"Huh? Um... sorry, but could you tell me that again?"
In response to Rei's words, Lenora nodded before speaking.
"Today's request is not to cut down trees in the Treant Forest and bring them back, but to transport trees that have already been felled there."
Hearing those words from Lenora, Rei concluded that he hadn't misheard after all and spoke with a hint of exasperation.
"I thought the Guild's policy was to keep people away from the Treant Forest as much as possible."
"Yes, that's what I heard as well... but apparently there are various movements happening at the top. I suppose it's related to that."
"...I see."
Rei nodded in understanding at Lenora's words.
To begin with, the very request to cut down trees in the Treant Forest and bring them back had been full of questionable aspects.
Considering that, the request's contents changing slightly now didn't particularly matter.
No—if anything, only having to bring the trees back made the request easier for him.
"So is that why there are so few people in the Guild today?"
Rei came to the Guild after the busy morning hours—after the time when request papers were posted on the Request Board and adventurers swarmed to claim them had passed.
Today was no different in that regard, but normally there would still be a certain number of adventurers in the Guild even at this hour. Today, however, their numbers seemed notably fewer.
"Is... that so? It's a rank-restricted request because the Treant Forest is dangerous, but... well, besides guarding the lumberjacks, if adventurers can fell trees themselves and have that added to their reward, it might be a lucrative commission."
"I see. So they've decided to seriously suppress the Treant Forest's expansion."
"I wonder. It's possible they simply want more lumber..."
Lenora replied to Rei's mutter.
Beside her, Kenny looked like she wanted to talk to Rei, but her paperwork still wasn't finished, and speaking up now would definitely earn her Lenora's scolding.
"Well, either way is fine with me. If it makes my request easier... Ah, should I just bring Marina and the others along?"
"...From the Guild's perspective, we would prefer that you make multiple round trips between the Guild and the Treant Forest, Rei-san."
"In other words, instead of going once like before, you want me to make several round trips?"
"To put it bluntly... yes."
At Lenora's words, Rei considered it.
Making multiple round trips itself wasn't a problem.
After all, with Set's flight speed, reaching the Treant Forest only took a few minutes one way.
But even so, storing each felled tree into the Misty Ring one by one was tedious, and more than that, making multiple round trips between Gilm and the Treant Forest naturally meant going through the city's entry and exit procedures countless times.
Moreover, even after clearing those procedures, there was the hassle of traveling to the Guild each time.
That was clearly a pain.
"If Guild staff wait at the Gilm Main Gate and I hand over the felled trees there, I'll take the job."
What ultimately came from Rei's mouth was that compromise.
Storing trees felled in the Treant Forest in the Misty Ring was tedious but not impossible.
With that in mind, he made the suggestion, but...
"Hmm... I understand your request, Rei-san, but then someone would have to figure out how to transport the trees from the Main Gate to the Guild..."
"Adventurers can handle that easily enough... and if necessary, I can bring them all here at the very end?"
"No, that would just mean a huge amount of trees arriving all at once."
Whether she had finished her paperwork or not, Kenny chimed in with a slightly exasperated look.
Having him make multiple round trips in the first place was because the Guild's warehouses had limited capacity.
Given that, bringing the trees in small, regular increments was the best option from the Guild's perspective.
"Then... right, you'll gather the trees at the Guild warehouse and take them somewhere, won't you? In that case, instead of dropping them at the Guild, couldn't I just take them directly there?"
"Hmm... normally I'd think so too. But it seems there are various circumstances on the higher-ups' end."
"Circumstances?"
"Yes. Though someone at my level wouldn't know the details... Lenora, why don't you go ask your superior? If they still can't make a decision, you might need to run it through the Guild Master."
"...Yes, you're right."
Why Kenny had suggested that was immediately apparent just by looking at her beaming smile.
While Lenora was explaining the situation to her superior, Kenny would be alone with Rei.
She probably hadn't planned it from the start, but even so, Kenny would never miss a chance to talk alone with Rei if one presented itself.
(He's been traveling with beauties like Marina-sama and Vihera-san, after all. I need to get close to Rei-kun while I can.)
Marina and Vihera, who Rei was traveling with, were extremely attractive even in Kenny's eyes.
So much so that even Kenny would find herself admiring them before she realized it.
Only Byune was someone even Kenny couldn't see as a rival in love... but that was hardly any consolation.
"Sigh, it seems your work is done, so I won't say anything more... but if someone comes to submit a request, make sure you handle it properly, okay?"
Even knowing Kenny's aim, given the current situation, there was no choice but to consult her superior.
Lenora sighed in resignation, then stood from her seat and headed toward her superior.
Lenora supported Kenny's love life as well, but... it rarely showed in her attitude.
"Hehe, it's been quite a while since I've had a chance to talk with you at leisure like this, Rei-kun."
"Yeah. I've been busy with one thing and another lately."
The Spiel Firm matter, and the Treant Forest issue he was currently involved in.
