"Well... don't you have that kind of magic item around here?"
"Grull".

　Rey's words make Seto cry and look regretful.
　the site of an extension in Gillum
　A short distance away, there was still a battle between adventurers and Koboldt.
　But Ray doesn't seem to care about it at all and inspects the site of the extension.
　However, materials are placed in many places, and many are covered with magic item cloths to protect them from snow.
　The trees that have been felled from the forest of Trent have already been magically treated and processed as wood, so I'm just covering them with appropriate cloth.
　The stone material is almost exposed to the open.
　I'm going to look around for gaps in such building materials and see if there are any magic items in place... of course, but I can't find any clues.

"Set, please."

　Noticing Cobold approaching him, Ray tells his partner so.
　Hearing Ray's words, Seto immediately waves his forefeet at Coboldt, who approaches them.

"Gururururling!

　Cobboldt came in without showing any sign of fear when he saw Set, but not afraid of Set does not mean that the difference in power that exists between Cobbold and Gryphon is closed.
　the forefeet of a set that swings toward a cobold
　The blow shatters Koboldt's neck with a rusty long sword, which he found from where.
　...the blood and fluid of Cobold, the flesh, the bones, the teeth, and the brains all around him.
　In order to secure the right ear, which is supposed to be used as proof of subjugation, it is better not to break the head.
　However, this is only for those who want a part to prove the subjugation, and there is no particular problem for Ray and Seto who don't want it.
　But the demons are still there, so anyone in the slum who finds the body of Cobold is lucky.

"Ah... well, it's a little dirty, but snow and rain will make it clean by spring. And it looks like the ground is equally dirty with blood where other people are fighting."

　Looking around, Ray saw an adventurer beating the goblins with clubs.
　Some are chained with spiny metal balls and crushed their heads with weapons called morning stars.
　Compared to them, Cobold's corpse, which Sett had knocked down, would not be much different. So determined, Ray and Sett move on to the next suspicious place.
　The stones in the distance are stacked firmly so that they won't collapse, but I think that's why we can put some magic items in place so that people around us can't see them.
　That's what I was doing...

"If you're going to set up magic items, why don't you set them up in such an easy place to find?"

　It's a rare magic item that manipulates a covolt.
　That's for sure, if broken, it's irreversible.
　With that in mind, I think it's only careless to put it in a place like here where the battle with the Cobold takes place.

(In the first place, magic items have a range of effects ... well, given the endless collection of cobolts from around here, you don't have to go out of your way to put them in the construction site.)

　That's what Ray thought, but he doesn't know that it's a magic item, and he doesn't think it's by any other means.
　In any case, Ray is currently looking for magic items because it's almost like killing time, not taking them on as a request.

(Then, instead of manipulating the cobold freely, collect it here... is it a magic item like a moth? In fact, there is no damage caused by the cobold in the streets of Gilm.)

　While anticipating it, Ray concentrates on his sense of smell to see if there is any strange smell around... collecting covolts.
　But all Ray can smell is the smell of Cobold's blood.
　It's only natural that there's still a battle between Kobolt and the adventurer around.
　Then Ray has few steps to take.

"Set, will you please find out if there is any strange smell around here?"
"Glu?"

　A set with a slightly tilted head asking if it stinks.
　Ray continues, caressing Seto on the head.

"Yes. Maybe... really, maybe there's something that smells like collecting covolts. That smells like you can't even smell it in today'

　Seto's five senses, including his sense of smell, are overwhelmingly sharper than Ray's.
　Ray tells us that there may be odors that can't be sniffed even by such a set, but Seto has the skill of sharpening his sense of smell and improving his sense of smell.
　With that skill, I might be able to smell something that I couldn't smell now.
　Seto is happy to invoke his skills at Ray's request.

"Slurrurling.

　Even sharper than usual, Seto tries to sniff out if there is any odor like collecting covolts...

"Glu".

　After several tens of seconds of sniffing around, Seto eventually chants apologetically at Ray.
　But Ray caresses Sett on the head without a trace of concern.
　I didn't have any proof in the first place, but I just asked Seto to be there.
　That being the case, if Sett could not find anything, it would have been natural in a way.

"Don't worry. Besides, it's not that Seto's actions have done nothing. They have brought important meaning to me."
"Glu?"

　a lovely set of faces that ask, "Really?"
　Ray caresses Seto to prove that what he said was neither a lie nor a hoax.
　It was a relief to Ray that he could not smell anything because he was convinced that there were at least no magic items in the area that would give off a scent that would attract Kobolt.
　While caressing Seto, Ray ponders what to do next.
　The most likely thing was that there was still something to collect the cobolts in this place.
　But you can assure me that the magic items that generate the smell of collecting covolts are not here, unless you could find them in Seto's sense of smell.
　No, actually, even if I were here, I wouldn't be able to touch it right now unless I could find it.

