The Gamelion dissection itself took about an hour.
Since it was a large individual even among Gamelions, Rei had found it somewhat awkward to handle. Or perhaps the presence of so many spectators—starting with Daskar—had also played a part.
Still, his dissection technique had clearly improved compared to when he'd first attempted one, so he managed to break it down reasonably cleanly in that amount of time. If Rei had performed the dissection right after becoming an adventurer, the meat and hide would have ended up in a much messier state, and it certainly wouldn't have taken only this long.
By that measure, Rei's work was undoubtedly well done.
"Alright then, I'll bury it."
He placed the organs, bones, fur, and other parts that couldn't be used as materials or food into a hole opened by Death Scythe's Terrain Manipulation, then filled it back in.
Terrain Manipulation was originally a skill used to freely alter terrain to a certain extent for combat or other purposes—not for burying waste produced during dissection. In fact, Daskar's subordinate civil officials watched Rei's—or more precisely, Death Scythe's—Terrain Manipulation skill with shining eyes. They hadn't seen the skill's full power, only a glimpse, but that was enough for them to understand just how useful it could be.
That said, the civil officials had accumulated considerable experience as Daskar's subordinates. They understood that pressing Rei in this situation would only cause displeasure, so they didn't actually try anything.
"Lord Daskar, would you like to take some of this meat with you? It's the first catch of the season, after all."
"What? Are you sure? If you're offering, I'll gladly accept."
Gamelion meat was delicious purely as food. That meant it also held sufficient value as a merchant's commodity. For Rei to offer such meat to him, it was only natural that Daskar would be surprised. If Daskar had provided some kind of assistance in defeating the Gamelion, it would have made sense for Rei to give him a share.
"I don't mind. Regarding the defilement matter, I've caused you all sorts of trouble, Lord Daskar, and I expect that to continue going forward. Thinking about it that way, this much hardly seems sufficient."
"Regarding defilement... it's better to have heard about it beforehand than to be caught knowing nothing. In that sense, I'm actually grateful to you."
Those were Daskar's true feelings. If he had remained completely ignorant about defilement, it wouldn't have been strange for the continent to suddenly face destruction—or even if it didn't go that far, for the Mireana Kingdom or Gilm to suffer significant damage. The fact that such a thing hadn't come to pass was because Rei had informed him about defilement beforehand. In that sense, it was only natural for Daskar to feel grateful.
"That may be true, but you'll have to explain the situation to people coming from the Royal Castle. Things are going to get busy from here on out, aren't they?"
"They are. Regarding defilement... I'm not sure how much the Royal Castle will believe. It wouldn't be strange for them to think I'm simply exaggerating when I talk about the continent being destroyed."
"Probably so. Anyway, there's that matter, plus the expansion construction, the spices, the Land Ship, and I'm sure plenty more. So eat this Gamelion meat and stay energized."
"If you're going that far, I'll take it. When people come from the Royal Castle, it might be worth serving them Gamelion meat. It can be eaten in the Royal Capital too, but fresh Gamelion meat isn't something you can get easily."
"Maybe so. Plus, the frontier has all sorts of other delicious ingredients."
The frontier was a place where high-rank monsters were commonly found, which also meant high-rank monster meat was easy to obtain. High-rank monsters were naturally strong, so corresponding strength was needed to defeat them—but among the adventurers who had been in Gilm since before the expansion construction, there were some who could handle high-rank monsters to a certain degree.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Daskar nodded at Rei's words, and the matter was settled.
That said, he didn't hand the Gamelion meat to Daskar right there. If he had, Daskar—or his subordinate civil officials—would have had to carry the meat all the way back to Gilm. Since they were traveling by Seto Cage, that in itself wouldn't have been a problem, but even so, given the current situation, it was undoubtedly better for Rei to hold onto the meat and keep it in his Misty Ring.
"Well then, shall we head back soon? I have to say, it's a bit much that the Gamelion dissection took longer than examining the defilement-corrupted corpses."
The corpse examination had carried a sense of tension, making it feel longer than it actually was. In real time, it hadn't been all that long. The Gamelion dissection, however, had definitely taken longer. Of course, that was partly because the Gamelion was a larger individual than normal, and while Rei had become reasonably capable at dissection, he still wasn't at a level where he could call it his specialty.
"I don't mind. You showed me something worth seeing. But it's also a fact that it'll get late at this rate. We should head back soon."
For Daskar, an experience like this wasn't something he could easily have. He could do it if he wanted, but doing so would undoubtedly cause various problems. The reason he'd been able to come outside Gilm like this was largely because Rei was there—or more precisely, because of Seto's presence. Beyond that, having the legitimate justification of needing to properly understand the defilement-corrupted corpses was also significant.
Even so, with what needed to be done finished, and the unplanned encounter and dissection of the Gamelion now complete, they couldn't stay here indefinitely.
"Then shall we head back?"
"Let's do that. Even in this short time, work has probably piled up."
Daskar's tone carried a slight hint of weariness.
