In a large room within my mansion in the Village of the Great Tree, the adult members of the Angel Race were all gathered together.
Tia.
The strongest of the Angels, often referred to as the Annihilation Angel.
...Strongest?
"Please take that to mean I am number one among our race," she clarified.
Ah, I see.
She was also the mother of Tiselle and Aurora.
"Both of them are growing up healthy and strong," she added.
Granmaria.
One of the trio that made up the Genocide Angels.
She was also the mother of Rosemaria.
"Granmaria of the Lance. Please call me that."
Is that actually what people called her?
"No, it’s self-proclaimed. But if I keep saying it, eventually it will catch on."
I see.
Kudel.
Another member of the Genocide Angel trio.
She loved dive-bombing while throwing spears equipped with the horns from Kuro's kin.
"I can hit the target every single time."
Yes, she certainly could.
"I can."
Even so, I didn't think it was necessary for her to throw the real explosive-tipped spears during her practice sessions.
"But the explosion is the best part. It just doesn't feel right unless they’re the real thing..."
And that led us to this requisition form.
I wanted to praise her for actually submitting a formal request, but...
A hundred spears was definitely too many.
"I wanted to prove my perfect accuracy."
You didn't need to do that.
"Aww..."
I told her I’d permit only two.
"Yay!"
Despite her behavior, she was the mother of Laladel.
Corone.
The final member of the Genocide Angel trio.
The mother of Tolmane.
...
"I will do my best to show more of my individuality."
Well, you didn't have to force yourself.
"No, at this rate, I’ll end up as the 'one whose name never comes up' in the trio."
I wouldn't forget her name, but I supposed having a drive to improve was important.
Good luck.
"Yes, I’ll do my best!"
Suarliu and Suarkou.
The twin Angels.
"It’s a bit much to always be treated as a set just because we’re twins."
"Exactly. Please look at us as individuals."
Well, even if they said that...
"What is it? Are you saying we have no individuality besides being twins!?"
"Are you!?"
If they were going to say that, I wished they’d stop moving in perfect synchronization.
"People seem happy when we move together."
"It’s for the sake of their smiles."
Kierbit.
The daughter of Malbit, the leader of the Angels.
She was the former Heavenly Wing Shrine Maiden of the Garlet Kingdom.
She used to be quite strict about the Angel Race’s regulations, but...
"Well, I’ve realized there’s no point in worrying about the small stuff."
She seemed to have loosened up considerably.
Come to think of it, I felt like I hadn't seen her in a while.
"The Garlet Kingdom was quite reluctant to let me go."
Since she was here, I assumed they’d finally given their permission.
"Actually, I ran away."
Is that really okay?
"Don't worry about the small stuff."
I wasn't sure if that was the right attitude.
Malbit.
Kierbit’s mother and the current leader of the Angel Race.
She had a relaxed side, but she was also a tactician, so I couldn't let my guard down around her.
Since Kierbit had abandoned her position, Malbit had been concurrently serving as the Heavenly Wing Shrine Maiden under the pseudonym "Gobit."
"I am also the Chess Champion of the Village of the Great Tree."
She puffed out her chest proudly, but I knew Kuroyon was waiting just outside the room.
Kuroyon was Malbit’s equal in chess.
While Malbit was the current champion, there had been times when Kuroyon held the title.
"Hmph. This winter, I intend to defend my title firmly so I can fully enjoy the kotatsu."
Ruincia.
The Assistant Chief of the Angel Race.
As Tia’s mother, she was the grandmother of Tiselle and Aurora.
"Lately, my grandchildren are just so precious, so very precious..."
She was actively helping with their care, which was a great help to us.
However, I really wished she’d stop teaching Tiselle strange things.
"I am merely providing an education that befits a member of the Angel Race. Well, she absorbs knowledge like cotton soaking up water, so I do occasionally end up over-teaching her... but Tiselle is brilliant, so it will be fine."
If it really was fine, then there was no problem, but...
Tia sent me a silent signal that it was okay because she was keeping a proper eye on things.
I appreciated that.
Still, the next time Tiselle returned to the village, we were going to have a family meeting.
I had received "opinion reports" regarding Tiselle from the Academy Director—who was the Demon King’s wife—and from Randan, who handled internal affairs.
They weren't exactly complaints.
They were opinion reports.
However, reading between the lines, I felt an underlying message asking, "Just how exactly are you raising this child?"
I hoped I was just overthinking it.
Razmaria.
She had gorgeous hair and an equally gorgeous figure.
