"I see, so the Magic Item is postponed to another day. That's unfortunate."
During dinner at Marina's house that night, as usual, Elena said this with clear disappointment after hearing about the Fog Sound from Rei while they discussed the day's events.
Elena, too, apparently had an interest in fairy Magic Items.
No, it wasn't just Elena—the others seemed to feel the same way, as everyone besides her also showed expressions of disappointment.
"It's definitely unfortunate, but it's not like I won't be able to receive it anymore. It'll take some time, but they said they'd give it to me. Thinking about it that way, there's no need to be that disappointed."
So said Rei, putting on a brave front.
Because they knew Rei so well, the others understood that he was indeed putting on a brave front when he said that.
That was precisely why some of them smiled, finding such bravado very much like Rei.
Receiving those smiles, Rei felt slightly uncomfortable as he opened his mouth to speak.
"In any case, that's fine as far as the fairy Magic Item goes... but it seems the promotion exam to A-Rank will be taking place soon."
"Oh my, that's quite soon. I was sure it wouldn't be until winter."
Vihera said this with a hint of surprise.
Considering the role Rei played in the Expansion Construction, she probably never expected the promotion exam to happen so soon.
In reality, Vihera wasn't the only one surprised by Rei's words. Several others were also directing looks of surprise at him.
"Lord Daskar probably has his own considerations. Especially since Gilm is currently in a situation that's nearly chaotic."
A massive number of people had come to Gilm seeking work in the Expansion Construction. And yet, the fact that they were somehow managing to keep things running without falling apart and continuing the construction was a testament to the competence of Daskar and Gilm's upper management.
One of the elements sustaining this situation, which was in some ways akin to walking a tightrope, was Rei.
However, considering that this tightrope act hadn't collapsed even during the quite long period Rei was in the other world, he was certainly one of the elements, but presumably one that could be covered for to some extent.
"In any case, for that reason... I doubt the A-Rank promotion exam will be over in just one day, so I'd like to ask Vihera to handle the work I'm currently doing."
"...Eh? Me?"
For Vihera, Rei's words were likely completely unexpected. She asked again, her surprise evident.
But Rei nodded in response.
"That's right. To be precise, both you and Byune."
"...Carrying lumber felled in the Treant Forest is something I can't handle, you know?"
To Vihera, the most demanding of the jobs Rei was currently doing seemed to be that. It might not be difficult for Rei, who possessed a Misty Ring, but carrying lumber by human power would surely require considerable effort.
Vihera's physical abilities were exceptionally high, but that was primarily in bursts. She couldn't maintain peak muscular exertion at all times.
Realizing that Vihera had misunderstood from her expression, Rei immediately shook his head.
"No, that won't be a problem. It seems they'll use adventurers for transport. The people working in the Treant Forest will carry the felled trees to the outside of the forest, and then other adventurers who receive them will transport them to Gilm."
The reason such a cumbersome arrangement had come about was that the Treant Forest was currently a chaotic place in various senses. If careless adventurers were sent into such a place, problems would likely occur. No, not likely—problems would almost certainly occur.
That was precisely why it was better not to send them into the Treant Forest in the first place.
"Oh, then what will I be doing?"
Vihera appeared relieved, knowing she wouldn't have to transport felled lumber. Beside her, Byune was also looking toward Rei, presumably because her name had been mentioned.
"Basically, you'll be escorting that gluttonous fairy there and back. After that, if the promotion exam takes a long time, you might also need to check on the Underground Space where Anastasia is."
When Rei explained what he wanted done, Vihera showed understanding. Rather than something like logging, a job like that wouldn't be particularly difficult.
Before Vihera could nod at those words, Rei continued speaking.
"This job has its perks for you, Vihera. After all, the Treant Forest has a fair number of monsters. There's even a possibility that powerful ones could be among them."
A twitch—upon hearing Rei's words, Vihera's body trembled.
She had originally intended to accept, given that it was a proposal from Rei. But that was, so to speak, because Rei was asking, so she had no choice—something along those lines.
In the midst of that, what came from Rei's mouth was the possibility of being able to fight powerful monsters. For Vihera, having such an advantage pointed out, she had absolutely no intention of refusing.
"Really?"
"Really. However, what kind of monsters are in the Treant Forest changes from day to day."
This was neither a lie nor an exaggeration; it was the truth. The Treant Forest had only recently come into being, so the monsters and animals that settled there were not fixed. It was entirely possible that a monster that appeared one day would be replaced by a different one the next.
In a sense, it could be said that luck determined what one might encounter. ...Though for most people, not encountering monsters was considered good luck.
In Vihera's case, in that regard, she was the exact opposite of an ordinary person.
"I see. That sounds interesting. In that case, there's also a possibility that a High-Rank Monster might show up, isn't there?"
"I wonder. I think the possibility exists, but I'd say it's extremely low. At the very least, in all my time operating in the Treant Forest, I haven't encountered anything that could be called a High-Rank Monster."
It wasn't that the possibility was zero. Even if it was infinitely close to zero, as long as it wasn't zero, the possibility existed.
(In that sense, if she wanted to fight strong opponents, patrolling Gilm would offer plenty of possibility too. But I suppose that depends on Vihera's thinking.)
