The day after the celebration party—where they had called in the Yaki Udon stall and, contrary to their initial expectations, eaten as much Yaki Udon as they liked, along with various other iron-plate-grilled dishes and steak made from the Gigant Turtle meat Rei had provided—Rei headed to the Lord's Manor with Marina.
Elena and Ara were busy explaining the incident to the Noble Faction Nobles in Gilm and drafting reports to be submitted to Anesis.
Vihera was at the Gigant Turtle dissection site, serving as Byune's guard.
Whether as an immediate effect of defeating the eyeball yesterday, though, there had been no sign of Cobolts or any other monsters the eyeball might have summoned, and the two looked extremely bored.
Set was playing with the Children in an area of Gilm where shoveled snow had been piled up, alongside Ielo.
"Sorry for calling you in the day after."
In the Office of the Lord's Manor, Daskar, who had been reading documents, said this to the two of them as they sat on the sofa, eating dried fruits and drinking tea that a Maid had prepared.
"No, if it's something we need to report, I figure it's best to do it as soon as possible," Rei replied.
"That's right. There were quite a few things about this incident that concerned us. In that sense, we definitely need to cross-reference our information. You called us here because you felt the same way, didn't you, Daskar?"
"Ah... well, something like that. For now, I've had the tentacle Rei handed over verified by someone who fought the eyeball directly in the Underground Space and survived, so I understand it's genuine. And the tail, was it? That's currently being investigated as well. I won't promise tomorrow, but I think we can have it ready for you within a few days."
"That's fast. I thought it would take longer."
If an Alchemist were to thoroughly investigate it, it wouldn't be surprising for it to take considerable time. Moreover, the eyeball they had fought wasn't a being from this world—it was likely from another dimension entirely. Given that, it wouldn't be strange for an Alchemist to want to gather every scrap of information, and in some cases, to want to study it for years on end.
However, the tail was, in a manner of speaking, a perishable good. If they were to study it for years, there was no denying the possibility that it would rot.
"Well, that's true. I know the Alchemists and scholars honestly want to investigate it more thoroughly, but that ultimately belongs to you. I can't do anything about it with my authority. If they really want to investigate it that badly, they'll go negotiate with Rei themselves." Daskar paused. "When that happens, you can decide for yourself whether to lend it to them or not."
Rei nodded at his words.
There was no doubt that the eyeball's tail was an extremely rare find, but Rei had no idea what kind of Magic Item it could specifically be used for. In that sense, Daskar's proposal to have an Alchemist investigate it was by no means a bad one. However, since Rei had an acquaintance skilled enough to craft the Twilight Spear, that person would likely be his first choice for consultation.
"Now then, with that settled... First, let me hear about yesterday's incident directly from you and Marina. Though, I should say, the flying eyeball was visible even from Gilm. And we confirmed the traces of the battle here as well, but you two are the only ones who actually fought it."
"Understood."
The only ones at the scene of that battle had been Rei and his group. And since Grimm had taken the eyeball itself, all that remained was the battle-scarred earth. Though, the fact that it hadn't resulted in the large-scale damage Daskar had worried about was probably thanks to luck.
Rei, one of those responsible for creating that scene, explained the battle to Daskar in detail. The grotesque appearance of the eyeball that they hadn't been able to fully grasp from a distance. And above all, its numerous abilities that could fittingly be called special in every sense of the word.
Listening to all this, Daskar felt deeply relieved that he had left the incident entirely in Rei and his group's hands.
Daskar had strong confidence in his subordinates—the Knights, Soldiers, and Guards—but that was only when facing ordinary enemies. If they had deployed Gilm's Combat Power against an eyeball with the strength Rei described, the damage would undoubtedly have been severe. And if that had happened, a manpower shortage for the Expansion Construction resuming in spring would have been guaranteed.
After all, even last year, the Guards alone hadn't been enough, and they had been forced to put the Soldiers and Knights to work in various locations. They had barely managed to keep things running—no, ultimately they hadn't had enough hands and had ended up hiring adventurers as peacekeeping personnel. Considering that, if their manpower had been reduced by this incident, what would have happened needed no imagination.
Moreover, unlike last year, the information that the Expansion Construction would resume in spring had already spread, so the number of people coming to Gilm was certain to be larger than the previous year.
"I see... I see." Daskar nodded once, and then nodded again a few seconds later.
Seeing his reaction, Marina, who had been watching Rei speak while sipping her tea, offered a small smile and spoke up.
"Are you perhaps wondering how you would have fought it yourself?"
"Guh, th-that's..." Whether Marina's remark had hit the mark, Daskar faltered as if the words had escaped him involuntarily.
Before becoming a lord, Daskar had been a Knight, and his strength had been well-known throughout the Kingdom of Mireana. Now that he was a lord, he was far removed from actual combat, but he still never neglected his daily training for emergencies—such as the war with the Bestia Empire several years ago.
That being the case, while he was glad that the Combat Power of the Knights, Soldiers, and Guards hadn't been diminished in this incident, he likely also felt a desire to have fought the creature himself.
"Well, I understand how you feel, Daskar, but be properly aware that you're a lord. If you want to fight a strong opponent, Vihera would gladly oblige you, wouldn't she?"
