Watching the negotiation between Daskar and Nielson, Rei realized belatedly that the counter for fairies might be "persons" rather than the measure used for animals.
...That said, considering the pranks the fairies were pulling in the Treant Forest, Rei had no desire whatsoever to count them one by one.
"Also, strange things have been happening lately around the woodcutters and adventurers working in the Treant Forest... would that be your doing?"
"That's right. I believe that would be our doing."
"Then I ask you to stop. Those pranks have significantly lowered our work efficiency."
Daskar's words were perfectly understandable to Rei as well.
After all, he had just heard from the woodcutters that several of their axes had suddenly broken at once, rendering them unable to continue logging.
The woodcutters' job was felling trees.
Strictly speaking, there were other tasks as well, but their largest responsibility was indeed felling trees.
And to fell trees, one naturally needed an axe.
If it were Rei, a single swing of Death Scythe would effortlessly sever a trunk... but not many people could do such a thing.
Which meant that without axes, they could not fell trees.
And something Rei himself hadn't known: the axes woodcutters used were modified in various ways to suit their individual handling preferences.
Which essentially meant they couldn't easily use an axe that wasn't their own.
Well, of course they could use such an axe if they tried.
But felling Treant Forest trees with an unfamiliar axe was no easy task.
In other words, it was only natural that work efficiency would drop when axes became unusable.
Right now, since Rei had returned from the Centaurs' world and transported all the previously felled logs at once, they weren't facing a building materials shortage.
However, if the woodcutters could no longer fell trees, it would naturally lead to another shortage.
And not because they couldn't transport felled logs, but because they couldn't fell trees in the first place.
(Why don't I just indiscriminately fell trees with Death Scythe... no, that would prevent a materials shortage, but the woodcutters would lose their income.)
Rei watched carefully to see how Nielson would respond...
"Eh? Why do we have to do something like that?"
What came from Nielson's mouth was such a carefree response, delivered in a tone that seemed to express genuine puzzlement from the bottom of her heart.
Daskar had expected some form of argument, but apparently he hadn't anticipated this kind of reaction. He spoke in bewilderment.
"Even if you ask why, as I said earlier, we are suffering harm due to the fairies' actions. Given that, it is only natural that we would want you to stop, wouldn't you agree?"
"That and this are two entirely different matters."
"...Different?"
There was no way this was a separate matter.
That was what Daskar thought, and Rei and the others who were listening felt the same way.
It was an indisputable fact that people working in the Treant Forest were suffering harm due to the fairies' actions, specifically, their pranks.
Given such circumstances, Daskar's request seemed perfectly reasonable to Rei.
(Does Nielson have no intention of settling this negotiation? ...No, I don't think that's the case.)
If this negotiation fell through, worst case, it could result in burning down the Treant Forest as Rei had suggested earlier.
Of course, that was strictly a worst-case scenario, but regarding this matter, the possibility of such an outcome could by no means be denied.
If so, there was no need for Nielson to outright reject Daskar's proposal here.
Yet despite that, Nielson was behaving this way.
(Is it a matter of common sense for their species? For the fairy race, is this whole matter something that doesn't even require any action on their part? ...No, but since we're suffering harm from it, it's only natural that it would come up in negotiation. ...This is tricky.)
What meaning did the act of pranking hold for fairies?
Without understanding the circumstances surrounding that, they couldn't afford to make a careless response.
From Rei's perspective, it was more like: Pranks? What are those? But that was only if it were Rei.
For Nielson, there was a very real possibility that she recognized fairies and pranks as inseparable.
That was precisely why, regarding this matter, they couldn't afford to act carelessly.
...But that didn't mean they could accept it, either. Naturally, the answer to that was no.
"On our end, we do not consider the pranks and this negotiation to be separate matters. In the first place, the reason we intend to negotiate is because numerous mysterious events have occurred in the Treant Forest."
In reality, the matter had progressed from Rei's sighting of a fairy, but as a lord, Daskar was by no means poor at political maneuvering. Whether he enjoyed it was another matter entirely.
"Hmm, is that so. But even so, telling us to stop our pranks is a bit off the mark, don't you think?"
"I would like you to explain how it is off the mark. In this matter, the fairies' pranks are of great significance. If the work of those laboring in the Treant Forest is hindered by fairy pranks, it is utterly unacceptable on our end."
"Even if you say that, for fairies, pranks are an absolute necessity, you see?"
Rei harbored a question at Nielson's definitive assertion.
He understood that fairies enjoyed pranks.
But what did it mean for pranks to be essential?
Regarding this matter, it wasn't as if he had no thoughts on the subject.
If told it was simply fairy nature, Rei would have nothing to say.
He would have nothing to say, but that didn't mean they could tolerate being subjected to pranks in the Treant Forest.
"When you say they are an absolute necessity, may I ask why? If it were a case of needing to eat and therefore consuming the Treant Forest's fruit, we could accept that. But why are pranks necessary for fairies?"
"I can only say it's because they're necessary. Let me put it this way. To use a human comparison... humans are in heat year-round, anytime, aren't they?"
