I felt as though this year's winter was entirely consumed by matters related to the Sun Castle.
I had traveled back and forth between the two locations so many times.
As I thought, I really needed a means of transportation that would allow me to travel on my own. I probably had to get around to building that balloon soon. Of course, rushing and failing would be a disaster. I wanted to avoid any chance of crashing. Just in case, I also wanted to prepare parachutes for human use. I had only experimented with the Sake Slime before, after all.
However, before I could get to that, there was something else I had to do: explaining the Sun Castle to Zabuton, who had finally woken up now that it was spring.
When I asked Hakuren to take me and Zabuton to the Sun Castle, we arrived to find the place looking like a mass napping site. Or rather, had everyone simply fainted? There was no need for them to be quite that terrified.
"Zabuton, you don't need to worry about it. They're probably just not used to you yet."
Bell was as impressive as ever. She had managed to remain conscious, but her legs had completely given out. When I poked her, she slumped over and burst into tears. It seemed she required a change of clothes as well, so I carried her on my back to her private room.
As for Gou, he was trying to endure the situation by pretending to be a Crystal Stone, so I blew his cover.
"H-How cruel of you!"
"No, I mean, you guys can manage well enough against dragons, right?"
"There is no way we can manage against dragons!" he shouted back with all his might.
Huh? Was that so?
"In its prime, the Sun Castle's defensive capabilities were designed to withstand dragon attacks, but we don't even have those right now."
"We resolved the fuel shortage, didn't we?"
"The defensive functions were disabled by the Village Head's attack... They are currently awaiting automatic repairs. By our calculations, it should take about two years."
"I'm sorry."
"No, the fault at that time was ours. Please, let me apologize once again."
"It's already in the past."
Since we were caught in a loop of apologies, I cut the conversation short and introduced Zabuton. I requested that they provide her with any information they had regarding clothing.
I showed Zabuton around various parts of the Sun Castle. That said, since I had spent so much time tilling the area, the scenery wasn't all that different from the village. I suppose the only real difference was whether the horizon consisted of forest or open sky.
In the areas where we planned to build houses, construction had gradually begun. Transporting building materials was a major undertaking. While I was growing trees for lumber on-site, waiting for them to reach maturity would require far too much patience. Perhaps I should prepare the materials down below and have Dos and the others haul them up in one go when they visit? Or should I ask Beezel or Progenitor-san to use teleportation magic? Given the sheer volume of material, it might be too much for Beezel, though Progenitor-san might be able to handle it.
What caught Zabuton's interest wasn't the castle itself, but the lingerie-like outfits worn by the Dream Demons. I didn't mind her finding inspiration there, but I had my doubts about using such designs for everyday wear. I asked her to focus on repurposing those designs into functional swimsuits instead.
Once back at the Village of the Great Tree, my spring work began. Naturally, that meant field work! I was ready to give it my all.
We had already discussed what to grow and in what quantities. The fields in the Village of the Great Tree had expanded, but my working speed had increased as well. I could have finished a bit sooner if I had been able to concentrate, but various errands kept popping up, so it ended up taking about a month.
Errand number one: explaining the Sun Castle to the Lamia Race and the Giant Race. Both groups said they didn't particularly mind. Their dull reactions were almost disappointing. Perhaps they had no interest in things flying through the sky because they lived in dungeons?
Incidentally, I had already contacted Howlin Village, the Demon Kingdom, and Draim via Small Wyvern Communication during the winter. Howlin Village had spotted the Sun Castle even before I reached out, so they were relieved to learn the details and sent their congratulations. The Demon Kingdom sent official approval for us taking the Sun Castle under our jurisdiction, along with a private message expressing a desire to be invited for a visit when we had the leeway. Draim had visited without hesitation even during the winter and had already finished his tour of the fortress. He mentioned that he wanted me to set up facilities like hot springs and taverns as soon as possible. I felt the same way, so I intended to work hard on that.
Errand number two: Village One, Village Two, and Village Three had each started their own agricultural projects, but they requested my cooperation. They told me it could wait until my work here was finished, but unlike the Village of the Great Tree, which relied on the Universal Farming Tool, the other villages practiced conventional farming. I prioritized helping them as much as I could.
