This Was a Village

1 Came to collect the taxes

Before winter.

Beelzebub came to collect the taxes. He looked tired. Was he all right?

For the time being, I took him to the storehouse where we had gathered the crops for the tax payment.

"Everything here?"

We had agreed on ten percent, but since we harvested several times a year, there was no way to know the exact yield.

We did intend to pay properly, but we couldn't harvest everything in a single day, and calculating the yield was a hassle... you could also call it laziness.

So we decided to gather twenty to thirty percent of a single harvest of each crop and hand that over.

"Only the apples are somewhere else. If we store them together, the other fruit will spoil."

"Apples are that fruit I received before, right? Is that so?"

"That's right, just the apples. You should be careful about that after taking them back. But... did you come alone? Can you take it all back?"

Although it was only twenty to thirty percent of one harvest, our fields had expanded, so it was a considerable amount.

It wasn't enough to fill the entire eight-tatami-sized storehouse, but it was still quite a lot.

It wasn't an amount one person could carry.

"Please don't worry. I have a carpet."

"A carpet?"

Beelzebub clapped his hands, and a large carpet appeared.

"This carpet can fly. As long as we put everything on it, I can take it back."

"What a handy thing."

I couldn't exactly make him do the loading, so I had Daga and the others carry everything.

Meanwhile, Beelzebub and I had a little something to eat.

Gather information-that was Tia's instruction.

"How have things been lately?"

But I had no information-gathering skills, so I could only ask simple questions.

"The war with the humans remains as deadlocked as ever. However, with the hero's party causing trouble everywhere, this is about the best we can manage."

I had only wanted a simple answer, but he gave me something rather heavy.

The Demon King was at war with the humans, huh. I see. He was the Demon King, after all. And there was a hero too. Huh.

"That aside, you look tired..."

"Hahaha. A little problem came up before I came here."

A problem? It seemed better not to dig into that. Another topic... nothing came to mind.

Perhaps noticing my struggle, Beelzebub spoke first.

"Oh, right. Though I suppose this should wait until we've checked this tax payment, I'd like to buy some crops."

"With money?"

"Yes. The apples I received before were very well received, so I'm sure the other crops will be worth looking forward to as well. The food we're eating now is delicious too."

It might have just been politeness, but who wouldn't be pleased to have something they made praised?

The corners of my mouth lifted without my realizing it.

"Hey, bring Beelzebub some more wine!"

"Huh? Ah, no."

"No need to be shy. Hahahahaha."

Call me easy if you want. It turned into a feast, and Beelzebub didn't go home until the next day.

The Demon King's castle.

"Beelzebub, you're back. How did it go?"

"...Who are you again? Oh, yes, I remember. Randann, leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, who suddenly canceled his plans before we went to the village."

"Th-that was, well, something urgent suddenly came up. You see, the hero appeared in the west. I'm not lying. I even wrote up a proper report."

"Hmm."

"Don't look at me like that. I really am sorry. So, how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"The village. Was there a Great Demon Spider?"

"Hahahaha. I checked. There was no Great Demon Spider."

"Oh, I see. Just as I thought. They aren't creatures you run into that easily."

"A Great Demon Spider is a large spider over twenty meters long."

"Hmm? I know that."

"Do you know what happens when a Great Demon Spider grows further?"

"...Huh? Grows further? Isn't that its final form?"

"When a Great Demon Spider grows further, it becomes an Illegal Demon Spider."

"Illegal?"

"Yes. It becomes Illegal, and then its body suddenly shrinks."

"..."

"To roughly two to three meters."

"Don't tell me."

"There was one of those."

"..."

"With a great many children."

"W-well, that's... it's built a happy family, hasn't it? Hahahahaha."

"Hahahahaha."

"I really should resign after all. Thank you for everything."

"You're not running away. You are absolutely not running away!"

2 A disturbance in the forest

It hit me hard that the only people in the village who couldn't use magic were the Beastmen boys and me.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes."

To me, the Beastmen boys were only kindergarteners. Before even asking whether they could use magic, they weren't old enough to start learning.

Since all the other Beastmen women could use it, the boys would probably be able to once they grew up. In effect, I was the only one who couldn't.

"Would you like to learn?"

"Hmm..."

Lu had already declared that I had no talent for magic. She did say that if I worked at it for decades, I could manage a small flame...

"Is being able to use magic normal?"

"How should I put it? All Angels and vampires can use it."

Tia answered my question.

"Almost all High Elves can use magic too. Living in the forest is very hard if you can't."

Ria nodded as she answered. Living in the forest certainly would be a hassle without magic.

"Many of the Oni Race have an affinity for water and fire magic."

"We lizardmen are good at water magic. On the other hand, we're poor at fire magic, so we envy the Oni Race for being able to use both."

"Oh, no, we can't compare when it comes to water magic. You could consider it better to excel in one."

Ann and Daga praised each other's magic. Hmm. So being able to use magic really was normal?

"W-well, I've heard that relatively few Beastmen are good at magic."

"But Sena and the others can all use it?"

"Given the environment in our village, we would be in trouble if we couldn't, so we trained until we could."

"Like the High Elves?"

Necessity had forced them into it?

Well, I had the Almighty Farming Tool, after all. That was like magic. It wasn't good to wish for things I didn't have. I should do what I could.

Later, I saw Kuro and Zabuton using magic. The bees could use it too. The slimes... you too?

My only friends were the cows and chickens. Don't betray me. Please. I'm begging you.

I decided to practice magic in secret when I had some free time.

Later, I heard that only about one in ten humans had the aptitude, and only about one in a hundred could actually use it, which made me feel a little better.

Finding reassurance by looking down rather than toward the top made me realize how small-minded I was. I should keep working at practicing magic.

Before winter arrived, a major disturbance occurred in the forest.

A tremendous explosion rang out from somewhere quite far from the village. It reminded me of a gas explosion.

It felt like large and small explosions were going off one after another. The tremors reached the village.

Seeing people panicking just like me calmed me down a little.

"What's causing these tremors?"

"A Grappler Bear."

A Grappler Bear? Since it was a bear, it must have been a bear-based monster.

When I first came here, I had thought there would be bears, but I had forgotten about them because I had never encountered one.

But did that kind of bear cause tremors this powerful just by moving?

"I think it's fighting."

"Fighting? Against what?"

"Something that could make a Grappler Bear fight this seriously would probably be a Bloody Viper. Since winter is approaching, it may be securing food for hibernation."

"I see."

A viper was a snake, right? Bears and snakes were both troublesome.

"How big are these Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers?"

"A Grappler Bear is about five to six meters tall. A Bloody Viper is about a meter in diameter, and I think its average length is around twen-

"-ty meters."

After Ria answered my question, Gran Maria returned.

"A Grappler Bear and a Bloody Viper are fighting to the north. How should we respond?"

Even if she asked me how to respond...

"Do Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers taste good?"

"Huh?... I've never eaten either."

After answering my question, Gran Maria asked Ria.

"I haven't eaten them either... but considering that they attack each other for food, I think they should be edible."

I nodded at Ria's words.

"I see, so we can eat them. Then let's hunt them. It would be a problem if they damaged the village too."

I took out the Almighty Farming Tool and looked toward the commotion. It was far away.

"Gran Maria. Can you keep track of where those two will fall unconscious?"

"I can... but are just the two of us going?"

"Yes... is there a problem?"

"Aren't we a little short-handed?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're right. Ria, sorry, but could you gather enough people and head over?"

"Understood. I'll get right on it."

"No need to rush. You'll only be carrying the game."

"Only carrying it?"

"Yes. Bringing the game back here will be a hassle, right? One would be one thing, but two will be tough."

"...Y-yes, that's true."

"Still, that's Gran Maria for you. I hadn't thought at all about what came after the hunt. That was careless of me."

"Um... that wasn't what I meant... wouldn't it be better to call Lady Tia and Lady Rurushi too?"

"You should be enough."

"...Understood. I'll do my best to live up to your trust."

"You don't need to be quite so intense... oh, right, it would be bad if I accidentally fell along the way."

Gran Maria carried me into the air from behind in something like a cross choke, and we headed to the scene.

The scene looked like the site of a monster showdown, but it ended once I took their heads with the Almighty Farming Tool.

Long live the Almighty Farming Tool.

"The surrounding forest is a mess."

"It certainly is."

"Let's plant a patch of forest."

Nature was important. I would till the ground before Ria and the others arrived. Perhaps because I had gotten faster at tilling, I finished before they got there.

"Then I'll take that big bear back first. When Ria and the others arrive, have them carry the snake."

"Y-yes. Please do."

I asked Gran Maria to watch the snake and headed back first. As for the direction... just as I was getting a little lost, Kuudel, Kuro, and the others arrived.

I had Kuudel stay with Gran Maria and let Kuro and the others lead the way.

"Kuudel, are Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers magic creatures you can defeat easily?"

"That's not how I remember them."

"Me neither."

"He beat them easily?"

"In an instant."

"...As expected of Lady Tia's husband."

"I suppose that's the least it would take for that Rurushi to fall for someone."

"Have you fallen for him too?"

"Maybe... I really don't want to compete with Lady Tia."

Dragging the load with the Almighty Farming Tool didn't tire me out, but the distance back to the village still made it a two-day trip.

I'd really asked a lot of Ria and the others. After returning to the village, I went back to help them. Thinking it over, wouldn't it have been better to cut it into small pieces and have Gran Maria and the others make trips carrying it?

Bear meat. I ate it. It was good. Good, but... it had a noticeable smell. It took a lot of seasoning, but it wasn't inedible.

Snake meat. Taking the first bite required courage, but once I tried it, it wasn't bad. It had a very smooth texture. If I hadn't known, I might have mistaken it for chicken. Since it was so much like chicken, I tried deep-frying it. That started a scramble for it in the village.

"Next time, I should just hunt snakes."

"Zabuton really likes Grappler Bear fur, so please don't say that."

"The meat is popular with Kuro and the others too."

For some reason, the High Elves strongly urged me to hunt bears too. Well, if I came across one, I'd probably hunt it.

The lizardmen's eggs hatched.

The newly hatched children swam around energetically. As living creatures, what was the idea behind hatching right before winter? Come to think of it, did lizardmen hibernate? Apparently not.

Apparently, hatching before winter was mainly meant to take advantage of stronger creatures' dulled senses. They were probably a race that lived in an environment so harsh that escaping powerful enemies mattered more than how easy it was to obtain food. Anyway, since they'd been born in this village, I hoped they would grow up healthy.

3 Learning about the surrounding geography during winter

Winter arrived.

There were no food problems this year either. So I devoted myself to my regular work and studying. My regular work was making small objects out of wood and stone. My studies covered magic and the surrounding geography.

Magic aside, I'd paid far too little attention to the surrounding geography. Reflecting on the difficulties I'd had talking with Beelzebub from the Demon King's side and Guraru from Howlin Village, I began studying.

The village was currently located almost in the center of a huge basin. Apparently, the forest filling that basin was called the Forest of Death. As for how large the Forest of Death was... I wasn't really sure, but it would take Ria and the other High Elves a month to cross it.

That was while carrying the equipment they needed to live. Apparently, without that equipment, they could cross it in about half the time.

But when Guraru of the Beastmen came, he said it had taken him a month to reach this village from the foot of the western mountains, so it was hard to say which estimate to use.

Incidentally, according to Tia and the others, who could fly, they could apparently cross it in just half a day.

Doraim had built his nest in the mountains south of the Forest of Death, and that place was called Dragon Mountain. Although nobody caused trouble on the mountain because a dragon lived there, quite a few people still passed through.

If you crossed Dragon Mountain and continued south, you would reach another forest, called the Forest of Iron.

According to Doraim, if you crossed the Forest of Iron and continued south, you could see the sea. There was a human town on the coast, so I really wanted to go there if I could go shopping.

Apparently, crossing the mountains west of the Forest of Death would bring you to the Demon King's castle and town. It sounded fairly prosperous, but even when I brought up the subject, Beelzebub didn't offer to welcome me for a visit, so I held back.

The Demon King's territory extended eastward from that castle as its center, and the human town to the south was probably also part of his territory.

I also understood why the Forest of Death, which lay to the east as seen from the castle, was considered part of his sphere of influence. Had it simply been left alone until now because nobody lived there?

At present, though, there was a human nation west of the Demon King's sphere of influence, the Kingdom of Pruheald, which was at war with him. But geographically, the village was on the opposite side of the Demon King's Castle, so the chances of getting caught up in the war should have been low.

Incidentally, the Demon King's territory was called the Demon King Kingdom, or the Gargald Demon Kingdom, incorporating the current Demon King's name.

Howlin Village was in the mountains east of our village. On the other side of those mountains was Tarote Village, where humans lived. Although both villages were part of the Demon King's territory, neither seemed to have any members of the Demon Race stationed there.

There were apparently other small settlements around Howlin Village and Tarote Village, but I didn't know the details.

Even when I asked Sena, who had lived in Howlin Village, she only knew about their trade. They had almost no other contact, so she didn't know the details.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy in the northern mountains, and beyond those mountains were still more mountains. They were difficult to cross even in summer, and in winter, nobody could get through. There was a rumor that something dangerous had been sealed there in the distant past, but the truth was unknown. I hoped it was only a rumor.

Incidentally, if you wanted to travel on foot from the Demon King's Castle to Howlin Village in the east, you would take the southern route from the castle, travel along the coast, then head north.

It felt like a huge detour, but normally, the Forest of Death, the Forest of Iron, and the mountain where a dragon lived wouldn't be included in a travel route. I didn't feel there was any need to be that cautious.

After all, Lu, Tia, and Flora had come alone, and with someone to guide them, Ann, Daga, and the others could come too.

"Where was your village, Ria?"

"Across the mountains northwest of here. In the forest north of the current Demon King's Castle."

"Where did you come from, Lu?"

"The Kingdom of Carheal. It's a country north of the Kingdom of Pruheald."

