Character Introductions
Hiichiro: Hakuren’s son. About ten years old.
Fracia: Frau’s daughter. About nine years old.
Sette: Sena’s daughter. About eight years old.
Lananon: Rusty’s daughter. About eight years old.
Did I actually have magic power?
Apparently, the answer was yes.
Was it a large amount?
Apparently, it was quite small.
If that was the case, I wondered if I could pilot one of the Artie Horses—the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—even without a pilot suit. Siegfried hadn't budged for me, but I suspected that might have been due to a different issue entirely.
Clinging to that sliver of hope, I climbed into Unit No. 4, Larock, the machine Yuri had been using. I sealed the boarding hatch and gripped the control levers. Yuri had already walked me through the operation basics. If it was just moving in a straight line, I should have been able to manage.
Now then.
"Come on... move!"
It didn't budge.
I didn't need any words of comfort. I still had my agriculture. I had to remember who I was: a man of the soil. I had no need for giant robots! I didn't need them one bit!
...Though, I was a little curious about what robot-assisted farming would look like. Then again, given their massive scale, they were probably better suited for heavy civil engineering projects than tending to fields.
To clear my head, I took off running with Kuro, Yuki, and their pups. No, those weren't tears on my face.
"Hey, pups! You're going way too fast!"
"Don't leave me behind! Learn from Kuro and Yuki! See? They're running right beside me like they're supposed to!"
It was no use. They were too excited to listen to reason. I decided I would just follow them at a slow walk until they calmed down.
Hiichiro reached a milestone in his brooch-making project. It seemed his current level of skill had hit its limit for the moment, but the pieces he had lined up were remarkably intricate. I glanced at Gatto, wondering if a child really could have made these, but the blacksmith gave me a firm, impressed nod.
Perhaps Hiichiro had a natural gift for this kind of work. Or maybe that was just my parental bias talking.
He had produced about twenty brooches. He gave the first to Gral, followed by Hakuren and Raimeiren.
"Wait, one for me, too? Thank you."
He also presented them to Dos, Giral, Guronde, and Rusty. It must have been an exhausting project. He even had gifts for his younger sisters—Fracia, Sette, and Lananon. For them, he had prepared pendants by attaching chains to the brooches.
"You did a great job, Hiichiro. You really worked hard."
He even had pieces for the even younger children. I felt a bit guilty that he had so many siblings to account for.
"I’ll treasure the one you gave me. But since it’s so delicate, I might break it if I wear it every day. I’ll keep it on display and wear it for important ceremonies. Does that sound alright?"
He seemed happy with that. Meanwhile, I noticed Gral, Hakuren, and Raimeiren huddled together.
"What are you three up to?"
It looked like they were projecting their will intensely toward the jewelry. They explained that they were imbuing the pieces with divine protection so they wouldn't break. Apparently, if they didn't concentrate, overdoing the protection could actually shatter the base material.
"I-I see. Well, when you have a moment to spare, I'd appreciate it if you did the same for mine."
Down by the reservoir, the Pond Turtles swam over to meet me. I tossed them the cabbages I’d brought, and they crunched through them with gusto. They could polish off a whole head in just two bites. I’d grown these specifically for them, so I was happy to see them eating their fill.
"The young turtles who went to Village Five are doing great," I told them. "The White Swans over there were also happy about how clean the pond is."
If water gets too clear, it can actually make it harder to catch fish, but that wasn't an issue for the racing swans since their caretakers provided their meals. The reservoir’s pristine state was thanks to the Pond Turtles' hard work.
"Hmm? What's that?"
They told me the water temperature was a bit high. They wanted me to ask the Ice Monster to drop some ice in. I didn't mind the request, but I was surprised they hadn't just handled it themselves like they usually did. It turned out the Ice Monster had specifically asked them to leave that job to him. He was certainly eager to be useful. I certainly wouldn't mind if he decided to stay in the village permanently.
A letter arrived from Alfred. It was filled with words like "contemptible" and "ignorant," and while I could tell he was fuming, the actual meaning eluded me. I had Lu read it for me.
"Let’s see... it looks like he’s unhappy with the food served at the military training session he observed. He says they’re neglecting nutrition far too much. He lamented that so many people don't understand the importance of a proper diet, so he held a mock battle between a well-fed unit and a poorly-fed one to prove his point."
"I see."
"He believes the neglect stems not just from food shortages but from a lack of variety in ingredients, so he wants to start a farm. He says he'll secure a safe territory and a guard unit to protect it, and he wants you to come take a look."
I hadn't realized all that was in there. "Where does it say that?"
"Right here. See? It says he’ll build an altar and pray for the descent of God upon the 'unclean land.'"
...I didn't doubt Lu, but I asked Flora to take a look when she passed by. She gave me the exact same interpretation. I really needed to study harder so I could read my own son's letters.
A letter from Urza arrived as well. The gist of it was that she was doing well. As for the bandit-slaying Yuri had mentioned... was this the part? She wrote that she had "worked a bit hard to help Yuri with her job."
She also mentioned that she had "made a lot of friends." If I hadn't heard Yuri's report, I would have been happy for her, but I knew those "friends" were actually the bandits she’d subjugated.
Was this going to be okay? Could she really provide for them? A thousand people—that was more than the population of most villages around here. She wrote that they were earning their keep by "helping out." Helping with what? I sincerely hoped she didn't mean helping on a battlefield. That would just make them mercenaries. I prayed they weren't calling her "Commander" or anything like that.
She noted that her ultimate goal was to find land where they could settle and turn them into farmers. I had to praise her for having a long-term vision. I wouldn't hold back my support, but I couldn't help but worry. I also wondered if it was a good idea to show this letter to Hakuren or Zabuton. They’d worry if they didn't hear from her, but the content was a bit much.
Torain sent a letter from the Royal Capital. Since he could come home anytime through the academy's teleportation gate, I wasn't as concerned about him. His letter described a very peaceful life—so peaceful it was almost boring—and said his studies were going well. He mentioned that Gol, Sil, and Bron were taking good care of him.
Since the gate made travel easy, I wrote back suggesting that he should drop by the village occasionally to show his face to his mother. No matter how stoic she acted, Ann was still worried about him.
I still hadn't received a letter from Tiselle. She had gone much further away, so it was natural for there to be a delay. Alfred’s letter only made it here so quickly because the Progenitor-san had delivered it via teleportation magic.
Usually, a postal system involved sending copies of the same letter through multiple routes, typically via merchant caravans or adventurers. Even then, delivery wasn't guaranteed. Even if the teleportation gate network handled part of the journey, the roads in between were dangerous. If you absolutely needed something delivered, you had to entrust it to someone you trusted completely.
Thinking about speed, once we established trade routes with the airships, we could probably use them for mail as well. Actually, maybe a dedicated airship postal service would be better. It would be easier to build a reputation for reliability that way, and trust is the lifeblood of any mail system. If it was just one of many routes, we wouldn't be stealing work from the caravans or adventurers.
"Airship Mail... I should look into that."
Realistically, though, we could only cover the Demon Kingdom, the Six Dragon God Kingdom, and the Orthodox Garlet Kingdom for now. I sighed, wondering if there was any way to get word from Tiselle sooner.
"Is it possible," Tia suggested, "that she simply hasn't written any letters yet?"
I was speechless.