We had to decide what to do with the items we won at the auction.
The armaments intended for Village Four and everything related to Kingdom Warrior Jupiter were sent to the Village of the Great Tree. The items Lu and Tia had requested were also delivered there. As for everything else, I arranged for it to be stored in the Prada Art Museum's warehouse for the time being.
"May I use them for the exhibits?" Prada asked.
I gave her my approval without hesitation. These items had already been paraded in front of the public at the auction, so there was no point in being secretive about them now.
That left the question of the Village Four armaments. Should I send them back to the village? Or should I have them moved to the hot springs? I decided to leave the choice to Yor.
She stood there in silence for a long time, looking like she was wrestling with a momentous life decision.
"Um, just to confirm..." she started.
"What is it?"
"If I were to return the armaments to Village Four, would my post be changed?"
"I don't have any plans for that," I replied. "But if you're eager to manage the gear back at Village Four, I'm willing to consider it."
"Oh, no! I mean, I appreciate the thought, but... the hot springs have a certain charm of their own."
"Because you can take a bath whenever you like?"
"No. Because there are so many opportunities to actually use the weapons."
I went silent.
"The chance to engage in rigorous combat maneuvers alongside the Death Knights, the Lion family, and the newcomer Ashura... it's an opportunity I would hate to lose."
"I... I see."
"Besides, I already have my house and my armory at the hot springs."
"Wait, I don't recall ever authorizing an armory."
"My apologies. Nominally, it's just my private storehouse."
"Right. I'll be conducting an inspection later."
"What?! Why?!"
"Don't give me that. It's a problem if you're keeping dangerous things in there."
"It's fine! I'm managing everything perfectly!"
So she wasn't even pretending that there weren't dangerous items inside.
"Weapons are dangerous by nature," she added defensively.
"Fair point."
"I didn't collect them for no reason! They're vital for the defense of the hot springs!"
"Alright, alright. Just make sure the security is foolproof. Double the locks, reinforce the walls—the works. We especially need to make sure the children don't get their hands on anything."
"Of course!"
She was certainly quick with her answers.
"So, where are we sending the gear? Do you need more time to think?"
"No, I've decided. Let's move it to the hot springs."
"Got it."
Next was the Kingdom Warrior gear. I wondered where we should put it in the Village of the Great Tree.
"Village Head, we'll take over management of those in Village Four," Bell proposed.
"That works. I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, sir. Also, there might still be airship-related technology remaining in the Kissinlee village. We'd like to recover those as well."
"Ah, you'll have to wait a bit on that village. Beezel asked me to hold off until the sentencing for Aeplee and the others is finalized."
"Is that so?"
"There are still residents in the village who weren't involved in the raid. We'll need Aeplee to help smooth things over with them, but if the legal matters aren't settled by then, it could lead to misunderstandings."
"What kind of misunderstandings?"
"Like the villagers thinking Aeplee's sentence will be lengthened if they don't hand over the goods."
"I see. That makes sense. I understand."
"Also, I'd like to let Aeplee's wife, May, use the maintenance tank in Village Four."
"If that is your order, I will obey."
Bell didn't sound particularly happy about it.
"Look, if you can't bring yourself to do it, you can refuse."
"N-no, forgive me. Miyo already mentioned it to me. I have no objection to her using the tank."
"Are you sure?"
"However, I have some reservations about letting her into Village Four. I would prefer to move the maintenance tank to Village Five instead."
"You don't want them in the village?"
"It's not that. It's just... I'm worried the people currently in the tanks might riot if they see anyone from the Kissinlee family."
They were certainly not popular.
"I intend to take my time in reconciling with the Kissinlee family," Bell added.
"I understand. Just don't push yourself too hard."
"I won't. Thank you very much."
In the midst of the airship repairs, I was making the most of the summer days. Seeing Lu and Tia enjoying themselves was the best part of it all.
Come to think of it, I wondered if this airship would be subject to the same restrictions as the Universal Ship. When I asked Dos, he told me it would be fine.
"They're a common enough sight, after all," he said.
"Really?"
"They're rare in the Demon Kingdom, but quite common in other nations."
"Huh. I'd like to see that."
As I listened to Dos, Raimeiren chimed in with a bit more detail.
"Actually, there are only about ten airships currently in practical use. Since they're monopolized by the royalty of various nations, it's quite rare to actually spot one in the sky."
"Is that so?"
"People are simply maintaining and reusing vessels manufactured in ancient times."
"I see. Is there any problem with us building our own?"
"None at all."
That was a relief.
"By the way, Village Head," Raimeiren said. "Hiichiro has taken quite an interest in the airship."
It wasn't just Hiichiro; all the children were fascinated by it.
