Urza, having returned from the Demon Kingdom Academy, was fussing over the pregnant Hakuren. No, wait—it was more accurate to say she was taking care of her. It was a kind gesture, though the actual delivery was still a while off, likely toward the end of winter. By comparison, Rusty was due around early spring.
Meanwhile, Alfred and Tiselle were busy socializing with the other children, regaling them with stories from the academy. Even Kuro’s children and Zabuton’s children had gathered to listen; it looked less like a casual chat and more like a formal lecture.
The only one who remained wary of Alfred and Tiselle was Ol, the Orthrus pup. He probably didn't recognize them, as he refused to budge from Guronde’s side.
Gol, Sil, and Bron were chatting with the Demon King, who had arrived a bit later than the others. I took the opportunity to apologize to the Demon King for the "invasion" joke the boys had made. I didn't want the story to reach him through some distorted rumor and cause a misunderstanding. To my relief, the Demon King just laughed heartily and told me not to give it a second thought.
Then, he turned to Gol, Sil, Bron, and Beezel with a grand declaration.
"Do you really think you can defeat this Demon King with such a meager force?"
He wore a look of utter smugness. I see. So that was the legendary martial prowess of the Demon King—a man who didn't care about a mere difference in numbers. Truly impressive. It would have been a perfect moment, too, if he hadn't immediately tried to sabotage the boys' attempt to call Dos for backup.
From what I gathered, the Gagoroku Territory, the Shaiban Territory, and the Balgo Region were all places where rebellions had nearly broken out in the past. The boys had suppressed those uprisings before they could truly begin, and they had been serving as the equivalent of territorial magistrates ever since.
I had to tell them that, first and foremost, I didn't want them going anywhere so dangerous. It made me worry. Besides, was it really necessary for them to act as magistrates? Apparently, in the Demon Kingdom, might was right. It was simply less of a headache for the boys—who had already crushed the local opposition—to run things than it would be for a stranger to step in.
If the boys were satisfied with the arrangement, I wouldn't stand in their way. They assured me the rewards were more than sufficient. I just made sure they knew to speak up if they ever wanted out. They were respectable, married adults now, and it felt a bit rude to nag them too much, but I reminded them they were welcome home whenever they liked.
Then there was the matter of the Demon King. While the boys were out working, I had the distinct impression he had been spending most of his time playing baseball. When I asked if he was just slacking off, he insisted it was actually a form of diplomacy. Apparently, some members of the teams had connections to the Human Kingdom, and he used the games as a cover to maintain contact.
If it was actually work, I wondered why he didn't just summon them formally, but he claimed that doing so would cause even more problems. I didn't quite follow the logic, but I let it slide. Baseball was clearly ninety percent hobby and ten percent work for him, but I wasn't about to question his dedication to the sport.
When winter set in, the temptation to stay indoors was strong, but there was far too much to do. Shrines needed maintenance, the chickens’ eggs had to be collected, and the animal sheds required regular cleaning. Then there was the matter of the slimes.
Most slimes sought out warm spots before the temperature dropped, but every year, a few failed to find shelter and ended up frozen solid. While they would have been perfectly fine staying that way until spring, I felt bad for them and brought them inside the mansion. The village stayed clean thanks to their hard work, after all.
Looking up at the sky, I saw Aegis, the phoenix chick, flying about while wreathed in flames. He looked quite valiant. The eagle was trailing just behind him, looking as dignified as ever. I waved to the pair of them before hurrying on.
My destination was the forest. I needed to gather lumber for Yor's new catapult. I had actually prepared a stockpile before winter, but the Mountain Elves had used it all up. That left me with a choice: wait until spring or head into the woods before a blizzard trapped us inside. I preferred the idea of staying warm by the fire, but after hearing how hard Yor had worked to protect the hot spring area, I wanted to show my appreciation.
I headed out with a few of Kuro’s children as my escort. I knew they were cold, so I promised to make it quick. I selected the trees with the catapult parts in mind and felled them using the Universal Farming Tool. Since I was already out there, I decided to grab some extra for the Mountain Elves.
Halfway through, five of the Mountain Elves showed up to help, accompanied by Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle. I told them they should have stayed in the warm mansion, but they insisted they wanted to work with me for a change. I wasn't about to turn them down.
"In that case, could you help carry the smaller ones?" I asked.
We’d picked up a rabbit and a boar along the way—they’d tried to jump us even this close to the village, which was a worrying sign.
As we worked, I asked Urza how her friend—the "assassin" girl—was doing. Urza told me Zabuton’s children were keeping an eye on her, which was a relief. I told her to let the girl know we could redo our introductions properly once she was more settled and to ask if there was anything specific she wanted to eat. If she was Urza’s friend, she was more than welcome here. I mentioned to Alfred and Tiselle that they could have brought friends as well, but they said their classmates had politely declined. They didn't need to be so reserved, but perhaps Urza's friend would pave the way for others in the future.
With the temperature dropping, we hurried back. I bundled the lumber with rope and used the Universal Farming Tool in its crowbar form to haul the load home.
After finishing the outdoor work, I headed straight for the bath to warm my chilled bones. I invited Alfred to join me, but he declined. He was at that age where he wanted his privacy, I suppose. He headed to a separate bath, while Urza and Tiselle went to the women's bath with the Mountain Elves. In the end, it was just me, Kuro’s children, and one of the rescued slimes.
"You again?" I asked the slime. "Weren't you the one who got frozen last year, too?"
It didn't answer, and I couldn't be sure it was the same one, but I told it to be more careful in the future anyway.
Once I was warm and dry, I headed to the workshop. Thanks to the Universal Farming Tool, the freshly cut wood was ready for immediate use, bypassing the months or years of drying normally required. It was a miracle I tried not to take for granted.
With the Mountain Elves helping, the construction went by in a flash. However, when we finished, I took a step back and blinked.
"Wait... this isn't a catapult, is it?"
It looked more like a ballista—a massive bow mounted on a wheeled platform. I’d thought it was strange when they stopped using the lumber I’d prepared halfway through the process. The result was impressive, featuring both automatic loading and a rapid-fire function, but I had to ask if they’d forgotten this was supposed to be for Yor.
They insisted that because it was for Yor, it had to be this. When we showed it to her, she was absolutely ecstatic. If she was happy, I wasn't going to complain. She immediately asked for more ammunition, so I promised to spend the winter making more than the fifty arrows we had on hand.
A ballista had worse cost-performance than a catapult because of the specialized bolts, but the Elves argued it was far superior for defending a fixed location like the hot spring area. They had a point. I just cautioned her to be extremely careful with her aim.
Even though it was freezing out, Yor began practicing with her new weapon immediately. I told her not to overdo it, but she was having too much fun. Since the bolts were sturdy enough to be reused, she could fire to her heart's content.
As for the extra-modified ballista I’d put together because I got a bit too excited with the leftover materials... I decided I’d keep that one hidden for a little while longer. Just in case.