Parts for the Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machine (Arti-Horse) brought back by Bell and Yoru.

Most of them were maintenance tools and replacement parts, with nothing that looked like weaponry.

Well, that makes sense since they were found near a mining site.

There were drills probably meant for excavation, claws (rippers) for crushing rocks, and large backpack-like containers likely used for transport.

Hopefully they can be put to good use.

Even without weapons, it’s a treasure trove of technology for the Mountain Elves.

And the investigation is still ongoing.

-0-

And right, Unit One, Siegfried, whose limbs had been removed.

Glad it went back together properly.

There was always the risk that once disassembled, we wouldn’t be able to reassemble it.

Even if you have records, sometimes you need specialized tools just to fit a single part.

There aren’t any leftover parts we couldn’t reattach, right?

…….

Why won’t you look me in the eyes?

And what’s inside that box?

Don’t try to hide it, show me.

……..

There are tons of parts in here shaped in ways I can’t even guess their function!

Aren’t these important?

Is this okay?

We’re not going to try moving Siegfried like this, right?

You’re going to disassemble it again and reassemble it?

…

Let’s just hope the pile of unreturned parts doesn’t grow any bigger.

-0-

Pilot suit.

It’s a double-layered design with a snug inner layer that suppresses magic power, and an outer layer focused on protection.

Since it’s made for men, they said it’s meant for me, but I haven’t worn it yet.

The reason is because Yoru wore it.

This pilot suit is actually the type you wear completely naked.

And it has a device at the crotch to handle waste.

Even if I’m told it wasn’t used and has been cleaned, I still can’t bring myself to wear it.

Come on, I’m not a kid so there’s no way I’m embarrassed, okay?

But still, I’m supposed to strip down and wear a tight suit that a woman I know wore naked?

Before embarrassment, what I feel first is guilt toward Yoru.

So, I haven’t worn it.

The magic power suppression function is being analyzed by Loo and Tier, and the waste disposal device by the Mountain Elves.

We also need to examine the material the suit is made of, but for now, the spiderlings have made a few sample suits.

Thanks for that.

Still not wearing it though.

Yeah, no way.

Because the sample suits don’t have the waste disposal device attached, the crotch and buttocks are completely exposed.

Nope, that’s just too much.

-0-

There are five Multipurpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Machines in the village.

Unit One is Siegfried.

That sparked a discussion about what to name the others, from Unit Two onward.

Personally, I don’t think naming them is necessary, but Yoru and Yuri seem eager to give them names.

Well, I guess there’s no harm in it.

As long as they don’t end up with weird names.

They’re free to name them however they like.

…You want me to come up with something too?

Expecting naming sense from me is a lost cause.

Maybe I could just borrow names from stories or legends?

Let’s see… Momotarou, Kintarou, Urashimatarou, Hanasaka… maybe?

Ah, I get it now.

So that kind of theme, huh.

Several suggestions were thrown around, and Yoru and Yuri kept discussing back and forth.

Even the literature-loving civil servant girl joined in, and after a lot of time and thought, the names were finalized.

-0-

Unit Two, Benze.

Unit Three, Poka.

Unit Four, Larock.

Unit Five, Hanasaka.

-0-

Hanasaka must be the one that got through thanks to my suggestion.

Benze, Poka, and Larock are characters from classical literature.

Their full names are apparently longer, Benzemarkyle, Pokarontas, and Eilarocktack, but they’ll be using the shortened versions.

The long names are said to be inconvenient.

…

Wait, shouldn’t it be Eila instead of Larock for Eilarocktack?

When I asked, I was told that Eilarocktack has an older brother named Eimarocktack and a cousin named Eigatattack.

I see.

So the “Ei” part overlaps.

That means the brother and cousin go by Marock and Gatattack.

Were Marock or Gatattack not considered as name options?

Marock plays the role of a scumbag who laughs while abandoning his younger brother, and Gatattack is just a throwaway character used to highlight the enemy’s strength, so their names aren’t really suitable.

Well, with reasons like that, I guess it’s hard to use those names.

[They sometimes get used as targets for archery practice and such]

Yuri explained that soldiers do things like that during training.

[More importantly, about the Hanasaka name that the village chief proposed, I chose it based on the sound, but what kind of character is it from?]

[I’d like to know as well]

Yoru and Yuri asked me.

Ah, how should I explain this?

I probably shouldn’t mention he’s an old man.

If Hanasaka gets rejected, I’ll have to come up with another name.

It’s not like I’m attached to Hanasaka, but it’s the last idea of mine that made it through.

I want to protect it.

As I was thinking that, the literature-loving civil servant girl pulled out a book.

It was one of the stories I’d passed down for the children.

The title was Hanasaka Jijii, The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom.

…..

So she knew!

Well, I guess that’s to be expected if you’ve lived in Big Tree Village!

Now what’s she going to say?!

[He’s a kind man who makes flowers bloom on withered trees]

With that explanation from the literature-loving civil servant girl, Yoru and Yuri seemed satisfied.

Thank goodness!

-0-

Early afternoon.

