The place where Rei's party arrived alongside Daskar and his subordinates was the great hall within the Lord's Manor—the same hall used for large-scale parties.
Currently, the Green People and the Lizardmen were living together there.
The Lizardmen had originally been persecuting the Green People, and the Green People had been the ones persecuted.
Thinking about it normally, there was no way such a cohabitation could go smoothly.
In reality, however, that daily life was going even better than expected.
The Green People were fundamentally gentle in nature and held no grudges against the Lizardmen who had persecuted them.
As for the Lizardmen, they were prohibited by Zozo's orders from harming the Green People.
If Zozo's brother Zaza had been present, he might have ignored those orders, led the other Lizardmen in attacking the Green People, and perhaps even turned on Daskar and his men.
But Zaza, having lost to Zozo and been bound with rope, was currently confined to the underground cell.
Since they knew he was an existence on par with Zozo, the rope had naturally been removed by now... but fortunately, whether because losing to Zozo had taken its toll or he was simply biding his time for an opportunity, he was not causing any pointless rampages.
For that reason, an unexpectedly peaceful atmosphere filled the great hall, with the Green People and the Lizardmen studying this world's language and writing.
With Rei and the others walking in, there was no way the tutors, the Green People, or the Lizardmen wouldn't be surprised.
"Lord Daskar, what exactly have you come here for?"
Among those present, the one most surprised yet quickest to recover was one of the male tutors.
The oldest among the tutors—a man in his fifties who had known Daskar for quite a long time.
Precisely because of that, he had been able to respond immediately even to Daskar's sudden arrival.
"No, Rei's master prepared a Magic Item useful for this matter. When we tried it, we were able to communicate with Zozo."
'Ooh.'
Everyone serving as a tutor let out a gasp of astonishment at Daskar's words, then turned their gazes toward Rei, and finally toward Zozo.
Naturally, their eyes went to the Stone Tablet in Zozo's hands.
"That Stone Tablet?"
"Correct. This tablet converts our words into characters Zozo can understand, and Zozo's words into characters we can understand."
At Daskar's words, the tutors all let out delighted voices.
They were stationed there to teach language and writing, but many of them were also directly subordinate to Daskar.
...There were also tutors here who taught the children of nobles and major merchants, but as expected, teaching writing to children who already had a language and teaching language and writing to the Green People and Lizardmen from scratch were entirely different matters.
The biggest difference was that the children already knew how to speak, whereas the Green People and Lizardmen had to be taught the language itself first.
Not to mention, they were dealing with the Green People—a race they were seeing for the first time—and the Lizardmen, who would normally be classified as monsters.
Naturally, even the teaching side was at a loss.
"Um, Lord Daskar. May we try it right away? With that Stone Tablet, I believe our lessons would progress significantly. After all, we're currently working almost entirely by trial and error."
"Wait. We came here because there was something to confirm first. This Magic Item has become usable only by the first person who used it... in this case, Zozo. Only he can use it."
"Eh? But it's text, isn't it? Then shouldn't anyone other than Zozo be able to read it normally?"
"Ah, I thought so too. That's why we came here."
Being told that, the man who had been speaking with Daskar quickly understood why they had come.
In other words, they wanted to test whether that was actually true.
"Understood. Then, please go ahead."
Saying that, the man adopted an expression almost like a prayer.
He was surely hoping that the Stone Tablet would work for others as well.
Even to study language and writing, it would be difficult without first being able to communicate.
And yet, here they were, stumbling at that very stage of communication.
If there were an easy method to bridge that gap, there was no way they wouldn't place their hopes in it.
Daskar had also received reports that teaching the language and writing was taking considerable effort, so he nodded at those words and turned his gaze toward Rei.
"Rei, please."
"Understood. ...Zozo."
When Rei called out to Zozo, who was holding the Stone Tablet, Zozo immediately nodded and looked at the tablet.
"If you can understand my words, raise your right hand."
At those words, Zozo obediently raised his right hand.
'Ooh.'
Seeing that Rei's words were properly understood, voices of astonishment rose from the onlookers.
"It works like this. ...In that case, Rei, next tell him to pass the Stone Tablet to someone else. Let's see... Lunora would be good."
The reason Lunora's name came from Daskar here was likely because Lunora had come to hold a representative position among the Green People.
It had started from the fact that Lunora was the first to interact with Rei, but since Lunora himself showed no signs of disliking being treated as a representative, there was no particular problem for now.
Why Daskar didn't suggest handing it to a Lizardman, Rei didn't understand either.
"Zozo, hand that Stone Tablet to Lunora."
Understanding what Rei was saying through the Stone Tablet's text, Zozo approached Lunora, who was standing a short distance away.
Strangely, Lunora and the other Green Demi-humans showed no signs of caution despite Zozo approaching them.
This was despite the fact that the Lizardmen had inflicted wounds on them that, while not fatal, were certainly severe enough to be called serious injuries.
Whether this was due to the fundamental nature of the Green People as a whole, including Lunora, or simply because they judged there was no problem since Zozo was obeying Rei, Rei could not say.
Either way, it was certainly convenient that no trouble arose.
Zozo was teaching Lunora how to use the Stone Tablet in words that Rei still could mostly not understand.
However, the conversation between Zozo and Lunora naturally got through, and Lunora took the handed-over Stone Tablet and looked toward Rei.
If it was simply a matter of confirming the Stone Tablet's effect, anyone would have been fine.
But for Lunora, Rei was the most fitting counterpart, or so he judged.
Understanding that, Rei gave a small nod and spoke.
