The first thing Rei felt upon entering the forest was a sense of incongruity.
To be precise, the absence of any sense of incongruity was itself the incongruity.
The site of last night's battle had already been swallowed by the forest.
That alone might not have been the cause, yet the fact that there was still no sense of anything amiss was, conversely, what set him on edge.
"…What do you think?"
"Even if you ask me, the absence of monsters and animals is nothing short of baffling."
The first to answer Rei's question was Marina, who, as a Dark Elf, possessed deep knowledge of plants.
But even Marina had never seen or heard of an existence like this Treant Forest.
"These ordinary-looking trees turn into Treants, right? If that's true… it's strange, isn't it?"
Vihera gently stroked a tree trunk.
Naturally, the trunk did not suddenly spring to life or anything of the sort.
The information from one of the Woodcutters they had saved yesterday—that the wounds on the attacking Treant matched the marks he had carved into a tree as a reference point—had naturally been reported to the Guild.
Though, since they had been sent home immediately after Rei and his party had rescued them, they had been called back early this morning for thorough questioning.
"If that turns out to be true, that is."
"Oh, you don't believe it, Rei?"
Rei pondered Vihera's words for a moment before nodding.
"Right. In this particular case, I can't fully believe it. If an adventurer had reported it, I might, but these are Woodcutters who were caught in combat and witnessed things in an extreme state of stress, right? It wouldn't be strange for them to think the wounds on the Treant merely happened to resemble the ones they had made."
"…I can't deny that."
Asking someone to trust the testimony of unseasoned Woodcutters who had been thrust into combat would be the harder ask.
Let alone the notion that an ordinary tree could somehow transform into a Treant.
Yeah, but those Treants were probably the ones we defeated, so they should have been handed over to the Guild. If I examined them again… I wonder.
Between the Woodcutters' testimony—they could be considered experts when it came to trees—and the fact that this was the Treant Forest, a place riddled with mysteries in more ways than one, Rei doubted their account but couldn't entirely dismiss it.
Half-believing, half-doubting… no, perhaps thirty percent believing and seventy percent doubting.
"Anyway, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly abnormal around here, so let's move a little further ahead."
Following Marina's suggestion, Rei and his party pressed deeper into the forest.
But, as expected, there were no animals, no monsters, not even insects in their surroundings.
"Same as ever. …And yet the plants are growing just fine. I wonder how they manage pollination."
"Listen, Rei. Normal plants don't grow this much overnight in the first place."
"…I suppose you're right."
Perhaps because he had been coming to the Treant Forest almost every day lately, Rei's common sense had strayed just a little from what was ordinary.
At any rate, Rei continued through the forest while taking in his surroundings once more.
Spring-like soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches overhead, casting dappled light on the forest floor.
To anyone who knew nothing of this place, the scene might invite them to stop and rest a while.
But to those who knew the truth of the Treant Forest, even a sight like this seemed like camouflage designed to deceive anyone who wandered in.
And of course, that was by no means a mistaken assumption.
For Rei and his party, who had experienced battle in the Treant Forest, there was no way they could leisurely relax in a place like this.
Even so, the fact that some part of them still felt at ease was… in a way, probably unavoidable.
"Mn!"
With only the sound of wind rustling branches and leaves and the distant voices of what was likely another investigation team echoing through the trees, Byune's voice suddenly rang out.
When Rei turned his gaze, he saw Byune standing there with a fruit in her hand.
"Oh, Byune. Where did you get that?"
"Mn!"
At Vihera's words, Byune directed her gaze toward a tree a short distance away.
There, several fruits just like the one Byune was holding—yellow-skinned fruits—hung from the branches.
"Do you recognize this fruit?"
From what Rei could see, the fruit's coloring was close to that of a mandarin orange.
But as for whether he could trust a fruit growing in the Treant Forest, the answer was a firm no.
Sure enough, as Byune tried to bring the fruit to her mouth, Vihera stopped her.
"You should hold off on that. You never know what might be in a fruit from this forest."
"Mn…"
At Vihera's words, Byune looked disappointed but stopped herself from biting into the fruit.
While watching the exchange between the two, Rei surveyed his surroundings once more.
Setting aside the absence of any living creatures, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary forest that could be found anywhere.
Even so, this forest was undeniably abnormal.
The simple fact that trees grew overnight was strange enough on its own.
"Come on, let's keep moving for now. I'd like to find some clues if possible."
With the sound of rustling branches and leaves in his ears, Rei announced this.
The others offered no particular objections, and they continued onward through the forest.
"…I see."
After walking through the forest for about ten minutes, Marina suddenly murmured.
"What is it?"
Figuring that Marina, with her extensive knowledge of forests, must have noticed something, Rei asked, and Marina pointed at the ground.
"Look. …Don't you notice something off?"
"…Off?"
"Grrrr?"
Perhaps spurred by the word "off," Set began digging at the ground with his front legs.
Given that Set possessed enough power to send even large monsters flying in a single blow, digging through the ground by extending his claws was an easy task.
But all that lay beneath was dirt and… tree roots buried in the earth.
"What are you doing?"
Finding Set's behavior amusing, Vihera spoke with a smile on her lips.
"Gru?"
Set stopped digging and tilted his head as if to ask what was wrong, but whatever it was that struck Vihera as funny, she was barely managing to stifle her laughter.
Watching the pair with a mildly exasperated look, Marina spoke again.
"Look, observe the ground carefully. There's a certain amount of distance between every tree, isn't there?"
