Recently, Lil’s job has included raking fallen leaves. The weather has suddenly turned colder, and winter is just around the corner. Since the base is built on a vast piece of land, clearing the leaves is quite a task. Every day, piles of leaves accumulate.

As Lil was gathering the leaves with a broom, Hayden arrived carrying some sweet potatoes. This had also become a recent routine.

Lil thought that roasted sweet potatoes made with the leaves she had gathered with such effort tasted especially delicious.

As they roasted the sweet potatoes, the divine beasts gathered around. It was cold, and they all wanted to warm themselves by the fire. Seeing how cold it already was, Lil thought it might be a good idea to prepare something for the divine beasts to keep them warm in the winter.

What would be best? A kotatsu? A panel heater? Lil searched through Michiru’s Memory for a good idea. Floor heating—this might work. It would also reduce the hassle of shoveling snow, killing two birds with one stone.

Could such a magic tool be made? Lil decided to ask Maynard about it later.

“Alright, they’re done! Let’s eat.”

The roasted sweet potatoes gave off an incredibly appetizing aroma. Lil split one in half and shared it with the divine beasts. The fox, in particular, loved roasted sweet potatoes.

Hayden also mashed up some extra sweet potatoes for the divine beasts. Lately, it seemed that the divine beasts had come to recognize Hayden as someone who gave them delicious treats, and even when he had nothing, they would still nuzzle up to him. He was delighted.

The sweet potatoes had been steamed before roasting to ensure they were thoroughly cooked, making them soft and fluffy on the inside.

Lil gave the best part to Marron, who couldn’t eat much, while Kohaku devoured a whole one.

It had been about two months since Lil started living at the base. She had completely adapted to life here. Lately, she had been eating more and felt like she had grown a bit. She was very happy.

Back inside the base, Lil went to find Maynard to discuss a warm spot for the divine beasts.

She found Maynard drinking tea in the dining hall.

When she brought up the idea, Maynard told her about a heating magic tool that could be embedded in the ground. Apparently, it was commonly used in noble estates’ gardens.

The two of them went to consult Ian.

Ian explained that this base served as a model for fostering friendship with divine beasts. That meant they would likely get approval for most things. Lil was thrilled. If other bases could also build good relationships between divine beasts and the Holy Knights, that would be wonderful.

It would take at least three days for the magic tool to arrive. Lil was surprised it would arrive that fast. She wondered how the logistics in this world even worked.

After the knights went on their patrol, Lil explained to everyone in the garden that a warm magic tool was coming. Everyone seemed happy. Since it would be lonely if they couldn’t meet in winter, Lil decided to keep making the base more comfortable.

Maynard, who was on watch duty that day, came running over to Lil. Apparently, they were going to install a roof over the area where the floor heating would be placed. Lil decided to help with magic.

“Do your best!”

The divine beasts cheered Lil on as she cut the wood. There was quite a lot of it. The roof was going to have a steep incline so that the snow would slide off on its own. Lil thought it was a strange-looking roof.

She embedded the cut wood into the ground like before to create pillars. Then, they attached planks to build the roof. Lil watched anxiously as Maynard worked on top of the steeply slanted roof. By the time the knights returned, the roof over the warm spot was finished.

Ian, upon seeing it, held his head in his hands. Another large structure had been added. Since the divine beasts were happy, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he really wished they would at least ask for permission first.

Maynard likely assumed that when they had discussed floor heating, everything related to it had already been approved.

Lately, Ian had started to wonder why Maynard had even become a knight in the first place.

That night at dinner, Lil was starving after using so much magic. Seeing Lil eat even more than usual, everyone felt relieved.

The seasons had begun to change since Lil arrived. Though it felt like she had been here for a long time, it had only been about two months. So much had happened in that short time.

The base had changed so much with Lil at its center that it was hard to remember what it was like before she arrived.

Winter was coming soon. Once the snow covered the forest and made travel difficult, they would be able to spend even more time with Lil.

Ian was looking forward to it.