Gatto: Son of the Howlin Village Head. He moved to the Village of the Great Tree and serves as the head blacksmith. Sougetsu: A tiger.
It was the second day since we began creating the Flying Carpet. It seemed our repertoire of praise had already reached its limit. I could tell everyone was trying to hide the repetition with sheer enthusiasm. The grimoire claimed this was perfectly acceptable, so I supposed there was no reason to worry.
By the fourth day, I could no longer understand a word Lu was saying. She was still offering praises, though—of that much I was certain. Keep at it, Lu.
On the seventh day, Lu started acting strange. Honestly, it was hard to blame her; spending every waking moment showering an unresponsive rug with heartfelt compliments was enough to wear anyone down. It was only natural that she would start to feel the mental strain.
I decided to let her rest. In her place, I asked Ria and the other High Elves to take over the praising duties. The grimoire mentioned that the source of the praise didn't necessarily have to be the same person, so it should be fine. I left the task to them.
As for Lu, I told her she needed to look at something beautiful. The grimoire suggested that such a change of pace was vital at times like this. Since it was night, I pointed her toward the sky. "Look at the stars, Lu. It’s a magnificent view, isn’t it?" Her reaction was faint. That wasn't enough to snap her out of it, apparently.
Next, I tried a bonfire. I thought the flickering of the flames might soothe her spirit. "How about this?" That was no good either. Lu simply began praising the bonfire in a tiny, hollow voice. "You don’t have to praise the fire, Lu. What? It’s not reacting? Well, of course it isn't..."
I had to do something. I reached for some rusted copper powder, rusted iron powder, and salt, then sprinkled them into the fire. "Look, the colors changed! It reacted to your words!" It was a simple flame reaction, but it proved remarkably effective. Life finally seemed to return to Lu’s eyes. Thank goodness.
The children, who had been watching the fire alongside Lu, turned their eyes toward me. "You want to try it too?" I told them it was fine as long as they didn't get too close. I also made sure to forbid them from throwing it all in at once, as that would be dangerous. "Gatto, you see this kind of thing in the smithy all the time, don't you? Don't look so shocked. I'm not some high-level flame mage or anything like that."
On the tenth day, a revitalized Lu returned to her task, but the carpet still refused to move. The grimoire suggested it should have happened by now.
By the fifteenth day, Lu finally snapped at the unmoving carpet. "Don't try to incinerate it! And as a researcher, you need to be more patient. Failure is a natural part of the process. You're supposed to build upon those failures to reach success, right? Let's just give it a little more time."
On the twentieth day, the carpet finally moved. Then, it flew. It was incredible. It really did take flight. The next step was discipline, but for the moment, we just celebrated the fact that the carpet was airborne. ... "What is it, carpet? Why are you coming over to me? Lu was the one who praised you all this time. Well, yes, she did try to set you on fire halfway through... You say you won't forget the debt you owe me for protecting you? That's very kind, but the more you cling to me, the scarier Lu's expression gets. See?"
Lu had already begun an incantation. Since she was capable of silent casting, the fact that she was speaking the words aloud meant she was giving the carpet a final chance to correct its behavior. "Now! This is your only window! Hurry up and apologize to Lu! Hey, stop trying to hide behind my back!"
On the twenty-first day, I took a ride on the Flying Carpet. While I had been carried through the sky by Granmaria and the others before, riding a carpet was a brand-new experience. Granted, we were indoors and only about thirty centimeters off the floor. It seemed the carpet couldn't manage much altitude while carrying a heavy load yet. I looked forward to seeing it grow. "Good job, good job."
I hopped off and swapped places with Lu. However, the moment she sat down, the section of the carpet beneath her dropped straight to the floor. ... "Now, carpet. Why would you do something like that? Look, you've gone and made Lu start chanting again." "Lu, calm down. The grimoire says that threats are counterproductive. Let's stay level-headed here."
The Flying Carpet eventually flew while carrying the children. The altitude remained the same—thirty centimeters—which was actually quite reassuring from a safety standpoint. The High Ogre maids welcomed the new addition, as it was perfect for transporting children who had tuckered themselves out during play back to their beds. I hoped it would continue to be helpful. "Wait, you can't take the children outside the mansion yet. Keep the rides strictly indoors. I think the village itself would be safe enough, but we can't be too careful."
It wasn't that I didn't trust the carpet. It was just that if a monster or magic beast appeared, a flight ceiling of thirty centimeters wouldn't be much protection. It wasn't exactly fast yet, either. "Haha, don't look so down. You were just born; this is only natural. Even birds can't fly the moment they hatch. It takes quite a while for a chick to find its wings. Since you could fly immediately after 'awakening,' you clearly have talent. You'll only get better from here. There, there."
The grimoire warned against over-praising the carpet once it started flying, but I couldn't help it when it acted so pampered. Still, I resolved to be firm when scolding was necessary.
In the middle of this, Aegis approached me. "What is it, Aegis? Why are you puffing out your chest like that? What are you so proud of... ah, right. You actually could fly the very moment you hatched." Even if he was faster at running than flying back then. "Don't get grumpy. I have high expectations for your growth too. The temperature of the bathwater you heat has been perfect lately. Keep up the good work. Also, the fur on Sougetsu's thigh is starting to grow back. Once it's fully restored, let's go apologize to him one more time. I'll go with you."
A few days later, I spotted Aegis riding on the Flying Carpet. I couldn't help but worry about his identity as a bird. After appearing to agonize over the decision for a moment, the Eagle eventually gave in and joined Aegis on the carpet. Well, I suppose there was no harm in it.