The shock that the grilled eel gave the kappa was more than they expected.
　The children's outrageous expressions of joy caused the larger kappa to wince, but they froze in place.
　A few seconds later, the adult kappa regained their senses and swarmed to my feet, shouting "Kupapa" in unison.

　Plenty of fat.
　The seasoning is simple.
　I was near the limit of my hunger.
　It's a wonder I'm not going crazy.

　One by one, the kappa clung to my legs and wrestled me to the ground, throwing not freshly cooked eel but snake meat into their beaks.
　When they are done, the kappa children rise up.
　After repeating this process several times, the story finally comes to an end.

　During the process, I tasted the meat of the giant water snake several times, and noticed that I didn't mind the small bones as much as I thought I would.
　Because the body of the snake is so big, it is not the size of a small bone.

　Other than that, I realized the importance of skewers.
　If you cut it into thin slices, you can cook it nicely, but the skin will gradually warp and you will get uneven cooking.

　After that, salt alone is more than enough.
　The meat itself has a strong flavor, which helped me this time.
　However, my belief that kabayaki is only as good as the sauce is unshakeable.

　After the meat had been distributed, I made a huge fried egg using the eggs of the fire-bellied chicken, which was also very popular and there was a fight over it.
　After about an hour of this, all the kappa were lying on their backs with their stomachs swollen and unable to move.
　The same goes for Yoru, Kuu and Tinya.

"I wonder...
"Yuck.
"I ate too much.
"Baboon!
Ghee-hee-hee!

　Gobbledygook and Yoo were laughing at the scene, but we were in a similar state.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one. ...... What's wrong, my dear?
No, I'm relieved to see that Paula is as usual.

　Perhaps it is the constancy of her figure that makes her a beauty after all.

　After finishing our meal, we took a break to discuss the upcoming event with the kappa. 　
　Apparently, the mustachioed father kappa was the representative of the troop, and the elder brother kappa joined him, communicating with gestures.

　According to the two kappa, the giant water snake basically does not come up this far upstream.
　No wonder it was rampaging in such shallow water.

　Since the reason for the sudden attack is unknown, there is no guarantee that a second snake will not come.
　So for the time being, we decided to stay around this flat rock and see what happens.
　Food is scarce, but we are going to take care of it for a while.

　When we have a little more manpower, we can build a residential area here where kappa can live.
　Also, I heard that there was a house for kappa further downstream from that sandbar.
　I'd like to go scout there soon.

　I also suggested to the kappa that they move to another layer, which was also well received.


　The taste of the first hot meal and Kacchan's exaggerated hand gestures seemed to be the deciding factors.
　As a result, he decided to take the four people who seemed to be the father and son of the kappa back to the fifth floor for the first time today.

Nya, see you tomorrow!
Farewell!
"Bye!

　We said goodbye to the kappa, who were all lined up waving at us, and headed for the ground.
　The kappa and his son were so impressed with the bath on the eleventh floor that they insisted on living here, and many other things happened, but the day ended without incident.

　By the time we reached the village, the sun had already set.
　These days, the village has bat-skin curtains hanging from the windows, so the only light is from the stars above and the eerie moon, which I don't want to see.
　Due to the widespread use of white light stones, there used to be a lot of light leaking into the room even at night, but Noemi, the captain of the guard, suggested that we install curtains.
　Thanks to this, the village seems to have returned to being a desolate, cold village.

　As I entered the village square, feeling a little sentimental, Tinya, who was ahead of me, came back with a panicked look on her face.

I don't know what's going on, but there's a carriage parked here!　It looks suspicious!

　As I hurriedly made my way to the tavern, I saw that, just as the girl with the cat ears had said, there was a very large carriage alongside.
　And there were two of them.

　Gently peeking through the window, I saw several strangers sitting at a table in the back.
　A curious Ute noticed us and beckoned to us.
　It's a signal for us to hurry up and get in, so they don't seem to be dangerous.

　As we pushed open the door, a woman in a maid's uniform spoke to us as if she had been waiting for us.

"Excuse me, but are you the representative of this village?
Yes, probably .......

　I glanced over to see that the village head was having dinner with his wife at a different table.
　He seems to have decided to leave it all to me.

　I sighed inwardly in affirmation, and the maid nodded as if relieved, then turned her hand toward the back of the tavern.
　Then she smiled and told us.

"I've been waiting for you. Your daughter is waiting for you. This way, please.