As the Village Head made his rounds through the house, those stationed at their posts offered their greetings and reports.
It wasn't as if I were slacking off, but I had no specific duties to perform until breakfast.
Still, I couldn't afford to be careless.
I followed the Village Head through the house, taking care to memorize every spot that caught his eye.
This was so I could report my observations to Ann-sama later.
Even if I didn't understand why a particular area interested him, Ann-sama likely would.
It was a demanding task for someone like me with a poor memory, but I simply had to do my best.
The moment the Village Head headed toward the Dining Hall, breakfast was served.
This was the result of my efforts to relay his location to the rest of the staff at key intervals.
Satisfied with the coordination, I slipped into the Kitchen next to the Dining Hall and hurriedly began my own meal at a small table.
Since the maids on Cooking Duty looked after the Village Head while he ate, I had to finish my own food during that window.
Back when two people were assigned to Village Head Duty at once, we could take turns eating, which allowed us to attend to him even during meals. I felt a pang of regret that I couldn't do the same today.
Regretful as I was, I knew I would collapse if I didn't eat, so I dug in heartily.
Yes, today’s breakfast was delicious as always.
Once the Village Head finished his meal, he headed out to patrol the fields.
After seeing him off at the house, I moved quickly to track him.
I used to accompany him openly, but after the Village Head mentioned that my presence made him feel self-conscious, I began following him from the shadows instead.
Kuro and Yuki were positioned closest to him, so he was likely safe, but I still wanted to be by his side.
The difficulty of tracking the Village Head in secret lay in the sense of distance.
It wasn't a matter of whether the Village Head noticed me or not, but rather the fact that the area was already crowded with others.
Two or three of Kuro’s children were there.
A significant number of Zabuton’s children were present as well.
And a single High Elf.
They were all hiding near the Village Head.
Our purpose was the same: to serve as the Village Head’s escort.
We were few in number now, but there used to be many more of us.
Apparently, this reduction was the result of the Village Head's Secret Preliminary Meeting, where we had agreed to limit the number of escorts.
I was glad that Kuro and Zabuton had been so cooperative.
In any case, we all shared the same desire to protect the Village Head.
I kept a sharp eye on him, making sure not to overlap with the others.
Suddenly, one of Kuro’s children signaled to us.
When I looked at Zabuton’s child, it pointed one of its legs toward a specific direction of the village.
It seemed a large monster or magical beast was approaching from that quarter.
As a precaution, I moved to the Village Head’s side.
"Village Head, how are the fields looking?"
I did this so I could shield him with my own body if the need arose.
Though, in all likelihood, Kuro’s group or the High Elves would slay the creature before it even entered the Village Head’s field of vision.
Still, I would not be caught off guard.
"A few bugs are starting to appear. Sorry to ask, but could you give me a hand?"
"Yes. Please leave it to me."
I worked in the fields alongside the Village Head until lunch.
The large creature that had been approaching the village turned out to be a massive boar known as a Gate Boar.
I heard that Uno, Kuro's son-in-law, had taken it down.
I ate lunch with the Village Head.
While a maid should generally avoid eating with her master, declining the Village Head’s personal invitation was an even greater breach of conduct.
Since I was invited, it couldn't be helped.
And no, I wasn't thinking of this as some special privilege of being on Village Head Duty. Not at all.
To prove my professionalism, I made sure to fulfill my duties properly.
"Regarding the southwest of the village, I’ve heard suggestions that the space between the houses and the forest should be widened."
Even with my poor memory, I wouldn't get the details wrong when the matter was this important.
I had heard from the staff on Village Duty that the proximity of the forest caused many insects to swarm the area.
Zabuton’s children caught the pests that wandered in, so there was no actual damage, but the Beastman girls had burst into tears after seeing the mountain of insects trapped in the webs.
I had seen it once myself, and it was certainly a traumatizing sight.
Yes.
I hoped the issue would be resolved quickly.
It was a bit strange that we were perfectly fine with Zabuton and her children but found other insects repulsive, but that's just how it was.
Lunch was also delicious.
After lunch, the Village Head was scheduled for Combat Training.
When he was busy crafting things, there were times when I couldn't be of much help, so I was grateful for the training sessions.
As a High Ogre, I could fight reasonably well.
My weapons of choice were the sword and shield—the standard Swordsman Style.
Now then, Village Head.
Please, train with me!
Despite my enthusiasm, there were many obstacles in my way.
Combat Training was one of the few opportunities for residents to interact with the Village Head, making it an incredibly popular event.
