Character Introductions:
Lilius: A High Elf. Ria's son.
Rigul: A High Elf. Rize's son.
Ratte: A High Elf. Lafa's son.
In the morning.
The aquarium Aegis and Zabuton’s children had built was being used as a holding tank by the High Ogre maids.
"Eh? Are you purging them of mud?"
I couldn't really bring myself to eat them... I looked toward Aegis and the spiderlings as I spoke, but... Apparently, they thought it was perfectly fine to eat them. In fact, Aegis tilted his head as if confused why I wouldn't.
... I see. My attempt at an aquarium—a decorative one—wasn't understood at all. I made a silent vow that when I finally built my next tank, I would hang a sign that clearly said "Do Not Eat."
Noon.
The Pond Turtles from the reservoir reached out to me, saying they wanted to help if I was going to build a water tank. Come to think of it, the Pond Turtles were monsters known as the guardian deities of the pond. They didn't really act like monsters, though. They mentioned they could also grow water plants. I see. All right. I'll take you up on that. I was planning to start with a slightly smaller tank first, though... The Pond Turtles told me they would do their best regardless of the size. I appreciated the help.
The spring harvest began. My first instinct was to harvest everything in one go and move on to the summer crops. However, harvesting was never that simple. Determining the exact ripeness of the crops was vital. Truly vital. After all, the fact that crops grew so quickly thanks to the Universal Farming Tool meant they also spoiled just as fast. That was the reality of it. They were fine once they were harvested, of course. We just couldn't afford to miss the peak harvest window.
But there was no need to worry. The Village of the Great Tree had professionals who could judge the ripeness of any crop. Kuro and the other Inferno Wolves, as well as Zabuton and her children. By cooperating with them...
"This field is ready for harvest!"
"The field over there should wait until tomorrow or the day after."
"Sorry! I need reinforcements at the garlic field! If we don't hurry, the flavor will suffer!"
"Draim-san! The daikon harvest isn't until tomorrow! You don't need to stand guard, so please help us over here instead!"
"Today's harvest goes to the new storehouse. However, please put the potatoes, carrots, and onions in the usual storehouse."
"The pumpkins need to be dried in the shade, so put them outside the storehouse... uh, on the right side of the new one. Yes, exactly. Put them where the tent is set up."
"You there! Angel! No snacking on the produce!"
With the High Elves and the beastman girls at the center of the operation giving instructions, the villagers worked together to bring in the crops one after another. I noticed that the number of people who could judge ripeness was increasing. Well, I suppose they had learned after years of doing this. I was still a work in progress in that regard. I mean, I could tell to some extent, but the timing was different for crops meant to be eaten that day versus crops meant for storage. Back when I watched TV, the focus was always on harvesting what you'd eat immediately. I worked alongside Kuro, the Inferno Wolves, Zabuton, and the spiderlings, giving the harvest my all.
By the time I started growing the summer crops using the Universal Farming Tool, Torain returned. He came back to meet Sakura, Ann's daughter and his new younger sister. As soon as Ann saw Torain, she scolded him, saying, "You abandoned your work," but since Alfred and Urza had returned with him, she stopped after that one sentence. With the Teleportation Gates, the journey didn't take days, and he planned to head back soon anyway. Besides, Ann could tell that Torain had been worried about his mother, so she didn't press the issue.
Alfred and Urza also came to see Sakura, but they were being modest so as not to intrude on Ann and Torain's time. Even if they had different mothers, she was still their younger sister, so I didn't think they needed to be so reserved. The reason Tiselle didn't return with them was that she was busy with her nation-building project. Apparently, she was working hard to make sure the people on the recommendation list Miyo had prepared didn't slip through her fingers. She would probably find time to come back and see Sakura later. I wasn't worried about her.
