There were twenty newcomers in total, ten couples of men and women.
Since they were already paired up, I figured there wouldn't be any messy drama over romance. I was quite grateful for that.
For the time being, I had them all stay at the inn. They were likely exhausted from the journey or the stress of the move. Quite a few of them had actually lost consciousness. I suspected some had simply fainted out of sheer terror, but... well, I have to admit there are some intimidating residents here. Still, since they were moving in, they would just have to get used to it.
That evening, we held a welcome party in the large hall on the first floor of the inn. I had invited Fouche and her group as well, but it seemed they had to rush back. High-ranking religious officials certainly have it rough.
I was a bit worried about the people who were still out cold, but Progenitor-san offered to see them off. He also had the escorts blindfolded... I suppose since the escorts are just low-ranking soldiers, they aren't allowed to actually look at him. I gave plenty of souvenirs to both Fouche and the escorts; I hoped they would enjoy them personally.
Progenitor-san also had to return home. He really does seem busy. I gave him a souvenir as well, and he asked for a little more sake to take with him. I was happy to oblige.
The welcome party began with me having to soothe the group of migrants, who were visibly shaken by the array of food laid out before them. I had to explain that this wasn't their "last supper." It was just a slightly nicer meal than usual!
"Look, everyone else is eating too. No, there's absolutely no way any of you are the ingredients! Kuro and his pack aren't scary at all. See? You can pet their heads, and even their bellies..."
Zabuton and her kin were safe too, right?
Wait, no? They’d given up on that part already? Apparently, the ones they were truly afraid of were the High Elves.
"Man-eaters? What are you talking about?"
"It's a misunderstanding," Ria said, stepping in to handle the persuasion on my behalf. It seemed the rumor had been spread due to the behavior of a different branch of their race. "Please don't lump us in with those weaklings."
I felt like that last remark was unnecessary. The migrants, who had just been starting to calm down, began trembling all over again.
I was getting a bit tired. However, once the eating actually began, I felt much better as they repeatedly exclaimed how delicious everything was. Their manners were impeccable, and they all seemed like wonderful people. Perhaps they had just been incredibly tense after arriving in such a strange environment.
Suddenly, I noticed Lu. What was she doing? She was trying to lead one of the female migrants out of the room.
"Wait, Lu? What's going on?"
"Treatment," she replied.
Was the woman sick? Her partner looked on with deep concern.
"It's not a life-threatening illness," Lu explained. "But I thought it would be best to treat it as soon as possible."
"What kind of illness is it?" I asked.
"Well... it's a bit difficult to talk about."
I see. In other words, it was something she didn't want to explain to a man.
"The treatment will be over in a flash," Lu said, taking the woman into a separate room.
I wondered why she insisted on having Urza go with them.
The treatment really was over in an instant. They weren't in the other room for even a minute. I assumed it was healing magic. The girl certainly seemed much brighter and more energetic than before. Her partner was overjoyed as well, so I suppose it turned out for the best.
On a side note, what was that expensive-looking sword Urza was carrying? If anyone was going to give her a toy, I wished it would be something a bit more girlish. Like a doll, perhaps.
The moment I thought that, the Soil Doll made its presence known. Oh, right, you were there.
The Soil Doll was acting as a gatekeeper for Urza's room. Or rather, it was more of a roomkeeper. It worked incredibly hard despite its small stature. That was all well and good, but the downside was that Urza never learned to clean up after herself. I needed to tell the doll to make Urza do her own chores instead of doing everything for her.
"It is quite alright. I shall serve and follow her until the day I die," the doll seemed to convey.
Well, that might be true, but still...
Good grief. Was the alcohol already getting to me? I had been ignoring the migrants—the stars of the party—to talk to a Soil Doll.
I checked on the newcomers and found they were doing just fine. There were a few half-beastman, half-human individuals among them, and Gatto and his wife were keeping them company. Those who carried an air of nobility were being looked after by Frau and the Civil Official Girls. The Dwarves were chatting about sake, and the High Ogre maids were discussing the food...
Then I noticed one girl among the migrants who couldn't seem to focus. She was staring intently in a specific direction. Was there something over there?
Ah, that would be my mansion. And beyond that, the ranch?
"No, what that girl is sensing are the dragons."
The one who answered my silent question was Dos.
...Dos?
"Wait, Dos?"
"Is it so strange for me to come celebrate my daughter's pregnancy?"
"No, but didn't Raimeiren tell you not to come here?"
"That is why I am not going to see her directly. I am merely watching over her from a distance. We can talk about that later... but that girl over there is a Dragon Shrine Maiden."
