed to the participants as a bonus.
However, unless you were willing to sell rather than eat meat so exquisite that even nobles and royals would struggle to get their hands on it, the actual profit remained modest.
Then again, a fair number of people might choose to stay not for the money, but simply for the chance to taste the meat.
"Hmm. There's no doubt that winter in Gilm was lively, thanks in part to the Gigant Turtle dissection. ...Of course, I don't actually know what winter in Gilm is normally like, so that's only in comparison to other places, including Anesis."
"Ah... yeah. It was definitely lively. If it hadn't been for that eyeball incident, it would've been even more so."
Exchanging words like that, the two walked on through the town.
Ordinarily, it would have been a dark road with no lights to speak of, but both Rei and Elena were beings that could arguably be called beyond human. They naturally had Night Vision, and could walk the path without issue by starlight alone.
...That was probably why they noticed the presence.
"Phew. I'm hungry today. Was hoping to get back sooner."
"Marina is making a fish dish tonight. If we don't hurry, Byune might eat everything."
"Honestly, I'd appreciate it if she left at least a little for the rest of us."
They both sighed softly and turned their gaze toward the narrow path stretching ahead from where they walked.
Multiple presences lurked there.
Had there simply been people nearby, it wouldn't have been a problem. But those presences were directing malice—if not quite murderous intent—at them, and Rei and Elena weren't about to let that slide.
"Come out."
At Rei's words, the men apparently realized their hiding spot had been seen through.
From the narrow passage, nearly ten men emerged. The youngest looked to be in his mid-teens; the oldest was pushing thirty. Every one of them carried a weapon—a club, a dagger—and fixed malicious gazes on Rei and Elena.
No, the looks directed at Elena were less malice and more vulgar lust.
Elena understood the meaning of those gazes, naturally. Precisely because she understood, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed.
"You sure you haven't picked the wrong targets? I don't imagine you think guys like you can actually do anything about us."
He should have brought Set.
That thought crossed Rei's mind even as he spoke, but the men addressed clearly had no idea who Rei or Elena were. The leader's lips curled into a mocking sneer.
"Heh heh heh. Walkin' down a road with no foot traffic, just the two of you... and with a woman that fine? That's practically beggin' to be hit up, yeah? Lucky for you, we're stand-up guys. We won't kill ya, so relax. We'll just take your valuables, and we'll have ourselves a real good time with that woman over—"
Before the leader could finish, Rei closed the distance in a heartbeat and drove his fist into the man's face.
Even so, he held back to a minimum. Several front teeth were broken, but the man's life was spared.
"Do you have any idea who you're messing with? I'll let you off with this for now. Grab your friend and disappear."
Silence.
Rei's words were so unexpected—and perhaps because they hadn't even been able to follow his movement in the darkness—that the men fell mute in an instant.
"Do I need to say it more than once? I said disappear. Or... if you'd rather fight me to the end, I'm fine with that, too."
Something in Rei's tone must have made the men realize that the two standing before them were opponents they had absolutely no chance against. They bolted, fleeing from Rei at full speed.
...And yet, the fact that they didn't leave behind the man Rei had punched caught him slightly off guard. He had fully expected them to abandon their companion and run.
"Fast runners, at least."
"Rei, do you think this happened because the Gigant Turtle dissection ended?"
"Ah... probably not. I was working alongside the dissection crew every morning, so I doubt they'd have attacked without recognizing me."
As long as the Gigant Turtle was stored in the Misty Ring, it was only natural for Rei to work alongside the dissection personnel each morning. Of course, he didn't know every single person's face, but even so, he wasn't likely to forget men who stood out the way those just had.
Given that, while not an absolute certainty, Rei could safely guess they probably hadn't taken part in the dissection.
"Judging by how they looked, they didn't seem to be Slum District residents, either."
Elena offered that assessment in response.
