Slimes were a common sight in the Village of the Great Tree.
Various types of slimes lived in various places.
By now, they were simply a part of the landscape.
Since those slimes would freeze if they stayed outside during the winter, they usually took refuge inside the mansion or the storehouses.
Even so, among those that made it inside the mansion, usually only the Sake Slime or the pure white Holy Slime would venture as far as the kotatsu in my room.
Or so I had thought.
I discovered a strange slime huddled inside my kotatsu.
Its body was transparent.
However, bubbles were constantly rising within its core.
From the bottom to the top.
Fizzing and popping.
I recognized that effervescence.
It was carbonated water.
In other words, this was... a Carbonated Slime?
That seemed to be the case.
It had probably undergone this transformation because it spent all its time drinking nothing but carbonated water.
Well, that was fine.
I wasn't about to start complaining about a slime’s evolution after all this time.
However, one thing concerned me.
If it was constantly bubbling, didn't that mean it was steadily releasing carbon dioxide into the immediate area?
Wasn't it dangerous to have it inside the kotatsu?
Was it going to be okay?
It seemed that because the slime inhaled the surrounding air and then released it, the net amount of carbon dioxide remained unchanged.
If anything, it was actually purifying the air.
It took in the impurities from the air, solidified them, and then discharged them.
It appeared these things that looked like tiny pebbles were the solidified pollutants.
And according to the slime, those pebbles would eventually evaporate back into the air on their own after a while.
I see.
Still... what exactly counted as "air impurities"?
Was it some substance with a complicated chemical name?
I wondered if Lu would be happy if I gave her these stones.
Probably not—they were just solidified dirt, after all.
Well, since the slime was producing them constantly, I decided I could just ask Lu about it later.
For the time being, they were destined for the garbage bin.
The tiger Sougetsu walked by, carrying Miel, Rael, Uel, and Gael on his back.
As always, they got along famously.
Sougetsu had grown out a full winter coat.
He was incredibly fluffy.
When I reached out to stroke Sougetsu’s back, Miel and the others stared intently at my hand.
I knew that look.
That gaze didn't mean that Miel and the others wanted to be petted too.
They were standing guard, making sure I didn't do anything strange to Sougetsu.
Good grief.
I wasn't going to do anything weird.
I was just giving him a normal scratch.
After I gave Sougetsu a thorough petting, I gave Miel and the others a little attention in turn.
I wondered if Miel and the others had grown thick winter coats as well.
No, they’d just gotten fat—
I got scratched for my honesty.
I went out to make my rounds in the ranch area.
The snow hadn't started to pile up yet, but the wind was biting.
Despite the chill, the horses, cows, and goats were all relaxing, seemingly unbothered by the cold.
The Pegasus and Unicorns also appeared to be in good spirits.
I noticed that several of the Pegasus and Unicorns were wearing horse blankets.
Since the blankets were plain and functional, they were clearly meant for warmth rather than fashion.
Perhaps they weren't fond of the cold, as they were pacing in circles quite close to the stables.
Ah, I see—they’d been kicked out because the stables were currently being cleaned.
There was no need to look so annoyed.
Once the snow started falling in earnest, they wouldn't be able to go out even if they wanted to.
We had to make sure the cleaning was done thoroughly while we still had the chance.
"I understand," I told them.
I decided to help with the cleaning so we could finish a bit sooner.
I had to check the condition of the stables anyway.
At the end of autumn, the beastman girls who worked in the ranch area had come out in full force to inspect and maintain the cow sheds, goat houses, and stables, but that didn't mean I could skip my own rounds.
If any kind of trouble occurred, the horses and cows would be the ones to suffer.
Hm?
A young horse that wasn't wearing a blanket approached and called out to one of the beastman girls who was cleaning.
She took one look at the young horse and reacted immediately.
"A goat collapsed? Understood. You three, follow me!"
The beastman girl mounted the young horse and galloped off.
Three other girls dropped their tools and ran after her.
Well, the horses and cows here were clever enough to report any trouble, but we couldn't afford to become complacent.
