Stepping outside of Gilm, Rei was surprised by the number of people gathered before him.
Given the Cobolt situation, he had thought that several dozen—fifty or so people—would be a good turnout. But the crowd currently before his eyes was several times that. Nearly two hundred to three hundred.
Not all of them were adventurers. No, rather, the majority were people who no longer worked as adventurers.
But this was Gilm.
There were plenty of people with the title of former adventurer, and even among those who weren't, many had experience disassembling monsters for one reason or another. There were former Guild Staff Members who specialized in disassembly, and also those who handled monster meat professionally and were skilled at the work.
Considering those circumstances, it probably wasn't all that strange for this many people to have gathered.
The Gigant Turtle's dissection offered low pay, but it had been agreed that a portion of the dissected meat would be distributed, and many were likely drawn by that prospect.
"Even so, I really didn't expect this many to show up. Right?"
"Gruu!"
Set let out a cry in response to Rei's words.
Of course, Set wasn't bewildered like Rei. He simply looked as though he was replying because Rei had spoken to him.
In the somewhat brighter light compared to when they had arrived at the Guild, Rei was surprised by the large number of people before him. Hearing Rei's voice, a Guild Staff Member who had been giving out instructions nearby smiled and called out to him.
"There are still more to come, you know. Right now it's about this many, but some people said they'll arrive a bit late because they're busy in the morning. Once those people arrive, the numbers will grow even more."
Saying so, the Guild Staff Member directed his gaze toward the adventurers—no, toward those participating in the Gigant Turtle's dissection.
Among them, Rei could spot several familiar faces, including Yohanna and Hasta.
(Ah, that's the cook from the diner I've been to a few times. So they're coming from places like that too.)
Upon spotting the cook from a restaurant that served delicious stew, Rei noticed several other cooks from his regular shops as well.
It was easy for Rei to imagine that their goal was not the pay but the Gigant Turtle's meat.
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing. So, what are we doing about the Gigant Turtle's dissection? Being here, it feels like we're too close to Gilm."
They were currently situated just outside of Gilm.
If he were to take out the Gigant Turtle—a creature larger than the city walls—in a place like this, there was a high probability that Gilm's walls themselves would be destroyed.
The Guild Staff Member understood this as well, and he immediately nodded.
"Of course. Listen—please, absolutely do not try to take the Gigant Turtle out here. No matter what, absolutely not."
"...Being told that just makes me want to do it, though."
He said this while vaguely recalling a variety show where someone was being told not to push a button—don't push it, don't push it.
But perhaps the Guild Staff Member thought Rei might actually release the Gigant Turtle right there, given his attitude. He frantically grabbed Rei's hand and began moving toward the planned work site.
Set followed after Rei and the Guild Staff Member, and those participating in the dissection work followed as well.
"H-hey, come on. It's a joke. A joke. I'm not seriously thinking about taking out the Gigant Turtle in a place like that!"
"In your case, Rei-san, the fact that it seems like you could actually do it—and would do it—based on your past experience is what makes it so concerning."
Well, that was true enough.
Rei found himself nodding in agreement with the Guild Staff Member's words almost involuntarily.
Rei was well aware of how he was viewed by those around him.
That was precisely why he had no choice but to accept it when the Guild Staff Member said something like that.
Even while Rei was inadvertently agreeing, the Guild Staff Member continued moving, putting an appropriate distance between them and Gilm.
If they went too far, it would waste time when returning to Gilm, and if something happened, it would take time to flee back to the city.
That was why it was important not to get too far from Gilm.
"Still, there was some snow left in town, so it really did snow last night, huh."
When walking through town, those walking ahead of Rei had trampled the snow, so what remained on the path couldn't really be called fresh snow.
But walking slightly off the main road today, Rei and his group were naturally the first to pass—and because of that, he could enjoy the sensation of stepping on fresh snow.
The feeling of his Sleipnir boots pressing into the snow.
For Rei, winter was fundamentally not a welcome season.
When he was in Japan, being in Tohoku meant heavy snowfall, and he had to do snow removal work nearly every day. The ground was frozen, and if he let his guard down, he could slip and fall.
Moreover, the snow on the roads had been churned into a slushy consistency by countless cars passing over it, and it wasn't uncommon for that snow to splash up when a vehicle drove by.
Not all snow was like that, of course, and he had experienced being the first to step on fresh snow countless times, just like the scene spreading before him now.
"You're right. Honestly, I'd prefer it if it didn't snow, if I'm being frank."
The Guild Staff Member probably didn't have fond memories of snow either.
Though his expression didn't change, he said this with an air of being thoroughly tired of it.
"That said, if it doesn't snow, there's less snowmelt, which means less water in the mountains, forests, and woods from summer into autumn. When that happens, Gilm could naturally face a water shortage... and that would be difficult in its own way."
"Ah, I see. A water shortage is directly tied to survival, after all."
Magic Items that produced water, like Rei's Dagger of Flowing Water, did exist.
However, such Magic Items were not infinite in number, and whether one could produce enough water to satisfy the thirst of everyone in Gilm—a city with a population comparable to a proper city, and one whose numbers had swelled further due to the Expansion Construction—was almost certainly a no.
Well, if it were purely a matter of magical power, Rei alone could probably manage something.
