We had dinner in the dining hall of the Village Head’s Mansion.
I hadn’t been sure if the members of the conquest teams would make it back in time, but I’d prepared a spread for them just in case.
"What about the food for Kuro’s offspring remaining at the castle?" I asked.
The wolves could move around just fine without eating for a few days, but I was still worried since they were used to eating exactly twice a day when they were in the village.
"I believe they were foraging on-site," Rusty replied, assuring me there was no need to worry.
It was a relief to hear there were edible monsters and magic beasts roaming around the area.
"Well then, let's hear the reports while we eat."
The meal was hot pot.
The base was a kombu dashi seasoned with soy sauce, into which we’d tossed Chinese cabbage, tofu, carrots, daikon, shiitake, shimeji, and enoki mushrooms. I’d deliberated over the main protein for a while before finally deciding on the shrimp I’d procured from Michael-san’s company.
For some reason, he’d sent a massive quantity of giant shrimp the size of humans... I wondered if it had been an ordering mistake.
Actually, no—it was my fault for giving the vague instruction that I wanted "large" ones. I suppose common sense varies depending on the location. I’d have to reflect on that. Still, despite my initial shock at their size, the taste was excellent, so there was no real problem.
I’d peeled the shells and cut the meat into chunks before putting them in the pot. It was a bit of a shame that the shrimp no longer looked like shrimp, but the flavor made its presence known. Since shrimp alone felt a bit lonely, I also added slices of whitefish. I’d considered adding crab as well, but since some people aren't fond of it, I decided to save that for another occasion.
The food was delicious as it was, but I also provided lemon and lime for those who wanted a bit more kick. I’d even prepared a ponzu-style sauce made from citrus-based fruit sake. For extra condiments, we had green onions, grated daikon, sesame, and chili peppers. Everyone was free to customize their bowls as they pleased.
I had groups of four to six people gather around each pot. Urza and Gral sat at the same table as Hakuren. The Beastman boys had apparently already returned to their own homes, though I wouldn't have minded if they’d stayed to eat here.
Since Kuzuden had finished his apology, I treated him as a guest and had him join my table. I wanted to hear his side of the story, after all. I permitted alcohol, but since the Sun Castle hadn’t been fully suppressed yet, I told everyone to exercise self-restraint. It sounded like they were planning to launch another assault tomorrow.
"The First Conquest Team has managed to secure the area where the Devil Race is based and the surrounding vicinity," Tia reported.
"Is the castle really that large?"
"It’s a decent size. It might seem small if you think of it as a dungeon, but the monsters living there are a nuisance."
Apparently, there were types of monsters that absorbed magic power, even if their actual danger level was low.
"If you make contact with them carelessly, they drain your magic. They can even neutralize attacks derived from magic power."
I see. Because of those monsters, the Devils had been unable to escape the castle; they couldn't fly through the sky without their magic. I wondered why they hadn't just exterminated the pests themselves, but they seemed to be quite persistent. Perhaps Hakuren had been using her Flame Breath to wipe them out as well.
The Second Conquest Team had apparently secured their assigned area, but since no one from their group was here to report, the details remained unknown. According to Rusty, however, they were attacking one-sidedly without taking any injuries, so I didn't need to worry. They sounded quite reliable. I wondered if they were going to keep working through the night.
"Will Kuro’s offspring be okay?" I asked. "They won't accidentally attack the remaining Devils, will they?"
"We thought of that," Ya, the Mountain Elf, said as she brought over more ingredients. "We've entrusted the remaining Devils with your clothes, Village Head."
"My clothes? Ah, so they can identify them by scent?"
"Yes. We’ve also placed some in the areas we’ve already secured. The Inferno Wolves are clever, so they should understand the situation."
"That’s true. Kuzuden, I didn't get the details earlier... exactly how many of your people are in that castle?"
"Y-yes. There are about sixty of the Devil Race, including myself. In addition, there are about two hundred Dream Demons."
"Dream Demons?"
"Would it be easier to understand if I called them Succubi and Incubi?"
"A-ah..."
The "fanservice" demographic of fantasy stories. Even after hearing the explanation, there was no mistaking it. Apparently, the females were called Succubi and the males were Incubi.
