The Demon King's Castle
"My Lord, you summoned me?"
"Welcome, Beezel. There is something I wished to ask you."
"What might that be?"
"I heard that you sent your daughter to the Village of the Great Tree. Is this true?"
"Yes. It is."
"And what exactly was your intention?"
"I sent her as a Magistrate."
"A Magistrate?"
"Yes. Since the management of that village has been entirely entrusted to me, I felt it only natural to appoint a Magistrate to oversee it."
"That may be so... but was there no one else? My daughter has been quite lonely lately."
"I am truly sorry. However, if our dealings with that village are mishandled, the consequences for the Demon Kingdom would be catastrophic. I chose my daughter because she is someone I can trust to take responsibility should the worst occur."
"……I see. When your daughter returns to the capital, tell her to pay a visit to mine."
"Understood."
The Village of the Great Tree
"And so, you have been officially appointed as the Magistrate of this village."
"I don't care if you are my father—if you're going to spout such nonsense, I'll wring your neck."
"Wring my neck? Really, now."
"If you're being serious, then there's no way you'd expect me to be the Magistrate of this place."
"Now, don't panic. This is merely a political pose for the sake of the Demon Kingdom. I'm not asking you to actually behave like a Magistrate here."
"……Meaning?"
"We’re just pretending. It’s not as if I actually want to rule this village. I mean, I would if I could, but we both know that's impossible, right? I understand the situation. For now, I’ll explain things to the Village Head. It would be a headache if there were any misunderstandings."
"Frau is the village Magistrate?"
"Yes. The Demon Kingdom can’t simply allow a promising young noblewoman to idle her time away... though, of course, I know she isn't exactly 'playing' here. At any rate, purely as a show for the Kingdom’s benefit, would you mind recognizing Frau as the Magistrate?"
"I don't mind acknowledging the title, but..."
"There are benefits for the village as well."
"Benefits?"
"Yes. Regarding the taxes you’ve been paying—you can simply hand them over to the Magistrate from now on. The Magistrate is then expected to use those collected taxes for the benefit of the land they manage."
"……Which means?"
"The Magistrate is free to use the taxes collected here however they see fit."
However, the position was just for show. In other words, he was effectively eliminating our taxes.
"Is that really okay? What about the portion that's supposed to go to the state?"
"A large territory has an obligation to pay the crown, but a tiny jurisdiction of only one or two villages has no such requirement. You simply use what is gained from the land to enrich the land. That is all."
"I see."
It sounded like a good deal—almost too good. I was fine with just giving her the title, but I had to think this through. Was it a trap? Was there some kind of hidden pitfall?
...
"Who holds the right to appoint the Magistrate for this village?"
"I do," Beezel replied.
"And is it possible to change the appointee once they've been named?"
"It is, but... ah! Are you worried that after establishing a precedent with my daughter, I might eventually replace her with someone else?"
"It’s a possibility."
"I would be fine with it personally, but... well, I don't know who might take my position in the future. I understand why you'd be anxious when considering the village's safety. Very well. In that case, I shall grant the right to appoint the village Magistrate to you, Village Head."
"Eh?"
"We’ll make it official: the Village Head of this village has the sole authority to appoint the Magistrate. That way, you have the power of both appointment and dismissal."
"No, surely it's not that simple—"
"It will be fine. We’ll draw up a contract—one that remains effective as long as the Demon Kingdom exists, regardless of who holds power in the future. With this, the Village Head officially stands above the Magistrate."
I was completely talked into it.
"Frau, congratulations on your appointment."
"Congratulations!"
"You did it, Frau!"
"Please, stop! Is this some kind of bullying?! Village Head, please dismiss me! I'm not nearly capable enough to be a Magistrate!"
"Well, it's not like you've actually failed at anything yet... just do your best."
"Noooooooo!"
In the end, it was really just a title. Perhaps the real benefit for Beezel was that he no longer had to personally collect taxes. I had been the one to insist he come collect them in the first place, after all...
I noticed Beezel had been coming here about once a month anyway to buy crops; maybe the official tax business had just been an extra hassle for him.
The Lizardman children had grown remarkably fast, already towering over the Beastman boys. Since they could swim and move from the moment they hatched, I knew their development was rapid, but seeing as Alfred was only just reaching the point of being able to stand, I felt a bit of paternal restlessness. They hadn't even been born for a year yet, so I knew there was no need to rush, but I suppose that's just how a parent feels.
I had worried that Tia’s pregnancy might cause friction between her and Lu, but there wasn't a hint of trouble. As the one with experience, Lu took it upon herself to look after Tia in various ways. Granmaria and the others watched them with bewildered expressions. Knowing their history as rivals, the current harmony between them seemed like a miracle. Had they really fought that violently in the past?