"Oh."

"Though it had a different name when I lived there."

"...I won't ask your age."

"A very wise decision. Tia and the other Angels came from even farther north than the Kingdom of Carheal."

"That's right. But most of us act individually, so it doesn't serve as a shared place to keep in touch."

"Angels are famous, but how they live is quite a mystery."

"Weren't you even worshipped for a while?"

"They just started worshipping us on their own. We never asked them to."

"But I heard you collected offerings?"

"Well, that was... we still had to make a living."

There were complications everywhere.

"Anyway, I understand the general picture now. Next are the place names."

"Yes. Do your best to remember them."

My studies continued through the winter.

Something unusual happened during winter.

A dwarf arrived, braving the cold wind. Yeah, the Forest of Death really didn't live up to its name. People could come whenever they wanted, after all.

"I heard there's good alcohol here. Could I have a drink?"

"As long as you can pay an appropriate price."

Ria was the one dealing with him.

"Sorry, I have no money. But I have skills."

"Smithing skills?"

"No, brewing skills."

"...You'll brew alcohol in exchange for drinking good alcohol?"

"The alcohol here is made from a fruit called grapes, right? From what I've heard, grapes sound like a variety of Gleb. I know how to brew things besides Gleb wine."

The dwarf smiled.

"If the alcohol here tastes good, I might consider settling down here."

"All right. Let's settle this. Bring this man a drink!"

Our population increased by one.

"Huh? I haven't said a word, though?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, I don't mind..."

"Then there's no problem. He'll stay at the inn this winter. The welcome party will be tonight. Preparations are already underway. Village chief, please lead things off with a greeting."

"...G-got it."

These were villagers unwilling to miss a chance to drink during a winter with few events.

An activity began during winter.

Since the house was warm and it was cold outside, nobody wanted to go out. So everyone worked on something indoors. Quietly.

Keeping that up all the time would be hard, no matter what. When it was time to play, we should play. The main attractions were the Reversi and chess sets I'd made before. Now I would add miniature bowling.

"It feels hard to get it moving."

"It won't hit the pins?"

"Damn... three left."

I didn't know the official dimensions of the lanes or pins anyway, and since we would be playing indoors, I scaled things down as I saw fit.

Basically, I used wooden boards one meter wide and ten meters long as the lanes, and carved branches into pins.

"What's the reason for knocking them down?" That straightforward question prompted me to carve images of villains into the pins. And since having them all look the same would have been a bit much, I added some variety and gave them personalities.

The bowling balls were simply carved from stone. Making finger holes was difficult, so I made them about the size of baseballs, easy to roll.

I'd only meant to make a simple sport, but it proved unexpectedly popular with the villagers.

"That murderer on the far right just won't fall!"

"Isn't the arsonist on the left too difficult?"

"Hahaha. It might be hard for High Elves... but for me-"

"Hehe, you left the swindler and murderer standing."

"Damn, how did that happen? Still, I should stay calm here and aim for the murderer first..."

"You missed both. Just what you'd expect from a dwarf."

"Damn... next round! Next round!"

It was popular enough that the number of lanes increased to six over the winter.

"We should build a dedicated building for this."

We decided to construct a new building in spring as a game hall.

Incidentally, I hadn't made miniature bowling right away. The first thing I tried was darts. I figured I just needed to make a target, then something you could throw that would stick into it.

Then I finished the target by cutting and shaping some wood. After considering what to use as projectiles, I settled on ordinary daggers.

Wasn't this more like a knife-throwing competition than darts? Thinking that, I tried throwing one, but all I managed was to damage the surrounding wall a little. I got somewhat carried away and threw several more, but it was still no good.

While I was taking a break, a High Elf who wanted to try hit the target easily.

"It would be better to increase the distance a little."

W-well, they lived in the forest, after all. They probably couldn't survive without skills like that.

Ann and the other members of the Oni Race hit it easily too.

"Should we make the target human-shaped? It would make good practice."

The lizardmen hit it easily too.

"I'm better with arrows than daggers... ah, that was a little off-center."

When I saw that even the obviously drunk dwarf hit the target, my heart broke.

That was why I made miniature bowling, but it definitely wasn't an escape. As proof, my miniature bowling scores weren't very good either.

"Village chief, could you help with this ball?"

"Please make the next pins bandits."

"Huh? Wouldn't a magic creature series be better?"

Now I was concentrating on making equipment. This was probably an escape.

4 Elder dwarf

The dwarf who came to the village was named Donovan. He wasn't an ordinary dwarf, but an elder dwarf, though I didn't understand the difference.

Just as the stories said, he had a barrel-shaped body and thick arms and legs. He was about as tall as me, but his large head made him look shorter.

And this Donovan...

Was a man. Anyone could see he was a man. And he was an adult. Anyone could see he was an adult.

In other words, he was the adult man everyone in this village had been waiting for-mainly me!

"Women without beards are a bit... I'm not a lolicon."

"..."

Apparently, this was a cultural barrier.

"Anyway, the barley and corn here can be used to make alcohol. The crops here are good quality. There's something to look forward to."

"I see. It sounds like we should increase production."

"Mm. At least double what we have now... no, preferably double that."

"You're right."

Donovan and Ria talked while repeatedly glancing my way. No, I didn't mind expanding the fields. But wasn't increasing them purely to make alcohol a bit questionable? You two seemed to be saying we needed more vineyards for wine too. No, I was going to expand them. So please stop putting pressure on me.

"This really is impressive."

"This cooking method... I see. I've learned something."

"The meat tastes wonderful."

Although Ann and the other members of the Oni Race were at the center of our culinary research, I took part too.

That said, I was only recreating dishes from my previous world. Among those, there was one I remembered only by its name: wine stew.

Honestly, I didn't know much about wine stew. Judging by the name, I assumed it meant stewing things in wine, and experimented accordingly.

I seasoned the meat beforehand, then simmered it with onions and the like in wine. It was crude, but it seemed pretty good. The reactions around me weren't bad either. However, because everyone was concerned about how much wine it used, nobody asked to eat it again. I felt my village was far too obsessed with alcohol.

After that, wine stew became a luxury dish that used precious wine only when we had guests.

Spring arrived.

As in previous years, I worked the fields. With barley and corn for alcohol added to the mix, there was demand for more vineyards too.

So I doubled everything in one go.

Perhaps because I'd grown used to tilling, I could work faster than before. Even so, it took about twenty days.

The fields increased from sixteen by sixteen plots, totaling 256, to sixteen by thirty-two, totaling 512. I'd only extended them southward... but getting to one end was a real hassle. A simple calculation put it at 1,600 meters. It felt like a decent workout already. The vineyards doubled from sixty-four plots to 128. Barley and corn for alcohol each took up thirty-two plots. The rest were fields for various crops.

One thing worth mentioning was that I greatly expanded the sesame fields. I'd remembered that sesame could be pressed for oil. Since we were already pressing oil from rapeseed and olives, you could say we didn't need it, but I thought having various kinds of oil would be nice, so I went ahead.

Tilling the fields was basically my job, since I had the Almighty Farming Tool. Everyone else did other work.

Kuro and the others hunted in the forest. I really worried they might wipe out all the rabbits there.

Zabuton and the others made clothing, coming up with new designs.

The High Elves repaired buildings damaged during the winter and worked on new construction. Donovan the dwarf's house was under construction. After that, they apparently also had a villa for Doraim in the works.

They felled timber for construction while expanding the fields, finishing both jobs together. The trees around here were extremely difficult to cut down without the Almighty Farming Tool.

The Oni Race handled the cooking and room cleaning as usual. The grime that had accumulated over winter seemed quite bad.

Daga and the other lizardmen maintained the waterways and tended the cows and chickens.

The beastmen processed the crops. Besides husking grain, they worked hard at milling flour, pressing oil, making sugar, and producing salt.

The dwarves brewed alcohol... Huh? Were there more dwarves now?

"Wilcox."

"I'm Kuros. Pleased to meet you."

Um...

After hearing their circumstances, I learned that they had apparently followed Donovan here. They apparently intended to settle here too. When had that been decided?

"The quality of the crops here is incredible. It really surprised me."

"Yeah, they're delicious even raw."

Anyone who praised my crops couldn't be a bad person. Welcome to Big Tree Village.

Lu focused on the state of her belly.

Tia and Flora helped Lu with her daily life while doing various other things.

Gran Maria and the others patrolled the surrounding area as usual.

There was something about the fieldwork that we needed to worry about going forward.

Our several harvests a year and lack of need for seeds were all thanks to the Almighty Farming Tool. I had to thank the god who gave it to me. At present, the village had no worries about food. But that was precisely why we needed to worry.

What would happen without the Almighty Farming Tool? And what would happen to the village if something happened to me, or if the Almighty Farming Tool became unusable for some reason? That sense of crisis made me think we needed to farm using ordinary tools.

Crops in fields made with the Almighty Farming Tool grew at roughly four times the speed, depending on the environment.

If we planted other crops in fields made with the Almighty Farming Tool, they grew at the same speed as ordinary crops.

In other words, they were the same as ordinary crops. So we had to pay attention to the seasons when growing them.

And we couldn't grow anything anywhere that the Almighty Farming Tool hadn't tilled at least once.

I thought that was because the soil in this forest was unsuitable for growing crops.

So I thought that any place where ordinary wheat could grow should be able to grow our wheat too.

My experiments so far had established that much. It would be troublesome and the harvests would be smaller, but we could manage even without the Almighty Farming Tool. I wanted to find a way to try it.

For now, we had prepared small fields where people practiced farming. The main participants were the High Elves, lizardmen, and beastmen.

The fact that they could use the crops they grew however they pleased had probably helped. Most of the crops they grew could be used to make alcohol.

5 Cooking and drinks

Doraim, a dragon, frequently visited the village for two reasons: the food and the alcohol. The other villagers praised both too. But to me, with my memories of my previous world, they didn't seem that good.

The food always seemed to lack something, and the alcohol wasn't mature enough.

The problem with the food was that we couldn't get everything we had in my previous world.

And even if we assembled all the ingredients, seasonings, and cooking utensils, there was nothing I could do with my amateur-level cooking knowledge. Cooking rice was about the only thing I could manage reasonably well.

For the time being, I told Ann and the other oni the general direction I wanted for the food and seasonings, along with my guesses about cooking methods, and had them research dishes and seasonings. But the dishes born from that research also received high praise, which troubled me a little.

My standards apparently bordered on unreasonable. But I couldn't compromise on food. I would work hard too, so I hoped everyone else would do their best.

As one result, we could now make rice bowls. Rice was wonderful. Grilling, stewing, and hot pots still weren't satisfying, but they had at least reached an acceptable level. As for seasonings, completing mayonnaise sparked a revolution in the village's cooking.

The important ingredients in mayonnaise were eggs and vinegar. We relied on the chickens for the eggs. Thank you very much!

Salmonella in eggs was frightening, so they needed to be disinfected before being eaten raw. That said, we had no disinfectant. Troubled, I consulted Lu and the others, and learned that this world had a preparation used when eating eggs.

Flora could make it, so I had her work on that.

Lu apparently could make it too, but I didn't want a pregnant woman going near that sort of thing. We didn't know what might happen, after all.

After the eggs came the vinegar.

At first, I believed the story that wine turned into vinegar if left long enough and tried it, but it didn't turn into vinegar.

As a second option, I had heard that vinegar could form during the sake-making process, so I worked in that direction. We produced something similar, and when I tried making mayonnaise with it, it worked. I thought mixing in vinegar might remove the need to disinfect the eggs, but better safe than sorry. Actually, on a more fundamental level, did salmonella even exist in another world?

Never mind the little details. The mayonnaise earned the highest praise. Being able to use it in all kinds of dishes and enjoy more delicious flavors brought a smile to my face. I wanted seafood next.

With alcohol, the problem was that everyone loved drinking too much. Even if they said they would go to bed early, they would unconsciously have a little drink. Did they lack self-restraint? Taking that into account, I expanded the vineyards for wine. Heh heh heh. Now we could sleep soundly. We should be able to. I hoped we could.

Alongside alcohol, we also made ordinary fruit juice, tea, and coffee. Those were the results of looking for drinks other than alcohol.

These efforts to reduce alcohol consumption had recently begun to show results.

Still, the villagers didn't consume much of them. The juice squeezed from fruit was mainly consumed by the alcohol-loving beastmen. As for tea and coffee, a few High Elves and oni had become enthusiasts, but they were far from widespread.

By contrast, Beelzebub of the Demon Race liked tea and had purchased a large quantity last winter.

I was truly grateful.

In spring, Kuro and the others shed their horns as they did every year, the bees began splitting their colonies, and Zabuton's children set off on their journeys.

Speaking of which, where had the thirty of Kuro's children who left last year gone?

I hoped they were safe...

Just as I was thinking that, those thirty returned. They were all covered in wounds, but their expressions were sharp, as though they had overcome some trial. I didn't know what they had encountered, but I was glad they were safe. Then, a few days later, they each took several of Zabuton's children on their backs and headed out again.

Seriously, what were they doing? I hoped they weren't up to anything strange...

A request came in to build a bathhouse.

Until now, the villagers had used the bathhouse the High Elves and I built whenever they wanted.

Basically, I had been the only man, and everyone else bathing together was either female or a child who didn't count as a man yet. But with male dwarves settling in the village, a request had come in for a men's bathhouse.

Still, the village had more women. So if we were building a new one, it ought to be a women's bathhouse.

Not a bad idea.

With mixed bathing, they had to be mindful of me and couldn't go whenever they wanted. We could make the current bathhouse men-only and build a new one for women.

But they stopped me. The women argued that a women-only bathhouse would mean fewer opportunities to spend time with me. I told them they could just spend time with me somewhere other than the bathhouse, but they wouldn't listen.

In the end, the existing bathhouse became my private bathhouse.

Anyone who wanted could enter freely.