From Rei's perspective, Vihera would rather be active in the Treant Forest than patrolling the town. Whether she felt that way because Rei had proposed it, or whether she had thought so all along—he couldn't know that far, but still, considering the current situation, it was undoubtedly a godsend.
"In any case, there's no telling what kind of monsters might be there. Is that still acceptable?"
At Rei's words, asked as if to confirm, Vihera nodded immediately.
For Vihera, she had never intended to refuse a request from Rei in the first place, and now she had been presented with a situation that might bring her significant benefit. There was absolutely no need to refuse.
"Yes, leave it to me. As for escorting Nielson, you can trust me and Byune to handle it. No matter what happens, it'll absolutely be fine."
Vihera was brimming with confidence, but in reality, it seemed almost certain that she would bring Nielson along to satisfy her own desires while simultaneously heading toward battle herself.
Even so, the reason Rei had no concerns about Vihera's actions was precisely because he trusted her ability that much. Even if a formidable enemy appeared in the Treant Forest, there was no doubt that Vihera could defeat it.
(For Nielson, it might end up being a bout of misfortune.)
Since her name had come up, Nielson had initially been looking toward Rei and the others, but upon understanding that she would be acting with Vihera and Byune while Rei was away, she apparently decided there was no particular need to worry about it any further.
Rei directed a gaze of exasperation and sympathy at her figure, which seemed to be enjoying steamed meat using literally her entire body.
Fighting enemies was not something unusual for Rei. But fairies were fundamentally lacking in offensive power. No, to be precise, if they used magic they had sufficient strength, but even so, while they enjoyed the likes of pranks, they never seriously tried to defeat and kill an opponent.
Part of this was that fairies were by no means a combat-oriented race to begin with.
Also, fairies had teleportation using the Fairy Ring, so even if they were caught in a fight, they could use the option of fleeing immediately if they found themselves in danger.
(Ah, but thinking about it that way, there shouldn't be any particular problem even if she gets caught up in a battle. After all, she can just run away if it comes down to it. ...Assuming she isn't killed in one hit, that is.)
If it came to something like being killed in a single blow, attempting to teleport would be virtually meaningless.
"What is it?"
Nielson, who had been eating her meal, noticed Rei's gaze and asked that.
Rei shook his head, saying it was nothing, and brought the conversation back on track.
"In any case, can I take it as decided that the fairy matter is entrusted to Vihera and Byune?"
At those words, Vihera and Byune each nodded.
For Byune, she would have preferred to be assigned to town patrol if possible, but even so, being asked by Rei and being with Vihera meant her dissatisfaction wasn't that high.
Seeing the two of them, Rei judged that there was no problem for now and moved on to the next topic.
"So, with Nielson's matter settled, the problem is the etiquette required during the promotion exam. Could someone teach me?"
The sole and greatest problem regarding this promotion exam. That was the etiquette toward figures such as nobles and the Royal Family.
The etiquette Rei currently employed was what he had learned when he was in Japan—and even then, he hadn't learned it properly as formal etiquette, but rather picked it up with a general sense of how things should be.
And he didn't remember it clearly, either—only vague recollections.
The reason it hadn't been a problem until now was largely because Daskar, as the lord of the frontier town of Gilm, was open-minded about such things.
However, if he was being promoted to A-Rank, that wouldn't suffice. After all, nobles were one thing, but he might even have opportunities for an audience with the Royal Family.
Considering that, while there was exam preparation to think about, he truly needed someone to teach him properly.
"In that case, Ara and I will teach you."
"Ah, wait. Wouldn't it be fine for me to teach him?"
When Elena spoke, Vihera immediately volunteered to teach as well.
However, it was Marina who put the brakes on Vihera.
"Rei is an adventurer of the Kingdom of Mireana, so wouldn't Elena be better for teaching etiquette? Vihera, you might be well-versed in the etiquette of the Bestia Empire, but it differs from the Kingdom of Mireana's, doesn't it?"
"That's..."
At Marina's words, Vihera couldn't argue back.
In reality, the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire were adjacent, so much of their etiquette was shared. But if much was shared, that meant there were also differences.
Especially given the history of the two great nations being at odds for many years, it wouldn't be strange for those minor differences to hold great significance for nobles and the Royal Family.
If so, even if he learned etiquette from Vihera, there was a possibility it wouldn't hold up in the Kingdom of Mireana.
When Marina explained this, Vihera, though looking disappointed, quietly backed down.
For Vihera, she did want to teach Rei etiquette herself, but if doing so caused him to fail the promotion exam, she would feel terribly guilty toward him.
In that case, as disappointing as it was, it was better to leave teaching Rei etiquette to Elena.
Besides, Vihera had the job of going to the Treant Forest. She would actually be going there while Rei was taking the promotion exam, but before that, it was undoubtedly better to handle the handover of various matters.
And before the promotion exam actually began, Vihera and Byune needed to do the job a few times on their own to confirm there were no issues.
Normally, one wouldn't go to such lengths with a handover. The reason to go that far was that the job Rei was entrusting to Vihera involved matters of great importance to Gilm's future—fairies, summoning various things and beings from other worlds, and even the ability to create a hole connecting to another world nearby.
Because of that, the responsibility placed on Vihera and Byune was heavy.