"This is... again..."
The subordinate of Daskar who had come to check on the situation could only stare in dumbfounded silence at the sight spreading before his eyes.
It was a sight he had already seen several times, so Rei simply thought, again, huh?
...Still, with a lake this vast spread out right before one's eyes, it would be unreasonable to expect anyone not to be surprised.
"I heard it was large, but a lake of this scale... And so, is that burning thing...?"
The man, who had been gazing at the lake, forcibly tore his gaze away from the sprawling spectacle and turned toward the other attention-grabbing presence as he asked.
At the end of his gaze was the sight of the giant Slime, still burning.
Several hours had passed since Rei had cast his magic, yet the flames showed no sign of weakening.
Just how long would it keep burning? Even Rei, who had cast the spell, found himself wondering.
(But the fact that it's still burning means the burning Slime isn't dead yet. Honestly, surviving this long after taking my magic... that's no joke.)
The Slime was currently burning and unable to move, but if they had fought it head-on—excluding Rei's magic—it was impossible to say how much damage the surrounding area would have suffered.
It was undeniably tough enough to make him think that.
"I can't say anything about those flames over there. It'll stay like that until the Slime dies, literally."
"Wait a minute."
Daskar's subordinate turned a look of disbelief toward Rei at those words.
As if he couldn't believe what Rei was saying.
"The thing burning is a Slime, you say? And that Slime is still alive!?"
"That's right. Though while it's burning, it can't do anything, and since it'll keep burning until the Slime dies, I don't think there's any need to worry."
At Rei's words, the man hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Having a Slime here was troublesome, but if the opponent they needed to defeat was continuously burning, perhaps there was no need to be so concerned about it.
"I suppose we can't be completely at ease while it's still burning."
"Right. Though I don't think it can do anything in this state."
With Rei's assurance that it would be fine, the man finally showed a slight—though only slight—sign of relief.
"At any rate, I need to inform Lord Daskar about everything. Depending on the circumstances, Lord Daskar might come here directly."
"Probably."
When the Birth Tower teleported in, Daskar hadn't come here directly either.
That was largely because he could roughly understand the situation from the reports of the adventurers, the knight, and other subordinates who had seen the Birth Tower, but more than that, there was the issue of his overwhelming workload.
Daskar's current lifestyle was so demanding that he could scarcely relax except when sleeping and eating.
When Rei heard about it, it reminded him of a catchphrase he had seen somewhere: "Can you work twenty-four hours?"
...In fact, his subordinates were so worried that he might ruin his health at this rate that they somehow managed to carve out sufficient sleep time for him and prevented him from bringing work to meals.
Because of that, while he could check on the Green People and Lizardmen staying at his own mansion, he had no leeway to come all the way to the Treant Forest, which—while reasonably close to Gilm—was still a considerable distance away.
But with a lake like this having appeared, that was a different story.
This lake could potentially have a tremendous impact on daily life in Gilm, after all.
Given that, it was certain that Daskar would need to see it with his own eyes directly.
He would see the lake with his own eyes, and while he was at it, the Birth Tower as well, then decide how to proceed from here.
(Wouldn't it be better to just shuttle him here with the Set Basket?)
Rei suddenly thought so.
Using the Set Basket, travel from Gilm to the Treant Forest would take less than a minute.
Truly, instantaneous.
...That said, given Daskar's status, that probably wasn't an option.
Daskar was one of the most important figures in all of Gilm.
Because of that, considering what would happen if he fell from the sky by some chance, it was certain that he would be stopped from traveling aboard the Set Basket.
In reality, Rei felt that with Set around, they could manage no matter what happened, but...
"So, should I just wait here until Lord Daskar comes today? Or should I finish work as usual when the time comes?"
"For now, carry on as normal. If anything happens, I'll contact you again then. However, considering Lord Daskar's workload, I doubt he'll be able to come immediately today."
"Got it. But if it takes too long, the Slime might die and the flames could go out."
The Slime dying was something that, under normal circumstances, should be cause for celebration.
But knowing Daskar's personality, Rei thought it wouldn't be strange if Daskar wanted to see the sight of the Slime burning.
For starters, the Slime's size was something that even the word "giant" couldn't adequately describe. That much was certain.
An existence of that magnitude was burning endlessly, continuously, without being consumed.
If someone didn't know the reason it was burning, it wouldn't be strange for it to become a sort of tourist attraction.
Whether anyone would actually come to see it with joy was another matter, though.
(For one thing, Gilm is a frontier. People who'd come for sightseeing trips... they wouldn't not exist, but there'd definitely be very few. A tourist attraction is out of the question.)
Quickly switching his thoughts, Rei headed back toward the Birth Tower.
Seeing Rei move, Daskar's subordinate also began gathering necessary information from the others—the circumstances when the lake teleported in, and how the situation had unfolded from there.
"Lord Rei, the Children are saying they want to play at the lake. What should we do?"
Rei had returned to the Birth Tower when Zozo asked him this.
Since the Children hadn't actually seen the giant Slime with their own eyes, they would probably forget their fear of it in no time.
"That lake hasn't been fully investigated yet, so it's dangerous, you know?"
"I agree, but the Children were playing at the lake before the earlier commotion."
