While Rei and Set stubbornly continued their search for a Magic Item at the Expansion Construction site... just outside Gilm, the dissection of the Gigant Turtle was steadily progressing.
That said, considering the sheer size of the Gigant Turtle, the pace of progress could—quite literally—be described as slow as a turtle.
Gathered around the Gigant Turtle were the workers performing the dissection, guards stationed to slay monsters drawn by the scent of blood, and...
"Amazing... so monsters this huge actually exist."
"To take down a monster this gigantic... are Gilm's adventurers all monsters?"
"Hey! Let me tell you, just because someone's a Gilm adventurer doesn't mean every single one of them can take down something like a Gigant Turtle! I'm telling you... got it? Don't you dare get that wrong!"
Spectators who had come hoping to catch a glimpse of the Gigant Turtle's dissection were watching the proceedings unfold.
Among the Guild Staff Members, some had even been assigned specifically to ensure these onlookers didn't interfere with the work.
Hearing the chatter from the crowd, one of the guards—stationed to fight off any approaching monsters—reflexively shouted back.
Since the person he'd been talking to wasn't an adventurer, his tone carried the distinct sentiment that it would be absolutely unbearable if people actually started believing any Gilm adventurer could take down a monster like the Gigant Turtle.
Even among the adventurers within Gilm, those capable of single-handedly defeating a monster of this size weren't limited to Rei alone... but they were truly only a handful of top-class individuals.
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Of course it is! Sheesh... you think people with the same kind of strength as exceptions like Rei and Set are just walking around everywhere?"
"No kidding. In a way, it feels like rank fraud."
Another adventurer standing beside the Adventurer Man who had shouted murmured thoughtfully.
Whether they'd overheard or not, yet another adventurer nearby nodded in agreement.
"I mean, my rank is technically B-Rank, so I count as a High-Rank Adventurer and all... but for other B-Rank Adventurers, being lumped in with him wouldn't sit well, would it?"
"Imagine being thought of as the same rank as the Crimson? Ugh, yeah, that's no laughing matter. At the very least, I wouldn't want any part of that."
Sharing the same rank meant it wouldn't be unreasonable to be expected to perform at a comparable level.
In that sense, what the man had said was an undeniable truth for the other adventurers as well.
After all, a B-Rank Adventurer with enough strength to contend with one of only three S-Rank Adventurers in the entire world was, in every sense of the word, extraordinary.
If someone with no knowledge of the circumstances—someone like the person earlier who had spoken as though any Gilm adventurer could accomplish the same feat after seeing the Gigant Turtle—were to form some strange misconception, the possibility of a request being made for a B-Rank Adventurer to fight an S-Rank Adventurer, simply because Rei could, was by no means negligible.
Being handed such a request would be tantamount to suicide.
Of course, since the ones accepting requests were adventurers at the end of the day, the simple solution would be to just decline—but that was beside the point.
Amidst these exchanges, a voice suddenly rang out.
"H-hey. Isn't that... could that be the Princess General?"
It wasn't particularly loud, but the words "Princess General" nonetheless reached the ears of everyone nearby.
When they reflexively looked around, there she was, just as those words indicated—the Princess General... Elena.
Luxurious blonde ringlet curls that looked as if sunlight itself had been spun into hair, and a beauty that seized the gaze of all who beheld her.
And she was walking toward the Gigant Turtle alongside Ara.
Elena's appearance captivated not only the adventurers who had been keeping watch, but also the spectators who had come to observe, the workers performing the dissection, the Guild Staff Members—nearly everyone present.
She herself was accustomed to receiving such admiring gazes—some laced with desire—so she walked on without appearing the least bit bothered.
Before long, a Guild Staff Member approached Elena and Ara, who was walking beside her.
"Lady Elena, welcome. I've heard from Lord Rei. I understand you've come to observe the Gigant Turtle dissection today..."
"Umu. I heard about it from Rei last night. Still... seeing it again like this, it is truly impressive."
Elena spoke while gazing at the Gigant Turtle.
Indeed, the Gigant Turtle's immense size, the workers performing the dissection, the adventurers serving as their guards... and the spectators watching from the surrounding area.
What was taking place there was no longer merely a dissection; it had become something far closer to a spectacle.
That was precisely why so many onlookers had gathered.
"Ahaha, that's true. If anything, the Guild might have turned a profit by charging admission."
The Guild Staff Member said this in a joking tone—a testament to just how many spectators had gathered.
Naturally, it was the presence of adventurer guards that allowed such a crowd to assemble... but even so, absolute safety could not be guaranteed.
For the time being, the monsters drawn by the scent of blood were mostly the same Cobolts that had been attacking Gilm, with the occasional D-Rank... or, rarely, a C-Rank heavyweight making an appearance.
However, the adventurer guards had been hired precisely to deal with such monsters, and even those encounters had become a form of entertainment in their own right.
Since a larger contingent of adventurers had been hired as guards this time, there was no risk of casualties among the spectators.
...Of course, it was extremely rare for a monster dissection to become a spectator event in the first place, and even when one did, it would never draw a crowd this large.
The reason so many had gathered was, quite simply, because it was winter.
Unlike the months from spring through autumn, there were few forms of entertainment to be had.
For such people, the Gigant Turtle dissection was an ideal diversion.
They could see the corpse of a colossal monster up close, witness a dissection site that those outside the adventurer profession would rarely have the chance to see with their own eyes. On top of that, they could watch guards cut down real monsters that came charging in—all from up close. With all that on offer, it would have been stranger if it hadn't drawn a crowd.
