The theme for this year's festival was sliding.
The venue was fully prepared. We had built a mountain, dug a trench, and filled a pond.
The rules were simple: each competitor would take a sliding board and descend from the peak one by one. They were to mount the sliding board just before entering the trench, slide through it, and then launch themselves into the pond. The goal was to compete for the furthest jump distance measured from the trench's exit.
"And this is supposed to be sliding?" I asked.
"It retains the basic concept, at least," one of the girls replied.
"Is that so?"
"It’s the result of prioritizing safety above all else."
It was certainly safer than a martial arts tournament involving direct combat. We had spent a lot of time adjusting the incline inside the trench by repeatedly rolling round stones through it, ensuring the participants would get a satisfying amount of air. It was essentially a jump ramp half-buried in the ground.
Looking back, I wondered if we even needed to dig the trench in the first place. Then again, we needed the soil from the hole to build the mountain, so I suppose it was unavoidable.
"We’ve applied a liquid inside the trench to make it slippery," she explained.
"Is it oil?"
"No, it’s a non-flammable liquid. Oil is expensive, and we wanted to avoid any potential accidents."
"Good point. So, what did you use?"
"It’s a mucus collected by squeezing plants that the high elves gathered."
"Ah..."
I knew exactly what that was. It was that lotion-like substance. As for its primary use, well, that's a secret.
The water level in the pond seemed sufficient. We were careful to ensure it didn't flow back into the trench, though I worried that a few waves might splash inside. I might need to consider a drainage system for the bottom of the trench later.
"Well then, let’s begin the trial run," announced one of the civil official girls, a member of the festival executive committee.
At the top of the mountain stood Donovan, clutching a sliding board and looking full of spirit.
"Donovan is the first one up?"
"That’s how the lots were drawn."
I see. Naturally, anyone who was pregnant sat this one out. Their bellies were getting quite large, after all.
"Here I gooo!"
Donovan charged down from the peak with his sliding board and—ah, he tripped.
Roll, roll, roll... He tumbled right into the trench, shot out the exit, and plunged into the pond.
"Are you okay?" I called out.
Donovan was laughing uproariously, so he seemed perfectly fine.
"Next one, moving out!"
The second participant, Daga, took his stance at the top of the mountain with his sliding board.
"He isn't hesitating after seeing what happened to Donovan?"
He didn't. He sprinted at full speed and hopped onto the sliding board the instant before he hit the trench. He slid through and launched into the air. Maintaining his balance while gripping the sliding board, he skipped across the surface of the water multiple times like a stone before reaching the far bank.
"Oh!"
"That was an ideal jump, but... considering safety, we might need to expand the pond a little more."
"Third participant!"
This time it was Lu. She was wearing trousers and looked ready for action. I expected her to run, but she hopped onto the sliding board immediately. She slid down, launching herself high into the sky. She let go of the sliding board mid-air, performed three full rotations, and splashed into the water. Her distance was respectable.
"Hopping onto the sliding board from the start isn't a bad idea either," one of the officials noted. "Maybe we should apply the mucus to the mountain slope as well... Ah, no, that would just trip up the people who prefer to run."
"If the sliding board and the athlete get separated like that, which one do we measure?" I asked.
"The athlete. If we measured the sliding board, people would just start throwing them."
"...True. I can definitely think of a few people who would do that."
Exactly who I had in mind remained a secret.
"Fourth participant, starting now!"
The voice came from below, but the participant was at the top of the mountain. It was Kuro. He had one paw resting on the sliding board, waiting for the signal. He gave a short bark and dashed forward, pushing the sliding board ahead of him. Then, he sat down firmly on top of it. His expression was dead serious, which honestly made him look quite cute. He slid down, jumped, and was launched into the air. Even though he couldn't hold onto the board, he managed to control his descent through weight shifting. He hit the water beautifully, still perfectly aligned with the board, and sank beneath the surface.
"Hey now, are you okay?"
Kuro performed a doggy paddle, climbed onto the bank, and gave himself a good shake. He trotted over to me with his eyes sparkling. It seemed he had taken a liking to the sport.
"Last one for the trial. Fifth participant, going in!"
The fifth runner was Ronana, the minotaur. She ran down the mountain at a leisurely pace and hopped onto the board halfway down. She plunged into the trench and... didn't come out.
There was Ronana, sitting on her sliding board at the very bottom of the trench.
"What happened?"
"It seems she lacked the momentum. Ronana-san, how far did you get?"
A problem had emerged at the very end. I see. It all came down to speed.
"Ronana-san. I'm sorry, but could you try one more time?"
"Understood!"
"What's the plan?" I asked.
"I'm going to have her start on the sliding board from the very beginning."
For Ronana's second attempt, she started already seated on the board. Her entry speed into the trench was significantly faster than before. She launched into the air, and while her distance was short, she hit the water with a satisfyingly large splash.
The festival executive committee held a quick meeting afterward.
"Should we just make everyone start on the sliding boards from the beginning?"
"If they don't run, won't it be hard to see who's more skilled?"
"There has to be some kind of difference. Otherwise, we can't explain why Lu-san and Ronana-san had such different jump distances."
"It's the weight."
"Shh! Don't say that in front of Ronana-san."
"Maybe it's the quality of the sliding boards, or the posture while riding?"
"Probably something like that."
In the end, it was decided that the event would be held in two parts. Part One would be the style where you run and hop onto the board halfway. Part Two would be the style where you start on the board from the peak. Apparently, they were going to apply the mucus to the entire slope for Part Two.
I found myself remembering those variety show stunts on TV that involved lots of lotion. Well, I hoped they’d give it their best shot.
"Tia-san, Granmaria-san, Kudel-san, and Corone-san will handle the measurements."
"The sliding board production will be handled by the Village Head and the mountain elves, along with anyone else who wants to make their own custom board."
Once the finer details were settled, the meeting concluded. I was already looking forward to the actual event.
"Village Head. Wait a moment."
"Hmm?"
"That was only the discussion regarding the sliding competition."
"Oh."
"Now, we need to discuss the food, the other performances, and everything else."
"..."
As the Village Head, I was kept busy with one thing after another.
Rain. Even in the Village of the Great Tree, it rains.
Back in my old world, rain meant umbrellas. However, no such things existed here. The best I could do initially was throw a fur over my head for protection. If it wasn't for my Healthy Body, I probably would have caught a cold. Regardless, I rarely ventured outside during downpours.
I eventually learned from Lu that the people of this world typically used cloaks. When I asked what they did for their heads, she told me they wore hats.
I see. Hats, then.
I consulted with Zabuton and we made cloaks and wide-brimmed hats. The ensemble made me look like a wizard. Naturally, I ended up carving a piece of wood into a wizard's staff to match. Striking "cool" wizard poses is now a part of my dark history. Kuro and Zabuton watched me back then with such pityingly kind eyes...
Despite that, we eventually developed actual umbrellas. They were made of cloth from Zabuton stretched over a bamboo frame, but they were high-quality items with a functional opening and closing mechanism. They were quite convenient.
However, the adoption rate in the village was less than ten percent. It seemed everyone else just used magic to deal with the rain.
Ugh. Damned fantasy world.