Thanks to the smelling salts, Thresha regained consciousness, but at first she had no idea where she was or what sort of situation she was in.
Even so, she recalled from her last memory that she had encountered an adventurer, learned that the man had identified himself as Luno, and realized that this was the Guild in Gilm — whereupon she frantically explained what had happened to her.
"You said the forest ate them... but you mean that literally?"
Luno had assumed it was some kind of metaphor, and he murmured his surprise.
"Luno-san, that is not the point. There have been no recent reports of a dangerous forest full of Treants. If what she says is true, it's likely an entirely unknown entity."
The normally composed Receptionist scolded Luno, her face stiff with a tension unusual for her.
It wasn't impossible that Thresha had simply panicked for some reason and was suffering from delusions.
But if what she had just explained was true, it would be bad news in more ways than one.
For adventurers, a forest was a place to gather materials, defeat monsters, and butcher their catches.
Beyond adventurers, hunters used forests to catch prey, and people foraged for nuts, fruits, and wild vegetables.
If people remained unaware that this was a forest that devoured humans, they would naturally wander in. And there was no doubt that a large number of casualties would result.
"This is... not something I can decide on my own. I need to report this to the Guild Master, including whether Thresha-san's testimony is accurate."
"Ah, the Guild Master, huh. It changed to someone new, right? What's the new one like?"
Luno knew that the Guild Master had changed from Marina to Worker.
A Guild Master, however, was not someone who appeared in public very often.
Well, that might depend on the person and the place, but at the very least, the Guild Masters of Gilm — both Marina and the newly appointed Worker — were not the type to willingly step into the public eye.
Because of that, the change in Guild Master carried little practical sense of difference.
Luno had heard Worker's speech when he assumed the position, but he had not seen the man since.
As such, Luno knew Worker's face but had no idea what kind of work he actually did.
"Marina-sama entrusted him with the position, so he's quite capable. Well, he managed the Branch Office at the Dungeon, so it's only natural he'd be competent."
With that, the Receptionist told Luno and Thresha to wait where they were and left the room.
She informed her superior that she had an important matter to discuss, then headed to the Office on the second floor.
"Excuse me, Guild Master. I have an urgent matter to report."
"Please come in."
At the voice from inside the Office, the Receptionist opened the door.
The interior of the room was not much different from when Marina had occupied it.
The smaller details had been adjusted to suit Worker's work style, but that was all.
The Receptionist looked around the room while Worker, busy with paperwork, reached a natural pause. Once he finished signing the document he had been reading, she spoke again.
"Earlier, an adventurer was brought into the Guild who gave a report that caught my attention. If it turns out to be true, it could lead to serious problems, so I came to inform you."
"Information from an adventurer, is it? Then let me hear it. What is it about?"
Prompted, the Receptionist relayed what Thresha had told her about the forest.
How the entire forest had attacked them as if it were a monster with a will of its own.
And how the forest was encroaching, expanding its size.
Hearing this, Worker's normally calm expression faintly furrowed.
He had clearly grasped the gravity of the situation.
"A forest... a cluster of Treants, perhaps?"
As a tree monster, the first thing that came to mind was naturally a Treant.
There were, of course, many other tree monsters, but Worker's best guess was that Treants were the most likely culprit in this matter.
"I'm not certain. Since she said so herself, I think that possibility is high, but even so, there's something slightly off about Treants gathering in numbers large enough to be called a forest."
"...You're right."
"Besides, there have been no prior reports of such a forest existing. Even if it's somewhat off the highway, if a forest like that were there, at least a few adventurers should have discovered it by now."
"Yes. That is also a concern. Moreover, among the adventurers heading to Gilm, Thresha was the one who tried to earn some credit first, correct? It may not have been just her party. Yet if no other information has come in..."
At worst, every adventurer who had encountered that forest may have been devoured, with the exception of this one case.
As Worker concluded with those words, the Receptionist quietly drew in a breath.
Many adventurers came to Gilm every spring, but the number naturally varied from year to year.
That was precisely why, even if the number who arrived this year was on par with previous years, she could not help but think that perhaps even more adventurers than that had been devoured by the forest where Thresha and her party were attacked.
"What will you do?"
"...Not knowing the specific scale and danger is a problem. Even if I report to Lord Daskar, there's a high possibility the scale is small."
If a vast forest were descending on Gilm, then reporting to Daskar would naturally be necessary.
But if they reported to Daskar and it turned out the forest was not actually that large, it could mean the Guild had made a misjudgment.
Of course, Daskar was not the type to fuss over such things, but it was clear that not everyone would be as unconcerned.
"If only we had more detailed information... no, wait. Now that I think about it, there is someone suited for a situation like this. Could you go fetch Rei-san?"
What crossed Worker's mind was Rei.
More precisely, Rei and Set.
An existence that could fly through the sky — something extremely rare in this world.
(Stronger than a Dragon Knight, and yet rarely causing harm to people. On the contrary, deeply loved by the residents of Gilm. Setting the latter aside, the ability to fly is ideal for this task.)
Hearing those words, the Receptionist seemed to understand what Worker was thinking.
But at the same time, she felt slightly intimidated.
She also found Set adorable.
But more than that, among the Guild's receptionists, there was one who was thoroughly infatuated with Rei.
