I’d heard that pregnant dragons tended to become temperamental, but so far, she hadn't shown any signs of it. She was living a perfectly relaxed, leisurely life. Or rather, she was stuck in a cycle of eating and sleeping. It reminded me of when she first arrived at the village; she was exactly like this back then.
Still, she was an expectant mother now. Everything she did was permitted.
Setting up a table on the bed so she could eat breakfast? I’d allow it. A nap? I’d allow it. An evening snooze? I’d allow it. Sleeping is practically part of a pregnant woman's job, after all.
The problem was that she would wake up at night and want to play.
Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp...
"Go to sleep!" I’d bark.
If Hakuren was awake, Urza wouldn't sleep either. Since she was pregnant, I really wanted her to maintain a regular schedule. Wait—could it be that dragons were actually nocturnal?
"No, that isn't the case at all," Rusty informed me.
I see, I see. So it was just a simple case of her staying up at night because she slept all through the day. In that case, I should try to interfere with her naps... but it was hard to be that mean to a pregnant woman.
Darn it. I had no idea how to fix her reversed internal clock. It couldn't be helped. If it came to this, I’d have to consult Raimeiren—
The moment the thought crossed my mind, Hakuren grabbed my arm. She shook her head frantically from side to side and then gave me a forced, beaming smile.
"I’ll make sure to sleep properly at night. Got it?"
It didn't happen overnight, but after about ten days, I managed to get her back on a normal schedule. They were mother and daughter, sure, but was Raimeiren really that terrifying?
The festival season had finally arrived.
People from Village One, Village Two, and Village Three had been trickling in over the last few days, and today marked the day the whole group was finally assembled. I had prepared sleeping quarters for those who arrived a day early, but we ran out of rooms, so we had to pitch tents in a hurry. The sight of it really felt like the eve of a festival; it was exhilarating.
Perhaps that’s why it happened.
"To think the tents would actually be the popular choice," I mused. I understood the sentiment, but I made sure to tell them not to catch a cold.
Every single resident from the outlying villages attended. Parents with small children seemed to have opted for the inn, as I’d expected. As always, our guest list was quite long.
First was Michael-san. He arrived the day before the festivities with a wide variety of goods. Then there was Draim, who had acted as Michael’s transport. He claimed Dos and Raimeiren had sent him to check on Hakuren’s condition. Of course, after a few brief words, he disappeared into the bath to relax.
From the Demon Kingdom Territory came Yuri, Beezel, Gratz, Randan, and one newcomer.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Hou Leg. I look forward to the festivities."
Hou was a woman with bright red wings on her back, though she clarified she wasn't part of the Angel Race.
"I have been thoroughly enjoying the various spirits from this village. Especially the one made from sugar cane... it was exquisite."
"Ahaha... you mean that one?"
It was a remarkably strong liquor; I couldn't even drink it straight. After finishing her greetings with me, Hou immediately made a beeline for the food stalls. No, I was wrong—she was hunting for more alcohol.
"My apologies," Beezel sighed. "Hou’s only flaw is her excessive love for drink."
"Hahaha. I have a feeling she’ll get along quite well with the Dwarves."
After Hou, I greeted Beezel. Gratz offered his greetings almost simultaneously before rushing off to find Ronana, the Minotaur. Randan also gave me a polite nod before heading toward the stalls.
"Is the Demon King not coming this time?" I asked.
"He has a mountain of work to get through, so he had to decline this year," Yuri answered. "But don't worry, I shall enjoy myself enough for both of us." She then headed for the VIP seats, accompanied by Beezel.
Next were Progenitor-san and Fouche. Progenitor-san had been visiting fairly often for various reasons, but he was usually too busy to stay for long.
"I want to just throw everything away and move here permanently," he groaned. Fouche looked appropriately troubled by his declaration.
I spoke with Fouche about how the migrants in Village One were settling in. I was about to guide her to where they were staying, but I ended up delegating that to one of the Civil Official Girls because the next set of guests had arrived: Dos and Raimeiren. Since they had just visited for the pregnancy celebration, it didn't feel like it had been that long. After the formalities, they went straight to see Hakuren.
If they were coming themselves, there really hadn't been any need to send Draim ahead to check on her, had there? I suppose that’s just how parents are.
