In Village One, there were currently eighteen people—nine migrant couples led by Jack. Along with them lived about twenty Nyunyu-daphnes and forty-two Harpies. The total population was just under a hundred, plus a great many pigs.
At least, that had been my understanding. I was wrong.
The Harpies had increased in number far more than I realized. Apparently, they had been laying and hatching about twenty eggs every single year. It had been four years since they first arrived in the village, and we were now entering the fifth. This meant there were over a hundred Harpies alone. I had received the reports, but I clearly hadn't updated my mental tally. I felt a bit guilty about the oversight.
I knew the reason why my perception was so far off, though: I never saw the children. I had considered asking to see them, but Kierbit of the Angel race had warned me against it. Apparently, Harpies become quite ferocious when they are brooding or raising chicks. I’d heard something similar about dragons before. I suppose mothers are formidable everywhere.
Not wanting to cause trouble by meddling, I had kept my distance. Even when I visited Village One, I made sure to stay away from the Harpy huts. That was the real reason my mental count was out of date. It wasn't just an excuse.
The reason I finally corrected my understanding was a plea from the Harpies themselves. To them, the Phoenix was a legendary figure of adoration. When the Phoenix egg was first displayed in the Village of the Great Tree, the Harpies had come to see it from a distance. I’d thought they didn't need to stay so far back, but they insisted it was simply too awe-inspiring for them to approach.
After the egg hatched, they stopped watching from a distance and started watching while hiding. Again, I told them they didn't need to hide, but they insisted Aegis was a sacred being.
I looked at Aegis. He was currently rolling around in a muddy puddle I had created while spraying water in the courtyard. Was he really that sacred? If he went into the mansion looking like that, Ann would be furious. I told him to wash off with clean water before entering the house. Urza, Gral, and Nart—who were all just as muddy—needed to head to the bath as well. Alfred, too. Tia managed to catch Tiselle before she could join the fray.
Tia looked at me and smiled. It was true that I was the one who had sprayed the water. Aegis had begged me to do it... I’m sorry.
I’m digressing. I noticed something while observing the relationship between Aegis the Phoenix chick and the Harpies. They used words like "awe-inspiring" and "sacred," but in reality, they were like hardcore groupies following an idol. Their manners were so impeccable that it had taken me a while to notice.
While I was warmly watching this dynamic play out, a request came from the Harpies. They wanted to invite Aegis to the Harpy house in Village One. I was surprised that these well-mannered groupies were suddenly trying to get close, but the reason was simple: they wanted to show Aegis to the chicks who couldn't fly yet. Or rather, the chicks were being so noisy about wanting to see him that the adults had finally given in.
It wasn't a request I could refuse. I found some time and headed to Village One on horseback with Aegis.
The flightless Harpy chicks were, in a word, intense. They were absolutely wild for Aegis. They began physically chasing him, and Aegis, sensing his life was in danger, fled desperately. In terms of leg strength, they were surprisingly well-matched.
The chicks were about the size of kindergarteners—small and cute—but even as infants, they had claws on their wings and plenty of power. The adult Harpies tried to restrain them, but they were simply kicked aside. Since they were dealing with children, the adults couldn't exactly use brute force.
After worrying for a moment, I scooped up the fleeing Aegis and made a run for it. I was still faster than a Phoenix chick. Seeing the sheer number of chicks chasing us was what finally made the true population of Village One sink in.
Aegis wasn't physically injured, but ever since that day, he flinches whenever he hears the name "Village One." His recovery is going to take some time. I apologized for being slow to rescue him, but honestly, I was pretty scared myself. I told him he could stay on top of my head for a while to feel safe. Miel the kitten immediately attacked my leg to remind me that my head was her territory. That really hurt.
Regarding Village One, Marcos and Paula—who run the shop in Shashato City—had returned for a visit. Three of the migrant couples were pregnant, including Jack's wife, Morte. It was a time for celebration. When they first arrived, they had refrained from having children, thinking it would be a burden, but it seemed they finally felt the time was right.
The births were still a while off, but I asked several High Elves with midwifery experience to stay in Village One on a rotation. I didn't want to take any chances.
The one most pleased by their homecoming was likely Kuro's child, who had been guarding their house. They called him Kricky. I wanted to suggest he just go to Shashato City with them if he loved them that much, but the Demon King and Beezel had asked me not to send any more wolves to the city. While Marcos and Paula were staying, the wolf spoiled himself to his heart's content. I respected his pride, but his tail was wagging with enough force to generate a breeze.
Then, an incident occurred. Just as Paula was preparing to return to Shashato City, she felt unwell. The High Elves examined her and discovered she was pregnant. In fact, she was much further along than the other three in the village—she only had a month or two left.
I scolded her, telling her this was no time to be traveling for social calls. She claimed she just thought she’d been getting a little chubby lately. I was just glad she was safe. At Paula's request, she decided to stay in the village to give birth. I agreed; putting a heavily pregnant woman in a carriage was too risky. Marcos had to return to the shop, but he promised to come back for the delivery.
To fill the void left by Paula, Miyo of the Mercury race headed to Shashato City. When I expressed concern, she asked if she was unsatisfactory. I told her it wasn't that, but her appearance was that of a little girl in a maid outfit. She told me she was "changing jobs" to a waitress, though her actual work would be focused on the mountain of paperwork Paula usually handled.
She puffed out her chest confidently. She’d been forged by the administrative work in the village and said she wouldn't be broken by the workload in the city. I felt bad for the "dead eyes" I’d given her with paperwork in the past, so I gave her a gift: a magic tool from Dos.
It was essentially a one-way magical fax. Whatever was written on one piece of paper would appear on the other. It was an old, flawed tool; you couldn't see what you were sending, you couldn't make mistakes, and if you didn't clear the receiving side, the messages would just overlap until they were unreadable. Still, it was a unique item. Lu had tried to replicate it but eventually gave up. I knew better than to ask why.
I told Miyo I’d keep the receiving paper in a conspicuous place and to contact me if anything happened. She told me I worried too much, but she thanked me.
A few days later, the receiving paper looked like something out of a horror story. It was covered in the word "HELP" written over and over. I thought I’d increased the staff in Shashato City, but apparently, it wasn't enough.
When I looked around to see if anyone was available to go as reinforcements, all the Civil Official Girls immediately avoided my gaze. I had definitely picked the wrong place to post that paper.
I’m sorry, Miyo. Please hang in there until Paula gives birth... though after that comes child-rearing. I’ll do my best to find more help soon. Please do your best over there.
It was an expected conclusion.