The Silver Lion... that was the monster dwelling in the dungeon Rei had headed to when he first met Elena.
The creature guarding the dungeon's core was renowned as an S-Rank monster. When Rei and Elena's party had delved into the dungeon back then, their goal hadn't been to conquer it but to have Elena perform the Ritual of Inheritance at the Altar of Inheritance, so they had left the beast alone.
Still, Rei remembered the shock of learning that a creature as vicious as an S-Rank monster was guarding the dungeon's core.
Of course, that didn't necessarily mean every dungeon harbored a powerful monster on the level of an S-Rank.
...If anything, having such a powerful monster in a dungeon was exceedingly rare.
"Silver Lion? Hmm, I see. Now that you mention it, there was a Silver Lion in that dungeon."
Grimm must have thoroughly investigated the dungeon where he had first encountered Rei.
He spoke with admiration, recalling the monster Rei had inferred from the words "Silver Lion."
Whether that admiration stemmed from the fact that Rei hadn't forgotten about the Silver Lion's existence... or from the fact that Rei hadn't forgotten the place where they had first met.
Be that as it may, the word "Silver Lion" from Rei's mouth was enough to please Grimm.
"Silver Lion, huh. Now that you mention it, there was such a creature."
Elena, who had delved into that dungeon alongside Rei, murmured with a slightly bitter expression.
The dungeon they had explored in search of the Altar of Inheritance held many painful memories for Elena.
Her own subordinate had been manipulated and killed, and the one pulling the strings had been another of her subordinates.
Both were already dead now, but the wounds in Elena's heart had not completely healed.
She didn't usually dwell on it, but there were times when the memories surfaced unbidden.
"Silver Lion, huh. I'd read the reports... but it's a troublesome opponent."
Marina murmured softly as well.
As the Guild Master of Gilm, Marina naturally understood the details of the dungeon that had housed the Altar of Inheritance.
Near that dungeon was what could be called a branch office—though that might be slightly grandiose—more like an outpost, and information about the dungeon had been flowing from there back to Gilm.
The dungeon itself wasn't particularly large, so the number of people who had reached the lowest floor was by no means small.
And yet... hardly anyone dared to face the Silver Lion, and the few who tried had been swiftly slain.
"Yeah. The Silver Lion. If what we need is an S-Rank monster's heart, wouldn't the Silver Lion's heart be sufficient? Of course, defeating it would be quite the ordeal."
"Hmm. As Rei says, there is no doubt that the Silver Lion's heart would provide great power toward restoring that woman's consciousness."
Grimm gave his stamp of approval to Rei's words.
Seeing Grimm's response, Guild Master Marina's beautiful face clouded with worry.
She understood all too well just how powerful a monster the Silver Lion was.
But if asked where other S-Rank monsters could be found, she couldn't answer. S-Rank monsters were S-Rank precisely because they were existences that couldn't normally be dealt with.
Even if there were other S-Rank monsters besides the Silver Lion, whether they could actually be defeated was questionable at best.
And when it came to methods that didn't involve S-Rank monsters, the only option was the World Tree that Grimm had mentioned at the outset.
There had been such a massive incident involving it just this spring.
Naturally, the World Tree was currently in no state to be strained.
From an outsider's perspective, it appeared fully recovered thanks to Rei's magic power, but whether it had truly and completely recovered was something even Marina couldn't determine.
Moreover, the World Tree, like Grimm, had lived for a very long time.
No, in purely terms of lifespan, it had likely lived far longer than Grimm.
For such a World Tree, the spring of this year was, by human perception, mere hours ago... or at worst, possibly mere seconds ago.
Placing a burden on the World Tree after such a short interval was something Marina couldn't accept in her position.
If this were solely her own problem, it wouldn't be an issue at all, but when it came to the World Tree, it affected every Dark Elf in her settlement.
She had briefly considered the World Trees of other settlements, but Elves and Dark Elves alike generally harbored a strong dislike for humans.
