"Hey, pack these materials over there! We can't fit any more into this cave!"
"Hold on, we're pretty full here too. If possible, try somewhere else."
"Don't be stupid. Mountains and forests are one thing, but this is a grove. You know this isn't a place where caves are just lying around everywhere!"
"Hey, the stone materials on your side are supposed to be picked up first, so keep them ready to go!"
"Captain, here's the report on the damage we took in this battle."
"…Tch, they were a troublesome lot no matter how you look at it. Our casualties will be fairly significant too. When will reinforcements arrive?"
"Unknown. The very fact that we're operating near Gilm like this is dangerous if we're discovered. Given that, the higher-ups won't be able to send reinforcements easily either."
"Then what do we do? At this rate, our combat power will be depleted faster than planned."
"True, isn't it…? Why don't we just hire real bandits?"
"Hah? Those guys are all numbers, nothing else."
"That's exactly why. We have them take the brunt of the losses, and we carry out the mission."
"Tch, if that merchant had just handed over the materials quietly… Next time I see them, I'll make sure to snuff the life out of them."
"Keep it in moderation. We're supposed to be bandits, after all."
Deep within the grove, Rei was listening intently to the conversations carried on the wind, together with Byune.
Originally, this kind of work was something Byune should have handled, but unfortunately, she was not suited for this type of assignment.
No, looking at her abilities alone, there wasn't much cause for pessimism—but it was more accurate to say that her capacity to communicate information had its limits.
Because of that, Rei, who was by no means poor at this sort of stealth operation, had infiltrated the enemy hideout alongside Byune to gather intelligence, but…
(Sure enough, they weren't just ordinary bandits.)
From the conversations alone, there were words that were concerning in multiple ways: captain, reinforcements, higher-ups, mission… The list went on.
Still, what allowed Rei to feel at least slightly relieved was the confirmation that the merchants who had been attacked were not in league with them.
A merchant who would treat hired adventurers as disposable pawns would be a dangerous entity in many respects.
What's more, if a merchant was openly colluding with forces hostile to Gilm—to its lord, Daskar—then letting them anywhere near the expansion project would have been perilous.
(Well, setting this incident aside, I doubt there are zero merchants who have ties to other factions.)
Merchants would do anything if it meant profit. Though what constituted "anything" varied greatly from merchant to merchant. It depended heavily on the ethics and business philosophy each individual held.
Because of that, even among merchants doing business in Gilm, it was rather normal for them to maintain friendly relations with nobles other than Daskar—with factions like the King's Faction or the Noble's Faction, for instance.
(Though that said, I can't just brush this off as being only that level of issue. I don't know who's behind these guys, but this clearly isn't a matter of just observing the situation. It's aggressive enough to call it an attack.)
The bandits… no, judging from what they were saying, they were in reality private soldiers dispatched by some noble or merchant, or perhaps some other faction.
If they were going around attacking merchants and stealing materials, that was far beyond anything that could be laughed off and forgiven.
(Well, that's ultimately just my own judgment, though. I don't know what kind of decision Lord Daskar would make if he learned about this.)
Daskar was a central figure of the Neutral Faction—a power said to be one of the Three Great Factions of the Kingdom of Mireana.
Given the nature of such a faction, he naturally had many enemies. But if he acted carelessly here, there was a possibility of provoking the Noble's Faction or the King's Faction.
Even though the Neutral Faction was one of the Three Great Factions, its scale was considerably smaller compared to the King's Faction or the Noble's Faction. One wrong move could end up provoking both of those factions.
The Noble's Faction was on friendly terms with Rei thanks to his relationship with Elena, but a faction was still a faction. They wouldn't do something as foolish as bringing personal friendships into inter-faction relations.
While Rei was thinking along those lines, Byune apparently decided the reconnaissance was sufficient. She gave a light tug on his Dragon Robe.
Rei gave her a small nod and began withdrawing from their hiding spot, making sure not to be detected by the enemy.
(Hmm? If Byune can't convey her own intentions to others, then didn't she not even need to come along? I could have done this alone…)
As they moved through the grove, Rei glanced at Byune and wondered this, but quickly revised his thinking—considering she served an advisor-like role, there was no issue.
After moving through the grove for about ten minutes, the grassland outside came into view.
The fact that they had been able to move at a speed that would normally be unthinkable was, as expected, because Rei was with her.
By running at the front, Rei cleared away underbrush, identified where obstructive branches were, and pointed out where tree roots lay—in short, he preemptively flagged all the obstacles that would normally hinder Byune's swift movement. Thanks to that, simply following behind Rei allowed her to move quickly.
Upon exiting the grove, they headed toward a tree some distance away.
"Oh my, that was quite fast. Are you done already?"
From the shadow of that tree, Marina appeared, her voice carrying the question.
A short distance away, Vihera could be seen stroking Set.
Marina's tone conveyed only surprise at how quickly Rei and Byune had returned; there was no sign of anxiety about whether they might have been discovered. She understood that with Rei's skill, there was absolutely no way the bandits would detect him. That this was correct was proven by the fact that Rei and Byune were here now, safe and sound.
Rei understood Marina's reasoning as well, so he didn't take any offense.
"Yeah. Looks like my bad feeling was right on the mark. They're not just bandits. They're a group of private soldiers dispatched by some faction."
Rei had said "private soldiers," but based on the conversations he'd overheard, the image in his mind leaned more toward a special forces unit.
