Kierbit had returned from the Angel Race village and was currently sulking under the kotatsu.
"What’s wrong with her?" I asked.
"It seems she’s upset that we already knew all the 'top-secret' information she brought back," Granmaria explained while peeling a mandarin.
I see.
"And who’s that next to her?" I looked toward the unfamiliar Angel sitting beside Kierbit.
"That’s Malbit, Kierbit's mother. She’s the leader of the Angel Race."
Wow. She looked incredibly young.
"Kii-chan, Kii-chan, there’s an old man over there calling himself the Dragon King..."
"He’s the real thing."
"What about the person who looks exactly like the Sovereign of the Korin Religion?"
"Also the real thing."
"The man playing with the cat who says he’s the Demon King?"
"Real."
"And this divine little thing curled up on top of the kotatsu?"
"That’s Aegis, the phoenix chick. He’s a favorite among the Harpy Race."
"What about the dog resembling an Inferno Wolf watching me from behind?"
"Unfortunately, that actually is an Inferno Wolf. Let’s see... that one is Kuroyon. He’s an expert at chess."
"Chess? Like this game? An Inferno Wolf plays it?"
"They do. Oh, if you touch a piece, he’ll think you want to play... Ah, too late. He’s in battle mode now. There’s no escaping him."
"What? Wait, what?!"
"Good luck. The rules are written on that board. For the record, I’ve never beaten him once."
"I’ll try, but... Kii-chan, what is this village?"
"I wish I knew. Also, if you look around, you’ll probably find a Vampire Princess and a Gate Guardian Dragon, but for your own sanity, it’s best not to think too deeply about it. Pass me a mandarin."
It seemed Kierbit’s mother was going to face off against Kuroyon. She looked like a beginner; I hoped she’d be all right. I was curious to watch, but I had my own work to do. I’d give her a brief greeting for now and introduce myself properly later.
...
I wondered what those top-secret matters were. Was it even okay for me to ask?
My current task was constructing a storage area for the Universal Ship. Since it was shaped like a boat, it needed a body of water to stay in while docked. For now, it was floating in the village reservoir. Some people thought the reservoir was fine as a permanent home, but we decided to build a dedicated pond. The Mountain Elves argued that a pond that could be drained would be much more convenient for cleaning the hull. I agreed with their logic.
To build it, I used the Universal Farming Tool to plow the earth and soften it, while the Universal Ship itself transformed its side panels into mechanical arms to move the dirt. It was a surreal sight—a ship digging its own berth—but I had grown used to such things.
The site was on the south side of the village, just to the west of the entrance to the Great Tree Dungeon. The Universal Ship was a typical sailing vessel, about twenty meters long and eight meters wide. The dedicated pond was designed to be about five meters larger than the ship in every direction. As for the depth, I decided to go a full ten meters down. We installed a stand at the bottom to hold the ship, and I worked with the Mountain Elves to create a mechanism that could raise and lower this platform.
"We’ll need a fence around the perimeter to prevent anyone from falling in," someone noted.
Good point. A ten-meter drop was no joke. Even if it were filled with water, it would still be dangerous. To make sure the children didn't accidentally tumble in, I decided to build a proper wall instead of a simple log fence.
"In that case, we should also add a proper boarding ramp or some kind of mechanism."
It didn't need to be anything overly fancy, but anything that made loading and unloading cargo easier was a plus. We had already decided that the Universal Ship would be used for transport between the village and Village Four, the Sun Castle. This would allow for large-scale shipping without having to rely on the Dragons.
As for the crew, after much discussion, we decided to use volunteers from the Devil Race and Dream Demon Race living in Village Four. A member of the Mercury Race was slated to be the captain. They were currently practicing their coordination in Village Four without the actual ship. The vessel had a decent level of automation and was supposed to be easy to handle, but this was a necessary precaution for emergencies.
Once Zabuton woke up, I’d have to ask her to make the captain's and sailors' uniforms.