"If you can understand my words, move one step to the side."
Characters were displayed on the Stone Tablet as Rei spoke, but Lunora merely tilted his head upon seeing them.
What? Both Rei and everyone else watching turned equally puzzled gazes toward Lunora.
Rei also found it strange, approached Lunora, and looked at the Stone Tablet he was holding.
Rei could not precisely understand the characters displayed there.
Even so, he could tell that they were similar to the characters that had appeared when Zozo was using the Stone Tablet.
In other words, since Lunora used the same characters and the same language as Zozo, he should normally have been able to read them as well.
And yet, Lunora wore an expression suggesting he couldn't read those characters at all.
That this was neither a lie nor an act was made clear by the reactions of the other Green People around Lunora... and the Lizardmen who had gathered around.
"Zozo."
Rei said shortly.
Zozo, understanding that Rei had called his name, took the Stone Tablet back from Lunora, glanced at it, and then spoke, his words appearing as text on the Stone Tablet.
'It appears that only I can read these characters. It says: if you can understand Lord Rei's words, move one step to the side.'
"...I see."
What was contained in Rei's tone was a feeling of just as expected.
He had heard from Grimm that only one person could use it, so he should have anticipated this development.
"Are those characters the same ones that you and your people use?"
'Yes. They are the same characters that the Green People use, without a doubt.'
"In other words, despite being the same characters, only Zozo can read them... I didn't think this was what my master meant when he said only the first person to use it could."
At Rei's words, Elena, Marina, and Vihera—those who knew Grimm—wore expressions of understanding, but the others wore expressions of genuine disappointment from the bottom of their hearts.
They had only tested Lunora so far, but given that they had been told the tablet was unusable by anyone other than Zozo, and now that they had actually tried it and it failed, it was easy to predict that having others use it would likely fail as well.
"This is... I suppose you could say it was predictable in a way..."
Daskar also let out a heavy sigh at the exchange that had just taken place before his eyes.
If the Stone Tablet could be used by people other than Zozo, the lessons currently being conducted here would without question progress dramatically.
"Lord Daskar, that one... Zozo, was it? If possible, I would like to borrow him."
The male tutor who had been speaking with Daskar said this, but Daskar shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
It was clear that Zozo had pledged loyalty to Rei and had decided to remain at his side.
If he told Zozo to stay here under these circumstances, there was no doubt that Zozo himself would not consent.
If Rei gave the order, perhaps... he thought, but if he did such a thing, Zozo would undoubtedly harbor resentment toward Daskar.
Considering the future, he wanted to keep his relationship with Zozo, a prince of the Gran Dragonia Empire, from deteriorating as much as possible.
Moreover, the relationship with Zozo's brother Zaza was already near the worst it could be.
In such a situation, he had no desire to do anything that would displease Zozo.
If they absolutely had to keep Zozo at this location, then Rei, whom Zozo served, would also need to remain here.
But if Green People and Lizardmen were teleporting to the Treant Forest frequently, he wanted Rei, who could move at high speed riding on Set, to be at the Treant Forest as much as possible.
Furthermore, having Zozo present meant the Lizardmen could be controlled unconditionally—with the exception of cases involving someone like Zaza—which was significant.
They had dispatched High-Rank Adventurers other than Rei to the Treant Forest as well, so it was not as if they couldn't manage, but whether Zozo was present or not made a difference in the damage the Lizardmen sustained... and above all, in the impression left on them.
"No. Zozo is in Rei's service. Given that, I cannot order him around for our convenience."
'I see. Lord Rei, who defeated me, became my master. As for my feelings, I would prefer not to follow the instructions of anyone other than Lord Rei... and Lady Elena, and Lord Ielo. If it is members of Lord Rei's tribe... no, his party, was it? Then that is a different matter.'
Through the power of the Stone Tablet, Zozo must have understood what Daskar was saying.
Zozo spoke, and his words appeared on the Stone Tablet, conveying his will to Daskar.
Rei, watching the exchange between Zozo and Daskar, harbored a slight question about the Stone Tablet's power.
(The characters displayed on the Stone Tablet—Zozo can read those. But the characters into which Zozo's words are translated, anyone in this world can read. What is this difference? Is it really because Zozo is recognized as the user, or owner, of the Stone Tablet? Well, there's no doubt that this usage of the Stone Tablet is irregular, though.)
Would the original usage—for someone who could not speak for some reason—have resulted in such a situation?
Rei was somewhat curious about that, but either way, the Stone Tablet's effect was now clear.
"It's painful that only Zozo can use it, but..."
"I understand. I won't do anything to force him away from Rei, so rest assured."
Hearing Rei's murmur, Daskar said this as if to give a firm promise.
For Daskar as well, honestly speaking, doing anything to incur the resentment of Rei or Zozo in the current situation was something he absolutely wanted to avoid.
"Thank you. ...So, what do we do for today? Should I head to the Treant Forest as is, or..."
Or should he stay here and help with the lessons.
When Rei asked, Daskar thought for a few seconds before telling him to go to the Treant Forest.
"Having Zozo will certainly help the lessons progress, but the lessons won't end in just one day. In that case, it would be better to have you go to the Treant Forest."
"Understood. Then I'll do that. ...What about Elena and the others?"
"I have plans to meet with several nobles."
"Treatment will be needed for those injured in the expansion construction, after all."
"Byune and I will probably do patrol duty together."
In the end, that was how it turned out.
...The tutors looked disappointed, though.
Additionally, Daskar gave instructions to search for Magic Items similar to this Stone Tablet.