The wreckage of a massive structure.
That was what sat next to the Treant Forest—though not in the same area where Rei and the woodcutters carried out their logging.
However, upon seeing the wreckage, Rei immediately shook his head.
"No, that's wrong. This isn't wreckage."
The massive structure—probably a castle—had initially looked like wreckage because, despite its height, it was quite narrow in width. Of course, given that he could recognize it had originally been a sizable building, even at its narrow width, it still possessed considerable scale.
The structure had been scooped out cleanly, as if carved hollow by a giant spoon. That was why Rei had first thought it might be wreckage when he spotted it.
If Set flew closer, it would be obvious that the building itself couldn't be called wreckage—if anything, it was clearly pristine.
"Set, could you land on the ground for now? I can't tell much just looking from the outside. I want to approach from the ground and get a proper look."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set purred and began descending toward the ground.
The Treant Forest itself was already a place Rei knew intimately. But he usually came during the day, and now it was night. With a building having teleported in next to the forest, the scene before him could hardly be called familiar.
(The question is whether anyone is inside that building. Normally, I'd say this is a castle or something... which would mean the Gran Dragonia Empire? At the very least, Lunora and his people don't build structures like this.)
From what Rei had heard from Zozo, the Green People, including Lunora, lived in forests and mountains. They might build simple homes out of wood, grass, and vines, but they certainly wouldn't construct anything as imposing as the building before him.
"...If there are Lizardmen inside, should I have brought Zozo after all?"
He couldn't help but think he should have listened to Zozo, but at the time, he hadn't anticipated anything like this.
"That said... there's really no one here."
Despite the structure being roughly twenty meters tall, no one emerged even as Rei, Set, and Ielo approached. Did that mean only the building had been brought here? Or were they holed up inside, wary of their surroundings? Or perhaps they hadn't even realized they'd been teleported and were fast asleep.
Rei couldn't determine the answer, but one thing was clear—he couldn't just leave this building unattended.
"A whole building teleporting here is completely unexpected. Still, I'm glad it didn't land inside the Treant Forest itself... hmm?"
Muttering to himself while studying the structure, Rei felt something about his own words was off. He looked again at the building... and noticed that the area scooped out like a spoon had carved it was on the side facing the Treant Forest. A chill ran down his spine.
"Gruu?"
"Kyu?"
Sensing something in Rei's demeanor, Set and Ielo each let out questioning cries.
Stroking the two creatures on either side of him, Rei organized his thoughts.
(This time, only this building teleported here. I don't know why it was scooped out so perfectly, but that's the reason we're in this situation now. But... what if the part that was still connected to this building had come through as well? What would have happened then?)
If the section believed to be connected to this building had appeared inside the Treant Forest, it wouldn't have been a problem. Well, considering they might have lost access to the forest's trees as construction material, it wouldn't have been entirely without issues. Still, in the worst case—if the Gran Dragonia Empire's castle and this Treant Forest had swapped places—there was no guarantee the surrounding area wouldn't have suffered major damage.
"Hey, is anyone in there! If so, come out!"
He tried calling out, but no Lizardman showed themselves. Of course, as the cases of Zozo and Gaga had shown, Rei's language was different from that of the Lizardmen. Even if there were Lizardmen inside the building, they probably couldn't understand his words.
Given the language barrier, his shout might as well have been the cry of some monster. Rei realized this even as he called out, and stopped.
If someone was inside, learning that a monster lurked outside would ensure they absolutely never came out.
"What do you think? Should we go in?"
"Gruu."
"Kyu? Kyukyu!"
At Rei's question, Set and Ielo each offered a cry in reply. He couldn't grasp the exact meaning, but both seemed to be saying they should.
"Hmm... should I head back to Gilm and bring Zozo and Gaga... no, but..."
Rei suspected this was a building from the Gran Dragonia Empire—probably part of a royal castle or something similar—which was exactly why he couldn't just leave it be. If someone was inside, they might take advantage of his absence to flee and vanish.
"In that case, I should probably observe the situation at least a little longer. If the entire building came through, there might be injured people inside. ...Set, keep watch on the surroundings. Ielo, you're coming with me."
The building's entrance was reasonably large, but only barely big enough for Set to fit through. Using the Size Change skill might get him inside, but given the current situation, someone needed to stand guard outside. Rather than forcing Set in, it made more sense to have him watch the perimeter.
For Rei, Set was a partner he could trust completely.
"Gururururuu!"
Entrusted with the watch, Set let out an energetic cry as if to say, "Leave it to me!"
...Rei thought for a moment that if anyone was inside, Set's booming cry would only frighten them more. But he decided to act now, gave Set a pat, and headed toward the building with Ielo.
