I was surprised by the parade that had begun with the formal introductions of Gol and the others' brides. Still, it felt good to finally spend at least a portion of the money that had done nothing but accumulate. Of course, in place of that money, a literal mountain of wedding gifts arrived.
Wait... was I supposed to deliver all of this to Gol and the rest? Ah, I see. Their actual shares were kept separate.
That was a relief. I took the list Yoko handed me. It contained the categories, item names, quantities, and the names and titles of the senders. It was split about half-and-half between familiar names and those I didn't recognize.
I paused. There was a gift from Everyone from Big Roof Shashato. I didn't think they needed to go to such lengths, but being family probably made them feel more obligated to show their support. There was also a delivery from the Goroun Company. The sheer volume of it was on an entirely different level. I wondered if it was actually all right to accept this much.
I was told that the quality and quantity of these wedding gifts were matters of great importance. I supposed that made sense.
I looked over the items: artworks, crafts, weapons, armor, agricultural crops, research presentations, and... information?
"What's this about research presentations?" I asked Yoko.
"They are results submitted by independent researchers. If their work is deemed worthy of evaluation, they hope to be hired."
I see. The topics ranged from magic and medicine to cooking and tactics. Was I expected to evaluate these personally? No, that was impossible. I decided to leave those to Lu and her group.
"And what about this 'information'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. To be honest, some of the reports we received are quite difficult to handle."
I figured I would leave those to the Civil Official Girls. If anything proved to be too much for them, I would pass it along to the Demon King or Beezel and then pretend I had never seen it. Yes, that seemed like the best course of action.
Still, it made me wonder about the state of the world when wedding gifts included things like evidence of royal infidelities, rebellion plots, or plans for independence. I decided not to think about it too deeply.
For the time being, I planned to display the artworks at Yoko’s Mansion, though we wouldn't be able to fit everything there. I would have some displayed at the Sweets Shop Kuro and Yuki and Sake & Meat Niz as well. The crafts would be put to practical use wherever possible. As for the weapons and armor, the ones that looked like ritual items would be treated like the artwork, while the practical gear would be turned over to the Village Five Security Team. The crops would go into the Village Five Storehouse to serve as emergency provisions.
I decided to stick with that policy for now. I knew there were still plenty of people waiting to greet me. I would do my best. They were already waiting in the next room, after all.
I wondered if someone could call Ruincia from the Village of the Great Tree. I really needed her support. Handling that many people on my own was simply out of the question.
By the time the winter chill had grown severe, the village had become very quiet. There were two main reasons for this.
First, because Urza and Alfred were preparing to leave for the Academy, the Civil Official Girls were holding a Manners Course. These sessions took place in both the morning and the afternoon. Since every child who had attained a certain level of literacy was participating, the usual boisterous shouting of the children had vanished. The participation rate was so high because many of them hoped to accompany Urza and Alfred to the Academy.
Personally, I thought it would be fine to let anyone go who wanted to, but I was told that in terms of age, only Nart, Tiselle, and—at the absolute limit—Lilius, Rigul, Ratte, and Torain would be permitted.
Furthermore, one of the biggest challenges Gol and the others had faced at the Academy involved etiquette. In a school attended by so many children of the nobility, manners were indispensable—especially dining etiquette. Since the children in our village primarily used chopsticks, their chopstick manners were fine, but there were concerns about their ability to use a knife and fork.
To my eyes, they seemed to be doing just fine, but the Civil Official Girls insisted they were still far too lax. Their chopstick manners were likely just as unrefined, but since that style of eating hadn't really caught on elsewhere yet, it simply wasn't being treated as an issue.
According to Gol and the others, the chopstick etiquette at the Academy was actually based on my instructions. All I had taught them was the bare minimum, like not using chopsticks to pull a dish toward you, but apparently, that was the standard now. I felt like I should probably compile a formal guide on chopstick manners at some point.
Regardless, the Civil Official Girls were adamant: no one would be allowed to go unless they mastered their manners. So, the children were working hard.
The second reason for the silence was the absence of almost all the dragons, including Draim, Hakuren, and Rusty. Only Guronde, whose flight was still unstable, and Lananon, who could not yet take on her dragon form, remained in the village. Everyone else, including Hiichiro and Gral, had departed following an emergency summons from Dos.
Their objective was a hunt. Apparently, creatures known as Flying Whales had appeared. One theory claimed they came from another dimension. If these Flying Whales were left alone, they would bring disasters upon the world. A small one could cause a typhoon, while the larger ones were said to trigger massive earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and floods.
A swarm of these calamities had appeared. The Flying Whales themselves weren't particularly strong, but they were massive. A "small" one was thirty meters long, while the larger ones could reach three hundred meters. Furthermore, they flew at such extreme altitudes that no one but a dragon could reach them.
Fortunately, the dragons felt a strong sense of duty regarding the Flying Whales, and no major disasters had occurred in the last few hundred years because of them. Draim had assured me it would be fine this time as well. It was a comforting thought. I was a little worried about Hiichiro and Gral going along as observers, but I hoped they wouldn't do anything reckless.
I sat in the kotatsu and relaxed with Kuro and the cats. I hadn't forgotten about Zabuton's Children, either.
Actually, there was one more reason the village was so quiet. Four of the angels—Malbit, Ruincia, Suarlou, and Razumaria—were out on patrol. They were filling in for Kudel and Corone, whose pregnancies had recently been discovered.
Granmaria was the one who had rejoiced the most at the news. She was currently lecturing the two of them on the proper mindset and precautions for expectant mothers. I hoped she would be strict with them—especially Kudel. I had a lingering fear that Kudel might try to perform a dive bombing even while pregnant.
Well, I was sure she would be fine. Probably.