I am Torain, a High Ogre born in the Village of the Great Tree.
It had been quite some time since I began assisting Mettora-san at the Academy in the Demon Kingdom Royal Capital. By now, I felt I had gained a decent grasp of the movements of my brother Alfred and my sisters, Urza and Tiselle.
One thing that surprised me was Tiselle. I had initially assumed she was the type to make every decision on her own, instantly and without hesitation. However, whenever the Village of the Great Tree was involved, she made a point of consulting others. Her advisors included Alfred, Urza, Mettora-san, Asa-san, and Earth-san—essentially, everyone we lived with. Recently, Maa, Kierbit-san, and I had been added to that circle.
While it was likely a sign of Tiselle’s consideration for us, I made sure to respond earnestly whenever she sought my advice. Depending on the timing, she even consulted our brothers Gol, Sil, and Bron, as well as Uncle Demon King, the Academy Director, Uncle Beezel, and Uncle Gratz. It seemed Tiselle was far more cautious regarding matters of the village than I had imagined.
True to form, Tiselle brought another matter to us for consultation. Present at the time were Alfred, Urza, Kierbit-san, and myself. Mettora-san and Maa were also in the house, but they were occupied with preparing dinner. I had considered offering to help in the kitchen, but Mettora-san insisted I stay for the meeting. I wanted to believe I hadn't simply been deemed useless for meal prep.
The issue at hand was a trial Tiselle had been set by Belbark-dono, the man she hoped to recruit for her Nation Building project. Since the trial involved shops managed by our father, she wanted to discuss how to proceed.
To me, the solution seemed simple: why not just explain the situation to Father? He certainly wouldn't refuse. However, the problem lay in the fact that one of the requirements involved items from the food stall Father was currently operating. If it were just a matter of getting his permission, Tiselle wouldn't have agonized over it. But since his stall was a requirement, it meant asking Father himself to come here.
Tiselle seemed to have a mental block against that. She was far more reluctant to rely on Father than I had anticipated. Seeing her struggle to find a way to avoid calling him, Alfred eventually decided to take the lead. He would send a letter making the request in a casual, lighthearted manner.
"That reminds me," Alfred said, turning to Tiselle. "Wasn't Belbark someone Mother Lu was keeping an eye on?"
"Yes," Tiselle replied. "I received a letter from Mother Lu saying there were no issues with him, but... should I stop trying to recruit him?"
"No, it’s not that. According to Mother’s info, he’s quite the drinker, right?"
"She mentioned he was a regular at Sake & Meat Niz in Village Five."
"Exactly. She said he prioritizes drinking over eating. And yet, he didn't include alcohol in this trial. I was wondering if there was a reason for that."
"Now that you mention it, you're right," Tiselle mused.
Kierbit-san spoke up to offer an answer. "He probably just couldn't bring himself to demand alcohol from children."
That made sense.
"In that case, let’s ask Donovan-san to arrange some sake," Tiselle decided.
"Even though it isn't part of the trial?" Alfred asked.
"If you only do exactly what you're told, the other person won't yield easily. You have to exceed their expectations."
Alfred nodded, convinced. Tiselle immediately began drafting a letter to Donovan-san. While she was at it, she also wrote to Yoko-san in Village Five—where Kuro and Yuki and the Korin Sweets Shop were located—and to Miyo-san in Shashato City, where Maruura was. It seemed she had no trouble acting dependent on anyone as long as it wasn't Father. Beside her, Alfred began his letter to Father while consulting with Urza and Kierbit-san.
When dinner was served, the main dish was grilled fish. I discreetly nudged my plate toward Maa.
Please, don't misunderstand. It wasn't that I disliked grilled fish; in fact, I quite liked it. I was simply hopeless at removing the tiny bones. It was a source of immense frustration for me. I could have just eaten them, but I once had a bone get stuck in my throat. Flora-san’s magic had saved me, but since then, I had been extremely careful to avoid even the smallest bones.
Fortunately, Maa was an expert at de-boning fish, so I relied on her. As Father always said, it was better to leave a task to someone skilled than to struggle through something you were bad at. Therefore, I didn't find this embarrassing in the least. Urza teased me for being a child, but I didn't mind. While effort was necessary to overcome weaknesses, I saved that for when I ate alone. When dining with a group, it was more important not to make everyone else uncomfortable with my struggle.
If we were family, I shouldn't worry about it? Exactly. So, please don't worry about me relying on Maa, either.
I noticed Kierbit-san watching me with a warm, almost patronizing smile. If she had something to say, she really should have just said it.
