Rusty: A dragon. Daughter of Draim and Graffaloon.
Lananon: Rusty’s daughter.
Kukulkan: Rusty’s son.
Bulga: A Devil. Rusty’s maid.
Stifano: A Devil. Rusty’s maid.
Frau: A Demon. Beezel’s daughter.
Kuro’s children—the Inferno Wolves living here in the Village of the Great Tree—handle various duties around the settlement. Among those responsibilities is guarding the orchard area, but that particular job hadn't been very popular with them.
The problem was that, while they were expected to drive off any intruders, they weren't allowed to use magic for fear of damaging the fruit or the trees. Kicking the trunks or accidentally bumping into them was also forbidden. This significantly hampered their mobility. On top of that, the heavy scents of flowers and ripening fruit in the orchard interfered with their keen sense of smell. Simply put, the orchard was an ill-suited environment for Kuro’s children to act as guards.
I had only realized this recently. Claiming I had merely left the security details to their own autonomy was a poor excuse. I felt genuinely sorry for the oversight.
Consequently, I decided to relieve Kuro’s children of that duty and entrusted the orchard’s security to the Lamia race instead.
"We shall not allow a single soul to lay a finger on this orchard!" one of them declared.
The Lamias certainly seemed full of spirit, but I told them this would be a trial period and urged them not to overextend themselves. I made it clear that if the job didn't suit them, they were free to say so. I also asked them to get along with the worker bees and Zabuton’s children, who also guarded the area. Generally, Zabuton’s children handled the treetops and the airspace above, while the soldier bees acted as a mobile skirmish force within the orchard itself.
I told the Lamias that I would appreciate it if they could develop their own security protocols. I didn't expect them to mimic exactly what Kuro’s children had been doing; I wanted them to provide security that played to their racial strengths.
"A few of Kuro’s children will remain behind for the time being, so there's no need to be so tense," I added. "I’m counting on you."
"Yes, Village Head! Please, leave it to us!"
...
In truth, it wasn't just the orchard. Kuro’s children patrolled the entire perimeter of the Village of the Great Tree, so combat rarely broke out inside the orchard itself. I debated whether to tell the Lamias this, but I decided it was better for them to approach the task with a healthy sense of vigilance rather than letting their guard down.
While I was showing the Lamia race around the orchard, I decided to check on the bees. Recently, I had left the construction of the bee huts to the High Elves, and their numbers had grown quite substantially. Since it was a period of high activity, many worker bees were buzzing in and out of the huts.
"There's no need to stop on my account," I said. "Just carry on as usual."
As I watched, the bees began to form letters in the air with their flight patterns. They were remarkably clever.
Let’s see... Ah, they wanted me to praise the Queen Bee because she was working hard on her diet.
"I’ll see to it," I promised.
I knew the Queen Bee well; we had a long history. I would make sure to praise her just enough without letting it go to her head. If I recalled correctly, she had become so obese she couldn't even leave the nest, prompting the soldier bees to start whispering about using fire on her to "clear the blockage." That was what had finally motivated her to start dieting.
I didn't think being fat was necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted everyone to avoid reaching the point where it interfered with their daily lives or caused illness.
On that note, I realized there were very few residents in the Village of the Great Tree who were fat.
Wait.
The Dwarves were a bit stout, but I had been told that was a trait of their race. Aside from them, there were only a few slightly plump individuals among the Minotaurs and the Giants. Rather than saying there were few fat people, it was more accurate to say there were essentially none at all.
What did this mean? Did the people of this world have a constitution that made it difficult to gain weight? No, I had seen plenty of overweight people in Village Five and Shashato City. Even the Queen Bee could get fat, so it wasn't a biological impossibility.
In that case... could it be that the food in this village lacked nutritional value?
"We are more than satisfied with the meals," Daga said with a laugh when I returned to the mansion and voiced my concerns. "You seem worried about us, but the residents of this village are always active. Whether it's training, hunting, or carpentry, everyone is constantly moving their bodies. There’s simply no opportunity for excess fat to settle."