"I see."
Even hearing Rei's words, Marina didn't show any particular sign of surprise. No—it would be more accurate to say she looked as though she understood.
The very act of attacking a merchant transporting materials—and doing so near Gilm—had been suspicious in a number of ways from the start. If someone's private soldiers had orchestrated this incident, it made far more sense.
Precisely because she thought so, she gave only a brief reply to Rei's report.
Unlike the convinced Marina, Vihera—who had been listening to Byune's account while petting Set—smiled with evident interest.
Bandits versus private soldiers. Asked which would put up more of a fight, most people would think of the latter.
Of course, there were strong individuals among bandits, and weak ones among private soldiers. But considering these were likely a group entrusted with a special mission, it was safe to say they were almost certainly strong opponents.
Because of that, Vihera's eyes filled with a hunger for battle. She hoped she might get to fight a strong opponent.
"Ah—hey. Vihera, calm down. This request is about recovering the materials, and that's the top priority."
"…I know that."
Even as she said that, Vihera's gaze was directed toward the depths of the grove.
Vihera had been reasonably satisfied during the Treant Forest incident, but she hadn't experienced a major battle since then. There had been instances where someone who had just arrived in Gilm, knowing nothing of the situation, decided to try wooing Vihera and ended up in a fight as a result—but there weren't many who could do anything against Vihera as she was now. As a result, such individuals had promptly lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.
For that Vihera, a group of private soldiers infiltrating the frontier to conduct operations was an extremely intriguing prospect.
"More importantly, let's go quickly. If we waste time like this, there's a chance they could escape."
"No, I don't think so."
To abandon that many materials and run, they would have to understand that danger was closing in on them. If they knew Rei and his party were nearby, that would be one thing—but since their presence hadn't been discovered yet, there was no concern about them fleeing.
"Do you have some kind of proof?"
"Yeah. They were saying something about wanting reinforcements to come. Wanting reinforcements naturally means they still have things to do here, right?"
"…Well, I suppose so."
Vihera must have been convinced by Rei's words as well. Reluctantly, she gave a nod.
(The fact that they're waiting for reinforcements also means there's a chance they'll pull out easily if reinforcements don't come… but well, no need to mention that.)
If he did mention it, Vihera would likely charge joyfully toward the enemy.
Thinking that, Rei reported the information he had overheard inside the hideout.
Incidentally, when Marina learned that they had not merely stayed outside the private soldiers' hideout but had infiltrated deep inside to eavesdrop, she found herself very torn between scolding him and praising him.
It was certainly encouraging that both Rei and Byune had that level of skill, but in this situation, she questioned whether it had been necessary to go that far. Of course, having more information was always better, but…
In the end, Marina let out only a small sigh and did nothing more to reproach Rei.
"I understand the situation. In that case, I'd like to hit them right away, but… the fact that this is inside a grove makes things difficult. If they scatter, finding them will be a real challenge."
Marina murmured, glancing at the grove where they were hiding.
Unlike the Treant Forest, the trees growing in this grove varied—some thick, some thin. But even the thickest of them could barely conceal a single person.
Even so, as a grove, it was still an ideal place for fleeing. That was especially true if the enemy was an elite unit entrusted with missions like infiltrating hostile territory to launch attacks.
"Set… can I count on you for that?"
"Gruu?"
At Marina's words, Set—who was still being stroked by an expressionless Byune—let out a cry.
"Set, I want you to circle above this grove and wait. If anyone tries to flee, capture as many of them as you can. Even if they scatter in every direction, you should be able to catch or defeat all of them, right?"
"Grururu!"
At Rei's words, Set cried out as if to say, "Leave it to me!"
…Though, lying on the ground being petted by Byune, it lacked a certain intensity.
"Alright, then that's settled. Let's go. I want to have dinner back in Gilm."
"And what exactly was that meal we had at the Wheat Inn at dusk before coming here?"
Vihera muttered with a hint of exasperation, but Rei pretended not to hear and turned his gaze toward the grove—toward the enemy hideout.
Seeing Rei's demeanor, Vihera's expression shifted from exasperation to a small smile, and Marina too readied herself.
Vihera checked her Hand Gauntlets, and Marina checked her bow. Byune as well examined her own weapon—Byakuryou, forged from Silver Lion materials.
Seeing the three of them, Rei somewhat reflexively withdrew the Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring… but after a moment's thought, returned it and pulled out a different spear instead.
A spear colored entirely in deep green, from tip to shaft.
It was a weapon of such beauty that calling it a work of art would have felt perfectly natural, but Rei had no hobby of collecting fine art or artistic pieces. This spear, too, was a thoroughly practical tool.
"Oh, you're using the Thorn Spear? That's unusual."
Seeing the deep green spear in Rei's hands, Marina murmured with a hint of surprise. Originally, this spear was something Rei had received from Marina as a commission reward. That was likely why it had caught her attention.
"It's a grove, after all. The Death Scythe is unwieldy in various ways, and the Twilight Spear has too much raw attack power. By comparison, this Thorn Spear is superior to the Twilight Spear when it comes to capturing targets."
"…Though being on the receiving end of a capture would be quite miserable, I'd imagine."
At Marina's sympathetic words, Rei nodded in agreement.
From the point where the spearhead pierced, thorns would emerge—as the name suggested—and those thorns would wrap around the target. There was no mistaking that it possessed an ability that was a bit too extreme to simply be called "capture."