Guinel: A Post-Age of Gods dragon. Representative of the Six Dragon God Kingdom.
Mettora: A Post-Age of Gods dragon. Formerly known as Dandaji, the strongest of her kind. Married to Guinel.
Roberto: A vampire. Guinel’s subordinate and friend. An acquaintance of Flora.
Naci: A human. Wife of the beastman Gatto.
Nart: A human. Daughter of Gatto and Naci.
Academy Director: A demon. The Demon King’s wife and Yuri’s mother.
Silkyne: A demon. Frau’s mother.
Ruincia: An angel. Tia’s mother.
Rigne: A high elf. Ria’s mother.
Through our trial digging, we had secured a large supply of Wing Demon Crystals, the essential component for generating levitation gas. While the extra-large crystals I had previously ordered through the company were no longer strictly necessary, I decided to let the order stand. If Bell’s hypothesis proved correct, we would eventually find more uses for them. Besides, a sudden cancellation would likely trouble the merchants.
Fortunately, the village was well-funded. It was never wise to be stingy in matters like this. I preferred to look at it as an investment in trust—establishing myself as a client who never backs out once an order is placed.
With the levitation gas secured, my next priority was to determine how the airship would actually operate. If it ventured too far, the Universal Ship would surely feel neglected, so for the time being, I intended to focus on trade between the Village of the Great Tree and Howling Village.
However, the current volume of trade between our two settlements only warranted a trip once a month at most. I eventually wanted to extend the route from Howling Village to other towns and villages, but there was a significant obstacle. Every settlement capable of trade was managed by a territorial lord. The Village of the Great Tree, which had no lord, and Howling Village, which had a lord but traded independently, were unique exceptions.
I noticed Alfred watching me.
"What is it, Alfred?"
He asked if I wasn't technically the lord of both the Village of the Great Tree and Howling Village.
"No, no. Setting the Village of the Great Tree aside, I have no memory of claiming Howling Village as my territory. You shouldn't say such strange things. If the trial digging team heard you, they might take offense."
More importantly, I looked at Alfred.
"Shouldn't you be heading back to the Progenitor’s Kingdom? The harvest is over, yet you seem to be lingering."
He looked troubled. It seemed he was overwhelmed by the cultural differences. As a parent, I wanted to tell him that he didn't need to force himself, but I knew I shouldn't spoil him. I needed to be firm.
I advised him to consult his mother, Lu.
I wasn't running away; I was simply assigning the right person to the right task.
Returning to the matter of trade, establishing routes with settlements managed by lords required significant preparation and consultation. Moving ahead without permission would lead to friction—mostly regarding taxes. That was always the biggest hurdle.
A lord who understood economics would keep taxes low to encourage growth, but apparently, those who didn't would casually demand half the profits. When told it was a barter system and there were no cash profits, they would simply demand half of the physical goods instead. It sounded absurd, but since I had heard this from several of the civil official girls, it was likely the truth. Their suggestion was to stick to villages and towns under the Demon King’s direct control to avoid such headaches.
Even if we settled on a route, the next problem was the violation of airspace. While the formal concept might not exist here, flying over someone’s territory without permission was bound to draw complaints. In some cases, they would demand a passage fee. It was a hassle. Worse, they might claim we flew over even when we hadn't, just to squeeze us for money. It was a massive hassle.
Just as I was agonizing over these complications, Beezel arrived. He handed me an unrestricted transit permit for the Demon Kingdom.
"What is this?"
"Count Pugyal laid the groundwork to acquire this for you, Village Head. Please make use of it."
I hesitated. Lately, Count Pugyal’s preparations seemed almost too perfect. I wondered if he possessed some sort of foresight.
"I have never heard of him possessing such an ability," Beezel replied.
"I see. Well, I’ll gratefully accept this then."
"Thank you. Also, this document outlines tax exemptions for your trade. All taxes regarding trade within the Demon Kingdom are waived."
"Did Count Pugyal arrange this as well?"
"He did."
In that case, I felt obligated to give the Count’s territories preferential treatment in our airship trade.
"He specifically stated that such considerations were unnecessary," Beezel noted.
I figured he would say that. However, I told Beezel to let him know it was simply my own decision and not to worry about it.
"Understood. I shall also inform my daughter, Frau, regarding the Count’s faction and his territories."
"I appreciate it. Thank you."
With the airship routes looking promising, the next issue was the operation staff. For the trips between the Village of the Great Tree and Howling Village, the mountain elves were sufficient, but we needed a dedicated crew for travel elsewhere. I brought the matter up during a village meeting, and a few days later, volunteers stepped forward.
It was the angel race.
They had been very receptive to the airship, so it wasn't a bad fit, but I had originally planned to ask the angels to serve as guards. When I told them this, they informed me that there were enough volunteers to cover both roles—one group for operation and another for defense.
"Please, leave the airships to us," the angel volunteer said with a bow.
"Have you received permission from Tia and Malbit?"
"We have."
"Understood. Then I have no objections."
However, I expected the number of airships to increase in the future. I asked them to take charge of training future crews as well.
"As you wish."
"Will you be able to train other races?"
"Of course. However, we would like to begin by recruiting staff from Village Five and Shashato City."
That made sense. It would be easier for everyone if the initial staff were already comfortable around angels. I left the details to them. For now, they would focus on the route to Howling Village.
With the staff settled, there was the matter of building more ships. The mountain elves, our primary engineers, had recently had their attention stolen by the Artie Horse robots. I thought progress might stall, but they hadn't forgotten the airships. They submitted a plan to build a construction dock in Village Five. Their idea was for the mountain elves to handle the specialized components while outsourcing the general construction to the Village Five artisans.