"Well, then... we're back to the beginning. We don't affect other monsters, like goblins, we collect only covolts... if there's any other way to do that."

　Looking at Cobold's corpse on the ground, Ray thinks of other ways to collect it besides odors.

(Cobold... Cobold is a monster with a face like a dog or a wolf. That's why I suspected collecting it with a smell... if it doesn't smell it... sound?)

　Being a dog, Ray remembered a dog whistle.
　When I was in Japan, I saw on TV that dogs could understand and understand sounds that humans couldn't hear.
　I don't think Cobold is the same as the dog Ray knows, but there's no doubt he's similar in that he's a dog-like face.
　Then, instead of collecting it with a smell, I think you're manipulating the cobolt with magic items or something similar to dog whistles.

(It seems that even humans can hear or can't hear a particular sound depending on their age. Considering that, wouldn't it be strange to have such magic items...?)

　Nevertheless, Ray's five senses are sharper than ordinary people.
　If Ray couldn't hear that, would he really make a sound that only Cobold could hear... or...

"Seto, this time it's not a smell, it's a sound. Do you hear anything strange?"
"Grull".

　At Ray's words, Seto shakes his head silently.
　It's clear that there's no particular echo here.
　Or there might be sounds that even Gryphon's set could not be heard, but ... Ray wasn't too worried about that either.
　That's because I have so much faith in Seto.

(I don't think it's normal to think of a sound like the Cobold could hear and the Gryphon could not hear.)

　It was natural for Ray to think so, biologically -- monsters but -- that the Gryphon was far superior to Cobold.
　However, it is undeniable that the sound of Cobold's hearing but Set's hearing is echoing around him, as long as all abilities are not completely superior to that of a superior creature.

"If you can't hear any sound... other than smell and hearing... taste? No, it's hard to do that unless you taste it directly, and I can't think of anything about tactile sense. Then, what do you think about vision? No... but vision?""Glu?"

　I knew it would probably be meaningless to ask Seto, but maybe... I'm really asking him.
　But the only thing that came back from Seto was the question, "What's the matter?"

"Is there anything that only looks like a cobold? ... Well, I don't know. I don't think there's much likelihood in comparison to the smell or sound. ... Then what's the next possibility?"

　a magic item that interferes with one's senses and manipulates a covolt
　That's how Ray thought, but when I looked for it like this, there was nothing like it.
　Whatever you do, it's going to be hard to find in the present situation, if not very much.

"To Marina's Spiritual Magic... No, if she was to begin with, would she be looking for anything suspicious about here?"

　For the time being, let's hear about it at dinner tonight.
　Thinking so, Ray goes from place to place with Sett.
　If you imitate yourself like that, you will stand out.
　Moreover, let alone Ray, Seto is a glyphon. It would be impossible not to stand out.
　Most people don't talk to Ray and Sett, but they do the Cobold's extermination without hesitation... of course, some adventurers are drunk.

"What the hell are you doing, Ray? Didn't you mean you were dismantling the gigant turtleneck?"

　A man in his early twenties, holding a long sword and working solo, calls out to Ray.
　The main reason why I wanted to speak to him was that I was overcome by curiosity, but... I was greatly suspicious of the sight of him flipping a piece of wood and checking inside.
　Speaking to him, Ray looks out of the cloth at the man and opens his mouth.

"I don't have to be there to dismantle the gigant turtleneck. I'll get back what I didn't finish today, but I'll be free until then."
"...are you going to come all the way here just because you're free? I don't think Cobold is worth knocking down to Ray."
"Yes,"

　Ray nods deeply to the man's words.
　For Ray, a notorious Rank B adventurer, Kobolt is not something to bother with.
　If Ray were to kill... no, that's when Sett showed up, he's a weak monster.
　That's why, as a man, he couldn't understand why Ray was coming all the way here.
　Above all, I don't think Cobold could hide in a small place like Ray had seen earlier.
　In other words, Ray expects to come here for something other than Cobolt.

"And? If you don't mind, can you tell me what you're talking about, even if it's something Ray doesn't understand, if I've been fighting here for days?"
"I think someone is using magic items to artificially create the reason why Kobolt keeps attacking me. So I just looked for them."
"... a magic item? I see."

　Ray's interest in collecting magic items is a well-known fact in Gilm.
　Thus, the man agrees with Ray's words, but... in the end he has no idea, and the man who satisfies his curiosity returns to subduing Coboldt.