We would build a new men's bathhouse and a new women's bathhouse.

I wanted to enjoy the bath in peace too, so that was probably fine. I thought we could manage the water supply somehow.

But adding more bathhouses made me worry about the extra firewood.

Heating bathwater used a surprising amount of firewood. Even surrounded by forest, consuming so much didn't feel quite right. We needed to consider an alternative fuel. Just as I was thinking that, it was decided that we would heat the water with magic.

We did prepare stoves for heating water just in case, but apparently fire magic users could cooperate to provide hot water. It would also serve as magic practice for the beastmen. I see. I hoped they would do their best.

Magic made preparations faster than firewood, so it was quite convenient. It would have been even more convenient if I could do it myself. Maybe I really should keep practicing magic... No, no, I had no talent for it. We should leave things to those suited to them.

A petition came in concerning the trees planted in the orchard. The petitioners were the bees.

The bees told Zabuton's children, and Zabuton's children told me. I couldn't converse with Zabuton or her children, so this was the result of communicating through gestures.

According to the bees, they wanted trees that grew on their own in the forest transplanted into the orchard. Although

the orchard's trees apparently sufficed, this seemed to be a request from the queens of some of the bees.

As long as there was no danger, that was fine, so I quickly agreed. Although I agreed quickly, we wouldn't actually transplant the trees in question.

I would inspect the trees they wanted, understand what they were, and then plant them with the Almighty Farming Tool.

But those trees apparently weren't anywhere nearby. If they were, the bees could simply have gone into the forest themselves without petitioning me. So first, we needed to find the trees in question.

Zabuton's children already understood what sort of trees the bees wanted. I thought I would have to take Zabuton's children into the forest to search, but the problem was solved quickly.

Kuro and the others carried Zabuton's children on their backs to search the forest. They found the trees and returned.

All I had to do was follow the guides. Gran Maria carried me there, so it was over in very little time.

All right, time to plant the new trees.

Since we had already expanded the fields, we might as well expand the orchard too. The cows were currently east of the orchard, so I expanded westward. I doubled its size in one go, bringing it to an area of eight fields by eight fields. The trees the bees wanted were fairly short trees blooming with flowers I didn't recognize. They apparently bore fruit, so I planted a few extra.

At the same time, I also tried planting rubber trees, aloe, and coconut palms.

Although I had expanded the orchard, I left some spaces so we could accommodate other requests. Whew, that was one job done.

By the time I realized it, I was a father. It really happened all at once.

To be precise, I had no memory of the time between hearing that the baby was coming and holding him.

Hmm. Apparently, I had been quite flustered. But I was relieved that he had been born safely. He was a healthy boy.

Was it really all right for someone like me to be a father? No, no, it was too late for that now. I had to work hard for the child who had been born. All sorts of things happened, but from that day onward, the village held an ongoing feast.

6 The birth of my son and an attack

My son's name was Alfred. Lu named him. The name I suggested was rejected.

What worried me was that he was the child of someone who had suffered from illness in his previous world. Although I had received a healthy body from the god, would my son have that blessing too? There was no way to check, so all I could do was pray.

I hoped he would grow up healthy. Also, since he was the child of me, a human, and Lu, a vampire, what would his race be? Would he be a half-vampire?

Even when I asked Lu, she only answered that she didn't know, since this was her first child and there were no vampires around her with childbirth experience. I see.

From his appearance, he was no different from a human baby at present.

According to the oni, children apparently had to grow to a certain extent before their racial traits appeared.

For the Oni Race, that meant horns. They were small in childhood and apparently gradually grew larger once they were old enough to have children.

It certainly would make childbirth difficult if they had horns at birth. Was my son the same? Hmm. I was worried, but there was nothing to be done. Whether his race was human or vampire, there was no doubt that he was Lu's and my child. We would do our best to raise him.

Lu had no particular problems after giving birth.

That didn't mean she was exactly the same as before giving birth. At least her personality felt a little mellower. Was this what becoming a mother meant? In any case, I was happy that mother and child were safe.

As for childcare, the oni had rushed to take care of it, so there was no shortage of help.

No, wasn't it a bit much that there were so many helpers that Lu and I couldn't look after him?

I really wanted to experience being a father a little more.

A change of mood.

We learned why thirty of Kuro's children had gone out. Those thirty, along with Zabuton's children, were exploring a dungeon south of the forest. To think they were doing something so dangerous.

We found out because Gran Maria happened to discover the dungeon entrance.

It was south of the village, some distance away, but apparently leaving a dungeon alone would cause vicious magic creatures to spill out from time to time. We needed to investigate inside, so we formed an exploration party centered around the High Elves.

I asked to join too, but the villagers unanimously rejected me.

Hmm, dungeon exploration. It really stirred my sense of adventure.

While the exploration party was checking their equipment at the dungeon entrance, Kuro's children apparently emerged from the dungeon carrying Zabuton's children.

After that, they explored the dungeon with Kuro's children and learned what they had been doing.

Hmm. Exploring a dungeon on their own initiative?

Did Kuro and the others have that sort of habit?

Incidentally, Zabuton's children apparently moved to places Kuro and the others couldn't reach and manipulated objects.

For the time being, I had the High Elves collect the bones of the dungeon's magic creatures that Kuro and the others had defeated and put them in the storehouse.

I wondered what bones could be used for, but apparently they had their uses and were worth something accordingly. The High Elves had returned, but Kuro and the others apparently continued exploring the dungeon. I hoped they would come back now and then.

The incident happened suddenly.

It was just past noon.

Zabuton sounded the alarm. The direction was south. Looking up, I spotted something flying. Another wyvern? Remembering what had happened then made me angry.

The flying figure headed straight toward us. I instinctively felt that its target was here. At the same time, judging by its speed, it wasn't friendly.

I transformed the Almighty Farming Tool into a spear and took a throwing stance.

Pierce it and bring it down.

Just as I put strength into the hand holding the Almighty Farming Tool, another flying figure collided with it.

The other figure was Doraim. I had seen his dragon form countless times, so there was no mistaking him. Compared with Doraim, the figure flying toward us was two sizes smaller.

But I could tell it wasn't a wyvern. It was a dragon whose color differed subtly from Doraim's.

Struck by Doraim's collision, the dragon stopped in midair in confusion.

Then it went straight into battle with Doraim. For a moment, I thought I could leave it to Doraim, but for some reason, he looked as though he was going to lose.

Should I help? Just as I held off on throwing the spear, a powerful killing intent suddenly came from behind me.

The north? I turned and hurled the spear toward the killing intent.

An all-white dragon the same size as Doraim was flying toward us from that direction.

I thought my spear would strike the all-white dragon as though drawn toward it, but the dragon dodged before it could.

But perhaps because it had dodged by force, it lost its balance. Here was my chance. I began preparing a second throw.

Just as I was about to throw, someone stopped me.

"W-wait! That's not an enemy!"

Doraim's attendant, Gucci, had somehow appeared in front of me with his arms spread.

After that, three people, male and female, stood before me.

Doraim, a beautiful blonde woman, and a girl who looked somewhat younger than the blonde woman.

The girl, however, had two beautiful dragon horns on her head and a large dragon tail beneath her skirt.

"My wife, Guraru, and my daughter, Rasutisumoon."

According to Doraim, the first figure flying toward us had been his daughter, Rasutisumoon, and the all-white dragon that came afterward had been his wife, Guraru.

"Even though I didn't know, I'm terribly sorry."

No, really. I had thrown a spear at Doraim's wife, after all.

"W-we should be the ones apologizing. We acted in a way that invited misunderstanding..."

First, his daughter Rasutisumoon bowed her head from behind Doraim.

Apparently, I had frightened her.

She looked quite cute. But she was the reason Doraim, who served as her shield, was covered in wounds.

"I rushed over without paying attention either. I'm truly sorry. At the time, all I could think about was protecting my daughter and husband... Please laugh at this foolish woman."

Of course, I wasn't going to laugh.

"Both sides made mistakes this time, so let's put it behind us."

I didn't want any more trouble.

According to Doraim, his daughter apparently suspected him of having an affair because he was building a house in Big Tree Village. And, with incredibly unfortunate timing, his preparations for Alfred's birth present had been mistaken for preparations to give his mistress a gift. Doraim had denied it, but his daughter hadn't believed him and had headed straight for the village. Apparently, she had intended to burn it to the ground.

I see. In my mind, I marked his daughter as a dangerous individual.

"I-I'm sorry."

It was good that she admitted her mistake honestly... but being that aggressive was a problem.

Doraim had frantically chased after his daughter at full speed as she headed toward the village, crashing into her to stop her.

That should have been the end of it, but when his wife learned about his daughter and Dor-

aim's situation, she had chased after them at even greater speed.

As for why she had released such intense killing intent then...

"Because of love."

I'd mark his wife as a dangerous individual too. The killing intent she had released had sent almost all of Kuro and his pack, Zabuton's children, the High Elves, the lizardmen, and the Oni Race into a panic. Some had withstood it, but they had run around trying to calm everyone else down, and it had taken quite some time to get things under control.

Although no harm had been done, Kuro's children still tucked their tails in when they saw Doraim's wife. Zabuton's children didn't want to approach her either.

Doraim was so unassuming that I'd forgotten, but this reaffirmed that dragons were powerful creatures. And apparently, the females were even stronger.

Incidentally, Alfred was sleeping peacefully. He would surely become someone important someday.

"My daughter. Please trust your father a little more."

"But..."

"With Guraru by my side, there's no way I would have an affair. If, by some chance, I did..."

"If you did?"

"Just thinking about it frightens me. My daughter, remember this. Your father doesn't have that kind of courage!"

"O-Okay."

"Also, about what I told you before... Do you understand now that making an enemy of this village isn't realistic?"

"Yes. An attack that could break through all of Mother's barriers... Um, that was aimed at me at first, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"...That was dangerous."

"Yes. Thank goodness you're all right."

"Father."

"It's fine for you two to get along, but please don't forget about me."

"Y-Yes. As expected of you, Guraru. I broke into a cold sweat when that attack was unleashed."

"I was merely saved by a kind spider. Even I hadn't anticipated that my barriers, shields, defensive walls, and resistances would all be pierced in one go, so I didn't dodge."

"A kind spider?"

"An old friend. She moved my body before the attack struck. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here."

"Guraru..."

"Rusti. There's a house in this village built for Doraim. You'll live there."

"Mother? Why so suddenly?"

"That offensive power. We can't simply leave it alone. I'm not asking you to suppress it, but at least make an effort to ensure that when that power is used, it isn't directed at the dragons."

"Huh, um..."

"Your answer?"

"Y-Yes! I'll do my best."

Without my knowing, it had been decided that we would gain another resident.

7 Rusti

Doraim's daughter, Rasutisumoon.

Everyone called her Rusti. In dragon form, she was fifteen meters long, but in human form, she looked like a middle schooler. She had long blond hair and gave the impression of being well-behaved. She looked like the type to be student council president or a disciplinary committee member.

The fact that she had acted out of suspicion that her father was having an affair probably reinforced that impression.

When I first saw her, she had been wearing something like a dress for a ball, but now she looked completely like a village girl. Maybe she was the type to start with appearances.

Well, whichever form she took, the horns on her head and her tail proclaimed that she was a dragon.

"Rusti settled in quickly."

"Food and entertainment. Give her those things to motivate her, and that's what happens. Dragons are generally quite idle, after all."

"Is that why Doraim comes so often too?"

"Yes."

Rusti ate any kind of food. She seemed quite taken with it.

When she first tried the food, she had even exclaimed, "Father, that's so unfair!"

When it came to fruit, she preferred sweet over sour. She especially liked dried persimmons.

"This is all that's left...?"

At the warehouse entrance, I saw a faint look of despair on her face. Dried persimmons were mostly eaten during winter, and there hadn't been many to begin with. Those were, after all, the entire village's supply.

Rusti enjoyed chess, Reversi, and miniature bowling. Her skills were just average, though.

She was a good match for the Beastmen boys. She rejoiced or despaired over each win or loss.

Also, when she was outside, she would mingle with Kuro's children and occasionally chase flying discs.

Since she couldn't beat the four-legged children of Kuro at human size, she would transform into a dragon to catch the disc, looking very proud of herself.

Perhaps she was younger than she looked.

Kuro's children complained to me that it was unfair. No, even if you complained to me...

At first, I had intended to treat Rusti as a guest, but Doraim and his wife said they wanted her to work.

For the time being, since I didn't know exactly what she could do, I had her try all sorts of tasks.

As for hunting, young as she was, she was still a dragon, and apparently frightened the prey into hiding. As for digging, she could manage rough excavation, but not anything precise. She couldn't look after the chickens or cows either.

She had no experience with housework either, and ultimately only increased everyone else's workload. As for fieldwork... I cared a great deal about the crops, so I didn't let her near them.

In conclusion, we established that she was a sheltered young lady with no practical life skills. Was it because her race specialized in combat? I'd had the impression that dragons were wise...

For the moment, I concluded that the best use of her, as surplus fighting strength in the village, would be patrolling the forest like Gran Maria.

Rusti's role was decided. She would handle diplomacy.

She welcomed guests and negotiated with them.

The guest was Beelzebub, the Demon King's envoy. Although his purpose was to buy crops, he also seemed to be indirectly probing into Rusti's recent rampage.

"Hahaha. As long as there's no problem, that's good. Ah, do you still have any of those yellow fruits? We ate them all over the winter."

"Mandarins? I believe we still have some... but since it's early in the season, you can't expect much in terms of quantity. For this season, how about strawberries?"

"Strawberries?"

"Yes. They have a sweet-and-sour flavor. Add sugar and soak them in milk, and they're even more delicious. Of course, they're delicious just as they are too."

"That sounds very good. Then I'll take ten crates."

"How about some sugar and milk to go with them?"

"You've got me beaten. All right. I'll take both."

"Thank you. As a token of appreciation... I can offer this much of a discount."

