Pirika hid her blushing face behind both hands.
She tried to deny it at first, but once I told her to think back on how Fairina usually acted, the realization finally hit home. Well, love is blind, as they say. Romantic misunderstandings are a dime a dozen, so I told her not to take it too hard.
For now, I decided to let everyone disperse, but I didn't intend to let the matter drop entirely. We would resume the discussion tomorrow. I also needed to apologize to Galf’s wife.
I left Pirika in the care of Lu and Tia while I headed out to join the Village Five Night Festival. Dressed in plain clothes, I managed to blend into the crowd without anyone giving me a second look. It was quite a relief.
Or so I thought, until Galf and Daga joined me as escorts. Their presence made us stand out immediately. Both of them were celebrities in Village Five, so it couldn't be helped.
After wandering through the festival for about an hour, I visited the sweets shop, Kuro and Yuki. There, I met up with Ria, Ann, Hakuren, and Rusty.
Wait, was Flora not with them? I had heard we were supposed to meet here. Had she been snatched away en route? And by whom? Reginleiv?
As it turned out, Reginleiv was quite the star at the festival. Her name recognition had skyrocketed after she interrupted the fight between Pirika and Galf, and a crowd had gathered to challenge her to duels to test their skills. Normally, that role would fall to Pirika, Galf, or Daga, but under the circumstances, she was the one taking them on.
Furthermore, Reginleiv was politely defeating her opponents and then pointing out their tactical weaknesses. Since it was so educational, more and more people were flocking to her. That wasn’t a bad thing in itself—provided I ignored the fact that Flora, a precious healer, had been conscripted to stand by her side.
I did mind, however, so it was a problem. I decided I would eventually have Lu or Tia go and switch places with her. If Pirika had recovered her composure, I could even send both of them.
While our group was wandering away from the shop, we ran into Gatto's family. It seemed his wife, Naci, and his daughter, Nart, had forcibly dragged him out of the smithy. He had been so obsessed with the new ores the boxes provided that he hadn't wanted to leave his forge.
"Work is important, but family is important too," Naci said.
She was exactly right. Gatto probably understood that as well, which was why he was here at the festival.
Nart, who usually acted as a mature older sister figure back in the village, seemed rather childlike today. Perhaps it was because she felt she could act spoiled while with both her parents. Maybe this was how she always was at home.
Not wanting to disturb them, I intended to give a brief greeting and move on, but Naci stopped me. She seemed to have something on her mind, yet she appeared hesitant to speak. I secured some seats at a nearby food stall so we could talk.
I made sure Gatto stayed with us so I wouldn't be alone with Naci. Gatto, you’re not in the way, I promise. Then, acting on Ria’s recommendation, I called Ann over to join us as well.
Ria sent Galf and Daga off to buy some food and stayed nearby to keep watch as our guard. Wait, was that on purpose? Did Ria already know what was about to be discussed?
Hakuren and Rusty looked on, so I asked them to wait for a moment.
"Only until I've finished my tea," Hakuren said.
"Sister, Galf and Daga have gone to buy food," Rusty added. "It might be better to say we'll wait until we've finished eating that."
"That’s true. Let's go with that, then."
I gave them a nod.
"It is presumptuous of me, but I was watching the martial arts tournament earlier..." Naci began.
Her story concerned the situation between Galf and Pirika. As a wife protecting her household, it was clearly an issue she couldn't overlook. I was about to apologize for Lu and Tia’s meddling, but she cut me off.
"Lord Galf’s wife is actually aware of this matter."
Wait, what? Was Galf’s wife the one pushing for the marriage between Galf and Pirika? But why?
"I have heard some of her true intent," Naci continued. "Please allow me to speak of it here."
I listened intently.
"To put it bluntly, it is a matter of the 'Succession of Duty.'"
The Succession of Duty? What was that? I glanced at Ann, who was sitting beside me.
"Village Head," Ann explained. "Currently, Lord Galf has been entrusted with the duty of being your personal guard."
Yes, I had entrusted him with that. He was strong, possessed common sense, and knew the local geography.
"However, Lord Galf’s son is currently active as a stonemason."
