"...I see. So even Marina couldn't figure anything out."
Daskar spoke with a sigh, and Marina shot him a look of exasperation.
"Listen, I'm a Dark Elf, so I've lived a long time, but that doesn't make me a researcher, you know? And yet you expect me to investigate a Wisp—a special individual capable of teleporting things between worlds—and actually find something out?"
Marina grumbled discontentedly as she sipped her chilled Fruit Water. Though, part of her dissatisfaction had less to do with Daskar's attitude and more to do with the fact that this Fruit Water tasted watered down compared to what they'd had at the Fruit Pavilion. Not that the Fruit Water served at the Lord's Manor was weak—rather, the Fruit Pavilion's version simply used a far larger quantity of fruit juice, making the difference all the more pronounced.
"You can say that, but as I told Rei, there are no available researchers we can trust in the current situation. It can't be helped. Well, trustworthy and available is the right way to put it."
"So you turned to me? ...Rei gave me a heads-up, but isn't that a bit unreasonable? Should I tell him about the White Meadow Puddle Incident?"
"Gah! W-wait, what are you suddenly talking about!"
Marina had dropped the words so casually that Daskar shouted in panic. Since he rarely raised his voice, his outburst piqued the interest of Rei, who sat beside Marina, observing their exchange.
"The White Meadow Puddle Incident?"
Rei murmured the question, but for some reason, hearing him say it made Daskar's cheek twitch.
Was this something he shouldn't have asked about? He glanced sideways, only to find Marina shaking her shoulders, desperately stifling her laughter.
"Um, Marina."
"...Ahem. Let's forget about that matter for now. We should be discussing the Wisp instead, shouldn't we?"
Marina forcibly steered the topic back. Rei could understand why, and given the lengths she was going to, he figured it was best to let it drop. He made no further mention of the White Meadow Puddle Incident and returned to the subject at hand.
"Understood. The passage leading to the space where the Wisp resides has been sealed with Marina's Spirit Magic, so I don't think it'll be discovered anytime soon. The Woodcutters are also felling trees from the outer edges for efficiency."
Rei directed the first half of his report to Marina and the second to Daskar. Daskar nodded, relieved that the conversation had moved away from his dark history.
"I see. Then I'll instruct the Knights stationed with the Woodcutters not to approach the center. Though given the current situation, I doubt anyone would willingly head there anyway."
"That's true. There's always the possibility that Lizardmen, Green People, or something else entirely could teleport in. ...Oh, but—"
"What is it?"
Rei's sudden pause drew a questioning look from Daskar. He hesitated briefly over whether to say it, but decided it was better to mention it.
"I believe a report has already reached you, Lord Daskar, but yesterday we took in some newly teleported Lizardmen in the Treant Forest."
"Yes, I heard. What about them?"
"I can't say for certain, but based on past experience, whenever Lizardmen teleported in, Green People usually came along with them. If that holds true here, there's a chance that even now, Green People are wandering lost somewhere in the Treant Forest."
At Rei's explanation, Daskar's gaze grew stern. It was a completely different expression from when Marina had been teasing him—this was the face of the Lord of Gilm.
"The Green People, huh. If possible, I want to secure them before other factions make contact."
To Daskar, the Green People were overwhelmingly more valuable than Lizardmen. With them, it might be possible to cultivate rare plants like Spices right here in Gilm. While the Lizardmen were undeniably useful as a military force, Gilm as a frontier city already had no shortage of adventurers. Given that, what Daskar truly needed in his current position were the Green People, not the Lizardmen.
...The fact that the Green People were virtually indistinguishable from humans in appearance was also a major factor. If asked whether a Lizardman or a Green Person looked more human, nearly everyone would choose the Green People. That difference was considerable.
Not much time had passed since the Lizardmen first appeared, so the sight of a Lizardman—let alone a being like Gaga, who could only be described as a giant Lizardman—walking around would send many into a panic. Give it a few more months, and perhaps they'd be accepted to some degree. Even so, there would certainly be no small number of people who couldn't bring themselves to accept the Lizardmen.
If it were only a handful, it might not have been an issue. Unfortunately, the number of Lizardmen teleported in this incident was massive. If that many Lizardmen were to freely roam the streets of Gilm, it would inevitably cause an uproar.
...Beyond that, the simple fact that they weren't adorable like Set was also a significant factor. That said, Lizardman children were undeniably cute.
"Right. I'll patrol the area during my free time and check whether any Green People have turned up."
"Please."
At Rei's words, Daskar murmured briefly and bowed his head. Normally, someone in the position of Margrave shouldn't bow so readily. But Daskar knew full well that he was asking a great deal of Rei. That was precisely why he did it.
Raising his head, Daskar posed a question with a troubled expression.
"But something puzzles me. By what criteria is that Wisp underground conducting its teleportations? According to you, Rei, its mana was significantly depleted, right?"