But considering the labor and cost involved in distributing that water, it was far from realistic.
Snowmelt wasn't the only water source, but having more sources was better—something Rei could agree with.
When he was in Japan, he had seen on TV how dam water levels dropped and people were restricted from using water freely.
This world didn't have large-scale water storage facilities like dams.
Or rather, they might exist somewhere, but at the very least, Gilm didn't have one.
As they talked and put a certain distance between themselves and Gilm, the Guild Staff Member opened his mouth with a hint of nervousness showing through.
Their conversation up until now had undoubtedly served in part to relieve his own tension.
That was precisely why, when it came time to actually say the words, the nervousness he couldn't hide—and hadn't been able to hide—showed through.
"Then, Rei-san. Around here should be fine, so please take out the Gigant Turtle."
"Understood. Alright then, here I go, okay?"
While saying this as a confirmation, Rei made sure that the adventurers following behind didn't move ahead of him, and confirmed that Set, who had been enjoying the sensation of stepping on fresh snow, was at a safe distance, before taking the Gigant Turtle out of his Misty Ring.
Until a moment ago, it had undeniably been an empty grassland—no, a snowfield.
But in the next instant, a wall stood there.
No, accurately speaking, it wasn't a wall. It was simply that, seen up close, someone mistook the sheer size of the Gigant Turtle for a wall.
Gigant Turtle.
True to its name, the Gigant Turtle was an incredibly enormous creature.
The reactions of those who saw it varied.
Those who had participated in the battle at the Treant Forest and had actually seen the Gigant Turtle with their own eyes wore expressions of understanding, as if confirming that yes, it had been this large.
Those who hadn't participated in that battle showed surprise at seeing the corpse of a monster this massive up close.
Others watched with curiosity, while some directed gazes filled with hatred—having had comrades injured or killed in the Treant Forest incident.
"What should I do about the head?"
During the battle with the Gigant Turtle, Rei had severed its head.
As a result, inside the Misty Ring, the Gigant Turtle was stored in two separate parts: the body and the head.
When Rei called out to the Guild Staff Member to ask whether he should take out the head as well, the man snapped out of his daze of astonishment.
"Eh? Ah, yes. Um... well... not yet. We'll dissect the body first, so please hold off on the head."
"The head is smaller, so wouldn't it be better to start with the head instead of the body?"
"No. The head generally contains important areas, and it has a collection of valuable parts as materials. So I would recommend against dissecting the head right away. If you absolutely insist on starting with it, Rei-san, then you may do so."
Perhaps gradually calming down as he spoke, the Guild Staff Member finally looked at Rei with a glance that asked what he would do.
Rei thought about it for a moment, then nodded in understanding.
"Go with whatever flow you think is best. Either way, the Guild is more accustomed to handling situations like this."
"...We've never dissected a monster this huge either, you know. If we're talking about dissecting giant monsters, Rei-san, who dissected the Lemures in Emosion, is probably more experienced."
When put that way, Rei could only nod.
That said, the Lemures had been a giant monster, but the Gigant Turtle was even larger than the Lemures.
If told to take command of dissecting such a massive body, Rei would shake his head and say it was impossible.
In the first place, this request wasn't for Rei to do the dissection himself, but for the Guild to gather the manpower to do it.
"Well, good luck for now. More importantly, shouldn't you start giving instructions soon? A lot of them look like they're at a loss."
At Rei's words, the Guild Staff Member seemed to finally recall the current situation. He gave a small bow to Rei, then turned toward the personnel who had gathered to dissect the Gigant Turtle and shouted in a loud voice.
"We will now begin the dissection of the Gigant Turtle! Split into the groups you were assigned beforehand and begin work! Your reward will be determined based on your contribution to the dissection!"
At the Guild Staff Member's voice, those who had been captivated by the Gigant Turtle seemed to snap back to reality, and they split into groups to begin the dissection work.
Rei watched the dissection work while stroking Set, who had returned satisfied from playing in the snow.
Of course, even to begin the dissection work, given the Gigant Turtle's size, they couldn't just start right away.
They needed to reconfirm who would continue disassembling which parts, and in a slightly removed area, there were people keeping watch to ensure no one stole materials during the work.
In the end, it was about thirty minutes later that the actual dissection work began.
The surroundings couldn't yet be called fully bright, and that dimness perhaps added an extra layer of eeriness to the Gigant Turtle's enormity.
"Gruu? Grururuu."
The dissection is slow, but is that okay? Set purred at Rei, who was stroking him, but Rei continued petting Set without appearing particularly bothered.
"We're dissecting a monster this huge, so it can't be helped that things are slow at first. Well, from tomorrow—or once a bit more time passes—they'll get used to it. There are quite a few non-adventurers in the mix, after all."
In any case, he didn't expect the Gigant Turtle's dissection to be finished within this winter alone.
If that was the case, he would rather they take their time and dissect it cleanly, rather than prioritizing speed and doing a sloppy job.
"Hey! First, we're going to peel the skin off this leg, so those in charge, come over here!"
"Hold on, we'll be right there! More importantly, we need to do something about the shell—which group is handling that?"
Listening to such exchanges, Rei ate sandwiches made by Lana together with Set, watching the dissection work for a while.