"Umm, well... are you alright?"
Rei asked the Chief, who had collapsed on the ground, in a somewhat timid manner.
In addition, there were actually several fairies present who, while not to the same extent as the Chief, possessed some means of detecting magical power. These fairies too had been abruptly exposed to Rei's magical power, and some had ended up in the same condition as the Chief.
Among them, the one who had it particularly bad was a fairy who could sense the magnitude of another's magical power through taste, perceiving it from the air that touched them.
To such an individual, Rei's magical power must have been a completely unexpected taste, as they had foamed at the mouth and fainted.
It was a saving grace that no one had died from sensing Rei's magical power.
However, Rei only checked on the Chief's condition right in front of him and showed no sign of noticing any of the other affected beings.
"Nielson, what should I do?"
Fortunately, Nielson did not possess any ability to detect magical power, so while she was surprised that the Chief had suddenly fainted, she did not suffer the same fate.
"Let's see. For now, could you lay her on a tree branch around there?"
Following those instructions, Rei laid the Chief on a nearby tree branch.
Fairies, including Nielson, were generally only about the size of a palm even with their wings spread.
However, the Chief was roughly three times the size of an ordinary fairy, so it was a somewhat thicker tree branch.
"I just hope she doesn't sleepily fall off. Should I just use a potion? I don't know if it'll wake her from a faint, though."
A potion was ultimately a magic potion for healing wounds.
Given that, using a potion on the unconscious Chief would accomplish nothing.
(Well, if I make her drink it, it might wake her up.)
Fundamentally, a potion was used by pouring it on a wound, but if ingested, it granted a Constant Recovery Effect for a certain period, albeit in small amounts.
However, potions were extremely foul-tasting.
So much so that one might think it would destroy their sense of taste.
If he poured it into the unconscious Chief's mouth, could it serve as smelling salts?
That was what Rei thought, but in a way, it would be tantamount to torture.
At the very least, even if the Chief woke from her faint because of it, she would almost certainly not thank Rei.
If anything, there was a possibility she would resent him for making her drink a potion.
Since Rei wanted to bestow additional effects on the Fog Sound, he wanted to avoid needlessly incurring the Chief's anger.
"Nothing I can do. Let's just wait quietly until the Chief wakes up. I did warn you, though."
"Gruu."
Set purred as if agreeing with Rei's words... and as if to comfort him.
"Look, you could have predicted that would happen from your past experience, couldn't you?"
In contrast to the encouraging Set, Vihera spoke to Rei with an exasperated expression.
The effect of Rei's Ring of the New Moon was essential for him.
Moreover, Gilm currently held many beings who normally would never be able to come there.
If such a being possessed the ability to detect magical power and saw Rei without the Ring of the New Moon, what would happen?
It went without saying—they would follow in the Chief's footsteps.
No, perhaps it was precisely because she was the Chief that she got off with merely fainting. Depending on the circumstances, it wouldn't be strange for someone to die of shock.
"You're right. That was a bit careless of me."
With the prospect of adding new effects to the Fog Sound, it was true that Rei had been somewhat excited.
As a result, he had done something careless. That was a fact.
That said, since the Chief needed to know exactly how much magical power Rei possessed, the truth remained that there was no choice but to test it.
"For now, let's wait for the Chief to wake up. But before that, Nielson. Could you do something about those people over there?"
Several fairies were watching Rei and his group.
Some were peeking out from the trunks of trees that served as their homes, showing only their faces, making it a rather surreal sight.
Even so, the fact that the fairies did not direct hostile glares at Rei was likely because they understood he was the one who had helped them.
Still, being watched by so many fairies was somehow unsettling.
Seeing Rei's discomfort, Nielson gave a look as if to say she had no choice, then floated up into the sky.
"Rest assured. The Chief is just taking a little nap. She'll wake up before long."
Whether things would actually turn out as Nielson said was uncertain.
Uncertain as it was, in the current situation, Nielson's words were something the many fairies could only believe.
And with Nielson's words, the fairies each returned to what they had been doing.
"So, when do you think the Chief will actually wake up?"
"I say that, but... wouldn't you have to ask Rei himself?"
Me?
Rei looked at Nielson.
But even with Rei's gaze directed at her, Nielson nodded as if it were only natural.
In truth, this was Nielson's first time seeing the Chief faint in such a manner.
Given that, if anyone could estimate when the Chief would wake up, it would have to be Rei.
"Even if you say that. I guess we just have to wait patiently..."
"It doesn't look like that'll be necessary."
As if interrupting Rei's words, Vihera spoke.
In the direction Vihera was looking, the Chief who had been unconscious was just getting up.
"I was..."
She probably could not remember why she had fainted.
The Chief looked around at her surroundings... and the moment Rei entered her field of vision, she recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness.
The fact that she still did not direct a fearful look at Rei was likely due to her awareness as the Chief.
"Rei... how can you possess that much magical power and live normally?"
"Well, it's magic I was born with."
This was not a lie.
Rei's body had been created by the Zephyle Clan, but the magical power Rei possessed alone was something he had held since before his death... since his time in Japan.
It was precisely because he possessed such magical power that he had caught Zephyle's eye.
"So, judging by your reaction, is it safe to assume my magical power won't be an issue?"
"Yes, it won't be a problem. However... the additional effects that can be bestowed upon the Fog Sound are not unlimited, even with your magical power."
