The day of the festival arrived, and the Demon King appeared along with Yuri, Randan, Beezel, Gratz, and Hou. It was the usual crowd.
"This year's festival looks like it will be a peaceful one. That's good to see," the Demon King remarked.
"Hahaha. It's always peaceful here," one of the Civil Official Girls replied as she guided him through the village.
The Demon King and his entourage were stopped in their tracks when they spotted Arako the Arachne passing by. Progenitor-san, Draim, and Dos had already arrived earlier, and Raimeiren had been here for several days already, spending her time playing with Hiichiro.
Hiichiro had become a total grandma’s boy. Hakuren seemed to have complicated feelings about it—or rather, maybe she just found it easier this way. Then again, she might have just been exhausted from looking after Urza and Gral. Those two were a handful; the moment you took your eyes off them, they’d go sprinting away. Perhaps the village was becoming too small for them.
I wondered if the two of them would eventually journey away from the village one day. Gral probably wouldn't leave as long as Hiichiro was here, but as for Urza... I couldn't say. I wouldn't really know until she got a bit older. It would be lonely, but when the time came, I knew I would have to see them off properly.
For now, though, I had to catch them.
"Urza! Gral! What is that in your hands?"
I didn't need an answer to know. It was food prepared for the guests. They had been sneakily carrying dishes over to their own table—the children’s table where Alfred and Tiselle were sitting—for a while now. I could overlook it once or twice, but the third time was a bit much.
"Your portions were prepared properly, you know. No more than that. You're eating too much. And don't just aim for the sweets. If you're going to eat, eat this. These bean sprouts are delicious."
They grumbled, but I stood my ground.
Once the residents of Village One, Village Two, Village Three, and Village Four arrived—along with the Death Knights and the lions from the Hot Spring Area, the Lamia Race, and the Giant Race—the festival officially began.
This year’s main attraction was a simple tightrope walk. Participants had to see how far they could get along a single path made of logs, planks, and rope. The rules were straightforward: no using your hands and no flying.
There were five different courses: the Children's Course, the General Course, the Giant Course, the Centaur Course, and the Expert Course. Anyone who reached the end would receive a Reward Medal from me.
Every course seemed easy enough at the start, but the latter halves featured steep inclines and declines that made finishing look quite difficult. On top of that, the Mountain Elves were watching the second half of the tracks with mischievous glimmers in their eyes, so there were undoubtedly traps set up along the way. I wondered if anyone would actually make it to the end.
Zabuton and her children had spun webbing beneath the tracks to ensure a safe landing, but as a result, the entire course was set quite high off the ground. It was actually rather frightening.
The first participant for the General Course, a girl from the Beastman Race, stood at the start. She was trembling... or so I thought, but then she took off at a full sprint.
"Wait, stop! Halt everything!"
"Village Head? What’s wrong?"
"Skirts are banned. Everyone must wear pants."
And so, we adjusted the rules.
Every course was soon filled with tension, excitement, and plenty of laughter. Most importantly, no one got hurt.
On the Children's Course, Urza and Gral both finished. The sight of them brute-forcing their way through the mechanical traps in the second half was surprisingly valiant. The Mountain Elves in charge of the obstacles were holding their heads in their hands, though.
On the General Course, the Demon King reached the finish line. It helped immensely that Randan and Beezel had basically acted as human shields earlier to expose the traps. Even so, the Demon King displayed excellent balance and well-trained strength. I suppose that was only to be expected of him.
There were no finishers for either the Giant Course or the Centaur Course. Both races seemed to struggle with narrow footings. Most of them stepped off the path in the first half. I thought the Centaurs might have a better shot at it, but while their front legs were fine, many of them lost their footing with their hind legs. They couldn't see where they were stepping, after all.
On the Expert Course, Ria and the other High Elves posted high scores. The Lizardmen were eliminated midway through by a trap that required them to engage in combat while maintaining their balance. The Mountain Elves were clearly delighted that their mechanisms worked perfectly, but I had to tell them not to celebrate the participants' failure too much. Still, the traps that reset themselves automatically without manual intervention were quite impressive.
For the Lamia Race, the challenge was particularly high. It would have been easy if they could have coiled their lower bodies around the path, but that was against the rules. They had to keep their entire snake-half balanced on top of the track. It was a stark reminder of how important solid footing is.
The final finisher was the Sake Slime.
...Needless to say, its victory is currently under review.
Once the sun set, we moved straight into the banquet as we did every year. It was a peaceful festival. This kind of atmosphere was exactly what I wanted.
I looked around for the kittens, only to find them acting spoiled with Hou and Draim. They were even cuddling with the Demon King. I felt a pang of jealousy.
Ah, I know. I still have Kuro and the others, don't I? I gave them some pets. "Yes, yes, good boys."
I made sure to hold Lu close, too. And Tia. Granmaria came over as well—she had fallen quite spectacularly during her run.
"Are you alright? It's because you fly even for the shortest distances. You need to practice walking more often."
By the way, I also tried the General Course myself, but I only succeeded in giving the Demon King a preview of the traps. How frustrating.
While enjoying the banquet, my thoughts turned to Rusty, who was nearing her time to give birth. Since she couldn't drink alcohol, she had returned to the house once the party started. Bulga and Stifano were looking after her, so I wasn't worried. I had heard that female dragons became aggressive during pregnancy, but she had been remarkably calm. I wondered if the stories were exaggerations, though Dos and Draim had been so serious when they told me that I tended to believe them.
During the feast, Sena and I officially introduced Sette to everyone. While the residents of the Village of the Great Tree already knew her, we wanted to present her to the other villages, the Lamia Race, the Giant Race, and our guests. She was a healthy, happy girl. And no, I am not giving her away in marriage to anyone.
Since the night breeze might have been bad for the baby, we withdrew from the party early. I escorted Sena back to the house. On the way, I mentioned that I wanted to take Sette to Howlin Village to meet Sena's parents when the timing was right.
Sena, however, was against the idea. At first, I thought she was worried about the strain of travel on Sette, but I was wrong.
"It is a matter of social standing, Village Head. When a child is born, those of lower status are the ones who should travel to see them. Since your position is higher than that of the Howlin Village Chief, if they wish to see Sette, they are the ones who should make the trip here."
Is that really how it works?
"Wait, if that's the case, was the plan to take Fracia to see Silkyne a mistake? I don't really care about who is 'above' or 'below' anyone."
"Beezel-sama came to see her here first, so it is considered acceptable," Sena explained.
I see. So that's the logic. Still, I realized I couldn't simply ignore those cultural norms. I didn't mind being looked down upon personally, but I didn't want the village's reputation to suffer because of my ignorance. I decided I would have to study these things little by little.
The festival night drew to a close.
The following morning, a commotion broke out.
"Demon King-sama! Please return Miel this instant!"
"I refuse! This child is coming home with me!"
A desperate battle to reclaim the kitten from the Demon King ensued.