The method Rei ultimately chose to reach Gilm was to jump down using the Sleipnir boots.
The chances that someone was watching Marina's house were high... or rather, almost certain. But Rei and Seto differed greatly in size.
Given that, Rei jumping off Seto mid-flight and landing in Marina's courtyard had a real chance of going unnoticed.
Alternatively, if someone assumed he wouldn't pull something as reckless as arriving from the sky again, catching them off guard was also a viable strategy.
It was a gamble with poor odds. With more time, he might have devised a more reliable way to slip into the city undetected.
But he needed to get to Gilm right away, and this was the most practical idea that came to mind first. So it would have to do.
However, amid all this, there was someone who objected to Rei's plan.
"W-wait a second. I'm going too, right? Which means I'd have to hide inside Rei's robe like before... and I'd be falling with him!?"
That was Nielson, who would be plummeting from a great height alongside Rei.
"You can fly, so you're used to being up in the air, aren't you?"
"I'm used to flying, but I'm not used to falling!"
For Nielson, flying under her own power was no problem at all.
But that was only when she was flying herself. Plummeting while still tucked inside Rei's Dragon Robe inspired nothing but sheer terror.
"In that case, rather than falling with Rei-san, you could simply fly there on your own. Rei-san would likely be spotted by someone, but the chances of Nielson being noticed by anyone watching from afar are essentially nil."
Hearing the Chief state this so decisively, Nielson's expression filled with relief.
That meant she wouldn't have to throw herself from a great height alongside Rei after all.
Rei had some slight misgivings about Nielson's attitude, but if she was satisfied with that arrangement, then so be it.
"Alright then. Sorry, but I'll head out right away. If the defilement is that dangerous, I should report to Lord Daskar as soon as possible."
In the worst case... truly the worst case, the entire continent itself could be destroyed.
What the Chief had told him was more than enough to instill a sense of urgency in Rei.
"Yes, I leave it to you. I will do my best to process the sealed defilement as quickly as possible on my end. As for how Nielson's absence will affect things, though..."
As could be seen from the fact that the defilement expelled from Bob's body had been damaged by Nielson's light, the new power she had acquired was effective against defilement.
If she wielded that light skillfully, annihilating the defilement wouldn't be all that difficult.
However, that was entirely contingent on her using it well.
As evidenced by Nielson's punishment earlier, failure would undoubtedly lead to all sorts of disastrous consequences.
In that sense, it might be better for Nielson not to get involved at all. But to the Chief, Nielson was someone she could call her successor.
Given that, she undoubtedly wanted to teach Nielson how to handle defilement.
...The biggest problem was that, unlike the Chief, Nielson couldn't sense the presence of defilement.
That wasn't something that could be resolved quickly, so the Chief showed no particular rush about it either.
"Understood. Then that's how we'll do it. ...Oh, we're heading to Gilm, but what should we do about Bob? He's still asleep, probably from yesterday's exhaustion."
"I will look after him here."
So stated the Chief, but there was no mistaking the faint—truly faint—look of displeasure that crossed her face.
To the Chief, Bob was the one who had brought defilement into the Fairy Dwelling.
Of course, learning about the defilement situation was significant, but even so, the fact that he had carried defilement into the Fairy Dwelling was clearly unpalatable to her.
Even so, she seemed to recognize Bob as Rei's guest and had no intention of doing anything to him.
Successfully sealing the defilement was probably a major factor in that.
"Sorry, I appreciate it."
Rei expressed his gratitude to the Chief.
At Rei's words, the Chief shook her head, and they moved into action.
Specifically, they would head to the lord's manor to meet Daskar and get to Gilm as quickly as possible.
"Nielson. This matter holds great significance for you as well. Understand that, and by no means act on mere pranks or curiosity. ...Understood?"
The Chief wore a smile on her lips as she spoke, but her eyes were not smiling.
Given that her expression remained deadly serious, Nielson apparently had enough judgment to realize that saying anything careless here would be a terrible idea.
"Understood. I will do my absolute best."
Her earnest delivery suggested that Nielson had indeed resolved to take this seriously.
...At least, that was how it seemed to Rei. But even watching Nielson's demeanor, the Chief showed no sign of being readily convinced.
She offered no words in response, simply staring intently at Nielson.
"Urk..."
As if overwhelmed by the pressure of the Chief's gaze, Nielson retreated backward.
Even while flying—that was quite a nimble move, Rei couldn't help but think.
In any case, Nielson seemed desperate to somehow escape this situation and opened her mouth again.
"O-Of course! I am genuinely and seriously committed to this. An existence like defilement is something I absolutely cannot tolerate! So please, Chief, rest assured and leave this matter to me!"
"...Very well. If you are that insistent, I shall entrust it to you. Having said all that, there's no chance you'll come back and say you actually failed, is there?"
Damn it. I walked right into that.
For a brief moment, Nielson thought that, but saying anything more in this situation would certainly not get the Chief to listen.
On the contrary, if she said something careless, it wouldn't be surprising to be hit with something like "So your earlier words were a lie?"
And failing the mission assigned by the Chief would mean her punishment awaited.
"Yes! No problems at all!"
Nielson replied with spirited energy.
Rei had been watching what felt like a comedy duo's back-and-forth, but judging that the conversation was settled for the time being, he spoke up.
