It was toward the end of spring.
The crops were ripening in the fields. Thanks to the Universal Farming Tool, I was able to harvest regardless of the season, which was something I was truly grateful for. The only downside was that it skewed my sense of the seasons a bit. Still, I shouldn't complain; it was the reason we never lacked for food.
I set to work harvesting alongside the village residents who were free. Even Lu and Tia, who usually spent their days holed up in their rooms doing research, came out to help. It was a massive help.
...
By the way, while I was happy to have the extra hands, I couldn't help but notice something. Why wasn't Tia summoning any Golems? I remembered her bringing out a small army of them to handle the harvest before.
"I will not be bringing them out," Tia said with a sharp smile as she continued her work.
I tilted my head in confusion, but Lu eventually pulled me aside to whisper the reason. Apparently, the last time Tia had summoned Golems to help, I had showered the Golems with praise while barely saying a word to Tia herself.
No, no, I was fairly certain I had praised Tia too. Had I really valued her contribution at a one while giving the Golems a three? I didn't think I'd done that... but then again, had I praised each Golem individually? Well, yes. They were working hard, after all.
But since Tia was the one who had summoned them, Lu pointed out that I should have praised her at least as much as the sum of all her constructs. I see. That made sense. I would have to be more careful in the future.
For now, though, the harvest came first.
...Actually, no. I needed to apologize to Tia right then and there. She would probably claim she wasn't angry, but it was clear my lack of consideration had caused this.
After my apology, Tia resumed summoning her Golems the very next day. I felt a wave of relief.
While the Village of the Great Tree was bustling with the harvest, Ann was unusually absent. She had traveled to Village Five. Currently, Village Five was playing host to a "Collective Vocational Visit" organized by the Galgard Noble Academy in the Royal Capital.
It was called a "visit," but in practice, it was a job-hunting exercise for the students. Normally, job hunting is an individual pursuit, not a group activity. An academy is supposed to be a place of learning, not an employment agency. Furthermore, students of the Noble Academy generally don't struggle to find work; most are related to the nobility, and even those who aren't possess the wealth, connections, and talent required to attend such a prestigious institution in the first place.
And yet, this group job hunt was taking place. Why? Before I can explain that, I have to explain the peculiar circumstances of these students.
While the Noble Academy provides an education, the primary goal for many students is to identify and join a political faction. This is especially true for the provincial nobility. The Demon Kingdom is vast, and the quality and quantity of information available varies wildly depending on the region. There are also deep-seated rifts and conflicts born from differences in race and culture. To protect one's clan within the massive framework of the Demon Kingdom, access to information and connections within the Royal Capital—the political heart of the nation—is vital.
That is the purpose of the factions. By joining one, a noble can continue to receive and exchange information even after they return to their distant hometowns. Even if they have no personal interest in the power struggles of the Royal Castle, the information itself is an invaluable asset. Connections with officials in the capital also make it much easier to submit petitions or formal appeals.
When it comes to these factions, parents usually want their heirs to follow in their footsteps, but it isn't strictly necessary for their other children. In fact, having children in different factions increases the family's sources of information and provides a safety net if one faction falls out of favor. Provincial nobles and influential figures send their children and the children of promising vassals to the Academy with these goals in mind. They also expect their children to receive a good education and, if they aren't already engaged, to find a suitable spouse.
But while the students carry these heavy expectations... only a fraction of them—perhaps twenty percent—actually return home after graduation to serve their families as intended.
The rest simply refuse to go back. They flee from their obligations, and the primary reason is the staggering difference in living standards between the provinces and the Royal Capital. Specifically, they can't bear to leave behind the food and the outhouse situation of the city.
The Academy understands this dilemma, but having graduates loitering in the Royal Capital without employment is a recipe for trouble. And that's the core of the issue: these graduates aren't working. The "guaranteed employment" I mentioned earlier assumes they are returning to their family estates. If they stay in the capital, they have no jobs.
