Village Four was originally the Sun Castle, a fortress that drifted through the sky.
It was just past noon.
I boarded the Universal Ship and set a course for Village Four in the heavens. The children, having finished their morning lessons, came to see me off just as I was leaving the mansion, which gave my motivation a real boost.
I had considered bringing them along, but they had their own responsibilities to attend to—specifically, preparing and rehearsing a play to be performed at the banquet following the Martial Arts Tournament. The children had come up with the idea themselves for Hakuren’s sake, since she was currently taking a break from teaching to focus on the twins. While it was technically a student-led production, Guronde and the Death Mage were acting as directors. On top of that, volunteers from the High Elves and Mountain Elves were secretly helping with the sets and props. I couldn't bring myself to disrupt their hard work.
Shaking off the distraction, I turned to my traveling companions: the Fenrirs. The children of Kuro, who served as the Fenrirs' partners, were accompanying them as well. There were about forty of them in total, making the deck of the Universal Ship feel quite cramped. I warned them all to be careful not to push each other overboard.
As I was finishing my instructions, Tou, the ship's captain, asked if we were ready to depart. I gave him the nod and told him I was counting on him to get us to Village Four safely.
"You got it, leave it to me! Alright boys! Cast off!"
At Tou’s command, the crew gave a spirited shout, and the Universal Ship began to lift off. When the ship first started to hover, the Fenrirs and wolves who had never been aboard before let out anxious groans at the sensation of weightlessness. As we gained altitude, several Fenrirs retreated silently into the cabin. Their legs were trembling visibly; they were clearly terrified of heights. I understood the feeling—it was a frightening experience until you got used to it. Unfortunately, the cabin was packed with cargo, so I had to stop them from trying to force their way inside.
Meanwhile, the Fenrirs stationed at the bow seemed to have the opposite reaction. Their excitement spiked with the altitude, and they began howling in unison. I had to tell them to stop. Their voices carried for miles, and they were already causing a commotion in the forest below. They seemed to be heading away from the village, so it wasn't a crisis, but I made a mental note to apologize to the guards—Kuro’s children and the Angels—once we returned. I probably gave them quite a shock.
It remained a bit noisy until we reached our destination.
Upon our arrival at Village Four, the Fenrirs hesitated at the pier connecting the ship to the castle. I tried to coax them along, explaining that they were blocking the unloading process and that there was magic in place to catch them if they fell. I didn't quite understand the principles behind the magic myself, but it was safe. Even after we touched down, things stayed loud for a while.
Waiting to greet me were Kuzuden, the Devil who served as the acting village head, along with Bell and Gou of the Mercury Race. I thanked them for the welcome and apologized for the delay. By then, the Fenrirs had managed to disembark safely, thanks to the Universal Ship using its mechanical arms to support the pier from below. Those arms were incredibly useful for logistics; I sometimes thought every ship should have them, though I only owned the Universal Ship and the former Elf Empire ship. The latter, which moved without sails yet had them forcibly attached anyway, was technically Hiichiro’s vessel, and I had entrusted its management to Michael-san. I’d have to check in with him soon to see how that was going.
For now, though, my focus was on Kuzuden, Bell, and Gou. I also made sure to keep two young Fenrirs by my side as my official escort. I had chosen them because they had remained the calmest during the flight and were the first to hop off the ship. When the other Fenrirs started to grumble about being left behind, I told them we were heading to the edge of the castle where the view was spectacular, and they finally quieted down. I asked the rest of the pack to wait nearby until we were finished.
The reason for my visit was to review the proposed expansion of Village Four. For some time, the harvest yields of the spices grown here had been an issue. Supply was failing to meet demand. Increasing production was the obvious solution, but land was a finite resource in a floating castle, especially since almost every available inch was already being farmed.
Bell presented the expansion plan. "To put it simply, we intend to physically enlarge Village Four. However, we felt it was inappropriate to proceed without the Village Head's explicit authorization."
I nodded. I had heard the broad strokes back at the Great Tree Village, including the fact that the work was safe and wouldn't interfere with the castle's flight. However, I felt it was my duty to see the site before signing off. At the edge of the castle grounds, a small mound of soil had been prepared.
"May we demonstrate?" Bell asked.