I realized I should probably follow them.
There might be some heavy lifting required.
The beastman girls were likely stronger than me, but I went along just in case.
It turned out that a goat had been running, crashed into a fence, and knocked itself unconscious.
It woke up as soon as the girls arrived, but for safety's sake, they decided to take it back to the goat house.
The goats never listened to me, but they followed the beastman girls' instructions without hesitation.
I suppose it was the difference in the sheer amount of time spent caring for them.
I made a mental note to show my face in the ranch area a bit more often.
For now, though, I turned my attention back to the cleaning.
I was going to give it my all.
In one of the mansion’s rooms, the Angels were exercising.
They were doing sit-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, and jumping rope.
The ones gathered here were those who were particularly concerned about the beauty of their wings.
Angels tended to gain weight starting from their wings, after all.
It was a good thing to see.
It was much better than staying huddled in the kotatsu all day.
The ones punching and kicking at the air were engaged in shadowboxing—virtual combat.
I didn't know who their imagined opponent was, but whoever it was seemed quite formidable.
Was their target Granmaria?
Apparently, after seeing her performance at the martial arts tournament, they felt they couldn't afford to fall behind.
I thought that sort of competitive spirit was important.
I decided to cheer them on.
Though, if it ever came to an actual fight, I would probably still find myself rooting for Granmaria.
One of them was jumping rope at high speed, but since they had laid down large wooden boards on the floor, I didn't have to worry about the flooring getting scuffed.
The "swish-swish" of the rope cutting through the air was a rhythmic, pleasant sound.
Wait a second.
"You there, the one jumping rope. Yes, you."
She was flying.
Not jumping, but hovering.
It was impressive that she could stay aloft without even bringing out her wings, but wouldn't that mean she was just twirling the rope around her feet?
"Is that meant to be wrist exercise?"
If she was satisfied with that, I wasn't going to say anything.
No, really—I wasn't trying to scold her.
It was just that the gaze of Aegis (Loves Thick Wings), who was perched in the corner of the room, was fixed squarely on her.
See? He was nodding as if to say it was perfectly fine just the way it was.
He had a very satisfied look on his face.
The girl, who had been floating, began to jump rope properly, though her form was a bit clumsy.
"You don't have to push yourself, you know."
Her cry that she was absolutely going to lose weight echoed through the room.
After dinner.
I paid a visit to Donovan, who was enjoying a quiet drink.
"What is it, Village Head?"
"I heard you made Gatto and the others feel a bit depressed. I was wondering what happened."
"Ah, that business from last night."
Donovan had wandered into the smithy and forged a sword right in front of Gatto and the other smiths.
Gatto and his team had been utterly discouraged by the sheer magnificence of the blade.
Apparently, they hadn't been able to get any work done today.
"It was nothing more than a little stimulation," Donovan grunted.
"Stimulation?"
"They are in an environment where they can use abundant, high-quality materials and forge as they please. They haven't grown complacent, and they strive to improve every day."
That was true. Gatto and the others were incredibly hard workers.
"However, because of that, they sometimes lose their way. They end up making the same things over and over, and they lose the ability to feel their own growth."
Donovan took a sip of his drink.
"It is a path we Elder Dwarves have also walked. That is why I gave them a stimulus."
"So it was like a message of encouragement from a senior to his juniors?"
"Something like that. I made sure to show them techniques they do not yet possess. It wasn't done out of spite."
"I see."
"By the way, the reason I only showed them those techniques now is because they have finally developed the foundation to actually understand them. With the skill they had when they first arrived in this village, they wouldn't have even been able to grasp what they were seeing."
I-I see.
I wondered if they were discouraged because the gap in skill felt endless, or if they were just overwhelmed by how much further they still had to go.
"Do not worry so much. They won't be crushed by something of this level. Tomorrow... no, likely even starting tonight, the sounds coming from the smithy will only grow louder."
"Is that so?"
In that case, I would look forward to seeing Gatto and the others continue to do their best.