After entering the Treant Forest, rather than heading to where Nielson was after storing the lumber the woodcutters had felled, Rei made his way to the underground space at the center of the forest.
Bringing Nielson to this underground space would undoubtedly cause all sorts of problems.
For one thing, there was the other world.
And depending on how things played out, a string of coincidences could lead to an accidental encounter with Grimm.
With that in mind, Rei decided it would be better to meet with Grimm before going to pick up Nielson.
(That said, from Anastasia's perspective, it wouldn't be strange for her to wonder why I came here. Maybe I should just tell her I came to check how far the Wisp research has progressed?)
As he walked through the narrow passage leading to the underground space, Rei pondered this.
Naturally, Set was waiting above ground.
The two deer that Anastasia and Fana used as tamed monsters—or rather, as mounts—had apparently sensed Set's arrival through their wild instincts. By the time Rei and Set reached the location, the deer were already gone.
Unlike before, the Treant Forest now had a fair number of monsters roaming it, so there was a real possibility of being attacked. However, the two deer possessed considerable combat power despite not being monsters themselves.
After all, they had belonged to a herd that survived the battles against the Dragonias.
It wouldn't be surprising if they kicked ordinary monsters to death with their powerful legs or gored them with their antlers.
...Even so, to deer like those, Set was nothing but a threat.
In fact, Set had overwhelmed the Dragonias that the deer herd had struggled against, defeating them with effortless ease.
(The fact that they aren't that afraid of me... is it because I'm the same race as Anastasia and Fana?)
Strictly speaking, Fana's race was uncertain since she wore a mask, but Anastasia was an elf.
As for Rei himself, given that his body had been created using the Zephyle Clan's technology, whether he even qualified as human was a questionable matter.
In that sense, Rei and Anastasia were different races. But from the deer's perspective, Rei and Anastasia were probably grouped together as a near-human race.
"Set looks completely different on the outside, after all."
Rei and Anastasia differed in the finer details, but they were both fundamentally humanoid.
Compared to that, the difference in appearance between either of them and Set was enormous.
"Ah, I can see it now."
As he continued through the narrow passage lost in thought, light eventually came into view.
Having finally arrived at the underground space, Rei surveyed the interior and...
"Rei? What is it?"
Anastasia, who had been conducting some kind of experiment on the table, noticed his presence and asked.
Meanwhile, Fana was picking something up from the ground near where the Wisp was located.
(Wait, that's not one of Grimm's measuring instruments, is it?)
Setting that thought aside, Rei addressed Anastasia.
"I was wondering how far the research on the Wisp has progressed. ...Judging by the look of things, it doesn't seem to have advanced much."
At Rei's words, a displeased expression crossed Anastasia's face.
That reaction alone made it obvious the research wasn't going smoothly.
"Yeah, my bad. Looks like the research hasn't gotten very far yet."
"That's right."
She said nothing more than that, curtly.
For Anastasia, being entrusted with research and failing to produce results was clearly frustrating.
Moreover, this particular research subject had summoned various objects and beings from another world—and had even connected this world to another one entirely.
For something that fascinating, having no results to show was deeply galling for her.
That said, Anastasia had her own side of the story.
Given that the Wisp in the underground space was an extremely rare specimen, she couldn't conduct bold tests.
If she did something like that, in the worst case, the Wisp could die.
For something so exceedingly rare, there was no way she could conduct an aggressive investigation.
"Ah... yeah. Well, keep at it a while longer. I'll just have a look around the cave like last time."
Rei's stated purpose was to check on the Wisp research progress, but his real priority was making contact with Grimm.
Given that, he hadn't been expecting much from the Wisp research to begin with.
"Right. But let me warn you—don't go messing with the Wisp in any weird way, okay?"
"I know. I'll be careful."
Seemingly satisfied with that, Anastasia returned to her research.
Watching her do so, Rei moved away from Anastasia and began looking around the cave.
Once he reached a spot where no one else was around, he spoke in a voice low enough that neither Anastasia nor Fana could overhear.
"Grimm, are you listening?"
'Yes indeed. You were quite late, it seems. Did you not say you would come yesterday?'
The response came immediately after Rei called out.
Grimm had clearly sensed Rei's arrival in the underground space and had been waiting for him to speak first.
"Sorry about that. A minor problem came up in Gilm. It's already settled, but it kept me busy."
'I see. As long as you are safe, that is fine. After all, you have shown yourself before me like this.'
"Well, I don't think 'before you' is quite accurate."
After a brief exchange, Rei cut straight to the point.
"So, how did the experiment go?"
'Let me see. For now, you may assume there are no problems. I am currently developing a Magic Item to fix this space.'
"...That was fast. Not that I'm complaining."
'Hm? Ah, it seems I gave you the wrong impression. It is true that it is under development, but what I am working on now is merely a prototype. We will observe its performance, and if there are no issues, a proper Magic Item will be created.'
Rei nodded inwardly at Grimm's explanation.
A Magic Item using materials from another world, built for the first time.
Naturally, they needed to confirm whether it would actually function and how long it would continue to operate.
If so, it made perfect sense that the first thing to produce would be a prototype.
"In that case, roughly when will the real version—not the prototype—be finished?"
