"Hmm. ...So, the World Tree situation still hasn't been resolved — is that the right way to read this?"
Vihera muttered the words between bites of breakfast, spread out on a table in the yard of the house Elena and the others were borrowing.
Everyone involved in the current situation had gathered in that yard.
Set, Rei's partner, was among them, though the way it sullenly swung its tail was no doubt because Rei had left it behind when he went to the World Tree.
Naturally, Set had sensed Ragdo approaching their house and understood that Rei was speaking with him. What it hadn't expected was for Rei to leave without it and head straight for the World Tree.
Convinced that Rei was coming to fetch it, Set had been left waiting — and now it was making its displeasure perfectly clear.
Rei glanced over at Set, picked up a few sandwiches from a plate on the table, and gave Vihera a nod in response.
"Yeah. I still don't know what's causing it, but with the World Tree weakening again like that, the one who took the job has no choice but to deal with it. ...Well, if it really comes down to nothing else, the worst case might be coming back to this settlement once every few months to restore the World Tree."
Even as he said it, Rei wanted to avoid that option if at all possible.
Given Set's flying speed, getting here from Gilm wouldn't be particularly difficult. Even so, making regular trips every few months would be a nuisance — and more importantly, there was the restriction that entering the World Tree's barrier required being accompanied by a Dark Elf.
Normally, only Rei could ride Set. With some effort, a child might barely manage.
In other words, he couldn't even bring Marina along — the one Dark Elf he knew well — and would have to rely on a Dark Elf from this settlement to invite him in each time.
(It's not like I could just force my way through the barrier, after all.)
For someone who had accepted the task of treating the World Tree to then turn around and damage it would be completely counterproductive.
(And more than that...)
Marina voiced the very concern Rei was thinking.
"That's right. If it were simply a matter of restoring the World Tree, having Rei pour in his mana would make recovery easy enough. But Rei's mana is too strong. For a weakened World Tree, repeating the cycle of full recovery and exhaustion — just think about how much of a burden that would be. You understand, don't you?"
"...I see."
Elena, who had been drinking vegetable soup, nodded in understanding.
Given that the World Tree was already weakened, doing such a thing would undoubtedly shorten its lifespan.
"Here, Set. I'm sorry I left you behind. Eat this and cheer up, okay?"
Even as he listened to the conversation at the table, Rei moved closer to Set, sandwich in hand.
"Guruu..."
But Set turned its face away from Rei's words, sulking like a pet refusing to be consoled.
Even so, its tail betrayed its true feelings, sweeping back and forth across the ground — keeping track of Rei's movements.
The sound of it lightly thumping the earth echoed around them, and to Rei it looked as though Set were physically demanding attention.
Under normal circumstances, few people would volunteer to approach a disgruntled gryphon.
But Rei was different. He walked toward Set without the slightest hint of hesitation.
(Hey, is he serious? That's a gryphon, right? Even if it's a Tamed Monster, isn't that dangerous?)
As, who routinely suffered electric shocks from Poro, could only watch.
What surprised him most was that no one else seemed worried. Not a single person at the table cast a concerned glance Rei's way.
He couldn't help but wonder — even if Rei might get attacked by Set, why was no one bothered?
From what he'd seen of their interactions, Elena and Vihera clearly held feelings for Rei. As for what Marina thought, As — hopelessly naive when it came to matters between men and women — couldn't say. But from his perspective, the fact that those two, who were so openly affectionate toward Rei, would sit by and let him approach a dangerous gryphon without a word...
The reason he kept his mouth shut was simple: he understood he was an outsider.
As had come to investigate the abnormalities in the forest. He had nothing to do with the talk of World Tree treatment that filled the air now. And when it came to the relationships between these people, he had a feeling that one careless comment could make things very awkward.
(But still — World Tree treatment, huh. Being an Alias Holder and a B-Rank Adventurer means you get handed jobs like this. ...Someday, I'll...)
Feeling a twinge of envy at the gap between Rei's position and his own distant goals, As decided that as long as no one else was worried, there was nothing to fret over. He turned his attention back to Marina and the others' conversation.
Rei, utterly unaware of what was passing through As's mind, gently set the sandwich down near Set.
Pat — the sound of Set's tail striking the ground rang out.
For all its sulking attitude, there was no mistaking the intense interest it had in that sandwich.
Rei knew that too, of course. But Set was his most important partner, and it was angry about being left behind — he couldn't simply ignore that.
"Come on, cheer up, okay?"
"Guruu..."
At Rei's words, Set curled up like a sleeping cat and looked away.
...It kept thumping its tail against the ground the whole time, though, making the act painfully transparent.
"Come on. I'm sorry."
Rei reached out and gently stroked Set's back.
Smack — Set's tail flicked Rei's hand aside, but the force behind it was gentle. If Set had meant it, it wouldn't have broken bones — but Rei would have been left with a serious sting, no question.
That it held back meant only one thing: Set wanted to make up too.
"Gururu..."
Set purred softly, still curled in its ball.
Rei's hand had been swatted, but he kept stroking without pause. Whether the sensation pleased it, the tension gradually drained from Set's body. The restless tail lost momentum and soon fell still.
From its curled-up position, Set quietly raised its head and peeked at Rei. The moment their eyes met, it looked away again.
