While I was explaining that the Fairy Queen was currently in her adult form, Lu, Tia, and Flora cornered me to interrogate me about the Soma.
We had none in stock.
And I had no plans to produce any more.
When I told them that, they looked absolutely devastated.
Apparently, Soma was an incredibly rare and vital material for pharmaceutical research.
As for exactly how rare it was, Lu put it this way:
"I-It’s roughly on par with dragon scales!"
That didn't really help me understand.
Dragon scales were practically littering the ground around here.
Lately, I had been busy collecting scales from Hiichiro.
He was in the middle of a growth spurt, which was a wonderful thing, but I really needed to remind him to discard his old scales in the designated disposal area.
"The market value of dragon scales is crashing..."
"Lu-san isn't wrong. It's just that this village happens to be the source of production."
"Exactly, Sister. Values always plummet at the source."
Lu, Tia, and Flora were chatting away like the best of friends. It was a heartwarming sight.
Anyway, on that note, I tried to make my...
I couldn't escape.
Regarding the production of Soma, the Fairy Queen had forbidden it, and since it required an absurd number of World Tree leaves, my policy was to stop making it entirely.
"According to the Dwarves, it takes about two thousand World Tree leaves to fill a single Medium Barrel."
A Medium Barrel held about four liters, so that meant five hundred leaves per liter?
"We don't need that much! Just one drop—a single drop would be plenty!"
Even if they pleaded, the Fairy Queen had put her foot down.
"At least enough for research! Or at the very least, share the recipe!"
"I'll give you the recipe, but harvesting World Tree leaves is strictly prohibited."
"B-B-But why?"
"I received a complaint from the Giant Silkworms living on the World Tree. They said I was taking way too many."
"Ugh..."
"The High Ogre maids have been harvesting them to make Cherry Blossom Mochi. Why not ask them for their scraps?"
"I already checked. They’ve already salted every last one..."
"I-I see. Well, once the World Tree growing next to the flower garden gets bigger, I'll let you harvest from that one."
"Really? You promise?"
"Y-Yeah."
Since having only one World Tree felt a bit precarious, I was currently growing an entire field's worth of them next to the flower garden.
The first World Tree had shot up instantly, but the ones in the field were taking their time. They were still just saplings.
I had no idea how many years it would take before they were big enough to harvest... but I decided to keep that to myself.
With that, the discussion on Soma came to an end for the time being.
The next order of business was the current situation: the Fairy Queen’s increased Divine Rank meant it was now much easier for the women here to conceive children.
A meeting of the wives—or rather, the Bride Candidates—began.
I was relegated to a separate room to wait.
For some reason, I was under constant surveillance.
I wasn't planning on running away, you know.
"We believe you. This watch is simply a countermeasure to ensure no one tries to steal a march on the others."
Stealing a march, huh...
I’ll refrain from detailing the results of that meeting or what became of me afterward.
One day, I spotted Lu carrying a tree stump.
The stump spoke.
"Hellooo!"
It was a Nyunyu-daphne.
"Hello. Lu, are you taking that Nyunyu-daphne somewhere?"
"There's been a bit of trouble at Village Five. I need her help to resolve it."
"A Nyunyu-daphne for troubleshooting?"
"Yes. Want to come along?"
"Is that okay?"
"It’s not like it’s a secret or anything."
The trouble at Village Five was related to the mining sites.
There were seven mining sites located a short distance from the village.
Four of them had been deemed impossible to work after hitting water veins and flooding, but we were aiming to reopen them using Lu's Chain Freezing Shells.
If this succeeded, it would allow for the reclamation of flooded mines all over the world, not just in Village Five. Both the Demon King and Beezel were following the project with high hopes.
However, the issue today wasn't with those mines, but with the three that were currently operational.
The problem lay on the road leading to the sites.
"Monsters are appearing, and we can't transport the ore."
I see. That was definitely a problem.
But why was a Nyunyu-daphne required? Couldn't they just hire adventurers?
"The monsters appearing are... well, look."
The Nyunyu-daphne—not Lu—pointed a branch toward... well, it just looked like a normal forest.