The daughter of Count Pugyaru, Crakasse.

One of the earliest members among the civil servant girls who came to the village with Yuri, guided by Frau, and ended up settling here.

Right now, she was in the kitchen making curry.

It was a summer vegetable curry made with a generous amount of vegetables harvested in the summer.

……

The fields in Big Tree Village ignore the seasons, so is it really okay to call this a summer vegetable curry?

W-Well, no need to get hung up on the details.

When she first arrived in the village, she made some mistakes due to cultural differences, but now she’s a full-fledged member of Big Tree Village.

Her cooking has improved too.

She used to just serve ingredients raw and unprepared.

[This time, the curry includes radish harvested by Doraim-sama.]

That sounds delicious.

By the way, this curry isn’t for lunch or dinner.

It’s for the civil servant girls’ late-night meal.

[Curry eaten late at night is something special]

I get that, but won’t the smell cause complaints from those trying to sleep?

[That’s why we’re making a big pot]

So you plan to silence them with a share.

[Oh no. We simply want everyone to enjoy it together.]

I see.

But isn’t it after the autumn harvest that the civil servant girls get really busy?

Is work so overwhelming now that they need late-night meals?

[If it were, I wouldn’t be here leisurely cooking]

Good point.

[We’re just doing some prep work ahead of the busy season at the end of autumn. There’s no need to worry. We’re not pushing ourselves. We just wake up a little later than others and adjust our schedule accordingly]

Is that just you, Crakasse?

[Rosalind and Roaju are doing the same]

Rosalind, the second daughter of the Count Glitch family, and Roaju, the second daughter of the Viscount Mammonroz family.

Those two are always with Crakasse.

[We’re the best friend trio.]

Be sure to treasure that kind of friendship.

[Of course. So, what brings you here? Are you planning to cook something in the kitchen?]

Ah, no, that’s not it.

I wanted to ask you something about Count Pugyaru.

[About my father? Shall we talk somewhere else?]

No, no, we can talk while you’re cooking.

You can’t just stop stirring, after all.

[Excuse me, then. I’ll take you up on that offer.]

While Crakasse continued cooking, I brought up the matter regarding Count Pugyaru.

Specifically, that while we’ve received a lot of help from him, it’s been entirely one-sided, so I’ve been thinking about how to return the favor.

[But my father has said that no thanks are necessary.]

Yeah.

He even said that expressing gratitude would be troublesome for him.

[…That’s strange. If he doesn’t expect anything in return for his actions, his wealth will only continue to decrease.]

That’s what I thought.

[And if he gains a reputation as a noble who doesn’t expect thanks, it could reduce his income and make it harder to keep pushy lower nobles in check.]

Pushy?

Ah, you mean others might start asking for help without offering anything in return.

[Exactly. Which is why it’s normal to expect compensation for one’s actions. But my father says it’s unnecessary…]

Crakasse kept her hands moving as she thought for a moment, then spoke.

[My father has done strange things like this for as long as I can remember]

Strange things?

[How should I put it… things that don’t make logical sense. For example, at a fork in the road, even though he usually always chooses the left path, sometimes he suddenly takes the right]

Well, I suppose anyone might feel like doing something different now and then.

[True, but whenever he acts that way, there’s always something like a rockslide or collapse on the left path.]

…So he has good instincts?

[If it were just that, it would make sense, but he acts with a sense of certainty when he does it.]

Could it be some kind of ability?

[Maybe, but he’s never mentioned anything like that. With his personality, if he did have some kind of power, I think he’d brag about it.]

Hmm.

[Still, whenever my father does something like that, things tend to go in a good direction. It’s helped my sisters and me avoid danger more than once]

He sounds like a good father who protects his family.

[Yes. That’s why I believe if my father says no thanks are necessary, then he truly means it. If your intention was to show respect for him, then please consider honoring his wish…]

Honor his wish, huh… alright, alright.

I won’t force a thank-you on someone who doesn’t want it.

I’d been thinking of showing some appreciation through adjustments to the airship routes, but I’ll hold back on that too.

[Thank you very much]

Crakasse said that, then lifted the large pot of curry off the fire.

[It’s ready. Would you like some too, Village Chief?]

Is that okay?

Wasn’t it meant to be a late-night meal?

[Freshly made curry is best eaten fresh]

That’s true.

I’ll have a little.

Freshly made curry really was delicious.

-0-

Crakasse: [My parent is a Count]

Rozalind: [My parent is a Count]

Roaju: [My parent is a Viscount]

Crakasse: [A Count outranks a Viscount]

Rozalind: [Indeed]

Roaju: [And yet, the leader of our trio is me, the one whose parent is a Viscount!]

Crakasse: [That’s because Rozalind and I always ended up fighting over who should be the leader]

Rozalind: [And while settling our fights, Roaju naturally became the leader]

Roaju: [A promotion beyond my wildest dreams!]

Crakasse: [But we’re still the best of friends!]

Rozalind: [The three of us even got screen time in the anime]

Roaju: [We hope you’ll support us!]

TN: I just checked and they have a lot of screentime in episode 10.