"Grrrrrr!"
Set purred as it descended into the Treant Forest.
Hearing Set's cry, the adventurers serving as woodcutter escorts in the Treant Forest likely understood who had arrived. Their movements grew more animated.
Several adventurers stepped outside the forest, waving broadly to indicate where Set should land.
(Not that they need to go to that trouble.)
If Rei had been riding in an airplane, such a gesture might have meant something, but the one flying through the sky this time was Set.
Set could judge where to land on its own.
Still, since they were going to the effort, Rei stroked Set and told it to follow the guidance of the adventurer directing things on the ground.
"Set, land where that guy is pointing."
"Gruu."
At Rei's words, Set purred and dove toward the ground.
Upon landing, Set... and Rei, were greeted happily by the adventurers.
"Rei-san, Set. Thank you for coming."
"...Rugluno, why are you so happy? I was here yesterday too, wasn't I?"
He had spent a long time in the Treant Forest yesterday.
So why were they greeting him with such joy only today? He found it puzzling.
In response to Rei, Rugluno offered a smile that seemed somewhere between delighted and troubled.
"Actually, um... someone made a bit of a mistake with the logging, and it's getting in the way of the other woodcutters. They felled a tree right where people walk through."
"Ah... I see."
Seeing Rugluno's demeanor, Rei understood the situation.
Judging by his attitude, the one who had caused it was probably not a woodcutter, but an adventurer.
(And not one of the adventurers who had been guarding the woodcutters from the start, but one of the ones reassigned here yesterday. The ones who rushed headlong into the forest.)
They barely listened to what others said, caring only about their own profit.
Considering the actions of adventurers who thought that way, it was no surprise to Rei that something like what Rugluno described had happened.
In the first place, the woodcutters' primary job was felling trees.
They carefully considered where a tree would fall before cutting it.
"The guys from yesterday?" Rei asked.
Rugluno gave a laugh that seemed like he was trying to gloss something over.
Seeing that alone, Rei judged it as definitive.
"Actually, it seems yesterday's pay was better than they expected. So they figured they'd do some logging today too and increase their earnings."
"Blinded by money, huh."
Muttering this, Rei felt somewhat apologetic toward Rugluno and the woodcutters.
After all, the reason Rei had asked for adventurers to be assigned to the Treant Forest yesterday was to probe Ajas.
But he couldn't ask for just Ajas alone, so the other adventurers being reassigned to the Treant Forest had been largely for camouflage.
Because of that, if the ones reassigned yesterday had caused problems, the blame would also fall on Rei, who had proposed the idea.
Unlike before, now that monsters were appearing in the Treant Forest, the need to increase the number of adventurers was something the Guild had also been considering. In fact, there had been requests from the woodcutters, and the Lord's Manor had issued instructions to that effect.
All Rei had done was ride on that.
Normally, he wouldn't need to feel that responsible, but since his proposal had been the trigger, he couldn't help but feel at least somewhat responsible.
"I understand the situation. Anyway, the felled tree is in the way, right? Then let's take care of that tree first."
"Thank you very much."
Hearing Rei's words, Rugluno let out a breath of relief and guided him into the forest.
"...Weren't we supposed to cut trees from the outside in?"
A few minutes into the forest, seeing Rugluno still pressing forward without stopping, Rei voiced his question.
But in response, Rugluno spoke apologetically.
"Actually, um... they said that cutting trees in slightly better condition would bring in more money..."
"Ah, yeah. You don't need to say any more. I get the gist of it."
Without hearing the end, Rei already understood what the ones who had caused this uproar had been thinking.
(No wonder the woodcutters look displeased.)
Their work had probably been halted by this incident. Watching several woodcutters looking sullen, Rei let out a sigh.
He wondered whether he should have the Guild properly tell them off, or whether he should use his own influence to stop them from acting so selfishly.
As he thought about this, they continued through the forest, and before long, the problematic area came into view.
Just as Rugluno had said, a felled tree lay blocking the path that had been trampled firm by the woodcutters and adventurers.
Of course, the tree wasn't so thick that it made passage impossible.
But still, for anyone trying to go about their business normally, the felled tree was an obstacle.
"Hey, it's Rei. Rei's here."
"Finally. ...Tch, pulling such a troublesome stunt. When amateurs do stupid things, it causes trouble for the rest of us."
"Well, at least we can come and go freely now. ...Haa, it's a good thing Rei showed up when he did."
Listening to that exchange, Rei glanced around at his surroundings.
A group of people had gathered around the felled tree.
The gazes of the group—a mix of woodcutters and adventurers—were directed at a few adventurers who looked dejected, perhaps having realized their own inadequacy for causing such a situation.
"You guys are the ones who screwed up this time?"
"Hyii!"
As if they thought Rei might kill them, the Adventurer Trio let out cries of terror.
Seeing their reaction, Rei felt it was absurd to even deal with them.
If they were going to regret it, they shouldn't have done something like that in the first place.
"Well, whatever. You seem to be reflecting on it, so I won't say anything more this time. Listen closely to what Rugluno tells you and do your job from now on. ...If you pull the same stunt again, I'll have to report it up the chain."
"Up the chain"—in this case, meaning the Guild.
And if the matter was reported to the Guild, the adventurers who had caused this incident would naturally see their reputations suffer.
On top of that, they would be questioned in detail by the Guild and would likely be closely watched going forward.
