The report that a portion of the castle from the Gran Dragonia Empire's Imperial Capital had teleported over was swiftly delivered to Gilm by one of the knights on horseback.
Under normal circumstances, the rule was that the Main Gate remained shut after nightfall. But this was far from a normal situation. Daskar had granted special permission, and the knight entered Gilm without delay.
The Guards stationed at the Main Gate discussed among themselves what could have happened, but they had no way of suspecting that a section of a castle from another world had teleported over.
"I wonder what really happened?"
"Who knows? But a large group rushed out earlier and came right back, so wherever they went, it couldn't have been that far away."
"I'm curious, but sticking our noses into strange business is likely to lead to all sorts of trouble."
"Yeah, you're right. Better not to pry carelessly."
The Guards exchanged such words as the mounted knight rode through the midnight streets toward the Lord's Manor.
Naturally, there were Village Gatekeepers posted here as well, but they recognized the approaching knight and, more importantly, had been ordered to let through anyone bringing reports on the current incident without delay. After a brief identity check, they opened the gate.
The knight thanked the Village Gatekeepers, entrusted his horse to be stabled, and entered the Lord's Manor to make his report to Daskar.
"Lord Daskar, this is Gleis. I have brought a report regarding the Treant Forest situation."
"Ah, you've arrived. What happened? Don't tell me more Lizardmen or Green People have teleported over?"
"Lizardmen did come through, but... well, a section of a castle has teleported over."
"...Huh?"
For a moment, Daskar could not comprehend what Gleis was saying. He even wondered whether Gleis had been shown an illusion through magic or a Magic Item, or perhaps was under some form of mental control.
But judging by Gleis's demeanor, he did not appear to have been deceived or brainwashed.
"Let me ask again. What happened?"
"Yes. A section of a castle has teleported over. According to what Rei learned from Zozo, it is a place called the Birth Tower... where eggs are hatched and the children born there are educated."
"If Rei and Zozo are saying so, then it's no illusion — it actually exists there."
"Huh? Oh, um, of course."
Gleis, who had never imagined his report would be doubted, showed a slight sign of agitation but nodded in confirmation.
"This report is neither a lie nor an exaggeration — a section of a castle has genuinely teleported over. I personally touched the walls with my own hands, so it is not an illusion of any kind."
"I see. No, but... that raises the question of why a castle? Why would it come here?"
Until now, the teleportations had originated from the forest where the Green People lived. Why would a castle from the Gran Dragonia Empire's Imperial Capital appear? It was only natural to be puzzled.
This was clearly different from all previous teleportations.
Of course, if one were to speak of how it differed from past teleportations, the very fact that Set in Gilm could sense the Abnormality already indicated as much.
"For now, I understand that a building called the Birth Tower has teleported over. But... this is troublesome."
This time it was only a section of the castle, but the next teleportation might bring the entire structure.
If that happened, things would become extremely problematic on many fronts.
"Lord Daskar, I apologize for the delayed report, but the teleportation this time did not occur inside the Treant Forest. It appeared on the outer edge, right adjacent to it."
That report was, at least for Daskar, not a bad one. At the very least, the Treant Forest had not been senselessly crushed.
Though, of course, that was only the case for now.
As Daskar had feared, if the portion adjacent to the Birth Tower had teleported into the Treant Forest itself, it would without question have caused a massive uproar.
More critically, there was the possibility that logging in the Treant Forest would become impossible — that was the truly painful prospect.
"I see. That's a relief, for the time being."
That was precisely why the words that left Daskar's mouth carried a slightly melancholic tone.
Even so, he judged that the lord of Gilm could not remain in such a state indefinitely lest it unsettle those around him, and he spoke again.
"So, setting the Birth Tower aside for now, how many Lizardmen have come through?"
"I cannot say with certainty, but based on those who came outside the tower, I would say over twenty."
"Count them as 'people,' not 'animals.' They may be monsters, but since they are on friendly terms with us, there's no need to sour their mood."
"Y-yes, understood."
Judging by the demeanor of Zozo and Gaga, Gleis thought they probably would not particularly care about such things. But since his lord Daskar was saying so, he accepted it.
"So, about twenty people?"
"No, that is only the number that came outside. According to what Rei heard from Zozo, there were also children too frightened to come out. Furthermore, there are quite a lot of eggs as well, so if the Birth Tower is to remain there for an extended period..."
"That's a problem. Especially the monster situation."
Not inside Gilm, but outside. On top of that, the ones in the Birth Tower were women, children, and eggs.
It was hard to imagine they could handle the monsters that roamed the Frontier.
"Yes. For today, the knights will stand guard, but even so, every day would be..."
Impossible.
Gleis's words conveying this were fully understood by Daskar.
However, asking adventurers to go outside Gilm at night was not something done unless under extraordinary circumstances.
There were some eccentric adventurers who actively sought out dangerous locations, and if it were such people, that would be a different story. Even so, telling even those types to stand guard at the same location every day would be asking too much.
(What should we do? We can't have the knights do it every day... no, if it's Lizardmen guarding Lizardmen, then Lizardmen would be the best choice, wouldn't they?)
The idea that occurred to Daskar as he pondered what to do was the large number of Lizardmen currently inside this manor.
Since the ones being protected were Lizardmen, it was only natural that Lizardmen would be the best choice to protect them.
