"Hmm, then tomorrow during the day would be acceptable, yes?"
On the night of the day Marina had negotiated with Daskar, Rei sat in the same room as the previous day, using a Paired Orb to speak with Grimm alongside the same members.
Their purpose was, naturally enough, to discuss the method and timing for teleporting the tentacles.
"Yeah. Thanks to Marina's skilled negotiation, we've secured permission to fight the tentacles on our own. ...More importantly, I'll ask just in case—are you sure this will work?"
The one who had proposed relying on Grimm was, naturally, Rei. But even so, wanting to confirm with Grimm that it would truly be alright was only natural.
In response, Grimm let out a laugh from the other side of the Paired Orb.
...How he could laugh without anything resembling vocal cords was beyond even Rei's understanding. Though then again, if they were to go down that line of thought, the very fact that Grimm could speak at all was strange.
"Today, just to be sure, I took a look at the location Rei described to me. After the sacrifices were brought in, just as Rei had said, a rift formed in space, and I confirmed tentacles extending from it. With that, it should be fine. It appears to exist in a separate dimension from this one, but that dimension is close to this world."
A close dimension? Rei wondered, but Grimm didn't notice his reaction and continued speaking.
"Conversely, it is precisely because it was such an Underground Space that the one who orchestrated this incident was able to make contact with the creature. ...That said, it certainly did not appear to possess the intelligence to understand language."
"Then how did they form a contract for the Cobolt situation?"
"Hmm, that much even I do not know. But thinking about it normally, they likely used some kind of Magic Item or Skill... or perhaps they tried various things at random and succeeded by coincidence, I would think."
"Coincidence, you say..."
That was something neither Rei nor the other three listening in could possibly accept. If that were the case, the Magic Item or Skill explanation from earlier would have been far more convincing.
"I do not know the details myself. It is merely my impression that it seemed so. ...In any case, today I saw the tentacles extending from the spatial rift with my own eyes. That is why I am confident I can handle it. Is that not what matters most?"
"I suppose you're right, if you put it that way."
He hadn't fully accepted it, but Rei nodded at Grimm's words.
What method had been used to cause all this. If they didn't know that, they wouldn't be able to prevent it from happening the same way again—and that was a significant concern. Above all, the thought that he might have to rely on Grimm's help again next time was frustrating for Rei.
"Rei, let's think about that later. They've captured the mastermind behind this incident, that Javis person, right? ...Though it seems he doesn't know the details."
"Yeah, that's right. In the end, Javis was nothing more than a field commander, so it's certain he doesn't know the specifics. There's talk that the King's Faction is involved, but we don't even know how much of that is true."
This incident still had far too many unknowns. Because of that, Rei couldn't help but have his own thoughts about various aspects of it.
"Hmm, cough. May I bring the conversation back on track? I have properly observed the Underground Space, and I am certain I can forcibly teleport them and eject them through the spatial rift. Now then, I would like you to decide exactly where to do it. I cannot simply toss them out at some random location, now can I?"
"Ah... yeah, that's true. But a suitable location... what area would be good? Somewhere too close to Gilm would result in casualties, so we'd need a certain amount of distance."
"Indeed. If Rei fights seriously, it wouldn't be strange for the surrounding area to become a scorched wasteland. Considering that, it would have to be somewhere far from Gilm. Also, you should avoid areas near the highway."
No one objected to Elena's words. Even Rei, whose actions had been one of the reasons for this discussion, found himself convinced—and that was only natural.
If the highway suffered damage during the battle with the tentacles, it would severely affect travel once spring arrived. With the Expansion Construction currently underway, such a situation would cause significant delays to the work starting in spring. It was already a massive, multi-year project, and causing such an impact through his own actions was something Rei absolutely wanted to avoid.
"However, that means... we'd need a proper landmark somewhere, or it would be troublesome. If it's just some random spot, then... unless we're not there... not there? Grimm-san, may I ask something?"
"Hmm, what is it?"
At Marina's words, Grimm replied with a note of mild interest from the other side of the Paired Orb.
"Rather than deciding on a specific place to teleport them to, would it be possible to teleport them to where we are?"
"There should be no problem. Rei's mana would serve as the most unmistakable landmark."
"...Huh?"
The topic suddenly shifting to his own mana caught Rei slightly off guard. Part of it was that his attention had been drawn to how unusual it was to hear Marina speaking to someone so politely, but more importantly, there was something he couldn't afford to miss.
"Just so you know, I'm using a Magic Item called the Ring of the New Moon to make my mana undetectable."
Rei's mana was enormous, and for those who possessed some means of sensing it, being frightened of him at first glance was a common occurrence. That was why, after obtaining the Ring of the New Moon to conceal his mana, such troubles had disappeared...
"To think you could deceive my eyes with a Magic Item of that level is a mistake on your part. Mind you, that Magic Item is certainly of considerable performance—there is no mistaking that. In that sense, there would not be many besides me who can sense Rei's mana."
Rei wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or startled by Grimm's words. Though, being told this by Grimm rather than someone with malicious intent might have been a blessing in disguise.
"Is that so?"
