Time passed, and without any particularly major problems arising since the eyeball incident, the season turned to spring.
Of course, even for the frontier city of Gilm, there was little chance of major incidents like that eyeball affair occurring in quick succession.
...That said, for some reason, Rei and his companions tended to get caught up in such incidents far more often than most.
The winter chill was already gone, and many people had returned to Gilm.
The city's expansion construction had also fully resumed a short while ago.
The numbers were not that large yet, but they would surely grow as time went on.
"Hey! How're things with the Treant Forest lumber over there!? Tell them to bring it here!" one Dwarf shouted, and a reply came immediately.
"Well, for now we can bring you five logs. Is that okay!?"
"That's fine! Just hurry up and bring them over!"
Responding to the sharply barking Dwarf, his subordinate relayed the order to the laborers hired for the heavy lifting, telling them to haul over the Treant Forest lumber.
Watching several workers carry the timber, the man who had given the orders scratched his head.
"This is trouble. At this rate, the Treant Forest lumber will run out in no time. I heard the alchemists worked hard on various things over the winter, but I guess it still wasn't enough."
The man let out a sigh.
Treant Forest lumber was a highly versatile building material.
In the first place, what had allowed Gilm's expansion construction—originally expected to take years, or even decades—to be pushed up so dramatically was the sudden availability of the Treant Forest as a source of building materials.
But such easy-to-use lumber was naturally in demand at every single construction site across Gilm.
As a result, locations all over the city were crying out for wood, and supply had completely failed to keep pace with demand.
Daskar and those involved in the expansion construction were, naturally, well aware of this.
That was precisely why they had mobilized all woodcutters and adventurers, raising the reward rates to fell as many trees as possible.
And yet, it still wasn't enough.
Upon learning of the situation, the upper brass reportedly reflected with deep regret that they should have kept the woodcutters working through the winter.
Of course, if asked whether anyone would do logging work while snow was falling... given the overwhelming dangers involved, there probably would have been almost no takers.
They would have had to offer an outrageous sum.
Even then, more people likely would have gravitated toward the Gigant Turtle dissection instead.
And so...
"Oh, Rei and Set. Go on through. They apparently need the lumber ASAP, so hurry it up."
Just like the previous year, Rei, having stored trees felled by woodcutters in the Treant Forest inside his Misty Ring, bypassed the entry queue entirely and walked straight into Gilm.
Naturally, there were those who found this displeasing to watch, and some actually voiced their complaints to the guards... but the guards paid them no mind.
In the first place, anyone outside the city for expansion construction work could enter with something close to a free pass.
...If Rei had arrived hauling felled trees alongside the other woodcutters and adventurers, there probably wouldn't have been a single complaint.
But since Rei, with his Misty Ring, could transport lumber without needing a carriage or the like, those waiting in line for entry procedures couldn't help but want to cry foul.
"You don't know? The fact that he's with Gryphon Seto means that's Rei."
Hearing someone explain Rei and Set to what was likely a first-time visitor to Gilm, Rei hurried through the streets with Set.
He figured that anyone who wasn't surprised to see Set and had only grumbled complaints might actually be someone important.
Perhaps because the number of people was gradually increasing, the streets were considerably more crowded than in winter.
But as expected, most were Gilm residents, and upon spotting Rei and Set, many called out to them.
"Rei, want to grab some skewers?"
"Set-chan, we've got some delicious fruit! Want some before you go?"
Several people from food stalls, restaurants, and ingredient shops called out to Rei and Set.
For shops dealing in food and ingredients, Rei was a valued customer who bought in bulk. And seeing Set eat served as free advertisement that drew crowds.
"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. I'll drop by once things calm down."
"Gururururu!"
Rei and Set each responded and continued on their way.
Upon arriving at the lumber drop-off point...
"Ah, Rei. You're finally here. Sorry, but take the lumber directly to the alchemists instead of leaving it here. If they don't start processing it ASAP, the work sites are going to face a serious shortage!"
Told this by the man in charge, Rei was mildly surprised.
He'd heard the lumber was running short, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
"That much? I thought we stockpiled quite a bit last year?"
"Yeah, even with that. Just like last year, it seems this year's construction started using lumber in earnest. Plus, they're pushing expansion construction forward simultaneously at multiple sites, so that much more wood is needed."
"Ah... yeah. That explains it. ...I'd rather not get too close to the alchemists if I can help it, though."
At Rei's words, the man who had asked him to deliver the lumber directly to the alchemists offered a wry smile.
He knew the reason.
The eyeball they had defeated in winter.
Rei had received a portion of that eyeball's tail as material from Grimm.
After temporarily leaving it with Daskar, he had gotten it back—but for the alchemists, that tail was apparently a material of intense interest. Numerous alchemists had hounded Rei, asking him to hand it over... or at the very least, to let them study it further.
Daskar had told Rei that he'd instructed the alchemists to request it from Rei directly, but having them descend on him that desperately was still unexpected.
