Once Rei finished eating the meat from the black panther's right hind leg, he immediately began dissecting the creature.
The work took some time, but in the end, he managed to finish the job.
Naturally, he recovered the magic stone from the black panther's heart and properly secured any parts that looked like usable materials, such as the claws.
The problem was that he had no idea where the black panther's subjugation proof part was located.
He tried checking the Monster Encyclopedia stored in his Misty Ring, but the black panther wasn't listed there either.
Granted, Rei often read the Monster Encyclopedia to pass the time and had committed nearly all of its contents to memory.
Even so, he checked it again on the off chance that it might contain something he had missed.
In the end, the Monster Encyclopedia was a wasted effort.
Alternatively, there was the possibility that it was a newly born species.
Monsters came into existence through various means.
The most well-known method was an animal living in magic-rich lands and being transformed into a monster by that ambient magical power.
In reality, though, Undead were monsters that formed when corpses were left alone, so that method was actually more famous.
Since this black panther wasn't Undead, Rei could conjecture that it was either born from monster parents or had been transformed by magical power.
Even so, without knowing the details, Rei wondered if he had made a mistake in dissecting it.
If it was a new species, perhaps he should have brought the corpse to the Guild intact rather than taking it apart—that was what crossed his mind.
Of course, having already dissected it, it was too late for second thoughts.
Additionally, Rei had naturally recovered not only the black panther but also the Orc corpses the panther had killed.
He wasn't the one who had killed them, but since Rei had killed the black panther that killed the Orcs, he had taken the liberty of claiming them as well.
There was no particular rush with those, and since the black panther's dissection had taken time, they were left as whole carcasses.
"Well, that's how we ended up back here at the Fairy Dwelling, but... should we go see the Chief?"
"Why?"
Nielson couldn't comprehend why they would go to the Chief in this situation.
Seeing her react that way, Rei figured it was understandable.
To Nielson, visiting the Chief meant there was a possibility of having some kind of task forced upon her.
The punishment incident had undoubtedly left a strong impression.
Given that history, while Rei didn't particularly feel any apprehension toward the Chief, Nielson clearly felt a profound sense of intimidation.
"The black panther was probably a B-Rank Monster based on its strength. A high-rank monster like that showed up, so we should let the Chief know."
This time, Rei and Nielson had encountered it by chance, so there had been no real problem.
But what would happen if that black panther appeared when Rei wasn't around?
If it took down the Orcs and was satisfied with that, there would be no issue.
However, if it couldn't find prey like the Orcs and approached the Fairy Dwelling while roaming through the Treant Forest in search of a target...
Whether it could break through the fog surrounding the Fairy Dwelling was uncertain.
But the wolves living in the fog would undoubtedly be killed by the black panther.
For some reason—it was undoubtedly connected to the fairies—the wolves possessed physical abilities and intelligence beyond those of ordinary wolves.
But that was only in comparison to ordinary wolves; there was no way they could stand a chance against a B-Rank Monster like the black panther.
And since the wolves fully understood that they were employed by the fairies to guard the area, they would unquestionably attack the panther.
Even when facing Seto, they had confronted him while cowering.
Rei didn't think they would retreat against a black panther of lower rank than Seto.
When Rei explained this, Nielson nodded with a reluctant expression.
For Nielson as well, the wolves protecting the area around the Fairy Dwelling were clearly important.
"Fine. Then... let's get this over with quickly."
Saying that, she led the way toward the Chief, as if guiding Rei.
They encountered several fairies along the way, but upon seeing Nielson's demeanor, they apparently decided that messing with her would be unwise.
None of the fairies tried to bother Rei or Nielson.
In the distance, Rei could see Seto, the wolf pups, Bob, and the fairies.
When Rei's group had left the Fairy Dwelling, everyone except Seto had been asleep, but during their time outside... more specifically, during the time Rei spent dissecting the black panther, their nap had apparently ended.
"Nielson, want to stop by for a bit?"
"That's... hmm... let me think..."
Nielson hesitated at Rei's words.
In her heart, she probably wanted to join in and play too.
But reporting the black panther to the Chief was something she wanted to do as soon as possible rather than putting it off.
Her determination versus the enticing scene in the direction of her gaze.
Torn between those two thoughts, Nielson's heart wavered...
"Let's go to the Chief."
She finally declared.
"Lord Rei? Nielson too. What is the matter? Of course, if you simply came to visit, you are welcome, but."
Saying that, the Chief looked toward Nielson.
The Chief naturally knew that Nielson was poor at dealing with her.
The only saving grace was that Nielson was simply intimidated by her, not that she disliked her.
Precisely because Nielson was that kind of person, the Chief didn't think she would come to see her without a specific reason.
Seeing the Chief's bewildered expression, Rei cut straight to the point.
"Chief, I encountered a monster believed to be a B-Rank Monster not far from the Fairy Dwelling. I defeated it, of course, so rest assured."
"A B-Rank Monster? That is... welcome news, but why report this to me?"
From the Chief's perspective, she could understand if it were a matter regarding defilement, but she didn't understand why Rei would report defeating an ordinary monster to her.
"It's more of a precaution. A B-Rank Monster appeared near the Fairy Dwelling. Given the circumstances, I thought there was a possibility that defilement was involved."
"Defilement...?"
That single word from Rei's mouth was enough to startle the Chief.
But her surprise lasted only a moment. She immediately pressed Rei for details.