"If you're offering a discount, it should be at least this much..."

"Then let's settle on this much."

I was astonished, wondering where the hotheaded girl who had suddenly wanted to burn down the village had gone.

Had that happened because her father, Doraim, was involved?

Furthermore, she used the multiple small, meter-long wyverns she had brought under her command for communications.

This allowed us to maintain close contact with the Demon King's Castle, Howlin Village, and Doraim's place. Well, we left raising the small wyverns entirely to the lizardmen...

"There are twenty of them?"

"One or twenty, it's all the same. Leave them to us."

"Really?"

I nodded at the lizardmen's reassuring words. The difficult parts of raising the small wyverns were keeping them from attacking the chickens and cows, and keeping Zabuton's children from attacking them.

"Bullying the newcomers?"

"No, apparently they've always treated them as prey until now."

"Really?"

"They do fly, after all. Anyway, put collars on the wyverns as a sign not to attack them."

We'd give it our best shot.

"My daughter. Are you doing well? If you need anything, just say so."

"I'm doing well, but aren't you visiting a little too often? You were here ten days ago, weren't you?"

"Gucci's there, so everything is fine. Hey, the usual, please."

At Doraim's call, the Oni Race working at Rusti's house began preparing food and alcohol.

"Oh, right. You've been to the bathhouse already, haven't you? It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Indeed. But having so many users is a drawback."

"Ah... the women's bath is like that. The men's bath is spacious and comfortable. Even Gucci takes a bath every time he comes here."

"Father, that's so unfair."

"Hahaha. Now you understand why I built a house here, don't you?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, may I call some servants here? The Oni Race are looking after me, but since they're on loan, I feel somewhat uncomfortable."

"I've already asked Gucci to appoint some. There's been a little dispute, though."

"Are they unhappy about working under me?"

"The opposite. Once they learned how good this village's food was, a flood of applicants came. At one point, even Gucci said he wanted to go."

"Although I understand how he feels, you'd be in trouble if Gucci left, wouldn't you, Father?"

"Yes. So we need to decide soon."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

The Demon King's Castle.

"Where did Beelzebub go? He's back already, isn't he?"

"Yes, but he immediately went back to his family home."

"Not his bedroom?"

"That's right. He said it was urgent. Ah, he left the souvenirs here."

"Hmm. That's good, then. But urgent business for Beelzebub? I hope nothing happens..."

Side story: Fraulerm

My name was Fraulerm Chrome. I was a member of the illustrious House of Earl Chrome. My father was Bezel Kreim Chrome, one of the current Demon King's executives.

Until then, I had conducted myself elegantly in the royal capital, Greisen, as a friend of Her Highness the Princess.

I wasn't merely calling myself her friend. I was a schoolmate personally appointed by the Demon King.

Naturally, therefore, my grades at the academy were excellent. My martial skills were not merely above average either; I had trained to a level where I could enter actual combat immediately. After all, if anything happened to Her Highness, I would have to step forward. I was expected to serve actively as one of her close attendants in the future.

Moreover, although it felt a little awkward to say so myself, my appearance was certainly excellent. No, I should say I was beautiful. This wasn't vanity, but an objective fact. Naturally, someone like me regularly received marriage proposals. That said, they weren't made directly to me, but submitted to my family.

That was only natural.

It was normal for my father, rather than me, to decide whom I married. I had never entertained the dreamlike notion of marrying someone of my own choosing. I was prepared to marry whomever Father selected. So I hoped he would decide soon, but there were a considerable number of candidates. Father seemed unable to choose.

Although I appreciated his desire to find a good match for his daughter, if he didn't decide soon, I would start worrying about how others looked at me.

Now, someone like me...

Suddenly received orders from Father to go to a certain village. When I asked if it was where I would marry, he replied that he wouldn't dare presume.

Then what was I supposed to do in that village? Leave the academy too? Give up being Her Highness's schoolmate as well? Um, Father? Were we planning to flee under cover of night?

Father didn't laugh at my joke. Instead, he answered with a serious expression.

"If we could flee under cover of night, I truly wish we could... The fate of the Demon King Kingdom depends on this. Act carefully."

Huh, um... Was Father tired?

Well, whenever he came home, he sought affection from Mother and complained at length about work and his colleagues, so he must have been quite exhausted.

There was a hint of madness in Father's eyes, so resisting him couldn't be considered a good idea. I would humor him for a little while. Although it was indeed a shame to stop being Her Highness's schoolmate at the academy, it was also rather boring.

I would be happy if I could put my talents to use... but apparently, our destination was a village.

There wasn't much to look forward to. Hehe. Perhaps I would take charge of the place.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Rasutisumoon."

No sooner had I arrived at the village than I needed a change of clothes. For the sake of my dignity, I wouldn't say why.

Um... What was going on? A dragon had suddenly come out to welcome us...

And it was Rasutisumoon. The daughter of Doraim, the gatekeeper dragon of Mount Kerkelat. (Translator: "Gatekeeper" means someone who guards an entrance; here, "gatekeeper dragon" means the dragon guarding the Forest of Death.)

She was a dragon everyone in the Demon King Kingdom knew they had to watch out for.

She was known as the mad dragon-not a mad dog-whose eyes one must never meet.

With someone like that coming to greet me, surely needing a change of clothes was unavoidable.

Yes, I believed it was.

High Elves were living together in the village.

They were a vicious group known as the forest guerrillas, the Maneaters. They lived in forests and abducted men from nearby villages. Moreover, the High Elves who lived in the Forest of Death and the Forest of Iron were warriors each worth a thousand fighters. After all, they lived in the Forest of Death and the Forest of Iron.

When they greeted me with smiles, my legs nearly gave out, but I managed to hold on. I wanted to praise myself. But that was as far as I got.

A pack of Infernal Wolves appeared.

Well, I was certain I would die. I thought Father had offered me up as a sacrifice. How cruel, Father.

While I changed clothes for the second time, Rasutisumoon told me everything was all right.

I see, so everything here was under Rasutisumoon's control.

That was reassuring, at least.

Infernal Wolves stood at one of the peaks of the "Forest of Death." They were vicious wolves, a single one of which could destroy a city.

And there were... countless numbers of them. Even the mutated Cocytus Wolf had been confirmed among them. I would consider it a valuable experience. If I didn't think of it that way, my heart wouldn't hold out.

But were they really under her control? Several infernal hounds were tugging on Rasutisumoon's skirt.

Now, the next one made its appearance.

It was a Demon Spider.

The moment we met, I was hit by "Stun Bash" and lost consciousness.

"Stun Bash" was an individual trait of Demon Spiders, a mental attack against someone they encountered for the first time.

Since I hadn't been eaten while unconscious, the Demon Spider must have been safe too. Hehehe, it was time for my third change of clothes. Would it be better not to wear underwear?

That aside, to think she had brought another of the creatures that stood alongside Infernal Wolves at the peak of the "Forest of Death" under her control... Rasutisumoon was truly terrifying.

Please really have it under control. Please. There were no words other than terrifying to describe a wild Demon Spider.

Speaking of which, the Demon Spider had a great many children too. Shadow Spiders, Curse Spiders, Draw Spiders, Trap Spiders, Death Spiders, Death Hanging Spiders...

Although they were all juvenile Demon Spiders, they were terrifying creatures even as juveniles. And there were countless numbers of them. Just imagining them being unleashed in the Demon King Kingdom... sent a chill down my spine. I would stop thinking about it. No, I erased it from my memory.

Now, after seeing the Demon Spider's family, even seeing something like a Gnostic Bee nest no longer surprised me. It didn't surprise me, but that didn't mean it wasn't frightening.

Gnostic Bees. They were magic creatures that gathered nectar from flowers and the like, just as ordinary bees did. But their honey fetched an unbelievably high price. Part of the reason was its exquisite flavor, but another was the existence of the soldier bees that guarded Gnostic Bee nests.

The soldier bees of Gnostic Bees were said to be so vicious that even Infernal Wolves had trouble approaching while they were still alive. In other words, obtaining Gnostic Bee honey required enough fighting strength to wipe out the soldier bees...

In this world, there was an expression, "aiming for Gnostic Bee honey," which referred to dreamers and fantasists, or people who engaged in dangerous activities because they were consumed by desire.

I mustn't want Gnostic Bee honey. Even though it had been put into jars before my eyes and carried away... I mustn't want it. Even though it would be served at breakfast tomorrow, I mustn't look forward to it.

I had been careless. I had been far too captivated by the Gnostic Bee honey. I couldn't let my guard down too much here.

Four Angels appeared before me. Every one of them was an Angel with a title.

Annihilation Angel Tia. The Angels of Slaughter, Gran Maria, Kuudel, and Corone.

Though they weren't on Rasutisumoon's level, they were all Angels who warranted caution.

Fortunately, I didn't need another change of clothes. Was that because I had nothing left to let out?

Judging by how amicably they spoke with Rasutisumoon, I could probably conclude that there was no danger. I would let myself believe that. Just as I thought so, the next person arrived.

Vampire Princess Ru.

She was said to be Annihilation Angel Tia's eternal rival. Naturally, being rivals meant their danger levels were equal. Though I stayed alert for a magical battle that might suddenly erupt, nothing of the sort happened. They were amicably deciding what to have for dinner. Was their rivalry only a rumor?

With the four Angels and the Vampire Princess together, perhaps they could put up a good fight against Rasutisumoon.

Which meant... simply obeying Rasutisumoon might be dangerous.

Though I had expected a difficult course to steer, I made it through smoothly.

The vampire Flora was here too. The four Angels plus the two vampires might be stronger than Rasutisumoon. No, no, if Rasutisumoon made a move, the Gatekeeper Dragon Doraim might come. I couldn't stop thinking. I had to keep thinking.

...With just a few Infernal Wolves, she could suppress the Angels and vampires.

Even a Demon Spider alone could fight the Angels and vampires...

If they were under Rasutisumoon's control, then choosing Rasutisumoon was my only option.

But deep inside, my heart was screaming that this choice was dangerous. Why?

After that, I encountered rare races such as the Oni Race, lizardmen, and elder dwarves, but nothing surprised me anymore. Bring them all on.

The Beastmen children soothed me. Their tails were so cute. The slimes, cows, and chickens soothed me too. My heart settled down.

After being shown around the village, I returned to the inn. I was scheduled to live here until my house was completed. Given the village's size, I hadn't expected much from the room, but it was quite well equipped.

In particular, the fabrics used for things like the sheets were of the highest quality, something I rarely saw even at home, yet they were being put to proper use.

The food consisted of delicious dishes I had never seen before, and the alcohol was delicious too. Although I was a little dissatisfied that other people used the bathhouse, its comfort more than outweighed that dissatisfaction. I couldn't underestimate it.

I didn't know why Father had sent me here, but for now, I would gather information properly. I had to avoid making enemies.

Now then, what should I do starting tomorrow? It was already growing dark, but judging from their unconcerned use of oil and candles, the village still seemed to be active. Rasutisumoon probably hadn't gone to sleep yet.

Rasutisumoon... should I add "Lady"? Or would it be better to call her Rusti like everyone else...? I should probably wait until I had permission for that.

In any case, I wanted to meet with Rasutisumoon again to discuss what came next.

"You, human over there. Take me to where Miss Rasutisumoon is."

I had failed.

I should have thought it through carefully. Though it was only an excuse, I was the daughter of a father of considerable standing in the Demon King Kingdom. They shouldn't treat me carelessly; the highest-ranking person in the village should come out to welcome me.

That was why I had arbitrarily assumed the person who welcomed me was the highest-ranking one. I had been wrong.

It had never occurred to me that the person welcoming me worked on miscellaneous chores. And I had completely failed to realize that this was a village that used that Rasutisumoon for miscellaneous chores.

Rasutisumoon was not at the top of this village.

At the top of this village was the village chief, just as the title suggested. A human village chief.

After I was taken to Rasutisumoon's residence and we were alone, she spoke with a serious expression.

"That human just now is the chief of this village, with Miss Lu and Miss Tia as his wives, and Infernal Wolves, a Demon Spider, High Elves, and the others under his leadership. He is also a friend of my father, and someone my mother wants to avoid fighting. I don't know what you intend to do, but please don't drag the Dragons into it."

"..."

At that moment, I, the daughter of a noble, died.

And then I was reincarnated as the village chief's faithful servant.

8 Beelzebub's daughter and the slimes

Beelzebub's daughter settled in the village. Rather than monitoring the village, she seemed to want to live here. If someone was moving here, I would have preferred a son to a daughter...

But it was his daughter, then.

Apparently, she was of the Demon Race, but she looked almost the same as a human. Though the amount of magic power she possessed apparently far exceeded a human's. It wouldn't be good if she disliked me for paying her too much attention at the start. So first, I left her in the care of Rusti, who was also a woman.

Still, I felt a little bad about leaving her entirely to someone else, so I went to greet her that evening. She seemed to be getting along well with Rusti. That was a relief, at least.

About the slimes.

The slimes had started with the seventeen Tia brought.

They worked hard purifying the toilets and sewers. Before I knew it, they had multiplied, grown larger, and begun moving freely around the village. Kuro and the others guarded places they weren't allowed to enter, keeping them away. Even if they approached, they would pick them up in their mouths and forcibly move them.

Basically, they moved on their own toward places with dirty water, and since they hadn't caused any major problems, I left them alone. At present, the exact number of slimes was unknown. It was clear that even a quick count put them at over a hundred.

Now, about those slimes...

The ones originally brought here were blue slimes, blue in color. Something had happened to them, and they had changed into all sorts of varieties.

Green slimes, green in color. Yellow slimes, yellow in color. Red slimes, red in color. It wasn't just their colors that differed; apparently, the magic they could use differed too. I see. Though few in number, there were also pitch-black black slimes and pure-white holy slimes. They seemed to be very rare, and the lizardmen doted on them. Well, those changes weren't a problem. They caused no actual harm.