Regardless, seeing them get along was a relief. I just wanted the baby to be born safely. On a side note, I felt like the "offensive" from the other women who wanted children had intensified. I only have one body, so I really wished they would handle me with care.
The villagers, as a rule, almost never rested. Even the young Beastman boys were constantly given tasks. They only stopped when the sun went down, when it rained, or during the winter. They took breaks if they were unwell, of course, but I felt they worked a bit too much. When I asked why, the answer was simple: "He who does not work, shall not eat."
Since the village functioned as a collective, with everyone contributing to their specific fields, they felt they couldn't just rest whenever they pleased.
And besides...
"We can't very well rest while the Village Head is out there doing something every single day."
That comment made me stop and reflect. I see. As the person in the position of Village Head, I had to take the lead not just in working, but in resting as well. During the bowling phase, the others only joined in without hesitation because I was doing it first.
So, for the time being, I tried to take it easy after my morning rounds of the fields.
……
I couldn't settle down.
Since I couldn't sit still, I decided to build some recreational equipment. First, for the Beastman boys... I tried making a ball.
That was a mistake. Kuro and his pack were watching me with such expectant eyes. It wasn't meant for them, but when they look at you like that, you have no choice but to throw it. I ended up just playing fetch with the dogs. A ball was no good for the boys.
Next, I thought about making a boomerang. I made a prototype first. Since the Universal Farming Tool could transform into a boomerang shape, I used that as a reference.
Time for a test run. But before that, I practiced throwing with the Tool itself. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't be able to tell if a failed throw was due to a bad prototype or my own lack of skill.
It took about thirty minutes of practice before I could get it to return properly. Once I had the feel for it, I tried the wooden prototype. It worked perfectly.
Now the only question was whether it would be a hit with the kids. The Beastman boys had been watching the practice session with stars in their eyes. Success.
It was popular for a while, but the fad passed quickly. I suppose throwing it and catching it by yourself gets old. The flying discs I made later were much more popular since they could be played with others.
So, I moved on to the next idea. I decided to try something a bit more "adult"—golf.
I carved some clubs out of wood. That part was easy. One type of club was enough for a start. Next was the ball. I used the Universal Farming Tool to round out pieces of wood. When I tested them, they didn't roll perfectly straight because the center of gravity was slightly off—wood isn't perfectly uniform in density, after all. Still, we weren't playing professionally. As long as they didn't curve wildly, they were good enough.
Next was the course. Since the kids were the main audience initially, a short course was fine. I picked a starting point on the west side of the Residential Area and dug a hole—the cup—in a suitable spot.
And with that, it was done. It was a bit rugged, but it served the purpose. I used the Universal Farming Tool to till the path from the start to the cup and grew some grass. It actually started looking like a real course. Since the grass would take a bit of time to settle, I spent the interval mass-producing clubs and balls. I made adult sizes for myself and smaller ones for the boys. Since they were all wooden, there weren't any "irons," but I experimented with different loft angles for the clubheads.
Once I started, a single hole felt a bit lonely, so I expanded the course. I grew trees to serve as hazards and created thickets. Since the cups became hard to spot, I made flags to mark them. I worked on this in my spare time between farming.
I was a little worried it might flop, but my fears were unfounded. Golf was a massive hit—mostly with the High Ogres.
"There's something quite charming about how it doesn't go exactly where you want it to," one of them remarked.
"It's lovely to be able to relax and chat over tea while we play."
"Fufu. It's my turn next. I think I'll try the number three wood."
"Oh? With your strength, wouldn't a number five be sufficient?"
Seeing them play after lunch became a common sight. As for the Beastman children, they seemed to prefer riding the horses and goats over playing with my wooden toys. They’ve actually become better riders than I am. Maybe I should put in some practice too.
Village Layout (Approx. 50m x 50m per square)
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆Ranch◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□FruitFruitFruitFruit◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ □□□□□□□□□□□□FieldFieldChickenField○○○○○○○○○○○○ ━Upper Waterway━━━━━PondPond□Field◇◇Field○DogArea○○○○○○○○ ━Drainage System━━━━━PondPond□Field◇◇Field○○○○○○○○○○○○ □□□□□□□□□□□□FieldHouseHouseDorm○○○○○○○○○○○○ □□Golf▼Bath▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△HerbHerb □□Course▼▼▼▼▼Resid.▼△NewFld△△△△△△△△△△△△△HerbHerb □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△HerbHerb □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△HerbHerb □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△ □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△ □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△ □□□□▼▼▼▼▼▼Inn▼△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△ □□□□□□□□□□□□△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△△
The river is about five kilometers in that direction.