About thirty Angels were conducting combat training in the skies over the forest, a short distance from the village. Suarurou was the one leading the drills, and she appeared to be pushing them quite hard.
"It is to ensure the status of the Angel Race does not decline," Razumaria, who was watching the training from the ground, informed me.
I see. But why the sudden urgency?
"She is thinking of her newborn grandchildren."
I see—she was doing this for Suarlina and Suarkona. I felt a bit bad for the Angels who had been dragged into it, but I appreciated the sentiment.
"They had become far too lax lately, so this is good stimulation for them," Razumaria added.
Hmm. Personally, I thought it was fine to relax and take it easy while in the village.
"Let me rephrase. It is good stimulation for those whose lifestyles have become undisciplined."
Ah, I understood then—staying up late or oversleeping.
"On top of that, they take naps. And even when they are awake, they remain in a daze..."
That certainly sounded like a lack of discipline.
"I was just about to consider imposing some form of punishment myself."
So the timing was perfect, then.
"Exactly."
"Don't you need to participate in the training, Razumaria?" I asked. As an instructor, of course.
"Suarurou is highly motivated for the sake of her grandchildren, so I cannot interfere with her."
"I see."
"Therefore, my training will begin once Suarurou’s is finished."
Wait... wasn't Suarurou’s training supposed to count as the punishment? In response to my question, Razumaria only offered a smile.
In the village reservoir, the Pond Turtles were swimming gracefully. It was a peaceful sight.
What wasn't peaceful was Dose, in his dragon form, with his head sticking out of the water. He hadn't been swimming there by choice; he had challenged Lana-san to a fight and had simply been hammered into the depths. Until a moment ago, only his tail had been visible above the surface.
I couldn't help but think he brought it on himself by picking a fight for no reason.
Furthermore, Lana-san hadn't arrived directly at the village via teleportation magic this time. She had first teleported to a mountainous area near the Forest of Death and then flew the rest of the way. She was following the proper stages. There was no problem there.
Moreover, she had a legitimate reason for coming: she was escorting Urza back to the village. And yet, Dose had still challenged her. I wanted to praise Lana-san for dropping off Urza and then fighting in a way that caused no damage to the village. Though, if possible, I would have preferred it if she had chosen not to fight at all.
"Oh, come to think of it, where is Giral? He was supposed to be fighting alongside him, right?"
When I asked, Dose reached down and pulled Giral up from the bottom of the reservoir. So Giral had been submerged as well. Well, I suppose they did their best. They managed to hold out longer than usual, at least.
Urza was back. She had been in the village until quite recently, so it felt like she had returned very quickly. Or so it seemed to me.
The reason for her return was that she had heard about the Tracking Carts developed by Lu and the others. She wanted to request that Tracking Carts be sent to the city she uses as her base as well.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason she had returned. Urza had a companion: a Mountain Elf woman. She was the representative of a different group of Mountain Elves from the one Ya belonged to. They didn't wish to immigrate to the Village of the Great Tree; instead, they were scheduled to work in Urza's city.
Strictly speaking, there was no need for her to come to the village, but Urza had brought her along because she was an acquaintance of Ya and the others. When Ya and her group reunited with her, they were quite surprised but welcomed her warmly. Some were even moved to tears. They must have shared a close bond.
However, perhaps due to exhaustion, the Mountain Elf representative fainted shortly after arriving at the village. For the time being, I left her in the care of Ya and the others. I would ask for the details once she had settled in.
As for Urza...
She had changed into a swimsuit prepared by Zabuton and was currently enjoying a meal poolside. She said she couldn't resist after hearing from Lana-san about eating various dishes by the pool.
"It’s fine. Please, eat to your heart’s content," I told her. "Just remember, you're in a swimsuit. If you eat too much, your stomach is going to stick out."
She claimed she would endure it with her abdominal muscles, which wasn't exactly what I meant.
"I shouldn't have mentioned your stomach right after, but the swimsuit suits you well. As expected of Zabuton. It looks like you could swim quite fast in that."
Lana-san, who had delivered Urza and the Mountain Elf, returned home via teleportation magic after defeating Dose and Giral. The children, who admired her strength, were disappointed to see her go.
To cheer them up, Hakuren put on a mock battle in her dragon form. Her opponent was Graffalun, Dryme’s wife. Apparently, Dose, Giral, and Dryme had all declined the match.
Giral’s wife, Gronde, had expressed willingness to participate, but she noted that it would be difficult to fight without collateral damage to the village. If they went far enough away to avoid damage, the children wouldn't be able to see the fight, so it couldn't be helped. Besides, if Gronde left, Oru the Orthros would be lonely.
Look, even Oru was saying he’d be lonely. So don't just stay there waiting in dragon form.
By the way, Lastismun had already been defeated by Graffalun earlier. Initially, the mock battle was supposed to be between Hakuren and Lastismun.
Also, after the mock battle ended, a squad of Angels led by Suarurou challenged Hakuren, but they were swiped aside instantly. Well, I had to admire their spirit.
"Gather in the dining hall once your treatment is finished," I called out.
Today was a welcome party for Urza and the Mountain Elf she brought along. I had expected Urza to leave after two or three days, but it seemed she would be staying in the village for a while. She said she had received a petition from the residents of her city, begging her to rest just a little longer.
I was startled, wondering if Urza had done something wrong, but that wasn't it. Apparently, when Urza was absent from the city to return to the village previously, the residents realized the staggering difference between the workload when Urza is present and when she is not.
It was true that they were in trouble without her, but when Urza was there, the work increased. It increased without limit. They felt things couldn't continue that way. At the very least, they wanted Urza to stay away until they could finish the accumulated work.
That was what was written in the letters from Asa and Earth that Urza had brought. They even requested that I keep Urza contained in the Village of the Great Tree for about a year. The request was polite, but written in very bold, firm strokes. I suppose that’s just how much work has piled up.
However, I doubted Urza would stay still in the village for an entire year. She had only set off on her journey because Alfred and Tiselle had left, prompting her to follow suit. I had a feeling she would bolt out again soon.
Still, until she did, she could relax in the village. Hakuren, Zabuton, and especially the village children were delighted to hear she was staying. Lu, Tia, Ann, and of course, I was as well.
So, while I wouldn't insist on a full year, I hoped she would stay in the village at least through the summer.