Poolside.
Yoko had swum to her heart’s content, while Hitoe had worn herself out; the two now lounged side by side on the beach chairs Draim and Domaim had occupied the day before. They both looked quite sharp in their colored glasses—sunglasses. The frames were perhaps a bit too large for Hitoe, but she made them work.
I told them I would go fetch some ice tea and reminded them to stay hydrated.
As for food? It seemed to be another Viking Buffet today, so I figured it would be more fun for them to go and pick out their own meals. With so many dishes lined up, they could load their plates with whatever they liked.
They even had udon—both hot and cold varieties. Since the toppings were self-serve, Yoko would be able to pile on as much of her beloved fried tofu as she desired.
"Shall we go then, Hitoe?"
At Yoko’s call, Hitoe shifted into her fox cub form and climbed onto her mother’s head.
"The Village Head shall accompany us," Yoko added.
"Fair enough," I replied.
I joined Yoko and the others for a pleasant meal. Even with the pool open, I still hadn't seen Lu, Tia, or the Mountain Elves. They were still cooped up in the workshop, manufacturing components for the Tracking Carts.
When I went to check on them, I found the group still hard at work. They looked quite exhausted... or did they? They were weary, certainly, but they seemed more spirited than they had been recently. When I asked for the reason, I learned that incorporating the Magic Composite Iron Domaim had delivered for Part One of the components had boosted their production efficiency exponentially. Instead of just having hope of meeting their quota, they were now looking at a significantly shortened development cycle.
Bell had suggested earlier that I should call out to Lu and the team while they were working; she must have realized this would happen. I’d have to remember to thank her again.
Still, between the large magic stones and the precious Magic Composite Iron, I worried the final selling price would become astronomical.
"I'm not even considering that," Lu said.
"Pardon?"
"We can't do anything about the magic stones, but as long as we keep quiet about the Magic Composite Iron, no one will be the wiser. We won't reflect it in the price."
"Is that really all right?"
"It's perfectly fine," she insisted.
She sounded completely certain. Well, I suppose the material had been a gift, so we hadn't actually paid for it. I decided to let it slide.
I reminded them that while the Tracking Carts were important, relaxing was just as vital—especially now that their schedule had some breathing room. I told them to take proper breaks and strictly forbade them from relying on World Tree leaves to push through the fatigue.
"I know, I know," Lu said.
"However, this is precisely the moment to press our advantage," Tia added.
"We trek through today's hell so that we can enjoy tomorrow's ease," a Mountain Elf chimed in.
They turned back to their work with renewed focus. I had hoped to entice them to the pool, but they clearly weren't in the mood for it yet. I'd have to find a good stopping point later and force them to rest, whether they liked it or not.
On a different day.
Bell and Yor were in the pool, swimming with such vigor that they looked like they were in the middle of a race. Beside them, Crim was drifting along at a leisurely pace, looking entirely unconcerned with their competition. It was good to see them having fun.
When Bell and Yor finally climbed out, I approached them with towels in hand. First, I made sure to praise all three of them in their swimsuits. I didn't have any ulterior motives; it was simply that they were wearing Zabuton’s latest designs. If I didn't give credit where it was due, Zabuton would only work herself even harder out of sheer enthusiasm.
As it happened, the sporty one-piece swimsuits suited Bell, Yor, and Crim perfectly.
"The way she uses color-blocking to keep them from looking simple is remarkable," Bell noted. "They’re durable, yet the elasticity is excellent, and they dry almost instantly."
"They don't become see-through when wet, either," Yor added. "The functionality is flawless."
"Bell-san," Crim interrupted, "I don't think you should be tugging at your swimsuit like that in front of a man. And Yor, I think it's better if you don't say things like 'see-through' in front of a man."
"Yes, quite," I agreed. Crim was absolutely right. They shouldn't forget their modesty.
"Oh, that's right, Village Head!" Yor exclaimed, stepping toward me.
She was too close. Much too close. She really needed to remember she was currently in a swimsuit.
"More importantly...!"
"If this is about the pilot suits, don't worry," I said. "I haven't forgotten. I remember perfectly."
