Having stored the supplies necessary for the Orc subjugation into the Misty Ring, Rei left Hobbes to finish his errands and exited through the guild’s back door.

「Gururu~」

Set noticed Rei and gave a happy cry, and the two headed toward the city of Gilm’s main gate.

「Oh, do you have a request today?」

Ranga walked over and called out to Rei and Set with familiar ease. Most of the guards were still frightened of Set, so even though he was the captain…… No, precisely because he was the captain, Ranga had taken charge of dealing with Rei and Set.

That being said, a major reason was that Margrave Rowlocks had personally instructed him to look out for Rei.

Taking his guild card from the Misty Ring, Rei spoke while presenting Set’s Necklace of Subservient Monster.

「Yes, a request. Speaking of which, have you heard about the Orcs building a settlement?」

Ranga twitched slightly as he replied.

「Of course I’ve heard…… Still, even if you are strong, aren’t you still G rank? Were you really able to take on the request?」

「It’s an urgent request this time. If you have the strength to take down an Orc, rank doesn’t matter.」

「……I see. Well, if you can defeat a Water Bear, your strength isn’t an issue.」

「That’s right. So the reason I’m here is that the subjugation force agreed to assemble at the main gate in the afternoon. I’m just a bit early.」

「Guru~」

Not yet? Rei patted Set’s head as he received the guild card back from Ranga.

「Sorry to take up your time. Even though you have Set with you, please take care out there.」

Nodding to Ranga’s words, Rei walked over to a grassy area a short distance from the main gate with Set.

「Guru~」

As Set lay down comfortably in the grassy field, Rei leaned back against him. Although the expedition members were originally meant to wait by the gate, Rei had only been in Gilm for a few days. Because there were still people unfamiliar with Set’s existence, Rei chose to wait here to avoid disrupting the flow of people entering and leaving the city.

Set, too, seemed to enjoy basking in the sunlight across the grassy plain far more than staying in the city, and in high spirits, he gave a soft cry.

While Rei in his original body would likely have suffered heatstroke from remaining under the summer sun for so long, his enhanced physical constitution and the Dragon Robe’s built-in cooling functions allowed him to lean against Set with complete composure.

「……Rei, is it?」

Leaving vigilance over their surroundings to Set, Rei had been dozing off in the warmth when he suddenly heard his name called, snapping his awareness back to full alertness.

Opening his eyes, he saw a woman in her thirties standing before him, dressed in robes and holding a sturdy cane. Beside her, a middle-aged man watched with an intrigued expression, while a boy around Rei’s age wore a rigid face as though witnessing something impossible.

It was the three members of the A rank party Axe of the Thunder God: Elk, Min, and Rhodes.

「Is it about time?」

「Not yet, but…… Well, may I ask you something?」

Roughly guessing what she wanted to ask, Rei nodded at Min’s words.

「I don’t think I’m mistaken, but you are leaning against a Griffon. ……Why?」

Even as members of Axe of the Thunder God, facing an A rank monster like a Griffon still caused some apprehension. Min asked timidly, but Rei’s reply was blunt and direct.

「Because I tamed it.」

「D-Don’t mess with us! You’re a G rank adventurer, so how could you tame a Griffon……!?」

Although Rhodes shouted back in disbelief at Rei’s words, he lost his voice entirely when Set turned his head and let out a deep cry.

It could not be helped. Even if he belonged to an A rank party, Rhodes himself was only a C rank adventurer. Confronted by an A rank Griffon, he was instinctively reminded of the immense gulf in power between them.

「Hey, calm down, Set.」

Smiling wryly at Rhodes’s reaction, Rei calmed Set down.

「Guru~」

Gently scratching Set’s head as usual, Rei spoke to Rhodes.

「Just so you know, Set isn’t hostile toward others. However, if someone intends to harm me, that’s a different story.」

「……」

At those words, Rhodes feared Set might growl at him again and remained speechless, his mouth opening and closing silently like a fish.

「Gahahahaha! This is great, kid! I’ve seen monster tamers before, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone tame a Griffon. Hey, can I touch him?」

「Dad!」

This was perhaps the difference between an A rank and a C rank, or simply a matter of experience.

「Set, what do you think? That man wants to touch you.」

「Guru~……」

Set stared at Rhodes, Elk, and Min in turn. After a few seconds, he gave a short cry and wagged his tail slightly.

「He says you can.」

「I see. Much obliged!」

Touching an A rank monster carried tremendous risk, yet Elk showed no trace of tension, reaching out with a grin. His hand brushed against Set’s flank, where Rei was leaning……

「Oh! What is this incredible texture? This is my first time seeing a Griffon up close, and its fur is so remarkably smooth!」

The best way to describe Set’s coat was that it felt like pure silk.

Stroking the smooth fur with great satisfaction, Elk nodded.

「Hey, Rei. Set, was it? With fur of this quality, you could probably make clothes fit for royalty, you know?」

「Well, who knows? I’ve never considered doing that, so it doesn’t matter to me……」

「……Rei, may I pet him too?」

Unable to hold back her curiosity at Elk’s words, Min asked as well.

When Rei glanced at Set, the Griffon swished his tail just as he had for Elk.

「He doesn’t mind.」

「I see, then right away. ……Elk, move aside a little bit. Let me feel how smooth he is.」

「Mum! It’s dangerous to approach a Griffon!」

Rhodes tried to stop her, but it was impossible to deter Min, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity.

