"Well now, what should I do from here?"
Rei murmured as he released his hand from the trunk of the World Tree.
The World Tree had been on the verge of death just tens of seconds ago, in a state that could fairly be described as withered. Now, green leaves covered its branches, its appearance utterly transformed from what it had been mere moments before.
The same was true for the Light Sphere flickering at Rei's side. The light that had been on the verge of fading away after the Giant Cicada devoured its magic power and sap now shone dazzlingly bright.
The Light Sphere flew around Rei, flickering with what seemed like joy.
"Calm down. ...According to Marina, forcing sudden recovery isn't good for the body, but you seem fine for now at least."
At Rei's words, the Light Sphere stopped moving and flashed intensely to show that it was energetic.
Feeling relieved at the Light Sphere's state, Rei turned his gaze toward the sky.
There, the battle between the Giant Cicada and Set was unfolding — clearly visible even from the ground.
Bursts of fire, ice, and wind colored the sky as the two clashed.
Seeing the sight, the thought crossed Rei's mind for just an instant that he should have finished it off while it was still attached to the World Tree... but given that he hadn't known what abilities the Giant Cicada possessed in the first place, charging in at full power without any planning would have been nothing short of folly.
At the very least, Rei had no intention of being that foolish.
The World Tree was already in a weakened state; such a reckless move could have even delivered a fatal blow.
(The World Tree, huh. It's a bit late to wonder about this, but leaving aside the fact that it can't be seen from outside, how is the outside scenery so clearly visible from within? ...Well, if it were completely cut off from the outside, it would probably affect the Dark Elves' health, and agriculture would be impossible too.)
Thinking such thoughts as he watched the sun in the sky, he immediately shook his head.
Now was not the time for idle musings.
Set was still fighting the Giant Cicada even now, and above all...
"The Protective Barrier being down even temporarily was a problem, wasn't it."
At Rei's murmur, the Light Sphere flickered as if apologizing.
Noticing this, Rei gently reached out as if to pat Set... but his hand passed right through the Light Sphere.
"Whoops. ...Well, you don't need to worry that much. The Dark Elves are doing everything they can to protect you. And Elena, Marina, and Vihera are there too."
Rei fell silent there and once again turned his gaze to the sky.
The sight of numerous attacks still being exchanged was clearly visible.
Facing the Giant Cicada — ten times its own size — Set was fighting roughly on even terms.
No, to be precise, it wasn't an even match so much as a stalemate.
The Giant Cicada, having absorbed Rei's magic power, used its magic-enhanced physical abilities to dodge Set's attacks, defending with magic-infused ultrasound and barriers.
Set, for its part, seemed to have already read the Giant Cicada's ultrasound attacks, evading them without taking a single hit.
The battle continued, but Set did not retreat a single step before its overwhelmingly larger opponent.
That the settlement remained safe was undoubtedly thanks to Set holding the line. If Rei called out to it now, Set's attention would shift toward him at least somewhat, and if it then tried to pick Rei up, the Giant Cicada would be free to move.
(If it leaves the settlement, that'd be fine, but there's no telling whether it might attack instead... no, even if it leaves, leaving something like that unchecked would be dangerous.)
In other words, Rei absolutely had to avoid doing anything that would divert Set's attention in the current situation.
"Which means..."
His gaze shifted from the sky to the settlement.
The Protective Barrier had been temporarily extinguished due to the Giant Cicada's actions moments ago.
And since he had heard reports that countless monsters were gathering around the settlement before coming to the World Tree, he judged that dealing with that situation took priority.
(Besides, there's no guarantee monsters didn't slip into the settlement while the Protective Barrier was down.)
The Dark Elves capable of combat were undoubtedly outside the settlement, fighting.
Right now, there were either no combat-capable Dark Elves left in the settlement, or only a very small number.
In reality, those injured in battle had been sent back to the settlement, so it wasn't that there was absolutely no one who could fight.
But even so, having been wounded and rendered unable to fight, sent back to the rear settlement, they could hardly be counted on for combat power.
"So the only one who can move freely is me. If the Protective Barrier had still been down, I should have dealt with that first, but..."
His gaze fell on the Light Sphere, flickering energetically.
Having received a massive infusion of Rei's magic power, it had become surprisingly vibrant.
(It's like forcing magic power... or rather, life force in this case... into a dying old man and bringing them back to life... isn't that essentially what happened? If so, I can understand what Marina meant about it not being good for the World Tree.)
Though it surely hadn't read Rei's thoughts, the Light Sphere flashed intensely as if offended.
Spurred on by the Light Sphere's reaction, Rei took Death Scythe in hand and kicked off the ground toward the settlement.
Now was the time for action over deliberation.
Not wanting to be left behind, the Light Sphere flickered as it followed after him.
Even as he ran along the road to the settlement, the sounds of Set and the Giant Cicada's battle echoed through the sky above in wave after wave.
To a certain listener, it might have sounded like a festival signal — but given the current situation, no one would be thinking such a thing.
(Well, I don't know if they have fireworks in this world, though. ...There's magic, and Japanese people like Takumu have come to this world in the past, so it wouldn't be surprising if fireworks existed. Then again, it seems udon doesn't exist here either, so expecting such things is probably pointless.)
Gripping Death Scythe, he continued running until he reached the settlement.
Naturally, those who could fight had gone outside the Protective Barrier to defend the settlement, so there was hardly anyone inside.
However, "hardly anyone" did not mean "no one at all"...
"W-wah! Don't come here, don't come this way!"
A familiar voice reached his ears, and Rei immediately broke into a sprint toward the sound.
He arrived in under ten seconds to find nearly ten children.
