Leaving Set outside, Rei and Vihera entered the Guard Station and immediately called out to the Guards.
"I heard you were looking for me. What's going on?"
"Ah. Actually, we've decided to conduct a large-scale search of yesterday's mansion and the surrounding estates with the Guards. This time, Captain Ranga will also be participating."
"...Ranga?"
Ranga was the man at the top of the Guard Force.
With his stern face and beard, he had an intimidating appearance, but his personality was mild-mannered.
Of course, having a mild personality did not mean that Ranga was weak.
That said, Rei hadn't seen Ranga in a while, so he never expected to hear that name come up here.
"Ah. He was incredibly busy with the Expansion Construction until recently, but things have settled down to an extent now that it's winter. ...Apparently, he'd been busy again lately due to the Cobolt incident. Anyway, since there's a possibility that yesterday's mansion is connected to the Cobolt incident, Captain Ranga decided to take part."
"Huh. ...Well, it is that kind of place. The Captain of the Guard Force showing up is perfectly reasonable."
If they were searching not just one mansion but the surrounding estates near the Noble District, then they would naturally need a figurehead—someone to satisfy the residents of those estates and the Noble District alike.
In that sense, Ranga, as the Captain of the Guard Force, was more than suitable to serve as that figurehead.
"Ah. I think Captain Ranga made his decision with that in mind. ...We're also requesting cooperation from several adventurers. Of course, if we put out a large-scale public request, there's a chance the enemy might find out, so we're doing it discreetly with trustworthy adventurers."
"Huh. Well, that's fine, I guess. Though in the current situation, there are a lot of guys whose usefulness is questionable."
Winter was a period that could be called a long vacation for many adventurers, and more than a few had grown rusty to varying degrees.
Even so, compared to ordinary people, they were undoubtedly stronger, so in this kind of situation, they would still serve as combat power.
"So, can I assume you'll cooperate with us, Rei?"
"Yeah, I'm fine with that. ...Vihera seems fully on board, too."
When he said that while glancing at Vihera, she, upon meeting his gaze, beamed with a full smile and gave a small nod.
"Though, it's fine because it's me, but normally you'd need to conduct the investigation... or rather, a forced search, much earlier. You can't just tell someone today and expect them to mobilize immediately, right?"
"Ah... sorry. This whole matter has been sudden in many ways. We've had a lot of things taking up our time on our end, too."
Saying that, the Guard who had been talking with Rei bowed his head.
When someone apologized so honestly, Rei found it hard to complain.
It was also probably because he knew that the situation had undoubtedly shifted dramatically with yesterday's events.
After all, no one had expected such vicious tentacles to appear one after another.
"They must be controlling or summoning Cobolts through some means, but for the subject of that to be those tentacles... Honestly, I feel like those tentacles are many times—dozens of times, maybe even hundreds of times—more dangerous."
Rei could cut them with his Death Scythe, but there was considerable resistance.
It wasn't that he had never experienced such a thing before, but it was also true that it hadn't happened very often.
If Death Scythe met that much resistance, and those tentacles appeared en masse in the middle of the city...
Thinking about it, Rei could understand why they were launching a forced search the very day after yesterday's events.
"That's right. That's why we're counting on your strength too, Rei."
"Got it. ...But what were you planning to do if I hadn't come here? Like, if I had some errand and forgot about the message I heard at the Guild?"
"Someone who experienced yesterday's incident firsthand like you did—we didn't think you'd forget something like that."
Whether that was trust or half-resignation toward Rei's tendency to get caught up in trouble, the Guard genuinely felt that way, and the fact that Rei had come to the Guard Station as he did was undeniable.
Thinking about it, the Guard's words—that he had read Rei's actions—were spot on.
Is my behavior really that simple? he wondered, averting his gaze from Vihera, who was smiling beside him, and opening his mouth half out of embarrassment.
"So, when are you doing the forced search? At night, so the other side doesn't get suspicious? If a large number of Guards are moving around, it'd be easy for them to read our intentions."
"No, this afternoon."
"That's pretty fast. And in broad daylight, no less?"
Winter-like clouds covered the sky, but the sun still showed its face to some extent through gaps in the clouds, and there was a decent amount of brightness.
Under those conditions, if it were adventurers in varying equipment, that would be one thing, but if Guards moved as a group, they would undoubtedly attract attention.
...Though Rei, traveling with Set and Vihera, would also unquestionably attract attention in a different sense than the Guards.
"Normally, night would be better, but since Rei and his group found the Underground Space and saw the tentacles, there's a chance they'll judge it too dangerous and flee Gilm. ...Right now, they could escape through the Expansion Construction site without going through the Main Gate."
"There's the Earth Wall Rei built, but it wouldn't be hard to climb over from the Gilm side," one of the Guards added, apparently having inspected the Earth Wall directly.
Indeed, that was not mistaken. The Earth Wall Rei had built was difficult to enter from outside Gilm, but leaving from the inside was not that difficult.
Originally, the Earth Wall Rei created was designed to prevent enemies—including Cobolts—from invading from outside Gilm, not to deal with people leaving Gilm, so this was only natural.
"At this point, I should have sunk the ground on the Gilm side too. Not that saying it now means anything."
