"Umm, what... what's going on here? Wait, Seto, was it? I get that your Gryphon is the cause, but..."
Their information exchange at the tavern—or rather, Rei's one-sided information gathering—had ended, and as the two of them, Rei and Lindy, stepped out of the Guild, they were met with a scene: people who appeared to be adventurers, either unconscious or groaning in pain, scattered around Seto.
If it could be called a silver lining, there were no dead among those lying on the ground.
Truly, that alone was the saving grace.
"I can kind of guess what happened."
Even seeing the large number of what appeared to be adventurers collapsed around Seto, Rei didn't seem particularly surprised.
Something this flashy hadn't happened often, but he had still experienced similar situations before.
"Probably tried to take Seto down, or steal him, or maybe pluck his fur or feathers... either way, they tried to harm Seto and got counterattacked. ...Right?"
The one Rei addressed was a man standing alone at a slight distance.
In reality, the people collapsed around Seto were likely this man's companions or flunkies, but since every one of them had been defeated by Seto, he was the only one left standing.
"You... You're this Gryphon's Master! Do you think you can get away with doing this to me!"
"You can say that all you want, but Seto doesn't attack anyone unprovoked. Your side tried to harm him first, didn't you?"
"That's not true!"
At Rei's words, the man immediately shot back.
Without a moment's hesitation, he looked completely convinced that his own words were the truth.
Rei let the man's outburst slide and surveyed the surroundings.
With a large number of adventurers having been taken down by Seto, a considerable crowd had gathered, including other adventurers.
Among them, a fair number were directing resentful glares at the shouting man.
(From the look of this, he's a typical noble... no, that's not it.)
At first, Rei had assumed this was the usual case of being harassed by a noble.
To nobles—especially those with strong egos and pride in the worst sense—an A-Rank Monster was the perfect creature to satisfy their vanity, since no other noble would own one.
Moreover, an A-Rank Monster would be highly capable and could serve as a bodyguard.
Thinking along those lines, they must have believed no one would dare harm a noble like themselves and tried to lay hands on Seto... that was Rei's prediction, but the shouting man's clothing was not the kind of high-quality attire a noble would wear.
(Not a noble? Then, a merchant?)
Whether noble or merchant, a considerable number of such people came to Egginis.
Among them, it wouldn't be strange for someone to think the entire world should revolve around their whims.
Rei had figured the man before him might be one of those types...
"Rei, this might be bad."
Lindy, having moved behind Rei, told him that while seemingly trying to hide from the man who was still voicing his complaints.
Rei, letting the man's shouts wash over him, asked without turning to face Lindy behind him.
"That guy is from a fairly famous Alchemist family in Egginis. Apparently his Alchemy skills are high, so he does whatever he pleases because of it."
"...I see."
At Lindy's words, Rei understood.
Rei had been under the assumption that only nobles or merchants would target Seto, but Seto was an A-Rank Monster. ...Strictly speaking, he was classified as a Rare Species, making him S-Rank equivalent.
Given what Seto was, his fur and feathers—not to mention every part of his body—were valuable as materials.
That was why, to an Alchemist who crafted Magic Items, Seto would be like a mountain of treasure.
On top of that, Egginis was a city famous for Golem manufacturing.
If someone could use Seto's materials to create Golems, those Golems would likely be high-performance.
(Thinking about it that way, the Alchemists in Gilm were more reasonable.)
The Alchemists gathered in Gilm to magically process timber felled in the Treant Forest for use as construction materials.
When Rei had brought in lumber, they had pestered him countless times, asking if he had rare monster materials or Magic Items.
But even so, they had never tried to harm Seto.
Compared to the man now insisting on how right he was in front of Rei, the Alchemists in Gilm had been, at the very least, somewhat more sensible.
Granted, in Gilm, if anyone tried to harm Seto, word would spread immediately among his admirers, and at worst, they might even refuse to sell food or daily necessities to the offender.
No, that much would be the luckier outcome.
Among the Seto Enthusiasts, there were some who were incredibly devoted.
Like the female leader of a certain party, or the woman who was that woman's rival.
Even without going that far, a significant number of adventurers were among those who doted on Seto.
What would happen if those people heard that someone had harmed him?
If they were lucky, it might end with expulsion from Gilm or a broken bone or two, but depending on how much harm was done to Seto, the worst outcome couldn't be ruled out.
Considering those circumstances, the Alchemists in Gilm never crossed that final line.
However, this was not Gilm but Egginis.
Alchemists who could craft Golems held significant power here, and the man now standing before Rei was a skilled Alchemist.
Thinking about it, Rei could understand why the man was dissatisfied with the current situation.
Even so... that didn't mean Rei needed to accept it.
"Hey, are you listening to me?!"
Saying that, the man closed the distance toward Rei.
He might have been skilled as an Alchemist, but his gait didn't suggest he had undergone any combat training.
Feeling that he had reached a point where he could assess such things just from an opponent's way of walking, Rei opened his mouth.
"Sorry, I wasn't listening. Say it one more time."
"Wha!? You bastard!"
For a proud man, the fact that his words up until now had been completely ignored was something that could never be forgiven.
Driven by irritation, he half-reflexively raised his fist, but...
