Having heard from Grimm that they could use the Silver Lion's heart, Rei and his companions moved on to their next course of action as soon as Grimm's figure vanished from the Paired Orb.
They began discussing how to restore Vihera's consciousness as quickly as possible.
"First of all, my carriage should be fine for getting to that dungeon. It's a Magic Item carriage you're familiar with, Rei, so I don't think there will be any problem even with us and Elk's group together."
"Yeah, thinking about your carriage, it might be a little cramped with everyone on board, but it shouldn't be impossible."
Those heading to the dungeon were Rei, Elena, Marina, Ara, and Vihera—five people—along with Set and Ielo—two creatures. And, if possible, Elk, Min, and Rhodos—three more people. A total of eight people and two creatures.
Of those, Set would travel outside, so it didn't need to be counted among the numbers, and Ara would serve as the coachman on the driver's seat.
That meant there would be seven people inside the carriage... or, if Ielo didn't accompany Set, seven people and one creature.
"But Vihera and Rhodos are unconscious, so we'll need to lay them down while transporting them, right? Won't that make it a bit cramped?"
Marina, who had experience riding in Elena's carriage when returning to her hometown, murmured worriedly.
Elena's carriage could be described as having a somewhat large room, but even so, it was obvious that with seven people on board, it would feel quite cramped.
Even so, it wasn't so narrow that they couldn't move at all, and the fact that they still had a certain degree of room demonstrated the high performance of Elena's carriage.
"As for food..."
"That won't be a problem."
Rei answered Marina immediately.
Rei, who possessed the Misty Ring, had a vast amount of food stored inside it.
Not only that, he also carried a portable Magic Tent that, while inferior to Elena's carriage, meant that in terms of diving into the dungeon, it could be said that preparations were already in order.
"However, a Magic Tent would be pretty tight for seven people to sleep in, so we'll need a few regular tents too."
"I suppose so. We have Elena's carriage too, but it's better to have extra room in case something happens."
If they were just resting normally, sitting would be enough.
But when camping, the Magic Tent alone wouldn't provide enough space.
Marina nodded at Rei's words, but then tilted her head and spoke.
"But once we enter the dungeon, Grimm will send us to the lowest floor right away, won't he? In that case, we'll only need tents for the trip there and back. Don't you think we'll be fine without worrying?"
"Hmm, true. If Rei has no problem with it, I don't mind either."
"Me... yeah. I think it'll probably be fine. But the most difficult part will be carrying the two sleeping people. What do we do about that?"
The fact that Grimm would send them to the lowest floor once they entered the dungeon meant that the effort of carrying the unconscious Vihera and Rhodos would be almost negligible.
However, "almost negligible" meant that it would still require some effort.
An unconscious person's body was unexpectedly heavy.
Not having to carry them while progressing through the dungeon to the lowest floor was extremely helpful, but it was still a fact that they would need to transport the two of them in various ways.
"If possible, the best option would be to leave the two of them at an inn and challenge the Silver Lion with just us and Elk's group, but..."
Marina trailed off, likely influenced by Grimm's parting words.
In other words, even if they extracted the heart from the Silver Lion, its efficacy would decline over time.
If they wanted to play it safe, they could do as Marina said: leave the two sleeping at an inn, challenge the dungeon on their own, and bring back the Silver Lion's heart.
But if the efficacy dropped over time, given the overriding precondition of prioritizing Vihera, Elk and his group would not accept leaving the two at the inn, as it would reduce even slightly the chances of restoring Rhodos's consciousness.
Besides, Grimm said he would be the one to revive them using the Silver Lion's heart. He couldn't exactly come to an ordinary inn, could he?
Of course, he would take various measures to conceal that, but if by some one-in-a-million chance someone else saw Grimm's figure, it would definitely cause an uproar.
Furthermore, among those present would be Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker; Elena, bearer of the moniker Princess General; Marina, the Guild Master of Gilm, the only city in the frontier of the Kingdom of Mireana; and Elk and Min of the A-Rank party Axe of the Thunder God.
And, while they would likely be outside the inn, there were also Set and Ielo.
The fact that the only one without a flashy alias among the party was Ara, a noble, proved just how much this group was a gathering of conspicuous individuals.
If someone saw this group together with Grimm, or rather, an existence that could be called a Lich Lord, the uproar would send ripples through various quarters.
At worst, it could adversely affect the current relationship between the Noble's Faction and the Neutral Faction, spill over into the power struggle within the Kingdom of Mireana, and ultimately even lead to civil war.
No, considering Vihera's situation, there was even a possibility that the Bestia Empire would intervene.
In that regard and in terms of being able to use the Silver Lion's heart immediately after extraction, it was undeniable that bringing Vihera and Rhodos into the dungeon was the best option.
"In that case, we'll also need to hire someone to guard their bodies while we fight the Silver Lion."
Elena knew that there were no monsters on the lowest floor of the dungeon, but even so, she could understand that leaving two unconscious people lying unattended was dangerous in various ways.
When they had dived into the dungeon, there had been no monsters on the lowest floor.
But there was no guarantee that had remained unchanged now, and some unforeseen situation might arise.
"In that case, where do we hire someone to look after them? Considering the size of the carriage and the Magic Tent, it would be easier to hire someone over there if possible."
"But we don't know if we can hire someone who meets our requirements over there, do we? In that case, wouldn't it be better to hire someone we know well enough here?"
