Knock knock.
As they were holding a banquet inside the warehouse, the sound of someone knocking on the door suddenly reached their ears.
"Who is it?"
One of the Guild Staff Members muttered suspiciously, though his voice carried no real wariness.
He knew adventurers were standing guard outside the warehouse, and more importantly, Rei—the man who had just become an A-Rank Adventurer today—was right here.
That being the case, they understood that whatever happened here and now, there were people on hand who could deal with it immediately.
On top of that, the Foreman was here too.
The Foreman hardly ever spoke about his past, but working at the Guild, one naturally heard the rumors sooner or later.
According to those rumors, he had once been a remarkably skilled High-Rank Adventurer.
Having retired from adventending a considerable number of years ago, it would be unreasonable to expect the Foreman to demonstrate the same strength he once had.
But even so, a former High-Rank Adventurer's abilities were still exceptionally high.
There had been instances where Guild Staff Members who had been out enjoying the Festival came into the warehouse in the middle of the banquet, but at those times they hadn't knocked—they had simply walked in.
Given that, it was only natural that everyone was curious about whoever had bothered to knock, but...
"I'll go take a look. Walk off my meal a bit too."
Saying that, one of the Guild Staff Members stood up and headed toward the door.
If the person outside had hostile intent, they wouldn't do something like knocking and waiting for a response—they would burst right in.
...Though if they knew Rei was inside the warehouse, it might be a different story.
However, the only people who knew who was currently inside the warehouse were, aside from those already within, the adventurer guards stationed at the door.
"What's up? What's going on?"
When the Guild Staff Member opened the door and asked, the person standing there was, as expected, one of the adventurers serving as guard.
"It's about that time. They want Rei to bring the Crystal Dragon corpse over here."
"...Got it."
Once he grasped the meaning of the adventurer's words, the Guild Staff Member's expression—who had just been enjoying the banquet—instantly shifted to one of dead seriousness.
And not just him.
The adventurer's words caused the other Guild Staff Members inside the warehouse to adopt equally serious expressions.
Up until that moment, they had been enjoying a lighthearted banquet—eating the food Rei had brought out and dishes that late-arriving staff had purchased from stalls, or cheerfully explaining the tools that would be used for the Crystal Dragon's dissection—but that festive atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Of course, the fact that despite it being a banquet, no one had been drinking any alcohol was probably also a reason why their expressions changed so suddenly—shifting into what could fairly be called a combat-ready state.
And naturally, the Foreman, who led the Guild Staff Members present, was the same...
"Rei, can you handle it?"
It was a brief statement, but it carried a serious intensity.
"Understood."
Watching the Guild Staff Members' reactions, Rei complied with the Foreman's words without protest.
"Then I'll go retrieve the Crystal Dragon corpse. Clean up in here and get ready for the dissection."
At Rei's words, the Guild Staff Members immediately sprang into action.
With that scene behind him, Rei exited the warehouse.
The fact that a considerable amount of time had passed since he entered was evident—the sky was already dyed red by the sunset.
Even so, cheerful voices could still be heard from outside the Guild.
Everyone knew as a matter of course that starting tomorrow, they would return to the same work as before.
But still, today... today only, there were probably many who wanted to enjoy the Festival to the fullest.
(That's fine, but I feel like there'll be people who can't work tomorrow because of hangovers. ...Well, that's not really something I need to worry about, I suppose.)
Thinking it served them right, Rei called out to the adventurer guarding the warehouse and headed outside the Guild.
On the stage in front of the Guild, the Crystal Dragon's corpse was still on display.
Many people were captivated by the beauty of the corpse, bathed in the red light of the setting sun.
Of course, through Marina's Spirit Magic, the Crystal Dragon possessed a dynamism that made it look as though it could spring to life at any moment.
Because of that, its appearance bathed in the red sunset held not just beauty, but an air of menace as well.
The adventurers and Knights standing guard around the stage also cast glances at the Crystal Dragon repeatedly, apparently unable to resist its pull.
(Umm... is it really okay to take it in the middle of all this? If I go and remove the corpse in a situation like this, I feel like the people around the stage would come after me.)
Even as he thought that, he had no idea what the Guild Staff Members waiting inside the warehouse would say if he wasted time here.
Given that, regardless of the current situation, he needed to store the Crystal Dragon's corpse away.
(I'm not thrilled about it, though.)
Feeling apologetic toward those captivated by the sunset-dyed Crystal Dragon, Rei approached the stage.
Naturally, his approach was noticed by the Knights and adventurers securing the stage. Had the person approaching been a suspicious individual, they would have been pinned down immediately—but since it was Rei, the owner of the Crystal Dragon corpse, it was a different matter entirely.
"Rei? What's up?"
"I figured it's about time we wrapped up the public viewing of the Crystal Dragon corpse."
Huh?
The words that came from Rei's mouth must have been quite unexpected.
They directed surprised looks at him.
The Crystal Dragon's corpse, dyed red by the setting sun, presented a spectacular sight that was plain to see.
Given that, taking the Crystal Dragon's corpse away under these circumstances could very well have sparked an uproar.
"Um, could you wait just a little longer? Otherwise... well, I don't think everyone would be satisfied with that."
The adventurer on guard duty said as much.
If the Crystal Dragon's corpse disappeared in this situation, people would inevitably question why such a thing was necessary.
And if that happened, there would certainly be many who felt dissatisfied.