I see. I was relieved to hear it wasn't a nutritional issue. But then, did that mean they had no downtime? I always told them to take breaks whenever they felt like it, but was I inadvertently making it harder for them to rest? Should I be more firm about mandating time off?
"No, no, that isn't necessary," Daga reassured me. "It just means that, as things stand, everyone is maintaining a healthy physique."
That was good to hear. And it was true that the residents were always busy. The High Elves went hunting, the Beastman girls ran around the ranch area, the High Ogre Maids worked harder than anyone in the mansion, and even the Mountain Elves never missed a day of helping in the fields.
Wait... what about the Civil Official Girls? They worked hard too, but their jobs were primarily desk work. They didn't move much.
"They put in the effort," Frau told me with a smile when I asked her as their representative.
However, there was a certain weight behind that smile—a silent pressure telling me not to pry any further. I decided to drop the subject immediately. I did, however, have one last thing to confirm. I had always been under the impression that for nobles, being fat was a sign of wealth and status.
"I believe that trend exists in the Human Kingdoms," Frau explained, "but in the Demon Kingdom, strength is prioritized. Regardless of gender, people are expected to have bodies capable of combat. Therefore, being overweight is generally looked down upon. There are a few exceptional races that consider a large build to be impressive, but you won't see them around the Royal Capital."
That made perfect sense. I took a deep breath to settle my thoughts.
The residents were healthy, the food was fine, and everyone took their rest when they needed it. Childcare was a communal effort, so no one was struggling in isolation. There was no need for me to panic or make any drastic changes.
"Right. Let's have some tea."
The tea was delicious. As I sat there, Rusty joined me before I even realized she was there. She had settled down quite a bit recently, albeit in a different way than I had.
Until not long ago, Rusty had tried to handle everything regarding our daughter, Lananon, entirely by herself. Even Bulga and Stifano, her personal attendants, were barely allowed to get close to the child. Naturally, I had tried to help as a father, but I was always gently rebuffed. If Raimeiren hadn't explained that most dragons act that way with their firstborn, I would have been deeply hurt.
However, once Rusty became pregnant with our second child, Kukulkan, her obsession with Lananon faded. She began to rely much more on Bulga, Stifano, and me. I probably should have had a word with Draim and Graffaloon, who had suddenly started showing up to look after Lananon the moment they noticed the shift. They had been a big help, though.
Now that Kukulkan had been born, Rusty showed a bit of that same protective streak toward both children, but for the most part, she left their care to Draim and Graffaloon during the day. She looked after Lananon and Kukulkan once the sun went down, but until then, she spent her time working as a resident of the village.
"Village Head," Rusty said, once I had finished my tea and relaxed. "Now that you've had your break, we have a matter of business. It seems magic beasts have appeared around Village Five, and they're causing damage to the livestock."
"Shouldn't that be a job for the adventurers?" I asked.
"Ordinarily, yes. However, there are a great number of them, and the adventurers are struggling. Yoko-san wants us to act before the Adventurer Guild formally breaks down and begs for help."
I see. She wanted me to send Galf and Daga to Village Five.
"She also mentioned that if those two aren't available, she wouldn't mind if we called back Gol, Sil, and Bron from the Royal Capital."
Even with the short-distance teleportation gates, I felt bad about dragging those three away from their studies. I decided to bring the proposal to Galf and Daga, and if they couldn't do it, I would go myself.
"...You, Village Head?"
"Is that a problem? If the beasts are only appearing in the outskirts of Village Five, they can't be that strong, right?"
"That's true... In that case, I shall accompany you."
"That sounds fine. It’s rare for us to go out together."
Of course, that was assuming Galf and Daga turned the job down. I didn't think they would.
And yet, both Galf and Daga refused.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Are you both feeling ill?"
Galf aside, Daga had seemed perfectly fine when I saw him earlier. For some reason, neither of them would meet my eyes. They kept looking past me toward the space behind my shoulder.
Rusty, stop emitting that "don't you dare accept" aura!