"Ah... it's been a while since I've camped like this."
At night, leaning his weight against the back of a lying Set beside a campfire, Rei gazed up at the stars twinkling in the night sky.
Not a single cloud marred the sky, and bright moonlight poured down.
Going outside at night was nothing unusual for Rei. After all, he ate his evening meals in Marina's courtyard nearly every night.
Even so, the experience of building a campfire, leaning against Set, and looking up at the night sky was something he couldn't do at Marina's house.
...Also, at Marina's house, everyone besides himself was basically a woman.
Recently Zozo and Gaga had been around sometimes too, so it was no longer exclusively women.
That said, Rei didn't particularly mind being surrounded by women.
Still, he couldn't help but think that having a night like this once in a while wasn't so bad.
(Grimm... I wanted to ask you about the Birth Tower and the lake teleporting here. ...But that can wait for another time.)
When the Lizardmen and Green People had teleported in, there had been an urgent need to consult Grimm. But since Rei already knew this wasn't Grimm's doing, there was no need to rush.
Granted, considering the high likelihood that the lake had teleported from an entirely different otherworld than Zozo's, it might be better to consult Grimm as soon as possible.
『Lord Rei, is something the matter? You used such powerful magic. Are you feeling well?』
Zozo called out to Rei, who had been staring up at the sky.
For Zozo, seeing his master Rei leaning against Set and gazing blankly upward must have been concerning.
Perhaps his health had taken a turn for the worse? The reason Zozo worried like this was because he had seen Rei generate enormous flames during the day.
To Zozo, Rei was a warrior who had defeated him in combat.
And yet, for that same person to wield magic so powerful that perhaps not even the Gran Dragonia Empire's court mages could match it—even having seen it with his own eyes, Zozo still couldn't fully believe it.
Having cast such powerful magic, had Rei overexerted himself and fallen ill?
That was what worried Zozo.
"Yeah, no need to worry. The magic I used this time was certainly large-scale, but the structure itself was fairly simple. It's hard to land a hit with unless the target is something that barely moves, like that one was."
The spell Rei had unleashed slammed a massive ball of fire down on the opponent.
Since it involved creating fire at a considerable height and bringing it crashing down, landing a hit on a swift-moving opponent would be difficult.
He had only managed to hit because the Slime was sluggish and could be manipulated according to Rei's plan—it was, in a sense, a flawed spell.
...Of course, given that the magical power it consumed was immense—far beyond what any single person should be able to muster—it was undoubtedly flawed in that regard as well.
However, since Zozo himself couldn't use magic, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about it.
Because of that, Rei's casual demeanor after unleashing magic that had generated such enormous flames was simply unbelievable to him.
『That is amazing, Lord Rei.』
"Well, hearing you say that does make me a little happy. Right?"
"Gruu."
At Rei's voice, Set purred with a somewhat sleepy air.
Lizardmen, adventurers, and a knight.
They were gathered around the campfire, eating meals and lightly sipping alcohol.
For tonight's dinner, Rei had splurged a little, bringing out some of the tastier dishes stored in his Misty Ring.
That was why, even with something as sudden as a lake teleporting in, everyone was enjoying the evening without being particularly on edge.
As for the alcohol, given the watch duty, no one was drinking heavily—just having a light taste.
Starting with the lake's teleportation, clearly abnormal events were occurring.
Given that, they should ideally be more vigilant and on guard, but human concentration couldn't last forever.
They needed to take breaks at appropriate intervals.
Rei's decision to bring out a lavish dinner and alcohol also carried some consideration for keeping everyone from getting too tense.
Thanks to that, the adventurers and Lizardmen were reasonably relaxed for now.
...In the distance, the Slime still continued to burn even after nightfall.
"Anyway, I'm glad today ended safely."
『Indeed. To be honest, when I saw such a massive lake teleport in, I was quite... no, extremely surprised.』
Zozo nodded in agreement with Rei's words, but a hint of frustration lingered in his voice.
Zozo had considerable confidence in his own strength. And yet, when it came to facing the giant Slime that had emerged from the lake, there had been no role for him to play.
This was despite the fact that Gaga—Zozo's own brother—had fought the giant Slime alongside Rei.
He understood that he was weaker than Gaga, but the one serving Rei was not Gaga. It was himself.
That was why Zozo was frustrated that he had been unable to be of use to Rei.
Though Rei showed no sign of noticing Zozo's feelings.
This wasn't because Rei was insensitive, but rather because Zozo, as the Thirteenth Prince, was skilled at concealing his emotions.
"The lake's teleportation, huh. If that lake came from somewhere other than Zozo's world, I wonder what's going to happen from here on out."
If teleportations only came from Zozo's world, he could at least accept it.
For example, perhaps the worlds had become connected for some reason.
But if things were teleporting in from somewhere other than Zozo's world, then he couldn't help but think the cause lay in this world itself.
If that were the case, there was no guarantee that a second or third lake might not teleport in next.
This time, the opponent had been something Rei could handle.
But if beings from another world were involved, there was no telling what kind of existence might teleport in.
For instance, it was entirely possible that something completely immune to magic could appear.
Of course, in contrast to such anxieties, there was also the hope that something bringing great benefit to Gilm might teleport in.
Even this lake would undoubtedly bring significant benefit to Gilm in terms of aquatic resources.
