Marcos was the acting manager of Maruura and a resident of Village One. He was human.
Dawn finally broke.
We had ended up staying awake the entire night. Inside the Maruura at Big Roof Shashato, the discussion between the Demon King, Miyo, and Magistrate Ifuls was still ongoing. I had considered heading home ahead of the others, but since I would eventually need to hear the report anyway, I decided to wait on-site. I had a few things I wanted to ask, after all.
However, not everyone could afford to linger. First, Gucci, Prada, and Erme hurried off, claiming they each had urgent business to attend to. They told me I could call for them whenever I needed, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about that. Should I use the mirror I once made from Guronde's scales? I had been strictly forbidden from ever making those again, so I decided I would just leave the task of contacting them to Dos or Draim.
Beton set off toward the city's administrative facilities—Magistrate Ifuls’s official residence—accompanied by the members of Joro’s caravan who had come to fetch her. She needed to provide a formal explanation of the situation. Ifuls himself was still here with us, so I wondered if there was any point in her going, but apparently, the administrative officials back at the office needed to be briefed. I doubted the bureaucrats would be working at this hour, so she was likely going to wait outside the front gates. I understood her desire to be prompt to make a good impression, but being too pushy could easily backfire. I just hoped she didn't overexert herself.
Ifuls and Miyo wrote something on a wooden tablet and handed it to Beton. Between that and the punishment she was already facing from the Demon King, I hoped she wouldn't be burdened with anything more.
Alfred, Urza, and Tiselle returned to the Academy. They had classes to attend, which was only right. They planned to come back to the village once the Academy went on break, so we promised to catch up properly then. Beezel was kind enough to send the children back using teleportation magic despite his own fatigue. I was truly grateful. Once he returned, he immediately departed for the Royal Castle in the capital along with Randan, Gratz, and Hou. I wished them luck with their work, though I did wonder if it was wise for them to leave the Demon King behind. Then again, with the Teleportation Gate available, he could return on his own whenever he wished.
Next was Bron. He had a welcoming duty scheduled for later, so he headed to an inn to catch a few hours of sleep. I felt bad for keeping him up so late. Additionally, half of the High Elves and all of the Lizardmen used the Teleportation Gate to return to the village. A significant number of people had mobilized for this operation, and considering today’s workload, I wanted them to get home and rest as soon as possible. I made sure to emphasize that they were meant to sleep, not start working immediately.
While they hadn't returned to the village, Dos, Draim, and the High Ogre maids—led by Ann—weren't just standing around. They had donned aprons and were busy cooking in the Maruura kitchen. They weren't making breakfast, as we had already eaten before arriving in the city. Instead, it was a sort of "nuisance fee" for the use of the facilities. They had, of course, obtained permission from Marcos beforehand. In fact, Marcos was right there cooking alongside them.
"It's a great learning opportunity," he remarked.
It turned out they were developing a new type of curry. Specifically, a waterless daikon curry. This wasn't just a standard curry with daikon thrown in; it was cooked without adding a single drop of water, relying entirely on the moisture from the vegetables. The difficulty lay in the fact that the daikon tended to fall apart during the process. However, if the sauce and the daikon were prepared separately, the flavor wouldn't soak into the vegetable. It was a technical dish that required the expertise of Ann and the others to pull off.
I did find it a bit strange to hear Draim calling Ann "Master," and Dos looked equally perplexed by the exchange. Furthermore, waterless cooking is a time-consuming process. While I didn't mind the wait, I was worried about them since they had also been up all night. Dos and Draim were dragons, so a day or two without sleep was nothing to them, but the High Ogre maids... apparently, they were fine too. Ann claimed they could go for seven days if they pushed themselves. I told them absolutely not to push themselves that hard. I wasn't in a position to lecture anyone after my own all-nighter, but people really ought to sleep at night.
The rest of the group stayed close by as my escort. Since the High Elves were hiding, it looked as though it were just Lu and me alone together. It felt almost like a date.
...Except for the Flying Carpet. It kept trying to squeeze itself between us. I couldn't even see Lu’s face. It’s never good to get in the way of a romantic moment.
Lu pointed out that since she was fully armed, it didn't look like a date anyway. To an outsider, it apparently looked like I was being interrogated. I laughed and told her to go borrow the employee waiting room to change her clothes. I also asked her to take the High Ogre maids' swords—the ones that looked like katanas—with her. They had been left on the tables because they were in the way of the cooking, and leaving them out like that felt far too reckless.