● Character Refresher
Bell – Representative of the Mercuries. Shrine maiden-like.
Gou – Mercury. Oversees operations of Village Four’s Sun Castle. Middle-aged butler-like.
Kuzuden – Devil. Acting village chief of Village Four.
-0-
I moved to Village Four.
And then I saw it.
A massive wheel.
Like the kind a hamster would run in, except sized for a human.
Inside that massive wheel was the Royal Warrior, running.……
Uh, so… she can move again?
I asked Bell, who had been accompanying me since I arrived at Village Four.
「The consciousness transfer from the crystal pillar hasn’t been done yet. It seems she was in an emergency hibernation state and is still undergoing treatment」
Then what’s moving right now?
「It’s Gou’s remote control. The body itself has been repaired to a degree, so we’re doing motion tests」
I see.
So she’s not imitating a hamster, but more like using a treadmill.
「Yes. It’s just a check on her legs」
Got it.
Hm?
Looking closely, the Royal Warrior had only two arms.
Didn’t she have four before?
「Four arms were too complex mechanically, with little benefit. So we switched to two」
Isn’t that risky?
「Adding is one thing, but reducing causes no issues」
That so?
「That’s so. Also, since the Royal Warrior turned out to be female, we’ve adjusted the body to a female form」
So it seems.
I hadn’t mentioned it, but the body’s large chest was impossible to miss.
……
Wouldn’t that get in the way in battle?
「It was her request」
She can talk?
「Only a few short conversations a day」
I see.
That’s a relief.
But if she requested a larger chest, then this body isn’t the one she had inside the crystal pillar?
「No, it is her body」
Huh?
But the chest size…
「Her very first words upon regaining awareness were, ‘If you’re repairing me, make my chest bigger’」
Ah… w-well, I guess that’s important to a woman.
「For higher-ranking commanders, appearance and style are emphasized. But for standard squad leaders, they’re usually kept plain to avoid standing out. If Village Chief disapproves, we’ll stop at the current size」
She has more requests?
「Yes, about her figure, in detail」
But I thought she could only manage a few simple conversations a day?
「She uses those precious chances to state her requests about her figure」
That’s troublesome.
「It is. But her desire is helping her recovery, so we can’t dismiss it outright…」
Fair point.
Her wishes are important.
Grant them as best you can.
But in return, she has to work properly.
「Understood. I’ll keep records of both her requests and her performance」
Good.
And you don’t need to push yourselves to meet unreasonable demands.
Bell and Gou, who are already working hard, matter more than the new Royal Warrior.
「Understood. Thank you very much」
-0-
Since I was already in Village Four, I decided to speak with Kuzuden, the devil who’s the acting village chief.
With the expansion of land from the floating gardens, it seemed the residents now had much more living space.
「Some say they feel more comfortable in smaller rooms… but with more children on the way, things will eventually get crowded again」
That many children?
「Yes. Before, food and other restrictions limited us, but those worries are gone now. From what I hear, eight she-devils and twelve dream demons are currently pregnant」
I-I see.
If all goes well, that’s twenty children.
That’s wonderful news.
Do you have enough knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth?
「Of course. We have experienced mothers here, and even an ancient devil midwife visits regularly for checkups」
Good.
If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.
「Thank you very much」
Do you have any other requests for Big Tree Village or for me?
「Well… regarding village life, there are no problems. Food is plentiful. More people have learned different ways to cook. And we now have leisure activities like mahjong, reversi, and bowling」
So not just space, but life itself has become more comfortable.
Then no requests?
「Not about the village」
That phrasing makes it sound like you have a request outside of village matters.
「It’s about Bell-sama」
Bell?
She was just guiding me earlier. I didn’t notice anything unusual.
「As Village Four have stabilized, Bell-sama’s workload has decreased」
The representative may be Kuzuden, but Gou handles most of the day-to-day operations.
Bell serves as their support.
With things stable, her supporting role has shrunk.
「She still has small tasks, but she finishes them quickly」
I see.
「Do you recall when she once traveled by airship with Yoru-sama? She complained, but she looked like she was having fun」
Hmm.
「So if possible, could you assign Bell-sama some duties outside the village?」
…Alright.
I’ll think about it.
No, before that, I should consult Bell herself.
Her wishes come first.
「Please do」
No worries. Bell has helped me in many ways.
Not to mention she keeps the Foguma family together.
I’ll figure something out.
-0-
「Before work… what would really help is if I could have my own room or house in Big Tree Village」
That was Bell’s reply when I asked.
I see.
Then I’ll prepare a house for the Foguma family in the village.
Or so I began to say, only to be cut off.
「I misspoke. What I want is a room in village chief’s mansion」
………
W-Well, there are spare rooms.
No problem if she uses one.
「Thank you very much」
In fact, whenever Bell visits the village, she stays in one of those rooms anyway.
Without a personal room, she can’t keep her belongings there.
Alright. Once I return to Big Tree Village, I’ll have Ann prepare one for her.
Ah, before heading back, I should speak with Gou.
He was running operational tests on the Royal Warrior, and should be done by now.
……
Near the crystal pillar that held the Royal Warrior, I found Gou.
He seemed to be conversing with it.
「I’m telling you, the chest is far too large. Think about overall balance. Fighting with that body would be impossible」
……
「If you were dumped because of your chest size, then the man wasn’t worth your time. Forget him」
……
「Yes, chest size is trivial」
……
「Good, you understand. Now then, the thighs must be properly crafted」
……
「The important part is the thickness of the thighs! Then comes the line of beauty from hips to calves! How can you not understand that!?」
…………………
It felt wrong to intrude, so I quietly walked away.
There will be plenty of chances to talk with Gou later.
Yes.
-0-
Bell: 「Kuzuden-san」
Kuzuden: 「Y-Yes! What is it!?」
Bell: 「You did well」
Kuzuden: 「Eh? Ah, yes, I’m just glad it pleased you!」
-0-
Gou: 「You heard that? Eh? Ah, that was just words traded in the heat of the moment. N-Not how I really feel, I assure you」