Every day, a steady stream of visitors arrived to see Yoko in Village Five.
Her secretaries screened their objectives in advance, so the actual meetings were usually brief, but occasionally, someone proved to be a nuisance. Specifically, messengers from the nobility.
"My master desires to stay in this land. You are to prepare a manor for him immediately."
I wondered if he was using Noble Language, but it turned out he was being literal. For context, if that request had been made in Noble Language, the actual meaning would have been: "I wish to stay here, so please recommend an inn. Somewhere as cheap as possible, if you please."
Yoko, realizing the man wasn't using Noble Language, gave him a cold, one-word dismissal.
"Begone."
In Noble Language, that would have translated to: "I am terribly sorry. It is impossible at the moment, so please return another day."
However, since the messenger wasn't speaking the coded language of the courts, he took her words at face value. When that happened, the messengers usually flew into a rage, making things difficult. It was a common occurrence.
Because of this, Yoko had devised a countermeasure.
The door to the meeting room swung open with a violent bang, and someone marched in without permission.
"Who goes there?! You insolent fool! Do you not realize that I, the messenger of Lord Hydra, am currently—"
The messenger began to berate the intruder, but his voice died in his throat as he realized who it was. The intruder was the Demon King.
"This is an urgent matter. Lady Yoko, regarding the use of the Third Ground..."
Yoko ignored the messenger entirely and began discussing business with the Demon King. Then, once the Demon King had withdrawn, Yoko turned back to the messenger.
"Now then, Sir Messenger. What was it we were discussing?"
The messenger said nothing and simply left. The countermeasure seemed to be a total success.
Essentially, the plan involved having the Demon King wait in the adjacent room and barge in at the perfect moment. I watched the scene unfold from Yoko’s side.
"Do you call him in every single time?" I asked.
"Not at all. I simply make sure to schedule meetings with the troublesome ones for whenever the Demon King is idle."
"I see."
"When the Demon King isn't available, I sometimes rely on Lord Beezel or even Lord Beezel’s mother."
So that was how it worked. I’d have to offer them my thanks later.
"No, no, I provide them with proper compensation for their time. You needn't worry about it, Village Head."
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. More importantly, it bothers me that even though you are sitting right here, no one even notices you."
"Hahaha."
"They likely mistook you for my secretary."
I suppose I should make an effort to wear more impressive clothing. Since Zabuton was hibernating for the winter, I’d started to get a bit lax with my appearance. Well, I was still wearing reasonably high-quality clothes, but perhaps they weren't "noble" enough.
While we chatted, I headed toward the dining hall with Yoko. Since the Demon King was still lingering in the next room and looking our way, I invited him along, and the three of us had lunch together. The Kitsune Udon from the Yoko Set was delicious.
It seemed that Lilius, Rigul, and Ratte were each planning to enter the forest near Village Five on their own. They had entered the woods several times before as part of their training, but always as a group and with an instructor to guide them. This would be their first time going in solo.
I wanted to suggest that they at least go as a trio, but apparently, that would defeat the purpose of the training. Fortunately, a relatively safe patch of forest had been selected for the exercise. Still, I wished they had chosen a different season. Snow didn't really pile up around Village Five, but winter was still winter. Finding food would be difficult.
I was genuinely worried. Meanwhile, right in front of me, Ria and the other High Elves were brimming with motivation as they checked their gear. Not the boys’ gear—their own.
Ria and her group were planning to follow the boys in secret, acting as a hidden escort and rescue squad. This wasn't something they had decided on a whim; the Security Team had already planned to have hidden guards tail the boys as part of their own surveillance training. However, Ria and her High Elves had managed to secure those positions through negotiation.
Ria reported it as a "gentle negotiation," but I heard a different story from the Security Team. Apparently, she had smiled while thrusting a list of demands at them.
I had come to see Ria’s group specifically to give them a warning. As a result of my intervention, the number of participants was cut down from "every available High Elf" to just six.
Fuuma would also be participating. Both the mannequin itself and the Mountain Elves had requested this, citing the need for more practice in outdoor operations. They were determined not to let the boys spot them.
"LEAVE-IT-TO-ME," Fuuma replied.
Instead of the usual black outfit, the mannequin was covered from head to toe in green-toned forest camouflage. He gave me a stilted wave as he answered.
I made a point of visiting the Prada Art Museum in Village Five on an irregular basis. My presence helped boost the morale of Prada and the rest of the staff.
Even though these visits were unscheduled, I always made sure to send word ahead so as not to be a nuisance, and I always brought sweets and snacks for the employees. I didn't think they minded my visits, but I still tried to make sure they weren't too frequent.
Whenever I stopped by the museum, I also took the time to check on the maintenance tank containing Karen, the daughter of the Kissinlee couple. I didn't really understand the technical side of it, but I wanted to confirm for myself that she was doing well. After all, I had technically taken custody of her from her parents.
After leaving the museum, I visited the nearby Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairi. I had also sent word to Rorone, the beastman girl serving as the acting manager, that I would be stopping by. I wasn't expecting a grand reception, of course. I’d told her specifically that grand decorations were unnecessary.
I brought refreshments for the staff here as well—including the children of Zabuton who were guarding the shop. I thanked them for their hard work and asked if there had been any suspicious characters lately. They told me everything was quiet, which was a relief.
The area around Fairy Fairi had seen a lot of development, and the increased foot traffic meant the shop was doing quite well.
"Having the airship port so close is a huge help," Rorone explained. "People come just to watch the ships, even if they aren't flying, and they tend to stop by here on their way home."
I see. Once the hotel and shopping mall were completed, things would likely get even busier.
"Yes! I’ll give it my all!"
"Now, now, keep it in moderation. The shop is already profitable, so there's no need to overwork yourselves."
"I’ll make sure the staff understands that," she promised.
With that, my scheduled stops for the day were finished. I was technically free, but I figured I should probably drop by Kuro and Yuki and Sake & Meat Niz. If I didn't show my face while I was in the neighborhood, the managers would surely complain. I was, at least on paper, the owner of those shops.
As for Noodle Shop Buritoa... they were always slammed with customers, so I didn't want to get in the way during business hours. Going before they opened would be a nuisance, so I decided I would stop by after they closed for the day.
Just as I made that decision, Eliza, the acting representative for Delzen Papermaking and Delzen Printing, approached me. Her office was close to Fairy Fairi.
"Are you not planning to visit the paper and printing facilities?" she asked.
"I see you in the village all the time, don't I, Eliza?"
"Just having the Representative show his face would do wonders for the staff’s morale."
"...Fair enough. However, I didn't bring any refreshments for your team."
"Cakes from Fairy Fairi would make them very happy."
"I wouldn't want to burden them with a sudden, massive order."
"It’s fine if we receive them at a later date."
I agreed and placed the order.
"Thank you very much," Eliza said with a smile.
Under her guidance, I spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Delzen Papermaking and Printing facilities.