The Wisp hovered right before their eyes.
Gazing at it, Rei wondered why it wasn't attacking him.
At the same time, it was also strange that it made no attempt to flee, despite the presence of Grimm — a high-rank monster.
"Grimm, what do you make of this Wisp?"
"Even if you ask me what I think... honestly, I cannot say for certain."
Grimm said as much while watching the Wisp, but Rei was equally at a loss over how to assess the entity before them.
"First, you said the reason this Wisp's color has faded is due to the teleportations from another world. If that's the case, then it's safe to say this Wisp was the one causing the recent teleportations, right?"
"Umu. That much is almost certainly beyond doubt."
"Then that leads to the question — why would it do such a thing? Do you have any idea?"
"I'm afraid even I cannot know the circumstances behind that."
Rei didn't seem particularly shocked by the reply. Given the situation, he had half-expected as much. After all, since Grimm hadn't even known such a Wisp existed here, there was no way he could have known the reason for its actions.
"Then... do you think killing this Wisp would stop any further teleportations?"
This was the real question. If they defeated the Wisp here and now, then perhaps the lake, the Birth Tower — or heaven forbid, the Imperial Capital of the Gran Dragonia Empire — would never be teleported here again.
He asked with that hope in mind, but Grimm shook his head.
"This is strictly my conjecture, but fifty-fifty... no. I would say the odds are unfavorable."
"What do you mean?"
"This Wisp is truly a special specimen. It currently lacks magical power and shows no particular reaction to anything, but its power has not vanished entirely. If it were faced with a life-threatening crisis — being killed, for instance — I would not be surprised if it used that very moment of death to teleport something even greater than anything it has before."
"Something even greater?"
"Umu. Something larger than that lake — a mountain, perhaps. Or, depending on the circumstances, something akin to a sea. Or perhaps something else entirely beyond—"
"Wait. Wait a moment."
Rei cut off Grimm, who had been speaking with evident enthusiasm, and spoke after a moment's thought.
"In other words, you're saying it would be better not to kill this Wisp?"
"Hmm. That is difficult to say. Even if you don't kill it, there remains a very real possibility it will continue teleporting things from some other world into this one."
"...So what should I do?"
Rei's voice carried a note of bewilderment. Naturally so. If they did nothing, the Wisp would likely summon something else from another world. Yet if they killed it, that very act could trigger a summoning.
If what it summoned upon death were ordinary beings — Lizardmen, Green People, or at most something like the Birth Tower — then killing it would be the right call. But if told it might summon something as large as the lake, or perhaps even larger, Rei couldn't carelessly choose that option either.
It was only natural that he found himself at a loss.
"Would that not depend on the judgment of the lord of this land?"
"Lord Daskar's call... no, but... even so, that's asking for a lot."
Rei sounded troubled. Considering the actual situation, his words were by no means unreasonable.
"Hmm. But it is all a matter of perspective, is it not? If what you told me is correct, Gilm has successfully welcomed the Green People — beings you would normally never have had the chance to interact with in your entire lifetime, no? And Zozo, was it? You have established friendly relations with a rational being like that Lizardman. The same holds for the lake, surely. Am I wrong?"
When Grimm put it that way, Rei couldn't deny it, because the words were not actually incorrect. It was true that the arrival of various beings — the Green People, the Lizardmen, and the lake — had brought significant benefits to Gilm.
However, those same benefits could not rule out the possibility of attracting trouble as well. After all, someone connected to the Royal Family had already made contact from within the King's Faction.
If teleportations from another world were to continue, it would not be surprising for someone to try using the allure of otherworldly things to bring Gilm under the King's Faction's control.
"Hmm..."
"And furthermore."
Grimm murmured in a low voice, like a devil whispering, to the conflicted Rei. Since the only ones here besides the Wisp were Rei and Grimm, there was really no need for such precaution, but...
"Rei. The world where you lived before you met Lord Zephyle. It is possible — truly only possible — that it might summon something from that world. Or, though the probability is exceedingly low, the possibility that it could connect to that world cannot be denied either, you know?"
"That's..."
What came from Grimm's mouth was something completely unexpected to Rei — words like sweet honey, or perhaps like poison.
As Grimm said, Rei understood that the probability was exceedingly low. He understood that, yet he still could not dismiss the possibility of "what if."
One of the major reasons Rei had originally placed hope in Grimm's teleportation magic was the thought that it might let him return to his own world — Earth. That was an undeniable fact.
That was exactly why Grimm's words dealt such a tremendous shock to Rei.
"That said, the world is vast. Other worlds even more so. So vast you cannot see their ends. Therefore, you need only hope for such an outcome, and that shall be enough."
"...In other words, as far as you're concerned, you think it's better not to kill this Wisp?"
Sensing that Grimm was saying words designed to raise his own hopes, Rei asked the question, suspecting he already knew the answer. By saying it aloud, he gained conviction that it was indeed so.
Grimm had been researching teleportation magic — particularly inter-world teleportation — ever since obtaining the massive Eyeball's materials. If so, then this Wisp, which possessed the ability to teleport beings from another world, was naturally a specimen of extreme interest to him.
If they killed it, perhaps — just once — it could trigger a massive teleportation that even Grimm would not anticipate. But that would, in the end, be only once.
If they kept it alive, it could continue to perform countless small teleportations over and over again.
