How about that, your old man's pretty knowledgeable, right?

As we proceeded through the cave, we came upon a very large, open space.

It was like a dome with an open ceiling, and you could see the sky above.

Gray, square buildings made of stone stood in rows. There were even fields.

This village seemed to be built by hollowing out the top of a rocky mountain, creating a cup-shaped basin at the bottom.

"How do you get drinking water in a place like this? Rainwater?"

"Hm? Magic, of course."

Magic sure is convenient.

Anyway, we were led to the village chief's house—or rather, the village chief's room, which was a bit larger than the other buildings in the row.

Apparently, the whole village is thought of as one house, and each building is considered a "room."

When we greeted him while handing over the alcohol we'd brought as a gift, Village Chief Laffman, Aishia and Sati-tan's father (well, in terms of blood relations, the village chief is the father and everyone else around the same age is more or less treated as siblings), welcomed us with open arms.

"Welcome, honored guests! Let me welcome you!"

He was a muscular dwarf with a magnificent red beard.

In his hands was an already-opened bottle of alcohol. We'd just handed it to him and he was already drinking it.

Actually, he was saying "All that greeting made me thirsty," as he took a swig.

"Dad, you're getting too excited."

"You say that, Pastel, but we'd already given up Aishia for dead, you know? I never expected her to come home with alcohol… I mean, with such beautiful young ladies."

Pastel-chan, Sati-tan's little sister—a pure-blooded dwarf like Sati-tan, with dark skin and red hair; aside from slightly different facial features, there was almost no difference in build—admonished the village chief.

Also, you just said alcohol. Your true feelings are showing.

"Huh, so my room doesn't exist anymore?"

"We cleared it out the day after you left the village. Ghana and her daughter are using it now."

"Wait, Ghana had a kid!? … My little sister beat me to it…"

Oh, it seemed like quite a lot had changed since she'd been out of contact with home.

I can definitely imagine having complicated feelings if your younger siblings have kids before you do. Well, I can only imagine, though.

"Looks like you ended up as a slave, but I'm glad to see you're doing well, Aishia."

"Yeah. Oh, and I'll say this upfront: I have absolutely no intention of leaving Master's protection. If you try anything unnecessary, just know you'll die."

"… Why would I do something like that to someone who has a dragon at their command? Your thinking is still as terrifying as ever. Who did you take after?"

This was my first time seeing Aishia like this too. How refreshing.

Hm? What's that, Dea-kun? … Ahh, "try anything unnecessary" means assassinating me? Thanks for the clarification. Man, Aishia's really been coming alive since we got to this village.

"That aside, though. Does bringing them to a dwarf village mean you three will be participating in the drinking festival?"

"Uh, hmm, well. What do you think, Master? Want to participate?"

"Drinking festival? To celebrate Aishia's safe return? Well, if that's the occasion, maybe I'll join."

"Oh, no. To put it in terms outsiders would understand—um, it's kind of like an annual matchmaking party? One that involves… physical relations."

"Oh, never mind then."

I almost got baptized into dwarf free-love culture right off the bat.

When I glanced at Dea-kun, his face was red.

Don't worry, Dea-kun, I'll protect you! I made a promise to Mashiro-san!

"Fair enough. If you were men who just needed to sow their seeds, that'd be one thing, but you're women. And that elf over there is probably too young to even bear children yet. At that height, she'd be a fine woman if she were a dwarf, but by elf standards, she should still be a child… How about that, your old man's pretty knowledgeable, right?"

"Uh, Dad. Dea-sama is technically male."

"What!? … Huh? He looks completely female to me. Why is he dressed as a woman? Is it an elf culture thing?"

"… There are complicated circumstances."

Incidentally, he added, "Even for boys, I wouldn't let a beardless child participate."

Good for you, Dea-kun, your chastity is safe!