The conversation between Rei, Daskar, and Nielson was still ongoing.
"If we notify the Royal Castle about the defilement, people will undoubtedly be sent from there. And Gilm can't refuse to receive them."
"I suppose not."
The specific danger posed by the defilement was something Rei didn't fully understand himself.
But according to the Chief, in the worst case, it could destroy the continent.
Whether that was true or not, Rei had no way to confirm. After all, if the defilement truly carried that level of danger, the only way to verify it would be to actually destroy the continent—and naturally, that was out of the question.
That was precisely why reporting the defilement to the Royal Castle would inevitably result in investigators being dispatched to look into it.
"However... that means at the very least, we'll have to reveal the existence of the Fairy Dwelling."
"That's... well, I suppose so."
There exists something called defilement that, in the worst case, could destroy the continent. Even for Daskar to make such a claim, the Royal Castle would naturally want to know how he obtained that information.
If he were to say he couldn't discuss the source, they would immediately suspect Daskar himself.
In other words, how they learned about the defilement was something they absolutely had to explain.
And once they did, someone would undoubtedly be sent to establish contact with the Fairy Dwelling.
That person would certainly be a noble, and depending on their personality, there was a very real possibility the connection with the fairies could be severed entirely.
If that noble intended to claim the fairies for themselves—or even if they didn't go that far—there were those who believed contact with the fairies should be handled not by Daskar of the Neutral Faction, but by a noble of the King's Faction.
Various other dangers could be imagined as well, but for Daskar and for Gilm, one thing was certain: the outcome would be unfavorable.
"From listening to the two of you talk, it sounds like this King's Faction isn't a very trustworthy bunch."
Nielson, who had been listening to Rei and Daskar's conversation, said this with a dissatisfied expression.
The current envoy of the Fairy Dwelling was Nielson herself. In other words, if a noble from the King's Faction was dispatched, the probability that she would be the one to meet them was extremely high.
That was precisely why it was only natural for her to want to avoid contact with such an untrustworthy party as much as possible.
"Ah... no. I apologize for the misunderstanding. There are certainly trustworthy individuals among the King's Faction nobles as well."
Seeing Nielson's attitude, Daskar must have realized this was bad. He hastily corrected himself.
If his words caused Nielson—or worse, the fairies as a whole—to conclude that the Pro-Kingdom of Mireana Faction was untrustworthy, it would become a serious problem. His haste was only natural.
In truth, Daskar wasn't wrong. Within the King's Faction, there was Maruka Quento, who was close to Rei.
Strictly speaking, Rei had interacted with Duke Quento's House, Maruka's family, on a few minor occasions, and from what he'd observed during those interactions, they didn't seem like the kind of nobles Daskar was describing.
Of course, the possibility that they were merely putting on an act to leave a good impression on him couldn't be entirely dismissed.
Even so, from Rei's perspective, they seemed to have a friendly and mild-mannered disposition.
That said, they were still nobles. And not just any nobles—Maruka was regarded as one of the influential figures within the King's Faction, the largest faction in the Kingdom of Mireana. Someone in such a position being simply good-natured was unlikely.
"Hmm. Is that so? From what I just heard, I really can't imagine that being the case."
Nielson said this while turning her gaze toward Rei. She was clearly asking what he thought.
"Lord Daskar isn't mistaken. I've also had dealings with... well, I've met nobles from the King's Faction, and they were solid, respectable people. There are some who act high and mighty under the King's Faction name, but you'll find people like that everywhere."
Rei knew from experience that the Noble Faction had its share of such nobles, and he suspected the Neutral Faction likely had a few as well.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, he had yet to encounter that type himself.
However, many people knew that Rei was Daskar's trusted aide. In reality, Rei had no such intention himself, but Daskar was the one who hinted at it.
There was no way Neutral Faction nobles would behave tyrannically in front of someone like Rei. That was precisely why, even if such nobles existed, it would be difficult for Rei to know about them.
Daskar, who led the Neutral Faction, was naturally aware of this. But even so, he couldn't possibly purge every instance of misconduct. Attempting something like that could, depending on the circumstances, deal a fatal blow to the Neutral Faction.
That said, what Daskar overlooked was always kept within moderation. If someone was committing a crime beyond a certain scale, he couldn't turn a blind eye. If such crimes came to light, it could become a major blow to the Neutral Faction.
"Hmm. Well, if Rei says so, I'll believe it."
Nielson stated that she trusted Rei's words over Daskar's, but this was only natural from her perspective. She understood that Daskar's relationship with them was important. But at the same time, it was a fact that she had spent more time alongside Rei. Because of that, she found Rei's words more trustworthy than Daskar's.
Daskar didn't entirely lack feelings about it, but considering that Rei was the first to make contact with the fairies, it was actually a point he could accept.
"Anyway, it's good that you believe there are decent nobles in the King's Faction... but the real problem is whether such a decent noble will actually be the one dispatched."
"Is it really that unlikely?"
For Rei, this matter was far from someone else's problem. The existence of the Fairy Dwelling was one concern, but the Treant Forest also contained the lake and the Birth Tower, both teleported from another world.