If so, even to ask a World Tree to lend its power, they would first need to earn the recognition of that settlement's people, and then solicit the cooperation of an existence that could likewise be called a shrine maiden of the World Tree.
There was no telling how much time that would take... and in that case, defeating the Silver Lion—an S-Rank monster whose location was known—was the more reliable option.
(To restore Vihera's consciousness, we'd need to go that far... huh?)
As her thoughts reached that point, the faces of certain acquaintances suddenly crossed Marina's mind.
A person who, for different reasons, similarly remained unable to regain consciousness.
That person's parents were busy rushing about, trying desperately to restore him from his condition.
An A-Rank adventurer and Alias Holder known as Elk, bearing the name of the Axe of the Thunder God. He was also the leader of the party that shared that same name, the Axe of the Thunder God.
Along with his wife Min, he should currently be searching for a way to restore the consciousness of Rhodos, who had fallen unconscious during the Bestia Empire's civil war.
If so, couldn't they cooperate here?
They would be challenging an S-Rank monster, and having high-rank adventurers like Elk and Min on their side would be all the better.
(Rei, Set, Elena, Ara, myself, Elk, Min... ah, and Ielo too. In that case, six people and two creatures. There's no doubt it would be more than enough combat power for facing an S-Rank monster. ...Well, it's not as if there aren't a few difficulties.)
The number of people who could provide support from the rear wasn't particularly large... to be precise, those like Rei, Elena, and Set could serve in either role, but the majority of the group would be more effective fighting as vanguard.
Those who could be called pure rearguard were likely only Marina, who wielded Spirit Magic and a bow, and Min, a pure mage.
Of course, the very fact that a single party had two mages would make ordinary adventurers scream from the bottom of their hearts that complaining about a shortage of rear-guard support was sheer luxury.
Spirit Mages and mages were inherently few in number.
Normally, "rearguard" referred to archers who used bows.
However, that was only the case for ordinary parties. If they were to challenge an S-Rank monster, the reality was that their combat power could hardly be called sufficient.
(If possible...)
Marina directed her gaze toward the Paired Orb.
Grimm, reflected there, was an Undead monster who had lived for a very long time.
If he were willing to contribute as combat power, he would be an immensely welcome ally.
"Hmm? Is something the matter?"
Noticing the steady gaze directed at him, Grimm asked the question, and Marina spoke after a moment's hesitation.
"If we were to challenge the Silver Lion... would you be willing to lend us your strength, Lord Grimm?"
"Unfortunately, I have no such intention. I am free at the moment, but I am usually quite busy with various matters."
Marina was somewhat curious about what "busy" entailed, but if she carelessly asked and was told he was conducting experiments to flood villages and cities with the undead... she wouldn't be able to bear it.
Of course, as an Undead, Grimm retained an exceptionally strong sense of self, and his consciousness was virtually unchanged from before his death.
He would not engage in inhumane acts unless something extraordinary occurred.
It was the expected answer, but even so, Marina's expression betrayed her disappointment.
Perhaps sensing something from her demeanor, Grimm spoke from the other side of the Paired Orb.
"Hmm, let me think. I shall not lend my aid in combat, but... I could teleport you from near the entrance of that dungeon directly to the lowest floor."
Hearing the word "teleport," Rei recalled how Grimm had once teleported him all the way to the dungeon entrance when he was returning from a delve.
"That would be great. It'd help a lot."
When he had delved into that dungeon previously, they had fought their way through a relentless stream of monsters before finally reaching the lowest floor.
They had even spent a night inside the dungeon.
There had been a forest within its walls, a place where giant mushrooms grew in abundance, and an area thick with Undead that carried a powerful stench... while the dungeon's overall scale was small, its difficulty was by no means low.
"...That would certainly help, but if there are people besides us heading to the dungeon, would you teleport them as well?"
"Besides us? Are you planning to bring someone along?"
For Rei, who had been thinking of challenging the Silver Lion with only those directly involved in the current situation, the words from Marina's mouth came as a surprise.
