The newly arrived Lizardmen readily agreed to fall under Gaga and Zozo's command.
That said, it was only natural.
If the five newly arrived Lizardmen did not place themselves under Gaga and Zozo's command, they would have to act on their own.
In completely unfamiliar land—and a place where they couldn't even communicate—they would be forced to operate by themselves.
If they possessed strength like Gaga's, they might somehow manage on their own.
But whether the Lizardmen could pull off such a thing in their current situation was extremely unlikely.
Considering what lay ahead, falling under Gaga and Zozo's command was the obvious choice.
And so, night fell. Everyone ate while keeping a watchful eye on the lake.
As always, they savored the dishes Rei produced from his Misty Ring.
The reason many of them still glanced toward the lake repeatedly during their meal was likely because a horde of lizard monsters had emerged right in the middle of dinner the day before.
"So, how are the new Lizardmen doing?"
While eating a stew of wild vegetables and boar meat, Rei asked Zozo.
'There do not seem to be any particular problems. ...However, they did seem curious about that burning thing.'
"Ah... that."
Following Zozo's gaze, Rei spotted the Slime, still burning as persistently as ever.
It showed no sign of burning out, and the flames showed no sign of dying down.
Now that night had fallen and the sun was gone, it served as a source of light.
"And? What did you tell them?"
'I told them that Lord Rei burned the Slime that came out of the lake, and that since it shows no sign of burning out at all, it is being left alone for now.'
"...I see."
Rei suddenly recalled that while preparing the meal—merely plating the dishes he had taken out of his Misty Ring—several Lizardmen had directed looks of awe toward him.
Having beaten Gaga in a mock battle, it was not uncommon for the Lizardmen to look at Rei with respect, but they rarely looked at him with awe.
That was why he concluded those Lizardmen were most likely the ones who had arrived today.
"For now, you should tell them to be careful of the monsters in the lake. I don't know how strong the teleported Lizardmen are, but they're definitely weaker than you and Gaga, right?"
'That is correct. They would be among the weaker ones among the teleported Lizardmen. I hear they have not been soldiers for very long.'
"New recruits, huh."
So that's why they couldn't gauge his true strength.
Thinking that, he was nonetheless relieved that Set's appearance alone had intimidated them enough to prevent any reckless action.
Even from Rei's perspective, if the other side attacked, he would have no choice but to strike back.
Since they couldn't communicate, there was no way to know what the other side was thinking; even so, he had no intention of killing them regardless of what happened.
'Yes. Therefore, there is much we need to teach them.'
"Sounds tough, but aren't there plenty of guys who are happy about it?"
'I will not deny that.'
The Lizardmen currently living in the Birth Tower essentially had nothing to do.
They technically had the job of guarding the Birth Tower, but it was extremely rare for anyone to attack it.
Given that they had been attacked by mercenaries before, they couldn't afford to do absolutely nothing, but still, having nothing to do under the pretext of guarding was a significant issue.
That was why teaching and training the newcomers was, in a way, the perfect way to pass the time.
(Ah, but considering the possibility of monsters coming from the lake, I guess they can't completely let their guard down. ...Well, with Set around, even if enemies try to attack, he'll sense it immediately.)
Set possessed senses far sharper than a human's—including a sixth sense and the ability to detect magical power—so even if lizards came from the lake like yesterday, he would detect them right away.
That was precisely why Rei could entrust the surrounding watch to Set.
The fact that he had actually sensed the precursors of teleportations on numerous occasions was a significant point in this regard.
"In any case, tell them not to let their guard down around the lake. We still don't know what kinds of monsters are in there. The scholars looked into it, but only near the shore. Speaking of which, they went back, right?"
Scholars faced with the unknown had, naturally, come to the lake again today just as they had yesterday.
The reason Rei hadn't paid particular attention to the scholars was likely that they were far more fascinated by the lake than by Rei or Set.
Some adventurers and Lizardmen had been assisting the scholars, but Rei and Set hadn't lent a hand.
'Yes. They boarded the carriage that brought the supplies and departed.'
"I see. ...Just to be sure, there's no one still here, right?"
Many scholars possessed intense curiosity.
At the very least, the scholars who had come to this lake were strongly curious.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have eaten fish they'd never seen before or touched a giant clam they were seeing for the first time.
'Everyone has returned. ...It seems there were a few who wanted to stay behind, but...'
Such individuals too had apparently been safely taken back by those who brought the supplies.
"Then there's no problem. Alright, that's all. Enjoy your meal, Zozo."
'Understood.'
Truthfully, Zozo wanted to stay by Rei's side.
But he understood that staying at Rei's side constantly was not a good idea, so he obediently nodded at Rei's words.
After watching Zozo walk away, Rei glanced at the others who were still eating, then left the area.
He headed for the Magic Tent.
Today, a question had suddenly occurred to him—whether something in this Treant Forest, or perhaps the Treant Forest itself, might be teleporting beings from other worlds, whether with some intention or truly at random. He intended to ask Grimm about it.
...There was also the matter of confirming that Grimm was not involved in these teleportations.
He had previously asked Grimm whether he was behind it and received a denial, but with teleportations of this magnitude continuing one after another, as far as Rei knew, Grimm was the only one capable of such a thing.