Above all, it would not be strange for the Lizardmen to want to protect their own kind themselves.
"What about having the Lizardmen guard it? Ideally, I'd want them to live and sleep in the Birth Tower itself, but... would that be difficult?"
"That's... hard to say. However, there are some Lizardmen who feel uneasy when beings other than Lizardmen are around, so in that sense, it might be just right."
"Indeed. The problem, though, is that without Zozo, we can't communicate with them."
Even if the Lizardmen were to start living in the Birth Tower, Daskar would naturally need to provide the supplies necessary for daily life, starting with food.
Transporting such supplies to the Birth Tower and asking what they wanted would naturally require communication.
At the very least, the kind of gesturing and hand signals that Rei used would be difficult.
In that sense, someone like Zozo who could communicate with them was essential, but given Zozo's personality, it was clear he would never do anything to separate himself from Rei.
Which meant that, in the end, the problem of communication would remain.
There were some Lizardmen who had been studying the language and writing for a while now, and among them, a few had begun to pick it up... but they were still quite rough.
Even so, as long as there was someone who could communicate even a little — truly, only a little — they could serve as a substitute for Zozo.
"If we use the most capable one among those learning the language and writing, can we manage to some extent?"
Daskar fretted over how to enable the Lizardmen to live in the Birth Tower.
While Daskar was worrying, Rei and the others were each relaxing in front of the Birth Tower.
It was already past midnight, and given that they had been woken from their sleep, it would not have been strange to feel drowsy.
However, the astonishment of the Birth Tower teleporting over, coupled with the sheer adorableness of the Lizardman children who emerged from it, meant that almost no one felt sleepy. Instead, they were busy fussing over the Lizardman children.
Rei, too, had taken dried fruit from his Misty Ring to attract the Lizardman children's attention.
...At times like this, Rei's Misty Ring, which stopped time, was incredibly advantageous.
Even foods that would normally be out of season were stored at the peak of their most delicious flavor.
While Rei's behavior could be seen as hand-feeding, it was generally well received by the Lizardman children.
After all, they were able to taste foods they had never eaten before, so it was only natural.
The fact that this was also their first time stepping outside the Birth Tower was significant.
The Female Assassin, serving as caretaker, had been showing visible confusion at finding herself and her charges suddenly transported from the Gran Dragonia Empire's Imperial Capital to a forest like this. But her anxiety had been at least partially relieved by the arrival of Zozo, who understood the situation.
"Hmm, Lizardmen as imposing as Gaga are quite intimidating, but as children, they really are cute, aren't they?"
"That much is an undeniable fact."
Marina nodded at Rei's words, and using Water Spirit Magic, she made water shaped like dogs and cats move about in the air.
Under the moonlight, the water animals drifting through the air endlessly fascinated the Lizardman children.
Additionally, though the spring night was still somewhat chilly, Spirit Magic alleviated the cold, temporarily creating a comfortable environment for the Lizardmen as well.
This was an environment similar to the courtyard of Marina's house in Gilm.
Thanks to this, the Lizardman children were able to run around without issue.
How much the Lizardmen actually understood about this was something even Rei could not say for certain.
"By the way, can Spirit Magic tell us anything about the current situation? Like why the Birth Tower teleported over?"
At Rei's question, Elena and Ara, who had been listening nearby, as well as several knights, turned expectant gazes toward Marina, wondering if Spirit Magic could perhaps reveal such things.
But Marina only gave Rei a look of exasperation.
"Listen here, you don't think Spirit Magic can do everything, do you?"
Marina said that, but from Rei's perspective, it truly seemed like she could do anything.
That was just how versatile Marina's Spirit Magic appeared to be.
"Considering everything you do with Spirit Magic, it really seems like you could manage that."
"What Spirit Magic can do is strictly within the bounds of Spirit Magic. It cannot go beyond that."
"I think those bounds are pretty broad, though. ...Well, anyway, I'm just glad the Lizardman children don't seem cold."
As he replied to Marina, Rei suddenly wondered whether Lizardmen were also susceptible to the cold.
However, as far as Rei knew, there were Lizardmen that operated in the snow, so thinking of that, he could not help but feel that equating Lizardmen with ordinary lizards might be misguided.
"In any case. Shouldn't we get some sleep soon? Tomorrow is definitely going to be busy."
"...You're right."
The knight left behind for defense agreed from the bottom of his heart.
A structure like the Birth Tower had suddenly appeared beside the Treant Forest. It would be stranger if that didn't cause an uproar.
The silver lining was that the Birth Tower had appeared next to the Treant Forest, and despite bearing the name "tower," it was not actually that large a building.
And since the Treant Forest was located a fair distance from the main highway, those traveling along the road would not be able to see the Birth Tower.
Though, given that Woodcutters and adventurers would come to the Treant Forest, keeping it hidden would be all but impossible.
"Zozo, could you tell the Lizardmen to sleep soon? As for us... what should we do?"
"Would it not be fine to sleep here? We would need personnel who can respond immediately if something happens, after all."
"I understand what Lady Elena is saying, but I must insist you return to Gilm, Lady Elena. I cannot allow you to sleep outdoors."
While agreeing with Elena's words, Ara attempted to escort Elena back to Gilm.
Elena did have some desire to stay here, but she also felt that while it might be acceptable during a military operation, given the current situation, it would not be permitted. And so, she quietly boarded the Carriage and returned.