Naturally, Rei had refused, but alchemists with a burning intellectual curiosity weren't about to back down so easily.
Ever since then, every time they ran into him, they would pester him to hand over the material or let them examine it... but even that had finally settled down once the expansion construction resumed.
And yet, under these circumstances, if Rei went to see the alchemists now, it was a certainty that the same song and dance would start all over again.
"I get how you feel, but hauling large amounts of lumber around is a waste of time. ...Well, actually, they'd normally need to run various inspections before processing, but it sounds like they'll handle that directly over there too."
That was how busy they were.
Reading that unspoken message between the lines, Rei let out a sigh of resignation and turned to Set, who had been waiting quietly beside him.
"Set, sorry, but I've got some business to take care of. Can you wait around here for me?"
"Guru?"
Are you sure? Set purred, as if asking exactly that.
From Set's perspective, Rei was wearing a subtly reluctant expression, so it probably thought it shouldn't just let him go without a fuss.
Sensing Set's concern, Rei smiled to show there was nothing to worry about.
"Well, those guys apparently have their hands full right now. Before they can even ask me to show them that eyeball tail material, they need to process the felled lumber."
Even as he said it, Rei had a feeling they would still come pressing him regardless.
Wouldn't it be better to just use that tail to make a magic item already?
He couldn't help but think that, but when he had brought the material to Asimov—the alchemist who had crafted the Twilight Spear for him—he was told that without thoroughly researching the material's properties, there was no way to know what kind of magic item it would produce.
Asimov had said that if Rei just wanted something casually made, he could do it right away. But since this was material from that eyeball, Rei naturally wanted a powerful magic item crafted from it.
That was why Asimov was currently looking into it... which meant that, in truth, the eyeball tail wasn't actually inside Rei's Misty Ring at all.
Of course, if that got out, there was a high probability that a swarm of alchemists would descend on Asimov's location, so he couldn't exactly make it public knowledge.
He said it might turn into a years-long project. I guess I'll need to keep fobbing off the other alchemists until that magic item is finished.
What a hassle.
With that thought, Rei parted ways with Set and headed toward the alchemists' workshop.
Naturally, alchemists were valuable individuals.
Both Daskar's regular alchemist subordinates and the temporarily hired ones were firmly guarded by soldiers to ensure nothing happened to them.
After a brief greeting with the soldiers, Rei stepped inside the building.
Since it was a place for magically processing lumber, the alchemists weren't working in some ordinary research lab, but rather inside a fairly large warehouse.
Of course, magic items had been provided to make the workspace as comfortable as possible for the alchemists.
Seasonally, it was spring and the expansion construction had resumed, but the mornings and nights were still chilly.
Because of that, heating magic items had been set up inside the warehouse.
Once summer arrived, those heating magic items would likely be swapped out for cooling ones.
Alchemists in particular typically spent all their time on research and rarely got any physical exercise.
Whether that was the reason or not, Rei couldn't say, but their tolerance for heat and cold was noticeably weak.
...Of course, the alchemists probably wouldn't want to hear that from Rei, who was wearing the Dragon Robe with its simplified air conditioner function.
"I've brought the Treant Forest lumber!"
At Rei's voice, the alchemists inside the warehouse turned their gazes toward him.
Had the lumber stock already run out, or were they simply on break?
Rei couldn't tell the exact reason, but one glance was enough to see that every alchemist's attention was now fixed on him.
However, it wasn't because he had brought lumber... it was simply because Rei himself had arrived.
Yes—in other words, the stares were because Rei, the person holding the eyeball material, had shown up.
Subjected to those gazes, Rei, perhaps already accustomed to them, showed no particular concern and called out to a person nearby who appeared to be assigned to menial tasks.
"So, where should I put the lumber I brought? The woodcutters are still working hard felling trees in the Treant Forest, so I'd like to head back as soon as possible."
In this case, his desire to return quickly also stemmed from wanting to get away from the alchemists, who were eyeing him like predators. Perhaps understanding that, the person Rei had addressed scratched his head with a troubled look and spoke up.
"Um, please put them in the empty space over there. We always stack the lumber in that spot."
The area the man indicated was indeed flat and could accommodate the felled logs without any issues.
"Got it. Over there. ...And let me make this clear: I have no intention of selling or lending out that eyeball material. At the very least, absolutely not to anyone who doesn't take their work seriously."
Depending on how one interpreted it, that could be taken to mean he would lend or sell the material to those who did work seriously.
Hearing Rei's words and making exactly that calculation, the alchemists' eyes lit up with determination.
...In reality, Rei hadn't made any promise whatsoever. But regardless, if it made them work diligently on processing the lumber, he had no complaints.
"Anyway, keep up the good work. I'm heading back to the Treant Forest now."
"Ah... thank you for your hard work."
In response to Rei's words, the man who had earlier told him where to put the lumber replied with a slightly troubled expression.
Several alchemists cast lingering, reluctant gazes at Rei's back, but Rei paid them no particular mind... no, rather, he deliberately ignored them as he walked out of the warehouse.