Hiichiro, in his dragon form, was currently taking a scolding from the kittens.
It was a rare sight.
However, he certainly had it coming. He had transformed into a dragon inside the mansion and destroyed part of the building in the process. While the mansion was built to a generous scale, the location he chose was unfortunate. It was a spare room that the kittens frequently used for their naps.
They didn't use it as much during the cold winter months, but a favorite spot was still a favorite spot. The kittens meowed their complaints at Hiichiro with relentless intensity. It was impressive to see that they weren't the least bit intimidated by his dragon form.
But eventually, I had to step in and ask them to forgive him. I promised to make them new boxes to compensate for the ruined room. I planned to make them with just the right amount of snugness and line the interiors with blankets. Of course, I would provide one box for every cat.
When I asked if that would soothe their tempers, they seemed satisfied.
I turned my attention to the dragon. I suggested that Hiichiro should probably return to his human form soon, as I couldn't start the repairs while he was taking up so much space. He complied.
Once Hiichiro was human again, the room felt incredibly cold. There was a massive hole in the wall, after all. The kittens had already dispersed, so I set about organizing the repairs immediately. Hakuren came to collect Hiichiro, so I left him in her care.
By the way, I wondered why Hiichiro had suddenly transformed. Instead of an answer, the boy let out a massive sneeze.
Immediately, the dragon reappeared.
Right, I understood now. At least he was in the middle of the mansion this time; there was no further damage to the structure.
"Is Hakuren all right?" I asked.
"Oh? Are you worried about me?"
Hakuren was currently cradling the dragon-form Hiichiro in her arms.
"Of course I am. I’m just glad you’re safe. So, what’s the story with these symptoms?"
She explained that his form was simply still unstable and that it wouldn't be an issue once he grew older. I see. The immediate problem, then, was the sneezing. I wondered if he had a cold or some kind of allergy, but the cause was quickly identified.
It was a dirty sheet.
Apparently, it was a sheet Hiichiro treasured. I didn't mind him having a favorite blanket, but it needed to be washed. However, he absolutely refused to let anyone touch it. He was particularly fond of the texture of one specific corner, and he claimed that washing it changed the way it felt.
Because Raimeiren and Ann had tried to take the sheet away for laundering, Hiichiro had fled to the spare room to hide it. I could sympathize with his attachment, but it was a problem if the thing was so dirty it was making him sneeze.
It was time for the laundry. My heart ached a little at Hiichiro’s expression of pure despair, but I left the rest to Hakuren. As it turned out, the High Ogre maids had been tracking Hiichiro’s movements all along and had planned to retrieve the hidden sheet for washing later anyway. Perhaps that would have been better; at least he wouldn't have resented them directly.
Later, I saw Urza soothing Hiichiro. They looked like a pair of very close siblings. Alfred, meanwhile, watched them with an envious look, clearly wanting Urza’s attention as well. Children really did grow up before you knew it.
The High Elves turned out in force to repair the room, finishing the job in just half a day. I made sure to thank them for their hard work and did my part by preparing lunch and dinner for the crew.
After dinner, I holed up in the workshop to make the kitten boxes. Building the boxes wasn't the difficult part; the challenge was the sizing. Some kittens preferred a snug fit, while others wanted a spacious lounge. Since the kittens weren't exactly open to a consultation, I decided to build a large variety of boxes and let them claim their favorites. Cats are fickle creatures, so it would probably take a few days for them to settle on their choices. Until then, I just left the boxes out for them to explore.
I told Raigiel and Jewel they were welcome to use them too. Raigiel preferred a wide box, while Jewel insisted on sharing with him. They certainly got along well.
I started to feel a bit lonely with Lu being away, but just then, she returned home. Before I could even celebrate her return, she gathered up the available High Elves and Mountain Elves and set off again. I wondered if she was starting a new construction project somewhere. Her sudden departure left me feeling a bit melancholy, so I gave the nearby Kuro a tight hug.
The following day at noon, I held a meeting with Yoko and the Civil Official Girls to discuss a growing problem: the massive amount of cash accumulating in the Village of the Great Tree and Village Five.
The girls started by laying out items on Yoko's table. There were stacks of firewood, charcoal, and glass bottles. These were items that the Village of the Great Tree was currently buying in bulk through Village Five. We had already brought our necessary supplies and reserves to the village, and the surplus stored in Village Five was beginning to overflow, much like the cash.
Then, the girls lined up products on the table in front of me: pepper, miso, soy sauce, oil, cloth, sake, honey, medicine, meat, wheat, garlic, apples, mandarins, tea, Chinese cabbage, daikon, strawberries, woodwork crafts, ironwork crafts, iron armaments, lumber, and dried persimmons.
These were the exports from the Village of the Great Tree and its neighboring villages. The cloth was made by Zabuton and her children. The medicines were the results of research by Lu, Tia, and Flora. The meat came from the rabbits and boars hunted in the forest. The woodwork consisted of the small items I made by hand, like cups and forks. The iron goods were the work of Gatto and his disciples. The lumber was simply trees I had felled using the Universal Farming Tool.
"We have arranged these in order of transaction value," one of the girls explained. "Pepper, miso, and soy sauce are our primary earners."
I noticed mayonnaise was missing, but then I remembered we had shifted production of that to Village Five, so it was excluded from the village's direct exports. However, I was surprised to see dried persimmons on the list. Since Rusty ate most of them, I didn't think we sold many.
"We brought the items in order of profit, but we included the dried persimmons as the lowest-ranked item on the list for context," she clarified.
"Understood," I replied.
"We've laid this out so that the Village Head can grasp the current reality of our situation."
I thought I had a decent handle on things, but her next words floored me.
"Currently, the revenue from selling just our dried persimmons is enough to pay for all the firewood, charcoal, and glass bottles we purchase from the outside."
"...What?"
"In other words, every other transaction we make is pure, unadulterated profit."
"............Eh?"
"We are investing funds into Village Five, of course, but even that only amounts to the revenue we get from selling daikon."
"Is that really true?"
"Making a profit isn't the issue," Yoko added, nodding. "The problem is that the currency is pooling in one place and stagnating. Money needs to move."
Michael-san had mentioned this before. This wasn't just a storage problem; it was a macroeconomic one.
"Please, spend the money," the girls urged.
"I-I'll try."
For a start, I suggested we could just buy more firewood, charcoal, and glass bottles...
"Unfortunately, our purchases of those items have already hit the ceiling," they replied.
"Why?"
"The production of firewood, charcoal, and glass is capped by guild regulations. This is partly to protect the livelihoods of the craftsmen, but also to prevent the depletion of raw materials."
They explained that firewood and charcoal were also considered military supplies, so we couldn't simply demand an infinite supply.
I see. In that case, I suggested that perhaps we should stop selling the village's crops to the outside for a while.
"Are you trying to throw the Demon Kingdom into total chaos?" the girl asked, her voice sharp with shock.
I was thoroughly scolded. Even Yoko told me that such a move would be heartless.
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
I promised to think about it more seriously. I had just been forced to realize how naive my understanding of our economic situation really was.