"A Dragon Shrine Maiden?"
"To put it simply, she is a descendant of a clan that once drank the blood of dragons. They served as mediators between our kind and humans."
"Mediators? But we can talk to each other perfectly well without a mediator, can't we?" Just like we were doing right now.
"Don't worry about the details. It's an old story from a time when such roles were necessary. I thought the lineage had died out, but it seems some survived."
"So, the reason she's staring at the mansion is because she's sensing Hakuren and the others?"
Hakuren hadn't joined the party; she was resting at the mansion. I wanted her to be able to relax with Raimeiren and the others who had come to celebrate. To be honest, I was also worried that if Hakuren showed up, all the other dragons would follow, and the party would stop being about the migrants entirely.
"If she's sensing Hakuren, why hasn't she noticed you, Dos? You're much closer."
"Because I am masking my presence. Watch."
The moment Dos finished speaking, the girl who had been staring at the mansion jumped in surprise and whipped her head around to stare directly at him.
"Ah."
"I see."
Now that I was convinced, Dos presumably masked his presence again. The girl stared our way for a while, looking confused, before eventually turning her gaze back toward the mansion.
"Does a Dragon Shrine Maiden only sense dragons?"
"Hmm... I seem to recall something about their singing voice having the power to calm a dragon's rage."
"That's a bit vague."
"Even for me, this is only the second one I've ever met. The first was... how many hundreds of years ago was that?"
"She's not dangerous, is she?"
"Not to us."
"Is there any drawback for the girl herself?"
"Nothing significant. If I had to say something, it would be that human-sized dragon scales sometimes manifest on her body."
"That sounds a bit pitiable for a young woman."
"Her defensive power increases, though."
"Even so, an ordinary person doesn't really need a defense boost like that."
Still, a descendant who drank blood...
"Ah, that's just a legend. In reality, one doesn't become a shrine maiden just by drinking a bit of blood."
"Eh?"
"If people could gain our power just by eating us, we would have been hunted to extinction long ago."
"That's a fair point."
If eating them granted power, people would have used any means necessary to get their hands on dragon flesh. Especially since dragons are considered the strongest beings; I could easily imagine humans swarming them.
"You can just leave the girl be. She's simply bewildered because she's never felt the presence of so many dragons nearby. She'll get used to it soon."
He explained that the previous Dragon Shrine Maiden had been much the same.
"Now, setting the girl aside..." Dos cleared his throat and looked at me seriously. "Hakuren's pregnancy. You have done well."
I felt a bit bashful. But I realized then—Dos was technically my father-in-law.
"Please continue to take care of my daughter."
I met Dos's fatherly smile with one of my own. "You can count on me."
"Hahaha! Now then, if it's possible, I'd like to ask you to take care of me as well..."
Behind the suddenly pathetic-looking Dos stood Raimeiren in her human form. She had likely noticed him the moment he stopped masking his presence to show off to me.
A father-in-law is important, but a mother-in-law is equally important. I smiled and waved as Raimeiren dragged Dos away. Since they headed toward the mansion, I assumed she wasn't going to stop him from seeing Hakuren entirely. Apparently, he just has a tendency to get over-excited and run wild.
A welcome party is also an opportunity to get to know one another. For the migrants, it was a chance to alleviate their anxieties about their new lives. While they were eating heartily, they were being quite reserved with the alcohol. Though, it seemed a few of them couldn't resist...
They were trying to gather information from the other villagers. Mostly about human relationships—who was in charge, who they absolutely shouldn't offend, and who was the most reliable. The villagers weren't just giving out information, though; they were also trying to learn more about the newcomers' backgrounds. Regardless of how well that was going, the party was a success.
The girl who had been too distracted by the dragons to enjoy herself had eventually turned to the bottle. Now, she was looking quite happy... and completely hammered. Maybe she decided to use alcohol as an escape? Dos said she would get used to it, so I hoped she would hang in there.
By the way...
"So, if we're looking for someone to rely on?"
"I'd say Lu-san, Tia-san, Flora-san, or Frau-san. Frau-san is probably the easiest to talk to."
"I see, I see."
...
Why hadn't my name come up once in their list of reliable people? I mean, it's not that I was desperate for praise, but I am the Village Head. I should be the primary person they rely on, shouldn't I? I wasn't looking for a medal or anything, but it wouldn't have hurt if someone had mentioned that I was at least a little bit dependable.
I eavesdropped for a while longer, but the only result was that my own sake consumption increased.
The Soil Doll patted my hand, trying to comfort me.
Thank you.