『I do not know what will happen. However, considering this incident, I believe it would not be strange for many more to teleport in going forward.』
"Probably. What we can do is prepare ourselves so we can respond immediately, no matter what happens. ...If the Expansion Construction weren't underway, Gilm would have a fair bit more leeway."
If the Expansion Construction weren't happening, there wouldn't be people coming to Gilm seeking work—but even so, if they could redirect most of the adventurers living in Gilm to this area, things would certainly be easier than now.
Though if that had happened, an entirely different commotion might have broken out instead.
"Anyway, we need to keep a proper watch tonight. Up until yesterday, they were taking turns, right?"
『Yes.』
Zozo nodded readily, but Rei wondered how they had been deciding the watch shifts.
During the day, it wouldn't be unusual to hear bells from Gilm.
But at night, the bells didn't ring, and there was no way to tell the time.
(Ah, but the adventurers assigned to guard here are skilled ones with a good reputation at the Guild. If that's the case, it wouldn't be strange for one of them to have some kind of clock.)
Clocks existed in this world too, but they were extremely expensive Magic Items.
Rei also had a mithril pocket watch, but he hadn't bought it—he had taken it from bandits.
A pocket watch made of mithril would normally be considered not a practical tool but a work of art. ...Though Rei used it as a practical item without a second thought.
Even when kept inside the Misty Ring where the flow of time was stopped, it would instantly synchronize to the correct time the moment it was taken out, thanks to its Magic Item properties—more than enough performance for practical use.
...If anything, the wristwatches and alarm clocks Rei had used back in Japan would gradually drift off, little by little each day.
Compared to that, the mithril pocket watch was overwhelmingly superior in performance.
Then again, the wristwatches and alarm clocks Rei had used in Japan were only worth a few thousand yen each.
Compared to those, there was no question that the mithril pocket watch was in an entirely different class in terms of price.
"Anyway, we need to keep an even stricter watch than before. I don't know how things worked in the world where that lake came from, but as far as I know, there are plenty of nocturnal fish and animals out there. It wouldn't be strange at all if this lake has some of those too."
『That is... true. I will tell them to keep a stricter watch than before. In Brother Gaga's case, he would probably be happy if there were an opponent to fight.』
Rei had considered defending Gaga, but given his battles with Vihera and his charge against the giant Slime, that wasn't something he could deny.
"With Gaga's abilities, an ordinary opponent would be no problem at all. But considering what might happen, maybe I should tell him to act cautiously."
『Please do.』
Zozo served Rei, but as the Thirteenth Prince, he had been despised by his older brothers, older sisters, and even his younger siblings. Gaga was the only one who had ever treated him decently.
Because of that, Zozo absolutely did not want Gaga to suffer a serious injury or... depending on the circumstances, something fatal. ...If Zaza were to die, he would feel nothing at all.
"Well then, I'd like to get right to it, but... where did Gaga go?"
Being asked by Zozo was a big part of it, but intending to at least give Gaga a warning, Rei stood up from where he'd been leaning against Set and looked around. Gaga's figure was nowhere to be found near the campfire.
It wasn't as if he could identify everyone by the light of the campfire alone, but still, given Gaga's height of three meters, picking him out shouldn't have been difficult.
That was exactly why Gaga should have been immediately noticeable if he were near the fire. Yet even after scanning the area, there was no sign of him anywhere.
He did wonder if perhaps Gaga had returned to the Birth Tower, but considering Gaga's personality, it seemed unlikely he would go off alone to the tower while everyone else was gathered around the campfire.
As Rei scanned his surroundings, he eventually spotted a massive figure near the lake a short distance away.
(Hmm? He's a Lizardman, so would it be a Lizardman silhouette? Too much trouble, I'll just call it a figure.)
He pointed toward the lake for Zozo, who had been looking around with a slightly flustered air.
Seeing this, Zozo noticed the roughly three-meter-tall figure by the water and felt relieved.
Given that the only person present with a height of about three meters was Gaga, there was absolutely no mistaking him.
"What's he doing? ...Should we go check?"
『Yes.』
"Gruu."
Zozo and Set each responded to Rei's words.
Seeing that, Rei led Zozo and Set toward the lake.
Along the way, several adventurers called out to him, but Rei merely responded casually.
Since they had only called out on a whim, they didn't particularly mind the lack of a clear reply.
As they approached the lake, they noticed Gaga repeatedly entering the water and then coming back out.
(Even though it's spring, the water at night must be cold. ...What is he doing?)
Even from Rei's perspective, he didn't appear to be playing around—he was acting with clear intent.
Given that, Rei could understand there must be some reason behind it, but he still couldn't tell what Gaga was actually doing.
"Gaga."
Whether he heard Rei's voice or not, Gaga stopped wading into the lake and looked toward Rei, opening his mouth.
『He says he wishes to thoroughly confirm what kind of lake this is.』
Zozo translated Gaga's words and relayed them.
Rei hadn't asked anything yet, but as if anticipating the question, Gaga had offered the explanation himself.
"The lake, huh. ...Marina's Spirit Magic confirmed there's nothing in there like that Slime, but there could be smaller dangerous creatures. Be careful, all right?"
Gaga, hearing Zozo's translation of Rei's words, nodded confidently.