The summer-like heat faded considerably once night fell.
It wasn't as though the temperature dropped sharply the moment the sun set, but compared to the evenings of just a short while ago, it was undeniably much more comfortable.
If you listened carefully, you could tell the chirping of insects all around had subtly changed.
Taking in those insect sounds that signaled the approaching autumn, Rei and the others were having dinner in the courtyard of Marina's house.
"Now that I think about it, it feels like it's been quite a while since we last ate here."
"Really? I don't think it's been that long. I mean, it was before we left for Reblurina, right?"
The conversation flowed easily as they ate a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables, reaching for freshly baked pizza at the same time.
Several other dishes were also spread across the table—skewers, simmered dishes, grilled fish, and the like.
Calling it a lavish feast might have been a stretch, but there was no doubt that a satisfying spread of delicious food had been assembled.
"Hmm, this fish pizza is excellent. Is the fish from what you caught before we came back to Gilm?"
Elena voiced her admiration as she savored a simple pizza topped with river fish, cheese, and some summer vegetables.
When it came to fine dining, Elena, Marina, and Vihera had all had countless opportunities to sample the kind of cuisine served at noble parties.
But even for those three, a home-cooked meal made by Rei using the Magic Item pizza oven tasted better than any feast.
"Yeah. We had plenty of river fish to spare, so I used that. But since it's river fish and vegetables, the flavor inevitably ends up on the lighter side. I'd like to try a bolder seasoning, though."
"Is that so? I am perfectly satisfied with a light flavor like this."
"Hmm, I think I agree with Rei. A slightly richer seasoning would be better."
In response to Elena, Vihera stated her own preference.
"Oh, I think it's delicious as it is, though."
"Mmm..."
Marina sided with Elena, while Byune sided with Vihera.
Opinions were split right down the middle, but Rei paid it no mind as he baked a fresh pizza.
Then again, considering that the topping on this particular one was orc meat simmered in a sweet and savory sauce, perhaps he was at least somewhat concerned.
"So, how was your work today? On my end, I've transported all the wood that was in the Treant Forest for now."
"For someone like you, Rei, that kind of work isn't a burden at all."
Rei's Misty Ring was overwhelmingly effective for that sort of task.
No matter how much there was to move—even things that would require tremendous effort for ordinary people to carry—he could store it all in the Misty Ring with ease.
"Well, yeah. Anyway, the biggest issue on my end is taken care of. But... it looks like quite a few monsters have made their way into the Treant Forest."
"Isn't there supposed to be some level of vigilance around that area?"
Marina set the pizza she had been eating back onto her plate before responding to Vihera's remark.
"Come on. There's no way to completely seal off the Treant Forest, no matter how hard you try. Monsters will always slip through the gaps and into the woods."
"...Why go that far just to get into the Treant Forest?"
As far as Vihera knew, there were hardly any animals in the Treant Forest.
Birds, being able to fly, did seem to have some presence, but even their numbers were few.
Setting up residence in a place like that would surely mean struggling to find food—or so Vihera wondered.
"There are people there, and other monsters too, right? They won't have any trouble finding food."
Even as she said that, it was clear that monsters settling in the Treant Forest wasn't something Marina welcomed either.
As the former Guild Master, her reaction was perfectly natural.
"In that case, is Rei going to go around exterminating monsters in the Treant Forest starting tomorrow?"
Elena asked Rei with a hint of envy.
Elena, who was staying at Marina's house along with Ara, had to conduct meetings with various people—including Daskar—as a representative dispatched by the Noble's Faction.
Of course, she would never let her conversation partners catch on, but for Elena, such meetings were not something she particularly enjoyed.
That was precisely why she envied Rei, who got to be physically active.
"Probably. Fighting monsters isn't a bad thing for me, either."
There was a chance of obtaining Magic Stones from unknown monsters, and even if not, there was no harm in acquiring monster meat.
Moreover, the woodcutters and adventurers working in the Treant Forest would no longer have to worry about being attacked.
Looking at it that way, Rei's course of action was the best possible one.
...Though, in truth, the Magic Stones and meat had already become the more important factors for him.
Vihera, who had been listening to the exchange between Rei and Elena, wiped food crumbs from the corner of Byune's mouth and spoke up curiously.
"From what I'm hearing, is it mostly just monsters in the Treant Forest? What about animals?"
"Unfortunately, it seems there are none. Though it wouldn't be strange if there were at least some."
It was a rich forest, so it wouldn't be unusual for herbivores drawn to the vegetation—and carnivores drawn to the herbivores in turn—to gather there.
Saying so, Rei enjoyed a pizza topped with sausage, onion, and Mushrooms.
"Well, setting my side aside... how was it for Marina and Vihera?"
"I was working at the construction site, and compared to the schedule we'd been given in advance, it seems to be running slightly behind."
"Why? It's not because they're short on building materials, right?"
The biggest reason Daskar had requested Rei's return was to handle the transport of felled timber from the Treant Forest, but that didn't mean no wood had been transported in the meantime.
Moreover, the amount of lumber Rei had hauled before going to Reblurina was substantial, making a shortage of building materials unlikely.
"No, it's not a materials problem. If anything, the problem is that too many skilled craftsmen gathered."
"...Not too few skilled craftsmen, but too many?"
If there was a shortage of skilled craftsmen, it would be understandable that construction would fall behind because they couldn't keep up.
