It wasn't right to neglect the pregnant ladies, so I went to pay them a visit.
I headed to the room prepared for Jewel, the Jewel Cat. I had set up a brazier in a spare room and kept a pot of water boiling to maintain the perfect temperature and humidity. It was so comfortable that it was hard to believe it was currently the middle of winter.
Jewel was curled up on a large cushion in the corner of the room. Since she hated being touched while pregnant, I kept my distance and simply watched over her.
Instead, the father cat approached me. He hadn't come to be pampered; he was issuing a warning. I understood. I wasn't going to get any closer to Jewel. I reached out and petted him, telling him he was doing a fine job as a father.
However, I really wished he would put a bit more effort into actual parenting. Miel and the other kittens were still as spoiled and rowdy as ever.
"Hahaha."
The cat let out a pathetic little meow.
Suddenly, he darted away from me. I wondered what had happened, only to see Miel and the other kittens burst into the room. They immediately launched an attack on me. They weren't trying to protect their mother; they were simply annoyed that I had ignored them to pay attention to their parents.
"My bad, my bad."
If they got too rowdy in here, Jewel would glare at them. I herded them out of the room. Before leaving, I checked the pot on the brazier and added some water. The High Ogre maids made regular rounds, but it was better to do it myself whenever I noticed.
While I was playing with Miel and the others in a different room, some of Zabuton's children and Kuro's children barged in to join the fun. They ended up taking up a significant amount of my time.
Afterward, the pregnant Lu and Tia called out to me with radiant smiles.
"Yes, yes, I know. It’s not like I was neglecting you two on purpose."
Over in the ranch area, the cows were moving about, completely undeterred by the deep snow. They seemed fine, but seeing them with snow piled on their faces and backs made them look cold. I wondered if I should take them to the hot spring. As long as I could get them through the dungeon, it shouldn't be a problem.
The real issue was the hot spring itself. There had been a lot of bathers lately, and I doubted a bunch of cows would be a welcome addition. I decided to ask the lions at the hot spring area if we could use the bath I had built specifically for them.
I began the trek to the hot spring area with the cows in tow. The goats came charging over, demanding to go as well, but I couldn't take everyone at once. I had to apologize to the horses too and tell them they’d have to wait their turn.
Since I had sent word ahead, the journey through the dungeon and into the hot spring area went off without a hitch. The cows climbed into the water without any trouble. They looked incredibly satisfied.
...
Visually, seeing them soaking right next to the lions was a bit nerve-wracking. However, I had already told the lions that the cows were strictly not for eating, so it should be fine.
I had planned to scrub them down one by one with a brush once they had warmed up, but the cows refused to leave the water. I suppose they had taken quite a liking to it. My plan to let them warm up first had backfired.
I waited for them to come out of their own accord, but eventually, the cold got to me. I took refuge inside a nearby building to kill time by exchanging information with the Death Knights stationed there and Asa, the manager of the teleportation gate. It took a very long time for those cows to finally decide they’d had enough.
A few days later, the cows—who had never once broken out of their enclosure before—staged an escape. They were found lounging peacefully in the hot spring.
Had they really walked through the dungeon and used the teleportation gate all by themselves just to get there? They were certainly clever. No, this was no time to be impressed.
Let’s see... it didn't look like they had been violent about the breakout. They had opened the ranch gate properly and even made sure to close it behind them. Furthermore, they had managed to get some of Kuro's children to act as their escorts. It was actually one of those escorts who had come to report to me, which was how I found out where they were.
"Hmm."
For the time being, I told them to stop wandering off on their own. I promised to take them if they just asked.
To facilitate this, a bell was installed in the ranch area. A thick rope was attached to it so the cows could ring it by taking the rope in their mouths. Upon hearing the bell, one of the High Elves or beastmen looking after the animals would come to open the gate. As for the trip to the hot spring area, Kuro's children were assigned to guide and protect them.
...
The bell was rung for three days straight, after which I had it removed. It turned out the bell had just turned a manual door into an "automatic" one. If they were capable of opening and closing the gate themselves, I decided to just leave it to the cows. I just made sure they understood that staying overnight at the hot spring was forbidden—they had to come back home.
"Hm? Oh, I see."
I would modify the gates to make them easier for the cows to operate. I’d do it on the next clear winter day.
I also apologized to Kuro's children for the extra work, but they just signaled that they didn't mind since they got to enjoy the hot spring too. That was a relief.
I tried taking other animals to the hot spring area as well, but none of them seemed to become as obsessed with it as the cows. I was actually a little relieved by that. There were various reasons for their lack of interest, but for the goats, the problem was the dungeon.
The goats, who were usually so arrogant and bold, were absolutely terrified inside the dungeon. I didn't know exactly what was causing it, but they would fall into a panic the moment they were inside. After that first time, they refused to even go near the entrance.
I wondered what on earth they were so afraid of. The well in the ranch area was basically a cave, so it wasn't like they had a problem with underground spaces in general. I even explored the dungeon with Arako the Arachne and the Earth Dragon to see if there was anything suspicious, but we found nothing.
It remained a mystery.