In the distance, a massive city—large enough to be called a proper city—came into view.
It was smaller than the current Gilm, but by normal standards, it was still a stretch to merely call a town.
"That's Egginis, huh. ...Seto, instead of landing right near the Main Gate like usual, let's land a bit further away and walk the rest of the way. If Seto got attacked or something, that would be no laughing matter."
"Gururu"
At Rei's words, Seto purred energetically, as if to say, "Got it!"
When they had left the town where Anne and the others' orphanage was located, Seto had startled some people and been saddened by their fear. But now, the simple fact that he could fly through the sky alongside Rei was more than enough to keep him satisfied.
Understanding this perfectly, Rei gently stroked Seto while speaking to him.
(Will Seto be feared at first in Egginis too? No, unlike that last town, I plan to stay in Egginis for quite a while. ...Though I do intend to return to Gilm frequently. Given that, the residents of Egginis should get used to Seto eventually.)
Even so, it was unlikely that nearly every resident would grow as accustomed to Seto as the people of Gilm had.
The inn where Rei planned to stay, the people living in the surrounding area, the shops he would likely visit—in those places, they would encounter Seto multiple times, and he figured they would eventually warm up to him.
While he mulled this over, Seto began his descent toward the ground.
Perhaps feeling that startling first-time acquaintances wasn't the best idea, Seto touched down in a spot slightly off the main road.
For Rei and Seto, this was a considerate gesture toward the people around them... particularly the guards of Egginis. But for those traveling along the road toward the city, Seto's sudden appearance was cause for alarm.
Egginis attracted large numbers of wealthy merchants and nobles.
Such people naturally employed bodyguards... and furthermore, they had all heard that bandits frequently prowled the road to Egginis.
Even here, with the city already in sight, the possibility of a bandit attack couldn't be entirely ruled out.
Under such circumstances, having a gryphon descend from the sky to a spot just off the road—it would have been unreasonable to expect people not to be on guard.
That said, no matter how many bandits lurked around Egginis, the idea of someone commanding a gryphon—a flying creature—was simply unthinkable.
And within the Kingdom of Mireana, there was one famous alias-holding adventurer known for commanding a gryphon.
Making that connection... from among the groups on the road, particularly the one closest to Rei, a single cavalryman broke away and began riding toward them.
"Guruu?"
As the cavalryman approached, Seto, having just let Rei dismount, purred questioningly as if asking, "What do we do?"
Rei watched the rider while stroking Seto, signaling that there was nothing to worry about.
Once the cavalryman had closed the distance, he could get no closer—his horse had become too terrified to advance another step.
(Not a particularly good horse, huh.)
That was Rei's impression.
A properly trained horse—one that wouldn't falter even on a battlefield—wouldn't be frightened of Seto.
The two horses pulling Elena's carriage were a prime example.
However, the approaching cavalryman's horse was clearly terrified of Seto's presence.
The fact that it had still managed to close the distance to a certain extent was probably because it was, at least nominally, a trained horse.
If it had been a barely trained animal that only pulled carriages, it likely wouldn't have been able to get this close at all.
Depending on the circumstances, it might have even bolted in a panic to get as far from Seto as possible.
"Huh? Hey, what's wrong? Come on, move forward. Why are you stopping? Hey."
The soldier on horseback struggled for about a minute, puzzled as to why his trusted mount had suddenly planted its feet and stubbornly refused to take another step. Eventually, he must have concluded that the horse would go no further no matter what he did.
Giving up on advancing on horseback, he dismounted and walked toward Rei.
The soldier appeared to be in his twenties.
"Are you, without a doubt, Crimson Rei?"
"Yeah."
"I thought so. The only adventurer who commands a gryphon that I know of is Crimson Rei. Um, would you like to head to Egginis together with us? If you're here, that means you have business in Egginis too, right? My master says he would very much like to speak with you."
"Even if you say that... traveling with me naturally means Seto comes along too, you know? Wouldn't it be a problem if your horse ends up unable to move, just like that one?"
"That's..."
At Rei's words, the soldier was unable to offer a rebuttal.
After all, it was a fact that his own horse had refused to move past a certain distance.
Given that, there was a very real possibility that the same thing would happen if he brought Rei and Seto along.
"I can't exactly have Seto move separately from me, so wouldn't that be difficult?"
So said Rei, though he also had a genuine desire to avoid troublesome situations.
Given that the soldier had a cavalry escort, his master was undoubtedly a wealthy merchant or a noble.
Considering those circumstances, Rei didn't want to cause any problems here.
It would be one thing if this were a place far from Egginis, but causing trouble right before entering the city would be problematic in various ways—or so he judged.
"Hmm... Mm... Please wait a moment. I'll go ask my master about that."
So saying, the soldier returned to where his horse was.
Whether leaving that spot was a relief for the animal or not, the horse immediately began moving—despite having refused to budge at all earlier when the soldier had tried to guide it toward Seto.
(How fickle.)
Rei thought this as he watched the horse, but considering a horse's survival instincts, it was probably only natural.
"Well, what do we do, Seto? Personally, I'm fine with going along with that soldier's master as is... but then the question is what to do about Seto."
Rei possessed an A-Rank Adventurer's Guild Card.
Showing it should be enough to avoid any issues, but if that soldier's master introduced him to the guards, getting into Egginis would be even easier.
