"Rei-kun, are you here!?"
That voice rang out through the dining hall of the Wheat Inn at dusk.
The outside was just beginning to grow dim—an appropriate time for dinner and gatherings. Though, when it came to drinking, there were always those who had already started back in broad daylight.
At dusk, however, the Wheat Inn was fundamentally a dining hall, not a tavern.
They did serve alcohol, of course, but strictly as an accompaniment to a meal.
Those who wanted to drink and make noise could head to a proper tavern and do as they pleased—that was the unspoken rule of the Wheat Inn come evening.
Even so, the dining hall drew plenty of customers beyond the inn's overnight guests during the dinner hour, a testament to just how good the food was.
Even now, many patrons were enjoying their respective meals.
The one who burst into that lively space was Kenny.
Among the surrounding customers who heard her shout, there were adventurers, and naturally, some of them knew Kenny.
She had always been a wildly popular receptionist. There were probably few adventurers who didn't recognize her face.
"Kenny-chan, what's up? If you're up for it, how about a drink with—"
"Yes, yes, sorry. I don't have time for that right now. Where's Rei-kun?"
The adventurer who had tried to invite her out expected Kenny's usual confident, breezy reply. Instead, she looked desperate. Though his face was flushed from a few drinks, he put on a serious expression.
As an adventurer, he had plenty of occasions to drink, and the small amount of alcohol served at the Wheat Inn wouldn't be nearly enough to get him drunk.
...Though, naturally, the alcohol was still working on his thoughts.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. So, where's Rei-kun?"
Perhaps deciding that no matter what else he asked, she wouldn't tell him, the man silently looked toward the back of the dining hall.
Following his gaze, Kenny looked in that direction as well. There she saw Rei, Vihera, Byune... and even Marina, all dining together amiably. Kenny's eyebrow twitched.
Given that Rei and the others formed the party known as the Crimson Lotus Wings, it wasn't strange for them to be eating together.
Moreover, everyone except Marina was staying at this inn.
(Still, that makes me wonder why Marina-sama is here.)
Kenny, of course, knew that Marina had a mansion in the Noble District.
Why was Marina here? The thought left Kenny feeling vaguely displeased.
Even if she understood the logic of it, as a girl harboring feelings for Rei, the scene before her stirred up no shortage of emotions.
But she quickly recalled why she, not Lenora, had been the one dispatched—Kenny the cat beastman, with her sharp reflexes.
Lenora's physical ability was by no means poor, but in terms of pure athleticism, she couldn't match a cat beastman like Kenny.
And around nightfall... the time when adventurers returning from work outside the city filled the streets, using a carriage was simply out of the question.
That was precisely why Kenny, with her raw speed, had been asked to come.
She had her thoughts about the current situation, but fulfilling her duty came first.
"Rei-kun."
"...Mmph. Kenny? What brings you here so suddenly?"
Rei swallowed the tender meat that had been simmered for hours and fell apart the instant he bit into it, then spoke to Kenny as she approached the table.
Normally, Kenny would have flashed a smile and exchanged pleasantries when Rei called out to her.
She wouldn't have missed the chance to show off her charm, either.
But the Kenny standing before Rei now did none of that. She opened her mouth with a grave expression.
"Rei-kun, I have an urgent request for you."
Hearing the seriousness in Kenny's voice, Rei judged that this was no joking matter and adopted a solemn expression of his own.
"That sounds like a dangerous request. ...Specifically?"
For a moment, he wondered whether it was appropriate to discuss it in this crowded dining hall, given that it was an urgent request. But Kenny spoke up regardless of their surroundings.
She couldn't afford to worry about that right now—that much was clear.
"The woodcutters left Gilm a short while ago. We believe they probably headed for the Treant Forest, so we need someone to go bring them back immediately."
"...Huh?"
Rei let out a dumbfounded sound.
The fact that monsters grew more active at night was common sense, plain and simple.
This was Gilm on the frontier, moreover. The monsters in the surrounding area were incomparable to those near ordinary villages and towns.
But what surprised Rei the most was that the woodcutters had headed for the Treant Forest.
"Did you not tell them about the dangers of the Treant Forest?"
"Of course we told them. But... either the woodcutters didn't believe it, or they thought they could handle whatever came up on their own."
Seeing Kenny shake her head in silence, Rei couldn't say anything more.
Despite understanding the danger, why would they do something so foolish?
That was something Rei simply could not comprehend.
As woodcutters who swung axes on a daily basis, their strength was certainly above average. But that was strength built for felling trees, not muscle honed for combat.
And above all, the Treant Forest in its current state became an extremely dangerous place at night.
After all, two parties had already been annihilated there.
And that was only what they currently knew about.
In reality, it wouldn't have been surprising if far more adventurers had been attacked—no, devoured—by the forest.
"Anyway, that's the situation. We need you to hurry and rescue the woodcutters. The Main Gate is already closed for the night, but the Guild Master arranged special permission to open it."
The document she handed him stated, just as Kenny had said, that opening the gate was authorized in the name of the Guild Master.
Thoroughly enough, Daskar's signature was on it as well.
(Well, opening the Main Gate at this hour... it might not have been impossible for Worker to decide on his own, but I guess they figured better safe than sorry.)
Rei looked regretfully at the meat stew in front of him, then stood up.
To be honest, he had mixed feelings about the woodcutters, who had essentially thrown themselves into a place of death.
But even so, when he thought about what to do with the Treant Forest going forward, a decrease in the number of woodcutters was absolutely something to be avoided.
