Lil woke up much earlier than usual that day. She somewhat forcefully woke up Kohaku, who was still asleep, and headed outside.

There, she found Maynard already awake and in the garden.

Maynard was staring intently at a blueprint while marking the ground with a stick.

“Good morning, Maynard!”

“Good morning, Lil. You’re up quite early.”

Lil was so excited that her entire body expressed it.

Maynard easily caught Lil as she tackled him and laughed.

“I’ll make sure this obstacle course is really fun, so leave it to me.”

Until Gloria woke up, Lil helped Maynard with his work.

Partway through, rabbits arrived and began helping mark the ground. Since they were good at digging, they made small holes at the marked spots to make them more visible.

Next, the tanuki came, lamenting that the rabbits had beaten them to it. Tanuki were always so expressive, and Lil found it amusing.

Then, unexpectedly, three bears arrived. It seemed they had come to help with the heavy lifting, knowing that humans weren’t strong enough to handle the lumber easily. Lil was grateful for the kind bears.

Just as they finished marking the ground, Gloria rushed over.

“I’m so sorry! Am I late?”

Maynard and Lil laughed, explaining that they had simply woken up too early. Gloria looked relieved.

“Well then, where should we start? My magic is fully charged, so don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I’d like you to embed the pillars in the marked spots. There are quite a few, but can I count on you?”

Using magic, Gloria dug holes at the marked spots. Maynard then placed the wooden pillars inside, and Gloria packed the soil firmly around them with magic.

Lil clapped her hands joyfully.

Seeing this, the bears started imitating them and setting up the pillars. Apparently, bears were good at earth magic. Maynard showed them where to place the remaining pillars, while Lil acted as the interpreter.

Just as the final pillar was about to be set, Gloria spoke up.

“Since we have the chance, why don’t you try too, Lil?”

It was time for Lil the magician to take the stage. She eagerly nodded and imagined a hole forming in the ground. She transferred her magic to the spirits, remembering to keep the output low and controlled. A neat hole appeared in the earth.

“Well done! That was a perfect score.”

The divine beasts watching nearby cheered in praise. At some point, their numbers had increased.

“Next, let’s try firming the soil. Do you think you can do it?”

At Gloria’s instruction, Lil nodded. She imagined the soil solidifying, and it hardened, supporting the pillar.

“Lil, you learn so fast! Excellent job.”

Gloria applauded, filling Lil with pride. Being praised by her mentor felt especially rewarding.

Lil helped set the remaining pillars.

Curious, she tried lifting one of the wooden pillars but found it far too heavy.

“Lil? What are you doing?”

“It’s too heavy to lift. But Maynard carries them so easily…”

Maynard laughed.

“Well, of course! I have the ‘Super Strength’ skill! Even the Knight Commander probably couldn’t lift these.”

This revelation shocked Lil. Maynard was rather slender for a knight, but now it all made sense—his skill was the reason.

“I wonder who’s stronger, you or the bears…”

She mumbled quietly, but they heard her.

One of the bears eagerly challenged Maynard to a contest of strength. Maynard, realizing he had been provoked, took up the challenge. They gripped each other’s hands and pushed. The match was evenly matched at first, and everyone cheered them on.

Sweating, Maynard went for a final push, letting out a battle cry. The bear growled and tried to resist, but it was no use. Maynard won.

He extended a hand to the fallen bear, who firmly grasped it. At that moment, a true bond of friendship formed between them. The surrounding spectators erupted in cheers.

Soon after, the breakfast bell rang, and they headed to eat. The bears went to rest by the water.

At the breakfast table, Lil was asked about the cheering earlier. She explained that Maynard had won against a bear.

The knights stared at Maynard with expressions that said, Why were you competing with a divine beast? But Lil didn’t notice.

In the end, a friendship had been formed, so all was well.

——————————-

After breakfast, they resumed work.

Maynard placed wooden planks across the pillars and nailed them down, creating pathways in the air. Since divine beasts couldn’t use hammers, the knights who were about to go on patrol helped as well.

Lil was forbidden from climbing yet, so she contented herself with fluffing the divine beasts while watching.

Observing closely, she noticed that the aerial obstacle course was built in a way that didn’t block sunlight. Because of this, the leopards and tigers were happily sunbathing.

Once the paths were complete, the knights left for patrol, leaving Maynard and Gloria behind.

Next, they installed obstacles—hurdles on straight paths and sloped sections. Gloria carved the wood according to the blueprint, while the bears helped position the pieces. Kohaku, seeing the structure take shape, grew excited.

By early afternoon, the obstacle course was complete.

Kohaku eagerly enjoyed the aerial course. Since divine beasts were sturdy, even if they fell, the height wasn’t an issue.

“Well then, next is one for the little ones.”

Maynard had apparently planned to make a smaller version as well.

He started constructing another obstacle course in front of the aerial one. Additionally, he made a swinging basket attached to ropes like a swing, as well as a smooth stone slide. The divine beasts were delighted. When Lil asked which they liked best, the swing was overwhelmingly popular, so they quickly built more.

Before long, a leopard approached.

‘I want one of those swinging things too. Could you make a big one for me? And put it somewhere sunny.’

Lil relayed the request to Maynard. He measured the leopard’s size and said it would have to be custom-made, so she’d need to wait a few days.

The leopard happily returned to the forest, as carefree as ever.

———————————————

When the knights returned from patrol, they were speechless.

It wasn’t just for Kohaku—an enormous obstacle course had been built for the divine beasts as well. There was no way all of this had been done in just one day.

Gloria had used up all her magic and had even borrowed some from Lil. As a result, both were completely exhausted.

Ian realized too late that letting Maynard do as he pleased had been a mistake.

Meanwhile, the divine beasts were having the time of their lives on the obstacle course…