Character Introductions
Guronde: A dragon and Giral's wife.
Aurora: An angel. Tia's second child and Tiselle's younger sister.
Rosemaria: An angel and Granmaria's daughter.
Laladel: An angel and Kudel's daughter.
Tolmane: An angel and Corone's daughter.
Ruincia: An angel and Tia's mother.
Razmaria: An angel and Granmaria's mother.
Suarlou: An angel and the mother of the twin angels Suarliu and Suarkou.
On the frozen surface of the reservoir.
The children were energetically sliding blocks of ice about the size of cushions across the surface. When one sliding block struck another, it let out a sharp, pleasant clack.
The game they were playing wasn't exactly curling; it was more like ice marbles. They took turns sliding their blocks, aiming to knock their opponent’s pieces out of a designated area. There weren't any established rules yet, as it was a game that had only just started this morning.
Initially, they had used frozen slimes, but I put a stop to that because it seemed a bit cruel. In their place, they were now using ice blocks provided by the Ice Monster. The monster had a particular obsession with the sound produced upon impact, resulting in blocks that were pointlessly dense. Normally, you wouldn't hear such a clear clack when ice hit ice.
The weight was a drawback, making it difficult to slide them exactly where intended, but that only seemed to fire the children up even more. Well, as long as they were having fun, I was fine with it. The Ice Monster watched over them with a warm gaze, continuously churning out more blocks for the newcomers.
Quite a few people were lined up. Hakuren and Guronde were out there playing right alongside the children, after all.
On the shore of the reservoir, Ol, the orthrus accompanying Guronde, stood waiting. He seemed concerned about Guronde, yet he refused to set foot on the ice. He had ventured out once before and taken a spectacular spill; although he hadn't been injured, the children had fussed over him with such worry that his pride was wounded. He remained stubborn, refusing to budge even when Guronde called for him.
I wasn't going to laugh at him, though. I stroked both of Ol's heads and promised him that we’d practice walking on the ice together when no one else was around. I had taken a tumble on the ice a couple of times myself.
As a side note, I had wondered if playing on the reservoir would be a nuisance to the Pond Turtles hibernating at the bottom. However, it seemed that as long as we didn't cause a massive explosion that evaporated the water, they were perfectly fine. Since the activity was on top of the reservoir rather than inside it, they considered it outside their territory and didn't mind at all. I had asked them about this when they were awake, so there was no mistake.
Over at the north side waterway of the Village of the Great Tree, a row of golems made by Tia was breaking up the ice that had formed on the surface. If left alone, the entire waterway would eventually freeze over. It was a necessary task that someone performed periodically during the winter, but this time, Tia was taking charge.
"If I don't show that I'm active, too, my standing will suffer..."
With the increase in the angel population, she seemed to want to assert her presence in the village. I thought she already had plenty of presence, but I suppose it was different for her. She felt she had to show the other members of the Angel Race that she was working for the sake of the village.
It wasn't that she hadn't been working. Tia often stayed cooped up in her room doing research, so she just wasn't very conspicuous. In truth, she worked diligently for the village. She was one of the original members of the Village of the Great Tree, and alongside Lu, she acted in a capacity similar to a vice-chief, looking after the residents of every settlement.
On top of that, while many Civil Official Girls had joined the effort by now, she still served as our primary point of contact for negotiations with Howlin Village. Her knowledge of magic was on par with Lu's, and her advice in that area was a constant help.
Furthermore, golem generation was an indispensable part of Tia's work. She could generate golems in various shapes, not just humanoids. The materials she handled weren't limited to soil, either; she could work with iron or even liquids. Apparently, this was an incredibly advanced technique.
Using this golem generation, Tia created various prototypes. These were especially useful for the projects the Mountain Elves were working on. To give an example: pipes. A pipe is just a rod with a hole in it, but the size of that hole is surprisingly important. It has to be sized appropriately for its purpose. If the necessary size wasn't known from the start, they had to repeat a cycle of making and testing, which was quite laborious.
Usually, the elves could get by with visual estimations, but sometimes adjustments on the millimeter scale were required. In those moments, if they asked Tia, she would produce a pipe in the exact material and size requested. It was a lifesaver.
Beyond pipes, she also generated gears, screws, and other components where precise adjustments were a hassle. It had reached the point where the Mountain Elves' standard practice was to have Tia make prototype parts to find the optimal dimensions before they committed to final production.