In Gilm, which was booming thanks to the expansion project, they might lose the chance to ride that wave.
Because they understood that, the adventurers showed visible relief at Rei's words.
(If they're thinking they just need to get through this moment and things will be fine... they'll end up regretting it. But that's their own fault. No need for me to get involved.)
Rei wouldn't file a report himself, but that was only from Rei.
The other woodcutters and adventurers here might not hold back from reporting to the Guild.
After all, Rei had only said that he wouldn't report it.
Of course, even if someone other than Rei reported it, whether it would carry the same weight as a report from Rei was another question entirely.
A High-Rank Adventurer and Alias Holder who had contributed greatly to the expansion project, and whose presence alone significantly shortened the construction period.
It was precisely because Rei possessed such ability that he held such strong influence.
...Of course, even if someone other than Rei reported it, the Guild's scrutiny would probably tighten somewhat.
"Alright, step aside for now. I'm going to store this tree."
At Rei's words, the people around the tree each moved away.
As they scattered, Rei spotted the figure of Ajas, his target, and felt slightly relieved.
Since Ajas was playing the role of a respectable adventurer, Rei hadn't expected him to move on to other work so soon after yesterday. Still, he hadn't had absolute certainty.
That was why seeing Ajas here in person put Rei at ease.
(Once this is sorted out, I'll probe him right away. ...It'd help me out if he gives some kind of reaction, though.)
Thinking this, Rei confirmed that everyone had moved away from the felled tree. He touched the tree and stored it in his Misty Ring.
"Whoa!"
The woodcutters and adventurers gasped in astonishment.
Since they saw felled trees being stored in the Misty Ring almost every day, Rei didn't understand why they were so surprised.
But setting that aside, Rei finished storing the tree without paying any particular attention to his surroundings, and the nearby woodcutters and adventurers who had been watching returned to their respective tasks.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rei saw Rugluno approaching the adventurers who had caused the blunder. Meanwhile, Rei called out to his target... to Ajas.
"Hey, been a day."
"Been a day... what kind of greeting is that?"
Ajas said, sounding exasperated.
His demeanor didn't seem like that of someone with something to hide.
(Somehow it feels off, but there's no evidence. ...Well, what should I do?)
Thanks in part to the hood of his Dragon Robe, Ajas couldn't tell what kind of look Rei was giving him.
He couldn't tell, but... even so, he understood from the atmosphere that Rei was suspicious of something about him.
That was precisely why Ajas answered carefully, making sure not to arouse suspicion.
In a way that showed he was a model adventurer.
Rei suspected Ajas of being Ilse's enemy. Ajas suspected Rei of knowing something about his dark side. It was a situation where they were both suspecting each other, but from an outsider's perspective, the two merely looked like they were having a friendly conversation.
"You came to do your job properly today too, huh."
"Yeah. This work pays decently well. ...Though it's a problem when there are guys who act selfishly like those ones just now."
"True. Even when working, I have to question those who take the easy way out and try to earn money effortlessly."
Rei was implicitly saying that attacking peddlers and stealing their money was wrong... but to Ajas, it felt like he was being asked: You're not kidnapping people and selling them as slaves, are you?
The two of them were subtly talking past each other, yet at a fundamental level, their conversation oddly clicked—one might even call it miraculous.
Though neither of them was particularly happy about it.
"Ahahaha. You're right, making easy money probably isn't the right way for an adventurer. But people do seek out the easy path, don't they?"
"I won't deny that."
Making easy money wasn't proper for an adventurer.
That was what Rei said, but in reality, he had destroyed numerous bandit groups and obtained much of the treasure they had hoarded.
Since the Bandits had even taken to calling him the Bandit Eater, he had no persuasiveness on the matter.
Of course, since he was doing the labor of defeating bandits, he wasn't making money effortlessly in the truest sense.
In reality, it wasn't something just anyone could do.
...And precisely because Rei possessed that kind of power, Ajas couldn't help but be on guard against him.
"Well, let's leave it at that. What are you here for today, Rei?"
He probably judged that continuing the conversation would be disadvantageous for him. Ajas changed the subject to deflect.
Rei had noticed that Ajas had forcefully changed the topic, but he judged that pressing the conversation any further might push Ajas into taking rash action, so he went along with the new topic.
"What do you mean, what am I here for? I've been coming to this Treant Forest every day from the start. You saw that yesterday too, didn't you? If I don't store the felled lumber, it takes a huge amount of effort to transport it to Gilm."
"...The Item Box, huh. I'm honestly jealous that you have such a rare Magic Item."
"I bet. Though..."
Rei paused, then shot a sharp glance at Ajas.
"A lot of people have wanted this. But the fact that it's still in my hands... well, I wonder what happened to all those people who thought about taking it from me."
Rei's gaze was tinged with something close to killing intent.
Seeing that, Ajas could easily imagine the fate of those poor souls.
At the same time, he understood that no matter how things turned, he could never defeat Rei with his own skill.
Ajas, as a D-Rank Adventurer, had a fair amount of confidence in his own abilities.
But the man named Rei before him existed on an entirely different level—and he had understood that from that single glance alone.
(But it's not like I'm trying to fight Rei. If I can't win, I just shouldn't fight.)
Changing his mindset in a flash, Ajas opened his mouth to soothe Rei.
"Hey, hey, don't be so hostile. It's not like I'm after your Item Box."
With those words, he changed the subject.