At that moment, in a room within the mansion, Versa and one of the Civil Official Girls were being subjected to a lecture from Zabuton.
Actually, calling it a lecture wasn’t quite right, since Zabuton wasn’t saying a word. She wasn’t even moving, for that matter. She was just watching them. She sat there, staring intently.
In response, the Civil Official Girl and Versa remained prostrate on the floor. Versa tried to shift her position every now and then, but whenever she did, Zabuton would tap a leg against the floor, and Versa would snap right back into a deep bow.
What exactly was I looking at?
It was... pressure. Pure, unadulterated environmental pressure.
Because this silent interrogation had been going on for so long, it was starting to affect the entire surrounding area. To start with, there were the cats. Father Cat, Mother Cat, the Older Sister Cats, the Younger Sister Cats, and even the tiger, Sougetsu, had all evacuated to the Great Tree Dungeon. Sougetsu I could understand, but the way the cats moved in a highly disciplined, coordinated group was unlike any feline behavior I’d ever seen.
Next were the chickens in the courtyard. Usually, they roamed about freely and were quite noisy, but today they were huddled inside their coop, refusing to move. It looked like they were executing a "playing dead" strategy.
Aegis, the Phoenix Chick, and the Eagle had headed out to the forest to hunt early that morning. Since they had left before Zabuton began her silent display of anger, it must have been pure animal instinct that guided them away. I was impressed those instincts still functioned—well, mostly for the Eagle, I assumed.
Over in the ranch area, the cows, horses, goats, and sheep were nowhere to be seen. Every single one of them had evacuated to the hot spring area. Only the recently arrived pegasuses had been left behind, and they were currently pacing in a panic. I suppose the other animals didn't have the spare capacity to bring them along.
I received a report that the goats were currently surrounded by the Lion Family at the hot springs and were behaving with unnatural decorum. Maybe I should invite the Lion Family to the ranch area more often. If I did, perhaps the goats would finally learn some manners.
The giant silkworms living on the World Tree in the residential area were using the massive trunk as a shield to hide from the mansion, huddling together in a defensive formation. Similarly, the bees in the fruit tree area had swarmed into a single spot, bracing themselves. As for the fairies in the flower garden... they were simply gone. I assumed they were hiding somewhere.
The Pond Turtles in the reservoir wouldn't even poke their heads above the water. In fact, they were trying to use magic to freeze the surface of the pond to create a defensive wall. I had to ask them to stop that. It would be a disaster if we couldn't use the reservoir water during this season.
That was the extent of the impact.
Incidentally, it was supposed to be study time for the children, but the schedule was hastily changed. They were currently out at the south racetrack practicing magic. Guronde, their teacher, was keeping them safe behind a powerful layer of defense magic.
I knew exactly why Zabuton was so angry. One of the Civil Official Girls had left a book written by Versa in a place where the children could reach it. It was, well... one of those books. Depicting men with other men. Dangerous materials.
It had been discovered and confiscated before any of the children actually touched it, but that didn't make the lapse in judgment any less serious. When Zabuton found out, her fury was instantaneous. She immediately issued a capture order for the girl responsible.
The ones who actually caught her were Zabuton’s Children, who had been operating discretely in Village Five. The Civil Official Girl had apparently been at the restaurant Sake & Meat Niz to negotiate something with the Demon King. Since having Zabuton’s Children snatch her up in a public place would have caused a scene, I was summoned to the city. I officially gave the order for the capture so it wouldn't look like a random kidnapping.
I felt terrible for the Demon King and his party, whose meal was interrupted by the commotion. On the bright side, I did manage to have a productive conversation with some members of a caravan while I was there.
The girl who left the book tried her best to resist, but by the following morning, she had been brought back to the Village of the Great Tree and placed before Zabuton. Versa, upon learning of the incident, had stepped in to plead for a lighter sentence. As a result, she was now enduring the pressure alongside her comrade. Her hobbies were one thing, but I had to admire her loyalty to her fellow enthusiast.
The silent punishment had started in the morning and continued well past noon. Dos and the others suggested I should step in and put a stop to it, but I was torn. Given the nature of the book, I understood Zabuton’s stance. While I had no intention of banning anyone from reading or writing such things, I firmly believed that children were much too young for that kind of content. I wanted the girl to spend some time reflecting on the danger of leaving such materials within a child's reach.
In the end, I waited until dinner before asking Zabuton to end the session.
Though the active pressure stopped, Zabuton’s anger had by no means cooled. Every single book related to Versa’s hobby in the Village of the Great Tree was rounded up. The owners had used various clever disguises to hide their collections, but Zabuton’s Children saw through every single ruse and confiscated the lot.
There was a staggering amount. Versa had kept her word and hadn't been actively pursuing her hobby within the village, but it seemed the culture had spread deep underground without my noticing. Or perhaps it wasn't her influence? Just as adult men have an interest in women, did adult women naturally develop an interest in the relationships between men? Was this something that would have happened even if Versa had never arrived?
That was a ridiculous thought. Or at least, I desperately wanted to believe it was ridiculous.
Zabuton had intended to burn the entire mountain of books, but I stepped in. Book burning is never a good idea; it’s the destruction of culture. If someone were to ask me if this specific culture was actually worth protecting, I’d be hard-pressed for an answer, but I wasn't the one who should make that judgment.
I told Versa not to get any ideas; I had no intention of becoming a patron for her questionable hobbies. The books that escaped the flames were packed into sturdy, reinforced crates and were to be transported to Versa’s coastal mansion. Since that place was already full of her things, adding a few more crates wouldn't change anything. It was like pouring a cup of water into the ocean.
I planned to ask Progenitor-san to handle the transport. Until he arrived, the crates remained under the strict watch of Zabuton’s Children in a locked room of the mansion.
With that, the matter was settled. As Zabuton’s pressure faded, the village began to return to its normal state.
...Wait, had the Queen Bee gotten thinner? Or was she just looking haggard? I see. I suppose the stress was too much for her. Look, it's no use complaining to me... Fine, I understand. I'll be sure to tell Zabuton to try not to scare her so much in the future.
And as for you, Soldier Bees... I’m not going to bring Zabuton to the hive just so she can scare the Queen into dieting. That’s a terrible idea. Besides, weren't you all terrified just a moment ago?
What? That was just a "playing dead" tactic to lower an enemy's guard?
Sure. Let's go with that.
The Orthrus, Ol, is currently with Guronde.