Honestly, Rei couldn't fully grasp how Daskar felt. He understood that there was a massive amount of work—work with no end in sight no matter how much was done—and that Daskar was the one who had to do it. But since he wasn't the one doing it himself, he simply couldn't grasp how difficult it was.
If anyone could understand that, it'd probably be Elena rather than me.
Elena was meeting with numerous nobles every day at Marina's house. Its difficulty was undoubtedly far greater than Rei imagined.
"Seto, we're heading back soon, so get ready."
"Gruu!"
When Rei called out, Seto purred as if to say, Leave it to me! There was no trace of his earlier displeasure. Being stroked by Rei had probably erased his dissatisfaction completely.
After giving Seto one more rub, Rei took out the Seto Cage from his Misty Ring a short distance away. Since it was their second time, Daskar and his subordinate civil officials boarded without much tension. Elena, Ara, and Ielo followed, and once Rei confirmed everyone was ready, he mounted Seto's back.
"Alright, Seto. Let's head back."
"Gruu!"
Nodding at Rei's words, Seto took a few running steps and soared up into the sky.
"Welcome back. You were quite late."
After lowering the Seto Cage into the courtyard of Marina's house and descending, Rei dismounted from Seto's back. Marina spoke to him with a hint of questioning in her voice. Knowing Rei, she had probably expected him back sooner.
"Yeah, the defilement-corrupted corpses weren't that big of a deal, but after that, a Gamelion attacked us."
"A Gamelion? It's early this year."
Having served as the Guild Master of Gilm's Guild for many years, Marina was well-informed about Gamelions. Since adventurers who fought Gamelions directly brought their materials to the Guild, she was undoubtedly more knowledgeable about them than Daskar, who only heard reports from his subordinates.
"You don't seem particularly surprised. Is it not unusual for them to appear early?"
Daskar, having stepped out of the Seto Cage, asked the question after overhearing their conversation.
Marina answered without any particular pretense.
"That's right. It's definitely earlier than usual, but it's not like they've never appeared around this time before. There have even been cases where they showed up earlier than this year."
"Is that so? Well, fine then. I thought perhaps the Gamelion appearing earlier than usual might have been some kind of omen."
Daskar looked relieved at Marina's words, but she shook her head at him.
"I said it's happened before, but that doesn't mean it wasn't an omen for anything. Depending on the case, winters might be longer than usual, or conversely shorter. That sort of thing is certainly possible."
"If it's only to that degree, there's no problem. Of course, having spring arrive just as summer should be starting would be troublesome. But as long as nothing happens with the defilement matter, it's not an issue."
For Daskar, there were already enough potential problems this year with defilement alone. Having additional problems on top of that would be quite unwelcome.
Lord Daskar has it rough. I really do think becoming a noble isn't something you should aim for.
There were many in the world who, while working as adventurers, hoped to be employed by nobles. If things went well, there was a chance of being adopted into a noble's family or marrying into one, thus becoming a member of the nobility. In a way, it was what you might call a practical success story.
That said, such a life didn't appeal to Rei. Becoming a noble would mean undoubtedly having to live a rigid, formal lifestyle. Like Daskar today, casually stepping outside Gilm would become something he couldn't do so easily. On top of that, becoming a noble meant following noble rules. Unlike before, he would no longer be able to use force against nobles simply because they rubbed him the wrong way.
Well, he could probably still do it if he tried, but the resulting trouble would be even greater than before. If he just wanted to earn money or eat delicious food, he could do exactly what he did now—defeat monsters in the frontier or pursue his hobby of bandit hunting.
"Oh, right. Lord Daskar, here."
Saying that, Rei took out the Gamelion meat from his Misty Ring—meat from choice cuts, selected to help the busy Daskar keep going.
However, seeing Rei hand over the meat as a bare slab, Marina interjected with an exasperated look.
"Rei, no matter how you look at it, handing over meat as-is is a bad idea. Wait a moment. I'll bring a bag."
At Marina's words, Rei was convinced. For Daskar—or even his subordinates—carrying a slab of meat while moving would be extremely conspicuous. There was a carriage in front of Marina's house, so they wouldn't be carrying raw meat through public view, but even so, it would undoubtedly be problematic in various ways.
"I don't really mind about that sort of thing."
"Even if you don't mind, Lord Daskar, we do."
One of his subordinate civil officials replied to Daskar, who said they didn't need to be so considerate. A lord carrying raw meat while moving was, by any normal consideration, unthinkable. If someone else were to see such a sight, who knew what they would think.
Daskar, being a former knight, had a personality that didn't shy away from fighting on the front lines himself. For those who knew that about him, seeing him carry raw meat wouldn't be much of a concern. But for those who didn't, it wouldn't be strange for them to wonder what on earth he was doing.
While Rei was thinking about all this, Marina returned with a cloth bag in hand.
"Here, use this."
"I'll take it. Well then, I should be going. Rei, you've been extremely helpful with this matter. If anything else comes up, let me know right away."
Saying that, Daskar left Marina's house with his subordinates in tow.