"They're Trents. Since they look exactly like trees, people don't realize they're Trents until they're already being attacked."
That would certainly make it hard for adventurers to hunt them down.
Wait. Wasn't there a monster called a Wood Killer that also mimicked trees? Was it different from that?
"Similar, but not the same."
A Trent was a tree monster that ambushed animals that wandered near.
A Wood Killer was a monster that disguised itself as a tree to stalk and hunt prey.
They looked alike, but their biology, combat styles, and weaknesses were entirely different.
And the biggest difference of all was that Trents were capable of speech.
"So, I figured we’d try to settle this through negotiation, which is why I called in the Nyunyu-daphne. If you would?"
"Leave it to me!"
The Nyunyu-daphne leaped from her stump form, transformed into a human, and approached a specific tree.
As always, she was completely naked.
She was quite the beauty, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.
That naked beauty proceeded to deliver a sharp low kick to the tree.
"The hell is this?! You've got some nerve ignoring me when I've come all the way out here! You think you're hot stuff? Huh? You're mocking me, aren't you!?"
She sounded exactly like a low-rent thug.
Wait... she never talked like that in the village, did she?
However, her crude manners were effective. Countless trees suddenly began uprooting and huddling around her.
"N-No, we're not mocking you! Please, have mercy!"
The Trents clearly had no intention of fighting back.
"If you aren't mocking me, why didn't you come out to greet me? You knew damn well I entered the forest!"
"W-W-We're sorry!"
"If you're gonna act cocky..."
The naked Nyunyu-daphne drove one of her legs deep into the earth.
"I'll suck every last bit of nutrition out of this soil myself!"
"Eeeek! W-We'll wither! We'll wither!"
After the naked Nyunyu-daphne finished her intimidation routine and let out a boisterous laugh, she ordered the Trents to relocate.
"Lu-sama, where should I have them go?"
I was a little dazed by her sudden personality shift.
"Based on the surveys, we’ll be looking for new mining sites to the north, so it would be best if they moved to the east side."
"Got it! Listen up, you bastards! Move to the east!"
"B-But there are strong monsters to the east."
"Hah? You saying there's a monster out there scarier than me?"
"Y-Yes..."
"What kind?"
"War Bears. Those guys keep leaving deep gashes in our trunks..."
"That's the word. What do you think?" the Nyunyu-daphne asked, turning back to Lu.
"If it's War Bears, I'll have Galf deal with them. For now, just make sure you don't attack any of the carriages passing through here."
"You hear that!?"
"Y-Yes!"
For the time being, the Trents' mischief was limited to the horses and cows pulling the wagons, which was why they were being shown some leniency.
Humans were fast and often used fire, so the Trents apparently didn't dare touch them.
Personally, I’d prefer they leave the horses and cows alone too.
Through the negotiation between the Nyunyu-daphne and the Trents, it was decided the move would begin in ten days.
In the meantime, Galf would lead a team of adventurers and the Village Five Security Team to clear out the War Bears.
I hadn't actually checked Galf's schedule, so I hoped he was free.
"Leave it to me!"
He was more than ready.
A War Bear Subjugation Team was quickly organized with Galf at the helm.
Security Chief Pirika, Chelsea (who was currently training in Village Five), the Silver Knight, the Bronze Knight, and the Iron Knight all joined in.
I thought the Bronze Knight was supposed to be focusing on Cafe Blue, but I guess he couldn't stay away.
Apparently, if he didn't swing a sword once in a while, he actually started feeling physically ill.
I suppose that’s just how some people are.
I’ll be putting up the reward money for the mission, so I told them to hunt as much as they liked, not just the War Bears.
However, I made sure they knew to leave the Trents alone.
I also arranged for a victory banquet at Sake & Meat Niz for when they returned.
Just as Galf was about to set out, Daga joined the group.
No, I wasn't trying to leave you out on purpose.
You’re more than welcome to go, just don't push yourself too hard.
Village Head: "Do all of them act like that?" Nyunyu-daphne Igu: "She is the only one."