When Rei asked with that in mind, Grimm nodded without hiding anything.
"Umu. Naturally. First of all, this Wisp is an exceedingly rare existence. From what I can see, it does exist as a monster, but I sense nothing resembling an ego or self-awareness. Wisps generally tend to have thin egos to begin with, but this one is exceptional even among them. It is, in a manner of speaking, a living teleportation device."
"A living teleportation device... huh."
Rei found himself nodding in agreement at Grimm's apt description. After all, even with Rei and Grimm standing right nearby, it showed no sign of reacting in any way. If it had even the slightest ego or self-awareness, it would not be strange for it to react to the current situation.
Grimm's words — "a living teleportation device" — seemed perfectly fitting, as if nothing else could describe it better.
"Umu... let me see..."
As Rei deliberated while watching the Wisp, Grimm spoke, surveying the surroundings.
"If you decide to keep this Wisp alive, Rei, I shall connect one of my research laboratories to this space and promise to do my utmost to prevent any harm, should the Wisp begin to rampage in some unexpected way."
"Are you serious!?"
Grimm's proposal was something completely unexpected to Rei. Put simply, it amounted to Grimm making a significant concession. Of course, even Grimm did not fully understand what kind of being this Wisp was, so there was no guarantee he could completely handle its rampage.
But to Rei, Grimm was someone who had advised him countless times and sometimes even lent a direct hand. That was why Rei held the quiet belief — if Grimm said he would manage it, then perhaps he actually could.
"Umu. This Wisp holds that much value. My apologies to you, who wields Beast Magic, Rei."
"Ah... yeah."
Rei gave a vague response.
In truth, if they had the magic stone of this Wisp — a being that possessed the ability to teleport from another world, and one that appeared to be a Rare Species or High-ranking Species at that — then perhaps... truly perhaps... there was a possibility he could acquire a skill to teleport to other worlds, or to teleport things from other worlds.
That said, because the events unfolding before his eyes were so abnormal, Rei hadn't even gotten that far in his thinking.
(Then again, fundamentally, skills acquired at Level One are often not very useful. At Level Five, they become quite powerful, but... the problem is whether there are even four other types of monsters that possess skills related to other worlds. And that's assuming the shortest path.)
Skills acquired through Beast Magic were, in principle, the characteristic skills of the monster whose magic stone had been absorbed. However, that was only the general rule — occasionally one would acquire a skill that made them wonder, "Why this skill of all things?"
For a skill as exceedingly rare as teleportation to another world, it was highly doubtful how long it would take for the skill to strengthen enough to allow a return to Earth. Considering that Rei had not grown in these past few years, there was a possibility that someday... in the future, it might somehow become feasible — but that was merely a possibility and nothing more.
If so, then it was only natural for Rei to conclude that it was better to leave the Wisp as it was.
...Even if, as a Beast Magic inheritor, that might be the wrong choice.
"What is wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. As for Beast Magic, don't worry too much about it. Due to its nature, skills are often not very useful right after being acquired. And to strengthen the skill, magic stones from other monsters with abilities in the same system — otherworldly summoning and that sort of thing — would be essential... but do you think such monsters exist?"
"Hmm. If you ask me whether they exist or not, I can only say that I cannot deny the possibility."
There were countless monsters in this world. The possibility that monsters capable of teleporting to other worlds existed — ones Grimm simply didn't know about, separate from the Wisp before them — could not be entirely dismissed.
That said, since Grimm didn't know of any, it would also be difficult for Rei to find them. Considering those circumstances, he judged that it was indeed better to leave the Wisp as it was.
"Understood. I'll leave the final decision to Lord Daskar, but I'll advise him that it's better to leave things as they are."
At Rei's words, Grimm nodded with satisfaction. From Grimm's perspective, he likely wanted to observe the Wisp as closely as possible.
Of course, he didn't show it outwardly, but it was also a fact that he harbored a desire to live by Rei's side. ...Though in practice, he wouldn't live here directly, but rather connect the space to where he already resided.
As Rei looked around the space once more, addressing the satisfied Grimm whose wish had been granted, he spoke.
"I understand that you'll connect this place to where you live, Grimm. But now that we know this Wisp is here, Lord Daskar will definitely have this space investigated. From corner to corner, without fail. If that happens, won't the connection point be discovered?"
"Foh, foh, foh. You need not worry about that. I shall make sure it cannot be found."
"No, but... the ones investigating this place will probably be high-rank adventurers, you know?"
Since they would be investigating the space where the Wisp — the entity that had caused the inter-world teleportation phenomenon — resided, it was only natural that someone with sufficient ability and trustworthiness would be assigned to the task. And since Gilm was a frontier, it had no shortage of high-rank adventurers. If it were such individuals, it wouldn't be strange for them to notice a spatial anomaly.
"That as well shall be fine, I assure you."
"If you say so, I'll trust you... By the way, how do you think this Wisp and the Treant Forest are related?"
"Hmm. Either the Treant Forest formed because this Wisp was here, or this being called a Wisp was born from the Treant Forest. I cannot say for certain which came first. However, it is possible — truly only possible — that the Treant Forest itself, as well as that Gigant Turtle you defeated, may have been beings teleported from another world."
Hearing that, Rei murmured, "Now that you mention it..." and found himself nodding in agreement with Grimm's words.