Among them were familiar faces — Ian, Kalja, and Mirus. Lugdus in particular was swinging a short dagger, trying to shield the other children while keeping the approaching Goblins at bay.
Three Goblins pressed toward the children.
Each held what could barely be called a club — more like sticks fashioned from broken tree branches — and they surrounded Lugdus and the others with ugly grins.
In terms of numbers, the children had the advantage, and among them were some who could use Spirit Magic or had been trained in weapon handling.
But that training was purely practice; none had ever been in real combat.
And now they were alone — just children — in a situation that could only be described as extraordinary: the World Tree nearly withering, the Protective Barrier shattered, monsters swarming in.
Asked whether they could fight monsters under such conditions, the answer was a resounding no.
Lugdus especially had just been injured in the forest when a Goblin struck him in the head with a club.
Whether that experience had left him traumatized, his hands now shook with fear as he gripped the dagger.
"Damn it, stay back! I said stay back! If you come any closer, you won't get off easy!"
Even so, as the leader among the children, Lugdus desperately bluffed while shielding the younger kids and keeping the Goblins at bay.
"Gyagyagyagya!"
"Gyogyagyo"
"Gyoga"
Apparently seeing through Lugdus's bravado, the Goblins laughed as they gripped their sticks...
"That's far enough."
The instant those words rang out, a gust of wind seemed to brush past — and all three Goblins were cleanly sliced in half, upper bodies separated from lower.
"Eh? What?"
Seeing the Goblins die in the very moment a single word was spoken, Lugdus looked around blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Standing at the end of his gaze was a lone man holding a scythe larger than himself.
Who that was, Lugdus — living in this settlement — naturally knew.
An adventurer who had come to treat the World Tree.
And to Lugdus, though he would never say it aloud, a formidable romantic rival — yet at the same time, the benefactor who had saved him when he lay unconscious in the forest the night before.
(I'll absolutely never give Big Sis Marina to this guy!)
The older woman who had stolen his heart at first sight. Murmuring her name inwardly, Lugdus opened his mouth to speak...
"Niichan! Niichan!"
From among the children, a particularly small one dashed toward Rei.
"H-hey, wait, Mirus!"
"Rei-san, thank you very much."
"Rei-niichan, thanks."
As if chasing after Mirus, who had bolted out first, Kalja and Ian broke from the group and ran after.
These three had been saved by Rei in the forest the night before and had witnessed his power firsthand.
Mirus especially adored Rei for saving him, and now wore a bright smile — as if the tearful face from moments ago when facing the Goblins had been nothing but a lie.
"Are you okay?"
Rei placed a hand on Mirus's head, as if to settle him down.
Understanding that Rei was not someone to fear, the other children all ran to him as well.
"Hey, hey, you're really strong, mister!"
"How did you defeat them just now? There's no way that's something an ordinary human could do..."
"You idiot. This guy fought the Elder and won! There's no way someone like that's an ordinary human."
"Oh, now that you mention it, my mom said this Rei person is a human who is not human."
"...? Is he human? Or not?"
Rei watched them chattering freely, then lightly patted the Dark Elf children's heads before walking over to Lugdus, who stood a short distance away.
"This is the first time we're meeting while you're fully conscious. Not to put it oddly, but it's been since yesterday."
"...Hmph!"
Being seen in an embarrassing moment by his romantic rival — Lugdus couldn't bear it. He turned his face away from Rei.
"What's with that? Did I do something to make you dislike me?"
"Not really."
That was what he said, but his attitude made his displeasure toward Rei perfectly clear.
(Why does he dislike me so much? This is actually my first time talking to him, isn't it? He was unconscious yesterday.)
Not even imagining that his relationship with Marina was under suspicion, Rei could only feel bewildered by Lugdus's hostility.
Even so, staying here was dangerous, and he couldn't just leave the children unattended.
"Anyway, if you stay here, other monsters might show up. The Protective Barrier is back up now, but there's a real chance some monsters slipped inside while it was down. It was a close call."
The children softly caught their breath as Rei murmured, glancing at the Goblins sliced cleanly in half.
They had been saved because Rei showed up — but what would have happened if he hadn't was painfully obvious.
"First of all, why are you kids wandering around at a time like this? Shouldn't you have hidden in your house or somewhere?"
"Hmph! W-we weren't just playing, you know! Look!"
What Lugdus pulled from the bag he carried were several potions.
And not low-quality ones — that they were high-grade was evident from the carvings on their containers.
"...Why did you kids come alone? Weren't any adults with you?"
"Everyone was busy, so we came to get them!"
"Even so, you'd think a few adults could have come along."
Hearing Rei's murmur, Lugdus quietly averted his gaze.
That alone told Rei everything he needed to know.
Lugdus and the others hadn't been asked by adults to retrieve potions — they had come on their own initiative.
"You guys... at a time like this..."
It wasn't that they had gone outside out of boredom. Rei could understand they had taken matters into their own hands because they wanted to help the adults even a little.
There may have been some restlessness from being cooped up for so long, but at its core, their actions were driven by a desire to help — to aid the injured people of the settlement.
Even so, what Lugdus and the others had done was not something to be praised.
Just as Rei opened his mouth to scold Lugdus, a shout that wasn't his own rang out through the surroundings.
"Found you! What are you doing in a place like this?! ...Ah, you're..."
That Rei was standing beside the children was apparently completely unexpected. The Dark Elf woman's eyes went wide with surprise.
Seeing that, Rei judged that she could handle the scolding without him.
"Alright then, I'll leave the children to you. I still have things to do."
"Eh? Ah, yes. Understood."
Caught off guard by Rei's abrupt words, the woman could only manage that in response.
Leaving her where she stood, Rei departed the scene with Death Scythe in hand.