"I figured as much. I was expecting that. But could you tell me the reason regardless?"
"Simply put, the Fog Sound cannot withstand your magical power. Normally, even with little magical power, it's impossible to bestow multiple additional effects. But in your case, it's the exact opposite of the norm."
"Whether that's a compliment or not is a subtle matter. Well, putting that aside, how many additional effects can specifically be bestowed?"
For Rei, the Fog Sound was a Magic Item that activated through mist spreading over a wide area, so more additional effects were better.
He asked with that in mind, but the Chief opened her mouth with a difficult expression.
"Let's see. It depends on the effects to be newly added. First, what specific effects would you like to bestow upon the Fog Sound, Rei?"
"First, if it can spread mist over a wide area, I'd like it to make the misty area cool. So I can stay cool during summers like the current one."
"That does sound convenient, but it would be difficult."
"Is that so?"
Perhaps not expecting such words to come out so suddenly, Rei was surprised.
He had believed that with his magical power, he could bestow new abilities upon the Fog Sound.
In fact, the Chief's own words up to that point had seemed to agree with that notion.
"Yes. If it were just a matter of bestowing cold air, it wouldn't be that difficult. But lowering that cold air to a level where it feels cool rather than serving as an attack makes maintaining it difficult. By the way, is that all?"
"No, there's also the matter of wanting to expand the range where the mist is generated. And, on the offensive side, I'd like to make the mist acidic rather than just water, or make it a poison mist instead of just regular mist."
"I think the mist range expansion is doable, but acid or poison in the mist would be difficult, I believe."
"I see."
Rei nodded readily.
The reason he showed no sign of dissatisfaction was likely because the acid and poison were more of a "if possible" desire, closer to a shot in the dark.
Given that, even if those were rejected, Rei would feel somewhat disappointed, but not to the extent of harboring dissatisfaction.
"So that means the only things that can be bestowed upon the Fog Sound are expanding the mist's spread range and giving it a cooling effect to make summer comfortable?"
"That's right. But I wonder what kind of Magic Item you're trying to turn the Fog Sound into, Rei."
The Chief displayed an exasperated demeanor.
To the Chief, the Fog Sound was a Magic Item for concealing their home.
To try to use it to make summer comfortable... to use it like an air conditioner was likely a completely unexpected use for the Chief.
"Oh, by the way, it would be a problem if the mist makes it so I can't see my surroundings, so I'd like to make sure that even though it produces mist, it doesn't end up in a situation where I can't tell what's going on around me."
"That shouldn't be a problem. The density of the mist is originally determined by the user, so if you use it in that manner when operating the Fog Sound, you can do so even as it is now. However, exactly how much the mist will decrease will be something we won't know until you actually try it."
To the Chief, the Fog Sound was a Magic Item for generating as much mist as possible to prevent intruders from reaching their home.
And yet, generating as little mist as possible was something she had never tried before.
That said, she could not suggest experimenting with the Fog Sound currently protecting this place.
Now that she knew Rei's magical power, there was a very real possibility that the Fog Sound here could also be destroyed if things went poorly.
To prevent that, it was indeed better to have him test it once the new Fog Sound was completed.
It was a somewhat hands-off approach, but as the Chief of the fairies in this land, it was a natural decision.
"Then, for now, please add the cooling effect to the mist. Acid and poison and such, I'll pass on for now."
If acid or poison could have been bestowed upon the mist, it could have become a considerably powerful attack method for Rei, so it was disappointing.
Originally, Rei specialized in Wide Area Annihilation Magic.
However, that was mostly based on fire, which was Rei's attribute.
Since it was known that Rei excelled at Flame Magic, he thought it would be good to have an attack method that wouldn't make people think it was his doing when something happened... and one that covered a wide area comparable to Wide Area Annihilation Magic.
That said, that was just something he had thought of on a whim, and it wasn't something he desperately needed.
At the very least, in the current situation, having a cooling effect and a mist that wasn't too dense appear in Gilm took priority.
(There was something like heat of vaporization, right? I also have a memory of seeing on TV that sprinkling water cools things down that way.)
Rei had once seen on the news while eating dinner in the summer that if you sprinkled water, it would absorb the surrounding heat as it evaporated, making things cooler.
Or perhaps the reason you caught a cold when you sweated and left it as is was also due to that.
Since such things existed, Rei figured it wouldn't be strange to add a cooling effect to the mist.
"In any case, I'll leave the Magic Item entirely to you, but bestowing a cooling effect will extend the crafting period, won't it?"
"It will."
The Chief nodded readily at Rei's words.
It was unclear exactly when the Fog Sound would be completed, but he thought it would probably be impossible to stay cool while working this summer.
However, even into autumn, the daytime could still be quite hot.
In that sense, there would likely be opportunities to use the Fog Sound before late autumn.
Though exactly how long it would take to complete remained unclear.
Amidst all this, Rei suddenly turned his thoughts to his own magical power.
Maybe.
With such a thought, Rei asked the Chief.
"Is it possible to shorten the time needed to complete the Magic Item by using my magical power? As you saw earlier, I have quite a lot of it."
"Impossible. The Magic Items we create are not solely a matter of magical power. Of course, magical power is necessary, but if the state of magical power alone is excessively prominent, it could end up destroying the Fog Sound before it's even completed."
Told this, Rei felt disappointed.