Construction has begun on airship terminals in both Village Five and Shashaato City.

Eh?

Isn’t that a bit fast?

They rushed it because securing the land was urgent?

I-I see.

Still, what about the airships that are supposed to land there?

The airship construction dock project in Village Five is already underway?

Wait, I only handed over the plans a short while ago.

Apparently, the Village Five Council already approved it and things are moving forward.

…

The world really does move quickly, doesn’t it?

-0-

At the Prada Museum in Village Five, I met the new staff for the first time.

A tall, slender woman.

[Kati desu.]

A slim man with long black hair slicked back.

[Rudio.]

And a girl who looked a bit nervous… or maybe just shy.

[Sharune…]

All three were dressed in the museum staff uniforms. Apparently, they’re Prada’s friends.

Which means they’re all ancient devils.

Definitely older than me.

But I’ve gotten used to dealing with such beings.

I introduced myself properly and greeted them.

[Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.]

[Looks like we’ll be working together for a long time.]

[…N-nice…meet you…]

Alright, greetings complete.

Just as I thought that, Prada smacked all three of them on the back of their heads. Hard.

What happened?

[They were having some slightly indecent thoughts. But it’s alright. Please don’t worry about it.]

Really?

[Yes. I’ll keep all three of them tied to this place, so there won’t be any trouble for Big Tree Village. Please let Gucci-sama and the others know.]

O-okay.

-0-

After returning to Big Tree Village, I went to inform someone since Gucci isn’t always around. Stifano was busy dealing with Kukulkan, so I passed the message to Bulga, who was free at the moment.

Bulga made a deeply displeased face.

[Kati, Rudio, and even Sharune…]

Are they a problem?

[Not exactly… Though it may sound strange coming from me, powerful devils tend to be very eccentric.]

Eccentric, huh.

I haven’t really noticed that with Gucci, Bulga, or Stifano though.

[Thank you. As long as Prada is keeping an eye on them, there shouldn’t be any issues. If something does happen, Stifano and I will step in.]

I-I see.

That’s reassuring.

Still, it’d be best if nothing happens.

[Indeed. Ah, since those three are Prada’s comrades, they might calm down if you give them something that interests them.]

Something they’re interested in?

Right. Prada likes art pieces.

What about the three?

[Kati likes things you can put things in. Bags, boxes, that sort of thing.]

I see.

[But it must have a lid. She has no interest in things like vases or cups.]

How about something like a sealed barrel?

[That would catch her interest. Just make sure it’s empty. She has no concern for the contents. An empty barrel should do just fine.]

H-huh.

[Rudio is into anything that makes sound. Instruments like pianos, flutes, xylophones, and also people who are good at singing or playing music. However, you should avoid listening to his own singing or playing. It’ll destroy your ears.]

O-oh.

[And yet, he’s desperate to sing and wants people to listen.]

T-That’s terrifying.

[Don’t worry. Just give him the music magic tool we installed at the Patisserie Fairy Fairy. He’ll probably listen to it forever.]

I-I’ll keep that in mind.

[Sharune is into things with writing on them. Books or letters, for instance. But they must be in a language with at least 22 characters, and the content must have at least 22 meaningful words. Otherwise, she won’t care.]

………………

[But even then, she doesn’t read them. She just collects. No organization either, she just crumples them into her pockets. So handing over used notes or scraps makes her really happy.]

R-Right…

[To help you remember what each of them likes, it’s easiest to go by their aliases.]

Aliases?

Oh, like how Prada’s called “the devil who collects artwork.”

[Exactly. Kati is “the devil who locks up dreams”. Rudio is “the devil who plays death”. Sharune is “the devil who severs bonds”.]

Ah… I kind of get it, but that actually makes it harder to remember.

Also, those names sound a bit too ominous.

[Don’t worry. Prada can keep them in line. And they’re still bound by their pact with the dragons.]

That’s true.

[Still, don’t let your guard down. They might cause trouble without intending any harm.]

R-Right…

So, based on the advice, I went ahead and sent Kati an empty barrel, gave Rudio a self-playing magic instrument, and handed Sharune a stack of used memos.

I’ll leave the museum in your hands, Prada, do your best.

-0-

Later on.

I told Gucci, who had come to Big Tree Village, the same things, and his reaction was… about what I expected.

[If those three start causing trouble, just let me know. I can handle them one-on-one.]

No, no, they haven’t done anything.

I’ve got no plans to get rid of them.

[Understood. Still… Prada, huh. Didn’t think she had ties to those three.]

Did something happen between you and them?

[They’ve given me my share of headaches, more than once… By the way, Village Chief.]

Yeah?

[Ever thought about becoming King of the World?]

Absolutely not.

[……I see. Fufufu. Well then, I’ll be counting on you as always.]

With that, Gucci gave me a bow and headed over to Doraim, who was happily enjoying radish dishes and sake.

……

King of the World, huh?

I took it literally and shot it down, but why bring that up out of nowhere?

……Come to think of it, Alfred wrote something similar in his last letter.

Become King of the World, guide the foolish, and bring change, or something along those lines.

At the time, I was seriously worried something had happened to Alfred, but…

[The ‘world’ he mentions just means the people within his reach. And ‘foolish’ doesn’t mean he looks down on anyone, it’s just his way of referring to people he struggles to communicate with. If he did mean to look down on someone, he’d go with something like ‘superior beings’ instead.]

Loo explained it all to me, and I realized that Alfred’s letter was basically saying, “I want to talk things through with those close to me and deepen our understanding.”

That was a relief.

When he was still at the academy, his letters were a lot more straightforward…

And based on that logic, Gucci’s King of the World question was really asking,

“Do you want to get closer to them, those three?”

Ah!

So that’s what he meant.

Wait…

My answer probably sounded like I don’t want to get close to them.

That’s not what I meant!

Agh… What should I do?

Gucci seemed pleased with that response, though.

Maybe he doesn’t get along with those three either…

……

Those three may be Prada’s friends, but Gucci has known me a lot longer.

So let’s just… leave it be for now and see how things go.

Yeah.

As long as Gucci doesn’t go to them and say, “Village Chief wants nothing to do with you”, it shouldn’t become a problem.

And he’s not the kind of guy who’d do that.

If something does go wrong because of what I said, I’ll just own up to it and apologize.