A month had passed since Urza, Alfred, and Tiselle departed for the academy. Not only I, but the rest of the village residents as well, had finally grown accustomed to life without the three of them. Things had largely returned to their usual rhythm, though a few small changes had taken root.
First, the leadership of the children had been passed from Urza to Nart. While she hadn’t been formally appointed, the boys—Lilius, Rigul, Ratte, and Torain—followed her lead without a hint of competition. Perhaps it was because she was a bit older than the rest of them, but Nart was doing an admirable job acting as everyone's big sister.
Actually, Nart had been judged academically capable of attending the academy herself. In fact, until the very last moment, it was decided that the group would consist of Urza, Alfred, and Nart. However, at her own request, Nart yielded her spot to Tiselle. I initially worried she was being reserved because she wasn't my biological child, but that wasn't the reason at all.
Nart’s logic was that Urza and Alfred couldn't be kept in check by anyone other than Tiselle. Conversely, it seemed Tiselle required Urza or Alfred to keep her own impulses under control. Nart insisted that the three of them were far too dangerous to be separated. I tried to argue that it wouldn't be that bad, but when I asked Alfred for his opinion, he agreed with the proposal to swap Nart for Tiselle. Thus, Nart stayed behind. I felt quite bad for her, missing out on the academy under those circumstances, so I’ll have to find a way to make it up to her eventually.
Next, the Death Mage began participating in the children's education. She had originally been brought in as a substitute teacher while Hakuren was indisposed with grief, but she requested to continue her lessons afterward. Since the Death Mage cannot speak, she communicates through Quentan, the Intelligence Sword. Because of this, the children have taken to calling her the "Sword Teacher," and she’s become quite popular.
She primarily teaches magic. Since magic is such a convenient tool, I want her to do her best for the children’s sake. I did request that she focus mainly on small-scale "lifestyle magic," however. For some reason, the other instructors always gravitate toward teaching massive-scale attack spells. I feel those are premature and unnecessarily difficult for the children. Besides, even if they worked hard to master them, where would they ever find the occasion to use them?
Finally, it seems the amount of time I spend interacting with the remaining children has increased. I say "it seems" because I didn’t actually realize it myself until the High Ogre Maids pointed it out. Well, the children are happy, so I don't see any issue with it. If I had to name one problem, it’s that Hiichiro has become so clingy toward me that Raimeiren has been looking quite dejected. I feel a bit guilty, as she looked after him at every opportunity, but Hiichiro is my son. I won’t hold back.
That said, I do wonder if it will be all right to send Hiichiro to the academy in the future. I’ll have to consult with Hakuren and Dos about that when the time comes.
Aside from those, the changes have been minor. Shift schedules for the High Ogre Maids have shifted, and the volume of food prepared has changed, but we’ve grown used to all that over the last month. While the children leaving was a monumental event in my heart, the actual impact on the village has been relatively small. It’s a complicated feeling—part relief, part disappointment.
To help process those lingering sentiments, I decided to expand the ranch area. I took the existing ranch, which was twelve by thirty-six sections, and expanded it toward the northeast to sixteen by fifty-two sections. I didn't just leave it flat; I added hills to provide slopes and planted groves and forests. The pond I built on the north side ended up being incorporated into the new boundaries, but that shouldn't be an issue. I also sowed several varieties of grass, both long and short. It’s become a bit harder to keep track of everyone's exact location, but the cows and horses seem delighted.
Of course, I didn't expand the area solely for my own peace of mind; the populations of cows, horses, sheep, and goats have been steadily increasing. Consequently, I’ve also begun expanding the cow shed, horse shed, sheep house, and goat house. Since they all still return to their shelters at night, they must find them comfortable enough.
The expansion meant a larger patrol area for Kuro's children, but they assured me it wasn't a problem since they can cut straight across the ranch. Sometimes, I see Kuro's children and Zabuton's children relaxing together in the fields. I told Zabuton’s children to be careful not to get stepped on by the goats. The cows, horses, and sheep are smart enough to avoid them, but the goats are mischievous pranksters. They might just step on a spider on purpose. I know the spiders won't be crushed by something like that, but I decided to grow some tall trees to serve as refuges. Until the trees are tall enough, I told them to use the tabletops as their safe zones.
Zabuton's children raised their legs energetically in response to my warning. Good, good.
Then, I noticed Kuro's children looking enviously at the spiders on the table. ... Alright, alright. What do you want me to make? Nothing? You just want to play? Okay then, let’s play ball.
At my words, their eyes sparkled. Even the wolves further off came sprinting over. "Ah—wait! This is the ranch area! Try not to bother the cows and the others!"
I played with Kuro's children until the sun went down. I was a bit surprised when a cow joined in and brought the ball back to me, but I made sure to give it plenty of praise.
During the expansion work, Malbit and the others finally returned to the Angel Race Village. Malbit usually tries to stall until the very last second, but she was surprisingly obedient this year—I wonder what kind of discussion they had. The ones who left were Malbit, Ruincia, and Suarlou. Razmaria, Granmaria's mother, chose to stay behind.
