A fairy.
It was a creature deeply familiar to Rei.
Strictly speaking, it was an entity that frequently appeared in the fantasy-themed manga, anime, novels, and games he had enjoyed back in Japan before teleporting to Elgin.
That said, this wasn't the first time Rei had encountered a fairy in Elgin.
Previously, when heading to the Bestia Empire for the Fighting Tournament and the subsequent civil war due to Vihera's situation, they had passed through the Seremuse Plain—a place where the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Imperial Army had clashed countless times—and it was there that Rei had seen one.
No, rather than simply seeing one, he had witnessed things like a table made of Skeleton bones and other assorted objects, brought about by what one might call a fairy's prank—though calling it a prank might have been an understatement—and he, along with Theoreme and Elk, had gotten caught up in the whole affair.
Because of that incident, Rei didn't have a particularly good impression of fairies. Even so, when one suddenly appeared just as they were emerging from the Underground Space where the Wisp had been, it was impossible not to stare.
"Huh? A fairy?"
"Wait, why!?"
Perhaps hearing Rei's mutter, the fairy spotted their group, froze in apparent surprise, and immediately fled the scene.
Since it had all happened so suddenly, Rei didn't chase after the fleeing fairy. He could only watch it go.
What brought Rei back to his senses was Anastasia's voice from behind him.
"Hey, Rei! That was a fairy, wasn't it!? Why is it here!?"
Anastasia's voice rang with surprise, but by that time the fairy was already gone from sight.
"Rei, are there fairies in the Treant Forest!?"
Anastasia asked him in a fluster, but Rei deliberately spoke slowly, as if to calm her excitement.
"Hey, calm down. I only learned today that there are fairies in the Treant Forest myself. Whether they've been here all along and we just didn't notice, or whether they came to the Treant Forest while we were in the other world... I don't know that part either."
That wasn't just something he said to calm Anastasia down. Rei genuinely hadn't known there were fairies in the Treant Forest.
Still, unlike Anastasia, who was delighted to see a fairy with her own eyes, Rei wasn't particularly overjoyed.
Even in Japan, where Rei used to live, there were various legends about fairies, and he had encountered them frequently through manga, novels, anime, games, and the like.
One of the hallmarks of such fairies was a love of pranks.
The fairy Rei had encountered on the Seremuse Plain had done something that made him feel calling it a mere prank would have been an understatement.
And if fairies were in the Treant Forest, then the woodcutters, adventurers, and the Lizardmen around the lake could all fall victim to their antics.
If those pranks were truly harmless and adorable, Rei wouldn't worry so much. That is, provided they were harmless and adorable.
"Let me ask again—this was the first time you've seen a fairy, right, Rei?"
"Yeah. Actually, no, that's wrong. It was the first time in the Treant Forest, but I encountered one on the Seremuse Plain before."
"The Seremuse Plain?"
At that name, Anastasia furrowed her brow slightly. It was the place where the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire had clashed time and again. Because of that, she probably didn't have fond memories of the Seremuse Plain.
"Yeah. When we were heading to the Bestia Empire before."
So saying, he told her only what he could share about what he had experienced on the Seremuse Plain. At those words, Vihera also showed an expression of understanding.
Vihera had been on the Seremuse Plain at that time too, but the only ones who actually encountered the fairy were Rei, Theoreme, and Elk.
Vihera had heard the story, so she probably knew about the existence of fairies, but whether one had actually met one or not made a big difference in this case.
"Then... does that mean fairies are interested in the Undead? Or perhaps the smell of blood or rot... though that's a bit different from the usual image of fairies."
When the word Undead left Anastasia's mouth, Rei and Vihera reacted for just a moment.
They didn't think Grimm would be discovered, but still—just maybe, just possibly—they worried she might have stumbled onto Grimm through some tiny clue.
In reality, that wasn't the case. Anastasia had simply voiced a question she had been wondering about.
Still, if this keeps up, things could go in a strange direction. I need to get away from here soon...
Just as he thought that, Set and the two deer appeared from out of nowhere.
Who had done that, Rei could guess. Or rather, his assumption was that the only one who could do such a thing around here was Grimm.
"Look, Set and the deer are here."
Anyway, to divert attention even slightly away from Grimm, Rei pointed that out.
At his words, Anastasia and Fana apparently noticed the deer they had been fond of as well. They paused their thoughts and stroked the deer.
Come to think of it, I hadn't thought about it at all until just now, but the deer were able to come to this world without any problems at all.
He had been so preoccupied with the fairy and the matter of stripping Dragonias corpses for materials in the other world that he hadn't paid any attention to the two deer.
His own lack of awareness aside, the fact that Grimm hadn't noticed either was slightly puzzling to Rei. Or perhaps he had noticed, but judged that even with their somewhat impressive antlers, they were just deer and therefore no cause for concern.
Knowing Grimm, it wouldn't be strange if he had actually investigated the deer without my knowing.
To Rei, Grimm was a figure close to a grandfather in this world, or at least, that was his perception. But at the same time, he also recognized him as a highly skilled mage and researcher. Because it was Grimm, it wouldn't be strange if he had investigated the deer through some means without Rei noticing.