That was why he wanted to ask once more, just to be sure.
There was a very real possibility that some magic item had activated without Grimm's notice, or that a ritual magic had been established without his awareness.
In that sense too, there was more than enough reason to speak with Grimm again.
"Set, if anyone tries to enter the Magic Tent without permission, stop them. If they call out from outside the tent, you don't need to worry about it."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set purred as if to say, "Leave it to me!"
After giving Set a pat, Rei stepped inside the Magic Tent.
Once inside, he took out the Paired Orb connected to Grimm.
"Grimm, Grimm. Can you hear me, Grimm?"
After calling out several times, the Paired Orb eventually displayed a face that was already familiar to Rei—accurately speaking, a skull.
'Hmm, Rei, is it? What is the matter?'
Rei contacting him was nothing particularly surprising.
...In truth, he was trying not to show his delight, but being asked to read the expression of a skull-headed Grimm was an impossible task.
"I have something to consult you about. Remember when I consulted you about the Lizardmen before?"
'Umu. The matter of the Stone Tablet I gave you, yes?'
"Yeah. But the teleportations still haven't settled down since then. It's not just Lizardmen and Green People—part of a Lizardman nation's royal castle teleported here, and what's more, an entire massive lake from a different world than the one the Lizardmen came from teleported over."
'...Oh.'
After a few seconds of silence, a voice of deep interest escaped Grimm's mouth.
For Grimm, who specialized in teleportation magic, the idea of things teleporting from another world—and not just one world, but yet another different world—was apparently deeply intriguing.
'You are certain they teleported from a different world?'
"At the very least, Zozo and the others said they didn't know of any such lake. The monsters that came out of that lake are mostly unknown, and above all, the monsters don't have magic stones."
'Oh.'
Once again, a voice of interest came from Grimm.
Since he himself was an undead and thus classified as a monster, the concept of monsters without magic stones must have strongly captivated him.
Given Grimm's personality, he might have been intrigued even if he weren't a monster.
"So that's why, since this is about the teleportations, I thought I'd ask you again directly. Is there any chance that teleportation magic was activated for some reason without you even realizing it?"
'You think I would do such a thing?'
Grimm appeared slightly displeased.
Naturally. From Grimm's perspective, it was tantamount to being told he wasn't properly managing the materials and magic items in his possession.
If anything, it was only because it was Rei that he let the matter go this easily.
If someone he wasn't close with had said such a thing to him, it wouldn't have been strange for him to teleport right over and deal out death.
"I just thought I'd ask. There was that business with the eyeball's materials, too. ...But if that's the case, then there must be another reason. Mind hearing out my guess?"
'I do not mind.'
Seeing Grimm nod, Rei voiced the idea that had occurred to him.
Somewhere in the Treant Forest... or perhaps the Treant Forest itself was teleporting beings like the Lizardmen, the Green People, the Birth Tower, and the lake from another world.
That said, this wasn't based on any firm evidence—it was merely a notion Rei had come up with.
Hearing this explanation, Grimm thought for a moment on the other side of the Paired Orb.
From Rei's perspective, it was an idea that could easily have been dismissed outright, so Grimm's attitude was slightly unexpected.
"...What do you think?"
'I cannot say it is impossible. Precisely because Gilm is a frontier, anything could happen. In the first place, the Treant Forest where you are now is not an ordinary forest, is it?'
"That's true. I thought we'd defeated the cause of this Treant Forest's creation... or so I thought."
Letting out a sigh, he once again felt the absurdity of a land known as a frontier.
Everything could be explained away by the simple fact that it was a frontier.
(Ah, but I also get a lot of things accepted with the reason "because I'm Rei," so thinking about it that way, maybe this isn't so strange? Though that's not particularly fun either.)
Thinking such things, he decided it was irrelevant for now and shifted his mindset.
"In that case, do you think this Treant Forest is the most suspicious?"
'I do not know this Treant Forest myself, so I cannot say for certain, but if you ask whether it is plausible, it is sufficiently suspicious.'
Should he have Grimm come to the Treant Forest and investigate it himself?
The thought crossed his mind, but Rei also knew that Grimm was currently busy with experiments using the eyeball's materials.
He couldn't just force him all the way out here—or so Rei thought, before Grimm spoke up.
'Very well. This Treant Forest where you are. I find it somewhat intriguing. Would you mind if I went to investigate it shortly?'
"Eh? I mean, I'd appreciate it if you did, but... are you sure? Weren't you doing all sorts of research with that eyeball monster's materials?"
That was exactly why Rei had held off on contacting him.
But to Rei's words, Grimm shook his head, indicating there was no problem.
'It is also true that my research has reached something of an impasse. As a change of pace, I do not mind going to see this Treant Forest of yours.'
"Are you sure? It'd be a huge help on our end, so I won't complain."
'If I say it is fine, do not concern yourself. I would also like to see Rei's face in person.'
"...Well, if that's how it is, then we certainly don't mind. Actually, you could say it's exactly what we were hoping for."
From Rei's perspective, if Grimm wanted to come here of his own accord, there was no reason to refuse.
Rei floated a smile and continued his conversation with Grimm, welcoming his visit.