Leaving that person behind and going to search for Rei herself gave her a premonition that various problems might arise later.
(Besides, it's a hassle.)
That was clearly her true feeling, but the matter regarding the receptionist in question — Kenny — was by no means a joke.
In fact, this Receptionist had almost no connection with Rei and had no idea where he was right now.
For all intents and purposes, Gilm was large.
Searching for Rei within it would undoubtedly be a daunting task.
"If we're calling Rei-san, I think it would be better to use Kenny."
"I see. Come to think of it... but isn't Kenny on her day off today?"
"Yes. But if she knows she can see Rei-san, I'm sure she'd eagerly come forward."
That was a feeling close to certainty.
Considering Kenny's personality, there was no doubt she would proactively go to see Rei.
However, Worker shook his head at the Receptionist's words.
"We need to bring Rei-san in as quickly as possible, even if only by a little. Going to fetch Kenny first and then having her go... that would take time. And there's no guarantee Kenny would be at home."
"That's... true, I suppose."
If this were winter, there would be a good chance she was at home.
But it was already spring, and the outside air was warm.
Moreover, considering Kenny's personality, the likelihood of her being out having fun on her day off rather than staying cooped up at home was far higher.
Searching for Kenny first and then going to look for Rei — there was no telling how much time that would take.
(But if I yell out that I'm going to look for Rei-san... I feel like Kenny would just show up on her own.)
Knowing full well just how deeply Kenny felt about Rei on a daily basis, it was only natural to think that.
Still, since it wasn't a certainty, she couldn't help but feel that she had no choice but to go herself.
"But... you don't know where Rei-san is, do you? It would be nice if he were at the Wheat Inn at Dusk, his usual lodging."
"You're right. If he isn't at the Wheat Inn at Dusk, you might want to try Marina-sama's mansion in the Noble District. I've heard rumors that since they formed a party, Marina-sama's mansion has become their usual hangout spot."
At Worker's words, the Receptionist was surprised.
She had assumed he was shut away in the Office doing paperwork, and never expected that he had been properly gathering intelligence.
Of course, Worker had a deep relationship with Rei and his group in various ways.
Moreover, since Rei was a high-rank Alias Holder, it was only natural for him to know their situation in detail.
"Understood. Then I'll start by going to the Wheat Inn at Dusk."
"Please."
With that, the conversation ended, and the Receptionist left the Office and headed for the Treatment Room.
"Oh, you're back. So, how did it go?"
"It seems they're going to request Rei-san to handle the forest matter. I'm off to fetch him now."
"Well, that makes sense. If it's searching a forest, Rei's... no, Set's ability to fly would be quite useful."
"Yes. And their travel speed is extremely fast, too."
After exchanging a few brief words, the Receptionist left the Treatment Room and exited the Guild.
Naturally, the first place she headed was the Wheat Inn at Dusk.
Fortunately, the busy morning period had passed, so the inn was able to attend to her right away.
"Excuse me, I'm from the Guild. Is Rei-san here?"
Lana, who had been organizing documents at the counter, turned her gaze toward the voice.
Standing there was a woman in a Guild uniform, just as she had described.
Lana had seen her face before when she had visited the Guild to place requests for procuring ingredients, so she recognized her as a genuine Guild Staff Member.
"My, how unusual. To think someone would come looking for Rei-san."
Rei was famous as a high-rank Alias Holder, but due to his personality, he was also feared by many.
As a result, those who went out of their way to come looking for him were not entirely nonexistent, but they were certainly very few.
Somewhat understanding the reason for Lana's surprise, the Receptionist asked about Rei once more.
"We have a matter at the Guild, so... is Rei-san here?"
"Unfortunately, Rei-san is out."
"Ah... I figured. I didn't think he'd be in his room with this weather, but do you have any idea where he went?"
With Rei absent, the only other place the Receptionist could think of was Marina's mansion.
She would have preferred to hear of somewhere else, but...
"Hmm, maybe the food stalls?"
"Ah, that makes sense."
She knew that one of Rei's hobbies was sampling food from stalls.
Rei was originally knowledgeable about cooking and had introduced dishes to Gilm that had never been tasted there before.
Udon, Nikuman, Pizza.
Beyond those, she had also heard rumors that he had spread other dishes in different cities.
In any case, knowing Rei as she did, she could accept the explanation that he was going around the food stalls sampling food, and it seemed like a perfectly plausible option.
But even so, considering the size of Gilm, she still couldn't imagine she would be able to find him.
"Understood. I'll try checking my other lead."
In the end, what the Receptionist chose was the only other place she could think of — heading to Marina's mansion, and if no one was there, then she would go around the food stalls.
Considering how many food stalls there were in Gilm, it was the natural choice.
Leaving the Wheat Inn at Dusk, she hurried on while glancing at the stalls along the way to the Noble District.
(Rei-san should be with Set-chan. If that's the case, children would be gathering around Set-chan, so I don't think it would be impossible to find them.)
Thinking that as she went, the Receptionist ultimately could not find them, entered the Noble District, and arrived in front of Marina's mansion.
With a sliver of hope, the Receptionist called out in front of the mansion.
"Excuse me! Is Marina-sama here!"