Summer, autumn, and Hiraku Ichirou

1　Death Balls

Balls about a meter across rolled through the forest. There were about... a hundred of them?

They nimbly avoided the trees, but slammed into monsters and magical beasts without hesitation. Or rather, they seemed to be aiming for them.

Then one revealed its true form.

At first I thought the ball had split open, but it sprouted arms and legs and began eating the monsters and magical beasts it had knocked down.

Watching this, my impression was "a vicious armadillo."

Apparently, these monsters were called "Death Balls." They were heading toward Big Tree Village.

"At this speed, they'll reach Big Tree Village in about three days."

Gran Maria held me as I observed them from above.

Their main victims were the rabbits with fangs. The giant boars could withstand the impacts... but fled rather than face them.

"I'm impressed you found them."

We were southeast of the village, far beyond the area Gran Maria and the others patrolled.

"After the festival, the Lamia warned us that there were signs of a mass outbreak of Death Balls and told us to be careful."

So Gran Maria and the others had left patrols around the village to the Harpies and gone scouting farther afield.

"When I saw monsters fleeing, I thought they might be behind them, and that was how I found them."

I see.

"How do the Lamia deal with Death Balls?"

"Apparently, they block the dungeon entrance."

True, perhaps they could simply wait for them to pass that way...

"Apparently, very little of a Death Ball is edible, so they don't take the risk."

Not worth the trouble, then.

But that wouldn't work for Big Tree Village. If they reached the village like this, the fields would be wiped out.

Unforgivable.

I asked Gran Maria to set me down ahead of the front of the Death Ball procession.

Then I raised the Almighty Farming Tool.

Sorry, but you're pests.

Whether they were in ball form or beast form made no difference. I turned them all into fertilizer with the Almighty Farming Tool.

In the end, not all the Death Balls charged at me. A few changed direction and fled.

Well, there weren't many, so letting them go should be fine.

As long as they stayed away from the village.

"Just what I'd expect from you, Chief. Even my lance couldn't pierce them..."

"Their hides do look tough, after all."

The fanged rabbits' attacks had been completely useless.

But the problem was solved. They had been troublesome opponents. Just as I thought that, Kuudel rushed over in a panic.

"Death Balls spotted! About two thousand! A five-minute walk from here! They're heading this way!"

Two thousand? Not two hundred?

"About two thousand. You make a square with your hands like this, count how many are inside it, then estimate the total by counting how many squares there are."

"Chief, that's a method for counting enemy soldiers on the battlefield. I believe the number is accurate."

Gran Maria interrupted Kuudel's explanation to confirm it.

I see. No, I wasn't doubting them, but...

Two thousand was beyond me.

Having just dealt with a hundred, I understood that they weren't stupid. They avoided enemies they knew were too strong.

After I took down ten, they stopped coming toward me, so I had to chase them myself. It was quite hard work.

I had even needed Gran Maria to carry me ahead of the Death Ball procession several times.

Besides, dealing with just a hundred had taken half a day.

Even if I fought day and night... I wasn't sure I could take out half of them.

Of course, it would be ideal if they changed direction after I took out half...

Had I handled this wrong...?

I should have fortified the village's defenses instead of coming out to kill them.

No, rather than dwelling on regrets, I should have the villagers evacuate... Hmm, the sun was about to set.

Just then, a huge swarm of Death Balls appeared, as though to make me even more anxious.

They're here already?!

"Gran Maria, Kuudel! Go back to the village and order an evacuation! Take everything you can carry..."

Black shapes darted out of the forest, as though to drown out my orders.

From the direction of the village?

They were Zabuton's children. There were dozens-no, hundreds? But they weren't moving chaotically.

In groups of four, they hooked threads onto the trees and flew along.

One raised a leg to greet me, then charged straight into the swarm of Death Balls.

After that, all I had to do was watch.

Zabuton's children wove nets from their threads on the spot, caught the Death Balls, and hoisted them up.

So, if killing them wasn't a concern, getting past the Death Ball's sturdy defenses was no problem.

The sun set, then rose again.

Countless Death Balls hung from the trees before me. There were probably two thousand in all. Some remained motionless in ball form, while others thrashed around in beast form. It was a strange sight.

As I wondered what to do with them, the fanged rabbits and giant boars began eating the Death Balls. Even rarely seen monsters and magical beasts emerged to join in.

I see. They could deal with them if they weren't rolling?

Though none of them tried to approach Zabuton's children, who had caught the Death Balls...

"Aren't you going to eat any?"

I asked one of Zabuton's children nearby, and it answered with gestures that it preferred potatoes.

All right, we'd have a potato party when we got back.

"Gran Maria, Kuudel. How did it look?"

Since Zabuton's children had arrived, the evacuation order had been canceled.

I had just sent the two of them to check for any more Death Balls.

"It seems to be all clear."

"We did find some that escaped, but they were all moving away from the village."

She had tried poking them with her lance just in case, but it had been a wasted effort-she raised her lance sadly.

At any rate, that settled things.

I asked Zabuton's children to bring a few Death Balls back.

For one thing, I wanted to find a use for their tough hides, and for another, I seemed to remember that armadillos were edible.

After the idol farming show I used to watch, the next program had a segment introducing unusual foods from around the world, and they had eaten armadillo on it.

Still, although these things looked like armadillos, they weren't actually armadillos, so there was no guarantee they would taste good...

But judging by the monsters and magical beasts swarming the hanging Death Balls, they probably didn't taste bad.

Even with so many crowding onto them, though, the nets Zabuton's children had woven hadn't broken.

I returned to the village and explained the situation.

The villagers didn't seem particularly worried, but I wished they would have a little more sense of danger.

Just as I thought that, one of Kuro's descendants bit into a Death Ball we had brought back, piercing its tough hide.

Then proudly showed it off to me.

I see.

Next, Rasuti tore off a Death Ball's hide with her bare hands.

Apparently, I had worried too much.

So the hides I had thought might be useful as materials became trash.

At any rate, we held a potato party for Zabuton's children that day.

Raw, steamed, roasted, and fried. We prepared all sorts of dishes.

The potato salad was quietly popular. Having only potatoes felt a little dreary to me, so I added sweet potatoes too.

Candied sweet potatoes. Leaving out the black sesame seeds was my style.

Though the main purpose was to thank Zabuton's children for helping, we weren't going to stop anyone else from eating.

The crowd gradually grew, and eventually it became something like a banquet.

All right, all right, let's grill some meat. Kuro and the others want meat too.

While we're at it, let's try grilling some Death Ball meat.

Ah, Ursa.

That may be trash, but if you keep slicing it up with your sword, cleaning up afterward will be a pain... Besides, didn't Hakuren just scold you for swinging your sword around? That sword is extremely sharp. Be good and put it away where we told you.

It's good that you answer so enthusiastically, but could you do something about forgetting after a night's sleep? Sigh.

I had thought making something like... armor out of Death Ball hides would make it sturdy, but apparently they weren't all that tough.

Would it be better to do something about Gran Maria's and the others' lances, which couldn't pierce the hides? I'd think about how another day.

The Death Ball hides... had been cut up, but they were just right for making balls.

Toys for Kuro and the others.

Death Ball meat... tasted light, with a texture like chicken. It wasn't bad. There just wasn't enough of it.

Death Balls were also a little small to hunt with the Almighty Farming Tool.

Giant boars were better hunting.

There was no need to go out of my way to hunt them. The Lamia's approach seemed to have been right. Was this what they called indigenous wisdom? I'd ask them more another day.

There were other troublesome monsters and magical beasts, after all. Yes, I'd ask the Giants living in the Northern Dungeon too.

That night.

Had I gotten carried away and overdone things this time? No, my mistake was trying to handle it myself. I should have worked a little more with the other resi-

dents to deal with it.

I fell asleep reflecting on my mistakes.

I wasn't like Ursa. I should still remember after a night's sleep. Probably.

2　The Angels' lances

Gran Maria's and the others' lances resembled jousting lances, and were used to charge head-on.

An attack that turned weight and speed into power.

I had seen how powerful it was. It could easily pierce an iron shield. But it was useless against Death Balls.

If a full-strength attack could pierce a stationary Death Ball's hide, then the problem was probably that Death Balls rolled.

Though there was no need to fear Death Balls with Zabuton's children around, were Gran Maria and the others all right with that?

"No, we want to get stronger!"

That was what Gran Maria and the others said.

Still, they would have to put in the effort themselves... The part I could help with was their weapons.

"Can you use weapons other than lances?"

"Most of them. But considering we attack in flight, this kind of lance is the best fit."

Using swords would turn it into close combat, and there apparently wasn't much benefit in abandoning the advantage of fast flight to trade blows.

In that case, would making new lances be best?

I tried consulting Gutt.

"The key would be the material for the spearheads."

That was what he said.

The materials used in Gran Maria's and the others' lances were quite good. Switching to iron would actually weaken them.

"For now, with the materials we have in the village..."

I brought him scales from Hakuren and Rasuti.

"Hmm, grind these into powder and mix them into the iron... Looks like we can't do it by ourselves."

Gutt gathered several High Elves who were free, and they set to work.

Beside them, I quietly made the shafts.

"Finished!"

Wooden shafts, with iron spearheads containing dragon scales.

An ordinary spear.

I had Gran Maria hold it.

It didn't feel quite right.

Everyone probably thought so.

I took the spear back. Sorry, Gran Maria. You could go now.

"Why not make it into a lance like Gran Maria's?"

"Making that shape... would be rather difficult with this village's equipment."

"Really?"

"We simply can't manage the amount of iron needed to make it. Joining pieces together could cause problems with its strength."

I see.

In that case... we needed another plan.

"How about making something that fits over the tips of Gran Maria and the others' lances?"

"That wouldn't take as much iron... but wouldn't it come off after they stabbed something?"

"Ah... true."

It was the part that took the impact, after all.

If the opponent had a large body, the tip might even stay lodged inside it.

Wouldn't that be fine, though?

As I considered that possibility, one of Kuro's descendants approached, looking embarrassed.

While I wondered what was wrong, I also noticed something odd. Despite its considerable size, it had no horn on its forehead.

When I asked, Kuro's descendant answered with gestures.

It had spotted prey and run after it, only to slip... and drive its horn into a tree. Unable to move, it had struggled desperately, and its entire horn had broken off.

I let Gutt and the High Elves know, then followed Kuro's descendant away.

Its horn was stuck in the root of an ordinary tree. Even when I tried pulling it out by hand, it wouldn't budge.

Leaving it there... would make it sad whenever it saw this, and I couldn't bear that.

I turned the Almighty Farming Tool into a knife, carved away part of the tree, and pulled the horn free.

Giving it back... wouldn't do any good, would it?

I would store it with the other shed horns.

I patted the hornless descendant of Kuro on the head.

"Hmm, you're easier to pet without a horn."

That was a poor choice of words.

Ah-everyone else, don't go ramming your horns into rocks or anything. Breaking them off on purpose is bad!

I returned to Gutt and the others.

An idea struck me.

The horns of Kuro's children.

Could we use those as spearheads?

Kuro's children gestured for us to go ahead and use them, so I tried attaching a horn to a shaft.

Without any special work on the spearhead, the spear was finished.

Now we just needed to test how strong these horns were.

Gutt, the others, and I went somewhere open to experiment.

Our target was an iron shield.

In short, if it couldn't pierce that, this was all just talk.

Charging with a spear... was surprisingly difficult. Just holding it level was hard enough, so running was out of the question. Gutt and the High Elves couldn't do it either.

They had lived in mountains or forests before, where there was no room to swing long spears around, so they had never practiced. I see.

