Rei had planned to check on the forest today, just as he had yesterday. But when Marina joined him, she said something unexpected that caught him off guard.
"Um, are you serious?"
"Yes. Please take me with you. As a Dark Elf, I'm rather curious about the state of that forest."
"...I see. So that's why you're dressed like that today."
Rei studied her thoughtfully, finally understanding why Marina—who usually wore a Party Dress—had opted for pants today.
Traveling with Rei... or more precisely, riding on Set, was simply not an option for her.
For reasons unknown, Set could not carry anyone other than Rei in flight.
Well, to be accurate, it wasn't that he couldn't—it was that doing so left him barely able to fly at all.
And yet, despite this limitation, Set could manage to fly while gripping a bear's carcass in his front talons alongside Rei.
Vihera had taken advantage of that very trait during the Unbris incident, clinging to Set's front leg and keeping pace with Rei and the others at high speed.
Knowing this, Marina had evidently decided to travel the same way.
However, in her usual attire—a Party Dress—doing so would naturally expose everything underneath to anyone looking up from the ground.
And since the only person Marina was willing to show her underwear to was the man standing right in front of her, grabbing onto Set's leg in a Party Dress was out of the question.
Her solution was to change into something more practical—pants and all.
Of course, this outfit was also a type of Magic Item, crafted from the same magically infused fabric as her Party Dress.
To Rei, who was accustomed to seeing Marina in her usual glamorous Party Dress, the sight of her in practical pants carried an unfamiliar charm.
Her upper body was dressed in something closer to men's clothing, but it still couldn't fully contain her massive bust, which strained prominently against the fabric.
Perhaps because of the masculine cut, she radiated a different appeal than usual.
Marina seemed to notice this from Rei's reaction. She smiled.
"Well? Don't you think this outfit suits me?"
"Yeah. If you're asking whether it suits you or not, it definitely does."
At his honest reply, Marina smiled with genuine pleasure.
The passersby around them were captivated by that smile, but she paid them no mind whatsoever.
"Setting Marina aside, Vihera, are you sure you're fine staying behind?"
"Yes. When you went yesterday, there were no monsters, right? In that case, it's better to just wait quietly in Gilm."
Rei nodded in agreement with Vihera's reasoning.
If the forest had been teeming with monsters, things would have been different. But from what he'd seen yesterday, not a single creature had shown itself.
There was talk of Treants, too, but if even Set couldn't find any, the odds of encountering a fight today were slim.
It made perfect sense that Vihera would rather stay behind with Byune than go to a place like that.
"Besides, there's no guarantee both Marina and I could hold onto Set's front legs at the same time."
"Well, I don't think that would be a problem."
Rei replied casually, though he kept to himself the thought that it would be a different story if the two of them together weighed more than a bear.
He had at least that much tact—and more importantly, the moment the comparison crossed his mind, a chill ran down his spine, however briefly.
Just as they were about to wrap up the conversation...
"Rei-san! Rei-san! Please wait!"
A voice called out from behind them.
Rei turned to see Lenora running toward them, her ponytail bouncing wildly.
"Lenora?"
"Haa... haa... haa... Thank goodness, I made it in time. Actually, I have an additional request from the Guild Master. When you go to check on the forest today, he'd like you to cut down a tree—one with some decent thickness to it. And of course, there will be additional compensation."
"...A tree? Why's that?"
"I'm not entirely sure about the details myself..."
Catching her breath, Lenora continued.
"I had yesterday off, so I don't know the full story. But I imagine it has something to do with the forest's abnormality. ...What do you think? The Guild Master asked me to have you accept it, if at all possible."
Lenora looked at him hopefully. Rei nodded without hesitation.
"Sure, got it. Just one tree, right? If that's all, no problem. I'll take it."
"...You're the only one who could say that so casually, Rei-san."
Without the Misty Ring, felling a tree of any real thickness and hauling it all the way back to Gilm would be a daunting task.
It was precisely because it was Rei that he could accept it so easily.
And besides, if those trees really are Treants... I doubt it, but even if they were somehow fooling Set's senses, surely they'd reveal themselves the moment they were being cut down.
Rei trusted Set's senses.
At the very least, a monster of the Treant's caliber shouldn't be capable of slipping past them. A much higher-ranked monster, perhaps—but not a Treant.
"Alright, I've got it on the tree. I'll bring it back safe and sound, don't worry. ...So then, Set, Marina. Let's go."
"Eh? Marina-sama is going too!?"
Lenora's eyes went wide at hearing Marina's name included in the call.
But Marina simply nodded, signaling that there was no issue.
"Yes. There are quite a few things about this situation that don't add up. ...And besides, this is my area of expertise."
Given that Marina was a Dark Elf, Lenora couldn't argue with that.
Moreover, the Guild still understood almost nothing about the current situation.
If Marina, with her knowledge of forests, volunteered to investigate personally, that was more than welcome.
Such a thought undoubtedly crossed Lenora's mind.
At the same time, though, she genuinely worried for Marina's safety.
"I see... Please be careful."
In the end, that was all Lenora could manage to say.
Marina, seeming to understand Lenora's concern, gently patted her head as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
About ten seconds passed. Then Marina withdrew her hand and turned to Rei.
