Early one morning, a Pond Turtle came to me for a consultation.
Since the World Tree (Yggdrasil) had grown, the turtle was worried that the value of its own shell skin might have plummeted. I wasn't entirely sure how to answer, so I called on Lu for backup.
"Your shell skin isn't just a medicinal ingredient," Lu explained. "It's used in magic and for crafting magic items. It is incredibly rare and precious. Those leaves over there don't even come close to its worth. Besides, the reputation of Pond Turtle shell skin is legendary. The Angel Race kept those leaves hidden for so long that almost nobody even knows they exist."
Lu worked hard to praise the Pond Turtle's shell, and that seemed to resolve the issue. As a consultation fee, the turtle gave her a piece of shell skin, which she happily took home. I'll have to tell them next time that a fee isn't necessary.
"So, Lu," I asked afterward. "Is the shell skin really better than the leaves?"
"The research into their uses isn't even comparable," she replied. "In terms of versatility, the Pond Turtle shell skin is overwhelmingly superior. As for the medicinal properties of the World Tree (Yggdrasil) leaves, we still have to verify if they actually work as the ancient texts claim."
"You don't think just crushing a leaf and applying it would work?"
"I'm inclined to believe it, but we have to be thorough. There could be side effects, after all."
That made sense.
"I won't use them unless it's a true emergency," she added.
If that was the case, I hoped we’d never encounter a situation where we actually needed them.
"I want to finish the verification process soon so we can use them if needed, but since it’s a tree the Angel Race treasures, I'll make sure to consult with Tia or Granmaria before using any outside the village."
"Understood. I’ll leave that to you."
Over in the residential area of the Village of the Great Tree, construction began on the Angel Race Villa. I headed into the forest to find lumber of the specified dimensions. Or rather, Kuro's children found the trees for me, and I felled them and processed the wood using the Universal Farming Tool. Thanks to the help from the Giant Race in transporting the logs, we finished the work before lunch.
After the midday meal, the High Elves and the Giants returned to the villa construction. I intended to join in, but the Civil Official Girls stopped me. Apparently, my direct involvement would cause the project budget to skyrocket for some reason. Left with no choice, I had to back off.
Now I had some unexpected free time.
Kuro's children were staring at me with expectant eyes. They had even brought a ball along.
"All right, then. I'll play with you until dinner."
In the Dog Area, I threw the ball. Four of them dashed off at once, scrambling for the prize. The round ended the moment one of them successfully bit the ball. I patted the head of the winner who brought it back, then told them to sit out the next round to give the others a chance. Then I threw the ball for the next group.
Eventually, I had to call for a break. My arm was starting to give out, but the weight of those expectant gazes was painful.
"Okay, okay. Let's go for a run instead. We'll run together."
The dogs were delighted, which made it worth it. I was fine—just a little exhausted. I just needed to lie down for a moment. I’d recover soon enough.
That evening, after dinner, one of Zabuton's children approached me. It was about the size of a fist and had tiny pieces of wood tied to its back and legs with silk thread. It struck a pose for me.
I laughed. "You look very sharp. What’s with the getup?"
Ah, it was a costume for the theatrical performance at the harvest festival.
"Mind if I make a few adjustments?"
Instead of just tying the pieces on with thread, I worked on making the pieces fit its body more naturally. I shaped the wood so it wouldn't hinder movement and added armor plating in various places to increase its defensive appearance. I wanted to get the details just right. I asked the spider to get some cloth from Zabuton to use as a lining, then I added some hidden engravings—little pictures of the Great Tree.
Next came the paint. I went with a vibrant red and gave it a glossy finish. As for weapons, the spider couldn't hold anything, so I crafted pieces that fitted onto the tips of its legs. I worried that equipping only the front two would make movement awkward, so I tried equipping all of them.
It looked incredible. It looked strong.
"This is great. By the way, I should probably check... is this for a hero or a villain?"
It was for the hero.
"I see..."
A suit of bright red full-body armor didn't necessarily look like a villain, I suppose. Still...
"Maybe we should take the leg weapons off?"
The spider seemed to disagree. But the weapons did have a bit of a sinister edge to them. Plus, having that much armor was usually a trait for the 'bad guy' in these stories. The spider was determined not to take it off, though. I was glad it liked the work, but I didn't want it to ruin the play.
I searched for a solution and found one immediately when another of Zabuton's children stepped forward with a proposal. They would swap roles. The newcomer would play the villain instead. I felt a bit bad that their previous practice might go to waste, but apparently, the hero role was so popular that everyone had been practicing for it anyway.
"All right, I understand. I'll make a hero's costume for you, then."
I kept this one light-armored and painted it white. I even added a little cape to really sell the look.
The next day, two of Zabuton's children stood before me. They had both evolved and grown a size larger.
"Wait, did you actually assimilate the costumes into your bodies?"
I wondered if they were okay, but they looked magnificent. I suppose they just had a high level of adaptability. While I stood there bewildered, one of the Civil Official Girls remained perfectly calm.
"It appears we have a new species," she noted. "The species name shall be Armor Demon Spider. As for individual names, we will call the red one Red Armor and the white one White Armor."
Red Armor and White Armor both happily raised a front leg. If they were happy, I wasn't going to complain.
The problem was the line of other spiders standing behind them, clutching pieces of wood. There were about twenty of them, and they were all appearing in the play too.
I did my best for them. However, they didn't evolve like the first two. It was a relief in a way, though the spiders themselves seemed rather dejected. I apologized to them, telling them they still looked quite gallant.
I wondered if there was some kind of law to their evolution. Did it only trigger for lead roles? Surely that couldn't be it.