"Well, that about does it."
One of the adventurers muttered as he looked at the pack of Cobolts lying dead on the ground.
He wasn't being boastful; he was simply stating a fact. That was precisely why anyone watching could tell he was someone of considerable skill.
"Right. So... who are you people? The Treant Forest is currently off-limits. Besides, if all you can do is run from Cobolts, isn't being an adventurer in Gilm going to be a bit tough for you?"
Another adventurer called out to the group that had been chased there by the pack of Cobolts.
Depending on how one heard it, the words might sound mocking, but in reality, he was warning them that it was dangerous to continue living as adventurers.
"But wait, haven't those weapons and armor seen quite a bit of use? In that case, it wouldn't be strange if you could at least manage something against Cobolts."
"Ah, well, that's... this armor isn't something we bought ourselves. We had it handed down to us..."
One of the men, still panting heavily after fleeing from the Cobolts, admitted this with a slightly embarrassed look.
From his demeanor, he seemed ashamed that he hadn't purchased his equipment with his own hard-earned money.
That said, receiving equipment previously used by family or friends wasn't uncommon. Considering those circumstances, there was no real need to be so embarrassed. But ultimately, that came down to the individual's own feelings—some felt embarrassed by it, while others were actually glad. The ones who had fled from the Cobolts likely all fell into the former category.
"Setting that aside... Rei, what should we do with these guys?"
One of the adventurers turned to Rei.
The Birth Tower, the lake, and—even though it was secondary—the still-burning Slime were all supposed to be kept secret as much as possible. If that was the case, then how to handle the adventurers who had made it all the way here, even if they had been chased by Cobolts, was a dilemma for Rei as well.
"Or rather, isn't this not even something for me to decide? What's the protocol in this situation?"
Rei turned to the Knight, who was effectively in charge of the site.
To the adventurers, it may have looked like Rei was running things, but the one actually in charge was the Knight. From that perspective, it was only natural for Rei to consult him.
The Knight wore a troubled expression.
If they had come all the way to this lake intentionally, then in the worst case, they would be thrown into a cell. It was unclear how long that would last, but they certainly couldn't be released until a decision was made on what to do about the lake and the Birth Tower.
This time, however, was different. They had been attacked by Cobolts and fled, ending up here as a result. If they hadn't been able to run this far, the adventurers would likely be dead.
...Of course, the Treant Forest itself was currently off-limits to anyone without special permission, such as the Woodcutters and their escorts. In that sense, these adventurers had also defied orders from the Guild by coming this far.
"This is a difficult situation. It requires various difficult decisions, so I can't make the call on my own. It will be left to my superior. Whatever measures are taken will be determined there."
At the word "measures," the adventurers' expressions tightened.
(Did they seriously think a stern warning would be enough?) Rei speculated as he watched them.
If they truly believed a stern warning would suffice, he could only call that naive. Well, if they hadn't stumbled upon the lake or the Birth Tower, and had instead been found by other adventurers in the Treant Forest, it might have ended that way. But these adventurers had come all the way here. Considering that, they weren't getting off with nothing.
"Um... what's going to happen to us?" one of the men who had been chased asked, his voice timid and uncertain.
Rei took another look at the group. Ages-wise, they were all in their late teens or early twenties. Given that they had received their equipment secondhand, they were almost certainly new adventurers. In that case, it was only natural for them to want to avoid being dealt with harshly on the spot.
"If you heard what I just said, you should understand. A carriage should arrive in a few hours, and you'll be taking it back to Gilm. After that, I can't say. The person who hears your account will make the decision."
"No way..."
They muttered as if regretting the actions they had taken, but as far as Rei was concerned, this incident was their own fault. He averted his gaze from the fleeing adventurers.
(At the very least, if they'd had the skill to take down Cobolts themselves, they might have been able to keep their entry into the Treant Forest hidden—or at most, gotten off with a warning. Was fleeing all the way here good luck or bad luck?)
If they hadn't run this far, they might have been killed by the Cobolts. Thinking of that, he couldn't exactly call it bad luck.
With those thoughts, Rei surveyed his surroundings, glancing in particular toward the Treant Forest. Was the Cerberus attack last night related to the Cobolt incident? Both Cerberus and Cobolts were canine-type monsters. Cobolts had the appearance of bipedal dogs, though.
(No, probably not. The rank gap between Cobolts and a Cerberus is too great. Still, I should probably inform the Guild about this. They're the ones who'll make the call.)
If the Guild determined there was a causal relationship between the Cobolt and Cerberus incidents, it was entirely possible they would issue further instructions down the line. That wasn't for Rei to decide.
"Now then, regardless... you'll be safe here, so tell us what happened. If you have a written account of the circumstances, the interrogation should go faster."
The Knight said this and led the adventurers away.
They followed, clearly disappointed, but...
"Whoa! What the—!? A lake!?"
One of the adventurers suddenly shouted.
