"…Two-Bird, how does it look?"
At Worker's words, the Old Man called Two-Bird looked up.
Before the man lay what appeared at first glance to be nothing but a Treant corpse.
However, this was something Rei had brought from the Treant Forest — a creature that could perhaps be called a Treant in appearance only, one that possessed no Magic Stone.
Looking toward Worker, Two-Bird — a man possessing the finest appraisal skills for monster materials in all of Gilm's Guild — shook his head.
Possessing the finest skills in Gilm… having that level of appraisal ability carried great significance.
Because Gilm was a frontier city, precisely because of that status, various monsters that would never appear in ordinary places were brought there.
That was precisely why a corresponding level of appraisal skill was required.
Even for a man like Two-Bird, the Treant corpse before him was an existence that could only be described as inexplicable.
"Can't be done. If you look at the appearance alone, no matter how you look at it, it's nothing but a Treant, and yet…"
Two-Bird's murmuring gaze was directed at the Treant Rei had cut open while searching for a Magic Stone… but not only that.
By Two-Bird's own hands, several Treants had already been opened up.
Of course, whether "opened up" was the right expression for a tree monster like a Treant was a rather delicate matter.
"At first, I thought perhaps someone had brought a Treant with its Magic Stone already removed and was claiming it had none. Well, since it was Rei who brought this in, I wasn't too worried about that sort of thing."
The reason Two-Bird had been suspicious was, naturally, partly because of the season.
Among adventurers who had only just arrived in Gilm, those who did foolish things to make a name for themselves quickly were not uncommon.
He had known that it was Rei who brought this in, but given those circumstances, Two-Bird could not help but be suspicious.
After all, it was a monster that possessed no Magic Stone.
"I suppose so. I can't imagine Rei-san doing something like that… ah, but considering he does have a somewhat gullible side to him despite everything, the possibility of him being deceived by some unsavory character is… no, there's no chance of that."
If it had been Rei alone, there might have been a possibility of him being deceived.
However, when Rei went to the Treant Forest, Marina had also been there.
There was no way Marina — the previous Guild Master before Worker — would be fooled by such a lie.
Worker was currently serving as Guild Master, but he did not believe he could surpass Marina in pure ability as a Guild Master.
If anything, the honest truth was that he had not even come close to reaching her shadow.
"Even so… if that's the case, this becomes a rather troublesome matter. Two-Bird, what do you honestly think when you look at this Treant?"
"You ask what I think… well now, at the very least, among all the monsters I have seen in my time, there has never been such a thing as a monster without a Magic Stone."
In the first place, monsters without Magic Stones simply did not exist — or so he said.
Worker nodded at Two-Bird's words as well.
Worker had been entrusted with running the Guild's Branch Office at the site where the Dungeon had once been.
While not to the same extent as Two-Bird, he was knowledgeable about many types of monsters.
Even from Worker's perspective, this matter was something he could scarcely believe.
If the person who had brought the Magic Stone-less Treant corpse hadn't been Rei… and if it hadn't been proven before his very eyes that there was no Magic Stone, Worker too would have found it impossible to believe.
This matter was significant to that degree.
"Even so, in order to expand Gilm, the timber from the Treant Forest is absolutely necessary."
Strictly speaking, if it came down to it, they could have it transported from other cities.
But if that happened, it would naturally require far more funding.
Especially if they were to expand Gilm by fifty percent, there could never be enough timber no matter how much they had.
Above all, the trees of the Treant Forest possessed power beyond that of ordinary timber thanks to their magic.
(That is to say, it was precisely because the trees of the Treant Forest possessed such properties that the idea of using them for Gilm's expansion arose in the first place… if they were ordinary trees, that would never have been the case.)
The Treant Forest's troublesome nature, its eeriness… even factoring those in, the situation was such that one could not help but find it useful — and that fact plagued Worker with worry.
"In any case, I would like to ask you to investigate this Treant, Two-Bird. …If we can properly manage the Treant Forest's spread, that could be called a blessing for Gilm."
"…I can't imagine things going quite that smoothly, though."
Having watched monsters for many years — and frontier monsters at that — Two-Bird knew just how dangerous an existence a monster truly was.
That was precisely why, if asked whether they could control monsters according to their own wishes as Worker suggested, he could only tilt his head in doubt.
"Guild Master, would you permit me to speak frankly?"
"Hm? What is it? Of course, I don't mind at all. It may lead to a better outcome, after all."
Worker had the willingness to listen to others' opinions like this.
For the Guild Staff Members, this could be called fortunate.
Within the Guild, there were Guild Masters who ran their operations in a near-dictatorial fashion.
Dismissing anyone who could not agree with their opinions without a moment's hesitation, for instance.
Compared to such Guild Masters, Worker was a far more approachable figure.
Naturally, the previous Guild Master, Marina, would never have entrusted the position of her successor to such a person in the first place.
"Frankly speaking, about this Treant Forest? It's spreading, isn't it? Then wouldn't it be better to destroy it while we still can?"
"…I understand your concern, Two-Bird. However, there is no doubt that this Treant Forest is an extremely important existence for Gilm as it stands now. Naturally, we are making preparations so that we can respond immediately should anything happen, so please rest assured."
"You may say that, but monsters do not always move as we expect. If anything, it would be better to assume they will constantly act in ways that betray our expectations."
Two-Bird insisted on the danger of monsters, but Worker had his reasons for not backing down here.
