A stretch of blizzard-heavy days gave way to a warmth that hinted at the arrival of spring.
However, I wasn't letting my guard down.
The blizzards would return. My experience in this village had taught me that much.
...Well, even if the weather stayed clear, I wouldn't be upset about it.
Several of Kuro's children were out in the fields, running through the drifts and carving paths in the snow. They had likely been feeling the stress of being cooped up in the sheds and the mansion to avoid the storms.
For the record, the ones currently sprinting around were the pups born last year or earlier this year. The generation just above them was hanging around the cleared areas near the mansion. The older generations beyond that didn't bother coming out of the sheds or the house at all. They knew winter wasn't finished yet, and they were well-accustomed to the long wait of hibernation.
As for Kuro and Yuki, they were fully preoccupied with the kotatsu in my room. Back in the day, they would have headed out into a blizzard without a second thought to maintain the village’s security. Now, they treated a storm as a sign to take shelter.
There were two reasons for this shift.
First, they could now sense any approaching monsters or magic beasts from the comfort of the mansion, even through the thickest snow. Second, the Fenrirs had taken to performing outdoor activities without being bothered by the blizzards in the slightest.
The current Fenrir family consisted of the mother, who had bonded with one of Kuro’s children, and her fifteen offspring. The three born this year were still small and cute, but the twelve older pups had grown as large as their mother—if not larger.
Since these Fenrirs were handling the watch not only for the Village of the Great Tree but also for Villages One, Two, and Three, Kuro’s children had started sheltering indoors during the heavy snow without any reservations. Conversely, Kuro and the others worked extra hard during the other seasons, so it was a fair division of labor.
Of course, it wasn't as if the Fenrir family was just playing around the rest of the year.
On a side note, I had expected the twelve large Fenrir children to eventually go off in search of their own partners like Kuro's pups did, but they never left. Just like their mother, they had chosen Kuro’s children as their partners.
I wondered if that was genetically sound for their species, or if they had any desire to track down other Fenrirs elsewhere in the world. Still, if they were happy with the arrangement, I wasn't going to make a fuss about it.
Hm?
Several of Kuro’s children who were paired with the Fenrirs looked at me with worried expressions.
"No, no, I’m not against it," I assured them. "The mother Fenrir and your father already proved that the barrier of size difference can be overcome."
I was just thinking that even though your Fenrir partners are out there in the cold, you guys are staying warm inside. Well, even if the sun is out, the snow is still freezing. I get it. No need to push yourselves. Love comes in many forms.
At any rate, spring was nearly here. The day for Alfred and Urza to depart for the Royal Capital Academy was fast approaching. They had worked incredibly hard to prepare for this, so I wasn't about to call it off now.
In the end, it was decided that Tiselle would also attend the academy with Alfred and Urza. Nart, Lilius, Rigul, Ratte, Torain, and several lizardman children had also been listed as candidates since their grades were excellent, but Malbit had raised a concern. She pointed out that if we sent a massive group, they wouldn't have the chance to make new connections or truly learn in a new environment.
She was right. If they were surrounded by the same faces they saw every day, it would be a missed opportunity for growth. If only the location of their study changed, there was little point in sending them to the capital at all. I conceded the point and settled on just those three.
I asked the others if they wanted to attend the academies in Village Five or Shashato City instead, but they replied that if they couldn't go with Alfred and Urza, they would rather stay and study in the village for now.
It was a bit of a dilemma. While I’d be lonely seeing them leave, I was also worried about them being too sheltered. I wanted the children to see the wider world at least once. My stance was that they should see what’s out there, and if they still wanted to live in the village afterward, I would always welcome them back.
If it didn't work out this year, maybe I’d send the next group to the capital next year. I’ll have to discuss it with the mothers.
A man named Tou arrived from Village Four.
Tou Fougma. He was a man in his fifties who looked exactly like a sea captain, largely because he was dressed the part. Apparently, back when the Sun Castle was in its prime, he was the pilot of the Plome, the castle's dedicated aircraft.
While it was called an aircraft, it wasn't like the planes from my old world; it was more like a ship's hull without sails. In my mind, I pictured it as a flying luxury cruiser. Because it was a ship-like vessel, he was called a captain rather than a pilot, and Tou took great pride in maintaining that appearance.
However, during the Sun Castle’s period of financial ruin, the Plome was the first thing they sold. It seemed absurd to sell the very vessel needed to reach the castle, but apparently, there were regular shuttle services at the time, so it wasn't an immediate disaster. With his job gone, Tou went into a long slumber to conserve fuel.
Even now, Village Four had no aircraft and no plans to buy one back. Bell and the others had planned to keep Tou on ice as a last resort, but with Asa moving to the academy, they woke him up to serve as the new manager for the hot spring area’s teleportation gate.
According to Bell, Tou was perfectly satisfied with the gatekeeper job, but...
The Village of the Great Tree had the Universal Ship. It was a flying vessel, and Tou had arrived at the village aboard it. He had a look on his face that I can only describe as a revelation.
Tou immediately rode the Universal Ship back to Village Four and returned carrying a woman who had been rolled up in a straw mat like a rug.
