"My, you're all taking it quite easy. Maybe I didn't need to rush back?"
Marina appeared in the courtyard and spoke in a teasing tone.
But it was only natural for her to say something like that.
When she looked, Rei, Elena, and Daskar were having a tea party, each with their own cup of black tea.
A short distance away, Seto and Ielo were lying on the ground together, apparently tired from running around.
Ara and Daskar's subordinates weren't sitting down, but they were chatting about something.
Seeing that scene, it was hardly surprising that Marina thought she might not have needed to hurry back.
"It's not like we were taking it easy," Daskar told Marina. "We couldn't discuss the matter before you arrived, so we were simply waiting."
The person he said that to let out an exasperated sigh.
"Daskar, you... you slipped out because work was a nuisance, didn't you?"
"Uh... n-no, it's nothing like that. I heard Rei had something to report about defilement, so I reluctantly... truly reluctantly interrupted my work and came here."
Marina fixed Daskar with a suspicious gaze at those words.
However, she held back from pressing him any further.
The fact that Rei had returned because of the defilement matter was what mattered most right now.
(Besides, I can always press him later.)
A visible shudder ran through Daskar, as if reacting to Marina's thoughts. He glanced around in a panic.
Unbothered by Daskar's behavior, Marina sat down next to Rei.
Without needing to be told, Ara placed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Marina.
"Thank you. ...So, Rei. What exactly did you come back for?"
"Right. Marina's here now, so I suppose I should explain. ...It would've been ideal if Vihera were here too, but she isn't, so it can't be helped."
Even as he said that, Rei couldn't help wondering if things might have been different. If he had dropped by the Birth Tower on his way back to Gilm, would Vihera have been there?
(No, given Vihera's personality, it wouldn't be strange if she were out searching the Treant Forest for powerful monsters rather than staying put at the Birth Tower.)
He admitted to himself that was a bit of a stretch, but he decided to leave the Vihera matter at that for now.
What was about to happen here wasn't a battle... or at least, nothing that could be called one.
The purpose was to decide what to do with the corpses that were on the verge of turning into monsters—likely Undead—due to the defilement.
If it turned out they should be disposed of, Rei planned to move to some unpopulated area outside Gilm and burn them with magic or something similar.
In any case, he needed to warn everyone that killing defilement affiliates carelessly, or allowing them to commit suicide, could lead to exactly this kind of troublesome outcome.
If words alone weren't enough to convey the danger, he would show them the actual thing stored in his Misty Ring.
"First, when I left Gilm and returned to the Treant Forest, Seto spotted someone acting suspiciously."
Rei proceeded to explain in detail—more thoroughly than he had for Elena.
Those listening each reacted with visible expressions.
Daskar's reaction was particularly pronounced.
For Daskar, having it confirmed that such people had been in his territory made his feelings entirely understandable.
Once the explanation concluded, Marina was the first to speak.
"I'd like to call this Daskar's blunder... but given the current situation in Gilm, I can't really say that."
"I appreciate you saying so."
To Daskar, Marina's words might have sounded like empty comfort.
But in truth, given Daskar's current situation, it would be difficult to know if such people had slipped into Gilm.
If the defilement affiliates had gone around declaring that they were connected to defilement, then Daskar would have been able to recognize their presence.
But naturally, such people would have kept their ties to defilement hidden while staying in Gilm.
And considering how many people were currently in Gilm, demanding that he identify them was simply unrealistic.
If this were a normal time without the expansion construction... no, even then, whether he could have identified the presence of defilement affiliates was questionable at best.
"That said, now that it's clear such enemies exist, you can't just leave them be, can you, Daskar?"
"Well... that's true. But even now, we're operating near our limits. Being told to find defilement affiliates in this situation... I think that's a bit difficult."
"Given the manpower you have, it's understandable to feel that way. But you can't just leave them be because it's difficult, can you? The danger of defilement isn't something that can be managed just by hearing about it."
"True. Honestly, I agree with that opinion. But with no manpower to spare..."
"Excuse me, may I interject?"
Rei cut into the conversation between Daskar and Marina.
Daskar cast Rei a look of relief.
Marina's pressing—or rather, her opinion—was undeniably valid in points Daskar could agree with, but with the current situation being what it was, there was nothing he could do.
Besides, Rei had accomplished various things beyond Daskar's expectations up to this point.
Given that, it wouldn't be unreasonable to hope he might have something again.
"What is it? If you have an opinion, please share it. We're at a near standstill right now. Anything that could break this deadlock would be welcome."
"I see. In that case, if Egg and his people can't manage, how about requesting the underground organizations?"
"That's... difficult."
Underground organizations... in other words, illegal groups.
Asking such organizations about defilement didn't sit well with Daskar.
If they obtained something related to defilement, an underground organization wouldn't think twice about pocketing it and claiming they had found nothing.
A margrave contacting illegal organizations would also be bad for appearances, but that could be managed one way or another.