Just as I was thinking that, a problem arose.

A slime slipped into a storage barrel, drank all the wine inside, and turned purple.

Should I call it an Alcohol Slime?

Distinctive feature: the smell of alcohol. Special skill: alcoholic breath.

It was a slime I wanted to leave alone, but I couldn't. Why? Because nearly all the villagers who liked drinking were furious.

The village held its first trial.

Guilty.

That was decided immediately. Well, since it had stolen and drunk the alcohol, I couldn't defend it. Next came deciding its punishment... the harsh punishment was execution. Someone suggested it might taste of alcohol if eaten, and some villagers' eyes lit up. I would politely decline. That slime had also spent time purifying excrement. I would rather not eat it if possible. Couldn't we simply dry it out in the sun?

For a lighter punishment, imprisonment. How about sealing it in something like a jar? After a fierce exchange of opinions, a remark from Beelzebub's daughter Fraulerm settled the situation.

Even if we punished it, could a slime understand?

Was it normal to seriously consider a punishment for something a slime had done?

Those participating in the trial flushed bright red, and the court was dismissed. We would manage the door to the alcohol storehouse more strictly.

After that, the Alcohol Slime remained an Alcohol Slime. It didn't participate in purification work like the other slimes, instead wandering leisurely around the village. Whenever there was an occasion such as a banquet, it would show up too. Well, having one slime like that wasn't bad. But if their numbers kept increasing, it would be a problem.

Beelzebub's daughter, Fraulerm.

At first, she wore something like a formal dress that felt unsuited to this place. She was a young lady fond of dressing up who had changed clothes several times on her first day, so I worried whether she could manage in this village. But on the second day, she put on trousers, tied her hair back, and surprisingly dressed like a farmworker.

She seemed to be getting along well with Rusti? Then she waited for my instructions with a smile.

Honestly, I was happy because she seemed more useful as a worker than Rusti. Let's work hard from here on.

After working together for about ten days, we became close enough that I could call Fraulerm "Fran."

If Rusti was a student council president or a disciplinary committee member, Fran was the ace of an athletic club.

She learned things quickly, moved efficiently, and answered energetically. She got along well with Kuro and the others, Zabuton and her children, and the High Elves. From time to time, she even got to stroke the Beastmen children's tails. I was jealous.

If I carelessly said I wanted to stroke their tails, there was a danger it would be taken as an invitation to go to bed afterward, so I couldn't say it.

From conversations with Rusti and Fran, I learned various things about food, alcohol, and related matters outside the village.

First, cooking. I had already noticed it from the Oni women's cooking, but their techniques really were lacking. Basically, they only roasted or boiled things. As for why other cooking methods hadn't emerged... I supposed it was a matter of culture.

Many people apparently thought eating was merely replenishing energy, and anything that filled their stomachs would do. No, perhaps they thought it was good enough just to have something to eat. Governments didn't consider providing a variety of foods either, instead designating a particular food as the staple and giving it preferential treatment, so farmers produced only that. Consequently, the crops people consumed became fixed, and cooking methods were limited too. For me, with memories of my previous world, it was a frightening diet.

I liked rice, but I would hate eating nothing but rice. Well, in that case, I would make something to go with it... was the problem that they didn't have even that much leeway?

The wealthy and ruling classes had somewhat more leeway where food was concerned, but even then, people particular about their meals were apparently a minority. I thought they could hunt in forests or fish in the sea, but magic creatures lived there too, so apparently it was difficult.

Right, magic creatures. I see. I understood a little better why visitors from outside praised the food.

The situation with alcohol was much the same.

However, because alcohol was treated as a drink that kept well, places that made it produced large quantities. As a result, it tasted the same wherever you drank it. Quantity mattered more than flavor, and diluting it with water was taken for granted.

Since some people liked alcohol more than food, certain enthusiasts and wealthy people, as well as

members of the ruling classes, apparently brewed good alcohol, but it rarely appeared. After all, it was for the makers to drink.

And apparently, this village's alcohol tasted better than even the alcohol those wealthy people made.

That was probably due not to technique, but to the difference in the crops used to make it. I see. I understood a little better why the people in this village were so devoted to alcohol. And why Doraim frequently came seeking it.

"Anyway, if they only grow one crop, wouldn't an epidemic destroy the country in one fell swoop? Are they all right?"

"Not at all. A few years ago, there was a major epidemic in the human nations to the west... centered on the Kingdom of Pruheald. I heard it caused a great famine."

Fran answered.

"Then they started wars with neighboring countries in search of food... which has caused the Demon King Kingdom trouble too."

Starting wars in search of food... was the aim invasion, or perhaps reducing their population was part of it too?

"Did the Demon King Kingdom make it through the famine?"

"Yes. Since the Demon King Kingdom is a collection of many races, their staple foods differ."

"I see. Since they weren't growing only one crop, the damage was limited."

"Yes. But it wasn't entirely unharmed, so the Demon King Kingdom doesn't have much to spare either. Yet the Kingdom of Pruheald set its sights on the Demon King Kingdom's surplus..."

And it had turned into a war.

"But you wouldn't lose against an army short of food, would you? Couldn't you destroy them instead?"

"We could, but taking territory recklessly would cause problems too."

"Ah..."

Even if they seized exhausted territory, it would be a long time before it turned a profit. Instead, they would have to invest in it, increasing their debts. It felt all the more real that this wasn't a game. But as a mere village chief, there was nothing I could do about it. All I could manage was lowering our selling prices in response to the Demon King Kingdom's demand for food. We would produce more, even if only a little. Let's work hard growing crops.

9 Wyvern communications and Michael of the port town

The child had grown quite a lot. Even though I saw the child every day... hmm.

At this rate, the child would be standing soon. (Don't call me a doting father.)

Lately, Tia and the High Elves had been very enthusiastic. Although I understood how they felt, this was something we had to leave to heaven. I would do my best, but please don't push yourselves.

Also, what was with Doraim and Beelzebub, who came to see how Rusti and Fran were doing, tactfully expressing their desire for grandchildren? I wouldn't force them unless the women themselves wanted it. If they agreed? Well, of course, they were both beautiful women... huh? But didn't Rusti lay eggs? And wasn't Fran a noble's daughter? Don't worry about that, they said...

There was no taking the conversation any further than that. I felt as though there was no turning back.

Rusti's small-wyvern communications basically operated on a regular schedule. Whether or not we had a message, we sent out wyverns at fixed intervals, and if the other party had anything to communicate, they handed it over when the wyvern returned.

Basically, there was one trip a day. For anyone we wanted to contact frequently, there were several trips a day.

If it was just enough to keep us from forgetting, it was once a week or once a month.

Either way, we needed the recipient's cooperation.

Contact with Howlin Village was once a week.

Our messages mainly consisted of letters from the Beastmen who had moved here to their relatives. Theirs mainly concerned exchanging grain and minerals. Once the arrangements for an exchange had taken shape to some extent, Tia went there directly to finalize the details.

As for transporting grain and minerals, we had previously asked Doraim, but now Rusti handled it.

At first, she was somewhat reluctant to transport things as a dragon, but she agreed once we prepared sweets.

According to Tia, some people there were already proposing that they rely entirely on "Big Tree Village" for food and have Howlin Village focus on mining and making ironware. Though the final decision lay with them, we advised them to make sure they wouldn't be in trouble after giving their ironware to "Big Tree Village."

In practice, supplying food for everyone in Howlin Village would be difficult without further expanding our fields. And if most of Howlin Village devoted themselves to mining and making ironware, would there be somewhere to use all the ironware they produced?

Well, since the Demon King Kingdom seemed to be at war, iron was necessary. But the war wouldn't last forever. Personally, I hoped Howlin Village would continue producing its own food.

To the south, beyond the mountain where Doraim's nest was, and beyond the "Iron Forest," lay the sea. There was a human port town along that coast, and someone proposed trading with it.

The proposer was Fran. The goal was obtaining seafood. What prompted it was something I muttered during a meal.

"If we had seafood, we could make even more flavors."

The solidarity of the villagers other than me was not to be underestimated.

The port town over there was named Shashaato.

It was called Shashaato City. Apparently, a merchant Fran knew had a shop there, and she wanted to use it as our point of contact for trade.

If we could obtain seafood, I would gladly cooperate. Though we were going to trade, apparently barter was possible just as it was with Howlin Village, so we started choosing what to take.

Although I suggested alcohol first, I was turned down.

"Taking our alcohol outside would be going too far."

"Alcohol is the village's treasure."

"The village should keep the alcohol."

Hadn't we been exchanging it with Howlin Village? Because we really needed iron?

In any case, the dwarves and High Elves had already formed a united front. There was no helping it; we could only choose crops.

"Since we don't know what they want, let's mainly take crops we have a lot left over."

"That makes sense."

For now, we would set aside regular trade and treat this as an exchange to obtain the fish we needed. After that, we could gather information about the other side. That was what I thought, but apparently I couldn't go.

The members who would travel to Shashaato were decided.

Fran was the representative. Rusti handled transport. Five lizardmen, including Daga, handled loading and escort duty.

"I'm off."

"I'll do my best to carry everything."

"Leave the loading to me."

Shashaato City was a considerable distance away. At a speed that kept the cargo and passengers safe, even Rusti would apparently need half a day.

So, rather than push themselves, they would spend a night along the way. They planned to stay at Doraim's nest in the southern mountains.

I hoped they wouldn't be imposing... though for Rusti, it was probably little different from going home.

They would reach the city the next day, then return to Doraim's nest that same day and spend another night there. They would come home the following day, making three days in all.

I hoped they would return safely.

They came back. Rusti's back was loaded with goods, and there were more people than when they had left.

"Village chief. We've brought a merchant from Shashaato City, Mr. Michael."

Fran introduced a well-dressed, middle-aged man.

"H-hello. A pleasure to meet you. I'm Michael Goroun, the head of the Goroun Company."

"I'm Hiraku, the chief of Big Tree Village."

We kept bowing at the same time. Ah, somehow, it felt nostalgic.

"Village chief. These two are servants who worked at my home. Is it all right?"

Still in dragon form, Rusti introduced two women in maid outfits.

"I'm Bulga."

"I'm Stefano."

At a glance, they looked human... but when I looked more closely, batlike wings spread from their backs.

Apparently, they were members of the Demon Race. They seemed to be relatives of Gucci, Doraim's attendant. They had been selecting servants to work under Rusti for some time, and apparently they had finally decided and brought them over.

I understood why those two had come.

But why had they brought Michael-san, a merchant? Michael-san answered that question himself.

"I was astonished by the quality of this village's crops. I hoped we could continue trading on friendly terms, so I came to introduce myself."

"That was very kind of you. Thank you."

"Hahaha. No, I'm the one who's had a valuable experience. Riding a dragon, spending a night in a dragon's nest..."

Ah, he was turning pale. Had he been that frightened, or was he thinking about the journey home?

"Please rest here today. We can discuss the details tomorrow."

"Understood. Let's do that. Ah, about my luggage..."

I had Michael-san's luggage taken to the inn, assigned someone to attend to him, and headed back.

Fran had been living at the inn until recently, too, but her house had been completed, so she had moved there.

She said it was her first time living alone, and the Oni Race had helped her quite a bit.

Perhaps she would eventually bring in servants from outside, like Rusti.

"Thanks for your hard work. How did it go?"

"We brought back plenty of seafood, just as we said we would."

The cargo on Rus-

ti's back had already been unloaded.

"We kept it chilled to preserve its freshness. Here's the inventory. For now, let's take it to the cellar."

Daga handed me the inventory as he spoke, and I looked it over.

It listed fish and shellfish whose names I had never heard. A quick look at the cargo revealed fish resembling tuna, bonito, Pacific saury, and mackerel, along with shellfish like scallops and sea snails. Were they the same species with different names? Still, fish and shellfish could be poisonous or carry parasites, so asking someone who knew was probably the right thing to do.

Was there anyone knowledgeable about that? It seemed asking Michael-san tomorrow would be best.

"This is a product processed in Shashaato City. Apparently, it's used as a seasoning."

Daga explained the jar he had brought over. Apparently, it was a specialty of Shashaato City, added when cooking things in a pot. It looked like fish sauce... perhaps? In any case, I was happy to have a seasoning I didn't know.

It would broaden the range of flavors.

They had also bought various small items and tools, which I distributed among the villagers.

That evening, we held a feast to thank everyone who had gone. I thought we might as well make it a welcome party for Michael-san, but apparently that would wait until the next day.

10 Business negotiations?

"Yesterday's meal was truly impressive. The food served at the Gatekeeper Dragon's place was impressive, too, but this surpassed it. And this wine. Ah, it's more delicious than any wine I've ever tasted."

"Is that so? But don't drink too much."

I accepted Michael-san's praise and continued the conversation.

It was before noon. Michael-san and I were in the square in front of the inn, along with Lu, Tia, and Fran.

I had thought Rusti would join us, but apparently she had stayed up too late at yesterday's celebration and was still asleep.

Rusti gave every impression of being a student council president or a disciplinary committee member, but she was surprisingly lax about sleeping and waking.

Apparently, most dragons were like that, and forcing them awake left them groggy, which was troublesome, so it was better to leave them alone-I had learned that much.

"Anyway, about trading..."

"Yes. First, let me explain why I came here."

Michael-san straightened his posture.

"The other day, Miss Fraulerm came to my shop to trade. Every item we received was excellent, so my first purpose in visiting was to ensure we could continue trading. My second was to see whether there were any other crops available for trade. After that, my third was to look for other things we could sell. Lastly, I hope to secure the position of this village's designated merchant."

Michael-san said all this with his chest held high, without the slightest embarrassment.

"How honest."

Tia sounded impressed.

"After all, it wouldn't do to hide the details and have my intentions misunderstood."

"Indeed. Well, this will help things move along faster."

Lu agreed, too.

"Now, first, regarding the village's surplus crops... I'd like to buy them all. I'll offer a high price."

