Isekai Nonbiri Nouka - Chapter 922

Early afternoon.

At the poolside in Big Tree Village, an angel in a swimsuit stood blindfolded.

In her hands, she held a wooden sword.

At a glance, it looked like a typical watermelon-splitting game, except there were no watermelons nearby.

Instead, there were water spheres, conjured by the magic of the Pond Turtles.

Each sphere was about the size of a large watermelon.

These water spheres flew toward the blindfolded angel in a swimsuit.

Not just one, but countless.

From all directions—front, back, left, right, even from above.

And at considerable speed.

But the blindfolded angel in swimsuit didn’t panic. She calmly swung her wooden sword and smashed every single sphere before they could hit her.

Children watching from afar clapped.

I clapped too.

「I got a little wet. It’s not worthy of applause...」

She said this while removing her blindfold, but considering how drenched Gulf got doing the same thing, I think she deserved the praise.

Ah, looks like Gulf is giving it another go and putting on the blindfold.

.......

The Pond Turtles’ water spheres are toying with him.

「No matter the form, anything created with magic carries a trace of magical power. You must learn to sense that magic.」

The angel in swimsuit offered that advice, but it didn’t seem to help.

He could strike down the first one or two water spheres, but that was it.

「I end up relying too much on my hearing...」

Even just reacting to the water spheres by sound is still impressive, in my opinion.

-0-

Now the angel in swimsuit was playing in the pool with the children.

As I watched, I thought back to the way she had handled the wooden sword.

Could she actually be stronger than the Sword Saint Pirika?

Gulf nodded in response to my murmuring.

He explained that because angels live such long lives, when they devote themselves to something, they eventually become masters at it.

That makes sense.

And even with that skill, she’s still not the strongest among the angels.

It made me realize once again just how incredible Tier, the strongest angel, really is.

-0-

The Pond Turtles usually stay in the reservoir or irrigation canals.

But in summer, a few of them move to the pool.

They help maintain the water quality and even create a current to make it river-like.

It’s a huge help.

They even join in on games like earlier.

I should treat them to some freshly harvested cabbage.

But make sure to come up to the poolside to eat it so the water doesn’t get dirty.

You say you’ll clean the water right away even if it does?

That’s not the point.

If the kids see you eating in the water, they might copy you.

Thanks for understanding.

Here, I’ll give you an especially big cabbage as a reward.

Hmm?

Hahaha, don’t worry.

I’ll make sure the Pond Turtles in the reservoir and irrigation canals get their share too.

So go ahead and enjoy it.

-0-

When I returned to the poolside after delivering cabbage to the Pond Turtles, I found a swimsuit fashion show in progress, hosted by Zabuton and the spiderlings.

The participants included children, angels, oni maids, beastgirls, and civil servant girls.

It wasn’t about unveiling new swimsuits, but rather showcasing improvements to existing designs.

New swimsuits had already been presented around spring.

These were updates made after actually using them during summer.

The changes were minor—adding or removing a single piece of fabric—but the overall impression shifted dramatically.

It was bright and beautiful.

By the way, Zabuton considers swimsuits to be the pinnacle of functional beauty.

She said their simplicity is what makes them so deep and interesting.

Because of that, while not outright rejecting items like pareos, Zabuton doesn’t exactly welcome them either.

I get it, but... my swimsuit has a cape.

Of course, I take the cape off when I swim, and it’s designed to come off easily.

Still, pairing a cape with swim trunks feels, well... a bit too avant-garde, in my opinion.

But I wear it anyway.

-0-

Dinner time.

......

Summer is definitely hot, but Big Tree Village isn’t particularly humid.

Inside the mansion, there are magic tools that regulate the temperature, and the ice monster is working hard too, so it’s not really hot.

In fact, it’s almost cool.

That’s why I don’t think it’s appropriate to go about daily life in swimsuits.

Children will start copying them.

I scolded some of the angels, beastgirls, and civil servant girls who were wandering around in swimsuits.

