By the time Rei finished discussing the events that had happened in the Bestir Empire at the lord’s residence, it was already getting dark outside.
It was only just past four in the afternoon, but at this time of year, the darker environment was to be expected.
Leaving the lord’s residence, Rei headed straight to the stables to pick up Set.
Set, who had been sleeping in the stables as if he owned the place, noticed Rei’s arrival and gave a happy cry.
……None of the horses in the stables seemed surprised by Set’s presence, likely because they were the same ones that had travelled with him all the way from the Bestir Empire to Gilm.
「Gururururu~」
Rei patted Set as he rubbed his face against him.
After enjoying the feel for a few minutes, Rei left the stables with Set.
The other horses in the stable watched the pair go, and although Rei doubted they could understand his words, he spoke up anyway.
「Your masters won’t be back for a while yet. You lot can just take it easy here.」
「Brrrr.」
The horses whinnied, though whether they understood Rei was anyone’s guess.
To ensure they didn’t do anything suspicious in Gilm and to teach them the necessities of living here, Sergio and the group of nearly thirty others would be unable to leave the lord’s residence for some time.
Those assigned to explain things to them naturally doubled as their guards.
As the lord governing this land, Daska couldn’t simply grant freedom to thirty people from the Bestir Empire so easily.
Even so, the fact that they were treated with a relatively lenient attitude because they were Rei’s associates was a stroke of luck for everyone involved.
Given his role in bringing Sergio and the others here, Rei normally would have had to stay at the lord’s residence as well, but Daska hadn’t bothered to keep him, stating that it was far too late to start doubting him now.
As for Rhodes, whom Rei had also brought back, Elk and Min had taken him with them. They were likely looking for any clues to help him regain consciousness.
「Well, I hope they do their best……but it’ll be difficult.」
「Guru~?」
Rei muttered to himself as they left the residence and walked toward the city. Set, walking beside him, let out a cry as he tilted his head.
Rei patted him, telling him it was nothing, as they continued down the path leading to the main street……
「Ah! Set-chan! Look, I knew it! Set-chan is here! My information network was right!」
A voice echoed through the passage Rei and Set were walking along.
Rei looked around at the sound and soon spotted a familiar face.
She had well-defined features and could easily be called a beauty, but currently, her face wore an entranced expression.
It was Milein, the leader of the adventurer party Scorching Wind, who had a long standing acquaintance with Rei. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she was obsessed with Set.
The raid on the Orc settlement, Rei’s first large-scale request in Gilm, was the first time he had met Milein, making her one of the adventurers he had known the longest.
Since she had been there when they defeated the Orc King, she was also someone who knew a fair few of Rei and Set’s secrets.
「You found out we were back quite quickly.」
「It wasn’t quick at all! I’ve been searching everywhere since I heard Set-chan was back, and I’ve finally found him! Set-chan, long time no see!」
「Gururururu~」
She gave Rei a short reply before cutting the conversation short and heading straight for Set.
After handing Set some dried meat, she began stroking his head.
Set had known Milein for a long time and understood perfectly well that she held great affection for him. Set was naturally friendly, and someone like Milein, who doted on him and always gave him treats, was more than enough to earn his favour.
Because of that, Set gave happy cries while eating the dried meat she provided, clearly enjoying the reunion.
「Yes, yes. Set-chan was happy to see me too, after all. I’m happy too!」
「Guru~?」
As Set rubbed his face against her, Mileine’s expression softened even further.
She continued to feed him dried meat while enjoying the feel of his fur to her heart’s content.
As Rei watched Milein with an exasperated look, another figure approached.
「It’s been a while, Rei.」
The one who spoke was a middle-aged man in his forties. It was Sulunin, a member of the same party and Milein’s “stopper”.
「Sulunin.」
「Yes. ……My apologies for our leader’s behaviour, especially since you’ve only just returned to Gilm.」
Sulunin bowed his head while watching Milein frolic around with Set, but Rei shook his head, telling him not to worry about it.
「It makes me feel like I’m really back in Gilm.」
「Ahaha. Well, that’s a bit of a problem for us. Milein becomes quite useless as an adventurer when she’s like this.」
「……That’s true.」
Looking at Milein playing with Set now, few would believe she was the leader of a C rank party. C rank was a level where one was recognised as a full-fledged veteran adventurer.
(Well, the world of adventurers is one where strength is everything. It’s not strange for someone young to be C, B, or even A rank. Even I still look like I’m in my mid-teens.)
As Rei thought to himself while watching their interaction, Sulunin asked curiously.
「Is something wrong?」
「No, I was just thinking that seeing this makes it feel like I’ve returned to Gilm.」
「……Why did you say the exact same thing twice?……」
As a member of the same party, Sulunin silently wished Rei wouldn’t view them that way.
「You’ve got it tough too, Sulunin.」
「Haha, not really. Aside from times like this, Milein is usually a capable party leader.」
「I wonder how many people would believe that after seeing this.」
Sulunin could only offer a wry smile at Rei’s blunt words.
While Rei and Sulunin were watching Milein play with Set in that indescribable atmosphere, although they were in a side street, it was still quite close to the main street. Even though it was starting to get dark, there was no way they wouldn’t stand out doing this.
「Ah! It’s Set-chan!」
The voice rang out, and when Rei looked toward the source, he saw a ten year old girl. The girl ran straight toward Set.
