"So, I see. Multiple Goblin Leaders. If that's the case, it means a significant number of Goblins were heading toward Gilm."
Listening to Rei's explanation, Lenora murmured with a gloomy expression.
At present, there were many adventurers inside the Guild, and the place buzzed with commotion. But unlike usual, it wasn't the familiar hum of relief after finishing work — anxiety was threaded through it.
Especially among those who had gone outside Gilm to take on requests, many had seen packs of monsters, including Goblins, with their own eyes. In fact, much of the information the Guild had gathered about monster packs came from reports filed by such individuals. Of course, they had also obtained intelligence from non-adventurers — merchants and travelers alike. It was precisely because information from these sources revealed that Goblin packs were marching on Gilm that adventurers had been dispatched to intercept them.
"I knew you'd be fine, Rei-kun, but... you did encounter a Cobolt Leader too, didn't you?" Kenny, who had been listening to the report beside Lenora, gazed at Rei with concern, asking if he was all right.
She probably knew that with Rei's strength, he'd be fine — but she still couldn't help worrying. No doubt because she was a maiden in love.
"No problems on that end. It wasn't just me — Vihera was there too. ...Come to think of it, where's Vihera?"
"If you're asking about Vihera-san, unfortunately she hasn't returned yet. ...It's strange. She should be back by now."
The Goblin pack Vihera had headed toward was closer to Gilm than the one Rei had gone to. Thinking about it that way, it wouldn't have been strange for her to have finished the battle and returned by now.
Even so, the thought that something might have happened to Vihera never crossed Rei's mind. He understood her strength, and he knew that no matter how many Goblins there were, they couldn't possibly do anything to her.
Of course, it was true that Vihera had her limits in stamina. Even though, unlike an ordinary warrior, she didn't wear any kind of armor, nor did she carry a longsword, spear, or anything like a hammer, fighting continuously would eventually drain her. That was exactly why she was working together with other adventurers — so there was probably no need to worry.
(I don't know whether Goblins can judge human beauty or not, but even setting that aside, Vihera is definitely a highly coveted target for Goblins.)
If the mother was excellent, the Goblins born from her would naturally be individuals with high abilities. In that sense, for Goblins, Vihera would be a mother they'd want so badly they'd reach down their own throats to grab.
(Well, just because the Goblins want her doesn't mean they'll get her.)
Vihera's strength was not something that any number of gathered Goblins could overcome. Such was the thought in Rei's mind.
And then... as if reading Rei's thoughts, the moment the Guild doors opened, Vihera appeared.
What was slightly different from usual was that several adventurers were walking behind her — and not just walking, but trailing after her as if they were her attendants.
However, Vihera didn't seem particularly concerned about the people following her. Spotting Rei inside the Guild, she smiled and approached him.
"Oh, Rei. That was fast."
"I've got Set, after all. ...More importantly, who are those adventurers?"
As Rei asked while glancing at the adventurers behind Vihera, she let out a wry smile.
"I just helped them out a little during the battle with the Goblins. And then..."
She gestured to the scene behind her.
At Vihera's words, the men behind her hastily shook their heads.
"It was not 'just a little'! If things had continued as they were, we would have unquestionably been annihilated by the Goblins! You saved us, so please, at least let us repay the debt!"
That shouted voice echoed through the Guild. It was loud, and naturally reached the other adventurers nearby who had been watching Rei and Vihera.
"Ah... yeah, I see. Well, understood."
The passionate words — which Rei found rather stifling — gave him a general sense of the men's personalities, and he simply said that much.
The adventurer men likely had thoughts about Rei's attitude, but they probably knew about his relationship with Vihera. Without saying anything further, they fell silent.
"So, how did things go on your end, Rei?"
"No particular problems. There were a lot of Goblins, but I handled them all at once with magic and Set's skills."
"...I figured. At times like this, I can't help but envy your power. The fighting was one thing, but the most troublesome part by far was disposing of the Goblin corpses."
Vihera muttered with a look of disgust, and Rei could understand her frustration perfectly. In his case, he had burned them all at once with magic, but Vihera couldn't use magic. That meant she had to gather and process a hundred corpses that made up the Goblin pack.
(Ah, I see. So that's one of the reasons Vihera was late coming back.)
Thinking about it normally, dealing with a hundred Goblins was extremely tedious and labor-intensive. What's more, multiple packs had been heading toward Gilm, so there was a possibility that, like Rei, she'd had to face several of them. Considering that, Vihera had actually returned rather quickly.
"So, what should we do from here?"
Having heard from Vihera as well, Rei turned his gaze to Lenora, asking what they should do now. Lenora offered Rei a slightly tired smile and spoke.
"I think you don't need to do anything today. ...A major situation that would require Rei-san and Vihera-san to go out — I don't think one will occur... though honestly, I'd say I don't want one to happen."
Rei, whose exploits could fittingly be described as worth a thousand warriors and unmatched in battle, and Vihera, his companion. If a situation arose that required these two to deploy, it would naturally mean a major incident was underway.
At least in the current situation, it would undoubtedly involve monster packs.
While hoping such a thing wouldn't happen, Lenora didn't forget to add one final note.
