"Mmh... then, Rei. Make sure you come back as soon as possible."
"I know. You too, if anyone brings information while I'm gone, make sure you listen to what they have to say."
The day after capturing the bandit who had been carrying iron ingots, Rei decided to return to Gilm for the first time in several days.
He figured that the Crystal Dragon materials should be sufficiently dissected by now.
Honestly, Rei would have preferred to stay in Egginis a little longer.
There was still a lot for him to investigate in Egginis, after all.
The matter with Golias, the incident with the bandits, and the rumors that the bandits' disappearances were connected to the Dolan Workshop's golems.
Above all, there was no telling when the Dolan Workshop would decide who they would sell their golems to.
There was also the analysis of the Orc Naga materials that Roger was conducting, and, if he was lucky, the pickup of a defensive golem built from those materials. Rei had plenty of things he needed to do in Egginis.
However, just because he had matters of interest in Egginis didn't mean he could put off going to Gilm.
The Crystal Dragon materials were just as important to Rei as everything in Egginis—no, even more so.
That was why Rei decided to return to Gilm.
He even went so far as to ask the inn's staff to ensure that if the alchemists or adventurers he had encountered yesterday brought information to the Star River Inn, Maruka would be there to receive it on his behalf.
"Take care, Rei no aniki," Nicky said from beside Maruka.
To Nicky, Rei was a respected older brother figure.
That feeling had only strengthened during a mock battle they held in the Star River Inn's garden that morning.
Nicky had been growing somewhat self-deprecating lately, but he still had enough confidence in his abilities to be entrusted with Maruka's guard duty. Yet, in his match against Rei, he had been completely shut out.
Not only had he failed to make Rei go all out, but Rei had essentially turned it into a training session for him.
What stood before him was an overwhelming wall—one that Nicky wasn't even sure he could ever surpass.
It was precisely because he felt that wall that Nicky's respect for Rei grew even stronger.
Of course, he had already sensed Rei's strength and respected him even before the mock battle.
That respect had simply grown larger.
"Yeah, Maruka's a tomboy, so don't let her drag you around."
"Wait, Rei. Of all things, you call me a tomboy!? What exactly do you think I am!"
"That's why I said tomboy, right? ...Don't tell me you're not aware of it?"
"Urk..."
Maruka was left at a loss for words by Rei's question.
Looking back on her own behavior, she understood that being called a tomboy was somewhat justified.
...That said, whether she could honestly admit it was another matter entirely.
Leaving a disgruntled Maruka and a concerned Nicky behind, Rei departed from Egginis with Seto.
Riding Seto through the sky, Rei enjoyed the scenery below.
He had traveled on Seto's back countless times before, but the view from the sky was something he could never tire of, no matter how many times he saw it.
For Rei, it was a sight that made him want to keep watching forever.
Of course, he couldn't literally stare at it forever.
(Well, since I have practically nothing else to do in this situation, getting distracted by the scenery isn't a problem at all.)
While flying, the only thing Rei could really do was stay vigilant of his surroundings.
However, Seto possessed sharper senses and a Sixth Sense than Rei, so it was undeniably better to leave that task to him as well.
Ultimately, the only things Rei could do in this state were enjoy the scenery or eat something.
Talking to Seto was also an option, but doing so would only get in the way of Seto's vigilance.
It wasn't as if he couldn't read a book stored in his Misty Ring, like the Monster Encyclopedia, but doing so while flying through the sky was dangerous.
If Rei fell off Seto's back, he could use his Sleipnir boots to save himself without issue... but even so, it went without saying that not falling was better.
"If we could watch the sunset over the grasslands like this, it'd be pretty scenic."
"Gurururu?"
Seto glanced at him as if asking what was wrong in response to Rei's murmured words.
"Never mind. I was just thinking about how glad I am to be able to travel with you like this."
"Guruu!"
Rei stroked the back of Seto's neck as the gryphon purred to say, "Me too!" and they continued on toward Gilm. For once—truly rarely for Rei—they encountered no trouble whatsoever, and before long, Gilm came into view in the distance.
If traveling overland, one might run into bandits or get caught up in some local lord's problems. Or perhaps a flooded river or landslide could block the highway, forcing a massive detour.
But flying through the sky allowed them to ignore the vast majority of such issues.
A lord's problems were irrelevant when they never even made contact from the air.
Floods and landslides had nothing to do with Seto flying through the sky rather than traveling on the ground.
The only potential issue was bandits, but that didn't mean Rei and his party would be attacked. Rather, it meant they might intervene in a fight to save someone else being assailed.
Even then, Rei only jumped into bandit ambushes to hunt them down because he enjoyed it; it wasn't as if he absolutely had to do it.
(Thinking about it like this, air travel really is convenient. ...Well, for an ordinary adventurer, a carriage might be convenient enough.)
In this world, the most common method of travel was, after all, walking.
Carriages and the like were available to some extent, but naturally, riding one required a corresponding amount of money.
