"Hm? ...Oh, Rei. It has been a while."
Displayed on the Paired Orb was a face Rei recognized.
Yes, it was Grimm — a Lich... no, one truly worthy of being called a Lich Lord.
Seeing Grimm displayed on the Paired Orb beside Rei, the three of them — Elena, Marina, and Vihera — gasped at the sight.
Even knowing of Grimm, seeing his form anew like this was still startling.
"It is fine that it has been a while, but what is the meaning of others being present besides Rei?"
In words, Grimm seemed to be reproaching Rei, but his tone suggested he found the situation rather amusing.
Seeing this unexpectedly playful side of him, the three women felt their tension ease slightly.
Perhaps Grimm might actually listen to their request.
Of course, they had not placed their absolute trust in Grimm based on this exchange alone.
It was merely a feeling that perhaps — just perhaps — something of that sort might come to pass.
The three of them remained silent, deciding to leave the matter to Rei.
Since Rei was the only one with a connection to Grimm to begin with, it was a natural choice.
Receiving their gazes, Rei hesitated over how to respond to Grimm's demeanor, but opened his mouth anyway.
"Ah... actually, I got in touch because there's something I'd like your help with. Do you remember what happened in Emosion?"
"Emosion? Let me see..."
At the word Emosion from Rei's mouth, Grimm appeared to fall into thought for a moment.
Without flesh or skin, being nothing but bone — a skull — it could only seem as though that were the case.
"You know, the sea..."
"Oh, you mean that time. I remember it well. Come to think of it, you did say that place was called Emosion. And? The fact that you bring up that topic means you want me to teleport some kind of massive entity again, like back then?"
Perhaps grasping from the flow of the conversation why Rei had contacted him, Grimm asked the question.
Since that was not actually incorrect, Rei nodded and began explaining the situation.
He described the space beneath Gilm, the tentacles emerging from a rift in that space, the sacrifices, and the Cobolts.
"Hmm, I see. ...How thoroughly fascinating."
Grimm made the declaration in response to Rei's explanation.
Perhaps because he had not expected Grimm to take interest, Rei was slightly surprised.
But in terms of borrowing Grimm's aid, the fact that the other party had shown interest was significant.
"I'm glad it caught your interest. ...So, how about it? Unlike with the Lemures, the enemy this time isn't in this world — it's on the other side of a spatial rift... or you could say, outside this world. Can you still do something about it?"
"But of course."
Grimm answered without a moment's hesitation.
It was not bravado; it was the words of someone who truly had confidence in his own power.
"Then... can I count on you?"
"It is your request, after all, Rei."
To Grimm, Rei's existence was special.
More precisely, it was Zephyle — who had entrusted Beast Magic to Rei — who was the object of Grimm's admiration in life.
For that reason, a request from Rei, who could be called Zephyle's successor, was something Grimm would honor barring extraordinary circumstances.
...That said, if he made it a free service, Rei might stop trying to solve things himself and immediately turn to Grimm whenever something happened.
"However, I shall claim a reward."
"A reward? Well, if it's something I can actually pay, then fine, but it's not like you're hurting for money, right, Grimm? ...For that matter, you can't even use money in the first place."
Of course, if Grimm truly wanted to use money, he had any number of means to do so.
He could simply manipulate someone into buying things for him, and among merchants, there were more than a few who considered it no problem as long as they were properly paid, even if the other party was undead.
But from Rei's perspective, he couldn't imagine Grimm wanting anything a person could obtain.
And Rei's prediction was correct.
"Indeed. You are not wrong, Rei. What I want is... that which I am to teleport this time."
"That's... well, how should I put it..."
It was so unexpected that Rei found himself unable to continue.
No, Rei wasn't the only one surprised.
Elena and the other two, who had been silently watching the exchange between Grimm and Rei, were also taken aback, even if they didn't voice it — they hadn't expected such a demand.
The first to come back to his senses was Rei.
"Why on earth would you want those tentacles?"
"The fact that it appears from a spatial rift means that entity undoubtedly possesses the ability to interfere with space. Given that, is it not only natural that I would take interest?"
"That's... true, but..."
Grimm's reasoning made sense.
Moreover, since they were ultimately in the position of asking for his help, if Grimm said so, they would have no choice but to accept.
Rei wondered for a moment whether negotiating might get Grimm to back down, but from his demeanor, it was certain he had no intention of yielding an inch.
"Furthermore, from what I have heard, there is no guarantee those tentacles belong to a monster of this world. If that is the case, whether it possesses the magic stone Rei desires is... questionable, is it not?"
"Ugh..."
Whether that entity was actually a monster was unclear.
No — it wasn't even clear whether it was an entity from this world at all.
Given that, whether it possessed the magic stone Rei desired was indeed doubtful.
However, the fact that it was doubtful also meant there was a possibility it did possess one.
(What should I do? I'm certain that if I ask Grimm, he'll definitely handle it. But a magic stone... it might not have one, and not being able to obtain materials from it would be a problem.)
He wanted materials for use as magic item components, but more than that, his honest desire was for materials as proof of having subjugated the tentacles.
But if he didn't agree here, Grimm would likely not lend his aid, meaning Rei couldn't refuse Grimm's demand for compensation.
"Grimm, is there any way you could work something out on that front?"
