The scene rewound to the courtyard of Marina's house, where Set had taken flight.
Confirming that Set had broken through the makeshift barrier, Marina spoke.
"I'm going to explain the situation to Daskar right away. You're all welcome to stay and sleep, but... what will you do?"
"I shall go as well. If we are to speak with Lord Daskar about this matter, I can vouch for us."
The one who immediately responded to Marina's words was Elena.
And if Elena was heading to the lord's manor, Ara would naturally accompany her.
Meanwhile, Vihera led Byune by the hand back inside the house.
"I'm going to sleep for now. I need to make sure Byune gets proper rest too. But if anything happens, wake me immediately. I'll deal with it accordingly."
"......n......"
With half-asleep eyes, Byune let out a short murmur as Vihera led her away.
For Byune, who could still be considered a child, being awake at this hour past midnight must have been difficult.
Though if they were in the middle of a dungeon exploration or on adventurer work, she could probably switch gears to some extent.
"I see, understood. So, what about Zozo?"
'I will go as well. Lord Rei will be returning there, will he not?'
"Yes, that is likely the case."
'Very well.'
So saying, Zozo explained the situation to Gaga... eventually, Gaga said something with a tired expression, and Zozo translated.
'Um, Brother Gaga says he would like to come along as well.'
"Eh? Gaga too? ...Even if he says that, is there a carriage that Gaga could ride in..."
If she were going alone, Marina had intended to run rather than use a carriage.
However, since Elena was going, they would travel by carriage. But with Gaga coming along, it was uncertain whether everyone would fit inside.
That said, Rei's destination was the Treant Forest.
In other words, there was more than a sufficient possibility that the Gran Dragonia Empire was involved, so bringing Gaga, the Third Prince, along did not seem like a bad choice.
...Though the one and biggest problem was whether Gaga could actually fit in a carriage.
"In any case, let's prepare a carriage. If it doesn't work, we'll have Gaga walk or wait until a dedicated carriage arrives. Would that be acceptable?"
'He says that would be fine. He says if it comes to it, he will walk.'
Hearing Gaga's answer through Zozo's translation, Elena nodded and turned her gaze to Ara.
Without a single word, Ara understood everything from that gaze alone and immediately readied the carriage...
"Surprisingly, it worked out."
She said as much upon seeing Gaga board the carriage.
The carriage Elena rode in was one specially commissioned by Duke Kerebel, its interior space expanded through Space Magic.
Thanks to that, Gaga was able to fit inside without issue.
Though Gaga himself had struggled considerably when boarding.
'This is... what on earth...?'
Seeing the interior space clearly larger than the carriage appeared from the outside, Zozo was surprised.
No, Gaga was the same, looking around the inside of the carriage with curiosity.
(Does the Gran Dragonia Empire not have anything like Space Magic? If it did, then while it might be understandable for Zozo as the Thirteenth Prince, Gaga as the Third Prince should have seen it before.)
Watching Zozo and Gaga, Elena harbored a question.
With Ara serving as coachman, the carriage was currently heading toward the lord's manor.
Fortunately, judging from what could be seen through the window, almost none of Gilm's residents were outside.
Those who were out were only people stumbling about, drunk.
Learning that Set's cry apparently had not reached this far, Elena felt relieved.
"Lord Daskar must be in a great panic right now."
"Indeed. To have the barrier broken so suddenly... though if we explain the circumstances, Daskar will accept it right away."
Knowing Daskar since childhood, Marina fully understood his capabilities.
But even as the two conversed, there was an undeniable anxiety between them.
With Rei's abilities, and Set accompanying him on top of that, there was no issue with their combat power whatsoever. Ielo could also serve as a shield with its sturdy body, so counting it as part of their fighting force would be fine as well.
Even so, when it came to the man they loved, they could not help but worry.
Normally, there would be no need to worry this much.
But tonight's incident involved Set letting out a cry loud enough to echo through the surroundings in the middle of the night.
It was by no means an ordinary occurrence.
In other words, there was a high likelihood of corresponding danger.
"...Come to think of it, if we stay awake like this, tomorrow will be rough, won't it?"
Trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere lingering between them, Marina forcibly changed the subject.
Elena nodded at Marina's consideration and spoke.
"I have... well, one noble audience scheduled for tomorrow morning... or rather, today? In any case, I only have one meeting in the morning. But wouldn't your side be even busier, Marina?"
"That's true. When the expansion construction is underway, injuries are bound to happen. ...Though some people get injured from getting into fights."
"The same goes for the Knight Order. Building camaraderie that way is also quite common."
'Brother Gaga's troops don't have such issues, but... everyone is utterly devoted to Brother Gaga.'
Zozo interjected into Elena and Marina's conversation.
At Zozo's words, the two looked at Gaga.
Being stared at so suddenly, Gaga, unable to understand what was being said, merely returned their gaze with a curious look.
And when he heard from Zozo why they were looking at him, a proud smile formed on his face.
Even as this exchange took place, the carriage continued onward... and eventually arrived at the lord's manor.
Naturally, visitors arriving by carriage in the middle of the night would put the gatekeepers on alert.
But with Ara serving as coachman, and the group consisting of Elena, Marina, Zozo, and Gaga, they could hardly be turned away.
Moreover, when Marina said she had something to discuss regarding the barrier, there was no option but to inform Daskar... and the party was granted an audience at the training ground.
Naturally, this was because it would be difficult for Gaga to enter the mansion itself.