The Treant Forest issue in particular meant the forest encroached at night... and above all, since there was monster activity, Set who could fly and Rei who possessed high combat ability had become semi-dedicated to it.
However, with the request starting today, many other adventurers would be heading out as well.
(The fact that it's a rank-restricted request means that unlike before, adventurers with actual ability will be going to the Treant Forest... Well, I don't know which party the luggage I found yesterday belonged to, though.)
Thinking that, Rei turned his gaze toward Kenny and opened his mouth, curious about yesterday's luggage.
"Did you figure out which party the luggage I found yesterday belonged to?"
"Ah, the matter Lenora was looking into... No, unfortunately not yet. Partly because things are busy with the Treant Forest situation, but mostly because there was nothing among the belongings that could identify the individual."
"I see. Well, if there had been a Guild Card, it would have been a different story..."
"That's true. But Guild Cards are usually kept on the person. Considering that, without something distinctive left behind, identifying them quickly is difficult."
As she said that, Kenny looked at Rei.
The Misty Ring, the Sleipnir boots, and beyond those, the Eye of Nebula and the Ring of the New Moon—Rei wore several Magic Items.
With that many distinguishing features, it would be easy to search for who they belonged to.
...Though, of course, whether someone who picked up a Magic Item would honestly report it to the Guild was another matter entirely.
"Rei-kun, you've been to the Treant Forest several times now, but have you ever seen any monsters?"
She must have judged that continuing to talk about the missing party would only make the conversation gloomier. Kenny changed the subject.
And it wasn't an entirely unrelated topic either, but one about the Treant Forest, which showed that Kenny, as a Guild Staff Member, was also concerned about it.
Currently, the person who visited the Treant Forest most frequently within Gilm was undoubtedly Rei.
In other words, there was no one who knew more about the Treant Forest than him.
...Though Rei wasn't particularly knowledgeable about various plant species, so there was a limit to what he could answer when asked.
But even so, if asked whether he had encountered monsters in the Treant Forest, Rei could confidently shake his head.
"No, I haven't encountered any monsters at all. Considering Thresha and the luggage I found yesterday, there's no doubt that monsters appear in the Treant Forest at night..."
But during the day, not a shadow or a trace of them could be seen.
At Rei's words, Kenny tilted her head.
Indeed, that was strange.
Even if monsters became more active at night, it was impossible that they would simply vanish during the day.
They might become sluggish or be sleeping, but even so, they shouldn't be able to deceive Set's five senses—including his sense of smell—his Sixth Sense, and even his ability to detect magical power.
"I see. Then..."
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Just before Kenny could say anything, Lenora returned and called out.
Kenny directed a dissatisfied glare at Lenora for interrupting her enjoyable moment, but... she probably understood that keeping Rei company had only been acceptable while Lenora was away.
Without uttering a word of complaint, she reluctantly fell silent.
Glancing at Kenny's demeanor, Lenora once again addressed Rei.
"I checked with the Guild Master, and it seems this matter carries a high degree of confidentiality. Therefore, they would like you to refrain from delivering the trees you felled individually."
"...Then what am I supposed to do?"
"They said they'll dispatch personnel, so they want you to hand the trees over to them."
"I see, so it comes to that in the end... Hmm?"
At Lenora's words, Rei felt a momentary sense of incongruity.
She said they would dispatch personnel, but exactly where they were being dispatched from wasn't specified.
(Well, thinking about it normally, it'd be Guild Staff Members... or maybe adventurers?)
The incongruity lasted only a moment, and he soon put it out of his mind.
"Did something come up?"
"No, nothing. So, to confirm today's request again: I head to the Treant Forest, store the felled trees there, and then hand them over to the person waiting at Gilm's entrance, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. The request fee will vary depending on the amount transported, is that alright?"
"Yeah, that's fine. However, I'd like the payment in Flame Ore."
"The Guild Master told me about that. He said either Flame Ore or money, whichever Rei-san prefers."
Worker must have understood that he was asking a lot of Rei with this matter.
That was precisely why he had prepared the reward Rei wanted.
...Though Rei himself didn't feel he was being put upon at all.
To begin with, even up to now, he had only been working for about an hour at most.
However, the fact that only Rei could do this was an undeniable truth.
"I see. Then I'll go with Flame Ore."
"...What do you use Flame Ore for anyway? Wouldn't money be better?"
Kenny, who had been listening to Rei and Lenora's conversation, asked curiously.
Even if she had heard that Rei used Flame Tornado, she didn't know specifically how he did it... let alone that he poured Flame Ore into it to increase its power and lethality.
Without knowing such things, it was only natural to assume Flame Ore was something a Blacksmith or Alchemist would use.
And Rei was neither a Blacksmith nor an Alchemist.
Or rather, wanting Flame Ore as a material to bring when commissioning something to be made was understandable, but...
"For me right now, Flame Ore is more welcome than money. Especially in a situation like this..."
Using Fire Whirlwind to burn the Treant Forest to ashes in an emergency.
For Rei, who considered that his last resort, Flame Ore was something he could never have enough of.