In truth, the clothing the men had been wearing was far too clean for Slum District residents. Not that every last resident of the Slum District wore clothes on the verge of falling apart. Among the upper tiers of the Slum District—or rather, those who held rank in the Underground Organization—it was not uncommon to wear finer clothing than ordinary townsfolk.
"As spring approaches, people like that will probably keep increasing. The guards will need to step up their game."
With that, Rei and Elena continued down the night road.
Fortunately, they encountered no more robbers and reached the Noble District without further incident.
As was only natural, the Noble District was patrolled by adventurers hired by nobles, along with soldiers and knights in noble service, so the kind of trouble they'd just experienced didn't happen there.
...Of course, there were always those who, through some staggering misapprehension, believed that being assigned to patrol this district made them important. And precisely because of that belief, they saw nothing wrong with detaining anyone who looked suspicious and confiscating their valuables... There were people who thought exactly that.
That said, if such matters were brought to the attention of Gilm's leadership—or, depending on the case, to the employer of the offending party—they were dealt with swiftly.
"Come to think of it, a while back someone suffering from exactly that kind of delusion was strutting around the Noble District like he owned the place. Apparently it ended about as badly as it possibly could."
"I suppose there will always be such people."
The two chatted as they walked, eventually arriving at Marina's house—a place that had long since become familiar territory.
Without any need to call out, they stepped through into the garden.
If someone who wasn't on close terms with Marina tried something like that, the Spirits guarding the house would bare their fangs instantly.
As a security system, it was remarkably effective: the Spirits could recognize visitors and automatically welcome or intercept them as appropriate.
Naturally, the Spirits recognized Rei and Elena as Marina's companions, and given that they visited the house nearly every night, there was no chance of being turned away.
As the two made their way toward the garden, they noticed the air shift in one particular spot. Unlike the cold night air outside, that area was noticeably warm.
Who was responsible needed no thought.
Along with the change in the air came the smell of cooking. Just as they'd discussed on the way, the aroma confirmed tonight's dish was fish.
A low growl escaped Rei's stomach the moment the scent hit him.
Not that he'd skipped lunch. He'd eaten as usual, and had properly enjoyed the sandwiches and tea served at the Lord's Manor.
Even so, for his stomach to rumble like that was simply a sign of Rei's body having poor fuel efficiency.
...Not that Rei minded. He never had to worry about money for meals, so a body that burned through calories just meant he could eat generous helpings of all sorts of dishes—exactly what he wanted.
"Oh, welcome back. Coming back right when the food is done—almost like you timed it."
Marina stepped out into the garden carrying a plate of fragrant fish—fish steamed with an assortment of vegetables, then drenched in sizzling hot oil. She looked at Rei and Elena with a knowing smile.
"We didn't time anything. It's a coincidence. We would've been here even earlier if those guys hadn't hassled us."
From that alone, Marina could more or less piece together what had happened.
Though Rei without Set was one thing, Elena was undeniably a well-known figure in Gilm. The idea that anyone would dare accost her was mildly surprising.
"Sounds like you had a time of it. ...But tonight's dinner turned out well enough to make you forget all about that. Let's eat."
"Indeed. Byune's been quite drawn to the smell of that plate for a while now."
Vihera, seated at the table, offered that with an amused smile.
Byune herself, however, pouted slightly with a look of mild displeasure. There was no doubt she'd been looking forward to the meal, but she apparently didn't appreciate being made the topic of conversation.
"Nn!"
Byune let out a small sound of protest, but Marina just smiled at her reaction and set the dish down in the center of the table.
From the way it was presented, it was unmistakably tonight's main course.
The fish in question was one of the larger, more highly prized catches from last summer's sea trip—reputed to be exceptionally delicious.
That was why Marina had decided it was perfect for the main dish.
"Lady Elena, please have a seat here."
Ara pulled out a chair for Elena, and Rei took a seat in an empty one. Set and Ielo, who had been playing in the garden, came trotting over, and so the meal began.