Construction had officially begun on the airship ports in Village Five and Shashato City.
Wait, already? Wasn't that a bit fast? They said they’d rushed the process because they would have been in trouble if they hadn't secured the land immediately. I—I see.
However, the airships that were supposed to dock there were another story. Wait, the plan for the airship construction dock in Village Five was progressing too? I’d only handed over the proposal a short while ago, hadn't I? Apparently, it had already passed the Village Five Council and was already in motion. They told me it would be completed soon, so they wanted me to prepare to dispatch the Mountain Elves to provide technical guidance for the construction.
...... The world was certainly moving forward, with or without me.
At the Prada Art Museum in Village Five, I met the new staff.
First, there was a slender, tall woman. "I am Kati."
Next, a thin man with long black hair slicked back. "I am Rudio."
Finally, a girl who seemed a bit suspicious... no, she was just incredibly shy. "Sharane..."
These three, all wearing the museum staff uniforms, were apparently Prada’s friends. That meant all three of them were Ancient Devils. They were undoubtedly far older than me, but by now, I’d grown accustomed to such beings.
I introduced myself properly and offered my greetings. "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you." "It looks like we’ll be working together for a long time." "...Nice... to meet you."
Right, greetings finished. Just as I thought that, Prada reached out and smacked all three of them quite hard on the back of their heads. "What was that for?" I asked.
"They were thinking something a bit improper," Prada replied. "It’s fine. Please, don't pay them any mind."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I’ll keep these three tied down here so they don’t cause any trouble for the Village of the Great Tree. Please tell Lord Gucci and the others that."
"I—I understand."
After returning to the Village of the Great Tree, I looked for Gucci. He wasn't always around, so I decided to tell Bulga and Stifano instead. Stifano was busy looking after Kukulkan, so I spoke to Bulga, who happened to be free. Bulga made a look of pure exasperation.
"Wait, even Kati, Rudio, and Sharane?"
"Are they a bad bunch?" I asked.
"They aren't exactly 'bad,' but... how do I put this? Powerful Devil Races tend to have very strong quirks."
Quirks, huh? I didn't really feel like Gucci, Bulga, or Stifano had them, though.
"Thank you for saying so," Bulga said. "In any case, as long as Prada is keeping an eye on them, they probably won't cause any major problems. If anything does happen, Stifano and I will step in as well."
"I—I see. That would be a help." Though it would obviously be best if things didn't come to that.
"Indeed. Ah, since those three are Prada’s comrades, they might settle down if you give them things they’re interested in."
"Things they're interested in?" I see. For Prada, it was art. What about those three?
"For Kati, it’s containers. Bags, boxes, things like that."
"I see."
"However, they're no good to her unless they have a lid. She has zero interest in vases or cups."
"What about things that can be sealed, like sake barrels?"
"She’d love those. However, she has absolutely no interest in what’s inside. If you have an empty sake barrel, you should just give her that."
"Huh. Interesting."
"For Rudio, it’s anything that makes a sound. Instruments like pianos, flutes, or xylophones, of course, but he’s also interested in people who are good at singing or performing. However, it is best not to listen to his own singing or playing. It will assault your ears."
"O—Oh."
"And yet, he’s the type who desperately wants to sing and wants people to listen."
"That... sounds terrifying."
"But please, rest assured. That magic tool for playing music we installed in Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairi? If you give him one of those, I think he’ll listen to it forever."
"I’ll... keep that in mind."
"For Sharane, it’s anything with writing on it. Books or letters. She has no interest unless it’s a language that uses twenty-two or more characters and contains a meaningful text of at least twenty-two words. However, her goal is merely collecting; she doesn't actually read them. She just gathers them."
"............"
"She doesn't even organize what she gathers. She just stuffs it all into her pocket in a crumpled mess. She’d be delighted if you just gave her a pile of used memos or something."
"I—I see."
"If you need a way to remember their interests, their aliases are the quickest way."
"Aliases?" Ah, like how Prada was called the 'Devil Who Collects Artworks.'
"Yes. Kati is the 'Devil Who Traps Dreams.' Rudio is the 'Devil Who Plays Death.' Sharane is the 'Devil Who Severs Bonds.'"
"Ah, I—I think I get it... but that actually makes them harder to remember. Plus, those are some pretty ominous titles."
"Prada can suppress them if she has to. Besides, there’s the contract with the Dragons to consider."
"True."
"However, don't let your guard down. They've been known to cause trouble even without any malice."
"I—I understand."
For the time being, I followed Bulga's advice and sent Kati and the others some empty sake barrels, a music-playing magic tool, and a bundle of used memos. Please work together with Prada and take good care of the museum, I told them.
A few days later, I mentioned the new staff to Gucci when he visited the Village of the Great Tree, and his reaction was much the same.
"If those fellows become a nuisance, please tell me," he said. "In a one-on-one fight, I can manage them somehow."
"No, no, they haven't done anything yet. I have no intention of getting rid of them."
"I understand. But that Prada... to think she was still in contact with those three..."
"Did something happen between you and them, Gucci?"
"They’ve caused me quite a bit of grief over the years... By the way, Village Head."
"What is it?"
"Do you have any desire to become the King of the World?"
"No, definitely not."
"...Understood. Hehehe. Well then, I look forward to our continued relationship."
Gucci gave me a deep bow and headed off toward Draim, who was currently occupied with a plate of daikon dishes and a bottle of sake.
... What was that about being the 'King of the World'? I’d taken the words literally and denied it, but why ask so suddenly? ...Come to think of it, that phrase was in Alfred’s letter, wasn't it? Something about becoming the King of the World to lead the foolish people and bring about transformation.
When I’d first read that letter, I’d been worried about what was happening to Alfred, but...
"In this context, 'the world' means his immediate circle," Lu had explained to me. "The 'foolish people' refers to those he finds it difficult to communicate with. Alfred doesn't have a malicious bone in his body; he'd never actually look down on anyone. If he were actually being mean, he’d probably call them 'excellent people' instead."
Thanks to Lu’s 'translation,' it turned out Alfred’s letter actually meant: I want to talk with the people around me and deepen our mutual understanding. I’d been so relieved. His letters were perfectly normal back when he was at the Academy, after all.
And so, if I applied that logic to what Gucci just said...
'World' meant his immediate circle... those close to him... 'Do you want to become that?' Ah! "Do you want to become friends with those three?" Was that what he meant? Wait, oh no! Given my answer, it must have sounded like I was saying I had no interest in being friends with them. It was a total misunderstanding!
Ah—but what should I do now? Gucci had looked quite happy with my answer. He might actually be on bad terms with those three himself.
... Those three were Prada’s friends, but they’d known Gucci even longer. I decided to leave the misunderstanding alone for now. I’d just wait and see. Yeah. As long as Gucci didn't go telling those three that I’d said I didn't want to be their friend, it shouldn't be a problem. And Gucci didn't seem like the type of person to stir up trouble like that. If any problems did arise from my answer, I’d just have to apologize honestly.