Vihera lay on the bed with her eyes closed.
Rei had been seeing this sight almost every day lately, but she didn't look as though she were unconscious. Looking at her like this, it seemed like she was merely sleeping — that was the only way it appeared.
But Vihera would not wake up.
No matter how many potions Rei tried, no matter how much he asked those capable of Recovery Magic to do their best, she showed no signs of waking.
"Vihera..."
Elena, beside him, called her name.
Even so, there was no response.
"She just looks like she's sleeping, doesn't she? ...But Vihera won't wake up."
"...I see."
Elena already knew that Vihera would not regain consciousness. But seeing it with her own eyes like this, she had no choice but to accept the reality of Vihera's condition all over again.
"Good grief. Sleeping so much at a time like this — honestly, what is she thinking?" Elena spoke with a hint of sadness, yet also provocatively. But whether the unconscious Vihera could even hear her was anyone's guess.
If she were simply sleeping, it wouldn't be unusual for her eyelids to occasionally twitch, for her to mumble in her sleep, or for her to toss and turn. But the current Vihera did none of those things; she remained completely motionless.
"She truly won't wake up, will she," Elena murmured as she gently stroked Vihera's face.
"Yeah. Right now we're searching for a way to restore her consciousness. Not just me — Marina too."
The Guild Master, Marina, was using her position, the deep wisdom she possessed from her long life as a Dark Elf, and the connections she had cultivated over the years to search for a way to bring Vihera back.
Vihera was important not only to Elena, who worried over her like this, but to Marina as well. She was, after all, a fellow woman who loved Rei, and a fellow woman destined to be joined with him.
"I tried looking into it using my family's connections as well..." Elena murmured as she gently withdrew the hand that had been stroking Vihera's cheek. Her demeanor made it plain that the results had been far from good.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize, Elena. We've been searching all over too, and we still can't find a way to restore her."
Replying to Elena's apologetic expression, Rei turned his gaze toward the window. Outside was a scene from before noon.
Compared to when they had defeated Unbris — or rather, when they failed to finish it off and it fled into Vihera's body — it was now autumn, and the temperature had dropped considerably. But since they were currently inside the Wheat Inn at Twilight, they felt nothing of the cold. Because of that, the outside and inside of the inn felt like entirely different worlds.
Even so... looking at the blue sky of an autumn day, it was easy to think it was still summer, that not much time had passed since Vihera lost consciousness.
No, thinking like that is just my weakness. ...My mind might be giving out more than I realized.
If he were the one under attack, he could retaliate somehow. But since the one being attacked wasn't him, there was almost nothing Rei could do for Vihera right now.
"If she were just sleeping, I'd think she was getting a nice, deep, comfortable rest."
"Hehe, indeed. But Vihera is a woman too. I doubt she'd appreciate having her sleeping face seen by someone else like this... by you, Rei."
Elena replied in a joking tone. Rei knew that women didn't like showing their sleeping faces. But that was only something he knew on the surface; he didn't truly understand why they felt that way. So hearing Elena's words, he simply thought, Is that so?
And so, time passed with just the three of them — Rei, Elena, and Vihera. A time of silence, without any of them saying much of anything. A slow, quiet time in which the sound of the autumn wind occasionally shaking the window faintly echoed through the room.
The three spent that peaceful time together, but before long, Rei suddenly turned his gaze toward the door. He had sensed someone approaching.
Of course, there were other rooms nearby. Perhaps whoever was coming had business in one of those. That was what he thought, but when he realized the approaching presence was one he knew well, a small question surfaced in his mind. It wasn't unusual for this person to visit this room, but coming at this time of day was uncommon.
Beside him, Elena had also turned her gaze toward the door. She had likely sensed the presence a few seconds later than Rei. With both of them looking at the door, the owner of the presence eventually stopped in front of the room and knocked. A light sound echoed through the room.
"You can come in, Marina."
Rei spoke the name of the presence's owner. Elena must have understood it was Marina outside as well; without any particular surprise, she kept her gaze on the door.
When it opened, just as Rei had said, Marina was standing there. She wore her usual blue party dress, but a hint of fatigue was visible on her face.
That was only natural. She had exhaustively gathered information on the Unbris incident, and once that was done, she had been running around trying to find a way to restore Vihera's consciousness. Even for Marina, who had been active as an adventurer, there were limits to her stamina. The fact that she still didn't rest showed just how strongly she wished for Vihera to wake up. And whenever she could find a little time, she would show up at the Wheat Inn at Twilight like this to check on Vihera.
Rei had told her to rest, many times over, but she insisted she was fine and refused to take a break.
A smile appearing on her tired face, Marina spoke.
"I heard Elena was here, and I figured you'd be here. ...It's been a while."
"Yes, it has. ...I'd like to say it's good to see you looking well, but you seem a bit tired."
"Hehe, I'm fine. Seeing Vihera's face like this and being with Rei is enough to chase away any fatigue. ...Besides, Elena is here today too."
