Listening to the ice crack on the reservoir, I felt like spring was just around the corner—and then, suddenly, it was here.
Good morning, Zabuton.
Your children worked very hard while you were away.
Also, Hakuren had her babies. They were twins. They were currently napping, but I promised her I’d call for her to come see them once they woke up.
Ah, Dos was absolutely overjoyed... or rather, he had started a banquet that hadn't stopped since. I’d thought he was joking at first, but it looked like he truly intended to keep it going until Rusty’s delivery next month. You could join in if you liked, but please, do so in moderation. Well, if it was Zabuton, I was sure she’d be fine.
Urza pounced on Zabuton, followed quickly by Alfred and Tiselle. Well, they hadn't seen her in a long time, after all.
For my part, I had wanted to introduce Versa to her, but... wait, what? Where did Versa go? I could have sworn she was right here just a moment ago.
Apparently, she had been hiding somewhere in the Village Head's Mansion. I say "apparently" because Zabuton eventually dragged her out, bound head-to-toe in silk threads.
Now, hiding like that was certainly suspicious, but I assured Zabuton she wasn't a suspicious person. Or rather, why was Versa even hiding in the first place? Was it just a whim? Truly?
I wasn't exactly surprised by Versa’s eccentric behavior anymore, though. She had arrived at the village with Progenitor-san a while back, and while she was quiet at first, she started acting quite strange the moment I began showing her around.
First, she got incredibly excited in front of the cows and horses. I’d assumed it was part of that creative work of hers, but I was wrong.
"A God Horse... a God Cow... and there are so many of them..." she had muttered.
I had no idea what she was talking about. They were just ordinary horses and cows, even if they were a bit smarter than most.
Then, when we were in front of the goats...
"A goat...? Is this... really a goat?"
The moment she whispered that, a goat hit her with a full-on ramming attack. Those actually hurt quite a bit, didn't they? I understood her pain all too well. However, I really wished she would stop trying to throw snowballs at them afterward. She couldn't hit them anyway, and it only served to egg the goats on.
Later, I was showing her the courtyard, and the moment I took my eyes off her, she was being chased around by the chickens. She’d probably tried to take an egg. We had very strict rules about which eggs were okay to take. If you laid a hand on any others, the birds would hunt you down.
Yes, that hurt too, didn't it? I understood.
"God Bird..."
I really wished she would stop adding "God" to everything. Look, the Chicken Leader had started crowing triumphantly because of her.
Then we went to the shrine near the Great Tree.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
I had told her it was glowing, after all. Besides, it wasn't glowing so brightly that she needed to be that dramatic. Hikaru, who was born recently, actually put out more light than the shrine did. Anyway, I told her she could pay her respects once she calmed down—though it wasn't mandatory, so she didn't have to push herself.
When she spotted Aegis, the phoenix chick, walking down the mansion hallway, Versa immediately hid. Aegis wasn't going to peck at her or anything. Was that not it? Then what was it? Versa observed Aegis from a distance for a while, and after reaching some sort of conclusion, she finally started interacting with it normally. I really wondered what that was about.
She was a bit surprised by the banquet Dos and the others were holding, but she eventually joined in. She fit in strangely well. It wasn't a bad thing, but when Dos and Giral’s opinions clashed, she immediately took Giral’s side. I wondered if there was a reason for that. I certainly hoped it wasn't related to those specific "hobbies" of hers.
It wasn't? Good.
That aside, I made sure to tell Mark, Draim, Domaim, and Kuorun that they needed to stay close to their wives. Ideally, they should be locking arms or holding hands. Never mind why. Just listen to me for now.
Draim complained that his wife, Graffaloon, was completely occupied with taking care of Lananon and wouldn't pay him any mind. Well, since Rusty was currently pregnant, this was her only real chance to help out with her granddaughter. It couldn't be helped.
I just didn't want the men getting too close to each other in front of Versa. And that went for me too. For the record, she had promised to refrain from her shipping fantasies while she was in this village, but she had only said she would "refrain." I had to stay vigilant.
Anyway, back to why she had taken Giral’s side. It turned out the Dark Dragons had been her allies in a war long ago. I suppose that made them Giral’s ancestors. They had a very lively conversation about the Dark Dragons of the past.
When the Fairy Queen and Versa met, both of them froze stiff. They stayed that way for so long that I was starting to worry, but then they finally stepped forward and shook hands. It seemed some kind of pact had been formed. Even when I asked them what it was, neither of them would tell me a thing. My guess was that since they were both so long-lived, they had agreed to stay quiet about each other’s embarrassing secrets from the past. Well, they were eating pancakes together happily enough, so I figured there was no problem.
Aside from that, she was moved to tears by the High Ogre Maids' cooking and was astonished when she saw the World Tree. The High Ogre Maids' food was delicious enough to win the cooking tournament in Village Five, so I understood why she was impressed, but I didn't think it warranted actual tears.
I’d thought Versa had finally settled in, but I suppose I shouldn't let my guard down yet.
"Anyway, Zabuton, please undo the threads. I haven't introduced her yet, but she is Progenitor-san's wife."
...Hm? Zabuton, Versa—were you two already acquaintances?
"No, no, no, no, no! It's unthinkable! I couldn't possibly be an acquaintance of hers!"
Versa didn't have to deny it that desperately.
"Ah, Zabuton. Apparently, she's one of the thirty-seven Legion Commanders—the Legatus Legionis—who serves the God of Magic, Raigiel..."
Suddenly, Versa cut me off.
"I will completely seal away those hobbies of mine while I am in this village! So please, keep that matter a secret!"
I didn't quite understand why she was so panicked, but if she was willing to go that far... fine. It was a promise, then.
When Zabuton woke up, it truly felt like spring had arrived.
Yes, let's do our best again this year.