Spring had finally arrived.
It was the season where everything became busy once more. I offered my greetings to Zabuton as she woke from her slumber and began her seasonal activities, silently rejoicing at the end of winter.
Our first task was to conduct a food inventory. Frau led the Civil Official Girls in a thorough audit of our stores, tallying the numbers.
"The Village of the Great Tree is all clear!"
"Village Two has a slight bias in their consumption patterns, but the total quantity remains within acceptable limits."
"A bias?" I asked.
"It seems their consumption of fruit is quite high. Conversely, their grain consumption has been kept to a minimum."
"Is it just a matter of personal taste?"
"Ah, no... well, most likely, they were simply saving the food that can be preserved for a later date."
"I told them we would replenish their supplies if they ran low. Does Village Two still not trust us?"
"I don't think it's that, Lord Hiraku. It’s likely just a lingering habit. It seems they endured a great deal of hardship before they arrived here."
"I see. Next."
"Village Three saw high consumption over the winter. They will require a replenishment in the near future."
"Can we spare enough from our own stores?"
"Yes. Given our current consumption rate, we have more than enough to last until the next harvest. I'll make the arrangements."
"Please do. What was the reason for the high consumption there?"
"They admitted they had underestimated just how much the children would eat."
"Even if they're still young, they’re still Centaurs. I suppose they have quite the appetite."
"Indeed. As for Village One... well, it’s not exactly a problem, but they’ve consumed almost nothing. Most of the rations we sent are still sitting in storage."
"I know they don't strictly need to eat to survive, but it's a bit disheartening to think they aren't enjoying the food..."
"We should simply be grateful they were so conscientious about conserving our resources."
For the time being, it appeared there would be no food shortages before the harvest. That meant everyone was counting on me and my Universal Farming Tool. I would have to work hard to meet their expectations.
We began by cleaning away the grime that had accumulated over the winter. There was more dirt than I had anticipated, so we conducted a massive spring cleaning that doubled as a chance to air everything out in the sun. I used the Universal Farming Tool to plow the collected refuse back into the earth, turning it into fresh soil.
Next, I wanted to dive straight into the fields, but before I could, I had to hold a meeting with the race representatives. Igu of the Nyunyu-daphne from Village One, Gordon of the Minotaurs from Village Two, and Gluewald of the Centaurs from Village Three all attended.
The primary agenda items were our policy for the coming year and the distribution of Reward Medals. Although we called it a meeting, most of the details had been settled beforehand through private consultations, so it was largely a matter of me formalizing the announcements.
"First, this year, I want to focus our efforts on the development of Village Two and Village Three."
The ultimate goal was for both villages to become self-sufficient. However, I didn't intend to rush them. Rushing wouldn't make the process go any faster, and it certainly wouldn't make it easier. First and foremost, I wanted them to grow accustomed to their new lives and feel secure.
Reports indicated that their indoor handiwork during the winter had left them reasonably well-equipped with interior furnishings. The construction of the waterways had been delayed by the weather, but since I had told them not to overexert themselves, it wasn't a major concern.
However, the fields would eventually need water. Therefore, our priority was the construction of waterways and reservoirs. Beyond that, we needed to address several minor issues that had cropped up during the winter, such as relocating the outdoor outhouses and building covered walkways between structures.
Once those tasks were complete, we would move on to the fields. Since the heavy lifting there fell to me and the Universal Farming Tool, it didn't pose a burden to the other villagers. If there was a problem, it was only that my own schedule was looking increasingly grueling.
Additionally, while the High Elves had handled the bulk of the construction so far with the Minotaurs and Centaurs acting as assistants, I wanted the newcomers to begin learning the trade themselves. Currently, since the priority had been surviving the winter, the villages consisted of nothing but houses. I wanted them to learn by doing—building large community halls and communal baths.
Next came the matter of the Reward Medals, which we had discussed at length during the winter. We had reached a conclusion.
"Excluding the Nyunyu-daphne and the specific residents assigned to each village, every individual living and working in the Village of the Great Tree will receive three medals. Race representatives will receive an additional ten."
For the main village, the system remained largely the same as the previous year. Those who weren't part of the labor force yet—like Alfred, Tiselle, or the newborn Lizardman children—would not receive medals. Conversely, even the young Beastman boys were eligible if they were performing their duties properly. I also granted additional medals to Kuro’s and Zabuton’s groups as collective units. I made sure to thank them for their hard work and told them I was counting on them for the year ahead.
"As for those living in Villages One, Two, and Three, we will not be distributing individual medals this year. Instead, thirty medals will be granted to each village as a whole, to be managed by the respective representatives."
This created a clear distinction between the established residents and the newcomers. I had initially tried to treat everyone equally, but Igu, Gordon, and Gluewald had refused. They argued that they hadn't contributed enough yet to deserve individual rewards. Furthermore, they pointed out that treating adults and children exactly the same would cause friction within their own ranks. Their points were valid. After some discussion, we settled on the flat grant of thirty medals per village.
The Reward Medal Exchange List remained largely unchanged from last year, with only one addition: a disclaimer noting that any furniture requested from me would take a significant amount of time to produce.
