After a somber farewell to Versa, Progenitor-san finally headed home. Versa spent a short time moping before she followed suit, returning to her workshop in Village Five. She was likely eager to immerse herself in her writing once again.
Well, I wished her the best. I intended to send her the occasional gift of sweets, but otherwise, I planned to stay out of her hair. I told her to contact Yoko if she ran into any real trouble.
Mark and Suiren also departed, their backs laden with souvenirs. Helze remained in the village, though as I had mentioned many times before, marriage was entirely dependent on the feelings of the individuals involved. I made it clear to her that if Hikaru wasn't interested, I wouldn't lift a finger to help her.
Naturally, if she was going to live here, I needed her to contribute to the village's workload, but that wasn't an issue. She had worked hard as a proxy while Hakuren and Rusty were pregnant, and she had continued to be a great help even after the births. She probably had the ulterior motive of staying on my good side and the villagers' good side to gain supporters for her future marriage, but I saw no need to point that out.
Besides, for someone who publicly proclaimed that she was targeting Hikaru, she hardly ever actually approached him. Hakuren told me not to worry about it; she said Helze was simply acting as a standard guard until her "target" reached a more appropriate age.
I wondered if Kuon had been like that with Domaim in the past. Hakuren didn't know the answer to that, as she had been away from home at the time.
Speaking of them, Domaim and Kuon, along with Sekiren and Kuorun, also headed home with their own piles of souvenirs. I made sure to tell them to come back and visit soon.
Draim and Graffaloon were still doting on their grandchildren, Lananon and Kukulkan. I began to wonder if they were ever going to leave. If they stayed much longer, I suspected Gucci would eventually show up to drag them back.
Draim eventually handed Kukulkan over to Graffaloon and gestured for me to follow him outside. He led me to the basement of the Great Tree Dungeon, where I found a teleportation gate I didn't recognize. Well, I recognized the type—it was one of the short-distance gates Lu had developed.
The fact that it was installed here meant the destination was Draim’s Nest. Since they had gone through all the trouble of setting it up before even asking for my permission, I could hardly say no. Then again, I didn't really have any reason to refuse a connection to Draim’s home anyway. I told him it would be a huge help if he provided the gate manager from his end.
Still, I had to wonder if he really wanted to turn a one-hour flight into a five-minute jog that badly. Apparently, Graffaloon had been right on the cusp of suggesting they move into the village permanently. I didn't mind having them around, but I warned Draim that if he meddled with the grandchildren too much, he was going to make an enemy of his own daughter. He needed to learn some moderation.
The Angel Race also took their leave. As expected, only Razmaria and Reginleiv were slated to stay behind. I say "slated" because they were currently busy acting as escorts for the departing group. They said they were only going part of the way out of consideration for their kin's feelings, but I had a hunch they would end up following them all the way back to the Angel Race Village.
With the high-ranking Angels gone, Kierbit and the twins, Suarliu and Suarkou, looked visibly relieved. The elders probably hadn't explicitly asked them why they weren't married or when they were having children, but the unspoken pressure must have been immense. They had been keeping such a low profile lately that it felt like they had almost faded into the background.
On a side note, Aurora had become strangely attached to Kierbit. The other day, Aurora told Tia that she wanted to grow up to be a princess just like Kierbit, which made Tia pull a very complicated face. I suppose Kierbit technically was a princess, in a manner of speaking.
It was nothing, Kierbit. Please stop using your wings to broadcast your irritation. Thanks to the interactions between Tia and Ruincia, I had started to learn what all those wing movements meant. I was honestly surprised by just how much an Angel could express with them.
Later, I realized I needed to check on Kuroyon, who was feeling a bit down after Malbit’s departure. Before I could go to him, however, his partner Elis approached me and insisted that comforting him was her job. She was right, of course, so I left him in her capable paws.
Still, my hands were already in "petting mode," so I ended up fussing over the Fenrir's children who were lounging nearby. They were good pups. It was starting to get hot out, so I made sure to tell them to stay hydrated and mind their health.
The trio of beastman boys—Gol, Sil, and Bron—seemed to be popping back to the village quite frequently. I assumed it was because of the new shortcut through the teleportation gate. They seemed to be debating the best time to bring their wives for a visit. If they were just coming for a tour and not moving in permanently, I didn't think they needed to overthink the timing so much.
It seemed that deep down, the three of them really wanted to move back to the village. I told them to make sure they had a proper, honest discussion with their wives about it. If they tried to decide something that big on their own, it would only lead to a massive fight.
I also noticed Daga lecturing them earlier. It turned out they had tried to sneak into the forest by themselves. That was a strict no-go. No one enters the forest without an escort from either Kuro's pack or Zabuton's children. Even I got scolded for breaking that rule. Daga had already given them an earful, so I didn't harp on it, but I did ask what they were thinking.
They told me they wanted to train. Apparently, life in the Demon Kingdom had been so peaceful that they felt they were getting soft. I didn't quite relate to the sentiment, but I told them they could train as long as they prioritized safety. They were married men now, after all.
When I asked if training with Daga or Galf wasn't enough, they said they wanted someone who wouldn't show any mercy. I considered asking Hakuren, especially since she had mentioned wanting to blow off some steam after being cooped up during her pregnancy.
The boys immediately balked. They said they wanted to train, not become legends. I had to wonder if training with Hakuren automatically turned someone into a legendary figure. If they wanted someone else, I suggested Giral. He had been asking if there was anything he could do to help out around the village lately. Since harvest season was still a ways off, acting as a sparring partner for the boys seemed perfect. I told them not to run away; Giral would surely know how to pull his punches. Probably.
I spotted the Fairy Queen napping while straddling a branch of the World Tree. She was surprisingly coordinated. Come to think of it, people often prayed to the Fairy Queen for safe births. The fact that everyone in the village, not just Hakuren and Rusty, had delivered healthy babies might very well have been thanks to her presence. Since she supposedly hated being thanked or prayed to directly, I simply offered her my silent gratitude from afar.
The Fairy Queen woke up and looked my way. Unfortunately for her, it was still a bit too early for her scheduled snack. I was going to tell her to go back to sleep, but the giant golden silkworms started gesturing frantically for me to take her away. She was in their way.
It couldn't be helped. It was a bit early, but I decided it was time for a snack break. I lured the Fairy Queen down and headed toward the mansion.
Inside, I found the Demon King and Beezel. Despite the early hour, they were already nursing drinks and venting to each other. It seemed the political fallout and logistical headaches regarding the new teleportation gates were still ongoing. It sounded like quite the ordeal.