Though I can hardly think these deer are ordinary deer.
The deer that Anastasia and Fana were each petting didn't seem like ordinary deer, and not just because of their large antlers.
Well, actually, it wouldn't be strange for there to be deer with antlers of similar size to the ones here. But appearances aside, in terms of intelligence, they were clearly different from ordinary deer—from the deer Rei knew, at least.
The deer Rei knew were simply the ones he had seen back in Japan. His house had been right beside the mountains, and since those mountains had been his playground, it wasn't rare to see deer from a distance. Not only that, but when walking through the mountains, he had even come across the skeletal remains of deer—whether killed by carnivorous beasts like bears, or having died from some accident or illness.
"Alright, we're back in this world for now, so let's head to Gilm."
Setting aside the matter of the deer for the time being, Rei announced this to Vihera, Anastasia, and Fana.
In truth, thinking about Daskar—who was surely worried about Anastasia and Fana—it was clear they should head to Gilm as soon as possible. He also needed to inform him about the fairy situation.
"Is that so? Yeah, you're right. I would have liked to investigate this area a bit more if possible, but..."
"If you want to investigate the surrounding area, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. You were originally researching the Wisp, Anastasia. Besides, they're here now too."
So saying, Rei directed his gaze toward the two deer. Deer that had bonded with Anastasia and Fana, or rather, seemed as though they had pledged loyalty to them.
They had carried Anastasia and Fana on their backs and run even in Dragonias territory, so running through a forest like this shouldn't be difficult for them. Though moving without their impressive antlers getting caught on trees might be somewhat of a challenge.
Still, there's also the matter of the Centaur world, so whether Lord Daskar will let Anastasia continue researching the Wisp is uncertain.
To Daskar, Anastasia was a benefactor. So much so that he had handed Rei a pouch filled with gemstones to use as funds for searching for Anastasia and the others in the other world, with the condition that any leftover gemstones would belong to Rei. In the end, they had barely used any of those gemstones, so they were essentially treated as Rei's reward in their entirety.
Anyway, Daskar felt that indebted to Anastasia, but if she asked him whether she could continue researching the Wisp in the Underground Space that was still connected to another world, it was uncertain whether he would agree.
However, it was also true that there was no other suitable candidate for researching the Wisp. Given that the Wisp possessed the ability to teleport various entities from other worlds—it could even teleport an entire lake—its circumstances couldn't be shared with just anyone carelessly. What's more, they could now freely travel to and from the other world, thanks to Grimm's power.
In a sense, the Wisp had undeniably grown even more important than before. In a way, it was also something close to a ticking bomb.
"You're right. We need to discuss that properly too... It's unfortunate, but let's go. With this one here, we can come back here anytime."
So saying, Anastasia stroked the deer and then mounted its back. Fana followed suit, climbing onto her own deer.
"Yeah. In the end, it's Lord Daskar who'll decide what to do."
No matter what Rei thought here, ultimately it was Daskar who would make the decision. Given that, Rei thinking about things here was largely meaningless.
That was why he decided to leave everything related to Anastasia to Daskar, and Rei too mounted Set's back.
After confirming that Vihera had gotten on behind him, Rei stroked Set's neck and spoke to him.
"Alright, Set. Let's go. I want to check on the woodcutters, so take us that way."
"Gruu!"
Set responded to Rei's words and began running through the forest.
The two deer carrying Anastasia and Fana followed at a slight distance from Set. They had grown much more accustomed to Set compared to before, but they still weren't completely comfortable around him.
Horses are scared of Set at first too, but after some time passes, they get used to him. Is it the difference between horses trained by humans and wild deer?
Rei pondered as he watched the deer carrying Anastasia and the others, and eventually he recognized a few familiar spots within the forest.
It was a sign that the area where the woodcutters were felling trees was approaching, but the tree felling hadn't progressed as much as Rei had expected.
Though Rei could easily guess that was probably because he hadn't been around.
Without Rei, who possessed the Misty Ring, transporting the felled trees inevitably took time. Considering that Rei and Set's presence had shortened the time significantly for other work as well, transporting these logs was probably the task that needed Rei's power the most.
No matter how many trees the woodcutters felled in this forest, if it took time to transport them, then the logging wouldn't progress. Well, the woodcutters might be able to continue felling trees, but that was all they could do, in a manner of speaking.
Even if they left the felled trees in a part of the forest, given the weight of those logs, simply transporting them was hard work. That much was certain.
As he thought about such things while making his way through the forest...
"Whoa!"
Several adventurers suddenly appeared, letting out surprised voices upon seeing Rei's group. Even so, the fact that they reflexively readied their weapons was probably an instinctive, adventurer-like reflex.
"...Oh, it's you, Rei. Don't scare us like that. I thought something happened again."
An adventurer holding a dagger lowered its tip and looked at Rei with relief, while simultaneously voicing his complaint.
The adventurer wasn't alone; the others similarly lowered the weapons they had reflexively readied.