I gave my verbal consent. Bell bowed, then cast a spell toward the mound. The soil collapsed and began to move as if it had a mind of its own, latching onto the edge of the castle and spreading outward. It expanded the area by about ten square meters. Given the initial volume of soil, it seemed like a small gain, but I assumed the magic involved significant compression to ensure structural integrity. This wasn't a one-time event; they planned to repeat the process until the field area was doubled. Between Bell's magic recovery and the need to source more soil, the work was expected to conclude by next spring, though Bell's personal timeline suggested she wanted it done by winter. I made sure to tell her not to overwork herself.
"Understood," Bell replied. "Additionally, Gou has several proposals he would like you to consider."
This was news to me.
"My apologies," Gou said. "I’ve been struggling with the cost projections, so the formal documents aren't ready yet, but I can show you the prototype."
Gou led us toward the center of the village, where I found two discs about ten meters in diameter and a meter thick. One sat on the ground, while the other floated about fifteen meters directly above it.
"The bottom one can hover as well," Gou explained. He snapped his fingers, and the disc on the ground rose a meter into the air. The upper disc rose in sync. "These were originally designed to serve as detached villas for the Sun Castle."
"A villa?" I asked. "So you’d build structures on top of these?"
"Precisely. And if we add a layer of soil, they can function as fields."
It was a fascinating alternative. While Bell wanted to expand the castle’s footprint, Gou wanted to create entirely new floating platforms.
"Furthermore," Gou continued, "we can add more layers to create a multi-layered structure. We could even turn them into massive reservoirs by filling them with water, though we’d have to leave some margin at the edges."
This was impressive. I looked at Bell, feeling a bit bad for her, and wondered if we should just go with Gou's idea instead.
"Unfortunately, the budget is... substantial," Gou admitted, showing me a piece of paper. "I’m still refining the numbers, but even with every possible cost-cutting measure, it will come to roughly this much."
The figure was nearly equivalent to the annual revenue of the Great Tree Village. I flinched.
"Spiced yields will certainly increase," Gou added tentatively, "but the sheer volume might saturate the market and drive prices down..."
I shook my head. The demand for spices was massive. Doubling our output wouldn't even dent the market price. Currently, our supply barely covered Maruura in Shashato City, the Goroun Company, and a few shops in Village Five. Given the sheer number of inquiries Michael-san received, I suspected we could increase production tenfold without seeing a price drop. Considering the potential profits, the village could afford this budget.
"I approve," I said firmly. "Let's do it. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product."
Gou bowed deeply, his face lit with excitement. Then he looked back at me with a trace of hesitation.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"What you see here is just a sample," Gou explained. "The actual platforms will be about a hundred meters in diameter. We plan to float four of them, each with three or four layers."
I did some quick mental math. A hundred meters in diameter... even with the circular shape, that was a massive amount of new land. Adding more than ten such levels would be a game-changer for our production capacity. Then a thought struck me. "Wait, is the budget going to increase because of the scale?"
"No, no! I will keep it within the amount I showed you."
That was a relief. "Then what is it you’re worried about?"
Gou hesitated before speaking. "Since we will be able to expand the fields so significantly... would it be permissible to move the existing fields from inside the castle to the new platforms?"
I blinked. I realized that for Gou, seeing his ancestral home used as a giant vegetable patch must have been a bit depressing. I felt bad for not realizing it sooner.
"N-no, it's not that," Gou said quickly. "I’ve grown used to the fields. It’s just..."
Kuzuden stepped in to clarify. "The number of Devil and Dream Demon children in the village is growing, and we desperately need to improve the living conditions. We considered moving the residents to the new villas, but we can't have everyone living in separate locations. I realize it's a foolish request to move the fields the Village Head cares for so deeply, but please, forgive our selfishness."
"Foolish?" I stopped him right there. "Don't be ridiculous. Improving the lives of the children is far more important than any field. If they need the space, they should have it."
The three of them stared at me in absolute shock. I began to wonder what kind of person they thought I was.
"The Guardian God of the Fields," Bell, Gou, and Kuzuden said in perfect unison.
Even the two Fenrirs standing beside me nodded in agreement. I mean, sure, I didn't show much mercy to anyone who trampled my crops, but still.
"Regardless," I said, "prioritize the living environment. I don't care if the spice harvest drops in the short term. We’ll proceed with both Bell’s and Gou’s plans simultaneously. If you need anything else, just ask. I’m counting on you."