In general, teleportation magic functions by creating a gateway that links two points in space. The mana consumption fluctuates based on the size of the gate, the volume of traffic passing through it, and the total distance. Furthermore, a gate can only be established in a location that is either within sight or somewhere the caster has visited before. That was the reality of Beezel’s teleportation magic.
Consequently, transporting a Meleo—which measured about five meters in length—via teleportation was a monumental task.
In the past, Beezel had used his magic to bring over about a hundred members of the Centaur race from Village Three, led by their representative, Gluewald. Given that precedent, I had assumed that moving a single Meleo wouldn't be particularly difficult. Beezel's wife, Silkyne, had mentioned that even his teleportation magic would struggle with this, but I’d initially assumed she was just being protective of him.
It appeared that I had been ignorant of the actual circumstances.
First, regarding the transport of Gluewald and the hundred others: apparently, they weren't moved all at once. Furthermore, they didn't teleport directly from their original home to the Village of the Great Tree. They established several relay points and moved in stages, teleporting multiple times to bridge the gap. When Beezel ran low on magic power, he’d replenished his reserves by having his subordinates transfer their own mana to him.
While transferring mana is a convenient trick, it's a relatively sophisticated magic technology, and capable users are rare. Moreover, the process exhausts both the giver and the receiver, and there are strict limits to how much mana can be transferred at once. It's difficult to find enough compatible casters, and even with a full team, it’s not a magic bullet.
In truth, moving Gluewald’s group had taken three days, and two of the subordinates capable of transferring mana had collapsed from the strain. Now that I thought about it, Beezel had been quite unsteady on his feet when he finally brought them here.
And then there was our current situation.
If we were to transport the Meleo, we would first need a massive box to house it. I’d been careless to overlook that. When transporting monsters, you need a crate or a cage. A container capable of holding a five-meter-long Meleo would be gargantuan.
Next, we would need the manpower to move that massive crate. The box wasn't going to walk through the gate on its own. Even if we put wheels on the thing, someone would have to push it. At the very least, that would require about ten people—perhaps fewer if we used larger races like the Minotaurs.
Then there was the matter of security. We had to consider the possibility of the Meleo going on a stampede, but more importantly, we had to worry about it being targeted by predators or thieves. Since we wanted to avoid any mishaps, an escort was mandatory. On top of that, we had to account for the creature's food and water.
In short, we weren't just teleporting one Meleo; we were moving a small army and a mountain of supplies.
Then there was the issue of distance. The Meleo breeding ground in Beezel’s territory was incredibly far away. It was on an entirely different continent. Even when Beezel traveled alone, he had to stop at two relay points. Since a single jump couldn't cover much distance while hauling a Meleo, we would have to establish numerous new relay points, and Beezel would need to secure each one in advance.
The final estimate for the transport time was fifteen days.
I see; no wonder Silkyne called it difficult. It meant tying up one of the Four Heavenly Kings for over two weeks. While it would take more than twice as long, I found myself wondering again if it wouldn't be simpler to just use the Universal Ship.
However, the transport hadn't even begun yet. A problem had arisen before we could even start the clocks.
Three days ago, the female Meleos at the breeding ground in Beezel’s territory had worked together to build a massive nest. They had captured the male Meleo from Village Four and were now staged in a full-blown barricade. The local caretakers had attempted to negotiate with the females, but so far, they had made zero progress. Since the females’ sole demand was that they would never let the male leave, the staff had no room to negotiate.
The females had resorted to this because they hadn't been told that the male was scheduled to return to Village Four. The staff had assumed that while the females might be a bit clingy during the breeding season, their interest in the male would fade once it ended. They figured that once the females had bred, their focus would shift entirely to finding a place to lay their eggs.
Contrary to their expectations, the females had become obsessed with him. Utterly obsessed.
Faced with this report, Beezel had only one thing to say.
"What should we do?"
I was at a loss for an answer.
"My apologies. On our end, Silkyne is determined to return the male to Village Four no matter what. That was the agreement, after all."
I didn't doubt her word.
"Thank you. However, recovering him by force would be difficult..."
Not only were the females guarding him, but there was a high probability that they were already carrying eggs.
"I suspect the most realistic approach is to wait for them to lay their eggs and then look for an opening, but..."
"How is the male doing?"
"The females have hidden him away, so his status is unknown."
That was the worrying part. He might be terrified or suffering from the stress of the situation. I wanted a quick rescue, but force was off the table for the reasons Beezel mentioned.
"Indeed. Aside from that, I have a proposal that might cause you some trouble: what if the Devil girl from Village Four, his owner, came to the site and called out to him?"
The hope was that the male would try to escape on his own initiative, or perhaps persuade the females himself.
"I was hoping that if he clearly shows a desire to go home, the unity among the females might crumble."
"I see."
"Including the escorts, we could be back within the same day."
He was clearly planning to push his teleportation magic to the limit. I wondered how we should handle this.
"How many escorts can we bring?"
"I would appreciate it if you could limit it to about three people."
Three, huh?
"The entire journey will be through my territory or the lands of my associates. You can travel with peace of mind."
