The great conference got underway.
We started by reconfirming the hierarchy of the Angels within the village. While Tia served as the village representative, Malbit was formally designated as the acting commander for the race's internal affairs. Because of this arrangement, Malbit looked to me for instructions regarding the Angel race as a whole.
If Tia and Malbit's opinions ever clashed, Tia's would carry more weight, unless Malbit was acting on a direct order from me—in which case, my directive to Malbit took precedence. The organizational structure beneath Malbit remained identical to the traditional Angel hierarchy, and she retained her title as the Angel Race Leader.
Next, we reconfirmed their duties within the Village of the Great Tree. Their primary responsibility was aerial surveillance, but since their numbers had grown, they had plenty of manpower even with a rotation schedule. While having some breathing room was important, too much idle time meant that the stares from the other residents in the village might start to sting.
Tia, Granmaria, and the veterans who had been here since the village was small were one thing, but the newcomers needed to clearly demonstrate that they were pulling their weight. They had worked hard during the recent harvest, but their lack of experience had caused them to stumble frequently. Personally, I felt there was no need to rush and that they should just settle in at their own pace, but it seemed the Angels felt they couldn't afford to be pampered. They insisted on requesting help from the other races to learn their new trades as quickly as possible.
Then, the issue of the Demon Race's lingering resentment toward the Angels within the Demon Kingdom was raised. It was predictable, but Malbit and the others were discouraged that things were proceeding even slower than their lowest expectations. There had been a plan to dispatch Angels as civil officials to Tiselle’s office in the Royal Capital, Village Five, and Shashato City, but for now, that was off the table. Unless they used a disguise like Kierbit, Village Five was the only place they could reasonably work while appearing openly as Angels.
The Angels’ stance was that this was the natural consequence of their history; they had been at war, so it was mutual and couldn't be helped. However, they also understood that a formal peace treaty didn't mean all grudges vanished overnight. Their experience told them that time alone wouldn't solve this, so they decided to patiently wait for a chance to prove their worth to the Demon Kingdom.
Finally, it was decided that command of the Angels—the role Malbit was currently filling—would eventually be entrusted to Aurora. Consequently, her formal education for the role would begin immediately.
Wait, wait.
Aurora was still just a child. This was a discussion about the far future, but I wasn't happy about a decision made without the person in question having any say in the matter.
The one who checked my protest was Aurora’s mother, Tia.
"They simply want an excuse to dote on their grandchild under the pretext of 'special education.' They won't do anything to hurt Aurora."
Was that really it? I glanced at Ruincia. Her face was a mask of stoicism, but the wings on her back were fluttering wildly with agitation. It seemed Tia was right. Well, if that was the case...
The conference was declared closed, and the assembly adjourned. As the participants began to file out of the room, Tia tried to slip out with the crowd as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I reached out and caught her.
"I told you we needed to talk, didn't I?"
"Ahaha..."
As Tia gave up, Malbit dropped her serious facade and strolled over.
"Village Head, I’m exhausted!"
"Now, now, don't start acting spoiled."
"Hehe. I’m sorry for the sudden summons."
"Truly. Though I suppose the short notice was to make sure Tia couldn't dodge it."
If the meeting had been on my official schedule, Tia would have realized I’d be attending. Still... I hadn't realized Tia had that side to her. Even though we had lived together for so long. Tia averted her eyes from me, and Malbit pressed the attack.
"If Tia were more reliable, she could have been the Angel Race Leader herself, but well..."
According to Malbit, Tia’s temperament was ill-suited for command. Furthermore, while her individual combat prowess was top-tier, her ability to coordinate in a group was lacking. Evaluating her as a leader of a large force yielded mediocre results at best. Making her the head of the entire race would have been a terrifying prospect.
"Y-You don't have to go that far..." Tia sulked, but Malbit wasn't finished.
Normally, she wouldn't have been allowed to act so independently. They would have apprehended her and groomed her as an executive candidate. The reason they hadn't was partly because they couldn't catch her, but mostly because they had eventually given up on her.