That said, the guards' primary duty was to protect the dissection workers, not the spectators.
In a genuine emergency, priority would go to the workers... but among the onlookers happened to be a fair number of C-Rank Adventurers and B-Rank Adventurers, so even if something did happen, significant casualties among the crowd were unlikely.
"A spectacle, you say... For a Guild in Gilm, would there really be any need for such a thing? I doubt they'd face financial difficulties without it."
Ara, who had been listening beside Elena, posed the question.
At the Guild in Gilm, situated as it was on the frontier, rare Magic Stones and monster materials were brought in regularly and in great quantities.
The Guild sold these to various shops, and sometimes directly to residents of other towns and cities, reaping substantial profits.
Gamelion meat harvested in autumn, in particular, fetched a respectable price for everything that wasn't consumed within Gilm itself.
...Though the amount consumed within Gilm was already considerable to begin with.
Despite earning profits in such a manner and also receiving aid from influential figures, Ara was suggesting that there was no need to charge admission fees from people who had come specifically to watch the Gigant Turtle dissection.
The Guild Staff Member gave a wry smile at Ara's words. "That's true, but..."
Even without any intention of earning more than necessary, with this many spectators gathered, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to consider charging admission.
"Still, there's never any harm in having funds, so... With that said, what will you do? If you'd like to take your time watching, I can prepare a chair or something."
"No need. This is fine as it is."
Elena replied plainly to the Guild Staff Member's offer.
Had this been a noble who didn't train their body, standing the entire time would have been taxing, and they would have routinely ordered a chair be brought.
But Elena was someone who had raced across countless battlefields.
Simply standing was no trouble at all; she could watch without issue.
The Guild Staff Member was quietly relieved by Elena's words, knowing he wouldn't need to arrange for any chairs.
He had been recording the names of the dissection workers, ensuring they were properly paid, and arranging for meat to be given out as a bonus on top of their wages, so simple chairs and desks were available on-site.
However, they were extremely rudimentary—rough and humble, one might even say.
They were by no means the sort of furnishings a noble would use.
In other words, if Elena had requested a chair, they would have had to send someone back to Gilm to procure a suitable one from the Guild or elsewhere.
The mere fact that such an errand was unnecessary was, for the Guild Staff Member, a relief.
"Then, I must return to overseeing the dissection work, so please excuse me. If you need anything at all, please call for me. I'll come running as quickly as I can."
"Umu. Please do. If word got around that I interrupted the work Rei entrusted you with and made you waste your time, I would feel terrible."
"Thank you very much. Then, if you'll excuse me..."
The Guild Staff Member bowed and took his leave, then called out to the workers whose concentration had slipped after being captivated by Elena's presence.
"Come on, focus on the dissection. Even a valuable monster loses its worth if the dissection is botched. Stay sharp so that doesn't happen."
At his voice, many of the workers recalled their current situation—the fact that they were dissecting a Gigant Turtle—and resumed their tasks.
"He certainly commands respect."
"Of course. Even the Guild wouldn't want to send some questionable person here and create an awkward situation with Rei. In that sense, it's only natural they'd dispatch someone genuinely capable."
If they sent someone incompetent and word of it reached Marina's ears, the fallout would be severe.
Saying so, Vihera approached Elena's side.
Elena showed no particular surprise at seeing Vihera there.
She had heard her mention something to that effect the night before.
"Where is Byune?"
"Hm? Over there, look."
In response to Elena's question, Vihera gestured toward Byune, who—perhaps because no monsters were in sight at the moment—was staring at the dissection with a blank, vacant expression.
Not long before, Byune had killed a Cobolt that had been drawn in by the Gigant Turtle's scent of blood, one that had apparently been heading for Gilm... but today, with the guard detail increased compared to yesterday, it had been dispatched all too quickly.
The reason for the larger guard presence was that the Guild Staff Member, having seen far more Cobolts than expected the previous day, had urgently hired additional personnel.
For Byune, who wanted to defeat Cobolts to harvest Subjugation Proof Parts and Magic Stones, the Guild's actions had done nothing but multiply her rivals.
"She seems a bit displeased, doesn't she?"
"...Does she?"
Elena had spent a fair amount of time with Byune by now, but even so, looking at Byune's current state, she couldn't see the displeasure Vihera described.
From Elena's perspective, Byune simply wore her usual expressionless face—nothing more.
Elena glanced at Ara as if to ask whether she could tell, but Ara naturally couldn't distinguish any difference in Byune's expression either.
Ara shook her head, and Elena nodded in agreement.
Seeing the two of them, Vihera tilted her head slightly.
"Is that so? I think she's pretty easy to read."
"You're the only one who can, Vihera."
With just a hint—truly only the slightest hint—of envy, Elena murmured.
To Elena, no matter how skilled Byune was, she was still only a child.
Given that fact, it was only natural for Elena to want to protect or dote on her, but with Byune hardly ever changing her expression, Elena honestly found it difficult to know how to approach her.
"Hmm... really? Well, if you spend more time alongside Byune, you'll come to pick up on those things eventually."
"I hope that proves to be the case. So, the Byune Incident aside, are you just here to observe, Vihera?"
"That's right. If a High-Rank Monster comes drawn by the scent of blood, I expect it'll be my turn to shine."
Saying so, Vihera flashed a bewitching smile.