"Not me—my master, to be precise. But unfortunately, I have no idea about those criteria. Even after teleporting that enormous lake you saw, Lord Daskar, why would it go out of its way to teleport Lizardmen again before its mana had recovered?"
"In the first place, the place where the lake existed was a different world from the one where the Gran Dragonia Empire is, right? And yet, after teleporting the lake, it teleported the Lizardmen again. Does that mean the Wisp can draw from multiple worlds, or did it switch the world it teleports from back to the one with the Gran Dragonia Empire?"
Unfortunately, Rei had no answer to Marina's question. He hadn't even seen the Wisp directly himself, and for Daskar, who had only heard about it secondhand, answering was even more impossible.
"What we need to sort all of that out is scholars, huh."
Daskar's voice betrayed his exhaustion. For him, the need to secure scholars had only grown more pressing. If their research bore fruit, the returns would be enormous—beyond words, even. Spices that couldn't be cultivated in this kingdom were sometimes worth their weight in gold dust, and if they could monopolize something that didn't exist anywhere in this world, the profits would be immeasurable.
Naturally, where there was profit, there would be those seeking to seize it. Fortunately, Daskar was the head of the Neutral Faction, one of the Three Great Factions in the Kingdom of Mireana. Because of that, many would try to curry favor with him, while those who brazenly tried to seize his—Gilm's—interests head-on were few. But those few held significant power, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
If the King's Faction caught wind of these circumstances, they would employ every method at their disposal, both direct and indirect. They needed to thoroughly investigate the Wisp's capabilities in preparation for such a contingency—with trustworthy scholars, of course.
"Fortunately, that Wisp showed no particular reaction even when Rei or I approached it... or even when Rei's master approached it, right? Then researching it shouldn't be that dangerous. ...Though it's also possible it didn't react simply because all of us were too strong for it to perceive as threats."
"Please stop making such ominous predictions. If that turns out to be true, it's no laughing matter."
"Oh my, isn't it only natural to be on guard about such things beforehand? Otherwise you never know what might happen."
The word "flag" came to Rei's mind, but since the term wouldn't make sense in this world, he kept it to himself. He wasn't sure whether it would actually become a flag or not. He didn't know, but he decided to speak up anyway.
"I don't know whether what Marina is saying will come true, but since the possibility is real, I think guards will be necessary. The three of us—me, Marina, and my master—are all quite strong."
"...I'm not sure 'quite strong' is an adequate way to describe you and Marina."
In truth, Daskar didn't know the strength of Rei's master, Grimm, but he was fairly certain that "quite strong" didn't even begin to cover Rei or Marina. If those two were merely "quite strong," then the term would be woefully inadequate for the vast majority of adventurers in Gilm.
"Is that so? Anyway, I think guards should be assigned to make sure Lord Daskar's trusted scholars don't get hurt. We still know next to nothing about that Wisp. Worst case, it might try to eliminate the scholars by teleporting them into its own space, just like it did with the Treant Forest and the others."
That was a thoroughly plausible scenario. Until now, the Wisp hadn't taken any bold actions when being observed, but if scholars seriously investigated it, they might try to touch it directly or perform other intrusive actions. If that happened, the Wisp could sense danger and teleport ferocious monsters or animals from another world to protect itself.
"Understood. There's a high chance things will play out as you say, and guards would be necessary regardless."
Unlike when he had agonized over selecting scholars, Daskar nodded readily this time. His subordinate Knights were all trustworthy. While they didn't possess the overwhelming strength of Rei or Marina, they averaged around B-Rank to C-Rank Adventurer in ability. Given that, there was no need to hesitate the way he had when choosing scholars.
"Anything else you've noticed?"
"Let's see..."
The three of them—Rei, Marina, and Daskar—continued discussing the Wisp for a while longer. Under normal circumstances, Daskar would have been extremely busy right now. But even while juggling those duties, they needed to have this conversation now. That was how significant the matter of the Wisp and its otherworldly teleportation abilities truly was.
"Perhaps that Wisp... depending on the circumstances, might not only be able to teleport things from other worlds to this one, but also from this world to other worlds."
Hearing those words, Rei made sure his surprise didn't show on his face. What Daskar had just said was something Rei himself had been quietly considering—perhaps, just maybe, it might actually be possible.
The odds were astronomically low. By Rei's own estimation, it was about as likely as winning the grand prize in a lottery. Depending on circumstances, maybe even lower. Even so, the possibility that he might be able to return to Japan was real.
"That's right. There might be a chance something like that could be done. Though I have a feeling it would be quite difficult."
"I imagine so. I don't seriously think it would actually work out that way either. But surely there's no harm in thinking 'maybe,' is there?"
"You're right. Hope is important."
Those words seemed directed at Daskar, but in truth, Rei was saying them to himself. He had already more than accepted the prospect of living the rest of his life in this world. But that didn't mean he didn't want to go back to Japan.
Of course, even if someone who had known the old him saw Rei as he was now, they would never recognize who he'd once been.
With those thoughts lingering in his mind, Rei continued his conversation with Daskar.