My new House was finally finished.
It was a magnificent building. The width was… two hundred meters? The depth was one hundred meters? Yeah, rather than a mere House, it was a proper Village Head's Mansion. A noble’s Village Head's Mansion, at that.
Built upon a solid foundation, it was a two-story structure of brick and wood, with some sections rising to three stories. It certainly wasn't the kind of place you’d expect a village head to live in. Because the construction had been done in stages, the Village Head's Mansion itself was divided into distinct wings.
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The central section, located where my old House used to stand, was a hundred-by-fifty-meter entrance and grand hall. The doors were built exceptionally large so that even the Minotaurs could enter without having to duck. However, since opening such heavy doors would be a chore for those of us living there day-to-day, we also installed normal-sized doors alongside them.
The second floor over the hall was an atrium, featuring only the walkways necessary for cleaning or opening and closing the windows. For some reason, there were storage lockers for bows and arrows placed at key intervals along those paths. I wondered if they were planning to hole up here and defend the place in an emergency.
This central section was the only part with a third floor, which was divided into numerous small rooms of about three to four-and-a-half tatami mats each. They were intended as quarters for the people working in the Village Head's Mansion, but for now, most were empty. I hadn't known this, but apparently, it was tradition for those of lower status, like servants, to live on the higher floors. I’d always had the image of important people living at the top, but I suppose that only makes sense if you have an elevator.
Regardless, the hall was spacious enough to gather all the villagers even on a rainy day. Massive pillars stood at various points; they were a bit of a nuisance and blocked the view, but they were structurally necessary, so there wasn't much I could do about it.
I set up a display area right by the entrance. Currently, the First Martial Arts Tournament Championship Trophy was proudly showcased there, alongside Makura's name.
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On the right side of the hall, the first floor contained the Dining Hall and kitchen, while the second floor served as the residence for the High Ogre Maids. I’d worried about whether it would be spacious enough, but there was plenty of room. We also dug a Cellar beneath this wing to serve as a food Storehouse.
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The back-right wing of the hall consisted of Guest Rooms on both the first and second floors. I had some of the first-floor rooms modified to serve as quarters for the Minotaurs and Centaurs who were staying as Residents. There was also a small common area where I set up various tools and games for a Recreation Hall. I wondered who would be the first to make use of it. It turned out to be Lu and Tia, who were already in there playing with the High Ogre Maids.
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To the left of the hall was my domain. The first floor housed my Office, which doubled as my private room, as well as a conference room. The Office was strictly for business, furnished with an imposing table and chair and lined with bookshelves. It looked exactly like a nobleman’s study.
My private room was located further back—my own personal space. It contained my bedroom as well as rooms for Lu, Tia, Flora, Hakuren, and Frau. Since Frau already had a House in the Residential Area, her room here was mostly to maintain her prestige as the Magistrate. She could point to the mansion and say, "That is where I reside."
Frau herself said she didn't really mind either way, but since I owed Beezel for all his help, I figured this was the least I could do. In practice, I just designated one of the spare rooms as hers.
Ria and the other High Elves, who were currently pregnant, chose to remain in their existing homes in the Residential Area. Ann, the leader of the High Ogres, also opted to stay in the maid quarters. I told them they were more than welcome to live in this wing, but they politely declined. I worried that it might make it harder for me to see the children once they were born, but since this was the result of our discussions, I didn't push the matter.
I also had a kitchen and a smaller Dining Hall built in this wing. One of the downsides of having such a massive House was that the main Dining Hall was simply too far away for a quick meal.
The conference room was a standard meeting space. I left the tables unbolted so we could rearrange the room for different purposes.
The second floor of this wing consisted of private rooms, each about eight tatami mats in size. Currently, only two were spoken for—the nurseries for Alfred and Tiselle. The rest remained vacant for now.
There was a Cellar beneath this wing as well, functioning as a food storehouse and an Armory. The Armory held Swords, spears, bows, and various suits of armor, though most were gifts from Draim and Dos. Consequently, it felt more like a Treasure Room than a functional Armory.
The food storehouse was standard, but it was connected by an underground passage to the storehouse beneath the Maids' quarters. This allowed for the easy transport of supplies and gave the Maids a way to move between wings without having to cross through the main hall.
