After the three beastman boys departed for the Demon Kingdom’s academy, I noticed a subtle shift in the children who stayed behind.
Urza, for instance, stepped up. With the three oldest boys gone, she took it upon herself to look after the younger ones more diligently.
Seeing her initiative seemed to spark something in Alfred. He began throwing himself into his studies with even greater fervor.
Then there was Nart. She’d been having several private consultations with Sena.
I decided it was best not to pry into the nature of their discussions. I only hoped it had nothing to do with me or Alfred.
In any case, the children were changing for the better, which was a relief. I was sure the beastman boys who went to the academy were doing their best as well.
Because of that, I had to tell Hakuren: worrying too much isn't good for you.
At times like this, I was reminded that Hakuren truly was Raimeiren’s daughter. She was a doting parent through and through. I wished she would direct a bit more of that energy toward Hiichiro, but if she did, she’d likely end up in a territorial dispute with Raimeiren. I just hoped they could find a way to get along.
As for the open-air hot spring in the ranch area, I had originally intended to fill it in once spring arrived. However, the animals put up such a strong front—or rather, such stubborn resistance—that I decided to let it stay.
That meant I had to figure out a proper system for intake and drainage. Even though the slimes kept the water purified and clean, I felt it was better to have a way to cycle the water regularly.
I also figured I should add a roof. And so, the construction began.
For the intake, I considered the location of the bath and decided to dig a new waterway from the river. It didn't need to be particularly large, but the water wouldn't flow unless I properly utilized the natural elevation. Furthermore, pouring water directly from the river into the bath didn't seem like the best idea.
To solve this, after digging the channel from the river, I constructed a reservoir on the northern side of the ranch area. It was relatively small, about twenty meters square. Children didn't usually come out this way, but as a precaution, I lined the edge with logs to prevent anyone from falling in. Once I connected a waterway from this north side reservoir to the open-air hot spring, the intake system was complete.
Next was the drainage canal. The existing drainage system in the village was poorly situated for this project; trying to connect to it would have meant cutting through the dog area or the agricultural waterways.
After weighing my options, I decided the water would flow from the bathroom back toward the north side reservoir, with a separate drainage canal extending eastward from there.
"There is a river to the east of the village, though it is quite narrow," one of the High Elves informed me.
Draining into that river seemed like the perfect solution. The volume of water wouldn't be enough to disrupt the local environment, either.
The only issue was the distance. Was it about fifteen kilometers? That was no small feat.
Escorted by Granmaria and several of Kuro's children, I set to work carving out the drainage canal toward the east river. It was a grueling task, as I had to gradually lower the grade of the trench bit by bit to ensure the water would flow.
We were fortunate enough to discover a pond along the way. Although I had to redirect the waterway to reach it, the elevation was perfect. Draining the water into the pond saved me the trouble of digging all the way to the river.
A massive frog claimed the pond as its territory, but a single stern glare from Kuro's children was enough to break its spirit. It promptly retreated to the depths and stayed there. I felt a little bad for the creature. Since I intended to purify the drainage as much as possible before it reached the pond, I hoped it would eventually forgive the intrusion.
True to my word, I built a pool for the slimes at the start of the drainage canal to purify the water. With that, both the intake and drainage waterways were finished.
I opened the sluice gate and watched as the water began to flow. There were no issue—wait.
Fish were being swept into the intake waterway. That was unexpected. Perhaps the reason fish never ended up in our other waterways was because we drew that water from the waterfall. For this project, I had dug a small pool adjacent to the river to draw water. While there was a grate over the intake, any fish small enough to slip through the gaps could end up in the canal.
I decided to install an even finer mesh over the waterway leading to the hot spring. After all, while the water would stay cool in the summer, I’d be boiling it come winter. The fish would eventually just pass through the drainage canal into the frog’s pond, but... would they just end up as a snack for the frog?
It might have been hypocrisy, but since I’d seen them, I felt I had to help. I gathered the fish in a bucket and released them into the waterway that returned to the river from the large western reservoir. Afterward, I set about rebuilding the intake grate with a much tighter mesh. That settled the waterway issues.
Regarding the roof for the open-air hot spring, the High Elves took care of it. I had already felled and prepared the timber before starting the waterways. They designed it so that half of the bath was sheltered by the roof while the other half remained open to the sky. It turned out to be quite a magnificent open-air hot spring. I was truly grateful.
It looked so inviting that if there were a changing area, I’d want to jump in myself.
...Wait, sorry. I was joking.
"High Elves, everyone, please stop! There's no need to build a changing area!"
If I really wanted to soak in a hot spring, I could just head to the hot spring area. It’s not that I had anything against this one, but...
"Cow, don't look at me like that. Horse, you too?"
The goats, at least, were acting as indifferent as always, which was a comfort.
"Al-alright, fine. Shall we get in together?"
I looked toward Kuro's children. "Sorry, but could I ask you for some fire magic?"
I spent that day enjoying the open-air hot spring in the ranch. Though, instead of feeling like I’d taken a relaxing soak, it felt more like I’d spent several hours vigorously brushing down cows and horses while standing in hot water.
About two months had passed since the beastman boys departed. A letter finally arrived from them. They had written it about a month into their time at the academy, but since it was sent as regular mail, it had taken quite a while to reach the village.
I felt a pang of regret that I hadn't arranged for a small wyvern delivery as I began to read. Then, I paused, tilting my head in confusion.
"Hakuren, we did teach the children how to read and write, didn't we?"
"Of course we did."
I see. In that case, this probably wasn't a typo.
"To Village Head Hiraku. The spring breezes have become quite pleasant here. We hope you are doing well. We are currently enjoying our lives as teachers at the Demon Kingdom Academy."