I didn't really want to call Gran Maria and the others over while we were still making prototypes, but I had no choice, so I summoned Kuudel.

"Mr. Kuro and the others' horns?"

"Yes. We want to check how hard they are. Could you attack that iron shield for us?"

"Understood. But this is an ordinary spear... may I throw it?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm actually better at throwing."

Gutt and the others said that although it wasn't a throwing spear, that was fine.

Then there was no problem. I would leave it to her.

While she was at it, she could also test the power of this iron spear mixed with dragon scales. We wanted to check its strength.

"Which should I test first?"

"Let's start with the iron spear mixed with dragon scales."

That was our main concern, after all.

We laid the iron shield flat, facing up.

Kuudel flew into the sky.

She swooped down toward the iron shield from high above and hurled the spear at about thirty meters off the ground.

Without slowing, she changed her angle and flew back up. Beautiful flying.

The thrown spear also struck beautifully, right in the center of the iron shield.

There was a heavy sound as the spear pierced the iron shield and buried itself deep in the ground below.

When we pulled it out, the spearhead showed no damage. The result seemed good.

Still, relying on throwing would probably pose some practical problems.

Even Kuudel, who was good at throwing, used a lance-type weapon, after all.

It wouldn't be right to make them change their fighting styles to suit their weapons. We really should stick to the earlier plan and make something that fitted over their lance tips.

All right, next was the spear made from a horn of Kuro's descendants.

We laid a new iron shield flat.

Kuudel followed the same path as before and hurled the spear.

The spear struck the iron shield... triggering a huge explosion.

Huh?

Flames and lightning shot about twenty meters into the air.

Gutt, the High Elves, and I were watching nearby when the sudden blast blew us away.

The damage.

The spearhead had vanished, but the shaft was intact, with only a little charring.

The iron shield had been blown out of sight, and a shallow crater had formed at the site.

Kuudel was unharmed. Thank goodness.

Those of us who had been blown away suffered scrapes, and the nearby fields were fine.

Several of Zabuton's children had fallen from the shock of the explosion, but they were all right.

Some distance away, Alfred, Tiselle, and Tiselle, who had been napping at my house, woke with a start and burst into tears.

Afterward, Ann sent someone to tell me to come explain myself later.

I thought I should probably apologize to Ririus and the others, too.

"So, what exactly happened?"

Kuudel explained that she hadn't used magic.

That meant the problem lay with Kuro and the others' horns...

If the horns were dangerous objects that exploded... why hadn't that one exploded when it hit the tree? No, the strange thing was that none had exploded before now. I didn't understand.

I decided to ask someone who might know.

Just then, Lu came over to relay Ann's complaints.

"Those are magic items."

"Huh?"

"While they're on their heads, they probably function like staffs. Once removed, they're magic items with fixed effects and attributes... I thought you knew that, and that was why you kept them?"

I had only been displaying them as mementos of their growth.

"Um... aren't they dangerous?"

"They won't explode unless you're too rough with them. Holding a horn with a clear intent to attack... is probably the same as casting magic. So even putting one in a fire won't do anything."

I see.

It seemed we had made... no, discovered an incredible weapon.

There were lots of Kuro and the others' horns stored in the doghouses and the basement.

If all of them had the power we had just seen...

"I think they're on the level of advanced magic, but I'd like to check their power again."

After getting Kuro and the others' permission, I took out one of the stored horns.

I tied it to a new shaft, and it was done.

Our next target was one of Hakuren's scales. We tried

laying it flat like the shield earlier.

Then... Kuudel, please.

Kuudel made a diving attack.

Another beautiful hit. It also produced another enormous explosion. Ooh!

We were prepared this time, so we weren't blown away.

Before we knew it, more spectators had gathered around us.

Dwarves, mountain elves, lizardmen, beastfolk, and the Civil Servant Girls...

Their interest was in what would happen to Hakuren's scale.

Once the explosion subsided, we carefully inspected Hakuren's scale.

The scale gleamed.

But a moment later, there was a sharp crack, and the scale shattered.

Cheers rose all around us.

"It can break through a dragon scale... that seems to put it at the level of special-grade magic rather than advanced magic. Its attributes are fire and lightning... the same as an Infernal Wolf's. Would a nether wolf's be ice and lightning, then?"

Lu seemed unexpectedly happy.

"Um, Village Chief, its power certainly is impressive, but are we going to use these as weapons?"

Gutt asked.

"Let's not."

They were too dangerous.

If Ursa or someone took one out, it would probably cause a disaster.

We would strengthen Gran Maria and the others' lances with iron tips mixed with dragon scales.

Still, this sort of explosion might work as a signal to announce the start of a festival or martial arts tournament.

We could replenish our supply whenever they shed their horns, after all.

All right, I would leave the rest to Gutt and the others.

Before me stood Ann, who looked angry no matter how I viewed her.

Testing a second one before apologizing for the first had been a mistake. I needed to reflect on that.

But, in my defense, Lu had... ah, yes. Sorry. I was very sorry.

3: Dyes and fireworks

Dyes.

Things mainly used to color thread and cloth.

Currently, most clothing in the village was dyed with grasses and fruits that Zabuton's children gathered in the forest.

So I hadn't paid much attention to dyes before. You couldn't eat them, after all.

Mr. Michael brought dyes to the village.

Red, blue, yellow, green, black, brown, white, pink, and orange.

They were all very pretty colors-that was my only impression. Although I paid for them, the dyes went straight to Zabuton, after all.

One of Zabuton's children gave me a reason to take an interest in dyes.

Zabuton's children had all sorts of shapes and patterns. But their base color was always black. Despite that, one of them had an unnaturally red half of its body.

At first, I thought it had been splashed with blood, but that wasn't the case.

A pot of dye Mr. Michael had brought had accidentally fallen, staining part of its body.

There was nothing wrong with its health.

Its eyes had been dyed too. Was that all right? It was? A protective membrane resembling an oversized contact lens came off. How convenient.

As for its body, apparently it would molt in about ten days, so I wasn't to worry. I see.

Still, having only one half red really stood out.

The dyes that hadn't yet been delivered to Zabuton were right in front of me.

I dissolved some dye in water to make something like paint, then painted the partially dyed child of Zabuton bright red.

The coat was even, and the finish was quite good.

It seemed to like the result, too. Good.

Yes, move around a little. Move around. So fast.

The problem was... Zabuton's other children were staring at me, too.

Red, blue, yellow, green, black, brown, white, pink, orange, polka dots, spots, checks, jungle camouflage...

For a little while, multicolored children of Zabuton would be wandering all over the village.

Incidentally, inspired by the jungle camouflage I had painted, Zabuton made several camouflage-style outfits.

The High Elves liked them quite a bit and wore them from time to time.

Hakuren's belly had become quite noticeable.

Raimeiren and the others had said that dragons grew irritable during pregnancy, but she showed no sign of that and was very stable.

Since I had reminded her before, she still took afternoon naps but also slept properly at night, leading a healthy life and getting moderate exercise.

Everything was going smoothly. That summed it up.

"Hakuren, is there anything you want?"

"In that case, I'd like dessert."

"Something sweet? Don't pregnant women crave sour things?"

"I haven't felt that way~ I do crave meat, though."

"I see. So you want a snack now, right?"

"A sweet snack."

"Yes, yes, yes."

I made dessert in the kitchen.

Was I spoiling her too much? Not at all. I had done the same when Lu, Tia, Ria, the others, and Ann were pregnant.

The experiment to use the Kuro family's horns for fireworks took place south of the village.

That said, it was only a matter of having all the Angels perform the diving throw Kuudel had done before...

"Their accuracy is really high, huh?"

So far, their hit rate on a one-meter-square target was over ninety percent.

To be precise, Tia and Kuudel had hit every time. Gran Maria and Corone had missed a few shots. Even those misses were only slightly off, not wildly off target.

At the moment, I had them throwing ordinary spears to check their accuracy.

Perhaps that was why...

"Um, Village Chief, I can't quite get a feel for these practice spears..."

Kuudel asked to throw the real thing.

"I'll give you each one at the end. Don't miss."

"Yes."

Thinking back, the first time had been extremely dangerous. I was truly sorry.

Since we were getting ready to use the real thing, I notified the village first. I needed to avoid making Ann angry.

I checked that the children weren't asleep.

Of course, I also instructed everyone to stay away from the test site south of the village.

Despite those instructions... I could see a scattering of spectators. Some even had drinks.

This was an experiment to prevent injuries during the actual performance... It looked as though even Kuro, Zabuton, and their families had come. Sigh.

Remember to keep the safety distance we established.

We waved flags to signal Tia and the others overhead.

I had expected them to come one at a time, but all four moved as a team.

Huh? They weren't going to...

After flying in a beautiful formation, the four dived...

Four targets on the ground blew apart simultaneously.

The spectators cheered.

However, perhaps because the targets had been placed too close together, the flames interfered with one another, and it wasn't very pretty.

"We should space them ten meters apart."

Kuudel enthusiastically set up the targets again.

Setting them up again was fine... Huh? Hadn't I said that was the last round?

"To make absolutely certain, I'd like to conduct another throwing test."

You already had them in your hands, didn't you? You were already in the air, weren't you? That smile was scary, you know?

The throwing tests by the four Angels... or rather, the fireworks, continued for quite some time.

How long, exactly? Until Ann came to scold me.

It wasn't my fault.

Yes, I was sorry. It was because I hadn't supervised them properly, right?

She wasn't angry about the noise, but because we should have invited everyone if we were going to have fun. I was truly sorry.

We used up all twenty of the spears we had prepared.

Still, it must have helped everyone blow off some steam.

The four Angels and the spectators were all smiling.

Ursa was smiling too, her eyes sparkling.

Though I had my doubts for a moment, even Ursa probably wouldn't take them out without permission.

Still, I would keep the horns under tighter security.

Later.

For a while, the way Kuudel looked at Kuro and his family was a little frightening.

Please stop staring at their horns.

Truffles.

I had grown them before because they made everyone happy, but I didn't actually like them all that much. I preferred matsutake mushrooms.

So I grew matsutake.

They grew on red pines, so cultivating them took time. Still, seeing the matsutake grow and flourish as expected made me happy, and the harvest was plentiful. Thank you, Almighty Farming Tool.

But I didn't harvest them excitedly.

Judging from everyone's reactions so far, matsutake probably wouldn't be very popular.

I hoped everyone would enjoy the same flavors I did, but I wouldn't force them. I would grow plenty of truffles for them too.

One part matsutake to fifty parts truffles.

With this many, there probably wouldn't be any fighting. The descendants of Kuro who accompanied me to harvest them began wagging their tails furiously as soon as we approached the truffle patch.

After all, not everyone had gotten to eat them last time. With this many... I thought they could at least have a thin slice each.

Kuro's descendants had grown in number, after all.

I returned to the mansion and helped with the cooking.

The truffles were as popular as expected.

The matsutake... were more popular than expected.

"They're so

delicious. Why didn't you grow more?"

Apparently, I shouldn't have made assumptions.

As I thought that, I found myself a little conflicted over whether to bring out the matsutake I had taken to my room.

Side story: Guraru's adventure (over in no time)

My name was Guraru.

The strongest warrior in Good Forest Village.

I used to take pride in that, but recently I had learned it wasn't really anything to be proud of.

The world was vast.

When Gutt's apprentices moved from Good Forest Village to Big Tree Village, I accompanied them.

It was a good village.

The food was delicious, and so was the alcohol. On top of that, there were people stronger than me everywhere.

I had never thought I could beat an Infernal Wolf or a demon spider, but I had been wrong to think I could manage against humanoid opponents.

