Being treated as a suspicious person in Village Five was taken much more seriously than I had anticipated.
Personally, I’d intended for it to be nothing more than light dinner conversation while we shared a hot pot, but...
No, I had no intention of holding some introductory parade.
And I didn’t need a bronze statue, either.
I tried to put the strange ideas out of my mind and focused on the meal. The seafood hot pot was delicious.
...Fine, I get it.
I agreed to participate more actively in the events of Village Five. That should be enough, right?
I practically had to beg them not to discuss the matter with such deadly seriousness.
Furthermore, the gatekeeper who had stopped me wasn't in the wrong. He was simply being diligent in his duties. Although... well, I suppose they had a point. A guard dog that barks at the master of the house is indeed a problem.
Kuro and his pack would never do something like that.
...Actually, one of Kuro’s children had barked at me while half-asleep once, but I decided to keep that to myself. It would only make things complicated.
Regardless, it was settled that I would spend some time in Village Five to make my face known. At the very least, I was told I needed to be formally introduced to everyone working at Yoko’s Mansion.
I admit it—it was my fault for slacking off. I also promised to fix my habit of avoiding contact as much as possible.
But even so, was this outfit really necessary?
It was the flashiest thing Zabuton had ever made for me. It had so many frills and so much embroidery that I looked like some high-ranking aristocrat from a storybook. I was supposed to wear this and introduce myself as the Village Head?
Wasn't it a bit much?
"What? You think it’s not flashy enough?"
...I gave up. I'd yield on the clothes. I just asked them to spare me from having to carry banners or anything like that.
It was a blessing that Zabuton was asleep. If she’d been awake, she would have happily whipped up something even more extravagant. For some reason, she always seemed determined to dress me in the most ornate clothes possible.
I spent the next ten days eating lunch in Village Five.
On the first and second days, I ate at Yoko’s Mansion with the staff. Yoko herself joined in, though I didn't see the point since we saw each other every morning and evening anyway. Seles, the Saint, also participated. I didn't mind, of course.
The third day took place at the Village Council Hall. I’d intended to just have a quick meal with the three from the Mercury Race and head home, but somehow I ended up sitting in on a meeting.
And yes, they made me sit in the seat of honor.
To make matters worse, the entire meeting was a debate over where I should eat for the remainder of my stay. I couldn't help but wonder if a room full of adults really needed to put their heads together for something like that.
On the fourth day, I had lunch in a side room of the Village Council Hall with one of the Previous Generation Four Heavenly Kings—the one with the incredibly long name—and Paluanen, who was also a member of the previous Four Heavenly Kings.
I pointed out that the two of them already knew what I looked like, but apparently, there was a proper order to these things.
I noticed both of their faces were quite swollen and asked what had happened. It turned out they’d actually come to blows to decide which of their respective houses would host my lunch.
...What were they thinking?
Given that we were eating at the Village Council Hall, I assumed the fight had ended in a draw.
From the fifth day onward, I toured various facilities like the Village Five adventurer station, the trading post at the foot of the mountain, and the local inns, eating at their respective dining halls.
It would have been much easier if I’d been alone, but my entourage grew to include Yoko, Seles, the three from the Mercury Race, and the two former Four Heavenly Kings. Galf and Daga had also come along from the Village of the Great Tree as my escorts. From Village Five’s side, Pirika and about ten of her disciples joined us as well.
It turned into quite the procession, and it was exhausting.
Since the goal was to show my face, everyone accompanying me treated me as the absolute highest authority to make my position clear to the public. I was grateful, but it was incredibly embarrassing.
Also, I wondered if there was any point in people speaking to me through intermediaries when I was standing right in front of them.
"Ah, please, there’s no need to be so stiff."
I tried to ease the tension with the man before me. If I recalled correctly, he was the Village Five South Area Representative. He seemed like the type to get overwhelmed by the atmosphere. During his introduction, he had stuttered so badly I hadn't been able to catch his name. Since we were having lunch together, I hoped we could get a bit better acquainted.
All in all, it was a busy ten days of lunches. I was just glad I was able to return to the Village of the Great Tree every evening. It was a relief to be home.
Looking back, Progenitor-san and Fouche had brought the priests to me to offer their greetings before they were officially moved to Village Five. I’d thought it was just them being polite, but I realized now that it had been a necessary formality. Thanks to that, I managed to avoid having to add a lunch at the church to my initial ten-day schedule.
...Status and protocol were apparently very important.
I understood. So, on the eleventh day, I ended up having lunch at the church.
I was exhausted.
By the way, the ones who seemed the happiest during this entire ordeal were the two former Four Heavenly Kings. they’d been incredibly enthusiastic about arranging everything for me. I wondered if I should give them a gift as a token of my appreciation. Money probably wasn't the right choice.
...Would Reward Medals be okay?
For the time being, I gave them three each. I also entrusted thirty medals to Yoko to distribute among the people who had helped coordinate the tour. Reward Medals essentially functioned as vouchers that could be traded for various goods. I figured they could exchange them for whatever they liked.
I suggested we use the same exchange list as the one in the Village of the Great Tree, but one of the Civil Official Girls who had come to Village Five immediately spoke up.
"That wouldn't be wise."
She showed me a draft of an exclusive exchange list they were preparing for Village Five. Most of it was the same, but several items had been removed.
"Given the population of Village Five, we would be in an impossible situation if people started demanding the Village Head's handmade items."
...That was a fair point.
"Furthermore," she continued, "it isn't realistic to distribute Reward Medals to every resident of Village Five. After all, currency is already in circulation here."
I see. Reward Medals were a substitute for currency. In a place where money was already common, they weren't strictly necessary for everyone. The civil official added that they planned to discuss the specifics of how to handle medals in the city during the next meeting.
It was certainly an important issue.
"Is it still alright for me to give these medals to the staff here, then?"
They assured me it was fine.
"Alright, let's go with that then."
The two former Four Heavenly Kings expressed their gratitude with overwhelming intensity upon receiving their medals.
I mean... I didn't want to be rude, but wasn't their loyalty supposed to be directed toward the Demon King? I hoped their display of devotion wouldn't cause any problems. I certainly didn't want the Demon King to hold a grudge against me.
As a side note, the gatekeepers stopped treating me like a suspicious person. However, whenever I wore my usual clothes, I could still see them hesitate for a split second before letting me pass.
I suppose the clothes really do make the man.