I didn't want to overstay our welcome at the popular diner, so we moved to a nearby tavern to catch up with Zephyr and his group. It was still a bit early for the tavern to get lively, so there weren't many customers inside yet.
"Oh, right. I guess this is your first time meeting them, Tort. These two are Rick and Marl. The four of us form a party."
Zephyr introduced his teammates while ordering a drink as naturally as breathing. He clearly still loved his liquor.
I glanced toward Eina to see if she would get annoyed with him, but she had already scooped Shiroru up into her arms and was burying her face in the creature's fluff. She was so captivated by the holy beast that Zephyr didn't even seem to be on her radar.
"Hi there. Nice to meet you. Zephyr’s told us a lot about you guys," Rick said.
He seemed like a gentle, composed young man. His build was relatively average, and at first glance, he didn't really look like the adventurer type. However, looking closer, I could tell he was well-conditioned. His weapon appeared to be a bow; I figured he likely handled the scouting duties for the party.
"You're the kid from the treasure dungeon, right? I'm so jealous! I really wanted to see that place for myself," Marl added with a bright laugh.
She was quite small, but judging by the mace and small shield she carried, her position was likely in the vanguard.
The "treasure dungeon" she referred to was the one I had explored with Zephyr back in the Kingdom of Lievril. It was gone now, though, since the rare monster we happened to defeat turned out to be the dungeon core itself.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Oh, let me introduce our new companions too!"
"Hm? New companions?" Zephyr asked, looking puzzled.
I suppose it was a bit confusing to offer an introduction when no one else was visible. However, they were tucked away safely in my pocket.
Deciding it was their time to shine, Allen and the others came hopping out one after another.
"Piko!"
"...What on earth are these!?"
Zephyr let out a bewildered shout at the Petit Golems' greeting. Rick and Marl looked just as stunned. Even Eina, who was still busy cuddling Shiroru, had her eyes wide with shock.
"Piko! Piko!"
Pino began incessantly pestering me to take out their life-sized bodies. For some reason, they could only communicate with "piko" sounds while in their petit forms.
To be honest, I was a little hesitant to bring the life-sized bodies out here. However, it wasn't just Pino—the other three were staring up at me expectantly as well. It was hard to say no to those looks. Well, I suppose it can't be helped.
"Whoa, whoa, what is it this time?"
"Wait, what? Are those...?"
"Corpses...? No, are they dolls?"
As I pulled the life-sized bodies from my Storage Ring, a stir went through the tavern, drawing looks from the few other customers. Just as Rick had muttered, human-like dolls could easily be mistaken for corpses at a glance. I’d caused a scene by taking them out in public before, so I had been trying to avoid doing so ever since.
"My name is Allen. I am a golem serving under the Master. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Milly!"
"I am Shara. It is an honor to meet you."
"I'm Pino~! Master, food! Can I eat? Can I have some food?"
The Petit Golems paid no mind to the surrounding commotion as they transferred into their larger bodies. Zephyr and his party stared in wide-eyed silence, completely speechless. Pino, as usual, was a bit too focused on her own pace.
Once Zephyr and the others finally recovered from the shock, I filled them in on what had happened in Aingurna. I told them about the Petit Golems, of course, but also about the trouble with the evil cultists.
"So that old geezer who summoned the evil dragon in the Royal Capital was actually a former Guild Master? And he caused another mess in Aingurna? Man, you guys have had it rough."
Zephyr spoke sympathetically at first, but a moment later, he let out a boisterous laugh.
"But damn, you guys already promoted to B-Rank? You totally beat us to the punch!"
"That's incredible. Are you the youngest ever to reach that rank?" Marl asked.
"Probably," Eina added. "Being C-Rank at their age was already unprecedented."
Zephyr and his party were currently C-Rank. Since we had been promoted to B-Rank in Aingurna, we had technically surpassed them. Despite that, I didn't sense even a hint of jealousy from them. Not just Zephyr and Eina, but Rick and Marl seemed like genuinely good people as well.
"Won't you guys be reaching it soon too?" Lowell asked.
"Well, we've been told we're eligible for the promotion exam. Maybe we'll give it a try once we head back to Garond," Zephyr replied.
I recalled hearing that reaching B-Rank required an exam—or rather, a formal evaluation by high-ranking adventurers. I didn't know the full extent of Rick and Marl's abilities, but since they were partying with Zephyr, I assumed they were highly capable. They would likely pass the exam and hit B-Rank without much trouble.
"So, what brings you all the way to Berhes, anyway?" I asked.
"Oh, we took an escort mission," Zephyr said.
"Yeah," Marl chirped in. "And since it's the season for the Arena Contest, we figured we could stay and watch the matches."
Apparently, they had come as guards and planned to enjoy the festivities afterward. I’d heard that many adventurers took similar requests just to have an excuse to stay in Berhes for the tournament. In this world, it was one of the few major forms of entertainment.
"Oh, that reminds me! The client for this escort job is someone you know—Luranna-san. Do you remember her?"
"Wait, the one from the Merchant Guild?"
"That's the one. She's here to pitch her hamburger shops to the city."
I was surprised to learn that Zephyr's group was escorting Luranna. She was as dedicated to her business as ever. It seemed she was planning to expand the hamburger chain not just in Orcus, but in Berhes as well. That was a good sign that things were going well for her.
Since it had been a while, I definitely wanted to see her. She might even be able to help us source the materials we needed for the multi-legged golem.