A knight approached Rei and his party as they departed from Gilm.
Since he had been waiting specifically for them to leave the city, there was no dissatisfaction on his face.
Normally, for someone of knightly status to be kept waiting for an adventurer, it wouldn't be unusual for them to harbor some resentment. But knowing just how powerful Rei was—and considering that among those with Rei were Elena, holder of the alias Princess General; Marina, the Former Guild Master; and, though the knight was unaware of her true identity, Vihera, a former princess of the Bestia Empire—waiting for individuals of such caliber gave him no reason for complaint.
Well, depending on the knight's personality, even with such a group, it wouldn't have been strange for him to find it disagreeable that he was the one stuck waiting. Fortunately, this knight did not have that kind of personality.
That was precisely why he had likely been chosen as their guide.
"Right this way, please. We'll be traveling by that carriage over there. Is that acceptable?"
While not as polite when addressing Rei alone, his courteous language was undoubtedly due to Elena and the others' presence.
"Yes, much obliged. Also... may I ask exactly how far we'll be traveling from Gilm?"
In response to Elena's question, the knight tensed—as someone who knew what was about to happen—and his face flushed red at the sight of the group of women who could rightly be called peerless beauties, Elena chief among them. Yet he still opened his mouth to answer.
"Yes. The instruction was to find a location where, at the very least, there would be no collateral damage to the surroundings even if you all fought. Our forces are already positioned at a certain distance from the anticipated battlefield."
Rei's party alone would be enough.
Daskar had thought so as well, but as the lord of Gilm, it was only natural to consider contingencies. Preparing for emergencies was a given.
Of course, Daskar didn't believe that knights and soldiers could handle an opponent that Rei's party couldn't defeat. He had assembled combat forces through Nomination Requests targeting the most skilled adventurers currently staying in Gilm.
"I see. Then that means we can go all out, can't we?"
"Um... if possible, please do so within a range that won't bring harm to Gilm. The majority of Gilm's residents are unaware of this incident."
At the knight's pleading gaze, Marina directed her eyes toward Rei.
Rei, however, was looking at Marina.
Among those in the carriage, the ones who excelled at wide-area attacks were Rei, who specialized in Flame Magic, and Marina, who specialized in Spirit Magic. That was why they exchanged glances that clearly said don't go too overboard—only to realize the other was thinking the exact same thing, and both wore awkward expressions.
Just like that, with a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere hanging over them, the carriage rolled on. Eventually, several soldiers and knights came into view through the carriage window, and the vehicle slowed to a halt.
"Um, well... we've arrived. Captain Gradalas is waiting, so I'll guide you there now."
Rei recognized the name Gradalas. He was a famous figure among the several captains in Gilm's Knight Order, known for his exceptional skill.
Though Rei had never met him directly, of course.
"Gradalas, huh. I'd heard about him, but this'll be the first time meeting in person."
"Oh, really? He's Daskar's subordinate, so I figured you would've met him before."
Marina, who had been close to Daskar for a long time, naturally knew Gradalas. She also knew he had the ability befitting someone entrusted with an operation like this.
"Regular knights are one thing, but I don't really have occasions to meet the higher-ups in the Knight Order. What about you, Elena? You meet with Lord Daskar fairly often, so have you met Gradalas?"
"I've heard the name, but never met him. Vihera goes without saying, I suppose."
"What's that supposed to mean? Well, it's true I haven't met him, at least."
For the most part, Vihera lived in Gilm as an adventurer. Those who knew her true identity, including Daskar, were extremely few. It was only natural, then, that Vihera hadn't had the opportunity to meet Gradalas.
In that regard, it was something of a double-edged sword for Vihera.
"Still, we'll get to meet him now, so it's fine. Come on, let's go."
Prompted by Marina, Rei and the others disembarked from the carriage. Set, who had been walking alongside outside, immediately approached them.
Gently nuzzling his head against Rei, Set was petted as the group made their way through the assembled soldiers and knights.
As they walked, a question suddenly occurred to Rei. The number of forces present here was fewer than he had expected.
What's going on? Surely Lord Daskar wouldn't hold back on forces. Which would mean they're not stationed only here. Well, thinking about it normally, since the battlefield is already decided, it wouldn't be strange to position forces surrounding it rather than concentrating everyone in one spot.
Looking around while petting Set and mulling over these thoughts, Rei was guided by the knight until they eventually arrived in front of a tent.
"Captain Gradalas, I've brought everyone."
At the knight's words, a man emerged from within the tent.
He was in his mid-thirties. His build wasn't exactly brawny or heavily muscled—rather, slightly above medium. And yet, his gaze held a sharp light, and one could tell at a glance that he was a man of considerable ability.
"Glad you came. I've heard the gist of the situation from Lord Daskar, so the only thing I can say is to give it your best. If you have any questions, I'll hear them."
As a manner of speaking toward Elena, the daughter of Duke Kerebel's House who held the alias Princess General, and Marina, the Former Guild Master, it could certainly be called blunt. But it wasn't that he harbored any ill will toward either of them—this was simply Gradalas's normal way of dealing with people.
Marina, who knew this, continued the conversation without seeming particularly bothered. Elena, too, had spent so long on battlefields that she wouldn't take offense over something of this level.
The only one who seemed dissatisfied was Ara—not Elena herself—on the grounds that Gradalas's language toward Elena was rude.
