Rei and his companions had been enjoying a leisurely afternoon in the courtyard of Marina's home, but they weren't so oblivious as to miss the voice that suddenly called out from beyond the gate.
"Who is it? Judging by the sound of things, whoever it is seems pretty frantic."
Marina rose to her feet. "It's the Guild receptionist... If she came looking for me, something must have happened at the Guild. Let me go hear what she has to say."
At that, Rei, Vihera, Byune, and Set rose as well. If there was a problem, it made sense to get the explanation over with in one go rather than relaying it secondhand.
Marina didn't object to their decision. Together, they all headed toward the mansion's front gate.
The woman standing outside spotted Marina and her group—or, more precisely, spotted Rei among them—and her face flooded with relief.
"Thank goodness. You're here, Guild Master... I mean, Marina-sama."
She no longer addressed Marina as "Guild Master" these days, which spoke to just how desperate the situation must be. Having finally found Marina after what must have been a frantic search, the title had slipped out before she could stop herself.
Understanding this, Marina offered the receptionist a reassuring smile. "What's wrong? You wouldn't be in such a rush if something hadn't happened."
"Yes. Actually, there's an emergency nomination request for Rei-san."
"...For me?" Rei's eyebrows rose. Based on the exchange he'd just overheard, he'd assumed the business was with Marina, not himself.
The receptionist, unfazed by his surprise, pressed on. "Earlier, an adventurer was carried into the Guild. That alone wouldn't have been unusual, but their companion claimed they were eaten by a forest on the way to Gilm."
"Eaten by a forest? Killed by a monster that lives in the forest? That's unfortunate, but it's not exactly unheard of."
Rei's reaction was measured. Adventuring was, at its core, a matter of self-responsibility. Pick a fight with something beyond your abilities, and you'd die. The ability to accurately assess that line was the bare minimum for a full-fledged adventurer. Even in Gilm, there were those who misjudged their limits—or simply had the bad luck to stumble across an abnormally powerful monster mid-quest. Injuries and even deaths weren't uncommon. Naturally, families, friends, and lovers sometimes filed search requests for missing adventurers, but Rei couldn't fathom why any of that had been brought to him.
Sensing his unspoken question, the receptionist took a steadying breath before continuing. "From what the person who was brought in described, it doesn't sound that straightforward. Apparently, the forest itself attacked them as if it were alive. And it's not just attacking—it's eroding the surrounding area and spreading... or, as hard as this is to believe, the forest itself is moving."
"...Huh." A flicker of genuine interest crossed Rei's face. A phenomenon he'd never encountered before—it piqued his curiosity. And if such a phenomenon existed, there might be unknown monsters lurking within it.
Seeing that she'd captured his attention, the receptionist visibly relaxed. She had deliberately avoided mentioning the word "Treant." There was no guarantee that was what they were actually dealing with, and she didn't want to color his expectations. After relaying the information she'd gathered from Thresha, she went on.
"When I reported this to the Guild Master, he said that until we know exactly what we're dealing with—whether it's something adventurers can handle or a situation serious enough to warrant deploying the Knight Order—he'd like you to scout it out first. This will, of course, be filed as a formal nomination request."
The term "nomination request" didn't particularly excite Rei, but the prospect of an unknown forest and the monsters that might dwell within it certainly did. Without a moment's hesitation, he nodded.
"Understood. I'll head out on reconnaissance."
"...Are you sure?" Marina's question carried a note of concern—they'd been enjoying such a peaceful day, and here he was accepting a request.
Rei nodded back reassuringly. "Yeah. Quiet days like this are nice and all, but unknown monsters? I can't just ignore that."
"I see. ...Thank you." Though Marina had stepped down as Guild Master, she'd spent years working at the Guild. Her attachment to it was only natural. That Rei had accepted the request on its behalf earned him a warm smile.
"A forest, huh. Ideally, there'll be a nice, powerful monster waiting for us in there."
Unlike Rei and Marina, Vihera voiced her own not-so-secret hope—a strong enemy would be most welcome. Byune, apparently having nothing to add, simply stroked Set in silence.
"Alright, let's get moving. Where is it?"
"I apologize, but the adventurer who escaped apparently panicked and ran blindly, so we don't have an exact location. However, Luno apparently encountered her on the highway about an hour's walk from Gilm. If you could focus your search around that area..."
"Luno? ...Ah, the one with the Magic Eye."
The face of an acquaintance surfaced in Rei's mind—a rare adventurer who possessed a Magic Eye and operated solo, just as Rei once had.
Come to think of it, he's actually the oldest acquaintance I have among the adventurers I've met in Gilm.
When Rei had first arrived in Gilm and tried to register at the Guild, the members of a party calling themselves Falcon's Claws had harassed him. Though in Rei's memory, they were better remembered as Goblin's Drool. He'd been temporarily hired by them as they returned from the dungeon—the very same dungeon Rei had cleared the following year—while they were in the middle of a celebration. Calling them the first adventurers Rei had met in Gilm was no exaggeration. Granted, they hadn't interacted much since then, and they'd barely spoken until the war with the Bestia Empire.