「Yay! Set-chan, long time no see! Hey, I haven’t seen you lately, where did you go?」
「Gururu~?」
Set gave a cry in response to the girl’s question. He understood her words, but unfortunately, he couldn’t speak.
「Eh? Set-chan? Ah, it really is him! Wow, it’s been a while!」
「Whoa…… just looking at Set is so healing.」
When Milein had first called out, few people had come over, likely because there hadn’t been many passers-by at that time. But now, Set was quickly surrounded by the residents of Gilm.
Watching Set being mobbed, Rei remembered that among those who had come to Gilm with him, there were also some fanatical Set fans.
(I hope they don’t clash with Milein.)
A former guerrilla unit member versus a C rank adventurer like Milein. In terms of raw strength, Mileine was likely superior, but the gap wasn’t insurmountable. If anything, it was the kind of difference that could be overturned by a small slip-up.
(Especially since she tends to go out of control where Set is concerned……it wouldn’t be surprising if her combat power increased through raw emotion.)
The best-case scenario for Rei was that they would bond over being fellow Set fans. But how it would actually turn out……he wouldn’t know until they actually met.
The people wishing to immigrate were currently undergoing procedures and interviews at the lord’s residence, but Rei could easily predict they would be allowed to move freely soon enough.
「Er…… Rei, what should we do about this?」
Sulunin gestured toward the crowd. Set was surrounded by so many people that, while fine for now, they would eventually become an obstacle if a carriage tried to pass.
「Should we move somewhere with fewer people?」
「Yes, definitely.」
Sulunin nodded immediately. Rei agreed and called out to Set in the middle of the crowd.
「Set! We’re moving!」
「Gururururu~!」
Set’s voice echoed from the crowd, and the people parted to let him through. Despite so many people wanting his attention, no one tried to block his path, likely because they all understood what kind of creature Set was.
There were also people nearby who didn’t know what the fuss was about, and some of them nearly collapsed in shock at the sudden appearance of a Griffon.
A fair amount of time had passed since Rei left Gilm for the Bestir Empire, and since it was the transition from autumn to winter, many new people had arrived in Gilm during that time.
……Luckily, the number of people was much lower than during the peak season. Most people who were new to Gilm at this time were either latecomers or those who had travelled from very far away.
The reactions of such people were already familiar to the residents of Gilm. When the bystanders explained that Set was Rei’s tamed monster, the newcomers were shocked again, though for a different reason.
Rei was famous in many ways, and many had heard the rumours. However, seeing him in person was a different matter entirely.
Set ignored the stunned gazes and walked over to Rei. Rei patted the Griffon as he rubbed his head against him and spoke to the crowd.
「If we make a scene here, we’ll be blocking traffic. We’re moving elsewhere, so those who want to play with Set can follow. But as you can see, it’s already dark. Those with errands should head home. Both Set and I will be back for a while……」
Rei’s mind briefly flashed to the dungeon.
「We’ll be in Gilm for a few days, so if you really want to play with Set, it would be a huge help if you came by during the day.」
「You say that, but playing outside in this cold during the day is a bit much.」
「Excuse me? You’re playing with him right now in the evening when the temperature has already dropped.」
Voices called out from the crowd in response to Rei’s words, but nearly half of the people seemed to remember they had things to do. Looking disappointed, they began to disperse. However, they didn’t forget to give Set a little wave to make sure he noticed them before they left.
(Well, it’s evening, so many people have to prepare dinner. I suppose if they went home and said they were late because they were playing with Set, they’d probably get scolded.)
Rei watched them go, then noticed Milein looking at him expectantly. He led the way to a nearby spot that wouldn’t obstruct passers-by.
In the end, about ten people followed them, which made Rei feel the strength of Set’s popularity.
「Ahahahaha! Here, Set-chan. Eat this sandwich.」
「Oh, this fruit is delicious too!」
「Here, I’ve got some dried fish!」
「I’ve got dried fruit with concentrated sweetness!」
「Ah, I have honey!」
「Yay! Set!」
Rei watched the people immediately start doting on Set in the space away from the path. Nearby, Sulunin watched his own party leader, who was the most enthralled of all, with an indescribable expression.
「Um, Rei. I know it’s not for me to say, but……shouldn’t we stop them?」
「……Even if you say that, Set doesn’t seem to mind, so why not? It’ll be a problem if it goes on too late, though.」
Set was naturally friendly, so he didn’t mind being pampered and given food, in fact, he enjoyed it. If someone tried to pull his wing feathers or pluck his fur, he’d certainly object, but there was no way Milein and the others, who were obsessed with his cuteness, would do such a thing.
If anyone had tried to do it to harvest materials from Set, Milein would likely have been the first to stop them. To Milein, who loved Set from the bottom of her heart, it wasn’t hard to see through someone who only pretended to care.
Watching the scene, Rei spoke up.
「By the way, could I meet with the members of Scorching Wind soon? Including Ekril.」
「Huh? Well, we’ve finished our winter preparations, so we’ve got plenty of free time. I don’t mind, but…… did something happen? A request?」
Sulunin tilted his head at the sudden proposal. Rei looked toward Set as he spoke.
「I’m thinking of removing the Seed of Contract I placed on you all previously.」
「……Eh?」
Sulunin stared at Rei, his expression clearly asking what on earth he was talking about.