At Zozo's words, Rei nodded in understanding.
For the Children, since it was a place they had already played at, it was only natural that they'd want to play there again.
No matter how much you told them there might be dangerous monsters in the lake, children were extremely bold.
(If I clumsily forbid them here, they might just go off and play on their own where the adults can't keep an eye on them, huh.)
Given the vast size of the teleported lake, there was a very real possibility that the Children would take such action.
In that kind of situation, while it might not be as troublesome as the Slime that had attacked Rei and the others, there was a real chance they could be attacked by a bothersome monster—or even a dangerous animal that wasn't a monster, like the ones with water-repellent fur that Rei had spotted from above.
To prevent that from happening...
"For now, why not let them play where the adult Lizardmen are nearby? Better to have them somewhere in sight than to have them wander off on their own."
In the end, that compromise was the only option.
Zozo seemed satisfied with Rei's words, giving a small nod before leaving the spot.
"Being the person in charge is tough, isn't it?"
"...I guess. But I don't think I'm really the one in charge here."
Rei replied to Vihera's teasing words.
He felt some slight bewilderment at the current situation where, for some reason, he was the one calling the shots, but he quickly reconsidered that it couldn't be helped.
To begin with, Zozo, who held the Stone Tablet for translation, had sworn his loyalty to Rei.
Given that, it was only natural that Zozo would speak to Rei, and it went without saying that Rei would be the one to respond.
Also, the fact that Rei was the strongest person among those present was probably a factor in this case as well.
"Well then, Byune and I will be heading back soon. We came during our break, but that break is about to end."
"Want me to give you a ride on Set?"
"No need. Besides, right now, the most important thing is that you're here, Rei. If something happens while you're away, it could be dangerous in all sorts of ways."
"I... can't deny that."
Elena and Marina were also here, but while ordinary monsters wouldn't be an issue, someone capable of handling the situation was essential in case the burning Slime did something strange.
(Huh? Does that mean I'm going to be staying here for a while?)
Rei realized this fact.
Until the burning Slime was dealt with, did he need to stay here?
There were other alias-holding adventurers in Gilm, and among such people, there would likely be those who could defeat that Slime.
Elena and Marina, for instance, were definitely capable of fighting and winning against the Slime. ...Vihera alone would struggle due to compatibility issues, though.
(If I used Magic Impact Palm, I might be able to kill it, but the Slime is just too large for that to be practical.)
Regardless, there were people who could defeat or fight the Slime, but when the Slime in question was already burning, that changed things.
There might be someone who could still manage it somehow, but it would still be said that Rei, who had set it ablaze, should be the one to handle it.
As far as Rei was concerned, leaving it to some random person and having the Birth Tower or the Lizardmen suffer damage as a result would leave a bad taste in his mouth.
Given all that, he judged that he should stay behind and deal with it himself.
"Ah... Marina, sorry, but it looks like I'll have to live here for a while starting today."
After seeing Vihera and Byune off as they headed toward Gilm in the carriage Marina had ridden in, Rei informed Marina, who had been talking with Elena a short distance away.
"Huh? ...Ah, I see. Come to think of it, you're right. Considering that Slime situation, Rei needs to stay here. ...That's a little disappointing."
Several of those who overheard the exchange between Rei and Marina wore expressions of surprise.
They were likely among those who hadn't known that Rei was currently living at Marina's house.
The fact that Rei was staying at Marina's house due to the Zozo and Gaga situation wasn't exactly a secret, but it wasn't something he had publicly announced either.
That was why those who knew, knew, and those who didn't, didn't.
Moreover, hearing that he was staying and sleeping at the house of a beauty like Marina naturally gave rise to certain titillating impressions.
Rei, completely unaware of those envious, admiring, and yearning gazes, continued his conversation with Marina.
"I can't exactly leave that burning thing as is, after all. ...Honestly, I didn't expect things to get this troublesome."
He shot a troublesome glance at it, but such a look wasn't going to extinguish the flames burning the Slime.
Even now, as they stood there, the Slime continued to burn, yet it still showed no sign of being consumed.
It was a troublesome—no, an exceptionally troublesome opponent, to be sure.
"Hahaha, but it can't escape those flames, right?"
"Right."
"Then I could have my spirits keep watch and let us know if anything happens... no, that won't work either. It takes time to get here from Gilm, no matter what."
Riding Set would make it quick, but then they'd have to break through Gilm's barrier, just like when the Birth Tower teleported in.
But doing something like that would cause trouble for the people maintaining the barrier each time.
To avoid that, camping here was the best option.
With the Birth Tower as a building, it was certainly far more comfortable than ordinary camping, and he could also use the Magic Tent.
The Magic Tent, whose interior became like a normal room, would allow him to camp far more comfortably than sleeping inside the Birth Tower.
...Though at the point of using a Magic Tent, perhaps calling it "camping" was a misnomer.
(As for food, I can just buy more than usual next time I bring Treant Forest wood to Gilm.)
Or so Rei thought, but in reality, his Misty Ring already contained large quantities of food—prepared dishes rather than mere ingredients—so strictly speaking, he didn't need to buy that much more.
The fact that he still intended to purchase food was probably largely a matter of personal preference.