It repeated this several times — and through it all, Rei kept stroking. The intervals between Set lifting and lowering its head grew steadily shorter.
A few minutes later, Set had rested its head fully against Rei.
"Gurururu, gurururu..."
Set purred in clear contentment at the feeling of Rei's hand.
Looking at that sight, who would believe this was a dangerous A-Rank monster?
Still stroking Set, Rei spoke softly.
"I'm sorry I left you behind, all right?"
"Guruu!"
I'm over it! Set's purr seemed to say.
Whatever had become of the earlier sulk, it was now demanding — eagerly — that Rei keep petting.
"Yes, yes. Now that you've made up, come back here. It's about time we discussed what to do today."
At Marina's call, Rei and Set rose from where they sat and headed back toward the table.
Watching them, As could only stare in dumb disbelief.
(To have a gryphon eating out of his hand like that... incredible. Is it that petting technique?)
Given that he himself was constantly on the receiving end of Poro's electric shocks, the sight of Rei calming Set in a matter of minutes was deeply enviable.
He wished he could master that same technique — and it wasn't an unreasonable desire.
(If my petting technique improved, Poro would probably be happier too.)
As he bit into a sandwich of soft white bread stuffed with tenderly stewed meat and vegetables, his gaze drifted to Poro. The Carbuncle sat a short distance from the table, frantically stuffing nuts into its mouth.
"Porurururu"
"Kyu? Kyukyu!"
Seeing Ielo approach, Poro held out a nut toward it.
Want to share? That was almost certainly what the gesture meant, and it wasn't just As's imagination.
"So then, about the World Tree... honestly, I'm at a loss as to where to even begin."
Marina's voice reached As, who had been watching Poro and Ielo's friendly exchange — and the sight of Set, now lying contentedly nearby after following Rei back to the table.
"Right. First thing I want to ask — is it truly the case that no one approached the World Tree between last night and this morning?"
"But, Elena-sama. We were holding a banquet all night at a spot where the World Tree was visible. Wouldn't it be impossible for anyone... or anything to get close? Besides, this settlement has a Protective Barrier, and there's the labyrinth barrier as well."
Ara, who had been eating a cheese-laden salad, posed the question to Elena.
Elena shook her head.
"Even if the banquet was held close enough to see the World Tree, it wasn't necessarily going on the entire time until Ragdo noticed the abnormality, was it? And more importantly — I cannot fully trust the word of someone who was drunk."
"Well, that's true. Yesterday especially, with the World Tree restored, everyone in the settlement was in high spirits making merry all day. Thinking about it that way, they could hardly be called vigilant."
Wiping a spot of soup from Byune's cheek, Vihera agreed with Elena's assessment.
Hearing that, Ara had nothing more to say. When it came to whether someone could carefully observe their surroundings while drunk, the answer spoke for itself. And while it might have been one thing early in the evening, everyone had been partying all day — it was only natural that their alertness had declined.
"If that's the case, then who — and how — interfered with the World Tree?"
Elena's gaze shifted to Marina, searching for any clue.
All Marina could do was shake her head.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any leads either. Given that the Protective Barrier is in place, it should be impossible for anyone to intrude under normal circumstances. If I had to consider a possibility..."
Looking as though she wished it weren't true, Marina nevertheless continued without hedging.
"It would be the case where someone from within the settlement let the culprit in... I suppose."
"As a possibility, that's the most likely one. ...Marina, I know this is difficult to ask, but do you have anyone in mind?"
Elena pressed the question with care, but firmly. Her experience as the Princess General told her that if she didn't pin this down now, Marina could find herself in an untenable position later if something else happened.
But in response, Marina only shook her head.
"It's been about a hundred years since I last returned to this settlement, you know? For a Dark Elf, a hundred years isn't an especially long time — but the days do pass. Something may have happened during the hundred years I was gone. Someone may have had a change of heart."
That was why she couldn't be certain — or so she said.
No one could argue with that. Living for a hundred years was something no one else present had experienced. Rei and Elena would undoubtedly live longer than that someday — but that was a matter for the future. As they were now, they could only be called young, even by human standards.
"Then for the time being, our next course of action is to search for whatever did something to the World Tree... is that where we stand?"
Rei posed the question, and Marina nodded.
"That's right. At the same time, we need to do something about the monsters in the forest. Until yesterday, with the World Tree restored, we could assume the forest abnormalities would settle on their own — but given the World Tree's current state, that's no longer something we can count on."
"And yet we were already being taken into the forest yesterday, weren't we."
Vihera's remark carried a pointed edge, but Marina parried it with the thick skin she had cultivated as Guild Master.
"I said so yesterday, but it was necessary if we wanted to end the forest abnormalities as quickly as possible. Now then — regarding what we're doing from here on today. We'll split into two groups. One to search for whoever has been interfering with the World Tree within the settlement, and one to address the forest situation."
With that announced, Marina turned her attention to the problem of who to assign where. With this many capable people gathered, it was only natural that the division would affect each team's efficiency.
(I know it's a luxurious problem to have. ...Especially Rei and Set — they'd be invaluable combat assets no matter which group they're assigned to.)
Her gaze settled on Rei and Set as she continued to weigh her options.