Winter had arrived.
Since I had been busy looking after the newborn children throughout the autumn, I’d been a bit lax in giving Kuro and the others the attention they deserved. As if to make up for lost time, Kuro was being incredibly affectionate.
"There, there. You were lonely, weren't you? Come here, let me give you a hug. Hahaha."
...Actually, he was starting to smell a bit.
"Alright, let's get you in the bath. You’re going to be spending most of your time inside the mansion during the winter anyway, right? If we don't get you cleaned up, Ann is going to give you a very stern look. You don't mind? Now, now, don't say that. A family should get along."
After I washed Kuro, Yuki, Kuroichi, Kuroni, and the rest took turns entering the bathroom. For Kuro and his pack, the goal wasn't really to get clean; it was to have me personally wash them. Because of that, they weren't particularly welcoming of help from anyone else.
However, doing it all by myself was genuinely exhausting.
"Brushing is fine if someone else does it, right?"
Alfred, Tiselle, Urza, Gral, and Nart were standing nearby with brushes in hand, looking eager to help. With an air of "I suppose we have no choice," the wolves finally went over to the children to be groomed. That made my life a little easier.
Even so, I could only manage to wash about four of them an hour. When I looked at the waiting line... well, I decided it was better not to look.
"You wouldn't mind if I got some help with the washing too, would you? I'll play with you in plenty of other ways besides the bath. We can go outside whenever the weather is nice. Okay?"
They seemed to accept that. I enlisted the help of the High Elves and Mountain Elves who were free, and we began washing the wolves in a regular assembly line. It was a massive help.
Suddenly, the High Elf at the front of the line let out a small gasp. I rushed over to see what was wrong and found a large wound on the belly of one of the wolves. It appeared to have happened a while ago; the blood had clotted and the wound was closed, but I was worried.
"When did you get hurt? Did you have a mishap while hunting in the forest during the autumn? If you're injured, don't keep it to yourself—tell me. It might look like it's healing on its own, but leaving it alone is a bad idea."
As I was scolding the wolf, the Sake Slime appeared, leading the pure white Holy Slime behind it. The Holy Slime approached the injured child of Kuro and cast healing magic. The clotted blood crumbled away, revealing clean, healthy skin beneath. There wasn't a trace of a scar left. The only evidence the wound had ever existed was a small patch where the fur was missing. We would just have to wait for that to grow back naturally.
I didn't quite understand the mechanics of how it worked, but it was fine with me.
"Thank you, Holy Slime. And thanks to you too, Sake Slime, for bringing him over. As for you, Kuro's child—be more careful from now on. There, there. I'm just glad you're okay."
I returned to the washing, but the Holy Slime lingered, wandering around the waiting line for a while. I started to wonder... were there more of them hiding injuries?
"Was that the worst of it? The others are just minor scratches, so they're fine? I'll take your word for it, but don't push yourselves."
On another note, the Sake Slime and the Holy Slime seemed to be getting along quite well. I wondered what the nature of their relationship was, so I asked Saint Seles, who was watching the Sake Slime from the shadows.
"I am the one who is truly close to it," she insisted.
That wasn't really what I was asking... but I let it go.
A little while after winter set in, Lu headed out to Shashato City, taking several of the newly arrived Civil Official Girls with her. The girls were going to assist with accounting at Big Roof Shashato, while Lu had been invited to Ifuls Academy. Apparently, they had developed a new magic tool and desperately wanted her expert opinion.
Lu had been wanting to go for a while to exchange ideas regarding some new magical theories, but she had held back because of her pregnancy. Now that her delivery in autumn had gone well and her health had recovered, she was finally able to go. She seemed reluctant to leave the newborn Lupumirina behind, but she eventually decided to leave her in Ann's capable hands. Alfred promised to help look after his little sister as well, and of course, I would be helping too.
Lu was scheduled to be away for two weeks, though she warned it might take longer. Regardless of what happened, she promised to be back before spring. She was staying at the hotel we built near Big Roof Shashato. I made sure to tell her to give my regards to Marcos, Paula, and Miyo.
Since it was winter, I also made a trip to the Hot Spring Area to catch up with the Death Knights and the Lion Family. I heard that the cows and horses from the Village of the Great Tree had been coming here regularly since autumn to soak in the water. They were more like regulars than I was at this point.
The lion cubs were still a bit smaller than their parents, but they had grown into impressive adult sizes.
"I suppose I'll have to start looking for partners for you all soon."
One of them had a mane, so that was a male. The other two were females. Since they had wings on their backs, I assumed ordinary lions wouldn't be a proper match. I’d have to consult with Lu about that once she returned.
As for the Death Knights... they didn't seem to have any need for partners. Even if they did, they manifested as three handsome men whenever they took physical form, so they probably wouldn't have any trouble in that department.
"Could you please stop doing those bizarre dances while you're in those handsome forms? It’s funny, but it feels like a total waste of your looks."
Then again, their "handsome" behavior was equally irritating. What exactly were they trying to accomplish by "kabe-don"-ing me against the wall? And to the Civil Official Girls over there: please stop squealing with delight.
Later, a letter was delivered to Tia via Village Five. It was from the Angel Race Leader—Kierbit's mother. The gist of it was that it was about time for the angels to return and provide a report.
Tia read it once, decided to ignore it, and promptly threw the letter away.
However, the six angels—Granmaria, Corone, Kudel, Kierbit, Suarliu, and Suarkou—held a meeting to discuss whether at least one of them should go back to report. I understood the necessity of the discussion, but was it really necessary to do it while huddled under a kotatsu? Their hanten coats looked quite cozy, at least.
"Do you need mandarins? Alright, alright. We still have persimmons and pears left over, so I'll peel some for you. Just let me know once you've decided who's going back. I'll make sure to prepare plenty of souvenirs."