"So, two hundred and sixty people in total?"
"Yes."
I wondered how they’d managed to feed two hundred and sixty people in such a confined environment. Kuzuden was eating the hot pot with visible joy. I thought it might be a good idea to send some food over during tomorrow’s return trip. But then, it might be rude to force charity on them, so I decided to just ask.
"We cultivate Dungeon Potatoes, so the food supply for the Devil Race is stable enough," Kuzuden explained.
Hmm?
"What about the Dream Demons?"
"Ah... ahaha... W-well, they’re managing somehow."
If they were "managing," why was he averting his eyes?
"Ahem. However, we have nothing but Dungeon Potatoes. I know it’s difficult during the winter, but if you have any surplus food, it would be a great help if you could sell it to us. As for payment... we could exchange those Dungeon Potatoes or perhaps some of our items."
"I understand. I'll make the preparations."
The meal continued after that, filled with casual conversation. The shrimp was a massive hit. Kuzuden was already going for seconds, and I told him to help himself. Some tables were enjoying udon to finish their pots, while over at Hakuren’s table, they’d already added rice to make a porridge.
It looked like Urza was about to fall asleep where she sat. No matter how much of a handful she could be, she was still only five years old. Gral looked about the same age, but I doubted she was actually five. For all I knew, she might be older than me. I was too afraid to ask, though.
During the conversation, a few more things came to light. The Devils who served as the dragons' attendants—like Bulga and Stifano—were apparently different from the Devils like Kuzuden’s group in the Sun Castle. To be precise, the ones serving the dragons were actually "High Devils" or "Ancient Devils." When I asked what the difference was, it came down to combat power and lifespan.
I see. I’d assumed Kuzuden was as strong as Bulga and the others just because they were all part of the Devil Race, but that was a misunderstanding. I wondered how much actual strength he had. It was mostly curiosity for now, but I needed to know as I considered what to do once the Sun Castle was suppressed.
My goal was suppression, but I didn't have any grand designs for what to do with them afterward. It was just a nuisance to have the castle hovering directly over the village, so I wanted to move it elsewhere. If that wasn't possible, I was considering bringing it down to the ground.
Assuming the Sun Castle remained intact, I didn't mind if Kuzuden and his people wanted to keep living there. Since they’d been trapped for so long, some might even want to return to their ancestral homelands. They were free to do as they pleased. However, if we did bring the castle down, I had to think about the two hundred and sixty people living inside it.
If Kuzuden had been a villain, I could have just ignored them... but he was capable of apologizing, and most of the residents seemed mild-mannered. Tossing them out into the cold felt wrong. In that case, even if they moved elsewhere eventually, there was a chance I’d have to look after them at the village for the time being.
Food stockpiles wouldn't be a problem; we had enough to feed two hundred and sixty extra mouths through the winter without issue. After all, having three harvests a year by making full use of the Universal Farming Tool resulted in a massive surplus. I usually spent more time worrying about how to keep it all from rotting.
If food wasn't the issue, the problem was security. If they were only at the level of the humans in Village One, I would need to increase the number of wolf escorts. It was a bit awkward, but I asked him how strong they were.
It turned out that explaining one's own strength objectively is quite difficult.
"I'm sorry," Kuzuden mumbled.
"No, don't worry about it. I'm sorry for asking such a strange question."
I later checked with the members who had actually gone to the Sun Castle. In terms of raw power and magic, the majority were apparently on par with the participants in the village’s martial arts tournament Warrior Division.
Oh, they could fight much better than I’d expected. Maybe escorts wouldn't be necessary after all? However, they apparently had almost zero real combat experience.
"Zero combat experience?"
"They’ve mostly been shut-ins inside that castle..."
"Weren't they fighting the monsters and magic beasts?"
"Only in the beginning. For the last few hundred years, they haven't really..."
I see.
I had a lot to think about, but everything depended on what happened to the Sun Castle itself. I decided to wait for the results of tomorrow’s mission before setting a final policy.
I brought out the desserts—mostly just sliced fruit. Kuzuden ate it with an expression of such profound gratitude that he looked like he might burst into tears.