"Ehh!? Wait, Rei-san, are you serious!?"
Lenora's voice, thick with shock, echoed through the Guild.
Normally—aside from when she was teasing Kenny—Lenora handled her work with calm, reliable efficiency.
For someone like her to suddenly shout at the top of her lungs, the Guild staff behind the counter who knew her personality naturally turned their gazes toward her, wondering what had happened.
…Though the moment they realized she was talking to Rei, they immediately went back to their own tasks, thinking, "Oh, it's just that again."
Unlike the adventurers, many of whom were currently resting—though those working on the Gigant Turtle dissection or taking Cobolt subjugation requests were a different matter—the Guild staff were busy for a variety of reasons, starting with the Expansion Construction.
Unless it was a genuine emergency, they simply had no leeway to spare attention on the situation.
Rei, who was the focus of those glances, showed no particular reaction to Lenora's surprised outburst and simply continued speaking.
"I'm serious. Besides, the Guild's been troubled by the Cobolt situation too, right? If I'm offering to reduce the damage, I don't see the problem. …Well, I can't guarantee it's absolutely safe, considering there might be Cobolts out there capable of climbing over the Earth Wall I build."
"That's…"
Rei's words were an indisputable fact.
The Cobolt attacks had been continuing daily as an unforeseen crisis. If someone could do something about it, there was no doubt it would benefit the Guild and—above all—Gilm itself.
"But… are you really going to be okay? The Expansion Construction site is quite large, isn't it? If you're doing this alone, Rei-kun, I think it'll be really tough if something happens."
Kenny, having just finished sorting documents beside Lenora, asked with clear concern for Rei's safety.
Lenora also turned a worried gaze toward Rei at Kenny's words.
However, Rei simply nodded, accepting their looks without issue, and spoke.
"Don't worry. First of all, I won't be alone—Set will be with me. So even if monsters show up while I'm using magic, we can handle most things."
Once he put it that way, there was no arguing with him. They both knew that Set possessed strength far beyond what his adorable appearance suggested.
"…Understood. I'll go consult with the higher-ups, so please wait a moment. However, I don't think this is something the Guild can decide on its own. We'll need to speak with Lord Daskar and the other relevant parties. That being the case, I don't think we can start building the wall today."
"Ah… well, that makes sense. Still, this shouldn't be a bad deal for Lord Daskar either, so I'd appreciate it if you could contact him as urgently as possible and get a decision."
At Rei's words, Lenora gave a firm nod and left her post.
Lenora was also a resident of Gilm.
And while she had some ability to defend herself, it was only effective within a very limited range.
That had been fine until now, but if Cobolts started passing through the Expansion Construction site and reaching the city streets… it was only natural she would feel anxious.
If even Lenora felt that way, it was hardly surprising that the ordinary residents of Gilm—who weren't even Guild staff—would harbor even greater unease.
I'll definitely get permission.
With that firm resolve, Lenora headed toward where her superior was located.
Rei, who had been watching her retreating figure, noticed that Kenny was now looking at him with a mischievous smile.
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking that even though you only just requested the Gigant Turtle dissection, you seem to be keeping yourself incredibly busy, Rei-kun."
"Ah… I can't deny that."
"Right? Just a little while ago, someone came from the Gigant Turtle dissection site and temporarily hired several adventurers to go somewhere."
Rei immediately understood what those words implied.
(They must have gathered people to clean out the warehouse. …In that case, does that mean permission has been granted to let Suchee and the others' families stay there too?)
At the very least, the possibility of adding manpower to the Gigant Turtle dissection had emerged. Rei felt relieved.
"The Gigant Turtle really is a delicious monster in all sorts of ways. In that sense, being busy is definitely a welcome development for me."
"Hmm, I see… But still…"
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"…Huh?"
Only a few minutes had passed since he started talking with Kenny.
Yet Lenora was already standing in front of Rei, slightly out of breath from running.
"…That was surprisingly fast. I thought it would take longer to discuss."
"The Guild Master was already aware that the current situation is precarious."
"Then, what about the Earth Wall?"
"The Guild Master will report to Lord Daskar immediately and obtain permission after the fact. So, Rei-san, we'd like you to start building the Earth Wall right away to prevent any further Cobolt incursions."
"…Is that really okay?"
Rei had assumed they would say they needed to send someone to the Lord's Manor to get permission and that he should wait a little longer. He never expected to be told outright that he could start building immediately. It was clearly unexpected.
However, seeing Rei's expression, Lenora nodded with a serious look and spoke.
"Both the Guild's upper management… and the Guild Master understand that leaving things as they are is dangerous. Of course, that's precisely because they recognize that building an Earth Wall to prevent—at least partially—the Cobolts' intrusion would be beneficial to everyone in Gilm."
"I suppose so. Thinking about it normally, no one would welcome Cobolts freely roaming into the city they govern. No lord would do something so foolish."
It wasn't that such lords didn't exist at all.
If it were someone with zero interest in governing their territory, who only held the position of lord as a hobby, such behavior wouldn't be out of the question.
…Naturally, Daskar was not that kind of fool.
