Rei arrived at one of the buildings within the Guild's grounds.
It was a building that should originally have been a warehouse.
Rei had brought a large quantity of Gamelion carcasses here before, defeated in the Dungeon, so he was already familiar with it.
However... upon entering, what Rei saw was a state of affairs that could hardly be mistaken for a former warehouse.
Multiple tables had been brought in, and atop them sat numerous glass bottles containing chemicals Rei had never seen before.
Magic Circles were carved into the floor, each one seemingly used for some kind of experiment.
...It could hardly be mistaken for a former warehouse.
"Rei? What are you doing here?"
Rei turned toward the voice and saw the figure of an acquaintance.
It was the creator of the Twilight Spear—an Alchemist who could fittingly be called an eccentric.
"Asimov?"
Rei called the man's name with a hint of surprise.
An eccentric who was greedy for anything that interested him but paid no attention whatsoever to things that didn't.
He was precisely the kind of person who wouldn't think it strange to ignore a Guild summons, citing reasons like having his own research or still being sleepy.
The fact that he was quietly answering the Guild's summons gave Rei nothing but a sense of incongruity.
"Hahahaha. What are you so surprised about? It's not strange for me to be here, is it? I might get to research that mysterious existence called Unbris, so it's only natural that I'd show up."
Asimov laughed happily, showing no sign of having been threatened.
If anything, he seemed to have taken an interest in the existence of Unbris and come of his own accord.
"I see. Same as always, huh."
Rei glanced for just a moment at Marina beside him before speaking, but Asimov showed no sign of noticing Marina... the Guild Master's presence, simply laughing in high spirits.
Though they fell short of Marina and Vihera, Mirene and Ekril were also beauties above average.
In fact, more than a few of the Alchemists inside the warehouse were captivated by them.
The gazes Marina and Vihera directed at Asimov were favorable.
Both of them were well aware that they possessed enough beauty to attract men.
Even so, being subjected to gazes filled with desire was not an enjoyable experience.
Some said women became more beautiful when looked at, but at the very least, Marina and Vihera were perfectly content with themselves as they were.
...Though if Rei desired it, that would be another matter entirely.
In any case, for Marina, her first impression of Asimov was surprisingly positive, defying most expectations.
(His strangely high tension must mean he's really invested in the Unbris matter after all.)
Observing Asimov's demeanor and thinking same as always, marching to his own beat—while setting aside the fact that he himself was no different—Rei opened his mouth.
"So about the Unbris matter..."
"Was it found!?"
"Ah... well..."
Having heard from Marina that he shouldn't spread word too widely about having defeated Unbris, Rei found himself troubled by what to do under the gazes of the other Alchemists around them.
But Marina spoke up in his stead.
"Rei defeated Unbris."
A stir ran through the room.
The Alchemists who had been listening to Marina's words each wore expressions of astonishment.
However, as they were Alchemists, many of them likely knew of Rei. ...Though, among Alchemists, Rei's fame came chiefly from possessing powerful Magic Items like Death Scythe and, above all, from being Set's master.
As an A-Rank monster... no, a Rare Species, making it equivalent to an S-Rank monster, Set's materials—feathers, fur, and claws—were highly valued by Alchemists.
That was why, to the Alchemists, Set likely appeared as the main attraction compared to Rei.
"...Then does that mean the reason we were gathered here is gone?"
At Asimov's natural question, the other Alchemists also turned their gazes toward Marina.
The Alchemists present here had been assembled at the Guild's request.
Some had been gathered with a degree of coercion—though nothing violent.
However, Alchemists were fundamentally people with intensely curious personalities.
Once they had come to this warehouse and heard the reason they were assembled, not a single one had refused.
If anything, there were even those who wanted to set aside the work they had been requested to do when summoned and instead research Unbris.
...The fact that they said "set aside" rather than "abandon" their work was probably the last vestige of their conscientiousness.
That was precisely why, upon hearing that the Unbris they had thought they could finally research had already been defeated, they felt relief that Gilm's crisis was resolved, but at the same time regret that they would no longer be able to study Unbris.
But to those Alchemists, Marina spoke in a reassuring tone.
"Rei definitely defeated Unbris. ...But at nearly the same time, our Scorching Wind here discovered a separate Unbris."
At Marina's words, the Alchemists tilted their heads as if to ask what she had just said.
But they must have quickly understood the meaning. Asimov spoke up, as if representing the Alchemists.
"Does that mean... there are multiple Unbris?"
"Most likely, yes. That's exactly why I want you Alchemists to create a Magic Item to find Unbris."
"Hold on a moment."
Asimov murmured, still wearing a difficult expression.
The other Alchemists were the same, looking frustrated at their own technical inadequacy.
"Unbris is something that even those with the ability to sense magical power can't detect, right?"
"Yes. It doesn't have any kind of overpowering smell, and while its appearance as black mist is visually distinctive, its shape makes it somewhat hard to spot."
"...Under those conditions, how are we supposed to create a Magic Item for searching? If it has no distinguishing characteristics, there's no way to search for it."
'Set your minds at ease'... might not be quite the right way to put it, but if we have you examine the weapons Rei used when he defeated Unbris, you might find some kind of residue left behind. ...Rei?"
Following Marina's words, Rei took Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear out of the Misty Ring.
In that instant, the Alchemists reacted strongly.