If they forced it, he could probably fit, but it would be quite cramped for Gaga.
Rather than that, it was better to speak in a place where he could be comfortable.
Normally, even in spring, it would be cold at midnight, but with Marina's Spirit Magic, that could be easily managed.
In fact, the training ground had been made so comfortably warm that one would never suspect it was nighttime.
"Now then, what is the reason for coming at this hour... and in these circumstances? I was told it was related to the barrier?"
Daskar asked, looking somewhat displeased.
From Daskar's perspective, he had been roused from bed in the middle of the night by the barrier suddenly being broken, and just as he was gathering information and preparing countermeasures, Marina's group had arrived unannounced.
And on top of that, if the matter concerned the barrier, there was no way Marina was not involved in this incident. Expecting him not to be in a foul mood would be unreasonable.
"Yes. I'll be blunt. The one who broke through the barrier was Set."
"...In other words, Rei?"
Daskar did not believe that Set would break the barrier on its own.
That meant someone had instructed it to do so, and there was only one person who could give such an order to Set.
"Yes."
Marina also nodded readily at Daskar's words.
However, from Daskar's position, he could not simply let this pass.
"I need not tell you, Marina, but the barrier is in place to prevent monsters from entering Gilm from the sky. Especially right now, during the expansion construction, the barrier is weakened. ...Knowing that, is this the situation behind this incident?"
"That's right. Actually, today... I'm not sure if 'today' is the right expression, but in the middle of the night, Set suddenly let out a loud cry. One louder than anything I've ever heard before."
"...What happened?"
Daskar knew Set reasonably well.
He didn't interact with it much ordinarily, but they had acted together during the war with the Bestia Empire and during the martial arts tournament.
Also, reports from the Guild frequently came across his desk, and he read many of them.
Because of that, he could not possibly believe that Set would do such a thing without reason.
"I don't know the details. But... Set was definitely staring fixedly at one spot. And what lies in the direction it was looking toward is..."
Pausing her words there, Marina glanced at Zozo and Gaga before speaking again.
"The Treant Forest."
Looking at Marina's demeanor, it was easy to understand what she was thinking.
And the presence of Zozo and Gaga served as clear evidence in this case.
"Did something happen at the Treant Forest?"
"I can't say for certain. ...But seeing Set's behavior, it wouldn't be strange to think so. You know that Set is an extraordinary existence in many ways, don't you, Daskar?"
When put that way, Daskar could not deny those words.
Just how much ability Set possessed was something he knew from reading numerous reports and, above all, from seeing with his own eyes.
"True. I cannot deny that. Especially right now, there's no telling what might happen at the Treant Forest."
Daskar glanced at Zozo and Gaga before saying so.
In fact, with Lizardmen and Green People teleporting in on a daily basis, nothing that happened in the current situation would be surprising.
That said, it did make him wonder exactly what kind of thing was happening.
"For the time being, should I send people from my side to the Treant Forest as well?"
"Yes, please. That would help. But we don't know what might happen... no, what is happening at the Treant Forest, right? In that case, wouldn't it be better to bring adventurers along as well?"
"I won't deny that, but..."
This was not because he doubted the skill of his subordinate knights, but simply a matter of suitability.
Knights were strong in combat, and if Lizardmen that had teleported to the Treant Forest tried to attack, dealing with them would not be difficult.
However, if something other than combat occurred, it was also true that adventurers would be better suited to handle it.
This largely came down to the fact that adventurers handled a wide variety of requests on a daily basis.
That said, there was a reason Daskar could not immediately agree to Marina's proposal.
If this had been earlier in the evening, gathering adventurers would not have been so difficult.
But right now, it was midnight.
A time when it would be perfectly normal for almost everyone to be asleep.
Because of that, securing adventurers under the current circumstances was difficult.
And considering the current situation, they needed to be people who were trustworthy both in ability and in character.
"This is difficult. For now, I'll send a few knights and soldiers to the Treant Forest. Also, we should contact the Guild. Tomorrow... no, it's already today, isn't it. Today's logging at the Treant Forest may have to be suspended."
There was a bitter tone in Daskar's words.
In Gilm, where the expansion construction was underway, building materials made from the trees of the Treant Forest could never be in surplus.
Woodcutters were felling trees on a daily basis, but even so, supply barely kept up with demand.
If the logging work was suspended for even a single day, it would undoubtedly affect the progress of the expansion construction.
Since it was a project spanning several years, a delay of one or two days here would not have an enormous impact. That much was certain.
Even so, in Daskar's position, he did not want to do anything to delay the construction if he could help it.
Nevertheless, since Set had sensed something, it was a bitter decision, but he judged that logging might need to be suspended for a while.
"I don't disagree with how you feel, Daskar, but investigating what is currently happening at the Treant Forest takes priority."
'If we are going to Lord Rei's location, I would like to go as well.'
Zozo, who had been listening to Marina and Daskar's exchange, made this assertion through the text written on the Stone Tablet.
From Zozo's perspective, the only reason he had been left behind was that he could not keep up with the flying Set.
If so, it was only natural that he would want to accompany them if they were heading to the Treant Forest... to where Rei was, by means other than flying.
"But still..."
"Why not let him go? If something happened at the Treant Forest, and the reason involves the Gran Dragonia Empire, right? If so, Zozo would be useful."
Told that by Marina, and with Elena also suggesting it would be better to do so, Daskar ultimately had no choice but to nod in agreement.