It had truly been a long time since I had felt so helpless.

My current goal was the lizardman Daga. He was truly strong. Even without using his tail to attack, I couldn't beat him. But that was what made it good.

After attending the festival, I accompanied the merchant Michael to Shashaato.

My reason was to broaden my horizons, but I had two other objectives as well.

One was to register as an adventurer.

I had registered before, but your registration was revoked if you remained inactive for a certain period.

To put it simply, I could have avoided that penalty just by regularly reporting my whereabouts, but I hadn't had time to leave Good Forest Village, so my registration had been revoked. Well, partly because I had forgotten, too.

So I would register again and start from scratch.

I could register anywhere with an Adventurers' Guild, but with the future in mind, I chose Shashaato.

I had visited twice before... but it was livelier now than it had been then. There were new buildings, too.

"Why not stay at my house?"

The merchant Michael invited me to stay, but I politely declined.

After all, I was a rough sort. I couldn't let someone like me coming and going interfere with his business.

"I see. In that case, please stay at this inn."

Michael took me to an impressive inn. The building seemed brand-new.

"Our trading company runs this inn, so there'll be no charge for your stay."

Michael seemed to have made quite a lot of money. I would gratefully accept.

When I first entered the inn, they looked suspicious, but once they saw Michael behind me, they became extremely polite.

After Michael left, I was shown to a very luxurious room. Wasn't this their best room? Was it really free? I was a little worried.

Pulling myself together, I asked an inn employee whether the Adventurers' Guild had moved, only for them to ask whether I wanted them to summon one of its executives.

Please, anything but that.

Having an executive come just so I could register again would have been downright embarrassing.

The Adventurers' Guild hadn't moved, but its interior had become a little more luxurious. Business was probably good.

I headed to the counter to get things done quickly.

The three-person line moved smoothly, and my turn came.

Cases like mine, where registration had been canceled, were rare but not unheard of. The receptionist efficiently registered me again.

My rank was one. The lowest.

Taking requests and raising your rank let you accept bigger requests. That number represented your reliability.

Incidentally, this wasn't the only Adventurers' Guild. There were several kinds.

Although they all did the same things, some used symbols to indicate rank, while others used mineral names.

Their requirements for promotion also differed, so there was no blanket answer as to which was better or which rank was more reliable.

The Adventurers' Guild here in Shashaato was run by the Korin Religion and was one of the well-known guilds operating across many countries.

After registering again, I was about to leave when someone stopped me.

"Hey, hey, hey. Not even going to say hello to us?"

An Adventurers' Guild specialty. What a nuisance.

The guild staff knew about it too, but apparently they believed anyone unable to handle this sort of trouble alone wasn't fit to be an adventurer, so they left it alone.

It was something like a newcomer's first trial. But I wasn't a newcomer.

"Get lost. I'm registering again."

"Hey, hey, hey. You think that excuse still works these days?"

...Come to think of it, that had been a popular excuse to get out of trouble back when I was an adventurer. In those days, I had also laughed at people who looked like newcomers no matter how you looked at them but insisted they were registering again. Still...

Did I look that much like a newcomer? Or was the punk before me strong enough to think nothing of me?

He didn't look it. He didn't, but I would give it a try.

"Fine. You'd better be ready to have a few bones broken."

I was already prepared.

"Huh?"

I didn't break any bones, but I dislocated about four of his joints.

I stopped at four because a guild employee intervened.

If you were going to stop us, you should have stepped in from the start. You knew I was registering again, didn't you?

And you, punk.

Take a good look at who you're picking a fight with first. What a waste of my time.

On the way from the Adventurers' Guild to the inn, my time continued to be wasted.

Three groups of punks and thugs, twenty people in all.

A nuisance. A real nuisance. More importantly... did I look that weak? That hit me hard.

I ate at the inn.

Hmm, awful. No, it probably counted as good food. Eating in Big Tree Village had spoiled my palate.

Even in Good Forest Village, we cooked with crops and seasonings bought from Big Tree Village. Once you grew used to them, other food became hard to swallow.

But I had secret weapons. The village chief had given them to me along with some spending money when I left Big Tree Village.

Soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise.

I felt bad for the inn's cook, but I would use them. Heh heh heh, delicious.

Oh, the guest next to me was watching. Sorry, these were mine. I wasn't sharing. Looking at me like that wouldn't help.

"Fine, I get it. Just a little, okay? You don't have to treat it as some big favor. Just stop taking my miso."

The next day.

I thought about my second objective.

Entering the martial arts tournament held in Shashaato.

There had been martial arts tournaments before, but the competitors weren't very good. They were more like contests to decide the toughest person on the street.

However, Michael had apparently put up money and turned it into a proper tournament.

Small tournaments were held every month, with a major tournament every three months. Then, once a year, there was a special tournament that brought together skilled fighters from all over.

Apparently, people now came to compete not only from the Demon King Kingdom, but from other countries too.

Michael had told me about the martial arts tournament, and I was interested in competing. Besides, I was going to the Adventurers' Guild to register again anyway.

Apparently, the tournament preliminaries would begin in five days.

The tournament ended.

I won the championship.

But I felt no excitement.

My opponents were too weak. They weren't worth mentioning. Wasn't the ordinary division in Big Tree Village stronger?

Not only that, my opponents had made a great show of taunting me before our matches. Was all talk the latest trend? In contrast, the prize money was ridiculously high.

Several nobles asked me to serve under them, but I turned them all down.

There was a familiar face.

"You're Guraru, aren't you? I remember you staying in Big Tree Village."

It was Randann, one of the Demon King Kingdom's senior officials.

We weren't particularly close, but we had chatted a little during the festival.

Judging by the timing, he had probably come to this city right after the festival ended. Senior officials certainly had it rough.

With Big Tree Village in mind, I bowed politely.

Randann was probably stronger than any of the people who had competed this time.

"If you entered, couldn't you make the tournament a little more exciting?"

"Ha ha ha, don't say that. I'm just a domestic affairs official. More importantly, wasn't entering this tournament against the rules for you? Weren't you picking on the weak?"

"Hmm? Was I?"

"Yes. Though I imagine you took that into consideration when you chose that weapon... but people who don't know you would think you were looking down on them and lose their composure. Did you plan for that?"

Huh?

I looked at my weapon. It was the wooden sword I used for practice in Big Tree Village. The village chief had made it for me. It felt so natural in my hand that I hadn't noticed.

Oh! Could that have been why everyone thought I was weak?

Come to think of it, I was wearing ordinary casual clothes too, with no armor. After all, armor was pointless against the people in Big Tree Village. They could aim for the gaps in it with ease.

If that was the case, I was better off taking off my armor and focusing on speed, which was how I had ended up like this.

Was this outfit why people thought I was weak?

I hoped so.

But opponents I could deal with using a wooden practice sword...

I would mention it to Michael. This might only have been a small monthly tournament, but he ought to gather some stronger competitors.

Apparently, it was the annual special tournament.

No wonder Randann had been there.

But with that level of competition... did not many people want to enter?

Well, I had accomplished my objectives.

Next, I could wander around and broaden my horizons... no, I wanted to enter Big Tree Village's martial arts tournament too.

I would travel back with Michael as a guard for his merchandise.

I checked when his next trip would be.

He made the trip quite frequently. I still had plenty of time.

Should I visit the Demon King Kingdom's capital... no, taking a ship to the Southern Continent was also an option.

Twenty days later, I was in Big Tree Village.

"You're back already?"

"Yes. Here are some souvenirs."

I handed the village chief the large assortment of handicrafts I had bought in Shashaato.

Dolls, puzzle boxes, animal carvings, and ornaments.

I had spent almost all the spending money the village chief had given me, along with my prize money.

As for their reception... Ursa and Nat asked the village chief for the dolls. Alfred and Tiselle were interested in the animal carvings too.

It seemed I had chosen well.

So, mountain elves, please don't immediately try to take the puzzle boxes apart to study their construction. Though I was interested in the mechanisms inside too.

"I feel bad accepting so many gifts."

"Don't worry about it. You've done far more for me."

While staying in Big Tree Village, I helped my daughter and Gutt, but I was basically free to do as I pleased.

I could spar with the lizardmen, High Elves, and mountain elves. They had even let me practice riding horses before.

Not only that, they fed me too. These little gifts couldn't possibly repay their kindness.

"I see. Well, Doraim is here today, so we're having a feast. Don't hold back. Eat all you like."

"I will."

I knew.

The one who had brought me here was Lord Doraim of the dragon race.

In fact, I was really looking forward to it.

The food here really was the best. The alcohol was good too.

Then I remembered.

My painful memories of Shashaato.

Soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise. The seasonings that had accompanied me on my journey.

They turned awful food into top-class cuisine... that was an exaggeration, but they at least made it reasonably edible. Shashaato's seafood and soy sauce were an especially perfect match.

I had used them all up. Even though I had brought quite a lot.

I hadn't been handing them out everywhere, but people asked me for them wherever I went.

Especially Randann.

I had let slip that I was carrying seasonings, and he had set his sights on them. He took a quarter of my supply. Ugh!

In the end, he even used his position as a senior official of the Demon King Kingdom to pressure me...

And then there was that fellow who pestered me every time I ate at the inn. He must have timed it so he could eat at the same time as me. And he always sat next to me.

To think that, without my noticing, how far I could travel had come to depend on how much seasoning I had left... I had been too careless.

But this was important.

It seemed I ought to seriously consider moving here.

My daughter was here, Gutt was here, and there were plenty of strong people.

The next time I returned to Good Forest Village, I would discuss it with my wife.

On a side note.

Someone submitted a request to the Adventurers' Guild.

"I would like you to secure the seasonings called soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise. I even dream about them. Please, I'm truly begging you. If that isn't possible, I would like to contact the warrior named Guraru who won the martial arts tournament in Shashaato. Please."

The client was a certain young nobleman.

The reward was an astonishing sum.

The summer pools

If I had to sum up this summer in a single phrase, "swimming pools" would probably fit best.

It began with Ursa, Nat, and the beastman boys swimming in the reservoir.

They had all properly changed into the swimsuits Zabuton had made, but the reservoir was shaped like an inverted pyramid and was quite deep in the middle, making it dangerous.

Besides, although we didn't drink the reservoir's water, it still had plenty of uses, so I didn't really want them swimming there.

So I built a proper swimming pool on the western side of the village.

The water came from the water being channeled back to the river from the reservoir. Slimes purified it, so it was clean.

It was one meter deep, about fifteen meters long, and three meters wide. I cut bamboo into roughly thirty-centimeter lengths and strung them together with rope made by Zabuton to divide the lanes. Now they could race too.

"It's cramped."

...I expanded it.

The depth seemed fine, so I made it twenty-five meters long with four lanes. That satisfied Ursa and the others.

It took two days to get that far.

Thinking back on when I had first built the waterways and reservoir, I could feel how much I had grown.

Once the pool got bigger, people other than Ursa and the others came too.

However, the current pool was too deep for little children like Alfred and Tiselle, who were younger than Ursa and the others, and too shallow for adults.

No, it was actually a little deep for Ursa and Nat too, but they didn't mind at all and had a great time. Be careful not to drown.

Anyway, I decided to build new pools.

First was a round pool for the little children.

It was thirty centimeters deep and about three meters across.

I finished that one in no time.

Never go into the water alone.

I asked the adults to take turns supervising. I was counting on them to look after Alfred and Tiselle.

Next was a deeper pool.

It was two meters deep at either end and about three meters deep near the center. Fifty meters long, with five lanes.

It took about five days to finish.