「Oh, my…… It really is remarkably smooth. Enough that I could stroke him forever.」

「Right? It’s our lucky day, getting to pet a Griffon without worrying about being attacked.」

「That’s right, exactly as Elk said. For an A rank monster like a Griffon, touching its body is a priceless experience.」

Seeing the two of them petting him like that, Set shot a sharp glance at Rhodes before quietly closing his eyes.

「Kahaha. Looks like he doesn’t like you, Rhodes.」

Seeing what happened, Elk chuckled at Rhodes while he and Min continued to stroke Set’s body.

「Hmph, I don’t care if a Griffon dislikes me.」

Finding him hopeless, Elk let out a sigh. Seeing that, Rei spoke to Elk.

「Hobbes told me to travel alongside your party until we reach the Orc settlement. I’ll be in your care.」

「Huh!? Why do we need to look after a G rank all the way there!?」

Rhodes was naturally the first to react to Rei’s words, but it was Elk, rather than Rei, who stepped in.

「That’s only natural. And of course we don’t mind.」

「Dad!」

At Rhodes’s heated protest, Elk let out an exasperated sigh.

「Listen to me. Remember the briefing this morning? Rei was entrusted with transporting the supplies for this Orc subjugation request.」

「Yeah, I know. I heard it too.」

「Then what do you think happens if Rei gets taken out by an Orc or another monster?」

「That’s…… Ah……」

「Have you finally realised? That’s right, all our supplies and equipment are gone if Rei dies. So here’s the question. What are we?」

「……The A rank party, Axe of the Thunder God.」

「That’s right. Furthermore, we are the only A rank party participating in this Orc subjugation.」

A rank stood only one level below the guild’s S rank. With only three S rank adventurers in the entire world, every adventurer knew that A rank sat just beneath them. Because S rank individuals were so exceedingly rare, ordinary adventurers viewed A rank figures as operating on an entirely different level.

Axe of the Thunder God was a party featuring two such A rank adventurers. Their skill and track record in Gilm were recognized as top-class talent by the guild, a reputation that was entirely justified.

「So we, as the subjugation force’s greatest fighting strength, are accompanying Rei to act as his bodyguards while he carries our supplies. ……Is there anything strange about that?」

「I certainly understand the importance of the supplies. However, why do we have to guard him? Even a B rank or C rank party could act as escorts!」

Rhodes grew stubborn, arguing back against Elk.

(Damn it, Mum and Dad need to be more careful around a guy like that! An item box and a Griffon, he’s just relying on a monster and magic items instead of his own power! Why should we have to guard him in particular……?)

Thinking so to himself, he directed his gaze toward Elk.

Although Rhodes himself remained unaware of it, his hostility toward Rei stemmed from his mother, just as Rei had pointed out.

Naturally, his father, Elk, as leader of Axe of the Thunder God, had noticed this immediately.

「Listen to me. This is my decision as leader of Axe of the Thunder God. There will be no objections, and you are not allowed to slack off on guard duty either.」

「……Understood.」

Confronted by Elk’s unusually firm command, Rhodes reluctantly nodded in the end.

(Honestly, did we spoil this boy too much? Even if his ability is C rank…… He still clings to his mother like a child. It would be good if he could take some inspiration from Rei during this expedition.)

Unlike Min, Elk could not detect magic power. Even so, as an A rank adventurer, he could vaguely gauge Rei’s capabilities and potential. Through their conversation, Elk had also grasped his general character. Although Rei harboured vast power within his body, he was not a bad person. ……Moreover, when he heard what had happened with Claws of the Hawk, he could not help but smile wryly.

Elk disliked the way Claws of the Hawk picked fights with rookies to force them into doing their chores. ……While aware that some considered it useful for a rookie’s development, he could never bring himself to support it. Therefore, when he gathered information about Rei after the Orc subjugation briefing, he felt no annoyance at hearing about Rei’s clash with Claws of the Hawk. Rather, he silently cheered, thinking the boy had done splendidly.

Watching Elk worry over his son’s behaviour, Rei turned his gaze toward the main gate while leaning against Set.

The adventurers from the parties he had seen during the morning briefing had gathered. While most were talking among themselves, they frequently turned their eyes toward Rei. Rather than looking at Elk of Axe of the Thunder God, however, most were staring at Set, as a Griffon. That was only natural, for while many had heard rumours about Rei inside the guild, it was the first time they had ever seen a genuine Griffon in person.

(Still…… The eyes watching me rather than Set haven’t changed.)

Those eyes had followed him ever since he displayed the Misty Ring in the meeting room. They were gazes he had felt continuously, except when he was inside the Dusk Wheat Pavilion.

For the people casting those looks, obtaining the Misty Ring was likely a higher priority than the Orc subjugation. Rei smiled wryly to himself, sensing that a fight would inevitably break out sooner or later.

「Oh, he’s here.」

At Elk’s murmur, Rei turned his gaze back toward the main gate.

From there, around eight horse-drawn wagons emerged from the city. Hobbes could be seen sitting beside the coachman of the lead wagon.

「All adventurers participating in the Orc subjugation request, gather by party and board your wagons! In addition, Rei and Axe of the Thunder God will ride in the centre wagon with me! Does everyone understand?」

As the assembled adventurers began chattering, Elk called out.

「Right. The purpose is to minimise the chance of losing our supplies, yes?」

Elk spoke in response to Hobbes’s announcement.

Elk headed toward the horse-drawn wagons. Min and Rhodes followed after him. Rei and Set moved toward the wagon as well.

The adventurers gathered near the main gate hurriedly boarded their chosen wagons as Set approached. Unbothered, Elk and Hobbes continued their discussion. And then……

「All right, we’re setting off! Time for the Orc subjugation!」

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