"Grrrrl."
"Woof woof."
"Waf waf."
That night, inside the Fairy Dwelling, Rei set up his Magic Tent in a spot he had been allowed to use before and prepared for camp.
In the sense that he was sleeping outdoors, it was the same as Bob, who was camping near the Fairy Dwelling. But with the Magic Tent, the Jet-Black Dagger, and the cooking stored inside his Misty Ring, the level of comfort was undoubtedly better than some shoddy inn around the corner—no, better than an ordinary inn.
That said, since it wasn't an inn, Rei had to handle various tasks himself.
Under those circumstances, Rei had finished dinner and was enjoying a leisurely moment.
Ahead of Rei's gaze, Seto was playing with two wolf pups.
Given the difference in size, it would be more accurate to say that Seto was humoring them. However, Seto's mental age wasn't particularly high either, and he played with the wolf pups in earnest.
Or perhaps it was precisely because Seto played seriously that the wolf pups were so delighted.
"Calming, isn't it... Don't you think so?"
Watching Seto and the wolf pups play, Rei murmured suddenly.
Those words were not a monologue—they were clearly directed at someone.
And a reply came from a short distance away.
"Is that so?"
Saying that, the one who appeared was the Chief.
Rei had assumed she was busy with the Fog Sound or dealing with Bob's defilement, so her coming here at this time while he was relaxing was unexpected.
Even so, it was clear from Rei's expression that he didn't mind the Chief's presence.
"Yeah. Having nothing in particular to do, watching Seto play with the wolf pups... just seeing that is enough to put you in a calming mood, without a doubt."
Handing the Chief some fruit water he had taken from his Misty Ring, Rei told her as much.
Now, while the Chief was larger than the other fairies, she was still not as large as a human.
Given that, Rei thought she might be perplexed by the size of the cup he handed her—but with a light wave of her hand, rather than holding the cup herself, the cup floated in midair.
(Come to think of it, she did the same thing when I gave her fruit before.)
Whether this was an ability unique to the Chief or one that all fairies possessed, Rei unfortunately didn't know.
He didn't know, but even so, from what he could see, the Chief appeared to have complete mastery over it.
"It's delicious. The refreshing acidity and faint sweetness are lovely. And it's nicely chilled. It seems like it would be even more delicious drank during the day."
"You think so? ...Well, now that you mention it, maybe so."
Since it was currently an autumn night, while not cold, it was reasonably cool.
Cool enough that having a bonfire burning posed no particular problem.
Under those conditions, rather than drinking cold fruit water, it was undoubtedly better to drink it during the heat of the day.
"So, what brings you here? Even if it's just to check on things, you're welcome as far as I'm concerned."
"Just as Rei-san says, I didn't come for any particular reason. It's certainly just to check on things a little. I also wanted to see if my fairies were causing you any trouble."
"They haven't come today. They're probably still listening to Nielson's stories, I'd guess. Honestly, I can't imagine she has that much to talk about."
The act of searching for and defeating Smog Panthers alongside Rei and Seto.
That was undoubtedly something of great interest to the fairies.
That was exactly why many of them wanted to hear Nielson's stories.
That said, from Rei's perspective, while they had the somewhat unusual ability to turn into fog, in terms of contact with monsters, it wasn't that rare a story.
Even if it was interesting, Rei couldn't help but wonder if it was really necessary to keep wanting to listen to Nielson talk forever.
Though, from what little Rei had seen, Nielson herself seemed to be enjoying telling the stories.
When she got tired of talking, she would come to where Rei was and chat for a bit.
"I see. My children are very curious, after all. As long as they haven't been causing trouble for Rei-san, then that's fine."
"The things fairies do in this Fairy Dwelling are just light pranks, so I think they're rather cute. Compared to the fairies I encountered on the Seremuse Plain before, that is."
"How embarrassing."
Saying that, the Chief wore an apologetic expression.
From Rei's perspective, the fairies he had encountered on the Seremuse Plain were not the Chief and her group, so he didn't think she needed to look apologetic over that incident.
Still, precisely because they were fellow fairies, the possibility that she felt that way couldn't be denied.
It might be similar to the feeling a Japanese person gets when seeing news on TV about a fellow Japanese making a disgraceful scene abroad and getting caught by local police, or seeing a Japanese politician acting in a way that could only be called blatant treachery, and feeling embarrassed as a fellow Japanese.
"I don't think you need to worry about it that much, Chief. ...Well, fine. Since you're here, I'd like to ask—how is the defilement situation? I told Bob it would take two days for now."
"I believe it will indeed take about two days."
The Chief's demeanor changed completely from the apologetic one she had shown just seconds prior, and she spoke with a serious expression.
The matter of the defilement was not someone else's problem for the Chief.
No, in reality it was someone else's problem, but with someone carrying defilement right beside the Fairy Dwelling, she couldn't treat it as such.
That said, since it was a person brought in by Rei and Nielson, it was also true that she couldn't just drive them away unconditionally.
Moreover, given that the presence of someone with defilement could potentially affect not only this Fairy Dwelling but other fairies as well, it was only natural that she would want to do something about it.
In a sense, finding the person with defilement early may not have been such a bad outcome for the Chief.
It was somewhat in the form of talking herself into it, but in truth, that wasn't really wrong.
