Watching Ragdo's retreating figure fade into the distance, Rei eventually noticed the sound of multiple footsteps approaching him.
Turning his gaze in that direction, he found exactly the people he had expected.
Elena wore a wry smile, Vihera had an amused grin, Ara's expression was a complicated mix—unsure whether to be happy or angry—and Byune was as expressionless as ever.
Set and Ielo were also heading his way.
And then...
"You're an idiot, Rei."
Marina, wearing a slightly exasperated look, called out to him.
Rei gave a small shrug before responding.
"You taking the blame to protect me doesn't sit right. Besides, even if I were going to be shielded from something, it'd be one thing if it were genuinely dangerous for me. But this was just about my mana reserves."
At Rei's nonchalant words, Marina offered a small smile.
"You're strong, Rei."
"You think so?"
"Yes. To still say that after receiving the kind of looks Odoban directs at you... that's honestly impressive."
"I wonder. There's also the possibility that I'm just naturally dense to that sort of thing."
"Oh? So you're saying this whole incident was unnecessary?"
At Marina's mischievous smile, Rei shook his head slightly.
"Just because I don't let it bother me doesn't mean it isn't unpleasant. It's just that between me getting dirty looks and you taking the blame, I figured the former was the lesser evil."
Marina blinked.
For a moment, she seemed not to understand what he had said. But once the meaning sank in, a happy smile spread across her face.
"Really... you're such an idiot."
Her words were clearly scolding him, but her expression told the exact opposite story.
"Alright, alright. Sorry to interrupt such a nice moment, but let's leave it at that. Shouldn't we be thinking about what to do next?"
Vihera's interruption—prompted by the increasingly warm atmosphere between Rei and Marina—drew a disappointed look from Optis, who had been watching from a slight distance.
Optis had initially challenged Rei to battle to determine whether he was worthy of Marina, but through that fight, he had come to understand what kind of person Rei was.
He had his dangerous sides, certainly, but he had still stood up to Ragdo for the sake of his beloved granddaughter.
Having already lost his son and daughter-in-law, it was only natural for Optis to feel grateful toward Rei.
...However, given his position as the settlement's elder, he couldn't voice those feelings here.
"You're right. Even if we're to treat the World Tree, we can't just leave things as they are today. I'd prefer to start the treatment immediately, but with all this commotion... well."
Those among the Dark Elves who could sense mana had likely already understood what kind of person Rei was.
But at the same time, it was equally true that many had come to perceive him as dangerous.
Given that, proceeding with the World Tree's treatment on their own would inevitably invite suspicion.
To avoid unnecessary turmoil, it was essential to have someone with no connection to Rei—or at best a thin one—present during the treatment.
But even if she tried to arrange that right now, no one would be willing to come along.
(The World Tree has weakened, but it's not so urgent that we must act today or tomorrow. If so, tomorrow should be fine. And the people afraid of Rei might, by tomorrow...)
Thinking that far, Odoban's face crossed her mind.
She hadn't been present, having a prior engagement with a friend, but if she had come, she would have looked at Rei with the same fearful gaze as the others.
Moreover, it had taken a considerable number of days after their first meeting before Odoban began to soften her attitude toward Rei.
Considering that, expecting things to change by tomorrow seemed optimistic at best.
Still, one or two days would be manageable, but leaving a gap of ten or twenty days would be asking for trouble.
(If so, should I have Grandfather come along? That might work, but... would Ragdo and his people accept it?)
Though politically opposed to Ragdo, Marina didn't hate him.
She understood that despite their different methods, Ragdo also acted with the settlement's best interests at heart.
(Ragdo... yes, then perhaps bringing Ragdo along would work. Everyone here saw us opposing each other today. If so, having Ragdo present would be more than enough to prove Rei won't do anything suspicious.)
Concluding that this was the best option, she smiled and spoke up.
"Well, we'll manage somehow. More importantly, since we have the chance, I'd like to make a dish using the Aerowing meat. What do you think?"
Though some found Marina's words suspicious—as if she were deflecting—the others, who genuinely wanted to eat the Aerowing meat, nodded in agreement.
"Grandfather, it's fine to release Rei now, right?"
"That's right. If we were to keep him confined here, the others would likely panic... no, they simply wouldn't accept it. For lodging, you can use the same house those young ladies are staying in."
Recalling the reactions of those who could sense mana, Optis offered a faint smile as he replied to his granddaughter.
His words carried both his genuine affection for his granddaughter and the weight of his position as the settlement's elder.
"Thank you, Grandfather. However, Rei is a man, after all, so he can't very well live under the same roof as women... especially a duke's daughter of standing. There was a house a short distance from Elena's group's place, wasn't there? It has a stable, so Set can stay with him too. Wouldn't that be best?"
Marina matter-of-factly separated Rei from Elena's group—a decision that was only natural given her position as Guild Master.
At Marina's words, Elena wore an expression that was at once happy and disappointed.
Having been raised as a duke's daughter, Elena naturally possessed a strong sense of propriety.
That ingrained common sense told her that living under the same roof as a man was improper.
