Loud cheers echoed throughout the city.

An Orc settlement had sprung up right on their doorstep, so it was only natural for the citizens to celebrate the victorious return of the subjugation force with a parade.

「Hey, look at the man sitting on the front bench of the lead carriage. That’s Elk, the leader of the A-rank party Axe of the Thunder God!」

「I know. ……Wait, look over there!」

While nodding in agreement with his companion, something unexpected caught his eye.

The upper body of an eagle, the lower body of a lion, and massive wings spreading from its back. In other words, it was a……

「Griffon!?」

They had marched out to subjugate Orcs, so why had they brought back something far more terrifying? The question flashed through his mind, and he nearly bolted on pure reflex, but the companion who recognized Elk grabbed him by the collar.

「Hey, what are you doing!? We have to run!」

「Calm down. That Griffon is a tamed monster, so it won’t attack anyone.」

「Huh? A tamed Griffon? Are you kidding me!?」

「It’s no joke. Use your head. If it were a wild monster, why would it be walking peacefully right alongside the carriages?」

「……」

Thinking about it calmly, he could see his friend was right. Even so, the sheer presence of the Griffon was overwhelming.

「What do you know about this, anyway?」

「Yeah. Haven’t you heard about the D-rank party Claws of the Hawk getting thrashed in front of the guild by a freshly registered rookie?」

「Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing something like that……」

「Truth is, I was right there when it happened. That rookie had tamed a Griffon, and that’s the very one right there.」

「……Seriously?」

「Yeah. That Griffon actually walks through the city quite often. Take a good look around. Do you see anyone running away?」

Hearing that, the man looked around. Sure enough, none of the locals were fleeing. If anything, they were busy calming down newcomers who panicked at the sight of the Griffon, just as he had.

Some of the residents lining the street were even tossing strips of dried meat toward the beast.

Set caught the flying pieces of meat deftly with his beak, gulping them down whole before letting out a delighted cry of 「Gururururu~」.

「……What in the world?」

「Y-Yeah. Still, a rookie taming a Griffon……I can hardly wrap my head around it.」

「I felt the same way at first. Everyone who saw the Griffon strolling through town for the first time had the exact same reaction. But I’ve never heard of it hurting a single soul. On top of that, it’s insanely popular with the food stall keepers. ……Well, mostly because the Griffon’s master buys their food by the armful without caring about the cost.」

「Those stall keepers have some serious guts……」

If it had been him, he would have bolted the moment a Griffon approached his stall. Thinking about it, something else struck him.

「Wait a second. Didn’t that Griffon’s owner only just register with the guild? Did he actually take part in the Orc subjugation?」

「Now that you mention it, he probably did. ……Maybe they brought the Griffon along specifically to fight the Orcs?」

「Ah, makes sense. ……Must be nice, though. Even without a Griffon, if someone became an adventurer by taming a powerful monster, they could just sit back, let the beast do all the fighting, and rake in the coin.」

「Idiot. Do you really think he’s only good for taming beasts?」

Chuckling wryly, the companion gave him a light rap on the head.

「Kyaa~, look over here, Big Sister!」

Shrill cheers rang out through the crowd at the same time.

「Ow, take it easy on me……Who’s that, anyway?」

Rubbing his head, he looked toward a group of young women screaming excitedly at a female adventurer in the parade and asked his friend.

「That’s Milein, leader of the C-rank party Scorching Wind. As you can tell, plenty of the younger girls look up to her like an older sister.」

「Big Sister, huh?」

Surrounded by such fanfare, the subjugation force’s parade wound through the streets until it reached the guild.

 

 

「Ah, I’m beat.」

Having been paraded in plain view through the main streets, Elk let out a heavy sigh as the carriage finally pulled up in front of the guild, stepping down to the ground.

Unlike the boundlessly energetic man who had fought Orcs all night, profound exhaustion was etched across his face.

「Kukuku~. It’s hard being so popular.」

Hobbes chuckled wryly at Elk’s misery as he climbed down as well.