"She'll handle the teleportation gate! So please, make me the captain of that ship! No, I'll even take a spot as a regular crewman! Just please, I beg of you!"
"Wa—wait! Put me down! I'm the armament management official of the Sun Castle!"
"That place isn't the Sun Castle anymore! It's Village Four! Besides, there aren't any armaments left for you to manage. They were all sold off. You're unemployed! You got a problem with that?"
"I do! We still have the final weapon! Managing that is my job!"
I caught the phrase "final weapon" in there. Should I be worried?
"What final weapon?! It's just a manual catapult!"
It seemed things would be fine.
"Do—don't you mock it! Do you want to see what happens to your body when a boulder is dropped from that altitude?"
"I wonder how many rocks you'd have to drop before one actually managed to hit me?"
"I'll kill you!"
The woman struggled, but being bundled in a mat left her completely helpless.
"Untie me this instant!"
I stepped in and separated Tou and the woman so we could actually talk. I started by unraveling the ropes.
The woman’s name was Yor Fougma. She had long, wavy hair and wore glasses. My first impression was that she looked like a high-level secretary for a major corporation. As long as she stayed quiet, she was quite the beauty. Once freed, Yor gave me a polite bow and then immediately tried to tackle Tou, but Asa stopped her.
Asa had likely come over after hearing there was some drama regarding his successor. The three of them—Asa, Tou, and Yor—began to talk. Or rather, Asa and Yor talked. Tou basically just stood behind Asa and nodded along. It seemed he was letting Asa handle the negotiation.
"Yor. Managing the teleportation gate isn't difficult, but it is a vital role. You are much better suited for it than Tou," Asa said.
"Even so, I have my duties at the Sun Castle."
"There are no armaments at the Sun Castle. You have no work there."
"I... I have to calibrate the final weapon."
"Sorting through a pile of rocks for the best ones to throw doesn't count as 'calibration.' It’s time to face reality."
"No—no, you're wrong! There are weapons!"
"There are not. Furthermore, if you keep making these claims, people will start to suspect all of us. Please refrain from making dangerous statements."
"Ugh, uuuh..."
"I appreciate your understanding. Now, you’ll accept the gatekeeper position, won't you?"
"...Does the teleportation gate have any defensive armaments?"
"There are none. It’s a very peaceful environment."
"Isn't there anything? I'm an armament official! I only exist to manage weapons!"
"There’s a river nearby. It’s a great place to find stones that are easy to throw."
At that, Yor actually started to cry.
Hmm. There wasn't much I could do. This village didn't really do "armaments" or anything aggressive like that.
Or so I thought, until the mountain elves got involved.
One of the mountain elves patted Yor on the shoulder and pointed toward something.
A catapult.
When had they assembled that? They’d even cleared the snow away for it. Furthermore, behind the catapult was a neatly organized row of ammunition. From the right: a normal stone, a normal stone, a normal stone, a normal stone, and... a barrel?
"The barrels release a thick cloud upon impact. They're smoke shells," the mountain elf explained.
When had they made those? I was told smoke screens were "the basics of the basics," though I wasn't sure what they were the basics of. I just hoped they weren't dangerous. Explosions would be a problem.
I was focused on the barrel, but Yor was mesmerized by the stones.
"Hmph... This selection of rocks. I see."
Yor and the mountain elves seemed to reach a silent understanding. They shook hands and then all turned to look at me.
...Fine. We can put a catapult at the hot spring area. However, it stays disassembled and in storage normally. It's dangerous. I also knew that if it were disassembled, she wouldn't be able to put it back together by herself, but I decided to keep that little detail to myself.
Thus, Yor became Asa's successor. Asa took her to the hot springs to begin the handover of duties.
That left Tou. He was grinning from ear to ear. Well, if he wanted to work on the Universal Ship, I had no objections. I told him to make sure he got along with the Devil Race crew who were already stationed there. Since they were all from Village Four, it shouldn't be an issue.
Three days later.
Yor was assembling the catapult all by herself. It should have been physically impossible, but magic existed in this world. Watching the components float and click into place was honestly impressive. Still, I'd have to put my foot down if she started asking for more catapults.
Meanwhile, Tou had officially become the captain of the Universal Ship. It wasn't a hostile takeover; apparently, he won the position through sheer skill. He certainly had an air of dignity and command about him. Since the Devil Race crew accepted him, I saw no problem with it. The former captain... stayed on as the first mate. I wished them both the best.
If I had any lingering worries, it was the relationship between Tou and Yor, but they seemed fine now. In fact, they were currently busy discussing the possibility of mounting catapults onto the Universal Ship.
Hahaha. The answer is still no.
Extra:
"Asa. On the teleportation gate log, under the 'Race' column, someone wrote 'Cow.' Is this referring to the Minotaurs?"
"No, those are actual cows. They use the gate quite often during the winter. Look, there's one now."
"...It really is just a cow."
"It is."
"But there are actual names written in the 'User' column."
"I gave them names for individual identification purposes. Don't worry, I'll teach them to you before I leave."
"I... I wonder if we really need to identify individual cows..."