Surprise, jealousy, admiration... they displayed a variety of reactions, but the largest by far was jealousy.
However, it was not jealousy over the fact that Rei possessed Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear.
It was simply because, at their current skill level, they could not create Magic Items like Death Scythe, and the same was true of the Twilight Spear.
Death Scythe, born of Beast Magic, aside, the Twilight Spear was a creation that Asimov had crafted together with Pamidor.
There might be some who could make one if they set their minds to it, but gathering the materials used to create it was no ordinary feat.
In particular, if it was true that even a Magic Item used by one of only three S-Rank Adventurers in the world had been used as material, then even in Gilm, a frontier region with many rare items, there was nothing that could match those materials.
No, being a frontier region, the materials themselves probably existed, but it would be more accurate to say that obtaining them was far from easy.
In any case, Asimov, who had created the Twilight Spear—a masterpiece rarely seen in recent years—was the center of attention from those around him.
Among Alchemists, who already had many eccentrics, Asimov was an eccentric among eccentrics.
Because of that, with this gathering of Alchemists, there were by no means few who were seeing his face in person for the first time, having known him only by reputation.
"Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear. I attacked and defeated Unbris with these as it was trying to turn a Werewolf into a Leader Species. If there's any residue left behind, it's probably on one of these two."
"I see. Then, would you mind if I borrow them for a bit?"
Rei nodded in response to Asimov's question, which was asked as if to confirm.
"But as long as Unbris is still out there, I'll need to join the search too. That means I can't lend them for very long. Is that alright?"
"What!?"
The one who let out what was practically a shriek at Rei's words was a female Alchemist who had been staring intently at Death Scythe from a short distance away.
Perhaps realizing that her voice had drawn the surrounding gazes, the female Alchemist turned bright red and hung her head.
"It's rare for Muran to raise her voice like that."
"No, rare doesn't cover it. It's the first time I've seen it."
"She's shy, but she's really skilled..."
"Oh? Is that jealousy? Well, the potions Muran makes are ten percent more effective than what anyone else makes."
"A mere ten percent, yet a crucial ten percent... huh."
The voices of the Alchemists chatting with their acquaintances reached Rei's ears.
(From the sound of it, she's skilled but shy.)
Getting a general sense of the female Alchemist's... Muran's personality from that conversation, Rei opened his mouth.
"Sorry, but like I said, I can't lend them for very long. I hope you understand."
"Eh? Um, well... but... uuuuh..."
Perhaps shocked at being spoken to directly by Rei, Muran looked around as if at a loss.
The fact that her pleading gaze ultimately landed on Asimov was probably largely because he was an acquaintance of Rei's. ...And there was no doubt she also held feelings of admiration for him having created a Magic Item like the Twilight Spear.
But Asimov shook his head at Muran.
It was surely because he understood that Rei's power was necessary to deal with the existence of Unbris.
"Uu..."
Even so, Muran gazed regretfully at Death Scythe, but in the end, she quietly backed down.
There were others besides Muran who were concerned about the short examination period for Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear, but considering Asimov's attitude, they understood that saying anything would be pointless.
"So, specifically, how long can we borrow them?"
"Let's see... I'd like them back as soon as possible, but then we wouldn't be able to find Unbris. What do you think about that?"
Marina, receiving Rei's inquiring gaze, made a show of thinking.
That gesture radiated an intense feminine allure to those around her, but
"It's true that sooner would be better. But if we can't find Unbris, then that point is meaningless... How about until tomorrow morning, for now?"
"Tomorrow morning... huh."
Asimov murmured, utterly unfazed by the intense feminine charm Marina was exuding.
There was a tone of dissatisfaction in his words, but the fact that he didn't voice it as too soon was surely because he understood that Rei was the one who could most readily deal with the Unbris threat.
Before anyone realized it, Asimov had taken on the role of representative for the assembled Alchemists, and this was largely because he was acquainted with Rei and could ignore the allure Marina radiated.
...Though, aside from that, the recognition of his skill in having created the Twilight Spear was undoubtedly a significant factor.
"Can't you work something out a little more? If possible, a few days..."
"No. The Leader Species created by Unbris are numerous. Their pack-level abilities aren't that high, but there are many of them. In that case, what's needed to deal with them is, after all, the abilities of Rei and Set."
"Then, how about lending them until the morning of the day after next, on the condition that Rei returns to Gilm tomorrow?"
If Rei was in Gilm, there would be no problem lending out Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear.
To Asimov, who made that proposal, Rei spoke after thinking for a moment.
"That's fine, but we don't even know if there's any so-called Unbris residue, and even if there is, wouldn't using Death Scythe in combat erase the Unbris residue?"
"...Death Scythe was your Magic Catalyst, right? Then, would lending you a staff or something work..."
"No good. It's not something to brag about, but my magical power is enormous. Any Magic Catalyst other than Death Scythe probably wouldn't be able to withstand it."
Several Alchemists wore dissatisfied expressions at Rei's words.
Magic Catalysts were crafted by Alchemists, and to say one couldn't withstand it was tantamount to saying the Alchemist's skill was inadequate.
However, the fact that their dissatisfaction was directed not at Rei but at their own technical inadequacy stemmed from the pride they held as Alchemists.
In the end, it was settled that Rei would use only the Twilight Spear for direct attacks against enemies in combat while using Death Scythe, restricting himself to casting magic with it.