After delivering the male reo to Village Four, we returned to the Big Tree Village.
Since we arrived later than planned, Kuro, Yuki, and Zabuton were extrely worried.
Sorry about that.
Even though I had sent a letter explaining the delay, of course they’d still be concerned.
I gave them each a reassuring pat.
I also apologized to my wives, who had been just as worried.
And to the children… yeah, I’m really sorry.
Hahaha, I get it, I get it.
We’ll play together later.
Actually, no—sorry, but I need to rest today.
Also, Flora.
I’m sure they’re fine, but could you cast healing magic on Daga and the others?
They say they’re okay, but they did pass out back there.
Better safe than sorry.
And Hakuren.
We made it back quickly.
Thanks.
「Ehehe~」
-0-
The next day.
As I played with the children, I waited for the outco of the discussion between Village Four’s male reo and his owner, the young devil girl.
I had already explained the situation to her.
I also told her that Shirukine-san and the others had welcod the idea of the male reo coming to the breeding facility.
I hoped they would have a thorough discussion.
anwhile…
Sothing seed off about Daga, Gulf, and Beezel.
At first, I thought they were just shaken from passing out, but that wasn’t it.
「That was the perspective of a god…」
「I must have witness sothing I was never ant to see…」
「Will we be punished for this…?」
To them, the view from space was like seeing the world from a god’s point of view.
Standing in such a place, they now feared they might suffer divine punishnt.
I had never seen the three of them discuss faith before, but they each must have a god they believe in.
In this world, the existence of gods is a certainty—especially since we actually heard a god’s voice not long ago.
Since this was a matter of faith, I had no place interfering.
I’d let them ponder it as much as they wanted…
But if the male reo did end up moving to the breeding facility, we’d have to transport him with Hakuren again.
If they kept worrying on it like this, it could be a problem.
What to do…
If this were a religious matter, Ancestor-san would be the perfect person to rely on, but I had no way of knowing when he’d show up.
Sotis he visited frequently, and other tis, not at all.
If not him… what about Youko, Niz, or the Holy Maiden Celes?
They all had extensive knowledge of the gods.
Would they be able to help?
Or would it be a delicate issue?
Well, they were all in Village Five right now.
If Daga and the others were still troubled when they ca by, I’d ask them for advice.
-0-
Around five days later…
It was finally decided—the male reo would move to the breeding facility.
His owner had acknowledged his determination.
In truth, they had reached this conclusion about two days ago.
However, the male reo didn’t want to part with his owner and had been trying to convince her to co with him.
His owner was old enough to live independently, but she still had her life in Village Four.
Leaving everything behind to move to the reo breeding facility wasn’t an easy choice.
…
To put it bluntly—
She had her own partner to find.
Fortunately, things had been progressing well with a young devil boy from Village Four, but there were rivals, and she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
She cherished her male reo, but sacrificing her own love life just to support his was sothing she struggled with.
The fact that she even agonized over it showed how responsible she was as an owner.
In the end, the final deciding factor was life at the breeding facility.
With Beezel and Shirukine-san handling the arrangents, there were no issues in terms of living conditions.
But…
It was easy to imagine that life there would an constantly witnessing the reos in their passionate courtship.
She wasn’t confident she could endure it.
Well, I could understand that.
Outside of mating season, it shouldn’t be that extre… but considering how the female reos had barricaded themselves to resist separation, it was hard to say for sure.
She had also considered taking the young devil boy she was close with to the breeding facility with her, but he had his own aspirations in Village Four.
He felt indebted to Kuzuden, Bell, Gou, and even for improving life in the village, and he wanted to be involved in its future governance.
Since he was studying toward that goal, she couldn’t ask him to leave.
For now, I’d ask Beezel and Shirukine-san to help arrange visits so she could see the male reo from ti to ti.
At least once, she should see where he’d be living.
Now that the move was settled, it was ti to prepare for departure.
Hakuren would transport him in the shortest ti possible.
…
Wait, it wouldn’t be as fast as last ti?
Because of the positioning, it would take a little longer?
I see.
Well, even so, it wouldn’t take half a day.
Still, I prepared a al’s worth of food, just in case.
Unfortunately, Hakuren wouldn’t be able to eat mid-flight, so I apologized in advance.
I also installed a toilet compartnt in the carrier.
If the journey was going to take so ti, it was necessary.
For handwashing afterward, I added a water tank.
And since we couldn’t just dump wastewater onto Hakuren, I also included a sewage tank.
While I was at it, I packed a gift for the caretakers at the breeding facility.
For frequent trips, it was customary to bring a gift only on the first visit, but considering they’d be looking after the male reo, showing up empty-handed didn’t feel right.
Of course, the male reo’s designated space remained the priority.
Everything we loaded was within reason.
-0-
Once the preparations were complete, I was ready to depart imdiately, but…
A problem arose.
Daga, Gulf, and Beezel refused to board the carrier.
Were they still troubled by what happened?
They had seed much better after consulting with Youko and Holy Maiden Celes, so I thought they were fine, but…
No?
They had already co to terms with that?
They were just scared.
…
………………
Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense.
Sorry.
Looks like my sense of normalcy was off.
Yeah, of course.
It is scary.
-0-
Daga, Gulf, and Beezel decided to travel ahead using teleportation magic.
As for who would accompany instead…
「If it’s just for protection, I should be more than enough, right?」
True. With Hakuren along, there shouldn’t be any issues.
Loo and the others seed to agree as well.
I looked around to see if there were any other volunteers, but…
Everyone was busy, it seed.
Even the male reo’s owner was unavailable.
Since we couldn’t predict when the trip would happen, it was impossible to plan for it.
It couldn’t be helped.
Hakuren and I would transport the male reo ourselves.
By the way, Hakuren—
You’re in heavy armor this ti?
Didn’t you say it felt too restrictive and wasn’t really your thing?
「It doesn’t get in the way of movent.」
Was it because I praised it so much when I saw it last ti?
The way the rugged full-body armor transford into a stylish one was brimming with chanical elegance is a man’s romance.
I could see why the children were so fascinated by it.
And that appeal remained unchanged even in dragon form.
The children were gleefully admiring the heavy armor, their voices full of excitent.
Still, for sothing human-sized to scale up to a dragon’s proportions—that really showed how convenient magic could be.
Hmm?
It’s not like anything is possible.
The materials need to be carefully selected, huh?
And even if it becos dragon-sized, the defensive capabilities remain the sa as the original human-sized armor, so the effect is mostly aesthetic.
I see.
Oh, the male reo on the harness is getting impatient, urging us to hurry.
My bad.
You’ve already said your goodbyes to your owner, then?
Aren’t you scared?
You’ll endure it?
Alright.
Then let’s head out.
Our destination—reo’s breeding facility.
「Village Chief. It’s actually a bit tricky to head straight there, so how about we stop by that lake with the waterfall first?」
Hmm?
Why’s that?
「The terrain over there is pretty similar. I think I’ll be able to find it once we get closer, but wandering around blindly wouldn’t be a good idea.」
The lake is a safe landmark, then?
「It’s a big lake, so we should be able to spot it from above. And I’ve been there a few tis before.」
Understood.
Then let’s set out for the lake first.
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