"Right. I'll ask just in case, but the reason there are so few forces here is because they're scattered around the area that'll become the battlefield, correct?"
"Correct. I would have liked to prepare more forces if possible, but there are various other matters that need attention, so this was the maximum we could manage."
"I see. Then, one more thing I'll confirm just in case—you've heard that this battle will be fought by us alone... more precisely, me, Rei, Elena, Vihera, and Set—four people and one creature, correct? If your people jump in during the fight, it'll cause all sorts of problems."
"I've heard that as well. Honestly, it's not that I don't have things I'd like to say to Rei's master... but I know that to resolve this incident, we have no choice but to borrow that power."
As one of the Knight Order's captains, Gradalas surely had his own thoughts about this operation. In particular, the fact that they, whose duty was to protect Gilm, could not participate in the battle against the tentacles was reason enough for discontent. If they had the confidence to handle the situation on their own, they never would have relied on Rei's party in the first place.
But since that wasn't possible, he had no choice but to accept the demands of those who would help them.
Naturally, if the tentacle subjugation failed after complying with those demands, he intended to voice at least a complaint or two toward Rei's party—and then, using the knights, soldiers, and adventurers other than Rei's group, they would take down the tentacles themselves.
Marina hadn't necessarily read everything from Gradalas's demeanor. Even so, she could somewhat sense what he was thinking, and judging that it would be better to defeat the tentacles quickly, she spoke up.
"Well then, we can't stay here forever, so shall we get going?"
Rei and the others felt a slight question at Marina's attitude, but since there was nothing in particular they needed to do here, they followed her instruction without complaint.
"Then we're off. There probably won't be any problems, but if something happens, I'm counting on you to respond immediately."
"No need to tell me."
After exchanging those brief parting words, Rei and the others left the tent.
"Lady Elena, please be careful. Leave Ielo to us!"
"Mn!"
Ara and Byune each offered words of encouragement to Elena and Vihera respectively. In Ara's arms was Ielo, who would be staying behind.
Of course, Byune's was the same single word as always, so the only one who accurately understood its meaning was Vihera. Rei and the others could grasp the general intent as well, but when it came to finer exchanges with Byune, Vihera's presence was essential.
"Looking at it like this, it's just me and Marina who don't have anyone sending us off, huh."
"That's true. But you have Set, don't you, Rei? Since he's fighting alongside you, there's no need for a send-off. Thinking about it that way, I'm the only one who's alone."
Contrary to her words, Marina said it jokingly with a laugh, but in truth, the one with the widest network going into this battle was clearly Marina. The title of Former Guild Master was by no means a small thing. Of course, having a wide network didn't necessarily mean those connections were deep—that was a separate matter entirely.
"Hm? Come to think of it, what about the one you've been teaching Spirit Magic to, Marina?"
"Ah, Mail? I gave Mail the day off since I'm busy here today."
She was a temporary disciple limited to the winter period, but a disciple nonetheless. Moreover, from what Rei had seen, the Dark Elf named Mail seemed to hold a strong admiration for Marina.
Mail's features were well-arranged, but rather than beautiful, she had a charm better described as cute. That was likely why she held feelings of admiration toward Marina, who could rightly be called a bewitching beauty.
Given what Mail was like, if she knew what was about to happen today, there was no doubt she would have been cheering Marina on like Ara and Byune.
No, she might have even said she wanted to come along and fight. Bringing her was out of the question, though.
Byune aside, even bringing Ara into the fight was impossible. And from what Rei could see, Mail had the advantage of being able to attack from range with Spirit Magic, but if someone got close, she couldn't even match Byune, let alone Ara. Knowing that, bringing her along to this battle was out of the question.
Even without that, the matter with Grimm would have made it difficult to bring her anyway.
"Rei, Marina, is something wrong?"
Perhaps finished with her exchange with Ara, Elena called out to them. Turning around, Rei found not only Elena but Vihera as well, both directing somewhat amused gazes toward him and Marina.
"No, nothing. We were just saying that if Marina's disciple were here, Marina would probably be on that side too."
"Ah."
Whether they understood from Rei's words who he meant by "disciple," Elena and Vihera each nodded. Neither had met Mail directly, but because of the Earth Wall matter, they'd heard about her from Rei and Marina. Just from hearing those stories, they seemed to understand how Mail would have reacted if she were here, and each of them smiled.
"And in your case, Rei, your partner Set is heading to the battlefield with you, so you don't need that kind of send-off like Elena and the others."
"Gru?"
Set, who had been silent the whole time being petted by Rei, tilted his head as if asking what is it? and turned his round eyes toward Marina.
Like Rei and the others, Set was so relaxed that it was hard to believe he was about to challenge a powerful enemy in battle. This wasn't because they were underestimating the enemy. Rei and Vihera, who had seen the tentacles' abilities firsthand, fully understood that their opponent was a formidable foe.
Even so, when it came to fighting a strong enemy, Rei and his party had experienced this countless times before. They had a certain degree of tension, but there was no excessive tension—certainly not the kind of detrimental strain that would work against them.
Having Grimm watching was probably a big factor, too.
Of course, the fact that Grimm was watching didn't mean Grimm would help them. If anything, Grimm probably wouldn't lift a finger to help even if Rei's party fell into crisis. Even knowing that, Rei felt no particular unease. In a mood that could even be described as refreshing, he wrapped up the conversation and headed toward the battlefield.