It was nighttime on the same day Rei and Set arrived in the city of Gilm.

In the centre of the city of Gilm stood a mansion……although it was too large to be called a mere mansion, the building was still too small to be considered a true castle.

Since Gilm was a frontier city, the ruling estate was built to withstand a siege in case of an emergency, giving the building a very rugged, militaristic impression.

The master of this building was Margrave Rowlocks, the man who ruled the city of Gilm.

The territory Margrave Rowlocks governed included not just the city of Gilm, but the vast surrounding area as well. However, Gilm was the only actual city that existed in the region.

Naturally, the successive generations of margraves who ruled Gilm, up to and including Margrave Rowlocks, had actively tried to make the region prosper. However……they had ultimately been forced to give up on establishing new villages due to the overwhelming presence of monsters.

When night falls, the monsters outside the city run rampant around the highways. No carpenters were willing to build houses under those conditions. It wasn’t possible for workers to build a house during the day and return to Gilm for the night, because by the next morning, whatever they had built would be completely destroyed.

Although previous lords had tried building defensive outer walls first to prevent this, it was impossible to finish a wall in a single day. The very next morning, they would find the partially constructed walls demolished overnight.

Originally, the city of Gilm was established as a frontier military base for the Mireana Kingdom. As for how the city was successfully built despite monsters attacking every night, it was accomplished through sheer manpower, with soldiers actively defeating every monster that appeared. To achieve that, roughly half the entire military force of the Mireana Kingdom had been gathered here until Gilm’s walls were completed, showing the massive scale of the operation.

At any rate, the current lord of Gilm unintentionally looked up at the ceiling after reading the details of a report submitted to his office.

Taking a break from his paperwork, he took a sip of wine and let out a deep breath.

He then glanced at his own reflection in the room’s mirror.

The face of a middle-aged man in his forties stared back at him. He gave off the strong impression of a hardened veteran, an image only strengthened by his thick moustache.

Taking another deep breath, he returned to his desk and looked back down at the document.

The report detailed the arrival of a single young man who had just entered the city of Gilm. Since Gilm was the only city in Margrave Rowlocks’s territory, it was massive and densely populated. Normally, information about a random stranger entering the city would never reach the desk of the ruling feudal lord. Of course, if the person was a known violent criminal or the heir to a major noble family from the Imperial Capital, it would be a different story.

However, the contents of this report were deemed just as significant.

「……A boy accompanied by an A rank monster, a Griffon, is it?」

He reread the paper again and again. However, the words written on the page refused to change.

「This isn’t a dream or an illusion. Should I be pleased or depressed about this?」

A boy accompanied by an A rank monster. The report even stated that he was an aspiring adventurer. If this was true, the city had just obtained a tremendous combat asset.

Unnatural monster movements had been observed recently. Purely looking at it as a boost to their military strength, his arrival could be considered a blessing.

「But, the timing is a little too perfect.」

The Margrave muttered as he looked at the document……no, glared at it.

Margrave Rowlocks gave a heavy sigh and rang a small bell on his desk. A knocking sound immediately echoed from the door.

「Come in.」
「Excuse me. Lord Margrave, did you call for me?」

The person who entered the room was a man in his twenties. He was a trusted subordinate who acted as Margrave Rowlocks’s personal secretary.

「Ah. Ranga is the garrison guard captain on duty today, correct? Call him in here. I want to hear the details of this report directly from him.」
「Understood. Right away.」

Acknowledging the order, the secretary saluted and quickly left the room. Margrave Rowlocks looked over the report once more.

「Abnormal monster behaviour. We’ve even confirmed several rare species recently. Will this boy become the seed of a major disturbance, or will he be a vital asset? ……I certainly hope it’s the latter.」

Just as Margrave Rowlocks muttered to himself, another knock echoed from the door.

「Come in.」
「Excuse me, sir. I am Ranga, guard captain of the garrison. I was told you called for me.」

Observing Ranga, the Margrave saw a man with an intimidating beard and a tough, rugged face. A faint smile involuntarily floated onto the Margrave’s face, as the guard captain looked remarkably similar to himself.

「Yes. I called you here regarding the report you submitted earlier today.」
「Yes, sir.」
「The report states that a boy who has tamed an A rank monster, a Griffon, entered the city.」
「That is correct.」
「……What kind of person was he? Give me your honest impression.」

Prompted by Margrave Rowlocks’s words, the figure of Rei immediately floated into Ranga’s mind. Because the boy had left such a strong impression, he recalled the details without any difficulty.

