Now that the martial arts tournament had concluded, winter preparations began in earnest.
That said, we had been getting ready bit by bit for a while, and since everyone knew their roles, there was no reason to panic. My task for the day was inspecting the bee huts. I searched for any damaged sections that needed repair, but I couldn't find a single one. Then again, if anything were actually broken, I probably would have received a report from Zabuton's Children already.
The bees confirmed that everything was fine, so my inspection ended quickly. The Queen Bee looked plump and healthy, which was a relief.
Wait, what was that? Her leg joints had been aching lately?
"You've put on too much weight," I told her. "You need to exercise."
She replied that she wanted to, but her legs hurt too much to move.
It seemed I was dealing with joint pain caused by obesity. I wondered for a moment how that worked with an exoskeleton—did insects even have a sense of pain? No, I shouldn't let myself be bound by my old common sense. This was a different world. If she said it hurt, then it hurt.
I considered asking Lu to prepare some medicine or perhaps using a World Tree Leaf, but the Queen Bee insisted that using a leaf from the tree would be far too irreverent. I decided to ask Lu for a medicinal remedy instead and promised to bring it back later.
The Queen Bee was clearly delighted, but she started moving so vigorously that she winced. I told her to take it easy and hurried back to the mansion.
When I asked Lu for something to treat joint pain in a bee, she gave me a skeptical look. "Joint pain? With an exoskeleton?"
"That's what the patient says."
"Hmm. Well, I think it would heal naturally if you just fed her something highly nutritious."
"It's pain caused by obesity, though, so making her even fatter seems counterproductive."
"Oh, the patient is that Queen Bee? In that case... try this." Lu produced a square block of wood.
"Is that the medicine?"
"No, it's a platform to rest her body on. If she rests her torso on the stand and keeps the weight off her legs, she'll recover."
"I see. Is there no actual medicine?"
"There are potions for joint pain, but the effect would be far too potent for a bee. It might be dangerous. Even if it takes a bit of time, the best approach is simply making sure she doesn't use those legs."
That made sense. I decided to take the wooden stand.
As I was leaving, I noticed one of Zabuton's Children—a Curse Spider Elite with a particularly cool pattern on its back—who had recently molted in my medicine cabinet. Every year, a few of these are born and go off to work in various places. This one gestured that I should leave the bee's treatment to it.
Apparently, it could handle the issue with healing magic.
"Is that so? Then I'll count on you... Wait, what is it, Lu?"
"If magic is all it takes, I can do it," Lu said, staring at the spiderling.
"Don't you have your own winter preparations to worry about?"
"If magic is all it takes, I'll do it."
In the end, Lu, the Curse Spider Elite, and I all headed back to the bee huts together. I suppose having a second opinion on the spot wasn't a bad thing. I even brought along a lottery to decide the order of treatment, just in case.
When we arrived, I noticed about thirty of the newly arrived members of the Angel Race praying around the World Tree. It seemed the tree was incredibly sacred to their people.
Suddenly, a few of them moved too close, and the Giant Silkworms living in the branches began to attack.
"Wait, wait! Everyone, calm down! No fighting!"
I had to intervene as one silkworm began binding an Angel in silk and slamming her repeatedly against the ground. Granted, the Angel shouldn't have been trying to nuzzle the World Tree with such an ecstatic expression, but still.
"Angels, get a hold of yourselves. Deep breaths. Slowly now. And you, Silkworm, release her. I'll make sure they're more careful."
"Village Head-sama!" one of the Angels cried out, still looking flushed. "Please, let us be the ones to care for the World Tree!"
"Calm down, calm down. What exactly do you mean by 'care'? Like watering it?"
"We will surround the World Tree and pray and dance around it every single day!"
I stared at her. "...Excuse me?"
"We will surround the World Tree and pray and dance around it every single day!"
I had heard her the first time; I just hadn't quite processed the absurdity of it.
"Look, for now, just watch over the tree quietly. Dancing and praying all day is going to be a nuisance to both the World Tree and the silkworms."
"How can you say that?!"
They were surprisingly persistent. I knew they cherished the World Tree, but I hadn't realized their devotion was this extreme. Tia, Granmaria, and even Malbit and Kierbit didn't seem to have that fanatical streak. Perhaps it was only a specific group among them?
Granmaria appeared at my side and gave a solemn nod. "It is essentially a fundamentalist sect within the Angel Race."
I realized then that simply ignoring them would be a mistake, and an outright ban might be dangerous. However, I couldn't have them dancing around the main tree all day.
"Alright, I've decided. Since you cherish the World Tree so much, I have an important job for you."
"A... job?"
"Yes. And I think you'll find it quite rewarding."
I led the group of Angels to the northern part of the village, past the flower fields, to the World Tree Field. The World Trees here were still small, not much larger than seedlings, but there were a lot of them.
"I want you to take over the care of these trees."
Previously, the beastman girls had handled this field, with Kuro's children and Zabuton's Children keeping watch. However, since the World Tree is virtually maintenance-free and attracts only beneficial insects, the job was generally considered boring. For people who literally worshipped the trees, though, it should be a dream job.
I thought it was a masterstroke of management... until I saw their reaction.
The Angels stood frozen. The light seemed to drain from their eyes entirely.
"What's wrong?" I whispered to Granmaria.
"Well... I imagine it's like believing there is only one Unique God, only to suddenly discover that the god has dozens of siblings."
"I see. I don't really get it, but I see."
"Don't worry, leave it to me." Granmaria stepped forward and clapped her hands loudly. "Listen up! Choose the World Tree you wish to care for immediately! It's first-come, first-served! There are many trees here, but there are actually fewer trees than there are of you!"
The moment she said "first-come, first-served," the light returned to their eyes. The moment she said there weren't enough trees for everyone, they bolted.
"Hey! Don't punch each other! You're in front of the trees! And don't start drawing lines in the dirt to claim territory!"
I quickly ordered some name tags to be made. "Put name tags on the trees! It's fine for multiple people to share a single tree! Talk it out and decide! You have to cherish all the World Trees, but especially the one you're responsible for. Don't forget that!"
By that, I meant they shouldn't fight over which tree was taller or which one had more leaves. They looked at me with confused expressions.
"Dividing the believers, inciting competition, and then bringing them to heel... Truly a brilliant strategy, Village Head," Granmaria remarked.
"You're the one who did all that, Granmaria. I just want everyone to get along."
Personally, I didn't care what they believed in, so long as they didn't cause trouble for the rest of the village.
"That's the core of the Korin religion's teachings. It's a wonderful philosophy."
"It is."
Since the field was far from the center of the village, their praying and dancing wouldn't bother anyone. Still, I wondered if I should apologize to Malbit for assigning work to thirty of her people without asking.
"There's no need to apologize, though you should probably send a report," Granmaria advised. "I still intend to have them help with village security. Just because they're caring for the World Trees doesn't mean they need to be glued to the field twenty-four hours a day."
"Right. I'll leave that part to you."