At times like these, Ann-sama had ordered the High Ogre maids—who already spent much of their time near the Village Head—to take a step back.
It was a necessary tactic for maintaining harmony within the village social structure.
I understood the reasoning, but it was still frustrating.
Uugh, I wanted to have a mock battle with the Village Head too.
It couldn't be helped.
I decided to take one of the Civil Official Girls as my opponent instead.
I got the impression that she was quite reluctant, but I’m sure it was just my imagination. Yes, definitely.
Now then, let's go.
"I look forward to our match."
"There's no way I can win against a High Ogre! Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
I’ll give her credit for trying her best.
As the sun began to set, we returned to the house.
It had been a day that felt both long and short.
No, wait—the real work was about to begin.
Dinner.
Just like breakfast, I ate at the small table in the kitchen.
"Pfft!"
A violent flavor assaulted my palate.
I wanted someone to praise me for not spitting it out then and there.
"What on earth is this?"
"It’s a new recipe... but it didn't seem to turn out quite right."
"Wouldn't you call that a failure?"
"If I don't admit it, it’s not a failure."
"I see. Then you have no complaints if this is all you have for your own meal?"
"I’m already full from the tasting."
Kugh.
I hadn't heard that today's Cooking Duty was poor at her job, so I had let my guard down.
Was the fact that breakfast and lunch were fine just a coincidence?
Or perhaps Ann-sama had been keeping a watchful eye during the morning and noon.
"Don't worry, everything besides that one plate is the same as usual."
"If possible, I would have preferred everything to be the same as usual."
I wondered if the Village Head was alright in the Dining Hall.
Knowing him, he would probably force himself to eat it.
...
I, for one, could not do that.
I enjoyed everything except the failed dish.
After dinner was relaxation time.
The Village Head enjoyed spending time with Alfred and Tiselle.
It was a heartwarming sight.
If only my own child were among them...
My delusions began to spiral, but I shook them off.
I was still on duty. I couldn't afford to lose focus.
I left the Village Head in the care of those on House Duty and went to prepare his bath supplies.
I prepared my own at the same time.
My excitement was reaching its limit, but I held it back. Not yet.
Heh heh.
The Village Head finished his family time and headed for the bath, so I immediately handed him his things.
Normally, a maid should carry them for him, but the Village Head insisted he could at least handle that much himself and refused to budge.
Well, this was within the acceptable range of behavior.
I walked behind the Village Head as we headed to the Bathroom.
We weren't going to the women's bath I usually used, but the one specifically for the Village Head.
I was there to wash his back.
It was one of the greatest perks of being on Village Head Duty.
There were many rivals in the bathroom, but everyone yielded to the maid on duty.
I accepted their consideration gratefully, washed the Village Head’s back, and rinsed it with hot water.
As expected, he wouldn't let me wash his front.
He wouldn't even let us wash his back in the past, but our current privilege was likely the result of the formal petition made by all the High Ogre maids.
I was happy that our steady, daily efforts had finally borne fruit, and I wasn't about to let a single second of it go to waste.
The Village Head’s back.
It was ordinary. The body of an ordinary man.
Compared to a High Ogre male, one might even call it meager.
However, a tremendous weight of responsibility rested upon those shoulders.
I hoped that I could be of some help to him.
Once he finished his bath, the tension spiked.
Information that the Village Head had left the bath spread in the blink of an eye.
Although the rotation had been decided at a secret meeting held without the Village Head, there were always those who tried to jump the gun.
Recently, even the Beastman girls were becoming a threat.
With an ironclad guard, I escorted the Village Head safely to his room.
That was my mission.
That was the ultimate goal of the Village Head Duty.
And with that, my work for the day was complete.
Once the Village Head was inside his room, I was free.
Fufufu.
The walk from the bathroom to the house felt incredibly long.
The next morning.
I woke up before sunrise as usual.
I hurriedly purified my body and dressed.
I prepared warm water and a towel, gave a brief greeting to the Village Head, and moved to the Message Board.
I already knew today’s Duty Roster without looking.
After Village Head Duty came Day Off Duty.
Still, I checked just in case.
After confirming there were no new notices on the Message Board, I waited for the Morning Assembly.
Today was my day off.
Conversely, that meant it was a day where I could do whatever I pleased.
In other words, working was also an option.
I hadn't decided on my plans yet, but for now, I thought I would help clean the Village Head’s room.
It would be embarrassing if I had left something behind yesterday.
I’ll give it my all again today.