Additionally, Galf was here from Howlin Village. Or rather, he had accompanied Gatto's two disciples when they moved in and just never left. I knew the trip was easy since Rusty had flown the disciples here, but... wasn't he the strongest warrior in Howlin Village? Was it really okay for him to be hanging around here? He assured me it was fine since they were on friendly terms with the human villages now. Well, if he was happy, he was welcome to stay.
Rounding out the crowd were four Lamias from the Southern Dungeon and two Giants from the Northern Dungeon. Even the Death Knight had come from the hot springs. Apparently, Draim had heard about the springs when he arrived the day before and insisted on going; Daga and Galf had gone along as guides and brought the knight back with them. He seemed to be having a good time, so I didn't see the harm.
Just before noon, the festival officially kicked off.
This year's main event was Yamakuzushi, but we had a preliminary event scheduled first.
"First question! The name of Jack’s wife, who lives in Village One, is Morte. If you think this is correct, please move to the Circle Area. If you think it is incorrect, move to the Cross Area!"
It was a Quiz Tournament. The questions weren't particularly difficult; they were things anyone would know just by living a normal life in the village. It might have been a bit of a disadvantage for the guests, but I thought of it as a way for everyone to get to know the community better.
The questions had been prepared in advance and were selected randomly. The game would continue until only one person remained. One of the Civil Official Girls acted as the presenter, using magic to project her voice across the entire venue.
Participation was voluntary, as we had pregnant women and small children to consider, but I’d encouraged the guests to join in as much as possible.
"Third question! The very first person to live in the Village of the Great Tree was Kuro-san!"
The answer was "Cross." I was the first one here. I figured no one would get that wrong, but surprisingly, quite a few of the Migrant Group failed that one.
"Tenth question! The Village Head's name is Hiraku!"
The answer was "Circle." And yet... a shocking number of people didn't know it. It was a bit of a blow to my ego.
"The Village Head is just 'the Village Head' to us," someone remarked. That might be true, but maybe I should start wearing a name tag.
"Now then, the numbers are starting to dwindle. Or rather..."
The only ones left were a few of Kuro’s offspring, several of Zabuton's children, and the Sake Slime. There wasn't a single humanoid left in the running. I looked at Lu.
"Well, I haven't memorized all the names of the migrants in Village One yet..." she excused herself.
I looked at Tia.
"Nobody told me the number of Dwarves had surpassed fifty!"
Ah, right. I hadn't realized that either. Finally, we reached what turned out to be the deciding question.
"Seventeenth question! Michael-san, who is visiting the village today—ah, he’s waving, thank you, Michael-san!—has two grandsons. Is this true or false?"
Everyone remaining moved to the Circle Area for "True." Michael-san talked about his grandkids every single time he came to the village, so it was common knowledge. I was impressed that even Zabuton's children and the Sake Slime had picked up on that.
I expected the match to continue to the next question, but the answer was actually "Cross." When I asked for clarification, the presenter explained.
"Just last month, a new granddaughter was born!"
Oh! That was wonderful news. Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.
"And since everyone got it wrong, that means... everyone is back in for a revival round!"
The Quiz Tournament turned out to be a massive hit. The ultimate winner was, surprisingly, Yuki. She seemed to have the best luck with the questions after the revival round. She wore the "Quiz King" crown I’d made with visible pride, wagging her tail even more vigorously than usual.
"The quiz was more fun than I expected," I remarked.
"It was," one of the Civil Official Girls agreed. "The children can participate, and it doesn't favor any specific race. If we use the questions to introduce people, it helps integrate the new residents. We should probably make this a regular opening event for future festivals."
"I just hope it helps everyone get to know each other. Now then, once the break is over, it’s time for the main event..."
I looked up at the sky. It was already dark. The Quiz Tournament had been a little too successful.
Reflecting on it, my scheduling had been far too optimistic, especially considering the time needed for everyone to think and move between areas. The logs were already piled up and waiting for the start of Yamakuzushi.
"We could start now despite the darkness, or we could just wait until tomorrow..."
Let’s go with tomorrow.
The festival officially entered a second day. I hoped the guests’ schedules were flexible enough to accommodate the change. Also, to Kuro’s offspring and Zabuton's children who were currently out guarding the other villages... I’m sorry.