「First of all, regarding his physical appearance, he was quite small. The top of his head only reached my chest.」
「That is……rather small indeed.」

Margrave Rowlocks had automatically assumed the aspiring adventurer who tamed a Griffon would be a massive, muscular veteran. He nodded his head, surprised by the discrepancy.

「As for his face, his most prominent features were his sharp blue eyes and red hair. He was wearing a high-quality robe that appeared to be some sort of magic item, and he carried a massive scythe taller than himself as a weapon. Furthermore, I personally confirmed that he possesses an item box magic item.」
「……Are you certain?」

The Margrave gave him a sharp, doubtful look, wanting to be absolutely sure.

Ranga met his gaze firmly and nodded.

「Yes, sir. There is no doubt.」
「Well, he certainly stands out like crazy.」

A small physique. A robe that was likely a magic item. A giant scythe. An incredibly rare item box. And a Griffon. Putting all those elements together painted a picture of someone who stood out in every conceivable way. Although Margrave Rowlocks had briefly considered the possibility that the boy was a spy from a hostile nation, a spy would never walk around wearing such blatantly conspicuous gear.

「What did he do after entering the city?」
「According to my reports, he went straight to the Adventurers Guild. However, right after registering, he apparently got into a violent dispute with a party of D rank adventurers.」

Quarrelling with established adventurers. Hearing that, the Margrave’s cheek twitched in annoyance.

「Are you saying this boy’s goal is to crush the adventurers operating in Gilm?」
「No, sir. According to the witnesses I questioned, the veteran adventurers were drunk and picked the fight with him.」

Hearing those words, he instinctively let out a sigh of relief. The adventurers in Gilm were the city’s lifeline, serving as both its primary combat force and the foundation of its economy. If the adventurers were driven out or killed off, the city of Gilm would quickly perish. Ranga’s clarification was enough for him to relax slightly.

「Considering his appearance, it doesn’t seem like he’s intentionally trying to cause trouble just to stand out.」
「Yes, I agree.」
「So, do you think there’s any possibility he is an agent from another country?」
「The possibility exists. However, I personally think it is highly unlikely.」
「On what basis?」
「The boy severely lacks basic common sense. He didn’t even know he had to pay an entry tax to enter the city. And above all else, he didn’t have a single gold, silver, or copper coin on him.」

At that explanation, Margrave Rowlocks knit his brow. However, it wasn’t out of a sense of crisis like before.

「He lacks common sense and didn’t have any money? ……Where on earth has he been living until now?」

Currency was universally used across the entire central continent. It was incredibly suspicious for someone to arrive at a major city without a single copper coin to their name, no matter how you looked at it.

「According to the boy himself, he lived in seclusion deep in the mountains with his eccentric master for his entire life……」
「But?」
「Well, when referring to magic, he explicitly used the ancient term ‘sorcery’ instead of ‘magic’.」
「……What?」

Sorcery and magic. They both referred to the exact same concept, but the term ‘sorcery’ had been obsolete for hundreds of years. In this day and age, the vast majority of people didn’t even know the word existed.

「Just how deep in the mountains was he living?」

Muttering in disbelief, Margrave Rowlocks completely discarded the possibility that Rei was a foreign spy.

「He claims he doesn’t actually know where it was. However, because his magical training was roughly finished, his master apparently threw him into the Forest of Monsters using space magic to force him to gain real-world experience as an adventurer.」
「The Forest of Monsters.」

Margrave Rowlocks gave a low groan. It was a massive, dangerous forest located about ten days’ walk from the city. While it had plenty of low-ranking monsters like slimes and common beasts, the deepest parts of the forest were inhabited by the highest-ranking monsters in existence, including dragons. It truly earned its name as the Forest of Monsters.

「Yes. He apparently killed a Water Bear and a swarm of Djarum shortly after arriving there. We sold the pelt and materials for him to cover his entry tax.」
「He defeated a C rank Water Bear in his first battle? Well, I suppose it’s not too far-fetched since he has an A rank Griffon fighting alongside him.」

Water Bears were solid C rank monsters, while a lone Djarum was only F rank. However, if Djarum gathered in a large swarm, their collective threat level jumped to D rank.

「For the time being, based on your report, I judge the possibility of him being a foreign agent is virtually zero.」
「Yes, I agree. Their combat strength is undoubtedly immense, but they stand out far too much to ever sneak around. I suppose they could be acting as a decoy……」

Thinking aloud, Ranga suddenly shook his head as he realised a flaw in his own logic.

「Actually, there’s no tactical advantage in using someone capable of controlling a Griffon as a mere decoy. Any sensible commander would use that kind of asset for a direct strike.」

Margrave Rowlocks nodded at Ranga’s assessment.