"…Well, that's true."
That was precisely why they weren't having any particular trouble walking, and why Set, despite his large body, could navigate the forest without issue.
If the trees were more densely packed—if it were like a mountain trail or an animal path—Set would likely find it difficult to walk, with vines and undergrowth snagging on his body.
Of course, given Set's sheer strength, even if things caught on him, it wouldn't be impossible for him to simply tear through them as he went.
That thought reminded Rei of just how profoundly unnatural this scene was.
Even back in Japan, Rei had run freely through the mountains as a child, and since coming to Elgin, he had entered mountains, forests, and woods countless times.
In places like those, unless it was a path trampled firm by human foot traffic, walking was never easy.
But this Treant Forest had just the right amount of space—the gaps between trees were wide enough that even Set could roam without issue—and there was little undergrowth.
It wasn't completely absent, but compared to a normal forest, it was clearly sparse.
"But this is the Treant Forest, right? It's an absurd forest that spreads day by day to begin with, so isn't that within the acceptable range?"
"When you put it that way, I can't argue."
Since it was an inherently unusual forest, it wouldn't be strange for it to have some unusual qualities. Rei could only nod at Vihera's words.
"I understand what Vihera's trying to say, but hear me out a little more. If these trees turn into Treants… then naturally, if they were growing densely, other Treants would get in the way, wouldn't they?"
"…Well, that's true."
Treants walked using their roots in place of legs, which meant that if other Treants were nearby, their branches and roots would inevitably collide.
If that happened, they would certainly get in each other's way when moving about.
"Right? So, going back to what I was saying earlier, the trees are spaced just wide enough for us and Set to walk through comfortably. …Doesn't that make you want to believe, at least a little, the Woodcutter's explanation that the trees become Treants?"
Listening to Marina's reasoning, Rei retrieved a dismantling knife from his Misty Ring.
After glancing at the others to ensure they could react immediately if anything happened, he lightly pressed the blade against the tree trunk.
The tip sank a few centimeters into the wood, but the tree showed no sign of movement whatsoever.
Just to be sure, he stabbed the blade into the trunk a few more times, but still the tree did not stir.
"…Marina."
"Oh, that's strange."
For Marina as well, this must have been an unexpected sight. She regarded the tree with a puzzled expression.
But after thinking for a moment, she eventually spoke up.
"Hey, Rei. Could I take this tree back with me?"
"Well, I don't mind, but… are you serious?"
"Yes. It wouldn't be that much of a struggle for you, would it?"
"That's true enough."
For Woodcutters or adventurers, felling a tree normally required swinging an axe numerous times.
But in Rei's case, it didn't take that long.
After all, a single swing of Death Scythe would settle it.
Met with Marina's expectant gaze, Rei let out a small sigh, stored the knife in his Misty Ring, and drew Death Scythe in its place.
Seeing Rei produce Death Scythe, Marina and the others backed away without needing to be told.
Death Scythe's strike was powerful, but its attack range was also wide. Their movement was to stay clear of his way.
"Hah!"
Rei channeled magical power into Death Scythe and swung it in a single horizontal slash.
Even after the blade passed through, the tree didn't budge at all.
But the moment Rei touched the tree… it vanished into the Misty Ring, leaving nothing but a stump behind.
It'll probably grow back by tomorrow, though. …Honestly, what a nuisance.
Storing Death Scythe in his Misty Ring as well, Rei felt an uneasy premonition about the endlessly expanding forest's sheer nuisance. Without letting it show on his face, he called out to Marina.
"Is this fine for now?"
"Yes, thank you. …Your Misty Ring really is convenient at times like this."
Rei nodded to Marina, who offered those words with a smile, and scanned his surroundings once more.
But naturally, there was nothing there—only the forest stretching endlessly onward.
"What should we do? I'm fine with whichever direction we go."
"Gruu…"
The first to react to Rei's question was Set.
Looking off to the right, the griffon purred.
Rei nodded, figuring that if Set had chosen a direction, that was good enough. Marina and Vihera likewise raised no objections and said nothing.
Byune as well simply patted Set's head, respecting his decision.
Thus, Rei and his party veered to the right through the forest.
They continued onward for a short while, until…
"Gruu."
Set suddenly purred.
Rei turned his gaze in the direction Set was watching and soon noticed a presence approaching them.
"!?"
Rei swiftly drew the Twilight Spear from his Misty Ring.
Given that they were in the middle of a forest, he must have judged Death Scythe too unwieldy for combat here.
Seeing Rei's movements, Marina, Vihera, and Byune also noticed the approaching presence and each began making preparations for a fight.
"Hey, is there really something over here? Broken trees aside, the living trees are emitting mana all over the place, so it's hard to make anything out!"
"It's fine. My intuition is whispering that something large lies ahead. Don't you agree, Thresha?"
"No, I don't sense anything…"
"Wait!"
"!? …W-What is it, all of a sudden?"
"Strong… a strong magical presence… hmm? Wait, this is…"
"A strong magical presence!? I knew there was something here! Come on, let's go!"
"Hey, wait. There isn't really anything over—"
Along with those voices, several figures emerged, pushing aside the branches in Rei and his party's line of sight as if forcing their way through.
The first to appear was a slightly stout man in his twenties.
He was taller than Rei, but even so, by Elgin's standards, he would be considerably below average height.
And the ones to follow were… just as Rei had expected, Luno and Thresha, along with several adventurers he recognized.