The lizardmen enjoyed swimming in it.

Oh, I see. They used their tails when they swam? Even though I had known that, I was still impressed.

I felt as though something was missing, and then it came to me.

Starting blocks.

A swimming pool had to have those. Hmm? Oh, they were where you stood to start, not where the winners stood.

...All right, I would make an awards podium too.

So please only stand on them when you're about to enter the water.

I considered a diving platform too, but it might be dangerous unless I made the pool deeper.

I decided against it.

Quite a crowd had gathered.

Everyone changed into swimsuits made by Zabuton and jumped into the pools.

Before I knew it, the High Elves had even built changing rooms.

Kuro's descendants were swimming too. They were quite adept.

Even the horses were joining in?

...Hmm? Wait, what? Had they escaped? They hadn't? They had riders... oh, the High Elves had ridden them here.

Make sure to rinse off before entering the pool.

"Village Chief, could you make the pools a little bigger?"

The pools were too crowded.

There was nowhere near enough room to swim. But the problem wasn't how spacious the pools were.

It was that people who wanted to swim properly and people who wanted to play leisurely in the water were all mixed together.

There was no helping it. Anyone who could help, come lend a hand.

I built another pool.

Ten days later.

A pool shaped like a looped racetrack, surrounding the earlier pools, was complete.

It was two meters deep and about five meters wide. As for the total length of the course... it curved this way and that, so I wasn't sure how long it was.

Still, it surrounded the fifty-meter pool and the twenty-five-meter pool, so it had to be quite long.

I channeled water into the pool... oh, they would fill it with magic? Please do.

Once the water was deep enough, I had the adults who had come to the pools enter the course and walk in the same direction.

This would create a current.

Once the current had built up enough, I tossed in swimming rings... those would have been ideal, but we didn't have any here, unfortunately, so I used buckets and wine barrels instead.

The villagers who had come to the pools didn't seem to understand what I was doing, but Ursa reacted.

She climbed into a barrel floating in the current pool and rode around the course.

After seeing her do that, everyone followed one after another... it would sink if that many people climbed in. Take it easy and enjoy yourselves.

This should separate the people who wanted to swim properly from those who simply wanted to cool off.

The current pool was a huge hit. Well, I was glad about that.

Zabuton's children, you didn't need to worry about me. You could go to the current pool too... oh, you were going?

I relaxed in the fifty-meter pool... and felt lonely.

I decided to go to the current pool too.

Changing rooms, toilets, and several stalls had been built around the pools, making the place quite lively.

The stalls were staffed by the oni maids and the Civil Servant Girls.

They cooked in swimsuits and aprons. They looked nice and cool, but they needed to be careful when using fire.

The stalls sold curry, something resembling ramen, something resembling yakisoba, shaved ice, and juice.

There was alcohol too, but swimming after drinking was dangerous, so we made a rule that anyone who drank couldn't enter the water.

That was why the dwarves enjoyed the pools to the fullest first, then sat at the tables near the stalls to enjoy their drinks and food.

Well, that was more or less what I'd expected.

Curry was the most popular food.

I knew curry was delicious, but you had some on your face. Remember to wash your face before getting back in the water.

The things resembling ramen and yakisoba were dishes I'd tried to recreate from memory, without quite succeeding.

Calling them soup pasta and stir-fried pasta might have been closer, but

they didn't taste bad.

They were already popular enough to become regular offerings at festivals and martial arts tournaments. In my heart, though, I still resisted calling them ramen and yakisoba.

"Village Chief, your soy sauce ramen with extra meat. Sorry for the wait."

Though the villagers had already gotten used to calling them ramen and yakisoba...

I wouldn't let it bother me. Yes, delicious.

Hakuren, the Alcohol Slime, and the cat cooled off beside the pool, somewhere the water wouldn't splash them.

A slightly strange combination.

Hakuren was pregnant, after all. Be careful not to get chilled.

As for the Alcohol Slime... drink all you like.

The cat stretched beside the Alcohol Slime. I'd talk to Gutt sometime about making a metal brush for its fur.

Tia, Gran Maria, and the other Angels enjoyed the pools a little differently.

First, they hovered above the pool with their wings, then plunged diagonally into the water, dived, surfaced, and went under again.

Just like waterbirds.

Sometimes they stayed underwater so long that I worried.

Be careful not to hit the bottom.

Huh? You wanted something to use as a target? Here, take this cloth ball.

Lu stayed in the shallow pool, leisurely watching over Alfred and Tiselle.

She was fulfilling her duties as a mother.

I wanted to fulfill my duties as a father too. Ah, yes. I'd go get some juice.

For quite a while, everyone played in the pools between work, then took a bath and relaxed at home over a meal.

The chilled wheat brew, "beer," was a huge hit.

The dwarves asked me to plant more barley next year.

This was what summer was like.

Autumn was almost here, so I felt a little sad about closing the pools.

After discussing it with the Civil Servant Girls, we decided to hold a pool-closing event.

Though we called it an event, it was just an ordinary barbecue for the whole village. Events like this seemed to help everyone shift gears.

"Thank you, pools, for keeping everyone cool."

See you next year.

The barbecue was delicious.

Well, although we called them closed, the pools used water diverted from the reservoir on its way back to the river, so water would still flow in and out. We'd use them as reservoir number two.

The lizardmen enjoyed the pools under the pretext of managing reservoir number two. I pretended not to notice.

"Not you, Ursa."

"Boo!"

Side story: Wolgraf

My name was Wolgraf. I was the eldest legitimate son of Viscount Gowell, a noble of the Demon King Kingdom.

Not to boast, but I was the next head of the Gulfrey Family. And, again without boasting, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I was the one keeping the family afloat.

Father wasn't incompetent, but he was too kind. I made up for that shortcoming. I was the Gulfrey Family's disciplinarian.

That said, as the eldest legitimate son, I inevitably had to attend certain meetings and parties.

Reminding Father before he attended so that he wouldn't make any strange promises had become routine.

Father had asked if I wanted to take over as family head, but he was still in excellent health, and I'd feel bad doing that.

It wasn't as though I didn't also feel, "How could I let you retire and relax all by yourself?"

I was the Gulfrey Family's disciplinarian, after all.

One day, Father came home in an exceptionally good mood.

His schedule that day had included a meal with Earl Chrome.

The food must have been excellent. He barely mentioned what he'd discussed with Earl Chrome, instead going on and on about how delicious this dish and that dish had been.

No, I understood that he'd enjoyed himself, but it made me worry whether he'd actually had a proper conversation with Earl Chrome.

Ah, he'd taken notes. Time to check.

...Nothing in their discussion had been particularly disadvantageous to the Gulfrey Family. I breathed a sigh of relief.

However, there was one line in the notes I couldn't overlook.

"Father, what's this?"

"Oh, that? The other party was very keen on it. Though, technically, nothing was stated outright... we'll probably have to accept."

"Hmm."

I was troubled.

It concerned a marriage meeting.

The proposition was, "How about taking a certain girl as your wife?"

Proposals like this weren't unusual. I'd received several before; they simply hadn't worked out.

This time, however, things were a little troublesome. The woman was the younger sister of Lord Randann, one of the Demon King Kingdom's Four Heavenly Kings.

Though a commoner, Lord Randann was a hero who had become one of the Demon King Kingdom's Four Heavenly Kings through his own ability. One could say he was the man supporting the kingdom's domestic administration.

The younger sister of such an important man.

If a marriage meeting was arranged, we couldn't be the ones to refuse. We'd need a substantial reason to turn it down.

What about "she isn't nobility"?

No good. I'd publicly declared long ago that I didn't care about such things.

Besides, although Lord Randann was a commoner, the Four Heavenly Kings were treated as dukes.

Even after resigning, former members of the Four Heavenly Kings were treated as marquises.

With his younger sister, the excuse that she wasn't nobility wouldn't work.

Then what about age? She was three years older than me.

That wouldn't work either.

I'd said long ago that I wouldn't mind if my partner was older. Damn it.

Hmm? What was it, maid?

Why didn't I just marry her?

What nonsense. My heart already belonged to someone!

Yes, the object of my unrequited love.

Earl Chrome's daughter, Lady Fraurem.

A woman truly accomplished in both scholarly and martial pursuits, blessed with both beauty and talent. Almost every man of my generation was interested in her.

She'd suddenly left school and gone to work somewhere I'd never heard of. There were even rumors that she'd already married, but I absolutely refused to believe them!

I'd long since resolved to marry Lady Fraurem someday!

In short, I fled.

If I wasn't there, they couldn't hold a marriage meeting.

I'd take it easy in Shashaato for a while.

As luck would have it, Shashaato was holding a martial arts tournament.

Entering a few of my subordinates should give me a reason to stay in Shashaato.

What, maid? What was that scornful look supposed to mean?

It would only buy me time? I was just putting things off?

Hahaha. Let me give you a saying.

"As long as things are fine now, everything's fine!"

Shashaato had developed quite rapidly over the past few years.

That was because the Goroun Company had invested a great deal of money here. How enviable.

Couldn't they invest in the towns in our family's domain too? Even a tenth of the amount here would be fine, so please...

Ahem.

There was no point being envious. Our family had no connections with the Goroun Company anyway.

But I was interested in the Goroun Company's merchandise. Apparently, those goods also had some connection to Lady Fraurem.

Still, there should be no need to rush.

First, we'd find an inn... what? All the cheap inns were full? Why?

Ah, because of the martial arts tournament. I see. Nothing for it.

Our Gulfrey Family wasn't poor, but we certainly couldn't be called wealthy.

All the travel expenses this time came out of my allowance. I couldn't waste it... but we had to find an inn.

Even if it was a little expensive... hmm.

At this price, I wouldn't have enough to pay for rooms for you maids and attendants.

I couldn't very well make you sleep in the stables.

Huh? You had relatives living here? The others did too?

Ah, that applied to all the attendants and maids on this trip. I see. As expected of my retainers. Excellent judgment.

That left only me, then.

I couldn't very well impose on your relatives.

So I'd be staying at the inn alone? N-no problem! I'd manage somehow.

Damn it, I couldn't manage anything.

I'd never even folded clothes. My attendants and maids stayed with me during the day, but they weren't there at night. How inconvenient.

Still, I'd endure this little trial. No problem. I-I could sleep by myself too.

When asked where I'd like to dine, I said the dining room.

Having it brought to my room would cost a little extra. I should save money where I could.

I had, at least, entered my subordinates in the tournament, so I could hope for prize money... but that wasn't guaranteed.

Now, now.

Don't take me for a miser who stole his subordinates' prize money.

I properly provided food and clothing for the subordinates competing, and saw to their weapons and armor too.

Nor was I asking them to hand over all their prize money. Only half.

We'd discussed that beforehand, and it was an agreement both sides accepted. There was no problem whatsoever.

The meal was so delicious I had no complaints. I'd never tasted food this good before.

Not so long ago, I'd have said, "Food only needs to be edible." But I'd grown since the incident where a cook who heard me say that served me nothing but bread baked rock-hard.

Food mattered. I needed to observe proper table manners and eat it properly.

Hmm? What was with that fellow?

He seemed to be pestering the people at the next table for something. How disgraceful.

Wait. Didn't he look familiar? If I remembered correctly, he was some baron's son.

Though his father's rank was below mine, their wealth was overwhelmingly greater.

Even so, the person at the next table... as far as I could tell, didn't seem to be an acquaintance of his.

A simply dressed beastman. Had he come to watch the tournament? No, someone like that shouldn't have been at this inn.

He was probably a contestant. If he was looking for employment, he wouldn't be able to refuse a noble who approached him.