Oh, and because Urza was back, Zabuton and Hakuren showed up as well. It looked like they were hosting a tea party for Urza. As for Alfred... was he heading toward Donovan? Instead of going to see Lu? He had been asked by the Goroun Company and the Dalfon Company to see if he could get some brewing advice from Donovan? Just as Lu had predicted, they were moving quickly to improve the quality of their wine. If he was looking for Donovan, he was making the rounds of the storehouses with the Civil Official Girls today. Donovan had mentioned there were several items from the spring harvest he wanted to set aside for brewing. I told Alfred to make sure he saw Lu before he left. If he went back without greeting her, she would definitely sulk.
The day after Alfred and the others headed back with spring crops as souvenirs, Ria, Rize, and Lafa came to see me. Given the group, I assumed it was about Lilius and the others.
"Lilius, Rigul, and Ratte seem to want to see the world outside the village," Ria said.
I had a feeling that was the case.
"What should we do?"
Even if she asked me that... "Did they actually say they wanted to leave?"
"No. However, they are clearly interested in the outside world. Since Torain, who is the same age, is already out there... We feel that if someone like Tiselle were to invite them, they would leave immediately."
Hmm. As a parent, I didn't think we should strictly bind the actions of children who wanted to see the world. But that didn't mean it was right to just cast them out just because they wished for it. For now, let's focus on their education so they'll be prepared for the outside world. Especially common sense. And etiquette. I didn't want to encourage fighting, but they also needed the strength to protect themselves.
"What about not letting them out at all?" Ria asked.
If they truly wanted to go, we couldn't exactly stop them forever, could we?
"U-Understood. I will gradually increase their studies so they don't realize it's preparation for leaving the village."
Eh? Was it a problem if they realized?
"If they realize, they'll leave the village! They were born only recently!"
Born only recently... they were the same age as Torain, and physically, they were more developed than he was, weren't they?
"They are still children!"
I-I suppose so. This was likely a difference in racial perception. I just hoped Lilius and the others shared that same feeling... Then again, was it actually strange to send them out around the age of ten? Regardless. I decided to make sure we communicated with them properly so they wouldn't just vanish one day.
The very next day. Hakuren reported that Lilius, Rigul, and Ratte had come to her for advice about wanting to go outside. Hakuren told them that if they wanted to leave, no one would be convinced unless they proved their worth, and she had set a challenge for them.
"That'll buy us some time, but what's the plan?" she asked.
Plan or not, they were the ones who wanted to go. I told Hakuren about my conversation with Ria and the others from the day before, and we decided she would cooperate with their studies. Of course, we had to keep in constant contact with Ria and the mothers. If Ria's group pushed studies on their end and Hakuren pushed studies on her end, the boys would collapse. Moderation was key.
By the way, in Hakuren's estimation, their common sense and etiquette were already sufficient. Apparently, they had been learning quite a bit from Yoko, Galf, and the Civil Official Girls. Socially, there would be no problem even if they were sent out. However, their combat ability was still lacking. They were overwhelmingly short on experience. They could handle something like a forest rabbit, but she said a boar would still be dangerous for them.
"Well, in Village Five, Shashato City, or the Royal Capital, there shouldn't be much need for fighting, so it's probably fine," Hakuren added.
I see... Understood. "However, please don't tell Lilius and the others about that assessment." The boys would be thrilled, but Ria and the other mothers would be worried sick.
Village Head: "Is this desire to keep the children home a trait of High Elves?" Ria: "Most likely. Since we don't have many children, we tend to become overprotective." Village Head: "Not many are born? Is that true?" Ria: "Yes, it seems that as a race, our sex drive is quite low..." Village Head: "Eh?" Ria: "Eh?" Rigne: "I'm fairly sure Ria ran away from the forest when she was about ten, though..." Ria: "I-I just moved to a different forest! It's not like I left the woods entirely!" Rigne: "I disciplined you by saying you mustn't go past the territory markers, but..." Ria: "Where exactly were these ropes marking the territory? I never saw any." Rigne: "Village Head, since this is the mother, the sons are bound to run off too. I'll watch over them, so please guide them toward the Royal Capital." Ria: "So that was your goal! I'm not handing the children over to you!"