Meeting his gaze, Marina nodded and then spoke.
"Did you forget? There are others besides us who are trying to wake someone who can't regain consciousness."
At those words, it took Rei a moment to realize who she was referring to.
He was currently prioritizing the restoration of Vihera's consciousness above all else, and because of that, he simply hadn't had the mental bandwidth to consider other factors.
However, in terms of being unconscious, Rhodos was in the same situation as Vihera.
Thinking of it that way, he could have gone to ask Elk and Min whether they had any relevant information, but the circumstances under which each had lost consciousness were so different that the thought had completely slipped his mind.
"I see, Elk and the others."
"Yes. Elk and Min are both skilled adventurers. So wouldn't they be a great help in fighting an S-Rank monster like the Silver Lion?"
Marina's words were true.
Rei, who had once had his life targeted by Elk, knew full well just how skilled the man was.
"Wait."
Borrowing Elk and the others' strength.
Just as Rei was about to nod at the proposal, Elena put a halt to it.
"Borrowing Elk and the others' strength. In facing an S-Rank monster, they would be reliable combat power. However, if we take the approach of using the Silver Lion's heart to restore consciousness, would it work for both Vihera and Rhodos?"
"That is..."
At Elena's words, Rei and Marina exchanged glances.
Elk and Min had been striving for nearly a year to restore their only son's consciousness.
To tell such a pair that the Silver Lion's heart might restore consciousness, to borrow their strength and defeat the Silver Lion... only for Vihera alone to regain consciousness.
Rhodos remaining in a coma as before... in that case, it wouldn't be surprising if Elk and Min lashed out.
Should that happen, they would naturally end up fighting Elk and Min.
And fighting against the two in their outburst... or perhaps, considering Min's composure, maybe only Elk... but no one wanted such a pointless fight.
Moreover, among Alias Holders and high-rank adventurers, Elk was known for having a good personality.
Losing such a valuable adventurer would be nothing short of a loss for Gilm.
"Regarding that... how does it work? If we use the Silver Lion's heart, is there some kind of restriction, like only one person can regain consciousness?"
In response to Rei's question, Grimm, reflected in the Paired Orb, tilted his head.
"I wonder. I can only say it depends on the Silver Lion itself. When using an S-Rank monster's heart to restore consciousness, it comes down to how much magic power the monster possessing that heart holds."
"In other words, if it's a monster with weak magic power, there's a chance that even Vihera might not regain consciousness?"
"I think you need not worry about that. It is an S-Rank monster, after all. There is no doubt it possesses at least that much magic power."
Considering his phrasing of "even," the Silver Lion was apparently not a formidable enemy for Grimm.
Rei had some confidence in his own abilities, but when he considered just how powerful Grimm truly was, that goal was still far beyond reach.
Setting that aside for now, he shifted his focus and spoke.
"So, what do we do? I definitely want Elk's cooperation, but it'd be a real problem if that ultimately leads to a fight with them."
"Right... From your perspective, Lord Grimm, do you think the Silver Lion's heart could restore consciousness for two people?"
"Hmm... I said this before, but I cannot say for certain. However, I believe it would likely be fine."
Likely be fine.
It was a rather unsettling phrase, but it was still better than having no guarantee at all.
"Then, let's try talking to Elk. But strictly on the precondition that Vihera takes priority."
"That's the only option, huh."
Elena agreed with Marina's words, and Rei nodded as well.
"Hmm, it seems a decision has been reached. Then, when you arrive at the dungeon, call for me again."
So saying, Grimm moved to end the Paired Orb communication, but Rei stopped him.
"Hold on a moment. I'd like to ask just in case—what's needed to restore consciousness is the heart, right? And the heart doesn't need to have a Magic Stone in it, does it?"
"That is correct. It should be welcome news for Rei. Also, the effectiveness diminishes as time passes after the heart is extracted. If you intend to use it on two people, leaving it to me right there at the site of defeat would be the best course of action."
With those words, Grimm's figure vanished from the Paired Orb.