"I wanted to participate too!" Michael cried, brandishing his fork as if to vent his lingering frustration over missing the Harvest Festival. "I heard there were brand-new dishes on the menu."
Hahaha. He was likely referring to the Bloody Viper eggs. They had been such a massive hit that the hundred eggs brought by the Giant Race vanished in the blink of an eye.
"I’ll send some your way the next time we stock up," I promised.
"Please do! Though, this is already quite exquisite." Michael was currently working his way through a katsudon-like dish, his latest obsession. Personally, I would have preferred he used chopsticks for a rice bowl, but I wasn't going to push the issue.
Once he finished his meal, Michael sat down with the Civil Official Girls to discuss this year's purchases. Since our seasonings were so popular, he wanted to increase his order. He was also buying a massive amount of other goods. It was a huge help to us, though I did worry a bit when he offered a staggering price for the truffles.
I turned my attention to the piglets that had arrived with Michael. There were twenty in total, the newest members of our community. I had been asking Michael to source them for a while now, and they had finally been delivered. However, unlike our cows, horses, and chickens, these were strictly for food. I knew how delicious pork was, but this was a personal trial for me; I tended to grow attached to animals I raised, making it difficult to eventually eat them.
After some discussion, we decided they would be raised in Village One. I wasn't running away from my trial—honest. I wasn't. In the Village of the Great Tree, Kuro’s group and the High Elves kept us well-supplied with meat through hunting. The same applied to the other villages guarded by Kuro’s offspring. However, I worried about the sustainability of hunting whatever we pleased. Just like with forest resources, we couldn't just assume everything would be fine because the supply seemed endless; we had to plan for the future. That was why I had requested the pigs. We concluded that Village One, where the natural meat supply from hunting was tighter, was the most appropriate place to start the project. It worked out perfectly, as I had been looking for ways to expand the roles available to the residents there.
I introduced the new companions to Kuro’s offspring and Zabuton’s children. The piglets’ sparkling eyes seemed to realize their fate the moment they saw the predators, but... well, I asked the High Elves to build a pigpen and a sturdy fence around their area. For now, we would focus on increasing their population. Once the numbers grew, I planned to have Village Two and Village Three start rearing them as well.
Galf’s family, our newest migrants, built their home in the residential area of the Village of the Great Tree. Since it was right near Gatto’s house, I had been concerned that the old friction from Howlin Village might cause trouble with Gatto’s wife, but they seemed to be getting along quite well. That was a weight off my shoulders. Galf’s son had left his sweetheart behind in Howlin Village, but he hoped to call for her eventually. I was happy to hear it. After all, returning to Howlin Village was always an option for him, but I preferred he stayed.
The persuasion of her parents was proving difficult, however. It wasn't that they opposed the marriage or were against her living in the Village of the Great Tree. The problem was that her father was a leader at the mining site—the general manager, essentially—and he was being held back by his responsibilities. Since the daughter handled all the housework, her parents literally couldn't function if she left. As for the mother, she had stepped up as the general manager of the smithing site after Gatto moved here. There wasn't much I could do to help, but I told the son I would cooperate however I could.
As for the family’s integration, since they were beastkin, they fell under Sena’s leadership. I thought there might be some friction there, but Galf flatly refused any leadership role, stating he wasn't suited for it. Thus, Sena continued in her position. Galf’s daughter was a bit younger than Sena and already an acquaintance, so she was accepted without any issues. She was very proactive about adapting to life here. I told her to come to me immediately if she ran into any trouble.
The three other new residents—Kierbit, Suarliu, and Suarkou—moved into the vacant rooms in my mansion. They claimed that living alone without servants was simply impossible. I initially thought they were just bad at chores, but Kierbit turned out to be quite the cook and handled everything with surprising skill. In fact, she regularly helped out with the cleaning and laundry. I wondered if they had declined a separate house out of politeness, but then I realized they wouldn't be acting like freeloaders if they were being polite. It turned out they were mainly after the mansion's food. They were never late for a single meal. That went for the twins, Suarliu and Suarkou, as well. Their eyes sparkled every time they ate. Interestingly, even though they were twins, they had different tastes in food. I suppose that was only natural; they were distinct people who just happened to look identical. I really needed to stop having strange fantasies about twins.
In any case, they adapted quickly. Currently, Suarliu and Suarkou have joined Granmaria, Kudel, and Corone to handle aerial patrols, leading the Harpy Race. I was glad the original trio could finally have a lighter workload.
...Or so I thought, until Suarliu and Suarkou came back in a tattered state.
"Lu! Flora! We need treatment over here!"
Apparently, they had been flying too low and were ambushed by a magic beast that leaped up at them. They were only saved because a few of Kuro’s offspring happened to be nearby. The wolves looked incredibly proud of themselves, essentially saying, "We rescued them." I gave them plenty of pets and told them they had done a wonderful job.
Beezel arrived shortly after Michael finished his business. He was a bit later than usual this time.
"Noble social obligations," he explained with a weary sigh. "Even though I’m technically exempt from most of it, it’s impossible to turn down everything."
"That sounds rough."
"It is. And as a result of those obligations, I have a few requests for items... The volume is a bit large, if you don't mind?"
Hahaha. I dodged the question and passed the list to the Civil Official Girls. Our seasonings were certainly popular. There was also an order for sake; the specifications were unusually detailed this time, which turned out to be because the request came from Hou, another member of the Four Heavenly Kings. There were also requests from the Demon King, Yuri, Randan, and Gratz. Gratz had even sent a letter for Ronana, which I promised to deliver.