"Hmm. If the girl from Village Four agrees to go, then I’ll go as well."
"Eh?"
"The escorts will be me, Galf, and Daga."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"
"What’s wrong, Beezel?" I asked. He was in quite a panic.
"Is the Village Head actually going?"
"Is that a problem?"
"N-N-N-No, of course not! H-H-H-However, perhaps you should consult with your wives first? Yes, why not discuss it with the Village Head’s wives before making any final decisions?"
"Of course I’ll tell them."
"Not just tell them, but consult them."
"Consult them, you say?"
"Yes. In the mean time, I will begin the necessary preparations."
I wanted to hurry, but Beezel was adamant.
"No, no, no, no. If the Village Head is going to travel, a massive amount of preparation is required."
"Weren't the preparations already done?"
"They were, but if you are coming, they are woefully insufficient. I have to coordinate security across multiple regions and prepare suitable accommodations at the breeding ground."
"No, you really don't have to go to so much trouble. I’m just an escort, after all."
"If you don't actually hate me, please, just give me some time."
Faced with Beezel’s sheer intensity, I backed down. I really wished he wouldn't make such a fuss over it. For now, as he suggested, I decided to consult with Lu and the others.
Three days had passed since I first heard about the nesting barricade from Beezel.
As it turned out, I really did need to consult them. There were no objections to my departure, but I was told in no uncertain terms that an all-male team was unacceptable. Apparently, if it was just men, it would be difficult to resist various "temptations" along the way.
Furthermore, they were cautious about sending the girl from Village Four to the breeding ground alone. Depending on how the male Meleo reacted, there was a chance she might be attacked by the jealous females.
As a result of our discussions, the Village Four Male Meleo Rescue Squad was reorganized into the Advance Reconnaissance Team.
The members were me, Galf, Daga, and Hakuren.
Yes, Hakuren. The consensus was that if the number of companions was limited, we should bring our heaviest hitter. Since Raimeiren would be looking after Hakuren’s younger children, Hikaru and Himiko, along with Hiichiro, there was no issue with her leaving the village.
Hakuren had changed into an outfit that looked practical for travel, topped with a breastplate. On its own, it might have made her look like a martial artist, but she was also equipped with massive gauntlets—or rather, small shields—on both hands. Each shield had a long one-handed sword sheathed within it. It looked as if the shield and scabbard had been fused into a single unit.
"This is Lady Hakuren’s 'Armored' gear," Ya explained.
I appreciated the technical breakdown, but those bulky shield-scabbards looked like they’d just get in the way. More importantly, could she even draw the swords? They looked far too long to be pulled out normally.
"Those swords aren't meant to be drawn. Through Lady Hakuren’s manual controls..."
As Ya spoke, the scabbards rotated around the shields, and the sword tips clicked into place, protruding forward.
"They are swords designed to be used by swinging the entire arm. Only someone with Lady Hakuren's monstrous strength could hope to master them."
So, it was equipment that would be useless to an ordinary person.
"How does she retract them?"
"Also through manual controls."
As if the video were being played in reverse, the blades slid back into the scabbards, and the units rotated back to their original position.
"Impressive."
"Since they serve as both weapons and armor, the mechanism is incredibly durable. They’d likely break if a dragon stepped on them, of course, but they won’t buckle under ordinary attacks."
"Hmm. So, in practice?"
"In practice?"
"Is this actually useful gear? If you wanted Hakuren to be armed, wouldn't it have been simpler to just give her a standard sword?"
"There is tactical value in intimidating others with appearances. Under normal circumstances, Lady Hakuren looks like an ordinary woman."
I see; so it was gear designed to make people realize at a glance that she was dangerous to approach.
"Also, to be blunt, they serve as weights for Lady Hakuren."
"...To keep her from overdoing it?"
"Yes. Lord Dos and Lady Raimeiren were quite concerned that she might lose her temper..."
I see. Even though she was coming along as our primary combat force, it felt a bit counter-productive to weigh her down. If the goal was intimidation and extra weight, couldn't we have just given her more armor instead of just the gauntlets?
"Lady Hakuren refused the 'Full Armor' set," Ya admitted.
"So there was a plan for it?"
"We actually built it. The children didn't think it looked half bad, but Lady Hakuren said she hated it because it made her feel like she was being tied up."
I see. I’ll have to ask to see it sometime.
In any case, today was the day the Advance Reconnaissance Team was set to depart. Beezel was also ready, though he looked like he’d aged five years in the last three days. Was he alright?
"T-Thank you for your concern. I am perfectly fine."
"If you say so. Then, let's head out."
We planned to be back by nightfall, but the earlier we left, the better.
"Y-Yes, quite. Then, let us depart... umm?"
Beezel’s gaze suddenly locked onto me. It wasn't just me; Daga and Galf were also wearing wide sashes over our shoulders. They were the kind of sashes political candidates wore in my old world. Personally, I had hoped they would write something like "Advance Reconnaissance Team" on them, but the text said something else entirely:
"I am a Married Man."
In other words, these were the "temptation countermeasures." I did my best to ignore the embarrassment.
"I-I see. Well then, let's get going."