"Then, if you'll excuse me. I'll be away for a bit."
Granmaria spoke to the other members of the Angel Race before departing from the village.
"Kudel, Corone, shouldn't you two go as well?" I asked.
"If we all went, there would be no one left for sentry duty," one of them replied.
"That's true, but... once Granmaria returns, you can take turns going."
"No, no, there is plenty to enjoy just by staying in the village."
"Once you've tasted the food here, you can't imagine living anywhere else."
"I see."
As Granmaria left the village, she was hauling a mountain of luggage. I wondered if it was all food.
"It’s bentos and supplies," they confirmed.
I had recently obtained some information from the Giant Race living in the Northern Dungeon. Apparently, if you traveled even further north past the dungeon, there was a "hot pond."
A hot pond.
A hot spring, perhaps?
It had to be a hot spring.
It was definitely a hot spring.
...I had no choice but to go.
I organized a Hot Spring Investigation Team.
"I’ll be the leader!" I declared.
Or so I thought, but the entire village stepped in to stop me. Inevitably, a High Elf took the lead, and a group of about twenty—including several of Kuro's offspring—headed out.
The Hot Spring Investigation Team returned about thirty days later. They all looked utterly exhausted.
"The terrain was treacherous; just getting there was an ordeal," the leader reported.
"We encountered monsters we’d never seen before. It was quite a struggle."
One of Kuro’s offspring had been injured and was being carried on a High Elf’s back, looking a bit sheepish.
"The water was far too hot. It wasn't the kind of thing you could soak in like a bath."
They delivered the report with heavy disappointment.
Thank you. And well done.
Even the pups who weren't being carried were covered in various nicks and scars. I asked Lu, Tia, and Flora to handle the healing magic.
Still, a hot spring you can't even soak in... I hadn't expected that.
Hmm.
If temperature was the only issue, we could simply divert water from a river, but there was a chance the mineral composition was dangerous. Thinking about it now, sending an investigation team might have been a bit reckless on my part. I felt a twinge of regret.
Next time, I decided, I would go myself.
Disaster Prevention Drill.
With the population growing, I had to prioritize safety. My biggest fear was fire.
First, I re-inspected every area where fire was used. Then, I checked to see if we had the means to extinguish a blaze immediately.
...No problems there. Disaster awareness among the residents was actually higher than I’d anticipated. It seemed I was the one lagging behind. I’ll have to be more careful.
I decided to try a firefighting drill while we were at it.
"We’ll put it out with magic," they suggested.
That lacked any sense of accomplishment—or rather, it was too clinical. No, fire safety is serious business. Magic is incredible, but I wanted us to know how to put out a fire with water.
"You want us to transport the water with magic?"
"No. A bucket relay."
"?"
The residents lined up in a row, passing tubs of water from the water source to the flames. The person at the head of the line would then throw the water to douse the fire.
It didn't go out in one or two tries. It took dozens—no, hundreds—of splashes before the fire finally died.
"Fire... extinguished!"
They fumbled at the start of the bucket relay, but once everyone grasped the concept, they were remarkably fast. The hardest job was likely the person tasked with sprinting the empty tubs back to the water source.
Also, I felt a bit bad for the Minotaur and Centaur residents; their physical size and height made it impossible for them to fit into the line. A bucket relay slows down significantly if the heights aren't relatively consistent. It shouldn't be an issue in Village Two or Village Three, so I asked them to teach the method in those villages as well.
"Village Head, shall we go again?"
"Hm? Ah, sure."
"I want to be at the front!"
"The front looks like the most fun!"
The position at the head of the line was surprisingly popular. However, the Lizardman who had just finished his turn was visibly drained. Being closest to the heat while swinging heavy tubs of water is the most grueling part of the job.
"Alright, the limit for the front position is ten buckets. Once you’ve tossed ten, you switch out!"
Mid-drill rotations are essential. Learning those little details is exactly what these drills are for. It was a productive session. Though, looking at that exhausted Lizardman, I made a mental note to let him sit the next one out.
The Second Village of the Great Tree Hide-and-seek Tournament!
"A few ground rules before we start," I announced. "This is not a drill; it’s recreation. It’s a game. Do not get carried away with your hiding. I’m looking at you, Elves and Mountain Elves. No one is getting executed if they’re caught, so please, hold back a little. Also, for the magic users: no recognition inhibition magic. I will consider that an act of aggression. And when you are acting as Death, attacking with magic is strictly forbidden. Finally, the Nyunyu-daphne: if you transform into trees, you must be at least one meter tall. How am I supposed to find a one-centimeter sapling hiding in the shadows?! ...Excuse me. I mean, it would be impossible to find. Please remember this is a game when you go to hide. Now, let’s begin. The first seeker... I mean, the first Death, will be me. On your marks... yes? A question?"
"Um, Village Head? Why are Kuro-san and his pack standing next to you looking so motivated?"
"They are Death's assistants. Don't worry about it."
"And why are Zabuton-san and her children warming up?"
"They are also Death's assistants. Don't worry about it."
"Village Head, you're taking this way too seriously!"
The event was a massive success.
"The variety of sake has certainly grown."
"Indeed. Every single one is excellent."
Up until now, there had been some resistance regarding selling our alcohol, but the Dwarves were the ones to suggest it this time. Their reasoning: "Delicious sake should be shared by all."
Wait, didn't you guys rave about the village's sake when you first arrived? Weren't you the ones stingy about selling it afterward? Right now, Beezel is the only one we're really selling to, and Michael-san has been practically begging for a shipment. What changed?
They avoided my gaze. When I pressed them, they finally confessed.
"Women?"
Over time, more Dwarves had gathered here after hearing rumors about our sake. The primary source of those rumors was Draim. We currently had forty-one Dwarves in the village. It was a significant increase, but only four of them were women.
The gender ratio was completely skewed. And if something is skewed, it needs to be corrected.
But how?
Well, if word of the sake spreads, more might come. And how do we spread the word? By selling the sake to the outside world.
"That’s the logic, at least."
"..."
"Are you angry?"
"No, I’m just surprised."
"?"
"I didn't realize you were interested in anything besides alcohol."
"If one has alcohol, it is only natural to seek what comes next."
"After alcohol, it’s usually food that pairs well with it, isn't it?"
"That is also vital. But after one has drunk and eaten... one begins to crave domestic warmth."
"Domestic warmth, huh? Well, I’ve been in favor of selling the sake for a while now, so I don't mind."
"You have my thanks."
"So, which ones are we selling?"
"From here... to about there."
"...Those are the batches from when we first started."
"We were still unrefined back then."
"The quantity seems a bit low, though?"
"No, no, this is plenty."
"Maybe we could include the ones a bit further back..."
"Absolutely not. Not those. Those are far too delicious."
We ended up selling a tiny fraction of our sake reserves to the outside, much to Michael-san's delight.
"Isn't it odd? You don't mind giving it away as a gift, but you're so reluctant to sell it."
"The smile of someone receiving a gift is for the sake itself. The smile of a merchant who just bought a shipment is for the profit he’s about to make."
"I see."
"Michael-dono is one of the better ones since he actually comes here to drink and appreciate the flavor. Some merchants will hawk a product without ever tasting it."
"Well, they have to make a living too."
"I understand that. I just find it hard to stomach."
It’s a complicated matter.