Moving Day
Since the Vaash dislike crowds, we left the estate early in the morning to begin the relocation.
They should be more at ease once we get out of the capital.
Bale’s family consists of six people: his parents, two younger sisters, and a younger brother—four siblings in total.
His father had mainly worked in agriculture back in their village, but their income had only just been enough to make ends meet. That’s why Bale became an adventurer—to support the family.
Now, Bale’s younger sister has married and taken over the house and farmland in the village, so the remaining five family members would be living together at the fort.
This time, the offer to Bale’s family included a newly built house with no immediate neighbors, a small vegetable garden, and a separate salary from Bale’s, set at 1.5 times their previous income.
Apparently, they had a hard time believing it when they first heard.
Still, when they were asked to come for an interview at the Lord’s estate, they rushed over together.
Father had told them that if the Vaash accepted their care, they would be approved—and so they worked hard alongside Bale to earn that trust.
Though the Vaash looked like they were strolling along, they actually moved quickly.
Thanks to our early start, we arrived at the pasture just after noon.
We opened the gates of the fort to let them in.
I really hope they like it.
Near the gate were the Bale family’s residence, a workshop, a storage shed for milk cans and the cart, and a stable.
The house was built facing the road, while the stable was set farther toward the forest side.
Once the Vaash were inside the fort, they immediately began to spread out.
We’d have to ask them for their preferences later.
Bale approached us.
“Are we really allowed to live in this house? Isn’t it a bit too big?”
“I built it larger, assuming more caretakers might be added. Also, the house has its own hot spring. You can use it too, just adjust the temperature to your liking.”
“There’s a hot spring inside the house?”
“Yeah. One of the conditions for the Vaash to live here was that they could soak in a hot spring anytime, so we added it in.
If we want to rely on them, we need to keep them happy. Once they recover, we’ll start distributing their milk.”
“Yes, we’ve been instructed to keep the water, hot springs, and pasture in pristine condition.”
“If the Vaash ever reject you, the contract’s off. But if you keep doing what you’re doing, it’ll be fine.
Just make sure to explain to your family that the Vaash are incredibly strong monsters. Don’t be fooled by their looks.”
I went over to speak with the leader of the Vaash and asked where they wanted the water trough.
They said the spot between the two hot springs would be best, so I built it in the place they indicated on the forest side of the fort.
I recreated the forest-style water source using earth magic.
Instead of a rock basin, I made a tank with compacted earth: 4 meters tall, 3 meters wide and deep.
I filled it with water using water magic, then released the Trasanpe into it.
The drinking platform was built to match the height of the Vaash—3 meters long so five or six could drink at once.
I added a small hole to the tank with a wooden frame so water would flow continuously to the platform.
Apparently, Bale’s mother and brother can use water magic, so they’ll be refilling the tank twice a day.
I added stairs so they could reach the top of the tank.
We also agreed to check on everything in a week to see if any improvements were needed.
“Hey, am I imagining things, or has the Trasanpe gotten bigger?”
Now that he mentioned it, the Trasanpe did look about a size bigger than a ping-pong ball.
“I haven’t done anything! I left them in Bale’s care.”
Suspicious, Gerald gave me a look, but I denied it.
Bale said they were already this size when I handed them over.
When I asked how he knew, he explained that the knights had been measuring them.
Looking behind me, I saw Meyer and the others smiling awkwardly.
They know something…
According to Meyer, it’s my fault.
While we were traveling back to the estate with the Vaash, I had placed the Trasanpe container in the sun a few times and refilled it with water magic, saying things like:
“We’re moving with the Vaash now, so sorry it’s cramped. But the new place is super spacious, so you’ll be fine even if you grow.”
Apparently, that’s the reason.
How does that make them grow!?
Meyer suspects that when I spoke to them, I unconsciously included the blessing of the Plant God in my water magic.
“So Meyer’s guess was probably right. Why were the knights measuring them, anyway?”
Wilson, who had overheard me muttering to myself, thought the Trasanpe might grow and started measuring them during the forest trip, then remeasured them once we returned to the estate to confirm.
So they were doing it for fun?
Were they… making bets?
When I pushed for answers, he admitted they’d tried to bet a mug of ale—but since everyone bet on the Trasanpe growing, the bet didn’t happen.
“Well, yeah. After hearing all that, even I’d bet on them growing.
Just remember, no big wagers or anything involving money—it would disrupt the Knights Order.”
What do you think about this chapter?
