The chickens lived in the courtyard of my mansion.
Usually, they acted as if the courtyard were their personal kingdom, but during the winter, they stayed quiet and well-behaved inside their coop. I had only come by to see how they were doing.
"Getting angry at me won't make the snow melt," I told them.
There, there. They had plenty of food and water. I’d had Heat Retention Stones—more commonly known as Hot Stones—installed in the water troughs so there was no fear of the water freezing. Actually, I remembered having Hot Stones installed all over the coop. As long as they were comfortable, that was all that mattered.
"Hahaha, stop pecking at my feet."
Spring was just around the corner. Because of that, preparations were underway all across the village. My own task was mostly maintaining my tools. I’d been working on them bit by bit throughout the winter, so this was more of a final confirmation than anything else.
"Village Head, the waterwheels and windmills are in perfect condition. We can start them up at any time."
Ria, the leader of the High Elves, delivered her report. The fact that the machinery was in such good shape was undoubtedly due to the meticulous care the High Elves provided. I made sure to thank her.
"Not at all," she replied. "It’s thanks to the snow countermeasures we took before winter and the sturdy construction provided by Ya and the other Mountain Elves."
"Even so, I appreciate the hard work."
"Hehe. In that case, I’ll gladly accept your praise."
"Right. Oh, by the way, Lilius and the others just got back a little while ago."
"What? I haven't heard anything about this."
"I'm not surprised. Apparently, they intend to return to Village Five almost immediately."
"He’s returning without even a greeting for his own mother!?"
"Well, greeting or not, you see him frequently enough here and in Village Five, don't you?"
"That isn't the point!"
"Now, now. The other children are stalling him, so he’s still in the village for the moment."
"I see! Then, if you'll excuse me!"
Ria hurried out of the room. Taking her place was Daga, the Lizardman.
"Village Head, the waterway inspection is complete. We found some debris build-up in a few spots, but we’ve cleared it out. However..."
Daga spread out a map he’d brought along. It was a general map of the area surrounding the Village of the Great Tree—not a precise survey, but enough to show the approximate distances between the various villages.
"While there were no problems with the waterways, a group of Centaurs who passed by during the investigation mentioned seeing a large Magic Beast around here."
He pointed to a spot northwest of Village Two. It wasn't particularly close.
"Yes. The Centaurs only caught a glimpse of it from a distance. I thought it might be fine to ignore it, but just in case, I reported it to Lady Suarlou of the Angel Race, who was monitoring the area from the sky. She is currently investigating. I’ll let you know when we have more information."
Shortly after I gave my nod, Suarlou arrived.
"I have a report. I discovered a massive Magic Beast in the area suggested by Daga. Judging it to be non-hostile, I have successfully captured it."
"Oh, I see. Good work. Were there any casualties on our side?"
"Two of my subordinates ended up inside its mouth, but they were rescued."
"Wait, what? Inside its mouth? Doesn't that mean they were eaten? Are they okay?"
"Their wings and clothes just got a bit messy."
"Oh... well, that's a relief. But why were they eaten if it wasn't hostile?"
"There were simply a few fools who grew careless because its movements were so sluggish. They approached its mouth unnecessarily. The beast likely had no intention of eating them; it actually seemed to be trying to spit them out, but their wings got stuck between its teeth..."
"I-I see."
"I will ensure those fools are retrained."
"Just... try not to go too hard on them. So, what kind of massive Magic Beast is it exactly? If it could fit an Angel in its mouth, it must be quite large."
"Yes. It’s roughly the size of a two-story house. It has four legs, a massive head and mouth, and eyes so small they're barely visible. Its body is shaped like a lizard with a thick tail. It’s a dark, greenish-black color, hairless, and slimy to the touch."
It sounded like a lizard-type beast, but if its eyes were that tiny, it might be a Giant Salamander Monster. I didn't think either type was particularly active in the winter, though. Since it had been captured, I supposed I should go take a look. For now, I was just glad no villagers or livestock had been harmed.
"I will increase our vigilance in case there are others following it," Suarlou added.
"Understood. I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir."
I asked Daga to send a warning to the Centaur Race and anyone else likely to wander into that area. The Inferno Wolves would be much more active once spring arrived, so we just needed to hold out until then.
Before heading out to see the captured beast, I went to soothe the Fenrirs. Since the sighting happened outside the village, they were likely beating themselves up for not finding it first.