「Ah. I agree. However, we can’t completely rule out any possibilities just yet. About this boy……Rei, was it? Keep an eye on him.」
「Are you ordering me to place him under surveillance, sir?」
「No, there’s no point in strictly surveilling him. I mean you should keep a protective eye on him. Based on your story, his combat power is exceptional, but his communication and social skills are severely lacking because he grew up isolated with his master. Taming a Griffon is an incredibly rare feat, and I don’t want to lose such a precious, talented asset over some worthless misunderstanding in the city. Keep him away from the snooping nobles in particular. If any of their factions try to make contact with him, inform me immediately and I’ll deal with it personally.」
「Understood, sir.」

The Aristocratic Faction. They were a powerful political faction centred around the old-money nobility. In the current Mireana Kingdom, the Royalist Faction, the Aristocratic Faction, and the Neutral Faction were locked in a constant power struggle. The general balance of power between them was roughly a 6:3:1 ratio, with Margrave Rowlocks leading the minority Neutral Faction.

However, because the Neutral Faction was the smallest, the Aristocratic Faction frequently tried to meddle in their affairs. If those arrogant nobles tried to mess with a boy commanding an A rank Griffon……Margrave Rowlocks made a sour face just thinking about the inevitable bloodbath that would follow.

The next day, while Rei was running his errands in the city of Gilm, a certain adventurer party was locked in a fierce battle with a monster a few hours away from the city.

「Damn it!」

A large man cursed loudly as he swung a heavy iron axe down.

「Gigi!」

A giant ant, roughly 1m in length, shrieked as the axe cleanly severed its head. Incredibly, its body continued to thrash and move even after its death cry.

「Vargas! Don’t be careless!」

A man wielding a long sword and a shield called out to his leader. He stepped in and used his shield to block the headless ant’s thrashing body from ramming into Vargas. The battle finally came to an end as the swordsman quickly stepped around and hacked off the headless ant’s legs, completely immobilising it.

「Oi, Vargas! You’re always way too reckless!」

The man with the sword and shield, Zorito, yelled at his leader.

「I know! But what I really want to know is why we’re stuck fighting such pathetic small fry!」

Vargas swung his axe down in sheer irritation. The heavy iron blade gouged deeply into the earth, scattering dirt and small stones into the air.

「Calm down. Don’t forget we have a massive debt to pay. If we screw this up and default on our payments, we’ll become wanted men.」

The party’s scout, a man wielding twin daggers, clicked his tongue in frustration.

Debt. The D rank adventurer party, Claws of the Hawk, was currently drowning in debt.

It had all started while they were celebrating after successfully mapping a dungeon floor filled with dangerous magic traps.

Vargas, who was naturally uncouth and aggressive, had drunkenly picked a fight with a kid who had just come to the Adventurers Guild to register. However, they had picked a fight with the absolute worst person possible. After exchanging insults and betting their entire fortunes in front of the guild, they had been utterly and splendidly defeated. Their weapons and their money had all been confiscated, and they were left groaning in the dirt with fractured bones.

For Vargas, it was adding insult to injury, as the Power Axe he had literally just found in the dungeon had been taken from him before he even really got to use it.

Furthermore, because they were severely injured, they had been forced to hire a healer from the local clinic. However, since every single coin the Claws of the Hawk owned had been taken by Rei, they couldn’t even afford to buy a meal that day, let alone pay exorbitant medical fees.

Fortunately, the Claws of the Hawk were a D rank party. This meant they had a decent track record and a good amount of established credibility. Thanks to their standing, they were able to take out an emergency loan from the guild to cover their medical bills and basic living expenses. However, borrowed money naturally had to be returned with interest. Because of that crushing debt, they had been forced to immediately accept a low-paying subjugation request for Soldier Ants just to scrape by.

It should be noted that their guild loan only covered medical and living expenses. Since they couldn’t afford to buy new gear, they were currently fighting using cheap spare weapons they had left in their rented rooms.

Because the money was borrowed directly from the Adventurers Guild, running away to avoid paying it wasn’t an option. Since the guild could instantly contact all of its branches across the continent using magical communication items, their identities as debtors would spread rapidly. Bounty hunters would quickly start aiming for their heads. ……Though the actual bounty for their capture would be relatively small, no one in the Claws of the Hawk wanted to become a target, so they had no choice but to desperately grind out cheap requests.

「Who the hell is Goblin’s Drool?!」

Vargas yelled furiously, still vehemently denying the highly dishonourable party name Rei had cursed them with.

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