"Once the repairs are done and we've confirmed it's safe, I'll let them all have a ride."
"And who gets to go first?"
"That would be dangerous, wouldn't it? I doubt I'll even be allowed on the first flight. It'll probably be limited to people who can fly on their own—well, Hiichiro can fly, I suppose. But I have to consider the other children. It wouldn't be fair if only Hiichiro and Gral got to go. Sorry, but no special treatment for the first flight."
"I suppose that can't be helped."
"Tell Hiichiro that I was the one who said no."
"No, I will break it to him gently myself."
"Thanks. By the way, how is his brooch-making coming along?"
"It seems to be going well."
"It seems to be? You don't know for sure?"
"He said it's a secret until it's finished."
I see. I had wondered why Hiichiro and Gral weren't glued to Raimeiren's side for once. I was looking forward to seeing the final result.
Beezel eventually came by to report that the official sentencing for Aeplee, May, and their supporters had been finalized.
Just as we had discussed, they all received hard labor sentences. Aeplee and May would work in Shashato City under Miyo's supervision, while the supporters would return to their village and work to pay off their taxes.
The supporters' sentence sounded a bit light to me, but that was because Aeplee and May had insisted on taking the brunt of the responsibility. Furthermore, the village would now be without the guidance of Aeplee and May, so life there would likely be far from easy. They were still allowed to communicate, though.
Additionally, the village itself was confiscated from the Lord who had caused the original trouble and was placed under the direct control of the Demon Kingdom. However, that didn't mean the Kingdom was going to send a magistrate or civil officials to run the place. They simply didn't have enough staff.
Instead, the Lord who had caused the trouble was ordered to manage the village as a proxy. In practice, nothing changed on the surface, but since every bit of tax revenue now had to be sent straight to the Demon Kingdom, the Lord was essentially saddled with the burden of administration without any of the profit.
When I heard that, I figured it was just another part of his punishment. Still, it sounded like a difficult situation for both the villagers and the Lord.
"The awkwardness is part of the sentence," Beezel said with a dry chuckle.
"I see."
"But won't that just lead to more trouble?"
"If it happens, it happens. Besides, since the village is technically direct territory of the Demon Kingdom, the Lord won't be able to interfere too much."
The Lord's side was settled. As for the village... there wasn't much to gain from causing more problems.
"Well, if they were the type of people to weigh the pros and cons logically, they wouldn't have caused a riot in the first place," Beezel noted.
"True."
"The village representative has been thoroughly instructed on how to file formal grievances if anything goes wrong, so it should be fine."
I certainly hoped so.
The day after the sentences were handed down, Miyo brought Aeplee, May, and their daughter, Karen, to Village Five to use the maintenance tanks. It seemed they had prepared enough for the whole family.
"Aeplee will need a day, and May will need about ten," Miyo explained. "As for Karen... we'll monitor her condition as we perform maintenance."
I didn't have any issues with Miyo's plan, but I did have one question. Why were the tanks set up in the Prada Art Museum's warehouse?
"It would have been a nuisance at Yoko's mansion, and this was the only other place with enough managed space."
That made sense, but I was worried Prada might try to turn them into an exhibit.
"I've already cleared it with Prada. But even if she did display them... would it really be so bad?"
I didn't think displaying people was a great idea. Besides, if they didn't like the environment, they might try to escape.
"I know. The reason I chose this spot is the security. If Karen's safety is in doubt, the quality of Aeplee and May's work will suffer."
"I see."
"Ideally, I wanted to keep Karen as a hostage in Village Four, but Bell refused because of the risk of riots."
"No hostages, Miyo."
"I'm joking."
"Watch what you say. Also, once Aeplee is back on his feet, could you ask him if there's any airship tech left in their village?"
"Are you hoping to have it handed over?"
"If it's something we need, then yes."
"Understood. I'll ask. Also, regarding the flight path for the repaired airship..."
"What about it?"
"I'm going to build an airship port in Shashato City."
"To connect to places without teleportation gates?"
"Exactly. What do you think?"
Yoko had made a similar suggestion about connecting Village Five to areas without gates.
"Village Five always gets the best stuff! Shashato City deserves some too!"
On top of that, the Civil Official Girls had proposed a route starting from the Village of the Great Tree, heading to Howlin Village and the surrounding settlements. It would basically be a barter ship. The end of the line was Aeplee's village.
Miyo let out a frustrated growl.
"Look, even if the repaired ship is busy, we can just use the new ones we're building."
"The new ones?"
"The Mountain Elves are already fired up about it. Lu and Tia are eager to help, too. We still have to see if it's technically possible, but I don't think it's out of reach."
It would take time, of course.
"I see. I'll be looking forward to it, then."
"You bet."