"Well then, thanks for everything."
"Porororo!"
As bowed his head, and Poro on his left shoulder let out a cry as well.
Exactly what the creature was saying couldn't be precisely understood by those who heard it, but they could at least tell it was expressing gratitude.
"No, we should be the ones thanking you. But... are you sure this is all you need? You're welcome to take more monster materials, you know."
Marina spoke on behalf of the group, but As shook his head.
"No, I've already received not just Orc and Cobolt magic stones, but an Ogre magic stone and materials too. This alone is already more than I should take. And more importantly, if I get any more, I won't be able to carry it all by myself."
As he said this, the pouch at his waist was bulging near its limit with magic stones, and beneath the quiver on his back were Ogre materials wrapped in cloth.
Just as he said, any more materials and his movements would certainly become sluggish on the way out of the forest.
Even with a partner like Poro, sluggish movement could be fatal for As.
He originally fought with a bow and specialized in combat that prioritized agility.
"Besides... I got this too."
What he produced from his pocket was a purple crystal. About the size of a fingertip and beautifully cut, it held value not only as a gemstone but also served as a pass to this settlement.
Since Rei and As had been living so normally, they themselves had little awareness of it, but this Dark Elf settlement was fundamentally a place that only a limited number of people could visit.
The proof that one was among those select few was the amethyst crystal As had received.
Whoever possessed it could enter and leave the settlement freely, making it something merchants would give their right arm for.
Selling it alone would be enough to make a fortune.
"Really? Grandfather gave me permission to give you some World Tree materials, just like with Rei."
At those words, the Light Sphere floating beside Rei flickered.
It seemed to be saying that it was fine. But even so, As shook his head.
"No, I didn't contribute that much. The one who undoubtedly played the biggest role in this incident was Rei, so it wouldn't be right for me to presumptuously accept World Tree materials..."
In the back of As's mind lingered a small sense of frustration.
If he had fought the Giant Cicada with his own power alone, he couldn't possibly believe he would have won.
Could I have maybe tamed it? As wondered for a moment, but from past experience, he judged that would be difficult as well.
As had raised bonds with many different species of monsters over the years, but monsters stronger than oneself rarely opened their hearts.
There were various exceptions to that rule, but from As's perspective, he didn't think the Giant Cicada could be tamed.
For that matter, the fact that Rei tamed a gryphon as a tamer alone puts him far above me. Plus, they say that Giant Cicada was absorbing Rei's magic power, so considering that, Rei had overwhelmingly better conditions to tame it — and even he couldn't manage it in the end.
Strictly speaking, Rei was a practitioner of Beast Magic, not a tamer.
But As had no way of knowing that, and he regarded Rei, who had tamed a gryphon, as a tamer far superior to himself.
"Really? Well then, be careful when leaving the forest. I imagine the monsters have thinned out quite a bit after yesterday's incident, and since the Giant Cicada was defeated, the remaining ones shouldn't be as ferocious... but still, monsters are monsters."
As nodded at Marina's words of caution, offered a final bow alongside Poro on his left shoulder, and departed with the Dark Elves who had offered to escort him out.
At first, As had insisted he would be fine on his own, but when told he couldn't pass through the Protective Barrier without a Dark Elf accompanying him, he had no choice but to accept.
Furthermore, now that the World Tree had recovered, the Labyrinth Barrier had become much harder to break through easily, just as it had been before.
Some people might be able to get through without issue, but if one wanted certainty, traveling with a Dark Elf was the best option.
"Well then, see you around. Hope we cross paths again somewhere, Rei. Take care, Set."
"Gururururu."
"Porororo."
After exchanging brief farewells, As departed with Poro and the Dark Elves.
Rei and the others watched them go. Once the two figures and one creature slipped through the Protective Barrier, Marina spoke up.
"Now then... just like As, we should start getting ready to head back too. I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow or the day after — what do you all think?"
"I have no objections. ...My vacation is nearly over as well."
"Lady Elena, couldn't you simply visit again later? The Noble's Faction and the Neutral Faction have formed a loose cooperative relationship. If so, it's only natural that there will be continued interaction going forward."
Not a firm cooperative relationship, but a loose one.
It was the kind of arrangement where either side could easily cut the other loose in a crisis, but it was still clearly better than being adversaries.
"Then, Rei, come with me. I'll give you the World Tree materials I promised."
Marina invited him, and Rei nodded, taking a step forward...
"What about Elena and Vihera? I only asked Rei to come."
Marina, who had been about to lead Rei away, stopped and addressed the two women behind him.
It seemed they would end up following along as well, and she found that puzzling...
"Of course."
"Naturally."
Elena and Vihera answered without hesitation.
"Would you mind telling me what's so natural about it?"
"If I leave Marina and Rei alone together, you'll try to tempt him again, won't you? As someone in my position, I can't just stand by and overlook that."
"That's right. I share Elena's opinion. The way Marina is right now is dangerous in all sorts of ways. Leaving someone like that alone with Rei..."
At their immediate responses, Marina flashed a small smile.
It perhaps stemmed from the experience of having lived as a Dark Elf for many years, during which she had received love confessions from countless men.
Elena and Vihera, as if overwhelmed by Marina, retreated a few steps.
They had sensed something that could only be called the composure of an older woman.
If anyone who understood who was present had seen this, they would likely have doubted their own eyes.