And yet, in her heart of hearts, she genuinely wanted to live with Rei.
...Having grown up on battlefields, Elena had no resistance to sleeping under the same roof as men.
But that was only possible because she didn't see them as men—or more precisely, as romantic interests.
It might seem contradictory to her sense of propriety, yet within Elena's mind, these two things coexisted without the slightest conflict.
"Is that so? That's a shame. I would have been fine with the same house as Rei... no, even the same room. I wouldn't mind sharing a bed, either."
In contrast to the conflicted Elena, Vihera muttered with genuine disappointment.
Having never even attempted to hide her affection for Rei, Vihera could voice her feelings with complete honesty.
"Gurururu!"
Unlike either of them, Set purred happily.
As Marina had mentioned, the house had a stable—which meant it could stay close to Rei.
"Kyu?"
Ielo, perched on top of Set's head, looked around in confusion, seemingly with no understanding of what was happening.
Watching the somewhat endearing sight, Marina suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, that's right. There's something I need to do before we cook the Aerowing. Could you go on ahead and get things ready? I'll head over as soon as I'm done."
For a moment, most of those present turned their gazes toward Marina.
But all she offered in return was a smile.
Judging that there was nothing to worry about, Rei and the others left the plaza without protest.
"Where are we going to disassemble the Aerowing? It was pretty big, so we'll need as wide a space as possible."
"In that case, the area behind the house we're borrowing is fairly spacious. How about there, Byune?"
"...Why are you asking Byune?"
"Because you're skilled at disassembly. You learned the technique during your solo dungeon-clearing days, didn't you?"
"Mn."
Marina watched the group walking away in conversation, a slightly envious look in her eyes.
For just a few seconds, she imagined herself among them, and a pang of reluctance welled up in her chest. But she had returned to this settlement for the first time in roughly a hundred years to treat the World Tree, and she needed to focus on that.
"Are you going?"
She nodded in response to Optis's question.
For now, the greatest concern—Rei being harmed, or more precisely, Rei counterattacking such harm and devastating the settlement—had been averted.
That meant the next thing Marina needed to investigate was the pulsation she had felt when Rei passed through the barrier.
She didn't know what had caused it... no, the cause was obvious. It had occurred the moment Rei passed through, so it must have been a reaction to his enormous mana.
But whether that reaction was harmful or beneficial remained unconfirmed.
Naturally, given the magnitude of the pulsation, several Dark Elves must have rushed to check on the World Tree the instant it happened.
In fact, she had already received reports confirming that no immediate adverse effects had occurred.
Even so, Marina wanted to see the World Tree's condition with her own eyes.
She considered it her duty as the one who had brought Rei. And if his presence truly was harming the World Tree, she would need to have him leave the settlement at once.
"I see... Be careful. I don't think there's anything to worry about with you, but still—there's no telling whether that pulsation caused something to change."
"Yes. I'll observe with the utmost care."
With those words, Marina departed.
Her destination was the World Tree, deep within the settlement.
What effect had the pulsation from Rei's entry caused? She made her way through the settlement carrying considerable anxiety, along with a faint hope that the World Tree, having sensed Rei's mana, might have recovered at least a little.
Along the way, she was called out to by numerous Dark Elves. She waved back and exchanged words as she walked.
One man even tried to hit on her, for whatever reason, but Marina—well accustomed to being approached—brushed him off effortlessly and kept going.
Gradually, the number of Dark Elves thinned out.
This was because she was heading toward the deepest part of the settlement—where the World Tree stood.
The World Tree itself was visible from anywhere in the settlement.
It was a tree so massive that one had to crane their neck to see its top, so that was only natural.
Even now it was crowned in lush green leaves, but compared to when she had left the settlement, the vitality and imposing presence radiating from the World Tree seemed to have clearly diminished.
As she gazed up at it, Marina suddenly noticed something.
"Oh?"
It was a very slight difference.
But a difference that was undoubtedly there.
Only those sensitive to mana—and simultaneously, those of a special bloodline like Marina's—would be able to perceive it.
Understanding what that difference meant, Marina broke into a small smile.
She had thought it would probably be fine, but confirming it with her own eyes brought an immense sense of relief.
That difference was...
"To think that just by entering the barrier, it recovered—even if only slightly... I already knew, but just how incredible is Rei's mana?"
Marina murmured with a hint of exasperation, but her expression was bright with joy.
She understood now that bringing Rei had absolutely not been a mistake.
She had believed it would be fine, but obtaining such solid confirmation was enormously significant.
"At this rate... if we have him pour mana into the World Tree tomorrow, it should recover right away. If so, maybe we shouldn't stay here too long."
She let out a sigh, but the question remained whether Rei's mana could truly resolve the root cause of the World Tree's weakening.
Given the sheer scale of Rei's mana, she was almost certain it would—but she couldn't say so with absolute confidence.
"I suppose... even after it recovers, we should keep an eye on things for a while... right?"
In any case, the fact that the World Tree had recovered even slightly from Rei's mere presence was undeniably good news.