Chapter 237 – Peaceful Standoff

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“Look at how big that tree is. Even if you were to set fire to it, it would take several days to burn down. Wouldn’t this place have already been encroached upon by then?” (Torimoto)
“That… But then what do you suggest we do? It’s not possible to make something that big go away instantly…” (Kagaya)
If it were a normal tree, there might be a way to get rid of it quickly using fire. But this was an S-Rank monster. I wasn’t even sure if regular fire would work. In the first place, this S-Rank monster wouldn’t sit quietly if it was being burned either.

If the giant tree went on a rampage, it wouldn’t be a simple matter of erosion anymore. The city would be driven to the brink of complete destruction.

In the end, the wise choice was to not let an S-Rank monster run rampant.

“I agree with Kagaya-san that that big tree is probably the cause of the encroachment.” (Torimoto)

“Ooh! As expected of Torimoto-sama! Did you hear that, Aoyama? He agrees with me!” (Kagaya)
Kagaya was proudly puffing up her chest as though she had won, while Aoyama leveled a cold gaze at me as if saying that I shouldn’t have said that.

“Then Torimoto-san, do you think that we should take immediate action?” (Sayuri)
“No, I do not think you should, Sayuri-san.” (Torimoto)
Kagaya let out an exclamation of surprise at my words.

“W-What do you mean?! You said the cause was that giant tree!” (Kagaya)
“I think there is that possibility. But that is no ordinary forest, and that tree is definitely not ordinary either. I’m… thinking that it might be a monster.” (Torimoto)
“A tree monster…” (Kagaya)
“And this monster has the ability to put down roots in the earth and cause new trees to appear around it. What do you think? …Do you think it seems like something of that sort?” (Torimoto)
Of course, it was a made-up explanation, but… let’s see if they believe me.

“Is that true?” (Kagaya)
“Of course, it’s on a different scale than what I’m saying. All of the trees over there are over 5 meters in height. But considering the fact that there are monsters in there and similar phenomena are occurring all around, it’s best not to act carelessly.” (Torimoto)
“But Torimoto-sama! If we don’t do something, the place where we live is going to be eaten up by the jungle!” (Kagaya)
“Kagaya-san is right. That’s why we need to be very careful about this. If you go on a suicide mission without thinking, you could end up being wiped by monsters. Am I wrong?” (Torimoto)
“That… no, you’re right.” (Kagaya)
With that, she seemed to have cooled down slightly. It would have been terrible if she just charged in and got into a fight with Belzedor. Even if they were going to fight, I hoped they would at least be well prepared.

“The Apostles of Peace and the Inochi-shirazu are most likely looking to join forces to investigate the jungle. Sayuri-san, you may not like this, but I would like for you to work with them to protect this city… your own place of belonging.” (Torimoto)
“…Alright. We were originally going to work with them to take out the Hosen Group anyway. That’s fine.” (Sayuri)
But then again, thinking about it this way, the existence of a common enemy at least made it easier to avoid clashes between the communities. It was ironic, but the current situation was the most peaceful.

But now, I knew that there wasn’t much time left. This standoff with Belzedor would only continue for another few days at most. If the encroachment were to close in on them, they would take action even if they hadn’t done enough investigating of the jungle.

Otaka and the others would probably fight to protect this city too.

For me, it would be a foolish act. It would be ridiculous for me to risk my life against an opponent I couldn’t defeat. Even if I couldn’t win now, there was always the option of retreating and building up my strength.

Even if the city was saved, it would be pointless if our lives were lost because of it. If the situation really became bad and the encroachment spread to Joysprout Island, I would even consider abandoning the island.

In my case, I could store the island in the <Box>, so I still wouldn’t be too hurt about it.

At any rate, the key was whether or not I could find Oremia in the next few days.

With the plans settled for now, we decided to dismiss, but Sayuri asked me to stay behind because she said she had a few things to discuss with me.

“Thank you, Torimoto-san.” (Sayuri)

“It’s not easy being at the top, is it?” (Torimoto)
“It’s good to have a variety of opinions because that means that there are that many options available to us. But it’s difficult to come up with an answer that everyone can agree with.” (Sayuri)
“That’s why you brought me in, is it? …As a measure against Kagaya-san.” (Torimoto)
“…! …You noticed?” (Sayuri)
“Lately, I’ve been feeling that her attitude towards me has been out of place. I was thinking that perhaps that was because… she is part of the reformist faction?” (Torimoto)
“…! You were aware of this matter too, huh?” (Sayuri)
“Well, I’ve been living at the same place here for a while now.” (Torimoto)
In truth, it was Aoyama who had told me about it.

“I suppose it was about the time when I started referring to you as God’s Messenger. Aoyama-san reported to me that Kagaya-san had often been gathering the followers for talks. When I looked into it…” (Sayuri)
“She was talking about pushing me to the top of the religious order, right?” (Torimoto)
“…Yes.” (Sayuri)
It was unexpected. As an executive, I thought that she would be someone who admired Sayuri and held her in high faith. Despite that, it was surprising that she was now supporting an outsider, and a man at that.