One was the Princess General whose name thundered across neighboring nations, and the other was a former imperial princess of the Bestia Empire who loved battle — and yet both were being intimidated.
But... while those two were unbelievably beautiful, when it came to romance, they were essentially beginners.
Both had had countless men approach them because of their beauty, but they had turned every single one away.
Rei was also the first love for both of them.
That was why, in matters of romance, the two of them couldn't even hold a candle to Marina.
Gazing at the pair, Marina eventually spoke.
"That's true. You both went through a lot with the World Tree situation, so I don't mind if you come along."
"Mm!"
As if to say don't forget about me, Byune muttered tersely.
World Tree materials, as they were, held absolutely no meaning for Byune.
If anything, receiving them would be a nuisance.
But... considering how much they could sell for, Byune definitely wanted World Tree materials.
There was also the option of having them processed into magic items for personal use, so there was no harm in having them.
Whether Byune's intentions came through or not, Marina sighed with a disappointed look before speaking.
"Fine. Then anyone who wants to come, come along. I'll give World Tree materials to anyone who wants them."
However capably she could handle her romantic rivals, it seemed she couldn't deal with a child so easily.
Her time with Rei interrupted, Marina wore a slightly regretful expression as she led everyone present deeper into the settlement.
Among them, Ara had no particular interest in World Tree materials, but if Elena was going, then the option of Ara not following simply didn't exist.
As they walked through the settlement, Dark Elves called out to them with greetings.
It was already near noon, and those who had overslept from last night's banquet were probably starting to stir.
If they wake up at this hour, they probably won't be able to sleep tonight either... I wonder what they'll do? Not being able to sleep when you need to is a subtly miserable state.
Being unable to sleep when one needed to was something Rei had experienced several times back in Japan.
It happened when he was nervous or excited, and there were also nights during hot summers when sleep simply wouldn't come.
Well, if they're Dark Elves, they can probably manage somehow with Spirit Magic.
If they could control the temperature to a certain extent like Rei's Dragon Robe, such concerns would be unnecessary.
Like air conditioning... no, since it was a magical phenomenon, there were none of the physical adverse effects that came from direct cold air, making it far superior to air conditioning.
If they had something like this in Japan, it would probably sell incredibly well. ...Ah, right. There's no magic over there in the first place.
Thinking about such things as they walked through the settlement, they eventually arrived at a fairly large hut.
A hut... though it was naturally not just an ordinary hut.
Several Dark Elves stood guard beside the door, and there were no windows of any kind.
"This is where we store World Tree materials. ...Oh?"
Marina had been about to explain the hut, but then she noticed that the Light Sphere that had been beside Rei just moments ago had vanished.
"Rei, the Light Sphere... where did the World Tree's will go?"
"Hm? ...It's gone."
At Marina's words, Rei looked around, but the Light Sphere was nowhere to be seen.
"Was it embarrassed about us coming to collect its own materials? Well, I can't say for sure, but..."
World Tree materials might be something embarrassing for the World Tree. Rei voiced the thought that came to mind, but a glance at Set told him that probably wasn't the case.
Set's fur and feathers were undeniably first-class materials, but Set didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about it.
"Hmm, if one thinks of it as a woman, perhaps it is a little embarrassing."
The one who murmured with an understanding tone was Elena.
Having someone hand over one's own hair, nails, or teeth as materials right in front of them — from a woman's perspective, it was only natural to feel shame.
At the very least, if someone did that to Elena, she would want to die of embarrassment.
"Now hold on, we don't even know if the World Tree is female."
Vihera muttered with a hint of exasperation.
While they were having that conversation, Marina finished talking with the guards, and the door to the hut was opened.
"Come, this way. Step inside, please."
Led by Marina, Rei and the others entered the hut.
And what they saw was branch after branch after branch of the World Tree.
Inside the hut, World Tree branches were stacked in abundance, as if to say look at all of this.
I've seen a sight like this before. ...Ah.
What flashed through Rei's mind was his time in Japan.
His father had done mushroom log cultivation, combining hobby with practical benefit.
Most mushrooms sold in ordinary supermarkets were grown using a method called bed cultivation.
The method of planting mushroom spores into a substrate bed — a mixture of sawdust and rice bran compacted into a block about the size of one or two fists — was bed cultivation, while the method of drilling holes into logs and planting mushroom spores there was log cultivation.
And when doing log cultivation, the logs were stacked in alternating layers to grow — and the sight spreading before Rei's eyes now was exactly like that.
"We'll gather World Tree leaves later, but this is where we store World Tree branches. The sap is kept somewhere else... now then, I'd like to say take as many as you want, but unfortunately, I couldn't get that much permission from Grandfather and the others."
"Naturally. World Tree branches are extremely rare materials. They're optimal for crafting magic items like staves and bows. Bows are especially important to Dark Elves, aren't they?"
At Vihera's words, Marina nodded with a slightly apologetic look.
World Tree branches had uses beyond just weapons.
They were even used in everyday magic items, and magic items crafted with World Tree branches turned out several tiers higher than those made normally.
"That's right. ...That's why two branches per person was the limit. There's also the matter of thickness and various other factors, so please choose according to your own preferences."
At Marina's words, Rei and the others hesitated over which branches to pick, but eventually managed to select ones that suited their preferences.