「Tch. Must have been nice and cozy relaxing inside the carriage.」

「It couldn’t be helped, only two people could sit up front. Seeing you, the leader of Axe of the Thunder God, paraded before them ensures the residents won’t be troubled by fears of an Orc threat.」

「……I know that. Can’t I at least vent a little? This kind of show isn’t like me at all.」

「There was no avoiding it. It was a direct request from Margrave Rowlocks himself, the lord of Gilm.」

「Hmph!」

Turning away from Elk’s pouting face, Hobbes addressed the other members of the subjugation force climbing down from the remaining carriages.

「Thank you all for your hard work. Thanks to your efforts and this parade, the Orc threat to the city has been thoroughly dispelled. We will disband here for now. You need not worry about your rewards, as you can collect them at the guild reception counter by tomorrow. Furthermore, as mentioned previously, proofs of subjugation for ordinary Orcs will be bought for five silver coins rather than the standard three. Higher-ranking variants will likewise fetch a proportionally higher price. Keep in mind, however, that these premium purchase rates apply strictly as part of this emergency subjugation request.」

The adventurers nodded in understanding, scattering toward taverns, inns, weapon shops, and secondhand dealers.

Rei was about to head toward the nearby food stalls and eateries with Set to fill their empty stomachs when……

「Rei, could you stay behind for a moment? We need to talk.」

Hobbes called out to stop him.

「Guru~?」

Asking what was wrong, Set rubbed his head against Rei. After stroking the Griffon gently, Rei turned his gaze toward Hobbes.

「Didn’t you just say the rewards would be issued tomorrow?」

「That applies to the others. Well, you’ll receive your reward tomorrow as well, but that’s beside the point. ……I want to speak with you regarding your rank.」

Pondering Hobbes’s words for a moment, Rei pulled several sandwiches from the Misty Ring and patted Set on the head.

「Sorry, Set, I have some business to take care of. Take these and wait for me at the usual spot.」

「Guru~……」

Leaving behind a somewhat sulking Set, Rei and Hobbes stepped inside the guild.

Watching them leave, Set gave a small cry and padded toward his usual resting place with a sandwich held gently in his beak.

 

 

「Ah, Rei, welcome back!」

「Rei? I’m so glad you’re safe!」

As Rei and Hobbes walked into the guild, Lenora and Kenny called out with bright, relieved smiles the moment they spotted Rei.

「Pardon us, but I need to speak with Rei. You two can enjoy your reunion later.」

Cutting in, Hobbes gestured toward the stairs leading up to the second floor. Raising a hand in a brief greeting to the receptionists, Rei followed behind him.

Watching their departing figures, Kenny let out a deep sigh of genuine relief.

「Whew, what a relief. Rei is completely fine.」

「Yes, and that is certainly wonderful news, but……」

「Lenora?」

「Quite a few people set out with the Orc subjugation force, didn’t they? While we’ll receive a detailed report soon, I’m certain not everyone made it back alive.」

「……What’s done is done. Danger is an inherent part of being an adventurer, and they all knew the risks when they registered with the guild.」

「I know that, of course, but……the number of familiar faces around here will still dwindle.」

Lenora let out a quiet sigh.

To begin with, combat was an unavoidable reality for adventurers undertaking monster subjugation, labyrinth exploration, or merchant escort duties. While gathering requests existed, ordinary folk could often handle those tasks themselves without hiring outside help. Most guild requests were jobs far too perilous for clients to handle on their own.

Because such danger was ever-present, adventurers inevitably lost their lives in the line of duty. Lenora understood that truth logically, yet emotionally, she could never fully reconcile herself to it.

「Come now, didn’t the vast majority come back safe and sound? You should smile a bit more. Frowning like that is why your figure stays so thin!」

Though her eyebrow twitched at the dig about her figure, Lenora maintained an air of composure before replying.

「I’m not particularly thin. I’m completely average. Plain and normal. Besides, I prefer that over a body used simply to curry favour with men.」

「……Oh my~, I wonder who that could possibly refer to?」

「I wasn’t referring to anyone in particular. Does someone specific come to mind?」

「Oh, absolutely. They say women with modest chests have narrow minds to match. Honestly, I feel sorry for Rei having you assigned as his mentor. If I were in your shoes, I’d stick right beside him and do all sorts of fun things together.」

「Seriously, Kenny!」

With that, their banter slipped back into its familiar rhythm. The melancholy that had clouded Lenora a moment earlier vanished, restoring her usual cheerful demeanor.

