"This sake is delicious. Let me take some home as a souvenir."
Kierbit and the Harpies took up residence in Village One, yet they flew over to the Village of the Great Tree for every meal. They reminded me of migratory birds.
"I hope you aren't causing any trouble for the Nyunyu-daphne," I said.
"It’s fine. We haven’t had enough contact with them to be a nuisance."
I wondered if that was actually a good thing.
"By the way, why are there so many empty houses over there?"
"Hahaha..."
I ended up telling her the rather long, somewhat sad story of how the village came to be.
"I see," she murmured.
"If you’d like, why don't you just move in?"
"I appreciate the offer, but that would be difficult. I have a job to do, after all."
"A job?"
"I’m a Shrine Maiden for the Garlet Kingdom."
"...Garlet?"
"It’s a country to the northwest of here. They worship the Angel Race, so I hold a fairly high social standing there."
"Heh."
"For the record, I’m technically more important than their King."
"..."
"Could you please stop looking at me like I’m a stranger?"
"No, I mean, even if you tell me that..."
"Hmph."
"My mistake. Even if it’s impossible for you, what about the others?"
"They have jobs too, so they can’t stay. But if Granmaria is the one doing the recruiting, it should be fine. I expect a few others will show up eventually."
"Hm? Are the ones Granmaria reached out to different from your group?"
"That's right. Granmaria wouldn't try to poach those of us who already have careers. We only ran into her by chance and heard the news."
"I see."
"A few of them seemed to be idling around, so I think two or three might come. If they do, please look after them."
"Understood. And regarding the Harpies..."
Since I had told them to serve under Granmaria, they intended to settle down here permanently.
"I don't mind," Kierbit said. "There are others back home. However, some of them have families, so I'd prefer if only those who truly wish to stay remain here."
"That’s fair. If any of them want to head back, I’ll ask you to escort them."
"I brought them here, so I’ll take responsibility for seeing them home."
"Hahaha."
As long as she wasn't seeing red, she was actually quite a sensible person.
"Also, would it be alright if those who stay bring their families here later?"
"Right. If they want to come, please bring them."
"I will."
Kierbit stayed one more night and departed the following day. Most of the Harpies wished to stay, but it was decided that the entire group would return home once to pack their belongings and explain the situation to their families.
"Once the Harpies arrive, we'll have them live in Village One," I noted.
"I agree," Granmaria replied, responding to my mutterings. "However, I believe the Harpy Race requires houses similar to those of the Centaurs."
"What do you mean?"
"The Harpy Race doesn't use beds. They sleep by perching on branches or by building nests."
"..."
"As long as they have a perch and a roof and walls to provide shelter from the elements, they should be satisfied."
"The existing houses won't work?"
"It's not that they're unusable, but Harpies struggle with opening and closing doors. I suppose they would get used to it eventually, but..."
"I-I see."
"Additionally, while families live together, the single youths prefer communal living."
"Communal living?"
"Yes. Since the Harpy Race hunts in groups, it helps improve their coordination."
It was a matter of cultural and lifestyle differences. It was no different from the Lizardmen wanting a watering hole for their eggs.
"Understood. I'll take those needs into account."
"Thank you very much."
"...Are the people currently living here facing any similar problems or dissatisfactions I should know about?"
"I believe everyone is doing well. They’ve all started to become much less reserved lately."
"I hope so..."
"I will double-check, just in case."
"Please do."
With so many different races, I might be imposing inconveniences on them without even realizing it. I had to stay sharp.
A new proposal was brought forward regarding cotton.
The first issue involved bedding. Until now, we had been stuffing bags made by Zabuton and her kin with dried grass collected from the forest to make Futons and sofa cushions. This grass was easy to find and cost nothing, making it extremely convenient.
However, it had a drawback: the stuffing had to be replaced every six months. For items used daily, it was more like once a month. In the case of my own Futon, the High Ogre Maids were so attentive that they replaced the grass every ten days. I was truly grateful for their care.
The proposal was to use cotton for stuffing instead.
The second issue concerned clothing. There was a request for garments made of cotton rather than the high-quality thread produced by Zabuton. It wasn't that they disliked Zabuton’s work; on the contrary, the clothes were considered far too luxurious to be used as everyday wear or work clothes. This opinion came mainly from the Minotaurs and Centaurs.
I realized I had overlooked cotton entirely because we already had grass and it wasn't a food source. If I viewed it as a village industry, growing cotton seemed like a solid idea.
However, even if cotton was good for stuffing Futons, we needed the technology to spin it into thread to make clothes. I wondered who would handle that, but Zabuton and her children immediately raised their front legs.
'Are you sure? Can we leave it to you?'
Zabuton gave me a look of supreme confidence.
We decided to plan a Cotton Field for next year. For the time being, things would stay as they were. As for the immediate need for work clothes for the Minotaurs and Centaurs, we sold the cloth produced by Zabuton’s group to Michael-san and had him provide second-hand clothing as payment.
I hadn't known this, but second-hand clothing was the norm in this world; new garments were prohibitively expensive. I worried it might be hard to find sizes for Minotaurs and Centaurs, but as expected of a merchant in the Demon Kingdom, Michael managed to collect a massive amount.
"That's quite a haul."
"It certainly is."
We distributed the clothes to the Minotaurs and Centaurs for their daily chores. Surprisingly, the person most delighted by this was Zabuton. Inspired by the various designs from the outside world, she began energetically creating a series of new outfits.
"I’m fine with just the normal ones, you know," I told her as I received several new sets of clothes for myself.
Next came the festival preparations. On the west side of the Residential Area, even further west than the Golf Course, I began to dig.
Thwack, thwack.
I dug deeper.
The hole wasn't a circle, but a long, narrow rectangle—five meters wide and fifty meters long. I shaped it so it sloped down toward the center and back up toward the other end. It looked like a coin buried halfway into the dirt.
Using one of the short sides as an entrance, I began to pile up the excavated soil to create a long, narrow ramp leading into it. The ramp stood about fifteen meters high. I made the path about four meters wide—slightly narrower than the entrance to the hole—and added guardrails to prevent anyone from falling off.
I thought the construction would be a struggle, but with the increased number of residents helping out, it was surprisingly easy.
"It looks magnificent," someone remarked.
"It does."
It was the highest structure in the vicinity. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of Village Two or Village Three from the top, but no luck. A shame.
However, we weren't finished yet. There was still one task remaining at the far end of the trench.
"This is where we'll dig the Pond to catch the water."
"Yes! Please do!"
And so, we all worked together to finish the job.