"Why did you think defilement was involved? Was there something about the monster Lord Rei defeated that seemed connected to defilement?"
If so, she would need to seriously reconsider the Fairy Dwelling's defenses.
The Chief's expression seemed to say as much, but fortunately for her, Rei shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. From what I could see, the black panther—the monster I defeated—had no connection to defilement. Specifically, things like turning into black dust and such."
The Chief felt slightly relieved at Rei's words.
But at the same time, she wondered, then why?
"Then why did you determine that defilement was involved?"
"To be honest, I don't have any concrete evidence. But considering that a high-rank monster showed up right after the defilement incident, you'd think the same, wouldn't you?"
"I see."
Rei's explanation was, in a sense, a stretch that couldn't even be called circumstantial evidence.
However, perhaps the Chief found it somewhat convincing, as she displayed a slightly troubled expression.
"Have you recovered that monster's corpse?"
The Chief asked abruptly, but Rei showed a slightly pained expression.
He had, of course, recovered the corpse.
But it wasn't the corpse itself anymore—it had been dissected into meat and materials.
Damn it.
That was probably Rei's honest feeling.
"Lord Rei?"
At the Chief's questioning tone, Rei judged that he could no longer hide it and spoke up.
"I have the corpse, but it's already been dissected."
"That is..."
This was likely something the Chief hadn't anticipated either.
Though bewildered, she thought for a moment and then spoke again.
"Then, do you have the magic stone? All of a monster's information resides within it. Of course, being able to examine the entire corpse would be the most certain approach, but..."
"Oh, I have that."
Safe! Barely safe!
While thinking that inwardly, Rei showed the magic stone he retrieved from his Misty Ring to the Chief.
He had been torn between using it for Death Scythe or for Seto, and since he had been acting with Nielson, using it on Death Scythe would have been impossible anyway.
In that sense, the fact that he hadn't yet used the magic stone had worked out in Rei's favor, just this once.
"Then, please let me see the magic stone."
At those words, Rei took the black panther's magic stone out from his Misty Ring.
The Chief, displaying something that resembled the telekinetic power she had used when punishing Nielson, brought the magic stone before herself and began to observe it intently.
Looking at this magic stone, whether defilement was related to this incident or not... honestly, Rei had no idea.
But he couldn't imagine the Chief lying in this situation.
Given that, all Rei could do was trust the Chief's words.
While watching the Chief examine the magic stone, Rei thought along those lines.
Incidentally, beside Rei, Nielson was also showing a somewhat anxious expression.
From Nielson's perspective, if the black panther turned out to be related to defilement, she was probably worried that the Chief might punish her.
Beneath the gazes of those two... eventually, the Chief, who had been examining the magic stone, raised her face.
The moment they saw the Chief's face, both Rei and Nielson showed expressions of relief.
That was because there wasn't a single trace of seriousness in the Chief's expression.
And the next words the Chief spoke officially confirmed it.
"There is no problem. From what I can see of the magic stone, there is absolutely no influence from defilement."
"Meaning the high-rank monster coming near the Fairy Dwelling was simply a coincidence?"
"Yes. That is correct. Since it appeared today, I understand why Lord Rei was on alert. However, the monster that possessed this magic stone has no relation to defilement. Alternatively, even if it were related to defilement, the influence had not reached the magic stone itself—that is likely the extent of it."
At the Chief's words, Rei felt relieved from the bottom of his heart.
If he were told that the magic stone of the B-Rank Monster he had gone through the trouble of defeating was actually corrupted by defilement, Rei wouldn't have known how to deal with it either.
Like the defilement-corrupted corpses, a defilement-corrupted magic stone could also become a humanoid of black dust... or rather, considering that it was a magic stone, there was a very real possibility it could have become something that could be called a black dust panther, attacking him.
Even so, thinking about the black dust humanoids, it might not have been able to move at the swift speed the black panther used. Hmm? What about movement via wings in that case? Well, honestly, there's no need to think about that right now.
What was important to Rei was, after all, that the black panther's magic stone could be used normally.
For Rei, who practiced Beast Magic, the most important use of a magic stone was just that, to be honest.
"Here you go."
The Chief passed the magic stone she had been examining toward Rei.
Rather than handing it directly with her own hands, she floated it toward him with what appeared to be telekinesis.
"Thanks. The black panther... a high-rank monster coming near the Fairy Dwelling being a coincidence rather than caused by defilement was a good outcome. If high-rank monsters started appearing near the Fairy Dwelling one after another due to defilement, it would be a serious problem. For me personally, it's fine since I can defeat high-rank monsters, though."
For Rei, the best outcome was naturally that high-rank monsters wouldn't keep coming to the Fairy Dwelling due to defilement.
However, if that did happen, Rei would gladly hunt them alongside Seto.
Though there were exceptions, generally speaking, the higher the rank of a monster's magic stone, the more likely it was to grant new skills or enhance existing ones.
In that sense, if high-rank monsters appeared near the Fairy Dwelling one after another, it would be a prime opportunity for Rei and Seto.
The fact that, as with the black panther, materials and meat could be obtained in addition to the magic stone was also significant.
"Well, as long as there's no problem, that's fine. Sorry for dropping in on you so suddenly."
"No, it is quite all right. If holding back had meant missing information related to defilement, that would have been far more problematic."
At the Chief's words, Rei offered his gratitude once more and then took his leave.