Rei was convinced of that, but the next words out of Lenora's mouth made him nod even more strongly in agreement.
"Besides, Rei-san, you're going to have Marina-sama freeze the Earth Wall with her Spirit Magic, correct? If Marina-sama gets involved, Lord Daskar won't be able to refuse."
"…I can't deny that."
Rei recalled the conversations he had witnessed several times between Daskar and Marina.
Marina had known Daskar since he was a child. She even held what could only be called his "dark history"—such as the time he had proposed marriage to her, an older beauty.
If Marina's actions were to harm Gilm, Daskar would not be able to overlook them.
His responsibility as the lord of Gilm versus his own dark history.
There was no need to even consider which one he would prioritize.
But this time was different. Marina would only be acting for the sake of Gilm.
Strictly speaking, she hadn't actually gotten involved yet at this point, but since Rei had stated he would ask Marina to reinforce the wall, there was no doubt she would agree.
"In any case, we'll secure the permission on our end. Rei-san, please take care of the Earth Wall."
"Do your best, Rei-kun."
Following Lenora's words, Kenny also offered her support.
Honestly, Kenny would have preferred to keep talking with Rei.
However, considering what he was about to do, asking him to stay was simply not an option.
That was why—for once—Kenny didn't press him to talk a little longer and simply sent him off with those words.
Rei nodded to the two women… and even received expectant looks from the adventurers and Guild staff still remaining in the building.
Even among the adventurers, aside from the small number who were desperate for money, none of them were happy with the current Cobolt situation.
The only reason they still came to the Guild to accept subjugation requests was because failing to do so would cause harm to the city of Gilm itself.
As for the Guild staff, the Cobolt incident had dramatically increased their workload. If the problem could be resolved, it was exactly what they wished for.
"Well then, I'm off. First I'll look for Marina… no, I should build the Earth Wall first and then look for her. That way, the number of Cobolts getting in should decrease at least a little."
With those words, Rei left the Guild.
Set, who had been playing with several people in front of the building, noticed Rei and let out a happy purr.
"Sorry, but Set and I have some business to take care of now. You can play with him again another time."
At Rei's words, those who had been playing with Set accepted it without complaint and left the area without making a fuss.
They probably understood that forcing the issue would only make Set dislike them.
And so, Rei headed toward the Expansion Construction site together with Set.
He had hoped they might run into Marina on the way.
Unfortunately, they arrived at the construction site without spotting either Marina or the Dark Elf she was supposedly teaching.
"Uoooooooooooooooooh!"
At the sudden war cry, Rei turned his gaze toward the sound.
There, an adventurer wielding a greatsword was bringing his blade down toward a Cobolt.
However, the Cobolt easily dodged the heavy blow and slashed out with its sharp claws.
"Ow! Damn it, this Cobolt's getting cocky!"
Seeing the battle between the adventurer and the Cobolt, Rei stopped in his tracks.
The adventurer was by no means a powerhouse, but neither was he a complete novice who had only just become an adventurer.
From his movements, it was clear he possessed a reasonable level of strength—enough to easily dispatch one or two ordinary Cobolts.
Despite that level of skill, he was currently struggling against a single one.
The poor compatibility between his greatsword and the Cobolt's preferred fast movements was likely a major factor.
Even so, the way this fight was playing out was unexpected even for Rei.
"Rare Species or High-ranking Species? …It doesn't look all that different from a normal Cobolt though."
Cobolts could be simply described as humanoid monsters with dog faces.
However, that very "dog face" trait was proving extremely troublesome in this situation.
Just as there were many different breeds of dogs with various coat colors, individual Cobolts differed greatly in appearance.
If they were Orcs or Goblins, most individuals looked nearly identical, but Cobolts were different in that regard.
Because of that, it was difficult to tell whether the differences in a Cobolt were simply individual variation or because it was a High-ranking Species or Rare Species.
At the very least, when compared to the corpses of several Cobolts lying around, the one currently fighting the adventurer in Rei's line of sight didn't appear to have any major differences.
In any case.
The adventurer in his sights was fighting the Cobolt solo.
Whether he usually operated alone or had simply ended up by himself today by chance, Rei didn't know.
He didn't know—but the option of abandoning an adventurer who might be facing a Rare Species or High-ranking Species was not one Rei could take.
…Though it was undeniably true that he was more interested in the unknown Magic Stone than in saving the adventurer.
"Hey, need some help!?"
Still, stealing another adventurer's prey would cause all sorts of trouble, so he called out loudly enough for the greatsword-wielding adventurer to hear.
The adventurer, who had been struggling against the Cobolt's speed, was startled by the sudden voice. He leaped backward instinctively and shouted.
"Please! This guy's definitely not a normal Cobolt!"
After confirming the adventurer's clear request for assistance, Rei quickly pulled a spear from his Misty Ring—one that wouldn't be surprising if it broke at any moment—and hurled it with a single fluid motion.
The spear, thrown with considerable force behind it, tore through the air as it flew straight and true. The Cobolt sensed its approach and tried to dodge, but its movement was just slightly… and fatally too slow. The next instant, the spear shattered the Cobolt's head, the shaft snapped, and the weapon tumbled across the ground.