Zabuton and her children came to give their hibernation greetings.
It was already that time of year. Things were about to get lonely around here. I told them we would meet again in the spring and that I was looking forward to the costumes they would wear for the Spring Parade. Zabuton seemed to understand.
As for the children who were staying awake through the winter, I told them not to push themselves. I reminded them not to forget their heat retention stones whenever they went outside. As for Red Armor and White Armor, I knew they were resistant to the cold, but I instructed them to perform their guard duties from inside the gates. They insisted they were fine, but they were still my gatekeepers, and I wanted them to be comfortable.
Next, the Pond Turtles arrived. It turned out they were hibernating as well. It felt like everyone was leaving at once, but I couldn't exactly stop them. I bid them farewell until spring.
When I went to check on the village, I noticed very few slimes were out and about. Most had likely moved to warmer locations. The only ones still wandering were those with a high resistance to the cold, though even they would retreat once the temperature dropped enough for snow to fall.
I happened to find one slime shivering and moving with painful slowness. I picked it up and released it inside the mansion. While they probably would have been fine if left alone, the slimes were members of this village too. I couldn't help but want to lend a hand. I figured there might be others in the same state, so I decided to continue my patrol.
Winter had truly begun in earnest. It was freezing outside, but the mansion stayed warm, which made it increasingly difficult to convince myself to leave.
In the guest room, three kotatsus had been set up. The first was occupied by Malbit, Ruincia, Suarlou, and Razmaria. It seemed they had finished all their work, as they were in a state of total relaxation. Each held a cup of sake brewed by the dwarves. On the table sat some roast rabbit—or perhaps I should call it roast beef? There was also a board and pieces for a game of Sugoroku, but it looked like they had abandoned it halfway through. Apparently, they were dissatisfied with the contents written on the squares.
I told them not to take it so seriously, since it was just a game. Still, I had to wonder who wrote things like "Losing your position to your daughter" or "Your grandchild gets hooked by a bad partner" on the board.
The second kotatsu was occupied by Dos, Raimeiren, Draim, and Guronde. A Mahjong board sat atop it, and they were deep into a game. Judging by their intense expressions, they were definitely wagering something. The faces they made while discarding tiles were genuinely terrifying. Graffaloon was also there, though she was supposedly leaving soon. She was busy saying a long, tearful goodbye to Lananon. I could have sworn I heard her say she was leaving two days ago, but she showed no signs of actually departing.
The final kotatsu was shared by Gucci—Draim's Butler—along with Bulga and Stifano. They had yokan and tea on their table. The yokan was still in the prototype phase, so I wasn't entirely satisfied with the quality yet, but the villagers seemed to love it. The extra-sweet batches were a hit with the children and the Fairy Queen, while the low-sugar version was popular with some of the adults. Gucci was currently extolling the virtues of the low-sugar variety to Bulga and Stifano. Curiously, he preferred his zenzai to be incredibly sweet. He claimed the presence of the mochi changed the requirements for the base flavor.
The kotatsu in my private room had been claimed by Kuro and Yuki. When Kuro saw me enter, he shifted over to make space, so I hopped in for a moment.
Across from me, the Fairy Queen was fast asleep on her back. Sleeping like that in someone else's room showed a truly impressive level of audacity. Snuggled up on either side of her were Hitoe, in her fox cub form, and the kitten Samael. Hitoe got along remarkably well with the cats. In fact, the cats acted as if they were Hitoe's older sisters. While that was fine, I sometimes wished Hitoe would interact more with the other children.
Technically, Hitoe was much older than me, but in her human form, she looked no more than three years old. I couldn't exactly force her to socialize. Her mother, Yoko, mentioned that she would grow up all at once when the time was right. It was unclear when that would be, but since a longer childhood supposedly correlated with greater power, Yoko wasn't in any hurry.
I muttered that it was a bit lonely not being able to watch a child grow up gradually. Yoko must have overheard me, because she proceeded to demonstrate her ability to change her age right before my eyes. She shifted from a five-year-old form to ten, then fifteen, and finally twenty.
"Once you are an adult, you can do this as you please. Do not let it trouble you," Yoko said with a laugh. I suppose that was just how things worked for her kind.
Later that night, I was grilled by Lu, who had seen Yoko's transformation. It wasn't an affair, I promised. Wait, that wasn't why she was upset? Apparently, since Hakuren and Rusty could also change their physical appearance, she felt a sudden need to compete. I ended up having to reassure her that her transformation was the absolute best. That turned into quite an ordeal.
As I warmed myself in the kotatsu and reminisced about that, I noticed Samael was still here. That meant the Demon King hadn't arrived yet. He had been visiting frequently to prepare for bringing the Demon King's Wife to the village. He was supposed to arrive today as well... and right on cue, Samael woke up and dashed out of the room.
The Demon King was here. I had to go meet him.
The moment I stood up, the Sake Slime slipped into my spot. I told it there wasn't any alcohol there, but it looked unconvinced. Wait, how did it know where I was hiding it? I only tucked it away yesterday!
After speaking with the Demon King, we decided he would bring the Demon King's Wife in three days. The three beastmen—Gol, Sil, and Bron—would be coming along as well. On top of that, twelve others were expected. They apparently wanted to meet me in Village Five. I told him I wouldn't mind if they came to the village, but he said there was no need to push it.
I asked what the purpose of meeting these twelve people was. The answer? Marriage introductions.
I was stunned. Were those three finally getting married? They were such small children when they first left. I'd have to hear the details from them directly.
However, there was one thing I needed to confirm. I already suspected that Sil had a complicated situation with multiple partners; he had even asked me for advice in a very roundabout way before. I wasn't going to pry into his business, as I preferred to hear it from his own mouth. But I wanted to be emotionally prepared.
"Just to be sure," I asked. "All twelve of these people aren't his brides, right? That number includes their families, doesn't it?"
I noticed the name of Hou from the Four Heavenly Kings on the list. I assumed Hou's Younger Sister or a cousin was one of the brides.
It had been a long time coming, but life in the village was never quiet.