That was true. He was responsible for the stone pavement in the Village of the Great Tree and had even helped build the tournament stage. His work was essential to the village.
"Yes. Furthermore, he is already married and has established his own household."
I nodded. He even had a child of his own now.
"The problem lies with the guard duty Lord Galf currently holds."
I was still confused. What exactly was the problem?
"While Lord Galf is still healthy, he needs to raise a successor who can take over his duty as your guard. However, there are no candidates for that role."
"Wait a second," I interrupted. "Why is there a need to raise a successor at all?"
"Because just as a king’s son becomes a king, a knight’s son becomes a knight."
I took a moment to process that.
Hakuren brought over some tea for us. I thanked her, took a sip, and thought it over.
I see. This was a feudal society. It was a world where a lord granted roles and rewards, and the subjects fulfilled those duties to earn their keep. In such a society, status and profession were almost always hereditary.
While the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings didn't seem to follow a strictly hereditary line, that was likely an exception made for the efficient management of a multi-race nation. For almost everyone else in the Demon Kingdom, roles were passed down through the bloodline.
In other words, Galf’s wife wanted to ensure that the prestigious job of guarding me stayed within the family.
"That is the gist of it," Naci confirmed.
I see. I shouldn't say out loud that the job of guarding me wasn't important enough to worry about inheriting. I had to be careful with my words. Sensing that I understood, Naci continued.
"Lord Galf’s wife intends to keep trying herself, of course, but she set her sights on Lady Pirika to increase the odds. She believes that a child born of Lord Galf and Lady Pirika would be a perfect fit to inherit the duty."
So that was why she was okay with her husband taking a second wife.
I felt grateful that she valued the role of guarding me so much, but at the same time, I felt a bit guilty for how often I dragged Galf away from his home. I needed to reflect on that.
Still, even after reflecting, I didn't like it. Marriage and children shouldn't be tools for that kind of thing. I wanted to protest, but I knew my dissatisfaction stemmed from my knowledge of modern, capitalist societies. Even in my old world, freedom of marriage was a relatively new concept if you went back a century or two.
In this world, parental approval was paramount, as seen even with Gol and the others. If this was the cultural norm, then I was the one who was out of step.
Even so, I wanted my children to live their own lives. If they wanted to inherit their parents' roles, that was fine, but they shouldn't be born and raised specifically for that purpose. I thought I had made my feelings clear to my wives, but...
I looked at Ann. She averted her eyes. Right—Ann wanted her son, Torain, to become a butler. I also understood why Ria hadn't joined this conversation. She and the other High Elves seemed quite intent on having their children succeed them in their work.
Was that why Lu and Tia were so cooperative? I had felt they were being unusually proactive. Lu was secretly hoping Alfred would succeed me as Village Head, and Tia likely wanted Tiselle to be his aide. They probably felt they couldn't refuse to help Galf’s wife because they shared the same mindset.
I owed Naci a debt of gratitude. This was a perspective that likely never would have reached my ears otherwise.
"Alright. Tomorrow, we’re having a family meeting."
I felt a little bad for Galf and Pirika, but their romantic issues would have to wait. First, I needed to re-establish and make my stance regarding the children's futures known to everyone.
With that decided, I turned my focus back to the festival. I was going to enjoy the rest of the night.
Flora eventually arrived, looking exhausted. "Good work," I told her.
She informed me that Lu and Tia were currently over by Reginleiv. I decided I would go check on them before we headed home.
Naci: "Was that all right?" Yoko: "It’s fine. Leave the follow-up to me."
Beastman Girl: "Um, Lord Galf’s daughter is right next to me. Is it not okay to want her child to inherit the duty?" Sena: "Since the daughter is also the Village Head’s relative, having her child take over as a guard is a bit..."
Gatto: "Once the fire in the forge goes out, it’s a nightmare to get it back to the right temperature..." Disciples: "That’s what we’re here for! Leave the smithy to us and go enjoy the festival!" Gatto: "Urgh... just don't you dare touch those special ores." Disciples: "..." Gatto: "An answer! I asked for an answer!"