One winter day, Rigne came to see me after hearing that Lilius and the others were working under Yoko.
She spoke her mind plainly. She didn't mind that they were working; after all, young people should gain as much experience as possible. However, she questioned why they were with Yoko. If they were at an age where it was acceptable to fail and cause a few headaches, shouldn't they be with family? While they didn't have many relatives, she pointed out that there was a perfectly suitable candidate standing right in front of me.
In short, she was proposing that the boys should be with her—their grandmother—instead of Yoko.
It was a suggestion I hadn't even considered. If they stayed with Rigne, they would be in the Royal Capital. That would fulfill the boys' desire to go out into the world, but it would completely ignore the wishes of Ria and the other mothers, who were still hesitant to let them go. Because of that, I found it difficult to accept her proposal.
Besides, as she herself had noted, Rigne was one of the few relatives Lilius and his brothers had. I wanted their relatives to be available to help if something ever happened.
"If something ever happened?" she asked.
"Like if something happened to me, the mothers, or the village itself," I replied.
"I can't imagine such a thing occurring, but..."
"We can't afford to be careless, can we?"
"Hmph."
That was why I was counting on Rigne to be a relative the boys could rely on in an emergency. It was a selfish thought on my part, but I meant it.
"N-No... I understand. Forget I said anything."
Rigne seemed satisfied with that explanation and headed home looking pleased. She left rather abruptly, actually. Since she had come all this way, I thought she might have stayed to chat with Ria and the others.
As I watched her go, the High Ogre Maid who brought my tea filled me in.
"Rigne-san was training with the High Elves before she came to see you, Village Head."
Ah, so that was it. They had already spent time together. My concern had been unnecessary.
"Lady Flora is currently treating the High Elves' injuries," the maid added.
"Wait, injuries?"
"Yes. Also, the High Elves have submitted a request to build anti-personnel encampments and set traps inside the dungeon."
I assumed that was in preparation for their next training session. I just hoped they would be careful not to cause trouble for travelers or the Arachne living down there.
"I'll pass that along to them," the maid said.
"Thanks. I'd appreciate it."
A blizzard blew through for the next several days. On the morning it finally settled, a world of ice stretched out before my eyes.
That was the only way to describe it. Every single view from the mansion's windows was blocked by a solid wall of ice. The fact that it was ice rather than snow was the fault of the Heat Retention Stones—the Hot Stones—I’d installed on the roof.
I had placed them there to prevent snow from accumulating on the shingles, but the melted runoff had frozen back into ice the moment it hit areas without stones. It wasn't that the icicles had grown so thick they became walls; rather, the melted snow had dripped down, hit the ground, and piled up as it refroze.
Consequently, the ice walls were incredibly thick. I had tried to mitigate this by using gutters equipped with Hot Stones to collect the runoff, but they clearly hadn't been able to keep up with the volume. I thought I understood the snowfall in this village, but it seemed I’d underestimated it.
Watching the High Ogre Maids smash through the ice walls with axes and hammers, I realized it might have been easier just to let the snow pile up naturally.
"Not at all," one of the High Ogre Maids said. "If snow accumulates on the roof, the weight eventually damages the structure."
She was kind enough to say that, but if the mansion ended up completely encased in ice, we were at risk of suffocating. That was why they were working so hard to break it all down.
"The front of the mansion is fine, though," she noted.
I’d installed Hot Stones in the floor of the main entrance as well, so no ice walls had formed there. However, the ground had become a slushy, sodden mess because the melted snow wasn't draining properly. I’d dug drainage channels, but since it was impossible to put Hot Stones everywhere, the channels had frozen solid and clogged.
Living with the snow might have been simpler after all.
"Village Head. The North Side Waterway has frozen over," reported a High Elf who had been patrolling the village.
"Doesn't the waterway usually freeze this time of year?" I asked. "The reservoirs freeze, too."
"No, this time it’s frozen all the way to the bottom. Those capable of fire magic are currently working to melt it."
Frozen to the bottom? It really had become frigid. I worried about whether the horses and cows were faring well.
"Ah, the livestock sheds seem to be fine. the Beastman girls have been staying overnight in the sheds with them."
Right, I remembered now. Whenever a blizzard made it impossible to move between buildings, several Beastman girls would stay in the sheds to keep an eye on things. I hadn't expected them to sleep in the stalls, of course; I’d added proper residential facilities to the sheds. They had fireplaces and outhouses, and we made sure they were stocked with enough food and water to last the winter if necessary.
I’d initially thought staying there was too dangerous, but the Beastman girls had been adamant. One of the cow sheds had collapsed in the past, and they were determined to prevent a repeat of that. That was why I’d made sure they had a sturdy, comfortable place to stay.
While we were talking, one of the girls who had been staying in the sheds arrived. I asked if they were all right.
"We’re fine. However, a few of the cows kept trying to head for the hot spring in the middle of the blizzard... It was quite a chore to stop them."
"That sounds rough. Good work."
"It's fine. We eventually got them to listen. That said, would it be all right to move those cows to the hot spring area now?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
Since the horses and cows used the hot spring frequently, I’d built sheds over there as well. Even if they got snowed in at the spring, they would be perfectly safe.
"Thank you. I'll take the cows who want to go and head over there now."
"It should be fine, but take some of Kuro's children along as an escort just in case."
"Understood. Thank you very much."
The Beastman girl headed back to the shed, and a Lizardman arrived to take her place.
"Village Head. The ice in the North Side Waterway is stubborn. We could use some reinforcements."
That must have been what the High Elf was talking about. "It'll probably just freeze again anyway. Why not leave it until spring?" I suggested.
"We’re throwing snow into the waterway to dispose of it, so we need the water to be flowing, or we'll run out of space."
"That’s a fair point. All right, I'll see if Lu or Tia are free to help."
"If possible, we’d actually like to borrow Lord Aegis."
"I don't mind, but are Lu and Tia not available?"
"If possible, we’d like to ask Lady Lu and Lady Tia to deal with the muddy ground instead."
"Ah, you mean the mess in front of the mansion?"
"That, and the residential area roads. Have you forgotten you installed Hot Stones there as well?"
"Oh... right. I suppose the drainage channels are frozen there, too?"
"Exactly."
So those roads were likely a swampy mess as well. I understood. I’d have Lu and Tia handle the roads, and I’d send Aegis to the waterway.
Before I could even give the order, Aegis took flight toward the North Side Waterway. He looked incredibly reliable, his posture practically saying, "Leave it to me." The Lizardman bowed to me and hurried after him.
I sighed. Maybe I should have put Hot Stones in the waterways before I put them on the roofs?
No, that wouldn't work. It would cause problems in the spring. The waterways connected to the reservoirs, and the reservoirs functioned as temperature regulators. We needed the river water to reach a specific temperature before using it on the fields; if we warmed it in the waterways, it would ruin the crops.
To keep the waterways from freezing, making them wider might be more effective. I’d have to give that some thought when spring arrived.
Still, my experiment with the Hot Stones on the roofs and roads had left me with plenty to reflect on. I’d consulted with everyone in the village before doing it, but the results weren't quite what I’d hoped for.
"We build a better life by learning from our failures," said a Mountain Elf as she passed by, stopping to help smash the ice around the mansion. "Next year, let's focus our efforts on the drainage system."
I decided to help out as much as I could. Actually, instead of smashing ice, I should probably finish my rounds and check on the rest of the village.
"Roger that," I murmured to myself, and set off.