Still on the same VM, I've been able to reproduce the problem while
building a different derivation:
/gnu/store/07xw2pp63xin4c4y8ndrcdn3n8z1vmx2-grub-image.png.drv from Guix
commit d4e29f3628ad0c7576d7cab659d7fcc19d21999a. I can still build the new
derivation on my desktop.
Hrm, it's a pretty spooky problem.
Best,
Jack