For the adventurers and Knights entrusted with guarding the area, that was something they undoubtedly wanted to avoid.
That said, while Rei could manage a few minutes' wait, he couldn't afford to wait the tens of minutes until the sun fully set.
If he did something like that, it was uncertain whether the Foreman would be able to contain himself.
There was even a possibility he might come storming over, demanding to know what was taking so long.
That was how motivated the Foreman and his team were about the Crystal Dragon's dissection.
"Even if you say that, the Foreman and the others are waiting at the warehouse. And they're raring to go, to put it mildly."
"Yikes..."
The one Rei had been talking to was an adventurer, which was probably why.
At the mention of the Foreman, he showed a look of understanding.
But the Knight who had overheard the exchange between Rei and the adventurer didn't fully grasp what those words meant.
"Even so, with this many citizens viewing the Crystal Dragon's corpse, wouldn't it be fine to ask for a little more time?"
Then go tell the Foreman it'll take a bit longer.
That was what Rei wanted to say, but he could also understand that the Knight wasn't saying it out of malice.
"Just a little longer, then."
In the end, that was the compromise Rei offered.
If there had been fewer people watching, Rei would have stored the Crystal Dragon's corpse away even while feeling sorry for them.
But there were still quite a few people present.
If he forced the issue and took it away under these circumstances, there would undoubtedly be those who felt dissatisfied.
Since this was a Festival, honestly, he wanted it to end without anyone feeling resentful if possible.
Moreover, this Festival was meant to celebrate Rei's promotion.
Officially it was something different, but in practice, that was what it had become.
Given that, it was only natural for Rei to want people to enjoy themselves.
(The Foreman... well, it won't be that long, so I'll have him wait. After that, I can only pray the adventurers do their best to keep the Foreman and the others from leaving the warehouse.)
The Foreman and his team inside the warehouse were, just as during the A-Rank Monster dissection Rei had requested a short while ago, restricted from leaving until the dissection was complete.
Let alone the fact that what they were dissecting this time was an S-Rank Monster—a new Dragon species.
The standards were undoubtedly stricter than before.
That was exactly why Rei didn't want to think that the Foreman and his team would come bursting out of the warehouse just because he was a little late returning.
"Yeah, of course. Sorry, I appreciate it."
At Rei's words, the adventurer showed a look of relief... and then turned his own gaze to the Crystal Dragon corpse on the stage.
No matter how many times he saw it, the sight captivated him.
Rei was also drawn to look in that direction, and he felt sincerely glad that he had extended the public viewing time, even if only slightly.
Then again, thinking about what would happen when he returned to the warehouse, there was still some anxiety.
(Well, if they complain, I'll just bring out the Crystal Dragon corpse. That should focus their attention on it. ...Probably.)
The people currently in the warehouse were Guild Staff Members, but at the same time, they were also craftsmen.
As such, they had what you might call a craftsman's temperament—it wouldn't be strange for their attention to be diverted if you showed them something of interest, even if they were angry.
Then again, that might only work in the moment, and the possibility of being scolded afterward couldn't be completely ruled out.
(Still... this Crystal Dragon really is amazing.)
Looking at the Crystal Dragon's corpse on the stage, Rei thought that with deep sincerity.
The Crystal Dragon's corpse, dyed red by the setting sun, was exceedingly beautiful.
Precisely because he had fought the Crystal Dragon, Rei felt this all the more.
Even as he remained captivated, time continued to pass.
As the minutes went by, the color of the sunset shifted, and the Crystal Dragon corpse's hue—though the same red—changed in depth and shade as time wore on, delighting the eyes of its viewers.
Before he knew it, Rei too had become absorbed in watching the Crystal Dragon corpse's changing colors.
Amidst all that... as the sun disappeared behind the wall surrounding Gilm, the surroundings gradually grew darker.
Without the wall, they might have been able to enjoy the sunset-dyed Crystal Dragon corpse a little longer, but there was no point thinking about that now.
Given that Gilm was located in the Frontier, the absence of walls protecting the town was simply unthinkable.
There were Barriers and the like, but those were not absolute either.
...The only optimistic note was that Bandits, which would be a top-priority concern outside the Frontier, weren't something to worry about here.
Even Rei couldn't tell them to tear down the wall just so he could watch the Crystal Dragon corpse bathed in sunlight.
"The public viewing of this Crystal Dragon corpse is now concluded. I ask all those who came to see it to never forget this sight!"
One of the Knights—in fact, the highest-ranking Knight among those present—made the announcement.
At his words, the people around the stage began to disperse, looks of disappointment on their faces.
(If this were Japan... or rather, Earth, I could probably light it up with LEDs or something. But you can't do that kind of thing in Elgin. Not that I could waste any more time on decorations even if I could, though.)
A fair amount of time had passed one way or another, but the Foreman and the other Guild Staff Members were still waiting in the warehouse even now.
Given that, decorating the Crystal Dragon corpse with anything LED-like was simply out of the question.
Then again, from Rei's perspective, if he had an LED-like Magic Item, it would be fairly convenient.
(Maybe I should look into whether something like that exists later. ...No, once this is over I'm heading to Egginis soon anyway, so I might as well search for one over there.)
Egginis was a city famous for its Golems, but it presumably also had correspondingly high technology for Magic Items.
Thinking such thoughts, Rei stepped onto the stage... and stored the Crystal Dragon's corpse into his Misty Ring.