"So, now that everything's decided, it's about time we head out, right?"
At Rei's words, the Chief recalled the recent exchange and nodded, her face reddening with embarrassment despite herself.
Nielson, on the other hand, looked delighted to have successfully forced an end to her exchange with the Chief.
"Alright, let's go! The matter of the defilement needs to be reported as quickly as possible. We need to hurry!"
As if her earlier hesitation had been a lie, Nielson declared with brimming enthusiasm.
She no doubt wanted to get away from the Chief as quickly as possible right now.
For Nielson, choosing between going to Gilm and being scolded by the Chief was something that required no thought whatsoever.
And so, Rei, Seto, and Nielson departed the Fairy Dwelling, heading for Gilm.
"The wolves really are afraid of Seto, huh."
"Grrr."
The moment they left the Fairy Dwelling and the wolves caught sight of Seto at the fog-covered boundary, they immediately distanced themselves—prompting Rei's murmured observation and a disappointed purr from Seto in response.
From the wolves' perspective, if Seto were an intruder trying to force his way into the Fairy Dwelling, they would attack without mercy.
Even knowing the overwhelming gap in power between them, they wouldn't hesitate for a second.
However, that was only if Seto were an enemy.
Currently, Seto was treated as a guest of the Fairy Dwelling, which was precisely why he could freely enter and exit as he pleased.
The wolves knew this, so they neither fought Seto nor voluntarily approached him.
...For the wolves, it was probably a case of "let sleeping dogs lie."
After all, inside the Fairy Dwelling, the wolf pups had taken a liking to Seto and played with him.
"If you keep coming and going from the Fairy Dwelling, they'll warm up to you eventually. Don't worry about it."
Rei said encouragingly as he stroked Seto.
He wasn't just saying something random.
Whenever Rei stayed at inns in the past, Seto was generally housed in the stables.
The inn stables naturally had horses belonging to other guests, and those horses too had initially been frightened by Seto's presence. But given time, they judged that while Seto was a superior being, he was not a hostile one, and their fear faded.
Of course, they probably never truly let their guard down around Seto from the bottom of their hearts, but they at least stopped being needlessly afraid.
If Seto came and went from the Fairy Dwelling repeatedly, the wolves would have more opportunities to interact with him and would gradually grow accustomed to his presence.
"If you'd like, I could tell the wolves not to be afraid of Seto?"
"No, even if you told them, I really don't think they'd listen."
If the wolves were actually hostile toward Seto and attacked on sight, Nielson telling them to stop would have had an effect.
But telling them not to be afraid when they simply saw Seto—for the wolves, that was an instinctive reaction.
Being told not to be afraid wasn't something they could obey so easily.
Rei continued walking while encouraging the dejected Seto, and before long they emerged from the fog-covered area.
Once they left the fog, Nielson slipped inside Rei's Dragon Robe, and Rei mounted Seto's back. Seto, after a few running steps, beat his wings and soared into the sky.
Surveying the surroundings from above the Treant Forest, Seto could see the lake and the Birth Tower in the distance. Turning his gaze, he could make out Gilm's city walls.
From what they could see from the air, there didn't appear to be any particular changes.
...Of course, during Rei's absence in Egginis, the woodcutters had continued felling trees in the Treant Forest, and the logged area had expanded considerably.
In that sense, it could perhaps be described as having changed, but from Rei's perspective, it didn't seem particularly different.
"Grrrrr."
Seto purred, looking toward Gilm.
Can I go? — Rei understood this from Seto's demeanor and gave his neck a light pat, signaling that it was fine.
At that cue, Seto began flapping his wings and moving forward.
Ordinarily, the Treant Forest and Gilm were a fair distance apart.
Traveling on Seto's wings made the trip feel instantaneous... that was perhaps an exaggeration, but they reached the skies above Gilm before long.
Previously, when returning to Gilm from Egginis, Seto had flown at a considerably lower altitude, but now he was flying higher than usual... at an altitude of roughly two hundred meters.
Rei's reasoning was that at this altitude, even from the ground, it wouldn't be easy to identify Seto.
...Naturally, however, Gilm had skilled veteran adventurers who had been operating there long before the expansion construction brought an influx of people to the city.
Such adventurers might be capable of identifying Seto even at two hundred meters.
(If those kinds of people spot us, it'd just be bad luck... but that's a moot point now. Given that I need to inform Lord Daskar about the defilement as quickly as possible, if that happens, I'll just force my way through.)
The large number of people contacting Rei about the Crystal Dragon was extremely troublesome for him.
That said, he also acknowledged that it was unavoidable.
Unknown dragon materials simply held that much significance.
"Grr."
Lost in thought, Rei was alerted by Seto's purr that they had already arrived directly above Gilm.
"Ah, sorry Seto. ...Alright, I'm dropping to the ground, so come down in about thirty minutes. After that, don't go wandering off—just stay in Marina's garden."
"Grrr?"
Is that okay? — Seto purred.
But if people learned that Seto had landed, many would direct their attention toward Marina's house.
Once that happened, attention would shift away from Rei, who would already be out in the city streets.
...Even so, if someone who knew Rei personally spotted him, they would recognize him even with his face hidden under the Dragon Robe's hood.
If that happened, there was nothing to be done about it.
With that thought, Rei released Nielson from the Dragon Robe and jumped from Seto's back.