Spring arrived, but Malbit didn't go home. She resisted—and she put up an incredible amount of resistance, too. Crawling into a kotatsu, she fought back with a stubbornness unbecoming of a mother. It was actually quite impressive that she managed to wear down Ruincia, who had been trying so hard to persuade her to leave. In the end, it was decided that Malbit and Ruincia would stay until the Spring Parade was over.
Kuroyon was the one most delighted by that decision. Apparently, he would have been lonely without his chess rival around. He immediately hurried off to Malbit’s side to start a match. I was fine with him enjoying chess until she left, but I made a mental note that he should keep it in moderation. Otherwise, his partner, Elis, would surely come to me with more complaints. He shouldn't get so absorbed in the game that he neglects his family.
I was acting quite high and mighty, but I wondered how I was doing on that front. I didn't intend to neglect my family, but that didn't necessarily mean I was succeeding. I needed to be careful.
I went to greet Zabuton after she woke from her hibernation. For some reason, she already knew I had visited Village Five and was quite disappointed that she hadn't been able to make specific clothes for the occasion. I tried to tell her that I’d worn the clothes she had already made for me, but she insisted I should have been wearing something properly suited for the situation. While I didn't think the outfit I wore was bad, I suppose that wasn't the point. I left all my clothing needs to Zabuton; if she said it was no good, then it was no good. Perhaps there was some specific etiquette or message in the attire that I was unaware of. I'd have to pay more attention in the future.
She also mentioned she’d wanted to have several emergency outfits ready for me—actually, she already had them prepared. She just hadn't told me because she thought I'd dislike the fuss, which only made her frustration at the missed opportunity worse. I felt terrible about it.
With Zabuton awake, I figured the rest of the village was stirring, so I went to check on the reservoir. To my surprise, the center of the water was frozen solid. It was strange. While it was still chilly out, it wasn't nearly cold enough for the reservoir to freeze over. Besides, water usually freezes from the edges inward, not the other way around. Just as I was pondering this, a loud crack echoed across the water. The center of the ice split open, and a Pond Turtle’s shell poked through. As the ice shattered and drifted away, I realized the turtle had created it using magic. Apparently, it was a sort of post-hibernation exercise. It seemed a bit odd to play with ice after sleeping through the winter to avoid the cold, but I suppose it didn't matter. I gave it a quick "Good morning." When I wondered aloud if the others were still asleep, a fresh layer of ice immediately glazed over the center of the pond. It seemed they were all awake.
There had been some discussion about sending Urza and Nart to the Demon Kingdom Academy this spring, but those plans were postponed. Part of it was due to the trouble in Village Five, but the real issue was what exactly they would even learn there. It all started with a report from Gol and his friends. They told us that the academics, magic, and martial arts training the girls were receiving from Hakuren was more than sufficient. They explained that while there were things to learn if someone intended to become a noble of the Demon Kingdom, they couldn't recommend the Galgard Noble Academy for anyone else.
The Civil Official Girls agreed, advising me that the academy functioned more as a social hub for future nobles. While it was ideal for building political factions, they felt it was unnecessary for Urza and Nart. We’d sent Gol and the others there to broaden their horizons and find potential wives, so for them, it was fine. However, since we weren't exactly looking for husbands for Urza and Nart yet, there was no point.
It seemed the schools in this world were quite different from the image I had in my head. I was shocked to learn they didn't have events like cultural festivals or sports days. Apparently, since students weren't there to play, such things were considered unnecessary. While I thought those events would be great for networking, maybe they were avoided because they would just incite too much factional conflict. Instead, the students organized their own hunting parties and tea sessions, so they did have some level of independence.
Since I couldn't decide on my own, I consulted their mothers, Hakuren and Naci, along with the girls themselves. Urza and Nart were quite firm about not wanting to go yet. With Hakuren and Naci's approval, we decided to skip the academy this year. They said they "didn't want to go yet," so their minds might change later. For now, it was just a postponement.
However, if they were staying in the village, they were getting to the age where they needed to start working. While looking after the younger kids was a job in itself, I asked them what they wanted to do. Urza had already arranged to join the High Elves on their hunts. She’d spoken to Ria before spring and was already out practicing. Nart had similarly approached Sena and was planning to help out with the beastman girls' various tasks. I was relieved to see they were thinking more clearly about their futures than I was. Or perhaps I was just under-thinking things. I needed to do better for them. I couldn't just spend all my time playing with them.
After finishing the Spring Conference of Races and the medal ceremony, I got to work tilling the fields. While most of the planting followed our usual schedule, I added two new plots. One was on the eastern side of the village, near the Herb Field. I tried growing new crops that could serve as curry spices at the request of the residents of Village One, who were eager to refine their recipes. Since I was already growing every spice I knew of, I had to rely on the Universal Farming Tool. I offered a silent apology for my selfishness and tilled the soil while wishing for "curry spices." I’ll have to wait and see what actually sprouts.
The second field was on the north side, past the Orchard and near the flower garden. I decided to try growing a World Tree. I wasn't sure if it would work, but since our only sapling had already taken root in the Village of the Great Tree, I felt a bit uneasy. Malbit and Ruincia told me not to worry, but that's just not my nature. I wanted to have a backup ready in case other Angels came to complain. I truly hope it grows well.
With the fieldwork finished, preparations for the parade began. Supporters were arriving from the other villages, and the Mountain Elves were busy assembling the mobile yagura. There seemed to be a lot more sashimono banners this year, along with numerous bamboo poles stripped of their leaves. I saw Kierbit and the others gathering flowers and asked what they were up to. Apparently, they planned to scatter the petals from above during the procession. I warned them not to take too many, since those flowers are for the bees and fairies.
Meanwhile, Tia was summoning golems and running them through drills. They looked magnificent marching in perfect unison. Then I noticed something—there were way more than usual. When they’d helped with the waterway, Tia said thirty was her limit, but now there were easily a hundred marching before me.
Tia puffed out her chest with pride, explaining that she was growing too. She admitted they were using magic stones to act autonomously, so they couldn't handle complex orders—just simple things like "walk," "stop," or "attack." In fact, if she told them to attack, they wouldn't be able to tell friend from foe and would just start a brawl with each other in that tight formation. They weren't very practical for combat, but she was proud of how impressive they looked for the festival. I gave her the praise and headpats she was clearly fishing for.
The soldier bees, having watched the whole exchange, flew over to perform a spectacular formation flight of their own. I asked if they wanted headpats too, but they had a different request. They wanted to borrow one of Zabuton’s children. Apparently, the Queen Bee has become so fat she can no longer fly, and they want to use a spiderling to scare her into dieting. It’s a serious problem if she can’t fly, so I agreed—on the condition they wait until after the parade. The spiderlings were looking forward to the festivities too.
The main event is tomorrow. We'll give it our all.