"The fairies' pranks were somewhat entertaining."
"Nn."
During dinner, as they each shared the events of their day as usual, what came from Vihera—who had been active in the Treant Forest—was something surprising to Rei.
No, if it had been just Vihera, he might not have found it so strange. But even Byune had agreed with her.
Byune didn't lie at times like this.
In other words, she genuinely thought from the bottom of her heart that the fairies' pranks were amusing.
"What do you mean?"
Rei asked Nielson, who had been working in the Treant Forest alongside Vihera and Byune. But Nielson looked at him as if exasperated rather than answering.
"I told them not to pull any dangerous pranks that could cost lives, right? ...Since Marina told them that, the fairies wouldn't dare go against it."
"Wait, if I had Marina manage the fairies, would that solve the whole fairy issue?"
"Oh, come on, that's obviously not how it works."
Marina immediately shot down Rei's suggestion.
It was true that Marina, as the Shrine Maiden of the World Tree, could take a strong stance against fairies.
However, that was strictly limited to being able to push back; she didn't possess anything like absolute command authority.
If Marina tried something like that... and issued orders clearly disadvantageous to the fairies, they would likely relocate their dwelling from the Treant Forest to somewhere else.
Even as the Shrine Maiden of the World Tree, she couldn't issue absolute commands.
After hearing that explanation, Rei somehow accepted the matter.
In short, she could push hard to a certain extent, but she didn't have absolute command authority.
And yet, when it came to the fairies' pranks, she had managed to stop the ones that threatened lives.
According to what Rei heard from Nielson, pranks were essentially behavior carved into a fairy's instincts.
She had said that even if they tried to stop, they couldn't.
But the fact that she could change the nature of those pranks made it seem to Rei like fairies could be sufficiently commanded.
"I'll ask just in case, but what kind of pranks were they?"
"Let's see. Nuts came flying at us."
"Nn."
For some reason, Byune agreed with a delighted expression.
Despite her usual blank face, she looked so genuinely happy that even Rei could tell—a reaction that surprised him.
"Why is Byune so pleased about this?"
"It's probably because the nuts that came flying at her were tasty. Maybe the fairies put some thought into that when they acted."
"Hmm... I wonder about that. I don't get the impression they're acting with that much consideration."
For Rei, who had been pranked by fairies several times, he could hardly believe they would pull pranks with that much regard for the other party.
But seeing Byune looking so pleased—presumably because she had actually eaten those nuts—what Vihera said might not be entirely false either.
"Maybe they're actually choosing their pranks based on the target?"
Elena's words were easy for Rei to understand.
Above all, they satisfied his pride in a way.
The fact that they were pulling intense pranks on him meant the fairies must have recognized him as a formidable enemy.
That was how Rei interpreted it, but in reality, the presence of Set beside him was a much bigger factor.
(Better not tell him.)
Seeing Rei looking somewhat pleased, Nielson vaguely understood what he was thinking but decided to keep quiet.
The truth could sometimes wound the one who learned it.
"Putting the fairy matter aside, how was the Treant Forest? Were there any powerful monsters?"
"There weren't any. There was a slightly unusual boar-type monster, but that was about it. Well, I suppose you can't judge the place based on a single day."
"Right. The Treant Forest changes drastically from one day to the next, and I'm not joking. Depending on circumstances, a genuine High-Rank Monster might actually show up, so be careful. ...Wait, telling Vihera that is pointless."
In Vihera's case, powerful monsters appearing was exactly what she would hope for.
It wouldn't be strange for her to want them to appear.
Indeed, upon hearing Rei's words, Vihera was no doubt imagining a battle with an unknown monster. She wore a dreamy, enraptured expression.
"Ah, right. Anyway, if Vihera's fine with that, then Byune, you be careful."
"Nn."
Judging that warning Vihera would be a waste of breath, Rei directed his words to Byune instead, since she would be traveling with her.
Byune, who had known Vihera for a long time, nodded at Rei's words without any particular surprise.
Seeing Byune's reaction, Rei apparently decided he could relax on that front. He wrapped up the topic and turned his gaze to Marina.
"So, how about your end, Marina?"
"Let's see. The increasing number of people losing focus from the heat and getting injured is a problem. Also, more people are coming to the clinic even for minor injuries."
"Could they be coming specifically for Marina?"
The others nodded in agreement with Elena's observation.
Even Byune and Nielson nodded at her words.
After all, Marina was, to anyone who looked at her... even to Elena and the others, a peerless beauty—one where the word "peerless" naturally preceded any description.
For a beauty like that to be working at the clinic in a revealing Party Dress, it wouldn't be strange for people to want to see her... and, if possible, get close to her.
"That's not it. ...Well, no, it's true that there are people like that, but in this case, the problem is people coming to cool off."
"Ah, that."
Vihera understood Marina's words.
After all, Marina's house was extremely comfortable even in midsummer.
And at the clinic, there were injured patients, and people who had lost consciousness from heatstroke were also being brought in.
So that such people could rest comfortably, Marina used Spirit Magic to regulate the clinic's environment just as she did in this house.
In a manner of speaking, the clinic was an air-conditioned building in the middle of summer.
Anyone who knew that comfort wouldn't think it strange to want to stay at the clinic.