If they were unable to use the Treant Forest's timber, that would mean Gilm's development would be delayed.
At the same time, it would also mean Gilm's adventurers would lose the opportunity to obtain a great deal of work.
As Guild Master, Worker wanted to carry out the expansion work — which would bring great benefit to Gilm's adventurers — as early as possible.
(Besides, there's no telling how long Rei-san and the members of the Crimson Lotus Wings will remain in Gilm.)
It was certain that Rei and his party were currently based in Gilm, and it was hard to imagine they would move their base of operations so easily.
However… the fact that it was hard to imagine did not mean it was absolutely impossible, and while the Crimson Lotus Wings — a party that was exceptional in every sense — was present, Worker wanted to finish the massive undertaking of Gilm's expansion.
If this were an ordinary request, there would be no need to worry so much… but the expansion of a city, and by fifty percent at that, was no simple matter.
While they still had even a little more Combat Power, as early as possible… it was only natural for Worker to think this way.
Rei in particular possessed remarkably attractive abilities, such as his Item Box and Set, who could fly through the sky.
Just how effective those abilities were — anyone connected to Rei would know.
Given all that, it was no wonder Worker was in a hurry.
(Though there is no denying the fact that the Treant Forest is a dangerous place in many respects. That being the case, I cannot deny the possibility that we might needlessly put adventurers in harm's way.)
As long as one held the profession of adventurer, danger was an inseparable companion — that much was a given.
But that did not mean there was any need to deliberately throw themselves into dangers that could be avoided.
(I suppose I need to discuss this with Lord Daskar at least once.)
Fortunately, Worker met with Daskar every day for discussions regarding Gilm's expansion.
Given that, consulting him about this matter would not be difficult.
Having decided on what he needed to do, Worker told Two-Bird once more to investigate the Treant, attempting to unravel even a little of the mystery behind this unidentified existence.
"GYAGAAAAH!"
A scream echoed through the forest.
And not just from one creature.
Corpses lay scattered everywhere… Goblin corpses.
No, not just Goblins. There were also Orcs, Lizardmen, and other monsters among them.
But… among those monsters, there were almost none still alive.
If anything, corpses that could still be identified as Goblin, Orc, or Lizardman were the minority.
There were many monsters whose bodies had roots sprawling throughout them while still alive, pulsing beneath their skin like blood vessels; others had been pierced through the lower half of their bodies by plants growing from the ground, their flesh and internal organs entirely dissolved by digestive fluids and absorbed, leaving nothing but bone and skin.
If Rei and his party had seen this sight, it would have given them pause.
When they had come to this forest just a few hours ago, there had been no monsters other than plant-life like the Treants.
But now it was different.
Saying that the ground was blanketed with countless monster corpses would be the most accurate description.
"GYAAAAAAAAAH!"
Thorny vines wrapped around the Goblin's entire body, tearing into skin and flesh.
The Goblin screamed uncontrollably from the intense pain radiating from every part of its body, quite literally.
If this had been an adventurer, they might have been able to use a blade to cut through the vines, but unfortunately for the Goblin, the scene before its eyes was all it could comprehend.
In the first place, since the only weapon a Goblin possessed was a club, there was nothing it could do once vines had entwined its entire body.
And so, bleeding from all over, the vines were swung wildly.
Like a child swinging a toy around… that was the sensation.
Of course, the Goblin being swung around was made of flesh and blood, so there was no way it would emerge unscathed.
…Or rather, perhaps it was fortunate for the Goblin that it struck a nearby tree trunk and broke its neck, killing it instantly.
When the last surviving Goblin died, only corpses remained spread throughout the forest.
Gurgle.
As the ground writhed, something emerged from it.
No — it was a tree root, presumably. But the thickness of that root was about the size of an adult's torso.
The root coiled around the corpses of Orcs and Lizardmen, then burrowed back into the ground.
Setting aside its appearance as a tree root, the scene closely resembled a snake constricting its prey with its body.
When dozens of snake-like roots had dragged everything below ground — including the Goblin corpses — the next to arrive were not roots but vines. And not just any vines, but an amount that could fittingly be called a swarm.
They absorbed every last trace of blood, flesh, bone, and internal organs that remained on the surface.
If Rei had seen this, he would have thought it was like a vacuum cleaner.
Not only that, but the vines even absorbed the thick stench of blood that had been hanging in the air.
Nothing that could serve as nourishment for the forest would be allowed to escape — not a single drop of blood, not a single scrap of flesh, not even the scent of blood drifting through the air.
The sight of countless vines consuming their prey was like a swarm of snakes swallowing their victims whole.
And so, a few minutes later… not a single trace of the corpses remained.
Given that even the stench of blood that had been drifting through the air had completely vanished, no one would ever realize that what could only be called a massacre of monsters had taken place here.
Indeed, the fact that even Set had been unable to detect it was proof of just how thorough that concealment was.
And so, only silence remained in the forest.
Under the light of the moon alone… from the surrounding trees, something small — about the size of a single grain of sand — drifted away.
Those tiny somethings emitted their own light as they were carried on the wind, heading outside the forest.
Yes — to gather new prey once more… to bring beings that would serve as nourishment for the forest.
Creatures that had become so single-mindedly devoted that they could think of nothing but the forest would come to this forest, just as the monsters that had been killed earlier.
The forest simply waited, filled with silence, for its prey to arrive.