Lu came to me to borrow some money.
It was a substantial amount. When I asked what she intended to use it for, she told me it was a secret. She looked so adorable asking that I caved and lent it to her. Besides, I was currently at a loss for how to spend our overflowing funds anyway. I trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t use it for anything nefarious.
A month passed after that.
On the surface, our efforts to collect artwork for cultural preservation were moving forward, and the construction of the Art Museum was proceeding smoothly. Behind the scenes, however, the Medical Corps, the Cooking Culture Group, and the Monster Investigation Group were struggling to secure personnel. I had expected as much, so I wasn't particularly worried. I wanted to take things slow and steady.
As part of the recruitment drive for the Cooking Culture Group, we decided to hold cooking classes in Village Five. A few of the High Ogre Maids served as the instructors. We targeted the adventurers active in the area for the initial classes.
Apparently, for an adventurer, "cooking" usually meant simply throwing things on a fire. They would blast their food with high heat until it was charred, scrape off the burnt parts, and eat whatever remained intact inside. I see—they knew from experience that eating raw food was dangerous, and this was their solution. However, that method significantly reduced the edible portion of the food, and it certainly didn't taste very good.
They would slather the food in salt before roasting it, but since they charred and scraped that part off, the seasoning served no purpose. I wished they would at least sprinkle salt on the parts they actually ate. When I suggested this, they asked if it wouldn't be too salty to eat. Ah, right. It wasn't about crusting the meat in salt; it was about a light sprinkle... That was the level of basic knowledge we were starting with. I could certainly see why Galf and Daga were so thrilled about the classes.
"Village Head, what should we do about the requirements and fees for the cooking classes?" one of the Civil Official Girls making the arrangements asked me.
"As long as they live in Village Five, it should be fine to make it free. I’ll cover the cost of the ingredients."
"Understood. What should we do for those from outside Village Five?"
"Ah... set up a donation box and ask them to contribute whatever small amount they feel is appropriate."
"Understood."
And so the cooking classes began. There weren't many participants for the first session—only about ten people showed up, looking like they were there reluctantly because Galf or Daga had told them to. However, the numbers gradually increased by the second and third sessions, and for today’s fifth session, over three hundred people showed up.
Not all of them were adventurers; about half were regular residents. I had thought these classes were only teaching the absolute basics, but I understood the turnout once I considered the history of Village Five. The town was brand new, and many of the people living there had drifted in for various reasons. Some of them likely didn't know how to cook even if they were professional cooks or housewives. I was glad I noticed that, and the cooking classes became a regular event. Eventually, I hoped the residents of Village Five would be able to serve as teachers instead of the High Ogre Maids.
By the way, I participated as a supervisor for the classes from the very first session. I wondered if a supervisor was actually necessary.
"It is necessary," they told me. "The motivation of the High Ogre Maids acting as teachers changes significantly when you're watching."
Is that how it is?
Around the time I began to think that winter was finally ending, Lu returned to the Village of the Great Tree in high spirits.
"It’s finished!" she announced.
I wondered what she meant. Led by Lu, I gathered those who were free in the village and we moved to Village Five. From there, we headed south to the coast. This was the same spot where Raimeiren had previously built a sailing ship for Hiichiro and watched it sink. Raimeiren, who had accompanied me, looked a bit grumpy as she remembered the incident.
Our group consisted of me, Lu, Tia, Daga, Draim, Dos, Raimeiren, Hakuren, Alfred, Tiselle, Urza, and Hiichiro. The Lizardmen and Harpy Race members who were free had come along, as had a few members of the Minotaur Race and Centaur Race. Additionally, there were the High Elves and Mountain Elves who had been working with Lu, as well as Gatto. It seemed he had been whisked away to help at some point too. Finally, there were many scholarly-looking people from the Ifuls Academy.
"It’s almost time. Dear, look over there."
Lu pointed at the surface of the sea about a hundred meters away. At first, there was nothing. I looked at Lu, but she just gave me a fearless smile. The High Elves, Mountain Elves, and Gatto were all wearing the same confident expression.
Suddenly, the water swelled up. Was there something underneath? What emerged from the sea was a massive vessel. However, it had almost nothing on its upper section. No, wait—it came out from underwater. If I thought of it as a submarine, it wasn't so strange. But in that case... what were those giant mechanical arms on both sides of the hull?
"This is the recently completed Universal Ship!" Lu boasted.
I wanted an explanation for the giant arms first, but Lu just called me impatient. She waved a signal flag toward the vessel, and the giant arms responded. Skillfully, the arms began to assemble the upper part of the hull. In no time at all, masts were raised, and it became a ship that anyone would recognize as such.
"Those construction arms allow for rapid transformation," Lu said, puffing out her chest.
The children were extremely excited, shouting about how amazing it was. Beside them, however, Tia was looking at Lu with terrifying eyes.
"That is an application of my Golem Arts, isn't it?"
"I... I used them as a reference," Lu replied, quickly averting her gaze. Tia was definitely scary right now. I understood why Lu was sweating. I’d have to apologize to Tia for her later.
"Ahem! It’s a Universal Ship that moves freely underwater and on the sea, but it can't call itself 'universal' with just that."
Lu waved the signal flag again. The ship changed its form once more.
"This is the result of the Ifuls Academy in Shashato City putting all their effort into exhaustive research!"
The Universal Ship rose from the surface and began to float in the air. Cheers erupted from the crowd. The scholars from the Ifuls Academy rejoiced and congratulated each other, while the High Elves, Mountain Elves, and Gatto shook hands. The children were so excited I couldn't even make out what they were saying anymore.
"A ship that moves freely underwater, on the sea, and in the sky—a truly Universal Ship!" Lu declared. "We analyzed the floating principles of the Sun Castle and succeeded in miniaturizing the technology this much!"
That really was impressive. I told her my honest thoughts. "As expected of you, Lu."
The moment I said that, a sickening crack echoed from the distance. I looked over, praying it wasn't what I thought, and saw the Universal Ship warping in mid-air. A second later, the vessel snapped right in half and fell into the sea, breaking into pieces as it crashed.
...U-Uh...
I looked at Lu. She was already prostrate on the ground. The scholars from the Ifuls Academy were clutching their heads in despair. The High Elves, Mountain Elves, and Gatto all looked pale. Tia, who had been making a scary face until a moment ago, stayed silent out of pure pity for Lu.
The only one who spoke was Alfred.
"Was that a transformation, too? Is it going to come back out of the sea again?"
I could have sworn I saw a hallucination of Lu coughing up blood as she lay face-down on the ground.