"Ah, that's..."
Daskar faltered at the sudden remark.
And it wasn't just Daskar. Elena and Ara were both blushing furiously.
To suddenly be told that humans were in heat year-round was essentially being told the same thing about themselves, so it was only natural they would react that way.
Setting aside their usual demeanor, Elena and Ara were steadfast maidens.
"Right?"
But Nielson, showing no sign of noticing Elena and Ara's flustered state, stated this to Daskar as if declaring a fact.
Having been told this, Daskar could not deny those words.
Unlike animals that had mating seasons, it was an undeniable fact that humans, including Elves, Dwarves, and demi-humans such as Beastmen, could reproduce at any time.
Even so, Daskar somehow suppressed his confusion and spoke.
"If you put it that way, you're not wrong. But what does that have to do with this matter?"
"Obviously. Specifically, it's about whether you can hold back or not."
"...And using being in heat as an example, is that not mistaken?"
At Daskar's words, the two maidens Elena and Ara nodded vigorously.
If they affirmed Nielson's words, it could be taken to mean that whenever the urge struck, they would engage in such acts anywhere.
It wasn't impossible for someone with a similar disposition, or perhaps predisposition was the better word, to exist, but...
"Really? Well, even so, there are people who can't hold back, aren't there? Our pranks are like that. Even if we try to hold back, we just can't."
Strictly speaking, the majority of fairies, being intensely curious and hedonistic, wouldn't even consider trying to restrain themselves.
In that sense, Nielson was probably among the rarer sort among fairies.
"Even so... that puts us in a difficult position as well."
"Even if you say that, we can't be stopped by something like that. That much is clear."
Daskar wavered on how to respond to Nielson's flat declaration.
Daskar's side wanted to stop the pranks at all costs.
Nielson's side maintained that stopping pranks was impossible due to fairy nature.
Both sides' positions were completely deadlocked.
(Still, in the end, the one with the upper hand is Lord Daskar.)
As long as the fairies lived in the Treant Forest, worst case, burning the forest would force them to flee.
Of course, doing so would mean the lumber could no longer be used as building materials for the Expansion Construction, requiring procurement from elsewhere and resulting in an enormous cost far exceeding the original plan.
That was precisely why Daskar didn't want to resort to such drastic measures either.
"If the Treant Forest disappears, won't Nielson and the others lose their home? Well, perhaps you have somewhere else to go, but it wouldn't be as comfortable as the Treant Forest, would it?"
"That's..."
Nielson couldn't argue with Rei's words.
In truth, Nielson couldn't definitively say there was no other place as comfortable as the Treant Forest, but she still didn't think one could be found so easily.
"Worst case, the Treant Forest might end up being burned. Shouldn't you compromise at least a little?"
"But the one thing I can't agree to is stopping the pranks. That's... well, you could say it's equivalent to a fairy's instinct."
At Nielson going so far as to call it instinct, Rei directed his gaze toward Daskar.
It was an act prompted by the thought of how he intended to handle this matter.
He directed that look at Daskar with the meaning: if they truly refuse to stop the pranks, won't we have no choice but to burn the Treant Forest?
But Daskar shook his head at Rei's words.
He wasn't stopping Rei simply because he felt sorry for the fairies; he was acting based on what would best serve Gilm's interests.
"I have a proposal."
"A proposal? What is it?"
Nielson's tone showed no regard for his position as a lord, but given the difference between fairies and humans, he didn't mind.
As the lord of Gilm, a frontier territory, ignoring such things, unless the language was truly egregious, tended to produce better results.
"If the fairy race must prank, we are willing to acknowledge that. However, we will only accept light pranks. We absolutely cannot tolerate pranks that result in serious injury... let alone death. Nor can we accept pranks that affect the progress of the expansion."
Daskar's proposal was not to Nielson's liking. It wasn't to her liking, but neither was it something she absolutely could not accept.
"And? What is it that you want?"
"I understand that, according to what I've heard, fairies can create special Magic Items."
Daskar had used the phrase "what I've heard," but in truth, he knew this because such tales existed in fairy stories.
However, the fact that these were not mere fairy tales but ones crafted from actual events was evident from the fact that several Magic Items created by fairies in the past still existed today.
Naturally, those were extremely rare items, not the sort one could purchase with money.
Even if not those legendary Magic Items, even ones several tiers below them would suffice. Being able to obtain them periodically would become a major specialty product for Gilm.
Even at present, Gilm already had quite a number of specialty products unique to a frontier.
Currently, they were growing spices, plants that could normally only be cultivated in hotter regions, by enlisting the Green People's help. And while they hadn't yet built the manufacturing facilities, they were also considering producing Land Ships.
There were many such potential specialty products, but for Daskar, the more specialty products, the better.
That was why he likely made this assertion, willing to make some concessions in order to obtain Magic Items created by fairies.
And Daskar's words were by no means a bad thing for Rei either, who had a hobby of collecting Magic Items.
Understanding that it was rather a welcome development, Rei waited for Nielson's response.