Rei could tell she meant it, but even from his perspective, Marina looked exhausted. Knowing that saying anything wouldn't help, he took several fruits out of his Misty Ring, if only to ease her fatigue even a little.
Spring, summer, autumn — under normal circumstances, tasting fruits from different seasons side by side would be impossible. Dried fruits were a different story, but they inevitably differed in flavor and especially texture compared to fresh ones. It was a luxury only possible with an Item Box.
"Delicious. ...This fruit in particular is so juicy. And the sweetness isn't overly heavy."
"This one is delicious too. Smooth on the tongue, with a rich sweetness to savor."
Seeing Marina and Elena happily eating the fruits he had produced, Rei felt a small sense of relief. If only Marina's fatigue could be eased even a little...
Then, Marina, looking slightly more at ease as she ate the fruit, turned her gaze toward Vihera on the bed with a soft expression.
"Really, I think Vihera could wake up any time now."
"Indeed. ...Are there any clues?"
In response to Elena, who asked while bringing a piece of fruit to her mouth, Marina shook her head.
"No. I've looked into all sorts of things... I found several methods for dealing with people who remain unconscious, but whether they apply to this case... well."
"Yeah."
A short distance away, Rei, who had been eating a grilled skewer rather than fruit, nodded in agreement. Over the past two months, they had tried the methods Marina had found on several occasions. But all of them had been ineffective.
"It would be nice if we could ask someone more knowledgeable, though."
"...What about the Dark Elf settlement?"
"I sent a letter there. But it'll probably take a little longer before we get a reply."
She had sent a letter to the Dark Elf settlement first and foremost. But since the settlement wasn't right nearby, receiving a reply immediately would be difficult. Rei had asked Marina if he should go on Set, but she had refused, saying there were various complicated reasons. He didn't know what those reasons were, but Rei had wanted to avoid leaving Vihera's side if possible, so it had actually been a relief.
"I wish there was something I could do to help as well..." Elena murmured regretfully. She had tried everything she could in her current position, but it had been of almost no use.
"It would be nice if we could ask someone who has lived even longer, though."
"Like a Dark Elf, for instance?"
Marina nodded in response to Rei, who asked while stowing the empty skewer into his Misty Ring.
"Yes. But whether any of the Elves or Dark Elves I know would actually know about Unbris... Just living a long time alone isn't enough. They'd need to have come into direct contact with Unbris themselves..."
Marina let out a heavy sigh.
Someone long-lived who also knew of the entity called Unbris. The former wouldn't be difficult, given Marina's connections as a Dark Elf. But the latter — with the current Unbris being only the second confirmed appearance in three hundred years — would be extremely difficult.
"In that case, we'd need someone who has lived even longer than a Dark Elf..."
"Wait."
Something suddenly occurred to Rei, and he spoke. The voice that came out was not the kind that belonged in their current, rather casual atmosphere of exchanged complaints. It was a serious voice — one that came from the very depths of his heart.
Seeing Rei deep in thought, neither Elena nor Marina could bring themselves to speak. That was how serious his demeanor was.
Time passed. Because silence had been maintained, it was unclear exactly how much. Was it ten-odd seconds? Several tens of seconds? Several minutes? Or perhaps ten-odd minutes? The reason they witnessed such an unlikely scene was likely because Rei's behavior was that abnormal. Watching him mutter to himself occasionally while deep in thought, there was a slight sense of incongruity for those who knew the usual Rei. But if this was an act to help Vihera, then neither Elena nor Marina could interject.
And eventually, Rei let out a small sigh.
Judging from that gesture, Marina decided it was all right to speak to him again.
"Rei?"
"Ah, sorry. It's possible — really just a maybe — but I might be able to find a clue to restore Vihera's consciousness."
"Really!?"
Elena raised her voice in surprise at Rei's sudden statement. A clue to restore Vihera's consciousness — something that even the Guild Master Marina and Elena, who held the title of Princess General, had been unable to find. The fact that Rei might have one wasn't particularly strange in itself. He was a high-ranking adventurer and an Alias Holder, so it wouldn't be unusual for him to know something they didn't.
Even so, questions remained. Nearly two months had passed since Vihera collapsed, during which Rei had been desperately searching for a way to restore her. If there had been some kind of clue, it wouldn't have been strange for him to have mentioned it sooner.
"Yeah. But like I just said, I can't say for certain. He probably knows something, but..."
As Rei hesitated, Elena and Marina's questions only grew stronger.
"Anyway, we don't have any clues right now. If there's even the slightest possibility, pursue it."
Rei nodded at Marina's words. Then, after taking a small, deep breath, he spoke to the two before him as if to confirm something.
"What I'm about to do might honestly be a problematic course of action in various ways. But at the very least, as far as I can see, it's the only thing that could serve as a clue to restoring Vihera's consciousness in our current situation."
His gaze asked: Is that still all right? Both Elena and Marina nodded.
"I intend to rely on someone named Grimm."
With a serious expression, Rei made his declaration.