"Umm... well, I know what happened."
Rei made this statement upon returning to the Treant Forest, addressing the fact that the number of Green Demi-humans had increased.
In the first place, it was precisely because someone might transfer here again that so many skilled adventurers, Knights, and Soldiers were stationed in the Treant Forest.
Considering that, the Green Demi-humans transferring here could, in a sense, be called expected.
(Well, I didn't actually think anyone would transfer here, though.)
From yesterday into today, after Zozo and his group had transferred, there had been no sign of anyone else arriving.
Thinking back on that, Rei had not expected anyone to transfer after Zozo and his group.
Of course, that was merely an optimistic assumption, and since the Green Demi-humans had actually transferred here like this, that assumption had proven wrong.
The number of Green Demi-humans who had transferred was about ten.
In terms of sheer numbers, it was not that many.
Unsure whether to be glad about that or find it disappointing, Rei turned his gaze toward Vihera, who looked slightly displeased.
"So the reason you look displeased, Vihera, is because the ones who transferred were only Lunora's companions?"
"Apparently so. She was probably hoping someone with a certain degree of power like Zozo would transfer."
"Ah, I see. I thought so. Still, there's no telling who will transfer. Thinking about it that way, there's an element of it that just can't be helped."
At Rei's words, Elena and Marina, who had been listening, also nodded.
However, in reality, only the Green Demi-humans had transferred, and that must have been no fun for Vihera.
"For now... the Green Demi-humans seem to be afraid of Zozo. Did something happen? Well, considering that the Green Demi-humans were being attacked by the Lizardmen, I can certainly understand how they feel."
"That's true. Still, considering that Zozo wasn't being all that intimidating, I don't think they're that terrified of him. ...The language barrier really is a big issue, huh."
"Yeah. ...Come to think of it, if more Green Demi-humans are going to transfer here from now on, does that mean we'll need to somehow make every one of them learn the language?"
How troublesome.
Rei conveyed this implicitly, but for those who had actually transferred, there was no doubt that such matters were extremely important.
The place they had transferred to was one where no language or communication worked, and on top of that, Zozo—who had been attacking them—was right there.
Furthermore, around Zozo were adventurers, Knights, and Soldiers, and the possibility that they were Zozo's companions and simultaneously their own enemies could not be denied.
"Well, that part depends on luck. ...More importantly, how was Zozo when I left him behind?"
Given that Zozo wanted to be with Rei, he had insisted on coming along when Rei took the felled lumber this time, but in the end, that request had been rejected.
Considering that the Green Demi-humans had newly transferred on top of that, whether Zozo had stayed quiet was something Rei was curious about as well.
Of course, seeing that the Green Demi-humans, even while huddled together in one place, had no injuries of any kind, it was clear that Zozo had not harmed them.
"●●●●"
Perhaps sensing Rei's gaze, Zozo said something and bowed toward him.
The Green Demi-humans looked surprised at Zozo's attitude, but Rei simply nodded without paying it any particular mind.
"Zozo, sorry for leaving you behind. And thanks for calming those people down."
Rei said this to Zozo, but naturally, the words did not get through to him.
However, between his gestures and the nuance of Rei's tone, Zozo seemed to roughly understand what was being said, and he bowed once more.
Zozo's attitude indicated that he did not mind such things, and seeing this, the Green Demi-humans were surprised yet again.
(Judging from how things look, it's not because he's a Lizardman per se—they're afraid because it's Zozo. And then Zozo is treating me politely, so that surprises them, huh.)
Rei guessed this from the Green Demi-humans' behavior and looked toward Marina.
"So, what are the arrangements for transporting those Green Demi-humans to Gilm?"
"Ah, no need to worry about that. One adventurer rode off on horseback to inform Gilm about this."
"...If I had come back a little sooner, I could have gone to Gilm myself. Or should I head back to Gilm again from here?"
Originally, in case anything happened, horses had been prepared today in addition to those pulling the carriages, so that Gilm could be notified immediately.
The one who went to inform Gilm had probably used one of those horses... but naturally, Set flying through the sky was faster.
If so, perhaps he should head to Gilm himself even now.
Rei asked as much, but Marina shook her head and denied it.
"There's no need to go that far. They transferred not long after you headed to Gilm, and the messenger left for Gilm right after that, so it wouldn't be strange if they'd already arrived. If that's the case, going now would mean you'd cross paths and miss each other..."
Marina paused there, then glanced at Zozo before turning back to Rei.
Without putting it into words, Rei understood from that alone what Marina was trying to say.
If Rei left here, Zozo would undoubtedly be affected.
"Yeah, I'll stay put here for now. And then..."
Rei was about to say something, but before he could, the sound of a tree falling came from deeper within the Treant Forest, and he stopped speaking.
"The woodcutters are still working even in this situation? Should I praise them for that, or be dumbfounded? What do you think?"
"Shouldn't you praise them? There's already not enough lumber for the Expansion Construction as it is, and yesterday they finished early. It's only natural they'd try to fell more trees today to make up for it."
Many of those nearby who heard Marina's words nodded in agreement.
Rei, too, had no choice but to nod at her words.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Should I just fell some trees myself?"
The woodcutters used their own tools—axes—repeatedly striking a tree until they finally brought down a single one.
But in Rei's case, a single swing of the Death Scythe was all it took to fell a tree.