When I reached the area northwest of Village Two, the Magic Beast was exactly what I’d expected: a Giant Salamander Monster that looked like it had been blown up to an impossible size. It had four legs, but it could stand on its hind ones, which made it look even more imposing. It looked like a dinosaur... or perhaps a kaiju.
As it turned out, someone already knew about this creature. One of the Death Knights from the hot springs had rushed over as soon as he heard the news. Apparently, this beast was one of a group living in a large pond northwest of the Hot Spring Area. The other salamanders had mentioned that one of their own had gone missing and asked the knight to let them know if he saw it.
The Death Knight apologized for the delay in reporting it. To be fair, it wasn't the kind of thing he would have thought to report to me directly; it was normally something that would have been handled within the Hot Spring Area. It was the sort of topic that only came up during idle chatter. Since he had shared the information with Yor, Crim, the Lion Family, and Ashura at the springs, there was no issue with his conduct.
Regardless, the Giant Salamander Monster had a home to return to. That was a relief. I wondered if pointing it in the right direction would be enough, but I doubted it. If it knew where it was going, it wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place. The Teleportation Gate was too small for something of this size, and I considered having a Dragon carry it, but when the salamander saw Draim in his Dragon form, it backed away in hesitation. It didn't want to get him slimy, and there was a high risk it would just slip and fall during transit.
In the end, providing a guide was the best option. The route would take them on foot to the Hot Spring Area first, then to the large pond. However, the snow was still deep, making the cold too much for me or the High Elves. The Death Knight was a possibility, but he tended to get lost—he’d even struggled to find his way here. Having an Angel guide it from the air seemed safest, as the salamander would be able to keep track of a flying guide easily.
Just as I was about to ask one of the Angels, one of the Fenrirs volunteered. It was incredibly eager to redeem itself and restore its honor, so even though I told it that failing to spot the beast wasn't an issue, its mind was made up. Still, the Fenrir's fur was white, which meant it would blend into the snow. That wasn't great for a guide.
The solution? The Fenrir wore a Red Vest.
It certainly stood out. As a visual marker, it was perfect. I worried it might be a bit too conspicuous if they ran into trouble, but the wolves decided to handle that with sheer numbers. Three Fenrirs volunteered to act as guides together, all wearing their vests.
"I'm counting on you."
The Giant Salamander Monster looked like it wanted to say something.
"You can speak freely, you know," I told it.
It turns out its eyes were so poor that color didn't really matter. Instead, it was sensitive to presence. It also warned us that if anyone got too close to its mouth, it might accidentally eat them, so everyone should be careful.
Ah.
In that case, the Red Vests weren't strictly necessary, but the Fenrirs refused to take them off. The three guides and the Giant Salamander Monster set off toward the Hot Spring Area.
A few days later, word reached us that the Giant Salamander Monster had arrived safely at its pond. The three Fenrirs returned via the Hot Spring Area Teleportation Gate. I was glad everyone was safe. The three Fenrirs were still wearing their Red Vests. They seemed to have taken quite a liking to them. I didn't mind, but I told them to ask Ann and the others to wash the vests if they got dirty. I also had to ask them to keep the bragging to a minimum. Most of Zabuton and her children were still hibernating, so we wouldn't be able to make any new ones if everyone started wanting their own.
Death Mage: "What about a report for me?"
Village Head: "You usually only go back to the Hot Spring Area to sleep lately, don't you?"
Death Mage: "Research! I am doing research too!"
Village Head: "Maybe everyone figured they shouldn't disturb you since you're always cooped up in your Research Room."
Death Mage: "I appreciate the consideration, but still..."
A few days later, a sign was hung on the door of the Death Mage's Research Room in the Hot Spring Area that read: "I’m in. Visitors welcome any time."
Quentan: "The Death Mage's high-maintenance side is showing..."
Ya: "I prepared these Red Vests just in case something like this happened. Use these as markers."
Zabuton's Child: (Clothes? Th-That’s our job!)
High Elf: (Wait a second. Did she just say 'just in case'?)
Beastman Race: (She did. Did she actually predict this?)
Angel Race: (...The Mountain Elf Transport Squad is just standing by with a mountain of random gear.)
Lizardman: "What should we do about the patrols?"
Centaur: "Since it was just a lost child, there shouldn't be any others, right?"
Minotaur: "We should probably keep it up until spring. You never know what else might wander in."
Lizardman: "True. You're right."
Centaur: "Carelessness is our greatest enemy."
Minotaur: "Exactly."