Naturally, he wanted to avoid as much hassle as possible when entering the city.
"Guruu"
Though hesitant, Seto purred as if to leave the decision to Rei.
If possible, Seto would prefer to travel alongside Rei.
But when considering which option would be more beneficial in the long run, perhaps it was better to travel separately from Rei for now... or so the gryphon seemed to think.
Rei waited, stroking Seto.
Then, after a few minutes, the soldier from before reappeared, mounted on his horse.
That said, the horse predictably came to a halt at a distance from Seto, and from that point on, no amount of coaxing would make it take another step.
The soldier dismounted with a reluctant expression and came over to Rei.
"My master says that, if possible, he would still very much like to speak with you... What do you say?"
"If you're going that far, I don't mind. But what about Seto? Are you going to have him walk at a distance? I think that's dangerous in its own way."
The "dangerous" in this case didn't mean Seto would be in danger—it meant anyone who attacked Seto would be in danger.
A gryphon was an A-Rank Monster—though due to his Skills, Seto was recognized as a Rare Species and was actually equivalent to S-Rank. If someone saw him and decided he was dangerous, they might attack to bring him down. Or, wanting gryphon materials, they might try to strike at him.
If anyone actually did such a thing, Seto would recognize them as an enemy and inflict tremendous damage without fail.
To prevent that from happening, it was best for Rei to remain at Seto's side.
"No, my master asks that you try approaching his carriage together with the gryphon... Seto, was it? The horses pulling my master's carriage are thoroughly trained. Given that, they should be fine even with a gryphon nearby."
Rei didn't believe every word of that, but since the other party had conceded this much, he judged he could afford to compromise as well.
If this had been a noble or a wealthy merchant using his power and status to forcibly order Rei around, Rei would have responded accordingly.
In that sense, the soldier's master had handled his approach to Rei rather well.
"Understood. But... me and Seto approaching that carriage means your escorts won't be able to get near it. Is that going to be all right?"
For a bodyguard to be kept away from their charge by the charge's own orders seemed, to Rei, completely defeating the purpose.
"We did mention that to him, but..."
So saying, the soldier showed a troubled expression.
It seemed his master was stubborn and had no intention of listening to the soldier's concerns.
However, from the soldier's perspective, the one who would be speaking with the master was Rei.
With an alias-holding adventurer at his side, even if bandits or monsters appeared, dealing with them would be easy—or so the thinking likely went.
...Whether it was acceptable for the bodyguards was another matter entirely, but he had no words to counter that argument.
Rei had no intention of putting the soldier through any more difficulty, so he decided not to press the point any further.
"Got it. If you're saying it's fine even with Seto, then there's no problem on my end. Just, please be careful that the carriage horses don't panic and bolt."
If the soldier's words were to be believed, the horses pulling the carriage should have no problem even with Seto nearby.
But that was only what he had heard from the soldier—they hadn't actually tested it.
There was a very real possibility that when Seto actually approached, the horses would panic and bolt, carriage and all, charging off in some random direction.
That was exactly why Rei hoped it wouldn't come to that.
However, the soldier showed not the slightest concern at Rei's demeanor... if anything, he spoke with absolute confidence.
"It's fine. My master said so, so if anything happens, he'll take responsibility."
"Is that really okay?"
To Rei, the soldier's words sounded like he was simply dumping all responsibility onto his master.
But if the soldier said so... Rei, together with Seto, headed toward where the carriage was.
The soldier's horse, upon seeing Seto approach, immediately tried to flee... but the soldier held it back at once.
"Hey, calm down. It's fine. It's fine."
"Burururu"
At the soldier's words, the horse showed at least some sign of calming down.
Similar scenes were unfolding among the other members of the cavalry unit as Rei approached the carriage.
...Initially, those who had been laughing or looking exasperated at the sight of the cavalryman who had gone to fetch Rei unable to properly control his own horse now found their own mounts behaving differently than usual—trembling, unable to take a single step, or in some cases, even attempting to bolt and run away.
However... amidst all of that, only the horses pulling the carriage, while watching Seto intently, showed no signs of anything unusual compared to their normal behavior.
This seemed to confirm that the explanation Rei had heard from the soldier was correct.
(They're choosing not to move, not that they can't move, huh.)
There was a world of difference between being unable to move and choosing not to.
They were undoubtedly horses with sufficient ability to pull the carriage of the person they called their master.
...Though, even so, compared to the horses that pulled Elena's carriage, they were naturally a step or two below.
The horses pulling Elena's carriage had been gathered by Duke Kerebel—a man of immense power and wealth—sparing no expense for his daughter's sake.
While they were classified as ordinary animals, their sheer presence was more overwhelming than the average monster.
And it wasn't just appearances—they could easily crush any run-of-the-mill monster under their hooves.
Horses that could be compared to such extraordinary creatures were not easily found.
Naturally, the horses pulling the carriage in Rei's line of sight were no match for that kind of comparison.
Perhaps reading Rei's thoughts, the horses showed a hint of displeasure.
As they drew closer to the carriage... eventually, the window opened, and a man leaned out.
He appeared to be somewhere in his thirties to forties.
The man looked at Rei and Seto, broke into a beaming smile, and spoke.
"Rei, I am Baron Nigl Dresten. I am of the same Neutral Faction as Lord Daskar. I look forward to working with you."
So he introduced himself.