"Well then, shall we?"
"Yeah. As for cutting down the tree... well, with Death Scythe, that won't be a problem. No special preparations needed."
If any lumberjack had heard that, they would have turned red with fury.
Of all the tasks in a lumberjack's trade, the hardest part wasn't felling the tree—it was hauling the felled timber.
Being able to store a tree in the Misty Ring with a single touch, hauling it back regardless of weight—how a lumberjack would feel about that didn't require much imagination.
"Ah, wait. One more thing."
Lenora called out in a rush to Rei, Marina, and Set just as they turned toward the Main Gate.
Under the gazes of the two humans, the one creature, and Vihera and Byune standing nearby, Lenora blurted out what she'd forgotten to mention.
"The forest you're heading to has been officially named Treant Forest, for convenience."
"Treant Forest?"
Rei muttered, puzzled.
It was precisely because he'd actually entered the forest and found no Treants that he voiced the question. But Lenora just nodded.
"Yes. We needed some kind of name for it, so for clarity's sake, the forest where Thresha was attacked has been designated as Treant Forest. Of course, I know you and your party weren't attacked yesterday... but it's just a provisional name."
"Got it. It's not like I'm hung up on the name or anything. Treant Forest it is."
With that settled, Rei set off toward the Main Gate with Marina and Set.
Vihera and Byune watched them go before heading back to the inn. Lenora returned to the Guild.
Set spread its wings. Rei climbed onto its back, and Marina, having tied a lifeline to its front leg, held on tight.
Dangling from Set's leg mid-flight required considerable grip strength and stamina, but Marina didn't seem bothered in the slightest as she gazed down at the ground below.
"Marina, we're landing."
"Yes, understood."
Eyes fixed on the green carpet of treetops below, Marina gave a brief reply to Rei's call from above.
Set began its descent.
"...Looking at it from up here, the forest has definitely expanded."
As Rei dismounted and surveyed the area, Set purred and Marina peered intently toward the trees.
There was no clear landmark to serve as a reference point, but even to Rei's eyes, the forest appeared to have grown.
That would become certain once they reached the place where Thresha's party had camped.
"Marina, Set and I are going in. What about you?"
"...Let me think. I'll come too. Just looking at it from the outside won't tell me enough."
"You can't tell?"
"No. I'm certain this isn't an ordinary forest. But what caused it to become this way... I don't think I'll understand that unless I go inside."
If Marina, a Dark Elf, said so, then Rei was inclined to believe it.
Though truthfully, even from Rei's own perspective, the forest before him—Treant Forest—was nothing but unsettling.
The complete absence of animal calls or insect chirps was abnormal for any forest.
"Set, are you... uh... what do you want to do?"
"Gururu? Guruu!"
Given Set's size, Rei wondered if moving through the dense forest might be difficult. But Set purred confidently, as if to say he'd be fine.
He had gone inside yesterday, after all. Common sense said he'd be fine.
"Alright, let's go."
Together, Rei, Marina, and Set entered the forest.
"...Yeah, still no animal sounds at all."
"Right. It's blatantly unnatural. ...And this tree, too..."
Nodding at Rei's words, Marina gently stroked the trunk of a nearby tree.
"It feels like an ordinary trunk, but there's definitely something off about it."
"In the first place, Thresha said she was attacked by Treants. But this tree looks completely ordinary from every angle. It's not a Treant by any stretch. ...Right?"
"Guruu."
Set purred in agreement.
Even now, as Rei touched the bark, it showed no sign of attacking. No sign of even the slightest movement.
What's going on? Thresha's party was definitely attacked by Treants, right? So then, are these spreading trees not Treants? But if they're not Treants and not monsters either, why would they multiply like this?
Rei murmured as he touched the trunk of a different tree from the one Marina was examining. But that one, too, was nothing but an ordinary tree.
"What do you think?"
Rei posed the question to Marina, who might as well have been a forest expert. But even she shook her head with a troubled expression.
"I don't know. But at the very least, this isn't a simple matter of ordinary Treants."
At her words, Rei looked again at the tree he was touching, then scanned the surrounding trees.
Despite the forest having only recently expanded, the trees growing there weren't thin saplings. They were massive—so thick that it would take several adults joining hands to encircle just one.
Even to Rei, who had grown up near mountains, they were impressive enough to know that trees couldn't grow to this size in a matter of years.
Well, this is Elgin, where magic exists... and these trees are probably connected to monsters in the first place. Common sense from Japan probably doesn't apply here.
With that thought, he pushed forward toward the campsite he'd found the day before.
Sure enough, Rei had to walk nearly twice the distance he had the previous day before finally reaching it.
"Seeing it like this, the forest really has spread."
Muttering to himself, Rei drew Death Scythe.
Marina stood a short distance away, an arrow nocked and ready in case anything happened.
Set remained on alert, poised to react at the first sign of trouble. Confirming they were both ready, Rei channeled magical power into Death Scythe and swung it in a wide arc.
"Haa!"
A single sharp flash carved through the trunk. In the next instant, the tree—severed on the side opposite from where they stood—toppled and crashed to the ground.