We returned to the mansion for an interview with the fifteen boxes.
...An interview?
Well, since we were able to communicate, I suppose that was as good a word as any.
I started by assigning numbers one through fifteen to them. Box No. 1 was the first one we had discovered. I wrote the numbers on wooden boards and leaned them against each box. I planned to label the rest in the order they were found, so I really hoped they wouldn't start fighting over which number belonged to whom.
Wait, what?
They wanted me to avoid unlucky numbers?
Which numbers were considered unlucky? For a set up to fifteen, they pointed out four, six, nine, and thirteen. That was actually a fair amount.
Oh? One of them didn't mind having an unlucky number?
Alright, then. I told them to just self-report whatever number they wanted. As long as I could tell them apart, it didn't really matter.
The final tally was: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 7, No. 10, No. 12, No. 15, No. 17, No. 18, No. 20, No. 21, No. 22, and No. 4051.
...Well, as long as there were no duplicates, it wasn't a problem.
It wasn't a problem, but...
"Box No. 4051. Is there some specific meaning behind that number? A significant memory, perhaps?"
No?
It just picked it "normally"?
...I see. Choosing 4051 "normally." I was starting to worry about this one.
Look, I wasn't saying it was bad to have a firm sense of self and not be swayed by others. That’s a good trait. However, there is such a thing as going with the flow. It’s called being cooperative. Wouldn't it be safer to just go with No. 23, or maybe No. 30? At most, No. 99?
"I see no meaning in living a safe life. I will live according to my own way..."
If that’s how it felt, then there was nothing I could do. I would allow it.
"Box No. 4051."
The board I used for the numbers didn't have much room for four digits, so I had wanted it to pick something smaller, but I suppose I'd just have to prepare a larger board.
Hey, don't the rest of you start following its lead now. I’d already written your numbers on the boards, so just give it up. It wasn't like I’d be calling you by those numbers forever, anyway.
Assigning the numbers alone had exhausted me. I thought the real work was just beginning, but then a High Ogre Maid called out to let me know dinner was ready.
Sorry, boxes, but it was time for a meal break.
I wondered if they needed to eat anything.
"We can obtain energy from light, wind, temperature, and the like," one replied. "However, we would be incredibly happy if we could receive magic stones. Even small ones would be fine."
Fair enough. I took some magic stones harvested from the monsters and magic beasts in the forest and placed one inside each box.
"Such a large magic stone!"
"A-Are you certain it is alright for us to consume this?"
I told them not to hold back. I could even give them seconds if they wanted.
"Seconds... What a sweet, melodic sound."
"The master I was meant to serve was right here."
They were definitely exaggerating. I told them to wait a bit while I went to have dinner.
"We will wait for hundreds of years if need be. We have the track record for it, after all."
Haha. I really wished they’d stop with those "loyal dog" stories. They were enough to make a man cry.
During dinner, I gave everyone a detailed explanation of how we found the boxes.
"Lu, don't read the grimoire while we're eating."
She claimed she wasn't reading it since she couldn't decipher the script anyway; she was just looking at it. I told her not to pout forever; the children would start mimicking her if she did.
I planned to check the rest of the contents after the meal. Everyone was interested, right? Good, then let’s finish eating.
"By the way, Kuro. Isn't that a lot of food today? Can you really eat all that?"
No, that wasn't what I meant...
As soon as my gaze drifted toward his belly, Kuro seemed to remember his diet. His tail, which had been wagging with joy over the meal until a second ago, suddenly drooped. I wasn't telling him not to eat, just to be careful about overindulging.
Also, the sake. He was definitely drinking it from his dedicated flat plate. That was fine, but again, he needed to watch the quantity.
He seemed to understand. It would be a shame to waste the food and sake that had been prepared for us, anyway.
"Just do your best starting tomorrow."
As soon as I said that, Yuki, who was sitting beside me, scolded me for being too soft on him. My apologies.
After dinner, the four of us—Lu, Tia, Ann, and myself—went to check the contents of the boxes. Box No. 1 contained the grimoire on how to make a flying carpet, but what about the others? I’d caught a glimpse when I was handing out the magic stones, but there were many items I didn't recognize.
"Alright, let's get started."
I had Box No. 1 standby next to me. It would be a huge help if it could explain the items as we opened each box. It would probably be fastest to ask the boxes themselves, but having lids opening and closing constantly while we were trying to inspect the contents would be a bit of a hassle.
First, I opened Box No. 2.
It was packed to the brim with withered grass. I recalled the boxes having a preservation function. If that was the case, was the grass supposed to be withered?
"Master, my apologies," Box No. 1 explained. "We do possess a preservation function, but we cannot literally stop time. Preventing plants from drying out over several centuries is a difficult task."
I see. Well, that was fine. Box No. 2 had done its best until now.
I closed the lid on Box No. 2 and took a moment to think. It mentioned centuries, but how long exactly had these boxes been in the forest? I asked Box No. 1.
"Forgive me. Since I was in a long-term sleep mode, we don't know exactly how much time has passed. However, judging by the growth of the surrounding flora, I estimated it must have been at least a few hundred years."
At that point, Lu raised her hand. "Based on the style of the characters used in the grimoire, I’d wager it was about two thousand five hundred to three thousand five hundred years ago."
I see. Even if she couldn't read the script, she recognized the style?
I asked that question in my head. Perhaps she had memorized them as patterns rather than letters. I answered my own question.
I didn't let those stray thoughts escape my lips, yet Lu gave me a light smack anyway. I decided to be happy that our hearts were so in sync.
Regardless, the boxes had been dropped at least twenty-five hundred years ago. That meant the contents were just as old. It was only natural that the grass had withered.
It was a shame, but I’d have to dispose of the withered grass...
Wait. There were seeds at the bottom. Were they from the withered grass? Perhaps the plants had borne fruit before they dried up, leaving only the seeds behind. I wondered if they would grow if I planted them.
These were items Box No. 2 had protected with great care. I decided to try my hand at growing them later. For now, I’d store the seeds carefully.
Box No. 2 gathered the seeds up for me.
"Thank you."
Wait, I only managed to open Box No. 2.