That was all Rei could say in response. After all, if Grimm was nullifying the Ring of the New Moon's effect, the thought occurred to him that he simply needed to find a more powerful Magic Item. Though he doubted such a thing would be so easily found.
Rei pondered this for a moment, but Marina showed no sign of being bothered by it and continued her discussion with Grimm.
"Then, Grimm-san. Tomorrow at a specific time during the day, I would like to request that you forcibly teleport the tentacles and their master to where we are... no, to where Rei is."
"If that is what you wish, then I have no objections. However... I must insist you do not forget the promise we made beforehand."
"But of course. I've already made sure Daskar... the lord of Gilm, promised on that matter."
"Then I have no objections. As responsibility for the teleportation, I shall observe until the matter is resolved. However, even if you find yourselves at a disadvantage in combat, I will absolutely not intervene. Furthermore, if any Combat Power positioned nearby attempts to assist on their own, I will obstruct them. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. In the first place, the soldiers will be standing by at a considerable distance."
Marina's words were by no means baseless. With Rei at the forefront, the group included several people who excelled at large-scale attacks. If soldiers were positioned at a half-hearted distance from the battle, significant casualties from the aftershocks were all but guaranteed.
For someone of Daskar's caliber, there was no way he hadn't considered that. It was also possible that he might take such measures if he felt uncertain about Rei and his party's abilities, but that possibility was virtually nonexistent. Daskar believed in Rei's power—and that of the Crimson Lotus Wings—and on top of that, Elena, who bore the alias of the Princess General, was joining them this time.
That was undeniably one of the best possible choices available under the current circumstances. ...Of course, if they were talking about the single best option rather than simply one of the best, it would be mobilizing all of the High-Rank Adventurers in Gilm.
While not exactly impossible in practical terms, the difficulty of pulling it off was extremely high. Moreover, if they were to attempt such a thing, they would need to coordinate and train so that everyone wouldn't get in each other's way during combat.
Those with considerable skill, such as High-Rank Adventurers, often had strong egos. There were certainly no small number of them who were poor at coordinating with others, or who outright disliked it. Given that, if coordinating and aligning everyone took time, that much time would simply be wasted.
Above all, considering Grimm's conditions, the only option left was for Rei and his party to fight—that was an undeniable fact. Without Grimm, they couldn't forcibly teleport the tentacles from the Underground Space in the first place.
"Hmm, then... it is settled."
With those parting words, Grimm offered a brief farewell, and the Paired Orb ceased its function.
Everyone, including Rei, was startled by Grimm's sudden disappearance. That said, considering what Grimm had to prepare for, they judged that no amount of time would be enough, so no one held it against him. ...In reality, given Grimm's abilities, it wouldn't be that much trouble.
"Phew, I'm glad we got things settled. The location for teleporting the tentacles will be marked by Rei's mana, he said."
At Marina's words, everyone nodded.
Being able to use Rei's mana as a landmark was hugely significant. If they were teleporting to a specific location, they would need some kind of landmark. But if they could use Rei's mana as that landmark, they simply had to wait on the plains—well, snowplains at the moment—and the enemy would come to them automatically. Nothing could be easier than that.
"Now all that's left is for Marina to report to Lord Daskar and gather the reserve forces, and the preparations will be complete. ...Still, my master, huh."
The explanation Marina had given Daskar... it was something the four of them had discussed and decided in this very room at around this time yesterday, but even so, Rei felt somewhat conflicted.
Rei had been using the existence of a master as a justification for his actions all along, so this particular claim was a bit of a stretch, but it wasn't flatly impossible. He understood that, but given that the word "master" had only ever come from his own mouth before, it would have been more impossible not to feel a sense of incongruity now that the others were using it.
"Oh my, it's not that strange of a story, is it? Normally, it's only natural for someone to have a magic master. ...Well, it's not as though there aren't people who learn magic on their own by reading Spellbooks and such, but that should be quite rare, shouldn't it?"
"No, I get it. I understand, but... I just can't help it."
Responding to Marina's words, Rei let out a heavy sigh as if to reset his mindset.
"Well, setting the master issue aside for now, the plan for tomorrow is decided. It's unfortunate that the Gigant Turtle dissection will be delayed a bit, but we can't afford to cause unnecessary damage here."
"That's right. For Gilm, the Gigant Turtle dissection has become something of a regular winter event. ...Though even so, it should only last a few years at most."
No matter how gigantic the Gigant Turtle was, it was an undeniable fact that its dissection couldn't go on forever. Given that, it was only natural that it would end someday. Considering those circumstances, no one raised any objections to Marina's opinion.
"I feel bad for the dissection crew, but tomorrow's a day off for them. Daskar has already sent word to the Guild about that, right?"
"Yes. Daskar won't have any oversights on that front. And the Guild wouldn't want to squander such a large earning opportunity either. It's not just the dissection—the Guild is busy too, so they can always use more hands."
"Hm? Is that so? With the Cobolt situation nearing resolution, compared to before, things should have eased up considerably, shouldn't they?"
"Listen, Elena. Precisely because things were so busy until now, work has inevitably piled up. With it having accumulated as much as it has, they need personnel just to clear through it."
At Marina's words, those listening nodded once more in understanding.