But too many skilled craftsmen—why? The moment he wondered that, he quickly remembered.
Now that he thought about it, a similar commotion had broken out before the Expansion Construction even began.
"Because they're skilled, they're stubborn, and they can't accept other craftsmen's methods? But wait, wasn't that already settled before construction started?"
"That's right. In terms of the broad direction, it had been resolved."
"Ah, could that possibly be..."
Ara, who had been savoring her pizza, murmured as though something had just occurred to her.
Marina nodded in response to Ara's expression.
"Probably, Ara's guess is correct. The broad strokes were agreed upon among the craftsmen, but when it comes to the finer details, each has their own way of doing things. And since they're all veteran craftsmen, their methods have solid reasoning behind them."
"And that didn't cause problems until now?"
"Of course it did. But until recently, it wasn't that big of an issue. However... apparently, lately those kinds of disputes have been piling up."
"So construction started falling behind... huh. Well, it's probably better to have thorough discussions and reach mutual agreement before moving forward, rather than just compromising half-heartedly and pushing on."
"That's true. If they just go along with things half-heartedly and push construction forward, it's obvious the same kind of commotion will flare up again later... Looking at it that way, it's definitely better to get those details sorted out. Especially now, as we head into autumn and then winter..."
Marina said nothing more, but everyone present understood what she meant.
The current season was fine. Autumn, too, wasn't much of a concern.
But winter—when construction would have to proceed amid falling snow—if some misstep led to an accident, there was a high probability it would be irrecoverable.
To avoid regretting it later, it was undeniably better to thoroughly discuss even the fine details on-site.
"Do the people in charge know about these circumstances?"
"Of course. But... no matter how much they say, they're dealing with craftsmen. If they were poor craftsmen, that would be one thing, but this is a construction project staffed by skilled artisans. If the craftsmen themselves aren't convinced, there's nothing anyone can do."
"...At worst, it seems like the Expansion Construction itself could come to a halt. Is that just my imagination?"
If the craftsmen discussed things and clicked, their combined force on-site would undoubtedly be tremendous.
But that was only if they clicked.
It would be nice if that happened, but if it didn't, there was no denying the possibility that the majority of craftsmen could pull out of the project.
Many of the craftsmen were Dwarves in particular, and their stubbornness was truly extraordinary.
"That possibility exists too, but... it'll probably work out somehow."
Understanding Rei's concern yet still saying so with an air of confidence—perhaps because Marina had something up her sleeve that could be called a trump card.
Though he harbored some doubts about that, Rei decided not to press further, figuring that if Marina said so, she must have her reasons.
"So, next up... how about your side, Vihera?"
"Me? Hmm, let's see. Honestly, there's been no particular change from before."
Vihera, who had been eating roast deer baked in the pizza oven with a sauce made from tart fruit, replied to Rei.
"No change from before... huh. From what I heard, it sounded like you took down quite a number of people, though?"
Rei relayed the information he had heard from Kenny, but Vihera simply smiled at him.
"Yes, which is exactly why I said there's been no change from before, didn't I?"
She said it with a casual expression, but that essentially meant she had been forcibly silencing large numbers of people with brute strength all along.
Then again, Rei recognized that anyone who would be subjected to such treatment by Vihera must be a correspondingly malicious individual.
Even if Vihera was starved for battles against strong opponents, she wouldn't take such a hardline stance against someone who wasn't that bad.
"In that case, it means more malicious people have come into Gilm than I expected. ...Honestly, that's a hassle. I just hope it doesn't lead to bigger problems down the line."
Marina handed Rei a glass of Fruit Water chilled with Spirit Magic and spoke in a comforting tone.
"There's nothing you can do about that. Adventurers will always have those kinds of people mixed in. If anything, you should be praising Vihera for precisely taking down those sorts of people."
"I don't think you need to worry about it that much, Rei. It's not like you're the representative of Gilm's adventurers, right? Setting aside S-Rank Adventurers, there are other A-Rank Adventurers and Alias Holder adventurers in Gilm, after all."
"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about Gilm's adventurers, Vihera."
From her tone, it was unmistakable that Vihera had gathered a fair amount of information about the A-Rank Adventurers and Alias Holder adventurers in Gilm.
As far as Rei was concerned, the only A-Rank Adventurers and Alias Holder adventurers he knew were Elk and his group from the Axe of the Thunder God.
Well, in terms of being an Alias Holder, Elena qualified as well, but since the premise here was adventurers belonging to Gilm, she couldn't be counted among them.
"Naturally, don't you think? You should become a bit more familiar with adventurer affairs, Rei. Besides... for me, gathering information about strong adventurers is only natural, wouldn't you say?"
"I won't deny that."
Indeed, considering Vihera's personality—someone who loved fighting strong opponents—gathering information about people rumored to be powerful was only natural.
After all, there was no telling when she might get to fight such opponents.
Neglecting that preparation could result in what would be a truly fatal missed opportunity for Vihera.
"Hehe, I'll teach you all sorts of things about that later, Rei, so look forward to it."
Saying that, Vihera flashed a full smile.
But when it came to adventurer information, Marina, the former Guild Master, was no slouch either, and Elena also knew several Alias Holders thanks to her wide network of connections.
And so, the dinner table grew increasingly lively.
Looking at the scene of the meal, Rei truly felt that he had come home to Gilm.