The Gigant Turtle dissection was progressing smoothly.
But that was only natural. They had been performing the same task for days now, so there was no way anyone wouldn't be accustomed to the work.
Granted, given the Gigant Turtle's massive size, the dissection methods varied slightly depending on the part in question. In such cases, those with dissection skills would teach the others working alongside them how to proceed, and those who received the advice found their work progressing more smoothly.
There were some who took the attitude of not wanting to listen to other people's instructions, but when the others working alongside them had plenty to say about it, they had no choice but to comply. Given that this was such a delicious request—delicious in the literal sense, with the Gigant Turtle's meat—there was absolutely no way they could abandon it halfway, nor would they even think of doing so. Figuring it was better than the alternative, many reluctantly followed the instructions from those around them and got to work.
"The Cobolts really are fewer than yesterday, huh."
Hearing Vihera mutter those words, Rei followed her line of sight. He had been gazing up at the wintry overcast sky next to her, hoping it wouldn't snow so the dissection work could progress even a little.
A few Cobolts were caught in the maze Rei had created, but their numbers were indeed few, just as Vihera said. Of course, when he considered that the conversation he'd had with the Guild Staff Member before the dissection began had already predicted this, it wasn't all that surprising.
"It's the impact from yesterday. Still, there are a lot more people here than I expected."
Tearing his gaze away from the maze where the Cobolts wandered, Rei looked toward the workers dismantling the Gigant Turtle. The number of people was clearly larger than yesterday. He was happy that the dissection would finish sooner, so he had no complaints.
"It's the meat they're after, obviously. Apparently even just selling that meat fetches a pretty decent sum, so for people looking to earn even a little, this work is a godsend. Or maybe they want to eat it themselves. Didn't we have this same conversation before?"
"Did we? Now that you mention it, I feel like maybe we did... or maybe we didn't. Well, more people isn't a bad thing for me. Anyway, what are you going to do? I'm thinking of dropping by the Guard Station for a bit."
"Yesterday's incident?"
"Yeah. I wanted to see if they've learned any more details. With an underground space like that so close to the Noble District, I can't exactly feel at ease."
Rei, Elena, Vihera, Byune, Ara. And Set and Ielo. This group ate dinner at Marina's house almost every day.
Yes—at Marina's house, which, while on the edge, was still in the Noble District. Given that, it naturally meant the house wasn't far from the underground space that Rei had infiltrated yesterday and the day before. He was in no position to enjoy his meals in good spirits.
Of course, now that they were beginning to understand the tentacles' abilities, Rei was confident that he could defeat them even if they emerged from the underground space. The fact that they could ride Set and attack from the sky, so long as it wasn't underground, was also a significant factor.
But the problem in that case was that if the tentacles did come out, the damage would be enormous. Even if Rei found out they had emerged and he, Set, Vihera, and the others rushed to fight them, there would unquestionably be no small number of casualties before they arrived. Moreover, even here in the frontier city of Gilm, many ordinary people who weren't adventurers lived their lives.
Furthermore, the average adventurer stood no chance against the tentacles—a fact proven by those who had been reduced to skin-and-bone corpses in yesterday's underground space.
"Well, that's true. But I'm not going. It's not like I'd be able to fight those tentacles anyway. Besides, considering I left Byune behind yesterday, I want to stay here today."
If they were heading to the underground space, Vihera would have gladly agreed with Rei's words. But since their destination was the Guard Station, it held little interest for her. That was why she told Rei as much and said she would stay behind. In truth, the fact that she had left Byune behind yesterday was undoubtedly also a factor.
"Got it. Then I'll head over. If you're here, Vihera, even if a stronger monster attacks instead of Cobolts, it won't be a problem."
"True. That is, if such a monster shows up."
Just as she said, Vihera told Rei that she would prefer a strong monster to appear, thinking exactly that. Rei was well aware of Vihera's personality, so without saying anything more, he scanned the area. Then he called out to Set, who was lying on the snow.
"Set, I'm heading back to Gilm. What about you?"
How Set would respond to Rei's question required no consideration.
"Hm? Oh, it's Rei. It's about yesterday's thing, right? You can come in. Just so you know, Captain Ranga isn't here though."
Rei and Set had arrived at the Guard Station, but the guards stationed out front said this before Rei could even ask. He had wanted to hear the details from Ranga if possible. When it came to the tentacles in the underground space in particular, few ordinary guards would have any information.
No, to be precise, many people probably knew about the existence of the underground space and the tentacles, but their essential nature—specifically, how to defeat them, or at the very least how to prevent them from emerging into this world—was something an ordinary guard couldn't possibly know.
Wanting to understand those circumstances, Rei couldn't help but wonder if coming here had been a mistake.
"I had something I wanted to ask Ranga. Do you know where he is right now?"
"The Lord's Manor. Apparently he has a lot to report to Lord Daskar."
"He hadn't finished reporting about yesterday's incident?"
Rei, who had assumed the incident had been reported yesterday, said this with a hint of exasperation, but the guard shook his head.
"No. He's been there since yesterday. Of course, it's true that a considerable amount of evidence was obtained from yesterday's forced search, so there's no denying that's why his report is taking longer."
"Whoa..."