"Don't worry about it. No one could have predicted things would turn out like this in the first place," one of the Guards said, as if to comfort Rei.
"Appreciate you saying that. ...So, you said the forced search is this afternoon, but it's not just yesterday's mansion—it includes the other estates too, right? In that case, should Vihera and I go to separate ones?"
Pink tentacles aside, considering the abilities of those guarding the other estates who had attacked Rei and his group, having combat power like Rei and Vihera grouped together would mean concentrating their forces wastefully in one place.
That was what he thought as he asked, but the expressions the Guards wore were complicated, or perhaps, conflicted.
"Ah... well, you see. We can't control Vihera, so if possible, we'd like her to act together with Rei. Like I said earlier, we're reaching out to trustworthy adventurers, so there shouldn't be a shortage of combat power for now."
Hearing the Guard's words, Vihera did not look particularly displeased.
She probably understood that she was being treated as a troublemaker.
Especially since the Guards had been called out to deal with the many disturbances Vihera had caused in the past, she figured they would be even less inclined to team up with her.
Of course, depending on the person, it wouldn't be strange for someone to insist she act with them because leaving Vihera unchecked was dangerous, but fortunately or unfortunately, none of the Guards present seemed to be that type.
It was quicker and easier to leave her to Rei, who was in a party with Vihera and accustomed to handling her.
At those words born from such calculations, Rei and Vihera each nodded.
"Got it. If that works for you, I'm fine with it. ...Vihera, you're good too, right?"
"Yes, I'm fine with that as well. Still... fufu."
For some reason, Vihera suddenly smiled—a happy smile, no less—and both Rei and the Guards directed questioning looks at her.
Given how she was being treated, they expected her to be displeased, not in a good mood.
However, if the Guards asked her something here and she ended up saying she'd act separately from Rei after all, that would be troublesome.
The Guards thought as much... but Rei, unaware of their thoughts, asked naturally, as if wondering what was going on.
"I figured you'd be in a bad mood. What brought on the change of heart?"
Stop! the Guards screamed in their hearts, but there was no way that would reach Rei.
...Even as they screamed inwardly, perhaps because they also wanted to know the reason for Vihera's smile, they watched her with quiet dissatisfaction while observing her demeanor.
"Oh my, Rei and I will be acting together, won't we? That makes it a date."
"...That's a pretty dangerous date you're talking about."
Rei said so in response to the unexpected words, but there was no mistaking that he was slightly pleased to hear Vihera say that.
At the exchange between the two, the Guards directed looks of exasperation and jealousy at them.
Even though they had been troubled by Vihera time and time again, it was an undeniable fact that she was a beauty for whom even the word "superb" would be insufficient.
For Rei to have Vihera's affection directed at him—not friendship, but romantic interest between a man and a woman—it was impossible not to feel jealous as a fellow man.
Of course, if asked whether they wanted to be the object of such feelings from Vihera, even given that she was a peerless beauty, her personality posed considerable problems, and they probably wouldn't be able to nod honestly.
Rei, who was on the receiving end of such gazes, was accustomed to that kind of attention and opened his mouth without particularly minding it.
"So, if we're doing the forced search this afternoon, what should Vihera, I, and Set—who's outside—do? I can't exactly stay in the Guard Station until the afternoon."
"Ah, right. Staying in the Guard Station is fine. There's no particular problem with that. Rather, don't you have anything you need to do before the afternoon?"
"...No, I don't. Well, there are various small things, but nothing that absolutely has to be done today. If I had to say, I'd like to go check on the Earth Wall I built at the Expansion Construction site. I think it's probably fine, but just in case..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence; the Guards could understand what Rei was trying to say.
"Right. You should check on it to be safe. I think it's probably fine, but that's definitely the easiest place to escape from. ...Though, the wilderness at night, in winter no less—normally, no one would want to go outside."
"Yeah. Normally."
Rei implicitly conveyed that whoever was behind this incident was far from normal.
In reality, someone who would summon such tentacles and, as a result, draw Cobolts to Gilm could not possibly be called normal.
Knowing that, the Guard's reply to Rei's words was likely deliberate.
"Then we'll go take a look at the Earth Wall for now. That works, right?"
"Yeah. There's nothing we need to do anyway, so it'd be better to grab some snacks on the way and check on things there."
"Same as always."
At the word "snacks," several of the Guards smiled as they said that.
Normally, if they were about to infiltrate the base of an unknown enemy, they wouldn't have much of an appetite.
And yet, Rei had said he'd snack on food as if it were no problem at all.
For the Guards, it was only natural to wonder just how much nerve he had.
That said, Rei had been through many—countless—experiences up to this point.
Something of this level was not going to diminish his appetite.
"Really? 'An army marches on its stomach.' I forgot which country it's from, but there's a saying like that. Appetite is important."
Naturally, that was a saying from Japan, but there was no way he could say that here, so he deflected.
"An army marches on its stomach, huh. When you put it that way, it's a convincing saying."
As Guards, they probably had strong feelings about those words.
"Well, that's how it is. Anyway, we're going to go check on the Earth Wall."
Saying that, Rei left the Guard Station together with Vihera.