If one prioritized safety, taking a carriage was the better choice, but due to the cost, some people chose to walk in order to save even a little money.
From a bandit's perspective, targeting a carriage yielded far greater profit than targeting a single person on foot.
In that sense, walking alone or in a small group might have been safer, but some bandits preferred tormenting the weak over earning money.
For those without the ability to defend themselves, an encounter with such bandits meant death.
"That said, bandits generally don't operate around Gilm."
The area surrounding Gilm, situated on the frontier, occasionally saw High-Rank Monsters appear.
Working as a bandit in such a place was... not impossible, but quite harsh.
At worst, a B-Rank Monster could show up without warning.
What would happen if bandits encountered a B-Rank Monster, a creature that even adventurers couldn't easily defeat?
Unless those bandits possessed the strength to win or flee against a B-Rank Monster, the very people who preyed on others would become monster food in the most literal sense.
In fact, there had been several occasions in the past where bandit groups tried to operate near Gilm, but the vast majority were annihilated by monsters, subjugated by adventurers, or driven away from the area.
"Seto, land directly in the courtyard of Marina's house."
"Guruu!"
Seto purred in acknowledgment and began descending toward the ground.
Normally, a barrier was deployed over Gilm's skies to prevent flying monsters from entering.
However, Gilm was currently in the midst of Expansion Construction, so that barrier was either not deployed or had been replaced with a simplified one.
In that sense, it was a fairly dangerous situation, but skilled adventurers, mages, and alchemists were handling those concerns.
(I did get permission to land on the ground regardless of all that, but... is it really okay? Even though it's a bit late to be asking.)
Rei thought this as Seto descended toward Marina's courtyard on the ground.
Didn't giving him such special treatment invite all sorts of problems?
With that in mind...
"Ah."
Rei let out a small sound as he spotted Elena and Ara taking a break and drinking tea at a table in the courtyard.
Seto must have noticed the situation below as well, because he slowed his descent... and then landed safely in the courtyard without kicking up any wind or dust.
Based on the current time, it was right around late afternoon.
Because of that, Rei had assumed Elena and Ara would still be entertaining visitors—nobles—who were likely calling on them.
Above all, it was widely known that Rei was staying at Marina's house.
And it had only been a few days since Rei defeated the Crystal Dragon and put its corpse on public display.
From Rei's perspective in Egginis, it felt like far more than just a few days had passed.
At any rate, it wouldn't be strange for people desperate to make contact with Rei or those wanting even a piece of the Crystal Dragon's materials to come to Marina's house and request a meeting.
Perhaps it was a silver lining, but Marina's house, where Rei was staying, was securely protected by spirits.
This wasn't a matter of negotiation; from the very start, anyone who tried to approach Rei with malicious intent would find a future awaiting them that was far from pleasant.
Noticing Seto descending toward the ground, Elena, who had been drinking tea, turned her gaze upward.
Elena was within what could be called a spirit barrier, but the fact that she still noticed Seto's approach showed she was fully demonstrating her abilities.
"Ara, it seems Rei and the others are back."
"Huh?"
Elena had noticed Rei's presence, but it was difficult for Ara to do the same.
Even so, seeing Elena's reaction, she must have sensed something.
She offered a smile and a nod.
"Then I'll prepare some tea. ...Ielo is... oh."
Since Elena had noticed, Ielo, connected to her through magic as her familiar, naturally detected Seto's presence as well.
It flapped its small wings frantically, desperately flying up toward the sky.
Judging from Ielo's behavior, Ara must have realized that Rei and Seto were returning from the air.
Ara looked up at the sky... and right at that moment, Seto passed through the spirit barrier and landed in the courtyard.
"Kyaa!"
A cute scream escaped Ara's lips.
She must have realized what she had just said, because she hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth. But of course, the scream had reached Elena nearby... as well as the ears of Seto and Rei, who had just landed on the ground.
That said, since there was no telling how Ara might react out of embarrassment if he pointed it out, Rei decided to hold off on teasing her about it for now.
"Thanks, Seto. Thanks to you, we made it here from Egginis in no time."
"Gururu"
When Rei expressed his gratitude and stroked his head, Seto purred happily in response.
For Seto, the fact that his actions made Rei happy was enough to bring him joy.
"It doesn't feel like it's been that long, but to me, it feels like it's been a really long time."
"That must mean your days in Egginis were fulfilling. So, did you come back today because you finished your business in Egginis... or is it about the Crystal Dragon materials?"
"Yeah. It's been a few days since I left them with the Guild. I figured they'd have stripped a decent amount of materials by now. Plus, if things went well, the analysis on the A-Rank Monster's Magic Stone might be finished and they might give it back."
The Magic Stone was an item of great significance to Rei... and to Seto.
As such, Rei's honest feeling was that he wanted to retrieve it as soon as possible.
"I see. But... with you back, this house is going to get noisy again."
"It certainly is," Ara agreed earnestly.
Even as she spoke, she placed a plate of baked sweets in front of Seto.
Seto happily ate the treats.