...Though staying at the clinic naturally meant they weren't working.
"So? What do you do with those people?"
"I kick them out, obviously. The clinic is fairly spacious, but it's still a clinic. It's not as large as a mansion in the Noble District. There's a hard limit to how many people it can hold."
At Marina's words, Rei pictured people without air conditioning at home flocking to the clinic... or more accurately, to a hospital.
Moreover, the clinic was, as Marina put it, fairly spacious, but it still wasn't as large as a noble's mansion.
If large numbers of people came seeking relief from the heat in such a place, they would be nothing but an obstacle to those who were genuinely injured or unwell.
"It'd be nice if there were other Spirit Magic users on Marina's level. Then we could create a few more cool spots like that."
"Impossible."
Vihera instantly cut down Rei's proposal.
No, it wasn't just Vihera. Everyone who knew that Marina was a Spirit Magic user beyond what even the word "skilled" could convey agreed with her assessment.
"If Marina, as the Shrine Maiden of the World Tree, can use that much Spirit Magic, couldn't the fairies do something about it too?"
"Oh please. If we could do something like that, we'd make our own dwelling comfortable first."
That was what came out of Nielson's mouth.
Hearing that, Rei recalled that Nielson had been staying inside his Dragon Robe when walking through the town or the forest.
Given that, Rei could understand that Nielson probably couldn't use Spirit Magic.
"Come to think of it, that's right. ...Ah, but couldn't you manage something with a Magic Item? If so, it wouldn't be strange for them to be able to make things cool, right?"
Rei knew that Magic Items crafted by fairies were extremely high-performance.
If that was the case, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a Magic Item that cooled things down when it was hot and warmed things up when it was cold.
No, rather, in terms of allowing the fairies to live comfortably, such a Magic Item should absolutely exist.
(The Fog Sound might actually be surprisingly cool, considering it generates fog over the surrounding area.)
Then again, a situation where fog was drifting around in the midsummer heat felt like it would just become humid and muggy.
Thinking that, Rei reconsidered—since the fog wasn't ordinary... wasn't a natural phenomenon, it was probably cool fog. Or more accurately, he was trying to convince himself it was.
Rei recalled a program he had seen on TV back in Japan.
It said that fog was likely to form near lakes.
Since such fog formed primarily in the early morning, the fog that appeared at that hour was indeed cool.
(Right. I could ask the Chief to add a function in that direction to the Fog Sound.)
The Fog Sound was undoubtedly a very convenient Magic Item when a group was making camp, but what if it could also be used to obtain relief from the heat?
Of course, if used in spring or autumn, the early morning chill could go beyond "cool" to downright "freezing," so he would need to have them build in an on-off switch for that aspect.
"Hey, Nielson. About the Fog Sound—can it be modified to cool things down using the fog? Like being able to freely switch between just producing fog and using the fog to cool down?"
"Eh? ...Hmm, I wonder. But even as it is, the Fog Sound still isn't complete yet, you know? If we add even more functions to it, it might take even longer to finish."
Taking even more time than it already would was not an appealing prospect for Rei.
It wasn't appealing, but even so, considering the current situation, being able to produce a cooling effect over a wide area would be significant.
Of course, even then, he didn't think they could do something like shrouding all of Gilm in fog.
It would likely only cover a part of Gilm, but in that case, just covering the Expansion Construction site would be enough.
(Ah, but then the fog would make it hard to see the surroundings, which could put the construction workers in danger. Plus, if the Fog Sound's original effect kicks in as-is, they'd probably get lost when going to fetch materials.)
The original effect of the Fog Sound was to keep intruders away from the Fairy Dwelling.
If the Fog Sound were used for cooling purposes in Gilm, it was easy to imagine the entire city descending into chaos.
"Ah... I want to talk to the Chief about various things regarding the Fog Sound, so would it be alright if I go with you to the Treant Forest tomorrow? That way, I could properly consult with the Chief about what kind of functions I want added."
"I don't mind. Actually, if Rei comes along, that's more than welcome."
The reason Nielson said that was surely because traveling with Rei meant she could stay cool inside his Dragon Robe.
When operating separately from Rei, she would need to hide inside Byune's clothes, but unlike Rei's Dragon Robe with its Simplified air conditioner function, Byune's clothes were ordinary.
Naturally, she would feel the heat.
To avoid that, staying inside Rei's Dragon Robe was the best option.
...There was also, just a little—truly just a little—the thought that if she stayed inside Byune's clothes, she would stain them with fairy sweat.
Though, if the Alchemists ever found out about that, they would probably try to obtain fairy sweat at any cost, desperate to know what effects it might have.
"In a way, that's a crime."
Rei, imagining that scene, muttered without even realizing it.
Naturally, those who heard him wondered what was a crime and asked.
"Rei, what's a crime?"
At Marina's words, Rei finally realized he had been muttering out loud.
"Eh? Ah, I said that out loud? I was just thinking that if the Alchemists found out about cloth soaked in Nielson's sweat, they'd probably pay any amount of money to get their hands on it."
"That's..."
At Rei's words, Marina... no, the women who had been listening—all of them, even the usually expressionless Byune—formed expressions of disgust.