No helping it. I'd step in and stop this.

If the man was capable enough, our family could employ him.

...Never mind.

That beastman was eating some truly splendid food.

Probably the finest dishes this inn offered. Damn it.

Shashaato's martial arts tournament began.

I'd miscalculated.

This tournament was the annual special tournament. Even the Demon King was following it.

That was probably why Lord Randann had come.

This was bad. If I ran into him, he'd bring up the marriage meeting. Then I'd be heading straight toward it.

Run? Don't be ridiculous.

Until I'd earned back my lodging expenses and all the other costs of this stay, I couldn't do anything.

Three of my subordinates were competing. As long as any one of them reached the semifinals, I could work something out.

But winning would be a problem, because Lord Randann would present the prizes and prize money to the champion.

"What do you say? Would someone as talented as you be willing to serve me?"

If he said that, my subordinates could only respond like this.

"I have already sworn allegiance to the Gulfrey Family. For this tournament, too, my lord's son..."

Then he would find out I was here.

Once the truth came out, he would question why I hadn't come to greet him. What should I do? Asking my subordinates to lose on purpose would be unfair to them.

I had worried for nothing.

Every one of my subordinates was eliminated early. It was unbelievable.

The subordinates competing were definitely strong. They ranked among the best in the Gulfrey Family.

I had been completely convinced they could win the championship...

I learned all over again that there was always someone better.

The world was vast. Truly vast...

One man wielding a wooden sword easily defeated the powerful fighter who had beaten my subordinate. And he wasn't wearing armor.

He seemed less like he had come to compete and more like he was out for a stroll.

Even so, he nimbly dodged an attack, then swung his sword at an armored part of his opponent's body. That ended the match.

He probably deliberately struck the armored part to cause unnecessary injury. Though with that expensive-looking armor shattered, his opponent would probably be crying for financial reasons...

Every one of this man's matches unfolded the same way, and he won the championship just like that.

A beastman.

The man who had eaten the finest dishes at the inn.

Damn it, if I were that strong, Miss Fraurem might...

I had let my guard down.

Lord Randann caught me. There was no escape.

I shouldn't have stared at the champion so intently.

Lord Randann approached.

He was walking with the champion... They seemed very close. Did they know each other?

As I expected, he brought up the marriage meeting.

There was nothing I could do. Attending the marriage meeting was now a certainty. After that... I could only gamble on the possibility that she would dislike me.

"I'll prepare the very finest dishes for the marriage meeting banquet. Guraru, you have soy sauce, miso, and mayonnaise with you, right? Give me half."

"Hold on, you..."

"I'm an important figure in the Demon King Kingdom, you know. Are you going to refuse?"

"Couldn't you just ask Michael for some?"

"He's fully booked. There's no opening for me. Even a third would do. Please have some sympathy for an older brother who wants his little sister to be happy."

"Hmm... If it's only a quarter."

"You have my deepest thanks. Can I pay in gold coins?"

"No need. Someone gave them to me in the first place."

The negotiations unfolded before my eyes.

Did this champion have some wonderful ingredients with him? I was very interested. Food was important, after all.

Although the marriage meeting was a gloomy prospect, I was glad to have something to look forward to.

Some time later.

My marriage was settled.

The instant I tasted the food at the marriage meeting banquet, it completely swept my awareness away.

I had never imagined such delicious food existed in the world.

I focused on eating, and before I knew it, everything had been settled.

After the marriage meeting, I returned home and fell to my knees.

Sigh. I knew nothing could ever happen between Miss Fraurem and me... But I wanted to dream a little longer. Sob.

Still, now that it had been decided, there was nothing I could do.

Rather than saying there was nothing I could do... To think Lord Randann's sister had cooked those delicious dishes herself...

Wasn't that an honor? Wasn't she wasted on someone like me?

No, it was fine.

I would become an important man! And I would be a husband worthy of her!

I would do my best.

At any rate, the wedding would wait until I graduated from the academy.

Five more years.

My name was Wolgraf Gulfrey.

I was twelve years old.

The stern person in charge of the Gulfrey Family.

The man who would shoulder the Demon King Kingdom's future.

An aside.

Just after the tournament ended-

"No prize money... My allowance is gone."

"Huh? Didn't you place a bet?"

The maid asked me with a surprised expression.

"Hmm? What are you talking about? Of course I placed bets. That's why my allowance is gone."

"No, um, a bet on Mr. Guraru... Didn't I tell you to bet on him?"

Guraru? That was the beastman who won the championship, right? But nobody had mentioned him.

"I see. I'm terribly sorry. Please forget about it."

"Wait. What were you going to tell me?"

"Ahaha... Mr. Guraru, the champion, entered through the Goroun Company's recommendation slot. And the president of the Goroun Company said he was the most likely to win, so if you were betting, you should choose him."

"Please tell me sooner... I'm impressed you managed to get information like that."

"My older brother works at the Goroun Company."

"Does he?"

"Yes, he's working hard at the main store. So if you ever need the company's services, please let me know. You'll get a small discount."

"I'll remember that. By the way, did you place a bet? That smile... I'm jealous."

"Ahaha. I'll pay for snacks for a while."

Chapter 5: Autumn and New Residents

Autumn, the harvest season.

Anyone with time to spare handled the harvesting.

"Another bountiful harvest."

One of the Civil Servant Girls said that as she happily recorded the yield.

I was happy too. A bountiful harvest really did lift the spirits.

The problem was probably that we would need more storehouses again.

I would consider that a good thing.

We threshed the crops that needed threshing.

The waterwheel the mountain elves had extensively modified proved very useful. Though the noise was a problem.

We needed to press grapes before we could make wine.

There were a lot of them.

It felt like a major industry.

Would it be better to make an enormous wine barrel? No, then we wouldn't be able to move it, would we?

This year, we once again hired Lamia to help remove grape skins and seeds to make white wine.

Their numbers had increased to twenty.

Their payment was the same as last year: food, clothing, and lodging during the work period, plus crops.

Hmm? They wanted some of last year's white wine?

Everyone wanted to know the results of their efforts, after all.

The dwarves seemed to have agreed too, so that was fine.

There were also the Giants from the Northern Dungeon, though they weren't new faces this year.

We hired five of them for jobs such as pressing oil.

Like the Lamia, their payment was food, clothing, and lodging during the work period, plus crops.

I had been a little worried about where they would stay, but they said a cave would do, so I dug one.

It was just like a basement. But was it all right to light fires here? Oh, magic? No, spirit magic?

They said they would ask wind spirits to keep the air circulating, so there was no problem. How convenient.

They had also brought something unusual with them.

Bloody Viper eggs, of all things.

Each egg was about the size of a basketball. They had brought roughly a hundred.

They brought them because we had been taking care of them. They really didn't need to worry about that.

Ah, Lamia, it was fine. No need to go back and get anything.

How were we supposed to eat these? Swallow them raw?

The Giants might be able to do that, but we couldn't.

All right, we would just cook them normally.

I took one, boiled it, and peeled off the shell. A transparent object popped out.

The white had solidified while staying transparent instead of turning white? But there was no yolk?

For now, I would actually try eating it.

Pushing a spoon into it felt like digging into slightly firm jelly.

I put it in my mouth... Rich egg flavor. It made me go, "Whoooooa,"

and cry out.

It was delicious. Extremely delicious.

It tasted this good without any seasoning at all!

Hearing my reaction, the people around me picked up spoons and joined the fray.

Everyone was surprised at first, then happily ate.

But speaking of which, Giants.

Wasn't it strange for you to be surprised too? Huh? You had never cooked them before?

And swallowing them raw tasted fishy, so this was better? I see.

You should learn to cook while you were here before going home. I would give you some seasonings too.

Ah, yes, I would give some to the Lamia as well.

All right, we would serve the Bloody Viper eggs at dinner and other occasions... Back to harvesting.

I asked a few High Elves to harvest the mushrooms.

We had harvested matsutake before, but I had planted plenty of other kinds of mushrooms too.

Shiitake, oyster mushrooms, enoki, shimeji, maitake...

Although I would plant more with the Almighty Farming Tool, I had them leave a few anyway.

I had marked the places with truffles, so I asked them to dig there. If they took one of Kuro's descendants along, the wolf would show them where to dig.

I also asked them to cut some bamboo and bring it back.

That wasn't for eating. It was for winter work.

They knew where the bamboo grove was... Right? I left it to them.

Zabuton's children worked hard harvesting the fruit.

They looked adorable passing fruit almost as large as their bodies along a relay.

And so, the harvest took about twenty days.

Winemaking, threshing, pressing oil, and similar work would take a little longer. We also had fermented foods to make, along with alcoholic drinks other than wine. I hoped everyone would do their best.

Once those were finished, we would prepare for winter. There was still plenty to keep us busy.

Rasuti was especially busy this year.

That was because Hakuren couldn't transform into her dragon form while pregnant.

I asked Rasuti to carry crops to Death and Raimeiren, who lived farther away, while I asked the Lamia transport service to handle deliveries to Doraim's nearby nest.

The problem was trading with Good Forest Village.

Just as I was considering what to do, Doraim came to help.

"My sister asked me. Don't hold back. Put me to work."

Thank you.

So I asked him to transport the trade goods for Good Forest Village.

Tia was our trade representative. I left it to her.

Even with so many things keeping me busy, I still had to check on Village Two and Village Three.

I had them farm through their own efforts. How had it turned out?

I discussed things with Naf, the lizardman looking after the minotaurs in Village Two, and Rasuti of the Civil Servant Girls, who was looking after the centaurs in Village Three.

"Village Two's harvest... was a little smaller than expected. But I received a report saying it was because they weren't used to the work yet."

"Village Three's harvest wasn't bad. However, the yields of several crops were lower than expected. We're discussing countermeasures with Village Two."

"I see. So, can each village get by on those harvests?"

"Village Two says things will be somewhat difficult as they stand. They'll find a way to handle the labor, so they'd like to expand their fields."

"Village Three is the same. We'd also like to expand our fields next year."

"Understood. We'll expand the fields next year."

At present, all the crops grown in Village Two and Village Three belonged to Big Tree Village... or rather, to me. To put it simply, the residents of Village Two and Village Three were treated as tenant farmers I employed.

For now, I had no choice but to accept that arrangement to stabilize everyone's lives, but I wanted each village to become independent eventually. To that end, I hoped they could produce enough on their own to balance their income and expenses.

"Harvesting has finished in both Village Two and Village Three. The crops can be transported here at any time."

"Understood. Then just bring half here, and keep the rest as food for each village. In exchange for the portion we take, Big Tree Village will provide... You submitted lists of what you need, right?"

"Yes."

After all, the villages still grew only a few kinds of crops.

"Oh, and provide some extra food beyond what's on those lists. Tell each village they can hold a harvest festival."

"Are you sure?"

"They need something to enjoy."

Although the official celebration would wait until the martial arts tournament, Big Tree Village would hold a small harvest festival too.

"Of course, Village One can hold one too."

I said that to Mam, the beastkin in charge of Village One, who hadn't participated because they hadn't officially begun farming yet.

"Is that all right?"

"It wouldn't be good to leave you out. Besides, everyone's been working hard, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Mam told me about the efforts of Village One's settlers.

Their achievements were small, but nobody had given up, and everyone was working hard. That deserved praise.

Once Rasuti returned from visiting Death and Raimeiren, and Tia, Doraim, and the others returned from trading in Good Forest Village, we held the small harvest festival mentioned earlier.

Since it was a celebration of the harvest, the main event consisted of me offering part of the harvest to the Big Tree Shrine.

For some reason, the Progenitor worked hard to arrange things.

