Back in Howlin Village, Galf’s son had worked in the mines. While we did some mining here in the Village of the Great Tree, it wasn't nearly as much as they did back home. Besides, the mining site was deep in the forest, so the High Elves handled most of the heavy lifting there.
This left Galf’s son in a bit of a predicament regarding work. After a great deal of thought, he decided to take up stonemasonry. While he specialized in stone carving, his current project involved splitting boulders to create stone pavement. According to his plan, he was going to pave the road leading straight south from my mansion as well as the main thoroughfares in the residential area.
So far, he had finished about fifty meters of road starting from the mansion. Even such a short stretch of stone made the village feel far more civilized. However, the progress had stalled recently. I wondered if everything was all right. I told him to let me know if he needed any help.
"Oh, are you busy with something else?" I asked.
It turned out he was busy preparing stone tiles for the floor of the martial arts tournament venue. I worried that stone might crack during the matches, but he simply replied that it would look cooler if it did.
"I see... Well, do your best then. Just make sure to prepare plenty of spares."
The dragon clan—or rather, the whole extended family—seemed to be constantly coming and going. Actually, it was more like they just never left. Their official reason for staying was the upcoming martial arts tournament, but their true motives were clear: they wanted to dote on Hiichiro, eat our food, and drink our sake.
I provided the ingredients, but they insisted that the cooking in the Village of the Great Tree was superior to anything else. Currently, the High Ogre maids were busy teaching the Devil Race midwives how to prepare our dishes. Since the number of dragons was quite large, I left their care entirely to those midwives. It worked out perfectly as a way to use up the trial recipes they were practicing, though parts of the mansion already looked like a non-stop banquet.
Considering they had given us a mountain of gifts to celebrate the birth, I decided to let it slide. It almost felt like we’d received too much, honestly. I made a mental note to ask Michael-san for another large shipment of seafood.
As for Hakuren, now that she had finished giving birth, she was spending her days soaring through the sky in her dragon form, likely releasing the stress of being grounded for so long. I didn't mind her flying, but I really wished she’d stop making low-altitude passes near the village. It startled the monsters and magic beasts, sending them into panics. Kuro’s children and Zabuton’s children were kept busy dealing with the stampedes, though I suppose it was a good way to stockpile extra meat for the winter.
The twin angels, Suarliu and Suarkou, seemed to have finally settled into village life. Their coordination with the Harpy Race had improved significantly, and they were rarely getting injured by counterattacks from monsters anymore. Kuro’s children and Zabuton’s children looked relieved to see them improving, though it seemed they weren't letting their guard down just yet.
Kierbit had become a resident jack-of-all-trades. She took on patrol duties like Granmaria and assisted me with administrative tasks like Tia. She was exceptionally capable, which meant she was constantly in demand during this busy season. I caught her being assigned even more work by the Civil Official Girls.
"Did Tia do this much work too?" Kierbit asked, looking at a stack of documents.
"Yes, Tia-san handles this and more," one of the girls replied. "Once you're finished with that, we have this next task for you."
"This seems like an awful lot of work..."
"If it’s too much for you, don't worry about it. We’ll just ask Tia-san to do it instead."
"I didn't say I wouldn't do it! This much is easy. Just leave it to me!"
She was certainly working hard. I just hoped she didn't overdo it.
Then, the migration of the Centaur Race began. Beezel used his teleportation magic to bring the first group to the Village of the Great Tree to give their greetings.
"I am Fuka Polo, a Baron of the Demon Kingdom. Thank you for accepting us into your village," said a ten-year-old girl, acting as the representative for the forty adults in the group.
"I'm Hiraku, the Village Head. Welcome. This is Viscount Call. She is the representative of the village where you will be staying."
"I am Gluewald Lavy Call, a Viscount of the Demon Kingdom. Please, just call me Gluewald. Do not use my title," Gluewald insisted.
"I-I understand, Gluewald-sama. It is an honor."
"No 'sama' either."
"Y-Yes. Gluewald-san. Then please, call me Fuka."
"Understood, Fuka-san. I look forward to working with you."
After meeting Gluewald, they were introduced to Rasshashi, the caretaker for the centaurs.
"My name is Rasshashi Drowa. Pleased to meet you."
"Drowa...? Are you by any chance related to the Drowa family?" Fuka asked.
"I am the second daughter of the current head."
"Ah! My deepest apologies for my lack of etiquette! Lady Drowa, I hope you are in good health..."
"You have excellent manners for your age," Rasshashi noted with a smile. "But remember, Gluewald-san is a Viscount and a head of her house, which makes her higher-ranking than the daughter of a Count."
