Lil was hard at work thinking about the contents of the board the divine beasts would use. From the side, Kohaku and Marron peeked in and offered advice.

“Pictures are good, but I think it would help to use colors too. Like painting the edges of the board in different colors to separate the categories.”

“Can divine beasts even distinguish colors?”

Most animals can’t distinguish colors—or so Michiru said.

“Well, they’re divine beasts, so they’re different from ordinary animals.”

Lil was surprised. Even though they had been together for so long, there were still things she didn’t know.

The first board she made for the divine beasts was a Yes and No board. It would let the divine beasts answer questions from humans. Red for yes, blue for no.

Next was a board to signal danger. This one was tricky. There are so many types of monsters, including mutated ones. Just saying a dangerous monster appeared wouldn’t be enough—it could cause problems for the humans.

While she was groaning and thinking it over, Ria brought over what she said was the most detailed monster encyclopedia. It had drawings of the monsters and was easy to read. The idea was to alert danger with the board, then point to the type in the encyclopedia. That seemed like the most efficient method.

Next came the numbers board, with circles to represent numbers from one to ten. It had already been confirmed that all the divine beasts could count.

She also made a board to convey emergencies other than monsters—things like injuries, illnesses, or spotting a poacher. That one would be useful too.

Finally, she created a board for everyday communication: “I’m hungry,” or “Let’s play together,” and so on.

Even though she tried to narrow it down, it ended up being a little too much. But both the Saints and the divine beasts were smart, so it would probably work out.

Lil tried teaching the divine beasts at the base how to use the boards as a test.

She explained the meanings one by one and asked various questions. The Yes and No board was quickly learned by everyone.

“Hey, what do we do when the answer is neither yes nor no?”

Kohaku asked, so she made a “neither” board too. That one was yellow.

To cover various situations, she had Justin try it out as well.

“Okay, so what do you do when three mutated monsters appear in the forest?”

The divine beasts thought hard and brought over the appropriate boards.

With this small amount, even the little ones seemed able to learn it quickly, which was a relief.

Maynard, who happened to see the scene, said that paper would wear out too fast and remade the boards using lightweight wood. He even tied strings to them so the divine beasts could carry them easily in their mouths. By placing them at the entrance to the base, communication could happen anytime.

Lil was about to bring the finished boards to Ian, but Ria stopped her.

“Wait, we’ll need someone to explain the boards to the divine beasts at each base, right? Let’s ask the hawks for now.”

Lil blew her whistle—one the hawks had given her for calling them.

When she and the others explained the situation to the hawks, they quickly memorized the contents of the boards. Hawks are very intelligent.

When they asked for divine beasts who wanted to learn detailed writing, the hawks immediately volunteered. Worried they wouldn’t be able to write with their feet or wings, Lil was amazed when they deftly wrote on the ground with the tips of their beaks. If the highly mobile hawks could learn writing, that would be a great advantage. Some bears also managed to write by holding sticks. A lesson with the hawks and bears was scheduled for a later date.

When Lil told Ian about the boards, he immediately contacted Livian. The reply came back requesting that starting tomorrow, the hawks travel to each base and teach the divine beasts how to use the boards. The hawks were eagerly preparing for their important mission.

It seemed the hawks had become quite friendly with the Knight Commanders at each base. That made sense—they had been traveling back and forth frequently for over a year.

Ria created a manual with explanations of the boards for the Saints.

Ian said he was glad the boards were finished before the envoy from the Kingdom of Ex came for inspection. The envoy would surely be pleased. It seems the Kingdom of Ex hopes to follow the Kingdom of Wils’ example and build a harmonious relationship with the divine beasts. If that’s the case, Lil wouldn’t hesitate to help.

And surprisingly, someone in the Kingdom of Ex was found to have the “interpreter” skill. She would accompany the inspection and learn about working with the divine beasts.

Lil kind of wanted to meet another “interpreter.” But she and Ria still couldn’t reveal their faces—some people might still remember the Saint of the Kingdom of Reiz.

Lil felt a little sad that she wouldn’t be able to meet her.