Worse still, provincial parents who don't understand why their children won't come home often blame the Academy, accusing them of holding the children hostage. Some have even threatened to use martial prowess to get them back. I heard there have been twelve such cases recently. The Academy Director was quite distraught about it.
Thus, the Academy devised this "Collective Vocational Visit"—job hunting in all but name. Setting aside the personal choices of the graduates, the Academy wanted to improve the situation by actively finding employment for them. It's much easier for a graduate to persuade their parents by saying they "can't come home because they are employed at a prestigious post" rather than admitting they "won't come home because the capital has better toilets." It might not stop all the threats of force, but it's better than nothing. Regardless, having the graduates gainfully employed is a net positive.
This initiative was welcomed by the graduates who wanted to avoid their hometowns, and it was also embraced by the students nearing graduation. Consequently, a large number of students and alumni were participating.
As for why they didn't just call it "job hunting," it was a matter of saving face. These are children of the nobility, after all. If they fail to find a job during a "visit," it's no big deal. If they do find one, they can tell their peers that their talent was so undeniable that they were practically begged to stay. In reality, they're usually the ones doing the begging, but I decided it was best not to mention that.
These visits were being held in the Royal Capital, Shashato City, and Village Five. Those seeking civil official work gathered in the capital, while those interested in trade went to Shashato City. Village Five attracted those interested in agriculture or magic beast subjugation. The visits were scheduled for ten to thirty days in each location. The actual "visit" part only took a day; the rest was hands-on experience.
The students commuted to the sites from the Academy via Teleportation Gates, which was simple enough. The graduates, however, posed a problem. Since they were no longer students, they couldn't use the Academy dormitories or housing. They were scattered across the city, and some were even camping out. This made group maneuvers difficult and led to frequent trouble.
In response, the Academy set aside a temporary budget to build housing in each location. They formally requested construction in Village Five. The Academy Director even came to the Village of the Great Tree with the Demon King to lobby me personally. Truthfully, there was plenty of land on the South Side of the Village Five Foothills, so the village council would have granted permission even without my intervention. In fact, they'd already given the green light before I could say a word.
Ria and the High Elves handled the construction, completing a Large Dormitory in an incredibly short amount of time. Since we were told not to worry about catering to noble sensibilities, the rooms were standard-sized and largely undecorated, though they did account for larger races. It could comfortably hold about two hundred people, provided furniture like beds could be secured.
Furniture was still in short supply even in Village Five, so the residents were reportedly working hard to build their own. However, because the High Elves were involved, the outhouse facilities were state-of-the-art. This was a massive hit with the residents.
The Academy had secured ingredients to provide meals at the dormitory, but they lacked a head cook. Most of the participants in Village Five were members of the faction currently led by Torain—the same faction formerly headed by Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle. These students had been trained by my children and were fairly capable in the kitchen, but they lacked someone with the experience to oversee large-scale meal preparation for an entire dormitory.
Torain turned to me for help, asking for a supervisor from the Village of the Great Tree. Ann, his mother, immediately stepped forward, saying, "I suppose it can't be helped." With everyone else in the room sensing the maternal energy and quickly agreeing, Ann was dispatched as the Temporary Dormitory Manager.
Her assignment is only for the duration of the Vocational Visit, and she commutes from our village rather than staying overnight. I knew I didn't have to worry about her. Within a few days, she had already settled into her role, and the residents were affectionately calling her "Dorm Mother."
Apparently, some of the participants have expressed interest in pursuing dormitory management as a career and are now studying under Ann's tutelage. Ann reported that while they still have much to learn, they show great promise.
The Academy Director mentioned that she wants to maintain the dormitory as a permanent facility for Academy affiliates even after the Vocational Visit ends. For now, it will serve as a home for those who found jobs and a temporary shelter for those who didn't.
On a side note, when Ann first arrived at the Village Five Dormitory, she was accompanied by the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings—Beezel, Gratz, Hou, and Randan—as well as the Academy Director. They all gave a formal address to the participants. I wasn't told exactly what was said, but they were apparently very stern. It seems the issue of graduates refusing to return to the provinces is a much more serious national problem than I had realized.