Village Five’s Security Team was a fairly substantial organization. Led by Chief Pirika, it boasted around fourteen hundred members. The force was divided into seventeen squads, stationed in barracks constructed throughout various parts of the village.
The ones who had clashed with the children were the First Squad, which was under Pirika’s direct command, and the Sixteenth Squad, which patrolled the mountainside. The majority of Pirika’s disciples belonged to the First Squad, and they were responsible for supervising the other units. The Sixteenth Squad had happened to be accompanying the First during a training session in the forest when the confrontation with the children occurred.
While the First Squad officially had one hundred members and the Sixteenth had fifty, they rarely acted as a single group. They operated on a three-shift rotation—morning, day, and night—meaning the full roster was never present all at once. When they fought the children, there were apparently only about forty guards in total.
In contrast, there had been eighty children, double their number. I suspected the guards had hesitated to strike or kick in earnest because their opponents were just kids, but it still wasn't a good look for the Security Team to lose.
Because of that, Galf was giving them a thorough dressing-down.
"It was fortunate their only objective was a confession! If they had been assassins targeting your comrades, what then?! Whether the enemy is a child or anyone else, you must show no mercy to those who obstruct the Security Team’s duties! Never forget that!"
The Security Team carried a high level of authority, but they carried an equal amount of responsibility. I hoped they would take the lesson to heart.
We were currently in the forest near Village Five, at the site where the Security Team held their training exercises. I had decided against bringing Hitoe into the woods, so I left her back with Yoko. My own entourage consisted of Ruincia, Pirika, and two High Elves: the Tree King and the Bow King.
By the way, Pirika had been subjected to an intense retraining session by Galf before we arrived. It seemed she had lost to Urza in a duel; she had likely let her guard down because her opponent was a child. Still, I was just glad no one had been hurt.
However, I did worry about the Security Team losing to children in terms of tactics. To be led astray by a diversion and then have their flank collapsed... perhaps they still had a lot to learn? Then again, the Security Team functioned more like a local police force. Maybe they didn't strictly need to be experts in group combat.
...No, I expected them to be able to suppress rioters, so a certain level of tactical skill was essential. I would have to make that a goal for them to work toward.
While Galf was busy scolding the guards, I wandered through the forest. Unlike the woods surrounding the Village of the Great Tree, it was reasonably bright here. It was said to be a place once infested with monsters and magic beasts, but the local adventurers and the Security Team had culled their numbers significantly. Still, they hadn't been eradicated entirely, so I couldn't afford to be careless.
Case in point—a strange monster lunged from my right. I promptly turned it into fertilizer using the hoe form of my Universal Farming Tool.
I wasn't just wandering out of curiosity; I was having the Tree King and the Bow King teach me about the local flora. Since it was winter, we were mostly focusing on trees. I was particularly interested in what they called Fragrant Wood—trees with a pleasant aroma. I tried taking a sniff right then and there, but apparently, they didn't release their scent unless they were burned. That was a disappointment.
Then another monster appeared. There really were quite a few left, weren't there? These weren't suitable for eating, but since their parts could be used as crafting materials, I decided to take them back. The Tree King and the Bow King carried them for me.
We returned to Village Five just before dusk. Even though the village was to the south, it still felt quite cold in the winter—though it was warm compared to the Village of the Great Tree.
I had finished all my scheduled business in Village Five. All that remained was to head home, but apparently, even leaving required a specific ritual. I told them not to make it anything too grand and left the rest to Ruincia, so I didn't actually know the details.
I thought I might spend my remaining time inspecting the village, but the surroundings suddenly grew noisy. Everyone was looking up at the sky.
Up?
...Ah, it was Hiichiro. Gral, Hakuren, and Draim followed close behind. They must have finished clearing out the monsters and magic beasts at Draim’s Nest. Hiichiro was flying while clutching a Huge Bear in his grasp.
Hiichiro spotted me and went into a dive, landing right in front of me. It was a clean landing, though I had to remind him that dropping a Huge Bear right before touching down was bad form.
Gral, Hakuren, and Draim landed next. Seeing them all in their dragon forms was quite overwhelming; since space was tight, I asked them to revert to their human shapes.
Hiichiro shifted back into his child form and came running over. I gave him a pat and picked him up. He’d certainly grown. Gral followed right after him. I could manage two children at once, so I picked her up as well. She didn't seem particularly desperate for a hug; she just looked happy to be treated the same as Hiichiro.
Then came Hakuren. As I expected, holding her was out of the question, but she forced her way onto my back regardless. She was acting quite spoiled. It wasn't like we'd been apart for that long, was it?
Then there was Draim. I really wished he wouldn't ask me with such a serious face if he should give me a hug too.
Apparently, Hiichiro had defeated that Huge Bear all by himself. He’d carried it all this way just to show me. I thought he probably should have taken it straight back to the Village of the Great Tree, but I hadn't sent word that the evacuation was lifted yet. Well, we could just move it through the Teleportation Gate later.
Michael looked like he desperately wanted that Huge Bear, but I wasn't budging. Hiichiro had brought it specifically for me. I planned to display it for about three days back home before carefully preparing it for a meal. I’d just have to sell Michael a different bear later.
The departure ritual turned out to be a simple standing buffet party at the Village Council Hall. I had expected a crowd of people coming to offer their greetings, but no one approached me except for Michael. There were plenty of people in the hall, but was this just how these things went?
I felt like I was being watched by frightened eyes from the periphery. Whenever I tried to meet someone's gaze, they would whip their head away so fast I thought they might give themselves whiplash. Did they hate me?
When I asked Ruincia if this atmosphere was okay, she assured me it was. In fact, she called it ideal. I wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but it certainly made things easier for me.
With that, it was time to head back to the Village of the Great Tree.