Once Beezel had purchased a satisfactory amount of goods—though some items were below the requested quantity—we discussed the migration of the new centaurs. Forty-one people now wished to move here, a significant increase from the initial estimate. I called Gluewald from Village Three and their caretaker, Rasshashi, to join the conversation.
According to Beezel, besides wanting to be near their kin, there was an element of "mouth-reduction" involved. The Centaur Race had been displaced to various cities and villages to escape the war. Because of their size, existing houses couldn't be used, and they couldn't interbreed with other races. While they were useful as labor during the busy summer and autumn, the host communities began to view them as a burden once winter approached and resources grew scarce. It felt incredibly selfish to me to cast them aside after using them for labor, but Beezel noted that the fact they had been taken in at all was impressive.
The prospective migrants understood their precarious position and were willing to accept our terms. Our conditions were simple: they had to follow the village rules, and Gluewald would remain their representative. However, there was one major complication. One of the migrants held a noble title. She was a Baron—a legitimate noble of the Demon Kingdom. Meanwhile, Gluewald was merely a relative of a chief retainer to a Viscount. In simpler terms, a commoner. Even if the Baron claimed she would follow orders, it was a recipe for future social disaster. We suggested she resign her title, but that was rejected.
Rasshashi summarized the mess for me: the title was tied to a justification for reclaiming territories lost to the war, so she couldn't give it up yet. To make matters even more complicated, the title-holder was a ten-year-old girl. We couldn't exactly turn away just the child.
If that was the case...
The next day, I had the Demon King come over.
"Will a Viscountcy suffice?" I asked.
"As long as it's higher than a Baron," the Demon King replied. "Ahem. Gluewald Lavy Call. From this day forward, you are a Viscount of the Demon Kingdom. See that you work hard."
The Demon King displayed a level of dignity I rarely saw as he officially elevated Gluewald to the nobility.
"I know I suggested this," I whispered to Rasshashi as the ceremony ended, "but can someone really become a noble that easily?"
"Normally? Absolutely not," she replied. "And becoming a noble usually comes with a mountain of obligations. Being exempt from all of them is unheard of."
In exchange, Gluewald had to renounce almost all of her noble rights. I hadn't known this, but apparently, nobles received a salary from the state. She declined that. All we needed was for her to have the social standing to keep the young Baron in check.
"Sorry for making you come all this way for this," I said, bringing tea to the Demon King and Beezel as they relaxed in the mansion's hall after the ceremony.
"Hahaha. Think nothing of it. It was a request from the Village Head, after all," the Demon King replied. I would have been fine with a title that only existed on paper, but apparently, that wouldn't have carried enough weight. "I'll say it again: we have no intention of using Viscount Call for political maneuvering. It really is just a name."
"I understand. We want to avoid anything complicated too."
"In that case, make sure you explain this properly to the people who are likely to make it a hassle."
"A hassle?" I followed the Demon King’s pointing finger.
Dos and Progenitor-san were standing there. I made sure to explain the situation to them immediately.
By the way, Gluewald was still frozen in the middle of the hall. She was mumbling something under her breath.
"If I had to guess," Rasshashi noted, "becoming a Viscount so suddenly has shattered her worldview, and she’s currently trying to glue the pieces back together." I decided to leave her in Rasshashi’s capable hands. "My own worldview has quite a few cracks in it right now, too," the civil official added with a sigh.
The new centaurs would arrive a bit later. For now, the High Elves were using their spare time to build new houses in Village Three.
Dos had officially come to see me, but his real reason was to check on Hakuren. I expected him to get a scolding from Raimeiren, but it turned out she was already on her way here as well. Simply put, it was almost time for the baby to be born. Draim was also planning to bring several members of the Devil Race soon to assist with the delivery preparations. I was very grateful for the help.
Progenitor-san, on the other hand, had come strictly for the hot springs. Since there were no lodging facilities at the springs yet, he was staying at my mansion. Teleportation magic is incredibly convenient, so I sometimes wondered why he didn't just go home at night, but I wasn't going to turn him away.
"Since you're here, why don't you take Dos to the hot springs too?" I suggested. Dos was radiating a "grandpa-to-be" aura so intense it was probably putting unnecessary pressure on Hakuren.
The Demon King wanted to go? Beezel too? In that case, I figured I might as well join them.
When we arrived at the hot springs, I was shocked to find that the Death Knights had increased to three. When I asked what happened, they explained that they had just naturally gathered, so they were being put to work helping with management. As long as they weren't hostile, I didn't mind.
However, the air at the hot springs was clearly taking a toll on them; their armor was heavily corroded. I decided I would make some wooden armor for them. Their swords, however, were still as polished as ever. I wondered if they were specially treated. While the knights weren't exactly useful for daily management, they were apparently doing a stellar job of exterminating monsters. Looking at the pile of monster corpses they had amassed, I remembered finding a Panic Caribou here once. Unfortunately, lightning didn't strike twice.
I soaked in the water with Dos, Progenitor-san, the Demon King, and Beezel, enjoying the peace. When I mentioned the Bloody Viper eggs, everyone immediately asked for some. Since Michael wanted them too, I decided to ask the Giants in the Northern Dungeon to send another batch.