Since Progenitor-san was busy with his primary duties, my "commute" to Shashato City finally came to an end.
I loaded him up with as much seasoning and food as he could carry for the final trip. I hoped they’d manage well on their own.
I told them to rely on Michael-san if they ran into any trouble.
The bowling tournament was now in Marlon's hands.
I was counting on him.
Also, Progenitor-san, thank you.
I was truly grateful, so I decided to look into making some improvements to the hot spring area specifically for him.
Back at the village, preparations for the festival had already begun.
The festivities this year would feature a quiz tournament, like the one from last year, and a cavalry battle divided by size.
The cavalry battle followed the standard sports day format: three people form the "mount" while a rider on top tries to snatch the headbands or hats of the other teams.
Initially, we hadn't considered size differences, but the sheer presence of a mount made up of Minotaurs was overwhelming.
Only the Centaur Race would participate individually rather than as a mount.
However, as a handicap, their riders had to be from either the Harpy Race or the children.
Naturally, the Centaur Race protested this disadvantage.
"Setting the children aside, the Harpy Race doesn't have hands, does it?"
"They can use their feet."
"Flight is prohibited, right? Are you telling them to snatch an opponent's hat with one foot while balanced on our backs?"
"The Centaur Race should be able to handle that much. Wait... are you saying you can't do it?"
"W-we can do it!"
The civil official girls handling the negotiations had them wrapped around their fingers... ahem. They persuaded them.
Still, no matter what anyone says, it's a festival. I made sure to remind everyone not to get too obsessed with winning or losing. That’s usually how injuries happen.
Marcos and Paula, who were still in Shashato City, would not be participating in the festival.
I had asked them about it while I was still commuting to the city—whether they wanted to close the shop for a bit or leave it to the employees and return home.
However, both of them said they wanted to keep the shop running.
They didn't feel comfortable leaving the shop entirely to the staff yet, and they seemed to have truly found their calling as restaurateurs.
I had intended to set up a rotation, but if this was what they wanted, it might be best to leave the Shashato City shop in their hands for the foreseeable future.
Well, it wouldn't be right to reach a conclusion on my own. I’d make a final decision after consulting with them properly.
As the day of the festival approached, four members of the Lamia Race and four from the Giant Race arrived.
I wondered if they had adjusted their numbers specifically so they could form mounts.
The giants brought along two companions—a death knight and a lion.
The death knight was using the lion as a mount. It was the father lion from the giants' dungeon.
Since the death knight tended to get lost when traveling alone, they had brought him along. I see. Come to think of it, he did have a terrible sense of direction.
They had escorted him as far as the giants' dungeon, but since it seemed likely he would wander off aimlessly if left there, they accompanied him all the way here. Well done.
If magic beast meat was acceptable, I’d serve them some. I’d have to ask them to handle the return trip as well. I wondered if the cubs were healthy. I’d have to go fluff them next time.
The Demon King arrived with Beezel, Randan, and Yuri.
It seemed Gratz and Hou were both stuck with work they couldn't step away from, making them unable to attend.
The main topic of conversation was Big Roof Shashato.
Rumors about Big Roof Shashato were spreading far and wide, and inspection groups were reportedly heading there from various regions.
Ambitious entrepreneurs elsewhere had already begun trying to replicate the model.
However, it wasn't going well.
First, they couldn't get shops to gather in one place. And even when they did, they didn't get nearly as many customers as expected.
I supposed that made sense. By clustering restaurants together, you can expect a certain draw because people feel they’ll find something to eat if they go there.
However, the culinary culture of this world wasn't particularly advanced.
Lu and Tia had been telling me this for a long time, but walking around Shashato City had made me realize it anew.
Essentially, their repertoire was limited to simple roasting or boiling. No matter which shop you entered, the dishes were all the same. From my perspective, there wasn't much difference between them.
And the seasoning was weak.
Shashato City had a port, so seafood was abundant, and meat from cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens flowed in from nearby villages. They could compete based on the variety of ingredients they were roasting or boiling, but...
It was a struggle for places that lacked those resources.
Besides, it was difficult to succeed without an anchor shop like Curry Shop Maruura to attract the initial crowds.
If you gathered restaurants under those conditions, customers would likely just go to a nearby dining hall they already knew.
Just because you imitated the system didn't mean everything would work out. It was just like village revitalization.
Just because you copied a place that succeeded didn't mean you would succeed yourself. You had to do what suited that specific location.
... I was starting to sound a bit preachy. I needed to keep that in check.
