Heh. Looking at the massive quantity of sheets hung out to dry brought me such satisfaction.
"Thank you for your help, children of Zabuton. It was a massive assistance. I can handle the smaller items myself from here... Oh? You will stay until the very end? Thank you. In that case, could you provide the thread for the line? I have quite a few pieces left, so please make it a sturdy one. Yes, thank you."
I was one of the High Ogre maids. I spent my days performing my duties in the Village of the Great Tree.
Ol, the Orthrus, was always by Lady Guronde’s side. They truly got along well. However, it seemed Ol hadn't realized Lady Guronde was actually a dragon. When she transformed into her dragon form right in front of him, he fell into a complete panic. And then, for some reason, he sank his teeth into her.
When I asked the Village Head about it, he explained that Ol apparently thought Lady Guronde was being crushed by the dragon. In other words, he had attacked the dragon in a desperate attempt to rescue her. Remarkable. Even though his fangs could not pierce her scales, he fought with everything he had. Such loyalty was magnificent. I decided I would make his dinner a bit more extravagant that evening.
I wondered, though—was it a failure on his part that he could not recognize his master? Or was it simply too much to ask for him to understand that Lady Guronde’s human and dragon forms were the same person?
Suddenly, Ol stopped moving. I wondered what had happened, so I asked the Village Head. Apparently, he had finally noticed that the dragon smelled like Lady Guronde. His attacks grew weaker. He was still in a state of panic, but Lady Guronde was watching over him with such gentleness. Perhaps sensing that, Ol ceased his assault entirely. He hovered there, looking at the massive dragon, appearing utterly flustered.
Had he realized he had just attacked his master? I asked the Village Head again. That was not it. Stifling his laughter, the Village Head shared the puppy's internal monologue with me. If Ol's feelings were translated into words, they would have been something like this:
"She has so many heads... Could she be... Mother?"
Pardon me. I could not help but burst out laughing. I understood the sentiment, but dragons and Orthrus were entirely different species. Having multiple heads did not make them kin. And yet...
"Is she not?"
As Ol tilted his two heads in perfect unison, he looked a bit lonely. Knowing his history, he had likely been separated from his mother very early. A child's longing for its mother—it was truly heart-wrenching.
Lady Guronde must have felt it too. She returned to her human form and stroked both of Ol's heads. She was not his mother, but I could see her resolve to never let him feel that loneliness again. I only hoped that sentiment reached Ol, who was currently wagging his tail in pure, simple joy just to see that she was safe... judging by his excitement, it probably did not. Still, it would have been boorish to say anything. I watched them with a smile.
Lady Prada, a member of the devil race, was apparently a colleague of Lady Bulga and Lady Stifano. She usually lived in Village Five, but she had come to offer her formal greetings. Ah, I saw Lady Bulga and Lady Stifano teasing her relentlessly. They seemed to be quite close. Then, she caught sight of the divine statues carved by the Village Head and was moved to tears.
She and Lord Ancestor became fast friends. It happened at an incredible speed; they were already deep in a passionate discussion about art. That was all well and good, but I wondered if Lord Ancestor’s hangover was truly gone. I thought he had been resting... not that I wanted them to go back to the banquet. Lady Prada joined in, but she nearly forgot her greetings. Lord Gucci visited regularly, after all.
And then she headed toward the banquet hall. A moment later, her scream echoed through the village. Well, I had forgotten to mention to her that the banquet Lord Ancestor was heading toward was attended exclusively by dragons.
Lady Reginleiv of the Angel Race was working hard to integrate into our community. She was particularly keen on learning the village rules in detail. I appreciated her dedication to maintaining order, so I did not hold back. I taught her everything.
"Wash your hands after using the outhouse."
This was a strict rule established by the Village Head. Oh, she should not jump to conclusions. That was not all.
"The person who notices the leaves for wiping one's bottom are running out must be the one to restock them."
This was also vital. I was not joking. Fortunately, Lady Reginleiv took it quite seriously. These rules, so closely tied to daily life, were the most important of all. We said it together: "As expected of the Village Head."
After finishing breakfast, Lady Yoko headed out to Village Five again. I took care of Lady Hitoe for a while, but soon she went to attend Lady Guronde’s class. I thought it might be too early for her, but it was Lady Hitoe’s fervent wish. Lady Yoko had asked me to let her do as she pleased, so I did not object. Lady Guronde did not mind either.
Once Lady Hitoe was off to her lesson, I tidied Lady Yoko’s room. As usual, it was overflowing with documents and wooden tablets. Being the Proxy Village Head of Village Five was clearly a taxing job. Lately, she seemed to be devising various schemes for the Village Head's sake. By "schemes," I did not mean anything nefarious. She was trying to comfort him because he had been so lonely since Master Alfred, Lady Tiselle, and Lady Urza left for the Academy.
Some residents whispered that Lady Yoko was being too clingy, but she was doing things for him that we maids simply could not. We had to be grateful. Though, I would not say I was at least a little jealous of their relationship.
Regardless, Village Five certainly had its share of problems. Unlike our village, where everyone gathered because they wanted to be near the Village Head, many people there had simply come looking for a safe place to live. Part of me thought we should just leave it to Lady Yoko, but Village Five was the Village Head's domain as well. We could not afford to be lax.
However, we could not overdo it either. My personal theory was that Master Alfred would eventually govern Village Five. Given how much care the Village Head put into the place, I doubted I was far off. When Master Alfred finally took over, we had to make sure there was still meaningful work left for him to do. I suspected Lady Yoko’s governance was intentionally lenient for that very reason. Otherwise, she would have simply exerted her power and established perfect control. That would have been much easier, after all. The fact that she did not...
Oh, I had to stop daydreaming and finish cleaning. Ah, I found clothes in a place like this. Were they laundry? I had asked that laundry be placed in the designated spot. However, I could not just wash them without permission. They might be important. Then again, would important clothes really be stuffed between stacks of documents? I decided not to make any hasty judgments; they might be evidence for some incident. I left them on the desk.
I heard from a colleague who had been in Village Five that the Village Head had treated her to a home-cooked meal. Fortunately, that colleague was quite skilled at cooking. I intended to have her recreate the dish. It would be fine. I knew we could do it. After all, we were going to participate in the cooking tournament at the Village Head's request.
The main ingredient was shrimp? Understood. I would prepare them. Among us High Ogre maids, the happiness of one was the happiness of all. While I was busy badgering the colleague who had been with the Village Head, the Village Head himself decided to cook for all of us as well. To think he called it a token of his daily appreciation... Thank you so much.
And let me say it once more: as expected of the Village Head.