"Hahaha. Well, no need to rush."

After exchanging looks with Tia and Lu, I decided to let Lu handle it.

"Many people want to trade with this village. We also trade regularly with other villages. It would be difficult to let your company buy everything."

"Having seen the village's crops, that's only natural. I got a little ahead of myself. Still, I'd like to trade as much as possible."

"At present, this is roughly the amount of produce we could supply to your company."

...We had already worked out the details before this discussion.

Well, all I had to do was give the final approval.

"No, no, this is more than enough. Thank you very much."

"Is that so? Then let's discuss the price."

"Yes. Ah, before that, I'd like to confirm something."

"What is it?"

"As for transporting the goods, I was told they would be carried by dragon, just as on the trip here. Is that correct?"

Before coming here, Michael-san had asked Rusti, through Fran, to transport his goods on the return trip.

Of course, it wouldn't be free. She would receive compensation in return.

"Yes. I heard about that, too, but that's an agreement between you and Rusti. The village has nothing to do with it. Or rather, it can't have anything to do with it."

"It can't?"

"Could anyone give orders to a dragon?"

"You can't?"

"No. Rusti transports things for the village purely out of goodwill."

She needed to be rewarded with sweets.

"I see... um... then, the relationship between the village and the dragons is..."

"One of coexistence. You'd be better off not entertaining any strange ideas."

"...Understood."

What an odd conversation. Was there some hidden meaning to it?

"Once I've reconfirmed the transport arrangements with Lady Rusti... would this amount be acceptable?"

He gave quite an impressive figure, but since I didn't know how much that amount was worth, I couldn't comment.

"You're really making an effort."

"Hahaha. I won't be able to offer this amount every time, but I've made an effort for our first transaction."

"Understood. There are no particular problems. Shall we put it in writing?"

"Please do. I'll provide the paper. And here is a catalog of the goods my company can obtain."

"Leave it with me. We'll buy things that are well regarded. Ah, there are a few things we'd like to obtain..."

The discussion progressed smoothly. I also made sure to ask what I wanted to know about the fish.

Although they weren't particularly poisonous, people generally didn't eat them out of concern over parasites. It looked as though making sushi would be troublesome.

"Could I have some alcohol?"

"...We can offer a small amount as a gesture of friendship, but quantities large enough for trade would be difficult. This village has a lot of alcohol enthusiasts."

"I see. That's a shame, but I'll enjoy it for my personal use. Even a small amount would be fine, please."

"Certainly."

The conversation continued until evening.

As a result, we converted all the crops intended for trade with Shashaato City into cash, and also sold honey, Zabuton's cloth, sugar, salt, oil, and other things.

I was surprised that even the salt sold.

Since Shashaato City was by the sea, I hadn't thought they would have any trouble getting salt, but apparently the taste was different.

Salt from the Forest of Death had apparently been famous as a precious commodity for a long time.

Although we hadn't bought anything this time, there were several things we wanted.

Mainly goats and horses.

Generally, goats were raised more often than cattle and were easier to obtain.

We had cattle because I had been particular about cow's milk, but apparently people generally thought of goat's milk first when milk was mentioned.

So we asked for goats.

The horses were for me to get around on, at Lu and Tia's request.

I had never ridden a horse... but, well, I could deal with that when the time came.

After that, I requested fish and shellfish we hadn't obtained this time. Especially kelp. (Translator: I don't know why kelp counts as fish and shellfish either... that's what the original says.)

I heard kelp was treated as a weed and disliked because it interfered with fishing. What a waste.

I asked him to have it dried and brought back.

As for other matters, minerals from Howlin Village would be transported to the Goroun Company through Big Tree Village as a relay point.

Words like reselling and taking a cut crossed my mind, but Howlin Village and Shashaato City had no contact, and even if they began trading, the distance was so great that prices would apparently become very high.

It reaffirmed how unusual our village was, being able to have Doraim and Rusti transport things.

Apparently, walking through the forest would take a month.

Michael-san stayed another day, and we held his welcome party as planned.

The feast continued for two days.

I felt a little bad for Michael-san, but the dishes mainly used the fish and shellfish we had obtained from Shashaato City.

"Deep-fried?"

"Grilled? What sort of technique is this...?"

I made all sorts of dishes while teaching the Oni Race and High Elves how to prepare them.

After all, I wanted to eat them.

I also made some simply simmered dishes afterward.

Although we had no soy sauce, I used Shashaato City's seasoning instead.

It didn't satisfy me, but the other villagers rated it highly.

I really wanted to get some kelp soon.

Side story: Michael

My name was Michael. Michael Goroun. I was one of Shashaato City's leading merchants.

Fortunately, business was going well. With more funds available, I had more options to choose from, and deciding what to keep and what to pass up had become difficult.

Lately, I had been focused entirely on entertaining guests, with little business nego-

tiation, which left me feeling a little lonely. I liked money more than wine or food. I wanted to earn more.

Just as I was thinking that, an unexpected visitor arrived.

An unexpected visitor... I was sorry, but my company didn't deal in small transactions. Normally, people gave advance notice and contacted us beforehand.

I assumed it was some country bumpkin who didn't even know to give advance notice and intended to leave it to the staff on duty, but I had a bad feeling and went out to greet the visitor myself.

As expected, it was a village girl. She was pretty, but that had nothing to do with me. After all, I had a beloved wife. If she was trying a honey trap, I would send her packing.

Although that was what I thought, I reconsidered. Preconceptions were no good, after all. There might be money to be made.

I would hear what she had to say first. But I wouldn't surrender the initiative. First, I would intimidate her with a forceful attitude... I had a bad feeling, so I responded cautiously instead.

That was the right choice.

The village girl was Earl Chrome's daughter, Miss Fraulerm.

That had been close.

The House of Earl Chrome wielded immense power under the Demon King Kingdom's rule. There was no way to oppose them and come away unscathed. Moreover, his daughter was no mere little girl. She was the princess's schoolmate, a genius knight accomplished in both scholarship and martial arts. The moment she had been chosen as the princess's schoolmate, she had already become a candidate for the next generation of leadership.

Even now, she was someone who could hold my life in her hands.

Thank goodness.

Thank goodness I hadn't ignored my instincts.

"We met once before. Do you remember?"

"Y-yes. Of course. It was at the princess's birthday banquet."

"Yes. I remembered you saying that I should come to you if I had any business to discuss, so here I am. I hope I'm not troubling you."

"Trouble? Not at all. For you, Miss Fraulerm, I would certainly sit up straight and listen."

"Really? Wonderful. Then, to get straight to the point, there's something I'd like you to buy."

"Certainly. What might that be?"

"Crops."

"Crops? Miss Fraulerm, I'm very sorry, but crops harvested in your territory cannot be traded without going through your appointed merchant."

Most great houses had an appointed merchant. And they were very protective of their turf.

Even at Miss Fraulerm's request, I couldn't disregard that.

"Oh, they aren't crops from my family's territory, so that won't be a problem. There's no appointed merchant yet."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In any case, could you take a look at the goods first? I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but we've already brought them to the front of your shop."

I followed Miss Fraulerm outside.

It was noisy outside. Had something happened?

Everyone around us was looking this way. What was going on?

I tilted my head as I approached the front of the shop, where goods were piled up like a mountain.

Frankly, they were getting in the way of business.

I wished they had given more thought to the location.

Also, what were they going to do if I refused to buy them?

But what shocked me were the people guarding the goods.

Lizardmen.

They were a rare race even in the Demon King's territory, and each was said to have the fighting strength of ten skilled human warriors.

She had brought them as guards?

Hmm. Just what I would expect from someone connected to the House of Earl Chrome.

There was a girl there, too...

She looked like an earnest village girl. A village girl? Huh?

She had horns on her head... and a tail... Huh?

I looked to the people around me for help, but they averted their eyes.

Not only that, they moved farther away.

They didn't want to get involved or come near us?

Of course.

Yes, I would have made the same judgment.

But since I couldn't run away, I had no choice but to ask.

"Um, Miss Fraulerm?"

"Oh, this is Rusti. She's a dragon, so don't make her angry."

"R-right."

Rusti. I had never heard of her. A similar name I had heard was Rasutisumoon.

The Gatekeeper Dragon's daughter, a vicious dragon who caused trouble everywhere.

The ferocious wyvern that had claimed the Iron Forest as its territory had disappeared, and it was said that Rasutisumoon had killed it.

Rasutisumoon... Rusti. Sisters? Relatives? Or did their names simply sound alike? In any case, she was a dragon. If I didn't handle this properly, I could be facing death. Actually, why was a dragon here?

I didn't understand, so I inspected the goods. One look was enough. These were the crops that had recently become the talk of the royal capital. And here they were, piled like a mountain in front of my shop.

The overwhelming scent of money.

"I'd like you to buy these..."

"Name your price."

I decided immediately. I absolutely couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Do you have any more?"

"This is all we brought this time..."

"So there is more?"

"Y-yes... back at the village."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you on your way back?"

"That's fine. We have things we want to buy, too."

"If there's anything you want, please say the word. I'll have it prepared."

This was a business opportunity. I couldn't let it slip away. How could I possibly let it slip away?!

I was now sitting on a dragon's back.

...Should I have let that business opportunity slip away?

I was too terrified to enjoy the scenery.

I was now in the Gatekeeper Dragon's nest.

I thought I should have let that business opportunity slip away.

I couldn't sleep.

I was now flying over the Forest of Death.

I had completely given up.

If this was how it was going to be, I would seize this business opportunity no matter what happened.

I had made up my mind.

The Vampire Princess, the Annihilation Angel, the Angel of Total Slaughter, Infernal Wolves...

It was fine. They weren't frightening. There was nothing to fear.

They weren't frightening, but why was the first person introduced to me a human?

The village chief? The head of this place? He was stroking an Infernal Wolf's head, though...

And he had no airs about him. This was bad. I had to bow my head. Ah, lack of sleep was making me unsteady.

They kindly showed me to the inn.

I had thought this was a small village, yet it had a fine inn with every comfort. Huh? Weren't these sheets made from Demon Spider silk... and the curtains, too? Better not think too deeply about it. In any case, tomorrow. I would do my best in tomorrow's talks. For now, first, sleep... Zzz.

I felt refreshed. Dinner? Of course I wanted some.

Dishes I had never seen before were laid out in front of me. Delicious. I couldn't even imagine how they were made.

But they were delicious.

Was that the extent of my vocabulary? Still, even noble banquets had never served food like this. Had they prepared it for me? I would have to work even harder in tomorrow's negotiations.

Come to think of it, what meat was this? Killer Rabbit and Gate Boar? Weren't both supposed to be difficult to obtain...?

The red wine was delicious.

Yes, I was completely captivated. I absolutely wanted this. Another glass.

The negotiations were quite difficult. But I did my best. Against the Vampire Princess, I did my best.

If we could use dragons for transportation, we could take control of the entire country's commerce in one stroke-that was the dream I had, but it didn't work out.

Well, it had only been a possibility.

More importantly, although I had secured the crops, it pained me that I had obtained only a small quantity of red wine.

Ugh.

With that flavor, I expected there would be so many people who wanted it...

The villagers had brought out a considerable amount at dinner yesterday, so I had thought it would be easy.

Huh? Tonight's banquet? There would be alcohol... I would attend. Of course I would drink.

My name was Michael Goroun.

I was the head of the Goroun Company and one of the influential merchants of Shashaato City.

I was a man who intended to become a merchant representing the Demon King Kingdom someday.

"Children? Yes, I have two sons. Both are already adults. My grandchildren-both are due to be born soon."

They congratulated me on my grandchildren, but for some reason, they looked disappointed. Why?

Chapter 11: Mushrooms and field expansion

Michael-san went home, and Rusti was away for several days to escort him back. She really had worked hard.

When Rusti returned, she brought Doraim with her.

He seemed to want fish dishes. He praised the fried dishes highly. He also showed interest in the dried squid, but it hadn't finished drying yet, so I didn't let him touch it.

I tried using the small fish, which we were also drying, to make stock... It was pretty good. No, it was delicious.

Still, why did the river fish taste muddy, while the sea fish tasted normal?

My guess was that the river fish tasted muddy because they swallowed dirt and stones from the riverbed along with their food.

Apparently, freshwater fish without a muddy taste did exist in the right places. There simply weren't any around here.

The sea fish were very popular with Kuro and the others.

Although they could eat them just like

that, after trying fish with the innards removed, they would only eat gutted fish.

I had taught them the taste of something better... I reflected on that.

Babies couldn't eat honey.

I didn't know why, but I seemed to remember hearing that on television, so I wouldn't let him eat any.

I shouldn't let him eat it even by mistake, so I tried to think of as many sweet foods without honey as possible. Sweet potatoes and chestnuts came to mind right away.

I knew how to make roasted sweet potatoes, but I didn't know how to roast chestnuts, so those gave me some trouble.

If I didn't cut the chestnuts before roasting them, they would burst. What a nuisance.

Also, fruit was excellent when it came to sweets, so I didn't feel there was any particular need to do more.

Making pudding before had been a mistake.

Even now, it occasionally caused disputes because I couldn't prepare very many.

It would be better not to make ice cream.

Even though I hadn't made it yet, for some reason, people were urging me to.

Finished.

Disputes similar to those over the pudding broke out. It was very well received.

While harvesting mushrooms, I got curious and tried digging into the ground.

I found truffles.

When growing mushrooms with the Almighty Farming Tool, I had used this spot for an experiment, based on my vague knowledge that truffles were mushrooms found at tree roots.

I had thought it would be quite nice if they grew, and I harvested about ten fairly large black truffles.

They had been used as a luxury ingredient in my previous world, but what about this world? Personally, I didn't think they were all that delicious. I preferred shiitake mushrooms. Well, perhaps that was only because I had never properly tried truffles in my previous world...

