Winter was just around the corner.
It was close enough that I could comfortably spend my days lounging in a kotatsu, yet it wasn't quite winter yet. I spent my time working hard on various preparations to ensure we were ready for the season.
Regarding Libic, the cook from the human kingdom: perhaps because he had actually listened to my warning, he had stopped his public dancing in the squares and on the main streets. Instead, he had started performing on proper stages. Apparently, he was quite a hit—popular enough that he had even opened a dance class.
That was all well and good, but I found myself wondering if he shouldn't be spending more time at a restaurant. I also didn't mind him earning a stable income, but wasn't he planning on returning to his own country? The Progenitor had suggested heading home several times now, but Libic had reportedly refused every offer. Still, he seemed to be doing well, so I decided not to meddle.
Recently, he had been spotted not just in Shashato City and Village Five, but also at the Sea Houses near the entrance of the Coastal Dungeon, which were run by the Sea Race. The menu there consisted of staples like curry and oden, along with okonomiyaki, yakisoba, takoyaki, and grilled squid. They also offered an outdoor dining area where customers could grill and eat things like crab, shrimp, squid, octopus, scallops, and turban shells.
I remembered how, a long time ago, people had labeled me a scavenger for eating things like crab and octopus. It brought back memories. Perhaps because the number of shops properly preparing such ingredients had increased lately, those foodstuffs had become quite widely accepted, especially among the adventurers. It was better to have more options for food, after all.
Since Libic was from an inland nation, everything from the sea was foreign to him. The flavors, textures, and scents should have all been complete mysteries, yet he was reportedly challenging himself to try them quite boldly. I admired his attitude, though I felt there was no need for him to force himself to eat things he couldn't stomach. I hoped he would just get used to them bit by bit, starting with what he actually liked.
A letter arrived at the Village of the Great Tree. It was from Urza.
She was asking for support. Naturally, some of the villagers stood up, assuming she was short on military power, but a closer reading of the letter revealed that she actually lacked civil officials. She said she wanted people capable of managing a city.
The residents who had stood up promptly sat back down, but no one else rose to take their place. It couldn't be helped. I decided that I would have to—
I tried to stand, but someone grabbed my shoulder, pinning me in place. It was Lu. She was smiling brightly at me. It seemed me going personally was out of the question.
If that was the case...
"We should send a few people from the Angel Race," Tia suggested.
"Is that all right?" I asked.
"Yes. The Chief has already given her approval."
Malbit, who was at the end of Tia's gaze, nodded vigorously. Apparently, she wanted to provide a workplace for the Angels who were prone to slacking off.
Now that I thought about it, hadn't she previously introduced some slack-prone Angels as personnel to help Yoko take a break? Were there really that many shirkers among the Angel Race?
"Is that not the case?" I asked.
Malbit hurriedly offered a counterargument. "When the environment is poor, the Angel Race will work themselves to the bone to improve it."
Since the environment in the Village of the Great Tree was already so pleasant, they were perfectly satisfied with doing a moderate amount of work. I see... I guess?
"However," Malbit continued, "if the environment is truly atrocious, they'll just run away without doing anything at all."
So, dropping them onto an uninhabited island wouldn't necessarily inspire them to work hard and develop it.
"Exactly. Placing them in some kind of established base is best. They will move autonomously to improve their surroundings."
I understood. Now that I thought about it, when Tia first arrived here—before this was even a village—was that why she had been so active in getting things organized?
"I believe Urza’s request is the perfect opportunity," Malbit concluded.
"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to the Angel Race."
"Thank you very much. On that note, um... I have one more request."
"What is it?"
"Could you lend us an airship?"
"Are you transporting something?"
"No. We were hoping to use it as a mobile living base for the Angels dispatched to Urza’s location."
Ah, I see. Since we didn't know what kind of lifestyle Urza was currently leading, they wanted to utilize the accommodation facilities on the ship.
"Also, it will help convince the Angels being dispatched."
If a certain standard of living wasn't guaranteed, they wouldn't go.
"They would have to go eventually, of course, but we anticipate fierce resistance otherwise."
I understood. However, the village's current airship was already scheduled for use, specifically for recovering the pilot suits for the Artie Horses. I asked if an airship currently under construction in Village Five would be acceptable. In addition to the single-seater models, we were building a proper large airship there.
"As long as it has a certain amount of living space," Malbit agreed.
That part should have been fine. The airships from Village Five were intended to carry passengers as well as cargo. Besides, it was still going to take some time for that ship to enter regular service, and since the construction plan included spares, lending one to the Angel Race wasn't a problem.
The next issue was the airship operation staff. We couldn't have the staff from Village Five stationed permanently at Urza's place alongside the Angels. We would have to have them train local staff on-site. Following that policy, we would have the Village Five crew handle the initial journey... but then, how would they get back?