In the first place, Gilm didn't have that many woodcutters compared to an ordinary city.
That was because the work of a woodcutter—felling trees—required going outside the city walls.
The Treant Forest aside, it wasn't unusual for monsters to appear even during the day in ordinary forests and woods.
While less dangerous than being an adventurer, there were never many people willing to do such work.
Losing the already scarce woodcutters in a place like this was something to be avoided at all costs.
He couldn't help wondering why they would do something so stupid, but for now, rescuing them came first.
As Rei stood, Marina, Vihera, and Byune rose as well.
"Hm? You're all coming too?"
"Yes. We're going to escort the woodcutters, aren't we? Or rather, rescue them. Either way, I think the more people, the better. Right?"
When Vihera turned to Kenny for confirmation, Kenny nodded immediately.
"From what the guards stationed at the Main Gate said, the number of woodcutters who left is over ten."
"See? Handling that many people with just you and Set would be difficult. Fortunately, Marina and I can travel by clinging to Set's legs. ...Byune, you stay behind."
"Ngh!"
Byune raised a protest at Vihera's words.
She was dissatisfied, having fully intended to go along.
But Vihera continued, as if to reason with her.
"Marina and I have already tried clinging to Set's legs and flying several times before. But you've never done that, have you, Byune?"
"..."
Whether she couldn't argue back or not, Byune fell silent.
(With Byune's small size, I could just have her ride on top of Set... but maybe it's better not to mention that here.)
In terms of pure combat power, Byune wasn't particularly strong.
True, she had gained a respectable level of combat ability as a thief through training over the winter, but that was strictly within the context of an ordinary thief.
Compared to Vihera, Marina... and above all, compared to himself, Byune's combat power was nothing special—just one among many, in Rei's assessment.
If the opponent were a clearly identified type of monster, that would be one thing. But the Treant Forest was shrouded in uncertainty.
Based on what he'd heard from Thresha, he had initially thought—given the name—that Treants might be the enemy. But considering the fate of the party that appeared to have been attacked the day before, that conclusion was hard to reach.
To be attacked in that forest yet leave no scent whatsoever for Set to detect—that wasn't something Treants were capable of.
"Sorry, Byune. I need you to stay here. If any new information comes in, it'll probably be sent to this inn, so I'm counting on you to receive it."
Rei had his doubts about whether Byune could actually handle receiving information—or, more precisely, whether she could communicate with whoever brought it. But for now, he decided to frame it that way.
Whether Byune picked up on Rei's reasoning or not was unclear, but she offered no objection and simply nodded.
Seeing that, Rei got to his feet once more.
Whether to call it fortunate or not, neither Marina nor Vihera had touched alcohol today.
Perhaps because Rei himself didn't care for liquor, the fact that Marina and Vihera had been keeping their own drinking to a minimum had worked out well.
He had no intention of bringing someone who had been drinking—even slightly—into the Treant Forest, where anything could happen.
With the matter settled, Rei turned to a group of adventurers seated at a nearby table—men who used the Wheat Inn as their regular haunt and were acquaintances of his.
"This food—if you want it, it's yours. Have it over there."
"Huh? Are you sure? Well, if you're offering, we'll gladly take it."
The dishes on the table where Rei's party had been sitting were still largely uneaten.
Some plates hadn't been touched at all.
There were people who would absolutely refuse to eat something someone else had already started on, but fortunately, these adventurers had no such hang-ups.
Besides, when working as an adventurer, eating food that someone else had been working on was a perfectly ordinary occurrence.
In fact, anyone who minded that sort of thing would find it impossible to function as an adventurer.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, we've got business to attend to. ...Everyone, get ready. Marina, what about—"
Rei paused mid-sentence.
Marina's current attire was, as always, a party dress.
She wasn't wearing trousers like the time she'd gone to the Treant Forest clinging to Set's leg alongside Rei.
Of course, unlike in daylight, it was dark at night.
Flying through the sky in a party dress wouldn't raise concerns about being seen from below.
...Even so, not wanting to fly through the air in a party dress was simply Marina's pride as a woman.
Furthermore, even for a short flight, a party dress was hardly practical.
But going from here all the way to Marina's mansion in the Noble District just to change would take a considerable amount of time.
With the woodcutters' lives on the line, that was time they couldn't afford to waste.
Rei hesitated briefly, but Marina shook her head.
"I've kept some spare clothes in Vihera's room, so I can get ready right away. I've got my bow and arrows on me, too."
That was when she had been serving as Guild Master aside, Marina was an adventurer now.
As such, being ready to move at a moment's notice in an emergency was simply second nature.
"Got it. Then that's settled. ...Kenny, who's leading the woodcutters?"
"A woodcutter named Fekts. He's a central figure among the younger ones—well-respected, and his skills as a woodcutter are solid. ...However..."
Kenny trailed off, clearly reluctant to say more. But judging that she ought to share the information since they were about to go rescue the man, she opened her mouth again.
"He's apparently well-known for disliking adventurers."
"...Ah."
Kenny's words triggered Rei's memory of what had happened earlier that day.
He recalled a woodcutter who had been glaring at the adventurers.
He also remembered the man being called Fekts by his companions. That confirmed it—there was no doubt it was the same person.
"Got it. I remember his face, so that won't be a problem. Though if he's known for hating adventurers, that could make things complicated..."
"They said not to worry about that. Even if you have to be a bit forceful, just prioritize securing their safety."
Rei nodded at Kenny's words and set about making his preparations to depart.