"Don't be unreasonable. Don't be." Daskar was one of the few people who knew that Vihera was a former princess of the Bestia Empire. Given that, there was no way he could simply nod at Marina's suggestion to spar with Vihera.
"Setting that aside for now... with this, the incident that had plagued Gilm since winter has been resolved for the time being, hasn't it?"
"...Right. Though 'for the time being' is all it really is." Daskar wore a slightly bitter expression.
The incident had certainly been resolved. However, they had only captured the perpetrators; they hadn't yet seized the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes. In other words, depending on how things played out, the same sort of thing could happen again in Gilm.
Moreover, this time it had been winter, with fewer residents in Gilm, so the situation had been settled without becoming as large a disturbance as Daskar had feared. And as for the adventurers, since it was winter, a large number of them were in Gilm and ready to move at a moment's notice—though some were too drunk to be of any use. The circumstances had been extremely favorable for Gilm; one could certainly say that.
If this had happened during the period from spring to autumn when the Expansion Construction drew large crowds... if Cobolts had appeared in massive numbers right when the construction site was in full operation, what would have become of things? Daskar got a headache just thinking about it.
In that sense, it was fortunate for Gilm that the incident had occurred in winter.
"So, do you know anything about the mastermind behind this incident?" Marina asked.
"To a certain extent." Daskar gave a vague reply.
Though he trusted Marina and Rei, he had a desire to resolve this matter himself. In the first place, the enemy was the King's Faction—and not even the entire King's Faction, but likely a specific subset within it. Given that, there was no way this could be resolved through military force alone, and given Daskar's position, he would prefer to settle it with his own power if possible. Of course, if the use of force became necessary, the option of relying on Rei, who had a partner in Set capable of high-speed travel, did exist.
"I see. Well, it won't be easy, but do your best." Whether she had perceived Daskar's feelings, Marina didn't directly offer to lend a hand.
That said, it wasn't as though Marina felt no anger over the incident. Gilm was a place she had lived for a fairly long time, and since she had known Daskar, the current lord, since he was a child, her attachment to it was strong. Moreover, it was the city where she had met Rei... and the others she now traveled with, such as Elena and Vihera. There was no way Marina could be pleased about someone meddling with such a place.
Even so, the reason she hadn't taken direct action was because she understood that Daskar was the lord of Gilm. The "do your best" from Marina carried its literal meaning, but it also contained an implicit message: make sure to thoroughly retaliate against those who had committed such ridiculous acts.
Daskar, too, had no intention of letting those who had pulled such a stunt in the Gilm he governed off the hook. He nodded as if to say it went without saying.
"For them to have pulled such a ridiculous stunt in the Gilm I govern. I'll have to return the favor properly."
This incident could have potentially led to Gilm's destruction, so Daskar harbored strong anger within him—enough to steel his resolve that if he found the mastermind, he would pay them back twofold. No, more than that.
But then Daskar noticed that he had crushed a document in his grip, driven by anger, and hastily opened his hand. The document, squeezed by Daskar's strength, hadn't torn, but it had been reduced to a state where reading the text on it would be somewhat difficult. Placing it on his desk with a nonchalant expression, he stretched and changed the subject.
"Now, this is... well, not exactly a change of topic, but did your master express satisfaction with this battle, Rei?"
For a moment, Rei nearly blurted out, "Master?" but immediately recalled the Cover Story he had crafted—having Grimm perform the Teleportation of the eyeball under the guise of a hypothetical person called his master.
"Yes. He struggled a bit, but that eyeball was quite a formidable opponent. And since my master took the bulk of the eyeball as his reward, he didn't seem dissatisfied."
"...I see. Hey, Rei. Just for the record, and I really mean just for the record, but is there any chance your master could be persuaded to live in Gilm?"
"It would be difficult."
Strictly speaking, Rei wanted to say it would be impossible, but if he did, he'd be asked why he could state that so definitively. Since the reason was that Grimm was an Undead, there was no way he could say it even if pressed.
"Is that so? If possible, I wanted him to settle in Gilm so we could borrow his strength in emergencies like this one. I'll prepare whatever materials and goods we can on our end, but would that still not be enough?"
"It would be difficult."
Rei repeated the same words as before. But this time, the meaning behind "difficult" was different. For a being like Grimm, the materials and goods Daskar could prepare in Gilm would be things he could easily gather on his own. Given that, even if Daskar invited Grimm—Undead or not—there was no benefit for Grimm. Well, being able to live in the same Gilm as Rei and his group might be a benefit in a way. But in any case, under the current circumstances, the risks of Grimm living in Gilm far outweighed any potential rewards; that much was certain. If asked whether Grimm would agree to it, Rei could only tilt his head in doubt.
Not just Rei, but Marina nodded as if in agreement.
"For now, rather than relying on Rei's master, you should focus on making sure Gilm's own Combat Power can handle things when something happens."
"I know that. Besides, I've been taking various measures..." The slight bitterness in Daskar's tone was likely because he hadn't been able to settle this incident on his own.
After that, the conversation shifted to small talk rather than the incident, and the three of them spent a leisurely time together.