However, I didn't want to cause chaos in other cities. I’d hate to be the target of a grudge because a trend I started caused local businesses to fail.
In addition to telling the Demon King and his subordinates, I decided I should pass this on to Michael-san as well.
It would have been nice if he could have come to the festival, but he seemed to be buried in work.
Well, I suppose some of that was the work I had dumped on him... I felt a bit guilty.
Also, there was the matter of the eldest son of the House of Viscount Albatross.
By all accounts, he was working diligently at the church.
He had been insincere at first, but apparently, a friend of his had visited the church and taken the lead in working, which had inspired him to start changing his ways as well.
I had wondered why someone with a friend like that would have acted so foolishly in the first place, but as it turned out, they had been "bad influences" on each other.
However, that friend had reformed his ways before him and had actually had a falling out with the Albatross heir.
He had declared he would no longer associate with him, but upon hearing that the heir had been sent to the church, he couldn't just sit by.
That friend was a local, but he visited the church frequently. Randan explained the whole situation to me.
"You're very well-informed. Did you investigate him?"
"That friend happens to be the son of the Magistrate of Shashato City."
I see. I’d heard from many people that the Magistrate of Shashato City was an excellent man. To think he even reformed his delinquent son. That was impressive.
Well, if he were truly impressive, he probably would have dealt with it before the boy became a delinquent. Still, it was quite a feat.
... I believed Alfred and the others wouldn't become delinquents, but that was a concern for the future. I’d have to make an effort to maintain solid communication with them.
Yuri was enjoying tea while rejoicing in her reunion with Frau and the civil official girls.
"About the Shashato matter. How much are you all involved?"
"Just the management of ingredients. We aren't involved with the shop operations at all... our apologies."
"Is that so? That's a problem."
"Did something happen?"
"Did something happen, you say? You know what the Village Head did in Shashato City, don't you?"
"Yes. He built a shop. According to him, he was surprised because the shop turned out to be much larger than he had imagined."
"Surprised... and that's all you have to say?"
"Because he is the Village Head."
"That may be true... in any case, I want more information. I don't have sources like my father and the others, after all."
"Why don't you just ask the Village Head directly?"
"I could, but I have nothing to give in exchange."
"It's fine. If you wear something a bit interesting, he'll tell you right away. Get ready."
"Something interesting? Eh? What are you saying?"
Actually, I would have told her even if she hadn't dressed up. But I didn't say that because I was a little curious to see what kind of outfit she'd wear.
... Wolf kigurumi pajamas, huh? More than just "interesting," she looked adorable.
She seemed to like the outfit surprisingly well, but... if she walked around like that, wouldn't she be mistaken for a magic beast?
From the front, maybe not, but from the back, she looked exactly like a standing wolf. Ah, that pose was cute. Yes, yes, ask me anything. I’ll tell you everything.
Following the Demon King's group, Dos, Raimeiren, Draim, Graffaloon, and Giral arrived.
"Gral, have you been doing well?"
"Yeah."
It was a heartwarming embrace between Giral and Gral.
Seeing that, Dos tried the same.
"Hakuren, have you been doing well?"
"..."
"Cold! Her gaze is so cold!"
I wondered what they were even doing. Beside them, Draim and Graffaloon were busy pampering Rusty.
However...
"There are fewer of you this time."
"Umu. It's because of the Sun Castle. We were cautious," Dos answered.
I see. The Sun Castle was designed to move if too many dragons gathered in one place. There might be other automated functions as well. It seemed I had caused them a lot of concern.
"Actually, both Raimeiren and I intended to refrain from coming."
Dos's gaze turned toward Raimeiren, who was currently doting on Hiichiro.
"But she seemed to be looking forward to it so much that I couldn't bring myself to say it."
I supposed so. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell her she couldn't come either.
The day of the festival finally arrived. People gradually gathered from each of the outlying villages.
This year, the devil race and dream demons from Village Four—the Sun Castle—along with Bell, were participating for the first time. It seemed Gou was staying behind to watch the house.
It wasn't strictly because the cavalry battle was the main event, but this year's main events would take place at the racetrack instead of the arena.
Tents were set up next to the racetrack, and food was being served. The camping carriages I made previously were proving to be very useful. They really were convenient during festivals. Maybe I should make two or three more... no, we only use them a few times a year. I’d consult with everyone about it later.
Hm? Was it time for the opening greeting? Understood. And then the quiz tournament, right. Got it.
"Well then, let's start this year's festival!"