They should take a lesson from the oni maids.

Those women wear proper maid uniforms.

Granted, they’re probably made from slightly thinner summer fabric, but they’re firmly committed to their long skirts. Impressive.

Though personally, I think slightly shorter skirts might look cooler and more refreshing.

I don’t mean miniskirts, just something around knee-length.

And if they’re uncomfortable showing their legs, they could pair that shorter skirt with a sheer long overskirt or something.

Ah, that would be fine for casual clothes, but too flashy for a maid outfit?

Fair point.

Well, in the end, people should wear what they want.

Except... please don’t wander around in just swimsuits.

At the very least, throw something over it.

-0-

But still, why the swimsuits?

When you get out of the pool, don’t you usually take a shower?

And after that, wouldn’t you normally get changed?

...You’re going back to the pool after dinner?

The sun’s already set, you know?

Ah, with the lights on to create a dreamy atmosphere by the pool, huh?

...Yeah, I still don’t really get it.

Isn’t that dangerous?

Oh, you’re not actually swimming?

Just enjoying the ambiance and some drinks?

Well, I won’t say no—but let me be clear: no getting into the pool after drinking.

It’d be real trouble if someone ended up drowning.

Tell me how it went tomorrow, alright?

Hmm?

You want me to join?

Ah... I think I’ll pass.

If I go out partying at night, I’ll get scolded by both Loo and Tier.

-0-

After dinner.

The Fairy Queen stormed over, visibly upset.

Apparently, her vanilla ice cream wasn’t sweet.

I took a bite—and yeah, it wasn’t sweet at all.

According to the oni maid, that particular batch was made for cooking purposes, not for dessert.

Even after hearing the explanation, the Fairy Queen remained indignant—because according to her, “ice cream that isn’t sweet is a crime”.

Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up.

If it’s not sweet, we can just make it sweet.

When it comes to sweetness, sugar’s the obvious answer—but it’s vanilla-flavored ice cream, right?

Then honey it is.

Poured on generously... there we go. That should fix it, right?

Good, her mood improved.

Crisis averted.

That said...

There wasn’t supposed to be any dessert with tonight’s dinner.

Even if it was available upon request, the oni maids wouldn’t accidentally serve the wrong ice cream to the Fairy Queen of all people.

Which means... the ice cream she had in her hand—where did it come from?

Ah, right.

She snuck it out, didn’t she?

That’s not okay.

And getting mad over something you took without asking—especially when it turned out not how you wanted—is a bit much, don’t you think?

...

And quit trying to smooth it over by making a cute face. It won’t work this time.

-0-

The next day.

The game center in Village Five would continue trial operations for the time being.

Too many issues and areas for improvement had been pointed out, so full-scale opening was still a ways off.

I listened to that report while making my way toward the village council building.

-0-

A lecture was scheduled in the large conference room there.

The lecturer? A high-ranking officer from the Demon Kingdom’s military.

At least, I think he’s high-ranking?

He’s supposedly the Deputy Chief of Staff or something like that.

...Though I’m not actually sure how important that position is.

Anyway, the attendees were: me, my son Ririus, and also Riguru and Ratte.

I wasn’t originally planning to attend, but the lecturer specifically asked for me.

Not directly—he made the request through the Demon King and Beezel.

Judging by their reactions, they both seemed eager for me to listen in, so I agreed to join.

The lecture topic was the Demon Kingdom’s military structure.

Which, as far as I understand, means things like how the army is organized, how they maintain order, and how soldiers are recruited.

Did Ririus and the others ask for a lecture like this?

And more importantly, why do they want me to hear it?

Am I here to keep things in check in case the kids get told something strange?

Well, I guess I’ll hold off on judging anything until I’ve heard the actual lecture.

By the way, I noticed Glatts sitting off to the side of the room.

Apparently, his role is to say things like “Forgive the amateur question, but...” right before launching into a highly technical inquiry.

Is it wrong to ask normal questions then?