Whew. It was cold. It was still winter, after all. I was fine because I was moving around with the Universal Farming Tool, but the others must have been freezing. I told them to take regular breaks and stay by the fire... but they weren't resting at all. They were working at full tilt with wide smiles on their faces. I appreciated the enthusiasm, but I worried about their health. I figured I should go whip up some warm soup for everyone.
At dinner, I finally had a chance to introduce myself properly to Kierbit’s mother.
"I’m Hiraku."
"Please forgive my earlier rudeness. I had no idea you were the head of this village."
Rudeness? Had she done something? Kierbit chimed in to clarify.
"She got so focused on the chess game that she barely acknowledged the Village Head when he greeted her."
"Oh, is that all? Please, don't worry about it."
"I told her the same thing," Kierbit added.
"No, such discourtesy cannot be overlooked," Malbit insisted. "I shall certainly have my daughter, Kierbit, make amends for it."
"Huh? Mother?!"
"Kii-chan, Kii-chan. It makes your mother sad to see you aiming for his son when the man himself is standing right in front of you."
"Wait, Mother, weren't you the one who gave him the half-hearted greeting?"
"That’s because I wasn't looking at him properly."
"That’s hardly an excuse..."
"In any case," Malbit continued, "anyone can see he’s a fine man. If he weren't the Village Head, I would have attacked him myself... then I'd hand the leadership over to Kii-chan and I could be his—"
"Mother! Mother! Have you forgotten about Father?"
"It’s been three hundred years since he passed, you know. Don't you think it’s about time I found a new love?"
"I don't intend to meddle in your private affairs, but please stop talking like this in front of your daughter!"
"Oh, very well. Then you do your best, Kii-chan."
"What?"
"And so, Village Head. I’m leaving Kii-chan in your hands. Don't worry, Kii-chan. He’ll fold if you just push a little. Have some confidence in your looks."
"It’s not a lack of confidence, but... the Village Head already has many wives."
"Tia is one of them, right? As expected. I wish you had half her initiative. Ah, Granmaria, Kudel, and Corone too. I see, I see. No wonder Kii-chan is struggling."
"I-I’m not struggling! It’s just that I want a happy home with just a husband and a wife, following the traditions of the Angel Race..."
"With a father like this, the son is likely to end up the same way, you know."
"......"
"I wonder how many thousands of years it will take for your wish to come true?"
"Uguu..."
I really wanted her to stop trying to offer up her daughter right in front of me. Also, she claimed I’d "fold" easily, but my will was supposed to be as hard as steel. Even if my track record didn't exactly reflect that.
"By the way, Malbit-san."
"You can just call me Malbit. No need for honorifics or formal speech."
"All right, then, Malbit. Did you have a specific reason for coming here with Kierbit? Just tourism?"
"No. To tell you the truth, Tia’s mother—who is still back at the village—is a massive workaholic. She’s the type to put duty above everything else."
"So you ran away from her?"
"There is that, but... I knew that if I came here, she would be forced to follow me."
"Ah... so you wanted to make sure she finally met Tia, Tiselle, and Aurora?"
"Exactly. So, I would be grateful if you could allow me to stay for a few more days."
"If that’s the case, you’re more than welcome. In fact, don't limit it to a few days..."
I was about to say she could stay as long as she liked, but I cut myself off when I saw Kierbit frantically making a giant 'X' with her arms.
"Don't limit it to a few days... you’re welcome to stay until spring."
"Thank you. By the way, this sake is incredible. It has a depth that was missing from the bottles Kii-chan brought back as souvenirs."
"That was brewed five years ago. I actually think it’s still a bit young."
"It must have been agonizing to wait five years to drink it. What’s the price?"
"I’ll give you a bottle to take home. If you need more, you’ll have to talk to the person in charge. I’ll make sure they give you a discount."
"I look forward to it."
I enjoyed the rest of my dinner with Malbit.
The very next day, Tia’s mother, Ruincia, arrived at the Village of the Great Tree. She was much faster than I expected.