Spring had come.
The weather was beautiful. Though the wind still held a chill, the sunny patches felt warm. The sound of ice shattering echoed from the reservoir—the Pond Turtles were likely doing their morning wake-up exercises.
Over at the World Tree, the silkworms had emerged from their cocoons and were busily munching on leaves. It was a surreal sight to see the foliage growing back almost as quickly as they could eat it.
Nearby, Aegis, the phoenix chick, was wallowing in the misery of defeat after challenging the newly awakened silkworms to a contest. It had been an absolute slaughter. The cause of his loss was simple: he had overeaten all winter. He’d barely flown at all during the cold months, preferring to stay cozy, and now he was quite round.
"Eagle, you shouldn't spoil him so much," I said. "I don't care about the contest, but being that overweight isn't healthy."
I heard a buzz and looked down. A Soldier Bee was hovering there, looking expectant.
"Wait, you want me to say the same thing to the Queen Bee?"
Come to think of it, I had seen a Queen Bee recently who was one... no, nearly two sizes larger than usual. I had assumed that was just how that species grew, but apparently not.
"I see. Fine. I'll go check the hives later and talk to her. But don't expect miracles; I'm only going to give her a polite warning."
Next, the cats came to find me. It didn't do any good to complain to me, though; Ann was the one who had cleared the kotatsu out of my room. Personally, I thought it was a bit early to pack it away too, but her word was law in the mansion.
The cats led me toward the guest room, but when we arrived, Malbit and her group were in the middle of a heated struggle. It definitely wasn't an environment where a cat could relax.
"I get it, I get it, so stop scratching me," I pleaded. "I'll ask Ann to set up a kotatsu in another room just for you. I can't promise she'll say yes, though."
The cats had ventured outside just to track me down and complain. Once they adjusted to the warmer weather, they would probably forget all about the kotatsu.
Kuro and Yuki, who had spent the entire winter practically glued to the heater, were now running energetically through the fields. However, they were covered in far more mud than necessary. I hoped this wasn't some silent protest against Ann for taking away their winter comforts.
"Make sure you go to the wash area or the hot springs before you come back inside," I called out to them.
I turned my attention back to the guest room. The struggle currently taking place wasn't the usual argument over Malbit refusing to go home to the capital. Instead, Malbit, Suarlou, and Razmaria were huddled inside the kotatsu, insisting it was still winter, while Ruincia was trying to drag them out by force.
"They usually argue about their different religious factions, but they’re remarkably united at times like this," Granmaria remarked, standing a short distance away while cradling Rosemaria.
Rosemaria had grown so much. She was a little over a year old now and was clearly going to be a beauty when she grew up. Standing beside Granmaria was Gulf, who wore a dopily affectionate expression while holding his own grandchild.
The baby had been born last summer and was still quite tiny. Despite that, Gulf was already boasting that she would become the world's strongest martial artist.
"Gulf, she’s a girl, you know? Is that really the path you want for her?" I asked. "More importantly, did you get permission from your son or daughter-in-law to bring her out here?"
Gulf went silent. I took that as a no. Judging by his face, his "permission" had probably been limited to holding her inside the house, not taking her out for a stroll. I could appreciate that he’d dressed her warmly, but his luck had run out—his daughter-in-law was already marching toward us with a stern look on her face.
"Wait, Village Head, please cover for me!"
"Sorry, Gulf, but I value my life too. I'll help you out this once, but you're on your own after that."
While I managed to mediate for Gulf, there was no progress on Malbit’s front. However, once Razmaria spotted Rosemaria, she immediately abandoned the kotatsu to dote on her granddaughter. It seemed Ruincia had brought Granmaria and the baby along specifically as a tactical maneuver.
With their numbers reduced, Ruincia moved in for the finish. It was two against one, which should have favored the defenders, but Malbit and Suarlou were pinned down by the kotatsu itself, robbing them of their mobility.
Suddenly, Malbit squeezed a mandarin orange peel, aiming the stinging juice directly at Ruincia’s eyes.
"That's dirty pool, Malbit!"
Ruincia dodged the spray with practiced grace. Unfortunately, the juice flew past her and hit Suarlou square in the eyes instead. Immediate infighting broke out between the two "allies," and I knew Ruincia’s victory was only a matter of time. I quickly ushered Rosemaria away so she wouldn't have to witness the undignified chaos.
Since it was spring, Zabuton was also wide awake. She and her children were working at full capacity to sew new outfits. These weren't for the village parade, however; they were school uniforms for Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle.
The academy the three were set to attend didn't actually have a mandatory uniform, but the Demon King had made a special request. He wanted the children to have some kind of identifying mark so that everyone would know at a glance that they were from our village.
When the Civil Official Girls heard this, they initially proposed a design for a mantle featuring the village crest. I had given them the green light at first, but I changed my mind the moment I saw the prototype.
It was a pitch-black mantle with a massive tree embroidered in shimmering gold thread. It looked cool in a dramatic sort of way, but it was incredibly flashy. It screamed "look at me." Furthermore, they were planning to make these mantles for every single resident of the village. I could just imagine us all walking around looking like a secret society. I had to put a stop to it.
Since I had rejected their idea, I needed to provide an alternative. That was when I suggested school uniforms—specifically, blazer-style outfits. I described every detail I could remember about blazers to Zabuton, and I was confident she would create something that looked wonderful on the children.
As a side note, because I had vetoed the mantle project so late in the process, I ended up being tasked with wearing the prototype myself during the upcoming parade.
I've agreed, but only for the duration of the parade. That’s my final offer.