Razmaria has been spending her time at the Angel Race Villa, doting on her granddaughter, Rosemaria. She looks after the little one while Granmaria is working, and since Rosemaria has taken a liking to her, it’s worked out perfectly.
Kudel and Corone, who are currently pregnant, are also staying at the villa. Now that they’ve moved past the morning sickness of early pregnancy, they’ve been trying to run around and stay active, making it difficult to get them to rest. However, Razmaria put a stop to all of that. Apparently, she has known the two of them since they were young and worked with Granmaria, so they are quite close. Perhaps that’s why she stayed behind. If so, I really should thank Malbit and the others. Tia, Aurora, and Kierbit seem to visit Razmaria often as well.
There are probably things that only Angels can truly understand. I’m curious about what they discuss, but I refrain from prying. There might be specific "Angel problems" involved. For instance... how to elegantly scratch your wings if they get itchy while you’re mid-flight. No, I’m sure they’re talking about something more important than that. Probably.
Lately, Lu has been spending a lot of time in discussions with the Demon King and Beezel. I thought she was asking after the children, but the topic seems to be different. They’ve been talking about economics and logistics, so perhaps they’re planning a new business venture? Lu told me it wouldn't affect the village much and that she’d tell me more once the details were finalized, so I haven't pressed her.
Instead, my focus has been on the letters Beezel brought from the children. Zabuton has been waiting eagerly for us to read them together. Hahaha, I wanted to read them as soon as possible too.
I gave the children plenty of paper and ink and told them to write frequently, so we’ve been receiving letters about once every five days. This time, there were letters from Urza, Alfred, Tiselle, and Earth.
First was Urza’s letter. Academy life seems to be going well. Gol and the others made various arrangements for them, so they aren't wanting for anything. She’s made new friends, though she admitted she’s a bit bored. She mentioned wanting to register with the Adventurers Guild... Zabuton thought about it for a moment before giving her approval, so I’ll write back with the okay. That was the gist of Urza’s news. I’ll give the letter to Hakuren later.
Next was Alfred’s. He wrote that every day was full of exciting new discoveries. ...And that was it? As his father, I feel like he could have included a little more detail than that. Wait, wasn’t his last letter exactly the same? Zabuton quickly fetched the previous one. Yes, the phrasing was slightly different, but the content was identical. I’ll have to give him a little nudge about this. He doesn’t need to force a long story, but I want him to at least be able to write a proper letter. Content aside, I’ll pass this to Lu.
Then came Tiselle’s letter. This was the first one from her. I wondered what her writing style would be like... It wasn't a letter; it was a formal report on the Demon Kingdom. She included organizational charts, social hierarchies, the flow of capital... How did she even investigate all of this? Hm? Ah, she made an acquaintance with a merchant. I see. Wait, even for a merchant acquaintance, this information is way too detailed! Is this person trustworthy? It’s not some strange man, is it? ...A woman? Oh, good. No, wait... an acquaintance of Michael-san? Well, then it should be fine. I’ll ask Michael-san for more details next time I see him and make sure to thank him. Wait, there’s more? Malbit and the others showed up at the academy? I suppose they dropped by on their way home to check on her. I’m over here enduring the urge to go visit them myself, so that feels a bit unfair. For now, I’ll tell Tiselle how to write a proper letter... or is this actually more convenient? Hmm. I’ll just reply telling her not to cause trouble for the merchant she met. I’ll give this to Tia later.
Finally, a letter from Earth. He’s opened a shop in the capital and wants us to send coffee beans and tea leaves. I don’t mind him starting a business, but what about Urza? When her enrollment was decided, he was the one who insisted on going so he could stay by her side. He had an answer for that in the letter too. He said that since Asa and Mettora are so reliable, things are fine on that front. He wrote that he wanted to be of use to Urza in his own way, and that way was commerce. I see. Earth also mentioned that the quality of the coffee and tea didn't need to be exceptionally high. Is he being modest? I’ve been increasing production for the sweets shops in Village Five, so sending top-tier stock wouldn't be an issue... but I’ll follow his lead and send second-grade goods. I’ll send some extra funds along as well; you can never have too much money when starting a business. Zabuton suggested sending some seasonings too, so I’ll prepare those as well. I feel a bit bad for Beezel, but he should be able to handle this much.
If it becomes too much of a burden, I’d like to ask Progenitor-san, but I haven't seen him lately. He seems incredibly busy. I heard the reason involves the Flying Whale that Dos and the others defeated. Apparently, its fall triggered various minor disasters across the land. Because they killed it so quickly, the scale of each disaster is tiny, but there are a great number of them. Churches everywhere are coordinating rescue and relief efforts. Progenitor-san isn't out in the field himself, but as the head of the organization, he’s been stuck at Church Headquarters. I’ll have to make sure to thank him for his hard work next time he visits.
For now, I’ll rely on Beezel. I’ll be sure to pay the proper price for the delivery, of course. I’ll keep Earth’s letter in Urza’s room.
Ko-Zabu: "Step?" Goat: "There's no way I'd do something that dangerous!"