Hiichirou – Hakuren’s son. Around ten years old.
Fracia – Frau’s daughter. Around nine years old.
Sette – Sena’s daughter. Around eight years old.
Rananon– Rasuti’s daughter. Around eight years old.
Do I have any magic power?
Do I have a lot of it?
Then, doesn’t that mean I might be able to operate a Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machine (Arti-Horse) without a pilot suit?
Siegfried didn’t move, but maybe that was due to a different issue entirely.
Holding onto that hope, I climbed into Unit Four, Larock, which Yuri had been operating.
I shut the hatch and gripped the controls.
Yuri had taught me how to operate it.
If it’s just making it go straight, I should be able to manage.
I don’t need words of comfort.
I don’t need a robot!
I said I don’t need it!
Though I am a little curious about robot-assisted farming.
But considering its size, it’s probably more suited for large-scale construction than fieldwork.
For now, I dashed off with Kuro, Yuki, and Kuro’s children.
Don’t leave me behind!
Follow Kuro and Yuki’s example!
They’re running right beside me!
They’re too excited to listen.
Until they calm down… I’ll just walk and catch up at my own pace.
Hiichirou had wrapped up his brooch-making for now.
It seems this is about the limit of his current skill level…
Looking at the brooches Hiichirou lined up, they were quite well-crafted.
I glanced at Gutt, wondering if Hiichirou had really made them himself, and Gutt nodded firmly.
Maybe Hiichirou has a natural talent for this kind of work.
Or maybe I’m just being a biased parent.
There were about twenty brooches in total, and he handed one to Guraru first.
Then to Hakuren, followed by Raimeiren.
He also gave brooches to Dors, Girar, Guronde, and Rasuti.
That must have been a lot of work.
And for his younger sisters, Fracia, Sette, and Rananon?
For them, he handed out brooches with chains attached, more like pendants.
You really did your best.
Even the younger kids got some…
Sorry for having so many siblings.
I’ll take good care of the brooch you gave me.
But if I wear it in daily life, I might break it, so I’ll display it for now… and wear it during important ceremonies.
So, um… what are Guraru, Hakuren, and Raimeiren doing now?
They seem to be focusing their thoughts on the brooches?
Oh, they’re giving them blessings so they won’t break.
But if they overdo it, it might backfire, so they’re concentrating the blessing?
When you’ve got the mental energy for it, I’d appreciate it if you could bless mine too.
When I went to the edge of the reservoir, the pond turtles came over, so I handed them the cabbage I brought.
They munched on it eagerly.
One whole cabbage, gone in just two bites.
I had grown it specifically for the pond turtles.
Go ahead and eat as much as you like.
The young one who went to Village Five is doing well.
The swans that race there were also pleased with how clean the pond is.
If the water gets too clear, it becomes harder to catch fish, but the racing swans are fed by their keepers, so it’s not a problem.
The clear water in the reservoir is thanks to the pond turtles.
The water temperature in the reservoir is a little high?
You want to ask the ice monster to drop in some ice?
I don’t mind, but haven’t the pond turtles usually taken care of things like that on their own?
The ice monster asked to be entrusted with that kind of task?
The ice monster is really putting in the effort.
You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.
A letter arrived from Alfred.
Words like foolish and ignorant were flying all over the place, and I could tell he was angry, but I couldn’t understand the content, so I asked Loo to read it for me.
「Ehto, it seems he’s upset about the food during the military training he went to observe. They’ve been treating meals too carelessly. There are too many people who don’t understand the importance of food, and he finds it very disappointing. He divided the soldiers by meal quality and had them conduct mock battles to prove his point.…That’s the gist of it」
「He believes the reason for the poor meals isn’t just a food shortage, but also the lack of ingredient variety, so he wants to start a farm. He says he’ll prepare a safe territory and the military force to protect it, and wants you to oversee it.」
That was in the letter too?
「Here. See, it says ‘the Impure Land where we build an altar and pray for the descent of a god’」
It’s not that I doubt Loo, but I had Flora, who happened to be nearby, read it too.
She said the same thing.
Since it’s a letter from my son, I should really try harder to be able to read it myself.
A letter arrived from Ursa as well.
The contents were mostly along the lines of “I’m doing well.”
As for the bandit extermination Yuri mentioned…
Where she says she helped out a bit with Yuri’s work?
And then… that she’s made a lot of friends.
If I hadn’t heard Yuri’s version, I’d have been happy for her, but doesn’t that mean she’s taken command of the bandits?
Is she going to be okay?
Can she support them all?
A thousand people, that’s more than most villages.
…It says she’s earning money by helping out.
Helping out with what?
Don’t tell me it’s on the battlefield?
Wouldn’t that make her a mercenary?
She’s not being called commander or anything like that… right?
She says that, in the end, she wants to find a place to settle down and have them farm there…
Having a vision for the future is commendable.
I won’t hold back on providing support.
And this letter… is it really okay to show it to Hakuren or Zabuton?
They’d worry too if they haven’t heard anything from her…
A letter arrived from Torain, who is in the Demon King’s Kingdom’s royal capital.
I’m not too worried about Torain, since he can return quickly using the academy’s teleportation gate.
As for the letter’s contents…
So peaceful, in fact, that he feels a bit confused, but his studies are going well.
He says he’s being treated kindly by Gol, Sil, and Bron, who are also in the capital.
Since we have the teleportation gate, I wrote back asking him to come visit the village from time to time, even if irregularly, so he can show his face to his mother, Ann.
Ann’s been worried about Torain in her own way, after all.
No letter has arrived from Tiselle.
Well, she’s gone far away.
It’s only natural for it to take longer to arrive.
Alfred’s letter was delivered by ancestor-san using teleportation magic.
As for the postal system… if I recall correctly, the same letter is sent through multiple routes.
Mainly through merchant caravans or adventurers.
Even then, there’s no guarantee it’ll arrive.
Places connected by teleportation gates are fine, but the roads in between can be dangerous.
If you absolutely need a letter delivered, you have to rely on someone you can trust.
Thinking in terms of speed… once airship trade starts, they could double as mail carriers too.
Or maybe it would be better to have airships dedicated solely to mail?
That might earn more trust.
Trust is everything when it comes to postal services.
If it’s just one of several routes, it wouldn’t take away work from merchant caravans or adventurers either.
I should consider it.
Still, even if it works, it would probably be limited to the Demon King’s Kingdom, the Six Dragon God Kingdom, and the Legitimate Garret Kingdom.
Hmm… is there really no faster way to receive a letter from Tiselle?
Tier: 「Isn’t it possible she just hasn’t sent one?」