Everyone was astonished when I brought them out. Apparently, this world had truffles, too. However, they were extremely difficult to find, and even when they were found, only the rich could eat them, so they were called black jewels.

I see.

"Then would it be better not to grow more?"

The entire village turned out to persuade me to increase production. Wouldn't that cause the price to collapse? But I supposed it would be fine as long as we didn't sell them.

For now, we tried eating the ones I had harvested.

The Oni Race women knew how to prepare truffles, so I left it to them.

They ground them into powder and sprinkled it over dishes, or sliced them thinly to eat with the food. Things like that.

As I thought, I didn't find them all that delicious. I still preferred shiitake mushrooms. However, I seemed to be the only one with such a lukewarm reaction.

Lu, Tia, Rusti, and Fran all carefully savored the flavor before swallowing, while everyone else ate them very carefully and nervously.

The Beastmen were even moved to tears of joy.

Kuro and the others wanted some, too... but there wasn't much, so I only gave some to Kuro and Yuki... Yes, their tails were wagging fiercely.

And the stares from Kuro's children, who hadn't gotten any, really hurt.

All right, an emergency production increase.

A message from Michael-san arrived by small wyvern.

Apparently, he had the goats, horses, and dried kelp ready.

He had also gathered a considerable quantity of the shrimp and crabs I had requested.

To my surprise, although people in this world ate shrimp, apparently no one ate crabs.

I suspected it was a problem with the taste, but after asking, I learned that they simply weren't considered food.

What a waste. Ah, no, don't get ahead of yourself. Taste them first.

There might be a good reason they weren't considered food.

That aside, since everything seemed to be ready, we needed to go collect it.

However, my proposal to go myself was rejected.

Well, that made sense. I couldn't just leave the fields unattended...

In the end, Fran, who had already met him, went as our representative, and Rusti went to collect the goods.

When they returned several days later, I was shocked.

Unconscious goats and horses were strapped to Rusti in her dragon form.

"They wouldn't stop moving around, so this was the only way."

"Well, it would be stranger if they were fine riding on a dragon. Are they hurt?"

"They seem to be all right. Even if anything happens, I can use healing magic."

I see.

Anyway, we acquired goats and horses. They were our new companions.

I wanted to raise them together with the cattle, but would keeping them separate be better?

For now, I expanded the cattle area. I extended it northeast from its current size of eight by eight fields to twelve by twelve fields. I also renamed it the pasture area.

We put two male goats and eight females in there, along with one male and one female horse.

I hoped they would grow up healthy, but the goats tried to escape several times.

One evaded Kuro and the others' watch and boldly fled into the forest, only to be attacked by a fanged rabbit and come running back. After that, they stopped trying to escape.

The horses were docile from the start.

To balance out the pasture area, which had become a vertical rectangle on the map, I expanded the Dog Area eastward.

I planted trees for shade and laid down Japanese lawn grass. Should I rename it the wolf area? Or the watchdog area? Neither felt right, so I kept calling it the Dog Area.

I had high hopes for the seafood.

I boiled dried kelp to make stock and tried using it as a soup base. It surprised everyone.

The High Elves and Beastmen had never eaten shrimp, but they had no trouble eating it. Crabs, however, were out of the question. Why? The only ones who had no aversion to crab were me, the Oni Race, and Rusti. I was surprised that even Lu and Tia couldn't handle it.

The crabs looked like the horsehair crabs I knew. Huh? Didn't they look like... Zabuton's children? No, no, they were different species, weren't they...? Just to be safe, I checked with Zabuton. Was it all right to eat them? Her answer was OK. Apparently, it was fine. What a relief.

I tried some. It tasted good. No, it tasted amazing.

So, not many people could eat them, huh? Those of us who could exchanged looks. There was no need to spread the word, was there? Right. Raw, boiled, grilled. They were delicious every way.

Later, when Doraim visited, he wanted crab dishes, but by then there were no crabs left.

The only problem with eating crab was the smell. We washed our hands in water with lemon juice added. I would have to ask Michael-san for more.

Chapter 12: Food culture

The medicinal herb fields.

Since the Healthy Body I had received from the god meant I didn't have to worry about illness, I hadn't noticed, but the villagers used medicinal herbs in all sorts of ways.

I had thought they were only useful for Lu, Tia, and Flora's research, but apparently, finding the herbs they needed when they needed them was quite difficult.

After hearing that, I made medicinal herb fields. I asked the High Elves to bring back samples with their roots and stems intact whenever possible. Apparently, some trees had medicinal uses too, but as long as we could locate those, we could deal with them later.

Thirty varieties.

There were more kinds of medicinal herbs than I had imagined. Since they all had different effects, that was only natural.

Anyway, I cultivated them with the Almighty Farming Tool while looking at the actual specimens.

The site was east of the fields. I made it four by four fields in size. If things went well, I would expand it.

According to Lu and the others, medicinal herbs sold for high prices, so Michael-san might come to buy them.

Since they could be made into medicine, I didn't mind if their prices fell somewhat.

Some of the herbs looked familiar.

They were the dangerous kind that showed up in crime dramas.

Um... was growing these things ethically all right?

"It depends on how you use them. They're quite important medicinal herbs, after all."

We grew them on the condition that they would be strictly managed.

The dwarves' brewing was going well.

Every so often, a new drink appeared on the table. That said, there were only three types.

Wine, beer, and distilled liquor. They experimented with different ingredients to make them.

I also passed along what I vaguely remembered about making alcohol from rice. Drawing on my experience researching soy sauce and miso, I grew koji with the Almighty Farming Tool. I had thought it would take several years to get results, but something resembling it appeared almost immediately. The flavor wasn't there yet, but it looked promising.

Incidentally, more dwarves had arrived. Were they instinctively drawn to alcohol?

There were now eight dwarves.

Once we had a steady supply of milk, we started making cheese and butter. Butter took physical effort but was relatively simple, whereas cheese needed an enzyme to set the milk. Apparently, it came from a calf's stomach... but I didn't want to do that. Calves were adorable. I didn't want to kill one to make cheese.

Although the cattle and chickens were steadily increasing in number, we hadn't eaten any yet. It seemed I would have trouble becoming a dairy farmer.

My only option was to rely on the Almighty Farming Tool. I turned it into a ladle and stirred the milk while praying for the enzyme that would set it. That had been last year.

Now, cheese lay lined up before me. I was truly grateful to the Almighty Farming Tool.

I offered some of the finished cheese at the shrine in the big tree.

I soaked soybeans in water. For a whole day.

I took the thoroughly soaked soybeans out of the water and crushed them. I boiled the crushed beans, then squeezed them. I boiled the extracted liquid again. I added water made by boiling seawater and removing

the salt. Then, at last, it set.

Tofu! And the residue left over from squeezing was okara!

"It tastes... good. The texture is interesting too."

"It surprised me too."

Was handmade tofu really this delicious? It smelled good too. It was fine to eat just as it was.

But, sadly, I was a man who couldn't resist experimenting.

"Let's try it with the seasoning we got in Shashaato City."

Developing soy sauce was still a long way off.

I crushed fish scraps, then strained all of them. I added salt and kneaded the mixture. Once it became sticky, I shaped it and let it sit for an hour. After steaming it, I let it cool.

The fish cakes were done!

The color wasn't much to look at, but they tasted good.

"What do you mean by straining?"

"Passing it through a very finely woven cloth. It's a way to remove unwanted bits and adjust the texture. Zabuton made the cloth."

We had gathered a fair amount of curry ingredients, such as chili peppers, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, fennel, and bay leaves, so I tried making curry. Since I didn't know the proportions, I could only grind them into powder and mix them as I saw fit. I adjusted it by smell and color. I ended up with a powder that looked about right. I was somewhat uneasy, but I still had to give it a try.

The result.

I made a soup resembling curry. I wanted to get it closer to actual curry. Still, even this version was well received by the villagers.

"That tingling sensation is addictive."

"You can change the flavor by adjusting the proportions. I'd love to research it."

"Just the smell makes me hungry."

It became a dish we served two or three times a month.

Agar was essential for making desserts.

Through Michael-san, I obtained some seaweed resembling tengusa.

After washing and drying it several times, I added vinegar, boiled out its extract, and cooled it to make agar. It took a lot of work, but the process itself was simple. Using the finished agar... I could easily make jelly by preparing some fruit.

Just changing the fruit gave us all sorts of jellies.

Once people accepted the texture, jelly was served constantly as an after-meal dessert, and our seaweed stock disappeared in no time. I would have to ask Michael-san for more.

Although we made all sorts of dishes, most of what reached the table was still cooked crops and hunted game.

Previously, they would simply cook those ingredients, but under my guidance, the Oni Race learned seasoning, heat control, and cooking with residual heat. Their food had become quite delicious.

The meat was especially good. Excellent roast beef... no, it wasn't beef, but wild boar, so it was roast boar. They also researched all sorts of sauces. Recently, they had been enthusiastically making sauces with wasabi.

The village's roast boar was a popular dish that Doraim ordered every time he visited.

We built a new bread oven and began researching mass production and new varieties. Not only the Oni Race but also the High Elves enthusiastically joined in.

As a result, we started giving bread a second rise.

I had completely forgotten too, but with bread, it was important to let the dough rise once after mixing and again after shaping. The second rise made it much larger, which meant making pillow bread had become possible.

Nice.

At the same time, baking things into the dough became popular. They made all sorts of things resembling fruit bread. Probably because we had plenty of sugar and the like.

Beside them, I baked pizza. Now that we had cheese, I wanted some. I had intended it as a snack, but everyone around me ate it. Pizza caught on in the village.

Yes, having a richer variety of food was a good thing. It made everyone more diligent about all sorts of things. Was that why?

Tia became pregnant.

Chapter 13: The deputy and entertainment

The Demon King's Castle.

"Your Majesty. You summoned me?"

"Ah, Beelzebub. There's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"I heard you sent your daughter to Big Tree Village. Is that true?"

"Yes. It is."

"What was your intention?"

"To have her serve as deputy."

"Deputy?"

"Yes. The management of that village was entrusted to me. Sending a deputy is only natural."

"Perhaps so... but wasn't there anyone else? My daughter is feeling quite lonely."

"My deepest apologies. A mistake in handling that village would have a tremendous impact on the Demon King Kingdom. And I chose my daughter as someone who could bear responsibility in the worst-case scenario."

"...Understood. Tell your daughter to visit mine when she comes back here."

"Understood."

Big Tree Village.

"And so, you're now this village's deputy."

"Father, if you keep being unreasonable, I'll pinch you."

"You're already pinching me."

"If you weren't being unreasonable, you wouldn't be telling me to become this village's deputy."

"Calm down. This is merely the Demon King Kingdom's official position. I'm not saying you actually have to act as this village's deputy."

"...Meaning?"

"It's just for appearances. I'm not saying you have to rule this village. It would be nice if you could, but that's impossible, isn't it? I know. Anyway, let's explain it to the village chief. We wouldn't want any strange misunderstandings."

"Fran is this village's deputy?"

"Yes. The Demon King Kingdom can't have a promising daughter off playing somewhere... of course, I know she isn't playing here. But, in any case, the kingdom needs to maintain appearances. Could you recognize Fran as deputy?"

"If all I need to do is recognize her, I don't mind..."

"There are benefits for this village too."

"Benefits?"

"Yes. The taxes you've been paying can all be handed over to the deputy. The deputy uses the taxes collected to administer the territory."

"...Meaning?"

"The deputy is free to decide how to use the taxes collected here."

But this deputy was merely for the Demon King Kingdom's appearances.

In other words, we wouldn't have to pay taxes anymore...

"Is that all right? What about the country's share?"

"A large territory has an obligation to make payments to the country, but a territory of only one or two villages has no such obligation. What the land produces is used to enrich that land. That's all."

"I see."

It was a good thing, but it was too good. If I only had to recognize her, there wasn't a problem... I needed to think this through.

Was it a trap? Was I overlooking something?

"Who has the authority to appoint this village's deputy?"

"I do."

"Can someone who's already been appointed be replaced?"

"It's possible...! Are you worried that after my daughter achieves results as deputy, someone else will be sent in?"

"As a possibility."

"With me, there's no problem. There isn't, but... I don't know who will hold my position in the future, so I understand why someone concerned for this village would be uneasy. Understood. Then I'll give the village chief the authority to appoint this village's deputy."

"Huh?"

"I'll give this village's chief the authority to appoint the deputy. That way, you can both appoint and dismiss them."

"No, you can't just-"

"It's fine. I'll have a contract drawn up too. One that will remain valid as long as the Demon King Kingdom exists, whoever comes here in the future. That will put the village chief above the deputy."

He forced it on me.

"Fran, congratulations on becoming deputy."

"Thank you."

"Well done."

"Stop it. You're bullying me! Chief, please dismiss me. I'm nowhere near capable enough to be a deputy."

"Well, you haven't failed at anything... do your best."

"Nooooo!"

Well, in practice, it was just a title.

Although Beelzebub wouldn't be coming to collect ransom anymore, perhaps there was something in it for him.

After all, I had told him to take as much as he wanted.

It did bother me a little that Beelzebub came here about every other month, bought crops, and went home... was this to save himself the trouble?

The lizardmen's children had grown quite a lot and were already taller than the Beastmen boys.

I had understood how quickly they grew from the way they could swim and walk right after hatching, but since Alfred was still at the stage where I wasn't sure he could stand, I felt a little impatient. It hadn't even been a year since his birth, so there shouldn't have been any need to rush... was this what people meant by a parent's heart?

With Tia pregnant, I had expected things to become strained between her and Lu, but nothing of the sort happened. As someone who had experienced childbirth, Lu looked after her in all sorts of ways. Watching them, Gran Maria and the others wore strange expressions. Since they had known them for so long, perhaps they found their current relationship unbelievable. The two had clashed so fiercely, after all.

Anyway, it was good that they got along. I hoped the birth would go safely.

And I felt that the advances of those who wanted children had grown more intense.

