The festival was over.
I felt like taking it easy for a while, but there were chores that simply couldn't be ignored. Specifically, the post-festival cleanup. Many people were nursing hangovers, but we moved quickly to get the site back in order. We couldn't stay in a festive mood forever.
There was a debate over whether to dismantle the stage and the spectator seating, but since they weren't in anyone's way, we decided to leave them up. I told everyone to think of potential uses for them in the future. Since it was an outdoor stage, I could only really picture things like plays or concerts, so I’m pinning my hopes on the others to come up with more creative ideas.
Still, while the earthen stage was durable, the wooden seating wouldn't last if left out in the rain. We don't have things like plastic tarps in this world. I wonder how people handled this in the past? My first thought was a roof, but that seemed like too much work. Then it hit me: I didn't have to stick with wood. I could just fashion the chairs out of earth. When I have some free time, I’ll start making earthen seats one by one.
By early afternoon, the guests began to stir. Once they had finished sleeping off the festivities, Dos, Raimeiren, Draim, Draim’s Wife, Beezel, Yuri, the Demon King, and the Progenitor all began preparing for their departures. They seemed to be having a rather serious, difficult-sounding conversation before they left; I wondered if something had gone wrong, but they were all high-ranking individuals, so I decided not to stick my nose where it didn't belong.
I exchanged final greetings with each of them while handing out souvenirs.
First were Dos, Raimeiren, Draim, and Draim’s Wife.
"I had a grand time," Dos said.
"It’s always nice when things are so lively," Raimeiren added.
"I’d like to stay a bit longer myself," Draim admitted, "but I can't be a burden forever. I’ll head back now. Besides, I have to find residents for the New Village."
Draim’s Wife smiled at me. "My daughter has finally settled down. I look forward to your continued support."
Next were Beezel, Yuri, and the Demon King.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to relax like this," Beezel noted.
"I’ll be sure to invite you when we hold a festival in the Kingdom," Yuri promised.
"Ah, hey now," the Demon King sputtered. "That’s my job. Hmph... well, regardless... I look forward to working with you from now on."
Finally, the Progenitor approached me.
"I wanted to spend a bit more time with Alfred, but I’ve got various things to attend to. Sigh. Oh, that’s right. I saw the field where you're growing medicinal herbs. Would you mind if I took a few samples? I’ll bring some rare medicinal plants with me the next time I visit."
They each departed for home using their own respective means.
The Lamias also woke up and came by to say goodbye, so I gave them their souvenirs as well.
"Is this really alright?" they asked.
"Consider it a share of the festivities for those who couldn't make it," I replied.
"Thank you so much! And just so you know, we’re definitely winning the next one!"
"Hahaha."
I hadn't actually planned a "next time" yet, but I kept that to myself.
While the Lamias left, Galf and the other men from Howlin Village stayed behind. They planned to head back during the exchange market known as the Autumn Trade, using the extra time to see how their daughters were adjusting to life here.
This meant there were currently four men from the Beastman Race staying in the village.
"Daddy!"
"How are you, my girl? Are you healthy? Good. Everyone back home is fine, too. Your mother is doing great."
I saw similar exchanges happening in four different places. Ah, so they were all married men visiting their daughters who had migrated here. I see. Understood. I have no intention of breaking up happy families. Please, enjoy your visit. I felt a bit guilty for having previously wondered if they might be potential suitors for the single beastmen girls in the village.
Once the tournament grounds were cleared, the village’s atmosphere returned to its usual rhythm. However, a few lingering effects remained.
For one, the number of people training had increased. While people used to do light jogging or stretching, now I saw them engaging in full-blown mock battles. I just hoped they’d be careful not to injure themselves.
Later, I was talking with Lu. "Come to think of it, Lu, you're a vampire, right?"
"What kind of obvious question is that?"
"It’s just that during the tournament, you didn't really use any vampire traits. You just fought like a normal person."
"What exactly do you mean by 'vampire traits'?"
"Well... you know..." I tried to pull from my mental image of vampires. "For example... turning into mist to dodge attacks?"
"Oh? Have I ever turned into mist in front of you? You're quite well-informed."
"No, it was just an idea I had."
"I don't know where you get these ideas, but turning into mist isn't suited for combat. It’s exhausting, you have no offensive power, and you're completely defenseless the moment you revert to your physical form. It’s mostly a technique for infiltrating locked rooms."
"I see. What about transforming into animals?"
"That isn't for fighting either. You don't actually become any stronger than you are as a human. It's strictly for sneaking around."