They didn't notice a lake that big until now? Rei wondered briefly. But for the adventurers who had barely escaped with their lives from the Cobolts, the relief of surviving had consumed them entirely. It wasn't strange that they hadn't noticed the lake before. It seemed they had only just registered its existence.
The men let out cries of surprise—at the lake, at the inexplicably large number of Lizardmen, at the Birth Tower, and at the still-burning Slime.
"To keep all of this from getting out, we'll need to put you through some inconvenience."
"Ah... yeah, you're right. Seeing all these different things here, I can understand why you'd say that."
One of the adventurers replied, sounding genuinely convinced. The others nodded in agreement.
"But this wasn't here before, right? What happened to make all of this?"
It was a perfectly reasonable question from an adventurer, but the Knight shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Come on, you can't just say you don't know. It's not like we're going to be set free right after this. We're going to be questioned about everything, so couldn't you at least tell us a little?"
The adventurer assumed the Knight was dodging the question because he didn't want to share too much information. But even when pressed, the Knight genuinely didn't know what had caused the situation, so he had nothing to say.
The Wisp in the Underground Space beneath the Treant Forest was behind the whole affair, but only a handful of people, including Rei, knew that.
Rei did think it might be fine to tell the Knight who had been entrusted with guarding this place, but since Daskar hadn't told him, there must be a reason for keeping it secret.
"No, you misunderstand. It's unfortunate, but we truly don't understand it ourselves. Sorry, but I can't provide any more information."
"...Huh? Really?"
Whether the Knight's words were genuinely that unexpected or not, a doubtful voice slipped from the man who had been speaking with him.
From the adventurer's perspective, since the Knight was stationed here, he naturally had to know what was going on—but that assumption had been completely proven wrong.
The Knight himself genuinely didn't know what was happening here, so he said nothing further. No, to be precise, he did know what was happening—the Birth Tower and the lake had been teleported here. But he didn't know what was causing these things to happen.
"Yes, really. That's exactly why we have skilled adventurers like Rei standing by here in case anything happens. The other adventurers here may not be quite at Rei's level, but they're all capable hands as well."
"Wow. Honestly, I'm really curious about how all this came to be, but... is it safe here? I mean, it's not that far from Gilm."
The Knight nodded at the adventurer's words.
The Birth Tower was being used as a Lizardman dwelling, so it wasn't a problem, but the lake was a different story. Considering that monsters like the Water Strider and Dragon Lizard had emerged from it, it was far from a safe place. There were also harmless creatures like the Floating Jellyfish that even approached people affectionately, but regardless, as long as dangerous monsters lurked in its depths, it couldn't be called a safe location.
As the adventurer had pointed out, this place—located relatively close to Gilm—was dangerous. At the same time, it was an undeniable fact that the massive lake would bring great benefits to Gilm.
"Considering Rei and the others are here, you can consider it safe. Though Rei is busy with various things, so he's not always around."
"That's..."
As an adventurer in Gilm, the man naturally knew Rei's name. Above all, seeing a Gryphon up close like this made it painfully obvious that it was a high-rank monster they could never hope to defeat. It possessed a presence that made Cobolts seem utterly insignificant by comparison... and yet, the fact that it also had an endearing quality about it was quite curious.
After glancing at the Knight and adventurers as they walked off, Rei called out to the other adventurers nearby.
"Cobolts are monsters that basically act in packs. Considering that, there may be more out there besides these. ...Well, given what happened in winter, I don't need to tell you how to deal with Cobolts."
A fair number of the adventurers who had been in Gilm during the winter had fought the Cobolts summoned by the Eyeball. Since they were Low-Rank Monsters to begin with, they were an enemy that could be defeated easily enough. But even so, the endless daily stream of Cobolts had been nothing but a nuisance to Gilm's adventurers.
...If they were adventurers who had left Gilm during the winter, they would have avoided being caught up in the Cobolt disturbance entirely.
"In any case, if Cobolts have taken up residence in the Treant Forest, things are going to get troublesome. If possible, I'd like to wipe them all out."
"I get what you're saying, Rei, but we don't have enough manpower, do we? With the Cerberus situation, we need capable people for the Woodcutters' escort detail too."
If the Cobolt problem had come to light before the Cerberus appeared, they could have eradicated the Cobolts without a second thought. Of course, if they had done so, there would have been the risk of being attacked by the Cerberus mid-battle.
"Lately, a fair number of monsters have been wandering into the Treant Forest, but we'll need to be even more vigilant from now on."
"When something like a Cerberus shows up, that's no joke. Against Cobolts, we can manage to some extent, at least."
Rei and the other adventurers all nodded at those words.
"Anyway, shouldn't you get to the Guild soon and report that a Cerberus appeared, Rei? The Cobolts and those adventurers... you should probably report them too, just in case."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll leave this place to you while I'm gone. I doubt a Cerberus will show up in broad daylight, though."
With that, Rei stored the dismantled Cerberus materials from nearby into his Misty Ring and headed for Gilm with Set.