With her soft demeanor and way of speaking, she felt more like a goddess than an Angel.
But she was an Angel.
She was Granmaria’s mother and Rosemaria’s grandmother.
"In terms of how brilliant our grandchildren are, Rosemaria won’t lose either."
Rosemaria was still very small.
There was no need to compete.
All children were brilliant and cute. That should be enough.
Suarlou.
She was short and sometimes looked like a young girl, but she was actually the mother of Suarliu and Suarkou. She was also the chief of the Rohiel Faction, the hardliners of the Angel Race.
In the past, she had apparently been in direct conflict with Malbit’s moderate faction, but now she had reached the point of sitting in the same kotatsu as Malbit to eat mandarins.
Apparently, the distinction between hardliners and moderates had already collapsed.
I wondered why that was.
"Once you know this village exists, fighting over things like being a hardliner or a moderate just seems ridiculous."
If the Village of the Great Tree could put an end to their fighting, that was a good thing.
"The Angel Race has become one, and we shall work for the sake of the Village of the Great Tree. We look forward to your continued favor."
Yes, likewise.
Reginleiv.
One of the elders of the Angel Race, and in fact, the oldest of them all.
In recent years, she had spent most of her time sleeping, but recently her daily rhythm seemed to have returned to normal.
"It seems a stimulating life is quite important."
That was true.
A moderate amount of stimulation was necessary.
"Lately, my appetite has been voracious. Even I am surprised."
Being a hearty eater was a sign of good health.
The village’s harvest was increasing, so there was no need to hold back.
"Yes, thank you very much."
Was that everyone?
There were other Angels brought along by Malbit and Kierbit, but they were resting outside.
They had arrived just yesterday and were exhausted from the tension of flying over the forest.
The reason I’d gone through these introductions was apparently a "check" to see if I remembered all the adults of the Angel Race.
To an outsider, the Angels all looked like young women.
If you didn't know them well, they could all look like sisters.
That was the reason for the check, but...
Did I really need to be checked on Tia and Granmaria?
I certainly wasn't going to forget them.
Suarliu and Suarkou were always in the village, too.
Kierbit, Malbit, and Ruincia all had such distinct personalities that they were impossible to forget.
Razmaria took care of the Angel children.
Suarlou guarded the village when she was here, and Reginleiv acted as my personal escort.
How could I possibly forget them?
Well, if I looked at it as an introduction for the Angels who only visited in the winter, it wasn't a problem.
Who was I introducing them to?
To the children of the Angel Race.
They had been curious because the adult group was all gathered together.
The High Ogre maids had brought in Laladel and Tolmane.
Aurora seemed to remember everyone.
Rosemaria was... quite attached to Razmaria.
Ruincia, please don't try to compete.
Ah, Laladel and Tolmane were still small, so they didn't have to push themselves. Just a general idea was fine.
Suarliu, Suarkou, please don't confuse the children by swapping places.
Doing things like that is exactly why people keep emphasizing that you’re twins.
"We have to make use of the rare trait of being twins."
"Exactly."
Yes, yes.
It had been a long time since everyone was together.
I was sure they had things to discuss.
I’d already prepared food and sake.
Please, eat and drink to your heart's content.
And those who just finished the journey shouldn't overexert themselves.
I’m sure you arrived in time for the martial arts tournament, but you won't be able to fight well if you’re exhausted.
After saying that, I prepared to leave the room with the children.
But Kierbit stopped me.
Hm?
Only the children were supposed to go outside?
She even stopped the High Ogre maids who were bringing in the food and drink.
Kuroyon was staying behind, too?
What was going on?
"We have something serious to discuss."
I wondered what it could be.
Not just Kierbit—everyone had a very serious look on their face.
"It’s a bit hard to say, but..."
I didn't really want to hear it, but...
I couldn't exactly refuse.
Go ahead, please.
"Well, about the country we were in..."
The Garlet Kingdom, right.
"It split apart."
...
Wait, what?
Tia: "I'm the strongest!"
Granmaria: "I'm of the vice-commander class."
Kudel: "Dive-bombing!"
Corone: "Please at least remember my name before you leave."
Suarliu and Suarkou: "Astral projection~"
Kierbit: "Hooray, I finally have a part again!"
Malbit: "Idling in the kotatsu~"
Ruincia: "My grandchildren are just so precious, so very precious."
Razmaria: "Grandchildren... I understand."
Suarlou: "...Grandchildren." Suarliu and Suarkou: "Don't look at us!"
Reginleiv: "The food is delicious."
Children: "Everyone’s exactly the same!"