After searching the forest for several hours, Rei and Set—along with As and Poro, who had joined them partway through—returned to the settlement without finding anything that suggested an abnormality.
Finding a few edible nuts and berries was about all they could call a harvest.
"Mm, this fruit is sour, but it's an addictive taste."
Rei murmured happily as he nibbled on a fist-sized fruit with a purple-and-black mottled pattern.
When he first saw it, he never would have guessed it was edible based on its appearance. But when As confidently declared it was fine to eat and actually took a bite in front of him, Rei couldn't doubt his word.
Popping one into his mouth, a refreshing sweet-and-sour flavor—though decidedly more sour than sweet—spread across his palate.
Having taken a liking to the fruit, Rei picked about half of what was available.
This was only possible because he had the Misty Ring, and As cast an envious glance his way.
"Guruuu."
Set, eating the same fruit beside Rei, purred happily.
Despite the fruit's strong acidity, it apparently suited Set's palate as well.
Set had been hoping to find an Aerowing, but unfortunately hadn't spotted a single one. Even so, the reason he remained in good spirits was surely the fruit he was now eating.
At any rate, as they continued walking and snacking, they eventually arrived at the Protective Barrier.
"Nn!"
Elena, Vihera, Marina, Ara, and Byune—five people in all—along with Ielo were already there, waiting for Rei's group to arrive.
Yet seeing Rei, the last one to show up, casually eating fruit and taking it easy, the ones who had been left behind were naturally less than amused.
As giving Marina a small bow was probably related to the fact that he had split off partway to chase after Poro.
Byune, who was the most particular about food among them, raised a protest the moment she saw Rei.
"Here, eat this then."
Rei tossed her the same fruit from the Misty Ring.
Catching it, Byune paused for a moment at the fruit's appearance, but in the next instant she bit right into it.
"Nn!"
The sourness hit her mouth without warning. And beneath it, a faint but unmistakable sweetness.
At a taste so unlike anything its appearance suggested, even the usually expressionless Byune gave off a slightly happy air.
"...So As split off from Marina partway, but it seems he joined up with you, Rei. It looks like you didn't find any clues in the end, though."
Elena asked while accepting a fruit from Rei.
"Yeah. I was fully expecting to run into monsters that had gone berserk, but we didn't encounter a single one. The only thing we got out of it was this fruit."
As Rei handed fruits to Marina, Vihera, Ara, Ielo, and the others, everyone else nodded in agreement.
"We were talking until you got here, Rei, but none of us encountered any monsters either. ...Do you think this has something to do with you performing the treatment on the World Tree?"
"I wonder. It's true that the World Tree became revitalized all at once, but I still can't imagine it would have this much influence so quickly."
Marina tilted her head at Elena's question.
"The World Tree... I looked around a lot too, but that's the first time I've ever seen a tree that huge. There was a forest near the village where I was born, but..."
As trailed off and silently shook his head.
He had been born and raised in the village of Ruf, which could unhesitatingly be described as the most rural place in the Kingdom of Mireana. But precisely because of that, there were no particularly powerful monsters in the nearby forest.
As himself had hardly ever gone into that forest, but even so, if there had been a tree as enormous as the one he saw when entering the settlement, it would have been visible even from the village. Assuming, of course, that the World Tree wasn't hidden behind a barrier the way it was in this settlement.
"Fufu, I'm glad to hear you say that."
Nearly a hundred years had passed since she left the settlement, but it wasn't as though Marina had abandoned it.
That much was clear from the fact that she acted as an intermediary when the settlement traded with Gilm, and that Odoban had come all the way to Gilm to ask for help.
Given that, there was no way she would feel anything but pleased to have her homeland praised.
Of course, the fact that the World Tree's treatment had been performed was probably also a factor in her good mood.
"Anyway, let's call it here for today and return to the settlement."
"...Are you sure? The sun is still high, you know?"
Vihera's gaze turned toward the sky.
Just as she said, the sun was still high, and it seemed like there were still about two hours before sunset.
But Marina nodded back at her.
"Yes. There are various things that need doing in the settlement. I also need to confirm whether Grandfather properly heard Ragdo's report."
"Ah... yeah. That's true."
Recalling Optis's demeanor—fully intent on joining the festivities—Vihera had no choice but to agree with Marina's concern.
For all that, Marina understood that her grandfather, as the settlement's elder, did properly carry out what needed to be done.
Even if he let loose on top of that, she felt inclined not to be too hard on him.
Above all, the World Tree had regained its power, so it wasn't strange for people to get a little carried away.
Though it would be a problem if he got too carried away.
As if in agreement with Marina's thoughts, As spoke up.
"Ah, I'm also in favor of Marina's suggestion. Rei said he'd serve Gamelion meat for dinner tonight, after all."
The moment the words "Gamelion meat" came up, everyone's gazes converged on Rei.
During the conversation about the fruit they had found on the way back, Rei had mentioned in passing that he would provide Gamelion meat, and As had apparently remembered it clearly.
That alone was proof of how widely known Gamelion was as delicious meat.
Bathed in the collective stares of everyone, Rei eventually opened his mouth as if giving in.
"Alright. Then let's celebrate the World Tree treatment with Gamelion meat today."
And so, a Gamelion party was to be held.
"Then, to celebrate the World Tree's recovery... cheers!"
"Cheers!"
At Marina's call, everyone's voices rang out in unison as they raised their cups.
Everyone except Rei, Byune, and Ara had ale or wine in their cups, but no one faulted them for drinking despite it being daytime.
It was true that it was only about two hours until evening, and more importantly, the entire settlement was in a festive uproar.
Parties were being held all over the settlement, not just in the yard of the house Elena and the others were borrowing.