"However, there's a chance... a very real chance, that something could happen. I can't say the possibility is zero. ...No, given the current situation, the possibility of something happening is very high. So it would help us if you could stay somewhere we can reach you immediately."
"Oh, that's fine. Both Rei and I are staying at the Wheat Inn. ...Well, in separate rooms, though."
Staying at the same inn.
The moment she heard that, Kenny's expression took on a dissatisfied hue. If possible, Kenny wanted to stay at the same inn as Rei... no, more than that, she even wanted to have Rei stay at her own home. But the former was difficult on her salary, and the latter was impossible for various reasons.
A Guild receptionist was clearly a high earner compared to others of the same age. The actual work wasn't as easy as others thought, but even taking that into account, she received a high salary. Even as such a high earner, she couldn't afford to rent a room at the Wheat Inn.
Well, for a night or two, it wouldn't be impossible, even if it was a bit extravagant. But when it came to doing so permanently — to making it her regular lodging on her salary — the answer was no.
If she were an adventurer, a sufficiently high-ranked one could make the Wheat Inn their regular lodging. But she wasn't.
(An adventurer, huh... but I haven't even had proper combat training. And here in the frontier city of Gilm, that'd be even harder.)
For a brief moment, an image of herself holding a longsword... and standing beside Rei flashed through Kenny's mind, but reality quickly caught up with her. She had been working as a receptionist here for several years. During that time, she had seen many adventurers head out on requests and never come back. Because of that, she probably understood just how dangerous the adventurer profession was better than the adventurers themselves.
Glancing at Kenny, Lenora then turned back to the two before her and nodded.
"Understood. We'll contact you if anything comes up. Please, take care."
Acknowledging Lenora's farewell, Rei and Vihera collected their reward for the request and left the Guild. The adventurers who had been saved by Vihera followed after them... and what remained were only Lenora and Kenny.
Strictly speaking, that wasn't all. There were many adventurers inside the Guild, and in the tavern area, those who had returned from completing Goblin subjugation requests were drinking. Inside the counter area as well, Guild Staff Members were busy at work. Even so, in Lenora and Kenny's minds, it felt as though they alone had been left behind.
Letting out a small sigh, Lenora shifted her mood. She did so because she judged that she wouldn't be able to focus on work if things continued like this.
Having changed her mindset, she tapped Kenny — who still looked disappointed — with the documents she had rolled up in her hand.
"Yipe! Hey, Lenora. What was that for all of a sudden?"
"Don't give me 'what was that for.' Rather than standing there spacing out, you should be working. ...Look."
Kenny had been about to say something else, but when she followed Lenora's gaze... she saw their boss glaring at them with narrowed eyes.
If this continued, she'd get a lecture.
Making that judgment, Kenny hurriedly returned to work. Naturally, Lenora wasn't about to fall behind Kenny. After all, there'd be no point in scolding Kenny only to get scolded herself.
(Still... I wonder what's really going on. If it were just Goblins, I could somewhat understand them forming packs and going on a rampage like this... but multiple species of monsters?)
Anxiety lingered in Lenora's heart, but even so, she believed that if the adventurers in Gilm worked together — and with Daskar ruling this land — they could overcome a difficulty of this level. And so she returned to work.
"I heard a pack of Goblins tried to attack Gilm?"
"Yeah. An acquaintance's trade caravan apparently spotted a Goblin pack."
"But in the end, they're just Goblins, right? Then Gilm's adventurers shouldn't lose... or so I'd like to think."
"I know the adventurers in Gilm are skilled, but even so, facing a hundred or two hundred Goblins alone..."
The dining hall on the first floor of the Wheat Inn.
The merchants who had been talking there stopped mid-sentence the moment Rei and Vihera appeared. Merchants were well-informed. Naturally, they knew just how much power Rei possessed, and they understood how great his achievements had been during the war with the Bestia Empire.
And they also held information that the woman accompanying Rei — who at first glance looked like nothing more than a prostitute or dancer — was a highly skilled adventurer.
With these two, even if there were hundreds of Goblins... thousands, even tens of thousands, surely they could manage somehow. Such a thought crossed their minds.
...And that thought was by no means wrong.
In fact, Rei, who excelled at wide-area annihilation magic, had enough confidence to handle even tens of thousands of Goblins, and Vihera would slaughter Goblins without hesitation for as long as her stamina held out.
The two received the gazes of the merchants in the dining hall, but they were used to being stared at with curiosity. Ignoring the looks from those around them, they sat down at an empty table.
Before they had to wait at all, Lana came over. During busy periods like morning and evening, she hired a waitress, but right now it was still before evening — not a busy time. That was precisely why Lana had come to take their order herself.
"You're back early today."
Lana said as she placed well-chilled water, using a Magic Item, in front of Rei and Vihera. Vihera smiled and spoke.
"Yes, we just finished a Goblin subjugation request. We didn't feel like doing anything more after that."
A Goblin subjugation request. At those words, Lana's expression showed a hint of surprise. That she didn't raise her voice was no doubt because she was the proprietress of the Wheat Inn, a high-class inn.
"That must have been... quite difficult in many ways. Please, rest and take it easy now."
"Yes, we'll do just that. Thank you."
Vihera smiled and expressed her gratitude, and Rei followed suit... and before long, they ordered an early dinner to recover from their fatigue.