"Two days, huh. Bob should be fine with that. I don't think the people who attacked him could make it here in two days either. ...By the way, do you know of a Magic Item that can erase presence and appearance enough to fool even Seto until they get right up close? Well, accurately speaking, it might be a Skill or magic instead."
A question that had suddenly occurred to him was posed to the Chief.
From Rei's perspective, the Chief was someone with special expertise when it came to Magic Items.
And not just ordinary Magic Items, but fairy-made Magic Items in particular.
That was exactly why he thought perhaps the Chief might understand the reason why those targeting Bob were able to approach so closely without being noticed by Seto, who had been keeping watch on the surroundings.
That was what he thought when he asked.
Of course, as Rei had voiced, if it was the effect of a Skill or magic rather than a Magic Item, then asking under the assumption it was a Magic Item might have been meaningless.
However, Rei's guess was that it was likely a Magic Item.
There was no particular reason for this, but the idea that such a Magic Item existed was more convincing to him than the idea that someone could use a Skill or magic without Seto noticing.
However, to Rei's question, the Chief thought for a moment and then shook her head.
"Unfortunately, I do not know. However, if I were to try to create such a Magic Item, it would not be something I could produce in a short time. It might be easier than a dissection Magic Item, though."
"A dissection Magic Item is that difficult, huh. Well, I did know it was difficult."
The Chief had said it might take as long as a century.
Rei could understand that it was not something that could be created so easily.
"That is correct. In any case, regardless of which Magic Item it is, there is no doubt that creating it would be difficult."
Seeing the Chief state that so firmly, Rei glanced at Seto, who was playing with the wolf pups—no, who at some point had shifted from playing to walking around with the two pups riding on his back—and accepted it as just the way things were.
As if following Rei's gaze, the Chief also looked toward Seto, and at the heartwarming sight, a smile came to her lips.
For the Chief as well, while Seto was another matter, the wolf pups raised in the Fairy Dwelling must have been adorable beings.
(Seeing things like this, I kind of don't understand why Nielson and the other fairies are afraid of the Chief.)
From Rei's perspective, the Chief didn't seem to have the kind of personality that would make fairies afraid.
Of course, he had heard her say things like using Nielson as Smog Panther bait to lure them in, so in that respect, perhaps the fairies' reaction wasn't unwarranted.
"What is it? You're staring at me. Is something the matter?"
The Chief, who had been drinking fruit water, noticed Rei's demeanor and asked.
Perhaps she felt a little shy drinking fruit water while being watched by Rei.
But Rei shook his head, indicating it was nothing, in response to the Chief's question.
"I was just a little curious about why you're feared by the other fairies."
"Ah, that. That cannot be helped. You know the personality of fairies, don't you?"
"Yeah. I've traveled with Nielson for a short time, and even setting that aside, coming to the Fairy Dwelling makes it naturally easy to understand that sort of thing."
At Rei's words, the Chief smiled with a troubled expression.
She could understand what Rei was trying to say, and in that sense, she could agree.
But at the same time, as the Chief of this Fairy Dwelling, she probably felt reluctant to honestly accept those words.
"In any case, fairies—including myself—have somewhat strong curiosity. To govern such fairies, a certain degree of force is inevitably necessary."
"Force... huh. I can't say I disagree with that."
Considering the personality of fairies, trying to reason with them would be impossible.
Making them obey by making them believe that disobedience would result in terrible consequences would be the best approach.
It was a situation that, if one step went wrong—no, not even a full step but half a step—could be described as a dictatorship. But the fairies, including Nielson, while fearing the Chief, undoubtedly also held affection for her.
That was likely because they understood that, despite everything, the Chief cared deeply for the fairies.
From the outside, it might not seem that way, but for the fairies living in the Fairy Dwelling, their affection for the Chief was certain.
"Being the Chief of a Fairy Dwelling is tough in a lot of ways, huh."
"I'm glad you understand."
Thinking that this was starting to feel like a life counseling session, Rei asked about something that had been bothering him a little.
"There are multiple Fairy Dwellings, not just this one, right? At the very least, there are the fairies I encountered on the Seremuse Plain. Is there no interaction or relationship with other Fairy Dwellings?"
"Unfortunately, there is none. Of course, if we happened to come into contact with another Fairy Dwelling by chance, we would interact since we're not hostile or anything. And if we liked the other Fairy Dwelling at that time, we might even relocate there."
So said the Chief, but Rei also knew that fairies themselves were by no means numerous.
Otherwise, fairies would not be regarded in a sense as legendary creatures or UMA-like existences.
"Do fairies have such a habit?"
"I have reservations about the word 'habit,' but that expression is not far off."
At those words from the Chief, Rei nodded in understanding.
He himself had no understanding of it at all, but those who knew about fairy habits like this were by no means numerous in this world.
In that sense, Rei, who was gaining knowledge about fairies in this way, had unknowingly become one of the foremost authorities on fairy knowledge in Elgin.
If there were such a thing as fairy studies, he might not quite reach the level of a leading authority—but someone close to that standing.
Of course, this Fairy Dwelling had established a connection through contact with Daskar.
In that sense, it wouldn't be strange for someone to emerge in the future who knew even more about fairies than Rei did.