Character Introductions:
Gluewald: Race Representative of the Centaur Race. Acting Village Head of Village Three.
Kierbit: An Angel. Daughter of Malbit (the Angel Race Leader).
Donovan: Race Representative of the Elder Dwarves.
Tou: A member of the Mercury Race. Captain of the Universal Ship.
Gou: A member of the Mercury Race. Assistant to the Acting Village Head of Village Four.
Roku: A member of the Mercury Race. Young Civil Official of Village Five.
Hii: A member of the Mercury Race. Military Official of Village Five.
Bell: Race Representative of the Mercury Race.
Miyo: A member of the Mercury Race. Little Girl Maid. Currently working in Shashato City.
Yor: A member of the Mercury Race. Manager of the Hot Spring Area Teleportation Gate.
Futa: A member of the Mercury Race. Manager of the Village Five Teleportation Gate. Currently struggling to develop a unique personality.
Nana: A member of the Mercury Race. A spy for Village Five who disguises herself as a village girl.
At Bell’s request, I prepared a private room for her inside my mansion in the Village of the Great Tree.
That said, she hadn't actually started staying overnight yet. She probably wouldn't use it in earnest until she began taking on work outside of Village Four. Still, she dropped by frequently to leave her personal belongings and such. I wondered if she felt a bit restricted in Village Four.
While setting up Bell’s room, I ended up preparing rooms for Yor and Miyo as well. As soon as they found out Bell was getting her own space, they broke into an envious chorus of "That’s not fair! No fair!"
Miyo works hard for me, so I didn't mind giving her a dedicated room... but for Yor, wouldn't it be easier just to go back to the hot spring area? We have the Teleportation Gate, after all.
"There are times when the rain or snow makes travel difficult," she argued.
Well, that was true enough. But in those cases, wouldn't she be unable to make it here in the first place?
"Please don't worry about the minor details."
"Fine, fine," I conceded. "Just don't forget about your gate management duties or looking after Crim."
"Of course not."
I’m counting on you.
Later, I found Ya, the Mountain Elf, standing in the mansion's courtyard. She had her arms crossed and was standing as firm as a guardian statue. I wondered what was wrong.
"I’m sensing an inexplicable sense of crisis," she said.
"Really? Is everything okay?"
"I don't know. I don't know what it is, but... at times like this, the best thing to do is move!"
With that, Ya began building a massive snowman. Other Mountain Elves soon arrived and began helping her in silence. For some reason, they all had expressions that suggested they had no choice but to go along with it.
"It’s winter," I called out to them, "so don't let your sweat get cold. Make sure to wipe it off properly or go take a bath."
"Understood!" they shouted back.
The finished snowman was colossal, and the children absolutely loved it.
Then, the heavy snow hit. It piled up so high it almost buried the first floor of the mansion. Naturally, the huge snowman Ya and the others built was swallowed by the drifts. It was a shame.
When I went to comfort them, they replied with renewed energy, declaring that next time they would build one so big it wouldn't be hidden. The children were eager to help, too. I admired their motivation, but I told them to make sure they took safety measures so the thing wouldn't roll over or collapse. Accidents are the last thing we need.
Because of the snow, I stayed indoors and spent my time relaxing. I sat at the kotatsu, idling away the hours with Raigiel the father cat and Jewel the mother cat. On top of the kotatsu table, the Sake Slime was busy drinking. Everything was as it should be.
...Actually, one thing was different.
Next to the Sake Slime sat a tiny slime that looked like a miniature version of itself. I had a suspicion, but was he...? Was he the child of the Sake Slime and the pure white Holy Slime?
Wait, don't slimes usually increase by splitting? As I puzzled over it, the miniature Sake Slime shifted colors, turning pure white. Ah, so he really was the child of the Sake Slime and the Holy Slime. I see. Congratulations.
The little one seemed to be drinking along with its parent, but was that okay? Well, it was the Sake Slime's child, so it was probably fine. Regardless, it was a cause for celebration. I decided to bring out a special bottle.
I opened a hidden door in the room and retrieved a small sake barrel from a secret shelf deep inside. I poured a glass, but paused.
Wait. This wasn't the sake I knew.
I had retrieved an amber-colored liquor, but the liquid in the cup was golden. It didn't even smell like sake. There was a faint scent of alcohol, but it was coming from the barrel itself, not the liquid. Had someone swapped it?
I looked at the Sake Slime. No, as much as he might steal a drink, he wouldn't do something as petty as swapping the contents to hide his theft. He had the same sort of integrity as the dwarves in that regard.
In that case... the Sake Slime's Child was the culprit.
Wait, not quite. The Sake Slime's Child had put the liquid in the barrel, but the one who actually drank my secret stash was the parent.
I see. As punishment, I ordered the Sake Slime to go outside and rescue all the slimes that had frozen in the snow. No matter how many times I warned them, some of them always went out and got themselves stuck.
So, what was this golden liquid? Apparently, it was something the Sake Slime's Child produced. When drunk, it provided a powerful recovery effect. A recovery medicine, then? Not sake at all.
What should I do with it? It felt like a waste to drink it when I wasn't injured or tired, but I didn't want to pour it back into the barrel after it had been in a cup. Since there wasn't anyone around who happened to need medicine, I took the cup to Lu. She could probably use it for her research.
As for the barrel... I put it back on the shelf for now. I’ll have to find a new hiding spot later.
I crawled back into the kotatsu and spent the rest of the day petting Raigiel and Jewel.
The next morning, a massive pile of rescued, frozen slimes sat at the mansion's entrance. Meanwhile, the Sake Slime was back in my room, drinking sake as if nothing had happened.
As for the Sake Slime's Child... Lu had captured him.
She told me that the golden recovery medicine had an incredibly potent effect on physical and mental fatigue. I could see it being in high demand.
"If you drink just one cup, you won't even need to sleep for the rest of the day!" she claimed.
"Make sure people still get their proper sleep," I warned. "And don't let the children have any, as it might interfere with their growth."
It would have to be handled like alcohol. Even for adults, I suggested we have them dilute it in tea or something. I asked Lu to figure out exactly how much it could be watered down, since the little slime probably couldn't produce it in huge quantities anyway.
Gluewald: "I’m sensing a crisis regarding my lack of appearances lately."
Kierbit: "Same here."
Donovan: "Indeed."
Tou: "I thought we were going to make a big move all at once." (Wait, is nothing happening?)
Gou: "She’s more of a klutz than people think." (Kuzu-san was the only one working hard this time.)
Roku: "Right. I wonder how many years it’ll take to make any progress from here." (Will Yor get there first?)
Hii: "If we get involved recklessly, we’ll be the ones getting hurt. Let’s just watch quietly." (Futa and Nana, keep at it.)