Was that all right? Wasn't he very tired?

He told me not to worry, so I asked him to help.

Afterward, we held a somewhat lavish drinking party.

The outdoor venue was filled with fine food and alcohol, and there were performances too.

First, we set off fireworks-actually, we detonated Kuro and the others' horns-as an opening greeting.

It also served as a rehearsal before the martial arts tournament.

Seven Angels lined up overhead. From the right, they were Corone, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Tia, Kierbit, Suuriruu, and Suurikou.

Kierbit had arrived during the harvest.

Suuriruu and Suurikou were twins who had accompanied Kierbit.

The three had come to move here and apparently intended to live in Big Tree Village.

Although they had simply informed me of their decision, I accepted. Somehow, I felt they would cry if I showed any intention of refusing.

Suuriruu and Suurikou were Angels Gran Maria had invited before.

Apparently, after eating the fruit Kierbit had brought back from Big Tree Village, they had promptly begun preparing to move.

The seven lined up neatly and dove from high above in unison.

Their targets were seven holes dug in the ground.

They threw into those holes simultaneously.

Every throw landed neatly inside and exploded, sending up seven tall columns of flame.

They were probably about a hundred meters high.

After learning that throwing the horns into holes produced taller, more spectacular flames than simply smashing them against the ground, they had practiced enthusiastically.

I had thought we could simply make the holes bigger, but that suggestion seemed to hurt their pride.

They proudly declared that all of them could now throw into an eighty-centimeter hole without missing.

Uh, if the hole was too small, the flames wouldn't shoot as high.

After all, experiments had already shown that holes about two meters wide and five meters deep worked best.

At any rate, after the explosive flames we called fireworks erupted beautifully...

The next performance began.

There was a Harpy formation dance, a beastkin group skit, a dwarf human pyramid, Kuro's descendants balancing on large balls, High Elves expressing nature with their entire bodies, a lizardman sword dance, a shadow play by Zabuton's children, a soothing interlude with the Alcohol Slime and the cat, a mountain elf chorus, and an original dance by the Civil Servant Girls.

And most importantly, there was a play centered on Ursa, Nat, and the beastkin boys.

Those powerful lines suited Ursa very well. Nat was taking it seriously too. Beastkin boys, Ursa had you beaten when it came to forcefulness.

Oh, Lu and Flora were appearing too? Lu was playing a villain. Was Flora... the mastermind controlling Lu?

Their scene discussing the conspiracy was surprisingly natural.

Zabuton and the clay doll were participating too? What a lavish cast.

Zabuton played a mysterious deity who arrived when Ursa was in danger.

The clay doll's role seemed to be a fairy sitting on Ursa's shoulder. It was working very hard.

It was quite lively.

Kierbit, Suuriruu, and Suurikou had arrived for this harvest festival.

In addition, when Tia returned from Good Forest Village, the beastkin Guraru had accompanied her with his wife, son, and daughter-a family of four.

That made seven new villagers in total.

I was surprised when Guraru said he wanted to move here, but since Good Forest Village had no objections, I accepted.

The happiest person had to be Guraru's daughter, who had moved here before him.

Oh, Daga was happy too. His tail was slapping the ground furiously. Guraru's wife was here too, so he wasn't allowed to drag him off for special training.

But I was happy too.

Guraru's son was about fifteen, perhaps?

A healthy beastkin male! A male, when I had already given up! Thank you!

Thank you so very much for coming here.

...Huh? His sweetheart was in Good Forest Village? And they had already promised to marry someday?

He hadn't brought her this time because he hadn't persuaded her parents? He would do his best even in a long-distance relationship?

Ah, uh, yes. I supported him.

Speaking of which, a second wife... Oh, he didn't need one.

Right. Sorry.

Ahem.

Well, I hoped the new residents would get used to life here.

Of the seven settlers, the five other than Kierbit and Guraru had already fainted and changed clothes several times.

Kuro and the others and Zabuton's children weren't that scary. Don't worry, they would get used to them soon.

It was fine. It really was fine.

Chapter 6: Pigs, New Lives, and Noble Titles

"I wanted to attend too."

Michael waved his fork as though venting his frustration at being unable to attend the harvest festival.

"Because we served new dishes, right?"

Hahaha. I suspected it had something to do with the bloody viper eggs.

The eggs had been extremely popular, and the hundred the Giants had brought were gone in no time.

"I'll send some over next time we get any."

"Please do. But this is exceptionally delicious too."

Michael was eating something resembling a pork cutlet rice bowl. He had been particularly fond of it lately.

Personally, I wanted everyone to use chopsticks when eating rice bowls, but I wouldn't force them.

After finishing his meal, Michael discussed this year's purchases with the Civil Servant Girls.

Apparently, the seasonings were very popular, and he wanted to buy more.

He would also buy large quantities of other goods.

I was very grateful.

He offered an absurdly high price for the truffles. Was that all right?

I looked at the piglets that had come with Michael. Twenty in total. New companions for the village.

I had requested them a long time ago, but they had only arrived now.

However, unlike the cows, horses, and chickens, these pigs would basically be raised for food.

Although I knew pork was delicious, raising them would make me grow attached and unable to eat them. This was a test for me.

After discussing it, we decided to leave raising them to Village One.

I wasn't running away from the test. I wasn't.

In Big Tree Village, hunting by Kuro and the others and the High Elves ensured we had plenty of meat.

The same went for the other villages guarded by Kuro and the others. But was it really all right to hunt as much as we liked?

Like the forest's resources, it wasn't enough that there was still plenty to hunt. We had to consider the future too.

That was why I had asked Michael to bring pigs.

And we concluded that Village One, which would have difficulty maintaining its meat supply through hunting, would be the best place to start raising them.

As it happened, Village One also wanted more things they could do.

I introduced our new companions to Kuro's descendants and Zabuton's children.

The piglets fainted at the sight of them. They weren't scary at all~

I fenced off an area for raising them and asked the High Elves to build a pigsty.

Our first priority would be increasing their numbers.

Once their numbers increased, we would have Village Two and Village Three raise them too.

Guraru's newly arrived family built a house in Big Tree Village's residential area.

Since it was right next to Gutt's, I had worried that the friction in Good Forest Village might affect Gutt's wife somehow...

The two families seemed to get along well. What a relief.

Although Guraru's son had left his sweetheart in Good Forest Village, he said he hoped to bring her here someday. That was certainly welcome news.

However, he also had the option of leaving here and returning to Good Forest Village. He shouldn't fixate on making her come here.

Still, her parents apparently weren't easy to persuade...

They approved of the marriage? They had no objections to her living in Big Tree Village either? What was going on?

Her parents wanted to move to Big Tree Village too, but Good Forest Village's chief wouldn't agree.

Ah, her father was one of the mine foremen, or rather, the equivalent of the person in overall charge? Was that why they wouldn't let him leave? I see.

Since there was a strong chance they couldn't leave themselves, they were resisting letting their daughter go ahead alone...

Their daughter handled all the housework, so her parents wouldn't be able to manage if she left.

What about the wife? After Gutt left the village, she had effectively become the person in overall charge of the smithy...

They certainly were a capable couple.

There wasn't much I could do, but if they needed anything, I would help.

Now then, since Guraru's family were beastkin, they would be under Sena's authority.

At first, I worried this might cause conflict, but Guraru said he could serve as a squad captain but wasn't suited to being a leader, and declined to become their representative, so Sena continued in the role.

Guraru's daughter was slightly younger than Sena.

They already knew each other, so she accepted it without much resistance too. She was also actively adapting to life here.

I hoped they would discuss any problems with me as soon as possible.

The other three new residents, Kierbit, Suuriruu, and Suurikou, moved into spare rooms in my mansion.

That was because they couldn't live independently without attendants.

I had thought that meant they couldn't do housework, but Kierbit could cook and gave the impression she could do anything well.

In fact, after moving into the mansion, she helped with cleaning and laundry too.

She felt bad asking for a new house? No, if we were talking about feeling bad, shouldn't she feel worse about moving in as a freeloader?

Was she after the food at my house? Yes, apparently so.

She was always seated punctually at mealtimes.

Suuriruu and Suurikou were the same. Their eyes sparkled as they kept saying, "Delicious, delicious."

Although they were twins, they liked different dishes.

Of course. They only looked alike, so it was natural that they each had their own personality.

That wouldn't do. I shouldn't have strange fantasies about twins. In any case, it looked as though they would soon get used to life here.

At present, Suuriruu and Suurikou had joined Gran Maria, Kuudel, and Corone, mainly leading the Harpies on aerial patrols.

I hoped that would make things a little easier for Gran Maria and the others.

...Suuriruu and Suurikou were covered in injuries?

Lu, Flora, healing, please.

Apparently, they had flown too low, and monsters had jumped up to attack them. They had come through safely because Kuro's descendants had rescued them.

Several of Kuro's descendants wore smug expressions that said, "We saved them!"

I petted them and praised them for doing a good job.

Around the time Mr. Michael finished his shopping, Beezel arrived.

He was a little late this time. Had something happened?

"Social engagements with the nobility. My position lets me turn those things down now, but I still can't refuse them all."

"That sounds rough."

"It is. Anyway, during one of those engagements, someone asked me to procure a few things... It's quite a lot. Would that be all right?"

Hahaha. I avoided making any firm promises and handed the requests over to the Civil Servant Girls.

Seasonings really were popular. And alcohol... I had been wondering why the requests were so specific this time, but apparently Hou, another of the Four Heavenly Kings, had asked for them.

There were also requests from the Demon King, Yuri, Randann, and Glatts. Oh, Glatts had a letter for Rinona. I would pass it on for him.

Although some items were available in smaller quantities than expected, Beezel still managed to buy enough to satisfy him. Then we discussed the next group of centaurs moving here.

Apparently, forty-one people currently wanted to move.

That was quite an increase over the number I had heard before.

At any rate, I called over Gruwald from Village Three and Rasuti, who was in charge, to hear what was going on.

According to Beezel, besides the fact that they knew people here, it also seemed to be a way of reducing the population for winter.

The centaurs had fled the battlefields to other towns and villages, but their bodies were larger than those of ordinary members of the Demon Race, so they could not live in existing houses, nor could they have children with other races.

During the busy summer and autumn months, they could be counted on as labor, but once winter came, the people sheltering them apparently saw them as a burden.

I thought it was awfully selfish to treat them that way after using them as labor... but apparently, just agreeing to take in the empty-handed centaurs had already been quite a feat. Was that so?

At any rate, those who wanted to move understood their position and were willing to abide by essentially all the conditions we set.

We had two conditions: "Follow the village rules" and "Gruwald will be your racial representative."

However, there was one problem.

One of them held a noble title.

Apparently, she was a baron, but that still made her a genuine noble in the Demon King Kingdom. Gruwald, meanwhile, was a relative of a viscount family's chief retainer-in short, a commoner.

Although the baron herself said she would obey, there was no telling what might happen in the future.

Then how about giving up her noble status? That suggestion was rejected. Beezel gave a lengthy explanation, but it was difficult to understand.

Rasuti summed it up for me.

That title gave the Demon King Kingdom legitimate grounds to reclaim the region that had become a battlefield, so she could not relinquish her barony right now. I see. What a nuisance.

Incidentally, the titleholder was a ten-year-old girl. I probably couldn't turn away just her, either.

In that case...

The following day-

"Would viscount be enough?"

"As long as it's higher than baron."

"Hmm, then... Ahem. Gral Rabie Cole. From this moment forth, you are a viscount of the Demon King

Kingdom. I expect you to serve diligently."

