When I returned to the mansion with the Trent's branch in hand, both Lu and Tia were waiting for me, and they both wanted it.
Apparently, a branch from a Trent is a highly valuable item. If I had known that, I probably should have asked for some from the Trents living around Village Five.
"Normal Trent branches aren't that rare," Lu explained, already measuring the wood. "What's rare is an Elder Trent's branch. This is an ultra-rare treasure."
So, that Trent belonged to a race called the Elder Trent. I’d spent the entire walk back calling him a "Trent" over and over again. I’ll have to apologize to him the next time we meet.
"With a piece this size, we could process it into a staff," Lu mused.
"Wait a moment," Tia interjected. "If we're going to make a staff out of a branch this magnificent, we won't be able to balance it unless we find other materials of equal quality."
"I think we can find what we need in this village."
"...Actually, you're right. We do have them."
"Then there’s no problem."
The two of them started to make off with the branch, but I had to stop them. That wood was meant for my chess pieces.
"You won't let us have it?" Lu asked.
I’d already been struck by a bolt of inspiration, and I wasn't letting it go. Besides, the Elder Trent was currently staying in Village One, so I suggested they just go ask him for another piece.
Lu thought about my proposal for a moment before posing a question of her own. "If a total stranger came up and asked for your right arm, would you give it to them?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't even give it to someone I knew."
"It’s the same thing for him."
I see. So it really was that precious. However, hearing that made me even less willing to part with it. It wasn't that I was being stingy because of its value; it was because I had told the Elder Trent I was looking for wood to carve chess pieces, and he had given it to me for that specific purpose. If he had given me something as valuable as his own right arm, I felt I owed it to him to use it exactly as intended.
"Ngh..." Lu groaned.
"Now, now, Lu-san," Tia said, trying to soothe her. "Let's give up on the staff and just utilize it as a raw material. We can have the leftovers from the carving and the shavings, right?"
If that was all they wanted, I didn't mind. And so, the matter was settled.
I sat down in the middle of a large sheet. I chose to work there so I could collect every single shaving without wasting a bit. To be extra safe, they had even draped cloth around me like a set of walls to keep the dust from blowing away. It felt a bit claustrophobic, but only until I actually started. Once I began carving, the sheet and the walls ceased to matter.
Using the branch from the Elder Trent, I carved out Variant Chess Pieces modeled after the village cats.
When they were finished, I noticed something strange. For some reason, the King piece modeled after the father cat, Raigiel, looked positively divine. The Queen piece, modeled after the mother cat, Jewel, didn't have that same aura.
As for the rest, I turned the older sister cats and the kittens into the Pawns. There are two each of the Bishops, Knights, and Rooks, totaling six pieces. Since there are eight older sister cats and kittens in total, I was two short for those roles. On the other hand, there are exactly eight Pawns in a set, so it worked out perfectly. The kittens and sisters seemed dissatisfied with being "just" pawns, but I had to ask them to bear with it.
To fill the remaining Bishop, Knight, and Rook slots, I carved cats based on my own memory—a Persian, a Siamese, and an American Shorthair. They turned out quite cute, but the kittens and sisters took it as a sign of infidelity and attacked me.
At any rate, now that the pieces were carved, I handed the leftovers to Lu and Tia. I even gathered the shavings from the sheet and passed them over. I didn't know exactly what they planned to do with them, but I hoped they’d make good use of them.
Finally, I displayed the new chess pieces at the entrance of the mansion. Yes, they looked quite good. I was satisfied.
"Hey, Tia," Lu said, looking at the display. "Don't these chess pieces look like they've become magic catalysts?"
"They have. And with that much Magic Power... it wouldn't be surprising if they started moving on their own."
Wait, what? They move?
"Yes," Tia replied to my silent shock. "However, they are bound by the nature of the pieces. If they move, it will only be according to the rules of chess."
To demonstrate, Tia set the pieces out on a chessboard. They didn't move.
"That's because you only have one side," Lu said.
She brought out the Variant Chess Pieces modeled after Kuro and the others to serve as opponents. Immediately, one of the cat pieces moved, following its set path.
...And then it stopped. Ah, it was waiting for the opponent to make a move. I asked Kuroyon to play against them for a bit.
The cat pieces carved from the Elder Trent's branch really did move on their own, but their chess skills were lacking. Kuroyon was far too strong for them, and the cat pieces seemed to fall into a state of shock after their defeat. Seeing the pieces huddle together as if holding a meeting was a strange sight, but since they were modeled after cats, it was actually quite adorable. It looked like a neighborhood cat assembly.
If I'd known they were going to be autonomous, I might have carved a wider variety of things instead of just cats. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.
"Honestly, the fact that you used Elder Trent wood for chess pieces in the first place is a massive waste," Lu told me flatly.
Lu and Tia proceeded to crush the remnants of the branch, mixed them with the shavings, and compressed them into blocks. They then shaved those blocks into twenty thin plates. On each plate, they inscribed characters using powdered scales from Guronde, fixing the script with magic. They were turning them into magical tools.
"A single plate can trigger a powerful Healing Magic. And they aren't single-use; you can use each one five or six times."
That was impressive. I wondered if even I could use them.
"You can, but the effect is better if the user has some basic magical training."
Well, that was a disappointment for me.
The twenty magic tools were distributed among the villages. Two plates each went to the Village of the Great Tree and Villages One through Four. The remaining ten were sent to Village Five. I knew Village Five had a much higher population, and by ratio, they probably should have received all twenty, but I hoped the others would forgive the distribution. These were for emergencies, after all.
And so, every bit of the branch was put to use.
The Elder Trent who had given me the wood decided to settle permanently in Village One. He didn't stay inside the village proper, but chose the forest on the north side. He took root—very firmly—in a field I had tilled for him with the Universal Farming Tool after he expressed his desire to stay. It seemed he had no intention of moving ever again.
I wondered if that was standard behavior for an Elder Trent. Apparently, if they can get enough nutrients from the soil, they don't need to hunt for prey. He shook his branches at me, as if to tell me not to worry, since he would ensure no Monsters or Magic Beasts would ever set foot near the village. He was quite reliable.
Then, the Nyunyu-daphne approached me. I wondered if they were unhappy about the Elder Trent moving in, but that wasn't it. It turned out they were jealous of the field I’d made for him.
What a bunch of spoiled children. I told them I’d only do a little, then tilled a dedicated Nyunyu-daphne's Field in Village One. It was about two hundred meters square. Village One grew a bit larger that day.
A few days later, I saw a crowd of tiny Trents moving around in that new field. They were apparently the Elder Trent’s children. The Nyunyu-daphne stood protectively in front of me, explaining that while the little ones weren't useful yet, they would grow up to be Elder Trents one day.
I wasn't planning on doing anything to them. Besides, they were in the field I’d made for the Nyunyu-daphne. If the spirits were willing to look after them, I had no problem with it. I just wanted everyone to get along.
Then they asked if I could expand the field just a little more to accommodate the growing children.
...I suppose it couldn't be helped. But only a little.
Village One grew a little larger once again.