Finally, I awarded two additional Reward Medals each to Rusty and Hakuren for their significant contributions to our food security over the winter. Even these numbers were a source of debate; Rusty and Hakuren insisted they didn't need them, while I insisted on giving them something. We eventually compromised on the somewhat awkward number of two. It made me wonder if I should create a formal merit chart. The fact that the valuation of medals rested entirely on my shoulders was a flaw in the system.
After that, the meeting turned to the internal goals for the Village of the Great Tree. We discussed the renovation of my house, the expansion of the fields, and what crops to prioritize if the expansion went well. We also touched on the expansion of the Fruit Area and the care of the bees.
One major topic was the education of the children. In Village Two, there were twenty-three Minotaur children for forty-nine adults. In Village Three, there were sixty-four Centaur children for only forty adults. Normally, the adults with free time would handle the teaching, but the ratio of children to adults was too high. Furthermore, the adults were entirely preoccupied with adapting to their new environment. Currently, the children were only being supervised by a few sentries, and their actual education was being neglected.
"For the sake of their futures, they should at least learn the basics of reading, writing, and math," I said.
"That's true," one of the representatives replied, "but the reality is that many of our adults can't do those things themselves."
When I pressed for details, it turned out that none of the Minotaurs were proficient enough to teach others literacy or numeracy. It was a similar story for the Centaurs. Even those who claimed they could "do math" were limited to basic addition and subtraction; multiplication and division were beyond them.
"Is the general education level really that low?"
"Well..."
Among our own residents, some of the High Elves and Mountain Elves had been a bit shaky with their calculations initially, but Hakuren had drilled the knowledge into them until they were proficient. Now, they boasted that everyone in the village—excluding the infants, the Slimes, and the bees—was literate and capable of math.
I wondered if Kuro's and Zabuton's children could do it too. Apparently, they could. The educational gap was becoming quite stark. We couldn't just leave things as they were.
"Moving the children back and forth between villages would be too much of a burden. It’s best to teach them where they live. For the time being, we'll manage by dispatching teachers from the Village of the Great Tree."
I figured we could put Hakuren in charge of the curriculum and have some of the Civil Official Girls serve as the primary instructors. Education was important, but we couldn't afford to be impatient. If we pushed them too hard and made them hate studying, it would defeat the purpose. We would take it slow.
Finally, we confirmed our intent to continue seeking migrants for Village One. My desire for more residents stemmed from two specific anxieties.
The first was the village's over-reliance on me. If something ever happened to me, the user of the Universal Farming Tool, the village would be in dire straits. I had no intention of dying anytime soon, but I was human, and I would eventually grow old. It would be nice if I could pass the tool on to Alfred or Tiselle, but that was wishful thinking. Even if I didn't die, I wanted people who were capable of traditional agriculture in case the tool ever became unusable.
The second anxiety was the gender ratio. Currently, there were far too few men besides myself. It was an unhealthy situation. I had already resolved to take responsibility for the women I had been intimate with, but looking toward the future, the situation was precarious. Alfred’s entire generation would be comprised of siblings. No matter how you looked at it, that wasn't sustainable.
The village needed more men. And yet, our recent migrants hadn't solved that problem. The Minotaurs were too large to interbreed with Centaurs, and the Nyunyu-daphne were an all-female race. While they provided much-needed labor, they did nothing to balance the scales.
And so, the search for migrants would continue. With that final confirmation, the meeting adjourned.
Once the meeting was over, it was time for field work! I poured all my energy into plowing the fields of the Village of the Great Tree. I had previously thought I had reached the limit of what I could manage, but somehow I found the room to expand.
The fields grew from a 32-by-24 plot layout to a full 32-by-32. I kept and expanded the herb field in the northeast corner; since that occupied an 8-by-8 area, the new agricultural space was effectively an 8-by-24 extension. With the influx of new residents and the growth of Kuro’s pack, the extra food would be put to good use.
During the expansion, I witnessed the annual departure of Zabuton’s children. They offered me a sharp salute with a single leg before taking to the sky on silver threads, one after another. I wished them health and safety on their journeys, while offering my sincere thanks to the ones who chose to stay behind.
After the fields were finished, I moved on to the Fruit Area. I expanded it from a 12-by-8 layout to a 12-by-12. I decided to try my hand at some more exotic varieties: palm trees, pomegranates, limes, kiwis, lychees, and mangosteens, along with some cacao trees. The bees in the area were already busy established new hives, so it looked like we could expect a bountiful honey harvest this year as well.
Given its growth, I felt that calling it the "Fruit Area" was starting to feel a bit informal. "Orchard" seemed much more appropriate. I made a mental note to suggest the name change at the next meeting.
Finally, I checked on the Ranch Area. The calves and kids were increasing in number and growing well. Even the chickens on the north side of the house were becoming more boisterous.
They were adorable. Truly adorable. I had originally intended for them to be a source of meat, but so far, I hadn't been able to bring myself to do it. We could hunt for meat in the forest, so there was no absolute necessity to slaughter our livestock. I knew it was hypocritical of me, but I accepted it as my own personal weakness. I would just have to settle for their milk and eggs.
Once my work in the Village of the Great Tree reached a stopping point, I set off for Village Two, accompanied by several of Kuro's children as guards.