Deeper still, beneath this Cellar, I had a safe installed. The only entrance was through my Office, making it inaccessible from anywhere else. Getting in and out was a bit of a hassle, but there was something exciting about having a hidden vault. That said, the actual contents were quite meager. I had a feeling the items in the Armory were actually worth more.
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The back-left wing of the hall housed the Bath and a general warehouse on the first floor.
The Bath was… enormous. It featured a Tub that could fit twenty people at once and a Washing Area twice that size. It was so big I felt like I was in a public bathhouse. Hot water was piped in from an external boiler, a testament to the master craftsmanship of the Mountain Elves. At my request, I also had them build a smaller, private Bathroom for one person. Sometimes you just want a cozy space to soak and relax.
The warehouse was a standard storage area for materials like lumber, stone, and dried grass. I’d worried about placing it so close to the Bath, but the air was surprisingly dry. I thought it might be Magic at first, but it was actually just clever architecture; the Mountain Elves had designed the Bath with specialized ventilation to whisk away the moisture. I was genuinely impressed.
The second floor held a workshop and a Research Room. The workshop was my personal workspace and a storage area for my finished projects. Lu and Tia planned to use the Research Room for their various experiments. Flora had a Research Room here as well, but that one had to be sealed off.
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Located a short distance away from the main building was Flora's Research Hut. She primarily worked with fermented foods. Once she perfected the Miso and Soy Sauce, we built a Mass Production Hut in the Residential Area, but when she started experimenting in her own room, the smell became a serious issue. She was eventually "exiled" to this isolated hut. Since the environment is vital for fermentation, having her own dedicated space was probably for the best. Flora effectively lived there now. I really hoped she’d at least show her face at mealtimes; she was starting to feel like a ghost.
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My new House—or rather, my new Village Head's Mansion—differed from my old home in three major ways.
First was the water. Until now, we’d drawn water from the Well and carried it in Tubs or jars to wherever it was needed. Now, we had a proper Water Supply System. This was the result of me explaining the concept of pumps to the Mountain Elves. They built large tanks atop the Village Head's Mansion, filled them using pumps, and distributed the water through a network of pipes. A single tank and pump couldn't handle the entire mansion, so they installed five such systems in total. This made the morning chores much easier, much to the delight of the High Ogre Maids.
Second was the number of Outhouses. They had increased significantly, which was only natural given the size of the mansion. We even had them on the second and third floors, thanks to the new water system and the help of the Slimes who handled the waste.
Third and finally, a Spider Walk had been installed throughout almost the entire Village Head's Mansion. Similar to a catwalk, the Spider Walk was a specialized network of passages built along the ceilings for Zabuton's Children. Only the fist-sized spiderlings used it; Makura was obviously too large.
The spiders could access every corridor and almost every room, with the exception of the private quarters. They even had their own vertical shafts for moving between floors and dedicated exits to the outside. Zabuton's Children were absolutely thrilled. I realized just how many of them there were when the entire ceiling of my Office was covered with them—I assume they gathered there to show their gratitude.
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It was a wonderful House, a truly fine Village Head's Mansion. I was satisfied.
I was satisfied, but… that didn't mean I was without complaints. Or rather, I had some concerns. They mostly concerned my private quarters—specifically, my bedroom.
It was normal to have a lock on the inside of the door, but why was there a lock on the outside as well? I’d just end up trapped in my own room. I assumed it was a mistake during installation and asked them to fix it.
Also, what was with the narrow gaps between the walls of my bedroom and the adjacent rooms? They were definitely wide enough for a person to walk through. A Hidden Passage? And the only exit was in my bedroom? That seemed highly suspicious. Was it for escaping in an emergency? I see. If that were the case, then why couldn't the door be opened from the bedroom side? Was the lock installed backward? Another mistake, surely.
Furthermore, why were there peepholes looking into the bedroom from those passages? They were meant to be stations for guards? I didn't think I’d ever have uninvited guests in my bedroom, so I told them those weren't necessary.
Oh, and there was also a passage that dropped right into the room from the ceiling. Was there ever going to be a situation where someone needed to use that to wake me up? I certainly hoped not.
In the end, for the sake of my own peace of mind, I ordered some modifications.
"I want the ceiling entrance sealed, but we can keep the passages themselves. Having a Hidden Passage is actually kind of fun. However, they are strictly off-limits. The only ones allowed in there are Zabuton's Children and people responding to an actual emergency."
And that was that.