The village facilities survived the massive blizzard without a scratch, leading me to offer another round of praise for the High Elves' construction skills.
Seriously, don't be shy. The mansion didn't so much as rattle during the storm. The only other things that remained completely unfazed were the Great Tree and the World Tree.
Actually, wait. The snow was piled up beautifully, but didn't it look like there was less of it on them compared to the other trees? Even on the ground around them... was it just my imagination? Really? Well, whatever. I decided not to worry about it.
Snow had also settled on the reservoir. Unlike elsewhere, it was only about ten centimeters deep. The water beneath the snow was likely frozen solid, but near the center and the inlets where the water flowed, the snow looked thin. That meant the ice below might be dangerously thin as well. It was lucky the children weren't around; they would have joyfully dashed across the moment they saw it was frozen.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, one of Kuro’s pups bounded onto the reservoir and started racing around.
"Hey—!"
Before I could even finish shouting, I heard the sharp crack of breaking ice followed by a splash.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
That was a close one. Fortunately, Kierbit had just returned from her perimeter patrol and was right there to help. I dried the pup off, checking to make sure it was okay.
"You still with us? Good. Hahaha. That was a shock, wasn't it? And freezing cold. Don't let your guard down just because it looks frozen. Go tell the others too, okay? I’m counting on you."
Meanwhile, Kierbit, who had been forced to dive into the icy reservoir to save the pup, had gone straight to the bath. I’d have to thank her properly once she warmed up.
I got back to work. I left the roof to Dos and focused on the ground, using the Universal Farming Tool to shift the snow. It would have been a lot easier if I could just evaporate it all at once like Lu, but since I lacked any magical talent, I had to do it the old-fashioned way.
I prioritized the main paths, hauling the snow to the disposal site. I wasn't alone, of course. Every villager who could spare the hands was out helping. There was a nice sense of camaraderie in everyone working toward the same goal.
We were still far from finished when the group that had evacuated to Village Five returned.
"Lu, sorry to ask, but could you evaporate the snow at the disposal site? Unless someone with your firepower does it, even the meltwater won't disappear."
"I know," she replied. "But first, about the children..."
"Right. I’ll make time for that."
Wait, where were Hakuren, Hiichiro, and Gural? They weren't among the returning group. I headed to the mansion for a full debriefing.
First, the missing trio: Hakuren, Hiichiro, and Gural had gone from Village Five to Draim's Nest. Apparently, the severe weather had driven a surge of monsters and magic beasts out of the Forest of Death, and they were swarming Draim’s home. Draim could have handled it, but he had reached out to Hakuren since she was nearby.
Hakuren, likely thrilled to be needed by her younger brother, had readily agreed. Since it would be risky to leave Hiichiro and Gural behind, she had taken them along. This meant Lu had taken over supervision of the kids in Village Five. All of this had happened on the very first day, and since I had already told the mothers they were free to use their own judgment, there was no issue there.
The trouble started on the morning of the second day. The children are generally split into two groups: the seniors, who are allowed some independence, and the juniors, who must be supervised at all times. Lu had focused on the juniors while leaving Alfred, Tiselle, Urza, and Nart in charge of the senior group.
That didn’t mean they had a free pass, though. She had defined a strict boundary within Village Five—specifically, Yoko’s mansion and its immediate surroundings—and told them not to leave it. The kids had stayed within those limits at first, dressing in heavy winter clothes to play outside. Good kids, I thought.
But while they were playing near the mansion, they were confronted by some local Village Five children. Yoko had already provided a report based on accounts from the local parents. It seems the local kids noticed these strangers loitering near the mansion and decided to challenge them. Alfred tried to explain things, but one particular remark set the local kids off.
I wondered what could possibly be so offensive. It turned out to be quite simple. Alfred had said, "Because Yoko-san knows us, too."
The local kids had exploded. "What’s with 'Yoko-san'?! It’s Yoko-sama to you!"
I see. A matter of honorifics. I mean, I suppose I get it, but... weren't these kids around the same age as Alfred? To get that angry over a title... I had to wonder what kind of education they were receiving.
Regardless, Alfred had managed to de-escalate things with words. The real problem was that Alfred had apologized. Apparently, that was the breaking point for Urza, Tiselle, and Nart. According to Torain, who witnessed it, the girls had reached their limit.
Once they were away from the locals, Tiselle isolated Alfred so he couldn't stop them. Then, Urza and Nart led a charge back to the local kids.
"Are you really going to let them look down on the Village of the Great Tree?!"
Urza’s rallying cry brought Lilius, Rigul, Ratte, and Torain into the fray. By early afternoon, roughly two hundred Village Five children had become their... "subordinates." I really wished they would call it a "friendship group" for the sake of my blood pressure.
But it didn't stop there. After that, in an effort to help one of these new "friends" with a romantic problem, they clashed with the Village Five Security Team.
Why? Because the girl was in love with one of the guards. To create an opportunity for her to confess, the children had physically blocked a security unit that was trying to head out on patrol. That was when Pirika stepped in. She had identified Urza as the ringleader and tried to detain her.
So, who won? Don't tell me... it was Urza.
Wait, Pirika is a former Sword Saint, isn't she? Isn't she supposed to be a master of personal combat? Apparently, Urza could read her movements as if they were written in a book. That’s incredible... No, I shouldn't be praising her. Lu mentioned something about the Sword Saint's style being derived from the techniques used by the ancient Hero Queen, but I told her that didn't matter right now.
The "friend" in question was apparently around twelve years old. I asked if confessing at that age was normal. It turns out that if they don't find a partner early, their parents will just pick someone for them. As for the confession? It failed initially, but the girl is currently in the middle of a relentless charm offensive. They said she would likely win him over in a few days. They even arranged for the final results to be sent to Yoko. I see.
Anyway. For the children—the entire senior group—three days of house arrest. They are not to leave their rooms except for meals, the outhouse, and the bath. I asked if they understood why. They looked at each other and consulted before Urza stepped forward as their representative.
"Is it because I held back during the fight?"
"No!"
As for the fighting itself, the mothers had all petitioned me to be lenient, so I let it go. They seemed to find the reason for the brawl acceptable. I also decided not to punish the Village Five children, though I asked Yoko to have their parents scold them. I would be doing the same for my kids as their father.
The reason for the house arrest was simply because they left the boundaries Lu had set. I felt bad for Alfred, but he had been put in charge of the group, so it was a matter of collective responsibility. They were ordered to spend their time studying.
As for Lu, she was given ten days without research for her failure in supervision. She resisted the punishment even more than the kids did.
Finally, I called for Galf. Pirika was likely devastated, so I asked him to provide her with some mental support. With that, we adjourned. Anyone who was free went back to clearing snow.