“Onee-sama, Onee-sama, the magic barrier on the forward fortress has manifested!! We did it!!”
“O-oh…? Seriously? It worked…?”
A massive fortress had been constructed at the forefront of the Demon Forest’s reclamation. A report had just arrived stating that the barrier generation device, relocated from the Holy Capital of Prawa, had finally begun operating.
Eve embraced Asahi, who had rushed over with a beaming face, but frowned at the report’s contents.
“Something moving without us really understanding it is the scariest thing… If something happens, we won’t be able to respond.”
“We’re pretty much leaving it all to the Chimyera Clan! We just need to focus on maintaining the fortress’s functions!”
Well, what’s done is done.
Eve nodded and switched gears, turning to ＜Ringo＞, who was following closely behind her, close enough to feel her breath.
“＜Ringo＞, we’re going to the Command Room. Let’s hear about the situation at that forward fortress.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
◇◇◇◇
“Onee-sama.”
“Welcome, Iris. Would you like to sit next to me?”
Eve greeted the Doll Machine (Communicator) controlled by Iris with a hug as it nodded silently. She put her arm around its shoulder and walked to the sofa.
“The magic barrier is operational?”
“Yes.”
Sitting side-by-side on the sofa, Eve squeezed Iris’s hand tightly.
Iris’s stress levels were slightly elevated because an unknown barrier device had started operating in her domain.
Because of ＜Ringo＞’s example, the Sentient Entities of ＜The Tree＞, led by Eve, were very considerate of Iris.
“Can you tell me about the situation?”
“Understood.”
Prompted by Eve, Iris began to play a video showing the magic barrier functioning.
“During today’s routine check, we confirmed the manifestation of the magic barrier. We tested it several times and confirmed that it could defend against normal cannon fire. Also, as we experimented in the Holy Capital, it only reacted to attacks that caused damage, and objects that did not cause damage passed through it. Therefore, we estimate that it is currently exhibiting the expected level of defense.”
“I see. Thank you, Iris. This makes the fortress’s defenses very strong.”
“Mm.”
Looking pleased as Eve stroked her head, Iris wagged her tail vigorously.
Her stress levels were still high, but stable.
“Well then, we need to think about a name for the fortress… You said you were thinking about something?”
“That’s right. I’m thinking.”
As the forward fortress was about to begin full-scale operations, they decided that it would be better to have a name for it. That’s when Iris offered to decide the name herself.
It was a surprisingly proactive suggestion, so Eve happily agreed.
“Prawa Theocracy Defense Fortress, I want to name it ＜Gladiolus＞. Gladiolus is a plant in the Iris family. Like me.”
Iris said confidently.
Indeed, Iris is another name for Ayame, and it would be fitting to name it after Ayame.
That was also the expectation when the initial Five Sisters were named after flowers, so this means that the policy is working correctly.
The members of ＜The Tree＞, including Eve, didn’t have much life experience and weren’t good at naming things.
“Oh, that’s a good name. ＜Ringo＞, register the fortress as ＜Gladiolus＞.”
“Yes, Ma’am. From now on, the fortress in question will be referred to as ＜Gladiolus＞.”
With Eve’s command, the map information was updated. The Prawa Theocracy’s forward fortress was now labeled as ＜Gladiolus＞.
“The defensive power of Gladiolus is unknown. We plan to conduct a durability test tomorrow. We are currently preparing a parapet for confirmation.”
Iris was planning to fire cannons at the fortress from the outside, and, as she did in the Holy Capital, confirm how much kinetic energy would be required to nullify the barrier.
Based on that, they would consider various defense scenarios.
“Also, several hours before the barrier was activated, the readings at the Maso monitoring post increased significantly. Therefore, we assume that the barrier activation timing is related to that.”
In fact, it had been observed for some time, but the Maso Density had begun to rise immediately after the Magic Stones for the magic barrier were installed.
When they consulted with the Chimyera Clan about this, they replied that it might have become a Maso pool, a Hotspot.
“Hotspot, huh…? If I remember correctly, that’s a place with a high concentration of Maso. It’s like a point where Maso is generated.”
“That’s right. The Chimyera Clan described it as Maso seeping out of the ground.”
As far as Iris had heard from the Chimyera Clan, at least in the Prawa Theocracy, a Hotspot was recognized as a place where Maso gushed out from underground.
And Hotspots are places where the human species feels comfortable, and if left unattended, amorphous Monsters like Slimes will appear, and eventually they will be covered in rapidly growing False Green Trees (Trent).
“And, it seems that the current fortress is a very large Hotspot. Since the Chimyera Clan is living there, it seems that Monsters won’t spring up.”
“That’s… a strange phenomenon.”
If people live there, Slimes won’t spring up.
False Green Trees (Trent) may occur in some cases, but that is rare.
“The reason is not well understood. It may be necessary to conduct comparative experiments at Hotspots someday.”
“Oh, Iris is doing a good job of investigating. Let’s start investigating the Hotspots after we finish investigating the Wyverns! From what I hear, we can come up with various hypotheses!”
Asahi replied cheerfully to that story. Asahi seemed to be working on various projects as well, and she wasn’t able to keep up with everything.
Well, that might be because Iris wasn’t actively sharing information.
Both of them had a backlog of tasks. They wouldn’t bother to disclose non-urgent information unless specifically requested.
“Iris and Asahi, don’t push yourselves too hard. But Iris, it’s great that you’re doing your research properly.”
“…………”
Iris, being praised while being petted by Eve, wagged her tail silently.
“Hmm… Magic Stones… In this case, Magic Stones that are in a state of activating a magic barrier, that is, in an operating state, may be attracting Maso.”
Asahi muttered while looking at the changes in Maso Density.
“Also, Iris. The Maso Density in the surrounding area is…”
“…That’s right. Fluctuations are occurring in the Maso Density in the surrounding area. Perhaps in response to this, the activity of Monsters also seems to be somewhat hectic. States such as increased travel distances and increased frequency of Territory patrols are being observed.”
“Hoh… Maso Density, it really does affect Monster activity.”
Analyzing the sensor information being used by Fortress Gladiolus, it seemed that the Maso Density in the surrounding area was fluctuating, probably due to the rapid increase in Maso Density.
And, in response to that, changes seemed to be occurring in the ecosystem, including Monsters.
“Changes in Maso Density are affecting both animals and Monsters. According to the behavioral analysis results, aggressiveness or Territory maintenance behavior is becoming stronger. It will be necessary to strengthen the surrounding defense posture for a while.”
“Hmph. Well, that makes sense. Maso is like the energy that Monsters need to live, right? In our sense, it’s like a delicious smell suddenly wafting over, right?”
“The Forest Boar’s Maso detection cells exist as olfactory cells. That analogy is probably correct.”
A powerful fortress had begun operating inside the Demon Forest.
No one yet knew what kind of impact this would have on the surrounding area in the future.
A powerful forward base has begun operations.
Gladiolus, it’s a cool name, so I’m glad I could use it for the fortress. Yes.
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