In terms of efficiency, Rei was clearly superior.
Despite that, the reason Rei did not do the tree felling was because doing so would take the woodcutters' work away from them, and at the same time, Rei had various other tasks besides felling trees.
Then again, given the current shortage of building materials, he couldn't help wondering if he should handle the felling himself until things stabilized somewhat. However...
"Maybe you shouldn't? They're still a bit bewildered, but the woodcutters you brought here should be getting used to things by now. I think there won't be any problems with the tree felling."
Vihera, who had been listening to Rei and Marina's conversation, rejected Rei's suggestion.
"You think so?"
Rei muttered, but as if to prove Vihera's words right then and there, several trees toppled in succession.
"...Looks like it."
Given the timing, he couldn't help but wonder if she had aimed for that, but looking at Vihera's demeanor, there was no sign of someone who had just pulled off a successful prank.
If so, he reconsidered, that had probably just been a genuine coincidence.
"By the way, are the trees here really that different from trees in other forests?"
"What do you think, Rei?"
"I didn't feel like there was anything particularly different... but it's the Death Scythe, after all."
"Ah..."
At Rei's words, not only Vihera who was listening, but everyone who knew the Death Scythe's performance nodded in understanding.
In truth, the Death Scythe could only be used by Rei—though in terms of simply holding it, Set would also be fine—but its performance could be summed up in one word: monstrous.
After all, it could cut through a living tree without even channeling magic power into it, with a single swing.
It had various other special abilities as well, and along with the Twilight Spear, it was one of the existences that proved Rei's strength.
"I mean, frankly speaking, if it's just felling trees, even Elena and the others could do it, right?"
"Hm? Yes, that is true. There is no doubt that I could do it as well."
Elena, an Alias Holder who had inherited an Ancient Dragon's Magic Stone, nodded readily at Rei's words.
Beyond that, Marina—an exceptionally outstanding Spirit Mage who was arguably among the finest not just in this country but in the entire world—could fell trees using Spirit Magic, and Vihera had her Hand Gauntlets, a Magic Item that produced claws made of magic power.
Considering those abilities, felling trees in the Treant Forest should not be a difficult task.
Of course, depending on the situation, the method might end up being pulverizing the trunk rather than felling it, though.
"●●●●? Rei ●●"
Zozo, who had been listening to Rei and the others' conversation, spoke up like that.
Rei couldn't understand most of the words, but he could at least tell that his name was in there.
"Ah, yeah. Right... we're talking about whether we can fell trees."
Saying that, Rei pointed at the trunk of a tree growing a short distance away.
It was unlikely that Zozo understood what they were discussing from Rei's action alone, but perhaps sensing that it was a conversation related to trees, Zozo approached the tree.
He looked at the tree's trunk, then at Rei, then back at the trunk again.
In the end, unable to figure out what Rei was trying to say, he swished his tail from side to side with a puzzled look.
Rei, too, given the current situation, didn't expect Zozo to fully understand his words, but he judged it a good opportunity to teach him even a little and approached Zozo.
"Tree."
"Tree."
When it came to individual words, Zozo remembered a fair number of them, and he immediately produced the word for tree.
Seeing that...
"Well, one tree should be fine. You did say there's a shortage, after all."
He muttered, and took the Death Scythe out of his Misty Ring.
"!?"
He had already used the Item Box in front of Zozo multiple times, but perhaps he still wasn't used to it.
Startled by the suddenly appearing Death Scythe, Zozo recoiled in surprise.
Also, the newly transferred Green Demi-humans, seeing Rei pull out a massive weapon like the Death Scythe from out of nowhere, were visibly astonished.
At that sight, Elena and the others who had been watching Rei's exchange, as well as Gilm's adventurers, Soldiers, and Knights, cast somehow nostalgic gazes their way.
The first time they saw Rei use the Item Box, everyone was surprised.
But Rei, despite possessing a rare Item Box—so rare that only a few were confirmed to exist in the present—did not bother hiding it and used it openly.
Because of that, those living in Gilm naturally grew accustomed to the Item Box's existence.
...There were some who thought about stealing the Item Box from Rei, but what kind of end such people would meet was obvious without even thinking about it.
However, paying no mind to the surrounding surprise, Rei looked at Zozo and spoke clearly so that his voice would carry.
"Tree."
"...Tree."
As before, he pointed at the tree again and uttered the word for tree.
After hearing Zozo repeat the word, Rei readied the Death Scythe.
"Cut."
"Jeju."
"Ki-ru."
"He-ru."
"Ki-ru."
"Ki-ru."
At first, Zozo couldn't pronounce it well, but after Rei said it several times, he eventually managed to produce the word for "cut."
(Then again, there are various meanings like "to cut," "to sever," "to wear"... The differences in nuance here are something he'll need to study and learn later.)
Judging that Zozo could learn that part later, Rei swung the Death Scythe.
Without putting any particular effort into it, nor channeling any magic power, the blade of the Death Scythe effortlessly sliced through a tree with a trunk so thick that an adult wrapping their arms around it still wouldn't be able to touch their hands together.
The trajectory of the Death Scythe's swing directed the falling tree toward an area with no people, and those watching were able to observe the sight of the tree falling with peace of mind.
"To cut a tree."
Rei repeated those words to Zozo, who wore an expression of sheer astonishment.