In any case, the appearance of a familiar name gave Rei a brief pang of surprise, but his interest quickly shifted back to the unknown monsters.
"Centered on the area an hour out from the highway, huh. Normally I'd tell someone not to ask for the impossible, but... right, Set?"
"Gururururu!"
Set let out a confident cry. Given his flight speed, scouting the highway and surrounding area would be effortless. What's more, if a forest capable of eroding or moving truly existed, Rei and Set—who had flown over the outskirts of Gilm countless times—couldn't possibly have missed it.
Then again, I haven't left Gilm lately, so I suppose I wouldn't have noticed even if it was there.
Since the incident with the Spiel Firm, Rei had been living quietly. Now, hearing that a strange forest had appeared—coupled with the possibility of unknown monsters—he found himself looking forward to the unknown more than a little.
"Alright, I'm heading out. What about the rest of you?"
"I'm coming too," Marina said. "It's a nomination request from the Guild, and I'd like to know what's going on. Though I probably won't be able to do much beyond waiting near the gate."
"I could tag along like during the Unbris incident, but that would just slow Rei down. I'll wait with Marina."
"Mn."
Vihera briefly considered clinging to Set's leg for the flight, as she had during the Unbris affair, but ultimately decided to wait at the main gate.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you. I need to go inform the Guild Master, so I'll take my leave here." The receptionist looked relieved to have successfully delivered the message.
"Yeah, I'll head straight out and take a look at this forest. Am I just scouting, or should I land and engage any monsters I find?"
"For now, please confirm whether the forest actually exists and report on its size."
"Really? Does the Guild think the adventurer was lying?"
"I wouldn't go that far. But there's always the possibility of an unlikely scenario. We can't completely rule out the chance that they were shown an illusion."
Rei had to concede the point. In practical terms, if asked which explanation was more plausible—a living forest or an illusion—the answer was undoubtedly the latter.
But if it is an illusion... bandits, maybe? No, even a bandit gang with a mage capable of casting illusions wouldn't dare operate this close to Gilm.
He shelved the question for now. Seeing it firsthand would settle things soon enough. He gave the receptionist a firm nod.
"Alright, we're off."
"Thank you." Bowing deeply, she hurried off to inform Worker that Rei had accepted the request.
After seeing her go, Rei and the others left Marina's mansion.
"A forest, huh. What do you think? Treants?" Marina mused.
"Treants... Say, Set fought one before, didn't he?" Rei asked, stroking Set's neck as they walked.
Back when Rei had taken his Rank Up Exam alongside Culotte, Arrogan, Schola, and the others, Set had been operating separately. Entrusted to Mirene and the members of Scorching Wind, Set had fought a Treant during that excursion.
"Gurururuu... Guruu!" Set purred, as if to say I've got this!
Even so, watching Set's confident demeanor, Rei wasn't entirely convinced it was that simple.
As they made their way down the street, people naturally gravitated toward Set, wanting to fuss over him. Children, adults, adventurers, merchants—no distinction. A few might have been tempted to approach Marina or Vihera as well, but one look at Set gave them pause. That was only natural. At nearly three meters long, Set might look adorable, but making an enemy of him was a prospect no one wanted to entertain.
"Rei, Set! Want to grab a quick bite before you head out?" called the owner of a sandwich stall.
"Ah, sorry. I need to get outside Gilm right away. Raincheck?" Rei replied apologetically. The stall owner, recognizing that Rei had his reasons, didn't push the matter.
"Fufu. Set's as popular as ever, but you're quite the crowd-pleaser yourself, Rei." Marina, having watched the exchange, smiled in amusement.
Vihera, who had traveled with Rei far longer than Marina, nodded in agreement. Indeed, there was no shortage of people calling out to him. The way adventurers addressed Rei versus the way the stall owner did highlighted just how deeply embedded he was in the daily life of the city.
"Gurururou"
"I know, I know. Once we've checked out the forest and come back, I'll feed you. Promise." Rei stroked Set's neck as he spoke.
The attention seemed to shift Set's mood. His demanding purrs for food gradually transformed into contented purrs for more petting.
"Honestly, Set, you're such a spoiled child, for someone so big," Vihera grumbled. But her eyes betrayed a warm, gentle light. Her battle-hungry nature was certainly part of who she was, but so was this. Byune, who understood that better than anyone, quietly took hold of the hem of Vihera's thin garment as they walked on.
Before long, Gilm's main gate came into view. Perhaps because it was just before noon, the queue at the gate was relatively thin. Even so, several guards were visibly tense, doing their best to hide it from those passing through. Thresha's incident had clearly rattled them. The Guild had nominally taken over the situation, but there was no telling whether it would actually be resolved.
Seeing Rei and the Crimson Lotus Wings approach, the guards' shoulders relaxed. They understood, instinctively, that Rei would handle whatever this was.
Had it turned out Rei was actually heading out on some completely unrelated errand, the guards would have had a very hard time biting their tongues.
"Processing through."
"Right. ...Good luck." The guard's meaning was clear enough.
Rei nodded and handed over his Guild Card.