"They're all for infiltration? Does that mean the Age Alteration Technique is also...?"
"That’s more of a biological trait than a technique. I stay young when I want to conserve energy and take an adult form when I need to use my full power. However, if I take severe damage, my body forcibly reverts to its younger state."
"Like when we first met. What about sucking blood to steal an opponent's strength?"
"I have a husband I love; I have no reason to go seeking out someone else's blood."
"Hahaha. My apologies. Then, how about something more traditional, like hypnosis?"
"Hypnosis?"
"A technique to control your opponent."
"Ah, Illusion Magic. That only works if the person is significantly weaker than you. If I tried that on anyone who made it into the Knight Division, I’d just end up exhausting myself for nothing."
"Right... then, what about Blood Manipulation?"
"Blood Manipulation? What would that even look like?"
"Using blood from your own arm to form a blade and attack."
"I suppose that could be an application of Liquid Manipulation. I could probably do it, but considering how much blood I'd have to lose just to make a sword, the downsides far outweigh the benefits."
"I see."
"You have a very strange image of vampires. Are you sure you don't know any besides me, Flora, and the Progenitor?"
"Hahaha. I just know about them from stories. Please don't look at me with such scary eyes."
I then turned to Tia. "Tia, you can control golems, right? Why didn't you use them during the tournament?"
"Golems have power, but they're incredibly slow. They aren't suited for high-speed duels like the ones we saw in the tournament."
"Then when do you use them?"
"I mainly use them as decoys. Monsters and demon beasts are usually gullible enough to fall for them. Other than that... I suppose it's for when I don't want to get dirty."
"Don't want to get dirty?"
"There are some monsters and beasts that are... well, quite unhygienic."
"I see."
I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the golems.
Later, I spoke with Ann. "Ann, be honest with me. Is there anything about our daily life that you think needs improvement?"
"Nothing in particular comes to mind. Did something happen?"
"No, I just worry that you might be bottling up your frustrations."
"Hmm? ...Ah, is this about the martial arts tournament? Please don't worry. I know that if I speak to you, Master, you will take steps to improve things."
"And what about with Lu?"
"I warned her many times, but since I saw no improvement... well, it wasn't out of a personal grudge. I simply felt that her behavior would eventually have a negative influence on Lord Alfred and Lady Tiselle. A perfect opportunity presented itself, and I... well, I took it."
"If anything else comes up, please tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."
"Actually, there is one thing."
"Yeah?"
"I would like to address you as 'Master' at all times."
"Don't you do that sometimes already?"
"Because you get embarrassed, I've limited it to our private rooms or the bath. But from now on, I would like to call you Master regardless of where we are."
"I'm still not quite ready for that, so please give me a break."
Eventually, Donovan the dwarf came by my house.
"Village Head. You have those sour fruits, right? Could I have a few?"
"Sour... you mean the lemons? Sure, but that's rare for you. What's the occasion?"
"I want them for flavoring sake. Also, I’d like you to buy more of that sake the merchant sent for the festival."
"You mean Michael? So, the Honey Wine? I thought you said it wasn't that good?"
I remember that right after the supplies arrived, the dwarves had appeared out of nowhere to do a tasting, and their reviews had been quite harsh.
"That’s what I thought at first, but I saw the way the Ogre Girls were drinking it during the festival, and it was delicious. I’ll explain it to you. It’s simple: you just add a bit more honey to the Honey Wine and squeeze in some of the juice from that sour fruit. Just doing that makes it significantly better. It’s the same principle you taught me about pairing sake with fruit."
"I see. I’ll have to try that myself."
"Umu. I’m counting on you to handle the purchase. And don't forget to make sure it's available for exchange with Reward Medals."
"I can do that, but... if I'm buying it anyway, I can just serve it with our normal meals."
"Is that alright? I thought you didn't serve sake except during banquets?"
"The only reason I restrict the alcohol is because you guys would drink until you'd turned every crop in the village into sake. If you can drink in moderation, I’ll get rid of the restrictions."
"Moderation, eh? That’s the hard part... Well, I’ll try my best, but please keep the restrictions in place for a little longer. Sake you drink every day is fine, but the sake you only get once in a while tastes even better."
"Understood."
Makura, our tournament champion, had brought his trophy and crown to my house. I figured he felt they were safer here than in his usual sleeping spot. I installed a dedicated shelf in a corner of the house and put the trophy and crown on display.
It looked good. Makura seemed satisfied as he looked at them, and Zabuton watched the scene with a happy, maternal pride.