"It's a trade-off."
In Gilm, the profiles of Rei, Marina, and Elk were extremely high. Because of that, it wouldn't be difficult to find someone trustworthy to hire.
In contrast, in the location of the dungeon, their profiles were not as high as in Gilm.
Of course, that was only in comparison to Gilm.
In the Kingdom of Mireana, Rei and Elena's fame was quite high, and in the dungeon near Gilm, the Guild Master's name was naturally known as well.
Though, of course, having high fame also meant many people would approach trying to take advantage of it.
In that sense, Marina's honest feeling was that she wanted to gather people in Gilm, which she could call her home ground, but it was also a fact that there were already a lot of people for a single carriage.
"It can't be helped. How about we show our faces at the guild over there and have them search for someone?"
Near the dungeon, a village-like settlement had already existed when Rei and his group had previously visited.
And because the dungeon was there, something like a guild outpost existed as well, even if it couldn't quite be called a full branch.
The guild staff members who worked there were dispatched from Gilm.
That was why, if the Guild Master Marina showed up in person, she could pull some strings to a certain extent.
"It's a bit late to ask, but is it really all right for you to come to the dungeon with us, Marina? What about your work as the Guild Master?"
"Oh, I'm happy you're concerned, but I've been working as the Guild Master for quite a long time, you know? Of course I can manage that much. Rather, I suppose you could say it's just right."
"Just right?"
Rei tilted his head, not understanding what Marina meant.
Elena likewise directed an inquiring gaze at Marina, prompting her for an answer.
"No, it's nothing. Just something on my end."
Marina said, brushing it off, and though Rei still harbored doubts about her demeanor, he continued the conversation, deciding that there were more things to settle right now than that.
"Do you know what Elk is doing right now? During the Unbris commotion, I heard he went somewhere after subjugating the Orc pack."
Elk was busy running around for Rhodos's treatment. Normally, he was often in Gilm, but lately, he was frequently away.
If he wasn't in Gilm, they would first need to contact Elk, and then head for the dungeon.
If that happened, at worst, autumn might pass and winter could arrive.
Going outside the city in winter wasn't impossible, but it was extremely dangerous.
Considering that, Rei's hope was to arrive at the dungeon while it was still autumn and restore both of their consciousnesses before full-fledged winter set in.
But in Rhodos's case, aside from not regaining consciousness, he should also have had quite a few injuries. Would that be all right?
Given that a fair amount of time had passed since Rhodos lost consciousness, perhaps his injuries had already healed by now.
Thinking this, Rei turned his gaze to Marina and asked about Elk's whereabouts. Fortunately, or perhaps that wasn't the right word in this situation, she smiled and nodded.
"It's fine. Elk and Min have both returned to Gilm."
"That's very convenient."
Rei tilted his head slightly at the coincidence of Elk and Min happening to be in Gilm just when they needed him. Marina smiled and spoke.
"Think about it. This is the frontier to begin with. Many materials that can't be obtained in ordinary places can be found here. In other words..."
Hearing that much, Rei understood why Elk was in Gilm.
"I see. There's a possibility of restoring Rhodos's consciousness with some kind of new material."
That was the case.
In fact, it was not uncommon for something previously unthinkable to be created from new materials found in the frontier.
Thinking of Rhodos, it was not strange for Elk to be in Gilm.
"I suppose so. So, I think I can contact Elk right away. How about you? Can you have your preparations ready to leave Gilm right away?"
At Marina's gaze, Rei nodded.
"Yeah. Most things are in the Misty Ring. If there's anything we're missing, I'll buy it at a shop right away."
"Understood. Then, I'll try to contact Elk right away, so can you prepare to depart tomorrow, or if that's not possible, as soon as possible?"
Rei and Elena nodded at Marina's words, confirming their agreement.
As Rei had said, given that there was nothing in particular that required preparation, they could leave Gilm right now if they wanted to.
If anything, communicating with Elk was the more important matter.
In particular, they needed to explain that there was a chance of restoring Rhodos's consciousness, but also convince him that depending on the state of the Silver Lion's heart, restoring Rhodos's consciousness might not be possible.
Also, since they couldn't do it on their own, they would need to tell him about Grimm.
Whether Elk would accept the existence of someone like Grimm was likely to be an issue. It would be difficult under normal circumstances, but what about now?
A considerable amount of time had passed since Rhodos lost consciousness.
Even an adventurer as well-known as Elk had spent that much time without finding any leads.
Or perhaps the leads he did find were things that couldn't possibly be fulfilled.
For example, like what Rei and his group had been told by Grimm.
But precisely because of that, there was a high possibility that Elk would go along with this proposal.
"Anyway, let's hurry. If possible, I'll contact Elk today, so Rei and Elena, please be ready for that."
The two nodded at Marina's words, and seeing that, Marina left the room.
Her walking pace was just a little faster than usual, which was likely a sign of how much of a rush she was in.
Seeing Marina off, Rei and Elena, left behind in the room, fell silent as one.
A hushed stillness filled the room, and before long, the two simultaneously turned their gazes toward Vihera on the bed without a word between them.
Even with all this commotion, Vihera showed no sign of waking.
Given the current situation, that might have been only natural, but it was still a lonely thing to witness.
"Elena... I will definitely save Vihera."
"Naturally."
Elena nodded at Rei's words, and she left the room to speak with Ara to prepare for tomorrow.