Rei made for the door of the structure he believed to be part of a castle, but then realized something. If they entered through the section that had been scooped out, Set could fit through normally. More importantly, if someone inside was wary of Rei, wouldn't they try to escape through that opening?
Still, with Set outside, anyone who slipped out would be spotted immediately. Reassured by that, Rei stepped through the door with Ielo.
"From the looks of it... it's not that different from our buildings."
Of course, the building's architectural style—along with the hallways, floors, and ceilings—had its own unique characteristics. But Rei had only ever been inside a castle in the Bestia Empire, so seeing this style only prompted the thought that this was simply how things were built here.
"Well, thinking about it, the Lizardmen were bigger than me, but aside from Gaga, none of them were particularly large. So it makes sense the dimensions would be similar even if the style is different."
As Rei muttered while walking through the building, Ielo, flying about on its small wings, let out a cheerful cry. Ielo probably couldn't grasp what kind of place this was. Then again, in that sense, Rei wasn't much different.
"Still, there really is no one here. Could they have already fled into the Treant Forest?"
It was just a thought, but by no means impossible. About ten minutes had passed since Set sensed the teleportation to when Rei actually arrived. That was more than enough time for anyone who had been transported along with the building to slip outside.
"But if they escaped into the Treant Forest... could Set track them? No, he's supposed to be keeping watch..."
Muttering as he walked the corridor, Rei suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stared straight ahead—at the staircase leading upward.
"Kyu?"
Gently stroking Ielo as it let out an inquisitive cry, Rei whispered.
"I heard something. Just up those stairs. Probably a Lizardman, I think."
"Kyu!"
Ielo let out a short, firm cry.
Together, they began climbing the stairs. The staircase itself wasn't particularly long, and they reached the top in about a minute. Fortunately, the area beyond hadn't been scooped out during the teleportation.
Before them stood a single door. The door's decorative pattern was something Rei had never seen before, but the shape itself wasn't much different from what he was familiar with. Even across different worlds, the basics weren't so far apart. Though that much had been obvious from looking at the weapons and armor the Lizardmen carried.
"The sound came from inside this room. And there's a presence beyond the door. ...Who's in there?"
Rei called out, but no answer came from the other side. Instead, he could sense something moving. In other words, someone—or something—was beyond that door.
What kind of opponent they were, Rei couldn't say. But there was no mistaking this was the first being he had encountered inside the building.
"Someone's in there, aren't they?"
He knocked lightly on the door. Whether Lizardmen had a custom of knocking, Rei had no idea. But he figured a gentle knock would convey his lack of hostility better than pounding on the door.
Still, no response came from inside. If anything, they seemed to be holding their breath even more tightly, trying to wait him out.
(What should I do? Ignoring whoever's inside and exploring the rest of the building is out. But forcing my way in feels like it'd cause problems too. Ideally, they'd come out on their own.)
Whoever was beyond the door was clearly wary of Rei and showed no sign of emerging. Should he force his way in after all? Just as he reached for the door, an idea struck him.
When he had spoken with Zozo and Gaga, their names were the one thing he could make out clearly. If he spoke those names here, whoever was beyond the door might recognize them. ...Of course, that assumed the one on the other side was actually a Lizardman.
"I'm an acquaintance of Zozo and Gaga."
The moment Rei uttered those names, something definitely moved beyond the door. Confirming this, Rei spoke again.
"Zozo, Gaga."
The instant he said the names, something—someone—moved on the other side once more.
(I don't know which name they reacted to, Zozo's or Gaga's, but probably Gaga.)
According to what Rei had heard from Zozo, Zozo was the Thirteenth Prince—a prince with a fairly low Right of Succession to the Throne. Gaga, on the other hand, was the Third Prince and simultaneously known as a formidable warrior. Between the two, Gaga was clearly the more famous.
(Ah, come to think of it, there was Zaza too.)
Zaza—Gaga's younger brother and Zozo's older brother. His attitude was everything you'd expect from the Imperial Family in the worst sense. He had looked down on Zozo completely and picked a fight, but whether the mock battle with Rei's group had taught him a lesson, or the gap in strength had been there from the start, Zaza and Zozo had fought, and Zozo had won.
After that, since Zaza was likely to cause problems, he was currently confined in a specially prepared underground cell made comfortable for him.
Rei thought about Zaza for a brief moment, but decided that making contact with whoever was beyond the door took priority. He reached for the door.
"Kyu?"
At Ielo's questioning look—Are we going in?—Rei nodded.
"That's right. Someone inside—probably a Lizardman. I want to secure them. If we bring them to meet Zozo and Gaga, any misunderstandings should be cleared up."
He opened the door, and what he saw was...
"●●●●, ●●!"
A Female Lizardman shouting at him, about twenty Lizardman children sheltered behind her, and numerous eggs resting on the shelves.