So, it was never a question of Tia not working. However, she had likely been cautioned by either Malbit or Ruincia to work "in a more visible manner." It was probably Ruincia. I could easily imagine her saying it while trying to hog her granddaughter.
Perhaps Tia had come outside to clear her head as well. She seemed to have been working on something with Lu for quite a while.
At dinner, Tia and Aurora sat at my table. I had thought Tia might have reclaimed Aurora, but since Ruincia was also with them, it seemed the grandmother hadn't let go just yet. As for Aurora, she was sandwiched between the two of them, carefully managing the conversation to keep them both engaged.
I felt sorry for making her worry about the atmosphere. I decided to do my part to help. Fortunately, tonight's meal provided an easy topic.
"Village Head. Regarding today's dish... it feels different than usual," Ruincia said, sounding thoughtful.
The main dish for tonight was oden. Tia and Aurora agreed with Ruincia's assessment, though they didn't seem to know exactly what had changed. In truth, the flavor was the same as always. However, the texture of the fish cakes, like the chikuwa and hanpen, was different. Usually, these were handmade by the High Ogre Maids, but this time, we were testing mass production using a large-scale machine.
"Mass production? Ah, from the other day?" Tia seemed to remember.
I had asked her for a prototype of the screw used for mixing, after all. The High Ogre Maids had given the taste a passing grade for now, but I wanted to know what the others thought.
"As a mass-produced item, the flavor is more than sufficient," Ruincia said, before asking if we would be selling it in Village Five.
The plan was to sell it in Shashato City. Miyo had been asking for more dishes that utilized fish. If we could produce processed fish cakes, we could make many different varieties, which offered great potential for growth.
"Can so many varieties really be made?"
"Yes, precisely with the screws you helped with, Tia."
The mixing speed and density could be adjusted for different ingredients simply by swapping out the screws. The Mountain Elves had tried to make it so the machine would swap the screws automatically, but I told them to stick to a manual, detachable design for the sake of maintenance and cleaning. If we had adopted an automatic mechanism, the machine would have been three times larger. It was overwhelmingly better to just have three different machines with different screws if necessary.
The Mountain Elves had seemed disappointed, but there was no need to automate absolutely everything. If costs could be lowered significantly by including just a little bit of manual labor, then that was the path we should take.
Oops, the conversation had hit a lull again. Aurora was working hard between Tia and Ruincia. Just as I was trying to think of a new topic, Aurora directed the conversation toward me.
"Father. Please make an effort to go see Rosemaria, Laladel, and Tolmane a bit more often. They are feeling lonely."
"Ah, yes, you're right. I'll make sure to go."
However, even when I suggested I wanted to visit, Granmaria and the others usually told me that "another time" would be better.
"That is because Mother Granmaria’s room is a mess. If they know you are coming, Father, they will finally clean up. It would be a huge help if you said you were going to visit frequently."
"Messy? Are Rosemaria and the others okay living in that?"
"Rosemaria and the others are being protected by Razmaria-sama. They are fine."
Wait. In that case, why was I being told to wait for another time?
"If you meet the children, you will end up talking with Mother Granmaria and the rest as well, right?"
I see. I didn't usually meddle in their private lives, but if I were to see a cluttered room, I would naturally end up bringing it up. To avoid that, Granmaria and the others needed to clean before I arrived.
Knowing their personalities, I thought they would probably just come over to my room to talk rather than tidy up their own.
"If they do that, the rooms will never get clean, which is why I am asking you, Father."
"Understood. I will tell them I want to see the children while also cautioning them to clean their rooms."
"Thank you very much."
After Aurora said that, she looked pointedly at Tia. Tia averted her eyes.
Ah... I'm guessing your room is messy, too, Tia? She was the researcher type, after all.
"If yours is a mess, Tia, you make sure to clean it, too."
When I said that, Aurora bowed her head. "Thank you."
I realized then that the real target of this conversation had been the warning to her mother. Since Tia probably hadn't listened to her directly, Aurora had used me to deliver the message.
"Oh, that's right, Father. I want more little brothers and sisters."
Could it be that this was the real main topic all along? It was a heartwarming request, but I could vaguely sense Ruincia's influence behind it, especially with how she sat there smiling.
"I have been told the same by Razmaria-sama and Suarlou-sama."
I see. Aurora certainly had a difficult job managing all the adults.
"No. Wanting younger siblings is my own sincere wish. I am counting on you."
Children are a blessing, so one has to be patient. I told her we should wait and see.
"Also, Tia and Ruincia. We need to have a talk after dinner regarding Aurora's education. Both of you, stay behind."