"Once they learn about the defilement, the underground organizations won't be able to ignore it either. Though, I admit, explaining defilement to them would be difficult."
"Exactly. We can't easily disclose information about the defilement. This matter is that serious. And if we can't explain the defilement situation, that also raises the question of what kind of people we'd be asking them to find."
For Daskar, help from the underground organizations was something he wanted if at all possible.
When he considered where the defilement affiliates might be hiding, the most likely place was, after all, the Slum District.
It was possible they weren't in the Slum District but elsewhere—on the main streets, for instance—and in some cases, they might even be involved in the expansion construction.
Given those possibilities, Rei could understand that finding them would be difficult.
"On a more fundamental note, were the people who appeared in the Treant Forest really in Gilm? I mean, from what I've heard, I can understand that's the most likely possibility. But we can't rule out the chance that they were based in Abuelo or Sablusta instead."
The closest town to Gilm, being on the frontier, was Abuelo, followed by Sablusta.
They were places to rest and buy food and supplies when traveling to Gilm by road.
Given that, if someone said the defilement affiliates had actually been in Abuelo or Sablusta rather than Gilm, Rei could accept that to some extent. Still, the fact that they had been in Gilm remained the most likely possibility.
"You've contacted the capital, right? Have you sent word to Abuelo and Sablusta?"
"Of course I haven't."
At Marina's question, Daskar responded immediately.
Normally, Marina would have had something to say about Daskar's attitude.
But right now, they were in the middle of a serious discussion.
"I suppose not. But what happens if a defilement-related incident breaks out in Abuelo or Sablusta before people arrive from the Royal Castle?"
"We'll have to rely on the Local Deputy to handle it. I can't expect much, though."
Honestly, telling someone to handle any incident properly without giving them any information was asking the impossible.
But given the importance of the defilement matter, carelessly sharing that information was also out of the question.
"I'll have Egg and his people patrol more thoroughly than before. The same goes for the guards and the adventurers on city patrol."
Daskar understood he was asking for quite a lot.
As he himself had just admitted, Egg and his people were already being stretched thin.
Increasing their workload further in that situation would be brutal for them.
But... even so, given the current state of Gilm, there was no choice but to do it.
"For now, that's all we can do. ...Elena, do you have any thoughts?"
Marina asked, but Elena shook her head.
"If we could spread word about the defilement openly, that would be one thing. But keeping it hidden from as many people as possible while doing so... honestly, it's difficult. About the only option would be to discreetly probe the people who come to visit. That said, from what I've heard, I doubt there are defilement affiliates among the nobles."
"No, I think it's precisely because they're nobles that it wouldn't be strange for someone like that to be among them... or is that just my assumption?"
In Rei's mind, there was a notion that some nobles possessed what could only be described as a death wish.
Whether that was actually true in practice, he couldn't say for certain.
But Rei's words weren't entirely wrong—not just to Elena, but to Daskar as well, who was also a noble.
Both fell silent with troubled expressions.
"Umm... come to think of it, Marina's back, so everyone's here now. Should I bring out the corpse stored in my Misty Ring soon?"
He said it as if to deflect the mood.
Though the proposal itself wasn't all that unreasonable.
The main reason Rei had returned to Gilm was to show them the corpse and consult them on what to do with it.
That corpse, which was in the process of transforming into what was likely an Undead monster due to defilement, was undeniably a troublesome thing to deal with.
It was stored in Rei's Misty Ring, so there was no immediate cause for concern.
But at the same time, it was also evidence that proved the existence of defilement.
"Hm? Ah, right. Then, let's have you bring out the corpse."
Daskar spoke with a look of mild relief at the change in topic—which, in truth, wasn't really a change at all.
Marina, the homeowner, also nodded when Rei looked to her.
Confirming their reactions, Rei moved to a spot a short distance from the table.
He figured it was better not to produce a corpse right next to the tea table.
"Alright, here it comes."
With those words, Rei withdrew a single corpse from his Misty Ring.
(No, since it's on the verge of becoming a monster, should I count it as one creature rather than one body?)
The corpse that emerged—whether the word "fortunately" applied, Rei couldn't say—appeared to have progressed no further in its Undead transformation than when he had stored it.
That was only based on what Rei could see externally; it was entirely possible that some change had occurred inside the corpse where he couldn't see.
The moment he looked at the corpse and was satisfied, a chill ran down his spine.
Recognizing this as killing intent—or more precisely, a form of hostility—Rei half-reflexively turned his gaze toward its source: Marina.
"Put that away! Now!"
Marina's usual allure, which radiated an overwhelming feminine charm, was completely absent. Instead, she screamed, projecting the same intense hostility Rei had just felt.
Rei had no idea what had just happened.
He didn't know, but looking at Marina's current state, it was obvious he shouldn't disobey her.
If he hesitated even slightly, the small tornadoes and water balls gathering around Marina would clearly be launched at the corpse.
Judging that to be dangerous, Rei swiftly stored the corpse back into his Misty Ring.