A blizzard had begun to blow.
It was winter, after all, and the air was biting.
In the midst of the storm, I set out to harvest strawberries. The children had mentioned they wanted to eat some, so I braved the weather to gather a full basket.
The harvest site was in the northeast of the village. Since the harvest in the regular strawberry field had already concluded, I went to the patch I had planted deep in the forest for my own snacks.
The real problem was the return trip to the Village Head's Mansion. The shortest route involved crossing the ranch area, but somehow, the goats had discovered I was out harvesting. They were lying in wait. They likely intended to startle me or trip me up, hoping I would drop the basket. Goats do love strawberries.
Under normal circumstances, I would have taken a detour, but the blizzard was intensifying. I needed to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible. Yet, even in this weather, the goats refused to budge. They stared intently at my basket. Usually, they would have been taking refuge in a shed or a cave by now.
The Kuro's children acting as my guards asked if they should drive the goats away. I considered it, but I doubted the goats would give up that easily. I could already see them launching sporadic ambushes.
It couldn't be helped. I had one of the Kuro's children carry the basket on its back. Seeing this, the goats looked utterly despairing. I felt a little bad, but these strawberries were for the children, so I couldn't afford to lose them.
"Now then, let's head back."
Just as we started moving, the goats shifted their tactics.
"Hey! Stop it! Don't focus all your attacks on me! The one with the strawberries is over there! Ow, ouch! Someone help!"
Reginleiv eventually came to my rescue. I was grateful, but I had to tell her to stop using her "serious" magic. It was far too dangerous. She seemed to be trying her best to miss the goats on purpose, but then she dropped a bombshell.
"Wait, you were actually aiming for them? And they dodged every single shot?"
I told her not to be so depressed, though I also had to ask her to stop swearing revenge. I told her the goats surely had some good points... probably. Even if they didn't, I asked her to just forgive them.
As we finally approached the mansion, I found several of the Kuro's children looking troubled. They had dropped the basket, and strawberries were scattered across the ground.
Well, it made sense. I had just set the basket on their backs without any way to secure it. Of course it would fall. I told them there was no need to apologize and that it was my mistake. I made a mental note to design a basket that they could properly wear on their backs in the future. I gathered up the undamaged berries and finally made it inside.
That night, I had chicken wings seasoned with a soy-sauce-based sweet and spicy glaze. They were delicious. Truly delicious. I felt like I could eat them forever. However, you can only get two wings from a single chicken. If we tried to serve them as a standard meal, the number of birds required would be astronomical. Consequently, they weren't served as a regular dish; they had become my private night snack.
I sat in the kotatsu, and Aegis, the phoenix chick, was my companion for the evening. Aegis sat on top of the kotatsu, pecking at a wing.
"I see, you like them too?"
As usual, the chick ate incredibly cleanly. It was normal for birds to eat other birds, and since they weren't the same species, it didn't seem to be an issue. I decided not to worry about it.
The wings were gone in an instant. I had eaten seven, and Aegis had finished three. I found myself wanting more, and Aegis looked like it felt the same. But just as I was about to ask for seconds, I felt a heavy gaze. One of the High Ogre maids was staring at me intently. I decided to call it a night.
"Sorry, Aegis. I'll do my best next time. Thanks for the meal."
The following afternoon, while I was relaxing in my room, Yuri came to see me.
"I heard about the plan to connect the Royal Capital and Shashato City with short-distance teleportation gates from my father..."
She wanted to consult with me.
"I am in favor of my father’s plan," she explained. "It serves as proof that the Demon Kingdom doesn't intend to use the gates for military purposes, and the economic impact will be massive. However, I am worried about the villages and towns along the route."
If we thought of the gate-connected road as a highway, the villages were essentially service areas with lodging. If they lacked unique characteristics or local specialties, travelers would simply rush past them. Conversely, if they had something to offer, travelers might stay for several nights instead of just one. It required effort from the local communities.
"Until now," Yuri continued, "the villages and towns on that path have prospered passively just by having trading carriages pass through. There are very few places capable of suddenly developing a specialty or unique feature on their own."
She was right. There were ten villages and three towns between the Capital and Shashato. At this stage, only two villages and one town had anything that could be considered a local specialty. For the rest, their only defining trait was their location.
"I’ve heard of Yoko-sama’s plan to spread papermaking, but only a few villages are actually suitable for that. I would like to recommend other industries as well."
"What kind of industries?" I asked.
"Raising livestock—goats, sheep, pigs, cows, and chickens."
We already did this in the areas surrounding Village Five, but it was currently concentrated on the eastern side of Shashato. Yuri wanted to spread these practices to the west. It wasn't secret technology, and increasing the food supply was always a benefit. It would also support Yoko’s plan to establish dining halls along the route. I warned her to be careful with the volume of livestock to prevent a price collapse.
"I will handle that," she assured me. "I’ll make sure it doesn't negatively impact the villages already raising animals."
I nodded. It was rare for Yuri to be this proactive about such matters.
"I am the Demon Kingdom Administrator, after all," she reminded me.
That was her role—an inspector for regions that lacked a formal magistrate.
"Not all of the villages along the route have magistrates?"
"No. The plan is still in the early stages, but village heads from areas without magistrates have already been flocking to Village Five. It’s quite a handful. Most of them just come to me and say they want to be saved."
I told her she needed to guide them toward coming up with their own ideas, or they would struggle later.
"I know, but for now, they just need to survive the transition. Besides, it’s better that they come to me at all. Some places won't say a word until their situation is utterly hopeless."
"That sounds terrible. Can't you intervene beforehand?"
"If I go to them and ask if they're in trouble, it can be seen as an insult. So, I can't do anything."
"Even though you're the Administrator?"
"Even though I am."
It seemed like a difficult position. I thought she should have more authority, but if every Administrator had that kind of power, it would inevitably lead to abuse.
"I see why you say it's better that they appeal to you, then."
"Exactly. And they come to me in Village Five because they aren't in a position to have an audience with my father. Furthermore, if they appeal to the bureaucrats in the Capital poorly, they risk being dismissed. It's seen as a declaration of their own incompetence."
I suspected the fear of dismissal was exactly why some remained silent.
"I agree," Yuri said. "I’ve told Randan-sama that we need to create an environment where people can consult us more casually, but there are issues of protocol and status to overcome. For now, Magistrate Ifuls and I will be coordinating the opinions of the local leaders regarding my father's plan. So, I look forward to your continued support."
"Likewise," I replied.
After her formal greeting, Yuri left.
Wait. Why did she say that to me? I wasn't the one she needed to coordinate with—that was the Demon King. Perhaps it was just a standard politeness.
Village Head: "I dropped the strawberries once. They might be a little bruised. I'm sorry." Children: "It’s fine. We’re going to mash them with milk and sugar anyway." High Ogre Maid: "Village Head, it is time." Aegis: (Leaves the room silently) Yuri: "Father, where is the Village Head?" Demon King: "I believe he's in the living room."