"Hmm, let me think. ...Very well, let us do this. The reason you want materials and such is to prove that you defeated these tentacles, is it not?"
Though Rei hadn't stated it directly, Grimm had apparently surmised the situation from his demeanor and said as much.
"Y-yeah. Otherwise, I can't objectively prove where the tentacles from the underground space went, or whether they were truly defeated."
"The tentacles vanish when cut off, too."
Murmuring quietly, as if following after Rei, was Vihera.
Having fought the tentacles directly herself, she could speak to that from experience.
Rei had seen that sight with his own eyes as well, so even if he were handed a tentacle, he didn't think it could be maintained in its original form.
(Then again, maybe if I defeat the one on the other side of the spatial rift — at the base of the tentacles — the tentacles might not disappear.)
He considered that for a moment, but his guess was that it would probably be difficult.
"Hmm, I shall take that into consideration. And as an additional concession — if the master of those tentacles possesses a magic stone, I shall yield it to Rei."
He called it a concession, but for Grimm, it was closer to a matter of course.
For Grimm, who had revered Zephyle in life, if he could assist with Beast Magic — what Zephyle and the Zephyle Clan had left behind — then not doing so was simply not an option.
That said, he naturally wasn't about to do everything for free...
"Naturally, I shall be the one to teleport the tentacles and their master to another location, but defeating those tentacles I leave to you and yours. How about it?"
"I'm fine with it. No, more than that — it's exactly what I was hoping for..."
He might be able to obtain a magic stone usable for Beast Magic, and he would also receive proof of having defeated the tentacles and their master.
It was an incredibly welcome proposition for Rei, but as a party... no, considering the flow of the conversation thus far, Elena would participate, and if Elena participated, Ara would naturally join as well.
In that case, it went without saying that he couldn't decide on his own.
That said, the three women who received his gaze immediately nodded in response to Rei's words.
"No problem. I originally wanted a rematch with those tentacles anyway. If anything, this proposal is exactly what I was hoping for."
"Having such an entity existing so close to my home is honestly unpleasant. Let's defeat it quickly."
"I as well, naturally, am in favor. We cannot leave such an eerie entity running free, and as one living in Marina's home, it is only proper that I follow the homeowner's opinion."
Seeing them respond thus, Rei spoke with relief.
"I never thought you'd agree to my request so readily."
"It's your request, so of course. ...As a practical matter, it's true that we should resolve this incident as quickly as possible. And sacrifices... I'm not very fond of the idea."
Elena and Vihera both nodded at Marina's words.
Even if they were criminals certain to be executed, sacrifices were still not a pleasant thing.
Of course, if there truly were no other means, Marina and the others would have accepted the sacrifices.
But with a method that required no such thing right before them, there was no need to deliberately choose the option of using sacrifices.
...That said, the alternative they had chosen to sacrifices was enlisting the cooperation of Grimm, who was undead.
"Hmm. It seems the matter is settled. ...Then, one final confirmation. What I shall do is teleport those tentacles and bring them out of the spatial rift. The battle against that entity is for you and yours to undertake. And the compensation shall be the transfer of parts that can serve as proof of subjugation, and the transfer of a magic stone if one exists. ...Is that acceptable?"
"Yeah, that's fine. ...I can assume Lord Daskar can be persuaded?"
"Yes, we'll manage it on our end. ...It'll be a pain, having to come up with all sorts of cover stories, though."
Perhaps she could be honest about Grimm with Daskar.
Marina thought that for just a moment, but since Rei had shared the information only with them, she couldn't easily leak it to someone else.
She felt Daskar would probably be fine, but even so, undead were fundamentally beings despised by people.
Given that, they needed to fabricate a cover story — a false account of a method to forcibly teleport the tentacles while concealing Grimm's existence.
"Then, it seems our discussion is concluded. Once the specific date and time are decided, let me know."
"Got it. Though, since we don't know the specific conditions under which the tentacles will appear, it might be quite difficult..."
"I leave that to you, Rei. ...And you three."
Grimm, who had been speaking with Rei, called out to Elena and the others at the very end, just before terminating the call.
Elena and the others, apparently not expecting to be addressed by Grimm, looked at the skeleton displayed on the Paired Orb in surprise.
Confirming that the three had turned their gazes toward him, Grimm spoke from the other side of the Paired Orb.
"Rei is strong. He has talent. But he is still immature, and there is much about him that is reckless. I am glad that women such as yourselves are at Rei's side."
So saying, Grimm bowed.
Yes — Grimm, one truly worthy of being called a Lich Lord, bowed his head to Elena and the other two.
It was, unmistakably, an astonishing sight.
The three had been so captivated by the fact that, despite Grimm bowing, the crown atop his head somehow did not fall off, that before long Elena opened her mouth.
"I, honestly, do not understand why you, Grimm, care so deeply for Rei. I do not understand, but... even so, I am with Rei by my own choice. The other two are the same. Therefore, Grimm, you need not go so far. We chose the man called Rei for ourselves."
In Elena's words addressing Grimm, none of the fear or awe from earlier could be felt.
Having spoken with Grimm, she had likely judged that he truly cared for Rei.
Grimm raised his head, glanced at Marina and Vihera — who were looking at him with the same gaze as Elena — gave a single nod, and ended the Paired Orb call.