Hearing that, I realized Tia really had been a "problem child."
"She was always off doing her own thing, leaving Granmaria and the others behind even though they were the only ones who could keep up with her."
Tia looked bashful, but I had to remind her she wasn't being praised. Then Ruincia joined us. It seemed she had a grievance to air as well.
"Getting married and having children without a single word to her parents... Please understand the sort of problem child we are dealing with here."
"Uh... regarding that, I’m sorry."
After parting with Malbit and the others, I took Tia back to my room to talk. I asked Kuro and Yuki to give us a little space. It was a serious conversation, not an indecent one, so they didn't have to leave the room entirely—just move a bit further away. I told the spiderlings I'd play with them later.
"Now then, Tia. About the conference... is it really appropriate to sleep through your own race's meeting? Since you were there, shouldn't you have been paying attention?"
Tia's defense was that Angel meetings were needlessly convoluted. I hadn't thought today's session was like that at all, but apparently, it was only simple and direct because I was present. Usually, the meetings were tedious because every word was loaded with hidden meanings. You might think someone was praising a faction when they were actually insulting them.
"Ah, was that why you looked so embarrassed when Malbit spoke earlier?"
So she had basically been saying, "We have our complaints, but we forgive you because you're the strongest." I see. Tia was the type to walk straight into a trap and smash through it rather than navigate the politics. Since pushing her own agenda through diplomatic channels was a hassle, she simply avoided getting involved. Fortunately, she possessed enough raw power to claim the title of the strongest among her kind, which had allowed her to spend her life doing as she pleased.
Well, that streak of independence was what had brought her to this village, so it wasn't all bad. Still, I thought ditching Granmaria and the others was a bit much. Tia tried to argue that the girls understood her, but I wasn't so sure.
"I see. So the one you're truly in sync with is Lu, then?"
"No? Lu is my rival."
"Hahaha, right. I haven't forgotten. I remember."
Regardless, I told her she needed to try to stay awake during the Angel meetings. The children were a frequent topic, after all. It would be a problem if Aurora were being groomed for a role we hadn't agreed to. If the children wanted it, that was fine, but I didn't want the people around them deciding their lives based on a sense of racial duty. I felt a bit bad for Malbit and the others who were trying to safeguard the Angels' future, but still.
"It will be fine. Not just Aurora—Tiselle takes after me, too."
I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a comfort or a warning.
"Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
"I did just find out you were a problem child..."
"That's just a matter of interpretation. Besides, Rosemaria, Laladel, and Tolmane will be fine. Their mothers are protecting them fiercely."
"I want to protect them too, you know."
"If you take the lead, Husband, the mothers will fall in line... but I can already see you being played like a puppet by the Leader."
"Guh."
"Well, if you want a second opinion on the children’s protection, leave it to Razmaria."
"Razmaria? Not Ruincia?"
"Yes, Razmaria. She is one of the top members of the moderate faction. She’s a voice of reason."
"Moderate? Reason?"
The Razmaria I knew had recently been in a fistfight with Suarlou.
"That was because Suarlou tried to dump her paperwork on her. Suarlou was in the wrong for provoking a sensible woman like Razmaria."
If I recalled, Razmaria had been told her grandchild was born, yet she was given a massive workload that prevented her from visiting the village. I suppose anyone would be furious at that.
"When you want to hear an opinion on Angel affairs that isn't from me or Granmaria, I recommend Razmaria. She should give you advice that’s more to your liking than what the Leader, my mother, or the Elders would say."
I promised to keep that in mind, but I wondered if she shouldn't rely on Ruincia a bit more.
"My mother is harsh with her words, but she is overprotective at heart. This balance is just right."
After pampering Tia for a bit, our talk came to an end. I spent the rest of the time playing with Kuro, Yuki, and the spiderlings, who had been waiting patiently.
Suarlou: "I want to hold my grandchildren, too... Is there any progress?"
Suarliu: "..."
Suarkou: "..."