"Oh, right! My apologies! Er, um..."
"Gluewald-san and Rasshashi-san are just fine," I interjected. "Titles don't mean much here. Just relax."
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
"You're still way too stiff," Rasshashi sighed. "Well, I suppose it's fine for now. Anyway, I imagine Count Chrome gave you quite an earful before you came here?"
"Eh... Ah! Village Head-sama! I am terribly sorry! Please, hold me solely responsible for any rudeness!"
I wished they wouldn't scare her like that. The poor girl was shaking. She was just a child, so I wanted them to be a little gentler with her.
The centaurs had brought gifts for their arrival. Normally, migrants are expected to bring enough food to last their first winter, but I had told them that wasn't necessary. Still, they must have felt awkward arriving empty-handed. Remembering how Lu and the others used to judge people by their souvenirs, I realized it was probably just a matter of etiquette for them.
Their gift was two sheep loaded on a carriage. It wasn't many, but since they were a young male and female, we could eventually breed them. I gratefully accepted and had them sent to the ranch area. I was a little worried about how they’d get along with the goats, cows, and horses—the goats could be quite the bullies. However, one of Kuro’s children gave me a look that said he wouldn't let anything happen, so I left it to him. Once the flock grew, I planned to have them raised in Village Three. It would be good work for the new migrants.
After showing the centaurs the facilities in the Village of the Great Tree, we prepared to head to Village Three. We decided not to use Beezel’s teleportation magic to give him a rest and to allow the centaurs to introduce themselves at Village One and Village Two along the way. For a centaur, the distance wasn't a problem at all.
We had already introduced them to Kuro’s children and Zabuton’s children. They had been lined up in a row before the meeting with Gluewald. Rasshashi had suggested that a show of force early on would make them more obedient. I didn't think meeting the wolves and spiders counted as a "show of force," but I went along with it. In hindsight, it was the right call. It was better to have them panic all at once than to have them tripping over themselves in fear later.
Since that was over, I thought we could proceed as planned, but then Hakuren, Rusty, and Gral came flying in their dragon forms. The new migrants looked like they were witnessing the end of the world and promptly fainted.
Well, that was a setback. It was amusing to see Gluewald and Rasshashi mutter the exact same thing while looking at the unconscious centaurs: "I've really gotten used to this, haven't I?"
Once the centaurs regained consciousness, Gluewald handled the explanations. "The two largest ones are the Village Head's wives. The third one is the dragon who is scheduled to marry the Village Head's son, who was born the other day."
It took a while for that to sink in. Understandably, the idea of a newborn having a fiancé was a bit much for them. I didn't quite get it myself. Still, it wasn't a binding contract or anything, so I didn't worry too much. I wanted my son to be free to choose his own partner when the time came. I just hoped he wouldn't pick someone already married or anything like that. As long as it was within the bounds of morality, I’d be happy. As for the number of partners? No comment. I'd prefer if he didn't follow his father's example in that regard.
I said goodbye to Beezel and led the recovered centaurs through Village One and Village Two before finally arriving at Village Three. Several newly built houses were waiting for them. We had plenty of winter clothing made of furs, so they would be fine, but I told them to let me know if they needed anything else.
Only about half of them were actually listening to me, though. The other half had spotted old acquaintances among the Village Three residents who had come out to welcome them and were already rushing over to reunite. Rasshashi asked if she should scold them, but I told her not to. That would have been boorish. I finished my explanations for those who were still listening and asked Gluewald to fill the others in later.
With the martial arts tournament approaching, the Village of the Great Tree was far too busy to host a proper welcome party. I planned to do the official introductions during the tournament, so for now, we held a small celebration in Village Three.
"Wait, is this all for one person? Can I really eat all of this?"
"Look at this tableware... it's so well-made."
"The bread is freshly baked!"
"Meat! There's actual meat!"
"And fruit too..."
Even though it was a small-scale event, we had to do it right, so Lu, Rasshashi, and I all attended. Beezel joined us as well.
"I’m sorry it’s not as luxurious as the meals the dragons are eating," I said.
"No, no! We feel much more at ease here," one of the centaurs replied firmly. "This is definitely better. Please, don't worry about us at all!"
I didn't quite understand why they were so adamant, but they seemed sincere.
"Dad, do we really get to sleep in a place with a roof today?" a young centaur asked.
"Yeah, that's right," his father replied with a smile.
There weren't any grand performances, but it was a welcome party filled with many happy smiles.