Since yesterday, continuously. Hearing that, Rei couldn't exactly complain.
"By the way, if he's been there since yesterday, does that mean it's connected to the criminal evidence and whatnot, not just the underground space?"
The mansion Rei and the others had forcibly searched was no exception, but he'd heard that a significant amount of criminal evidence had been found at other mansions as well. For Ranga, as the Captain of the Guard Force, and Daskar, as the lord of Gilm, the fact that so many such individuals had been living near the Noble District was something they surely didn't want to think about. That was, honestly, the truth.
But just because they didn't want to think about it didn't mean they could ignore it. If that was the case, then the need to deal with it urgently was an indisputable fact.
"Who knows. As a low-ranking guard, I couldn't tell you the exact details. But considering Captain Ranga's personality, it wouldn't be surprising if that were the case. Besides, it's true that there have been vaguely suspicious rumors about that area for a while now."
"Rumors?"
This was apparently the first Rei had heard of it, and he turned his gaze toward the guard, prompting him to continue.
Rei walked around the city quite frequently and often bought food from stalls. He also talked often with people who came to admire Set, so he thought he was fairly well-informed about rumors and the like. But even Rei hadn't heard this particular rumor, so his surprise was understandable.
Seeing Rei's surprised expression, the guard nodded in understanding.
"Ah, rumors. Though in this case, I'm talking strictly about rumors circulating among the guards. Not the kind of rumors you're thinking of that ordinary people spread."
"Ah, right. I see. I get the gist."
Rumor talk among specialists—he wasn't sure if that was the right way to put it, but that was essentially what it amounted to. Understanding this, Rei considered what he should do next.
His original reason for coming to the Guard Station was, after all, yesterday's incident—specifically, his biggest motive had been to ask Ranga how they should deal with the underground space and the tentacles that emerged from it. Of course, he couldn't say he had no interest in hearing, as he was now discussing with this guard, just how much criminal evidence had been found at the other mansions.
The guard probably also understood why Rei had come. Floating a slightly mischievous smile, he addressed him.
"What'll you do? Captain Ranga isn't here, but if you're fine with that, want to stop in for a bit?"
Rei thought about it for a moment, then shook his head.
"Nah, I'll pass."
He judged that if he couldn't accomplish his objective, there was no need to bother stopping by the Guard Station. The guard had apparently expected this reaction and nodded readily.
"Understood. By the way, should I let Captain Ranga know that you came by? I don't know when he'll be back from the Lord's Manor, though."
"Ah, right. Do that. We'll probably need to discuss a lot regarding the underground space incident too."
As someone who had been made to stop fighting the tentacles midway, Rei honestly wanted to make sure that information was properly shared. Of course, with Ranga still in discussions with Daskar, there was no telling when he'd return.
Ranga didn't expect that much criminal evidence to turn up from yesterday's forced search either, huh? But the guard said it was pretty well-known among them. What was going on with that?
Setting Ranga's matter aside for now, Rei decided he had no further business at the Guard Station and called out to Set.
"Set, sorry we just got here, but we're heading out already. Let's drop by somewhere and buy some food."
"Gruu? ...Gruu!"
Set, who had been lying down, purred happily and stood up at Rei's words. He had assumed he'd need to wait for Rei for much longer, so he showed obvious delight at how quickly they were leaving.
Rei welcomed Set as he bounded over. Seeing the sight, the guard looked on with a slightly exasperated expression.
Normally, seeing such a scene, it would look like nothing other than Rei being attacked by a monster—by Set. Stopping Set immediately would be what a guard ought to do. But a scene like this was already daily life, even from a guard's perspective.
The guard felt a slight anxiety about the future. If they grew this accustomed to such sights, wouldn't their reaction be delayed by a split second if they ever witnessed someone being attacked by a monster in the city? Given that there had already been an incident of Cobolts invading Gilm, that anxiety was by no means unfounded.
"Hm? Something wrong?"
Noticing the guard staring intently at them, Rei asked curiously. Seeing Rei's manner, which suggested no hidden intent, the guard wavered on how to respond, then shook his head as if it were nothing.
"No, I was just thinking how you and Set are as close as always. Seeing someone like you makes me think a Tamer would be an incredible combat asset."
"Ah, that's true."
Set had become a mascot-like figure in Gilm, and naturally, there were those who, upon seeing Set, desperately wanted one of their own. Rei had heard rumors that such people were taking various actions, trying to Tame a creature that—while perhaps not quite as charming as Set—could become their partner.
But Tamers were inherently few in number, and methods of Taming varied greatly from person to person. Some made monsters acknowledge their strength by fighting and winning against them, while others built friend-like relationships by getting along. Beyond that, there were various other approaches, and what kind of monster could be Tamed also involved an element of luck.
Even so, given that Gilm attracted a large number of adventurers, rumors had spread that a few people had successfully Tamed monsters. Rei wouldn't have minded meeting them, but whether due to bad luck or not, he hadn't encountered any such person so far.
"That sort of thing is entirely up to luck. But since this is the frontier city of Gilm, I think the chances of Taming a powerful monster are higher than anywhere else."
For the time being, he said that to deflect. In reality, the relationship between Rei and Set wasn't about Taming at all but was the result of Beast Magic, so that was only natural.