Daskar had already been leaking a fair amount of information about those, and it was by no means rare for researchers to come seeking them out.
If the Lizardmen's entire country had been teleported, it would have become a far bigger incident. But fortunately, only a portion of the Lizardmen and the Birth Tower had made the trip.
...Though that portion included members of the Lizardmen's royal family, and since the Birth Tower was where their eggs hatched, its disappearance had undoubtedly caused a major uproar back in the Lizardmen's homeland.
Compared to that, the lake at first glance didn't seem like as significant a problem. However, the existence of monsters that bore no magic stones actually made the lake far more fascinating to researchers than the Lizardmen were.
On top of all that, beneath the center of the Treant Forest lay a hole connecting to another world. Opened by what appeared to be a Rare Species of Wisp, it still remained open.
In reality, Rei had asked Grimm to try stabilizing the hole so it would remain fixed even without the Wisp's power.
In that sense, the Treant Forest had become a dangerous place in multiple ways.
"If possible, I'd like to keep as much of all that under wraps as we can. The lake and the Birth Tower are impossible to hide, so there's nothing we can do about those."
"I suppose so. The lake might be hidden if you keep your distance, but the Birth Tower is visible the moment you step into the Treant Forest."
If it were a horizontally long structure rather than a vertically tall one, they might have been able to conceal it to some extent. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case, so hiding it was simply not an option.
"As a last resort, there's always the option of destroying the Birth Tower..."
"Lord Daskar, if you did that, the Lizardmen most certainly would not stay quiet."
For the Lizardmen, the Birth Tower was where they were born—more precisely, where their eggs hatched. If someone destroyed such a place, it was highly unlikely the Lizardmen would simply accept it.
What's more, the one leading the teleported Lizardmen was Gaga, renowned even among the royal family as a hero.
If Gaga led the other Lizardmen on a rampage, it would without a doubt become a major incident. Ultimately, Gilm's side would prevail due to superior numbers and quality—that much was certain. But even so, taking significant casualties would be unavoidable.
Worse still would be if Daskar expressed dissatisfaction with destroying the Birth Tower and sought assistance from nobles of the Noble Faction or the King's Faction. That could invite a truly worst-case outcome.
"Whatever we do, I think we should settle things with the Lizardmen as quickly as possible."
"I agree. I intend to move on that front immediately."
There were no intelligent creatures at the lake. Well, to be precise, there were creatures with some degree of intelligence, but none capable of proper communication or possessing a meaningful level of intellect.
The Lizardmen, by contrast, existed in fair numbers and were fully capable of communication. If a noble dispatched from the King's Faction were to suddenly go meet the Lizardmen without preparation... it would be far from a pleasant experience.
"Fortunately, the Lizardmen have learned to speak our language, so I don't think negotiating will be an issue."
"I see. That's helpful."
"By the way... if the Lizardmen and the lake are settled, what do you plan to do about the Green People?"
At Rei's question, Daskar pondered for a moment.
The Green People had been teleported from the same world as the Lizardmen, but their numbers were not as large. However, in terms of importance to Gilm, they ranked far above the Lizardmen.
The Green People, with their ability to accelerate plant growth, were fully cooperating in the cultivation of spices that normally couldn't be grown in Gilm, and those spices had already begun flowing into the market.
Though still in small quantities, if they succeeded in scaling up spice production through the Green People's efforts, Gilm's revenue would increase enormously.
Spices, depending on the type, could be exchanged for an equal weight of gold dust—or, depending on circumstances, even become more valuable than gold dust.
Because of that, Daskar was naturally attentive to the Green People's living situation. If a noble from the Royal Castle learned of them, they would undoubtedly demand a meeting.
But to Rei's question about what he would do with the Green People, Daskar shook his head.
"Those coming this time are coming strictly regarding the defilement. The Birth Tower and the lake in the Treant Forest—being in the same location as the Fairy Dwelling—are one thing. But there's no need to let them meet the Green People living in Gilm, and even if they request a meeting, I'll refuse."
Daskar declared this firmly.
For him as well, the Green People were essential to Gilm's development. Given that, he couldn't simply let an envoy from the Royal Castle meet with them.
If they learned of the Green People's existence, it was easy to predict they would try to acquire them by any means necessary. To prevent that from happening, keeping them apart was the best course of action.
"Right. I think that would be best."
Rei fully agreed with Daskar's position.
Part of it was that the Green People were essential to the development of Gilm, a place he considered his second home. But beyond that, if spices flowed into the city, cooks would obtain them and develop new cuisine that showcased those flavors.
If that happened, Gilm could see an increase in delicious dishes unique to the city—and as a devoted lover of good food, Rei felt strongly enough about it that he was willing to fight anyone who stood in the way of that, with everything he had.
And Rei was known as someone who would wield his power without hesitation, even against a noble.
For Daskar to use that reputation to protect the Green People was, in a sense, only natural.
Rei knew that Daskar was doing exactly that, but since he'd never felt particularly dissatisfied about it, he didn't consider it a problem.