"We could build a single ship ourselves, but since we expect the fleet to grow, we thought this was the best approach."
I agreed. I was hoping for at least two or three ships eventually. If we were going to expand as needed, it was better to have more people involved from the start. I handed the proposal over to Yoko.
That night, Lu came to see me after dinner. She wanted to talk about Alfred.
"You might be unsure of how to handle this as a father, but remember, I’m still a beginner at being a mother too."
She was right. I had assumed things would be fine if I left it to her.
"There's no need to apologize. Let's figure this out together."
"Right."
"So, about Alfred..."
I already knew the food in the Progenitor’s Kingdom didn't suit him and that the cultural differences were bothering him.
"The thing is..."
Lu filled me in on the details. Apparently, when Alfred mentioned he wanted to be a Village Head, the people there laughed at him. When he addressed Fouche as 'Fouche-san,' church officials scolded him, insisting he use 'Fouche-sama.'
And then there were the women. The scent of their perfume was so overwhelming he wanted to complain, but he was told that doing so was a breach of etiquette. He then thought of gifting them perfume instead, only to be warned that such a gesture was equivalent to a marriage proposal.
The person who had been stopping him from these social blunders was Fouche’s son. He had recovered well thanks to Lu’s medicine.
While each issue was small on its own, they were clearly weighing on Alfred.
"The fact that the food doesn't agree with him is actually quite serious," Lu added.
"But surely the Progenitor and Fouche know the difference between our food and theirs? I consulted them several times before Alfred left, and they never mentioned this."
"Well... they are high-ranking church officials."
"And?"
"Their position requires them to preach that one should refrain from overeating or seeking out gourmet food."
"Ah... I see. But wait, they eat like royalty when they come here. Is that allowed?"
"It’s fine if the food is being offered to them. In fact, it would be rude to refuse."
"I see."
"The Korin religion isn't incredibly strict; it’s more about not letting overindulgence harm your health. Even so, it’s probably considered improper for them to admit their own food is unpalatable."
"I suppose so."
"As for the meals, I’ve asked Ann to start teaching Alfred how to cook."
Alfred knew the basics, but his repertoire was limited. Since he was still a child, we hadn't let him work with things like hot oil yet. Perhaps it had been a mistake not to send a companion from the village with him. Now that he was separated from Urza and Tiselle, he had no one to lean on or vent to.
"Should we send someone now?" Lu asked.
"I’d like to, but who? Unless they know the Progenitor’s Kingdom well, they might just cause more trouble. We need someone who knows the area but is firmly on Alfred’s side... maybe Flora?"
"Flora would be reliable, but it wouldn't help Alfred’s education."
"Why not?"
"You might have forgotten, but over there, Flora is just as famous as I am. You saw how that vampire Roberto acted during Mettora’s wedding, didn't you?"
She was right. Sending Flora would defeat the purpose of his study tour. In that case, what about the residents of Village One? They had migrated here through Fouche’s introduction and were originally from that kingdom. They knew the culture. However, there weren't many of them, and most had families and children of their own. It felt wrong to ask them to leave.
"True. Then what about the opposite? Someone who knows nothing of that place, like Nart?"
"Sending someone who knows nothing would just increase the burden on Alfred, wouldn't it?"
"Exactly. If he’s busy looking after someone else, he won't have time to wallow in his own discomfort."
It was a thought, but it didn't feel right to use someone else’s daughter for that. It had to be one of our own. But in terms of age, the only ones I could realistically send were...
"Lilius and the others, or Torain, or Hiichiro."
Lilius and his brothers were busy studying in Village Five. Torain was in the Royal Capital. That left Hiichiro. But would Raimeiren ever allow it?
"He’s your son. You shouldn't need her permission, but..."
If I forced the issue, Raimeiren would likely insist on going with him. If I sent Alfred, Hiichiro, and Raimeiren, I could easily see the Progenitor showing up here the very next day with a look of pure exhaustion on his face.
"I think he’d be here by the evening of the day they arrived," Lu muttered.
"Right. Let's forget the companion for now. If Alfred asks for one, we’ll reconsider."
"Agreed."
"Let's not try to solve Alfred’s problems entirely on our own. We should ask around."
"Like who? Tia, Ria, or Sena?"
"They only have about as much experience as you do."
"What about Yoko, Malbit, or Raimeiren?"
"Don't they seem like the type to say, 'Just unleash Hakuren and show them our true power, that'll fix everything'?"
"..."
"Maybe Naci or Galf’s wife?"
"They’re reliable, but they tend to defer to us whenever Alfred is involved."
"The Academy Director or Silkyne?"
"Their perspective is a bit too aristocratic."
I went through a dozen names in my head, but none seemed quite right. Then it hit me. My consultants didn't have to be mothers. The Demon King, Beezel, or Michael—other fathers would have plenty of insight.
"You're right. Let's do that."
We resolved to seek a broader range of advice and keep trying.
Raimeiren: "My reliability is really that low...?"
Dos: "Well, you did lose your temper and wipe out the Elf Empire."
Ruincia: "I've been waiting for you to ask me."
Rigne: "I've also been waiting."
Lu: "Unleash Hakuren (and so on)..."
Ruincia: "I would never do something so heartless."
Rigne: "Neither would I."
Ruincia: "I would simply go there myself."
Rigne: "Exactly."
Hakuren: "I've been staying perfectly quiet lately; why am I the one catching stray bullets?"