Displaying a dignity I rarely saw from him, the Demon King made Gruwald a noble.

"We may have been the ones to suggest it, but is becoming a noble really this easy?"

"Normally, no."

Rasuti answered my question.

"Also, becoming a noble comes with obligations... Normally, it would be impossible to waive all of them."

In exchange, Gruwald also relinquished most of her rights as a noble.

I hadn't known this, but apparently the kingdom paid nobles something like a salary. She declined that, too.

All we wanted was a position above the baron.

"Sorry for making you come all this way."

I served tea to the Demon King and Beezel, who had begun relaxing now that their work was done.

The investiture just now had taken place in the hall of my house.

"Hahaha. Well, it was a request from you, Village Chief. Think nothing of it."

As far as I was concerned, a title on paper would have been enough, but apparently that wouldn't do.

"Village Chief, allow me to reiterate that we will not ask Viscount Cole to do anything. This truly is a title in name only."

"I know."

We didn't want to complicate matters, either.

"There may be trouble over that point, so please be sure to explain it clearly beforehand."

"There may be trouble?"

The Demon King answered my question by pointing, and I followed his finger.

Death and the Progenitor were there, so I explained it to them.

That aside.

Was Gruwald all right, still standing frozen in the hall?

She seemed to be muttering to herself...

"My guess is... she's probably trying to keep becoming a viscount from shattering her worldview."

I left that to Rasuti.

"Though my own worldview has developed quite a few cracks, too."

It would be a little longer before the next group of centaurs moved here.

The High Elves who currently had time to spare were building new houses in Village Three.

Death had come to see Hakuren under the pretext of having business with me.

I had thought that would anger Raimeiren, but apparently she was on her way here, too.

Put simply, the due date was approaching.

Doraim would apparently be bringing several members of the Demon Race over soon to make preparations.

I was counting on everyone.

As for the Progenitor, he had only come to soak in the hot springs.

Since there were no accommodations at the hot springs, he was staying at my house.

Teleportation magic was convenient, but in that case, couldn't he just go home...? Still, I wouldn't be that heartless.

Oh, he also took Death, who clearly wanted to see his grandchild, to the hot springs.

We couldn't put pressure on an expectant mother before the birth.

The Demon King was going, too? And Beezel? Then perhaps I ought to go as well...

When we reached the hot springs, I was surprised.

There were now three Death Knights.

What had happened?

They had simply gathered here, so they had been put to work managing the place?

Well, as long as they weren't hostile, that was fine.

Perhaps because they stayed around the hot springs, their armor was badly damaged. I would make them some wooden armor, too.

Their swords were as shiny as ever. Had they undergone some special treatment?

Still, those weren't useful for managing the hot springs... though apparently they had been quite active in dealing with monsters.

A mountain of monster corpses lay before me... Come to think of it, I remembered finding a panic reindeer here before...

Good fortune did not visit again.

Death, the Progenitor, the Demon King, Beezel, and I enjoyed a leisurely soak in the hot springs.

When I brought up bloody viper eggs, everyone asked me for some.

Mr. Michael had mentioned them, too, so I would ask the Giants of the Northern Dungeon for more.

Chapter 7: The catapult

Autumn brought plenty of work.

Once the harvest was over, we had to prepare for winter, and Big Tree Village also had to prepare for the martial arts tournament. There was also the matter of the new centaur settlers.

In other words, we were busy.

But the busier you were, the more you wanted to put your real work aside and do something else. Wasn't that a familiar feeling?

A large catapult stood before me.

Naturally, the mountain elves and I had made it.

It had started with a discussion about making effective use of the waterwheel's power.

Currently, the waterwheel was mainly used for pumping water and threshing grain, but the villagers wanted to give it more uses.

Then we took a break while considering how to use the waterwheel to move air.

That was when things got out of hand.

I no longer remembered how we had ended up discussing catapults, but I did remember talking about how to transport goods over long distances. Perhaps that was what led us there.

Catapults already existed, and the mountain elves knew what they looked like.

But I had never seen a catapult. Had that been where things started going out of hand?

I wasn't sure where to start measuring its full length, but it was probably about five meters.

We had added wheels to account for transporting it. Apparently, this was the usual design for a catapult that used weights.

And now it stood before me.

We probably had no use for it. Still, useless or not, once we had a finished product, I wanted to try it.

I knew we were busy.

The mountain elves and I pushed the catapult to the south of the village.

We set it up at the racetrack and aimed at a target placed in front of the forest to the south.

"The target is about two hundred meters away. Can you hit it?"

"I'll show you I can."

The mountain elf's face was full of confidence. How reassuring.

At any rate, we first informed Kuro's descendants and Zabuton's children. I didn't want to cause an accident.

Ursa and the others who had come to watch also needed to stand farther away. Of course, they couldn't stand in the line of fire, but directly behind it was off-limits, too. A failed throw could send the projectile flying backward.

Since it was a catapult, we needed to prepare rocks, but we used wood instead.

A die-shaped block of wood, one meter on each side.

We also shaved off the corners to make it rounder.

Including the spares, we had three die-shaped projectiles in total.

The preparations took a surprising amount of time.

Put simply, a catapult was a seesaw with its fulcrum in an odd position.

If you placed a heavy weight on the shorter end of the seesaw, the longer end would spring up.

It used that principle, with whatever you wanted to throw placed on the longer end.

"Here we go!"

The first shot.

It traced a parabola... and struck about ten meters diagonally behind the target.

It had flown too far.

But the spectators were very excited.

No, you couldn't sit there. You'd go flying!

All right, we were taking the second shot. Everyone, stand back!

The second shot.

Perhaps the fine adjustments had worked, because the die-shaped projectile grazed the target. Cheers went up.

But the mountain elves refused to settle for that. They silently prepared the third shot.

The third shot.

It smashed straight through the center of the target.

The mountain elves raised their arms in delight.

The wooden board serving as the target... had shattered.

It packed quite a punch. That was satisfying.

But a farmer really had no need for it.

It was a siege weapon, after all.

Selling it wouldn't be good, either. Just as I was considering dismantling it, the Alcohol Slime appeared.

I wasn't going to launch you.

Hmm? Not launch you directly?

We retrieved one of the die-shaped projectiles we had just thrown.

We attached a parachute to it.

Was that what the Alcohol Slime was trying to say?

We tried launching the wooden block a little higher.

After rising about a hundred meters, it began to fall.

The parachute opened. Oooh! That looked fun.

It was fun, but the force of the launch was pretty strong, you know?

Launching living creatures really wasn't a good idea.

So give it up, Alcohol Slime. Sulking wouldn't help.

Next time, I'd ask Rasuti or Gran Maria... Kierbit happened to be there, so I asked her to carry the Alcohol Slime, equipped with a parachute, up into the sky.

He seemed to be having a great time.

Aah! The wind blew him into the forest... Oh, one of Zabuton's children attached a thread to him.

And held on. It felt like flying a kite.

The Alcohol Slime landed safely and was retrieved.

Not you, Ursa. Sulking wouldn't help either.

Operating the catapult was fine, though.

Other people besides Ursa wanted to try it, so the catapult began firing nonstop.

We set up several targets marked with scores. We also mass-produced dice projectiles.

The dice projectiles with parachutes were surprisingly accurate.

Was there really no use for this? Say, delivering lunch boxes to people far away... No, that wouldn't work. All I could picture was the lunches getting smashed.

Mountain elves, you seemed to be thinking up improvements for the catapult, but I wasn't going to make them.

You needed to think about how to use the waterwheel's power first.

Why had I suddenly gotten serious?

Hahaha, because the civil servant

girls were glaring at me from across the way. All right, back to work!

Huh? Was it really okay to leave the catapult sitting there?

True enough.

But even if we said we were putting it away now, the people playing with it wouldn't stop, would they? That said, letting them do whatever they wanted was dangerous.

Someone needed to watch them.

Fine, I'd go back and handle the work alone. I'd leave the rest to you.

Absolutely no launching living things. And don't go overboard with improvements.

Kierbit.

It was dangerous not to fold the parachutes properly.

I knew you were interested, but don't get carried away.

The Alcohol Slime... Oh, he'd already had his fill.

At dinner, the mountain elves discussed how many catapults they would need to breach a castle wall.

I had no plans to besiege a castle. Come on, let's eat the mushroom hot pot.

A conversation between the twin Angels and Kierbit-

"Lady Kierbit, is it always like this here?"

"Yes, this is how it usually goes."

"They suddenly brought out a catapult, so I wondered what had happened... But it wasn't even training. They were just playing."

"Well, there's no one we're trying to invade. Besides, even without catapults, we have those guns."

"True. Kuudel is especially fond of them."

"Her accuracy alone is absurdly high. Sigh... I really wouldn't want to make an enemy of this village."

"Huh? Are you planning to become Big Tree Village's enemy? If that happens, I'll fight you seriously. I'm a resident of this village now, after all."

"I-it was hypothetical. I'm a resident of this village too, after all."

"Ahahaha. Anyway, this mushroom hot pot... It's delicious."

"It is, isn't it? We'll have to get someone to teach us how to make it."

A conversation between a beastman son and his father-

"Dad, is it always like this here?"

"More or less."

"I never thought I'd actually get to touch a catapult."

"What did you think?"

"It's hard to hit the spot you're aiming for. Also, I tried launching a ball of water I made with magic, but it didn't hit."

"So that's why all that water splashed out? The ammunition needs to withstand the catapult's force."

"Yeah, I learned a lot. I want to try making a catapult too."

"Hahaha. There don't seem to be any plans to besiege a castle, though. Still, give it a try."

"Can I?"

"Yes. But finish your work first. Also... Making a real one right away would be a little difficult. Make a miniature model first, show it to the village chief and Miss Mea of the mountain elves, and ask their opinions."

"Got it. I'll do a good job!"

"Hahaha. All right, let's eat. We're having mushroom hot pot today."

"Okay."

Chapter 8: Hakuren gives birth

Hakuren was about to give birth.

I panicked. But despite my panic, there was nothing I could do.

Hakuren had twenty veteran midwives from the Demon Race whom Doraim had brought.

All twenty crowding around her would only get in the way, so only one or two stayed beside her.

The others taught the village women how to assist with childbirth.

The midwives took over Hakuren's room with practiced movements.

Right, I was in the way, so I needed to be removed. I wouldn't resist.

And so, I left the room where Hakuren was hard at work and stepped outside the house.

Ursa was right outside, glaring at a girl around her own age.

A short distance away, Death sat drinking tea with a composed middle-aged man I'd never seen before.

Had they brought those chairs out of my house?

"Has the baby been born?"

"No, not yet. It's almost time, so they kicked me out."

I answered Death's question and looked at the composed man beside him.

"Sorry for the late introduction. This is Giral, the Dark Dragon."

"I'm Giral. I came with my daughter. Sorry for the trouble."

His voice was composed too.

By his daughter, did he mean the girl exchanging glares with Ursa?

"That's my daughter, Guraru."

He answered before I could voice my question.

He seemed like a nice man.

Looking closely, I saw that the girl had two horns on her head, just like Rasuti.

She also had a dragon tail growing from her backside.

"So why is Guraru exchanging glares with Ursa?"

Illustration p009

At my question, Giral turned his head away. Death... turned his face away too.

I just hoped Ursa hadn't done anything rude...

As things grew awkward, Doraim beckoned to me from a little distance away.

"That's... Well, um, you could call it an instinct of female dragons."

"Hm?"

"If they sense their mate being born, they immediately rush to the scene and eliminate the others to claim him."

"In other words... That girl who looks about Ursa's age has her sights set on the baby Hakuren is about to give birth to?"

