Fifteen boxes had arrived in the village. Their basic capabilities were as follows:
First, they were sentient. Each box possessed an independent will. Based on our conversations so far, they also appeared to be quite intelligent.
Second, they could store items. Being boxes, this was expected. They could hold anything up to their own size—the short side was about one meter, while the long side was around one meter sixty centimeters. Their height, lid included, was roughly eighty centimeters. They were unable to fit anything larger than their own dimensions.
Third, they could preserve whatever was placed inside. Items would not deteriorate significantly, which made it feel something like vacuum sealing. However, putting living creatures inside was a no-go. Or rather, if a creature above a certain size was placed within, the preservation function would fail, and it would function as a regular box. It was a relief to know that if a child or an animal accidentally climbed inside, they would at least be safe.
Fourth, they could rearrange items within themselves. As long as the lid was closed, they could move things around freely. Even when physical movement should have been impossible, they managed it with ease. It made me realize once again how incredible magic—or rather, these boxes—could be.
Fifth, they could automatically open and close their lids. This included locking and unlocking them by their own will. I thought it might be helpful to attach bells to the lids so we could tell when a box was trying to get someone’s attention.
Beyond these shared traits, each box had its own individual strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. It didn't seem right to assign them all identical tasks just because they looked the same. I wanted to accommodate their requests as much as possible.
The day after I obtained them, we held a tour of the village. I didn't think the boxes would know what kind of jobs were available without seeing them first. Because of their size, I enlisted the help of the sturdy Minotaur Race and Giant Race to move them around. Since I couldn't accompany every box, I gave them bundles of word boards with simple responses like "Yes" and "No." This would allow for basic communication, and I planned to improve the system if any problems arose.
While walking around, I noticed the Mountain Elves gathered together. I wondered what they were up to. They were working on a board with large wheels attached—a dolly. Apparently, it was a dedicated dolly designed specifically for the boxes. They placed a box on top and set a board against the lid. The mechanism was designed to use the force of the box opening and closing its lid to propel it forward. It was remarkably well-made and moved at a decent speed.
"How does it turn?" I asked. "We're still researching that," they replied. "And the brakes?" "Also under research."
Since the boxes could only open and close their lids, navigating and stopping proved to be difficult challenges. I watched as one box crashed straight into a wall. "Any last words for the box?" I asked the elves. "We should have attached cushions to the front," they admitted. I told them to make sure they apologized properly.
Three days later, the village tour concluded without any major issues, though we did have to add a few more words to their boards. The tour took longer than expected because the boxes turned out to be incredibly curious. I had planned to hold formal job interviews afterward, but several boxes had already made up their minds.
Box No. 17 had decided to join the Civil Official Girls, as it wanted to focus primarily on translation work.
Box No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 20 had all chosen to work in the kitchen. The High Ogre Maids who managed the kitchen were hesitant at first, but the boxes quickly won them over by demonstrating their skills. They could sift flour perfectly without leaving a single lump, handle mixing tasks with precision, hand over utensils and ingredients exactly when needed, and even keep prepared dishes warm. The High Ogre Maids had already welcomed them as fellow kitchen staff and declared they couldn't imagine working without them now.
Box No. 10 agreed to stay in Lu's Research Lab after she personally persuaded it. I thought she might use it to manage magic tools, but it seemed she wanted it to assist with her actual research. Tia and Flora were also planning to enlist its help. I didn't mind, so long as they didn't push the poor box too hard.
Box No. 21 chose to go to Village Two. While being carried by the Minotaur Race, it had heard stories about their village and decided it wanted to live there. Similarly, Box No. 22 had been moved by the Giant Race and, after hearing about their lives, requested to go to the Northern Dungeon where they resided. The Giants were quite hesitant to accept out of respect for me, but I gave my permission. Respecting the boxes' wishes was the priority.
Box No. 12 requested a spot in the Great Tree Dungeon. It apparently wanted to store bean sprouts and mushrooms. It seemed like an odd choice to me, but the boxes took the contents they stored very seriously. I granted it permission.
At that point, six boxes remained unassigned: No. 1, No. 2, No. 7, No. 15, No. 18, and No. 4051.
Before long, No. 18 decided to join Versa. It was apparently interested in her writing activities in Village Five. I didn't mind, but I felt a moment of hesitation. I wasn't sure if the box realized exactly what kind of things Versa wrote, but if it was okay with it, I wouldn't stand in the way.
Then there was No. 4051, who wanted to go to the Mountain Elves. I wondered if it had missed seeing Box No. 2 crash into the wall earlier, but it seemed determined to go anyway. Since the Mountain Elves were happy to have it, I left No. 4051 in their care.
That left No. 1, No. 2, No. 7, and No. 15. We had received requests from Village One, Village Three, and the Lamia Race in the Southern Dungeon. I suspected Village One and Three might have been motivated by a bit of healthy rivalry after Village Two got a box, but I asked No. 2 and No. 7 if they were willing to go. They agreed.
Thus, Box No. 2 headed to Village One, and Box No. 7 went to Village Three.
Box No. 15 then indicated it wanted to go to the Southern Dungeon. I agreed and made a note to tell the Lamias to treat it gently.
Finally, only Box No. 1 remained. I decided it would stay in the mansion hall. For the time being, I put it in charge of storing the children's toys, but I told it to let me know if it ever wanted to do something else.
The final placements for the boxes were as follows:
No. 1: Mansion hall of the Village Head's Mansion. No. 2: Village One. No. 3: Village of the Great Tree kitchen. No. 4: Village of the Great Tree kitchen. No. 5: Village of the Great Tree kitchen. No. 7: Village Three. No. 10: Village of the Great Tree, under Lu's management. No. 12: Great Tree Dungeon. No. 15: Southern Dungeon. No. 17: Village of the Great Tree, under the management of the Civil Official Girls. No. 18: Village Five, under Versa's management. No. 20: Village of the Great Tree kitchen. No. 21: Village Two. No. 22: Northern Dungeon. No. 4051: Village of the Great Tree, under the management of the Mountain Elves.