After meals, it was their usual routine to chat over tea and snacks before Rei, Vihera, and Byune returned to the Wheat Inn at Dusk, their regular lodging.
But today was different.
Normally, Rei and the others would sit in the courtyard, kept comfortable by Marina's Spirit Magic. Today, however, they were gathered inside a room in Marina's mansion.
And not just any room — Marina had used Spirit Magic to take strict precautions, ensuring no one could possibly eavesdrop on their conversation.
Only four people were in the room: Rei, Elena, Marina, and Vihera.
Byune, Ara, Set, and Ielo — the two people and two creatures — were waiting outside in the courtyard.
...Though in truth, Set and Ielo were also standing watch to make sure no one — not even Byune or Ara — entered the house.
Of course, Rei and the others trusted Byune and Ara completely.
But what Rei was about to discuss required this level of vigilance, even toward people they trusted.
Elena and the others weren't entirely without the feeling that such measures were excessive, but if Rei was being this serious about it, they quietly complied with his instructions.
"Now then, what exactly is this method you intend to use to eliminate these so-called tentacles in the Underground Space?"
Elena was the first to break the ice.
At her words, Marina and Vihera nodded in agreement and turned their gazes toward Rei.
Receiving the stares of all three, Rei slowly opened his mouth.
"What we need to do is simple. I know an incredibly skilled mage, so I'll ask them to help."
In this case, saying "acquaintance" rather than "friend" was likely Rei's way of laying groundwork.
After all, an Undead could hardly be called a person.
"Why does that make it such a dangerous method? ...Are you saying this mage is a criminal? But... I can't imagine there are many mages superior to you."
From Elena's perspective, it was hard to believe there were many mages better than Rei.
Of course, she wasn't suggesting that there were absolutely no mages in Elgin superior to him, but she was confident there couldn't be many — that much was certain.
That was why she questioned his words.
"Really? Everyone except Byune should have met them, I think."
"...What? Us? Is that true?"
When Elena asked to confirm, Rei nodded without hesitation.
There was no lie in his demeanor.
Sensing that, Elena tried to recall a mage superior to Rei.
While Marina watched her ponder, she too began thinking about who Rei could possibly be referring to, and spoke up.
"If all four of us have met them, it would have to be someone in Gilm, right? Was there such a skilled mage?"
"Thinking about when we all came together, it would have to be after that whole incident with the Alchemist, right?"
As Vihera and Marina each made their guesses, Elena — who had been running through possible candidates — suddenly stopped and shot a sharp look at Rei.
Seeing her reaction, Rei understood that she had arrived at the correct answer.
"Don't tell me... Grimm?" Elena asked timidly, clearly hoping she was wrong.
Rei smiled. "Correct. He helped me with something similar back in Emosion, too."
"...Emosion?"
The next person to catch on was Marina.
Naturally. She was the one who had originally recommended that Rei go to Emosion, and the reason had been to subjugate Lemures.
...In truth, the real reason was that it would have been better for Rei not to be in Gilm at the time, but saying he went to Emosion to subjugate Lemures wasn't wrong either.
"Yeah, the matter with Lemures. And he should have helped out when Vihera lost consciousness, too. Marina, you remember, don't you? A Lich... no, a being that should perhaps be called a Lich Lord."
'What!?' Marina and Vihera both cried out in astonishment.
The incident with Lemures, the incident with Vihera — they both knew about the person who had helped in those situations, naturally enough.
But to be told that same person might lend his power here — it would have been stranger if they hadn't been surprised.
The Lemures and Vihera incidents were, after all, cases where Grimm had helped as a personal favor to Rei.
This time, however, it wasn't simply a personal request — it was a crisis for Gilm.
If the tentacles went on a rampage here, Gilm would suffer the damage, but Rei personally would not.
...Well, given that the Underground Space was located near the Noble District, there was a possibility that Marina's mansion — which served as the Crimson Lotus Wings' gathering place — could be affected, so he would face at least some harm.
"Calm down. Grimm isn't an ordinary Undead. Perhaps from having lived so long, he possesses high intelligence and rationality. If I ask him, he'll surely help — not just for my sake, but to save Gilm."
"I know that, but..." Even Marina, who knew Grimm and had actually seen his form and understood his high intelligence and rationality, muttered this almost involuntarily.
In reality, many Undead lost their rationality as they aged.
No — it would be fair to say the vast majority were that type.
This was a statement born from Marina's experience as a Dark Elf who had lived a long life and gained extensive experience as an adventurer — though not as long as Undead.
But to Marina's remark, Rei immediately nodded.
"I know it's hard to believe. But I sometimes use a Paired Orb to talk with him, so it'll be fine."
At those words, Marina's eyes widened considerably. She stopped mid-sentence, wearing an expression of sheer disbelief.
Naturally. Anyone with common sense in this world of Elgin would understand just how unbelievable Rei's claim was.
Though... Marina quickly reconsidered.
"I suppose you're right. It's Rei, after all."