Early the next morning, we requested the Goroun Company to deliver the letters to Father and the others. With the Teleportation Gates, we could have taken them ourselves or even met them in person, but our mothers had instructed us to use communication methods involving third parties unless it was an emergency. It was meant as practice for formal correspondence, since Teleportation Gates weren't available everywhere.
After the Goroun Company, I made the same request to the Dalfon Company. It was proper to send identical letters through multiple routes to prevent accidents. Given the nature of the request, both were addressed to Yoko-san’s mansion in Village Five.
Even with the two major companies handled, I used a third route just to be safe: the Small Wyvern Delivery. This service had been established for Yuri-san while she lived in the Royal Castle, and Uncle Demon King had continued to use it after she moved out. I took the liberty of hitching a ride on their service.
I assumed the wyverns would be the slowest since the companies used the Teleportation Gates, but I figured a staggered arrival was better for troubleshooting. However, I soon learned that the small wyverns also used the Teleportation Gates. Apparently, they had mastered them after being taught once. They even stood in line like the other travelers. The thought of them waiting their turn was... something else. Well, as long as the letters arrived, it wasn't a problem.
The mention of small wyverns reminded me of the large wyverns that had participated in the parade. About half of them had returned to their territories afterward, but the other half had remained behind to assist with Tiselle’s project. They felt guilty for being unable to help during the whale skeleton incident—though in truth, they simply hadn't had an opening because Uncle Dos and the others had gone so wild.
Tiselle had tasked them with scouting and securing the site for her new nation. As a result, the remaining large wyverns were currently building nests in the buffer zone between the Demon Kingdom and the human lands. It wasn't supposed to be a long stay, but apparently, breeding season was approaching. I personally thought they should have just gone home, but I kept that to myself.
There had been some concern that stationed wyverns might be seen as a provocation by the human kingdoms, but Uncle Demon King told us not to worry about it. Since we planned to build a town there anyway, he was probably right.
At noon on the day the letters were sent, a staff member helping with the Nation Building project approached me with a question. "I heard delicious food is being prepared to help win over people for the project. Will we be able to partake as well?"
I had no idea where they got that information—perhaps Uncle Demon King? Regardless, it wasn't a question I could answer. I told them to ask Tiselle. I knew Tiselle wouldn't normally refuse a banquet for her staff, but Father was involved this time. The current staff numbered over a hundred. I expected her to say no to avoid burdening Father.
Instead, she agreed. Since the staff were already considered "insiders," she couldn't bring herself to be strict with them. I even got to see the rare sight of her crying to Alfred for help, which made the whole thing worthwhile.
However, Alfred looked troubled. Apparently, the Academy Director had offered a prime location to set up the stalls, and the entire faculty and dining hall staff had pledged their full cooperation. On top of that, Yuri-san had sent a message "requesting" that she and her group be included.
This was spiraling out of control. At this rate, the students would find any excuse to show up too. The amounts we were asking of Father wouldn't be nearly enough. Everything would fall short.
When Alfred asked me for ideas, I quickly deferred to Urza. She was far better at handling adversity.
"Don't overthink it," Urza said simply. "We ask Father for as much as he can provide, secure the items needed for Belbark’s trial, and the rest can be first-come, first-served."
"But then the people who don't get anything will be upset," I pointed out.
"We can just order the rest from the Goroun or Dalfon Companies. Or we could ask Uncle Gratz to have the military cook. Let’s just turn the whole thing into a small festival."
That was a clever solution.
"We can hold the Inauguration Ceremony and the Policy Briefing for Tiselle's project at the same time," Urza added. "It'll work perfectly as the main attraction."
I was impressed. That gave the festival a formal purpose and allowed us to use the project's budget to cover the costs. I really wished I could come up with ideas as easily as Urza did.
"Hehehe," Urza laughed, seeing my respectful gaze. "Since you're looking at me like that, Torain, I have a job for you."
"What is it?"
"I want you to draft the festival proposal. Oh, and get the permits from the Academy Director, brief the participants, and coordinate the schedule."
"Wait, Sister Urza! That's more than one job!"
"Kierbit-san can help you. Good luck!"
"Where are you going?" I called out as she started to leave.
"The forest! I was invited to a hunt because some big game showed up! It'll probably end up as ingredients for the festival!"
Urza grabbed a massive weapon and vanished. That left Alfred, Tiselle, and me. Just then, Kierbit-san arrived with a reply from Father. Alfred, Tiselle, and I worked together to quietly secure her before she could leave. I was sure she would help if we asked, but we weren't taking any chances.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kierbit-san. We're going to need your help."