If anything, since they had been out searching for abnormalities beyond the settlement, Rei's group was late to start partying.
The fact that they had seen several groups celebrating on the way to this house was also a big factor.
On the table in the yard was an array of dishes made with the Gamelion meat Rei had provided.
Stir-fry, skewers, stew, steamed dishes—an assortment that anyone who knew the taste of Gamelion meat would undoubtedly envy.
Naturally, the Gamelion dishes were the main attraction, but it wasn't only meat.
There was a salad generously loaded with vegetables, a dish tossed with chopped nuts, and leafy greens meant to wrap around the Gamelion stir-fry.
At the edge of the table sat the purple-and-black mottled fruits Rei had picked, but for now, everyone was savoring the Gamelion dishes that were the main event of the day, and no one was paying them any attention.
"Poru, pororurururu!"
Poro, having stuffed its mouth full of Gamelion meat and swallowed it down, let out a cry of joy.
It was a voice that could truly be described as a cry of jubilation, and that was no exaggeration.
In fact, Set and Ielo were also eating Gamelion dishes and letting out happy cries.
Incidentally, Set was eating beside the table, working on a dish where a chunk of Gamelion meat had been rubbed with salt and herbs and then roasted.
Set's appetite was incomparable to an ordinary human's, so this dish had been specially prepared for that reason.
It was an extremely simple dish, but at over five kilograms in volume, Set was eating it with evident satisfaction.
The outside was thoroughly seared, while the center was nearly raw.
Set apparently enjoyed that contrast in texture as well, purring with delight.
Because it had been stored in the Misty Ring, the Gamelion meat was fresh enough to eat raw without any issue.
"Ah, delicious. I never thought I'd be able to eat Gamelion meat in this season."
As murmured earnestly while bringing a skewer to his mouth.
The others agreed with that sentiment.
"That's right. Being able to eat Gamelion meat outside of winter is quite a luxury. A noble... or rather, someone of fairly high standing, could eat Gamelion meat outside of winter using a Magic Item or something, but..."
Marina murmured, recalling a noble man who had once tried to court her.
His pick-up line at the time had been, "Would you like to eat Gamelion meat together this summer?"
In the end, the Magic Item that noble had turned out to be defective, and she later heard he had gotten stomach problems.
"It's delicious, Lady Elena."
"Yes. I'm particularly fond of this stewed dish. The way it falls apart in the mouth gives it a texture quite different from ordinary meat."
"That's right. The pairing with the vegetables is excellent as well."
Elena and Ara each enjoyed the Gamelion in their own way.
At the same table, Byune was frantically stuffing Gamelion dishes into her small mouth despite its size.
Beside her, Vihera was wiping sauce off Byune's cheek.
"Poro, porururu!"
Poro demanded more food from As.
As obligingly plated up an appropriate dish and handed it over.
Poro wagged its nine tails happily while digging into the food.
"Rei, try this dish too. I'm actually a little confident about it."
Marina recommended to Rei a stir-fried Gamelion dish covered in a light green sauce.
"Whoa, this looks delicious. Is it okay for me to eat it?"
"Yes. You did so much for us with the World Tree matter, so consider it my thanks."
"I mean, we're getting World Tree materials and all, so you really don't need to worry about it."
Even as he said that, Rei's eyes were firmly fixed on the meat.
In truth, the aroma wafting from the plate stimulated his appetite.
Amid the rich scent of the sauce, there was something refreshing mixed in.
Along with the meat, several types of leafy greens had been stir-fried together, and the green, red, and yellow colors made the dish look all the more appetizing.
"Surely this much is fine? Here."
"...Well, if you're going that far, I'm not going to turn it down."
Using a fork, he brought the dish to his mouth.
Naturally, Rei and Marina's interaction was being watched by the others eating at the same table.
"..."
Elena and Vihera both wore expressions suggesting they weren't entirely pleased.
Even so, the reason they didn't interfere with Marina here was largely because today was the day the World Tree had recovered.
They could let Marina have Rei to herself for today, at least.
Even understanding that, it was only natural that they still found it unpleasant.
"Ah, ahahaha. I feel like the atmosphere has gotten a little tense somehow."
As, who had been eating Gamelion stew, murmured while looking around.
He didn't understand why the mood had turned so sour, but he could at least tell that it had.
He understood that this wasn't a comfortable situation for him, but he didn't say anything about it.
That was because he felt that if he said something here, it probably wouldn't end well.
"Pororo? Porururu!"
As if cheering As on, Poro wagged its nine tails.
Fortunately, they were outside so it wasn't a problem, but if they had been indoors, it would have kicked up quite a bit of dust.
Watching Poro while escaping into something of a daydream, As decided to simply focus on eating Gamelion dishes for the time being.
"Rei, how about this dish too? Elena and Vihera made this one together, you know?"
Perhaps sensing something from the looks directed her way, Marina held out toward Rei a dish that Elena and Vihera had supposedly collaborated on.
On the plate were thinly sliced pieces of Gamelion meat that had been briefly dipped in hot water to cook, topped with what appeared to be a vegetable-based sauce.
Shabu-shabu, huh?
A dish Rei knew—thinly sliced meat dipped in hot water to cook, then eaten dipped in sauce. The sauces ranged from ponzu, to sesame, to slightly more unusual options like momiji oroshi, and there were many other diverse ways to eat it.
Strictly speaking, the liquid wasn't just hot water since broth was made using kelp and the like, but as a cooking method, it was quite similar to the dish now in front of him.
He took a piece of meat with his fork and brought it to his mouth.
Elena and Vihera watched anxiously, staring intently.
"Yeah, it's delicious."
At Rei's words, Elena and Vihera both smiled happily.
The jealousy they had been feeling toward Marina just a short while ago was nowhere to be found.