I only had one body, so I hoped they would treat it well.

The village residents basically never rested. Even the young Beastmen boys found things to do. They only rested after dark, when it rained, or in winter.

They did rest when they felt unwell, but I still worried about them overworking.

After hearing their reasons, I found it was simply a matter of "those who don't work don't eat."

Our village certainly was a community now. It only functioned because everyone did their share, so apparently they couldn't just take time off on their own. Besides...

"How could we rest when the village chief is doing something almost every day?"

Hearing that made me reflect on my actions. I was, after all, the one they called the village chief.

Of course I had to work when work was needed, but when it was time to rest, I also had to take the lead.

It had been the same with bowling. Because I was playing, everyone else could play without holding back.

So, for the time being, I tried spending my days relaxing while looking over the fields.

I couldn't settle down.

So I tried making things to play with while also taking a break.

First, something for the Beastmen boys... I started with a ball.

No good.

Kuro and the others were looking at me expectantly. It wasn't for them, but with them looking at me like that, I had no choice but to throw it.

I had fun playing with Kuro and the others.

A ball wouldn't work.

Then... how about a boomerang?

For now, I made a prototype.

I turned the Almighty Farming Tool into a boomerang and used it as a reference.

Time for a practical test.

Before that, I practiced throwing the Almighty Farming Tool in boomerang form.

Otherwise, if I failed to throw the prototype boomerang, I wouldn't know whether the problem was the boomerang or my technique.

Even with the Almighty Farming Tool's boomerang, I couldn't throw it properly. After thirty minutes of continuous practice, I finally got it to come back.

All right, time to throw the prototype before I forgot how this felt.

Yes, it came back properly. The prototype was a success.

Now all that remained was whether the Beastmen boys would like it... The Beastmen boys who had watched me practicing were looking this way expectantly. Excellent.

It enjoyed some popularity, but the fad faded quickly. Well, all you did was throw it yourself and catch it yourself. In that case, a flying disc you could play with other people would be more popular.

Then, on to the next thing.

I made a big leap to something with a more grown-up feel: golf.

I tried carving a club out of wood. No problems there. For now, one would be enough.

Next was the ball. For that, I used the Almighty Farming Tool to round off some wood.

When I tossed it down and let it roll, it wouldn't travel straight, apparently because its center of gravity was off.

Wood wasn't uniformly dense, so that was only natural. But this wasn't for competitive play. As long as the ball didn't veer too badly, it would do.

Next was the course...

Since my target audience was the Beastmen boys, I made a short course first. On the west side of the residential area, I picked a suitable starting point and dug a hole at a suitable spot for the finish. Done.

It was a little rough, but this would do, right?

For good measure, I tilled the ground from the starting point to the hole with the Almighty Farming Tool and tried planting zoysia grass.

It already looked more or less right, but the zoysia grass would take time to grow, so I mass-produced clubs and balls in the meantime.

I prepared two types: adult-sized ones for me and ones for the Beastmen boys. Since everything was wooden and there were no iron heads, I prepared clubs with various angles.

With that done, having only one course felt a little lonely, so I added more. I grew trees as obstacles and made areas with thick vegetation... Since the holes were hard to see, I put conspicuous flagpoles in them. I worked hard at it alongside my fieldwork. What would I do if this wasn't popular?

My worries were needless. Golf was very popular. Mainly with the Oni Race.

"It's nice how it won't go exactly where you want it to."

"It's nice to take our time while drinking tea."

"Hehe, my turn next. How about trying the three?"

"Really? With your strength, wouldn't the five be enough?"

I saw them playing after lunch.

The Beastmen children preferred riding horses and goats to playing with the things I made.

They did better than me, who still couldn't ride a horse. Should I practice too?

Side story: The tree

Hello, everyone. I was a tree. The biggest tree around here. I lived peacefully every day.

One day, a human came and turned the trees around me into soil in an instant. Someone like that wasn't human. He was a demon. Definitely a demon. This was bad. Really bad. At this rate, I would become soil too. Ahh... such a short life... Well, not short, really. I seemed to have lived for a thousand years, after all.

But that didn't mean I should give up! Guts, I needed guts! A mere human couldn't hurt my body! Too bad for you. You'd made me get serious... Aaaaaah!

Something strange seemed to have made a hole in me! A very big hole. And afterward, he was filing away inside it. Waaah... It didn't hurt, but at this rate, would I end up full of holes?

Nooooo...

Safe.

The human stopped digging. Yeah!

It looked as though the human planned to nest inside me. Well, that happened to trees quite often.

I was a broad-minded fellow who could accept anything.

The surrounding trees all turned into soil in one go. Bad. This human was bad news. I'd simply been lucky enough to be chosen as his nest. Yes, I'd better not get carried away. I'd keep you warm at night, so please don't cut me down.

In the morning, the human suddenly seemed happy and started digging into my body.

Huh? Huh? Huh? What? What was he doing?

The human made a place in my body to put statues of gods. Being devout was fine, but shouldn't he at least have said something? So scary. But, well, never mind. Statues of gods placed on my body. It didn't feel bad.

As a tree, I would have liked a statue of the Earth God... Ah, no, a statue of the God of Creation was perfectly fine too.

Huh? I felt as if my dormant intelligence had awakened. Ah... no, I, no, that wasn't right. Let's go with "I." (The three forms of "I" were ora, ore, and watashi. Until now, "I" had always been ora.)

I had awakened. There was nothing left to fear.

A giant spider moved in! It was a Demon Spider! Nooooo... Huh? It was all right? Really? You wouldn't do anything strange?

Very well, then I would grant you a peaceful life.

Ah, sorry. I made myself sound so important... Yes, I would do my best as a tree.

You wanted to give birth here? Please, go ahead. I would do my best to protect you from the cold winds.

The scenery before my eyes changed dramatically.

Fields where there had only been trees, hellhounds being raised, and large numbers of Demon Spiders too...

Was that human preparing to invade somewhere? No, it didn't seem that way. He seemed honestly delighted with cultivating the land. Ahh, if possible, could you put some fertilizer around my feet too? Then I wouldn't have any other complaints, I thought. Yes, yes, just like that.

The human built a house outside me and moved there, but he didn't seem to have forgotten how I had sheltered him at the beginning. It seemed he had quite a few good points. It would be nice if we could keep living peacefully like this. I would be watching over everything.

...There were more of them. Yes, their numbers had increased. I didn't really understand, but I felt a little uneasy.

Still, the first human must have spoken to them properly. No one did anything bad to me. That was very nice. Well, as for hurting my body... Ah, yes, please don't, if possible.

A wyvern? What?! This was bad. That was bad news. I would burn!

Ahh, it breathed fire this way!!

...The human shot down the wyvern. Yes. W-well done. Just what I would expect of him. And please keep it up.

Now strange things came. Dragons came too. The human dealt with all of them.

Yes, I understood now. I mustn't defy this human.

In other words, I needed to become someone useful to him.

My fruit... would still take time. Then I would bestow as many blessings as my power allowed. Yes, to protect the humans' lives. They were afraid of illness, weren't they? It would work over an area the size of the humans' expansion.

The problem was... how to convey that to the human.

Should I put writing on falling leaves? That wouldn't work. Once they fell, it would all depend on the wind.

In that case... I would shape my branches into letters.

It would take about a hundred years to finish. Would that be all right? Ah, would Demon Spider Sa

n convey it for me? Sorry for the trouble. Please do.

Later.

The human sprinkled water around my roots. Judging by the fields, that water was amazing too.

The pests living on me were wiped out all at once. With this, I could live another thousand years... No, even two thousand would be fine.

Understood. I would watch over this place properly until I rotted away. So please tell your children to take good care of me too. I was counting on you.

Side story: The god

I was a god. It felt a little awkward saying so myself, but I was a great god. The only existence above me was my counterpart... my original self. That was all.

Now, my job as a great god was to protect worlds. I managed and supervised the several worlds entrusted to me. Naturally, it was tremendously troublesome work. One careless mistake could make a world collapse in an instant. Like a badly balanced game. Besides, if my processing capacity was a hundred, the workload felt like a thousand. There was no way to handle it.

But I was a god. A great god.

I thought of a way to solve these problems. Subordinates.

If I couldn't do it alone, I simply needed to create capable subordinates to help. Their abilities were less than a few thousandths of mine, but numbers could make up for that.

Some subordinates turned out rebellious, but the worlds stabilized.

However, I went a little too far. My subordinates did everything, leaving me with no work.

It wasn't that I wanted to work, but having none made me feel unneeded, which was sad.

Still, that was my subordinates for you. They gave me some work so I wouldn't feel sad.

Hehehe. I would do my best. Huh? Wait? Had our positions reversed? I shouldn't worry about that?

Then a few thousand years passed, perhaps. Yes, all of that was the preamble.

First, I wanted to establish that I was a great god. And I was reasonably busy because I had work. What I was trying to say was... Well, how should I put it?

Gods made mistakes too.

The work I was given was saving human souls. Not all of them, of course. There were a lot of human souls. I handled only a portion, all extremely clear-cut cases.

My subordinates handled anything requiring delicate judgment. Were they uneasy about entrusting those to me? Hadn't their respect for me been declining lately? No, well, I certainly had made a mistake...

Ahem.

The job I made a mistake with... Put simply, it was polishing souls.

A clear soul was a clear sphere. A tainted soul had protruding corners. The job was to remove those corners. Of course, that didn't mean filing them off with a file. I gave them harsh lives to round out their souls.

In other words, I polished souls through hardship.

And then I made a mistake.

Instead of a tainted soul, I mistakenly reincarnated a relatively clear soul and made him live a life of suffering.

By the time I noticed, it was too late. Gods couldn't interfere with someone whose life had already begun.

That was a rule I had made myself. But I couldn't break it just because of that.

I asked my subordinates to allow an exception, but they refused. Such inflexible subordinates.

I met that soul thirty-nine years after my mistake. His life of suffering had finally ended in death.

...Gods felt regret too. My heart hurt. In particular, that sparkling soul hurt my eyes. Sorry. I was truly sorry.

But I was a god. Gods didn't make mistakes. Although I had made a mistake, it wasn't wrong. That mistake was an inevitable mistake. So although I wanted to apologize, I wouldn't. I was truly sorry.

Ahh, that sparkling soul, right from the start of our conversation... Ah, no. I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll send you to another world... An isekai, I suppose I should say. I'll transfer you there."

A transfer, not reincarnation. If he reincarnated, he would forget his previous difficult life. I wanted him to make up for that difficult life and begin a new one. It was a little selfish, but I hoped he would accept. I had compensation ready too. Look, that compensation could give him all sorts of benefits.

This wouldn't do. Just what I would expect of a clear soul: he was too straightforward. Guh, in that case, I would have to lead the conversation myself...

"Then I'd like a body that won't get sick."

He had suffered from illness for ten years. It was an understandable wish. But it certainly pierced my heart too. Sorry. I was truly sorry.

A skill that would absolutely prevent illness... I would give him Healthy Body. It would automatically extend his life too, but I could count that as another benefit. It would also extend his active life as a man.

Ahh, don't look satisfied with just that. One more. Another one was fine too.

"Th-then, if possible, I'd like to live somewhere without many people."

After hearing his reasons, it concerned problems with the social relationships in his life... Ah, yes. Of course. His life hadn't been a good one, after all. Sorry. I was truly sorry.

Then I would fulfill that wish perfectly.

No problem. The place I would transfer him to was a little... Yes, there were still quite a lot of humans.

Somewhere with fewer people, somewhere with fewer people. Oh, found it. That would do.

I was telling you, don't look so satisfied with just that. Do me a favor and ask for one more. Welcome!

"Farming."

He wanted to farm... That was fine, but I didn't have any farming-related skills on hand.

I could have given him magic that killed anyone in one hit, or a supreme life surrounded by the opposite sex. I was so useless. No, it was only because I had distributed those things to my subordinates for their work.

They were all puzzle pieces that had come from me. I contacted the one responsible.

Yes, a soul who wanted to farm, which was rather rare lately. I wasn't lying. You knew that program, right? You watched every week? You weren't slacking off, were you? Watching it was proper conduct for the God of Agriculture? Perhaps that was true... Well, watching it was what influenced him. Anyway, I was transferring him to that world... Yes, the one where agriculture wasn't very developed. So, some skill to promote farming activities... Wasn't the Almighty Farming Tool a divine implement? A replica? Then that was fine.

I gave him the Almighty Farming Tool.

I explained how to use it properly too. It should be fine.

All right, it was about time to transfer him. I selected the best beginner's package too... One more check. No mistakes.

Then, I was counting on you. Take back your previous life. Mainly so my heart would stop hurting.

Once again.

Gods made mistakes too.

After I sent him off, a message arrived. It concerned precautions for the Almighty Farming Tool.

Huh? An ordinary human would collapse from mental exhaustion after using it just a little, and things would be bad unless something was done? Foolish daughter! Why hadn't you said that first... No, it certainly had originally been my tool...

No good. The transfer was already complete. I couldn't interfere anymore.

And I sputtered. The place I had transferred him to... was a problematic location.

I had forgotten. Besides, wasn't that place full of dangerous creatures? Was that why there were no humans...

I couldn't blame my daughter.

Ah... Could he possibly come right back? Hey, hey, what expression should I wear when facing him? B-but I couldn't run away. I was a god. I would wait. I would think of an excuse.

It hadn't happened? Huh? Already using the "Almighty Farming Tool" proficiently? Why hadn't they collapsed?

Ah!

"Healthy Body."

That had the effect of constantly correcting their mental state.

In other words, even the mental energy consumed by the "Almighty Farming Tool" would be immediately restored by "Healthy Body"...

So even though it was only a replica, they could use the "Almighty Farming Tool" as much as they liked.

Good, just what I'd expect of myself! Gods made no mistakes! Even if they did, those were inevitable! ALL OK!

Though I couldn't keep watching all the time, I was watching! Keep it up!