Morning arrived.
I washed my face and got dressed. I thought I had made quite a bit of noise since waking up, but Kuro and Yuki slept on, oblivious. Well, there was no reason to go out of my way to wake them.
Inside the kotatsu in my room nestled dozens of Zabuton's Children. They were awake, but it seemed they wanted to warm up a bit longer before starting their day.
"Don't push yourselves," I told them. "Stay there and keep warm."
As for me, I headed out for my usual rounds of the mansion.
"Thank you," I said as they bid me farewell. "I'll do my best."
I finished my rounds without incident. To be fair, there had never actually been a problem, but complacency was dangerous. Besides, if I didn't do my rounds like this, there were some people I would never get the chance to greet. The number of residents in the mansion had grown significantly, after all.
When I returned to my room, I found a disgruntled Kuro and Yuki waiting outside the door. It appeared the High Ogre Maids had woken them up and shooed them out so they could clean.
"Don't be so grumpy," I said. "You know they clean in the morning, right? Come on, let's go get breakfast."
Zabuton's Children, who had been inside the kotatsu earlier, greeted me from atop the hallway beams. It seemed they had slipped out of the room before being evicted. Impressive as always.
"You guys should come eat with us too," I invited. "Don't be shy."
It was a lively morning meal. I was reluctant to leave the table, but eventually, I stood up. I was scheduled to visit Village Four—the Sun Castle—later today. Kuro and Yuki decided to go back to sleep in my room. As for Zabuton's Children, it seemed they each had their own tasks to attend to.
"Understood. Good luck with your work."
Still, I needed a companion. I spotted the Sake Slime nearby. "Want to come with me? We're going to Village Four."
The Sake Slime politely declined, though it was clearly trying to be considerate. I suppose it had no reason to go there. While Village Four did have sake, it was a closed environment where production and consumption were strictly calculated. Even the Sake Slime wasn't so wicked as to steal drinks in a place like that.
Of course, that didn't mean stealing drinks in the Village of the Great Tree was acceptable either.
"I make sure you get a larger share than the other residents on a regular basis, don't I? You do have the job of gauging the quality of the brew the Dwarfs make, after all."
Was stolen sake really better than what was given? Perhaps so.
"You share your allotment with the other slimes?" I asked.
While I didn't give sake to the other slimes, the Sake Slime claimed that some of them did enjoy a drink.
"I see. In that case, I should ensure it's distributed properly."
The Sake Slime insisted on handling it with its own share.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Let me know if you run low. The slimes work behind the scenes to keep the village clean. If they want sake, I'm happy to provide it. But I'll say it again: that doesn't make stealing okay. Even if I forgive you, Ann and the other High Ogre Maids won't."
Yes, they were terrifying when angry. Better to keep things in moderation.
As I watched the Sake Slime wobble away, I pondered who to take with me. I wouldn't be truly alone since the Universal Ship had its crew, and Village Four was a friendly destination, but my wives weren't fond of me traveling solo.
Dos often asked why I worried about my wives' moods, but given how much he fretted over Raimeiren's temperament, he had zero credibility. For me, it wasn't about being whipped; I just didn't want to cause them unnecessary worry. Thus, I concluded a companion was necessary.
Suddenly, the Flying Carpet began fluttering around as if to say, "What about me?" Clinging to it was Himiko, Hakuren's daughter.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Had the carpet been babysitting her? It had apparently left her while she was asleep, but she had managed to tag along without it noticing. The Flying Carpet tried to gently lower Himiko to the floor and create some distance, but she immediately grabbed hold again.
She wasn't even a year old yet, but she had quite the grip. Perhaps it was her dragon blood? Even when the carpet tried to shake her off, it couldn't budge. Of course, the carpet wasn't trying its hardest for fear of hurting her.
"So this is where you were," Hakuren said, arriving with Hikaru in her arms.
Hikaru was squirming, clearly wanting to join his sister on the carpet. The two were twins. When they were first born, Hikaru had glowed so brightly he couldn't even open his eyes, while Himiko had been shrouded in a darkness so deep it obscured everything. Those effects had faded, but it seemed they were still far from mastering their powers.
Whenever I got close, Hikaru would start to glow and Himiko would be enveloped in darkness. It was a sign of their immaturity, not that they hated me. I intended to increase my communication with them, nonetheless.
"Don't let it bother you," Hakuren said. "They're just shy. Come here, Himiko."
Hakuren scooped up Himiko to head back to their room, but the girl's hands were clamped so tightly onto the edge of the Flying Carpet that the carpet had to go with them. It "apologized" to me for being unable to come along.
"No, no, don't worry about it. The thought is enough."
Though, as a father, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy toward a carpet for being so popular with my daughter. If I ever learned to fly, would she like me more? I decided to double down on my magic studies.
Anyway, back to the companion. With the harvest over and the tournament approaching, everyone was busy. Kuro and Yuki were sleeping now, but by afternoon, they would be leading the pack on a hunt to secure winter provisions.
Just as I was wondering who was left, an unexpected group volunteered: the Fenrirs.
One of Kuro's children had found the first Fenrir and brought her home years ago. She had been as cute as a puppy back then. The wolf who found her had taken care of her, and eventually, the two became partners and had many offspring. Now, the Fenrirs were a vital part of our winter defenses.
"There, there. Shall we go together then?"
I wanted to say yes to all of them, but there were simply too many.
"I can't take everyone. Narrow it down."
They were quite large, after all. Apparently, there were many who simply wanted a chance to ride the Universal Ship.
"Alright, alright. You can all come on the ship. But we'll have to limit the number who actually accompany me inside Village Four. Understand?"
They gave an enthusiastic response.
The first Fenrir, once a tiny puppy found by Kuro’s child—Aniki—had grown into a great mother. The rest of the Fenrirs had chosen Kuro’s offspring as their partners, living their lives alongside us in the village.