Zabuton had already managed to replicate the pilot suits. As long as we could reproduce the necessary magical functions, there was no urgent need to go out and find new ones. I’ll admit that Lu—the one I’d tasked with that reproduction—had been too busy with the Tracking Carts to make much progress, but we had time.
"Just be patient," I told her. "In a little while, the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—the Artie Horses—and the other items Lana-san gave us will arrive. There might be pilot suits among them. At the very worst, we can transplant the functions from the original suits into the ones Zabuton made. Then you’ll be able to wear them too. No need to panic."
I managed to soothe Yor before turning my attention to Bell. I thanked her, explaining that her advice regarding the Magic Composite Iron had made Lu’s team much more efficient.
"...Eh?" Bell blinked.
"What is it?"
"Um, by Magic Composite Iron... you mean the material used for those golems, right?"
"That's the one. Tia mentioned it goes by a few names. Was that one unfamiliar to you?"
"No, the name is fine. It’s just... well, that wasn't how I expected you to use it."
"It wasn't?"
"No. As Tia-san demonstrated, that iron is the ideal material for golems."
"So it seems."
"Because it can be worked so precisely, you can use it to create golems capable of extremely delicate tasks," Bell explained.
I nodded. Since they could use it to create something that looked exactly like an Artie Horse, it stood to reason that a properly designed golem could handle fine manual labor.
"Exactly," Bell continued. "So, instead of manufacturing the parts out of that material, I thought it would be much easier if you used the material to build a part-making golem. Then the golem could handle the production for you."
I froze. The thought had never even crossed my mind. Was Bell a genius?
"Oh, no," she said modestly. "It’s just that in the era I was built, that was common practice."
Common practice or not, it was a massive revelation. I thanked her profusely and told her it was a huge help. I needed to go tell Lu and the others immediately...
Wait. I hesitated. Telling Lu and her team—who were currently killing themselves with manual labor—that there was a much easier way felt almost cruel. But I couldn't just stay silent. The sooner they knew, the better.
I steeled myself. They would probably scream, but with any luck, it would be a scream of joy.
A short while later, a scream echoed through the entire village. It was, in the truest sense, a wail of pure misery.
Five days later.
Lu, Tia, and the Mountain Elves finally made their appearance poolside. They looked like they had been through the wringer, but they had the satisfied expressions of those who had seen a project through to the end.
"Let's stay away from the deep end, all right?" I cautioned them. "You might get a cramp or just fall asleep while swimming. Safety first."
I pointed them toward the empty beach chairs. "Just lie back and relax. You can watch the children play. What can I get you to drink? I'll go fetch it."
I told them not to hesitate to ask for anything.
"By the way, Lu, that two-piece swimsuit suits you. I like the pareo."
"And Tia, that one-piece type looks great on you. The open back for your wings was a clever touch."
The Mountain Elves, as usual, prioritized function. They were wearing two-piece sets, but the competitive-style swimsuits that zipped up to the neck looked like they were designed for professional athletics. That said, the Mountain Elves weren't particularly fast swimmers. Before settling in the Village of the Great Tree, they had lived in the Mountain Rank, so they hadn't had much practice. Not that things were much different here, considering this place was also like a Mountain Rank.
"I want everyone to just enjoy themselves at their own pace," I said. "And yes, the Mountain Elves look lovely in their suits as well."
"That sounded like an afterthought," one of them grumbled. It wasn't!
As a side note, among the residents who weren't Lizardmen, the Beastman Race were the ones who truly excelled in the water. There were individual differences, of course, but as a rule, they were all excellent swimmers. Even though our beastmen were also from the Mountain Rank of Howlin Village. I wondered what the difference was. Pure stamina? The Mountain Elves had plenty of that, though.
"Mountain Elves, listen to me," I called out. "It’s fine if you want to attach strange gadgets to your swimsuits, but please don't test them until there’s no one else around."
They looked suspiciously like propulsion devices—propellers, essentially.
"Also, double-check your safety measures. I don't want anyone drowning out there!"