 

 

「Have a seat.」

It was the same room where the briefing for the Orc subjugation had taken place. Now, Rei sat directly across from Hobbes.

Having previously entered the room when it was packed with thirty adventurers, the meeting space felt oddly vast and empty with just the two of them.

After Rei sat in the offered chair and the two sat facing each other in silence for several moments, Hobbes spoke up.

「There is plenty to cover in our debriefing later, including the matter of Dark Night’s Star. But to put it bluntly, you will be promoted to E rank tomorrow.」

「E rank, huh? If I went up at all, I assumed it would only be to F rank.」

「Hmph. Given your achievements, E rank is hardly enough. You handled supply transport, Set provided vigilance throughout the journey, and you served as our core mobile strike force during the night attack. Above all, you slew the Orc King. With accomplishments like those, there is no way you’d only advance a single rank. Had you already been sitting at C rank or D rank, that might be another story. Furthermore……」

Hobbes trailed off, hesitating to say more. Observing his hesitation, Rei smiled wryly to himself.

(Hush money over the Dark Night’s Star affair……is that what this is?)

During an operation critical to the survival of Gilm, a participating party had turned on their own allies out of petty greed. Given the catastrophic blow such a scandal would deal to the Adventurers Guild’s reputation and public trust, Hobbes’s discretion was entirely understandable.

「Well, since the standard procedure is to petition the guild for a rank up after completing a certain quota of requests, skipping multiple ranks at once saves me a lot of hassle. I have no complaints.」

「I’m glad to hear that. You will be taking the rank up test to D rank in the near future, so please keep that in mind.」

「……What?」

Rei asked, hardly believing what he had just heard. Anticipating that reaction, Hobbes repeated himself.

「As I said, you will be sitting for the rank up test in the near future.」

「I see the guild is being generous. Do they really want me to leap three ranks all at once?」

「Something like that. Factoring in your own capabilities alongside Set, your overall combat power is closer to B rank. Promoting you to D rank is the least we can do.」

「It suits me just fine, but……are you sure that’s acceptable?」

「It is perfectly fine. Leaving someone who can slay an Orc King in single combat sitting at G rank is absurd to begin with.」

「……Understood. So when will this rank up test take place?」

「Who can say? I cannot give you a firm date. That is a decision for guild management and senior officials, not me.」

Despite his answer, Hobbes suspected the date for the practical exam was not far off. Everyone knew the Adventurers Guild was chronically short of manpower, and more importantly……

Hobbes thought of the letter tucked inside his breast pocket. It had been delivered by the messenger from Gilm while the subjugation force was en route. Alongside praise for the subjugation force and details regarding the parade, it explicitly instructed that Rei be promoted to E rank and scheduled for the D-rank test immediately upon his return.

(Even though I sent an advance party ahead with our report, this response is far too fast. Rei’s capabilities easily match B rank, and perhaps even lower A rank. Even so, this decision is……)

Hobbes had indeed recommended promoting Rei to E rank in the message he sent back to Gilm, and he intended to pitch the D-rank promotion exam to management in person. Yet he had reached that conclusion only after observing Rei throughout the mission. He never imagined guild leadership, who had not even received the formal debriefing, would act this swiftly. In other words……

(The guild master and senior officials have taken an active interest in Rei. ……No, considering the scale of this, could it be the lord himself?)

Under ordinary circumstances, such royal or noble attention would be unthinkable, but Rei was accompanied by Set, as a Griffon and an A-rank monster. Taking that into account, it was hardly out of the realm of possibility.

「Well, either way, I understand the situation. Taking the D-rank exam so soon works out well for me.」

「Indeed, that is the idea.」

Nodding at Hobbes’s words, Rei rose from his chair.

Watching him leave, Hobbes had a distinct feeling that Rei was bound to stir up quite a storm in the city of Gilm.

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