'Hmm, that is hard to say. Until I can confirm what state the prototype is in, I cannot really speak to that.'
"Then should I stay away from here for a while? If I keep showing up every day, Anastasia's going to get suspicious."
'Indeed. Once I have built the prototype Magic Item and worked out a plan for improvements, I will contact you through the Paired Orb."
"Please. Once I hear from you, I'll come back."
'Yes, look forward to it.'
Grimm's tone carried a hint of pride.
That was how confident he was in his ability to create the Magic Item.
Even though the materials were from another world, he had clearly judged that he could handle them this time—which was exactly why he'd said what he did.
For Rei, having that kind of confidence from Grimm was extremely reassuring. He had no complaints.
"Well then, I'll leave it to you. I need to go take care of the fairy situation soon."
With that, Rei moved away from the spot where he'd been speaking with Grimm, casually surveyed the underground space, and made his way back to Anastasia.
"Nothing particularly noteworthy, as expected."
"Obviously. If something had been discovered that easily, I'd be the one surprised."
Anastasia, still mid-research, said this as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
For her, if some crucial clue could be obtained that effortlessly, she could justifiably claim her own research should have progressed much further by now.
"Fair enough. Well, it was partly just for a change of pace, so don't worry about it. ...Ah, one more thing. Gilm is pretty chaotic right now. Knowing you, Anastasia, I doubt you'd go out of your way to visit, but if you do, be careful."
"Chaotic? Beyond the Expansion Construction situation?"
Perhaps sensing something in Rei's words, Anastasia stopped writing her report.
For her, having her investigation interrupted was probably more disagreeable than whatever incident had actually occurred.
Rei could predict at least that much.
"There was a minor commotion in Gilm. It's already been resolved, but because of that incident, things might get noisy again for a bit."
"You're not the one who caused it, are you?"
Rei, subjected to a pointed look of suspicion, quietly averted his gaze.
It was Antelme who had caused the commotion, but the fact that Rei himself had been the reason for it was undeniable.
When asked point-blank whether he was the cause, it stung that he couldn't give a complete denial.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Anastasia muttered under her breath, "I knew it."
In her mind, Rei had a talent for attracting trouble—or perhaps in this case it was better called a disposition. Something of that nature.
Because of that, even from what she'd just heard, if someone told her Rei was the cause, she'd have accepted it without hesitation.
Rei, now pegged as the culprit, felt somewhat irritated by Anastasia's attitude.
"Anyway. I don't think you'd go out of your way to visit Gilm, Anastasia... hold on. Wait a second. Did you genuinely not know about what happened in Gilm? It wouldn't be surprising if you'd picked up that kind of information at the campsite."
At the campsite, people dispatched under Daskar's orders transported food and other supplies on a daily basis.
Naturally, those transporters departed from Gilm.
In other words, it would be perfectly normal for them to know about events that had occurred there—the Zolgela Count House incident included.
And if they knew, they would naturally mention it to the adventurers at the campsite, which meant the incident would likely have become a major topic of discussion.
"The campsite? Come to think of it, they were making some noise about something. ...I was inside the tent, so I don't know the details."
"Ah... right. That figures. That's exactly what would happen with you."
If Rei recalled correctly, there had been a man among the adventurers at the campsite who had been interested in Anastasia.
The thought crossed Rei's mind, but judging by her demeanor, he concluded it was safe to assume nothing had come of it.
"What?"
"Nothing. You need to focus on your research, Anastasia. I don't think you need to concern yourself too much with the Gilm situation."
Rei said this, but whether those words had inadvertently piqued her curiosity, she fixed him with an inquisitive look.
"Saying it like that only makes me more curious. What happened?"
"Then go ask at the campsite. ...Well, fine. A murder took place in the Noble District in Gilm."
"A murder? That's not particularly unusual, is it?"
Anastasia's statement was by no means an exaggeration.
Among the adventurers in the frontier town of Gilm, there were many with rough temperaments.
When such men got drunk and ended up in brawls, killing the other party happened with some regularity.
After all, adventurers who normally fought frontier monsters, when drunk and forgetting to hold back, could easily beat someone to death without meaning to.
And in Slum District-related incidents, people dying was even less uncommon.
Even so, the reason this particular case had become such a major issue was precisely because it occurred in the Noble District.
"It's because it happened in the Noble District."
"Ah, I see."
Anastasia nodded in understanding at Rei's explanation.
For her, being a researcher was what mattered above all else. Everything else held little interest.
Of course, that didn't mean she had absolutely no interest whatsoever.
The fact that she had come to see Daskar in the first place was connected to those other matters.
"Regardless, the culprit has been caught and the case is closed. It's definitely resolved, but given that something like this happened, some people are on edge. If you're telling me you want to go there, I won't stop you."
"I have no desire to go."
Anastasia replied flatly.
As a researcher through and through, being able to conduct her Wisp research here was more than enough for her.
She had no issues with sleeping arrangements, thanks to the campsite by the lake.
Monsters did occasionally appear during travel, but Anastasia could use Spirit Magic, and the deer were far stronger than ordinary wild animals.
For those reasons, Anastasia had no interest whatsoever in the situation in Gilm.