As if that single phrase settled everything.
Marina knew of Rei's extraordinary nature — and so did Elena and Vihera. There was genuine persuasive power in those words, and they simply accepted it.
Rei had been about to say something in return, but deciding it would be better to move the conversation about Grimm forward, he spoke instead.
"In any case, Grimm is a powerful mage. In terms of pure skill as a mage, he's above me. With Grimm, don't you think he could handle the tentacles in the Underground Space and whatever master lurks within the spatial rift?"
"...If you're saying that much, I'd like to believe it, but... is it truly possible?"
To Marina, who seemed to be asking whether even that mighty mage could break through this situation, Rei produced a Paired Orb from his Misty Ring.
"Hm?"
The puzzled voice came from Vihera, likely because she knew Rei used the Paired Orbs to speak with Elena.
Above all, the fact that Rei and Elena had gone to Exil to obtain the Paired Orbs — and that was how she had met Rei — was one reason it left such a strong impression on her.
If Rei and his party had never come searching for the Paired Orbs, Vihera would never have met Rei, the person who could be called the partner of her destiny, and would never have traveled alongside him.
...At the same time, it was doubtful whether the problems of the Holy Light Religion and the Anomaly Species that had attacked Exil could have been resolved.
In that sense, it was only natural that the Paired Orbs held deep significance for Vihera.
"That's a Paired Orb, isn't it? Elena is right here, and you're using that, which means... could it be...?"
From Rei's demeanor and the conversation so far, Vihera must have figured out who the Paired Orb's partner was.
She wore an expression of surprise as she looked at Rei.
And, naturally, Rei nodded at her words and spoke.
"That's right. The one I can speak with through this Paired Orb is the person I've been talking with all along... Grimm. So I'd like to contact him and ask about the tentacle situation. ...What do you think? Would you mind?"
Even if he asked whether they minded, no one really had the right to stop Rei's actions in the first place.
Well, considering this was Marina's house, perhaps Marina alone had that right.
But Marina showed no intention of stopping him.
The biggest reason was that Rei pulling reckless stunts was nothing new — she knew that perfectly well.
At the same time, the fact that Rei had interacted with Grimm and remained unharmed held significant meaning.
To begin with, as far as Marina knew, an Undead retaining that level of rationality was exceedingly rare.
It wouldn't be strange for Marina to want to have a proper conversation with Grimm herself.
"If you're going that far, I don't mind. I'd like to speak with him too."
Marina said so first, and then Vihera spoke.
"I'm fine with that as well. I owe him a debt of gratitude for helping me before, so let's contact him right away and speak with Grimm."
At Vihera's characteristically straightforward words, Rei and Marina each smiled.
But amid all this, Elena alone remained silent, unsure how to respond.
Having witnessed Grimm's power firsthand at the ruins of the Altar of Inheritance, it was only natural that her judgment would be cautious.
Even so, the reason she didn't immediately reject Rei's proposal was likely because Rei had spoken with Grimm through the Paired Orbs many times before.
(But... borrowing power from such a being so many times — isn't that dangerous? There's no denying the possibility that someday he might demand some form of compensation. ...However...)
Elena showed visible hesitation, but staying silent in this setting would naturally stand out.
"Elena? What's wrong?"
"No. I was just wondering how I should respond."
She answered Marina's question, paused for a beat, then spoke again.
"I learned of Grimm before Marina and the others did. Not only that, I've seen with my own eyes just how much power he possesses. That's why I can't help but feel that casually relying on Grimm might be unwise."
These were words born from knowing Grimm.
Because of that, what came from Elena's mouth carried strong persuasive weight.
"Then, Elena, you're opposed to Rei using the Paired Orb?"
"If I'm being honest, yes. But Rei has already spoken with Grimm through the Paired Orbs many times, hasn't he?"
Even as she said that, Elena couldn't help but think that perhaps the reason she couldn't bring herself to readily agree was jealousy.
To Elena, the Paired Orbs were necessary for speaking with Rei — they were, so to speak, the thing that connected Rei and Elena.
Using a Paired Orb — a different one, of course — to speak with someone other than herself was, as a woman, not something Elena found pleasing.
"That's right."
But Rei, not understanding what Elena was trying to say, simply agreed straightforwardly.
At his attitude, Elena was about to say something when...
"Elena, why don't you save that for later? You understand that this situation needs to be resolved as quickly as possible, don't you?"
"That's..."
At Marina's chiding words, Elena fell silent.
She too understood that this matter needed to be resolved swiftly — that much was true.
"Besides, you've understood that side of Rei well enough by now, haven't you? He doesn't understand a woman's feelings at all."
Rei was subjected to Marina's commentary, but since he truly didn't understand why Elena was dissatisfied, he had no way to respond on that front.
"Ah... right. Well, for now anyway. ...Can I call Grimm?"
Setting aside what he didn't understand for the time being, Rei asked the three of them as they directed skeptical, exasperated, and dissatisfied gazes his way.