"Most likely."

"We don't even know if it's a boy yet."

"If Guraru has come here, it must be a boy."

I wasn't entirely convinced... But Doraim probably wasn't lying.

Had preparing a girl's name been a waste? Wait, that wasn't the point...

"I understand that, but why is she exchanging glares with Ursa?"

"Well, the natural assumption would be a war between women."

"..."

They both only looked about five years old, you know?

Besides, if anything, wasn't Ursa acting as an older sister protecting her soon-to-be-born little brother or sister?

"No matter her age, a woman is a woman. The right thing to do is to stay out of it."

I could sense that much.

Afterward, Doraim told me that since his wife Grafaloon was younger than him, he'd been safe at the moment of his birth, but that had come with its own hardships.

I see. But didn't the mothers object?

In dragon form, they laid eggs rather than giving birth, and left the eggs alone afterward, so it didn't particularly bother them.

In fact, having someone else protect their eggs saved them trouble, so apparently more of them welcomed it.

As for giving birth in human form... That was rare, so Doraim didn't know much about it.

Also, although Doraim had hatched from an egg, no one had come to stand guard back then, so everyone had assumed it was another girl.

But in that case... What about Rasuti and Hakuren?

Would their destined partners appear someday? Oh, since they were already married, it was fine.

He told me not to worry, since female dragons didn't stray. I see.

"Judging by how attached they are to you, there's no problem at all. Especially my sister. She's practically a different person."

Doraim bowed his head and begged me to make sure Hakuren stayed this way.

"Of course," I answered.

I returned with Doraim to where Death and Giral were, and just as I was wondering what to do next, Guraru and Ursa made their move.

Without a word, they approached each other and shook hands.

Then they headed toward the forest side by side.

...The forest? Hey! I told you not to go into the forest alone!

Oh, was she going to trot out the flimsy excuse that she wasn't alone because Guraru was with her?

Several of Kuro's descendants noticed and chased after them.

Doraim, Death, Giral, and I followed too.

What were they planning to do in the forest? Since they'd shaken hands, it probably wasn't a duel, right?

In that case...

I couldn't catch up. Guraru and Ursa were faster than I'd imagined.

And Doraim, Death, and Giral were slower than I'd expected.

"How many centuries has it been since I last ran in this form... Oof."

Doraim ran into a tree branch.

"This might be my first time."

Death muttered.

"Mine too. Son of Death, what made you run?"

Giral seemed to have some energy to spare.

"Hahaha, a little friction with my wife... Please don't make me remember it."

"Grafaloon? I apologize on my niece's behalf."

Apparently, Giral and Grafaloon were uncle and niece. The world of dragons really was small.

We caught up with Guraru and Ursa ahead of us.

The two were attacking a giant boar.

Guraru had turned into a dragon, but she wasn't large. About five meters long? She was bigger than the boar, but it kept knocking her back.

Ursa stabbed at the giant boar with a sword... But she couldn't finish it off.

Uh, where had you pulled that sword from? No, that wasn't the point.

I killed the giant boar with the Almighty Farming Tool.

Then I gave the two of them a scolding. What were they doing?

Preparing a present for the baby about to be born? That was a nice thought, but don't go into the forest.

You weren't alone? Fine, try telling Hakuren that.

Good, apologizing properly was the right thing to do.

We couldn't make Hakuren worry right now, could we?

Guraru returned to human form... Giral really doted on her.

"Guraru, you're so amazing~ You almost beat that boar, didn't you~"

Hearing such sickening words in that mature, composed voice... I really didn't want to hear it.

I looked at Death.

He gave me a look that said, "I'll tell his wife about this later." Please do.

Still, I would gratefully take the slain giant boar home for food.

I was going to drag it with the Almighty Farming Tool... but Giral turned into a dragon and helped carry it.

He was carrying Guraru anyway, but it was still a huge help.

We arrived back at the village to find everyone in the midst of a grand celebration.

Yes, it looked like the baby had been born safely.

A boy.

A crowd of dragons surrounded him.

Hakuren's mother, Raimeiren; Hakuren's younger sisters, Seiren and Seki Ren; Seiren's husband, Maxbergak; Maxbergak and Seiren's daughter, Hiserunak; Hakuren's younger brother, Dors; Dors's wife, Kuhdel; Seki Ren's husband, Kuron; Doraim's wife, Grafaloon; and Doraim and Grafaloon's daughter, Rasuti.

Then there were Doraim, Death, Giral, Guraru, and, of course, me.

Yes, he was a healthy baby. Thank goodness.

Hakuren was lying in bed... but she looked full of energy. Thank goodness, really.

Ursa.

Don't hold back. Come and have a look too.

Ursa had been a little hesitant, but she came closer when Hakuren beckoned.

She was his big sister, after all.

Illustration p010

Ah, considering that back-and-forth with Guraru... would she be his wife? No, his big sister, surely. I would leave that aside for now.

I would give thanks for my son's safe birth.

Now, let me hold the baby... The midwives from the Demon Race stopped me.

Doraim, Death, Giral, Guraru, Ursa, and I were shut out.

"Please wash yourselves first, everyone."

There was absolutely no arguing with that.

Having been in the forest until just a little while ago, we hurried straight to the bathhouse.

About his name.

The dragons seemed to have naming rules.

Death's sons' names started with "D," and Raimeiren's daughters' names ended with "ren." Maxbergak's daughter's name had the same ending as her father's. Grafaloon's daughter's name had the same ending as her mother's (note).

Maxbergak and Hiserunak both end in "ku," while Grafaloon and Lastismun both end in "n."

Giral's sons' names apparently started with "Gi," and his daughters' names with "Gura." I had thought sons took the beginning and daughters the ending, but there apparently wasn't a rule about that.

Put simply, it clearly distinguished sons from daughters.

Still, these rules...

Apparently, following them wasn't mandatory. The parents seemed free to decide. I see.

Still, I would use them as a reference.

Following that rule... would I start his name with "Hi" or "Hiraku," from my name, Hiraku?

That wiped out almost all the boys' names I had considered.

Hiraku Ichirou was the one left. It retained a strong flavor of my previous world.

Hiraku Ichirou.

I told Hakuren my suggestion.

The final decision was yours. I was leaving it to you, but you could decide later, you know?

Also, why were you consulting Ursa? A name Ursa liked would be better?

Well, that might be true...

If we didn't decide quickly, Death and the others would join the fray? Raimeiren was surprisingly fond of weighing in on this sort of thing too? She might not restrain herself because he was her grandson? Guraru, why had you already joined in?

If you wanted to marry my son, you would have to defeat me first... Would she defeat me? She was a dragon, after all.

No, my son! As long as I still drew breath... I would protect you!

And Giral. Please don't cry over your daughter getting married. I hadn't agreed yet.

For that matter, when she stayed with Death as a hostage-no, a dragon hostage... Ah, Giral had stayed with Death too? I see.

His name was Hiraku Ichirou.

My son received a grand celebration from the dragons.

Alfred and Tiselle, come and have a look too. He was your little brother. All of you, get along.

Ririus, Riguru, Rati, and Tiselle. You were probably too young to understand, but he was your little brother. Get along, and no fighting among siblings.

All right, then, let's eat the giant boar Ursa and Guraru hunted.

Hmm? Oh, it wasn't me.

Those two had hunted it as a congratulatory gift.

Hahaha. Alfred, I was glad you had that spirit, but it was still too early to follow their example.

Ria and the others would teach you to hunt someday. Don't go into the forest on your own.

I knew you wanted to make us happy, but you mustn't make us worry.

Everyone celebrated late into the night that day.

Side story: The strong

My name was Kiag.

I had hated losing for as long as I could remember, and apparently, I had refused to back down even against adults as a child. I no longer remembered the details.

But I remembered being small as a child and never managing to beat anyone.

Now that I was grown, though, things were different. I had a large physique everyone envied, and I had trained it well.

I was neither negligent nor careless. I took every contest seriously and gave my all, no matter who I faced.

I was good with swords.

Ever since establishing my fighting style of wielding a sword in each hand, I had never lost.

That was right. I was strong.

I lost easily at the fighting tournament held in Shashaato.

It wasn't even close. My opponent had given me a one-sided beating with a wooden sword.

What the hell was thaaaaaat?!

Had I let myself get lax without noticing? Had I gotten careless? Shouldn't I have slacked off on my daily abdominal exercises ten days ago? Where had I gone wrong?

At this rate, I would be too frustrated to sleep.

Think. Think carefully. Calling it impossible won't change reality. Accept it. You understand, don't you? Even if your mind denies it, your instincts should understand.

In other words, my opponent in that match might have been stronger than me.

What nonsense! Impossible! How could some ridiculous man who showed up in everyday clothes with a wooden sword be strong, in a tournament where weapons and armor were allowed?!

But, but!

Showing up in everyday clothes with only a wooden sword at a tournament that allowed weapons and armor-that behavior...

"He seemed like a master."

...A master. Once I tried saying it aloud, I could suddenly accept it.

I see. Was that beastman a martial arts master?

Against a martial arts master like that, it was hardly surprising that my strength hadn't worked.

Oh! That makes sense. I can accept that.

Good. I feel much better. Now I can sleep.

In the morning, I woke up unbearably frustrated.

Idiot, idiot, idiot! I'm such an idiot.

How could I have slept so soundly?

I was frustrated about losing, so I called my opponent a master? How could that be true?! If he were a master, he would be more famous! He was some unknown contestant!

Hmph. In that case... in that case... in that case?

What now? What should I do? I had never lost so thoroughly before, so I didn't know how to deal with it.

For now, um... breakfast first. Yes, breakfast. My brain won't work on an empty stomach, after all.

After eating, I became frustrated again.

Idiot, idiot, idiot! I'm such an idiot.

How could I have asked for another bowl and stuffed myself?! Granted, I'm someone who eats a proper breakfast. It's my source of energy for the day, after all. Besides, I only eat twice a day. How could I skip it?

Apparently, some places ate three meals a day, but I had always eaten two. Argh, that's not the point.

Why was I leisurely eating when I had lost?

For the time being, I paid and left the restaurant.

Now, what should I do? Think. Think hard.

I couldn't find an answer no matter how long I thought, so I consulted a passerby.

They suggested "special training."

Special training? Not bad.

But my regular training was already strenuous. Would special training help?

Thinking won't help. For now, get moving. Yes, move my body, and my mind will start working too.

First, I reconsidered my fighting style.

I attacked with the sword in my right hand and defended with the sword in my left. My left-hand sword served as a shield. But my opponents didn't know that. I didn't let them know.

That meant my opponents couldn't tell which side an attack would come from, preventing them from acting as they normally would.

But that approach hadn't worked against that beastman

. He had dodged my right-hand sword, then landed a blow on me.

Couldn't I just train my right-hand sword until no one could dodge it?

Oh! Exactly. That's it.

Too weak to withstand even one blow? I just have to take my opponent down before he takes me down. Hahahahaha.

The next day, I trained my body as usual. Yes, taking him down before he takes me down... no, I can't. I can't.

Honestly, I didn't think special training would let me beat him, but perhaps I could get closer.

I just needed to work hard with that beastman as my goal.

I think that beastman's name was Gulf?

Yes. Master Gulf. Just you wait!

A master sounded strong, but if he was going to be my goal, I wanted him to be a little grander.

In other words... Martial King Gulf. No, Martial God Gulf! That's it!

I shouted the name Martial God Gulf and continued training in Shashaato.

Several days later, other people began calling that beastman Martial God Gulf too.

Yes, everyone thinks the same way.

Then I'll work hard and get closer to Martial God Gulf's strength!