It was an option to ask the Progenitor or Beezel, as they could use teleportation magic, but it felt wrong to use them for such trivial errands. I decided I would set a budget and ask Bee-baa. If she wasn't too busy with her own work, she would likely accept.
"Um, Village Head," Malbit chimed in. "I’ve heard that multiple airships have been completed in Village Five. Wouldn't it be fine to just travel with two ships?"
I was impressed by Malbit's common sense. Two ships for the trip there, and then everyone could pile onto one ship for the return journey. We decided to go with that.
When I asked Yoko to arrange the airship, she had a few things to say. "So you actually found people who could manage a city."
"In Village Five, it’s quite difficult for the Angel Race to be active in the public eye. That’s why we have them act as tutors and such—to get people used to them."
"I know. I'm just making an observation."
"Well, if that’s the case, then fine."
"Indeed. Besides, the city Urza is talking about isn't entirely unrelated to Village Five."
"Is that so?"
"Village Five is providing the activity funds for the group Urza is leading."
I blinked. "I didn't know that."
"I submitted the reports properly. It seems you haven't read them yet, though."
"I'm sorry for that... Wait, did you put them in the low-priority reports?"
"Since the counterpart was just Urza, the matter was something to be processed by the Village Five Council."
"Muu."
"Well, there was also the concern that if the Village Head found out, you would provide excessive support, so we wanted to prevent that as well."
"It's only natural to help one's daughter, right?"
"Quite. Therefore, I submitted the reports. I can’t help but wonder if you could have provided support if you had checked them properly?"
"Nunu-nu..."
"From now on, I'd like you to look through the low-priority reports as well."
"I will endeavor to do so," I promised.
"Do it in moderation. Also, a request for additional financial aid has come from Urza. Since the amount is what it is, I want the Village Head's approval."
The amount written at the end of the documents Yoko produced was 50,000 silver coins. It was certainly a large sum of money. As for the intended use... living expenses for her friends.
"The group Urza is leading consists of nearly ten thousand soldiers and their families, reaching a scale of tens of thousands of people. Even if they are to be self-sufficient, they have to buy the initial food supplies," Yoko explained.
I see. So the 'city' was for those soldiers and their families to settle down in. "Could they pull it off?"
"Building a city in a place where there's nothing would be difficult, but that's not the case here."
"Oh?"
"Apparently, they occupied a city that had been reduced to ruins. They intend to restore it."
"Is that... going to be all right? What about the interests of the Demon Kingdom?"
"Since it's a city that was abandoned after repeated rebellions, there's reportedly no problem. I've confirmed it with Randan."
Randan was the head of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Kingdom, in charge of internal affairs. If he said it was no problem, then it probably wasn't.
"We will provide the financial aid, but the purchase of supplies must be done in Village Five or Shashato City. We plan to use the airship to transport those supplies. Therefore, it shouldn't be a problem to have one ship stationed over there."
So that was why she had so easily approved using the airship for the Angel Race.
"If an airship is near Urza, it will also lessen the Village Head's worries."
She was right about that. If it came down to it, she could return using the airship. In that case, the only question was whether the 50,000 silver coins could be recovered. Even if she was my daughter, it wasn't an amount I could just give away unconditionally.
"Asa and Earth have submitted a business plan. According to them, it will take fifty years to recover the investment."
Fifty years, huh. I didn't know if that was fast or slow.
"Well, rather than profit, it's more important to have a city friendly to Village Five. It's a shame the location is a bit far... but considering the operation of airships, it's not a bad place. I've asked Randan to handle the liaison with the surrounding nobles. A person called Count Pugyal is apparently working quite hard on it."
My timing never quite lined up with Count Pugyal, so I still hadn't met him. I decided I should find a moment eventually to go and offer my thanks.
"Then, I'll proceed with the plan to provide the funds," Yoko said.
"Understood. I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry. Since we're putting up the money, we can also have our say. I want to secure the surrounding resources."
"Don't bully Urza too much."
"I'll be lenient."
"I'm counting on that. I'm sure Urza is having a hard time restoring a city while supporting such a large number of people."
Ah, that reminded me. Should I send a few units of the Artie Horses to Urza's place? Those were intended for civil engineering work, after all. They might be useful for restoring the city. If we trained pilots on-site... the only problem was the pilot suits.
Ah, no, there was also the problem of Yor. Right now, she was obsessed with making ammunition for the winter test fire, but it wasn't like she had forgotten about the Artie Horses. If I sent them away, she would definitely come complaining, demanding that she be the one to pilot them.
I really needed to do something about the pilot suit problem sooner rather than later.