"I'll have you know, if you're going to start something, I'll see it through to the end. Are you ready for that?"
"...Huh?"
In an instant, a truly fleeting moment, Rei's figure had moved from where he had been standing to right beside the man, and those words were spoken to him.
It wasn't as if he had looked away; he had been watching Rei with his own eyes until just a moment ago.
And yet, now Rei was standing right beside him.
What on earth had happened? The Alchemist had absolutely no idea.
Not only that, but even among the adventurers in the surrounding crowd who were confident in their abilities, not a single one could comprehend what had just occurred.
As the surroundings buzzed, having witnessed a glimpse of Rei's power with their own eyes, the man's excitement finally seemed to settle down.
Unlike before, he now directed a gaze at Rei as if looking at some unknown entity.
"Who... who exactly are you?"
"...Well now, who knows. More importantly, I'm glad you've calmed down. Now then, let's talk about settling the score for this incident."
Given that Rei had been with Seto, it wouldn't have been strange for the man to know he was the adventurer with the alias of Crimson, but it seemed he had no idea who Rei was.
Slightly surprised by that, Rei continued talking without particularly minding it.
The man must have sensed something ominous in Rei's words.
He hurriedly looked around as if seeking help.
However, the man's guards—or rather, his flunkies—had been incapacitated by Seto, and while they weren't dead, they were in no shape to deal with Rei.
The Audience who had been watching the commotion also understood the man's personality well enough, and no one stepped forward to help.
...Or perhaps, if Rei had been a bit weaker, given that the man was a famous Alchemist in Egginis, someone might have intervened.
However, having seen Rei's movement, they fully understood that at the very least, no one present could hold a candle to him.
Above all, since they were adventurers, many of them knew the rumors about alias-holding adventurers, and the fact that Rei was with Seto meant many knew exactly who he was.
"Now then, sorry but I have business to discuss with this guy, so I'll be taking my leave. If anyone needs me... that's right, I plan to stop by the Guild tomorrow, so you should be able to find me there."
Normally, at a time like this, he would tell them which inn he was staying at.
But Rei had only just arrived in Egginis, and hadn't decided on an inn yet.
...It had been a mistake to prioritize information he would have heard from Golias, who lived in Egginis, over what he had heard from Anne.
He couldn't help but think that, but thanks to it, securing an Alchemist who had gotten involved with him—one who, according to Lindy, was quite skilled—was fortunate for Rei.
(In the end, it's probably a net zero? ...No, rather, being able to secure this man is a plus.)
Rei's goal was to purchase Golems and Magic Items in Egginis.
Given that, becoming close with a skilled Alchemist would naturally be beneficial.
...Of course, "close" in this situation was entirely one-sided on Rei's part.
"H-hey... what do you plan to do with me!"
"I told you already, didn't I? I'm just having you settle the score. ...Lindy, do you know a good place?"
"What do you mean by 'good place'?"
If possible, she didn't want Rei talking to her too much given the current situation.
Responding with that thought in mind, Rei pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Somewhere where a little noise wouldn't be a problem. That kind of place would be good."
At the phrase "a little noise," whatever the Alchemist imagined, his complexion gradually worsened.
Now that he had calmed down, he was probably worried about what kind of fate awaited him.
But Rei, without noticing the man's state... or perhaps he noticed and was simply ignoring it, firmly kept his grip on the man's clothes, making it absolutely clear he wasn't letting him escape.
Lindy thought for a moment, judged that from Rei's demeanor it probably wouldn't come to anything too terrible, and spoke up.
"There's a dining hall a short way over on the other side. Though at this hour, I imagine it's pretty crowded."
Since it was evening, it wouldn't be strange for many people to be enjoying dinner or a banquet.
Even so, from Rei's perspective, the Alchemist had practically thrown himself at him—a duck bringing its own green onion.
Considering that he could squeeze all sorts of information from such an opponent, or learn things not generally known in Egginis, a little trouble was no problem.
(Ideally a place with private rooms would be nice... but restaurants with private rooms are basically high-end establishments. And since this guy is apparently a well-known figure, it would be troublesome if word got out from there. Well, I suppose it's possible word has already reached his family or associates given this situation.)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei kept his grip on the man with an attitude that made it absolutely clear he would never let go, and called out to Seto.
"Seto, let's go. As a sign of apology for causing you trouble, this guy's treating us."
"What! Hold on, no one said anything about..."
"You did say that, right? Or would you rather atone with your body for the crime of laying hands on Seto?"
"...Ghnnn..."
At Rei's words, the man couldn't argue back.
He had already fully understood that Rei was a monster beyond his imagination.
And just how strong Seto was had been equally clear from seeing his own guards defeated without any ability to fight back.
Thinking about it, he wondered whether it would be better to behave rather than struggle here.
For now, Rei didn't seem to have any intention of harming him.
If that was the case, then if this whole matter could be swept under the rug just by buying a meal, there was no problem at all.
The man was famous as a skilled Alchemist, and naturally, he was never short of money.
Treating Rei and Seto to a meal was cheap by comparison.
Seto would eat a considerable amount given his size, but even so, as long as it wasn't a high-end restaurant but a place ordinary people frequented...
With that thought, the man decided to accept Rei's proposal.