The fields at the Sun Castle—Village Four—had been created by me using the Universal Farming Tool, so the crops grew quickly. That shouldn't be a problem for now. The real issue was the future. While farming could be done there regardless of the season, I wondered if conventional agriculture was even viable. We might have to search for crops specifically suited to the Sun Castle's environment.
Errand number three: Gatto proposed an investigation of the Sun Castle foundation. The base of the castle had fallen into the forest due to my attack and now sat there like a small mountain. We hadn't done anything about it during the winter, but now that it was warmer, he suggested we investigate. He thought there might be rare minerals to be found.
However, according to Gou and Kuzuden, the destruction of the foundation was the result of an attack by the Devil Race. I wondered if there would really be minerals in a place like that. Since they insisted it wasn't impossible, an investigation team was formed. I didn't participate because I had to tend to the fields.
The team, led by Daga the Lizardman and Galf of the Beastman Race, departed in high spirits. I assumed they would have Hakuren or Rusty carry them, but apparently, they chose to go on foot. Perhaps they wanted to train their bodies after growing soft over the winter, but Gatto, who accompanied them, looked like a man marching toward his doom.
"You don't have to force yourself to go, do you? Galf can recognize minerals too, right?"
"I was the one who suggested it... I'll... I'll do my best."
I made sure to ask Kuro's children, who were acting as escorts, to look after Gatto.
Errand number four: Progenitor-san visited. Upon seeing the Sun Castle, he started talking about how nostalgic it was. Come to think of it, it wouldn't be strange for him to know the place. According to him, he had visited back when the Angel Race still referred to themselves as God-kin. He didn't have any particularly new information to share, though.
Progenitor-san went straight to the hot spring afterward. He was surprised to find the Lion Family there, but apparently, they ended up soaking in the water together. The lion cubs have grown quite a bit. Their growth is incredibly fast.
Errand number five: the Mountain Elves completed a small balloon in no time at all. The key component was a cylindrical magic tool that used refined Heat Retention Stones—the Sun Castle's fuel—which was provided by Lu. Apparently, it was an improvement on a prototype from back when I had asked her for various magic items. By adjusting the surface area in contact with the air, they made it possible to control the temperature.
The balloon itself, which Zabuton had crafted, was also very sturdy. On top of that, magic reinforcement had been applied, making the prototype a success. The Sake Slime took a test ride with a triumphant air. Should I praise the fact that the controls were simple enough for even a slime to manage? Seeing the success, Urza and the others demanded a ride, so production began on a full-sized version. I was called away to help with logging the necessary materials. I could have put this off, but establishing a reliable way to travel to the Sun Castle was a priority. It wasn't right to rely on Hakuren, Rusty, and the Angel Race forever.
"If it's just the Village Head, we'd be happy to carry you... but it's quite a struggle when there's a lot of cargo."
The Devil Race and Dream Demons of the Sun Castle were unable to fly while carrying me. It gave me a newfound appreciation for the incredible strength of the Angel Race.
There were many errands to attend to, but I'm glad I managed to handle them all. Once the work in the fields settles down, I'll have more free time. Should I go support Daga and the others? Or... hm?
Kuro was waiting for me with a flying disc in his mouth. Come to think of it, I hadn't been able to spend much time with them lately. All right. Today, I'll play with Kuro and... wait, no. Behind Kuro stood a crowd of his children. Some had balls in their mouths, others had boomerangs... Understood. Today, I would play with the whole pack.
Incidentally, some of Kuro's children have been taking turns handling the defense of the various villages. I leave the rotation schedule up to them, but they've been returning to the Village of the Great Tree on a special one-day rotation. I spent about four days playing with them. I felt a bit like a professional dog trainer.
As a side note, there was the puppy that one of Kuro's children had found. It had grown massive and was identified as a Fenrir, but it lived quite normally among the rest of the pack. It seemed to have blended in perfectly. However, the toys meant for Kuro and the others were far too small for it. The production of a oversized ball was now a pressing matter.
Another side note: Zabuton's children set off on their journeys again this year. Their method involved extending silk threads into the sky and catching the wind. This year, the wind was blowing toward the Sun Castle. About ten of them landed there and decided to make it their home.
I was happy to see them again so soon, but the residents of the Sun Castle were terrified. They even contacted me in a panic. But it's fine. They'll get used to it eventually.